A/N: Hello! Thanks for clicking on my story! Just a quick reminder before you get started. I want to let you know, with confidence, that this story starts off pretty slow. That is to get out all the essential information first. I want to warn you beforehand so that you, as a reader, know and understand that it won't always be like this, and maybe give it a chance. In fact, I perceive this to be probably one of the most in-depth, realistic, and emotional fanfics you may ever read. It takes a few chapters before it gets more interesting, but trust me when I say you should give it a shot! Additionally, the beginning doesn't have many cuss words, but later in, there's quite a few inappropriate topics and terms, so, if you're a younger reader, I hope you're okay with that. There is NO smut or scenes that surpass the PG-14 mark.
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September 18th
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"Are you sure I can't stay with you? It's just a few months. I promise I'll be in and out before you know it."
"Marinette-" A sudden crash sounded in the background. The sounds of laughter were heard soon afterward.
Alya's distant voice called out to the noise, "Ella! Etta! Get down from there!"
More girlish screams followed Alya's command, and she sighed loudly into the phone. It was apparent that Alya's troublemaking siblings were causing problems again.
"You're going to break something!" She hollered again.
Marinette patiently waited, brushing her bangs out of her face and tapping her foot anxiously.
"Girl, my parents just won't let you. We already have enough commotion in this household as it is. I've asked them. I'll try again later when they're in better moods, but you know how they are, especially my mom. You know if I could have you over, I would, but I just can't-" Alya's voice abruptly cut off as she yelled even louder.
"GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!"
Her vocals began to shake as Marinette realized her best friend had started running after her troublesome siblings. The dark-haired girl quietly chuckled to herself and waited a few more seconds until things calmed down.
"Hey, Mari... Let me- call you back! We can talk more about this later. I'm babysitting my sisters, and they aren't listening to me."
"It's okay, Alya. I understand, trust me." Her thoughts drifted to Manon, who could be much like Alya's sisters at times.
"Try to find someone else to stay with if you can. I'll talk to you tomorrow. It's getting late."
The yells were still reverberating on the other line. "Okay. See you at school?"
"Hopefully," Marinette said with a tiny voice.
"I better. Okay, bye. Love you- Nora!? IS THAT YOU?! IT BETTER BE YOU I SWEAR TO F-"
The call hung up abruptly, and Marinette cast the phone onto her chair, sharply sighing.
A few nights ago, her parents told her that they were planning to attend a baking competition. They said that it was a massive opportunity for their small but marvelous business and that it meant moving out of Paris for a little while.
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Flashback
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"Marinette, we understand that you love it here, but this is a huge opportunity for our family name! We need to embrace this chance!" Marinette's father, Tom, spoke with a happy grin, covered in flour. Both her mom and dad were already preparing to leave in a few weeks for the contest. It was quite the shame that she hadn't noticed their sudden change in attitude beforehand.
"Yes! If we win, it could mean the Dupain-Cheng family name could be the start of a chain of bakeries all over the world! It's such an exciting thought! Plus, we could star on TV!" Her mother, Sabine, faced her husband with a smile of delight and a clap of her hands. The happier she saw her parents, the more nervous and guilty Marinette became.
"What!?" Marinette covered her mouth in shock. "But..."
"Isn't that great, Marinette?" Her dad asked, looking at her.
"This is a family-owned bakery. It's for the family- not for the world!" Marinette tried to think of a reasonable negotiation before arguing with her parents more, but there was no easy way. She took a deep breath and rested her hands on the counter in front of her, calmly.
"My point is, you shouldn't just expect me to drop everything and move to America. I'm 16 now. I've only got two more years left of high school, and then I'm going to university here in PARIS. This city is my home, and leaving now could be a huge setback."
At this point, Marinette was just spouting random words. The thoughts that raced through her head at that moment were almost too much to endure. There was no way that she was going to move to America! Especially now! Not to mention- what would Chat Noir do without her? She was, in fact, a superhero. There was no other word for it.
She had her duty to France, the people of Paris, and her partner. Of course, Marinette couldn't tell her parents that. She knew if she did, her parents would most likely understand, but one of her duties was keeping her identity secret. It could put them in danger if they were to find out.
Her father approached her and placed his hand on her back, while her mom reached out to hold her daughter's hand as if doing so would help her take the news lighter.
Sabine spoke with a kind voice. "I understand you're upset. It's a big change, and I know that if I were your age, it would be hard to hear as well. But it's temporary. We can promise you that we'll move back before senior year starts. Just think of it as a mini-vacation."
Marinette's expression didn't change, and she remained frustrated. Tom spoke again at the sight of his stressed daughter.
"That way, you'll get to visit America, learn new things, be back for senior year in your home city, and go to university to fulfill your dreams."
Marinette knew her parents would keep that promise, but Paris couldn't wait that long. She couldn't just drop her things and leave. Not that she doubted Chat Noir couldn't handle it himself, as she was sure Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Carapace would help if needed, but they couldn't cleanse the akumas as she could. She'd have to give up her miraculous, and that was not something she wanted to do- not even for a day. Not to mention, that this year, being a junior in high school, was a tremendous opportunity for her. Some of her favorite legendary fashion inspirations were going to be looking for interns and new talent, famous designers including Gabriel Agreste.
"Papa, you should already know about the internships. I have to be home for that! I can't be an intern if I'm not here in Paris."
"There are opportunities and internships in California as well. You've never been out of Paris, don't you want to travel somewhere? You might like being somewhere new."
"Yes, of course! But there's so much still left to do here! I can't leave! I just can't! Mom, Dad, please don't make me leave!" The teenager was practically begging on her knees. But what else was she supposed to do? They weren't listening, and she couldn't go against her parents' wishes. She could, but what would that mean for her? Would she need to run away? Live on a roof and steal cookies to keep Tikki alive?
She was acting dramatic now. But it felt like there was no other choice. She looked at her parents with pure sadness.
Her two concerned parents exchanged glances before nodding their heads in silent agreement, her father seeming to be reluctant. Sabine decided to speak for them both, her tone more severe than usual.
"Say we were to let you stay here. Somehow. Are you sure you'd be able to handle everything on your own? We'd have to close the bakery down unless you wanted to try running things while we're gone."
Marinette barely thought about it. She didn't want her parents to at all think she was doubting staying in Paris without them.
"That sounds like a good idea. Maybe on the weekends I can bake some croissants and sell them at the park. My friends could probably help me! That way, I could... I could keep our regulars happy, so they don't miss us while you're gone. You know? Like the responsible person I am." The girl stood up tall, making her mother smirk a little.
She continued to smile at them with gratitude, leaning forward on her toes. Awkwardly, she spoke once more, her father playing with the dough he'd picked up from the counter.
"Not that I wouldn't miss you, of course."
Her dad sighed and put up a finger to show him and her mother needed a moment. Her parents turned around and conversed for a minute, whispering amongst each other like kids on the playground. Marinette stood there blankly.
When they finished, they turned about with stern looks on their faces causing her to put a serious look on as well.
"You can't stay in the bakery by yourself." Her father spoke in a severe tone. This caused Marinette to tense almost immediately, not liking where it was going. She parted her lips to object but was prevented by what came next.
"But if you were to find a place to stay, I think we could make an arrangement." Her mom followed up, patting Tom on the arm and grinning up at him. He appeared nervous and uncertain, but it was understandable. It wasn't an easy task, and as soon as she heard her parents' plan, Marinette felt grateful that they have always tried to do what's best for her. Even if it meant compromising on things they didn't always agree on.
Marinette smiled wide. "Yes! Thank you! I'll find a place to stay."
Tom was quick to warn his daughter. "Okay, but know that if you don't find a place to stay in the next few days, I'm afraid you'll have no choice then to come with us... because you can't stay here on your own."
Sabine nodded in agreement but still motivated her daughter to try just as hard with a thumbs up and smile.
"And remember, we need to meet them and their parents about it before any decisions are made. There will be conditions."
Marinette's heart threatened to sink, but she kept her hopes afloat to the best of her ability. She confidently nodded her head once and took off, back into her room, instantly pulling out her phone to text her best friend the news with both relief and worry.
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End Flashback
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An hour after talking to Alya for the 4th time this week, Marinette moped in an attempt to focus on her next design. But it was no use. The consistent stress she was under caused her to give up. She threw her pencil down and put her head in her hands. She couldn't just keep waiting for information back from any family in the area. She had to try finding a friend instead. It was her job to figure it out, so her designing project had to wait.
Tikki, her kwami, had been helpful to Marinette all week. She flew over to her and cheerfully hugged her cheek.
"Don't be upset, Marinette. You'll figure it out."
The idea of Marinette leaving Paris left Tikki bewildered as well. She's immediately told her owner that moving really wasn't an option if she wanted to keep her miraculous. Marinette was meant to protect Paris, not Los Angeles. If Marinette had to go, there was either no more Ladybug, or a new one had to be chosen, something she was already aware of. Both the girl and her kwami agreed that they needed to do everything they could to prevent either of those things from happening.
The frustrated girl flashed a smile at her hopeful kwami, "I know I can. I just... feel like I've been running out of options lately."
She really was. After texting Alya three nights ago, the two girls made plans to convince her parents, but after several nights of unsuccessful attempts, both of them had to give it up. But because she was so focused on staying with Alya, she didn't share the news with anyone else or look into staying at another friend's place. She was running out of time.
"Well... let's review!"
Tikki flew into one of the desk drawers and brought out a sticky note. Compared to her tiny little hands, the piece of paper was much bigger and harder to carry. She stuck it on Marinette's desk, grabbed a red marker out of the cup holder, and attempted to take the cap off. Except, her little nubs couldn't quite get a grip. She opened her mouth wide and began biting on the marker, causing Marinette to giggle. The girl took it from her kwami and popped the cap off, getting ready to write.
"So first, let's put all the names down of people you wouldn't mind staying with- ones who you haven't asked yet."
The red kwami took a seat on top of Marinette's keyboard, scrunching her face up to get a clear view of what she was writing.
As she wrote, Marinette spoke each name out loud to her kwami.
"Alya."
She wrote her best friend's name neatly at the top before crossing it off quickly in defeat. It had been a reflex to write Alya's name when thinking about close friends. Tikki beckoned her to continue going down the list her owner had made up in her head.
"Mylene, Alix, Juleka."
The names came off her tongue with more hope than they had once before. Her pen moved across the paper quickly.
"Rose. Possibly Nino?"
A sudden voice interrupted her spoken thoughts, one that did not belong to Tikki.
"Talking to yourself?"
Marinette spun quickly around in her chair, nearly falling with the sudden motion. Alya stood at the top of the stairs with a huge smile plastered on her face. Tikki quickly hid underneath her owner's pink desk. It was evident that Alya was much like her alter-ego since she was able to open the hatch quiet enough for Marinette, nor Tikki, to notice.
"ALYA!" Marinette ran and embraced her, shoving her face into her friends auburn locks. They'd just seen each other that day, but it already felt like too long. Especially when Marinette had such an event going on.
"Damn, girl! Slow down! You knocked the wind right outta me!"
The two best friends hugged for a moment longer before sitting together on Marinette's polka dot chaise.
"You're parents let me in." She explained, even though Marinette didn't care or wonder how her best friend got into the house. "This time, I was able to get up here without drooling over the smell of the pastries. Trying to save money."
"Got it. I thought you were babysitting?" Marinette directed with a giggle.
"I was, but Nora finally took over this time, so I could visit my best friend before she ends up in Los Angeles."
"I am NOT moving away!" Marinette snapped with a squeaky voice. Alya put her hands up in defense and chuckled.
"Woah. Relax! I was kidding. We'll figure something out!"
Marinette let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"So, whatcha got there?" The redhead pointed to the sticky note in Marinette's hand, who was surprised she'd grabbed it.
"I was making a list of some friends I wouldn't mind staying with."
"And please tell me you weren't actually gonna put Nino on that list?"
Marinette looked up and made eye contact with her best friend, confused.
"I heard you say his name out loud when I got up here." Alya clarified.
"Why does that make you upset?" She asked. "Nino's a good friend of mine- almost like a brother to me. We used to go to his house all the time and even babysit his brother."
Alya turned away from Marinette and crossed her arms in a dramatic demeanor.
"Uh, because he's my boyfriend. And my best friend living with him... sleeping in the same house... just seems pretty weird to me." She singsonged with a shrug.
"Ah, so I see you are the jealous type, eh?" Marinette teased. "You know he likes you, don't you? I don't know why you get like this."
"Knock it off, Marinette! You know what I mean!" A blush spread across her friend's cheeks as she quickly tried to brush off Marinette's sly comment. "Plus, he used to have a crush on you. It just makes me nervous."
Marinette giggled before returning her attention to the blue sticky note.
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A/N: Hey, sweets! Thank you so much for reading the first chapter. I can't wait to get into the good parts of this book! I have so much planned! I appreciate all votes, comments, and shares!
Song Choice: Home by Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors, and Bebe Rexha.
I have chosen this song to represent Marinette's feelings about staying in her home city.
Word Count: 2902
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