Poussin Paon - MLB
For once, Marinette was not late. It was the first day of the new school year. Three alarms and her Mother had managed to get her up in time to have breakfast and not have to run the short way to school.
It was such a little thing. But as they say, the flap of a butterfly's wings can change the course of history…
Just as Marinette slipped inside the school building, an old man was preparing to conduct a "test" to find a child worthy of carrying a miraculous. But instead of a kind-hearted designer he found someone else instead...
When the Stoneheart incident occurred, Marinette was terrified. Not necessarily because of the purple butterfly that had turned a classmate into a vengeful golem - though that was a bit scary too - but more because of the self-proclaimed heroes that had saved Ivan… and turned the Trocadéro into a ruin in the process - without any help from Stoneheart to that end! Poor Ivan was quite wrecked about the whole affair, though he could not recall anything after his transformation.
With a sigh Marinette switched from an internet news site to music and turned back to her designing. She wanted to have some more new pieces to present at her internship when it began, the day after tomorrow.
Between Ivan being turned into a Golem once more (and half of Paris with him) - though it was good to know that one of the so-called heroes' powers included a magical reset for property damage and serious injuries - and her new internship at only the greatest fashion label in Paris, Marinette had little time to think about the new students or Chloe being Chloe. And so she didn't take notice of a certain blond model, didn't develop a crush of debilitating measures…
Being an intern at Gabriel at only 15 was already a dream come true for Marinette. Finding Gabriel Agreste himself liked her designs and wanted to personally apprentice and tutor her was a fairytale. Especially considering how reclusive the designer had become since his wife had gone missing. That wasn't to say he had been a spotlight chaser before - quite the contrary, Gabriel Agreste had always been insanely private and more than a little camera-shy - but it had gone from avoiding the spotlight to not leaving the house even for work, something made possible only because of technology like webcams and videoconferencing. Understandably, Marinette jumped at the opportunity to learn from her great idol.
But working together closely leads to getting to know people, especially when one is as perceptive as Marinette. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when she figured out within days that her boss was also the person behind the dark butterflies. But Marinette wasn't just observant, she was also kind of heart. Hearing the story about the miraculous and what had really happened with Émilie Agreste touched that kind heart and made her want to help. Gabriel was hesitant but eventually told her of the wounded peacock miraculous. If she truly wanted to help, she could, but the broken miraculous would extract a toll from her body, every time she'd use it. And that therefore she was to use it only if it was absolutely necessary and to get word to him as soon as her health began deteriorating.
So Marinette did not become the superhero known as Ladybug, instead Paris would soon get to know the charming - if a lot less hero-esque Poussin Paon.
Gabriel wasn't quite sure why he had told his little apprentice about Émilie and the miraculous. He was even less sure why he had given her the peacock. He knew full well how despicable it was to get children involved in this. In his defense he might say he didn't start it, the Guardian did (which showed it was high time they retire! Choosing children to fight what he had to assume was a genuine supervillain, really!) but the bitter taste remained. So why had he done it? Maybe it was because she reminded him a bit of himself. There had been, rather early on, one afternoon when they had worked side by side on their projects until two-fold beeping ripped them from their creative flows. It had been rather amusing to see that the girl apparently like him needed to set an alarm to maintain a regular eating schedule when in a creative flow. Émilie had found it terribly funny, that he would forget eating and sleeping when working on a project, and taken to dropping by regularly to remind him to take care of basic human needs. Yes, maybe it was how much of himself he saw in the girl that made him put enough trust in her to reveal the truth instead of making up some clever lie. The little peachick was easier to be around than Adrien, he had to admit to his great shame. But his son was too much like his mother. Gabriel could hardly look at him without seeing Émilie in his hair or his eyes or his smile. Allowing Adrien to attend public school was both the hardest thing he'd ever done and probably the most parenting he could at the moment manage. It was so much easier to get lost in his work, ignore the world except for when he sensed the opportunity for an Akuma or Nathalie reminded him of appointments and dinner.
And so Chat Noir and Lady Luck found themselves faced with more than they expected when they showed up to battle Monsieur Pigeon. Because before they have the chance to find this particular bird, they come across another one…
"Well hello there, and who might you be, pretty birdie?"
Marinette - garbed in a peacock-blue suit with a coat trailing off into a peacock's train, a fan in her hand - rolled her eyes at Chat Noir's words. This irresponsible kitten had, on more than one occasion, caused entirely avoidable destruction of massive proportions. He was immature and cocky and the red garbed "hero" beside him wasn't much better, a spotlight chaser if there ever was one.
"Let's not busy ourselves with chatting, we're just here for your miraculous. Give them up and we'll be out of your hair in a moment" Marinette told the pair matter-of-factly. "Oh and it's Poussin Paon, not birdie "
Now it was Lady Luck who rolled her eyes. "Doesn't Papillon think his akumas can handle us? He must be really scared of us already right Chat?"
The cat didn't seem like he had heard her, busy staring at Poussin Paon instead.
"Shouldn't we go on a date first before you ask me for a ring, poulet?"
At this moment something seemed to register with Lady Luck.
"Wait, what do you mean we ?"
Poussin Paon smirked.
"She means she has no need of a kitten for a sidekick." The new voice was distinctly male and made the two heroes turn around. Opposite them stood a young man, maybe two or three years their senior - as much as that could be gauged in the suits - who looked distinctly serpentine.
"And here I thought you'd be late, Vi" Poussin Paon called out warmly.
"And leave you alone to deal with the caterwauling? What do you take me for, ma chérie?" The snake turned his attention to the two heroes. "The name's Viperion. Now, if you could just do as my lovely partner asked, we'd like to be on our way"
The ensuing fight ended in a draw, the heroes withdrawing to pursue the pigeons to fight the Akuma when it became obvious that they wouldn't get the upper hand against the other two miraculous users. But Poussin Paon had gained an admirer, much to her and Viperion's annoyance...
Ah but how did Viperion even show up? Funnily enough, it is rather simple.
Marinette might be good at keeping a secret even from her parents (she is a teenager, it's kind of a requirement) she is a lot less good at keeping secrets from her heart song hearing boyfriend best friend. And as soon as she explained it to him, Luka Couffaine was adamant to join her and could not be convinced not to. Thus leading to the appearance of Poussin Paon's partner Viperion.