The Price of Revenge: Looming Threats, miraculous ladybug fanfic

softdust

Characters

Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Luka Couffaine, Emilie Agreste, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Kagami Tsurugi, Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Fathom, Chloé Bourgeois, Lila Rossi, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Gabriel Agreste, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alix Kubdel, Tom Dupain, Rose Lavillant, Lê Chiến Kim, Sabrina Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Ivan Bruel, Félix Fathom, Zoé Lee (Miraculous Ladybug), Max Kanté, Anarka Couffaine, Audrey Bourgeois, André Bourgeois, Lila Rossi's Italian Embassy Mother, Félix Fathom/Lila Rossi

Looming Threats

April 20, 2025 at 07:30 AM

The soft hum of pencils on paper filled the air as the students worked industrious on their sketches in art class. Marinette sat at her desk, her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked on her drawing. Beside her, Lila appeared to be busy with her own piece, her pencil moving across the page.

Curiosity got the better of Marinette when she glanced over at Lila’s work. Her eyes widened slightly it was... terrible. A stick figure level disaster. Marinette couldn’t help but think of the time Lila had proudly claimed to be related to Leonardo da Vinci. Shouldn’t she have inherited at least a shred of artistic talent?

Unable to resist, Marinette leaned over slightly and asked, “Hey, Lila, I thought you said you were related to Leonardo da Vinci? Shouldn’t you be a better artist?”

The room fell silent. Pencils paused midstroke, and a collective gasp rippled through the class. All eyes turned to Lila, who stiffened but quickly composed herself.

“Yes, it’s true,” Lila said with a dramatic sigh, clutching her wrist for effect. “But I can’t draw as well as I used to because of my wrist problem.” She shot Marinette a triumphant look, clearly proud of her improvised excuse.

Marinette’s jaw tightened, her frustration mounting. She had hoped to expose Lila’s lie, but once again, the girl had twisted the situation in her favor. Marinette muttered something under her breath, pushing her chair back abruptly.

“Excuse me, I need some air,” she said sharply, walking out of the classroom before she could say something she might regret.

The teacher frowned, concerned, and signaled to Alya. “Could you go check on her? She seems upset.”

Alya nodded, setting her pencil down. “Of course.” She quickly followed Marinette out the door.

Meanwhile, Adrien glanced up from his drawing, his expression troubled. He watched Marinette leave but didn’t move, choosing instead to keep working on his sketch, though his lines were shakier than before.

Back in the classroom, Lila leaned back in her chair, basking in the attention of her classmates. “It’s such a burden, really,” she said, feigning melancholy. “But I try to push through. I don’t like to let my challenges define me.”

A few students nodded sympathetically, but others exchanged skeptical glances. Marinette’s question had planted a seed of doubt, and though Lila had spun her excuse quickly not everyone was really buying it entirely.

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Marinette leaned against the wall in the hallway, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Why did she let Lila get under her skin like that?

“Hey,” Alya’s voice broke through her thoughts. Marinette looked up to see her best friend approaching, her expression filled with concern. “What happened in there?”

Marinette sighed. “I just... I thought I had her, Alya. She claimed to be related to Leonardo da Vinci, and her drawing was awful! I thought maybe, just this once, people would see through her lies. But of course, she had to come up with some sob story about her wrist.”

Alya placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Look, I get it. Lila’s frustrating, but you can’t let her drag you down. You’re better than that, Marinette.”

Marinette smiled faintly. “Thanks, Alya. I just... I wish people could see the truth.” (she wished ppl in her class werent so dumb)

“They will, eventually,” Alya assured her. “And until then, you’ve got me, girl.”

Marinette nodded, feeling a bit lighter. “Thanks. Let’s head back in before the teacher thinks we ran away.”

The two friends returned to class, determined to focus on their work and ignore Lila’s antics for now.

Class had ended, and as the students filed out of the room, a small crowd gathered around Lila. She was basking in the attention, her voice rising dramatically as she spun yet another tale about her glamorous life. Marinette lingered near her locker, pretending to organize her things, but her ears were tuned to Lila’s words.

“Of course, I’ve had private art tutors since I was a kid,” Lila was saying. “But after my wrist injury, they told me I might never paint again. It’s been such a difficult journey, but I’ve learned to adapt.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “Private tutors? Really?” She didn’t mean to listen, but it was hard not to when Lila was practically shouting her fabricated sob story for the world to hear.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind her, startling her so much she nearly dropped her notebook. “You know, it’s rude to spy on people.”

She spun around to see Adrien standing there, an amused smile on his face.

“I’m not spying,” Marinette said quickly, her cheeks turning pink. “No, really.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. Marinette huffed and turned back to her locker, hoping to shake off the awkwardness.

Before she could say anything else, Adrien spoke again, his tone softer. “Hey, I believe you, by the way.”

Marinette froze, blinking in confusion. “What?”

“About Lila lying,” Adrien clarified, leaning casually against the lockers. “That whole thing about being related to Leonardo da Vinci? I’m surprised people actually bought it.”

Marinette turned to face him fully, her heart skipping a beat. “Wait, you... you believe me?”

Adrien nodded. “Of course. Lila’s stories don’t exactly add up most of the time.”

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh, her tension easing slightly. “Exactly!”

Adrien smiled warmly, and for a moment, Marinette felt a wave of relief. It wasn’t just her. Someone else saw through Lila’s façade.

“You don’t have to let her get to you,” Adrien continued. “She thrives on attention. If you focus on what makes you amazing which, by the way, is a lot she won’t matter so much.”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed again, but this time it was from Adrien’s words. “Thanks, Adrien,” she said softly. “That means a lot.”

“No problem,” he said with a shrug. “And hey, if you ever need someone to vent to, I’m here.”

Marinette smiled, feeling a little braver. “I might take you up on that.”

Adrien gave her a playful wink before stepping away. “See you later, Marinette.”

As he walked off, Marinette watched him go, her heart lighter than it had been all day. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

As the bell rang to signal the end of the day, Marinette gathered her things, still thinking about her brief conversation with Adrien. She felt a little more confident, but her resolve to handle Lila’s antics hadn’t wavered.

As she walked toward the exit, she felt eyes on her. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught Lila staring at her, a calculating look on her face. Their gazes locked for a moment before Lila quickly turned away, feigning interest in her phone.

Marinette frowned, her instincts buzzing. Whatever Lila was planning, Marinette knew it wasn’t good. But she pushed the thought aside for now—there were more important things to focus on, like her dress for the Winter Ball.

That evening, Marinette was back in her cozy attic studio, surrounded by bolts of fabric, sketches, and sewing tools. She had finally settled on a design for her Winter Ball dress a blend of elegance and personality that felt uniquely hers.

Her pencil glided over the paper as she finalized the details of the sketch. “Okay, Marinette,” she said to herself. “You’ve got this. Adrien believes in you, and you’re not going to let Lila or anyone else ruin your night.”

She carefully selected the fabric she had bought weeks ago—a shimmering navy-blue material with a subtle sparkle that reminded her of the night sky.

Just as she began cutting the fabric, her phone buzzed with a message from Alya.

Alya:Hey girl! Whatcha doing?

Marinette smiled, typing back quickly.

Marinette:Just working on my dress for the ball.

Alya: Lmk if you need help kay?

Marinette: Will do!

Setting her phone aside, Marinette got to work. The hum of the sewing machine filled the room as she pieced the fabric together, losing herself in the rhythm of creation.

Her mind wandered briefly to Adrien’s words earlier in the day, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “He believes in me,” she murmured, her confidence growing with every stitch.

Little did she know, Lila’s glance at school wasn’t just curiosity it was part of a scheme already in motion.