Duty to protect

Speech

Marinette didn't care for liars. She may have created a false persona but she never told a lie she didn't have to.

Even when it came to lying to protect someone's feelings, she would still tell the truth.

This is what made Lila Rossi so infuriating.

She had no reason for her lies. They were clumsy and obvious yet most believed her.

After trying to expose her, she tried cornering her, to match her persona she had to go along. But then she had the gall to threaten her.

"I will take away all of those that you care for. Adrien will be mine"

"Fist of all Adrien is like a brother and would never stoop to being with... Someone of your caliber. Second of all, do it. I dare you. The only ones I actually do care about are those not utterly idiotic enough to believe you. Take the rest of them. But if you go near anyone I do care about? Hurt them in any way? I will peel off your fingernails one by one and make you eat them." Marinette switch to herself then, her eyes like a solid wall of ice.

"Oh please, like you would ever." Lila rolled her eyes. Suddenly she shrieked when a throwing knife clipped the side of her hair, cleanly slicing a few of her hairs.

Marinette's hands were back at her sides as soon as she'd thrown it. "I should reiterate. Try your luck Rossi and you'll be so far into the ground I'll make your great grandparents graves look like a penthouse suite. Got it?"

Lila scoffed and flipped her hair, walking out. The speed in her step and tightly clenched and sweaty hands showed that as much as she wanted to hide it, she was scared.

Marinette retrieved her knife and slipped it back up her sleeve.

..~~..

Lila did get everyone on her side. Besides the people she actually cared about.

Marinette and Chloe dropped the bully/victim act.

Lila was almost relieved to know she didn't get to those Marinette cared about because the more of her not cheery personality, the more terrified she was that the threat was legitimate.

As a result of losing the friendships she never really liked, Marinette had more time to be with those she did care for, particularly Luka. She would go over to his boat and they would sit and talk for hours.

It did begin to sway Juleka's opinion of her and make her doubt Lila. She knew Luka was a good judge of character and if he liked her enough to have fallen for her (which he still didn't admit but definitely had), then she had to be a good person.

Either way, Marinette and Luka kept getting closer, they went to the cinema, they went on walks in the park, they've been for coffee, dinner. But both of them still refused to admit they were dating or liked the other. Both more stemmed from fear the other did not feel the same.

"So Marinette..." Chloe started, "why you in Paris again?" She asked during a team 'hang out' at her hotel.

While Marinette was sparring with Nathaniel to help him get better but hearing that made her forget her strength and she flipped him and slammed him to the ground... hard.

He groaned in pain.

"Sorry Nathaniel..." She winced in sympathy. She looked over at Chloe. "Because my father did not want me. He thought I needed to find myself and work through the stuff I went through before my Mother dropped me in his lap. But I think that's a lie because if that were true my whole family wouldn't have cut off all contact." She tutted.

"Geez... Your family sucks." Marc mumbled.

"My siblings were nice... But obviously they want nothing to do with me either." She hissed, throwing a knife hard and wedging it in a gap in the floorboards.

"You've never said anything about before you were with your dad either... Weren't you 10?" Adrien asked, practicing with a toy yo-yo.

"Yes. But my life before my father is not something I wish for anyone to know in detail about."

"That was when you were trained to do... Everything... Right? You said they punished you for any mistake?" Adrien continued.

"They did. Weather it be fatal injuries or just extremely painful torture depended on their mood. All you need to know is that my only reason for being raised was to be a shield for my little brother. Essentially... I was death fodder. What happened to me did not matter as long as the heir lived. To prove myself worthy I had to do a lot I am not proud of."

Plagg floated out. "Kid just tell them everything. It will make things so much easier."

Tikki floated out too. "No she shouldn't! Not if she isn't ready!"

"Tiks she's never gonna be ready... But it needs to be said. Kid come on. They won't judge you, you know that." Plagg settled on her head.

Marinette trusted Plagg more than anything. So she sighed and began to explain.

She didn't go into details.

But she told them about Ra's and her mother, her many different trainers and the fact she was a highly trained assassin. Oh... And that she had died multiple times before Hawkmoth.

Once she had finished explaining, she was met by silence.

Soon, Luka wrapped her in a hug and held her close to him, playing with her hair and Marinette began to purr quietly but no one commented on it.

It wasn't long until once again she was in the middle of a big group hug which turned into a puppy pile.

After that, everyone had a trauma dump. It was a night of tears from the others. There were so many hugs. They grew much closer that night.

Eventually they fell asleep in a tangle of limbs.

...

The next day when they walked into class, Marinette was filled with a knew rage towards her father. On the board was projected a slide. 'Class trip to US city Gotham courtesy of Wayne industries'.