MiraculElse #16: Throw Me Around Like One of Your French Girls

by DFC

(Timeline: Post-Season 3.)

A few nights after Adrien's cousin had returned home – and good riddance to him, thought Marinette with a shudder, she found herself reflecting on her encounter with him as Ladybug.

That boy is a jerk on levels science has yet to discover, Marinette growled to herself, I cannot believe that he's even remotely related to Adrien! Adrien is so gentle and compassionate at heart, but Félix has none of that. He's lucky that I pulled my punch as Ladybug, or his teeth would be in the Seine right now!

That thought made her pause for a moment.

Actually… it's a good thing that I _was_ Ladybug when he tried that, she pondered. His trying to force a kiss on me like that… well, when I'm suited up, I can defend myself very easily. But what would I have done if I'd been MYSELF, with no powers?

She made a fist, remembering the Tom Dupain School of Martial Arts that her father had taught her; "Uppercut or knee right where it counts," he'd shown her. "Then run."

That's a good start, reasoned Marinette. But Félix can fight; he showed us that against the Akumas. I would have to catch him, or whoever else off guard to land that first blow. And with no powers, could I be sure that I could do that?

THAT thought made her shudder.

She looked over at her calendar, and saw that her fourth guitar lesson with Luka was the next afternoon after school.

It'd be nice to always have someone like Luka or Adrien with me to protect me, Marinette mused, but that won't always be possible.

I wonder…

As the students left school for the day the following afternoon, Adrien stood outside the front door as usual, talking with his friends until his car arrived. A small voice from behind him drew his attention.

"Hey, um, Adrien? Could I talk to you for a second?" asked Marinette. "I had, uh, something that I wanted to ask you."

From over Adrien's shoulder, Marinette saw Alya's face light up. MAKE YOUR MOVE! she mouthed, silently, to which Marinette replied with a smile and a very tiny head-shake 'no.'

"Sure! Er, excuse us for a bit," Adrien told the group, and he stepped aside with Marinette for a moment of relative privacy. "What's up?" he asked her, pleasantly.

"This… okay, this may seem like an odd request, but you're the first person who came to mind. You told me once that you study some martial arts, right?" Marinette began.

"I do," Adrien said. "I'm a brown belt in Shotokan-ryu karate so far. I'm learning some Hao style t'ai chi ch'uan and aikido as well. They're more defensive techniques."

"Aikido, huh? I've heard of that," Marinette smiled. "That's one that's more about redirecting attackers than breaking them, right?"

"Yes, it is," confirmed Adrien. "It's intended primarily to deflect attacks and neutralize threats without hurting the attacker. Why do you ask?"

"Well," gulped Marinette, "I'm trying to make a point this winter of learning new things; rounding myself out, I guess you could say. Like, I think you saw on Instagram that Luka's teaching me to play the guitar?"

"Uh-huh," Adrien agreed. "How is that going?"

"Pretty well," said Marinette. "I've never been all that musical, so this is eye-opening for me, but Luka's going slow with me. He's really nice about it."

"I bet! I'd love to hear you play sometime," bubbled Adrien.

"Well… maybe after I practice some more," blushed Marinette. A whole lot more, she thought; right now I can play two songs. One is Frere Jacques and the other isn't.

"Okay, so…" she continued. "I was thinking, every girl ought to know some self-defense techniques. How to get away from someone bigger than you, what to do in case someone grabs you or tries to force you into something…"

"Definitely!" agreed Adrien. "That's something that my teachers drill into me; my bodyguard won't always be by my side, so I'll want to know how to defend myself properly."

His mind whirled for a moment. Maybe I could ask if she could join me during my weekly lessons? he thought. I could introduce her to Sensei Kanemoto, and maybe he could recommend a good beginner's studio for her…

"Would you be willing to teach me a few things?" Marinette asked, shyly.

"…Me?" asked Adrien, mildly startled. "I'm just a student myself."

"I know… but I've seen you use it a couple of times, like that day in the wax museum, and I can see that you know what you're doing. I don't need, like, a full course of training – not yet – I mean, I'd have to see if I liked it or not – but, well…"

She looked up at him, softly. "…You're someone that I trust," she concluded.

Adrien stared into two big blue eyes… and there wasn't any doubt about it. I'm not sure that I could deny you anything when you look at me like that, Marinette, he smiled to himself.

"You're doing what now?" asked Tom, pausing his fork on the way to his mouth.

"Adrien's going to teach me some martial arts techniques," explained Marinette. "For self-defense purposes."

"Uh-huh," Tom replied.

"Only for self-defense purposes," reiterated Marinette, giving her father a very clear No, I am not going to hunt down and break Lila Rossi look.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea at all," Sabine noted. "You are a growing girl, and it can be a strange world out there. Is he giving a demonstration for your class?"

"No… this was my idea, actually. I asked him," Marinette explained. "A… friend of mine got harassed by a boy recently. He tried to force a kiss on her, and she punched him right in the face."

"Good for her," grunted Tom, approvingly.

"So that'd be nice to know how to do," smiled Marinette. "Or, rather, to flip him over or crank his arm or disable him without needing a lot of brute strength."

"I took some classes in that kind of thing when I was younger," Sabine noted. "We small girls need all the advantages we can get."

"And you won't always have a bread paddle handy to wield," laughed Tom. "Though that, your mother can certainly teach you. Why did you approach Adrien in particular?"

"Well, he's learning several styles himself. Karate, some aikido, some kind of tai chi, he told me," Marinette said. "I know that he knows what he's doing, and that he'll be extra-gentle with me. Plus, this helps him reinforce his own lessons. He needs to know the basics very well in order to teach me some of them, right?"

"I can't argue with that," Tom agreed. "Are you paying or trading him anything in return?"

"We… hadn't talked about that," admitted Marinette. "Though he knows that I would always do him any favors I could, I'm sure! This isn't, like, joining the classes his father pays for him to take. Nothing formal or long-term. I just hoped that he could teach me some simple things, and he said he'd be happy to."

"That's fair enough. I just wanted to make sure you weren't signing a contract without asking us, or anything like that. In that case, I certainly approve," her father smiled.

"Likewise. Plus, it's a nice way to spend more time with your friend, isn't it?" twinkled Sabine, knowingly.

"It is," Marinette stammered, "though not necessarily for that reason." She hoped she wasn't as red as she feared she was turning. "He's spending more time with Kagami these days, so I'm… trying to focus more on our friendship than on chasing after him."

"Which is certainly a good idea," Sabine noted. "And sometimes that's the best way to get close to someone after all."

Three days later, Alya walked alongside Marinette on their way out of school.

"Are you okay?" asked Alya. "You seem a little nervous today."

"Oh, no, I'm fine, absolutely, just fine," smiled Marinette, trying to bury what seemed obvious. The pair crossed through the main doors and greeted Nino and Adrien, who paused their conversation to return the greetings.

"So...," asked Alya after a few minutes of chatter. "Marinette, do you want to come over and hang out today? I think Rose and Juleka are coming over; we could pop in a movie or something."

"Actually," Adrien piped up, "she's coming home with me today. Aren't you, Marinette?"

"Yep! I am," breathed Marinette, keeping her voice steady.

"Are you now…?" wondered Alya, turning towards Marinette. "You didn't mention anything about that earlier!"

"I, um… I'd asked a favor of him. He's going to teach me a little bit of his aikido training," explained Marinette. "Self-defense stuff, in case anyone ever gets grabby with me."

"Like what you showed me that one time?" Nino asked Adrien.

"Nino got grabby with you, Adrien?" marveled Alya.

"No, no!" laughed Adrien. "Nino asked me about my karate lessons, so I showed him some basic strikes and stances to practice. Nothing too complicated. Marinette's looking for more defensive moves."

"Uh-huh," she agreed. "I hope that I never need to use it… but every girl ought to know a little, right?"

"Oh, I get it, I get it," Alya confirmed. "I just… didn't expect that." I mean, for months you couldn't speak a full sentence around him. And you just asked him 'Can you take me to your house and get physical with me?' she exclaimed in her brain. NOW you've got game?

Down below, the Agreste sedan pulled up to the curb. The Gorilla stepped out of the driver's seat, opened the passenger door and stood by it, patiently.

"That's our cue," Adrien smiled. "Marinette, are you ready?"

"Ready as I get," she said.

The two walked down to the waiting car together, while Alya reconfigured her perspective on the world.

Inside the car, Nathalie turned with a steady stare; not unfriendly, necessary, but calculating. Marinette felt as if she was being inserted into a cell in next month's budget, formulated and recalculated.

"Ah," Nathalie began. "This must be the company you had spoken of. Hello, Marinette."

She extended a hand, which Marinette took lightly out of reflex. "Hello… Nathalie, right? We met briefly at the Agreste show at Fashion Week," Marinette replied.

"We did, yes," confirmed Nathalie. "But… you know my name? Were we properly introduced?"

"I am a friend of Adrien's," said Marinette, forcing a smile. "And he has spoken of you often. You have a very large role in his life, I'm told."

"Indeed," Nathalie agreed, with a rare smile of her own. "And thus we have something in common, it would seem."

Marinette's eyes went wide - We do? He speaks of me often? I have a large role in his life? - while Adrien shuffled nervously in his seat watching the two of them.

"I… feel bad that I've never invited you to my house before, Marinette," he ventured. "Father doesn't give me a lot of… well… myself time."

"I understand, Adrien. I do," she assured him. "You have an awful lot of things on your plate."

"I am glad that you understand that, Marinette," Nathalie noted. "It is kind of Adrien to do you this favor; I hope that it goes well, and that you get what you need from it efficiently."

As in, 'please do not make this a regular habit,' Marinette inferred. "I'll do my best. I'm sure that I'll have a very good teacher," she said.

"I hope so," Adrien replied.

As the group entered the mansion, Marinette followed Adrien's lead.

"C'mon! I'll show you around. My workout room is on this floor; my room's upstairs. Would you like to see it?" Adrien asked, brightly.

"I… sure, I'd like to," she replied. "I can only imagine."

"Do keep an eye on the clock, you two," called Nathalie as Adrien led Marinette to the staircase. "Adrien, your Chinese tutor will be here at four-thirty sharp."

"I know!" Adrien called back.

"Who in the world was that?" a voice intoned from behind Nathalie. "And where is my son taking her?"

"That would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Sir," Nathalie replied without turning. "One of your son's favorite classmates. Aspiring designer; her derby hat was your contest winner that we showcased at Fashion Week. Her parents run the boulangerie by Adrien's school, one of the most popular in Paris. She designed an album cover for a prominent rock star, she was the selection to play Ladybug opposite Adrien in Miss Nightingale's music video, and she had temporary custody of the Miraculous tome and returned it to your possession."

"Quite a resume for one so young," said Gabriel. "And she is here why?"

"Today, Adrien is giving her some private self-defense lessons as a personal favor."

"I see," Gabriel stated. "Not much gets past you, Nathalie."

"I am paid very well for it not to," Nathalie noted with confidence. "Not to mention that she is a rather frequent component of your son's supper-time conversations."

Tactfully, she left Which you would know, if you happened to be there more often unspoken.

Marinette did her best to express surprise at the contents of Adrien's room, despite having been there before and even having fought his transformed father there as her alter ego.

"Very, very nice!" she oohed. "I thought that my room was spacious."

"It has its charms," Adrien conceded. "Usually, it has everything in it that I could ask for, except for one thing…"

He left that hanging in the air. Marinette thought for a second, then finished his sentence…

"...Friends."

Adrien's smile in return was a pure one. "You really do know me well," he replied. "It's one thing to have, say…" He gestured around the room as he spoke. "Movies, board games, video games, basketball, foosball… but they're not nearly as much fun without people to watch them with or play them with."

"Uh-huh," sympathized Marinette. "I can imagine. When I was little, I played Monopoly a couple of times against one of my dolls when everyone else was busy."

"Did you win?" grinned Adrien.

"Usually. For some reason, she wasn't very good at strategy," she grinned back.

"Anyway… like Nathalie said, we've only got so much time," Adrien noted. "My bathroom is right over there, since I figured that you'd want to change?"

"Change?" Marinette stammered. "I, um… I had thought about bringing a bag with sweatpants or something, but I hadn't packed one for today…"

"Not what I had in mind," Adrien explained. "Go in and look."

Feeling curious, Marinette entered the bathroom and shut the door.

Adrien paced around the carpet, hearing slight rustling sounds from within his bathroom. I hope I got this right, he fretted. I think I did. But there was a lot of guesswork involved, and I hope that she doesn't think that I overstepped -

The door swung open. Adrien turned… and a small "Wow" of appreciation escaped his lips.

Marinette stepped forward, a bit shyly, wearing a red aikidogi. A white belt was cinched around her narrow waist, her feet were bare, and her eyes watched Adrien's watching her.

"This is quite an outfit," she said, testing her limbs' movements in it. "I can tell that it's sturdy, well-stitched and solid, but it's also so soft that I think I could sleep in it."

"It fits you well? I had two different sizes hanging in there," worried Adrien. "That way, whichever one was closest…"

"Oh, I think that this one's a perfect fit!" marveled Marinette. "Almost like it was cut for a girl's figure."

"It was."

Marinette blinked. "You mean this wasn't one of yours?" she asked, looking surprised.

"No…" Adrien mumbled. "Like you said, a women's cut would suit you much better. I, um… took an educated guess as to your measurements; growing up in a house of fashion, that comes kind of naturally."

"Wait… you bought this for me?" gasped Marinette. "Adrien… no! I wouldn't have asked you to… I can't accept this from you!"

"I promise you that it was within my budget," replied Adrien. "It's no big thing."

"It is, Adrien," Marinette frowned. "I don't know what to say. And what about the other one in there?"

"That one I can return," Adrien said. "As long as this one is suitable."

"Oh…" Marinette stepped forward, a shy smile on her face. "It's so suitable. And so unexpected! And thank you so much; you really didn't have to do that for me."

The two of them stood across from each other… with brains and muscles fighting it out as to whether a hug was about to happen.

"I… heh. How about I'll go get changed and we'll go downstairs and get started?" Adrien asked, a little nervously. At her nod, he dashed into the bathroom.

Two minutes later, a white-clad Adrien stepped out.

"Not bad," Marinette admired. More like 'Yum,' actually. "I see what you mean about the difference in style… the lines fall a little differently in yours… and your sleeves are longer."

"This one is a karategi, not an aikidogi. That's my primary style," explained Adrien. "The differences are subtle, and there's room in each style for personal taste. I'd go into it in more detail, but I'd rather use our time here to teach, okay?"

"I'm all yours," smiled Marinette. "Let's go."

The teens padded downstairs, down two hallways and into a brightly lit room covered in dark blue mats.

"So this is where you take your lessons?" asked Marinette.

"It is. And where I'll be giving them," Adrien said.

"...Them?" wondered Marinette.

"You didn't think that I'd teach you everything in one day, did you?" grinned Adrien. "I hope that you'll want to come back."

"Oh! Oh, absolutely!" she bubbled. "I just… well, I didn't want to presume. And Nathalie sort of warned me about taking up too much of your time…"

"I can always make time for you, Marinette," beamed Adrien. "Never worry about that."

The two shared a happy silence for a moment before Adrien continued.

"Okay! I'm… a little nervous about this," he began. "Like I said, I'm still learning, and aikido isn't my strongest style. You might be better off with a real studio and a practiced teacher. I've never done this before, so…"

"Adrien… anything you can teach me will be wonderful. Just go with what you're comfortable with," she replied.

"All right. Then I'll start with what my Sensei told me at my first lesson… the most important thing to know is not how to practice martial arts, but why," said Adrien, a little confidence returning to his tone. "That its purpose is protection. It is a weapon that should be sheathed until it is needed; knowing how to use it makes you responsible for its usage. Somehow, I get the idea that you understand that… but it is always worth repeating."

"I agree," Marinette smiled, quietly. "That is why I am here."

"And the second principle is not how, but when and where," Adrien continued. "Just because you have this training does not make using it the right thing to do. Many times, it will be better to avoid a confrontation entirely. Or to create an opening for yourself to escape, and do that, rather than to fully disable or to punish your opponent. The mind is the most important tool you have, not the fist or foot."

Marinette nodded, silently.

"Good. All right. Aikido, as I understand it, is focused on awareness. On the flow of who and what is around you. Knowing what is a threat and what is not. Understanding your environment, and how and where to redirect what is harmful. To resolve a bad situation calmly, smoothly, and with the least amount of damage caused to anyone."

"That is exactly what I want to learn," confirmed Marinette.

"It suits your personality," smiled Adrien. "Now… there are some basic techniques that all students learn. I can show you these, but before I do that, there is something more important for you to learn; how to fall. This is an exchange of force; aggression from me that you will avoid and counter. You want to have control over your own body first and foremost… and that means understanding how to fall safely, how to roll with an impact, how to avoid injury and get your bearings back quickly."

"That makes a lot of sense," Marinette said. "So how do we do that?"

"First… relax with me. Let's center our ki. Meditate for a moment, if you will. Then I'll show you what I mean at slow speed and with minimal force, and we'll begin from there."

Adrien knelt down. Marinette followed his lead, tucking her legs beneath her, the tops of her feet against the cool mat. "My mother and I do something like this sometimes," she noted, closing her eyes and folding her hands in her lap.

"That's good. You may end up teaching me some things before we're done," Adrien smiled.

As he prepared to clear his thoughts, before he closed his eyes, one thought floated through his head:

She could make a burlap sack look good… but, good lord, she is SO adorable like this today.

About forty-five minutes later, Nathalie poked her head through the door, doing so quietly.

She watched two figures, one in red and one in white, tossing each other to the ground. Clearly, they were trying hard not to hurt each other, and she heard Adrien comment on Marinette's technique and offer suggestions.

Heh, she thought. I half expected to peek inside and find a makeout session in progress!

"Adrien," she called, making both heads turn. "You are expected in about ten minutes."

"I see," Adrien called back. "Marinette, should we call it a day, then?"

"That sounds good." She extended a hand to help lift Adrien back to a standing position.

Once he got there, he instructed her, "Please, turn to me… like that… and bow with me."

Each performed a small bow of respect, after which Adrien broke out in a wide smile. "Marinette… I think you're going to be a natural at this," he told her.

"I don't know about that… but as clumsy as I am normally, just learning how to fall properly might do me a lot of good!" she giggled.

"I mean it. You have more natural talent than you think you do," judged Adrien. "Just like that day in the fencing club; your reflexes, your movements, your reactions are all surprisingly good. Or at least they seem to surprise you!"

"You're sweet, Adrien. But I think I know better," smiled Marinette.

"I'm serious," he emphasized, looking into her eyes. "If there's one thing I know about you, it's that if you put your mind to something… there's nothing in this world that you can't do."

Inside, Marinette melted… but she kept her response subdued. There was one thing I couldn't ever do, she told herself, which was to tell you how I felt.

"Shall we go up and change?" she asked, instead. "So we don't keep your tutor waiting?"

"Yeah. Let's go!" The two of them darted past Nathalie and out towards the stairs.

Marinette flew out of the bathroom in her everyday outfit, carrying her neatly-folded aikidogi in her hands. "Your turn," she smiled, allowing Adrien to take her place and change his clothes. "Where would you like me to put this?" she called through the closed door.

"That's up to you," a muffled voice replied. "It's yours."

"I… don't know about that," replied Marinette. "It was very kind of you to buy it for this, but… like I said, I don't know that I want to let you do that."

"I promise, it wasn't that expensive!" Adrien called back.

"By your standards or mine?" argued Marinette.

The door opened, and a hastily-dressed Adrien burst out of the bathroom. "It's… how about this? You can keep it here or take it with you…"

"...Your collar!" called Marinette, pointing to one side of his shirt collar that was popped up.

Adrien stopped, peeked into a mirror, and corrected it with a thumbs-up and a big grin in Marinette's direction. "Thank you! Anyway… either way, you're the only one who's going to wear it," he concluded. "I strongly suspect it wouldn't fit me properly."

"...You!" grumbled Marinette good-naturedly, sensing defeat. "All right. Can I leave it here with you, then?"

She laid it down gently on Adrien's piano bench, and joined him as he raced downstairs.

At the front door, Nathalie stood dutifully, noting the time on her tablet. "One minute," she declared as the pair came within hearing range. "Cutting things close."

"But on time," Adrien grinned. He and Marinette came to a stop in front of Nathalie, slightly out of breath.

"So. Adrien's bodyguard will drive you home, Marinette. Are you suitably armed to face our dangerous world now?" asked Nathalie.

"Adrien was very kind, and taught me some important basics, yes," replied Marinette. "I'm very grateful to him."

"But…," Adrien interjected, "we are definitely far from done with what I'd like to teach her. What do you say, Marinette… same time, next week?"

"I… would like that very much," said Marinette, cautiously. "If it's okay." She caught a glimpse of Oh, REALLY? in Nathalie's expression and went quiet, trying to thread the needle between being eager to accept and not wanting to get Adrien in trouble.

"It is definitely okay," Adrien assured her. "I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Tick-tock," chided Nathalie.

"I'll see you then," Marinette replied. "Thank you so much, again!" she called, as the Gorilla nodded to her and swept past her. If I would like a ride home, she reasoned, it's leaving now.

On the way home, Marinette sat in the back seat, not sure if or how to address her pseudosimian chauffeur.

"Th-hank you for driving me home, Sir," she ventured about a kilometer after they'd left. "I appreciate it."

The Gorilla glared at her in the rear-view mirror… then gave a small nod and a grunt. Marinette thought she sensed a hint of a smile, but it was very hard to tell.

"You drive Adrien wherever he needs to go, right? Like, to and from school every day," she continued. "You must know him pretty well."

Another grunt, another nod.

"I'm glad that he has someone like you to keep an eye on him," said Marinette. "It's a strange world out there these days, and Adrien is… important to me."

That got another glance from the Gorilla… and a slightly wider smile. As the car stopped at a red light, he pointed to her, then tapped his temple with a finger.

"You… know that?" asked Marinette, interpreting his gesture.

The Gorilla made a brief I'm watching gesture, then turned his attention back to the road.

"I see," she said, letting that sink in.

Moments later, the car pulled up to the curb in front of Marinette's home. She watched as the Gorilla hopped out immediately and opened her door. After she stepped out, she had a quick argument with herself inside her head…

"I… need to ask one more question, Sir," Marinette said. "On the way over, Nathalie… suggested that Adrien talks about me quite a bit… I don't mean to pry, but when you're alone with him… does he?"

A meaty hand reached out and landed on her shoulder, surprisingly gently. She looked up at the Gorilla, uncertainty in her eyes.

As usual, the big man said nothing… but the look in his eyes and the smile on his face might've been the most genuine and comforting thing she'd ever seen.

Overwhelmed, Marinette remained still as the Gorilla returned to the car. "...See you next week?" she called, as the car slowly pulled away.

In the early evening, Adrien returned to his room, tired but happy. Chinese lessons, supper and preparations for a weekend photoshoot were all now checked off of his list, and while piano and homework still awaited him, he had a warm feeling inside, that of a very good day overall.

He stretched his arms out and rubbed his back absently - he had spent a fair amount of time being thrown to the ground repeatedly today, however controlled his falls had been - and considered his options. Piano first, he decided. Maybe a half an hour of that, enough to make some progress on mastering that middle portion of…

A splash of red on the piano bench wiped away his other thoughts.

Oh! That's right.

Adrien studied it for a moment… then walked to his closet and fetched a clothes hanger. Laying the pants over it and then layering the gi jacket over it, he approached his closet with it… then stopped.

Blue eyes and a warm smile floated through his mind for a moment.

He stepped over to a shelf by his computer desk, which had a small hook attached to it, and hung it up gently there.

I don't know what's gotten into me… he smiled, but for some reason I don't want that out of sight right now.

Satisfied, he trod back over to the piano, settling in for a short battle with the works of Chopin.

Next time:

* More falling for each other.

* A quick fashion question.

* Getting a little grabby.

* The Kwamis pipe up.

* And more!