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Title: Curse of the Agreste Mansion

Summary: A series of peculiar events on Halloween have the occupants of the Agreste mansion, Adrien, Emilie, Nathalie, and the bodyguard, and Marinette on their toes. Will they be able to get to figure out what cursed thing could be causing these incidents and save themselves?

Genres: Mystery, Romance

Mature: Yes, mentions of suicide and blood

LGBTQ+: No

Author's Note: This story takes place in an alternate universe. In this one-shot, Chat Noir, Ladybug, Hawk Moth, and Mayura are fictional characters from a TV show called Miraculous. Adrien, Marinette, Emilie Agreste, Nathalie, Chloé, Gabriel Agreste, Audrey Bourgeois, and the bodyguard are real people. Tikki and Plagg are not kwamis; you will learn more information about them in the story.

Published on November 1, 2020

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My breath hitched when I saw an injured Natalie. Blood was spilling from her arm, and she laid unconsciously. Mother and Marinette were trembling as my bodyguard gently picked her up and took her to my bedroom. Another round of lightning and thunder occurred.

Some time ago, I wouldn't say that we were at a point of no return, this cursed time. However, horrible things are bound to happen on Halloween.

Half an hour a.k.a. thirty minutes ago

"It was sweet of you to do this for Marinette," said Mother as she was preparing fruit punch. Natalie and my bodyguard were arranging decorations in the living room while I was preparing the party games.

"Well, Mari said that business at the bakery was doing so well that her family couldn't afford to close it today," I replied. Most parties happened at Chloé's place, so saying that everyone (including me) was surprised was an understatement. The class looked so thrilled when Mari announced a Halloween party in the Dupain-Cheng bakery. She thought there wouldn't be many customers, but the universe always loved to prove her wrong. I offered my mansion as a place to host the gathering, and the look on her face made my day. Mari never lets anyone down and always kept her promises; it's now my turn to return the favor.

Did I mention that I loved this girl?

"You know, this is a perfect opportunity to tell her how you feel." I could feel Mother's smirk across the hall. She has been shipping us ever since Mari gave me a charm bracelet on my birthday. I sighed for the sixth time that week and continued to plan a list of events.

"Goodness, Adrien! Just tell her!" Mother shook her head.

"But, mom, I can't confess to Mari yet. "

"The party is a perfect time to tell her. If you wait for her to make the first move, you will be waiting forever," she insisted. Like always, Mother was right. Marinette was so much more than a friend to me, and I wanted her to know that. I should be honest with her, even if I ended up risking our friendship.

I nodded and checked my watch. It was time to pick up Mari. I went to my bedroom and got my black mask; the theme for the party was superheroes, and I wore a Chat Noir costume; he was a famous superhero from a TV show called Miraculous. Mother was Hawk Moth, Natalie was Mayura, and my bodyguard had no intention to dress up. I wondered what Mari would dress up as.

Mother beamed a smile when I was about to head out the door, but then we heard thunder. Great, when I was confident enough, nature decided to ruin everything. I reached for my phone to call her, but then, something shattered.

"Wait here," ordered Natalie. She went to get a broom and dustpan to clean whatever got broken. My bodyguard left the living room to see if anything else got destroyed, leaving Mother and me alone. A gust of wind entered the house and made us shiver.

"At least we know a window's broken," said Mother, trying to lighten up the mood. I appreciated her efforts; Father wouldn't even try to do that. Speaking of Father, I hoped his fashion show with Mrs. Bourgeois in New York is a success. I was not sure when he would return, but Chloé said they would come back by Christmas.

We would fix everything by then, right?

More windows began to break. There was no sign of Natalie or my bodyguard. I was worried, was everything okay? Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I offered to get it. Outside, there was a young lady with a black umbrella who wore a beautiful ladybug themed dress. The rain nearly soaked her, but she stood still. Why was she here?

"Can I come in," she quivered.

I could recognize that voice anywhere. I immediately let the teenaged girl in and led her to my bedroom. She put her umbrella on the floor as I handed her a towel. I was leaving the room because I wanted to give her some privacy, but she gently held my wrist.

"Thank you, Adrien."

"You're welcome, Mari."

We heard a high-pitched scream, and we rushed out of my room. I saw Mother trembling at an injured Natalie. My breath hitched. Blood was spilling from her arm, and she laid unconsciously. My bodyguard gently picked her up and took her to my bedroom. Mari was trembling too. Another round of lightning and thunder occurred.

Present time

"It's the curse," Mother declared. She hastily paced around the area, her fingers tangled in her blonde hair. Marinette and I were confused. Mother kept muttering strings of inexplainable words before Mari quickly grabbed her arm.

"Is everything okay, Mrs. Agreste," asked Mari. The three of us were alone, and another gust of wind left us shivering. The lights started flickering. Mother began to breathe heavily.

"I should have never bought this house," Mother muttered.

"What does the house have to do with this?" I raised my voice, frightening Mother. Mari held my hand and interlocked our fingers. In normal circumstances, I would have been over the moon, but now, this simple gesture managed to calm me down. My mother took a deep breath before answering.

"Eons ago, there was a thief named Plagg. He was probably the most terrifying criminal ever. He never spared anyone who came in the way of his path. At the same time, there was a princess named Tikki. She was a strong, independent woman who had a heart of gold; this meant she had no place in the royal family. She was an outcast, a freak, a disgrace to the royal bloodline all because she didn't fit society's norms.

"One day, Tikki decided to run away. She packed everything and was about to go when suddenly, someone stole her valuables. She caught a silhouette of the person and chased after the criminal. Ultimately, she did capture him. The thief was none other than Plagg. She was going to arrest him, but he returned everything he stole to her.

"Tikki was surprised when Plagg apologized for all of his crimes and was willing to end up in prison. She kindly let him go after he promised never to steal anything ever again. Long story short, they started seeing each other more often and fell in love. They were about to get married until the royal family intervened. The princess had to marry a prince, which prevented the marriage between them.

"Plagg and Tikki decided that they would rather die than not living with each other. They killed themselves on Halloween in a graveyard. This mansion got built on the remains of that cemetery. I liked the design even though Gabriel warned me about this. But legends say that whenever the spirits of Plagg and Tikki were in this area on Halloween, the universe would try to reunite them."

The three of us were silent for a few minutes until someone broke it.

"Why didn't you tell this before," screamed Mari. I hugged her, and she managed to calm down. I glared at Mother, who was pointing at my cheeks. Did I wash my face before all of this?

"You have Plagg's marks," gasped Mother.

"What are Plagg's marks?"

"Black circles with a green paw print in each one," she replied. It was quite ironic that I had Plagg's marks, and I was wearing a Chat Noir suit. Mari accidentally touched them, and a gust of wind pushed her back, making her fall. She became unconscious. I rushed towards her, tears blurring my sight. I can't lose her! I never even got a chance to tell her how I feel!

"I'm so sorry, Mari," I sobbed as I held her fragile body in my arms. Mother was speechless and put her hands over her mouth. There were no sounds except for my cries. I noticed one of my tears fell on her cheeks, and they formed marks. Red circles with five black spots in each one. Those must be Tikki's marks.

We were the incarnations of Plagg and Tikki.

We began floating in the air. There was a red aura around Mari while there was a black aura around me. Suddenly, there was a blinding light, and we were on the ground again. I didn't feel any pain, but I was worried about Mari. Her eyes gently fluttered, and she smiled at me; I was over the moon.

"You are okay," I exclaimed. I hugged Mari tightly, never wanting to lose her again. She weakly hugged back and muttered her thanks. I could see three figures approaching us.

"Wow, my wounds are gone now," said Natalie. I helped Mari stand up and hugged Natalie, my bodyguard, and Mother. I didn't think Halloween could go this way, but anything is possible when spirits are involved.

"Can I talk to you," asked Mari, "alone?"

"Of course," I answered, "We'll be back in a minute."

She took me to the kitchen and looked at me. I was remarkably nervous, but then what she did next shocked me. She gently pressed her lips to my cheek.

"Adrien, I am grateful for what you did out there. Thank you for saving my life," said Mari.

"You're welcome. The curse can't harm us anymore, right?"

"Yeah, I hope so," she paused, "I love you, Adrien."

"Wait, are you serious," I asked. I hope Mari wasn't pulling a trick on me.

"Yes, I love you, Adrien Agreste," she said before pressing her lips on mine. Chat Noir found his Ladybug, Plagg found his Tikki, and I found my Marinette.