AN: Yep you read that right we are doing a Marinette Agreste AU. This set of stories (Properly between two or three) will deal with body issues, eating disorders, and parental mental abuse.  No Miraculous here, but the here names are screen names. 

There were two things in this world that Marinette knew she could count on. The first was that she would likely never know her mother, his father told her she was left on his doorstep and after proving she was his thanks to a paternity test she was given his last name and kept the only thing her mother had given her, her name Marinette. Well, that and her blue hair, French-Asian look and likely her short stature. Nathalie had been the closest thing to a mother she'd ever known. Nathalie wasn't exactly warm but she wasn't nearly as cold as her father.

The second thing Marinette Agreste could count on it was the fact she spent most of the day hungry. And not because she and her father were poor, quite the opposite really, her father was Gabriel Agreste the founder of the Agreste Brand, so they were very rich.  But ever since she was 11, her father started watching her weight as she was to be his key model. Now Marinette had known her father was a cold harsh man, he ran his home-like business when Marinette wanted to do something it required a proposal. However by the time she turned 15, it became clear that she was never gonna get taller than 5' 5" her model coach encouraged her father to the model dream, his dream that was. Mari had been hopeful that this would change things for her, maybe her father would finally let her focus on what she really wanted to do, design. and well he had but not in the way she wanted. She was now in drawing classes with a private teacher so she could improve, her father wouldn't even look at her designs or the clothes she made herself. He hardly noticed that she only wore her own designs now. 

He also instead she take dance classes to give her some much-needed grace and would keep her in shape. Because he still wanted her to model one outfit each season, and walk in each show, so she needed to stay in model shape. So while she never went to bed hungry she never did really feel full. 

She had one secret from her father, thanks to Instagram and her drawing teacher Wang Fu she had her own fashion brand called Miraculous Mouse (A nickname Wang's wife had given her). Sadly she only had two models, her only two friends. Chloe Bourgeois and Kagami Tsurugi, both girls had grown up with her, Chloe's father was the mayor and her mother was an old fashion friend of her father. Chloe wore a yellow and black mask went by the name Queen Bee, Kagami wore a red and black mask and went by the name Ryuko. On the rare moments where Marinette wore her own clothes as a model, she wore a polka-dotted pink and grey mask, going by Lady Mouse. 

Her secret brand was just one of the reasons she desperately wanted to go to public school. She was so lonely, models were snarky and not kind, none of them were really friends no matter what the press said. So with Kagami and Chloe's help, she convinced her father to let her go to high school and at 15 she was going to school for the first time. 

There was one other reason, her dance partner, Luka went to Chloe and Kagami's school. And while she barely got to talk to him she knew he always wanted to. She remembered one time after dance class when her bodyguard was running late, Luka chose to wait outside with her. Just before he'd joined her own a bench a little girl had asked for her autograph. She had sighed the girl's notebook and the girl in joy ran off leaving behind the magazine she had no doubt used to identify Marinette. She stared at her face on the cover. Luka gently pulled the magazine from her hand. "You know" he started, "I've never recognized the girl on the cover as my dance party, Melody." He used the nickname he'd given her when they first met. 

"She's the one who's beautiful, the attention she praises, she's an image sculpted by the sculptor. Whereas I am who craves no limits, wants to go unnoticed." Marinette quickly whipped a tear from her eye and looked away pulling herself together. 

Luka gently made her look at him, "So you don't see, the light that's shining, deeper than the eyes can find it. Maybe your father has made you blind." 

"Okay, Mister I'm no good with words, that was far too good." She smiled and looked away again, trying to cover up her pain. 

"Hey, you don't have to keep doing that. I have a twin sister and only live with my mom, I'm no stranger to tears and other extreme emotions, and I think they're important and should be felt." He offered her a hand, a hand she was used to holding in a dance form this felt far too real far too intimate. So she stayed still.

"I suppose that's why I love to sew, I get lost in the world of stitches and I can cut my woes away." Luka chucked at her comment. Before he could say anything her bodyguard pulled up. She stood not looking at him, "Look Luka, regardless of what you may think, I'm not beautiful, the image the world sees is so made up and crafted that she's not real. I don't know who she is, and I don't know who I am. All I know is, both of us don't get to cry, 'cause covergirls don't cry after their face is made." And she walked away, taking shelter in her car. 

After that day Luka became her confidant. He was her closest friend, even though they barely spoke. He seemed to just know her mood. And thanks to going to school, her father insisted she have a phone and carry it with her always. So he could reach her. And Nathalie would get to look at whenever her father asked and report back to her. Nathalie however knew the girl needed friends and had already promised to speak well of any friends unless Marinette let he grades slip or her drawing work started to drop. 

School became a place of hope in the dark of her life. She and Chloe kept their distance at school, Marinette didn't really want to be assorted with the spoiled brat Chloe was at school, Chloe seemed to respect it. She made friends with a group of three friends, Adrien, Alya and Nino welcomed her into their group very quickly. Luka's twin sister was also in her class so they quickly become friends. Marinette had a hard time knowing if her popularity was from her well-known name or if they liked her as she was, but she would take the friends. 

Within three months many of her friends had modelled her Miraculous Mouse brand, Alya going by Rena Rouge, Nino being Carapace, Adrien choosing Chat Noir, he also was the only one in her class who knew she was Lady Mouse, he had quickly become her best friend and often played middle man. She had thanks to Adrien learned about Lukas band and had become the band designer. And thanks to him and Kagami starting to date, Marinette soon found ways to get out of the house being sent to 'chaperone Kagami for her mother.  

The other benefit of school was that she and Luka would walk from school to dance class, Nathalie and Simon (her bodyguard) kept this secret from her father because Luka seemed to be good for her. And the extra walking was good for her. Luka and Marinette liked each other and they both knew it. But Marinette's father would never approve of Luka and they both knew that at least not until he saw them dance, then maybe he would see past the painted nails and dyed hair. 

These walks with Luka were her favourite. But they had a downside, Luka was starting to notice she was always hungry. See her father, to accommodate school had changed her meal plan, breakfast was still some kind of shake, and her lunch was now her largest meal because she ate it at school, and her supper was smaller meaning she went to bed hungry. But on days when she had dance, she had to plan to split her lunch into a meal and snack. Today she had forgotten about dance class it was an extra practice for a competition coming up.  So today she was hungry and Luka seemed to notice. "Hey, Melody, we don't have the floor till 4:30, what if we stop and see Adrien at the bakery and grab a treat?" 

"Oh...no I couldn't Luka, my father..." She fidgeted with her hands. 

"Will never know, come one treat isn't gonna kill you." He teased. 

"I'm not even hungry." She tries to argue, but her stomach gave her away. Luka sighed like he was ready to fight her. But they happen to walk by one of the poster with her face and body on it, clearly edited to make her smaller than already was.  "She has dreams." She pointed to herself. "She has to be an envy," pointed to the poster then back to herself, "So she's starving, cuz you know, covergirls eat nothing." She sighs, leaning against the sign.

Luka looks between the two versions of the same girl he is being to love, "Beauty is pain?" He sighs and opened his arms to her. 

And she quickly hugged him and stepped back, "And there's beauty in everything. So what's a little bit of hunger? I could go a little while longer." She tries to shugged it off. 

"But you don't have to. Marinette I know we can't date publicly but I really like you okay? And I hate to watch you hurt like this, you need to eat more. This isn't healthy. You know that right?"He moved them to a less public place. 

"You think of me as your girlfriend don't you?" Marinette looked away, "You know I've been afraid to let you in you know. You read me so well. You make me question the things I've been raised to believe, dod you know until I went to school I thought all kids parents gave them meal plans, it wasn't until I had a sleepover at Ayla's thanks to Kagami putting in a good word for her and I realized Alya mother asked us what we wanted for dinner, did you know that no one has ever asked me what I wanted for a meal. Then when I got home, my father grilled me about everything I ate, I only had shakes for every meal the rest of that weekend. But that sleep was the best sleep I've had since I was 11, cuz I went to sleep full. But I felt guilty because I knew I ate too much and debated throwing up just to keep from telling the father." She spoke fast and realized she was panicking. 

"Woah Melody, breath love. It's okay. What if we slowly work on getting you in a better headspace about your body? Then deal with your ingrained eating habits. However you need to eat after this episode, but we will ask Mrs. Sabine, Adrien's mom if she can make you a strawberry smoothy okay?" She could only nod. 

Luka discreetly took her hand and led her to Tom and Sabine's bakery. The door chimed as they walked in. "Hey, Adrien!" Luka called out. 

"Luka! Marinette! Don't you two have dance practice today? My piano teacher had to move our lesson so she could play for your school." He whipped down counters. 

"Ya we do, but Marinette forgot her snack and I don't want her dancing on an empty stomach, but her father's real strict on sweets, think your mom could whip up a smoothie?" Luka handed him a 20. 

"Luka dear, you know you never have to pay here. You do me a favour by running weekend delivery for us." Sabine's voice filled the room. Marinette had never seen Adrien's mom before, she looked a lot like well her. It was almost scary. Sabine seemed to notice this too, "Hello dear, I don't think I've met you yet." 

"Oh, Mom this is Marinette! The new girl in my class this year. You know the one who set me up with Kagami." Adrien smiled brightly. 

"Marinette, I always loved that name, it means of the sea you know. Did I hear you needed a smoothie for a strict father? Come upstairs with me deary. I'll fix you up one. Luka, you pick a treat for yourself and your teacher, and Adrien do not let him pay." She half scoled half teased. Marinette followed Sabine upstairs and sat a the small island. She couldn't help but noticed how warm and safe this home felt. Sabine got busy working on a smoothy, "Marinette dear, I didn't catch your last name." 

"I don't usually have to give it. Seeing as my face is all over Paris. But I guess if you don't care about fashion you wouldn't know my name, it's Agreste." Sabine dropped the knife she'd been cutting with. "Mrs. Sabine are you alright!?" 

"Y..yes Of course dear, just slipped." The blender thrilled and more thoughts filled Marinette's head, why did this woman who looked so much like her, have such a strong reaction to her last name. After the blender quieted down and Sabine poured it into a to-go cup. "Tell me, dear, how old are you?" 

"15 ma'am I'll be sixteen just before the summer starts." Marinette noticed that Sabine went pale. 

"Sorry, dear can you head downstairs without me? I suddenly feel a head ache coming on." She slowly turned and headed to what Marinette assumed was her room. 

"Of course." Marinette headed downstairs, once she went got down she met Tom, Adrien's father. She and Luka said goodbye and headed to dance class. She hardly spoke Luka didn't push her to talk. After their practice with their teacher was over they headed to a practice room to practice their secret project, it wasn't for competition, but for the show case that would happen just before her birthday. 

Luka would play violin and dance with her, it was really a cool dance, but Marinette's mind was so full that she tripped and fell hard. And for the first time, she broke down crying in front of Luka, well in front of anyone. "Luka I'm no good! My own mother abandoned me with a harsh cold man I call father! My father only makes time for me when I do really amazing or screw up royally. Nathalie does her best but even she has standards I can meet. The public only knows the moulded version of me. I had to create a secret life to design cuz I'm not good enough! Why can't I be good enough!" She fell into his arms sobbing momentarily bounding him to his chest. Then just curled up and cried. 

"Marinette listen to me, I love you, you are enough for me. And let me help you okay? Let me be your mirror. Let me help you see a little bit clearer the light that shines within. You are a beautiful person inside and out. And you should see that in yourself, no matter what size you are, or what your father says about you. And not that I wanted to tell you but I've seen your work little mouse and I love them. And I'm glad you are my band designer." 

"I knew you were a snake." She giggled thinking about the teal mask she'd made for him. 

"Only this snake protects his mouse rather than hunts her." He pulled her close. "We will get you help, okay?" She nodded into his chest. 

"But for now I just want to stay here." With all her thoughts about hunger, drawing class, the chance that she may have just met her mother today all melted away in the arms of the boy who saw her scars, and still thought she was beautiful. 

AN: Okay I know it moves fast but let me write part two and if this is an AU you really love I might turn it into its own story.