Okay, reading some fanfiction has gotten me teary and in the mood to write. So, after the cut, see what I think a conversation between Tom Dupain and Faybon would sound like in regards to Marinette. Guess the inspiration. Hint, I reblogged it earlier.
Tom always considered himself a kind man. Sure he could be as stubborn as his father was and he got emotional whenever his daughter was involved, normally to disastrous results, but he always thought of himself as kind. So it was understandable that he felt like he had to do something regarding the current situation, he just didn't have a clue what it should be.
The day had started off the same as any other with the sole difference being how sick Marinette was. Her friends had all come over after school to cheer her up of course, it made Tom's heart swell to see how many people cared about his little girl, and eventually the large group had split in two. The girls were all in Marinette's bedroom while the boys were playing games in the flat. That is with one noticeable exception. Tom glanced to his side at the boy who was helping him clean as his thoughts drifted back to when they were first introduced.
Tom had been so excited to have one of Paris' superheroes over, especially one who his daughter was in love with, that he had forgotten that Marinette had invited someone else over that day. The large man frowned as he thought about it again. He was sure he would have remembered being told of Marinette having a boy over yet the idea that she would invite him after knowing Chat Noir was coming? Well that didn't make sense to the baker. Still, Faybon had mostly kept to himself during the meal and had seen fit to go after Marinette when she ran to her room crying. There were brief flashes of memory from when he had become WereDad as well, seeing the normal boy standing next to Chat, his jacket torn from the thorns the Akuma had summoned. It showed a loyalty unlike most. But it showed something else too.
"Mr. Dupain?" Tom was brought from his thoughts as the boy spoke up. "May I ask you something?" The teen was hesitant as he began to talk, his hand going to tug at a cord he wore around his neck. There was laughter from the other room that put a smile on both their faces, before it faded from Faybon. Clearly he was worried about something.
"Of course dear boy." Tom responded with all the cheer he could muster. Against superheros and villains the boy was full of courage. Yet the moment it came to talking to an adult? It seemed to fade. Marinette had filled her father in after that day though and, while part of him couldn't quite grasp some of what she said, one part stood out clearly. Faybon was an orphan who had spent the majority of his life overlooked only really coming out of his shell that year. "What's on your mind?"
The teen's hands stopped their movement as he seemed to think of what to say. It wasn't like Tom needed the help but, when the boys and girls seemed to split off without a thought earlier, Faybon had been left standing there, unsure of what to do. So he had promptly been enlisted in clean up duty. Tom couldn't bear to think that the boy could just head home with nobody really taking notice so had wanted to at least make him feel needed for a bit longer.
"Have you ever thought about what life would be like once Monarch is defeated for good?" Tom had been expecting a question regarding Marinette, personally he thought the boy would be a good match for his girl. Patient and caring but able to be firm when needed. Not to mention brave and protective. Yet from the way his daughter spoke about the boy that didn't seem likely.
"I can't really say I have." The man answered the question as he put the last tray away, ready for business tomorrow, before wiping his hands on his apron. "I do believe it will happen." He added at the confused look the teen gave him. "But after having Ladybug and Chat Noir showing up whenever there's trouble? I can't think of Paris without them."
"Me neither."
"What brought this on?" Tom asked when it seemed like Faybon wasn't going to continue.
"it's just..." The boy trailed off as more noises of excitement came from the flat above. His look seemed almost sadder than it did a moment ago but it was gone so quickly that Tom wasn't even sure it was there. "So much has changed this past year that I can't help but wonder what will happen next." Faybon stopped tugging on the cord and instead began to fiddle with the charm bracelet on his wrist. "Not only with the super heroes but in everyday life as well. I mean." He paused before looking back up towards the flat. "Did you ever think that so many people, from so many different walks of life would be under your roof? All for Marinette?"
"I always knew my daughter was special if that's what your asking but I guess that might be my bias as a father." It didn't occur to Tom until after he spoke that it might have been a little insensitive to say something like that but Faybon's chuckles quickly eased whatever worries the baker may have had. "But I will admit, a lot has happened in so short a time that it is kind of hard to keep track of it all. However, I know my little girl can handle it."
"Of course she can. She's our everyday ladybug after all." Faybon chuckled as he said that, it must have been some sort of in joke the kids had. "Without her I probably wouldn't even be here now." There it was again. That look Tom thought he remembered from his time as WereDad. What should have been an innocent statement about opening up became something far more somber.
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.... Well I completely and utterly fucked that up! What was supposed to be a nice deep and meaningful conversation completely shifted out of focus. I couldn't even think of an appropriate ending to the stupid thing!
Before anyone tries to cheer me up let me say this. I've been trying my hand at writing for 15 years. So when I say that this is the worst piece of shit I have ever written I say that knowing I wrote a damn crossover for Harry Potter and the chipmunks cartoon when I was 12 that was meant to be a musical. That made sense, that had emotion and pacing. This? This sucked.
So since I can't accurately describe what Tom was supposed to have figured out by the end of that conversation I'll just tell you. Faybon is an extra in a movie, there to make Paris look alive but generally blurry and out screenshot whenever the good stuff is happening. Thanks to Marinette he got pulled into the spotlight. Faybon has read the script, he knows he's not meant to be in it as much as he is but, until the director cuts him out, he's improvising the best he can.












