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❄️ Chapter 16— Threads of Perspective
Marinette's POV
Snow crunched under her boots as Marinette Dupain-Cheng hurried down the street, scarf wrapped snugly around her chin. New York in winter was a different world compared to Paris. Colder, sharper somehow. But it was also alive—alive with lights, with people, with opportunities.
Her father's bakery had reopened on the corner of 3rd Avenue just three months ago, the scent of warm pastries spilling out each morning. It wasn't exactly the same as their Paris shop, but her father was proud, her mother supportive, and business was steady.
For Marinette, though, the biggest change was school. Midtown High.
She had braced herself for the worst—awkward introductions, being the new girl, being "the French one." But things hadn't been so bad. Gwen Stacy had been the first to greet her with a smile, Ned Leeds had been welcoming in his bumbling way, and even Mary Jane had offered a kind word. Slowly, she found herself weaving into a new circle.
And then there was Adrian.
Marinette sat at her desk that afternoon, sketchbook open, pencil tapping against her chin. The latest page of their manga spread across the paper—a delicate rendering of Kaori's smile, her hair fluttering like sunlight in motion. Adrian's notes in the margins were messy, half-legible, but always thoughtful.
"He's impossible sometimes," she muttered, erasing a stray line. "Complains about royalties like he's some businessman already. Always arguing that fifty-fifty is too much when he's doing 'more of the planning.'" She mimicked his voice with a smirk. "But really, he's… he's good. He listens. He cares. Even if he hides it behind that cheap act."
Marinette's thoughts drifted as she doodled on the edge of the page. Gwen's voice replayed in her mind, soft and hesitant the day she'd opened up:
> "Adrian doesn't talk about it much, but… his parents. They died. Both of them. He didn't take it well. Tried to—" Gwen's voice had faltered. "Tried to take his life twice. He's better now, but… he's still carrying it."
That had stayed with Marinette. Adrian, who smiled faintly when she joked. Adrian, who teased her about panel proportions. Adrian, who poured so much quiet heart into their manga.
She remembered telling her mother about school that evening.
"It's good, Mama," Marinette had said, rinsing dishes as Sabine chopped vegetables. "I have friends now. Gwen, MJ, Ava, Liz… and Adrian. We're drawing together. He's… well, he can be stubborn, but he's nice. Though Gwen told me about his past. His parents… and how he tried to…"
She stopped herself too late.
Sabine had frozen, knife resting on the cutting board. Her eyes softened. "He went through that? Mon dieu…" She touched Marinette's arm gently. "You must invite him here, Marinette. He should not always carry such weight alone. Invite him for dinner. Let him know he has family to share warmth with."
Marinette nodded slowly, guilt and resolve mixing in her chest. Adrian was her partner in manga. A friend. Maybe it was time to be more than just his creative ally. Maybe it was time to be someone who helped share his burden.
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Danny's POV
Danny Rand leaned back against the wall of the school gym, eyes half-lidded, but his mind far from at rest.
Adrian.
The new kid carried himself differently. His build wasn't out of the ordinary—athletic, sure, but not suspicious on its own. His parents had been in law enforcement, according to the file Danny had skimmed from SHIELD's database. That might explain some of it. But not all.
Not the precision in his footwork.
Not the way his body moved in sparring exercises.
Not the instincts that flared in combat, sharp as any trained martial artist.
Danny frowned. He'd spent his life training in K'un-Lun, mastering chi, discipline, the legacy of the Iron Fist. He knew martial presence when he felt it. And Adrian had it.
Yet… no record. No secret training programs. No SHIELD red flags. Nothing.
"Who are you really?" Danny murmured under his breath.
He remembered their fight against Taskmaster. Adrian had gone toe-to-toe with the mercenary for ten minutes without drawing on chi, without anything supernatural. Pure grit, pure skill. And yet, when Taskmaster knocked him out, Danny hadn't sensed resentment. Only… acceptance.
That gnawed at Danny.
He's holding back. I know it.
Danny rubbed his hands together, channeling a faint flicker of chi. He wouldn't confront Adrian yet. Not without proof. But he would watch. Observe. Because if Adrian was hiding something dangerous, Danny needed to know. And if he wasn't… then maybe, just maybe, he was someone worth trusting with the kind of responsibility only a handful could bear.
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Harry's POV
Harry Osborn sat alone in his room, the city lights spilling in from the glass walls of his penthouse. His textbooks lay forgotten. His phone buzzed with messages from Flash, MJ, even Adrian. He ignored them all.
Because none of it filled the empty space Peter had left.
Peter, his brother in everything but blood, had been pulling away. More excuses, more disappearances. Ever since they showed up, it felt like Peter had been drifting further from him, closer to new kids , closer to them.
Harry clenched his fists.
He remembered the party. The fear when the monster had attacked, when he thought Peter was gone. That hollow, gut-wrenching fear. And then the relief, sharp and dizzying, when Peter had walked away unharmed. But in the aftermath… something else had stayed behind.
On his desk sat a sealed glass container. Inside, a tiny fragment pulsed faintly, dark and alive.
Venom.
Harry stared at it, jaw tight. He'd found it after the battle, clinging stubbornly to the wreckage. He should have destroyed it, should have told someone. But he didn't. He couldn't.
Because maybe… maybe with this, he wouldn't feel weak anymore. Maybe with this, he wouldn't have to lose Peter—or anyone—again.
Harry flexed his hand, the memory of its texture lingering, slick and strong. He whispered to the dark piece within the glass.
"You'll help me. You'll make sure I'm never left behind again."
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The snow kept falling outside. Three stories, three perspectives, weaving quietly under New York's white blanket.
Marinette searching for warmth to offer.
Danny searching for truth to uncover.
Harry searching for strength to hold onto.
And all of them, in their own way, orbiting Adrian.
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