#Miraculous Ladybug One-shots

[diamaker-moon]

in a cage behind

Archive Of Our Own || Masterlist

A/N: I recommend listening to "the silent screams by anna blue" while reading :)

in a cage behind

one shot

—————

With every passing day, she could only feel the growing exhaustion in her body. That despite doing things that normally make her relaxed, it agitates her even more. The boundless expectations on her shoulders, the responsibilities she must bare, and the endless hope given to her are all weighing her down into a lifeless puppet, a marionette.

The recent confrontation with the Order still covers her mind. Their threats to eradicate her existence as Ladybug hung in the air. She knew that she wasn't worthy to be the guardian, but she had hoped that at least her seemingly endless sacrifices for the lives of others could suffice as her worthiness for the Ladybug Miraculous. It doesn't.

"I'm caught up in your expectations You're trying to make me live your dream But I'm causing you so much frustration And you only want the best for me"

Life in school wasn't any different.

Every day is a challenge for her. Avoiding her classmates' abuse, Rossi's lies and defamation, Bustier's expectations and demands and Adrien's passiveness in the situation. Everything was surrounding her.

"Mari—" 

"Don't. Don't you dare call me something you're not entitled to."

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon Mari, your overreacting. They're just teasing, no one's getting hurt—"

"I am! I am getting hurt, Agreste! Do you think no one's getting hurt?! Well, I guess I'm no one because I'm getting hurt! And I don't need you to remind me over and over again that I'm alone in this mess, because of you!"

"You wanted me to show more interest To always keep a big bright smile Be that pinky little perfect princess But I'm not that type of child"

Hidden inside the small space of an abandoned house, she looked outside the window to the dark and silent night of Paris.

A memory flashes through her mind.

"Maman! This! This!"

A short Asian woman heartily laughed at her young toddler's antics. And a huge bearded man taking pictures from behind them.

"Yes, Mon chérie?"

Young Marinette twirled around while wearing the flower crown she had found in a stall.

"Is it pretty?" She asks.

"Yes, chérie. It is very pretty."

Due to her mother's words, young Marinette smiled so brightly under the gazes of her loving parents. Looking so ethereal with the lights shining behind her.

"And this storm is rising inside of me Don't you feel that our whole worlds collide? It's getting harder to breathe It hurts deep inside"

"It hurts, Tikki. It hurts so much..."

She wanted to cry. To let her heart out. But, she can't.

The moment she let go of everything inside her will mean that she failed. That she let everything around her get the best of her. The pain of suppressing these loud and painful emotions is eating her inside.

No matter what happens, she silently swallows all of it and put it in the back, locked away from her. She cannot break.

Ladybug can't break. Marinette can't break.

"Just let me be Who I am It's what you really need to understand And I hope so hard for the pain to go away"

"C'mon Ladybug! This is our fate! We were meant to save the city, and you can't change that!"

"It's not mine!"

Chat Noir was taken aback. Ladybug rarely shouts at him or at anyone. So to hear her voice raise jolted him.

"I never wanted all of this! I wanted to live, a simple life where I'm happy, and my family's happy! This isn't me, this isn't mine, and if you think this is my fate, it's not. I will beg everyone that it isn't."

Ladybug stepped away from him motioning to leave after the argument. But before she swing away, she looked over her shoulder and spoke to him.

"Because if this is my fate, then how cruel of the world to give it to me..."

"And it's torturing me But I can't break free So I cry and cry but just won't get it out The silent scream"

Staring at the mirror, she can't recognize herself anymore.

The darkened bags beneath her eyes, the dull bluebell eyes, and the black earrings on her ears.

Fate. She laughed when she thought about this world. How could fate be cruel to her, to shove the world's problem at her hands. How could fate burden her so much?

Looking at the black earrings and then moving to the closed sewing box where a box of powerful artifacts hides underneath, she smiled pitifully. Yeah, how cruel of fate to let her carry everything.

"Tell me why you're putting pressure on me And everyday you 'cause me harm That's the reason why I feel so lonely Even though you hold me in your arms"

"Marinette, I know that you are having a small squabble with your classmates, but do you really want to just give up on your friendships?" Bustier asks silently.

"But Madam! They're—"

"Think about what the Marinettes of the world would do, I think they would put everything aside and help her friends."

Marinette stares at her homeroom teacher. She could literally see the rose-painted windows in her eyes. She could see that no matter what the problem is, Caline Bustier only sees the good in it, even the good in the bad.

Reaching this conclusion as she stares at her teacher, her fists slowly curl into a ball, gaze hardening, and heart closing.

"Good day, Mdm Bustier."

She turned her back and left, not sparing at her teacher's gobsmacked expression on her face. Marinette looks ahead, with cold and unwavering eyes.

"Wanna put me in a box of glitter But I'm just trying to get right out And now you're feeling so so bitter Because I've let you down"

No.

No. It can't be!

She... She failed...

How could a guardian lose every single miraculous to her worst enemy? Why did she trust Félix?! Why?!

"I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Tikki..."

"It's okay, Marinette. It's not your fault."

'But, it is mine.' She thought ruefully with a bitter smile.

"We'll just have to find a way to bring all of it back. Me, Plagg, Wayzz and Trixx are still here, we'll help you."

"And this storm is rising inside of me Don't you feel that our whole worlds collide? It's getting harder to breathe It hurts deep inside"

When was the last time she had a good sleep?

When was the last time she relaxed and spend time with her family?

When was the last time she was happy?

Endless problems continue to come her way. And Marinette doesn't know if she can handle it anymore.

'It's too much.'

Looking at the blinking stars above her, she silently wonders, what if she was there? What if she let go in the beginning? Thousands of what-ifs entered her mind.

Thousands of regrets, pain and guilt continued to build up inside her. And it's creating something inside her.

Something she might not be able to stop.

"Just let me be Who I am It's what you really need to understand And I hope so hard for the pain to go away"

After months of torture. She finally retrieved almost all of the miraculouses she lost.

But not the butterfly and the peacock.

Standing above the crowd looking at her like she was a god, she felt sick. How could she accept such devotion, when she knows she doesn't deserve it.

Endless questions were thrown at her, but the only thing that stood out among the sea of words was, 'Are you and Chat Noir dating?'.

Upon hearing that, Chat Noir who was waving from behind her had a smug smile on his face when she turned to him. With that action, she finally knew.

She really is alone.

"And it's torturing me But I can't break free So I cry and cry but just won't get it out The silent scream"

"Marinette... We know that you're old enough to solve your own problems, but please know we're always here for you."

Sabine said at the closed trapdoor of her daughter's room.

"We're here, chérie. Always here."

On the other side of the door, Marinette sat silently. Gripping her hair tightly, and teaching her heart to shut close. To not let anything or anyone enter. To lock everything inside.

For good.

"Can't you see how I cry for help 'Cause you should love me just for being myself I'll drown in an ocean Of pain and emotion If you don't save me right away"

"I wish I never met you."

Angry eyes stare at her being. But Marinette only looked straight into a pair of green gleeful eyes.

"We are not friends anymore, Marinette. And I wish we never were."

"Gladly."

She turned around, and the moment she stepped outside of the classroom, Marinette knew there was no turning back. And thus the metaphorical bridge that connects her to them, was set ablaze leaving ashes in its wake.

Marinette knows she can't hold on for long. The forming bruises on her face hurt.

She seethes at the sight of Chat Noir beside the villain, looking at her hungrily. Like a prey in front of a predator.

But Marinette isn't willing to be prey. She can't.

Smirking at her weak form is Hawkmoth, otherwise known as Shadow Moth. The look in his eyes zeroes into the miraculous in her ears. The other half of the Cat Miraculous.

"We finally meet Ladybug. Ah, no. Nice to meet you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the current holder of the Ladybug Miraculous and the Guardian of the box."

She scowls at them.

"I think it's time to let everything go now. There's nothing for you to do, you failed."

"Just let me be Who I am It's what you really need to understand And I hope so hard for the pain to go away"

On one sunny day, the skies suddenly clouded with dark clouds floating above them.

Every Parisian in the vicinity was startled.

Sabine was looking at the skies, wondering if a heavy storm is coming. She looks at her husband before pointing towards the upper floor. Tom understood and nodded.

Sabine climbed her way to her daughter's room.

"Marinette?"

She knocked and called her multiple times before opening it and was welcomed with the most horrific view.

Everything inside was destroyed.

She runs back to the bakery and informed her husband. Where was her daughter?!

"Uhm, Babe? Is it going to rain or what?" Alya asks.

Gathering in the park was a fruitful idea before the darkening happened.

The class wonders what was going on. Lila was even having fun getting the sole attention of everyone.

The lone figure on the Eiffel tower stares beneath the scrambling city.

The kwamis behind shuffled anxiously, even the god of destruction looks warily.

A glowing symbol pulses on her palm. The symbol she despises. The symbol that ruined her life. The previous mother box was now etched into the veins of her body. Pulsing, begging to be let out, but she keeps it chained inside. Wearing nothing of the artifacts only the etched symbol.

Her eyes were dull. No emotions pass through it.

"Marinette?" Tikki carefully calls.

How long has she endured? How long did she dream for all of it to end? And now, how can she release everything inside her?

She sighs slowly. 'Let it begin.'

The wind howls loudly. A silent scream is carried to the ends of the world. She stares coldly at everything, before turning away, a silent order for the kwamis to follow. The order of their Guardian.

As they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul, and thus the figure of someone trapped behind bars is reflected in her eyes.

The gleaming purple shade of her eyes caged the screaming figure filled with emotions inside her.

"And it's torturing me But I can't break free So I cry and cry but just won't get it out The silent scream My silent scream"

Let me know if you like to be added to any future one shot's taglist!

[queenofhearts7378]

“So this is Jake's fault, right?” Randy asked.

Danny made a noise of agreement as they continued running down the hallway, red flashing against their eyes and alarms ringing through the air.

And okay, it wasn't really Jake's fault they were being chased by a killer robot after breaking out of some holding cells.

Ever since Jake had turned 16, he'd been getting more duties outside of New York, really stepping up into his role as the American Dragon. NYC was still his home, his main area of protection, and the main capital of the magical community; he wasn't leaving anytime soon.

But occasionally a smaller community would reach out, asking for help with bigger problems they couldn't handle and he couldn't answer over the phone or e-mail. So Jake began traveling (through mundane or magical means), and solving the problems in person.

And occasionally dragging his out-of-town friends along with him.

Which is how the four of them ended up here: in an off-the-books government facility in Horrible, Arkansas, and made up of the same branch as the GIW.

(Danny had groaned out loud in his and Rand's cell, thunking his head against the bars when he heard that.

The agent that was interrogating them gave him a weird look.

“He's from Amity Park.” Randy said solemnly, patting Danny’s shoulder.

The agent went white so fast Randy honestly thought he was about to pass out before fleeing the room.

“Wow,” Randy said, “Y'all's city really is a curse.”)

The four of them had literally stumbled onto the grounds, got searched and had most of their stuff taken away, and thrown into holding cells where agents would periodically come to interrogate them on how they found the place and who else knows about it.

Danny had phased them through the back wall as soon as they were left alone, and accidently ran directly into a wall of weapons that fell on top of them both. Randy only got a sore shoulder, but something zapped Danny and he hadn't been able to transform since.

Which was when the alarms went off.

And when they discovered that the facility used killer robots as security and were all too happy to shoot a couple of teenagers.

Now they were running for their lives trying to find their stuff and their friends without getting shot by the robots or the agents.

They skidded around another corner, and Danny grabbed open the nearest door, throwing it open to check for their stuff.

Instead they were met with two startled agents in the middle of grabbing their weapons.

Randy didn't waste the chance and spun around Danny, landing a kick in the first man's diaphragm and then bringing his knee up just as the man bent over to gasp for air.

(The ninja suit let him be faster, stronger, more bouncy, and protected him from hard hits. The lessons and training of 800 years worth of ninjas were pressed into the fabric enabling him to fight when he had never done it before. He still had training though. He spent hours in the Nomicon practicing the moves and katas his brain knew but his body didn't. Following the footsteps and marks the Nomicon drew out around him, mirroring the poses the illustrated samurai and dragons went though. And lately, following along next to the First Ninja as he performed the moves next to him, occasionally fixing his posture, as Plop Plop chattered nearby.

Being the Ninja wasn't all cool flips and awesome weapons. Even without the mask, Randy was still a ninja.)

Danny took the chance to leap onto the other agent's back trying to get his weapon, throwing the man off balance right as he tried to shoot Randy.

The shot went wide and hit the wall, leaving a faint scorch mark on the white plaster. Randy dived under the shot, rolling forward right past the agent. He kicked his leg out, catching him in the back of the knee, right as Danny yanked the weapon out of his grasp and leapt off the agent's back. Between the teenager using him as a springboard and his leg giving out on him, the agent hit the floor hard. Danny didn't give him the chance to get his bearings and swung the weapon, clocking him over the head.

He swayed for a minute before hitting the ground. He wasn't unconscious but he wasn't getting off the floor anytime soon.

Randy and Danny high-fived before fleeing back out the door.

“Randy, that was awesome!” Danny exclaimed as they checked the other doors for their stuff. “I didn't know you could do that!”

“I know, I know, I'm the Bruce McCheese. Hold your applause,” Randy bragged as he opened the last door in the hallway to reveal yet another supply closet. Running past Danny, he punched him in the shoulder, “I'm still a ninja without the mask Casper.”

“What was that? I couldn't hear you over your ego getting in the way!” Danny laughed as he turned the corner, only to catch a metal leg in his stomach. His back hit the wall and his stolen weapon went flying away from him.

“DANNY!” Randy screeched, knowing he wouldn't get there in time as the security bot charged up to fire.

His feet and hands moved before he could think about it.

‘Separate - Gather - Free’

Randy could feel the energy pool through him, starting with his feet (“Your stance grounds you,” First Ninja said, “It centers you. It's the most important part of using the spells.") and surging upwards through his body in a way he's never felt while in the suit. Randy could feel the air thicken in his palms and he thrust out his hands just as the energy hit his palms and the top of his head.

“Ninja AIR-FIST!”

He could see the ninja magic hit the security robot and smash it into the wall. All the energy that had surged through him faded out, leaving Randy feeling like he just played Grave Puncher for two days straight.

He swayed for a moment, exhaustion hitting him like a brick, before he stumbled over to a gob-smacked Danny.

“Since when could you do that?” Danny asked as he scrambled to his feet.

Randy braced himself against the wall, “Uhhhhhhhhh……now I guess?”

Danny looked at the dented wall, then back at Randy. “Can you do it again?”

“Nngh….think I'll pass out if I did.”

“Alright, last resort then. And I still can't go ghost.”

Randy groaned. “Man we are shoobed.”

“We just need to find the others…..and our stuff.” Danny crouched down in front of Randy. “Alright hop on. You look like you're about to pass out now.”

“Pretty sure it'd just slow us down.” Randy said, even as he wrapped his arms around Danny's neck.

“Dude it's like I'm holding a couple of grapes. What are you, 80 pounds soaking wet?”

“Screw you too.” He dug his heel into Danny's thigh, “Giddee up. I think I hear the others breaking things up ahead.”

Jake and Adrien were indeed in the next hallway over, both transformed and absolutely wrecking anything they came across.

“Hey guys!” Chat grinned at them, impaling the last security bot with his staff. “We were looking for you!”

“Yo Ribbons! What happened to you?” Jake flew over to hand them their backpacks.

“Turns out Mister Ninja over here can use his ninja magic out of the mask.”

Jake blinked at them, “You can do that?”

“Apparently,” Randy said as he slid off Danny's back, “if I want to feel like I went ten rounds with a hoard of robo-apes.”

“Oof.” Jake shook his backpack at them as Randy pulled on his mask. “Well we found the main computer room, stole a bunch of hard drives that I'm going to give to Spud and Tucker, and Chat broke like, everything in there with a Cataclysm so no need to worry about cameras.”

“And we found out what they are called.” Adrien chimed in, “Beings Under Government Surveillance. They had a sign.”

“Bugs?”

“B.U.G.S.!”

“No wonder the GIW are such pests!” Danny and Adrien said together, high fiving. Randy snickered at the pun.

“Yeah, you're all comedians, can we go? The missing fairies are running loose and I've got to figure out if they need to move, or if they'd be fine with some more magic barriers around their town.”

“And I really gotta talk to the Nomicon. It's wack they didn't warn me about this.”

~~~~

Later in the Nomicon:

First Ninja stared at him in disbelief, “You did what.”

[wormzandgutz]

art studies ft. Pokémon marichat I have so much to improve on it makes me cry

[carpetbug]

La Llorona (3.2k)

read below or on ao3 • [tw: attempted drowning]

“It was true that he didn’t remember when he learned to swim, but he did remember his mother teaching him. That was a big part of why he was quickly getting tired of the topic matter at hand.”

“I don’t really remember when I learned how to swim,” Adrien shrugged, chin resting on his right hand as he passed the few remaining minutes of class conversing with his friends. Alya’s face turned down into a playful frown at his response, clearly unsatisfied with such a weak answer. Marinette watched the conversation in amusement while mindlessly chewing on a pencil—one already covered in teeth marks. They had all already told their own stories: Nino had been a natural swimmer, Marinette had to take a few years of swimming lessons, and Alya had told some kind of story about almost drowning at a water park with her older sister. Adrien hadn’t been able to follow that one very well.

“You can’t even remember bits and pieces?” she prompted. He felt like he was in some weird interview.

“Maybe you were just born knowing how to do everything, huh?” Nino teased from beside him before poking him with an elbow. He had started the conversation in the first place by mentioning how his little brother Chris had just started swimming lessons. Apparently, Chris was not enjoying them.

Adrien shrugged again, not entirely wanting to try and muster up bygone memories. “Oh, I don’t know, I must have learned at the hotel's pool with Chloe,” he awkwardly explained, trying to string together a story his friends would believe. When he really tried to remember, all he could see was fragmented pictures of his maman in her swimsuit, arms outstretched in a shallow pool that lapped around her waist. He could smell, slightly taste, the chlorine. It was true that he didn’t remember when he learned to swim, but he did remember his mother teaching him. That was a big part of why he was quickly getting tired of the topic matter at hand.

“Ugh, understood. If I had grown up being best friends with that girl I would also try to forget it,” Nino joked, making Alya and Marinette laugh. Adrien copied the sound—he had given up trying to justify Chloe’s place in his life, and even he wasn’t entirely sure she belonged there anymore—but the laugh he let out wasn’t nearly convincing enough.

Three pairs of eyes were immediately on him, stunning him into silence. It was like he had failed some invisible test.

The quiet held for a second too long before they started blurting apologies.

“Shit, dude, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that, I know Chloe’s your friend and—”

“Yeah we didn’t mean to laugh, Adrien, we weren’t thinking.”

Marinette opened her mouth to begin her explanation when Adrien anxiously shut them down. “Guys, guys, it’s okay! I know you guys don’t like Chloe, but I also know you guys respect our friendship. It’s fine, really,” he assured them, squeezing Ninos shoulder comfortingly as he talked. “Anyways—,” he was desperate to get the attention off him “Why is Chris hating swim lessons?”

Nino laughed and began flapping his hands excitedly in the air, the previous tension quickly forgotten. “You’re never going to believe this, he’s scared of ‘La Llorona’.”

“‘The crying woman’? Isn’t she some kind of, like, Mexican folklore story to scare little kids?” Alya questioned, leaning towards her boyfriend enthusiastically.

“That’s exactly what I said! I was like ‘Chris, bro, we live in Paris. She’s all the way in Mexico, busy doing ghost things, no way she’s going to get you.’ But he’s convinced she’s out to find him! I don’t even know where he learned about it,” Nino recounted, laughing as he went. Maybe it was kinda childish to be scared of a ghost in a distant country; but in Chris’s defense, Adrien also felt uneasy about ghosts.

The idea of being haunted made his skin crawl.

“I’ve never heard of her. What’s the folklore?” he asked curiously, interest piqued.

“It’s actually kind of a gruesome story,” Marinette spoke up, but quickly looked like she regretted it as eyes turned to her. She looked down at her hands and fidgeted with the chewed pencil as she continued. “There’s a lot of different versions, but the most common one is a woman fell in love with a wealthy man, had his children, caught him cheating, and drowned their kids out of rage. Then she regretted it and drowned herself out of guilt, leaving her weeping ghost to haunt rivers and streams, crying out for her children. It’s usually used to keep kids away from bodies of water, especially at night. Supposedly if you hear her sobs, she’ll find you, then drown you when she realizes you aren’t her child.” Marinette shivered with the final sentence, clearly recalling something. She combed her fingers through a pigtail and let out a tense giggle. “My grandma goes on trips all over the world. She went to Mexico when I was in kindergarten, then decided to tell me that story when she got back. I was scared of the seine for months, so I can’t really blame Chris.”

“Your parents must have been mad.” Alya smirked.

“My mom definitely was! She was convinced I would never get over it, and I’d have a fear of water all my life. I forgot about it when summer came around and I got to go to the pool.” The girls were talking now, carried away with their own conversation.

Adrien didn’t mind. He was busy mulling over the new story.

“—rien? Adrien!” Nino shook him hard, eyeing him up and down like his friend had done something suspicious. It felt almost invasive, and made Adrien squirm in his seat. “Dude, you’re out of it. What are you thinking about?”

He stopped, and thought for a moment. Then the words got the better of him and before he could stop it the question spilled out. “Do you think she loved them?” Adrien asked, eyes locked with Nino’s.

“Who? The—La Llorona? I mean, I guess she loved her kids. All parents do, right?”

“No, I mean—I mean do you think she did it because she loved them?”

Adrien’s attention turned to the phone in his hand, a notification lighting up his lockscreen. It usually rotated through different pictures he had picked out, but right now it was settled on one of him and his mother. “Do you think she drowned them because she loved them, maybe just too much?”

Before Nino could respond, the bell rang out. Class was over, Adrien needed to go home, and Nino had to take Chris to his swim lesson.

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Maman looked so pretty in the pool. The way her hair shined in the sun, and the corners of her mouth wrinkled when she smiled. The clear, bright blue water that stopped at her knees. The thin silver band on her left ring finger reflected the sun brightly, as did the silver feather earrings dangling from her ears. She always wore jewelry. Her green eyes reminded him of the grass that grew beside water in the books she’d read him. It made him happy to have the same green eyes.

Adrien was four years old, right at the age where he was blathering out any words he could, and consciously exploring all the different sensations that came with being alive. But today he had a swimming lesson, which meant listening to his mother.

Emilie stood, merely a foot away on the second step, cooing and trying to coax her living ball of sunshine to dip a foot in the pool. “Adrien, darling, I promise the pool won’t hurt you,” she assured, leaning over and slipping a few fingers into his palm to grasp. He did so tightly, then slowly stepped down onto the first step into the pool. It was cool, almost ticklish, against his skin and thankfully only rose to his shins at this height.

“See!” she smiled, almost purring the words. She pulled her fingers from his grasp, lowered to the bottom step, and splashed the summer water towards her little student. He giggled and shielded his face, though the splash only reached his stomach. “Next step, now.”

Adrien’s laugh caught in his throat. The next step was deep, too deep, but… she was standing right there, lip-glossed smile beaming at him.

She wouldn’t make him go too deep. Maman was safe.

He stepped forward cautiously, missing the tight grip he had on her hand just before, and slowly found his footing. The water now pooled just above his hips, the sloshing waves from their movement gently pulling him this way and that. His arms hovered above the water's surface at his sides, refusing to fall victim to the pool just yet.

“You’re a natural, little minnow!” Emilie cheered, then sucked in her cheeks and pursed her lips to make a kissy face, trying to imitate a fish. Only she looked more like she had bitten into a much too sour lemon, which made Adrien laugh again, even harder this time. His arms dropped slightly and an elbow dipped into the water, making him squeal suddenly.

“It’s cold, Maman!” he whimpered, wanting to retreat back to the shaded table where their towels and pool supplies resided while they swam. Adrien’s gaze was locked over his shoulder on the dry, warm spot a few feet away when Emilie snapped her fingers to get his attention again.

It worked immediately.

“Darling, it’s the perfect temperature. Don’t let the water scare you,” she comforted him, reaching out again to offer a hand to hold. Adrien’s smaller hand took it urgently. “Last step.”

If the previous step had come anywhere close to scary, the last step was utterly daunting. Plunging one foot further into the depths of the water, the surface rose up to his chin. When he tried to lift his other foot it felt rooted to the concrete stair that held him above the water, and he couldn’t find the strength to rip off the bandaid. Thankfully, Emilie had strength to spare for her minnow, and using her free hand she hooked two fingers around his ankle, then sternly pulled it to the final step.

“Ah-ah-ah,” she cooed in her sing-songy voice, hands receding from the young boys’ space again before pushing at the bottom of his chin. His mouth opened to protest but she tilted his head back, letting his golden hair fall and soak up the chlorine-rich water..

Now the water lapped at the edges of his face as he stood, tiptoed, and tilted back. He looked up towards the sky, closing his eyes to block out the harsh sun, and urgently trying not to panic over the water sloshing in his ears. His arms floated in the water at his sides, and he was too aware of the open space where nothing could be grabbed onto. Adrien could hardly hear Emilie, if she was singing her praises at all, but if it was because of his submerged ears or his racing heart he couldn’t tell. After a few seconds—a few too many for small Adrien—she plucked him from the step and placed him on her hip, giving him a moment to rub the water from his hair and ears.

“Wonderful, mon bébé!” She was laughing as she whirled him through the pool, hands tucked under his armpits as they spun in excited circles. “Was that so bad?”

Adrien waited until they stilled to respond. “My ears went under the water,” he muttered, trying to balance in her grasp and holding onto her shoulders. “My eyes were closed, too. I was scared.”

Emilie pouted, maybe trying to give him a sympathetic frown, but it only made him feel smaller. It was the kind of look that a passersby gave a baby throwing a tantrum. “You’re okay,” she assured gently, holding him against her chest and lifting a hand from the water to push a wet strand of golden hair from his forehead. He leaned into the touch of her palm. “When you’re with Maman or Père, you’re always okay.” Their eyes locked and Emilie’s smile dropped. Her left thumb slowly grazed over her ring when she continued. “You know that, right, little minnow?”

The words spilled out before he even knew what he was going to say. “Yes, Maman.”

Yes, he was okay so long as Maman and Papa were there. Mother and Father would always keep him safe.

“Wonderful, darling. Now, let’s try doggy paddling.”

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

It had been a grueling hour in the pool, consisting mainly of Adrien clinging either to his mother’s shoulders or the wall of the pool. The doggy paddling had been too scary, treading water was too exhausting, and floating on his back was too overwhelming.

Worst of all, Emilie was starting to get angry. She had even screamed at him when he tried clambering out of the pool.

Adrien hated making Maman angry. Her eyebrows would twitch when she furrowed them together, and she often brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. It made him feel stupid, and wrong, like he had broken some rule. Sometimes—though Adrien wouldn’t admit it for many years to come—it made him angry too. Angry enough to want to rip piano keys out of their places. Angry enough to want to destroy things with a single touch.

Angry enough to try and climb out of the pool during a swimming lesson. Which was, of course, unacceptable.

“Honestly, Adrien, you’re behaving like a brat! Are you stupid?” She snapped, top lip pulled back in a snarl, letting her canines shine in the sun. Adrien could feel them closing in on him. Even at her worst, he only wanted her to hold him close. It never really mattered if he was alive or dead when she did it—he just wished she wouldn’t yell.

“I’m scared, M-Maman!” He hiccuped, clinging desperately to the roughly textured wall. It stung the pruning skin of his fingers, threatening to cut his raw fingertips. Adrien didn't notice over his own sobs and wracked breathing.

“Stop crying already!” Emilie lunged forward to rip her son from the wall, ignoring his wails of refusal. He urgently grabbed for the wall as she carried him towards the middle of the water, muttering under her breath. The only things Adrien could pick up was ‘useless fucking kid’ and ‘made you to be better than this’.

The words didn’t fully register in his panic-stricken brain. The only thing he knew for certain was real in that moment was the steady stream of warm tears pouring from his eyes. Until Maman reached out, palm cupping his tear stained cheek, and gently wiped at the droplets clinging to his eyelashes. Adrien’s eyes opened and took her in, eyes half-lidded and eyebrows pressed together. She was as comforting as she was terrifying, which was an intense combination of emotions for four year old Adrien.

“Don’t make me repeat myself again. There’s nothing to be scared of,” she said intensely.

It made the tears stop and hiccups pause—it even took some of his breath away. Adrien’s mother was like a being of pure emotion, raw and untethered, changing at the snap of her fingers. Emilie could play people like a violin, and this was her philosophy when it came to maternal matters.

“Nothing to be scared of,” he whispered in repetition, eyes still glued to hers. His muscles relaxed, and he softened into his mothers hold. Truthfully, Adrien always thought it was much more comfortable once he stopped fighting.

Emilie smiled and nodded, then turned to look at the empty pool around them. Her hair was still radiant in the sun, but now the ends had gotten soggy and knotted as they dipped in and out of the water.

“M-Maman, can we stop now?” Adrien asked softly, unable to stop the trembling pout his lips formed. “Please?”

She blinked. Swallowed, then clicked her tongue against her teeth. It was a nauseating sound. “Only if you can swim, little minnow.” His body froze when her eyes targeted back onto him, his stomach turning when he saw her gaping smile. “Show me how you swim.”

In the blink of an eye, Adrien was forced under the surface, water overtaking his mouth and nose before he even thought to close or cover them. It stung, like a wasp had crawled through his throat and made a nest in his lungs, infesting him from the inside out. He gasped for air, desperate to cool the burning taking hold of his chest, but only inhaled water.

He was screaming, crying, violently thrashing in the water as he tried to breach the surface. The sounds only left his mouth in muted air bubbles, floating past his vision to the surface his body screamed for. But it was useless against the tightly gripped hand around his throat.

Maybe Maman just couldn’t hear him when he was so deep under the water. Maman wouldn’t mean to hurt him.

The water churned against his limbs, thwarting his efforts to kick and paddle back to air. He was quickly losing hope that there was any kind of escape. This is what baby birds who fall from their nest too early must feel like. Weak, defenseless, kicking and screaming and fighting to stay alive in a terrain that only wants them dead.

At least those birds can breathe.

Adrien stopped fighting when fatigue overtook him. His legs went limp and arms crossed his torso, enveloping himself in a tight hug under the water. There was some comfort to be found in that, even in the worst situations. He let the water envelop him, too tired to continue. His muscles eased, repeating the lesson he’d learned just before. Pain and terror are so much more comfortable once you stop trying to fight them.

His eyes closed. His body stopped screaming.

Then it was over.

Fresh air swarmed his lungs, bringing up the chlorinated water he’d swallowed. It tasted like stomach acid and summer.

“My poor little minnow,” Emilie murmured as she sat him on the wall of the pool. He coughed and gagged as she slowly rubbed his back, occasionally raising her hand to pet his soaked, ruffled hair. Her voice—usually spilling over with emotion—was monotone and brief, like she was stating a fact. There was no comfort in her words, only recognition that he was suffering. No apology, no explanation. No loving coos and empty promises of safety. Only a mother and her son.

“I-I couldn’t breathe, why Ma—” he sputtered, coughing and stumbling over the words.

She cut him short.“I already said, Adrien. No more squalling.”

He was quiet. His lungs still ached and his throat felt like it was burning, but his lips remained sealed. Any screams or cries were trapped out of his reach.

“You’re okay, aren’t you? No blood, no bruises. Good as new.” She beamed at him. “Nothing bad happened, darling. Let’s get you toweled off and head inside for lunch. You can learn to swim tomorrow.”

Emilie swam through the pool, leaving Adrien sitting on the edge. He watched her silently as she ascended the steps out of the water and made her way to him, then plucked him from the ground like a feather. He usually loved when Maman would carry him around on her hip. This time he felt like a prisoner of sorts, anchored to her side while his own emotions, thoughts, and wants were cast aside to cater to his warden.

“Yes, Maman.”

[heartfulselkie]

I know people mostly follow me for art stuff now, but I do have a couple of fics on AO3 if anyone's interested! My name over on AO3 is Selkie077

Citrus and Lavender (Ongoing, Rated T)

Enemies AU with Chat Noir working with Hawk Moth from the beginning. Even though the "enemies" part is mainly on the Ladynoir side, there's interaction between all sides of the love square as they awkwardly fumble around and try to figure each other out.

Bell The Cat (Ongoing, Rated T)

Fantasy/Knight AU with a dash of enemies to reluctant allies then friends to lovers. Hawk Moth, tyrant of the kingdom, is dead. Slain by his own champion Chat Blanc of all things. But as the renowned Hero of Gallia, Ladybug knows the war against the Akumas is far from over. With a lot of questions remaining, she decides that the first step to getting answers is to save Chat Blanc from death row.

Dream A Little Dream of Me (One Shot, Rated T)

Marinette tries to forget about Chat Blanc as much as possible, but that doesn't stop her from dreaming about him.

Glass Cages (One Shot, Rated T)

Adrien is struggling against the isolation his celebrity status forces on him and the constant expectation of perfection. Luckily he's not alone in this, as Ladybug also knows what it's like to be kept on a pedestal.

Priceless (One Shot, Rated G)

Based on a Tumblr prompt. Upon discovering that Marinette made an expensive (and somewhat secretive) purchase, Adrien has a lot of questions.

Penumbra (Complete, Rated M)

Check tags carefully for this one as it deals with some heavy themes. Adrien is haunted by an experience he can never forget, so he turns to being Chat Noir as much as possible to escape it. As Marinette's relationship deepens with both Adrien and Chat Noir, she starts to realise there's something hidden behind their smiles.

And I'm Still Breathless (Complete, Rated T)

A oneshot written as part of a series for the Littlebug Valentine's Zine.

It was only a couple of kisses and they had been for the photoshoot. But Adrien is a romantic at heart, and when he falls he falls hard.

[knifedancer]

The Kissing Booth

Marinette's class opts to run a kissing booth for their school fair fundraiser. Unfortunately Chloe drops out at the last minute and Marinette is selected to replace her. She's really uncomfortable with being a 'kisser' at the booth but then something unexpected happens...

Also posted on AO3.

“I don’t know about this, Alya!” Marinette anxiously tugged on the fabric that would be her blindfold for the next hour. It was canary yellow with little bees and flowers embroidered on it. She had handmade one for each participant.

“Come on, girl! You agreed to the kissing booth idea when we were planning what our school fair project would be,” Alya replied.

“But I didn’t plan to participate! This is so humiliating,” the bluenette bit her lip as she mentally panicked. “Why did Chloe have to back out at the last possible minute?”

The other girl shook her head, “Doesn’t matter. Don’t you see? This is your chance! You’ve been in love with Adrien since collège and we’re in lycée now. You’re no longer that short, awkward classmate that tripped over herself in Sunshine’s presence. He’ll kiss you and it’ll be magical. You’ll get married and have three kids and a hamster named—”

“Marinette, it’s your turn at the booth!” Rose’s excited voice called out from the other side of the curtain. The girl in question felt the pit of her stomach drop at the pronouncement, being overtaken by nerves.

“Look, I pulled some strings so you won’t be scheduled for the same hour as Adrien. That way he can come and support you instead of being tied up at the other side of the booth from you. Now get out there!” Alya shoved her from the small prep area they had curtained off and towards the back entry.

Marinette knew the booth set up by heart as she had helped design and build it. It was a long chute with two aisles that led to a set of booths where a male and female student would stand. Both booths were separated by a barrier and an exit curtain would lead the attendees away. Six students in total had signed up to be participants, equally split between sexes, and all had to be eighteen to avoid extra approval paperwork with the school. A few student staff members would stand at the entryway, before the two aisles diverged, to collect the required entry fee. Next to the entry was a bulletin board where the current participants’ photos would be posted. Participants would sit or stand at the booth while blindfolded, kissing whoever approached. They had set the whole thing up to keep things as anonymous as possible so that other students wouldn’t feel pressured to go one way or another, avoiding embarrassment, and keep from any awkwardness happening after in school.

It had been a good plan but Chloe, who had initially volunteered, had decided to flake out at the last possible moment. It left them in a lurch as they needed another female student to take her place and there were very few girls in the class that were eighteen that were willing to fill in: Juleka and Marinette. The Adrienette club, consisting of their various friends from Bustier’s old class, had tapped the designer to do it. She was very uncomfortable with the idea and expressed her desire not to participate – she hadn’t even had her first real kiss yet! No, she didn’t count the ones as Ladybug! – but they were adamant. They had brushed off her concerns without a second thought. It didn’t help when they heaped on the guilt about not being able to reach their fundraising goal for their class trip without their sixth person. Railroaded into accepting, the bluenette had been barely holding back a panic attack ever since.

The Ladyblogger gestured for her to take a seat on the stool and helped her put on the blindfold. “Alright, there you are! Now…I know you’re nervous but don’t worry about it! You’re going to be fine! But, if it helps, I’m your first customer,” with that, Alya gave her a friendly peck on the cheek that caused them both to laugh. “Don’t worry, you got this.” With that, she turned Marinette towards the front of the booth and exited the area, leaving the girl alone.

The young designer sat and wondered who might come to her side of the booth. With her luck, Adrien wouldn’t come at all. Not that she was necessarily hoping for that outcome. She had been waiting for three years for him to notice her, three years to figure out a way to tell him how she felt, three years of helping him with dates or gifts for other girls… Was someone worth waiting for that never noticed you or thought of you as anything more than a friend? She wanted to matter to someone! Marinette had resolved herself to let the silly crush go.  She had grown into herself since making that decision, becoming more confident and outgoing, losing her stutter, as well as finally gaining a little height (170cm). She was finally taller than her maman! Plus the physical exertion she experienced as Ladybug left her with athletic, lean muscles stretched over a pear-shaped frame. She wasn’t as curvy as Alya or Mylene, but she was happy with her more feminine curves. Even with all those changes, Adrien had still not noticed her, so she felt more assured than ever that she made the right choice.

An hour of time can pass in a blink of an eye or feel like a lifetime. For Marinette, it was the latter. After a little while, she found herself still sitting alone. She had propped her elbows up onto the small counter of the booth and rested her head on her hand. The walls themselves were not very thick so she knew Kim, who was sharing other side of the booth for the hour, had received several customers. Satisfied ones at that, if the moans and giggling were any indication.

‘Jeez, Kim… I’d tell you to get a room but you actually have one already…,’ she thought to herself as she blushed from a particularly raunchy noise. ‘Guess I didn’t have anything to worry about, no one really wants to kiss me.’ Tears pricked at her eyes behind the blindfold at that thought. Not that she wanted to be kissed by any random person, especially for her first kiss, but it still wounded her feelings a little. Almost every girl worries that she could be unattractive, Marinette was no exception.

And so, time passed awkwardly accentuated by muffled noises from next door. When it got closer to the end of the hour, Marinette could hear a commotion towards the entryway but could not make out what was being said. She could vaguely hear Alya questioning someone, but the response was lost on the bluenette. She wished she was up there instead, handling angry customers had become second nature to her from all her years working at her parents’ bakery. Anything was better than just sitting here!

Within a few minutes the commotion outside had stopped and she could hear footsteps approaching. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, your hour has finished. It is time for Miss Kubdel’s shift. I have come to retrieve you,” came the familiar voice of Felix. Adrien’s cousin was still the haughty boy he always had been but had mellowed out enough to participate in class fundraisers. Like Marinette, he had also gone through changes over the last three years. While Adrien had the height and strong shoulders, he had taken more after his mother – a lithe form with lean muscles. It turned out for the best, allowing the model to take on more androgynous looks that appealed to Gabriel’s larger audience. Felix had grown to over 180cm, developed broad shoulders and a bulkier muscular structure, and began styling his hair in a shorter version of the Harvard Cut. He still wore the same formal clothes but now had the stature to match his superior attitude. He certainly cut an intimidating figure.

Marinette untied her blindfold, sliding from the booth to join him by the exit curtain. She rubbed her eyes with a stretch, feeling stiff from sitting for so long. “Thanks, Felix. That was a long hour! How did we do on fundraising so far?”

“It appears we made our goal,” he replied blandly.

“Wow, really? Mon Dieu, I guess Kim was really popular!” Felix seemed to stiffen at her statement but did not say anything. “At least whatever we raise from the third shift can be used in our rainy-day fund.”

Felix, ever the gentleman, lifted the curtain aside for her and she nodded her thanks. They politely parted ways – he back to the front to monitor security and money handling practices; Marinette back towards their classroom to grab her wallet so she could enjoy the rest of the fair. Walking among the booths, she selected a one serving a delicious pasta before moving on to the crafts areas. Everyone was so creative and excited!

Her perusal of some bracelets was cut short when someone tugged hard on her elbow. Catching herself from falling over, she looked over to find a very frustrated red head. “Hey Alya, what’s up?”

“Girl, what is going on between you and Felix? Because he made a huge scene earlier at the booth!”

“What scene? There’s nothing going on between us, you know that…,” came Marinette’s puzzled reply.

Alya led her away from the busy booth areas and towards a quieter corner, pulling out her phone and presenting it to her friend. “Here. Watch the video I took during your shift.”

~~~ The Video ~~~

The camera shook as it came into focus on the entryway to the kissing booth. A small crowd of students had gathered near the bulletin to see who was participating and the schedule of kissers for the day. Ivan and Juleka were standing next to the collection box that they would add to as students approached. Suddenly a male student walked back through the entry and angrily huffed as he left, followed by another and another. Some asked for their money back but were otherwise either disappointed or angry looking as they left.

“What the heck is going on…,” came Alya’s disembodied voice as the video began progressing into the entryway. First down Kim’s area, where one could clearly see the jock lip-locked with a guy in a ponytail and red football jersey. Then the camera traveled back up the chute and into the other side.

There, Alya encountered a small crowd of agitated students that were stopped. Pushing through, Felix’s towering form was seen at the front. He had planted himself in the middle of the chute, arms crossed, glaring down anyone that dared to pass him. When one brave boy tried to step around him, Felix appeared to snarl something, too low to be heard by the camera, before the unknown boy paled and backed off. “Any other takers?” Felix asked the crowd calmly, staring them all down. “No? Then please leave.”

“Hey! You can’t stop paying customers… I want a kiss from the hottie in the photo!”

“Yeah, I want a kiss too!”

“I wouldn’t mind more than a kiss, if you know what I mean!”

“Ooooh!”

“Not before I get my turn with her!”

“It’s not like she belongs to you, man!”

Many in the crowd echoed similar sentiments, not noticing the darkening countenance of the tall young man in front of them. Felix uncrossed his arms and advanced, looming over the first student that insinuated getting more than a kiss from Marinette. The crowd’s mutterings had fallen silent, those in the front trembled or shivered from the look on Felix’s face. He seemed to exude a deadly aura, even the light in the room seemed to dim in his proximity.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you are, you sexist guttersnipe? It appears your parents raised you to think of women as merely playthings to be owned or used,” he slowly looked around, making sure to glare into the eyes of all those present. “You all disgust me. The person down this chute is a respectable, hard-working, intelligent young lady that does not deserve your slimy paws or ghastly thoughts directed toward herself. I will not let you proceed. Regardless of gender, none of you are worthy of her time. Leave immediately or…,” his voice seemed to growl with malice, “I’ll make you leave.”

The crowd dispersed back to the front with nothing more than upset mutterings. The recording drew closer to Felix, who had turned to look with mild interest. “What do you think you are doing? We’re trying to run a kissing booth here!”

“I know, Césaire, and I have a booth to protect,” he replied nonchalantly.

“By what, scaring off all our customers?!” Alya questioned angrily.

“Alya, I’m sure there’s a good reason Felix did that,” came Adrien’s soothing voice. He must have either joined in the investigation or split off from the crowd that had been excused.

“Quite right, cousin. Miss Dupain-Cheng was incredibly uncomfortable about the prospect of performing at the booth as a participant today. No one should be forced to do something that they do not want,” Felix remarked as if schooling a student that had asked a dumb question.

“Excuse you? Marinette didn’t have an issue! She would have told me!” came the blogger’s offended cry.

“Yeah, Felix. Besides, it’s not hurting anyone!” Adrien contributed.

The emerald eyes of the boy in front of them flashed and narrowed on them. “Did you even bother to ask Marinette how she felt? Or, knowing you two, bother to listen?” Felix crossed his arms and stood straight again, taking advantage of the additional 5cm he had over Adrien to now loom over the two friends. “Let me take your silence as a no. You didn’t ask, you didn’t listen. You pressured her until she agreed and then forced her to partake in an activity that she did not want to do in the first place.”

“But she…we didn’t think…,” began the other blond, cowering from his cousin. From his stance one could almost imagine a cat with its tail tucked between its legs while in the presence of a larger predator.

“That’s right, you didn’t think, cousin. You’re both no better than the ignoramuses I have been chasing off. You assigned me security for the day and that’s what I’m doing. Her welfare matters more than your ridiculous kissing booth,” he responded coldly.

“And how are we supposed to make up the money that we just lost to refunds? That had to be at least two dozen you chased off!” Alya questioned, clinging to her anger.

Felix clicked his tongue, looking less deadly than before but no less commanding. “Forty-two in total were sent away. If you’re concerned about the money, then I will pay triple for all the kisses Miss Dupain-Cheng was to give today.”

The camera had picked up Alya and Adrien’s choke at the statement but, before they could reply, Felix pointedly looked at his wristwatch. “Seems the hour is up. I will escort Miss Dupain-Cheng out to make sure she is not bothered by any lingering riffraff. I will join you at the front of the booth to settle the payment after.” With that he turned and walked down the chute towards the booth area.

“What the hell was that abou—,” Alya’s voice was cut off with the end of the recording.

~~~ Back to Present ~~

Marinette stood stunned as her friend took back her phone. She had never seen Felix be so protective before! Especially of her! She pressed a hand to her heart as it raced in her chest, hearing the blood pumping loudly in her ears.

“So? Did he say anything to you?” Alya demanded.

“No…he didn’t say anything about that…,” the girl replied slowly. “All he said was that we reached our goal…”

“Damn right we did, because he paid triple the rate for every person he turned away,” her friend exclaimed. Then her face changed to one of concern, “Was what he said true? Were you not comfortable participating as a kisser?”

Marinette winced and looked down, mumbling, “Yeah… I didn’t want to participate but none of you seemed to listen… I’ve been on the verge of a panic attack since yesterday and it was a relief when no one came to kiss me during my shift.”

Alya threw her arms around her and hugged tight, her tone contrite, “I’m so, so sorry! I should have listened to you. Can you forgive me?”

The designer returned the hug with a small smile, “Done. Just don’t push me into these things again, okay?”

They pulled apart with a giggle of agreement, the bespectacled girl grabbed her shoulders and looked curious. “So…Felix really didn’t say anything to you? Did you tell him how uncomfortable you were?”

“No, nothing…,” Marinette replied confusedly, replaying his words from the video in her mind. Her heart began to race again; she needed to talk to him! She glanced down at her phone to check the time, noting that he should be helping with the tear down right now. “Alya, I gotta go. Call me later, yeah?”

With that, she took off running. She summoned every Ladybug reflex she had and dashed through the throngs of people that still drifted between the food and craft stalls. She finally made it back to the booth location and looked around, not seeing the tall blond anywhere. Marinette approached Ivan, “Have you seen Felix?”

“Uh…yeah, I think he was taking the collection box back to the classroom,” he replied. “Good work today, by the way! I heard you were the big money maker!”

Marinette blushed and took off again, heading towards the main building. She slid to a stop at the classroom door and threw it open with a loud bang. Felix looked up from his task with a glare before realizing it was her. “Would you please close the door? I should have locked it while I was counting but didn’t think anyone else would come in here.”

She gingerly closed and locked the door, unsure how to proceed with this conversation. “Felix… Alya told me what happened at the booth earlier.”

The blond stiffened and sat back in his chair; he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “I see. I’m sorry if I overstepped—”

“No, no, you did the right thing! It’s just...,” Marinette pulled at her fingers as sought out what to say. “How did you know I was uncomfortable? I mean…the rest didn’t seem to notice and…”

As she rambled incoherently, Felix had gotten up and approached the table in front of her. He sat on the edge of the desk and sighed, “I notice everything about you, Marinette.”

Marinette met his eyes with a jolt, staring into them as if trying to figure out her lucky charm. “Why?” was all she could manage, her voice taking on a fragile tone.

“In these three or so years that we’ve attended school together, I’ve grown to respect and admire you.” The blond’s voice dropped to a quiet, humble murmur, “Because you matter to me more than you could ever know.”

Not breaking eye contact, she stepped forward into his personal space. She reached out her right hand and hesitated, watching to make sure he was comfortable with it, before settling it on his left pectoral. She could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingers, pounding the same tempo as her own. His eyes were wide with surprise and she could hear his fingers gripping the edge of the desk so tightly that it creaked in protest.

“…Part of the reason I was so uncomfortable today was because I’ve never been kissed before,” she stated hesitantly. She noted the way the muscles in his chest seemed to tense beneath her hand at the confession. “For a long time, I thought it was just because no one was interested in me...” She saw his brow furrow and lips open as if to refute her statement, but Felix stopped when she applied just a little pressure.

“I think I was actually just waiting for the right person,” her hopeful blue eyes met his stare. She was scared of being rejected but, as soon as she saw how he had reacted in the video, she knew she had to take the chance. Because he had somehow wheedled his way into her heart without her noticing. “Felix, I…���

The boy’s hands released the table and one reached up to gently cup her cheek, as if holding a precious jewel. The other came to rest over her hand on his chest. He gazed into her eyes; she watched as something seemed to melt in their depths. Her left hand came up to cover the one on her face, leaning into it with a small smile. Marinette had never felt so safe and treasured. She could feel his heartbeat pick up slightly. Felix looked down at her lips as he leaned in, stopping just as their noses touched. She knew he would not proceed without her consent. They made exhaled a shared shaky breath, as if under great strain, before she closed the distance for him.

His lips were warm and slightly chapped from being in the sun all day, but she had never felt anything so soft before. His lips moved against her own and she eagerly matched his rhythm. The hand on her cheek traveled down to her lower back and pulled her close, her body fitting perfectly between his thighs and against his broad frame. Her hand, now free, moved to the back of his neck and toyed with the soft short hairs there. They kept the kiss languid and gentle, neither wanting to push too far.

When they finally broke away, their faces had matching ruddy complexions. She gently bumped her nose against his, reveling in their new found intimacy. Felix chuckled and wrapped his arms loosely around her, keeping her against his chest but making sure she didn’t feel trapped. Marinette felt some of her old anxieties creeping in. “Was…was that okay?”

“More than okay, my dear. I admit, I am not versed in the art of kissing either. But, if you so desire, I would be willing to practice with you…,” Felix offered slyly, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. “Perhaps for the rest of our lives?”

Her breathing hitched at the implications of his words. Marinette imagined what a life shared with him would be like, the joy and warmth, the teasing and banter, protected and treasured… She felt an overwhelming sense of rightness at the prospect. She must have been lost in thought for too long because Felix leaned back with a look of concern.

“Marinette, I didn’t mean to make the assumption—” he was cut off by her finger to his lips. She smiled at his expectant but shocked face.

“Less talking, more practice, hot stuff.” Felix broke into a grin then happily pulled her into another kiss. The second of many in their future.

Afterall, he had paid for them…

~~~Author's Note:

"Best investment I ever made." - Felix, on his wedding day.

[margarethelstone-2]

so i spent way too long polishing this up and way way too long trying to edit this post into something decent.

hope the result is worth it.

(allowing myself to tag @anna-scribbles again since you seemed to like the previous one so much).

also...

...this gal I swear

[ninadove]

Would Feligami be the type of couple to sleep together? (in a non-sus way of course)

DID SOMEONE SAY FELIGAMI FLUFF

Yes, they absolutely would! No one is more surprised by this fact than Felix “I need my personal space” Graham de Vanily, who did not realise how touch-starved he was until he met Kagami. Very much like that meme of the cheetah getting a chin rub.

The first few times she would burrow into his shirt and he would not dare to move or breathe too heavily. He’s used to destroying beautiful things, after all.

But eventually he would learn to let go and hold her tight and rest his chin on top of her head and kiss her forehead when she mumbles in a half-asleep state. Which would be so healing for her.

And of course, there’s the fact that they’ve both been terribly abused. Letting your guard down enough to fall asleep next to someone is the ultimate show of trust — especially for Felix, especially after the Nightormentor debacle. Give the boy insomnia and night terrors and let him be the one to be cared for and gently rocked back to sleep…

Also for everyone’s consideration: they’re both early risers, and I don’t think this habit would disappear completely, but they should get to discover the joys of laying in bed idly sometimes. Just. Let them be kids I beg of you

Also also for your consideration: Felix sleeping much better during thunderstorms, since lightning is associated with Ryuko, to illustrate that he is not afraid of the way she loves! ❤️🐉💜🐉

[minothtime]

after much consideration, I believe I have found great IRL locations for all Miraculous Ladybug-exclusive places like Chloé's hotel or Adrien's house. Does this involve ignoring some current building configurations yes but who cares. MLB paris is a logistical nightmare and everything is right next to each other and if I'm writing this fucking fic i need them NOT to be

[trashyangelic]

𝟷𝟶/𝟶𝟻/𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 : 𝑚𝑙𝑏 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡 [𝔬𝔭𝔢𝔫]

Y'know I've read many fics of Marinette Swearing on AO3. But never Adrien Agreste except one which is a one shot that I just finish reading it. It was called, "Protective Chats & Lesson From History" by DarthGhengis but never a fanfic at all.

What If Adrien decided to swear when he heard from Chloe that she found out that Lila has threatened Marinette in the girls bathroom from the incident when Lila became Chameleon? Chloe had favors with Felix to keep close with Dupain-Cheng she had to guess that Felix has a crush on Dupain-Cheng then Adrien. If she couldn't due to her mother asking her to have a mother-daughter-sister bond. Chloe did found out that she has a half sister named Zoe Lee from her mother who she doesn't mind getting to know her.

While Adrien is gay has Luka as his boyfriend only his father knew it from the moment he started to hang with Jagged Stone and the blue hair kid holding a guitar as Gabriel approved it since has no problem with LBGTQ, and his classmates as in Juleka and Rose knows about it but kept it to themselves instead of telling their classmates about it but after finding out that Lila lied to Rose about Prince Ali and Jagged Stone. As to Jagged Stone being the father of Juleka and Luka it wasn't hard for Juleka to figure out. Rose was actually texting to Prince Ali if he knows Lila but he doesn't.

Now onto Bustier and Damocles both are not doing their jobs well where Adrien had enough of them boycotting just like how Chloe did when she bullied Marinette but to Lila Rossi instead he also explain this father if he can contact the school board about them. It wasn't that but the Dupain-Chengs had help from Chloe to report about Damocles and Bustier for manhandling and negliencing their daughter for a word of a student instead of checking the CCTV.

At the end Bustier and Damocles got in alot of trouble with the School Board. As for Lila well she got arrested for working with Hawkmoth when Gabriel hinted something to the authorities and the police. Gabriel gave up his miraculous along with Nathalie to give it to Marinette Dupain-Cheng and realize that Marinette is dating his nephew which he doesn't really mind at all. As Nathalie and Gabriel both decided to get married since Adrien seems to move on from his mother being missing/declared dead.

[gitcheegitcheegoomeansily]

kwami swap au

this has been in my mind for a bit now but i don't know if i'll write it so posting it here instead

kwami swap from the beginning. adrien gets tikki and the ladybug miraculous, and marinette gets plagg, and it's also reverse crush, so adrien likes marinette who actually borderline genuinely hates adrien (for being friends with chloé on purpose), and miss fortune has the fattest crush on élytres and élytres has the greatest appreciation of his partner (but all platonic!)

anyway, so obviously, tikki can't get cookies to recharge so adrien spends so so so much time in the garden so tikki can snack on bugs and bask in the sun. he finds himself talking to the statue of his mother, smelling the roses, and generally enjoying life a lot more with the sun and being surrounded by nature, and the garden becomes his safe spot. he also ends up having a mini-garden in his room by the windows and talks to the plants and grows his own strawberries

one day he's with miss fortune and their kind-of one-sided conversation turns to desserts and adrien off-handedly mentions how his kwami likes cookies but he's not allowed to have any sweets as a civilian, and the next time they meet up, she's brings him cookies. one for him and one for tikki. adrien internally combusts and thanks her profusely and hugs her and marinette actually combusts and does not function for the whole day, and eventually, she just starts bringing three cookies (one for herself), and when there's a kid akuma, she feels bad and gives the kid one of hers and the kid loves it, and she starts bringing cookies everywhere and becomes paris' cookie-dealer

[sizzleissues]

hear me out (546 words)

“Alya, guess what.”

She flung herself onto the couch beside her roommate, tossing her phone in Alya’s lap. Alya picked it up as she put down her drink. She threw her a confused expression.

“Why are you showing me Adrien Agreste’s instagram?”

“He went to our collegé.”

“Seriously?”

Marinette nodded, grinning as she took back her phone. It had shocked her to find out five minutes ago. Her celebrity crush and son of her fashion idol, it was a little too perfect to believe.

“I’m sure. I even went back to our old school photos and he’s there.”

“That’s so strange. I don’t- I don’t remember him.” 

Marinette didn’t notice the stutter, busy scrolling through the model’s profile. Adrien Agreste at her school? They must have talked at some point —though she didn’t remember the year— maybe he’d remember her. He was set to return to Paris next week, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. She’d go to his meet and greet event and— no, she’d come off as a fan. She had to find him out and meet like old friends would. 

Alya shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable, and gently pushed the phone down. “How- How did you find out?” She said brightly, maybe a little bit too bright. 

“Well, um-.” She blushed. “I was trying to find this one interview of his from a few years back— because he mentioned a brand he worked with I wanted to find!— and I ended up just spiralling down this web of old interviews and articles. An hour later I found an odd line mentioning his brief stint in public education and well…”

“Oh.” Alya picked up her drink from the table she’d set down on, laughing into it. “That must have been some thorough research, you should come work for me. Investigative skills like that-.”

Her hair had moved as she’d turned, Marinette catching a glimpse of her ears which are usually covered by thick curls. 

“You’re not wearing your earrings?”

“Huh?” Alya put her hand to her ear, eyes going wide as she realised nothing was there. “Oh shit.”

“It’s weird, you hardly ever take them off.”

Alya ignored her, standing so quickly her drink spilled down her top. Marinette leapt to the side as hot coffee splashed her direction.

“Double shit,” Alya repeated. She placed down the cup and threw off her ruined top before running back somewhere in the apartment. Distantly she heard her argue with herself.

Weird.

Alya returned with a new top and her earrings in her hands.

“They were on the sink. Now you were telling me about Adrien, right?” 

She waved her hand for her to continue while she busied herself popping back on the earrings. It felt a little like seeing her naked without them— apart from the seconds later she did see her naked— as she’d worn them every day since lcyée. 

“Yeah, Adrien.” She brushed aside the odd feeling. “It just seems like fate, doesn’t it?”

“I thought you were in love with Chat Noir?” 

‘Were’ was the important word. 

“He hasn’t visited in a while. It couldn’t have happened anyway. He’s a hero, I’m just a normal girl.”

“But Adrien’s more attainable?”

Marinette laughed, pushing Alya away. “Okay I get it. Just indulge me.”

---------

so ummmmmm. I had an idea. Can you guess what happened (if isn't already blatantly obvious)

also marinette has adhd now. that's just something you are going to accept.

also also marinette totally blames not remembering the year on a chloe induced trauma response. her therapist said so... no other reason

[d011zk1ll]

Wow guys i love gaY peopel im so normal about alyanette ive discovered i love themsrtvs

[purplecatghostposts]

Double Upload today, take Chapter 5 of Consider The Spare!

Félix reflects how he got here as he fights alongside Dark Owl. Later, Alya, Nino, and Félix all talk about Superheroes and Supervillains.

Enjoy!!

[kasienda]

You Don’t Have to Pretend with Me

“Can I talk to you?”

Carapace sighed at the question. “Yeah, of course.” And he obediently followed Ladybug.

“What do you have against Chat Noir?”

“Nothing!” he denied.

She gave him a flat disbelieving look.

“He has something against me!” Carapace insisted.

“Nino, I don’t get it. You’re one of the most chill, accepting guys I know. And Chat is the sweetest! I need both of you on the team. I literally don’t have anyone else I trust to replace either of you. I need you to get along. You think you can do that?”

Nino felt like he was being chastised by his mother for not getting along with his little brother.

He nodded. “Yeah, I will try.”

It shouldn’t be that hard. Nino didn’t not like Chat Noir. He thought the dude was cool and hilarious. His sense of humor reminded him of Adrien. Things hadn’t always been tense between them. When they fought back to back during Heroes’ Day, it had felt like they were brothers.

But it was clear to him that Chat Noir wasn’t his biggest fan. The other hero had been welcoming and kind to Rena Rouge on day one, to the point of borderline flirting (and Nino wasn’t a huge fan of that even now), while he had always been somewhat aloof with Carapace.

Then there  was  the whole Chat Noir is stealing my girl thing. And even though he  knew that wasn’t what happened, it was hard to just let go of all those feelings, especially since Chat Noir had been acting differently around him after Rocketear. And maybe he had a right to be after Nino's akuma had thrown him into a van, but it wasn’t like Chat Noir knew that Nino and Carapace were the same person, so why had he started avoiding Carapace?

With all of that, it was easy to snap at the other hero.

...

Adrien couldn’t figure out why things between Adrien and Nino had always been so easy when things between Chat Noir and Carapace felt so hard.

Like, he knew he was different as Chat, but he was far less different as Adrien with Nino than anyone else. Or he had been before Rocketear.

And now? Now, he had no idea how he was supposed to act. Had no idea what Nino wanted from Chat Noir, but it was  very  clear he wasn’t measuring up.

Had Nino just taken pity on him that first day of school? Maybe Adrien was irritating all the time and Nino was just too kind to show it. Did Nino actually like him at all?

“Dude, you okay?” Nino interrupted his musings.

Adrien started and looked up into warm concerned golden eyes, and sucked in a breath.

That had to be sincere, right? Nino wasn’t pretending to care. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t care.

“Mec! What’s wrong?” Nino asked again.

“Nothing!” Adrien lied, pasting on a bright smile.

Nino frowned. “This is clearly not nothing.”

“I…” Adrien didn’t know how to talk about any of this.

“I don’t mean to pressure you,” Nino backpedaled immediately. “If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I just…” Nino pursed his lips before pinning him with a look Adrien didn’t know how to interpret. “You don’t have to pretend. Not with me. Not ever.”

Adrien nodded, but he couldn’t be reassured. Because he knew Nino was wrong.

He had to pretend when he was Chat Noir.

And he  knew that he wasn’t being completely fair, that Nino thought he was two different people.

But the hurt was still there, and Adrien didn’t know how to erase those feelings when he was hanging out with Nino.

And since he couldn’t explain any of it without revealing secrets he wasn’t allowed to share, he didn’t know how to  stop  pretending. That’s just what he  did.

…

Nino watched as Adrien walked away. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, but Adrien was distant. He wasn’t talking to him anymore. Not about school or home. Not even about stupid stuff like the latest anime he was obsessed with. And to make it worse, Adrien gave him more and more false platitudes and fake smiles.

Adrien was treating him the same way he treated Chloe. With polite indifference.

Nino couldn’t help but wonder what he had done wrong.

Nino kept trying though. He sent Adrien a bunch of cat memes, tried to invite him out to lunch, shared some of the music that he was working on, and he had asked what was wrong so many times, Nino suspected they were both sick of hearing it.

But Nino couldn’t give up.

Because what if this had nothing to do with Nino at all?! What if something horrible had happened to Adrien and he was just like this with everyone now?

He’d have to watch Adrien the next time he was around Marinette to check, but in the meantime, Nino wanted to break something.

And unfortunately for probably everyone, it was Chat Noir who happened to cross his path first.

…

It took Chat about a moment after Carapace had snapped at him to find his voice. And if it had been anyone else, anyone besides Nino, he probably could have taken it in stride. But it  was Nino and Adrien was tired of pretending everything was okay.

“What the hell is your problem? What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me?” he demanded.

Carapace froze, his eyes wide and startled. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know why you hate me?” Chat repeated in disbelief. That seemed kinda shallow for Nino.

“No! That’s not what I meant. I don’t know what my problem is. I swear I don’t actually hate you, dude.”

“You don’t?” Chat wasn’t sure he believed it.

Carapace slid to the ground and buried his head in his knees. He wasn’t shaking, so Chat didn’t think he was crying. At least, not yet.

“Are you okay?” Chat asked, falling into an awkward crouch near Carapace’s huddled form, but not anywhere as close that Nino would think he was pushing into his space.

Carapace shook his head, finally looking up. “I’m really angry.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I pride myself on being totally chill. A completely low maintenance dude. But lately, it seems like everyone is mad at me. And I don’t know why. And I don’t know how to fix any of it!”

“Who’s mad at you?”

“Who isn’t?!” Carapace snapped.

Chat was silent.

Carapace sighed and looked back at him. “Sorry. I don’t mean to unload on you. You probably don’t care about my problems. I know I’ve been a jerk to you. You’re just… larger than life, ya know? Doesn’t seem like anything can hurt you. And I…” he trailed off, not sure what he was saying.

“You’re jealous of me?”

Carapace shook his head. “No, that’s not it. It’s more like, I have to be strong for everyone. And you, you seem like you can take anything that life throws at you.”

“I’m your scapegoat,” Chat realized out loud. The tension in his body faded and he slowly took a seat next to Carapace. Closer than Chat probably would have, but not as close as Adrien wanted to. “Someone who can handle you lashing out at them.”

“Dude! I’m sorry! That’s so messed up. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But yeah, I think that’s what I’ve been doing. With Alya, I didn’t want to be mad at her. It was easy to be mad at you instead - some anonymous hero who never seemed to like me anyway.”

“What made you think I didn’t like you?”

“You referred to me as the turtle when we met.”

“What?”

“When Rena joined the team, you were excited. You said her name and flirted with her.”

“I didn’t flirt with her!” Chat objected.

Carapace arched an eyebrow at him.

“I was just… trying to be charming. How do you know about it anyway?” Chat shook his head before the question was finished. “Right. You guys are dating.”

“Dated.”

Chat stopped breathing. “Y-You broke up?”

Carapace shrugged. “Yeah, it’s probably my fault. I guess I’m not good at this whole communication thing. I guess when I’m upset I just put my head in my shell and pretend it’s not happening.”

Chat swallowed hard and looked away. “How long ago?”

“About a month.”

“A month?!” Chat hissed. “Why didn’t… I mean, have you talked about this with anyone?”

Carapace shook his head. “There’s no one to talk to.”

“There’s no one?” The heavy sadness struck him in the chest harder than any hit he had ever taken. He had been so busy feeling hurt, he hadn’t realized Nino was hurting too.

“I’ve been pretty lonely most of my life,” Carapace said. “I was friendly with everyone, but I was never good at making friends.”

Chat drank in every word. This was all news to him.

“I thought that was changing. I made this really great friend at the beginning of last year and then there was Alya. And it just felt like everything was right. And then she broke up with me. And my best friend…” he trailed off. He didn’t even know what happened with Adrien.

“Yeah?”

Carapace shrugged. “I don’t know! He just clammed up one day. Started pasting on fake smiles the way he does for everyone else. He won’t tell me anything. And I’m scared he’s mad at me, but I don’t know what I did! And if he’s not mad at me, I’m terrified something happened to him and if he’s not talking to me, he’s not talking to anyone.”

To Chat’s horror, Nino started crying.

“I just love the dude so much,” his voice cracked. “I feel like I lost him too and honestly, that has hurt more than losing Al- I mean Rena. Fuck! I totally blew my identity this conversation, didn’t I?”

Chat burst into laughter. “If it makes you feel better, I already knew.”

Carapace’s face fell. “Oh. Is that… is that why you’ve been weird with me since Rocketear?”

“Sort’ve,” Chat hedged. It was really more complicated than a jealous Rocketear trying to thrash Chat Noir into tiny pieces.

“I’m really sorry for that whole mess.”

Chat shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said at the time, we all have doubts.”

“Even you,” Carapace echoed.

Chat shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to talk about that particular bit of vulnerability.

Carapace was kind enough not to push. Chat shouldn’t have been surprised. Nino had always been great at respecting Adrien’s boundaries. But somehow, he was.

“Well, I guess I should thank you,” Carapace said.

Chat swung his head toward Carapace. “For what?!”

Carapace shrugged again. “I don’t know. Listening? Taking my crap? Just… I don’t know… being real with me? I promise I’ll try not to unload all my baggage onto you anymore, cat dude. Just because you can take it doesn’t mean you should have to. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chat said.

“It really isn’t.”

This time Chat shrugged. “But in a way I feel flattered?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I hate the unsolicited crit and the snapping turtle attitude. The total lack of grace or understanding when I’m late or can’t make it when you know I can’t explain anything—“

Carapace groaned, burying his face into his hands.

Chat laughed.

“But I  am flattered that you could just be your raw unfiltered self around me when you couldn’t be that around anyone else. I don’t have very much of that in my life either.”

Carapace shot back up, his eyes wide behind his goggles. “What do you mean?”

“Just that I can’t afford to be myself most of the time in my civilian life. Partially because of my… umm… parents, and partly because I have to hide my identity. And I did have one friend,” Chat looked up at him then, “that I felt pretty comfortable around, but that’s been rocky lately, too.”

Carapace nodded. “I’m sorry, man. All of that is rough. What happened with your friend?”

“He doesn’t know about this half of me and it’s caused some issues. I’ve tried to pretend that everything is fine, but… I think I might have lost my best friend, too.” Chat admitted, glancing at him carefully.

Carapace nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I definitely know how that feels.”

“Maybe I’ll try talking to him again,” Chat said.

“Too bad you can’t just tell him who you are.”

Chat bit his lip. He wasn’t supposed to, and he definitely knew better than to ask for permission, but… Ladybug had told someone her identity. Would it really be so bad if he told Nino?

“Maybe you should try again with your friend, too,” he said.  

Carapace sighed and looked up at the sky. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying with him, but I doubt it’ll go any different. My friend… he’s not allowed a lot of boundaries in his life. He’s scared to set them. And like, so when he does, I can’t push back. If I do, he’ll cave, like, immediately. And I’m supposed to be chill and laid back. He’s not supposed to have to try with me.”

Chat was stared at him, more than a little floored, but also a little upset at this new context.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just… that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”

“I love him.”

“Even so, you’re only human. Maybe he needs to remember that, too. And maybe he wants you to be able to be totally yourself when you’re around him, too.”

…

Nino was waiting on the sidewalk outside the school building. Adrien’s car would pull up in exactly four minutes - the same time it did every school morning. Other people arrived and chatted with one another as they moved up the stairs. But Nino could barely pay attention to any of it, his eyes on the road waiting for the familiar white vehicle to pull up.

He tapped his toe into the ground, and he tried to keep his hands in his pockets to look more casual, but they wouldn’t stay there as he kept fidgeting.

Why was he so nervous? This was  Adrien. His best friend might not be talking to him, but he would still hear him out and he was always insanely patient.

When the car finally pulled up, Nino’s heart seemed to rise up into his throat and his palms were wet with sweat. He  really shouldn’t be this nervous. Adrien was going to step out of the car and give him a polite and distant smile, and then start walking beside him as they headed to home room.

Only, that’s not what happened at all. Adrien stepped out of the car, but when he did he was beaming a megawatt smile brighter than the sun. When he walked up to Nino, he offered his fist and Nino had to scramble to meet it to play out their old secret handshake that they haven’t done… in  weeks!  

It felt good. Like so good, and Nino laughed more in relief than anything else. Had he just imagined the last few weeks of distance and cold shoulders?

He almost didn’t want to bring anything up, not wanting to upset this return to joyous normalcy. But at the same time Nino was so confused, and he needed to understand because if he  did  do something wrong, he needed to understand what happened so he wouldn’t do it again.

“Hey, dude? Can we talk before we go to class?”

Adrien nodded. “I think it’s long overdue.”

And Nino was thrown and relieved all over again that Adrien wasn’t denying that there was something worthy of talking about.

Adrien led them to a storage closet where he jiggled the handle very precisely and the normally locked door just fell open.

Clearly, Adrien had used this space before.

“Dude! Did you just break us into a closet?”

“Shh!“ And Adrien yanked him inside.

Two minutes later they were sitting side by side on upside down plastic buckets in the overcrowded closet.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

Nino clutched his own shoulder, and shot a glance at Adrien who was still smiling patiently at him. This felt like such a stupid question.

“Are we okay?” Nino made himself ask.

“We’re okay on my end,” Adrien said. “Are we okay on yours?”

“Yes!” Nino assured rapidly, but Adrien raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t actually believe him. And Nino wilted. “Actually, no.”

Adrien nodded like he was expecting it. Adrien knew something was off - he still wasn’t denying everything was fine.

“Go on.”

“You’ve felt really far away recently, dude. Except for today. I feel like I keep reaching out and I keep asking what’s up, but you never tell me, which is fine if it’s other stuff. You don’t have to tell me stuff. I just… you’ve been so distant, and it feels like you’re lying. Not that I’m accusing you of lying! I just… i just feel like I did something wrong. And I… I miss you.”

Adrien put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be far away and distant. I didn’t want to lie. I literally couldn’t explain what was wrong and I probably still shouldn’t.”

Nino held his breath.

“I was distant because of how you treated me.”

Nino was super confused. And it must have shown on his face because Adrien instantly held his hands up.

“No wait. Let me explain.”

Nino nodded.

“You’ve always said that I didn’t have to pretend with you, but it really really felt like that wasn’t the case.”

“Dude! I’ve always tried to just be chill and to respect your boundaries.”

“And you did… when you knew I was Adrien.”

“When I knew you were Adrien?” Nino repeated slowly, every muscle in his body was suddenly pulled tight. “There was a time when I didn’t know you were Adrien?”

This was sounding too familiar, but Nino couldn’t pinpoint why. And if the dread pooling in his gut was anything to go by, he didn’t want to.

“More than one time.”

Nino’s gut twisted further in on itself. “When?”

“When I was Chat Noir.”

Nino literally couldn’t breathe. His eyes were hot and his throat was caving in. And holy fuck.

He rolled forward, burying his face into his knees, as he tried to hold back the torrents that wanted to break forth.

He didn’t succeed. He shook like a musician just before going on stage for his first gig. But the wailing was so much worse than that.

Adrien was talking, but Nino couldn’t hear him, his mind too busy reviewing everything he had ever said about Chat Noir to Adrien, everything he had said and done  to  Chat Noir, who was apparently his best friend.

Adrien who  was so good at taking heat and never saying anything because at home saying something always made everything worse.

Nino had always aspired to be an escape, a safe place for Adrien. And Nino had been betraying that every time he had used Chat Noir as a punching bag to lash out at when things weren’t going well for him.

“Nino!” Adrien’s hands were on his face and his shoulders, pulling him in. And Nino let him, feeling limp like a rag doll. “It’s okay now!”

Nino shook his head violently. It didn’t feel okay. Not remotely. “Dude! I’m… I’m so sorry,” he choked out.

“You already apologized,” Adrien reminded him gently.

This was why Adrien had been so happy to see him this morning. Carapace and Chat Noir had talked things out. “I know, but it feels so much worse now.”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, it felt worse to me too. But Nino, you didn’t know.”

Nino only cried harder. “You weren’t supposed to tell me, were you?”

“Hey! This was your idea! When Ladybug finds out I’m compromised, I’m definitely throwing you under the bus.”

Nino laughed through his tears. “I’m fine with that. I would deserve it after… everything.”

“Nino, I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

Adrien sighed. “So, are we okay?”

Nino nodded rapidly. “If you think we’re okay, we’re definitely okay.”

“I’m uh… sorry about Alya.”

“That wasn’t your fault, dude! It wasn’t Adrien’s or Chat Noir’s.”

“I meant more that I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me about it?”

Nino nodded. “It’s fine. I’m… not totally okay, especially when it felt like I had lost you, too. But,” and Nino pulled off what had to be the most watery smile, “I think I will get there. Thank you.”

“I love you, too, you know.”

“What?”

“You told me as Chat that you loved me as Adrien.”

Heat burned in Nino’s neck and ears. “I did say that. I didn’t know I was telling you though.”

“I know, but that’s how I knew you meant it, and weren’t just saying it to be nice to the awkward loner kid who needs friends.”

“Dude, before you joined our class,  I  was the awkward loner kid who needed friends!”

Adrien smiled. “But I never knew that either until you told Chat.”

“Gah! This is so confusing!” Nino complained.

Adrien grinned. “But it’s awesome, right?”

Nino mirrored the expression. “Hell yeah! Definitely awesome!”

And they stood and immediately pulled each other into a hug. And if they had been twenty minutes late to class, no one said anything.

…

“What the hell happened?!” Ladybug demanded of her earpiece.

Rena Furtive chuckled into her ear. “You’re the one that yelled at them. I thought you wanted them to get along?”

“I did! I do! But now-”  She gestured to the two boys laughing their heads off as they kept trying to outdo each other with increasingly complicated stunts that they failed more than half of the time. “Now, they’re just being stupid.”

Rena Furtive laughed again. “I, for one, am glad to see Carapace so happy again. A mopey turtle is just wrong.”

And Ladybug softened. “Yeah, you’re right. A pouty kitty wasn't fun either. I’m glad they’ve bounced back.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Now, can you please go in there and show them how it’s done since I can’t? They’re embarrassing us!”

Ladybug laughed before launching herself towards the new tight-knit duo she had on her team.

“You guys, dating or something?” she asked, as she landed next to them.

Chat Noir and Carapace shared a look. It felt like they were having a whole conversation with just their eyes, and they suddenly both grinned and nodded at one another in agreement.

“Guys are allowed to have emotionally close friends, bugaboo!” Chat told her.

“Doesn’t mean anything is romantic or sexual,” Carapace added.

Ladybug held up her hands in surrender. “I’m not judging either way. Just happy that you’re finally getting along!”

[knifedancer]

Falling in Autumn

The miraculous causes side effects. Marinette picks up the hibernation instincts of a bug: seasonal exhaustion, seeking warm and dark spots to burrow into… I think you know where this is going.

Hibernation trope, Felinette style. Gratuitous Fluff.

Originally posted on AO3.

Silly Thoughts

~~~~~~~

It was a rare frigid autumn where even the daylight hours felt cold regardless of the amount of sun peeking through the clouds. It was so chilly that Paris had already gotten an unseasonable snowfall that week! Not enough for snowball fights, but just enough to leave everything sporting a thin layer of white. Parisians were already bundling up in coats, scarves, and mittens to stay warm. One resident took this bundling to the extreme…

Marinette had known the miraculous, when worn for long periods of time, would rub off certain intrinsic effects on their holders. Tikki had first told her about it when Chat Noir started being able to purr and seek out pets on her balcony during his night-time visits to the bakery. The Ladybug kwami told her that the effects varied from holder to holder but one thing was always common among those that wielded bug-themed miraculous: winter dormancy.

At first the idea of going into a hibernation-like state seemed silly to the teenage bug-heroine. Then the first fall since attaining the magical earrings drew nigh. Marinette noticed that no amount of sleep seemed to leave her feeling rested, she was more affected by the cold, and she tended to try burrowing into dark but warm places unconsciously. Her superhero outfit changed to be slightly thicker and lined with a mysterious, unknown furry material to trap in body heat. Marinette likened it to fleece or velour, it acted like super strong thermals under her suit. Even then, Ladybug would find herself occasionally curling up against Chat’s side during particularly chilly night patrols out of desperation.

Fortunately for the Parisian heroes, it seemed Hawkmoth was also impacted by the insect miraculous effects. The period from Fall to Spring had proven to be a much quieter time for akumas. Tikki had explained that not only would the butterfly holder be impacted, but his living butterfly counterparts as well. The fluttering wings of a magic-powered butterfly were no more impervious to cold and turbulent weather than your common garden variety. If Hawkmoth was attempting to send out an akuma, they could be blown entirely off course by strong storm winds or slow to a mere crawl when the temperature dropped too low. This was a boon for the heroes and all of Paris. It meant an attack happened less frequently but the akumas were usually stronger than the rest of the year. The two heroes joked that it was probably because old Hawky was frustrated with the miraculous effects!

During the school days, Marinette would double or even triple up warm layers. There was even a box of handmade scarves and mittens packed away solely for this purpose. Then she would sleepily cuddle up next to Alya and partake of her warmth on their shared classroom bench. The two friends were always affectionate with each other, so it didn’t seem too odd to the casual observer. Doctors had excused the syndrome as some sort of odd thyroid or seasonal narcolepsy condition. However all tests came back normal and it did not appear to be harming her overall health nor development. Ultimately, she was advised to take extra vitamins and the Dupain-Chengs were to keep an eye on her condition in case things worsened.

Unfortunately, this year, Marinette had been moved to the back of the classroom and the friendship with Alya strained to the very limit due to Lila’s interference. There would be no friendly cuddles or shared warmth this year. The sleepy girl had made do so far by adding a ludicrous fourth layer – a second non-bulky removable jacket liner – and using disposable heating packs to keep her core temperature up. It had worked well since the end of September but, now that it was mid-November, it was getting harder to stay warm and awake in class. Even Tikki, who snoozed more like a real ladybug rather than the omnipotent personification of creation that she was, shivered in Marinette’s interior breast pocket.

‘If only Alya was still my seat mate, then I wouldn’t have to worry!’ Marinette thought sadly. She looked at her current seat mate from the corner of her eye and sighed. ‘He’d probably push me to the floor.’

Along with the seat reassignment, another drastic change had entered her school life in the form of Adrien’s cousin: Felix Graham de Vanily. The same uptight, monochrome fashioned, and grouchy boy that tried to kiss Ladybug and caused three akumas was now in her class. Marinette was suspicious of him at first, afraid he was working for Hawkmoth or looking to cause trouble. In a way, Felix was. He had joined back in August and immediately took the open seat next to her with that mocking smile of his. Within the first day, he had pushed her buttons until she snapped. Marinette won the battle that day but Felix left with a smile that seemed entirely too pleased. He had tried to needle her every day after that and, while she did not lose her temper as explosively as she had then, they wound up trading quips almost daily. Their constant bickering had eventually formed into an odd companionship and understanding. Not quite friends, not really enemies.

Unfortunately for Marinette, her stock of hand warmers had finally run out and they were on backorder. She had tried her mother’s favorite reusable heating pad but it cooled too quickly and the lavender scent enticed her to doze. As the day went on, the pigtailed girl noticeably drooped in her seat as she slowly succumbed to her hibernation instincts.

~~~

It was a typical Tuesday for Felix. He arrived at school early, spent an agreeable amount of time reading his newest novel, and avoided the idiots in class. All but one anyway, although she hardly counted. After their first argument and the subsequent trouncing he received, he had come to realize there was more to Dupain-Cheng than met the eye. He had tried to provoke her again but was pleasantly surprised that she was stronger than he expected and possessed a lightning quick wit. Felix came to the decision that she was an adequate enough individual to associate with while he was stuck in this hovel. He had learned she did not like liars; in turn she respected his personal aversion to being touched. Their developing camaraderie was cordial. They had paired up for almost every project and, although she was often tardy, the dark-haired girl had always completed her work in a timely manner.

He chanced a glance at his seat mate and noticed she seemed to be doing her best impression of a melting snowman in summer. Felix clicked his tongue softly as he returned his attention to the board, ‘Dupain-Cheng has been more lethargic these last few weeks. She’s hardly cognizant of any of our classes, yet somehow still manages to receive satisfactory scores. She must be the embodiment of luck itself to pull that off!’

He picked at a piece of lint off his black cashmere peacoat and straightened the lapel. It was warm but did not do enough to stop the icy gusts from traveling down his neck. Sadly, most of his winter wear was still stuck in London as this change in the weather was unanticipated and his mother was still shopping for an acceptable abode for them to live in. Felix spared his table mate another quick glance – today she was wearing a bright red coat and a knitted scarf the color of his favorite caramel hard candies. She always seemed to have a different colored set of scarves and mittens that complemented her outfit. They did not look to be from any fashion brand he had heard of and he knew she fancied herself a designer. If the items were handmade, they were of excellent quality. Perhaps he could commission a piece from her…

Felix was lost in thought, contemplating how he could broach the topic with the girl, when he felt a weight land against his shoulder. He jerked at the disturbance and turned to find Dupain-Cheng slouched against him. He frowned down at the slumbering girl before attempting to jostle her awake. When she did not move, he managed to lift his arm out from beneath her and grabbed both her shoulders in an effort to re-orientate her towards her side of the bench. Felix soon realized his mistake when Dupain-Cheng unconsciously dove into his side and slipped her arms around his midsection with a muffled hum.

He stiffened at the action and hissed quietly between his teeth, trying not to draw attention to his plight. Felix had always detested physical contact, so much so that he could barely withstand hugs from members of his own family. To have Dupain-Cheng, a mere acquaintance, touching him in such a way was disconcerting and confounding. However, being this close allowed him to more closely observe her unimpeded. She smelled faintly of lavender and honeysuckle. Her black hair seemed to shimmer blue when the light hit it just right, like a raven’s wing. Her lashes were long and fluttered like butterfly wings as she slept. Across her small nose and cheeks were a charming array of freckles that could only be seen at this close proximity. With his arms still slightly raised, he twisted a bit to examine how to disentangle her from his person. Unfortunately, due to this action, one of her hands accidentally slipped beneath his coat and found purchase on his knit sweater.

He froze as the sleeping girl seemed to temporarily come to life, wiggling herself under his coat and latching onto his waist. Within mere seconds, Felix had half of Dupain-Cheng draped across his lap and the other half tucked securely into his side. Dumbfounded, he looked down at the girl in disbelief. Was she seriously snuggled against him right now? Did she inherently trust him not to molest or pester her? He tried to unlatch her arms and hands from his person to no avail; her grip was tighter than leather pants in August. As he looked on, a small smile formed on her lips and she nuzzled closer with a contented sigh. ‘Well, at least one of us is comfortable,’ he huffed in resignation before settling his left arm over her slumbering form, having nowhere else to put it.

Felix looked around, noting that no one had noticed the sudden disappearance of his seat mate nor the struggle he had just gone through. As the class period wore on, the boy unconsciously began to relax into the warm embrace of the teen asleep in his lap. It was not until an hour had passed that Felix realized he had become accustomed to her presence and the intimate closeness of their bodies. He glanced down and watched the peaceful look on her face as she slept. With his free hand he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a silent chuckle. ‘Seems I can handle being touched by you, not that you gave me much choice in the matter…,’ Felix mused to himself. He lifted the double-breasted lapel of his coat and settled the material over her with a fond smirk. ‘It’s a good thing I have a packed lunch today. I don’t think I’ll be moving any time soon.’

~~~ Time Skip to the End of School ~~~

Marinette was disturbed from her nap by a loud ringing noise, scrunching her face until it passed. She smiled and burrowed deeper into the warm, sandalwood scented pillow she had wrapped herself around. It was the softest, most comfortable pillow she had ever laid on. The pillow shook as it chuckled. ‘Wait…pillows don’t chuckle!’ Her eyes flew open and she jerked back slightly, her eyes slowly rising up a sweater covered chest until she met Felix’s amused face. “I see you’ve finally awoken, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I was starting to think I was going to have to bring you home with me.”

“Eep!” Marinette cried out as she jumped away. With the force of the movement, she overshot the bench entirely and was launched towards the aisle. She braced for a painful impact...that never came. Instead, she felt herself held up by a strong arm that was wrapped around her waist. She opened her eyes to find a set of shocked green mere centimeters away. Felix had lunged to grab her, planting one hand on the desk to steady them, giving the appearance that he had executed some sort of elaborate dip. They stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment before he finally pulled them both to their feet, clearing his throat as he let her go and looked away.

“I-I-I’m so, so sorry, Felix! I wasn’t aware of w-w-what I was d-doing!” Marinette stuttered, turning a rosy shade of pink as she attempted to hide in her fluffy scarf.

The boy in question was suppressing a blush with all his willpower. They had been in such a suggestive position mere moments ago when he caught her, luckily there were no students left in their classroom to witness it! Coupled with the unexpected feeling of loss he was experiencing when she abruptly retreated, he was entirely too flustered for his own comfort. He cleared his throat, “It’s quite alright, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You were unable to be woken and seemed quite comfortable. However, if you feel obligated to make amends to me…”

Felix allowed a pregnant pause to form as a devious smirk spread across his face. Marinette felt her stomach twist with trepidation – she knew that look meant trouble. ‘What could he possibly ask for?’ She thought wearily, her mind beginning to whirl with increasingly ridiculous predictions.

“…I find myself lacking in essential warm winter accessories,” he finally finished nonchalantly. The girl stared at him dumbfounded as her spiraling thoughts ground to a halt. It dawned on her that Felix was attempting to make a joke to break the awkward atmosphere between them, relying on their usual banter to do so. She choked on air and then burst into giggles. Felix felt a new warmth bloom in his chest at the sound. He had never made her laugh like that before!

“I think that can be arranged, monsieur,” she replied slyly. “I know an up-and-coming designer in high demand. But, for the great Felix Graham de Vanily, I’m sure she could make an exception.” They exited the classroom with smiles on their faces and a warmth in their hearts, no longer feeling the brisk breeze that whipped at their cheeks.

~~~

In the coming weeks, Felix began sporting new scarves, mittens, and even coats in charcoal grey, caramel brown, pine green, indigo blue, and garnet red – which was oddly his favorite. Their classmates seemed curious by his sudden change of color preference, mistaking it for an opportunity to befriend the derisive boy. Some questioned him, attempting to find out where he had bought such luxurious garments. He brushed them all off in his usual dismissive manner, deciding not to divulge any information.

Felix’s lip quirked upwards as he silently stroked the silver monogram on the tail of the scarf on his way to the classroom. The monogram itself was an ornate shield containing his initials but, integrated within the vines that clung to the edges of shape, were the letters ‘MDC’. His small smile reached his eyes as they met the friendly bluebell ones at the back of the room. A hidden message, a reminder of that one cold day that brought two souls closer together.

Perhaps, together, they might stave off more than just the cold weather.