#i know you wanted lovesquare but my brain just went LADYNOIR LADYNOIR

[xhanisai]

got any Lovesquare headcanons for any AUs you havent had the chance to work on in a while?

Actually, I do! Remember the really old doodles I did of Chibi Noir and Chibi Bug? 

This Chibi AU is something I’ve always wanted to expand on as a comic but never got the chance to do so- I may go off tangent here lel

- They are equivalent to sprites/chao/fairy. They suddenly appeared in Marinette’s and Adrien’s life after they’ve been working as heroes for a while solely because their love for each other is SO strong, that the magic was able to create these chibis. 

- They are no bigger than a newborn baby but they are still quite a challenge to hide from other people. They make only little sounds; Chibi Noir meows like a kitten and Chibi Bug only hums quietly. The latter is so much more shy and quiet than the former.

- Chibi Noir appeared first in Marinette’s room because Adrien has deep down inside, acknowledged his romantic feelings for her which are on the same par as his feelings for Ladybug. Of course, Marinette was freaked out at first but she was quick to fall for Chibi Noir’s cuteness and pretty much adopted him as her own son/pet? The only explanation that Tikki gave for the being’s existence is that it’s because Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s partnership is very, very strong. (She’ll give the full explanation after the reveal).

- Marinette has named him Chaton Noir and loves him a lot. He’s very attached to her, a glutton for sweets and loves cuddling her. He also hates that he has to hide away from other people and would sometimes cause trouble. Basically an equivalent to a naughty kitten. Regardless, Marinette can’t stay mad at him for long and is thankful that he’s there with her.

- Marinette also has no choice but to bring him along to akuma fights and patrols because a) Chaton wouldn’t let her leave him alone and would cling to her leg with watery eyes, b) If she did leave him alone at home, there’s 100% chance that he would be found out by her parents or that he’d sneak out looking for her and get lost.

- So, the night after Chaton appeared, Ladybug brought him with her to patrol to meet her partner and explain what’s been going on. Chat’s first reaction:

“...WE HAVE A KID!? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?!?? MON DIEU- I have no idea how to be a Papa! I haven’t even done any research and I don’t even know how to change nappies and-”

“Chat Noir-”

“-I will also cover every expense fee and love him the way he deserves-”

“Ch-aaaaat-”

“-And I will also most definitely look for a job but I also don’t mind being a stay at home dad- hey wait! I could be a stay at home dad, Buguinette-”

“CHAT NOIR.”

- Of course, Ladybug finally corrects him and explains what really happened. At first, Chat is awed by Chaton’s existence and marvels about how cool all of this is, however, he does start to get irritated with how close and sweet the being was with Ladybug. He’s even miffed by the fact that he doesn’t have his own Chibi rendition of his Lady. 

- Chaton Noir is also a little shit and loves teasing Chat Noir and riling him up. They have a love-hate dynamic.

“Why does HE get to kiss you and get kisses in return???”

“Because he’s cute and I love him,”

“I’m cute too! Why don’t you love me!? ;A; ”

“My Lady, he stuck his tongue out at me!”

“So? Just ignore him,”

“MY LADY!?”

“Bug...You let HIM take a bath with YOU!?!? WHAT!?!?!”

“Your point?”

“OH I HAVE A MILLION POINTS TO MAKE!”

- Chaton Noir helps out a tad during akuma battles. Though he’s not capable of any sort of power, he can distract the villains. No matter how many times Ladybug tries to keep him in a place where it’s safe, he always runs out to try and help. Many times, he ends up in trouble and gets saved by Chat Noir. So just imagine an annoyed Chat leaping away with the Chibi held by the crook of his arm lmao.

- It’s only a few weeks after Chaton Noir’s appearance does Chibi Bug finally come to life (this is because Marinette is no longer in denial of her feelings for her partner). Adrien wakes up to the sight of an annoyed Plagg and the new Chibi fast asleep on his pillow. It took the boy everything to not squeal out loud like an obsessed fangirl. 

“Plagg! I finally have a daughter!”

“You know that’s not how it works, kid.”

“I’m gonna name her Baby Bug!”

“...You better not give her any of MY cheese.”

- When Baby Bug finally woke up, she was quick to run away and hide from Adrien’s super excited face. He didn’t give up. He managed to coax her out with his hidden stash of sweets and she allowed him to pet her hair. At that moment, Adrien dramatically vowed that he would die for her, ignoring Plagg’s grumbles on “I never saw you pledging that to ME, a literal GOD.”

- Despite Plagg’s annoyances at first, he too fell for the Chibi and also vowed that he’d protect her no matter what. This happened because whilst he was eating cheese mid-air, he accidentally dropped it, only for Baby Bug to catch it and give it back to him. 

- Baby Bug is very well behaved, full of affection, loves to draw and create. She also has a strange habit of eating flowers (especially if they’re full of aphids). She does have a mischievous side, especially with her impromptu hide and seek games and “borrowing” Adrien’s belongings (mainly his phone UwU).

- She hates Gabriel Agreste. She hates how upset he makes Adrien so whenever Gabe is mentioned or if she hears him or sees him, she pulls a face.

- Chat Noir obviously couldn’t wait to show her off to Ladybug. They met up at a late patrol with Chat arriving like a proud father. 

“Miau, My Lady! Meet our daughter!”

“Chat, how many times do I have to tell you that THAT’S not how it works- oh- Oh! Oh wow! She’s so cute!!!”

“I know right!?”

“Mon Dieu she is so adorable!!!”

“YES! Her name is Baby Bug!”

“SO CUTE!”

- Chaton Noir is a bit confused with all of this at first, even gets stupidly jealous with seeing Ladybug fawning over someone else that’s not him to the point where he hisses at Baby Bug. The little shit makes her cry.

“Why you!? My Lady, you need to teach YOUR son some manners- hmmph!”

“Quoi!? Why don’t you teach YOUR daughter to stop being a crybaby!? It was only an itty bitty hiss!”

- Thankfully, Ladynoir quickly settles their bickering after they realised how silly they were being. Baby Bug manages to win Chaton Noir over by sharing a macaron with him. 

- She regrets it now. He’s never stopped fawning over her and chasing her for a hug since then. 

“Awww, don’t you think they remind you of us~?”

“They do, especially when I’m trying to get away from your terrible jokes, Minou~ :)”

“You love my jokes and you know it! >:(”

- During akuma battles, even Baby Bug refuses to sit still in a safe space and runs out to help Ladynoir. A lot of it is just keeping Chaton Noir out of trouble, however.

- Both Chibis also go to school with their holders, hiding in their school bags. They don’t like to be alone. 

I think I went a bit overboard with this lmao...if you want a reveal with this AU or a different AU, feel free to ask lol :’D

[giuliafc]

Caught in the Loop

Read on Ao3 || FFN || Wattpad

Chat Noir bets to Ladybug that he loves the girl behind the spots, no matter who she is. Ladybug bets to Chat Noir that he's only her partner and best friend, she doesn't love him 'that' way. What happens when they accept to get caught into a spiritual 'loop' , living through many alternate realities to prove that they're right and win their bet? They end up losing it, of course. They lose *ROYALLY*. Lovesquare identity reveal with a twist!

Written for the March 2021 Writer-Artist Collab! Collab with ThatCattyCatCult (tumblr.com) here on Tumblr :)

Written by JuliaFC

Part of the March 2021 Writer-Artist collab for the Miraculous Fanworks server. The art in the story has been made by @TheCattyCatCult

Betas: KhanOfAllOrcs, Agrestebug, Etoile-Lead-Sama, Malauu-Ladynoir, Genxha

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc; TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

oOo

Part 1 - The bet

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat Noir’s gaze locked as they fist bumped after the latest akuma attack.

The fight hadn’t been that hard and they still had a couple of minutes to spare. Luckily, because the students of Françoise Dupont didn’t seem to want to let them go; Alya especially was pressing on their ribs like a thorn.

“Can you spare a word for the Ladyblog?” she asked excitedly, while plenty of other voices came from everywhere and nowhere, “Please, Ladybug, can I have an autograph?” “Chat Noir! Chat Noir, please smile at the camera!” The warning beep of their Miraculous rang worryingly unheard in the confusion.

“Sorry, guys, but we need to go,” tried to say Ladybug before being wrapped in yet another hug for a picture by yet another student. “Yes, it’s time to s-cat…” But the students still didn’t seem to want to let them go. Eventually the beep became stronger and Chat Noir grabbed Ladybug bridal style and, using his baton, he lifted both of them up and off from the crowd.

“As we said already: sorry, guys, we need to go!” He jumped out of the way, to then fall unnoticed in front of the door of the locker room.

“We don’t have time to find a place to hide!” said Ladybug worriedly.

Chat Noir sighed. Out went his chance of pretending that he didn’t know the school. “Come with me, there’s a place that I know.”

He grabbed her hand and dragged her away (just in time, because the locker door opened as soon as they moved and Chat Noir didn’t want to know who the student that had just come out of it was). He ran with her and reached the side of the library, quickly opening a closet door and disappearing inside it with her, closing it behind them. He had just done that, that in a flash of green and pink, their transformation fell. They could only turn around and stand back-to-back, their hearts racing in their chests. Tikki and Plagg came out of their Miraculouses with a twirl and fell into their hands.

“Gamin, that was close,” said Plagg panting.

“I need food, *burp*!” Tikki burped purple bubbles. “Whoops, sorry,” she concluded.

Marinette reached for her little purse and took out a macaron, which she handed to her little red friend gently. The kwami picked it up and started chewing on it with a thankful gleam in her eyes. On the other side, Plagg was doing the same with a slice of cheese.

“I’ve never seen this closet, Chat Noir,” said Marinette, sitting down on the ground, immediately imitated by her partner behind her. She pulled her legs close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

Chat Noir fell silent for a long time. A suspiciously long time. After an even longer time, Marinette cleared her throat. “Elementary school, huh?”

Chat Noir was silent again. Only after a little while did she hear him say shakingly, “I had to say something.”

Marinette’s heart pounded in her chest. Was he admitting it? Was he a student at Françoise Dupont too? Marinette knew that she shouldn’t ask this information. She really shouldn’t, because it could jeopardise his identity, but she didn’t think before connecting her brain to her mouth. “So that’s why Plagg was here.”

She felt his head shoot up behind her and rest against the back of hers. “Careful, M’lady. Tikki was here too.” Her heart started pounding in her chest. Shoot. After all her hard work during the Kwamibuster’s fight, it only took one sentence to blow her carefully crafted cover.

She chuckled dryly. “So what? It’s a big school, there are hundreds of girls and boys studying here, Chat Noir. It’s not as if you’re sitting in front of me in class.”

Tikki facepalmed. Why did Tikki facepalm?

“I could,” came his voice from behind her back.

Her dry chuckle turned into a laugh. “Yeah, right… that would be close to impossible. Just think about it!”

“Why? Who’s sitting in front of you? A girl?” he asked. She didn’t like the tone of doubt in his voice as he asked that. Nor did she like the fact that he sounded as if he was genuinely interested and inquiring.

“Chat? We shouldn’t have this conversation. It’s already dangerous enough that now we both know that we attend the same school. It’s too dangerous to reveal our identities while Hawkmoth is still around.”

She clearly felt him tense behind her back. “Why is that, Buginette? What would change? You already know the identity of all the other holders, and you also have the entire Miracle Box hidden somewhere. If Hawkmoth gets his hands on the Miracle Box we would have a really hard time fighting against a whole team of superheroes. It would be dangerous anyway. What would change if we knew each other’s identities?”

Marinette sighed. His words rang true to her and she couldn’t deny that she had thought about it a few times and had always come to a similar conclusion. What was it that was wrapping such fear around her heart when she so much as considered the idea of revealing her identity to him? “Please, Chat, you know we can’t.”

She felt him crouch over himself. “It’s just… frustrating. We were talking about it the other day, Plagg and I. He was also there saying that because you’re the Guardian I should know who you are and you should know who I am. What happens if he’s sick, M'lady? Or if anything happens to me and I can’t return my Miraculous to you? The Black Cat is a powerful weapon in the wrong hands. You can’t afford to lose it like Master Fu did with the Butterfly and Peacock.” He said all of that in just one breath, or at least Marinette thought he did, because there was no pausing in between his words, it was all coming out at once.

“Wow, you have really put some thought into it,” she concluded.

She had to admit that what he had said again rang true to her. She knew that kwamis could get sick. Tikki had been sick once, after all; Plagg could be next. And the time Tikki had been sick, she had had to take Marinette to the Guardian. What if Plagg was so out of it that he wouldn’t be able to tell Chat Noir where to go?

“You know, Chat Noir has a point,” said Tikki in a very low voice. Marinette looked at her warily.

“I know, Tikki.” She sighed and hugged her legs more tightly, frowning looking at the air in front of her face. “I know, you’re right, chaton.” She heard his loud gasp from behind her and added quickly, “However… even though I know you’re right I still—I still can’t get myself to do it.”

“But why? Why, M’lady? Why don't you trust me? I know I’ve been a bit unreliable when you left for New York, but I had been forced to go myself. And beside then, did I ever give you any reason for—”

“No, you didn’t, Chat,” she interrupted his ramble. “And I know you’re right but…” She felt her throat clenching shut and tears starting to prickle at the corner of her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. The truth is that I’m scared. I’m terrified to change our balance. We’ve worked so well as a duo up to now, if we reveal our identities and the balance changes…”

“What would change? We would just put an unmasked face and a name in the equation. Why would it change anything if I think of you as Ladybug or... Marcelline or Martha or Marvel or Marinette?”

Marinette gasped so loudly that she had to move and peeked quickly by opening a small crack on the closet door to make sure that nobody had heard and was going to open the door on them all of a sudden.

“Are you okay?” asked Chat Noir. “Did I say something wrong?”

Marinette blushed crimson even though she knew that he couldn’t see it because he was back to back with her. How did he still remember the only slip up she had ever had about her identity, that first day when they faced Stoneheart? “Uh, no, you didn’t say anything wrong. You’re right.” Her breath caught. “I-I m-mean ,y-you’re r-right in y-your theory…”

She felt Chat Noir scratch his head. “Yeah. What else could I be right about?”

“N-nothing…”

It was Chat Noir’s turn to gasp. “I got your name right, didn’t I? Your name is one of those!” She couldn’t avoid tensing up and that was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. “M’lady, you know that, whoever you are, I would love you regardless.”

Marinette chuckled. “You always say that, minou, but would you really?”

“I swear I would! That day when we faced Stoneheart, when you spoke with Hawkmoth the first time, I saw the way you put your fears aside and faced that monster all by yourself. I heard the way you spoke to reassure the people of Paris that we were going to protect them, even if we both didn’t have a clue how things would have worked out. You were so brave, so passionate, so fierce, so compassionate, so… amazing. I felt something break in me and next thing I knew I was head over heels in love with you.”

“Chat, I’m not fierce and brave in real life!”

He grabbed her hand with his and Marinette jumped a little for the skin to skin contact. That time when the faced Knight Owl she had touched his naked hand, but it hadn’t felt half as intimate as this. “I’m sure that you are, Buginette.”

“And… I could be very ugly. Very fat. I could be a boy for all you know.”

“You wound me, M’lady. I’m not that shallow. I fell in love with the girl within.” Then he fell silent for a long moment and Marinette could feel the mad beating of her heart right into her ears. “And you can’t be a boy.”

She tried pulling her hand off his grip but he didn’t let her and started moving his thumb on her bare skin. This caused Marinette’s heart to do funny things in her chest but when she felt how tensed his shoulders were behind her, she realised that probably it was the same for him too.

“You got me,” she said softly. “I’m not a boy.”

“That’s good, because I’m not into other boys, as far as I know.”

Marinette giggled. “Well, after all, you only flirt with girls.”

More silence wrapped up the secluded room. “Can I ask a question?” said Chat Noir’s voice from behind her.

“Yes?” she tentatively answered.

“Why have we started talking about my feelings for you?” He paused significantly. Marinette felt her heart skipping a beat. “I mean, we were talking about revealing identities and you not wanting to do it. Have you caught feelings for me finally, M'lady? Are you afraid I wouldn’t love the girl behind the mask?”

Marinette’s heart did again some funny things in her chest as he said so. She gulped awkwardly. “N-no, I told you I like another boy. That hasn’t changed, Chat.”

She felt him slump his shoulders behind her. Her lips curled in a small smile. “Then why? Why does it matter to you if I would love you without the mask?”

Marinette sucked her breath in. “Uh. I-I d-don’t know. It just b-bugs me every time you say it.”

“Was that a pun, M’lady?” He chuckled.

“Of course not! It really annoys me.” She raised a little her tone of voice as she felt blood rushing to her face again.

“But why would it bother you or annoy you if you didn’t have feelings for me? You know what I think?” He poked her in her back with his elbow until she ‘mh?’-ed dubiously. “I bet you’ve developed some feelings for me and you just don’t want to admit it!” She could nearly hear his smirk.

“Not going to happen, minou. It just annoys me when you say it. As if you could just look at me detransform and accept whatever would come in front of your eyes. I bet that you wouldn’t love EVERYONE who could appear behind the Ladybug mask. There must be someone you would rather be me than anybody else.”

“Wanna bet? Such a shame that there’s no way that I can prove to you the depth of my feelings for you, M’lady or I definitely would.”

“You’re right, there’s no way to prove who would be right or not. I would love to prove to you that I’m definitely not having feelings towards you. You’re just my best friend, chaton.”

She heard Chat Noir behind her take some breath in, as if he was about to answer. But as he did that, they heard someone cough politely, so they both turned towards the origin of the sound and saw Tikki and Plagg looking at them with a gleam of annoyance in their eyes.

“Actually, there would be a way,” deadpanned Plagg.

“But it’s something that hasn’t been done for a very long time, nearly a millennium,” warned Tikki.

Plagg folded his paws to his tiny chest. “Yep. But it has been done and it’s possible, Sugarcube.”

Both Marinette and Chat Noir looked at their two kwamis in amazement. “What are you talking about, Plagg?” asked Chat Noir eventually.

Tikki sighed. “There’s a very, very ancient spell that hasn’t been used for nearly a millennium. It was mostly used for training purposes. Training of our holders.”

Marinette squirmed a little her eyes and looked at Tikki. “What do you mean, Tikki?”

“It’s called ‘the loop’. It’s yet another power that you get when you combine our Miraculouses.” Plagg looked at Marinette very seriously. “It’s not the Wish. It doesn’t change reality for real. It just wraps you two in a loop to learn a lesson.”

“Or to get clarity on a doubt,” concluded Tikki. “It was used solely for spiritual training.”

“How does it work?” said Chat Noir. Tikki sighed.

“You unify us and then ask for the loop. The loop creates a, well, loop, that creates in your mind a repetition of events that can bring clarity in your doubt.”

Plagg continued, “Basically it creates new realities, but only in your head. Since there are no consequences for anybody, as it is only in your head, it is not forbidden in the same way as the Wish.”

“Are you sure it won’t have bad consequences like with the Wish, Tikki?” asked Marinette. “Master Fu has always warned me not to unify you and Plagg.”

“It won’t have consequences that can change the balance of the universe, so in that sense it’s not a bad thing. But it’s still something you should consider very carefully,” pressed Tikki. “It could lead to you two understanding each other’s identities.”

“How?” asked both of them at the same time.

Tikki sighed. “You will understand if you decide to take on the loop. But one thing you need to remember if you do so.” Both teen agers looked very intently at the red kwami. “This loop creates entire realities in your head. You will be unconscious in this world and won’t be able to wake up until in your heart you will get clarity on whether you won or lost your bet. You will be bound in the reality you’re exploring and will have to take any difference between it and the “real world” as fact and just go with the flow. Don’t resist them or the loop won’t work.”

“I don’t know,” sighed Marinette. “It sounds so complicated.” But as she said that, she felt an elbow poking her ribs.

“Come on!” said Chat Noir. “Are you afraid of finding out that you are indeed in love with me, M’lady?”

She sucked her breath in. “No way! Maybe you should be afraid to find out that there’s no way that you can love just blindly whoever it is behind this mask!”

Chat Noir folded his arms on his chest. “There’s only one way of finding out!”

Anger started pooling into Marinette’s heart. Anger and a feeling of competition. Competition because she was being challenged. And she wasn’t the type to give up a challenge without a fight. She would prove to her kitty that she was right.

“Okay then. Give me your ring.” She distinctly felt Chat Noir gulping next to her. She presented her hand to him, expecting him to put the ring in her palm immediately, but the boy hesitated.

“What are you waiting for, Chat Noir? Christmas?”

She heard her partner breathe in to start talking at least four times. But he didn’t say anything and eventually, she felt the heaviness of the Black Cat ring on her palm. With a little sigh, she wore the ring on her own finger, watching as it changed from black to pink.

“Don’t worry, chaton. I will give it back to you,” she said calmly. Then she looked at the two kwamis in front of her and said it firmly, “Tikki, Plagg, Unify!” The two creatures got wrapped in a flash of light and their bodies merged together. Marinette looked down, as the light was very strong and hurt her eyes and heard Chat Noir gasping. “What is it, minou, if you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.”

He sniggered next to her and tsk-ed a couple of times. “Let’s see how cocky you are after you wake up and you realise that you’ve lost, Buginette.”

“Likewise, Chaton!”

When Marinette looked up, she couldn’t avoid widening her eyes. In place of Tikki and Plagg there now was a different kwami. A kwami that brought back memories that she would have preferred to keep buried into her subconscious for the rest of her days. It was a cat-like kwami, but its piercing blue eyes were the same shape as Tikki’s. It was completely snow white with black spots in the places where Tikki had her spots, and antennae at the front of its cat ears.

“I’m Chaoss. Who summoned me?” it said, its voice deep and strong. It sounded a voice too powerful for coming from a kwami that was a mixture of sweet Tikki and goofy Plagg.

“W-we’re the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses,” she heard her voice saying without almost realising she was actually saying it. “We want to ask for the loop.”

“Do you know what you’re going to face?” the kwami asked. Its gaze was deep and stern; it didn’t have any of the softness of Tikki or the playfulness of Plagg.

“Tikki and Plagg have told us something about it,” said Chat Noir. Marinette had to force herself to keep her eyes trained on the white kwami, because she hadn’t expected Chat to speak and she had nearly—nearly—turned her head towards him instinctively.

Chaoss’s gaze pierced through their very soul. “I’m amused,” it said with a smirk. “This is going to be great fun.”

“W-what do you mean?” asked Chat Noir, his voice having lost all cockiness all of sudden. He sounded scared. Marinette had to yet again bit her lower lip very hard to resist the urge to turn around to look at him.

“You will experience a series of realities related to your heart’s inner desire. Don’t look at me like that. This is why the loop has only been used for spiritual training. Your inner desire, Black Cat, is to prove to your Lady that your feelings for her are strong and that you love the girl behind the mask truly, no matter who she is or what she looks like.” The kwami smirked and Marinette assumed that Chat Noir must have nodded because Chaoss was looking at him directly when it continued, “You will face exactly that, Black Cat. Are you ready to face the consequences of your choice?”

“I am.” Chat Noir sounded so sure of himself that Marinette’s heart sank. She wasn’t sure at all. All her cockiness was only due to her competitive spirit and now that the possibility of the loop had become real, she didn’t feel confident anymore at all. That and the fact that Chaoss looked really creepy and was digging up memories in her heart that she really wished she had forgotten about.

But she couldn’t give it more thought, because Chaoss’s gaze locked into hers and her whole back tensed.

“And you, Lady Luck.” Marinette blushed crimson, she didn’t know why. “Are you so sure that your feelings towards him are only platonic?”

“Y-yes.”

The kwami’s gaze was so stern that Marinette felt as if it burned a hole in her soul.

“Are you certain that you wouldn’t miss his flirty ways and his puns if he didn’t use them anymore?”

“Yes!” That was much easier to say.

“Funny you say that,” smirked the white kwami. Marinette frowned. “You told him so many times that he’s irreplaceable, right?”

Marinette’s frown deepened. It was like talking to an old friend but to a new person at the same time. “Y-yes?”

“If he didn’t flirt with you and didn’t pun, wouldn’t he be like a different person?” The white kwami gave her again a look that seemed to be piercing her whole soul.

Shoot. She hadn’t thought about it in these terms. She didn’t know what to say and couldn’t bear to hold that icy blue stare, so Marinette lowered her gaze and flushed pink.

“Tell the truth, M’lady, you would miss my puns.” Chat Noir elbowed her jokingly.

Marinette groaned. “No way! I just wis—” but the second she said the word, a red gleam flashed through the white kwami’s icy gaze.

“Enough! Don’t say the forbidden word. Remember what you’re doing, Lady Luck.” The kwami’s voice was so deep and cavernous that Marinette was left terrified.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” she whispered. She flushed crimson. She was the Guardian of the Miracle Box. She was wearing the two strongest Miraculouses in the world, unified. She had nearly inadvertently made the Wish that would change reality. Oh she was SO not ready for this responsibility!

She felt a tight grip clench on her throat and tears started to worm their way out of the corner of her eyes, but before she could utter even one strangled sob, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Once again, he was at her side. He believed in her. He wanted her to feel his support. Her heart swelled for the gratitude that she felt towards the boy next to her. She nearly (again, so nearly) turned towards him, but she refrained from doing so at the last second.

“Tikki and Plagg were right. There’s so much chaos inside your soul that you need the loop to gain clarity and order. Order will make you stronger.” The white kwami started floating higher.

“I thought your name was Chaoss?” asked Chat Noir. “And you want to make order in our souls?”

The little white kwami sniggered. “Yes, Black Cat. There’s no Order without Chaos. There’s no Creation without Destruction. Chaos leads the way to Order in the same way as Destruction leads the way to Creation. Two parts of a whole. You need chaos to create order. You need death to allow life. Creation left alone would eventually produce death.”

“It kind of makes sense,” said Chat Noir.

“In a very twisted kind of way, yeah,” continued Marinette.

Chaoss smirked and flew again higher than their heads. “Good. You don’t need to understand it all, Black Cat and Lady Luck. But there are a couple of things that you do need to understand, and accept.” It turned towards Chat Noir. “You, Black Cat.” Chaoss paused significantly. “You will see many different realities in the loop. One of them will be real.”

“Wh—” started Chat Noir, but Chaoss’s cold gaze turned sterner.

“I won’t say. The first one? The last one? Any one in between? You just need to know that one will be the real deal. I will leave it to you to decide what to do with that information, and with what it will mean to you.”

Then, Chaoss’s gaze moved to Marinette and she couldn’t avoid gulping dryly. “You, Lady Luck.” The white kwami closed his electric blue eyes and sighed before opening them again.

“Your challenge will be different, but no less difficult. Maybe more difficult, in fact. The realities you’ll explore don’t exist. None of them exist. But they exist within themselves and within themselves the people who live them are real. Don’t fight them, or the loop won’t work. Remember that they may be alternate realities to this one, they may not exist, but they are still related to, and very much linked to this reality. You can think of them as ‘what if’s’. You will see, and experience, things that will surprise you. You may be shocked at some points, or feel as if you want to rip your heart out of your chest. But don’t fight the reality. Live it as if it were real. There’s a lesson in each and every of them, and the lesson is true.”

Marinette closed her eyes shut and breathed heavily before nodding. When she opened her eyes again, Chaoss was staring at both of them, a wide smirk on its lips.

“This will be fun. Not for you, but it will be fun.” The kwami flew higher. “Ladybug. Chat Noir. You called for my power and you asked for the loop. You’ve been informed of the consequences of your request. Are you ready to begin?”

Marinette started feeling hot. And cold. And hot again. Her frame was shaking so heavily that her teeth started chattering. “Y-yes.” She nodded a couple of times, as if trying to convince herself that it was okay, even if it wasn’t. She heard Chat Noir say the same thing, with a voice as shaky as hers.

“Good. Get ready to both lose your bets, kids. See you next time!” Marinette widened her eyes. What made Chaoss so certain that they would both lose their bets?

“Wait!” she shouted, moving a hand forward as if trying to stop the white kwami, but the creature’s eyes started gleaming and its body pulsating. The darkness of the room was lit up with a spark of pure energy and Marinette had to close her eyes shut because the brightness was nearly hurting her pupils. She felt as if pulled up by a strong wind and then pulled back down again, almost feeling like falling.

Author's Note

Hi there!

This is my effort for the March 2021 Writer-artist collab. It's an idea I had for a while, and when the artist I was paired with showed some interest on it, I thought 'why not', so here it is! Hope you'll like it :)

In the next chapter, we start getting into the loops. I can only tell you that it will be quite an experience, for both of them. Chaoss wasn't kidding!

I hope you will leave me a comment. What did you think about Chaoss? Chapter 2 isn't written yet, so I don't know when I will update, but you know the drill. I tend to prioritise the stories that receive more feedback, because I feel I let down less people ^^. So if you want to know what happens next and what will they find in the loop... subscribe, comment, put the story in your favourite, leave a kudos... not only it cheers me up, but it also makes me more eager to dedicate my nights to write rather than to other menial activities (like sleeping for example!)

Last but not least, as usual, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon. Not sure when I will update this story but it won't be too long! Promise!

[cheeseeatingtrashmonster]

Misspoke

LadyNoir July day 8: Hand kiss/Public relations. Thanks @lovesquare-squad​ for organizing this :)

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"I hate press conferences," Chat said, fidgeting with his belt.

"Aw, I think you were made to be in front of a camera, Kitty," Ladybug said, leaning over to whisper in his cat ear. "You seem the photogenic type."

Marinette's discovery was still rolling around her brain. She couldn't bring herself to act any differently when Chat Noir stood in front of her. He was still her goofy partner. She felt self-conscious, and that put her on autopilot. And autopilot with Chat Noir, she was finding, was a little bit flirtier than she originally thought. But it was Still Not The Time To Freak Out, so flirty would just have to do.

"Not as much as you, Bugaboo," Chat said, falling into that point on the continuum between "sappy" and "lustful" that belonged solely to Chat Noir. And, apparently, Adrien. Marinette had had a headache for the past three days of trying to figure this out.

"Well, let's get this nonsense over with," Ladybug said, stretching like she was getting ready for a fight.

/*****/

The press conference went well. Or so the heroes thought. Right up until Alya burst into Marinette's room where she and Adrien were working on the night's math homework two hours later.

"Did you see?" Alya screeched.

"Hi, Alya," Adrien said like this was normal behavior he was witnessing.

"Turn on your computer!" Alya said, almost shoving Adrien out of his chair to reach the keyboard.

"Alya, we're studying-"

"Marinette, this is the biggest development in the LadyNoir story since-"

"I asked you not to call them that," Marinette said. "They're people, and-"

"Marinette, watch this!"

Alya pulled up a clip of the press conference from the Ladyblog. It was a clip of Adrien- Chat! Chat answering a question and kissing Ladybug's hand like the lovesick dork he was.

"Of course, we discovered this on one of our rooftop dates," Chat said. Hand kiss, wink. Nothing out of the ordinary?

"What am I looking at, Alya?" Marinette asked. "They act like that all the time."

"Are you kidding me?" Alya said. She replayed the clip.

"-one of our rooftop dates."

"What's so-"

"You think they're dating," Adrien said. His eyes were unnaturally wide.

"Think? He just said they go on dates! On rooftops! Superhero rooftop dates! It's the sweetest thing I've ever heard!"

Alya continued to rant for a minute while Adrien and Marinette got lost in their thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Adrien said the second Alya stopped for breath. He was already gathering up his bags. "I just remembered I need to be home. I'll get to school early and help you with the rest of this problem set if you don't finish it on your own, okay?"

Her Kitty was freaking out.

Marinette and Alya bid Adrien goodbye, then Marinette found an excuse to get Alya to leave as well.

"Well, I guess I should go check on him," Marinette said to Tikki.

"You need to be careful about this, Marinette," Tikki said. "I'm still worried about what you knowing his identity will do to your relationship."

"So you've changed your mind? I should tell him that I know?" Marinette asked.

"I still think you should talk to Master Fu," Tikki said.

"But you said he might take away our miraculouses and give them to someone else!" Marinette said. "I'll keep it a secret from Chat if we get to stay Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Tikki sighed. They had been having this fight on and off for three days.

"Let's just go check on him," Tikki said. "You two have a new problem to deal with."

"The original problem was more than enough. I don't even know how I feel about him any more!" Marinette said. "And now everyone thinks we're dating?"

/*****/

"My Lady!"

"Hey, Chat."

"Have you seen the news? I'm sorry, I didn't even think!"

"It's okay, Chat!" Ladybug put a hand on his shoulder, hoping he would lose the manic, scared look in his eye. "We both call patrol 'rooftop dates'. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did. I knew how that sounded when we first started using it, I just... forgot. I'm so sorry."

Instinct guiding her again, Ladybug pulled her partner into her arms. He hugged her back immediately, and she almost broke and told him she knew. But then he might figure out how she knew. He might figure out who she was. And then the risk was doubled.

"It's fine," she said, pulling away. "We'll call another press conference or give an exclusive interview and set everyone straight. In fact, let's go see if the mayor is free now. He can pull together another quick press conference and this will all be fixed."

"I don't want anyone thinking we're dating unless and until it's true," Chat- Adrien? said. His stare was just a little too intense, lasted a little too long.

"Don't worry, Kitty." She gave his fingers a squeeze and they set off for the mayor's office.

/*****/

"Absolutely not!"

"Um... You don't really get a say in if it's true or not that we're dating," Chat pointed out.

The mayor crossed his arms. "You just said you were earlier today. The whole city is talking about it! Everyone is excited for you!"

"But we aren't dating," Ladybug said.

"But you said you were!"

"Mr. Bourgeois," Ladybug said. "It was just a figure of speech. A shorthand we use. 'Rooftop date' means 'patrol' to us."

"But you can't break up!"

"We technically can't-"

Andre Bourgeois cut Chat Noir off. "If you break up, think of the people! Everyone will be upset! Akumas everywhere! Terrible for business. And tourism!"

"Mr. Bourgeois-"

"He's right," Ladybug said, cutting Chat off again. "I hate to admit it, but he's right."

"But... we aren't."

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," Ladybug said, dragging Chat by the arm out of the window through which they had arrived.

On the roof of the building, Chat started pacing. "What do we do? We're not dating, but now everyone will be upset if they find that out. How do we convince everyone that it's okay and they shouldn't be upset enough to be akumatized over us?"

"I don't think we can, Kitty," she said.

"Then what do we do? I know you're interested in someone else, I don't want you to date me if your heart's not in it."

"Well... what do you think about putting on a show?"