#its a little hard to see but the “akuma” is bonding to an earring adrien is wearing

[bigfatbreak]

1) in the viceroy au, gabriel's wish transferred all damage from the Peacock Miraculous onto Sabine and killed her. but now that she is gone, what happens when you use the Peacock? does the damage just transfer to another random person?

2) How much of a beatdown is Emilie going to get?

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Ooo, I kinda like the idea that no one sees Tubbo's akumatization coming, even Tubbo? Like, if Ladybug and Chat have filled them in that folks who are experiencing negative emotions are likely candidates for akumatization, then when the Miraculous get taken back by Gabriel, they're all on the lookout for folks who are upset so they can try to get a jump on preventing or stopping akumatizations. Therapuffy and Eret are basically working overtime to encourage open communication and emotional literacy among everyone, lol. And Tubbo's so good at appearing functional, at pushing down his issues, at focusing on the next task to ignore all the past failures, it kind of goes assumed that he's doing alright.

So one day, it's been like a couple weeks since the Miraculous got stolen back. Everyone's been on high alert trying to keep akumas under control, sometimes even responding before Ladybug and Chat do. Because they're just kids, aren't they? They should have a normal teenage experience as much as they can; the Gremlins can handle it as long as they bring the akuma to Marinette to purify later. Point being, the Gremlins have been busy.

And then Tubbo just has one bad day. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, restless and exhausted from nightmares he didn't bother to tell anyone about, because if he can get back to sleep eventually, clearly they weren't that bad. Plus he's stressed about finding the Miraculous again; it wasn't so hard to steal them in the first place, so why are they so hard to track down now? He'd bonded a little bit with Nooroo and Duusuu, he doesn't want to think about them back in Gabriel's clutches. So he's working himself to the bone trying to figure out where Gabriel might be.

And he and Ranboo are out patrolling for akumas or any other sign of Hawkmoth, and at just the wrong time, Tubbo overhears some kids talking about current events.

"He's such an idiot! Honestly, he's a horrible president. That whole country would be better off without him."

And Tubbo... he knows they're not talking about him. Obviously they're not. No one here even knows about L'manberg, and Tubbo hasn't been president for a long time. All the same, it brings up memories of Dream, smugly telling Tubbo that he'd been playing him for weeks, for months, calling him the worst president ever, calling him stupid. And no one had even denied it, least of all Tubbo. He can't think of one decision he'd made as president that he doesn't want to take back.

But it was ages ago. And Tubbo's over it, he definitely is, he doesn't care. So he ignores his stewing thoughts and keeps walking with Ranboo, just a bit quieter.

And a few minutes later, they see an akuma flying towards them, and they both get ready to follow it and warn whoever it's going for. But it doesn't turn away, it just keeps flying towards them. And they exchange an uneasy look.

"Tubbo?" Ranboo asks, a little nervous when he takes a step away and the akuma doesn't veer from its course. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Tubbo says immediately, like he always does, like it's routine. "I'm fine. It's not me, I'm totally fine."

But the akuma clearly thinks otherwise. And as Ranboo watches in growing apprehension, the akuma dodges Tubbo's attempts to swat it away and lands neatly on the necklace he wears close to his chest, a locket with a group photo of all the gremlins on one side and a portrait of Michael on the other. Black clouds cover the locket, and a familiar purple butterfly appears over Tubbo's eyes as Ranboo shouts in alarm.

And Tubbo had wondered in the past what it was like to be akumatized, how Hawkmoth had apparently been persuasive enough to convince half of Paris to attack their heroes. But now, he understands: it isn't Hawkmoth's offer that convinces people. It's the sudden rush of emotions that floods his veins, every inch of him abruptly crying out in hurt and betrayal and outrage. It's the feeling of a pot boiling over, scalding water splashing out and burning everything in range. It's the furious tremble in his fingers as he's consumed by the sole thought that he didn't deserve what happened to him, that he's been wronged so deeply it hurts, that the only way to make it stop is to make everyone else understand just how he feels. The blood roaring in Tubbo's ears is almost enough to drown out Ranboo, who's shouting something and tugging at Tubbo's arm, but Hawkmoth's voice comes through crystal clear.

"Ah, little Tyrant," says Gabriel Agreste, pleased as the cat who caught the canary, and doesn't that just make Tubbo's blood boil even more. "I was hoping it'd be one of you eventually."

"Get out of my head," Tubbo says, teeth clenched so tightly his jaw aches.

"Oh, of course, Tyrant," Gabriel placates. "Of course. But first... First, I am going to give you the power to ensure you're never attacked again. I will make sure you are heard. I will give you an outlet for all that fury simmering inside of you. And in return, you are going to bring me the other Miraculous."

And logically. Logically, Tubbo knows it's a bad deal. Logically, he knows Marinette and Adrien are his friends, and he'd never try to take their Miraculous. Logically, he should say no, should get Marinette to the akuma and cleanse it and move on and ignore it.

But his emotions are running higher and hotter than he thought possible, and all he can see is Hawkmoth, offering him a way to get rid of them, to feel better, to make everyone finally get it.

And it's not like it'd be hard to grab a couple of Miraculous.

"Alright," says Tyrant, eyes dark. "You've got a deal."

There's a crash of thunder, a billowing outpour of smoke from the corrupted locket, and then Tubbo vanishes, leaving Ranboo alone in the streets of Paris.

"Uh," says Ranboo into his phone, voice high-pitched with panic. "Guys, we have a problem."

;-;

Welp. This hurts. Thanks anon. Oh boy. This hurts a lot. Oh wow.

[miraculouswolf99]

Field Trip To Greece

My own take on the Field Trip salt stories that usually are crossovers with Batman and have Damienette. But this is my version with them going to Greece and involves my OCs Lyon and Vallia Garden.

*****

“Mari, Mari, MARI,” Adrien basically yelled into his friend’s ear.

Marinette woke up with a jolt in her bus seat.

“What,” she groaned, never being much of a morning person.

“We’re almost at the sanctuary, so I figured to wake you up,” Adrien smiled at his friend.

“Thanks and curse how fast this bus is,” Marinette said.

“And curse Hawkmoth for late night akumas,” Adrien suggested.

“That to,” Marinette agreed. “Even in Greece, he still finds a way to annoy us in Paris.”

“Well, you brought the horse miraculous for a reason,” Adrien said.

“How are you not tired,” Marinette questioned him.

“I’ve always been a morning person,” Adrien shrugged. “Blame my father for a lot of early morning photoshoots.”

“I’d slap your father if it did not mean risking my future as a fashion designer in the process,” Marinette says.

After revealing themselves to each other after Miracle Queen, the two had developed a more brother-sister relationship. They both thought that it would be better for them to know each other after having all their allies exposed to Hawkmoth and Mayura. They joked around, teased each other, and also always had each others backs.

Having each other’s backs certainly helped them when Lila’s lies got worse. After Chloe had willingly helped Hawkmoth, she had been sent to a private reformatory school in Sweden. Lila took the opportunity to tell more of her lies, saying that she had been telling her “best friend” Ladybug to keep the Bee miraculous away from Chloe for months. And just like everything else Lila ever said, their class ate it up like it was their last meal.

Adrien had joined Marinette almost immediately after he made his “deal with the devil” in order to get her back into school. He threw himself off the “high road” the moment that Marinette told him that Lila threatened her. But even with him backing up Marinette every time she caught inconsistencies in Lila’s tales, there were still few that actually believed them. Some even went as far as scolding Marinette for her “brainwashing Adrien” into thinking that Lila was a liar.

Kim, Juleka, and Nathaniel were the only ones that stayed loyal to their friends. Especially since Marinette had done so much for them in the past. Like curing Juleka of her photo curse, helping Nathaniel get together with Marc, and Kim had been her friend since they were in diapers. With their group was also Kagami, Luka, Marc, Aurore, and Mireille. The rest of Bustier’s class was pretty much made up of Lila’s attack dogs.

What annoyed Adrien the most was how his so-called best friend. Nino may be siding with his girlfriend, Alya being Lila’s biggest supporter/attack dog, but that also meant he was part of the problem. He certainly never helped Adrien when Lila would constantly hold onto his arm no matter how many times he told her to let go. It was driving Adrien crazy and he was very close to taking Plagg up on his offer to Cataclysm the liar.

“I bet the garden is going to be beautiful,” Juleka says, her seat next to the two heroes.

She was sitting next to Nathaniel while Kim was in the seat in front of Adrien and Marinette. They were all in the seats at the back of the bus.

“I heard that the Garden Family Sanctuary is ranked as an unofficial wonder of the world,” Nathaniel said.

“Anyone else find it odd that a nature sanctuary is run by a family with Garden as their last name,” Kim asked.

“I think this is one of those ‘don’t think about it too much’ times,” Marinette shrugged.

“I haven’t been here in years,” Adrien was glad to be back.

“You’ve been here before,” Juleka asked.

“There was a charity fashion show here about a year before my mother disappeared,” Adrien explained. “I was here with my parents for it.”

“Did you meet any of the animals here,” Kim looked excited. “I heard that they let any animals here roam free even when they have events or tours here.”

“The animals do roam around the sanctuary as they wish,” Adrien says. “But the Garden family and all their employees work hard to tame all their animals privately to make sure that even the predators do not harm anyone. They spend months to years taming them before releasing them into the main part of the sanctuary.”

“It really sounds like an amazing place,” Marinette said.

“I can’t wait to draw some of the animals,” Nathaniel already had out his sketchpad. “Marc requested I draw him the most amazing animal that I see. No pressure. Haha.”

Juleka patted his shoulder, but her obviously hiding her laughter made her attempt to comfort him fail. 

But, as usual, their good moods had to be ruined by the Italian that never seemed to go five minutes without hearing the sound of her own voice. And, also as usual, she was spouting her nonsense. They were very close to throwing her out the back of the bus if she did not stop talking.

“Of course I know the Garden family,” Lila brags, lying through her teeth. “They are basically family to me.”

“Here we go again,” the five friends groaned.

“The mother and her two daughters mostly handle the plants,” Lila continues. “The father and their son handle the animals. It’s only natural since they are the only ones that can stomach having to put down the more dangerous animals.”

“Tell us more, Lila,” Alya was recording the entire time.

Adrien growled. “There has never been a case of an animal being put down at the sanctuary. The closest that comes to that is when an animal gets sick and there is nothing they can do to help it.”

“They have to put it out of its misery, don’t they,” Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded. “The youngest two Gardens speak fluent French, so I was able to spend some time with kids my own age during the fashion show. They told me that while it breaks their hearts, it is better than letting the animal suffer.”

“I can see where they come from for that,” Juleka says. “They love, take care of, and train all the animals. So it’s only natural that they form a bond with them.”

“I know I am not the brightest person in class, but how can they believe such crap,” Kim shook his head. “Whenever anyone even slightly mentions someone famous, she instantly says she is either best friends with them or somehow related to them. It’s impossible.”

“Tell that to the sheep that follow her around like she’s god’s gift to the world,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Makes you wonder if we really are the only ones in class with braincells,” Nathaniel, of all people, said.

The bus doors opened as it came to a full stop at the sanctuary. Bustier was the first out and the class followed her. They all first went into the sanctuary. And even from what little they could see from where they were, it already was one of the most beautiful places any of them have ever seen.

Trees, flowers, and even fruit and vegetable plants were growing as far as their eyes could see. The entire sanctuary also seemed to be covered by a glass dome, making an environment similar to a greenhouse. It made sense since there were probably plants in certain areas that needed to be grown in certain temperatures.

But today the dome’s windows were open, letting in the natural light of the sun, even if it looked like squares on the ground because of the dome’s window linings.

As Bustier lead them to a stop, two teen their age approached the group. Adrien recognized his two penpals. The ones he met in Greece when he was there for the fashion show. Lyon and Vallia Garden.

Vallia was quite beautiful and had a grace and elegance to her style. She had long blond hair braided with roses and butterflies and had pink streaks. Her eyes were a stunning silver that you could see, if you were close enough, had specks of blue in them. Her style was a red, pink, and purple dawn colored dress with gold flats. On her wrists were diamond rose cuff bracelets, a butterfly on the one on her right wrist.

Lyon gave off a very icy exterior that also screamed honor and loyalty that only a knight would have. A tall boy with hair that was black with streaks of white and blue in it, coming to the length of Adrien's. His eyes were the opposite of the girl's, blue with silver specks. His outfit of choice was a sky blue t-shirt under a white jean vest, matching the blue pants with white boots. On his hands were white fingerless gloves. Around his neck was a sword and shield pendant as well as a white cloak only going down to his knees.

They all also saw that the two did have crystal medallions on their foreheads. Vallia’s was a rose quartz butterfly and Lyon’s was a sapphire wolf.

“Your pen pals are hot, Adrien,” Marinette smirked as she saw her honorary brother staring at Lyon.

“Shut up,” Adrien grumbled, making Marinette giggle.

Bustier turns to the class. “These two are going to be our guides through the sanctuary. Please show them the proper amount of respect since they are the ones that work here.”

Lyon and Vallia gave the teacher the side-eye. While they technically did work there, their family owned the sanctuary and it was like Bustier had completely forgot about that and thought that they were just employees of the sanctuary.

“Shouldn’t we be guided by adults,” Mylene asked, trying not to sound offensive to the two teens.

“We’re your tour guides because we are the only ones here fluent in French,” Lyon told the class, his French flawless.

Adrien hid that he was chuckling behind his hand. He knew the twins were fluent, but the looks on his classmate’s faces when Lyon spoke in French was just so funny.

“Before we begin, let us introduce ourselves,” Vallia said, also switching to French. “My name is Vallia and this is my twin brother, Lyon.”

“Please also take note of a few rules of the sanctuary,” Lyon says. “While the animals here have been tamed, do not touch or interact with them without permission. Certain movements or actions could cause them to badly react. They are all also on specific diets, so do not feed them unless we give you food to give them.”

“The plants should also all remain untouched,” Vallia added. “There are certain plants here that are not native to the area and survive here only because we created the right environments for them. Especially the ghost orchid. There are barely even 2000 ghost orchid plants left in the world and they need to remain here so that they do not go extinct.”

Most of the class nodded, understanding the rules. Lila hid how annoyed she was at not being able to take whatever beautiful plant she wants or touch any cute animal that she sees.

The tour than began, the class following the twins deeper into the sanctuary. Already they were starting to see a ton of the animals that lived there. There were some animals of Greek origins. Such as brown bears, red deer, lynxes, rock lizards, weasels, and wild boar. There were also more international animals. Like white-tailed deer from North America, jaguars from South America, pandas from China, African panthers and lions, Indian tigers, horses from Canada, even komodo dragons from Indonesia. And that was just the beginning.

“The Garden Family Sanctuary was founded almost a hundred years ago by siblings Apollo and Persephone Garden,” Lyon says. “Having been named after the god of the healing and the goddess of flowers, they had always loved helping nature and animals.”

“They started out with an animal shelter that took in any and all animals,” Vallia continued for her brother. “They had a very clear rule about being a no-kill shelter. The more popular they became, the more room they needed. And since they already came from a rich family, they bought more land. And over the years, it grew into the sanctuary you see today.”

“With the amount of animals and plants coming, there has been chat about buying land on another island to expand the sanctuary,” Lyon said. “Which means more area to protect from smugglers and poachers.”

“Your French is very good,” Marinette compliments them.

“Thank you, we’ve had years of practice,” Vallia says.

“It helped when we hosted a few French fashion designers here a few years ago for a charity fashion show,” Lyon said.

Adrien caught the smirk that Lyon sent his way. It made the blond blush.

The group continued walking through the sanctuary. A few of the animals curiously looked at the group, but chose not to get near them. There were a few did cuddle up to the twins, who happily petted them before sending them away with a treat in their mouth.

But even as the twins tried to talk about the sanctuary, Lila was still telling her lies as the classmates not under her spell surrounded her. They listened to her more than they did their actual tour guides.

“Yeah, poachers and smugglers try to get in all the time,” she was saying. “The first time I was here, I saw one and tried to tell the employees and they didn’t believe me. They certainly did after I single-handedly stopped him from taking a rare blue tiger.”

“That is so cool, Lila,” Rose unknowingly encouraged more lying. 

“They should make you a partner here if you caught a poacher that they did not even know was there,” Alya said.

“They wanted to, but my mother said I was too young to be part of a business,” Lila says.

Adrien saw the twins look at each other as they hear what is being said. He knew that while the two were mostly quiet around those they do not know, other than when they gave tours, they would definitely not take liars sitting down. They were extremely protective of their family, which was why Lyon practiced archery while Vallia is an expert with the bo-staff.

“The Garden family would never offer someone outside of the family a part of the sanctuary,” Lyon stated, making the class look at him.

“We would appreciate you not tell such tall tales about such a charitable family,” Vallia crossed her arms. “They are well-respected by all of Greece and do not deserve to have such lies told about them.”

The class looked very insulted at the accusation of Lila being a liar, which happened whenever anyone said that. It happened more than you think since Bustier’s class was the only one in the entire school that actually believed her. Everyone else knew that Lila was nothing but a liar.

“Something tells me that things are about to get interesting,” Juleka whispered to the rest of their group.

“You’re the one that knows them, Adrien,” Marinette says. “What do you think they’ll do?”

“I’ve been in contact with them for years,” Adrien said. “And from all I know about them, it’s a slight miracle that Lyon hasn’t already threatened to shoot her with an arrow.”

“Does he do that often,” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

“Only to those that really anger him, really annoy him, or threaten his family,” Adrien said. “But that last part also includes the sanctuary and all of the animals kept here.”

“Guess we should be thankful that he doesn’t have them on him right now,” Kim says. “Even if he could get rid of our liar problem with a single shot.”

“Lyon was actually scouted by the coach of the Greek Olympian archery team,” Adrien tells them. “But Lyon doesn’t like competition. He says that they are nothing but barbaric events meant to to do nothing but enlarge egos and decrease braincells.”

“Can are class even lose what they don’t have,” Marinette smirked.

All of them laughed at her joke. When Marinette got sassy and sarcastic, it was hilarious. She could sass-talk like nobody’s business.

“Haw dare you,” Lila put a hand over her heart and then started up the crocodile tears again. “How could you be so mean to me?”

That was when her sheep glared at the twins.

“Lila is not a liar,” Alya was her main supporter as usual. “You’re nothing but simple employees. I bet you do not even know the Garden family. Lila, on the other hand, is basically an honorary member of their family.”

Both twins crossed their arms this time, staring down the class.

“Let us fully introduce ourselves,” Lyon narrowed his eyes at them. “My name is Lyon Garden and this is my twin sister, Vallia Garden. Our family owns this sanctuary and neither of us nor the rest of their family have ever met this girl.”

Adrien was seriously smirking at this point. He had seen this coming and was very glad that it had finally was. Especially since Lila did not even get the number of family members right. There were two Garden parents, but the children were another story. Lyon and Vallia were the youngest of the family, but Vallia was the only girl and they had two older brothers.

“You’re probably just lying to make Lila look bad because you’re jealous,” Alix glared at the twins. “She’s connected to the Gardens while you are not.”

“Don’t believe us, we don’t care, but we do have a friend in your class that knows who we are,” Vallia giggled. “Isn’t that right, Adrien?”

The sheep looked at the model. He only smirked as he joined Lyon and Vallia’s side.

“You two certainly know how to make an impression,” Adrien tells them, chuckling.

“If we really wanted to make an impression, I would have started at my favorite wolf den,” Lyon snickered. “But I would have been too tempted to order my wolves to eat them.”

Adrien laughed at the looks of horror on his classmates’ faces.

“If you guys haven’t figured it out, it was my family that the twins were talking about before,” Adrien says. “We were the ones that came here for the charity fashion show. It was great to meet the two youngest members of the Garden family.”

“So these are the sheep that follow that liar like lost puppies,” Vallia looked at Adrien. “The liar that doesn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer?”

“Got it in one, Vallia,” Adrien says. “And she’s been telling lies about your family since this field trip started. She even said that your family was three girls and two boys.”

The twins rolled their eyes.

“Wow,” Lyon shook his head. “Vallia might wish she had a sister, it’s just us and our two older brothers with our parents.”

Vallia playfully slapped her brother’s shoulder.

While Adrien took his two friends over to the rest of his group to introduce them, the rest of the class finally seemed to get that Lila did indeed lie to them. They turned on her like lions on an antelope and started yelling at her for lying to them.

The twins made mental notes to contact their parents about needing to sue a girl for slander and defamation. 

[bisexualsforprompto]

Cat Fight

Based on this art by @gajer-1226

TW: major character death and suicide, please read at your own risk

“...Marinette?”

Cried a panicked and pained voice from far away. So far away it seemed, as Marinette felt herself slip in and out of consciousness. Letting out a hum, all she could muster to say in greeting to the strange shadow who whispered her name, Marinette let her eyes close slightly. Her pillows were soft beneath her head and her sheets were a comforting warmth. She felt weak laying down, but couldn’t even remember when she had done it.

She suddenly felt warm hands on her. One on her cheek and the other intertwined in her limp hand. Willing her eyes to open, Marinette let out a small whimper that sent pain straight to her side.

“Don’t move,” said the figure, who Marinette belatedly realized was her boyfriend, Damian. He inhaled sharply.

“What happened?” He muttered, squeezing Marinette’s hand.

Her eyes looked dull and almost a pale grey rather than the joyous bluebell he’d known so well. The last bit of life he felt in her hand started to seep out slowly as her eyes began to close.

“No!” Damian yelled, taking his hand out of hers and placing both on her cheeks, “Don’t close your eyes, beloved.”

“Hmmm...hurts...Dami.”

“I know,” he said, pulling out his phone he forced himself to stay calm. He began to dial, “Just stay strong for a while. Help is on the way.”

Marinette’s hand was quickly on the arm hold up his phone. She whispered something unintelligible and nodded her head slightly. Prying his hand off his phone, Marinette instead moved Damian’s palm to her heart.

“Chat Blanc.” Was all she said.

“The akuma?” Damian asked, slowly rising in anger. Did he do this to her? ‘I’m going to skin him alive,’ he thought.

With a small smile, Marinette pointed weakly to her shelf. On it was a normal looking silver ring.

“Please,” was all she said.

Then her body went limp before him and her eyes glazed over.

“No.” Damian said, he began to shake her, “No, no, no.”

He squeezed her hand, hard. Almost enough to bruise.

“Wake up. Wake up right now Dupain-Chang, or I’ll...I’ll...”

He looked away and to the ring she had pointed to.

What was so special about it? Did she want him to have it, or did she want it herself?

Damian felt possessed as he walked over to the shelf and slowly picked the ring up. In a flare of magic a small creature appeared before him.

“Ugh finally! I was beginning to think I’d never get fed again!” The black cat bug thing? said before taking a double take at the boy in front of him, “You’re not pigtails...”

“Who are you?” Damian demanded, crossing his arms, “If you can fix this, you’d better do it right now.”

“What?” The creature asked, “fix wha...”

The green eyes of the cat fell on the pale body laying in Marinette’s bed.

“Pigtails...” He whispered. He then hardened and trained his eyes on the boy, “What happened to her?”

“Answer my questions first.”

“Huh?” The creature asked before nodding, “Right...My name is Plagg, I’m a kwami, basically, I’m the god of destruction. And as for fixing her...”

Plagg shifted his gaze from Damian’s, “I’m sorry kid...”

Damian narrowed his eyes, “Why exactly are you here then?!”

Plagg sighed, “Pigtails...your girl...she was involved in some things...”

Damian raised his brow. Coldly, he spat, “Talk.”

~~~~~~~~~

Running on the rooftops was nothing new for Damian, but running on the roofs of Paris was something completely new for him.

Somehow the atmosphere was different from Gotham’s. Cleaner air, more beauty and lights, but somehow there was more despair in his heart...

Damian had to be strong. He’d seen death before, this one shouldnt phase him. He remembered his training from the League, block out all distractions.

Marinette was a distraction. Logically, he knew that, but it didn’t stop the stabbing in his heart, as if thinking that was wrong. Guilt.

Why was he feeling guilt?

He wished he could tear out every emotion from his body...why did it have to be like this? He felt like guilt, regret and sadness were tearing his body apart.

But at the forefront of them all...

Revenge.

~~~~~~~~

“Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady~”

Chat swung his legs as he sat on a roof overlooking Paris. His eyes were trained on his love’s room.

It all happened so fast.

He didn’t want to hurt her.

He hadn’t meant to hurt her.

She was supposed to be indestructible as Ladybug...why did she detransform?

Why would his lady detransform?

Was it an act of revenge?

She hated him so much she’d rather die than be with him?

Chat hummed to himself and thought, no that wasn’t it.

Did she do it because she wanted the destruction of everything? Just like him?

Was her act of destroying herself a way of telling him she was on his side? After all, he was the destruction to her creation...

Yes, that had to be it...

She wanted everything destroyed just like him because she believed in him. She believed in Chat Blanc.

If only he had the cat miraculous as well as the ladybug earrings that he’d taken off his love.

Then he could bring her back...

After all, what would his destruction matter if he didn’t have someone to share it with?

She must’ve trusted him to bring her back.

He was touched, really he was. And thinking of bringing her back to be his queen in a completely destructed world made him smile.

And laugh.

“How can you be laughing?” Hissed a voice from behind him.

Chat whipped his head around. His eyes unfeeling as he gazed upon a man in a cat costume.

He felt anger boil inside him as he realized this fake cat had stolen what was rightfully his.

“Give me that ring.”

The cat shoved his hand that had the ring into his side.

“No.”

Chat grit his teeth, “Give it to me now. She wanted me to have it. Me not you!” He snarled as he lunged for it.

“How dare you...” the cat whispered, as he drew his blade, “You don’t know what she wanted, you killed her...

“You bastard cat...” continued the poser as he brought his blade into a fighting position.

Chat brought up his finger without emotion. He would take back that ring and get his lady back no matter what.

He felt the destructive energy well up inside of him until he let it all go, unleashing a deadly beam of energy to his opponent.

The cat dodged, flipping agilely and effortlessly as he sidestepped the destruction.

Chat huffed, “Just who are you?!”

“I’m Kharaab, but you know me as Damian, don’t you...Adrien?”

“I am Chat Blanc.” He said as he aimed again.

Of course it was Damian...that nuisance had always been in the way of him and his lady. He dated her, made it impossible for Adrien to even get near her...

“I’m surprised you don’t want her alive Damian,” Chat said, “Although, you never did love her like I did...”

Damian lunged for him, his claws almost scratching Chat’s face.

Chat grabbed Damian’s hand and quickly pulled him inwards. He hissed into his ear, “You didn’t deserve her...”

Damian grit his teeth. He kneed Chat in the groin, “And you did?”

Sweeping his legs out from under him, Damian continued speaking, “You think you were entitled to her, but you never cared about her feelings. You’re the reason she’s de-“

“And I’m the reason she’ll be alive after this!” Chat screamed as he quickly aimed his fingers toward’s Damian’s face.

Damian grabbed Chat’s fingers, applying more pressure than necessary and practically breaking them.

Chat held in his pain.

“SHE’S NOT COMING BACK!” Damian hollered, “How deranged are you that you can’t see that.”

He kicked Chat in the face, still holding onto his fingers.

“I could’ve saved her,” Damian muttered to himself, “Put her into a Lazarus pit...but because of you, I had to leave her. Who knows if she’ll even be there once I’m finished with you!”

He punched Chat in the face with his other hand, taking a small amount of pleasure from the blood he saw trickle down.

“You can’t save her,” Chat grinned wildly, his bloody face making his smile all the more gruesome, “No matter how hard you try, I’m her prince, her white knight, not you. Once I take my ring back my lady and I will be reunited.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?!” Damian growled, pushing Chat down into the concrete.

He placed his steel shoe onto Chat’s face and listened for the ever-satisfying crack.

But instead he heard Chat chuckle in a pained voice.

“So Plagg didn’t tell you...figures.” He winced as he tried pushing Damian’s shoe away, “With both the Ladybug and cat miraculous...the earrings I have and that little ring on your finger...I can bring her back.”

Chat smiled softly as he watched Damian’s bewildered expression, “With both miraculouses the user is granted one wish, why do you think Hawkmoth wanted them?”

Damian teetered between shock and anger, “Y-you’re lying.”

“Am I?” Chat whispered, “Fine then. Kill me and spend the rest of your life without her...At least I’ll be reunited with her at last.”

Damian pressed toe a bit harder onto Chat’s skull, hearing the white clad boy groan. With a sigh, Damian moved his foot off. He flipped Chat over to grab his arms.

“Where’s your akuma?”

Chat was silent. All he did was simply laugh. A laugh that turned into a loud and long cackle.

“I see you’ve bested me. Ohhhhh well!” He said in a mock sing song. Snickering, he finally looked back at Damian.

“Do me a favor would you?”

Damian cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes.

“Take the earrings in my back pocket.” Chat instructed, “Then Break my bell, the akuma is in there.

“Once you cleanse the akuma...” Chat have him a deadly grin, “Bring her back, will you?”

Wordlessly, Damian took the earrings out, if nothing else but to keep them away from Chat.

He grabbed the bell next. Just as he broke it, Chat broke out of his grasp.

“Well our time together is almost at its end. Put on those earrings, say the magic words and cleanse the akuma.” Chat’s expression went into a Cheshire grin, “And don’t forget what I told you...bring her back.”

Damian placed the earrings on himself, feeling a new transformation bond with Plagg.

He’d never felt so much power...

Chat slowly backed away, towards the edge of the roof as Damian fidgeted with his new yo-yo.

Grabbing the akuma in his new yo-yo, Damian watched as it began to re-emerge as a white butterfly.

“I can feel that this is coming to an end...” Chat said as he started swirling in black bubbles, “Well...” he whispered as he backed onto the ledge of the roof.

“Adieu.” He winked as he let himself fall off.

After hearing the crack on concrete and shrill screams from below, Damian knew...

He lowered his eyes and hung his head.

He couldn’t say he was unhappy with the cat’s death, but he couldn’t get the words out of his head. ‘Bring her back.’

He knew...he knew Chat hadn’t meant the Lazarus.

And somehow, he remembered something Chat has said earlier...about a wish.

It was possible he was lying, but...

With a shaky breath Damian called upon his power.

“I wish—“

[hazellvesque]

no strings attached

Why spend the holidays alone when an alley cat insists on keeping you company? After all, what are friends for?

aged-up Marinette/Chat Noir; platonic (???) affection | cw: alcohol consumption 

[merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone, but especially to @verrelle​ as this is your @mlsecretsanta​ gift from me! enjoy some marichat christmas fluff!]

Read on Ao3

* * * * * 

Despite the frigid temperature outside, Marinette had opted to spend the evening on her balcony sans scarf and gloves. The heat of the homemade cocoa did more than enough to warm her from the inside out. The fact that it was spiked probably didn’t hurt, either. In fact, she felt positively cozy, now that the previously-burning sensation in her throat had dulled to a pleasant radiating heat.

She hadn’t even bothered to change out of her pajamas. Rather, she’d tossed one of her fuzzier blankets over her shoulders like a cape, wrapping herself up just enough to be able to bear the weather but still head inside and go straight to bed once she felt herself get tired enough. 

She unlocked her phone and glanced at the time. 12:07am. 

“Joyeux Noël,” she muttered bitterly. 

As a child, Marinette had spent this hour of the holiday drifting off in front of a warm fire, the savoury and sweet tastes of roast turkey and her father’s bûche de Noël from Christmas Eve still on her tongue. In more recent years, she’d crashed at Alya and Nino’s apartment after they’d insisted on inviting all of their collège friends to celebrate together. At first, it had been for Adrien’s sake, so he wouldn’t have to spend his holiday alone. Later, it became tradition to offer their little home to whoever needed company during Christmastime.

This year, Alya and Nino had opted for a more private celebration: a romantic week-long getaway, just the two of them. Marinette wouldn’t be shocked if Alya returned from their trip with a shiny new rock on her finger. Nino had been dropping some agonizingly obvious hints that he’d be popping the question soon, and Alya insisted on being “surprised” even though the couple had been discussing marriage for years and it was only a matter of when, not if, that would be the real surprise. 

Marinette tried her best not to let the dreaded lonely shadow in the back of her mind consume her thoughts entirely. The pit in her stomach was excitement for her best friend. Not jealousy. Not envy. Of course not. 

For the first time in her life, Marinette was alone for Christmas. And although she insisted that her friends and family not worry about her, and that the holiday wasn’t really that big of a deal, she still glanced out wistfully at the twinkling lights of the city feeling envious of everyone who had someone special to spend the evening with. 

Maybe she should have gotten back on the dating apps, like Alya had suggested. Or maybe that was the tipsy brain talking.

She took another burning swig of her drink, trying not to hiss as it went down. The bitter aftertaste told her she’d made this batch slightly too spirited, but it was too late to fix that now. 

A curious, nagging feeling wriggled in the back of her mind. Like she was being watched.

“What are you doing?” she asked the winter air. 

Its response sounded strangely like a familiar young man slinking up behind her. “Practicing my stealth,” Chat Noir said. 

Marinette took another small sip, not bothering to even glance back at her visitor. “Well, you’re lousy. Keep practicing.” 

Leather-clawed hands slipped around her waist, pulling her back ever so slightly so that her back was flush against Chat’s front side in a playful hug. 

“That’s no way to talk to someone who came all this way to see you on Christmas. It is past midnight now, isn’t it?” he whispered in her ear, then glanced down at her mug. “Is that hot chocolate?”

“And peppermint schnapps,” Marinette turned to face Chat, waving the mug under his nose teasingly. “Both of which are pretty lethal to kittens, last time I checked.”

Chat released her, making a pathetic pouty face as he rounded her, taking his usual precarious perch on the edge of the railing. “Do you want to explain why you’re drinking alone?” 

“Because Alya’s probably getting married soon and this is going to be my sad reality for a while, so I might as well get a head start,” the words flowed out of her mouth before hitting her brain. Evidently, the peppermint schnapps were doing their job a little too well already. “...And I wasn’t expecting an interruption.” 

“An interruption? Or much-needed company?”

“I don’t know, yet. Depends on what kind of company you’re providing. Shouldn’t you be protecting the innocent and whatnot?”

Chat cast a lazy glance out at the quiet city. “You know how it goes,” he shrugged, “not a creature stirring, except maybe a mouse.”

“Ha ha,” Marinette deadpanned. 

When was the last time she last summoned Mullo and used her multiplication powers? Months, maybe even a full year ago now. None of the akumas lately had called for it. During recent battles, Chat had been more than enthusiastic when recommending help from their old friends, insisting that, even though years had passed, people like Max and Kim and Kagami wouldn’t mind donning their magical jewelry for a night and jumping back into the fight. 

Marinette understood that feeling completely. She’d missed seeing them, too, though she’d be much less happy to admit it. 

The two of them had nearly run the gamut of their superpowered assistants as of late. Only a handful of their old collège friends were left in the city, and half of them likely wouldn’t be as enthusiastic to play dress-up-and-kick-ass anymore. Chat had probably been anxiously awaiting his opportunity to suggest getting help from Marinette and the mouse miraculous, only putting it off because his Lady had insisted Marinette couldn’t be trusted with the secret identity. She’d kind of dug herself into a hole with that one, though she couldn’t exactly admit it to anyone. 

“What’s ironic?” Chat asked.

Marinette blinked. “Huh?”

“You just said ‘how ironic’ under your breath, but you were kind of mumbling,” Chat cast a quizzical look at her mug. “Are you sure you should still be drinking that?” 

“I’m fine,” Marinette said, but as the words left her mouth, she could feel just how dizzy she’d gotten in the last few minutes. “Maybe this is a bad time to mention that this is my second cup of the night?”

Wordlessly, Chat took the mug from her hands and drank, instantly recoiling at the taste. “Well someone’s got a heavy pour.”

“Yep,” Marinette reached for her drink, but Chat lazily held it above his head, just out of her reach. 

Chat shook his head. “Nope, I’m finishing this for you, you’re cut off for the night.”

She tried to stand on her tiptoes and instantly felt the world shift off-kilter beneath her feet. Okay, fine, maybe she didn’t need it. 

“So what kind of company were you needing tonight?” Chat asked, raising an eyebrow as he took another drink. “Since your satisfaction evidently depends entirely on what services I provide.”

Moving away from the railing, Marinette pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She meandered towards her lounge chair and plopped down, legs crossed. “I didn’t mean to say it like that,” she giggled. “You make everything sound so...” 

“Exciting?” he offered.

“Suggestive,” Marinette finished. “But you’re such a relentless flirt that you probably don’t even realize you’re doing it.” 

Chat’s presence on her rooftop had become an incredibly common sight over the years, and his visit tonight was especially comforting. She hadn’t expected him to find time to stop by during the holidays, operating under the assumption that he had family or other loved ones he’d rather be with. 

Over time, their conversations ran the gamut from petty gossip to deep therapeutic bonding, but they rarely if ever crossed the line past platonic interactions. Sure, the odd innuendo or joke would slip every once in a while - mostly from Chat’s mouth - because what else would you expect from two perpetually single friends? 

“Quite the contrary,” Chat Noir took another big gulp, “I am fully aware of the things I say, and everything I do is with complete sincerity. It's not my fault you don’t take me seriously.” 

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “Well, you’re always so casual about it, it’s hard for me to tell if you even really mean it.” 

“Should I be more blunt, then?” 

“Try me.”

Chat rolled his shoulders back and took another massive swig, draining the mug before setting it down. “Only because you asked,” he said before bounding across the balcony, shortening the distance between them quicker than Marinette could blink. He landed in a crouched position very nearly in her lap, their noses inches away. 

His voice lowered, but his eyes never strayed from hers. “For one, it’s hilarious to me how much of a lightweight you are. Your inhibitions are on their way out the window after a drink and a half, and it’s much more fun for me this way because now you’ll laugh at my jokes instead of rolling your eyes at me.”

“I didn’t think you ever wanted me to react to your flirting,” Marinette shot back. “All things considered, with you being head-over-heels in love with Ladybug and all, you seemed perfectly fine with me rolling my eyes and ignoring you.” 

Chat sat back on his heels and sighed wistfully. “You two do have that in common. Maybe that’s why I find you so endearing.” 

A sarcastic laugh escaped Marinette’s lips before she could hold it back. If he only knew. More than anything, she wanted to take a snapshot this moment so she could bring it up again someday when there were no more secrets. Just to play that last statement on loop, so they could laugh about it together.

“Marinette,” Chat whined, but the smile on his face told her he was only joking, “I’m trying to cheer you up here, the least you could do is play along a little bit.”

She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. “Okay. Sorry. Playing along, right.”

“Right,” he said, “On to my second point. As I was saying before, what can I do to make your night better?”

“Who said I was having a bad night?” 

“Call it intuition,” he leaned in close again. “Or maybe it’s the fact that you’re drinking alone on Christmas and pretending not to be sad about your best friend possibly getting engaged. Classic signs of a forlorn heart.” 

“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“Which is exactly why I’m here to provide my services,” Chat sat cross-legged in front of her, his position mirroring hers exactly and reminding her of children gossiping at a sleepover. “What is it that friends usually do when someone is heartbroken? I can trash talk whoever it is that’s got you feeling this way. I’ll tell you how they’re totally not worth your time and they’re not even that cute and you’ll find someone someday who’s going to make you forget that other person even existed.”  

“I don’t know if there’s any one specific person causing this,” Marinette admitted.

That was partially true. Although Adrien had been the cause of many nights full of what-ifs and sad unfulfilled daydreams, it had been years since her crush was at the forefront of her mind. Rather, his presence lingered in the background, really only rising to the surface when people would ask her why they had never ended up together. 

And she didn’t really have an answer to that question. They had become excellent friends over the years, but she still choked on her words every time the subject of her feelings came up. Try as she might, she just couldn’t quite spit it out and face the embarrassment of rejection if he didn’t have any interest. She’d finally managed to stop stuttering around him. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin all of that now.

No, her loneliness now was more of a dull, persistent ache that had a plethora of causes, and she was sure once the holiday season was over and the overwhelming pressure of needing togetherness faded, she’d be just fine. 

“Well,” Chat said, “I can also go the more sincere route and just hug you and tell you everything’s going to be alright, even if I don’t know that for sure.” 

“That would be nice,” she said, then after a beat: “But I’m already so comfy here that I really don’t want to get up.” 

Chat frowned. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him.

“Fine then,” Chat said, “scoot over.” 

She did as he asked, and even though the lounge chair was definitely only designed for the width of a single person, he moved to sit next to her so that their shoulders and hips were pressed together. Unraveling herself slightly, she offered half her blanket to him, which he gratefully draped over his own shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder, effectively wrapping her in a side-hug.

“Still comfy?” he asked. 

“Mm-hmm,” she responded, leaning her head on top of his. 

Chat had always been the affectionate type, and in years past, he usually reserved most of it for Ladybug. Lately, though, he’d been just as touchy with Marinette, and she suspected it was out of a combination of both their growing friendship and his own personal need for affection. 

Seeing as she was equally as touch starved, she wasn’t going to complain. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a good while, the chill of the night air almost unnoticeable with warm drinks in their stomachs and the shared body heat radiating between them.

“I have another idea, but I don’t know if you’ll get mad at me for suggesting it,” Chat said quietly.

Marinette sat a little straighter, turning to look him in the eye. “I could never be mad at you, Chat Noir.” 

Chat’s mouth fell open, then he caught himself and smiled bashfully. “Well, just to be clear, I’m asking this out of complete friendship, and I’d hate to enforce your belief that I’m a relentless flirt. It really is because I care about you, and I know how lonely you must feel, and I know something that might help ease that feeling a little bit.” 

Marinette tilted her head, questioning. 

He took a deep breath, his clawed hands toying with the frayed edge of the blanket. Was he nervous? 

“May I kiss you?” Chat asked, his quiet voice nearly lost to the breeze. Marinette wasn’t even sure she’d heard him right. It was hard to tell if the faint redness of his cheeks was from the embarrassment of his suggestion or from the cold.

She’d kissed Chat Noir before, of course, although he didn’t know that. And admittedly, it had never been a bad experience. He was arguably her closest friend, and she didn’t doubt for a moment the sincerity of his statement. The way he looked at her now was nothing like the lovestruck way he gazed at Ladybug when suggesting the same thing. 

Marinette nodded slowly. 

They were sitting so close it wouldn’t have taken much effort for him to simply lean forward and close the gap between them. But Chat Noir was never one to do things simply. 

He brought a gloved hand up to Marinette’s face and slowly traced his thumb across her cheek. Marinette shivered at the touch but did not pull away. Her eyes fluttered shut as he brought his lips to hers. 

Marinette felt her nerves fizzle away as she relaxed into his touch. Chat was unbelievably gentle, tilting her chin up to capture her lips perfectly between his.

He let the kiss linger for only a moment longer before pulling away. Their deep breaths were punctuated by the puffs of condensation from their breath floating between them.  

“Merry Christmas, Marinette,” said Chat.

“Joyeux Noël, Chat Noir,” Marinette replied.

Gracefully removing himself from the seat, Chat draped his shared half of the blanket back over Marinette’s shoulders and dropped another kiss on her forehead. He smiled as he backed towards the balcony railing, already reaching behind his back to grab his staff.

“Go inside and get some rest,” he insisted. “Try and enjoy the rest of the day. I won’t be a stranger.” 

“I know,” she said assuredly. 

He hopped up onto the rail and prepared for his exit.

“Oh, Chat Noir?” Marinette called out to him.

He turned back to meet her eyes.

Marinette beamed at him. “Thank you. For being a friend.” 

Chat returned her smile with a wink. “Anytime.” 

As his dark silhouette vanished into the night, Marinette decided resolutely: if her usual friends and family weren’t around, Ladybug might just need to make a new holiday tradition of her own - one that included spending time with her partner. 

[tsuki-chibi]

Passionfruit (November) Day 24: Fade

Start from the beginning on AO3: Passionfruit

————

Focus. She had to focus. That sentence ran repeatedly through Ladybug’s mind as she used her yoyo to get uptown. Her heart thudded in her ears, helping to mitigate the unusual silence filling her mind. She’d never faced an akuma without Chat’s lighthearted puns or kind encouragement bouncing around her head, and it was proving more difficult than she’d expected to concentrate.

Luckily Timebreaker wasn’t difficult to find once Ladybug drew close. The akuma was walking up and down the empty streets, peering into shops to look for unsuspecting victims. Ladybug swallowed as she landed on the street just in time to see a couple of civilians fade away. How many people had Timebreaker killed already?

“Come on, come on! I only need a couple more!” Timebreaker shouted, kicking in the glass window of a store.

Ladybug flinched, clencing her hands into fists. Her immediate instinct was to try to stop Timebreaker, but in order to go back in time she had to let Timebreaker get a couple more victims. It went against everything she stood for as Ladybug... but she didn’t think she could do this alone. The stakes were too high.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Alya, Nino and Chloé approaching. Ladybug waved frantically at them, motioning for them to get out of sight. She didn’t think she could handle seeing anyone else that she cared about die today. Fortunately, her friends took the hint - or at least Nino did. He dragged Alya and Chloé off the street and into an alley.

Someone screamed. Ladybug’s head snapped around as Timebreaker let out a satisfied cry. Two teenagers fell to the ground at Timebreaker’s feet, not that Timebreaker cared. She bent down and looked at the mechanism at her ankle. Even from where she was standing, Ladybug saw that it was now fully lit up.

Now. Her body moved of its own accord, drawing her yoyo and whipping it out. TImebreaker had no idea that Ladybug was there, so she had no chance to dodge. The yoyo wrapped around Timebreaker’s upper body several times just as Timebreaker launched herself forward. Once again, Ladybug was unceremoniously yanked off her feet.

This time, she didn’t even get a chance to yelp. Bright yellow light formed and swallowed her and Timebreaker up. Ladybug had the weird feeling that she was drastically accelerating without moving at the same time, and then the yellow light disappeared and her yoyo was jerked out of her hands; she tripped, hitting the ground with a groan.

“Damn you, Ladybug!” Timebreaker seethed from somewhere up ahead. “I won’t let you interfere with my plans!”

“I’ve had it with your plans,” Ladybug snapped, getting up on her knees. She opened her mouth to say something else and paused when she heard cheering. Above the rest of her classmates, one voice in particular made her heart skip a beat.

Adrien.

She scrambled to the edge of the roof, looking down. There he was, her soulmate and partner, standing beside past-Marinette and cheering as past-Alix and past-Kim began their race. Ladybug stared, feeling like the world was tilting beneath her feet. He was there, but she couldn’t feel him. It was quite possibly the cruelest trick fate could have played.

Soulmate bonds only went two ways, and past-Adrien was already bonded to past-Marinette. There was no room for her here, not unless she could cast a miraculous cure. God she hoped the miraculous cure could fix this. If it couldn’t... Tears welled up in her eyes and she pressed a shaking hand to her mouth to keep herself from sobbing out loud.

“My watch!” Timebreaker shrieked.

All of the students below jumped. The watch in past-Marinette’s hand went flying. It broke upon impact with the ground this time. Through her tears, Ladybug watched as past-Adrien and past-Marinette both looked up. An identical expression of confused amazement flashed across both their faces, and Ladybug choked on a giggly sob.

“Ladybug?” Past-Adrien shouted.

“It’s an akuma!” Past-Alya cried at the same time, whipping out her phone.

“Nooo!” Timebreaker screamed.

“My watch!” Past-Alix howled.

Ladybug had heard that before and knew what came next. She leaped to her feet, looking around for her yoyo, and finally spotted it a few feet away to her right. She scrambled over and grabbed it, looking around frantically for the akuma that was sure to be coming. But she was too late. In the time that it had taken her to get her yoyo, an akuma had landed on past-Alix.

Now there were two Timebreakers and Ladybug honestly felt faint because this was too much.

“Everyone run! Don’t let them touch you!” she yelled, launching herself off the roof. She landed on the ground, her heart racing as she faced off against the two akumas.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw past-Marinette and past-Adrien running away. The two Timebreakers were holding a whispered conversation, and Ladybug knew she should really interrupt - yet she stalled, trying not to look too obviously at the place where her past self and past-Adrien had gone. Relief swept through her when she saw a flash of red light and a burst of green light.

“What on earth is going on?” Past-Chat exclaimed as he bounded over.

“I’m Ladybug from about fifteen minutes from now,” Ladybug said. She hadn’t counted on how badly it would rattle her to see past-Chat and have no connection with him. It didn’t feel like he was really here. She longed to break down in his arms and have him comfort her, but there wasn’t time.

“You’re me?” Past-Ladybug said, sounding bewildered as she joined them. “But -”

“We don’t have time. We have to stop them before they go back in time. But whatever you do, do not let them touch you. Especially you, Chat. Promise me that you won’t let them touch you,” she begged.

Past-Chat blinked, uncertain. “Uh - well -” He glanced over at past-Ladybug.

“Promise me!” Ladybug cried out, her voice too shrill, breath tight.

“I promise,” Past-Chat said immediately, his expression rapidly becoming concerned.

“Good,” Ladybug said, gulping for air. “The akuma - it’s in her rollerblades. Their rollerblades.” She glanced around for Timebreaker and saw them speeding after their classmates. Her stomach churned as Nathaniel was caught again.

“So if we can’t touch them, how do you plan to do this?” Past-Ladybug asked.

“Just one.” Ladybug held up her yoyo and prayed that this time, she would get a relatively simple Lucky Charm. Her brain was so scrambled right now that she didn’t have the energy to come up with an overly convoluted plan.

“A little luck can go a long way,” past-Ladybug said with a grin.

“Lucky Charm!” they shouted together, throwing their yoyos into the air.

Ladybug caught a bicycle lock. Past-Ladybug caught a traffic cone. They both looked down at their Charms, then at each other with equally baffled expressions.

“Huh, well, I’ll try to buy us some time while you two figure it out,” past-Chat said.

Instantly, Ladybug forgot all about her Charm. She watched, terrified, as past-Chat ran towards the two akumas. At any moment, she knew that one of the two Timebreakers could dart towards him and try to steal his energy. One Chat was worth, after all, six of a normal person. That made him a viable target. She held her breath, clutching her Charm with trembling hands.

But past-Chat kept his word and didn’t confront the two akumas directly. Instead, he darted behind a pillar. Moments later, said pillar collapsed and blocked the path. Past-Timebreaker and Timebreaker both banked hard when they saw wreckage, turning around and skating back towards the two Ladybugs.

“I have a plan,” past-Ladybug said, laying her hand on Ladybug’s shoulder.

Tempting though it was to track past-Chat’s every move, Ladybug tried to concentrate. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

Past-Ladybug frowned, but leaned in and quickly whispered in Ladybug’s ear. Ladybug nodded. As always, the plan was a little ridiculous but it sounded like it would work. She moved forward, directly into the path of the two Timebreakers, knowing she would have to time this perfectly. She had to drag her eyes away from past-Chat.

Three... two... one... she leaped forward, keeping her body low, and snapped the bicycle lock around past-Timebreaker’s and Timebreaker’s ankles. She hit the ground and rolled to a stop, coming up just in time to see the two akumas fully airborne. Ladybug grabbed her yoyo, aimed and threw. It wrapped around Timebreaker’s skate and yanked it off. She caught the skate and, at the same time as past-Ladybug, broke it.

“I free you from evil,” Ladybug said, hearing her words echoed by her past self - though Ladybug sounded noticably shakier. “Bye bye, little butterfly...” She watched the butterfly soar up into the sky, then glanced at past-Ladybug.

“Ready when you are!” past-Ladybug said, holding her Charm up.

Ladybug retrieved her Charm, took a deep breath, and threw it into the sky with a cry of, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The two Charms burst apart into a stream of red light. Ladybug wrapped her arms around herself as the pillar was restored, their classmates returned, the two Alix’s merged back together... and then the red light came for her, scooping her and past-Ladybug up. Ladybug squeezed her eyes shut, silently pleading to anyone who was listening...

And then the connection slammed back into her as she and past-Ladybug merged. Ladybug sank to her knees, overcome, as two sets of memories bounced around in her head, but even that was nothing compared to the bond - it was everything. Chat’s presence in her mind was both comforting and overwhelming. She put her face in her hands and began to sob.

“My Lady!” Chat exclaimed, rushing over to her. He fell to his knees and pulled her into a hug. “What happened?”

“Chat - oh god, Chat,” she wept, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him desperately.

Chat’s confusion rampaged through her mind; he didn’t understand, not fully, and the two sets of memories were confusing him further. But he knew enough to know that both of them were working on limited time. He gathered Ladybug into his arms bridal style and stood up, holding her securely against his chest. All Ladybug could do was cling to him and cry.

“Chat?” Alix asked. She stood nearby, holding her pocket watch. “Is - Is Ladybug okay? Did I -” She looked scared.

“It’s okay,” Chat said, even though it wasn’t. “Everything’s fine. I’m glad you got your watch back, Alix. Be more careful with it next time, okay?”

Alix swallowed, shaken. “I - I will. I shouldn’t have asked anyone else to look after it. It was my responsibility.” She scuffed her skate on the ground. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chat told her kindly. Then he turned and jumped away, taking his lady with him.

[snacc-noir]

Dystopian world where the Reign of Terror in France evolved into a police state. Ladybug is a symbol of the Resistance but who are they?

(Alright but imagine a legitimate spin-off with this like that would be everything)

Rival/enemy AU (ain’t those the best), Powers from Miraculouses remain (minus catch phrases), and Paris is a mess

-

There were three things Adrien knew is his life:

Training, bullet shells, and his father’s expectations.

Akuma were the syndicate of police in the anachronistic streets of Paris. Adrien grew up with ear-splitting gun shots and makeshift weapons thrusted into his hands. He learnt from his father fast: No one’s innocent, no one’s nice, and no one’s going to be honest.

He also learnt to fight.

Chat Blanc was a ruthless, cutthroat akuma. Carnal and skilled, Adrien lived most days as his police general alias, waiting for the moment he returned home just to see whether he earned a cold nod or frown of disapproval.

Those were pensive afternoons, but it was the soundless endorsements that got him through; that at least informed him he was doing something right in Gabriel’s eyes, no matter what his gut yelled at him. His hands were beyond stained and bruised, yet it was fine - he was doing the right thing; the thing he’d always been taught to do.

He’d be his father’s successor - his current prodigy. He’d worked hard and he’d gain that title no matter how many city shifts he’d have to fight during. How was he supposed to know if anyone hadn’t done anything wrong? Wasn’t like people didn’t want to pick fights with him anyway. In the meantime, being second-in-command was wonderful.

Heart-wrenching sounds and streets run rampant honed the fragile title of Paris. A bloodstained dystopia, illegitimate rulings, and Adrien’s strengths and years of training yielded and harvested by the akuma ruler - Hawk Moth.

Once crime plagued the land until taxes, legal documents, and laws practically lost its existence (weird powers didn’t help the transgression), Gabriel Agreste stepped up and collected emotionally vulnerable victims to the injustice to work them into a strict form of police. Trust fell with the old Paris, and although crime collapsed with each day, civilians’ well-being did too.

It was a horrible way of life, but it was all there was. As far as Adrien had been told, it was the best; the only. No change, just dominion. Most times, akumas played dirty and caused more havoc upon current chaos - but it wasn’t like they were the unbathed criminals. ‘They were in charge, so it was fine’, Gabriel had lectured a younger Adrien.

Not like anyone could stop Hawk Moth.

‘Ladybug’ fell from his father’s mouth bitterly one fugitive discussion.

Adrien had settled into late teens and still carried more skills and destructive behaviours than any akuma out there. Teams lurked more nowadays, gun strapped and tool belted behind crippled sheds Parisians called homes. Food was scarce and thievery was the largest matter for the police to guard. Adrien dealt with more serious matters, and this one seemed the most rattling yet.

“A resistance force. My akumas are not handling it well. They mark their wrongdoings with a ladybug in spray paint.”

Instantly, Adrien knew if he destroyed the Ladybug resistance, his father could never disapprove again.

Days in the hunt turned to weeks. It didn’t help that he’d set out alone, his pale suit striking amongst the ruins with him, his extendedable staff, and destruction powers. Sharing the glory would defeat the goal of independence; to show his father that he could do what he’d always been taught, but better. Not like they was anything else to live for.

And then, he caught them.

Well, her.

He’d reached a crumbled wing of the city. It wasn’t a dignitified building. The brick exterior hardly existed, and the windows were framed in dark oak that seemed to be eating itself in. The doors in the entryway were flanked by stacked rubble and dripping with fresh vandalism.

Chat Blanc would’ve turned away if his feet didn’t go weightless under him, ripped before he could think and his upper-half crashing into the dirt. His body flew up and he found himself grimacing into a face upside-down.

(Okay, so maybe she’d caught him.)

“Seems you found my hideout.”

He spat the dirt in hopes it’d touch her face. She dodged, disappointedly. “It’s pathetic.”

Adrien knew it was Ladybug when he got a better look at her through a sharpened gaze. Her painted mask had blotches of red, the eyes sparkling back at him a pure bluebell shade. Dark hair like midnight, a grin that mocked him from every angle...

She was beautiful.

“Says the guy dressed as a pad.”

He loathed her.

“Where’s the rest of you?”

“Oh, they’re not around. They’re not as dedicated as I am. I’ve been waiting for your visit for weeks!”

Ignoring the hit to his failed huntings (wait, she’d been watching? She was close?), he struggled in the brace. She held something to her side, probably the source of the tight bearings around his feet, hanging him indignantly on the broken streetlight. “So you know who I am?”

“Everyone knows you. You’re Hawk Moth’s son.”

He knew he should’ve felt a swell of pride, but, nothing.

“You’re ruining our lives.”

“What? I am not.” He flexed his ankles, hoping the bleach-steel boots would loosen her bonds. He had come to threaten and destroy, not be lectured while strapped helpless, yet here he was rolling his eyes dangling. “You’re ruining your own. Now release.”

She stared him down haughtily. “No.”

“That’s a command.”

“Ooh, you’re an akuma. That’s right. I’m supposed to be idiotic enough to think you rule me or something! I’m so scared. What power!” The red figure blurred with more blood that pooled the base of his skull. Better off it made him sluggish, or else he would’ve swung to bite her or something. “Listen, Chat—can I call you Chat?”

He growled, remorsefully appropriately.

“—Thanks to your ‘crime guard’, there’s only more tyranny and less justice going around. Seems you only stop thievery for fun when people just want food. Not to mention one’s who don’t even break your dumb rules! Attacking innocent Parisians and confiscating their goods doesn’t help anything,” the next words came thick, rumbling and bitter, like she’d be deliberated them often, “only yourselves.”

He met her through hooded eyes.

‘Enough of this.’

Chat wrenched the bond from above his swinging head and burned it, from her judgment; a slithering dark coat engulfing the impossible material of her restraints leaving a darker, withered string behind that he snapped through.

Next was a haste. Ladybug found her shoulders locked to the same streetlamp and a far taller teen taping carnal eyes to hers.

“Little lady, I don’t think you should be out so late saying such ridiculous things.” The spread smirk sickened her. He looked too clean, too dressed - too... normal, under the whitish mask. No cold colour sporting his eye bags or lines of dirt, ash, or hunger. A fresh sight she’d begun to despise for envy.

“Now,” the baton he’d abandoned hopped from his foot as he kicked it to his hand, the cool metal forcing her chin up, “it’s considered a felony to disturb an akuma, especially such one as me, but considering your... talent around the city, I say I can offer you a job.”

She mimicked his try at spitting. “Go rot.”

Her surge excited him. Scolding twice, he thinned what he hoped was a chilling gaze she’d burn to memory. “LB...” he said, slow and sly and tantalising, “and here I thought we could be friends.”

“Stop ruining lives with barbaric control and join my team, and just maybe we can.”

Her face sat dully, some dirt across her nose and brows so low and unimpressed he could easily bet her sarcasm level. For some reason, the analysation irked him to brush the glaring streak of smut with the same thumb that’d helped disintegrate her weapon.

Ladybug’s mouth tipped. A question formed in her eyes, but didn’t touch her lips.

He grinned. He’d caught her off guard.

“You repulse me.”

Adrien’s grin bloomed. “Likewise.”

He’d expected her to retaliate at some point or another - throwing his tight grip off and sailing to the sky before he caught her and threw the delusional, justice-starved nuisance at his father’s feet in hopes to receive approvement of any kind. That’d be the end of this chapter.

Instead, she didn’t flinch, as though she had no escape.

But then she smiled.

(The smile mimicked burned memories, and Adrien found his heart suddenly bruised. Of course his new enemy would carry a smile so much like hers. His luck loathed him.)

“Here;”

Something behind her—something definitely not there before—jumped up and flashed before his face. A little black jar with a small-print label unreadable by first glance.

Did she have ‘creating little jar’ powers or something? Was that supposed to scare him?

“Wha—”

“A parting gift.”

Then his face filled with black ink, stinging his eyes and staining his mask, cold splatters indifferent against his suit. He heard the rest of the jar splat in a spiel of glass, the sound coughed on by the dirt. Chat Blanc groaned and rubbed and spat out the dark liquid.

While the next blink, she’d slipped away.

“Oh, and Chat?”

Blood boiling, sore gaze throbbing, he searched helplessly for the spotted girl before seeing that her yoyo-style binder had mended and carried her to the shattered shingles atop the building she’d earlier called her ‘hideout’.

He could follow. He could move. He had to move. He was supposed to extend his baton and lurch and follow her so what was he doing standing covered in ink like an absolute idiot come on Adrien just move—

But she was smiling, and he could see it from there.

“Black’s a much better colour on you. Makes your eyes stand out, don’t you think?”

She vanished.

He didn’t end up moving.

He didn’t even mind his father’s glare that night after stumbling home late, ink-faced and hiding a sheepish grin.

He didn’t even mind that he’d most certainly see her again.

[maybehesclawstrophobic]

Let’s Try to be Civil(ians)

Wanting to spend more time with Ladybug, Chat suggests the two don disguises and hang out as civilians.

When the two venture out, big sunglasses and hats galore, they soon realize that pretending this isn’t a date might be just as hard as protecting their identities.

AO3 Ch. 2

Chapter 1

He fell in love in a single moment, suspended in time. Looking up at a girl who was standing her ground against a powerful menace that threatened the city she called home. A single stance at the top of the Eiffel Tower, a single reassurance to the people of Paris, a superhero.

She was unstoppable. She held the safety of the city in one hand and his heart in the other. The fierceness in her eyes as she challenged Hawkmoth announced to the whole world that she would never give up and would never back down from a fight.

In every moment after that, he found himself falling all over again. He fell in love in an infinite collection of infinitesimal moments, multiplying over in his mind to enforce the certainty of his affection.

And everytime a heart broke in Paris, everytime the city dissolved into chaos, he couldn’t help but smile softly to himself at the thought of spending time with her, regardless of the context in which that time was spent.

Yet even with this permanent grin on his face, the sorrow of unattainable reciprocation cast a shadow he could never quite escape.

Anytime he hoped to hope, anytime he gazed at the one who held his heart, and he placed everything on the table, Ladybug would give him the same soft look and the same “I’m sorry Chaton . . .”

He couldn’t help the overflow of emotion he held in his heart, yet would always place her comfort and trust above his own selfish desires, so he learned to channel his affections into playful banter rather than obsessive pining.

(He would save the pining for the times he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as a single tear paved a cold path down his cheek)

The two fell into a comfortable rhythm. Chat would drop a line or confess his undying love with a wink, and Ladybug would roll her eyes and giggle at his antics.

After a while, he stopped asking her out in the hopes she would say yes. He asked her out to remind her that he loved her, and if the response was always “maybe next time . . .” or “you know we can’t . . .,” it didn’t matter. What mattered was her.

He wanted to see her. He wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to drop a line and watch in glee as she giggled, turning away so that he couldn’t catch the blush on her face.

Any time he gained, any moment he could add to his infinite collection, he would cherish over anything and everything else.

Perhaps that’s why he found himself grabbing onto Ladybug’s wrist right as she poised to swing away, both of them three beeps away from shedding the layers between them. Maybe that’s why this “I’m sorry Chaton . . .” had hurt just as much as the others. Maybe that’s what prompted him to say,

“Wait! M’la . . . Ladybug! Please. I know you don’t see me that way. But really, I just want to spend time with you,” he admitted, wringing his hands together.

“Chat, I’m sorry, but I really have to go,” she urged, two beeps ringing out into the crisp night air.

“What if . . . what if we didn’t go out go out. What if we just went out? As friends?”

The suggestion hung between them as Ladybug paused, considering the option in her mind.

He continued, “we could just hang out and Chat, some miraculously needed team bonding if you will.” The idea started to take shape in his mind, his excitement increasing tenfold as the feasibility of his request grew more apparent. “We could meet up as civilians! Wear crazy hats and ridiculous sunglasses like those American tourists! We could . . . “

A final beep from both miraculouses cut him off.

“Chat, we’re out of time! Look, let me consider it, okay? I’ll get back to you the next time we see each other” she offered, before breaking free from his grasp and bounding away.

---------

Marinette couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. She couldn’t believe she had actually convinced Tikki to even let her do this. Most of all, however, she couldn’t believe how excited she was to let Chat Noir know that she was on board.

They saw each other a few days after Chat’s initial offer. The akuma had been defeated quickly, with no need for either hero to use their special power. This was due in large part to the akumatized student’s decision to lay down and take a nap rather than use her newfound powers to wreak havoc on the city.

The two heroes leapt onto the closest building and looked at one another, neither wanting to speak first.

It was Chat who broke the silence.

“Soooo, M’lady, have you purrt any thought into my pawsome offer?” he queried, tail flitting back and forth.

Ladybug’s rolled her eyes and glared him down, ignoring the bubbly laugh that threatened to sneak past her throat and validate the boy’s goofy sense of humor.

“As a matter of fact, I have” She paused, eyes falling to the floor as she glanced at her feet. A wave of nervousness washed over her, and Marinette could feel a warm color brush its way across her nose and cheekbones. She had no reason to be hesitant. It wasn’t as if this was a date. This was not a date. In fact, the reason she was about to agree to it was dependent on that particular detail.

Risking a look up, she decidedly ignored the way Chat’s hopeful eyes sent a pang straight to her heart and answered, “I think you’re right. I think hanging out off the clock could be fun.”

His reaction was immediate. “This is great! I have it all planned out! M’lady, I swear you won’t regret this. We are going to have the time of our nine lives.”

He paused to wiggle his eyebrows and puff out his chest in self-appreciation of his joke before continuing on, “Do you know that park we’ve fought at a few times? The one we tried to lure Mr. Pigeon to all that time ago?”

Ladybug nodded, a smile taking over her face in response to Chat’s bright eyes and joyful tone.

“We could meet up there,” Chat suggested, “at-or, whenever works for you.”

“I’m free at 12:00 tomorrow, since it’s a Saturday.”

“Perfect! I know a great place to grab a bite near there, and it shouldn’t be too hard to spot each other if we’re wearing ridiculous disguises,” he offered, “It’s going to be amazing Bugaboo, almost as amazing as you,” he flirted, causing Ladybug to smack his shoulder as a way from distracting him (and herself) from how flustered the comment left her.

Having solidified the plan, Chat Noir took off, leaving Ladybug alone on the rooftop.

She lay a hand on her chest, surprised by her racing heartbeat.

This is normal, she told herself, I’m just excited about hanging out with my friend.

A picture of Chat Noir flashed into her mind, his boyish smile, the sheer goofiness he radiated from every pore, and his steadfast loyalty. She would never let him know just how much she was looking forward to spending time with him. He would never know the giddy effect he had on her.

She shook her head, snapping back to reality. She would not become some type of fangirl, swooning over the elusive Chat Noir. She was in love with someone else, someone kind and selfless and generous. This outing was not a date, and Marinette was determined for it not to sway her from her immovable love for Adrien.

Just the thought of Adrien, the thought of him offering her his umbrella or catching her when she inevitably fell down the stairs of the collegé, was enough to deter her from the dangerous line of thought she was embarking upon. There would only ever be room in her heart for one boy, and that boy was not Chat Noir.

(Yet as she swung off into the night, her racing heart continued to say otherwise)

---------

“You look ridiculous.”

“Gee Plagg, thanks for the support,” Adrien responded, giving a side-eye to the kwami in question.

Plagg, either not noticing or not caring, continued, “I mean, you always look ridiculous, but this really takes the cake.”

Adrien frowned, looking over his choice of outfit in the mirror. Was it too much? The black slacks and a black button up shirt he wore would have looked good onere their own, but were greatly overshadowed by his attempts at disguising his identity.

The upper half of his torso and his neck were obscured by a big green scarf he made after snatching some fabric on a modelling job. The material was fraying and bound to fall apart without being properly hemmed, but it would do for the day.

The look was completed by a black snapback pulled low over his eyes and a pair of big sunglasses with paw prints in the upper corners of the frames.

His eyes glanced over the whole get together in the mirror, arm reaching out to rub behind his neck.

Plagg’s ears perked up as he watched his chosen spend a little too much time looking over his outfit in the mirror. He should probably let the kid catch a break: “I do also think everything other that camembert looks ridiculous, kid, so you never know, she might find you endearing.”

“Aw Plagg, you do care,” Adrien grinned.

He checked the clock. 11:00. Only one more hour. Deciding it couldn’t hurt to be early, Adrien headed out, being cautious as he left his home so as not to alert his father of his current fashion disaster status. Plagg flew close behind, flying into the pocket of Adrien’s slacks once the two got outside.

By the time he reached the park, Adrien couldn’t keep still. He was bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes and glancing all over the place for a sign of Ladybug.

He circled the park, taking in the children playing on the carousel and the various teenagers sitting on blankets and benches throughout the area. The sun shone bright rays of light on everything, creating a picture of a perfect day.

He breathed in the air, closing his eyes to let the moment sink in, before a large lump of something ran right into him and pushed both of them to the floor.

Opening his eyes, relieved to find his disguise still intact, he looked up at the face peering down on top of him. It was a girl, wincing at the compromising position she had put them in. She wore a red t-shirt and black jeans, with a black sun hat covering the top layer of her face and a pair of red cat eye sunglasses obscuring the rest.

“I am so sorry! I was running late, and I’m supposed to meet my friend, and I guess I’m just super nervous because I’m super excited to spend time with him, but don’t tell him that or I’ll never hear the end of it, and now I’ve gone and run right into you, and now I’m rambling, and oh I’m just so sorry about all this,” she rushed, as a loose strand of dark hair made its way from under the hat out into the open air.

“M’Lady?” Chat questioned, watching in glee as the girl in question widened her eyes and scrambled up to standing.

“Chat?” she started, “Is that really you?”

Chat stood up, holding his arms wide before bringing them in and bowing, “‘tis me, LB, the one and only Chat Noir.”

“Oh please with the theatrics. I still can’t believe I’m doing this.” Ladybug responded, fiddling with her hands in front of her.

“Oh really? Because I seem to remember someone saying how she was super excited to spend time with me,” Chat smirked, pushing further, “not that I’m surprised. I am pretty great, if I do say so myself.”

Ladybug glared Chat down at his over-the-top antics. Even though he was momentarily terrified for his life, Chat couldn’t help but take a moment to take in her powerful stance and focused attention. Even in civilian clothing, there was no way this fiery presence in front of him could be anyone but Ladybug.

He found it difficult to breathe as he watched her bare arms and hands sway back and forth at her sides, unobscured by a tough red suit.

His eyes tracked her right hand as it reached up and grabbed onto his own left hand, fingers entwining with slow hesitance.

“Come on! Let’s go check out the carousel!” she beamed, and Chat realized how foolish he had been to admire the brightness of the sun when a far greater source of light was now only two feet away.

She pulled them over to the ride, not a care in the world about the fact that the ride was geared towards younger children.

Chat Noir clenched the hand Ladybug wasn’t holding, sweat pooling at the back of his neck. He was not going to make this weird. He was going to function like a perfectly normal human being. He was not going to freak out about the feeling of her soft hand gripping his. He was not going to freak out about Ladybug pulling him into one of the carousel’s benches so they could sit together. He was not going to freak out, period. This was just a normal outing between friends. It didn’t matter that his entire face felt hot, and he wanted nothing more than to squeeze Ladybug’s hand. It wasn’t like this was a date. This was not a date.

The ride started and he saw Ladybug perk up with a childlike enthusiasm he never got to see in the midst of a battle.

A grin split her face, and she leaned over to say, “I used to ride this carousel all the time when I was a kid. I mean, I’m still technically a kid, but that was-you know what I mean.”

“I get it. When I was much smaller, I used to tie a blanket around my neck and run around the house pretending I was a superhero,” Chat offered, lowering his voice as a wave of shyness washed over him. He never really talked about his childhood, but with Ladybug he felt safe enough to continue, safe enough to be vulnerable in the presence of a friend, “little me had no idea he was getting in some vital practice for saving the day.”

Ladybug giggled, the rim of her hat bouncing up and down in rhythm with her movements. “That’s adorable! I keep picturing a little Chat running around with a blanket swooping out behind him! Imagine if your younger self could see you now”

“He would have absolutely lost his mind!”

“Hmmmmm, are you sure he that he didn’t?” she teased, waiting for Chat to realize what she was implying.

“Hey!” he shot back, glad that his glasses could hide some of the blush making its way across his cheekbones, “Just two seconds ago you were calling me adorable! Let’s go back to that,” he went on, “and M’Lady I can assure you that my mind is just as sharp as my jawline.”

She leaned in closer, as if trying to see for herself, before finally letting go of Chat’s hand and instead feeling the fabric wrapped around Chat’s neck. “Maybe I could see that jawline if you weren’t swaddled in so much loose fabric. Where did you even find this?”

Chat sputtered at her proximity, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for the fabric that didn’t involve the fact that he was the most famous model in Paris, “Um . . . well . . . you see, I found, or I didn’t find-I took-er . . . “

“Oh my god did you STEAL this?” she exclaimed, drawing a few glances from parents in the area.

“What! No! I would never,” he panicked, his honor on the line.

“Okay, it’s okay, I trust you,” she comforted, “but you do realize that tying some loose fabric around yourself doesn’t automatically make a scarf, right?”

Chat Noir watched in wonder as the girl in front of him went off on a tangent, speaking clearly and eloquently about the ins and outs of creating a scarf. She talked about the different types of scarves, she talked about the amount of effort one had to put in to make a scarf, and she even gave a little bit of history on the origin of scarves.

The lights of the carousel reflected in her glasses, mimicking the gleam Chat knew her eyes held in that moment.

He drank in any information he could, beyond grateful to Ladybug for sharing a part of herself she was passionate about.

The ride slowed to a stop, and the two got off, walking idly around the park.

Chat was about to suggest what to do next when the sound of Ladybug’s stomach grumbling filled the air.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she laughed, “I didn’t have a chance to grab breakfast.”

Chat internally smacked himself for forgetting about food. The excitement of the day had washed away that detail of their plans entirely. He took a deep breath to calm himself before remembering where he was and grinning as an idea took shape.

“Don’t worry, I know the perfect place to grab a bite,” he suggested, “in fact, we are within walking distance to the greatest bakery in all of Paris!”

Marinette looked on in horror as the boy gestured directly towards the Dupain-Cheng’s.

---------

Major thank you/shout out to @etiepe and @lady-charinette for reading this over for me. Y’all are amazing!

[pokemontrainertom]

Keeping Things Canonical - Chapter 2

Read on AO3  | |  FF.net

...

“Uh oh. You see that? Time to split. See you soon, Chat Noir.”

“A-Actually before you do, can we... talk for a minute?” 

Ladybug frowned. “Now? But we’re about to tra-” Her eyes bugged out for a moment before she covered her mouth with her hand and looked at the audience that had gathered around them now that the danger had passed.

Ivan, Mylène, Mr Raincomprix, the Mayor, Chloé… And those were just the people she recognised! There must have been at least a hundred others!

In the distance she could also see Alya rushing towards them, and well beyond the police barricade and so clearly hadn’t listened when she had been told to stay clear (hopefully she would break that habit in the future...) who still had her phone aimed straight at her, which was likely recording everything she was saying. 

Some others had their phones out too. Lots of others actually. Wasn’t that Nadja Chamack too? With her cameraman?!

Oh heck she was going to be on TV!

She couldn’t screw this up again!

She looked back at Chat who copied her previous motions.

“Ah… Somewhere with less chance of someone  catching our confursation then?”

She offered a weak, yet thankful, smile.

Beaming, Chat reached out and grabbed her hand, and completely missing the blush the unexpected action caused, Chat extended his baton to propel them across the plaza and towards the nearby buildings.

En route she registered a small beeping sound in her ears. Four minutes. More than enough to spare a minute or two for her partner.

As they landed the contact was broken and Chat started to almost vibrate in place, a wide grin covering his face, “I wanted to say that I really enjoy working with you M’lady. You’re incredible! I mean, I knew that already when I saw you earlier but-” He paused, shaking his head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s just- you’re so”

Despite the beeping she could hear (three minutes) Ladybug allowed herself a second to enjoy the warmth she could feel pooling in her chest after her partner’s words. How could anybody be so earnest?!

Was she blushing? 

She took another look at Chat’s beaming features. His eyes, his smile and the way his hair shone in the afternoon sun-

Oh she was definitely blushing!

“T-Thanks Chat, that’s really sweet of you to say.”  Good, good. Talk now, freak out later. “But I really need to go, I’ve only got a few minutes until I transform back.”

Chat raised an eyebrow, his head tilting to the side. “Why would that matter? Even if you do run out of time, I have around a minute longer, so I can get you down.”

Ladybug blinked before frowning in confusion. “Chat what are you talking about? You can’t see me transform back. Nobody can. Our identities have to remain a secret, even from each other. If anyone did find out, our loved ones could be in danger. We could even lose our Miraculous.”

Chat froze in place and turned back to Ladybug, his posture straight and rigid.

“W-What…?”

“You… didn’t know? Didn’t your, uh, kwami explain this to you?”

Chat stared at her, his frame unmoving. Slowly, his face crumpled. His gaze fell onto the ring on his finger but was immediately brought back to her.

Chat’s head shook frantically, “H-He didn’t! I-I swear Ladybug, Plagg didn-” Chat choked, realisation dawning in his eyes, “It- I- I transformed too soon. He was telling me the rules and-” Exhale. Swallow. “I didn’t listen  .” He whimpered.

There was no grin on his face anymore, no bounding on the balls of his feet. The only similarity to the Chat from a minute ago was the shaking.

“They’re going to take- going to take- take away-”

Another beep sounded. That meant she only had two left. Two minutes until her identity was revealed.

She stepped forwards, towards her partners quivering form.

“C-Chat, it’s okay!”

“And you- You’re also going to- Oh God I- I’ve ruined everything, I’ve already completely messed it up, I- I’m so sorry. So so  so  sorry…”

“Wait Chat, just- I’m sure, whatever it is-”

“Are you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Chat blurted out before his hands covered his mouth in horror.

Ladybug froze.

“I-I know we’re not supposed to know but-” Chat began when the silence continued. Chat’s shaking arms began to raise but they were swiftly brought back to his sides.

Ladybug- Marinette shook her head to clear it. The beeping sound she could hear helped.

“I saw you earlier... standing up to Chloé-” Swallow, “and then just now against Hawkmoth…” Clenched fingers, rapidly uncurled, “I-It got me thinking, and the more I thought about it... I could just see it.” Swallow, “So I thought- I thought-”

“Chat.” She began, taking another step forward. Slowly, she raised a hand.

He flinched.

She froze.

He- Did he think-

Now it was her turn to swallow, if only in order to keep down some certain emotions that were definitely not going to be useful right now.

Talk now. Freak out later.

“Chat.” She repeated, speaking as softly as she could. “Chat, look at me.”

A watery pair of eyes found hers.

A part of her could help but notice that his face was still dry.

Her hand inched towards him before coming to a rest on his shoulder. She could feel his muscles under his suit. Strong. Tight. 

Trembling.

She pulled him closer and he fell against her with a gasp.

With a final beep Ladybug was hidden for a moment by a bright pink light before Marinette was left in its place.

“It’s okay. It’s okay Chaton, we’ll figure this out.”

Chat’s arms snapped around her, a sob escaping his throat. She tightened her grip, her hands beginning to stroke his back. Chat only hiccuped before crying anew.

Over Chat’s shoulder she caught Tikki’s eye, daring her to argue.

Many emotions flashed over the kwami’s face. Disapproval was easily caught. As was worry, although it’s target was harder to identify. 

Tikki’s mouth opened briefly, but she said nothing, choosing instead to turn away and look to the floor instead. 

Marinette’s attention was recaptured when the sound of beeps reached her ears. Was that-

With a flash of green light the catsuit faded away, leaving behind-

Well. That put a damper on her future career plans.

Still cradling her partner she watched as a black blur, recognisable as what must be a cat kwami, flew out from behind her to see the pair of them. The kwami hesitated for a moment but soon moved to Adrien’s cheek and beginning a rumbling purr.

“Sorry.” Adrien whispered, a little while later.

“It’s okay.” 

“I… I didn’t…”

“It’s okay.” Marinette firmly repeated when he offered nothing more.

In the distance a school bell rang. 

“We should really head back to class.” Marinette said softly.

“O-Oh right…” Adrien responded, before quickly stepping back to break the hug.

With an accuracy betraying her usually clumsy nature Marinette grabbed a hold of his hand before he could get too far. When Adrien shot her a confused look she offered the sunniest smile she could muster.

“But I’m sure Miss Bustier won’t mind if we’re just a little bit late, right?”

In his stunned state Adrien could only nod, as a small smile slowly grew on his face in respons-

...

Bunnyx stared at the now frozen image, her finger still raised.

That was-

Was-

She tore her eyes away from the screen and let loose a frustrated scream.

She was meant to fix this?!

The support they both needed and with their bond so strong from the beginning-

Surely-  Surely-

Her hand raised back to the portal.

...

“Girl where have you been?! You missed all the morning classes!”

Adrien stiffened, letting out a whispered, “Sorry…”

“It’s fine Chaton.” Marinette whispered right back. “Alya, this is Adrien, we’re friends now.”

“Adrien? Wait, aren't you the friend that Chlo   é   has been harping on about all day?”

"I..."

Marinette watched through narrowed eyes as Alya raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Woah, it’s okay! I haven’t known Marinette for long but if she says she friends with you then I trust her judgement.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty amazing.” Adrien agreed quietly.

Alya shot Marinette a knowing smile. “So, any friend of Marinette is a friend of mine! Besides, we new kids should stick together, right?”

Without turning away from Marinette, Adrien gave a thankful smile.

...

Snuggled deep inside his Lady’s embrace, Adrien drifted off.

Mari’s room was so warm.

...

“Kid... A strong bond between miraculous holders is good, and you and Pigtails are one of the strongest I’ve ever seen.” Plagg’s face was uncharacteristically solemn. “And definitely the fastest I’ve ever seen it reach this level.”

...

“Girl where are you?! We arranged to meet up at the zoo, remember!”

“Sorry! Adrien is helping me with my Physics homework! It’s amazing! He’s ama-”

Alya lowered her phone with a sigh

...

“Marinette… it’s... we hardly ever see you anymore-

“Maman! It’s fine!” Marinette laughed. “You know I’m just with Adrien!”

...

“I will never believe a word you say.”

“But Adrien-”

“Stay away from Marinette.”

A growl rose in her throat. Why her ? What made that little goodie two shoes-

...  

He swallowed, before mirroring her and leaning in, to finally... Finally-

...

“-ts On!”

With the alley outside the bakery now unoccupied the lid of a bin opened, revealing a widened pair of green eyes.

She was hoping for a bit of blackmail, but this was…

Was...

A smirk formed.

“Well now, isn’t  that  just perfect...”

...

“What if I told you there was a way we could both get what we want?”

...

It hurt to move. 

It hurt to breathe. 

And her ears were burning.

That last one seemed important somehow.

“The hero of Paris!” The word was spat from the Akuma’s lips before they lifted into that oh so familiar smirk. “About to be crushed like a bug.”

She- She hadn’t even had a chance to transform-

She wouldn’t even get to say goodbye-

The weapon was raised-

“ MARI!”

But the pain never came.

...

She caressed the ring in her hand before sliding it back onto her finger. Her suit of white reformed around her.

It was all she had left of him now.

She had tried, so, so hard.

But this time- This time-

She looked down at the pointed pieces of metal in her hands. There had been a few pieces left over, but they were earrings now, with red and black coating the colour she thinks she used to call green.

She took a breath and attached them to her ears.

She wished- 

she wished- 

she

wished

The earrings crumbled to dust.

Just like the once purple and blue pairs that had come before them.

But that was fine.

She still had fourteen pairs to tr-

...

Slamming her hands onto the portal the image finally froze.

Choking on a cough, Bunnyx’s hands raced across the portal’s surface, rewinding back through the timeline she had just witnessed.

No exceptions

Finding the discrepancy was simple, it had already been mentioned.

This whole thing was simple.

No exceptions

It was easy to fix. Insultingly so.

A quick change of traffic lights meant a minute longer in traffic.

A private car reached a young model a minute later.

So close already to his prize, it was easier to duck away and a simple classroom was reached sooner.

Just a minute earlier and that boy was unwittingly made the perpetrator of a prank instead of a witness to the aftermath.

A quick fast forward showed the Akuma ended the same. No recognition.

No doomed timeline. 

No exceptions

Now staring at a boy and a girl standing together in the rain, Bunnyx reached down to grab her pocket watch.

Watching as an umbrella exchanged hands, Bunnyx chuckled along as it unexpectedly closed, before she looked down at the watch she had against her chest, opening it on her third attempt.

Fingers flicked across her now revealed communicator screen and she began a voice only call.

She swallowed, ready to speak when her brows furrowed slightly.

She thought she tasted salt.

“H-Hey Alice... This is Agent Bianca checking in.”

[breg21]

ladynoir Month: Sick

@ladynoirjuly2019

Ao3  FFN

Please enjoy Chat being sick and being dumb because he can't stay away from his lady. I hope you guys enjoy!

Ladybug was livid. She didn't usually scream at Chat, but she sure as heck felt like doing it just once at that moment.

Putting some context behind said anger, all was actually going pretty well just hours before. School was good, homework was actually finished on time and it had been two full days since an akuma.

Her anger came into play late that night when that stupid cat showed up to patrol, and it all went downhill when she saw him— sick.

She considered either throwing him off the tower, or hanging him upside down and leaving him to stew for a few hours. Both options really pleased her.

But she couldn't, and she knew that. So, instead of lecturing him, as much as she wanted to when he landed on their vantage point, she reacted just in time to catch him when he staggered sluggishly forward.

She pulled his back to her, resting his head against her chest as she inspected his face. His cheeks were powdered in red, and she knew if her hand was ungloved, the lip under his nose would be raw to the touch if the color told her anything.

She tried to keep her voice level, she really did. The cat didn't even notice anyways. "Kitty, please tell me why you're out when you're obviously sick."

He sniffed some of the mucus that had built up in his nose before his horsed voice crackled in the cold air around them "ause i I'tended to se-e you. On-ley twime to..togeth-achoo-er."

While she thought the meaning behind his actions were without a doubt the sweetest, she wished he had stayed home. They could've easily rescheduled a patrol, or even a date day if he was really wanting it. He should've known that. "Chat, you know we could've figured something out. You should've texted me and told me that you were sick. How are you gonna get home now?"

He rolled his head from side to side as he slumped lower into her lap, keeping his eyes closed. "Don't care. Hav..have ta see my lady."

She rolled her eyes at his delirious words, but ran her hand along his forehead, seeing the little beads of sweat cling to his skin. Her frown slipped even lower on her face. That wasn't good. "Chaton. I'm gonna put my hand over your eyes and detransform, so no removing my hand, okay?"

He nodded, and with that, she called off Tikki.

The kwami whirled out of her earrings until she was in full view of her owner. Her tongue clicked as she gave a once over to her boyfriend laying limp in her lap.

Marinette knew she couldn't bring Chat home, but there were so little other options that couldn't quell her fears. "Tikki, what do I do?"

Chat spoke up when he heard her voice, his own actually clear for the first time since he had arrived. "Princess? Is that you? How did you get here? Did my Ladybug send you here? Boy, she knows just what to do in these bad situations. I could only trust you and her. Only... " His words were starting to taper off at the end of his winded, adrenalin fulled, sentence. "You two." And immediately conked out.

Tikki brought her paws to her mouth to lessen the giggle that broke out. Trying to contain herself even further when Marinette shot her a half-heartedly glare. "Sorry. That was kinda cute. Anyways, the answer to your big dilemma is quite simple, actually. Plagg will lead his body home."

Marinette blinked. "Huh?"

Tikki shrugged. "As long as he's transformed, Plagg can lead his body— control it, if you wanna be blunt— home if need be."

That… that was convenient, also slightly disturbing. "Okay then. Can Plagg hear me?"

Tikki nodded. "Yep."

Marinette looked back down to the boy in her arms who was breathing very heavily at this point due to his cold. "It would be cute if it hadn't been for the fact that he was sick. Plagg, you know where I live, after you have Chat tucked in bed, could you please stop by my place so I can get him some soup?"

Tikki was the one to translate the silent air. "He said sure, as long as he could get some cheeses out of it." Tikki sighed.

But Marinette couldn't help but laugh at all the stories of Plagg's bottomless pit stomach. "Of course, Plagg. I heard your favorite's camberte. I'll make sure to send a wheel or two home with you."

Tikki's stare went deadpan. "He agreed."

------------------------

"You really are something else, princess." She swirled her chair around to see Plagg hovering in the air, a lazy smile breaching his lips. "My kid's lucky to have you."

She smiled. "I'm the lucky one— no pun intended, and don't you dare tell him about that one— he's an amazing person." She rolled her chair over to the corner of her desk where she had the soup prepared, along with Tikki sleeping peacefully next to it. "Here you go. " She handed the bowl off to the little sized creature, worried for a second that it might be too big for him, but he fit it well onto the top of his head. "Is he in bed?"

Plagg's grin was ten times that of Chat's when he was up to something. "You wanna follow me home and find out?" He wiggled his eyebrow suggestively.

"W-what!?" She sputtered. "No! We can't know! Why would you suggest that?"

He rolled his shoulders. "Are you honestly telling me you don't wanna know who your boyfriend is?"

Darn that kwami. "Of course I do. But you know it's dangerous. If it happens before Hawkmoths defeat, then we'll deal with it, but if it doesn't, then we have to wait." Her words dropped into an almost whisper. "I.. I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to him just because I knew."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Pigtails, nine out of ten, Ladybug and Chat Noir revealed their identities before the big bad guy is defeated, because they're never truly stopped. Wanna know why?"

She nodded, though she figured he would tell her anyway.

His voice was softer this time, less sarcastic. Which was odd for his personality. "Because there's a new threat each and every day. But Ladybug and Chat figure it out, just as they almost always end up together."

Marinette's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "They always get together?"

Plagg swirled the bowl down for a second. "It's complicated. They're soulmates. And before you ask, it's before their miraculous that they're soulmates, Tikki and I don't make it that way. That's how Ladybug and Chat always work so well together."

That was a lot of information in a short amount of time. "What about free will though?"

"You have that, of course." Plagg agreed. "Your feelings are your own, along with how your feelings for other people aren't diminished any less. But Chat and Ladybug have an incredible bond that's hard to break. Trust me, its nauseating to watch. Almost as sickening as the square they always get themselves into."

What the heck did that mean? "Um… What?"

His ears twitched along with his left eye as he realized what he let out. "Nothing. Nothing at all!" He swooshed in to grab the food. "I should get back to Chat and make sure he's okay. Night, princess."

He was almost out the hatch when she called out, "Wait." He stopped on a dime and turned his head sideways to glance at her. "Thanks for listening to my worries. Chat and Tikki always talk about how you can be insensitive to them."

He looked unfazed. "Eh. I can care when it's the right bug." He shot her a wink and was gone in a flash.

Marinette hoped Chat would be well again soon.

She wished even more that she could've been the one taking care of him.

-------------------

The week rolled by with giving Plagg the soups to give to her partner, with a little chit chat here and there.

The odd timing was perfectly in sync with the fact that Adrien had been sick from school as well. She played it off as a cool coincidence and let it be. There was just no way the two things were related. She wasn't that lucky.

No sir-re.

Chat and Adrien were just too different, and fate wasn't that cruel to do something to put them in a position like that.

She would believe that until her final breath. It was better that way.

Tikki sighed from within her coin pouch.

The denial was strong with this one.

------------------------------------------

Husband's thoughts:

Marinette looked down at her sickly kitty.

"Alright Plagg, send him home."

Chat's body began to twitch as the sound of his bones cracking began to echo above the tower.

"Oh my gosh is he ok?!" Marinette shouted out in horror.

Chat's mouth began to move as Plaggs voice came out of it.

"Yeah, just relax. I wasn't breaking things I was popping his back and joints better than any chiropractor could ever do. I've had to do this with previous Chat's before so I know what I'm doing."

With that Chat took his leave pole vaulting straight into the side of the building letting out a mermered yelp.

"Blasted inverted controls!"

They're both so blind. Ugh. Why!? As usual, until next time! Lots of love!