#smart marinette dupain-cheng

[nixthelapin]

I think the writers totally missed out on using Alya and Lila as foils for both being foxes, but using the power of illusion and misdirection in very different ways.

Lila: using emotions and threats to set a trap for LB (and CN, but she’s got that personal grudge)

Vs. Alya: using her intelligence/cunning to get out of a trap (and get LB out too)

And just in general being very different people:

Lila’s entire character is that she’s a liar who will do anything to avoid the truth, while Alya is the investigative reporter who uncovers truth.

Lila as someone who hates and is out to get both Marinette and LB vs. Alya who loves and supports both

I just think they could’ve done a lot more with this, especially since they made both girls a fox character, specifically surrounding the Fox Miraculous (I know Lila never had the real one, but she did pretend to for her akumatization)- that’s not nothing!

But nah, instead Alya just becomes brain dead around Lila, believes all her lies without question (no matter how stupid or nonsensical), and doubts everything her best friend tells her when it comes to said lies. Wasted potential.

[daily-kagami]

Day #78: Movie-goers

[hueynomure]

Prompt: black gloves (Kagami/Marinette/Fei)

[Sorry! That OT3 is Fascinating but for the life of me I'm unable to grok the ship dynamic (if you have some fics to rec me I'll gladly put em in my To Read list and possibly return to the prompt later) so I took the liberty of reimagining the Fei/Marinette first encounter in the Feralnette AU. If you don't know @bigfatbreak's wonderful AUs check em out - you're in for a treat!]

Fei swiped the bag from the foreign girl with ease; enboldened by the girl's drowsy look she even popped the earrings off her, turning-

-a small hand caught her gloved one with a surprisingly steely grip.

"So-sorry," the girl stuttered in uncertain Mandarin, apparently surprised by her own reflexes, and let Fei's hand go. "Wait," she continued in French, eyes drifting down to the bag peeking from Fei's pocket, "isn't that my-"

Fei sprinted for the labyrinthine alleys.

The girl didn't speak like a local.

She should lose her easily there.

Then how the hell was she gaining on her?

You can check out my other Miraculous drabbles here!

(I'm not currently taking more prompts)

[i-like-anything-water]

between Chloe and Marinette, I enjoy seeing Marinette jealous rather than Chloe. Of course I'm a sucker for both but like,

Chloe being jealous is either: she'll belittle herself because of course she isn't the first choice because she's done horrible things and while she's doing her best to change, that doesn't mean she's good or nice or worthy. or despite her jealousy, she'd still support the person she loves because she doesn't wanna be selfish with them. she deserves better and assurance that she's worthy, ok? and while she tries to shrug it off by faking 'ha! me jealous? never. i am better than anyone else' she just wants to stay in her room until it goes away.

MEANWHILE

Marinette is a little competitive shit. She's the 'what is this' to 'why this?' to 'the fuck you doing bitch?!' HWBZHSBZJSJJZHSZ like as good and nice and kind as Marinette is she struggles with jealousy. Anger? She can control and calm herself after getting used to being Ladybug and not getting akumatized. Sadness? She knows the feeling too well and has learned to cope with it in more healthy manners. But jealousy? Fuck Ladybug she's pulling out a bazooka from her luckycharm lmao.

[miraculousfanworks]

Chat shows up at Marinette's balcony the night after Kwamibuster:

Chat: Hey Ladybug! You did a good job today!

Marinette: (slight panic) What are you talking about? You literally saw me standing right next to Ladybug today! Ha ha, me as Ladybug? No way!

Chat: Well, when you said Ladybug gave you the Mouse Miraculous so you can help rescue Tikki and Plagg, I thought to myself: "That doesn't make sense. Why would Ladybug get another Miraculous and give it to someone else instead of using it herself?"

Marinette: Uh...

Chat: But then I realized that if all those Kwamis were there, then maybe Ladybug just stayed behind to wear the other Miraculouses.

Marinette: Well...

Chat: But when you de-transformed next to Ladybug, neither of you were wearing those other Miraculouses, and I thought to myself: "That's odd." But then I remembered that I thought you could be Ladybug earlier and Plagg was like "What? No way?" like he was denying something. So I figured that what I saw must be an illusion to make me think Marinette isn't Ladybug since after today it's pretty clear me and Ladybug go to the same school.

Marinette: We do? (realizes what she just said) I mean you do! You! I'm really not Ladybug!

Chat: I didn't say anything at the time since Ms. Mendeleiev was still in earshot and we don't want to risk anyone else knowing your identity, but now the cat is out of the bag, I might as well show you who I am now. Claws in! (de-transforms) Surprise, Bugaboo! It's me, Adrien!

Marinette: (faints)

[ilikekidsshows]

Marinette for the smart game ask.

The Smart guy ask game

To stop this from turning into a nightmare graph, this is purely for pre-retool Marinette, so seasons 1-3. If you wanna ask about post-retool Marinette, you can just ask about Gabriel.

Whether or not Marinette can be considered smart depends on whether or not she's currently superheroing. I would trust this girl with the faith of the world in a nanosecond but I wouldn't trust her to watch the oven for me. She's so clever but so-so dumb, she makes some of the worst life choices I've seen. If there's an option to do something normally or the batshit insane way, she will pick the second option no hesitation and I am here for it. I'm not rating her a full dumbass because, despite her being her own worst enemy, things ultimately usually work out for her. They also often work out for her loved ones as soon as she fixes what she broke, so she's definitely doing better than Félix.

She's also somehow the reverse dumb teen superhero protagonist, in that she's a certified smart guy; she actually does well at school and knows stuff and isn't forced to crazy-improvise until she can outsmart her opponent. She's already got her opponent outsmarted, they just need to catch up to see how she's done it.

[miraculouscataclyyysm]

❗️Leaks discussion about episode 16 ahead ❗️

I’m finding it really hard to believe that Kagami smart loyal Kagami the Kagami who spent time drawing a beautiful portrait of Mari and gets Vespa ride from Mari would believe negative accusations about her dear friend marionette from a girl she hardly knows and has most likely heard from Mari and probably Adrien that said girl is a known liar

[alittledoseofchaos]

How I think some Miraculous Ladybug characters figure out identities in crossovers (by accident)

Alya: Keeps putting masks on famous people/people in like one (1)newspaper as a joke, and going, wait a minute🤔... (ends with her doing the red string board thing to prove it)

Juleka: People keep forgetting she's there, unless their very cautious like the bat's or actively listening to heartbeats/breathing. Some people think shes a ghost or meta because their convinced they wouldn't overlook some kid.

Max: He built an AI at 14-ish, I think it's safe to say facial recognition and camera feeds aren't out of the realm of possibility.

These next two are because in canon their incredibly smart, these two would figure each other out instantly if they weren't

A. So stressed and busy

B. Actively trying not to figure it out. (They both know the importance of secret identities even if their a bit stupid at times)

C. Confined by the status quo/plot......anyways

Adrien: "The appearance,personality, and opportunity line up." 🤷‍♂️

Marinette: "the dent in THIS stapler can only be done by inhuman strength.... Can't forget the obvious fact that their friends with.... the hero nods their head to this song in the EXACT same way..... it was just too obvious to miss!" and equally absurd (to most people) things that make complete sense to her. Also, I'm a firm believer in face blind Marinette, so while height, build and hair add to her theories, not even basic facial structure can.

In all seriousness though, these kiddos are incredibly smart and I hate it when they dumb down the characters. I don't care if it's for plot, to make another character look smarter than they are, or a joke, if you need to dumb down a character to do that, then you shouldn't be writing. I mean this for characterization too!

Bonus: MLB vs. CONSPIRACY THEORIST

Random conspiracy theorist: "So this smudge on the roof means they can fly/walk on walls and means their clearly a hero."

Marinette: "Don't be ridiculous, that's clearly from a Pepsi bottle exploding, maybe a Coke, not Dr. Pepper though."

Adrien: "Why not Dr. Pepper?"

Alya: "You can see the trash bin and fridge in the pic, there's really beat up Pepsi and Coke bottles, but no Dr. Pepper. My money is on Coke.

Adrien: "But what if they stopped buying Dr. Pepper because it stained the roof?"

Max: "Valid point, but a quick search through the person's social media history shows a post mentioning a Coke can explosion, and a lack of morals required for heroing."

Marinette: "Dang, I was wrong about the brand :("

Alya: "ha"

RCT: "This is clearly just a cover up."

*collective eye roll

[aanabear2803]

So I had an idea~ Remember Origins? With Stoneheart?

Princess Justice just had to wait it out. All she had to do was release the akuma. It held to her, beckoning her to torch the city. To find what she sought after, to help complete what was missing.  She just needed to let go of the akuma, to fight through her bitter anger. “Not yet, just not yet.” Her voice in her head was telling her.  “Not yet.” She let out a breath, before the butterfly was shot out of her bag.  Marinette collapsed to the ground, panting at the force she had to use. Her hands were held out, letting the tiny creature rest on her palms.  “You will do wonderful my little akuma. The power you posses. The chaos I can cause with just you.”  Marinette let it flutter, watching it multiply before her eyes.  “It will all be over soon.” 

Hawky could never.

[miraculously-incorrect-quotes]

Marinette: I wonder how bad water boarding is...

Chat noir: It's not the best...

Marinette: Excuse me!?

Chat noir: What? It was an accident! I was trying to do a spa treatment, thought it would be smart to add warm flowing water and yep.

Marinette:

*a few minutes later*

Marinette: I wonder if everyone gasps for air...

Chat noir: I did. Like, I don't think I would have if I hadn't expected it but...

Marinette: You need help.

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 27-Be Positive

CONTINUATION OF 12-BETRAYAL

"Are you sure it's okay to have a watch party here at your place, Alya?" Lila questioned.

"Are you kidding me?" Alya cried out, "It's not every day we get to see your boyfriend, Damian Wayne, on TV!"

"Did you really invite the old class?" Lila asked.

"It's like a mini reunion!" Alya giggled, "We still don't know where Marinette is, so she won't be here, if that's what you are worried about."

Lila remained silent. Marinette hadn't gone to high school with the rest of them. The class had asked her parents, but they just said she transferred elsewhere. There wasn't any reason to bring the baker's daughter into the mix that day. No one had seen her in years and as far as they knew, she never went home.

"I'm so glad we can watch it togther." Lila smiled, "I would have been there, but I have to fly with my mother to Italy tomorrow so I couldn't go."

Soon, everyone arrived. They got snacks and drinks, ready to watch the Wayne Christmas Gala on the TV.

"The Wayne family is finally here!" the announcer declared, "It seems we have the whole family in attendance! Bruce Wayne and his fiancée, Selina Kyle. We have Dick Grayson and it seems his wife and daughter aren't here this time. It seems a miracle is upon us; Jason Todd is in attendance. We also have the Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprise tonight, Tim Drake."

"It seems Damian Wayne decided to join us tonight." the announcer continued.

"I can't wait for you to see him!" Lila cooed, "I wish he had more free time so he could come to Paris and meet you all! He's so handsome!"

Damian appeared on the screen.

"Oh, he is cute."

"Not really my type, but okay."

"He looks like this dad."

"Is it me or does he look pissed off?"

"Oh, it seems he brought his newly announced fiancée, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" the announcer declared.

Lila's jaw dropped.

"Marinette!"

"Woah! She looks completely different."

"She grew her hair out! It's so long!"

"Remember whn she wore pigtails?"

Both Damian and Marinette stopped in front of the cameras for pictures.

"For those of you who don't kno the story behind Gotham's couple, it all started when Marinette Dupain-Cheng joined Wayne Enterprises at the age of eighteen." the announcer spoke, "At the age of twenty, she was running their fashion department and that is when Damian met her. Damian Wayne has stated in several interviews how he was , at first, determined to close down the department. That desire is wheat led him to meet her. We have learned that she did not cater to the Wayne ego and told him to leave her alone. Over time, Damian kept a watchful eye on her and even went as far as accusing her of seducing him. When he confronted her, months later, she punched him and quit. Bruce and Timothy Drake-Wayne begged her to stay, even attempting to raise her commission price to $200,000 for every design her completed."

The room was silent as they listened to the couple's tale.

"In the end, Marinette only desired Damian to apologize." the announcer laughed, "Our local Ice Prince then confessed he had found her attractive and distracting. It has been five years since that fated day when they started going out."

Across the screen showed pictures of the out on dates, walking in the park, eating at resturants; both cute and fancy.

"Just last month, Damian Wayne proposed." the announcer spoke, "Let's see if we can get a word in. Mr. Wayne, Miss Dupain-Cheng, there's a question viewers are dying to know."

"Maybe, we can answer." Marinette replied.

"Aside from her beauty, what drew you to dating Miss Dupain-Cheng?" they questioned.

Marinette covered her mouth, but the audio picked up a slight snort.

Damian blushed, "I was raised by my mother who taught me women were meant to be valued by thir strength, not their appearance. Marinette showed me how strong she was; that day I asked her out after she punched me in the face. Marinette is kind, smart, strong, a leader, and confident. I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side."

"Thank you for you answer, Mr. Wayne." the announced replied, shcoked, letting them walk off, "Well, there you have it folks. Out Ice Prince was dethawed by some heated words and a heated punch by Gotham's very own Sunshine!"

The TV cut to commercial and all hell broke loose.

"Lila, what the hell was that?"

"Didn't you say you were dating Damian Wayne?"

"Yeah!"

"Why is he with Marinette?"

"Why is he engaged to Marinette?"

"Are you 100% positive that you're dating Damian Wayne?"

"You think she's lying?"

"I just want to make sure before we blast Damian Wayne online as a cheater!"

"He cheated on Lila and deceived Marinette! The media is saying he's been with Mari for five years! Lila said they've been together for two years!"

"Do you have any pictures? We can use that as proof!"

"Knowing Marinette, she may just say that you're 'lying again'. She wouldn't believe you!"

Lila gulped, "I-I was lied to."

"Huh?" questioned Nino.

"The person I was dating said he was Damian Wayne, but he doesn't look like the guy on TV. I was too speechless when he came out on the screen to say anything. I'm sorry for the confusion." Lila admitted.

"Well, you better call him and tell him you just saw the Wayne Gala and know he isn't the real Damian Wayne!" shouted Alix.

"Wow! I can't believe that Marinette has been in Gotham!" spoke Nathaniel.

"Are your kidding? She's engaged to one of the world's billionares and is and is a fashion director for their company!" Kim exclaimed, "I wonder when she is coming back."

"Why would she come back here?" Adrien questioned, "Paris may be the fashion capital, but why would you lose a really good job like that?"

"Marinette's about to become Mrs. Wayne!" Rose cried out, excited.

Lila stood up, suddenly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alya asked.

Lila had tears in her eyes, "I-I need to make a call."

"Do you need one of us to go with you?" Mylene asked out of concern.

Lila just shook her head.

Lila left the room, sobbing. After all she had done, Marinette had still won. Marinette had moved on. The baker's daughter had left the losers behind and rose the ranks to glory. She was on the verge of being fired from Gabriel. Adrien wasn't dating her, still, and was dating some other model from Shanghai. She was positive that Marinette hadn't thought of her in years. She had ruined her own life by turning Marinette against her. She had turned the person who would be the richest into her enemy and she knew she would never get a chance to have the life she desired.

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events @animeweebgirl@a-star-with-a-human-name@meme991001@vixen-uchiha@abrx2002@alysrose-starchild@fandom-trapped-03@dood-space@moonlightstar64@saltymiraculer@marveldcedits20@09shell-sea09@icerosecrystal@animegirlweeb@insane-fangirl-of-everything@blueblossombliss@nickristus-dreamer@megawhitleycalderonpaganus@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x Dc x ML AU: Sam changes her major to Fashion to piss off her mother, and hey, she’s good at altering pink shit into gothic gowns. Her new TA Marinette isn’t what she appears and... Marinette’s boyfriend looks just like Danny? 

Sam, Danny, Tucker are all roomies as they attend Gotham U (well, Danny’s taking online classes- Ghost king duties are a bitch) and it’s time for Sam to change her major.

Sam started off in Plant Bio and that was great and she loved it until (A) She realized that to do real science she couldn’t rely on her connection to the Green and that it would skew her work and that (B) Pamela was fucking loving it. Pamela was doing the polite society equivalent of screaming from the rooftops about how smart Sam was to be a STEM major at GU and it made Sam feel gross about it. So… She switches to Fashion Design.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a PhD student working on a new specialized fabric (It’s for hero costumes not that anyone knows it yet), and is Sam’s TA for the semester. 

After her first class, She and Mari and her kind of hit it off, like, incredibly well. Mari explains that she knows the style Sam is going after because of her love for Jagged Stone and then they bond over Humpty Dumpty. 

Eventually they’ll bond over video games (Sam admits she sucks at UMS3 but would gladly kick her ass in Doomed). They start meeting in Mari’s office hours (which no one else goes to except for in cram weeks) and getting coffee.

Then one Damian Wayne appears and -BOOM Twin AU- Why the fuck does he look just like Danny? 

Anywho: It’s been on my mind for a bit and I’ve started to write it. So uh, you can read it here if you’d like. 

[kari-go]

I am aware that some people weren't here from the start or are just confused so take this as a sort of rundown or at least some basic information about this au. While it is still a WIP, I don't think I'm really gonna change this info. I hope this isn't overwhelming or anything :D also apologies if my English is wonky

Text written down in case it's unreadable xd

Stephan Petrov

moved to Paris after his dad's death

he's trying his best, he's just having a rough time

rlly athletic and (intellectually) smart

also really pretty

also in denial

someone help him

holder of the cat -> Gato Noir

*arrow pointing to Luxx* Luxx

Chris Duval

moved from New York to Paris out of nowhere

yearns for knowledge

especially about the kwamis

surprisingly adjusting well to everything

holder of the lion -> Lion Blanc

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

still lives in a bakery

Nino & Kim's childhood friend

has only heard about Chloe from Kim

my babygirl, baby

Lukagaminette endgame

holder of the ladybug -> Ladybug

Chloe Bourgeois

gets a redemption (if she even has to have one)

still the mayor's daughter

Audrey is still absent

has done many sports but slowed down cuz of her low grades -> Sabrina is her tutor

has been friends with Kagami for a while now, they met in a fencing match (no Chlogami) (Kagami was definitely her awakening tho)

later the holder of the monkey -> Prima Queen

Lila Rossi

Chris' childhood friend (back when they used to live in Italy)

exchange student

absolutely despises the Parisian Butterfly

just a normal with a pretty normal life!

Fu

Luxx hates him

had the Matter duo *arrow pointing to the cat and ladybug*, gave it away

only has Fluff now

*arrow pointing to Fluff* NO TIME TRAVEL!

You had perfectly good children and what did you do to them?

Arthur Duval

Chris' dad

Blanche's lovely husband <3

looks calm & collected but isn't

still lives in New York

rlly charismatic but gets overwhelmed in a crowd

Blanche Duval

Chris' mom

Arthur's lovely wife <3

capable of murder but doesn't because Arthur told her no

lives in Paris with Chris

works in a museum

somehow the most responsible adult in most situations (idk if that's a good thing)

Marianne's (adopted) daughter

Sofia Petrov

Stephan's mom

moved to Paris after she got a job offer from Gabriel (and her husband died)

she just wants the best for her son

[i-like-anything-water]

I also have a thing for smug Marinette and Cat! Marinette. Like she can be shy and clumsy but still be smug. She is still good natured, is there for people and tries to help as much as she can but whenever she's provoked, teased or pushed around she would snap back and fight back.

Smug Marinette is usually when she's transformed since Plagg is a lil shit or when she's butting heads with Chloe cause that's jus their dynamic and I live for it (fanon and canon but only up to season 2 with season 3 exceptions). However it seeps into her civilian life and she's cooler and calmer when dealing with people and would smirk or grin. And I'm not talking devilish smirk, no that's more of Chloe, but 'i ain't taking your shit' smirk.

You can't pry smug and shy Marinette off my cold hands because I will bite people

[mostmagical]

Green & Red & Black

my mind has been inundated with misternette thanks to @spicysummer22's art (go LOOK) so I promised I'd write a fic

fits in canon somewhere between Passion and Elation

Ao3

Lady Noire touched down to the street, the miraculous on her finger ringing only more desperate by the second. Hurriedly, she flung herself into the alleyway with only a single cursory glance to ensure she was alone.

“Claws in,” she huffed, her transformation melting over her shortly after.

Plagg groaned despondently as she caught him in her hands. The swap had been last minute and unexpected, being that their fight with Safari had only been a few days prior. She would have thought Monarch would have come up with a better half-baked plan after that defeat, knowing she and her kitty would always figure out a way to beat him.

“Sorry, Plagg,” Marinette sighed. “I only have a strawberry macaron. Is that okay?”

He opened one green crescent eye to look at her, remaining spread eagle in her palm. “I guess it’ll do,” he agreed.

Marinette smiled and fished the snack out of her purse.

“Eat up.”

She couldn’t believe her luck. Her cataclysm had missed early on, and the battle continued. The bad timing had forced her to duck away before Chat– er, Mister Bug could even call for his lucky charm. Hopefully, he was managing out there okay on his own.

She would never forgive herself if anything happened to his pretty face while she was gone.

Plagg was taking his sweet time biting into the macaron, all the while dribbling crumbs all over her hand. It was as though the little cat kwami had no sense of urgency anywhere in his tiny body. Marinette tapped her foot impatiently.

“Can you hurry?” she worriedly asked, peeking out of the alleyway and into the open street. It was too quiet.

“I’m going as fast as I can, Pigtails,” Plagg replied with a roll of his eyes. “I swear, you kids have no idea how to savor your food.”

“Time and place, Plagg.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Marinette cast another distracted glance out into the street. “I’m just worried about him,” she said, chewing on her lip.

“I get it,” Plagg replied around a mouthful of macaron. He made a loud gulping sound as he swallowed. “But he’s smart, you know. He can take care of himself just like you can take care of yourself.”

“Sure, sure…” She waved at him with her free hand, no longer fully listening as the air became stiller.

“Actually,” Plagg continued, chewing thoughtfully, “why are you worried about him? Since when do you–” His eyes went wide, and his chewing halted. He groaned. “Tikki wasn’t joking. It’s you, too.”

Marinette wrenched her eyes away from the street, narrowing them instead at the little cat kwami in her hands. “Me too, what?” Her face wrinkled in confusion.

Plagg opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get anything out, a wave of ladybugs passed over them.

Oh. He did it…

Marinette felt a swell of pride fill her chest for her partner. He was getting better and better at wearing her earrings. Maybe they should plan to swap every once in a while. And not just because she wanted to see him in her colors more often.

(Okay, maybe it was a little of that.)

“See?” Plagg smiled, his tiny arms placed on his hips in pride. “I told you he was fine.”

Marinette giggled at his display. She reached out her pointer finger to give him a scratch between the ears, earning herself a quiet purr. “Yes, you did,” she said. “We better get back out there to swap miraculouses again. Claws–”

“M’Lady!”

A tumble of red and black crashed into her, throwing her body hurtling towards the ground with a grunt. Marinette braced for impact, but there was none. Instead she found herself suspended in the air by two strong hands clasped around both her wrists. Slowly, she opened her screwed-shut eyes to green. 

Mister Bug stared down at her, his mouth dropped open in a gasp. 

“Ma-Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” he stuttered. (Since when does Chat Noir stutter…?)

Marinette tried to speak, but nothing came out. She could only vigorously nod her assent. Yes, that was her name, but she would have answered to anything he called her, surely. 

At her silence, Mister Bug took notice of her position, still hanging in the air by her arms. With a worried breath of air, he pulled her up, one of his hands landing on her waist and sending fire up her spine.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” he fussed. His green eyes roved over her body as if checking for any scratches, despite the fact that he had saved her from feeling even a brush of the pavement.

Marinette blinked up at him, still disoriented from her near-fall and the cosmic pull of his eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I only just fell for you,” she said.

What. 

Mister Bug’s eyes widened, blinking owlishly at her as red pooled his cheeks. 

Oh, she loved how much that mask allowed her to see more of his handsome face…

Stop that!

“I mean—! Um!” Marinette scrambled to halt the unintelligible mess threatening to pour out of her mouth, but all she succeeded in doing was tying her own tongue into knots. “Don’t worry about me! You saved me! From falling!” She laughed awkwardly, punching the air with a curled fist. 

He smiled, and it was so soft and endearing that she nearly whimpered at the sight. “Yeah, I saved you. Right after I crashed into you.”

“Yeah…” she sighed dreamily. “You can crash into me any day…” She followed that one with an airy giggle.

Mister Bug’s smile curved into something more mischievous—that same flirty smile he’d toss Ladybug’s way anytime he made a pass. “Oh? And would you… provide me a safe place to land?”

Marinette’s heart stuttered in her chest, her stomach bubbling with anticipation. “Of course I would,” she replied, breathy. “Anytime.”

He stepped just a bit closer and she was so, so aware of the hand still placed on her waist, burning her skin through her clothes. She couldn’t decide if she wanted him to move it away for her sanity, or keep it there forever and let her melt away into the embers.

“What are you doing all the way out here anyway?” her bug asked, a wrinkle in his mask between his eyes to match his frown.

She wished she could smooth that wrinkle out, but instead she settled for a gulp to try to clear her dry throat. “I, uh, akuma displacement,” she answered, the usual excuse rolling off her tongue. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“I was looking for Lady Noire, actually,” he explained. “You didn’t happen to see her pass by, did you?”

“Yes– I mean, no— Wait–” Marinette cut herself off. Her brain was already too scrambled to come up with more excuses. “I mean, yes. She, uh, passed by here. Said she needed to run home for something.”

Mister Bug tilted his head, and, god, he was so cute. She had to force herself not to whimper again.

“She said she’d meet you at the usual spot later,” she added, hoping her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she felt. For good measure, she flashed him a thumbs up.

He seemed to accept her answer. “Oh, okay.”

Marinette sighed in relief.

His smile returned. “In that case, it looks like I have some free time,” he said. “Why don’t you let this charming bug fly you home, huh?”

“I’d love to go home with you,” she responded without much thought. “I mean– I’d love for you to take me home– I, wait, uh. My house. Yes. Please.” Her whole body cringed. “Thank you.”

To her relief, Mister Bug appeared completely unbothered by her constant tumbling over words, instead just grinning wider at her. The hand on her waist moved to wrap fully around her body. Marinette only had a second to snake her arms around his neck before he had tossed his yoyo above their heads to hook on a chimney.

“Ready?” he asked, turning to look at her. Every detail in his summer green eyes glittered at her through his red and black-spotted mask, and she felt like she might melt. Oh, she loved those eyes. She loved him in that mask.

Face hot, all Marinette could do was nod at him, and then they were zipping through the air. It was impossible to tell if the swooping feeling deep in her stomach was from the flight or her proximity to the pilot. Either way, she loved the familiar safety of his arm around her back and the solid strength of his shoulders beneath her fingers.

Before she knew it—in fact, it felt like no time at all, really—they had reached her balcony, and he gently set her down on her feet.

“Well, ma cher, we’ve arrived.”

Marinette blinked up at Mister Bug, not quite ready to part from him. Nervously, she played with her still connected fingers behind his neck.

“You should stay,” she told him. “We can sit up here and chat, or you can come in. I’ll bring some chouquettes up from the bakery. It would be nice to talk to you.”

Wait… Was that too familiar? She had to remind herself that she was Marinette; she wasn’t his partner right now. Marinette couldn’t even remember if she was supposed to know that Chat Noir was Mister Bug, so what was she doing right now?

Luckily, he was seemingly totally nonplussed by her suggestion. Instead, he smiled warmly down at her, a rosy tint to his cheeks that she was sure must have mirrored her own. He opened his mouth, looking incredibly agreeable. To her displeasure, however, his earrings chose exactly that moment to protest, beeping angrily in a way that she could just imagine was Tikki’s voice chiding her.

His smile turned regretful. “I’m sorry, Marinette,” he said. “I’d love to, but I have to go.” Gloved hands gently grasped her wrists, pulling them away from his shoulders.

She mourned the loss.

Marinette’s lip stuck out in a pout. “Do you really have to go?”

“Yes, I really have to go,” he replied sadly. Then, brighter, “But if we’re going to make a date of it, at least give me time to buy you flowers first.”

Her heart skipped a beat, butterflies beating furiously inside her chest.

“Oh,” was all she could say.

Mister Bug’s grin returned at her quiet utterance. Somehow, without her noticing, one of his hands had traveled from her wrist to wind affectionately around her fingers, and he squeezed.

He bowed deeply, her hand still in his, the perfect image of a chevalier encased in red and black.

“Until next time, mademoiselle,” he purred. His lips burned like the sun as they pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “And when I see you again, I’ll be sure to remember your rose.”

Marinette remained silent and red as he straightened to his full height. Her mouth stubbornly refused to move, even as he waved at her in farewell and leapt from her balcony. She pressed her burning hand to her chest, dreamily watching her red bug become nothing more than a dot on the city skyline.

A whine sounded from her purse, and— Oops. She hadn’t even thought to worry about Plagg once that entire encounter.

“That was disgusting,” Plagg groaned, floating up into the air next to her. “I’m going to have to hear about that all night!”

Marinette sighed happily, sinking backwards into her lounge chair before her legs gave out on her. Plagg continued his grumpy buzzing around her head, but she remained lost in her thoughts and memories of bright green eyes in red masks.

She had no idea how she was going to face him later to return his miraculous to him.

Maybe they could stay swapped just a little while longer.

And if Lady Noire brought a bag full of chouquettes to their usual spot later to make up for the lost opportunity, well, that was her business.

[jam-budz]

Miraculous au where Félix replaces Adrien’s role (being chat noir and the male protagonist)

Félix Agreste:

Age - 14

Background - Is a stoic, cold, and extremely smart person who is the son of a famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste. He is not very trusting of people and it will take effort and time to create a friendship with. At times, he comes off as snarky and arrogant. Once you get to know him, however, he a sweet person. Since he is well spoken, he will take unfathomable measures to guarantee your safety. (see what I did there?)

Personal - Has hardly any friends besides Nino Lahiffe, Alya Cesaire, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Félix openly crushes over Marinette. He goes out of his way to give her gifts and be the best friend he can be. He does not relate to or care a cent about his other peers. Due to this, he is widely disliked despite his status.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng:

Age - 14

Background - Is a caring, sweet girl who loves nothing more than being with her family and friends. Her parents, Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain happen to be the owners of the most renowned bakery in Paris. She will do anything to protect her classmates.

Personal - In school, she is one of the most friendly and popular girls in her class. Because of this, she has a lot of friends who do nothing but support her. She is generally confident in herself after her best friend, Alya Cesaire helped her fend off her bullies. Her other closest friends, Félix Agreste and Nino Lahiffe were befriended shortly after. Marinette finds Félix.. weird. Whenever she speaks or interacts with him, he acts extremely awkward and clumsy. She doesn’t mind it at all, though. If anything, it’s almost charming…cute? She’s not sure. Discarding that, he’s a very good friend, standing up for her when she needs it. He even buys her (very expensive) gifts and other things that make people think the two are dating.

Resolve: Hawkmoth is defeated and they start dating (whoops, my cover has been revealed I am a Felinette enjoyer)