#this new version of himself could hate adrien just like tikki seems to hate marinette

[weaverofink]

You guys seemed to like the deity!Tikki AU so I decided to make some more for it!!

I think once Tikki is free, the first thing she does is try to hunt down Plagg to “free” him from his miraculous and his holder, who she deems little more than a thief. Adrien gets wind of this and decides to get the hell out of dodge with Plagg in tow. Plagg is very conflicted about all of this-- he doesn’t actually remember ever being a god (due to the enchantment on the miraculous) and has grown to like both Adrien and the life he currently has, but he is haunted by the existential implication that his current self is just a lie dreamed up by the guardians

[miraculouscontent]

Kagami and Marinette deserve so much better.

Anyway, let’s just start literally where this episode starts, because it makes no sense. Remember back in my “Truth” critique where I basically said that the episode seemed like it’d been shoved through multiple drafts and no one checked the final one?

Same applies here.

Like--okay, ”Truth” and “Lies” take place at roughly the same time, which means that the same filler akuma/sentimonsters appear to interrupt Adrimi’s moments just as they did with Lukanette’s, giving its audience a clear timeline of how the episodes line up. The reason this is important is because the writers can’t even keep consistency within singular episodes and then honestly thought that they could do it within two.

“Lies” begins with Marinette talking to Tikki about the grimoire, because apparently she has the non-translated version and there’s a secret to figuring out the code that Tikki believes Marinette will discover eventually.

...Alright, I’m derailing here but I have to add how absolutely stupid Fu was when dealing with translating the grimoire. He was supposed to teach Marinette how to be guardian, yet he didn’t teach her how to read the grimoire (if there’s supposedly a “secret” to it, is he really going to bank on Marinette figuring it out herself eventually instead of just giving it to her and avoid the risk altogether??), kept the translated pages on his tablet without sending them to Marinette as he deciphered them, and took time to write a letter to her in “Miracle Queen” but left no guardian-centric advice for her to work off of, meaning that Tikki had to explain how the Miracle Box worked to Marinette back in “Truth.”

The show goes out of its way constantly to turn everything against Marinette even if it makes all the characters around her look either incompetent or cruel. It’s not that I’m not used to this by now but it’s just infuriating that it keeps trying to raise the stakes and tension when Marinette made such a tiny mistake to cause the issue in the first place, and now we find out that Fu had no back-up plan or strategy, apparently expecting this 14-year-old girl to act perfectly and cover for him.

And of course, instead of leaving the scene off on Marinette being encouraged by Tikki and Marinette showing confidence in herself (i.e: what would’ve been a nice scene), the kwami accidentally fumble with the keyboard in such a way to have Marinette’s computer bring up  a news story about Adrien, which leads to Marinette leaning towards her computer and sighing over Adrien and his “amazing life.”

Can I just point out how annoying it is that all the Adrienette moments so far on Marinette’s end have been forced, not just in general (because we’re used to that), but literally forced by the plot so Marinette would talk about him or other characters would bring Adrien up?

“Truth” had Alya insult Marinette to her face over her Adrien crush because Marinette was freaking over something non-Adrien related that they couldn’t have known about, Luka was sent a no-context picture of Marinette’s Adrien wall which led to him lowkey teasing her about it, and then Truth was forced to listen to Marinette’s friends and Tom babble about Marinette’s supposed crush on Adrien even when Truth points out that it’s not a secret, making the “joke” fall absolutely flat.

And now “Lies” comes along and has the kwami drop things and step on the keyboard in the exact way to pull up Adrien stuff for Marinette to fawn over. It’s at this point I’m realizing that - had the kwami stayed inside the box or just not been around in general - Marinette literally wouldn’t have brought up Adrien at all in either “Truth” or “Lies” and now I’m sad. I really don’t want to have a counter for “episodes where Marinette wouldn’t have so much as breathed Adrien’s name if the kwami/someone else wasn’t there to force it.”

So yeah, the episode had to force Adrienette into its Adrimi episode because the show can’t go five minutes without reminding the audience that Adrien exists even though this episode is primarily from his point of view, made worse by this scene’s lack of ability to exist.

See, from the timeline in “Lies” lining up with “Truth,” there is no possible way for this opening scene with Marinette talking about guardian stuff and then fawning over Adrien to happen. There’s an akuma scene in “Lies” that literally is just copy-pasted from “Truth” (it actually does this again with another scene later but that’s not important right now), so that means anything that takes place before said scene in both “Truth” and “Lies” have to line up.

Except they can’t. The akuma scene in question interrupts Marinette’s movie date with Luka in “Truth,” and before that, she had just opened the Miracle Box, wrangled up the kwami, talked to the girl squad over video call, talked to Luka, and then immediately had to leave. There are no cuts or wiggle room anywhere in there.

Therefore, the scene in “Lies” is impossible. Either the scene is supposed to go elsewhere in the episode (we don’t actually know how many days it takes up so it’s hard to say on that front) which just makes the episode even more convoluted, or this means that one would have to pick between the scene in “Truth” and the scene in “Lies” because they literally cannot co-exist.

“Lies” was supposed to coincide with “Truth” and they messed it up in the first scene of the episode.

Then comes Adrien himself, who really shows the series’ clunkiness in focusing on other characters. It’s not that I’m against the show moving away from Marinette to show other people’s point-of-view (I definitely didn’t complain during the Couffaine sibling scene in “Reflekdoll”), but Adrien cannot carry his own episode.

In Marinette’s opening scene, we immediately got details on the grimoire and lore about how reading it actually worked. I didn’t like it and it wasn’t good, but it was new information.

Adrien, meanwhile, spends a large portion of the episode being sad (a very grand and unique plot, my dudes) and giving us information we already know. “Truth” has to come first because “Lies” is half of a follow-up on it, meaning that the audience is already aware that Ladybug has been forgetful and has had to miss out on patrols. It’s just that now we get to see Chat Noir sulking about it and--okay, I am just going to go off, alright?

Firstly, Chat Noir tells Ladybug later on that he “understands” her guardian duties, but he previously mocked her behind her back by using air quotes when he was talking to her answering machine (since she obviously wouldn’t see that). We saw in “Truth” where he admitted that he doesn’t mind her being guardian “as long as it doesn’t change their relationship,” and that’s on display right here with his comments.

Not only is it extremely disrespectful, but for someone who claims to be so loyal and understanding to Ladybug, he sure doesn’t show it.

Secondly, he leaves her a message about how he’ll take care of patrol, then proceeds to slack off because she’s not there to keep him in check. He sulks around Paris, mumbling about how Ladybug isn’t around and constantly checking his messages to see if she’s replied to him. Chat Noir has shown his “priorities” in terms of heroism before, but patrol isn’t supposed to be about getting time with “““his lady”““ yet that is clearly all he cares about. He even ends the patrol unprompted, either giving up or just generally having not finished, because I don’t believe that the “end” of patrol just happened to be at the place Kagami was.

Patrol is about protecting Paris and scoping things out. Ladybug is trusting him to pick up the slack when she’s not around and he should be picking up slack, yet he has completely failed on that front. This is made worse when considering that the Season 3 finale had Ladybug breaking down to him from guilt and we know that Marinette had a breakdown before that to Luka, yet Chat is doing nothing to lighten Ladybug’s burden, putting up a falsehood on Ladybug’s answering machine to make him look better than he actually is.

Then, thirdly and most importantly/infuriatingly, Chat Noir knows that Ladybug is busy and he knows that she’s taking on a new responsibility, yet he not only jabs at her for “how hurtful it is when she leaves him to patrol alone” (one, cry me a river, and two, I don’t care if it’s a joke, it’s insensitive), but before that scene, he was actively hoping for people to get akumatized so Ladybug would be forced to show up and he could spend time with her. He egged Xavier Ramier on, even asking him if he “missed being Mister Pigeon,” and then looked on with glee as Chloe bullied Sabrina because he thought that an akumatization might happen.

And this is on top of so many other issues with this whole scene. Adrien complains all the time about his schedule and how restrictive his father is, but suddenly - in the episode right after Marinette had to break up with her boyfriend due to her cramped schedule - is lounging around and wasting time. It hurts to see Marinette suffering from all of her responsibilities while Chat’s biggest problem is how little time he gets with Ladybug.

Also, another point on Mister Pigeon is that that’s the akuma that had interrupted Marinette’s movie date and kiss with Luka. I’m not suggesting that Chat egging Xavier on led to him getting akumatized, but I am saying that Chat wanting akuma to happen with no regard for Ladybug’s happiness is yet another point on the list of why I hate the love square. Marinette genuinely forgot about patrol with him - genuinely was forgetting about everything, really - and as a “punishment,” her own partner whined, didn’t patrol properly, and egged on an akumatization that eventually ended up happening which then broke up the little bit of happiness that the universe was allowing her to have.

Oh, and did I mention that he’s also dating Kagami at the time as well because here we freaking go.

Now, I did not get on Marinette’s case for her Adrien wall and stammering because Luka is largely aware of where she stands in the relationship and she only brought Adrien up when someone else did, even when Luka wasn’t around or being mentioned. Adrien, however, I have multiple bones to pick with, starting with how utterly needy he is for Ladybug’s attention.

This guy has tons of friends, all these fans, and could get people to flock to him whether in or out of the mask, but he wants Ladybug, and anyone not Ladybug isn’t good enough. There’s a scene later in the episode where Kagami - his girlfriend, mind you - is pouring her heart out to him, and he gets distracted by Ladybug instead of listening to her. Even when he excuses the distraction, he then gets distracted again even though Ladybug is no longer in the background.

Lying to protect his identity is one thing, but what Adrien does to Kagami goes beyond that. He’s pining after and flirting with another girl and Kagami has no idea. She’s speculated before that Adrien likes Marinette, but she’s mostly left in the dark because Adrien hasn’t told her anything, nor has he confirmed with her whether it’s okay or not for him to flirt with other girls so long as he’s not pursuing them. He could’ve admitted that he was in love with Ladybug but that he wants to try things with Kagami, but he refuses to open up to her or put himself out there.

Except, he technically does, once, when Kagami tells him to pose for her and he strikes his transformation stance, but he caught her completely off-guard and it’s no wonder why she was put off by it or thought it was unnatural. Not only that, but when Kagami tells him that he’s acting like a clown in that scene, we can see by jumping back to “Truth” that Chat Noir fished for Ladybug’s compliments which then led to a line about him talking about how Ladybug enjoyed him acting like a clown; a direct connection.

Kagami didn’t validate him, so he fished for Ladybug to do so because Ladybug was both forced to answer the question and wasn’t able to lie to him. The show has Ladybug state that her most preferred trait of his is his humor but I am certainly not laughing.

Chat Noir even goes further after the fight with Truth (so another copy-pasted scene) by saying that he has the most fun with Ladybug specifically, and this is all while he’s still dating.

Then this guy has the gall to talk during his break-up about how his fun times with Kagami weren’t lies after apologizing to her for his constant lying, as if he’s trying to earn her sympathy when we know that he’s been pining after Ladybug and flirting with her like she were his number one when he already had a girlfriend waiting for him (and who, by the way, had covered for him earlier and was sitting sadly on a staircase outside, feeling abandoned). The episode presents the break-up as if Adrien’s problem was the fact that he had to constantly lie to Kagami due to being busy with hero work (which is already dumb when we also saw him lounging around and complaining about how nothing was happening, meaning he was inadvertently supportive of the idea of having less time with Kagami and more time with Ladybug even if that means Paris is in danger), but the real problem ends up being that Adrien neglected Kagami emotionally and wasn’t able to give her the attention she wanted.

It’s both sad and annoying that Adrien has always sulked about his dad not paying attention to him and then we get Adrien not paying attention to Kagami, looking for Ladybug when Ladybug had already left and Kagami is trying to tell him something very important.

This is what I mean when I say that Adrien can’t carry an episode on his own. He’s incredibly selfish and most of his dialog just involves him complaining about Ladybug or making excuses. Kagami carried the episode more than he did because more details were revealed about her - specifically the fact that she likes drawing - and she’s active in making things happen (being the one to make the excuse to set up their fencing lessons, deciding what they’ll do with their hour of free time, etcetera).

And regardless of what girl he’s interacting with, Adrien can’t respect either of them. I just talked about Kagami and I’ve already talked about how he treats Ladybug when she’s not even around, but now we get to how he treats Ladybug when she is around.

During the climax of the fight with Lies, where Ladybug requires a distraction to safely pull off her lucky charm, Chat Noir decides - without Ladybug’s input - to sacrifice himself yet again.

I have to stress that Ladybug is stressed and Chat has always talked about her plans and listening to her, yet he has a horrible habit of making decisions all on his own and letting Ladybug deal with the fallout. Whenever he has the chance, he’ll throw himself in front of her and take the big hit, presumably with the mindset that Miraculous Ladybug will fix everything so it’s not like it matters.

Ladybug even shouts at him when he hints at what he’s about to do and there was absolutely time for them to talk about it, but Chat Noir just lets himself fall and be bait, even throwing out what is a clear confession (again, while he’s still dating someone else) before he’s knocked unconscious by Lies’ power.

And when Ladybug yells at him for it when everything’s said and done, pounding at his chest and looking absolutely upset over the whole thing? He not only brushes her off, but he boops her nose and talks about how “irresistable” her “angry little pout” is.

He might as well have just said, “you’re cute when you’re angry,” because that’s exactly what he’s implying; that Ladybug’s anger is something “amusing” to him and not something he takes seriously. We’ve already seen it before in “Reflekdoll” and “Oblivio” as well, so this is just a continuation of already-annoying behavior.

Then, instead of Ladybug getting even angrier for it, the episode has her smile at him, which not only isn’t a normal reaction compared to how she’s reacted before, but now gives the impression that she’s being conditioned by the narrative to accept Chat Noir’s behavior in whatever shape or form it takes.

Because think about it: regardless of how upset Ladybug gets over Chat Noir, it never works out for her and she’s forced to either make up with him quickly or just get over it because she can’t be fighting with her partner (meanwhile, like in “Glaciator,” Chat Noir can be as upset as he wants and she’ll apologize first). She presumably would now have the authority to take away his ring by virtue of being guardian, but he’s also been her partner from the beginning and he’s had so much time to get used to the cat. Most likely, she would sooner blame herself for failing to reign him in than blame him for failing as an adequate partner.

There’s nothing she can do. She has to deal with the hand that she’s been dealt and getting angry at him has done nothing; rejecting him has done nothing.

And of course the episode throws everything under the rug in the ending with an insulting LadyNoir scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir talk about the secrets their forced to keep but also how they can trust each other.

Meanwhile, Ladybug has no idea of all the things Chat Noir has done behind her back. She still has no clue about “Copycat,” nor “Syren,” nor any of the stuff he did in this episode that she’ll probably never know about. Factor it in with “Miraculous New York” (whether one considers it canon or not) where she rightfully shouted at him because he betrayed her trust, and here we are one and a half episodes later (since “Truth” and “Lies” take place at similar times) where suddenly they’re all buddy-buddy and Chat Noir doesn’t have to deal with any consequences to his selfishness.

I’m glad that Kagami didn’t forgive Adrien in the end (even if I’m upset that she doesn’t know how bad it really was) because she had every right to walk away and not want to be friends with him. I only wish that Ladybug could do the same thing and never look back, but due to the love square’s status as endgame, we know that can’t happen, and Ladybug will eventually be forced to fall in love with a guy who mocked her responsibilities behind her back, disrespected her authority by opting to tease/flirt with her, continued pursuing her despite her rejections, and hoped for Paris to be in danger just so he could see her.

And... yeah, that hurts. It really does.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

You Should See Me in A Crown Chapter 3

Summary:   The team goes to Gotham, looking for a new place to play in. They find one, they also find a bat, a few birds and maybe a new friend for them to play with.

Warnings: Dark AU, this chapter has sex references.

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The team had once already taken over a city’s underground. All it took was finding the right places and pushing. Money, blackmail, leaving someone alive… it was all so simple. 

 Gotham was different they were discovering- only in that people like Black Mask or Penguin had their hands in things.  Both were different from the criminals they had dealt with before, or even Akumas. However, they did what they did best.

 They divided and researched and conquered.

 “Penguin is black market- not our scene,” Alya said as she left the illusion of Stacy Jones, cocktail waitress at the Iceberg lounge drift away to leave her in her normal attire. “He doesn’t like drugs- he threw out a girl using them- and he prefers making his own guns.”

 “So, we offer an alliance when we’re big enough,” Marinette said as she put aside the book she was designing her dress for the gala in. “Black Mask?”

 “A freak.” Alya sniffed. “I mean- good for him, he’s done good work but ugh.”

 “Gotta respect what that man’s done but he’s a freak,” Nino said.

 “Aren’t we?” Marinette asked playfully. They snorted.

 “Got us there. Honestly- he’ll take some time to get rid of. Or fold into our empire- either one you want.” Nino shrugged. “I say kill him- he’ll never fully be folded in.”

 “Agreed.” Alya nodded. Marinette hummed.

 “Any word on the Batman?” she asked. Both shook their heads.

 “No- he’s probably already aware we’re in town but nothing yet.” Alya said. “We’re not that subtle. Or well, Chloe isn’t.”

 “Babe, we like her like this.”

 “I’m just saying,” teased Alya.

 “The magic will hide us. Even if he sees us face to face he’ll never know who we are.” Marinette said. “I just want to make sure we’re ready for him.”

 “Is anyone ready for a furry fighting them?” Nino asked.

 “Babe we’re all kind of furries,” Alya told him. He opened his mouth but then shut it.

 “Fair point.”

-0-

“The Miraculous Team?” Bruce asked Dick as the younger vigilante pulled up some videos Barbara had gathered.

 “Yeah,” Dick said, feeling pained. The events in Paris when he’d been a teenager had been brushed off as a hoax until Hawkmoth was arrested and the entire world learned oh no it wasn’t. Wonder Woman had been furious. Even more so when she learned that somehow the entire team of heroes had gone dark and then come back ruling the criminal underbelly of Paris.

 Apparently, it was rare but sometimes… sometimes Kwami and their holders could become corrupted. Wasn’t to far to assume Hawkmoth had done one finale push against them. 

 Kids his own age… forced into whatever had happened to them.

 “Carapace or Turtle as he calls himself now has been sighted around the docks along with Rena Rouge or Fox as she calls herself.” Pictures of the former heroes appeared on the screen. Both were darker versions of their hero costumes before, more black and jagged edges in their costumes. Both had completely black eyes behind their masks. “I think they’re going after the drug trade. Doing what they did in Paris- limiting it to adults and keeping it away from kids.”

 “Part of their hero selves pushing through.” Bruce nodded. “Maybe we can bring them back.”

 “... You’re being oddly helpful about all this.” Dick said.

 “They’re kids. Might be a bit older but they were kids when this happened. Kids need help.” Bruce told Dick who nodded his understanding. They needed help, and they would help them. “Agreste- could he be helping them?”

 “Possibly. If I remember right Wonder Woman managed to speak with them a few times before they went dark,” Dick firmly did not snort at the double meaning to his words. This was serious. “They said that Hawkmoth had planned to use his son in some ritual didn’t they?”

 “A sense of thankfulness then.” Brice frowned. “I dislike the magic prevents any ability to tell who they are- it would be easier to do if we could tell.”

“I think my brain is trying to make connections but like something grabs it and makes it change its mind,” Dick said, making a face. 

 “Diana said that the magic is unbreakable.” Bruce frowned. “No one can break it not even other Miraculous Holders.” 

 “So we have nothing.”

 “Not truly. Agreste and his girlfriend are coming to the Gala this week.” Bruce told Dick who slowly nodded.

 “Bugs?”

 “Bugs.”

-0-

 Marinette hummed, studying her dress for the gala. It was a classic off the shoulder dress, black lace covering a portion of it. Her lips were classic movie star red and her hair was up, silver earrings hanging from her ears.

 “Damn,” Chloé said as she wandered into the room. “You look delicious.”

 “I try.” She smiled and studied her face a bit more. “Should I do smoky eyeshadow?”

 “I think just a dab? You’re going for innocent child look- smoky might make you look more animalistic.” Chloé said thoughtfully.

 “Point. Adrien managed to weasel his way out of his classic tux with that idea. He’s wearing something a bit more relaxed.” Marinette sighed. “It makes sense though. He’s acting more cat-like lately. I think we’ll have to have a public issue tonight so he can retire from the public for a little while.”

 “I believe Lex Luthor is attending- get him to do something,” Chloé suggested.

 “... you’re still salty about his comment about your dress aren’t you?”

 “Hush,” Chloé said with a sniff. Marinette laughed at her friend before leaving the room to the living room of her floor, finding Adrien only wearing his dress pants and hissing at the fact Luka was trying to get his shirt on.

 “Adrien we need to go soon!” Marinette said, giving him a look. That made him sigh and relent enough to wear the shirt. Luka and Kagami were invited to and were dressed in their suits. Kagami wearing a long coat that had ruffles at the bottom to act as a sort of dress even with her slacks. 

 “I’m the driver tonight,” Kim said as he walked in, dressed in slacks and a sweater that made everyone snicker. “Horse is busy with some issue?”

 “Some guy keeps trying to take over.” Alya agreed. 

 “Yeah. No positive ID- we’re working on that.” Nino said. 

 “Some of the peons have turned traitor. I’m having fun with them later,” Chloé grinned, showing all her teeth. Alya and Nino flashed her adoring smiles. 

 “Have Horse keep us in the loop. Use the Kwami to contact us,” Marinette ordered. She checked her make-up one more time and then it was time to go. They ran over their covers a few times while walking. 

 Adrien the nervous and shy boy after what happened with his father. Marinette his strong girlfriend also a bit nervous. Kagami would act as their bodyguard of sorts, portraying a strong friend trying to protect them. Luka the peacemaker. 

 They did similar things before. It would be hard to play everyone like a bunch of fiddles now.

 Driving to the gala, they all relaxed and chatted after the confirming of the gala. Both Kagami and Luka wanted to find company for the night- though agreed to only do so if Adrien could stay long enough. 

 “Maybe Dick Grayson?” Mused Luka. “He’s got a fine ass.”

 “Bet I can get him first.” Kagami grinned and Luka grinned back. Marinette and Adrien grinned themselves before sighing. 

 “Damn it- it wouldn’t fit our cover.”

 “Poor both of you,” Kagami said in amusement. They made faces at her and the car laughed as they pulled up to the fancy hotel the gala was being held in. Putting their masks on, they left the car with them in place.

 Showtime.

-0-

 “I hate this place.” Muttered Marinette to Adrien who was pretending to be somewhat cowering behind her. Or well not pretending. His cat side was close to the front and it was hard for him to act human enough to pass muster. 

 “Same. Can we please be done with this soon?” Adrien asked Marinette in a low voice, a soft growl to it that made her frown.

 He was really close.

 “Tikki, try and get Luthor to say something?” She said to the Kwami. A bit of creation magic to mess with his head would work. She felt a nudge from the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders, where Tikki was hiding. She smirked as it vanished and smiled wildly when Brucie Wayne walked up.

 “Adrien! Marinette! How are you enjoying the party?” He grinned and acted like he was drinking but Marinette noticed it really didn’t move- the level in it that was.

“It’s fine. A lot more people then we’re used to but our friends are keeping the worst away.” Marinette smiled at Bruce while Adrien gave a short nod.

 “Oh yeah- Dick and Timmy are talking to them…” Brucie pointed out the group chatting and Marinette wanted to hold back her laugh. Dick was looking a bit unsettled given he was under the gaze of Kagami and Luka who tended to really double down when they wanted someone. Tim looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh, drinking some soda. “It seems they may be…”

 “Flustering your son? They do that.” Marinette giggled before she frowned. “... hopefully, they told him about their bet though I know they probably did.”

 “Bet?”

 “Oh, they bet on who could convince him to join them for the night. They tend to tell their targets this- if the target gets angry they back off. If they don’t mind they keep going,” Adrien explained. “They don’t like not letting people know about the bets- they say it’s to… gross not to.”

 “I’m surprised the son of Hawkmoth would think so.” A slimy voice said from behind and Adrien flinched while Marinette bristled. Lex Luthor was watching them with hard eyes, that to an unknowing observer wouldn’t have a slight shine to them. “I mean didn’t your father lie and use people all the time?” Adrien flinched again and Marinette bared her teeth.

 “And haven’t you been almost convicted of super-villainy a dozen times? Money talks I suppose- at least Paris was smart enough not to let it talk when it came to Gabriel.” Snarled Marinette at the man. He blinked and the shine was slowly vanishing. 

 They’d just needed to prompt him to speak.

 “Adrien?” Marinette offered a hand and he took it. “C’mon. Like and Kagami can stay if they wish, we’re not when people like him are here. So sorry Bruce.”

 “It’s alright,” Bruce told them sounding a bit off but they ignored it.

 The magic would prevent him from figuring things out.

 Kagami joined them as they left, pouting a little. 

 “Strike out?” Asked Adrien, sounding nervous but amused.

 “Incompatible interests.” Kagami pouted more while both Marinette and Adrien blinked.

 “... he’s a top?! With an ass like that?” Marinette asked in shock.

 “Apparently.” Kagami sighed. “Luka doesn’t mind though so he’s having a go of it.”

 “Good for him.” Marinette chuckled as they waited for their limo. Getting in, they stopped at seeing the serious face Kim had. “News?”

 “Some ma’am,” Kim said. He held up a hand and then Xuppu slipped into the back, moving around and pulling small devices off them. Bugs. The monkey grins and uses his powers to swap the frequency.

 Now they can hear the people who placed them when they’re activated.

 “We have issues on the docks,” Kim said straight forward while Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, there were bugs- Batman probably had some idea Adrien could be helping the team. 

 The magic helped but that was a bit too obvious if one thought about it to block fully.

 “Oh?” Marinette asked while Adrien growled in his throat, and Kagami grinned.

 “Our annoyance just killed three of our men.” They all frowned at that. “We think we know a base near the docks.”

 “Let’s go. Know a name yet?”

 “Red Hood apparently.”

 “He’s done for.”

Tag list:  @northernbluetongue @ines-nz  @seraphichana, @glasswolff, @crazylittlemunchkin, @miraculous786, @viinaa08, @18-fandoms-unite-08 @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @my-name-is-michell @emjrabbitwolf @starsshineandgivehope @internally-confused-what @st0rmy-w1th1n @mycupisbroken @procrasinatingrightnow @i-was-supposed-to-have-a-twin @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff @lexgetdowntobusiness @anastasian-dreamer

@thesunanditsangel @magicalfirebird @thefoxandthewofs @storyecho

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You for a Second? CH1

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she'll participate as her civilian self. AKA: AU where Adrien doesn't know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

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Chapter 1

Ladybug knew something was wrong with Chat the minute she stepped onto the rooftop where they had agreed to meet for patrol. He didn’t look up when she landed, even though she knew that he had heard her. She slowly walked towards him and decided that she wouldn’t push... for now. As she sat next to him, she began to count. By the time she reached 100, her patience had run thin and she was determined to break the silence.

 “Hey, Kitty, feline a little quiet tonight?” Although she despised his constant use of cat puns, she figured the use of one would help break him out of his stupor. She glanced at Chat, expecting a smile and a witty comeback to come from him, but instead she was treated to sad kitty eyes and a look that broke something inside of her. Her voice came out barely as a whisper, “Chat, what’s wrong?”

 Chat stared intently into Ladybug’s eyes. After a beat, he sighed. “It’s no big deal,” he shrugged it off, or tried to. But Ladybug was insistent. She locked eyes with him and scooted closer, and gave him a look saying that she didn’t believe him. He sighed before whispering, “Well, it actually is a big deal.” He took a breath, closed his eyes, and then continued on, “They—I—my father is forcing me to do something and I just—I just am not looking forward to going through with it.” Chat broke eye contact with Ladybug, but she moved her hand to his shoulder. He leaned into it absentmindedly.

 “Chat, you know you can tell me anything,” She said with a soft smile. They were partners after all. She would be there for him through anything.

 He slowly looked up at her again, this time the pain and hurt in his eyes evident. “Even... even if it reveals my identity?”

 Ladybug paused a little, processing that information. She knew that Chat was homeschooled and that she most likely didn’t know him in real life. But is she really ready to learn who her precious kitty is behind the mask? She’s loved Chat for 7 years (as more than friends for 5) so she knew deep down that his identity didn’t matter to her. The reason they hadn’t revealed themselves yet was because of Hawkmoth. He was just as strong as ever and the two superheroes needed to trust each other with everything, to a certain point. Safety is important when fighting someone like Hawkmoth. If one of them was captured... just the thought made Ladybug shiver and her heart strain. She couldn’t do that to her kitty.

But... if she knew his identity, she could help him through this... thing that he was going through. Truthfully, she was curious, both about his problem and his identity. She was Ladybug, and Ladybugs fixed problems, fought hard battles, and supported their team—their partner— through it all. There were many different times that during high school, Chat was all that kept her going, and she would love to return the favor.

 Slowly, the words came out of her mouth before she even realized it.

 “Yes, Chaton, even if it reveals your identity.” He looked at her stunned, before a genuine smile split across his face. That look made the potential problems worth it.

 “My father is forcing me to ‘branch out’ for the company and complete a publicity stunt. There is this reality show that is really popular in America that they are shooting a season of here in Paris. They want me to be the star, since my fans are numerous and should be a good starting point of a fanbase for the show.” Ladybug started a little upon hearing that Chat has fans outside of the suit. She had expected him to be normal, just like her. Her mind started racing, trying to figure out what he was going to say before he said it.

 Chat pauses and took a deep breath, looking extremely nervous about the next part of his explanation. He looked at her in a way that encouraged her line of thinking; she should know what he was talking about. Thinking that her brain must have shut down for some reason, she tilted her head slightly as she could feel her face scrunch in a half confused-half thinking face.

 “What show is it?” aiming for innocence even though her voice shook and so she didn’t sell it very well. The only thing she can think of is the new reality show that Gabriel Agreste (only the most talented fashion designer in Paris and a huge idol to Ladybug) is doing to promote his line. But that can’t be it... can it? She couldn’t remember the details of the show, except that it involved one boy and a lot of girls. In fact, if she remembered correctly, the boy was going to be Gabriel’s son, Adrien. He models sometimes and is very good-looking, but that can’t possibly be...

 Ladybug gasped a little and looked up at Chat, seeing him in a new light. She had admired his pictures for a long time and this cat-themed superhero sitting in front of her looked a whole lot like Adrien. If the hair was styled and his eyes were not of the cat variety.

“The show is called The Bachelor.” Chat continued on, not noticing the way that Ladybug was staring at him. “They take one guy and thirty girls and he takes them on dates and week by week has to narrow it down to just one girl that he loves and he is supposed to propose to that girl at the end of the show.” Chat explains with a slight rise to his voice. It’s as though he’s freaking out about the whole thing and is having trouble getting the words out. Of course, Ladybug realizes, that is exactly what he’s doing. He stares at her, trying to get a read on how she’s taking it all, and so Ladybug pastes on a smile and says the first thing that comes to mind.

 “You’re Adrien Agreste.” It didn’t come out as a scream, so Ladybug gave herself a mental pat-on-the-back for maintaining part of her composure.

 Chat nods and then gives a slight murmur of, “Plagg, claws in.” With a flash of green light, Adrien is sitting where Chat once was and a little black creature has flown into Ladybug’s face.

 “That didn’t take you long after he spelled it out for you. You’ve been working with this doofus for SEVEN WHOLE YEARS and yet you couldn’t spell it out?” The black kwami, who was super adorable, by the way, was flying around waving his little paws and getting all worked up. The whole thing, from Adrien being Chat and being chewed out by a kwami who was VERY different from Tikki, was just so absurd, she couldn’t help but laugh.

 “You must be Plagg!” Ladybug said between giggles as she guided Plagg to sit in her hands. “Tikki told me lots about you, but I didn’t know you’d be so feisty when I got to meet you.”

Plagg crossed his arms and gave her a disdainful look, “Well I haven’t had any cheese in a while and I get cranky when I’m hungry.” Ladybug laughed again as Adrien sputtered from where he sat. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were huge. Clearly, he didn’t think Plagg would be so mean to Ladybug when he first met her.

 “Plagg! I fed you right before we left!”

 But his comment wasn’t heard over Ladybug’s laughs as she rubbed Plagg’s belly and behind his ears. “Has the mean Adrien not given you any cheese lately?” Ladybug said in a joking voice. Plagg gave her some kitty eyes and shook his head woefully. “Well I’m sorry I don’t have any cheese on me, but I promise, I’ll always come stocked with cheese from now on.”

 Plagg flew up and gave Ladybug a look. He must have decided that she was trustworthy, because then he turned to Adrien and declared, “I like her. She cares about me and my cheese needs. You should be more like her.”

 Adrien blanched and Ladybug began laughing again. That seemed to shock Adrien back into the present and he quickly spat out, “Well, she’d be less willing to give you cheese if she had to put up with smelling like Camembert all of the time!” At that comment, Plagg stuck out his tongue at Adrien and then dove into his shirt pocket and out of sight.

 Ladybug was smiling like an idiot. Why hadn’t they revealed themselves earlier? This was a blast and Adrien was all Ladybug could have hoped for in a partner. Suddenly, the reason that he HAD revealed himself came back to her and her smile quickly faded.

 “So, you’re going to have to do this show.” Adrien looked up at her and his expression was wary again. “What are you going to have to do?”

 “I have to get to know a pool of 30 women and narrow down my choices until I find one that I can see myself spending the rest of my life with. My dad thinks that it is going to be good for the company if I do this. Plus, I think he wants me married off and this is a sure-fire way of doing it, at least in his mind.”

 That all made sense, but there was one big thing that had never seemed clear to her, “What does your dad gain from this show? How would a dating show help a fashion designer?”

 Adrien smiled a little at that. “It’s actually kind of brilliant. So, my dad is partially funding the show, so he has a lot of say in what happens. In the American version, they bring their own clothes and such and just go about the show. My father has decided that every girl will wear a Gabriel original, whether that’s formal wear, casual wear, even swimsuits, at all times during the filming. It’s virtually going to be an extended runway show. Everyone will tune in for the idea of watching me fall in love, but will actually fall in love with the fashion.”

 Ladybug had to give Gabriel some credit, that was a great marketing idea. Although at the expense of his son...

 “Does he really expect you to fall for the person you’re going to marry on this show? That seems a little crazy, and you’re only 22.”

 Adrien’s eyes dropped from Ladybug’s and his hand went up to rub the back of his neck. A slow blush began to cross his checks, and Ladybug hated to admit it, but he looked really cute like that. “I was furious when he told me, but he made me a promise. If I would go about the show, play through it like I’m supposed to, and stay engaged after the show for six-months, then I’m allowed to break it off and pursue someone on my own.”

 “Wouldn’t that leave a bad reputation for the show? Surely your father doesn’t want that.”

 “He doesn’t. But the American version very rarely comes up with successful relationships, so he’s willing to let the show end badly if it promotes Gabriel Fashions well enough.” Adrien shrugged and smiled. “As long as I get to make the decisions about my love life, I’ll be okay.”

 Ladybug smiled at that, but it began her mind whirring. What kind of Ladybug would she be if she let him go through with this. They were two halves of a whole, or at least that’s what Tikki kept telling her. She loved him as more than a friend and the thought of sitting back and watching him serial date girls made her stomach twist.

 “Are you actually going to try to date these girls? Like actually get to know them and what-not?”

 Adrien’s face twisted in thought, “Well, I’ve considered it, but I have a feeling that the girl I love won’t be playing with me. It’s a shame really. Especially since she has to stay here and protect Paris while I’m gone.” There was a twinkle in his eye that made Ladybug’s stomach flutter with butterflies—and the non-akuma kind at that. Chat had always flirted with Ladybug, but she never took him seriously even if she really really wanted it to be real.

 Suddenly, a thought, one so wild and out-there Tikki would never go for it, came. It was an idea that could actually work, if she played it right.

 A playful smirk grew on her face and her heart began to race. “What if she was?”

 His shocked expression was enough to make the shaming she was going to get from Tikki later worth it. “Would you really?” Then, after a beat, his face fell. “You can’t. You have to stay here and protect Paris. What if an akuma comes up? Who’s going to fight it?”

 “We are silly! You don’t expect me to be Ladybug and Chat Noir without my kitty, do you? The show is only shooting in Paris, right?” She thought she had heard that mentioned, but she wasn’t as invested when the topic first came up.

 The cogs were turning as he responded, “Yeah we are.”

 “Then that settles it. I’ll apply to be a contestant, you’ll escape away and help me fight akumas and possibly patrol once a week, and then we won’t have to stop being a team.” And I’ll have a chance to go on a proper date with you and we’ll fall in love and get married and have three kids and....

 Her thoughts were interrupted by a bone crushing hug from Adrien. “Thank you so much! It won’t be as bad with you there.” When they pulled away, the smile on Ladybug’s face wasn’t forced.

 “C’mon kitty, let’s start patrol.” She shot him a wink and stood. She gave him about 10 seconds to transform before she sprinted off into the night.

~~Let me know what you think! I’m excited to see where this goes

[rena-rain]

...Smile the Brightest

The saddest people…

It’s that friend you never thought you’d have to worry about. The one with the infectious laugh. The one you don’t know is hiding the most pain.

Marinette realizes she should have been watching closer.

ao3 link

----

Marinette was struggling to keep her eyes open. Hawk Moth had decided three AM was an excellent time to release an akuma. The fight was over by three-twenty, but the adrenaline and nerves and general anxiety kept her awake much longer. She woke up frustrated and dead on her feet.

She was late for school and kept tripping over low walls and her own feet and fire hydrants she didn’t see because of her falling eyelids. It all culminated when she miscalculated where she walked and slammed her shoulder into the locker room door. She heard a stifled gasp. Marinette froze on instinct, listening. There was a moment of silence followed by a sudden series of hard, shuddering gasps.

Somebody was crying, and holed up in the locker room to hide it. Cautiously, Marinette turned the corner.

“Oh my god, Adrien!” She rushed to his side, knelt where he was curled up against the lockers with his face buried in this knees, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t reply, just cried harder. Heart in her stomach, Marinette wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Adrien tucked his head into her neck and gripped her tight. His body shook against hers. Hot tears spilled onto her skin.

Marinette had no idea how long they sat there on the cold ground as Adrien sobbed. It hurt to see him like this. But the only thing she could do was stay and stroke his hair, letting him cry himself out.

Once the tears petered out and his breathing became even, Adrien’s hold on her loosened. His form went slack. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Marinette looked down at him in shock. “Sorry? Don’t be silly - not, not that you’re silly! I mean - you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m here for you when you need me.”

Adrien closed his eyes. “Thank you, Marinette.”

A few minutes passed with neither of them moving. Finally she asked, “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It made you cry.”

“I’m just tired.” Adrien pulled away and gave her a wan smile. “I didn’t sleep much last night and I just got set off easily today.”

He stood and pulled her to her feet, too. Marinette fiddled with her backpack strap. “Adrien...you don’t have to tell me. But if you ever want to or just need someone to listen - ”

The school bell interrupted her. Did they just miss all of homeroom?

Adrien surprised her with a quick hug. “I appreciate it, Marinette. Really.” Students filed in to get their books for their next class and Adrien released her and walked away, leaving Marinette frozen in her hailstorm of emotions.

“ Girl. ” Alya jolted her to her senses. “Did I just see Adrien hugging you? Did you and Adrien skip class together? Oh my gosh, tell me everything, spare no details.”

Oh, shoot. Alya thought she’d walked in on a … romantic overture. “No, no, it wasn’t like that. I was late and Adrien was already here…” she trailed off. It wasn’t her place to tell anyone Adrien had been upset. He obviously wanted to keep that on the down low, and he’d never trust her if she blabbed about walking in on him in tears , even if it was just her best friend, who was his best friend’s girlfriend, so Nino would probably find -

“Then what was it?”

“I shouldn’t say. It’s kind of private.”

Alya’s face fell for a moment. It wasn’t in her nature to just let things go, especially stuff involving her friends. Then she shrugged and grinned. “I get it. I’m happy you guys are getting closer, at least.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“I’ve got notes from Ms. Bustier’s class this morning I can send you. Did you hear about the akuma last night? I slept through the whole thing, I’m so bummed…”

It was hard not to get excited when Alya was excited; her enthusiasm was infectious. Marinette loved having her as her best friend.

-

Marinette’s phone went off at eight that evening. It was a text from Adrien.

Adrien: Thank you for staying with me this morning.

Adrien: Is your offer to talk still on the table?

Marinette: Of course.

He didn’t respond for a while. The text bubble appeared and disappeared several times. Marinette bit her tongue anxiously.

Adrien: It’s stupid. As I was leaving the house this morning I heard my father yelling in his office. I think he was on the phone or something. Usually I can just ignore it and I thought I did but then Chloe yelled my name this morning and I just kind of lost it.

Marinette: This happens a lot?

Adrien: No, I normally have better control of myself.

Marinette: No no I meant the yelling.

Adrien: Sometimes I guess. Not like all the time but enough that it shouldn’t catch me off guard like that.

Marinette: It’s not stupid at all! Hearing your dad like that must feel awful.

Another five minutes passed before he responded. It only took two for Marinette to start spiralling.

“Oh my god, Tikki, did I say something wrong?”

Tikki looked at the phone. “Doesn’t look like it to me.”

“What if I accidentally offended him? What if he thinks I’m a bad friend and he never talks to me again?”

Her phone chimed.

Adrien: It does.

Adrien: It really does.

-

The next day Marinette met her friends to find them all cheery as ever. Adrien was laughing with Nino and Alya, looking like nothing could ever get under his skin.

He gave her a one-armed hug in greeting and her entire being immediately lit on fire. Alya smirked at her knowingly.

She kept one eye on Adrien for the rest of the school day. She noticed he seemed a little subdued when he had to go home for lunch but otherwise he seemed fine. Good, even. He laughed, he bantered with his classmates, he helped Rose study for their physics exam, he listened to a new mixtape Nino had made.

Maybe his bout of crying had been a one-time thing after all. Maybe she shouldn’t be worried.

He texted her again later that night.

Adrien: Can I ask you something?

Marinette: Yeah go ahead, anything

Adrien: How often do your parents eat dinner with you?

Marinette blanched at the question.Where did that come from?

Marinette: It kinda depends on how busy they are with the bakery.

Marinette: Like a lot of days, tonight was just me and my mom. But I get both my mom and dad a few times a week.

Adrien: I wish I had that. I’m lucky if I see my father two days in a row.

Marinette: Well, I’m sure my parents would love to have you over sometime if you’re eating alone.

Adrien: I don’t want to intrude

Marinette: I’d have to ask them first, but I don’t see them saying no.

Adrien: I doubt he’ll let me go out. But we’ll see.

Adrien: You’re an awesome friend, you know?

Marinette: That means a lot coming from you.

-

A couple things changed from then on.

First was a slight shift in Adrien’s behavior at school. He made a habit of touching her in a dozen small ways every day. A hand squeeze. A friendly side hug. A brush of fingers when he hands her a pen. Sitting next to her with their thighs lightly pressed together. Bumping her shoulder when he makes a silly joke. The contact flustered her at first, but with each day that passed she drew more comfort from his touches. Adrien was only touchy-feely with his friends. Marinette hoped this meant he trusted her.

Second, Adrien texted her every night without fail. Sometimes he just sent her a fashion-related meme that made her giggle and said goodnight. Usually they talked about their days, teachers and homework, Marinette’s projects and Adrien’s extra lessons. After some coaxing, he sent her a recording of an original piano piece he was composing. It was a little rough but the melody brimmed with emotion and it brought tears to her eyes. She saved the audio file and told him it sounded beautiful.

Marinette: I’d love to hear the later versions as you work on it

Adrien: Absolutely! I send you another recording once it’s finished.

Marinette: Would you be willing to play it for me in person?

Adrien: :) we’ll see

The more they talked, the more convinced Marinette became that Adrien wore happiness like a mask. She caught glimpses of sadness in his texts; she inferred he wasn’t happy at home. It wasn’t surprising. Whenever Adrien talked about his dad it was about his absence or his making all of Adrien’s decisions for him.

One late night he really opened up to her.

Adrien: I think I might hate him

Marinette: Your dad?

Adrien: Awful, right?

Marinette: Definitely

Adrien: Yeah. I feel like such a shitty son. I shouldn’t hate my own father.

Marinette: Wait no no no no no!

Marinette: I didn’t mean YOU were awful!

Marinette: You’re wonderful Adrien it’s just that you hate him is awful

Marinette: Ugh

Marinette: I meant the SITUATION is awful. I thought that’s what you meant. It sucks that you’re in this position.

Adrien: You’re right. It sucks.

Marinette: What brought this on now?

Adrien: Maybe hate isn’t the right word. More like resent. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail for every ounce of freedom he’s given me. I have to make an appointment with his assistant just to talk to him.

Adrien: Yet he controls every second of my day and I never even see him

Marinette: Is that why you snuck out to see your mom’s film last year?

Adrien: Yeah. We ended up watching it together at home. I remember he said I should’ve trusted him.

Adrien: He’d told me to schedule a meeting time with Nathalie. He couldn’t stop working for five minutes to hear me out

Adrien: It was just “not now, go practice your piano, Adrien”

Adrien: How exactly does that give me the opportunity to trust him?

Marinette: It doesn’t.

Adrien: I want to. My mother’s gone. He’s my only family.

Marinette typed a response. Then deleted it. Started a different response and backspaced halfway through the message. She wanted to make him feel better. She wanted to throw a Lucky Charm in the air and magically fix everything wrong in his life. A memory perked up, something her dad had told her.

He’d said, “You can’t fix all your loved ones’ problems. Sometimes the most important thing is to affirm that the situation is bad and let them know they’re not alone.”

Marinette: I’m so sorry, Adrien. That must be really hard.

Adrien: I’m sorry for unloading all that on you.

Marinette: No

Marinette: Thank you for trusting me.

-

On Friday morning, the bell rang, signalling all the students to move on to their next class. Alya turned to Marinette as they got up and packed their school supplies. “Hey M, wanna do a sleepover tonight?”

“Oh I’d love to!” Marinette replied happily. God knows she could use a break with her best friend. “Your place?”

“Actually, can I come over to yours this time? I could use a night away from home.”

“Something wrong?”

Alya chuckled as they walked into the crowded school corridor. “Nah, just too many sisters. It gets crowded and noisy and girl, I cannot watch the Ladybug cartoon again. ”

Marinette giggled. “Because of you, I savor being an only child. Let me call my mom and dad, I’ll leave them a message.”

Truth be told, Marinette could use the distraction. Adrien’s dual personality made her worried sick. He acted like the same Adrien he always had, though they’d become closer now. He was helpful, and quiet, and funny, and bright...a ray of sunshine that made her feel warm whenever he was near. At night when she struggled with the homework he called and talked her through the assignment. He texted her screenshots of animal memes all the time. (Her favorite was a picture of a squirrel that looked like it was water-bending. The one of a Labrador holding a glove by the middle finger had made her spit out her water in shock.)

But some nights...some nights, everything he kept dammed up inside him trickled through the cracks. He couldn’t even admit he was annoyed without two apologies and a self-flagellating monologue.

She felt like a bad friend. But Marinette needed one night of complication-free friendship.

-

After school Alya went home to pack an overnight bag then came straight back to the bakery, looking ready to chill for hours. But Friday or not Friday, Marinette insisted they get as much homework done as they could before dinner. Alya complained that they had the whole weekend and she felt exhausted but Marinette knew if she didn’t start now then she wouldn’t start until Sunday night and she refused to get grounded again and besides what if Hawk Moth chose that exact moment to set loose an akuma on the city?

Predictably, when Tom called them down for dinner Alya leapt out of her chair and vanished through the trapdoor before he could finish speaking.

Despite what she’d said earlier that day, Marinette sometimes wished she had a sister or a brother. She loved her parents, but the dinner table always felt a little fuller and livelier with a friend there, too. For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness when she saw her mom kiss the crown of Alya’s head before sitting down; it made her think how much Adrien probably needed that.

(She still thanked God there were no screaming babies or toddlers waking her up in the middle of the night.)

The girls did the dishes since Tom and Sabine had cooked - not to mention worked in the bakery all day - and spent as much time scrubbing as flicking soap bubbles at each other.

Out of the blue, Alya asked, “Marinette, have you ever played poker?”

“Umm...no?”

“Wanna learn?”

“Girls.” Sabine chose that moment to walk into the kitchen with her tea. “I’d advise against it. Gambling can be very addictive, I don’t want you to get in the habit of betting away your money,” Sabine admonished. “Marinette, you’re allowance is for you to practice managing your finances.”

“I mean, we can play without putting precious euros on the line.” Alya’s eyes lit up. “Hey Mme. D-C, how many leftover pastries does the bakery have today?”

Alya was a genius. She dealt the cards while Marinette divided up the sweets into their pseudo-currency. Marinette couldn’t shuffle for the life of her; the one time she tried it turned into a game of 52 pick-up. But her eye for strategy translated into cards as well as video games. After she won four hands in a row Alya pouted at her about beginner’s luck and “I’ll beat you so hard when you’re not new anymore,” making them both laugh.

-

Saturday morning, Marinette woke up to find herself as Alya’s new teddy bear. The blatant, subconscious affection warmed Marinette’s heart. With winter approaching and the weather getting colder, Alya’d gotten more cuddly the last few sleepovers.

She batted her hand around until it found her phone to check the time. Two messages glowed from her lockscreen, from 9:15 and 9:26 last night.

Adrien: Hey, are you awake?

Adrien: Sorry, you’re probably sleeping, I hope I’m not bothering you.

Marinette squeaked, then slapped her hand over her mouth. Alya thankfully didn’t stir. She unlocked the phone and started typing.

Marinette: God, I’m so sorry Adrien! Alya slept over last night and I just wasn’t paying attention to my phone - I promise I’m not ignoring you!

Adrien: No worries, it’s cool. Did you have fun?

Marinette: We stayed up too late watching old movies and playing blackjack. Right now she’s still asleep and has me in a death grip.

Marinette: Did your evening go okay?

Adrien: It was fine. Not as exciting as yours :)

Did a smiley face emoticon mean he was actually smiling? Or was it just a simpler smile to hide behind over the phone? God, she’d do anything to make Adrien smile.

-

Days passed. A week passed.

Nino and Marinette managed to snag Adrien on one of his evenings off. According to him, convincing his father to let him go to dinner with friends had been like pulling teeth, even though they never ate together anyway. But in the end he’d relented, so Adrien spent the evening being smothered by Marinette’s parents while Marinette watched with a red face and Nino sang praises to Tom Dupain-Cheng’s cooking. She’d rarely seen him so animated before. Something in Adrien just came alive. He shamelessly entertained Tom with horrible, horrible puns (that left Nino, Marinette and Sabine) groaning into their food. He talked to Sabine in Mandarin while she gently corrected his pronunciation. He even loosened up enough for Nino to shoot a grape into his mouth, though Nino was quickly admonished for encouraging childish behavior at the table that should really be reserved for the kitchen.

The only thing that could have made that night more perfect was if Alya could’ve joined them, but she’d been home sick with the flu.

-

Two weeks passed.

Marinette wasn’t sleeping well. She had nights like that, when no matter what she did she just wouldn’t drift off. Adrien hadn’t responded to her texts, so she hoped he was just asleep. She was passing the time bundled up in a warm coat and blanket on her terrace, knitting a new sweater for her mom.

She startled at the movement in her peripheral vision. A certain leather-clad superhero was perched on her railing, tail swishing agitatedly. He leapt to the floor and landed on his feet.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here?”

“I...I…” he swallowed. “Alya Cesaire’s your best friend, right? The ladyblogger?”

That was incredibly low on the list of things Marinette expected him to say. “Yeah.”

“I saw her jump off a building tonight. I caught her at the last second and took her to the hospital, but she has some bruises and a broken rib.”

They stared at each other in silence. Moments stretched into minutes.

“She jumped?” The words were hardly a whisper.

Chat nodded.

“She tried to...to kill herself? No. No no no nonononono…”

Marinette yanked at her pigtails. She wasn’t looking at Chat Noir anymore but she did hear his soft voice. “If I weren’t there...I wouldn’t believe it either.”

“ Why? Why would Alya…” Chat seemed to understand what she needed. He held her tightly to his chest, arms around her waist and back while she muttered and stared at nothing in shock.

It would not surprise her if they’d stood like that for hours, smushed together and silent, while Marinette slowly came to terms with what she’d heard. It didn’t make sense. But this was Chat Noir. Her partner whom she trusted implicitly. He would never lie to her, he would never just make this up.

“You’re sure she didn’t just fall? She definitely jumped?” Her voice cut through the silence like a dagger.

“She jumped.”

But Alya would never do this. She was too…

...happy.

Alya was too happy.

The realization hit her like a bullet train. Whatever was going on, she’d been hiding it from the world this whole time.

For the first time Marinette sobbed. She pounded her fists on Chat Noir’s chest. “I’m her best friend! How did I not know? She should’ve told me she felt so bad, she - I can’t believe - I’ve been so blind, why didn’t I notice anything? Why didn’t I NOTICE anything? She needed me!”

They sank to the wooden floor of her terrace while she cried.

And cried more. She cried so hard at some point she started screaming. Her parents, well-attuned to their daughter’s distress, burst through the trap door.

“What’s happened? What’s going on? Marinette, oh dear, what’s wrong?”

Chat Noir gently transferred Marinette to her mother. “It’s delicate, Mssr. and Mme. Dupain-Cheng. I caught a jumper while I was on patrol tonight, and, um. It was Marinette’s friend, Alya Cesaire. She’s alive and in the hospital.”

Marinette heard Sabine gasp.

“I apologize for dropping this on her so late at night. I should’ve waited.”

When he let out a surprised mew, Marinette peeked over her mom’s shoulder. Tom had scooped up Chat Noir in a hug. “You saved my little girl’s best friend. Thank you, Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir looked miserable. Marinette tried to imagine being in his shoes, if she were out patrolling as Ladybug and spotted someone - a teenager her age, no less - try to jump to their death. She wouldn’t want to hear thanks after catching that person, either.

-

Nino did not take the news well.

Mme. Cesaire had called him and told him Alya was hospitalized. The next morning, at school, he was in a right state, frantic that his girlfriend’s mom sounded so upset and so cagey on the phone and no one was telling him anything.

Marinette bore the burden of sitting him down and explaining. It was a tough choice: she wanted to respect Alya’s privacy, but Alya keeping to herself got them there in the first place. He was her friend, too. She couldn’t leave him in the dark and let not knowing drive him mad.

Maybe not knowing would have been better.

Nino buried his face in his hands. “I should’ve known, I should’ve known, I should’ve known…”

Marinette and Adrien patted his back. “None of us saw it coming, bud. She hid it really well.”

“That’s just it though! I knew something was wrong. And you know what I did? Nothing. Jack lotta good I’ve done as her boyfriend.”

“Nino, please don’t blame yourself,” Marinette pleaded.

“Marinette, she’s been, like, pulling away from me. I thought she was getting ready to dump me, but I got too scared and selfish to see she needed - ”

Marinette grabbed his cheeks and forced him to look at her. “It’s. Not. Your. Fault.”

Nino shook her off and walked away. “I need some air.”

Marinette looked at Adrien desperately. “He shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Honestly, some space might help.” Adrien leaned forward on the bench, elbows on his knees and fingers knitted together. “It’ll give him time to process things.”

“No, Adrien, Nino is a prime akuma target right now. That is the last thing he needs today.”

“Oh. Oh shit. Yeah, I’ll go keep an eye on him.”

-

After school, once he’d made sure Nino wouldn’t blow his lid if he left him alone, Adrien went with Marinette to the hospital. The front desk accepted that they were family without pause; it made Marinette antsy about the security around here.

She turned to Adrien. “Why isn’t Nino coming too?”

“He’s still really upset,” Adrien said. His eyes were sad and kind of hard. “He needs to process and get his head on straight before he tries to talk to her.”

She didn’t reply, just kept walking.

Nora stood outside Alya’s hospital room like a bouncer. “Nope.”

“If she’s awake, it might help her to see a friend.”

“Alya’s extremely sick right now, pigtails. She’s probably asleep anyways.”

Marinette stood her ground. “I know why she’s here, Anansi.”

Nora snorted. “In a hospital? Gee, I wonder.”

“No. I know what happened. I know what she tried to do.”

Nora’s eyes narrowed in obvious fury. She looked between Adrien and Marinette. “Who told you? Did that mangy Mr. Whiskers go blabbing about my little sister?”

“No! No, Chat Noir isn’t like that. I’m the only one he told - last night when he landed on my terrace. Plus, this is the psych ward. What did you think I was going to think?”

Adrien backed her up. “No one should be isolated when they’re feeling like this.”

“Be honest, you two. Did you have any, even a minuscule suspicion that Alya was depressed?”

Shame-faced, they both shook their heads no. Molten coal burned in Marinette’s stomach and her face.

“Then what do you possibly think you could do to help? Please, just leave.”

“But Marinette is - ”

“Adrien, let’s just go.” Marinette gently tugged him away and down the hall. She whipped out her phone and sent him a text.

Marinette: Could you cause a distraction so I can get inside?

Their eyes met. He nodded slightly. He went back while Marinette kept going and turned a corner.

She didn’t know what he did, exactly, or at all. Marinette heard a squeak, some yelling, the pounding of running footsteps, then more people running. Nora appeared, being dragged by two security guards toward the exit. Her face was maroon with fury.

Marinette jogged back to the hospital room door. “What did you do?”

“She was already on edge. It didn’t take much to get her to make a racket.” He shrugged. “I’m not proud of it.”

Marinette reached for the handle. She didn’t turn it. Her fingers hardened into marble around the metal.

A warm hand covered hers (completely covered - his hands were so big!) and Adrien helped her turn the handle and push open the door. She looked at him to find their faces inches apart.

“Good luck,” he breathed. Marinette’s heart ached. She tore her eyes away from his and went inside.

-

Alya looked like hell. She was buried under a pile of white blankets, lying in a white bed, wearing a white hospital gown. The only color was the red in her hair. Her glasses were gone.

“What are you doing here, Marinette?”

Marinette paused. “I’m not sure. I want to help?” Alya snorted. The sound was sharp, derisive, mean, alien coming from her throat. “I know I can’t. So I guess I want to ask why. Why did you do it? How long - ”

“I didn’t plan it, not really! It’s not like I got up and decided ‘Today is the day I’m going to off myself.’ Something about last night - I ran out of options, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Marinette had no idea what to say. She felt so out of her depth. Alya was experiencing something she couldn’t ever imagine, and that was the understatement of the century.

Alya decided to keep talking, her voice a little quieter now. “I couldn’t sleep so I went out for a walk. I’ve wanted to die so many times, I can’t even count. Usually,” Alya took a shuddering breath, “usually I just ride it out and the wanting kind of passes and I can tolerate it all again. But for some reason I followed through this time.

“I’ve felt like I’m going crazy, Marinette. I can’t make sense of it.”

Marinette peppered Alya’s forehead with kisses. “Of course it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t have to make sense. I love you.”

Alya scooted to her right and patted the bed. Marinette climbed in next to her. Alya took a deep breath then started talking.

“It’s like I’m empty. I feel like everything’s been drained out of me and there’s nothing but a vacuum left inside. And it hurts. Did you know feeling nothing hurts? Everything’s numb but it’s horrible pain like getting slowly crushed under a giant rock.

“In a way I already feel dead. Like I’m a body pretending to be the person I was, just going through the motions. I need it to end, Marinette. I’m so sick of just feeling nothing. The worst part is after finally talking about all of this, I don’t feel any better.”

Marinette held Alya close. “We’ll get you help. This feeling can’t last forever, and we can get you help. Just please, please be patient. And for now I’m just...I’m here. I hear you.”

She’d planned to stay as Alya fell asleep, but Marinette ended up drifting off. When she stirred, her best friend was still breathing.

[nobodyfamousposts]

What's the CoN timeline??

I’m going to try to clear this up and work out the kinks so bear with me.

The Clash of Noir timeline is as follows:

This AU starts out in the plot of the 2D Miraculous Ladybug where Felix Agreste is the Black Cat. For Felix, the ring is cursed and he can’t remove it. So he’s stuck with bad luck and forced to become Chat Noir, but he hates it and needs a kiss from Ladybug in order to break this curse. He only works with Ladybug and attempts to woo her in order to get her to kiss him.

Ladybug eventually finds out this little secret of Chat Noir’s and is heartbroken because she at least thought they were partners. Figuring it would hurt less if she just let him go, she kisses him and breaks his curse, revealing him to be Felix (AKA, the boy she was crazy in love with). Felix immediately abandons his position of Chat Noir and Ladybug is forced to fight alone from then on.

Eventually, the akumas get to be too much for her to handle alone and in an assault on the school, Ladybug is killed in an attempt to protect Felix, revealing herself as Marinette and dying in Felix’s arms. Horrified, Felix attempts to use the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous to fix things.

A new timeline is created.

Felix wakes up in the past before he ever got his ring, but discovers he doesn’t exist and that instead there’s another boy named Adrien Agreste living his life. Felix takes this as a second chance and is intent on protecting Marinette and preventing that bad future from happening again.

Felix doesn’t trust any version of himself and is worried Adrien will take his place and repeat the events from the bad future. He still has some form of his “bad luck” powers and decides to determine his own successor to the Ring.

He realizes Hawk Moth is bound to attack soon and attempts to regain the Ring and keep Marinette away from Adrien. He fails in both.

Cue events from Stoneheart’s attack. Adrien gets the Ring and becomes Chat. And Marinette still ends up falling in love with Adrien.

Felix continues to attempt to push Marinette away from Adrien. This doesn’t work as he intends. Marinette continues to harbor feelings for Adrien, but Felix at least ends up causing her to temper them so they’re not as debilitating as what we see in the 3D canon.

Felix also keeps an eye on Adrien to judge whether he should be allowed to continue as Chat Noir. His juvenile antics and tendency to needlessly take hits and get himself in trouble are of great concern. In the meantime, Felix has left an impression on Adrien. And over time, hearing some of Felix’s opinions about Chat Noir’s behavior causes Adrien to temper himself and take fighting more seriously.

While watching Adrien, Felix is also searching for an appropriate replacement to be the new Chat Noir. Nathaniel? No, he doesn’t quite fit. Alya? Too much trouble. Luka? Certainly an option. Kagami? She has the fighting spirit for it.

Felix fails to realize that he’s having an impact on people or akuma fights. He continues to intervene behind the scenes in several akuma battles in an attempt to protect Ladybug, but is having trouble due to being a normal civilian.

Fu notices this intruder and his strange dark aura. He realizes that Felix does not “belong” and chooses to keep an eye on him.

Princess Fragrance — Felix steps in to assist in aiding Prince Ali while Marinette is trying to get Tikki healed. Because of Felix’s interference, Prince Ali is able to avoid being caught. Chat Noir still gets hit with the perfume and becomes Princess Fragrance’s servant. He attempts to capture the two, but Felix manages to take him down and knock him out. Felix takes the Ring and traps Adrien in a closet. This allows a short reunion between Felix and Plagg—who reveals he remembers everything about the previous timeline. Felix transforms to become Chat again (temporarily) in order to help keep Princess Fragrance at bay. When Ladybug arrives, she KNOWS this isn’t her Chat Noir, but he’s all the help she has at this point so she is forced to work with him. She is surprised that his powers are very different—bad luck instead of pure destruction. They still manage to take out Princess Fragrance and end the battle. Felix does not reveal himself. He doesn’t have the time or inclination to explain things to Ladybug at this point and assures her that the previous Chat Noir will remain the Black Cat (for now). He goes back to where he left Adrien and returns the Ring, but warns Adrien that he will be watching him.

OPTIONAL (This was thought up before the reveal about the Peacock Miraculous being damaged): Felix eventually realizes he cannot continue as he is. At some point, possibly during Bubbler or Simon Says, Volpina (after Adrien sneaks in and takes the book), or alternatively on a completely different occasion altogether, he manages to sneak into the office and get the Peacock Miraculous from the safe. He replaces it with a fake.

OPTIONAL: Volpina happens differently. Tikki still notices and stresses about the book. Marinette is angry over Lila’s lies. It’s not even because she’s jealous over Adrien—she is just outright FURIOUS that Lila is lying about her and trying to manipulate Adrien based on that. She goes to confront her during her little “date” with Adrien in the park. Felix interferes and stops her. Something is wrong. Marinette wasn’t like this before. In the previous timeline when it came to Volpina, she had privately confronted Lila kindly but sternly about her lies to warn her of the danger she was putting herself in, NOT just go up to Lila and try to out her in public. That’s…not how Marinette is. But when Ladybug expresses being upset due to Lila lying, Felix is horrified. Marinette was never this reactive about lies before—it’s an echo of the previous timeline and a remainder of the impact HE had on her because of his betrayal. Because he LIED to her before. He’s horrified because even removing himself from existence couldn’t erase the harm he caused her. He encourages her to focus on getting the book and swears to deal with Lila himself. Ladybug is uncertain, but is calmer now (albeit mostly out of confusion) and agrees. Felix is the one to confront Lila in front of Adrien and call her out. Ladybug takes this opportunity to search the trashcan and take the book. She may or may not be seen, but regardless Felix is able to disprove Lila’s claim. Lila storms off, gets akumatized, and naturally targets Felix.

Felix uses the opportunity that Lila and her lies present to try to convince Marinette that Adrien really isn’t that wonderful or amazing as she thinks if he’s stupid enough to blindly trust Lila’s words. Marinette is left questioning. She retains her crush on Adrien, but there are doubts there.

After Volpina, Felix calls out Chat Noir on not trusting his partner. Instead of accusing her of being jealous, he should have taken her suspicions into account. He makes a point to highlight how unlikely it was that a meteor would just appear out of nowhere to nearly destroy the city when none of the space-monitoring agencies were aware. Of how convenient this happened JUST IN TIME for a new hero to appear. How this new hero’s first words—the VERY FIRST thing she said was that she was the ONLY HERO Paris needs. Of why on Earth the super villain who had been hiding in the shadows and turning people into monsters would suddenly make an appearance with no reason. Of how Chat COULDN’T put two and two together that the angry girl who had just been outed as a fake in front of him was very likely turned into an akuma because of it so she could parade as a hero to make her lies true. Come ON!

Chat/Adrien is defensive about this, but can’t deny the point made. He makes more of an effort to be more supportive of Ladybug. While he still questions her at points, he doesn’t dismiss her out of hand like that again.

Collector — Felix is the one to return the book to Gabriel. There is…a tension there. Gabriel doesn’t know what to think of it and doesn’t understand why he seems to recognize this boy when he has never met him. Felix merely returns the book and leaves. He doesn’t know Gabriel is Hawk Moth, but his father was never much of a father to him. And his having the book and Peacock Miraculous is still suspicious.

Fu decides to have a chat with this stranger. Either he approaches Felix or Felix has finally tracked him down—if it’s the latter, it will be because Fu LET Felix find him…

Felix is encouraged to reveal the truth about the original timeline and what happened. He explains his history—that he was Chat Noir, that he was cursed when he found Plagg, and how he only agreed to help the city in order to find a way to save himself. He reveals how Ladybug discovered his secret and kissed him just to put an end to the charade. And he goes on to tell the tragedy of how it killed her in the end.

He gritted his teeth at the memory.

“Ladybug fell. And the world followed.”

The man hummed to himself, processing that information with what Felix felt was nowhere near the appropriate level of concern. “And what of Chat Noir?”

He tensed. Because wasn’t that just what it all came back to?

“He…”

He thought back to her final broken smile, his own selfishness, and a kiss that both fixed and destroyed everything.

“He wasn’t there.“

“Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“I wasn’t there.”

Fu is…not happy to hear about what happened in the original timeline.

Fu ends up acting as a sort of mentor and advisor to Felix. He understands Felix’s concern, but doesn’t believe Felix understands why he made the choice he did when picking Adrien. He asks Felix to let him judge whether Adrien remains a suitable choice of being Chat Noir before taking away the Ring.

Felix is hesitant, but agrees.

Ultimately, the end result of this AU isn’t that Adrien loses the right to be Chat (though that’s not to say there aren’t branches where he could if he messes up badly enough), but that he grows into a better Chat Noir precisely BECAUSE Felix was there.

Think of the second Lego Movie and what Rex says at the end:

“It’s okay. I’m proud of you. You’re going to grow up to be better than me. But…kind of thanks to me, so I’m also great.”

[votederpycausemufins]

Red: ch. 14 Scarlet

this is cross posted on Ao3 (my username is causemufins)

Chloé needs to fight Marinette as a new ladybug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Chloé quickly put in the ladybug earrings. They felt different than the copies she sometimes wore, almost like there was a slight tingle of electricity flowing between them and her skin.

    Looking up, the blonde saw Tikki phase through the nearby wall of the closet Chloé was hiding in knowing she would be transforming soon. “Alright, so I know it’s buzz on for the bee miraculous but what is it for you?”

    “You need to say spots on. I believe you know the rest.”

    “Yeah. Lucky Charm for the object, catch the akuma in the yo-yo, Miraculous Ladybug for changing everything back, right?”

    Tikki nodded before Chloe said the transformation phrase. Moments later, she had become the new ladybug hero and burst out of the closet to get to the classroom. She quickly made her way into where the other students were, seeing them in a panic, and she started to look around for the akuma. No one was akumatized just yet, so getting the butterfly now would be useful. The problem was, she couldn’t see it.

    “Ladybug! We saw an- wait, you’re not Ladybug.” Nino was the first to approach Chloé. “Where’s Ladybug and who are you?”

    Chloé kept looking around the room as she replied. “Ladybug isn’t available. She gave me the earrings to be a temporary holder. I haven’t figured out the name yet because right now we have other things to deal with.”

    Then she saw it. The black butterfly was moving towards the side of the class where Lila was. Chloé wasn’t going to let that girl get akumatized again, so she quickly grabbed her yo-yo. Unfortunately Lila noticed the akuma at the same time and reached to grab it. Chloé watched in horror as everything seemed to slow down. Lila’s hand went towards the butterfly. Alya saw too and went to stop Lila but was too far away. Lila’s hand was right around the butterfly and… she just barely missed and the akuma went through the wall of the classroom.

    Alya, Lila and Chloé both stared at the wall. Alya was the first to realize what that meant and immediately shouted the answer. “It’s going for Marinette!”

    The entire class looked over at Alya as Chloé ran out of the room at the same time. She had to get there before the butterfly did. Unfortunately, while it could go through whatever it pleased, Chloé had to go around any walls and such. Because of that, she ended up getting to Marinette just as it went into purse.

    Chloé couldn’t help but shout as the butterfly symbol appeared around Marinette’s face. “Marinette! Fight it! I know you can!”

    With both Chloé and Jagged Stone there, Marinette was doing her best to ignore Hawkmoth, but it was still hard. Chloé may have been able to fight off Hawkmoth to the point it impressed others, but her feelings weren’t the same as everyone else’s. Marinette had been suffering longer so her negative emotions were stronger.

    Chloé stared a bit longer at Marinette before shaking her head to clear her mind. Marinette was fighting it so she could break the purse now. Quickly she rushed to the designer’s side and pulled away her purse before tearing it apart. Or at least she tried. Chloé could tell the transformation made her stronger, definitely strong enough that she should be able to destroy the purse, but it wasn’t breaking. Then out of nowhere, Marinette yanked the purse back before transforming, causing Chloé to jump back.

    Marinette’s skin became a powder pink color. The sclera of her eye changed from white to a bright hot pink with her irises becoming a dark indigo color. A black mask appeared on her face and her pigtails had grown much longer with hot pink bows replacing her red hair ties. She wore a short pink dress that was deep raspberry color with accents of black and hot pink. Under the skirt were light pink ruffles in multiple layers, making the skirt poof out. Around her waist was a black corset with hot pink ribbons crossing in the front making a small bow near the top. Her shoes seemed to be high heels that were black that seemed to move into a full body suit under the dress that extended to her arms and into a fingerless glove style. Her purse had grows to quadruple its normal size and was the same raspberry color of the dress with light pink frills and a black strap.

    “Marinette…” Chloé said sadly. Before she had started to turn around and try to be nicer, there were times where she was nervous about Marinette becoming an akuma. Chloé had had a number of akumatized people come after her, but Marinette would have had negative feelings that were piled up over the years. Now it was finally here, and surprisingly she wasn’t the target. Well, as the new Ladybug she was, but the true target was the rest of the class.

    “My name is Needle Point. You and I don’t have to fight if you give me your miraculous now. Being new, you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

    Chloé shook her head. “I may not be Ladybug, but I’m going to stop you. Because… I’m Scarlet Lady! And it’s my job!”

    Needle Point scoffed and reached into her bag, pulling out a giant needle that shouldn’t have actually fit inside, and then wielding it like a sword. “Have it your way!” The needle slashed down, but Scarlet was pulled out of the way.

    “Wait, you’re not Ladybug.” Chat Noir looked at Scarlet in confusion. “Where is she?”

    Scarlet pushed Chat away. “I’m Scarlet Lady. I’m filling in for Ladybug because she’s… unavailable.”

    Chat pouted, making Scarlet shove him over. “Look, I’ve never been a supporter of you and Ladybug getting together. Honestly, I think she deserves better than a mangy cat like you. But like it or not, you have been working together since the beginning so I need your help.”

    “Alright then. Can I call you Scar?” Chat asked, getting up and brushing himself off.

    “Fine, whatever. At least I’m not permanent. So how does this normally work?”

    Chat put a hand to his chin. “Well technically we just need the lucky charm to help us get to the akumatized object and break it, but getting to a point where we’re able to use it is the trick. Normally there’s civilians nearby or they’re not in the right place or sometimes we don’t have everything we need. I mean, the lucky charm is only part of the solution.”

    Scarlet nodded. “Alright. Well what I know is Marinette is the one akumatized. I believe you know her?”

    “Oh no! My purrincess has been akumatized?” Chat lamented.

    “Yes, and my best bet for who she’s after are Lila Rossi and possibly Adrien Agreste.”

    “What?” Chat Noir gave Scarlett a confused look. “I know about Lila Rossi and her lies, but why Adrien?”

    “Well he- at least I heard that Adrien has known about Lila’s lies and has done nothing to help Marinette.”

    “Well the lies weren’t hurting anyone, were they?”

    Scarlet’s jaw dropped and she stared at Chat Noir before slapping him. “You idiot! Not hurting anyone? First of all, lies can hurt a whole hell of a lot. Small ones, maybe, but when it leads to someone getting bullied? Of course it’s hurting them! Second of all, Marinette is akumatized right now! Lila’s lies caused this! Even if the lies didn’t do any physical harm, think of the emotional harm that happens when even your closest friends believe a liar over you! Especially when we have a villain that specifically goes after negative emotions!”

    Chat Noir opened his mouth to speak, but there was suddenly a sound of something whizzing through the air, leaving the two heroes only a moment to jump out of the way before multiple knitting needles impaled themselves in the wall.

    Turning to the direction they came from, Scarlet and Chat saw Needle Point walking towards them. “You thought you could ignore me? Just like everyone else? Push me to the side like I’m unimportant? Even as a villain am I not worth the bother?!”

    “No, we were actually discussing you. Chat here was the one who was dismissing you.” Scarlet replied with a gesture to the cat, who gave her a betrayed look.

    “Lucky for you, that sounds about right.” Needle Point conceded before pulling out a large ball of yarn with a few normal sized needles in it, keeping the ball from unravelling but still with a long piece of yarn free from the ball. As she tied a loop at the end of the string, Scarlet recognized it as the akuma’s version of a makeshift yo-yo. She quickly used her own to hit the ball away as it was flung towards Chat Noir, likely to tie him up.

    “Sorry Needle Point. I may hate him too, but I unfortunately need him. And apparently you need him too because of his miraculous. That makes me wonder, why are you helping Hawkmoth? Is he helping you?” Scarlet kept talking as Needle Point tried attacking. She may be Scarlet Lady now, but that didn’t mean she was experienced with using the powers. They weren’t quite the same as being Queen Bee. That meant she needed her natural skills, such as manipulation. It might not be as powerful as certain other people in the class, but it would hopefully be enough against Needle Point.

    “I’m getting my revenge against my class! I told them again and again that Lila was lying, but they didn’t listen to me, they only finally listened to Jagged Stone and even then it wasn’t my idea to bring him here!”

    Scarlet winced, knowing at least that last part was her fault. “So? If anything, they’ll be more upset at you now for helping Hawkmoth. You’re just making it worse!”

    That made Needle Point pause. Scarlet’s comment made sense. Hawkmoth wasn’t helping. “Then… Then I’ll just take them for myself! You don’t deserve them anyway! I’ve helped everyone and they never repay me! I should have the power of the miraculous for myself!”

    Scarlet mentally face palmed at how her idea had backfired. At least maybe not completely as a butterfly outline appeared around Needle Point’s face. Hawkmoth didn’t seem to like that his akuma wanted the miraculous for herself. As Needle talked with the villain, Scarlet grabbed Chat Noir’s arm and dragged him away. “Let’s round up her class so we can get them somewhere safe. Likely a few of them have already tried escaping, so we won’t have all of them, but the more we can find, the better, especially those few we saw.”

    “Um, well, I think I saw Adrien escaping already.” Chat mentioned, causing Scarlet to curse.

    “Of course. He is the kind of person who would want to avoid conflict at all costs.” Scarlet grumbled, not noticing Chat’s offended look. “You look for Lila then. I think I can round up the rest of the class. No, wait. Lila’s tricky. You deal with the class.”

    Scarlet raced off, looking for the liar. It fortunately didn’t take long, though that was because Needle Point had her already and moving a needle towards the girl’s arm. Quickly Scarlet’s yo-yo knocked the needle away. “Lila may be a terrible person, but maybe that’s a little much Marinette.”

    “It’s Needle Point, and she’s just getting what she deserves. But I can stop if you give me your miraculous.”

    “None of the villains Hawkmoth has created has ever beaten Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

    “But you’re not even Ladybug. Which means there’s more of a chance you’ll lose.”

    Scarlet gritted her teeth. Needle Point was right. She was new to being… well her. However, Needle didn’t know that she had experience with Miraculouses before. She didn’t even see to know Scarlet was really Chloé and that she herself was usually Ladybug.

    Scarlet at first wasn’t sure what more she could do, but then, looking at Lila, and idea struck her. “So, you hate Lila, but want to be on the same side as her?”

    Needle Point seemed to be taken aback at that. “Of course not! I would never want to work with her!”

    “So the fact that you’re working with Hawkmoth and she obviously works with him too doesn’t matter to you? I mean, she willingly went after the akuma that is now powering you up.”

    Needle Point was stunned. Really? Her working with Lila? That couldn’t be true. “No! I would never work with him!” Came Lila’s voice, making the villain stare at her. Lila was a liar. That meant she really was working with him, right? That meant…

    “NO! I refuse to work with her!” Needle Point shouted before throwing Lila across the room. The girl was caught by Chat accidently as he came into the room and happened to be standing in the area where Lila was thrown too.

    “Huh, never thought I would end up cat-ching you.”

    Lila scoffed and shoved away from Chat. Needle Point was upset at Chat for helping Lila, which didn’t help matters with him. Scarlet used the distraction to finally summon her Lucky Charm. A spotted purse that looked like Marinette’s standard purse minus the ladybug pattern. “Great… what do I do with this? Ladybug always knows so…” She looked around, nothing really standing out to her other than the purse itself. Scarlet noticed the clasp on the purse and opened it. Inside was a small sketchbook, a few pencils, a bracelet and a small doll of Tikki. She looked between the various items, a little overwhelmed with how many pieces there were. “The bracelet? The sketchbook? Which thing do I use?”

    “Do you know what to do Scarlet?” Chat called as he dealt with Neele Point.

    “I’m trying here!” Scared let yelled back, then she thought of something. “Hey Needle! Look at this.”

    The villain looked over at Scarlet angrily then in horror as the hero started to tear the sketchbook up. “No! How dare you!” Needle Point started to move towards Scarlet but the hero wagged her finger. “Come closer and I break it faster.”

    Needle Point didn’t seem to care and pounced at Scarlet, who jumped out of the way and finished tearing the sketchbook up. She quickly pulled out the pencils, snapping them in half. That caused Needle Point to become even angrier, but she froze as Scarlet pulled out the doll version of Tikki and tore the head off of the body. The villain kept staring, frozen in place, even as Chat Noir called for his cataclysm and destroyed the purse.

    The purple and black energy from the akumatization dissipated from Needle Point as she changed back to Marinette. Quickly, Scarlet caught the butterfly and purified it. She then stuffed the broken items into the purse and was about to use it to activate the miraculous ladybugs, but she hadn’t used the bracelet. She stared at it for a moment before realizing Adrien had one like this as well. It was a sign of their friendship, though they didn’t really have it any more. But maybe it could be a different sign.

    Scarlet went over and knelt on the ground next to Marinette. “Here. I believe I’ve seen you with one of these before.”

    Marinette stared at the bracelet. “Yeah, but I don’t really want it. It isn’t important.” Scarlet could hear the unsaid ‘anymore’

    “Well it can again. You need new friends. Take this to mean that I can be there for you.”

    Marinette stared at Scarlet then took the bracelet. Scarlet then stood up and threw the rest of the lucky charm into the air, fixing all the damage, and unfortunately making Marinette’s piece of the lucky charm disappear. Next to Scarlet, Chat held his fist up, which Scarlet mirrored.

    “Pound it. Nah doesn’t feel the same with you.” Chat commented. “Wait, you said you would be there for Marinette, but even though you didn’t say who you were she seemed to know. How does she-” He didn’t get a chance to continue as Scarlet’s earing beeped, going down to one spot. “You better go hide to change back.”

    Scarlet nodded and rushed back to the closet, getting in there and closing the door just as she changed back. “That… was close.” Chloé panted.

    “You did really well Chloé!” Tikki praised the blonde.

    “Thanks.” she replied reaching for the earrings, but stopping just before taking one off.

    “Chloé, we need to get the miraculous back to Marinette.” Tikki pleaded.

    “No, not yet.” the blonde shook her head. “The one time Marinette is akumatized is the same time someone else is Ladybug? That’s just asking for Hawkmoth to figure out who she is. I need to be Scarlet Lady at least once more so he thinks there’s something else up.”

    Tikki didn’t look fully convinced, but she reluctantly nodded. “I guess you’re right. One person knowing her secret is enough. And if Hawkmoth could figure it out, other people could as well.”

    “Then let’s go find Marinette and tell her the news.”

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The Akumanette

[chamomilecanary]

Plagg’s Lament

Inspired by @nobodyfamousposts‘s absolutely amazing Future Tense Adrien/Clash of Noir Felix Aus. 

I also want to apologize for how short this is and how abruptly it ends. If people want/my ability to conceptualize a plot allows, I can write a part two to it. I don’t consider this to be my best writing but I tried and it was fun so whatever lmao

Destruction and Bad Luck faced each other, each harboring deep hate for the other. They were two halves of the same whole, but that whole was never meant to be seperated. Yet here they stood: seperated, hateful, and ready to kill to meet their goals. The tiny God-like cat between them looked miserable; exhausted- and he was. Something like this was never meant to happen. He was too old to deal with a cat-astrophe of this level. 

The pun brought a pang of pain to the cat’s heart. Man, the kid would have gotten a laugh at that. But the kid was no more- at least, not the kid that the cat knew and loved so dearly. He’d never get to see that kid; that version of his chosen again. Plagg always missed his chosen once it was time to say goodbye (not that he’d ever admit it), but nothing had ever hurt quite like watching Adrien’s terrified expression melt away into something disturbed as that thing forced him to absorb it. Plagg refused to acknowledge that as a version of Adrien. It disgusted him to his core; he hated that the thing that had become Adrien could utilize even the smallest amount of his power. It didn’t deserve it, and Plagg was afraid for the universe if this new “Adrien” were to gain full access to the power of the Black Cat Miraculous. Right now, Destruction was the only thing “Adrien” was capable of using. How fitting, Plagg mused to himself, that the being with the most destructive potential retained the destructive power of his miraculous. 

Bad luck belonged to “Adrien’s” opponent; a boy that Plagg never met before, and yet somehow felt like he missed dearly. His ice grey eyes bore into his foe with abhorrence, his body tense and ready to strike. Adrien copied this stance, watching his opponent carefully. He was ready to strike at even the smallest sudden movement in any direction. Dark clouds swallowed the sky above the two; it was as if nature itself could sense what was occuring. Destruction and Bad Luck were going to fight each other; kill each other. For control of the Miraculous, naturally, but more importantly: for Creation herself.

Creation. 

Marinette. Did she know the chain of events set off in her name? No, naturally not. How could she? It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her fault, but she’d inevitably be the one dealing with the fallout. Plagg pitied the poor girl. He pitied Tikki. Most of all, Plagg pitied himself. 

“I suggest you hand over the Black Cat’s ring,” Bad Luck suggested. His voice was calm, his shoulders set, and his determination unwavering.

Adrien snickered softly, mockingly. “What, you’re going to take it from me if I don’t?”

“Something like that.” The other boy’s eyes flitted above Adrien’s head for a moment. Renovations seemed to be happening on the building just behind them. Construction sites really were some of the most hazardous places. “You don’t deserve it.”

“You just want to use the ring to get close to her. I’m not going to let you take Marinette from me. She’s mine. I’ve noticed you following her- did you really think you were being sneaky?”

“No, I didn’t. I’m not interested in Marinette romantically. You’re simply unfit to protect her or Paris. Give me the ring, Adrien.” Was Bad Luck’s reply, though the way his hands clenched and his eyes steeled, Plagg couldn’t help but feel that the other boy was lying. Once more, his eyes rose above Adrien’s head to glance at the beams and bricks. Unfortunately, he didn’t think Adrien’s luck could be so bad that the building would just cave on top of him. Perhaps, if he lead him out into the street-

“Paris is safe!” Adrien snarled, breaking the other boy out of his thoughts. “My father is bedridden and his miraculous is gone. Nathalie’s gone on an indefinite vacation to visit her parents in the South of France. Her miraculous is gone. Lila’s disappeared. Chloe moved to New York to stay with her terror of a mother. Every threat to Marinette’s safety has been eliminated. Shouldn’t that make you happy?” 

“No. You haven’t been eliminated.” The other boys seemed to have had enough, and began to approach Adrien, which was all it took to spring the green-eyed vigilante into action. 

“Plagg, Claws out!” 

[gryffindorcls]

Chat for a Day:  Chapter 3

I’m In Love With You

Marinette walked out of the bathroom stall and looked into the mirror.  She took the ponytail holders out of her pigtails and shook out her hair.  This resulted in wavy tresses that elegantly framed her face.  She smiled at her handiwork.

“What are you planning to do?” Tikki asked hesitantly.

“Look,” Marinette began, “I’m one hundred percent fine with Adrien being himself.  However, it wouldn’t be any fun if I just told him that Ladybug knew he was Chat.  I want to make him figure it out.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to play his game.”

“By doing what exactly?”

“I’m gonna flirt with him.  Chat Noir himself told me to channel some of my inner Ladybug confidence and go talk to my crush, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”  

“You’re going to flirt with Adrien?  In front of people?”

“No,” Marinette shook her head, “I’m going to flirt with Chat Noir.  A leather-clad, cat-boy superhero with a larger than life personality who just so happens to be Adrien Agreste.”

Tikki sighed, “Are you sure about this Marinette?”

“Chat Noir flirts with Ladybug all the time.  I’m going to give him a taste of his own medicine.  If he can dish it out, then he should be able to take it.”

“But you’re not transformed right now.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be all that much of a problem.  Don’t you find it strange that he called me ‘purr-ty’ today?  This was not the first time he’s flirted with me as Marinette.  And what’s with the nickname?  ‘Princess’?  You can’t tell me there’s not something there.  Besides, last night he seemed to get kind of flustered when I asked him if he liked the girl who stutters around him all the time.  Well, NEWSFLASH...I’m that girl!”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Marinette?”

“Of course I don’t know what I’m doing.  Does anyone ever know what they’re doing when they’re in love?”

Tikki beamed.  “So you’re really in love with him?”

“Oh, yes, Tikki,” Marinette said with a lovesick smile, “I love him more than you could possibly imagine.  You know, all those months ago when Chat asked me if I would have given him a chance if it wasn’t for the boy I liked, do you know how much I wanted to say yes?  He’s so kind and sweet.  Is he sometimes over the top and a little stubborn?  Yes, but aren’t we all?  At the end of the day, he’s a gentleman and he’s loyal.  Everything that Chat Noir is...well, now that I know that it’s Adrien under the mask, it all makes sense...and it makes me love him that much more.”

“Marinette, I’m so happy for you!  But...what are you actually hoping to accomplish today?”

“Well, if that boy is going to tease me for the rest of eternity about this, then I would like a little bit of leverage.  However, at the end of the day, I just want him to be happy.  He looks so miserable when he thinks no one is looking.  I think this will make him happy...or at least it will be a hilarious story to tell our kids one day!”

Tikki laughed and shook her head.  “And if he’s actually anything like Plagg tells me he is, then he will be extremely happy.  BUT...it’s important that you are happy, as well, Marinette.  Will this plan of yours help you find something that will make you happy?”

“Yeah,” Marinette responded flipping her hair over her shoulder, “a boyfriend.”

***

Adrien tapped his foot nervously under the desk.  He was very worried about Marinette.  This was exactly like the time she had gotten hurt at the ice rink.  She had looked so upset then, and he hated seeing her doing anything other than smiling.  Marinette was the kind of person who should never have a frown on her face.  

He couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for making her run out of the classroom.  He thought she at least liked Chat Noir, but maybe there were still some hard feelings that remained after the whole getting her dad akumatized debacle.  It’s not like she knew he was actually Chat Noir, but maybe acting like his alter-ego had triggered something in her mind.  He was used to her getting flustered, but seeing her like this had really upset him.  

He didn’t know why, but he desperately wanted to make her feel better.  

“Feeling like this is normal, right?” he thought to himself, “Yeah...definitely.  Because part of being a good friend to someone is caring for their wellbeing.  You got this, Agreste.”

Class had started shortly after Marinette rushed out of the classroom, so Adrien hadn’t yet spoken to Nino or Alya regarding the incident.  After fifteen grueling minutes, Miss Bustier (finally) asked the class to work on an assignment in pairs.

“Dude,” Nino quietly exclaimed, “what the heck was that!”

“What are you talking about?”  Adrien answered with a shoulder shrug.

“I’m talking about all that sweet talk with Marinette.  Why would you do that?”

“I told you.  I’m simply trying to be the most authentic version of myself.”

“So, does that mean the “authentic Adrien” has a thing for Marinette?  Because if you don’t, that was a seriously low blow, man.”

Adrien paused.  That was the second time in twenty-four hours that someone had confronted him about potential feelings for Marinette.  Was it so wrong for one friend to think that another friend was pretty?  

Besides, Adrien only had eyes for Ladybug.  He knew that one day his lady would return his affections...well, he hoped she would.  A cat could dream.

“Marinette’s just a friend.  Sure, I think she’s beautiful, but she likes someone else,” Adrien remarked in his best “matter-of-factly” voice.

“Seriously?  You mean you really haven’t figured it out?”  Nino threw his head back and groaned.

“Look, I care about Marinette.  I would never deliberately do anything to hurt her, but you have to admit, she is an incredibly pretty girl.  She’s just as beautiful as any of the models I work with at photo shoots.  That’s a fact.  I’m not the first person to point that out.”

“Adrien.  Do you even hear yourself right now?”  Nino turned to his girlfriend in the row behind him, “Alya, help me out here...please!”

The young journalist shook her head and leaned over.  “Adrien, as long as we are stating ‘facts’, all the people who have ever openly admitted that Marinette was a ‘pretty girl’ had crushes on her.”

“So, you’re telling me that you don’t think your own best friend is pretty?”  Adrien said with a smirk.

“No, I think she’s pretty, but I don’t tell her when I see her first thing in the morning...like you did today.  AND I especially don’t do it while calling her ‘Princess’.” Alya crossed her arms and returned the smirk.

Adrien’s heart thumped loudly in his chest.

“Oh,” he thought, “that’s new...or...is it?  It has to be.  Because I only have feelings for…”

Nino interrupted his thoughts.  “Yeah, what was up with that nickname?”

“Well,” Adrien was unsure of where to start, “it suits her.”

“Do you have nicknames like that for any more of your ‘just a friend’ friends?” Alya questioned.

He retreated back into his mind.  “Yeah, Ladybug, but I can’t go and tell them that.  But there isn’t any other girl I talk to like that...oh…”

“Oh, no,” he mumbled fixing his eyes on the front of the classroom.

Alya chuckled quietly, “That’s what I thought, sunshine.”

Nino turned to look at her, “Babe, I think you broke him.”

The moment Nino completed his statement, Marinette burst into the classroom.  Her eyes immediately fell on Adrien.  The stunned boy looked up and took a shuddering breath when he saw who was walking in his direction.  Marinette shook her hair out of her face and sauntered confidently across the classroom.

“And I think he’s about to become even more broken,” Alya whispered quickly before Marinette took her seat next to her best friend.

***

Marinette held her head high as she strutted to her seat.  She could feel a flutter of nervousness bubbling in her gut, but she was able to suppress it quickly.

“It’s not just Adrien anymore,” she thought, “This is also your Chaton.  Your silly, flirty, lovable goofball of a partner.  You know he’s in love with you.  You can do this.  All you need to do is make it through the day.  You can freak out later.”

As she sat down, Alya leaned over and asked, “Hey girl, are you feeling better?”

Before Marinette could answer, a concerned looking Adrien turned around in his seat.  “Yeah, Marinette.  I...WE...yes...we were all worried about you.”

She leaned over the desk and playfully bopped Adrien’s nose and smiled.  “Thanks for the concern, hot stuff, but don’t worry.  Nothing is bugging me anymore.”

Adrien’s face turned bright red and his eyes grew wide.  Alya carefully placed a hand on Marinette’s arm to get her attention.

Alya’s eyes were filled with worry.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Marinette said turning her gaze back to Adrien, “I’m feline great, but Adrien isn’t looking too good.  It seems like he’s starting to come down with the same thing I had.”

Marinette leaned over and felt Adrien’s forehead.  “You’re a little warm.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head or something while you were in the bathroom?” Alya pulled Marinette over and checked her for injuries.

“I’m fine, Alya,” Marinette insisted.  She then proceeded to wink at Adrien.

“Miss Bustier!” Alya called across the classroom, “I think there’s something wrong with Marinette.  She might be having a stroke or something.”

Marinette leaned in close to Alya and whispered loud enough for Adrien to hear, “The only stroke anyone is having right now is a stroke of genius.”

“Oh my God.”  The young journalist did her best to hide her shock.

“Marinette,” their teacher replied, “if you’re still not feeling well, you are welcome to go to the nurse.”

Adrien shook himself out of his dazed state and stood up from his seat.  “I can take her there, Miss Bustier.”

The teacher nodded, and Adrien moved next to Marinette’s seat.  He held out his arm, and she happily took it.  Adrien took great care to safely guide Marinette down the stairs.  She rested her head on his shoulder causing him to once again turn bright red.

“What the actual freak is happening right now?” Nino remarked.

“I have no idea,” Alya answered as the duo walked out of the classroom.

***

As Adrien walked Marinette down to the nurse’s office, he tried to calm himself down.  However, he could feel her breath against his neck, and his brain forgot how to function properly.  

“She’s just a friend,” he told himself, “She’s just a friend. She’s just a friend. She’s just a friend.”

Marinette looked up at him through her eyelashes.

“She’s going to kill me if she keeps this up,” he noted mentally, “At least it will be a happy death.”

“Thank you for walking me to the nurse,” she smiled, “I always know that I can count on my knight in shining armor.  Or are you my Prince Charming?  Oh, maybe you’re both.  Yes.  You’re definitely both.”

Adrien attempted to be suave. “Did something happen, Princess?  You’re not usually like this.”

“Well,” she started, “I’m not usually like this around you, but I’m trying to be more like myself around my crush today.  I promised a friend that I would.  You’d like him. You probably even know him. Actually, one might even think that you two could practically be the same exact person.”

“Marinette, you’re not making any sense.”

“Oh yeah?  Let me try to be clearer.  Did I ever mention to you that I once told Chat Noir that I loved him?”

Adrien gulped. “You...you did?”

Marinette tightened her grip on Adrien’s arm and moved closer to his side. “Yup, he showed up on my balcony after an Akuma attack one day, and I professed my undying love to him.  You should have seen his face!  It was kind of like how yours is right now.”

Adrien felt warm.  This was beginning to be too much for him to handle.

Marinette continued. “At the time I was actually trying to cover up an even bigger secret that I’m pretty sure he was about to figure out.  Anyway, I wasn’t really in love with him...or at least that’s what I thought.  I’m beginning to think that turning him away was a big mistake.”

“Wasn’t that the same time that he got your dad akumatized?  Aren’t you angry at him for that?”  Adrien asked tentatively.

“Why would I be angry at Chat Noir for something Hawkmoth did?” she replied shaking her head, “No, I’m actually grateful that Chat was there.  He was so sweet and brave.  He is a true hero.”

“Really?” Adrien’s voice was hoarse, “So does that mean you’re still in love with Chat Noir?”

They had reached the entrance to the nurse’s office.  Marinette pulled away from Adrien and stood in front of him.

“Oh, you’re so silly!  I don’t know if anyone has told you yet, but yeah...I’m in love with you.  I always have been,” she smiled sweetly and placed her hand on his shoulder, “Anyway, I’ll see you a little later, kitty.”

Before Adrien could respond, Marinette turned on her heel and walked into the nurse's office.  She quickly closed the door behind her leaving a stunned boy in her wake.

Adrien could feel his heart thumping loudly again.

Thump.

Marinette told him that she loved him.

Thump.

Hearing her say that made him happy.

Thump.

Maybe she wasn’t just a friend.  

“Oh my God,” he whispered to himself.

Adrien walked quietly back to the classroom attempting to unpack his revelation.  However, he was still rather confused.  He felt like he was missing something.  It was like being almost done with a puzzle, but a few of the pieces were gone.

He re-entered the classroom and took his seat.

“What happened?” Alya asked still visibly concerned, “Is she okay?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Adrien shrugged, “She told me that she loves me.”

“She did what?!”

“Yeah, she was saying all this stuff that didn’t make any sense.  It was like she was talking in code, and then she called me…”

Thump.

She’d called him ‘kitty’.

Thump.

Only one person calls him ‘kitty’.

Thump.

There is was.  One of the missing pieces of the puzzle.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed.

Nino shook Adrien’s shoulder and didn’t get a response. “He’s definitely broken this time, Alya.”

Adrien was suddenly struck with another realization.  The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

His mind was racing. “Ladybug knows who I am.”

<—Previous    Next—>

AO3

Fanfiction.net

[crazyrandomfucker]

Dreams and melodies of another time(line)

Summary:

It all started a couple of weeks after the fight against Miraculous Queen. It begun with a dream of hers and a song linering on Chat's head each time he was on his suit. Why now? Why this? Who can help? Are they the only ones? Well, just like Alice, you need to follow a rabbit to the Wonderland.

Notes:

Ok so, once again, after seeing a bunch of fics of Chat Blanc consequences and a bit of inspiration I decided to write this fic. I have no idea if it will become a long fic with a lot of chapters or a one-shot fic. I hope you enjoy it! ^-^ P.D.: In the end I let myself focus in writing and not on what I was writing, sorry if the story shifts ona weird way or there is something you find strange with my writing. P.D.:P.D.: WHY CAN'T I WRITE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON UGHHHHH

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It all had started a couple of weeks after Ladybug and Chat Noir had won once again against Hawk Moth with his latest akuma: Miracle Queen. It had been a difficult fight where both heroes had to hold onto two different miraculous at once to win. Despite winning, the loses were also great. Their superhero partners were forced to reveal their identities and could no longer use the miraculous without being compromised, Chloe had betrayed their trust and fell in a comma a day after pulling the stunt of wielding all the miraculous at once and, even worse, they had lost their only support and mentor, Master Fu, who renounced his duty as the guardian of the miraculous and passed into Ladybug. His memories were erased, Ladybug had even more responsibility now and she refused Chat's idea of revealing identities to help her guard the miraculous box.

At least Marinette had had two weeks to adapt to her new role as guardian of the miraculous and the miraculous box turned back to its usual form when she detransformed. She had made a crafty box with safe lock disguised as a sewing box. Tikki had taught her all of the guardians’ history, rules and duties Fu hadn't explained yet and cheered Mari through the whole process, helping her dealing with the loss. Occasionally, when Mari was sure that Chat wouldn't pay her a visit, she would open the miraculous box and let a kwami free for some time so they weren't bored inside the box and the kwamis helped her giving advices or helping Tikki explain something.

Everything seemed fine once again and Marinette and Adrien had this unnerving feeling that something was going to blow or go wrong. Even Hawkie had managed to stay silent for two whole weeks, which definitely wasn't a good sign. And then it came, unannounced, creeping like a cold-blooded reptile, attacking at night like a predator to its prey.

For Marinette, it was a dream of her, first dating Adrien, then it changes to her breaking with Adrien and finally her dating Chat before everything turned white. She woke up, sweating and with a feeling that those pale blue eyes stared at her from somewhere she couldn't see. She talked about that with Tikki, but it was just a nightmare, right? She had had tons of those after losing Chat in Timebreaker's fight. It would be gone due time like that, right? She couldn't sleep well and it began to show in her daily life.

For Adrien, it started during one of his nightly escapades as Chat, as a tune that popped in his head and he couldn't help but to hum. When he stopped in a rooftop, the tune brought some lyrics he couldn't help but sing. It said something about a cat sitting on a rooftop, which was ironic in retrospective, but he couldn't help it. Then he began to have this lingering sensation that he was missing something, as if something had been stripped out of him. He returned to his home and detransform, sitting to think about it. The song was gone, but that hindering feeling was not and for once, Plagg was silent. He didn't tease Adrien or demand his usual portion of cheese, but he also didn't reply to Adrien's questions and he did a hurt face each time he looked at the beret.

Things were also weird at school for both. Lila was in a bad mood each time Adrien or Marinette were in her range of sight, almost making her slip. Alya and Nino were strangely stubborn affirming that Adrien and Mari were dating secretly and that made both of them pinch as if something had hurt them. Marinette's obsession with Adrien had worsened and Adrien couldn't help but to wander around Marinette for some reason. Everyone in their class openly discussed daily how cute would Adrien and Marinette be if they were a couple. Some weeks ago, Mari would be in heaven for most of that, but now she was unexplainably hurt, as if she was losing something but didn't know what.

Then Adrien began to dream too. Dreaming about him being with Mari, both as Adrien and as Chat Noir. Those were nice and made him happy, but he felt at loss when he woke up. There were also those that gave him chills and made him wake up in cold sweat. Those were about him, alone, in a destroyed and sunken version of Paris. He wore a white version of his suit and his eyes were icy blue. Sometimes he fought with Ladybug and he felt disheartened each time. But what scared him the most were those where he was sitting alone in the roof of a skyscraper, singing that exact same song he couldn't get out of his head when he was Chat.

For their kwamis wasn't easy as well. Plagg felt a huge amount of pain, despair and sadness each time Adrien transformed or he saw that damned beret or Marinette. He knew something was wrong, very wrong, as if someone had been playing with the fabrics of reality he used to play with when he was a young kwami, but he didn't know what it was. Tikki would feel very sad in the most unexpected situations and her little chest hurt each time she wasn't with Plagg, so they would visit each other an awful lot while their holders where at school. They would chat a bit, but they would mostly bask in the other's presence before having to part ways once more.

But all that was only the first week. In the second, more people became involved. Gabriel Agreste wouldn't get to rest for just one night being haunted by nightmares of a white cat killing him over and over.  Nathalie would also get nightmares of she being killed by a white explosion, Hawk Moth beating her, stealing her miraculous and firing her. But then, each time she saw Adrien or his friend Marinette, a word would slither into her mind and haunt her for the rest of the day, telling her unceasingly that she, was a traitor. Luka and Kagami grow a bit distant of Mari and Adrien, having dreamed a lot about the two of them dating and being genuinely happy. They hated those dreams, especially because deep down, they knew they would never be able to make them so happy and it hurt. Adrien’s latest behaviour and demeanour paired up with Marinette's nervousness didn't help Kagami and Luka's feelings as well.

In the second week, Adrien became restless and spent a lot of time patrolling Paris by himself, since he couldn't bear with those nightmares were he fought with her, so he would spent the nights bouncing from roof to roof, guarding Paris as he hummed non-stop that grim tune he was beginning to loathe. Meanwhile, Marinette also became restless, because of those dreams of her with Adrien and everyone's behaviour. She was trying so hard to turn over a new leaf and everyone encouraging her to be with Adrien, Luka being distant and those cursed dreams certainly didn't help her.

Then it was Alix turn. Since understanding she was going to be a kwami holder, she had begun to add a little white and blue rabbit on her graffities. She would sometimes draw things from weird dreams she gets from time to time. But she didn't expect the white cat. Or the white cat on an apocalyptic Paris. Or the white cat destroying the moon. Or killing a ladybug and a butterfly. She was scared of that little white cat. And then the real dream came. She saw Chat Noir being akumatized and turning Chat Blanc, she saw him, crying, trying to disobey Hawk Moth and accidentally killing everyone and destroying the moon in the process and she saw him, all alone, spending a whole month in a ruined empty city that began to flood. It was disheartening and she couldn't help but pitying Chat Noir. She wanted to help, sure, but what could she do? She didn't have a Miraculous and she certainly didn't have a way to contact Ladybug.

And the third week came and the kwamis couldn't bear with everything anymore. They knew that everybody was getting weird, that everybody was having dreams of something that never happened. They were getting more and more restless as the seconds passed, but they didn't know what to do. They wouldn't risk it and act unless something serious, really serious happened, because they had promised to never play again with their powers. But then, Kagami broke with Adrien and Luka broke with Marinette. Their holders were heartbroken, and they knew that they had to do something. Tikki couldn't act or do something straight forward, but she had a plan.

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

The next time Ladybug and Chat Noir patrolled Paris, they both looked horrible and Parisian people couldn't help to pity them. Chat Noir was tense and hurt, while Ladybug was heartbroken and stiff. There was no banter, no flirting nor joking from both of them. Not even a single sound came out of their mouths. And then Plagg decided to act. He used the tiny bit of conscience kwamis had while powering up their holders and infused Adrien's mind with a single thought. That hellish tune that even he was getting tired of. Chat immediately frowned and began to hum the melody, angry that it came out even when he was with his Lady and they weren't still on a rooftop.

And Ladybug slipped. She slipped and crashed into one of the thousand Agreste's billboards. Chat immediately went to help her and ask her what had happened, but he couldn't stop humming the tune and Ladybug became visibly discomforted and traumatized. When Chat approached to help her, she backed away and cover herself for an instant, before remembering that her Chaton wasn't akumatized nor he was trying to kill her. But it was already late, Chat was really hurt from that.

"M-My Lady?" said Chat hurt, but not stopping to hum that cursed tune.

"I- I'm sorry Chat" said her at the verge of tears. "I just- I just can bear it anymore".

"Wh-Whats wrong Ladybug?" asked Chat Noir, finally stopping to hum.

"There is- There's a lot or things wrong Chat. We... We need to talk" said Ladybug as she began to cry and it began to rain.

"Let's go somewhere else LB. I also need to talk with you" said Chat Noir.

They silently jumped from roof to roof, not bearing to look at one another, with a destination set on their minds. They arrived to Notre Damme and entered the cathedral, like they normally did when it was raining and none of them carried an umbrella. The priests where always considerate with them and let them stay inside, thanking them for saving the city each time they were around. This time, they sensed the tension between the heroes and offered them a peaceful spot to chat without worrying about someone listening to them.

"I-" began both heroes at unison.

"You first Chat" said Ladybug calmly.

"No. You were the one who wanted to talk My Lady" replied Chat.

"You also wanted to talk kitty" said Ladybug.

"But you said it first, so you talk first buggaboo” said Chat smugly and the mood lifted for a bit.

"I guess you are right on that one chaton" said Ladybug with a faint smile.

"Oh, I'm more than right and you know it LB" purred Chat, making both of them laugh for a bit, before getting back to the sad mood again.

"Chat, there is something I haven't told you... And I'm getting nightmares from it. Everyone around me is suddenly acting strange out of nowhere and I-" said Ladybug with tears running down her cheeks.

"Is it- Is it related to the melody I was humming before?" asked Chat, immediately regretting it when Ladybug suddenly stiffened.

She nodded. "Y-You were akumatized".

"I... What?" asked him, feeling as if everything was tearing apart.

"I-It's hard to explain, but a month ago I delivered a beret for someone and the Bunnix appeared, and she send me to the future and you where there, all alone and akumatized and I didn't know why and you knew my identityandhtenwefoughtandyoutriedtokillmeandandand-" said Ladybug breaking down.

Chat stood there, deciphering what Ladybug had just said and trying to process it all of it. The beret wasn't from Ladybug, she was just delivering it. And he somehow was akumatized in another future. More importantly, he was alone in that future, just like on his nightmares. Wait a minute, he knows her identity? Could it be that he was akumatized when she revealed her identity to him? That couldn't be, right? Wait a second, they fought and tried to kill her? That definitely wasn't normal. No akuma would ever want to kill them, at least, not before snatching the miraculous first. Unless...

"M-My Lady? D-Did I kill Hawk Moth? Did I- Did I killed you?" asked Chat with his voice faltering.

"I- I saw a reman-nent of m-me a-a-and Hawk Moth c-cataclysmed under the water. Paris wa-as de-destroy and f-fl-flooded. Y-You told me th-that our- That our love did that..." managed to say Ladybug.

"I- I think I'm also having nightmares about that... Was I- Was I a white cat with ice blue eyes?" asked Chat.

She opened like plates, confirming his suspicions, and slowly nodded. "I think- I think it's because I changed the timeline..." said Ladybug. "It happened to me before..."

Now it was Chat's turn to be surprised. "It had happened to you before? When?" asks the cat hero clearly worried.

"It was- It was after Timebreaker. I- I saw you die in my arms for two months..." said Ladybug, remembering the nightmares and crying once again.

"What?" asked Chat, getting more worried after every answer.

"You jumped in front of me and- And saved me from Timebreaker's power. You- You died in my arms before I went back on time and fixed everything" said Ladybug.

"I- I had no idea... I-I'm sorry for ever worrying you Ladybug" said Chat with watery eyes.

"Stupid chaton" says Ladybug trying to clear her eyes. "Why are you apologizing for now? I thought we had already settled that whenever you'll take a hit for me, I'll throw you across Paris"

"How could I forget; I think I've seen Paris from above so many times a flock of birds has taken me in as one of them" said Chat smiling a bit.

"Okay, we've got to fix this. Any ideas Chat?" asked Ladybug standing up and drying her tears from her face.

"How could this foolish alley cat have one My Lady? You're the one who makes the plans and the new guardian, aren't you?" said Chat standing up as well.

"I'll talk with the kwamis to see if anyone has an idea. Send yours as well, I bet he has a lot to catch up with Tikki" said Ladybug.

"Will do, but I'm not sure it will work. I've been asking him for weeks and he's been strange lately. Perhaps he does need to catch up with his buddies kwami" said Chat.

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

Ladybug landed perfectly on her bed and called off her transformation, throwing herself to her bed from exhaustion. The patrol and the talk about the Chat Blanc incident had really taken a token on her. Nevertheless, she stood up and took out the miraculous box. She stared at it for a long time until a cough behind her get her back into reality. She turned around and found Tikki rolling her eyes and next to her was Chat Noir's kwami, Plagg, who was giving her a deadpanned stare.

"Please, whatever you do, don't begin to fantasise with that model boy or my holder, I'm a bit tired of teen hormones at home" said Plagg plainly.

"Plagg? What are you doing here?" asked the girl.

"You said you wanted to see me, so here am I" answered Plagg.

"I didn't mean right now, but that will certainly help me. Nice to see you again by the way" said Marinette politely.

"It's always nice to see you too Princess, even if it's through my holder's eyes" said Plagg bowing. "Or wait, now I should call you Master?"

"Don't be silly Plagg, I don't feel like a guardian and I'm too young to be a master. Would you like a bit of cheese? It's not camembert but I swear we should have a bit of brie".

"I have to admit it Princess, you're my favourite guardian. You're not as lame as the others, you're laxer and you know how to break the rules. I like you. But I'd still appreciate that cheese" said Plagg in an unexpectedly polite manner.

"Aww, thank you Plagg. I'll be back in a sec" said the girl and disappeared downstairs.

"You really get the good ones Sugar Cube" said Plagg.

"I told you not to call me that Stinky Socks. But I think you have a great holder now" said Tikki.

"If that kid knew how to use his head, he would be great ladybug material. Your holder on the other hand would make an excellent black cat" teased the black kwami.

"We both know you love this kitten, even if you refuse to admit it" teased back Tikki.

"Whatever" said Plagg facing away from Tikki to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm back" said Marinette bringing along a tray filled with food.

"I think that's too much food for two kwamis and a girl" said Plagg.

"Who said it was just for two kwamis and a girl?" said Marinette, opening the miraculous box and putting on all of the miraculous. She sat immediately after doing that. "Ugh, this is so tiring".

"I retire what I said before Tikki. This holder of yours is way too crazy, she's fit for the monkey kwami" said Plagg.

"Don't be rude to my holder Plagg" warned Tikki.

"Good afternoon Master, kwamis of Creation and Destruction" said Sass.

"It's an honour to see you again Master" said Pollen bowing, but a bunch of kwamis zoomed along her.

"Master! Master! We're so happy that you summoned us all, we were getting bored. But you're the only one who has freed us from time to time, you're the best guardian we've ever had!" said some of the kwamis.

"Aww, you guys are so adorable" said Marinette snuggling the kwamis happily. "But today I called you here for a reason and not just to play. Well, we'll play a bit, but later".

"What do you need Master? We'll help you gladly!" said the kwamis.

"I'm amazed Princess, you have them all on your side and that's weird for a human" pointed Plagg.

"I thought you were also on my side Plagg" said her faking being hurt. "After all this time and cheese, we've shared".

"Oh, shut it Princess, you know you're my n°1 human girl and my n°2 girl and human, but don't tell Chat Noir I said this, he'll be insufferable if he knows".

"And we don't want him to get more annoying, don't worry" said Mari giggling.

"Even if it's lovely to talk about that, I believe we should focus on our little problem before you exhaust yourself like Chloe did" said Tikki interrupting the idle chat.

"You're right" said Marinette and turned to the kwamis. "I need your help with a pressing matter".

"What's happening?" asked Pollen worried.

"Is it the time ripples?" asked Fluff innocently.

"The what?" asked confused Marinette, Tikki and Plagg.

"The time ripples" repeated Fluff.

"Those are the residual memories and energy from timelines that had been erased or forcefully changed. Fluff and I can sense them" explained Sass.

"Right, because Fluff is the kwami of time and you're the kwami of repetition, you two are time-related kwamis" said Marinette.

"Yes. I'm sensing a time ripple now, like when you fought Timebreaker or Chat Blanc" said happily Fluff.

"Fluff, sweetheart, we fought him two months ago and we began to have this time ripples a month after defeating him. Is that something normal?" asked Tikki.

"Oh, that could be because my holder spent quite a lot of time preventing another Chat Blanc timeline. Master can be adorably clumsy, but we had a hard time dealing with all the timelines she provoked" said Fluff.

"I'm sorry for that" apologised Mari. "Wait. Bunnix! Can we ask her to help us?"

"It's rather unlikely Master. Fluff's powers aren't intended to work like that, even if Bunnix used it for fixing the timelines, their power it's meant to be used just for time traveling. Not even with my power, that it's meant to alter the timelines, we can fix the time ripples" explained Sass.

"But couldn't we ask Fluff's holder to give Master some advice about dealing with time ripples and their effects?" asked Wayzz.

"Great idea as always Shelly. But there is a tiny problem with it. She's from the future and Fluff can't precisely pinpoint from when we should call her" said Trixx smugly.

"It's okay, I'll think about it and find a solution. Thank you for your help guys" said Marinette. "Now, who wants to play?"

The kwamis played with Marinette happily, watched curiously her designs and latest projects and ate delightedly the food Marinette had prepared for them, minding which food to pick based on the favourite snack of each kwami. When Marinette was exhausted by the token of bearing sixteen miraculous, which was surprisingly a lot of time for a human, the kwamis returned to the miraculous box without waiting for Mari to ask them to, thanking her for letting them have fun like that. When only Tikki and Plagg were left, Tikki landed on Marinette’s head and Plagg flew in front of Marinette.

"Princess, you're really surprising and strong" complimented Plagg. "Beautiful as well, thought my kitten is smitten with you for another reason".

"I thought he decided to go after someone else" said Marinette.

"He did, or at least tried to. But his girlfriend broke with him recently. And you never left his mind" explained Plagg. "Both as Ladybug and Marinette. Really, even if he doesn't know it, he's head over heels for your civilian self. He can be really dense sometimes, but I hope you'll be able to forgive him for being stupid".

"Of course I can Plagg, he has already done plenty of stupid things to me. But he's my best friend and the best partner I could ask for. And you think so, don't try to deny it" teased Marinette.

"If only you knew Princess. All that bravado he has with the mask disappears outside of it. He's so boring and soft. He doesn't even rebels against his stupid father! And his father is an horrendous piece of sh-" complained the tiny god.

"Plagg! You're revealing a bit too much! And for the record, I think Chat Noir is honestly a very kind and adorable human. He wasn't wrong when he told you that you'd drool after seeing him without the mask. Even you have to admit that you like him a bit" said Tikki.

"I'm not only after pretty boys Tikki. That both Adrien and Luka were very handsome was just a coincidence. And we both know what happens if Chat and I love each other. We don't want another Chat Blanc" replied Marinette.

"Wait, let's ignore the whole Chat Blanc being caused by your mutual obvious love. She likes the model boy and the guitarist? I know you're high quality Princess, but you seem to aim high for a boyfriend as well. What's so special about the model even? The guitarist at least showed some guts, but the model one seemed to be quite a wimp" said Plagg.

"Watch it Plagg, or no more cheese for you when you come by" warned Marinette seriously. "That model you're talking about is the sweetest and kindest boy I know. He is very gentle and nice even with those who doesn't deserve it. He's much more than just a pretty face. He has protected me a lot of times against akumas without even having a miraculous and when he had the Snake miraculous, he repeated the same moment for a lot of time".

"I'll be sure to not disrespect him again, if you talk so well of him, he must be a great guy" said Plagg ignoring Tikki's death glare. "Before I go, anything I have to tell my kitten?"

"Tell him what we discussed and that I'll try to find something as soon as I can" said Marinette. "Also tell him that even akumatized and despite trying to fight me, he still was very gentle to me".

"Your wishes are orders Princess" said Plagg bowing and phase through the window.

Plagg flew across Paris, flying high enough to avoid being seen by humans, but not high enough to be seen against the dark blue starry sky. He was amused, it was clear that his kitten and Tikki's baby bug we're so in love, even if they didn't know it. Tonight had proven his suspicions and he was glad, Marinette would be perfect for his depressed kitten. Plus, she'd gain someone loyal who'd give her the unconditional love she deserves. Because she does deserve it, Plagg was more than sure of that. She had proven once and again that she was a capable Ladybug, despite her age, that she was a great guardian and, above all of that, she was the best human Plagg had met since Tikki created them. And with a happy shipping thought, Plagg phased through Adrien and landed on his head.

"Missed me already? Your baker friend saw me and feed me cheese on my way back, so I was educated and repaid her with an educated talk. She's really interesting you know. Such a pity that she won't be able to be Multi Mouse again" said Plagg and before he could react, Adrien hugged him.

"I was so worried Plagg. I was beginning to think that something had happened to you" said Adrien. "I'm glad you had your fun. Mari is such a great girl. Don't tell Nino, but she's my best friend without a doubt".

"She is a great human, I admit that. But I was thinking, do you like her? She is an amazing girl after all. Maybe she would be good for you" commented Plagg.

"You too Plagg? Why is everyone so pushy to make us a couple? She dislikes that clearly, she's stuttery and blushy around me again, even if she wasn't anymore" complained Adrien.

"I'm not pushing you lover boy. But don't try to fool me, I know perfectly what sort of dreams you're having and how happy you feel about the ones in which you date her" said Plagg.

"The dreams! What did Ladybug discover about them?" changed the topic Adrien not so discretely.

"They aren't dreams" said Plagg.

"What?" asked Adrien dumbfounded. "What do you mean they aren't dreams?"

"Exactly that. Those are your memories, as Ladybug suspected. The memories of the timeline in which you were akumatized. Which reminds me, your Lady said that you don't have to worry, you were gentle to her even akumatized" said Plagg.

"As sweet as always My Lady, but what do you mean those are memories?" asked Adrien.

"Fluff, the time kwami, said that they are time ripples, the residual memories of a timeline that has been erased or forcefully changed" explained the black kwami. "Which means that you dated Marinette and you were very happy. And just so you know, apparently she is also having this dreams".

"Wait, if the dreams are true and everyone is shipping us together... Is everybody having this time ripples? Wait. If Mari is being stuttery again, could it be that she doesn't likes at all the idea of us being together. She probably hates me again" said Adrien feeling down.

"Why do you have to be some dense sometimes" complained Plagg. "Look, kid, when I badmouthed you to see her opinion of you, she defended you quite fiercely. She has seen you, the real you, not just the perfect sunshine boy. And putting that aside, do you want to know what I've been doing all this time?"

"What are we going to do Tikki?" asked Marinette worried.

"I don't know Mari, it's been so long since I suffered something like this. The concept of time was barely new and the one provoking the time ripples was..." began Tikki. "That little..."

"Who?" asked Mari curiously.

"Plagg. That- That- Uggghhh. I bet he has something to do with all of this" said Tikki.

"How could he? Aren't we dealing with timelines?" asked Marinette.

"Marinette, without a holder to regulate our powers, our powers are absolute and supreme. Plagg can literally destroy concepts of reality that you study in physics. I created the universe in a fit of rage" explained Tikki.

"What? You're telling me everything in existence was created because you threw a tantrum? Wait, more importantly, we are regulating your powers?" asked Marinette.

"I was young and Plagg wouldn't stop destroying everything I did, but yes you regulate our powers, if not Chat would destroy Paris each time he used cataclysm" said Tikki.

"Couldn't we then ask Alix to use the bunny miraculous to locate her future version precisely?" asked Marinette.

"That's a great idea Marinette!" exclaimed Tikki. "You should talk to her tomorrow after school".

"I'm not sure how to explain it to her thought" said Marinette.

"Be simple, we need her help to go to the future and find her future self" said Tikki.

"Yeah, it will be better not to overthink it too much. Good night Tikki" said Marinette and turned off the lights.

"Good night Marinette" said Tikki.

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

"Hey Alix!" called Adrien when he saw the pink-haired skater.

"Huh? What's up sunshine? You want some real advice to date Mari? Wrong girl I'm afraid" teased Alix.

"What? No, I wasn't- I didn't-" said Adrien getting all flustered.

"Oh my god. You two are made for each other" said Alix.

"I was trying to ask you something else!" said Adrien utterly embarrassed.

"Oh. What happens Sunshine?" asked Alix.

"Have you had any type of unusual dreams lately? Like, someone dating or a white cat?" asked Adrien still blushing.

"Wait. How do you know that? I didn't tell that to anybody" said Alix surprised and worried.

"I was just checking. I'm having them and since they first appeared everybody acts differently and tries to make Marinette and me a couple, which by the way seems to make her quite uncomfortable" said Adrien looking down a bit.

"Okay, first thing blondie: Marinette is definitely not uncomfortable with the thought of dating you. Second: Who else is having these dreams?" asked Alix.

"As far as I know, you, me and our local heroes" said Adrien. Alix raised an eyebrow. "I happened to bump into Chat and I talked to him a bit".

"Bumping into other people? That's something really Marinett-ish you know Buttercup" teased Alix.

"Ugh! I'll keep asking to see who else has dreamed unusual stuff lately!" said Adrien hurrying to hide his flustered face.

"I'm so going to share this with the girls" said Alix smirking and turned around to bump into a half asleep Marinette.

"Oh, I'm sorry Alix, I was distracted. I've been having these weird dreams lately and I haven't been sleeping well. Have you had any weird dreams this past weeks?" asked Marinette not so discretely.

"Okay, first of all, you look like a zombie Mari. Second, I have and apparently Sunflower, Chat and LB have been having them as well. Your boyfriend just asked me a minute ago".

"My boyfriend? But I've broken up with Luka Alix" said Mari sheepishly. "Wait, you had the dreams too? What happened on them?"

"Well, I meant Adrien. As for the dreams, I saw you dating Adrien and a white cat destroying Paris and the moon. Why?" said Alix.

"Okay so, apparently, about two months ago or so Ladybug went to the future with a superhero from another future and she had to take down an akumatized Chat Noir. She defeated him, changed the timeline and now there is this weird time thingies that are affecting everyone involved with Ladybug or Chat in that other timeline. Apparently, I dated Chat after breaking with Adrien or something like that" said Marinette. "And since last month everyone has being acting weird and I've been having those dreams and like, yesterday Ladybug appeared on my balcony to ask me and I was so relieved because I thought I was going crazy or something like that and-"

"Wowowowow, breath girl, I'm not getting all of that" said Alix.

"Sorry, it's been hard lately since I'm barely sleeping a couple of hours" said Marinette.

"Don't worry. But let me get this straight. Anyone who interacted with Chat or Ladybug on that timeline is now getting these thingies of time? Why am I getting them though?" asked Alix.

"It's more like anyone who was significant in the development of that timeline is having dreams and people around them is getting influenced subconsciously by that. But you're getting them for another reason. Ladybug wanted to talk to you and ask you personally, but I offered to because it was faster for everyone. Your future self is apparently the future hero that helped Ladybug" said Marinette mentally praying not to be outed as Ladybug by something so stupid.

"Oh yeah, Bunnix rocks. I can wait to be like future me. You should have seen me Mari, I was so cool and badass" said Alix excited and proud.

"Alix, you already are cool and badass to me. Your skating abilities? I could never do anything like that" said Marinette. "Oh, before I forget it, Ladybug wants you to meet her on your rooftop by 5 or so. Imagine that you get to help her like your future self did. Will do. Does? Ughhh, all this time travelling is so confusing".

Alix laughed wholeheartedly and the bell rings. "Come on time-klutz, we need to get in class before Mme. Mendeleiev or we'll have to face her wrath" teased the skater girl.

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

Ladybug landed on the designated rooftop, her mind filled with thoughts. After having asked the whole classroom, she discovered that the little lie she had told Alix about why people was getting the dreams wasn't so farfetched as she thought. Every single person on her class had had some sort of dream and even some other people she knew had as well. She discussed this with Fluff when she picked his miraculous to lend it to Alix and the joke was on her because it was indeed how the ripples worked more or less. She was a tad nervous about the whole issue but at least she had Alix and Chat, she had sent him a message via a private chatroom, supporting her.

Chat saw her landing at the distance. As always, his Lady was diligent and punctual, getting to the meeting point some time before their meeting. He was also nervous like Ladybug and wanted everything to go back to normal. So when he saw his Lady's call through their private chatroom on an old and almost forgotten platform, he instantly transformed and ran to Alix's rooftop. He supposed they would be giving Alix the time miraculous for a bit so she could help them with all of this time travelling problem. He landed and approached Ladybug, not daring to make a sound due to all his nervousness. She gestured him a salute and they both sat down, contemplating silently the blue sky.

Alix was excited, but a ball of dizziness remained on her throat. Sure, she was eager to become Bunnix and be the badass heroine her future self was, but she had a bit of doubt whether she would make it right or not. At least she knew Ladybug and Chat trusted her enough to give her a miraculous, even if it was just for a short time. Also, she couldn't forget about Mari's earlier support. Yeah, she could take on the world if Marinette say she could. So she opened the door to her rooftop and saw the heroes waiting for her.

"Hey" called Alix. "Am I late?"

"Hello Alix. Don't worry you aren't. I see that Marinette did remember to tell you" said Ladybug standing up.

"Huh? You asked Marinette to deliver a message? Why didn't you just visited Alix?" asked Chat confused.

"Well, I had to talk with Marinette, it was already late when we finished talking and also because I asked Mari to do something else too. Thanks to her, I now know that all of her classmates are having some sort of time ripples" said Ladybug.

"She remembered. She only seems to forget to sign anything she makes for-" said Alix, but Ladybug put her hand on Alix's mouth.

"Alix, I'm pretty sure Mari wouldn't appreciate a certain alley cat knowing about... That" said Ladybug.

"What? Now I want to know" said Chat.

"Didn't curiosity kill the cat?" teased Alix smirking.

"Purrhaps, but satisfaction brought it back" replied Chat Noir with a smirk.

"Maybe, but your Princess will have your neck and ours too if we let you know" said Ladybug, sending a chill down Chat's and Alix's spines.

"Wait, why do you know I call her Princess?" asked Chat confused.

"No, why do you call Mari Princess? You seem to know her well" pointed Alix.

"I happen to know her. After being her knight in shining leather a couple of times and having some heart to heart, she let me be her friend and I sometimes pass by her balcony" said Chat. "But why does My Lady know it?"

"You think Mari is just your friend? Besides, us girls like to gossip, specially about boys. Isn't that right Violet?" said Ladybug with a smug smile.

"No way, you know Secret Garden?" said Alix surprised yet amused.

"I loved Secret Garden" said Ladybug. "I almost told Marinette to include me, but it wouldn't be great if a hero helped in a plan to get Buttercup with Lotus".

"Lotus? Buttercup? Violet? Secret Garden?" asked Chat very confused. "I'm lost. Did Marinette plan to open a flower shop?"

"Silly kitty, we are using codenames so you don't understand us" teased the heroine.

"Yeah, Marinette is the sweetest person, but you really don't want to be on her bad side, not to mention angering her" agreed Alix. "Wow, Mari is so awesome. She attracts all of types of talented people like Jagged Stone or you guys".

"Also you Alix. You are also very talented skating and painting those incredible graffities. Don't think I missed that one you made of Chat and I near the library" said Ladybug.

"That was hers? Boy, I loved that graffiti of us! It was a great ego boost to see something so cool of us." said Chat amazed. "Also, let's not forget that time you helped us when we were affected by Reverser's powers or when we fought Timetagger".

"And that's why we're here now" concluded Ladybug with a smile so bright that almost blinded Chat and Alix. "Now, Alix Kubdel".

"Yes Ladybug?"

"I will grant you the miraculous of the rabbit and you must return it when your task is finished" said Ladybug opening the box and revealing the miraculous, allowing Fluff to flow out of the miraculous. "This is the miraculous of the rabbit, which gives its holder the power of time travelling, and this creature here is a kwami, the magical being that lends you its power through the miraculous".

"My name is Fluff. It will be nice to work with you in the future. Or was it tomorrows’ past?" said Fluff.

"Heya Fluff. Nice to see you too" says Alix petting Fluff. "Was the speech necessary thought? Not to be rude, but like, I already knew that".

"I know, sorry, it's the rules" apologised Ladybug.

"Well then, it can't be helped. So, what do I need to do?" said Alix. "Do I transform now?"

"I'm not sure. The power of the rabbit miraculous is pretty dangerous after all. Do you think she should train to adapt to it Fluff?" asked the heroine.

"There is no way fixed to train it Master. Only with experience can will be learned" said Fluff.

"Uh... Am I the only one that doesn't understand this kwami's speech?" asked Chat Noir.

"Nope, I don't get it too" said Alix shrugging.

"Fluff can be a bit confusing sometimes, but they are a great kwami for sure" said Ladybug. "Anyway, Alix, transform and let's try to use your power, don't worry about making a mistake".

"Sure thing LB. Fluff, clockwise!" chanted Alix and her transformation begun.

"Uh... Isn't her suit different from future Bunnix?" asked Ladybug.

"I think so My Lady. At least, I don't remember that Bunnix had a vest or a cap or... Are those skating protections?" pointed Chat Noir.

"Could it be because it's my first time?" said Bunnix.

"Hm... Oh, I remember Tikki, my kwami, telling me that our suits are made unconsciously by our deepest thoughts, so maybe they can change?" tried Ladybug.

"It makes sense to me" accepted Chat Noir.

"Well then, now I only have to use my superpower to... What do I have to do?" asked Bunnix.

"Well, we need you to find your future self, but we don't know from when she is. At least we think that you can open a Burrow and there should be a lot of exits to different points of time. It's what I saw future Bunnix doing" said Ladybug.

"I can do that!" said Bunnix eagerly. "Burrow!"

"Now what My Lady?" asked Chat Noir. "We jump inside?"

"No, Bunnix has to jump inside holding us, or else we'll be lost in time" said Ladybug.

"Then let's go!" said Bunnix grabbing the other heroes and jumping into her burrow.

The inside was unlike Ladybug remembered. It was all white and only had a single hole, the one they had entered from. Ladybug was perplexed, why wasn’t the burrow like she remembered? Could it be that she had messed up or something? What if it was like that because she and Chat were there at the same time? No, it couldn't be that. There had to be a reason why this was happening. And then she remembered the kwami guide they had on their weapons.

"Bunnix! Look at your umbrella, you should have a little screen or something and there should be a manual in there" said Ladybug.

"A screen? On an umbrella? What are you- WOAH!" said Bunnix as she pulled the bottom of her umbrella and revealed a screen. "Impressive".

"No time for wondering Lola Bunny, you'll detransform in 5 minutes and we'll be on a huge problem if we're in here" said Chat hurrying her.

"Sheesh, I'm doing it Tom, no need of any nickname" said Bunnix searching through the screen. "Here it is! Uh... Aha... Oh, apparently, I'll collect those holes Ladybug talked about for each time I travel through another time and open a burrow. Oh, but for now I can simply go to whenever I want".

"And can you leave a message to other time-travellers?" asked Ladybug.

"Uhhh... Yes! I can. But it will take form of a riddle and will appear on an exact date and moment" said Bunnix.

"Like that one your future self-sent us" said Chat.

"Okay, then send a message to yourself in... Say, 12 years from now telling to come" said Ladybug.

"I'm on it Ladybug" said Bunnix. "Done. Now, how about we exit this before I detransform, because I've lost the count of how many times has beeped my miraculous".

"Let's get back for now" said Ladybug. "Hopefully, your future self will come in no time".

Bunnix picked up the heroes on her shoulders and jumped out of the burrow. They landed gently on the roof and then Bunnix put them on the ground to let them stand, awed by the strength the miraculous gave her. She was so enthusiastic about it that she was jumping without even noticing, which caused a huge laugh from Chat Noir and a smirky smile from Ladybug who found it adorable and amusing at the same time. Bunnix stopped and looked at them confused at first, but she realised what had happened and blushed almost instantly.

"Aw, don't worry Lopunny, it's normal to be so excited the first time you use a miraculous. My Lady literally fell for me on her first day" said Chat Noir with a huge dorky grin.

"Firstly, I fell on you, not for you. And secondly, why did you had to tell her that! I'm so embarrassed" said Ladybug turning red as her suit.

"No way, Ladybug fell on you?" said Bunnix. "The gracious and agile Ladybug? Our Miraculous Ladybug?"

"The one and only. Apparently, she’s quite clumsy outside of th- Hey! My Lady?! My Lady put me down! What are you- Oh no! Buggaboo please n-" pleaded Chat Noir as Ladybug threw him across Paris once again.

"That's for teasing me so much! Stupid alley cat!" shouted Ladybug and turned to Bunnix with a dead serious face and a blush that rivalled with Marinette's in Bunnix opinion. "You have seen or heard nothing, got it?"

"Pfffft. Sure thing clumsybug" teased Alix and instantly got a soft punch from Ladybug on her shoulder. "Okay, okay. I won't tell a soul LB, I don't want an aerial tour of Paris like Chat".

"Good" said Ladybug trying to look serious and composed, but still bright red as her hero suit.

"Can I ask you something Ladybug?" asked Bunnix trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, sure thing" said Ladybug visually relaxing.

"How did you befriend Marinette? Don't get me wrong, she's great and I know that, but she has this huge despise towards your other friend Lila Rossi" said Bunnix and instantly regretted it when she saw Ladybug tense.

"Lila? Lila Rossi isn't my friend and she has never been. First, she lied about me rescuing her and saying we're besties, then she tried to lie to that model boy saying she was a hero as well, a hero that would beat me easily with her eyes closed. Do you see a patron yet? Because then she was akumatized, we deakumatized her and declared openly her hate towards me. She abused of her lies to make Marinette look like a villain. Marinette almost was akumatized, but she didn't let herself get akumatized. Meanwhile, your so good Lila saw the akuma and use it to become once again a villain. And let's not forget how she actively tried to help an akuma to defeat us. She is nothing but a liar and a villain. And Marinette has evaded being akumatized not once, but twice. Now tell me, which one is a good friend?" said Ladybug with a faint note of anger on her voice.

"Marinette was almost akumatized twice?" said Chat Noir getting on the roof, a bit surprised and devastated by the information.

"She- She has been lying all this time?" said Bunnix shocked. "That lying-"

"Stop that both of you, you wouldn't want to be akumatized again, would you?" said someone behind them. They turn and see Bunnix, future Bunnix, standing there with a worried look on her face. "Mini-bug is telling the truth. But Lila is not a liar. She's a villain, a true villain".

"Bunnix?" said the young heroes at once, surprised.

"The one and only. I came when I got the message, what's the matter Mini-bug?" said adult Bunnix.

"We need help to deal with the time ripples I caused when fixing Chat Blanc" said Ladybug.

"Actually, I caused the time ripples after changing too many times the timeline, Fluff already told you" pointed the older rabbit. "To be precise, Plagg caused them when he destroyed the possibility of Chat Blanc, but I asked him to do so".

"Plagg did what?" asked Chat Noir surprised.

"He is destruction itself; he destroyed any possibilities for Chat Blanc happening in any future. Though, mini-me will have to deal with it when the time comes, but she will have forgotten about it after spending so many years trapped in a rock thanks to a certain cat" said adult Bunnix. "I did forget that you originally gave me the miraculous now, but after this you won't need Bunnix for a few years".

"Shame, I planned to fill that blank space with a lot of holes" said young Bunnix as she detransformed into Alix.

"Don't worry mini me, I remember this now, so here, a carrot for Fluff" said Bunnix giving Alix a carrot. "Let them eat and transform back. Meanwhile Mini-bug, use your Lucky Charm. And Kitty Noir has to use Cataclysm on it, but you have to call for your Cataclysm before Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm. This way we'll fix the time ripples".

Chat Noir nodded and called upon his Cataclysm and looked to Ladybug. She used her Luck Charm and an umbrella fell on her hands, but instead of a red with spots item, it was a black umbrella. Both heroes recognised perfectly the umbrella and were a bit shocked at first, but the black umbrella began to turn white. Bunnix rushed Chat Noir towards Ladybug and he cataclysmed the umbrella before it turned completely white. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood there for a solid minute without saying a thing, staring at the ashes of the umbrella.

"I'm done" said the younger Bunnix. "What now old me?"

"Oh, now we go into my burrow" said as she grabbed everyone and jumped into a burrow.

"Now this is real time travelling" said young Bunnix amazed with the hole filled burrow she was in.

"Even better, your burrow will look like this next time you use it" said proudly the older Bunnix.

"No way. This is so cool!" said the younger one amazed. "What do we do now?"

"Now? Now we let the idiots in love detransform" said Bunnix as all the holes in the burrow closed.

"What! Bunnix let us out now! This is serious! We can't know each other’s secret identity as long as Hawk Moth has his miraculous!" said desperately Ladybug.

"Do you want to fix the time ripples or not? Because this is the way to do it" said Bunnix firmly.

"How can revealing our identities fix this time mess?" asked Chat Noir equally desperate as Ladybug.

"It will fix more than this time mess as you call it Kitty Noir. First, it will fix your relationships as heroes and civilians. Second, it will fix Marinette's problems with Liela. Thirdly, when you two reveal yourselves and realize how big of an idiot each of you are, there will be a soul bond between you two. When a soul bond between destruction and creation happens, there will be a flash of light that works on the same way the miraculous cure works, but since we are trapped intime, it will only fix any time problems" explained the older Bunnix.

"Then why am I here? Is it okay for me to know who they are?" said teen Bunnix.

"You need to know as well. You will play an important role to help Marinette's problems with that lying fox wannabe. Also, without your help, an akumatized Ladybug will destroy Paris and everything" said Bunnix.

"I'll be akumatized?" asked Ladybug shocked.

"I can’t tell you that Mini-bug, but I can assure you that Lady Akuma will be an akuma far worse than Chat Blanc. Be prepared Kitty Noir" said Bunnix with a tenebrous tone.

Everyone remained silent. Adult Bunnix was simply standing there, not moving at all. Teen Bunnix on the contrary was moving a lot, walking from one point to another while thinking what she could possibly do. Chat Noir was lying on the floor, lost in his thoughts about future Bunnix words and her warning, which made his skin crawl a bit. Why had he been prepared for an akuma named Lady Akuma? Meanwhile Ladybug was panicking mentally. Her secret would be discovered, she would become akumatized and create the worst akuma ever. What did everything had to go so wrong? And then, Chat's ring beeped for the last time and a green light covered him. Ladybug involuntarily closed her eyes. Bunnix did not.

"You are Chat Noir?!" screamed the younger Bunnix with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

"Uh... Hello again Alix?" said civilian Chat Noir as he fed his whiny kwami.

"Ladybug, open your eyes" said adult Bunnix.

Ladybug obeyed and saw... "Adrien Agreste?! You're mon chaton?!"

"The one and only" said Adrien bowing.

"I can't believe it. NO. Bunnix let me go, he can't see me detransformed!" Begged Ladybug panicking extremely. "Alix Kubdel you better let me go right now!"

"Won't do Mini-bug. You have to stay, even if you want to die out of embarrassment" said older Bunnix grinning. "Or is it that you can't face Buttercups? What a shame Lotus".

"No way! No! It can't be! You're Ma- I mean, Lotus?!" exclaimed surprised young Bunnix and began to laugh when she saw Ladybug's blush.

"What is going on?!" asked confused Adrien.

"Girls. Girls are going on. That's why I prefer my delicious Camembert" said Plagg deadpanned.

"I want to die" said Ladybug covering her face with her hands curled on the floor.

"Oh come on Buggaboo, Kitty Noir will be delighted to know you're lotus, he thinks so greatly of you already" teased the older Bunnix.

"Yeah, doesn't Buttercups already consider you part of nobility?" said teen Bunnix.

"But I can't face him! I've had this huge fat crush on him for so much time and now he ends up being my partner? The same I've been rejecting all this time? COME ON! WHAT'S NEXT?! IS MY MOTHER HAWK MOTH?!" screamed Ladybug forgetting that Adrien was still with them.

"You like me? I've been rejected all this time for me?" asked Adrien first sheepishly, but he soon began to laugh.

"AND NOW HE KNOWS!! Kill me already please" whined Ladybug.

"Are you sure we can't spare her adult me?" asked teen Bunnix pitying Ladybug.

"I also feel sorry for her, but it's just for a few minutes until they start being so gross" said adult Bunnix smirking.

"Uh... Can I know what's happening? This cat is purrty confused right now" said Adrien.

"Oh don't you purrty me Agreste! I refuse to hear your horrible puns in class too!" jumped Ladybug as her earrings beeped and she detransformed. She quickly covers herself, but it was too late.

"Marinette?" asked Adrien confused. "Purrincess is that you?"

"Marinette? Who is Marinette? I-I don't know what a Marinette is" said Marinette smoothly.

"Oh come on Lotus, Buttercups has seen you already" said Alix as she detransformed to face them seriously. "Though I wish Tiger Lily was here to film all of this, we'd have fun for months".

"Alix Kubdel! IF YOU DARE SAY A SINGLE WORD TO ALYA I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE PERSONALLY!" said Marinette in an outburst, not thinking rationally, turning herself to face Alix but meeting Adrien.

"Hello again M'Lady. Or should I say Princess?" said Adrien trying to smile gently despite his utter confusion and embarrassment. He had so many emotions swirling inside of him that he was surprised that he was acting so... calm. Thought he is surprised when a light blinds all of them, said light coming from him and Marinette and expanding through the Burrow.

"I told you that you loved bakery girl, but did anyone hear me? Of course not" complained Plagg.

"Oh shush Stinky Socks, you're ruining the mood! Please, proceed with your talk" said Tikki.

"Why is Ladybug's kwami so cute, yet so scary?" asked Alix.

"She's the most fearsome kwami of al I've met. I have nothing but respect towards her. Even Plagg fears her" said Bunnix.

"Can we get a bit of privacy?" asked Adrien and Marinette at unison while blushing crazily, which only worsened when they processed their newly found synchronization.

"I'm afraid not, unless you want to be lost in time that is" said Bunnix. "Come on lovebirds, stop being like that and confess already or I'll confess for you both and just so you know, I'm very acquainted with your darkest deepest secrets, so you definitely don't want me spilling things like a phone theft or a huge dakimakura".

Both teenagers straightened by the fear caused by the sole thought of the other one knowing their most embarrassing stuff. "Okay..."

"Marinette?" asked Adrien nervously.

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"Shall I start?" asked the boy even more nervously.

"That's it, I'm done" said Bunnix.

"I like you Adrien! I've liked you since you gave me that umbrella!" confessed Marinette scared by Bunnix's threat to her social image.

"What?" said Adrien.

"You heard her Buttercups. She likes you so much, she can't talk straight to you without messing up her speech or stammering like an MP5" said Alix.

"And she does really like you. Ask her why did your father let you return to school after the Volpina and Collector incident" said Bunnix.

"Marinette? Did you convince somehow father to let me go back to school?" asked Adrien hesitantly.

And then it came. Marinette explained everything. How she felt, how she had tailored after Lila and Adrien once and discovered the book of the miraculous, about her fear, her love, everything since the very beginning, when they got their miraculous. There were a few laughs at some points, mainly due to something Marinette had messed up with; but there were also tears and Alix even hugged Marinette until she almost asphyxiated her. Then it was Adrien's turn to talk. He talked about his family problems, about his huge cold empty home and how alive he felt when he was Chat. He also confessed his feelings to Marinette, about him still not being 100% over Ladybug, but also about his recently found feelings of Marinette. At the end, Alix was very shaken by all of the things she had just learnt and simply pulled the two idiots into a hug.

"Come on Mini-me, let's give these dorks a bit of time to think" said Bunnix as she opened her Burrow again and pushed each teenager on their bedroom.

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

"Tikki" said Marinette with a wavering voice.

"Yes Marinette?" asked Tikki.

"Am I dreaming again? Adrien is not Chat and I didn't embarrass myself in front of him, right?" asked Marinette.

"I'm sure you didn't embarrass yourself, Adrien really liked the fact that-" said Tikki, but she was interrupted by a knock on the window.

"Oh no! Chat's here! And Chat is Adrien! Adrien is here! On my room! My posters of him are all over the room! He's going to freak out and he'll hate meandI'llbeleftwithoutapartnerandHawkMothwillslaughterParisanditwillallhavebeenmyfaultand-" said Marinette until Tikki headbutted her.

"Marinette! Calm down, open that window, let that cat in and talk with him. He won't be creeped by you, I'm sure of it" said Tikki calming her holder.

Marinette breathed, nodded and opened her windows. "Hello?"

"Hey Mini Bug, you forgot the miraculous" said Bunnix.

"I bet she was lost on her mind" teased Alix. "Thought I won't mind keeping the miraculous if you want".

"Oh, Alix, Bunnix. It's just you" sighed Marinette relieved.

"Were you waiting for someone else Lotus?" teased Alix winking.

"I hate you so much now" said Marinette blushing. "Come on, give the miraculous and let me be paranoid by myself".

"Just so you know Mini-bug, everything will be alright before you can say Spots On" said Bunnix. "To begin with, the time ripples are fixed".

"Yeah, you'll be able to sleep finally girl, you definitely need it" pointed Alix.

"Gee, I love you too Alix. No need to have some tact or anything alike" said Marinette sarcastically.

"Even restless, Princess is a delightful sight for an alley cat like me" said Chat poking his head through the windows.

"Aahh!!!!" screamed Marinette from the bottom of her lungs as she picked a pillow and threw it to Chat Noir, almost knocking him off.

"Make sure to never be on the receiving end of anything Marinette throws Mini-me" said Bunnix. "I once saw her knock Chat and Carapace of a roof, without even being transformed".

"You could have warned me!" exclaims Chat Noir. "Why do you treat me like this after I compliment you Buggaboo?"

"I panicked" said Marinette sheepishly shrugging her shoulders.

"You did deserve that one for eavesdropping us" declared Alix.

"I can't argue about that, even if it wasn't intentional" admitted the feline hero. "Can I get inside before someone spots me here?"

"Y-You can enter I guess" said Marinette trying to appear uninterested and calm.

"And we'll leave" said Bunnix, giving the miraculous to Marinette. "Come on Teennix, I'll burrow-drop you an hour ago".

"See you at school guys" said Alix preparing to leave but turns to Marinette. "And Marinette, I'm sorry for being a jerk about you and Lila. We show her who is the boss?"

"Count me in" said Marinette smiling. She bid goodbye and the pink haired girls disappeared through a Burrow.

"I'm sorry for telling you to leave Lila alone because she wasn't hurting anyone. And for not noticing that she was hurting you" said Chat Noir.

"Don't worry, I know you always see the positive side in each possibility. It's one of the things I like about you" said Marinette calmly.

"Marinette?" said Chat Noir.

"Yes Kitty?" asked Marinette.

"I know we have some- Well, a lot of stuff to process and everything but..." said Chat nervously as he played with his fingers.

"But what? What happens Minou?" asked Marinette a bit worried.

"If you'd like, could we... Could we, you know, go on a date or something? After everything, of course. And only if you want to" said Chat blushing.

"Chat, detransform" ordered Marinette and the cat obeyed.

"My Lady? Princess?" asked Chat worried.

"I would love to, you big dork" said Marinette as she pulled Adrien into a hug, giving him a peck on his cheek.

"You know, I think this is the best bug you've ever had. She's bold, she feeds me and she can shut my kitten with a single peck" said Plagg to Tikki.

"Admit it, you also like my bug because she's good for your so smitten kitten" said Tikki smirking.

"You will never hear me admit that" said Plagg stubbornly. Meanwhile, the teenagers were both dying inside from embarrassment.

"Plagg, please, shut up" managed to say a very flustered Adrien.

"I-I'll go for s-so-some snacks" said Marinette blushing considerably as she headed towards the stairs and disappeared.

"Hello again, Adrien. I'm not sure if you remember me from Reflekta's and Reflekdoll's fight but I'm Marinette's kwami" said Tikki politely, allowing Adrien to calm down.

"Hello Tikki. I do remember you, it's nice to meet you again" replied politely Adrien. "I admit you are a lot less grumpy than Plagg and a lot nicer".

"Watch kid, because that less grumpy nicer kwami can and will obliterate you if you dare anger her" warned Plagg and instantly got hit by Tikki.

"Now, now, Plagg. Don't scare Adrien like that. I'm not that bad" said Tikki smiling with her eyes closed, giving more and more a feeling of danger. "Thought Adrien, sweetheart, I'll say this once. Keep Marinette happy. Okey?" said as Adrien felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Roger that" said Adrien a bit nervous and afraid for his life.

"Don't worry now, I was just kidding a bit" said Tikki, but Adrien thought otherwise. "But you will face a lot of threats if you date Marinette. As you know, Marinette has a lot of people close to her, some of them are quite famous, some of them are a bit zealous of black cats that broke their daughter's heart. But I'm sure you'll manage it".

"I love Marinette a lot. Nothing can or will ever stop me from loving her" said Adrien, now very serious and determined.

Tikki pat his head. "Well said Adrien" said the kwami not noticing that Mari had just arrived. "Now I can finally give you my approval as well as my blessing".

"Tikki!" whined Marinette even redder than before, startling Tikki and Adrien. Adrien found cute how she could blush so much.

"Are those Camembert filled croissants?" asked Plagg gleefully as he darted over Marinette. "Adrien, you better make her happy and marry her this instant or I'll cataclysm your butt to the next millennia".

"M-M-Marry?" said both teens profoundly blushing at unison.

"And here I thought you'd drop a pun to propose" teased Plagg and Tikki nudged him.

"Stop teasing them so much Stinky Socks!" said Tikki.

"I'm sorry Sugar Cube, but I've been hearing this kitten fantasize with her so much on both sides of both masks. This is my revenge" said Plagg.

"N-No croissants then" managed to stutter Marinette.

"Not the croissants!" said Plagg as he kneeled apologising on mid-air. "I'm sorry Princess! I shall never enrage you again".

"G-Good. Have one then" said Marinette still blushing. Adrien was speechless and amazed.

"You're amazing Marinette" said Adrien without thinking. "If I could, I'd ask you to Mari me".

Marinette.exe stopped working. She blushed, groaned, rolled her eyes and squealed. At the same time. Adrien was once again surprised by her, until he registered what he had just said and turn into another blushing mess. Plagg was cackling as if it was the funniest thing he had seen ever, even crying from laughing to hard. But nobody expected Tikki to enter into a giggling mood that didn't stop even when Plagg had finished laughing. Adrien wanted to crawl into a hole and never get out. But Marinette grabbed his shirt shyly, not looking to him because of sheer embarrassment, but also not letting him go.

"Ad-drien. I h-h-hate you" she said and then give him a shy peck on the cheeks and proceeded to hide herself behind a gigantic pillow.

Adrien stood there, uncertain of what just happened and unsure of what to do, but everything was irrelevant since Marinette has given him a kiss on the cheek. A lot of feelings revolved inside of him, thus causing Adrien.exe to stop working. That is, until Plagg decided to feed him with a Camembert-filled croissant which was, to Adrien's disgust, impressibly delicious. He munches it down and resisted the urge to stare at Marinette until his heart was satisfied.

"Come on now, don't go all silent you two" said Plagg. "Do your weird human mating ritual and begin to date or whatever you find appropriate".

"He's right Marinette, you two have confessed your feelings already but, those that means that you're a couple?" pointed Tikki.

"I- Uh- Do you-" fumbled Adrien, not sure of how to express his feelings.

Marinette giggled a bit seeing her partner doing silly faces while trying to figure what to say. "Would you two give us a bit of time to discuss some stuff?"

"Your wishes are orders Princess" said Plagg bowing as he and Tikki turned to leave the room.

"So..." began Adrien.

"Yeah, so..." said Marinette awkwardly. "What should we do know?"

"I want to date you, I really want to, but..." said Adrien scratching his neck and hoping that Marinette didn't misunderstand him.

"But there is a lot to process and you don't want to make things weird" finished Marinette nodding, calming both of them the fact that they had thought similarly.

"Purrcisely, I couldn't have said that better" said Adrien. "Though, I really want all of this to go away and date you and maybe hold hands with you and take you on some dates" said as he blushed.

She looked at him with tender eyes and love pouncing through her body. "I want that too" said with a gentle and shy smile.

"So, when I'm ready, and you are as well, could we..." said Adrien, but got interrupted by Marinette, who decided that it was a good idea to kiss him and didn't expect that his brain would melt at that.

"Yes kitty, when we're both ready, I want you to take me on a date" said Marinette with a bright blush on her cheeks."

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

Epilogue:

Marinette and Adrien finally where ready three months later. Everyone had stopped getting the time ripples effects when they fixed it, but there were a lot of things to work out. With Adrien decided to help her and Alix wanting to kick some butts, Marinette finally managed to prove that Lila was a liar. It didn't happen on the course of a day thought. They had first convinced Alya and Nino with some proof they had managed to gather, getting both of them on their side. But Alya was a major breakthrough in the whole operation. After apologizing for ages, she swam through the internet, getting medical records, testimonies, gathering proof of Lila's lies and contacting Lia's previous classmates to ask about her. Almost singlehandedly she managed to recompile enough data to prove once and for all that Lila was an evil.

Obviously other people participated. Luka tried to help after apologizing to Marinette for breaking up with her, but Alix and Alya refused to let him help, so he simply gathered some information and handle it to the boys, who were a tad more understanding, specially Adrien after knowing that Luka had simply having so many dreams of Marinette being happy with him that left Luka almost paranoid. Kagami also apologised to Adrien, but this time the girls didn't interfere because Marinette had expressly called her to help due to the fact that she had also been involved with Lila's lies and that they were friends, no matter if they both loved the same boy. She was a valuable asset to the team and working with other people along with Marinette's encouragement, Kagami made some more friends. And then was Max. He had been the hardest one to convince, but after showing Markov the evidence and the little robot stubbornly forced the boy to look at it too, they managed to get him to help, but only after Ladybug and Chat Noir deakumatized him.

When they released the truth to the principal and the teachers, there was a burst of anger between the humiliated adults, but they managed to keep their feelings in check and called Mrs. Rossi to talk with her. Lila got expulsed, her mother wanted to send her back to Italy, but after everyone saw how she willingly accepted Hawk Moth's offer of akumatization, it was clear that she couldn't simply walk away. They called the authorities and send her to a minor center on Italy, far from Hawk Moth's influence and far from anyone she could manipulate.

Then it was the turn of the students to know and Scarlet Moth made an appearance once again. This time thought, the heroes where prepared and they had more than enough back up to deal with all the students. Afterwards, a lot of people apologized to Marinette for being rude to her or accusing her of being jealous. She forgave them, because she knew it wasn't fully their fault, they were being manipulated after all. But she never forgot, and it showed. She never fully got back to her lovely attitude. She was still selfless and stood up to any injustice people faced, but she also was wearier of them and didn't fully trust anyone. No one blamed her for it, rather, they were thankful that she at least tried to keep thing normal between everyone.

Soon enough, she became a sensation. Everyone in school adored her, there were fan clubs and she got a lot of commissions. She opened a fashion blog and began to post her newest creations along with her never ending commissions. Adrien helped her as much as he could doing anything for her or simply being for her, not ready to date her yet but caring for her nonetheless. It helped a lot that the akumas where fewer than ever and that Mayura had surrendered her miraculous anonymously, leaving it along with a note on the Major's desk, who immediately contacted Ladybug and returned it to her. At the same time, Nathalie had resigned as Gabriel's assistant and left the mansion forever, leaving Adrien a bit sad, but Gorilla made sure to fill in her role, always caring of the boy as if it was his own child.

Slowly, everything fell back in order and improved further any expectation Adrien or Marinette could had ever thought. They were more in love with each other, having fell for the other each day had passed, making their feelings grow as much as possible and, when the time finally came, they began to date. Alix lamented ever pitying Marinette's embarrassment back in the burrow, future Bunnix was right and they both were sickening with all their lovey-dovey interactions. Even Rose despised them from time to time for being so cheesy, and Rose was an addict to romance. But everyone was happy for them, even if they only showed disgust for their newly founded couple. As for what happened with Hawk Moth? Well, that's a story for another time.

[vgckwb]

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 3: Alya’s Test!

Marinette woke up. “G’morning Tikki” she said. She checked her phone. “AH!” she screamed. “I’m going to be late!” She quickly got dressed, and ate breakfast, and left. She ran to school as fast as she could.

“You know Marinette,” said Tikki, “we have to discuss what happened with Master Fu.”

“Of course Tikki” said Marinette. “But that can wait. I just have to get to school on ti-” Marinette bumped into someone, and fell over. “Sorry” she said.

“Don’t be” said Vlad, giving her a hand.

Marinette was confused. She took his hand and he helped lift her up. “Oh, uh, thank you” she said.

“Rough night?” Vlad asked.

“Uh, yeah, something like that” said Marinette.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” said Vlad. “Something came up so suddenly.”

Marinette was familiar with that sentiment. He and Adrien were both models. He must lead a busy life. “I’m sorry” she said.

“It’s OK, really” said Vlad. “I met someone interesting, and that made it all worth it.”

“Really? Who is this person?” Marinette asked.

“It’s a secret,” said Vlad, as they were heading up the stairs.

Vlad and Marinette entered the classroom just as the bell rang. As Vlad sat down, Lila looked at him and remembered the conversation she and Adrien had yesterday after she was DeAkumatized.

“Look, I’m sorry” said Adrien. “I talk to Vlad about all my classmates. It feels great. I like having friends to talk about. But Vlad himself is a tough cookie. He’s very distrusting, and rather selective about who he socializes with outside of work. No matter how much I talk someone up, he always has to test them. It’s not just you.”

“Odd, isn’t it?” said Lila. “You don’t have trouble trusting people, and yet you claim this guy is your friend.”

“He is my friend Lila” said Adrien, sternly. “I’m sorry. It’s just Vlad and I rarely had the chance to see each other until now. When people see us, they often ask why we’re friends. I don’t like people questioning my friendships, and I get defensive.”

Lila smiled. She couldn’t stay mad at Adrien. “So, how did you two become friends?”

“Well…” said Adrien. “It’s a long story. But the gist of it is Vlad noticed I was sad. Thinking I was just playing it up, he intimidated me. I explained to him why I was feeling down, he apologized. We had a back and forth, and he helped me get over my issue.”

“Sounds like a great story,” said Lila. “Can’t wait to hear the full version.”

Lila was walking away, when Adrien said “One more thing...Try not to get on Vlad’s bad side. I don’t want what happened yesterday to become a daily occurrence. Whether it's you getting Akumatized, or him.”

“I understand” said Lila.

In the present, Lila turned her attention to Ms. Bustier, who was pairing people up for a project. “Our next pair will be Vlad and Alya” she said.

“Um, could I be paired with Adrien or Marinette instead?” said Vlad.

“Sorry Vlad, all selections are final” said Ms. Bustier. “Besides, it’ll be a good chance for you to get to know Alya. She’s the assistant class rep, you know.”

“Great” said Vlad.

Lila smirked. “Our next pair will be Marinette and Adrien” said Ms. Bustier. Marinette was so shocked she fell out of her chair. “Are you alright Marinette?”

“Yup” said Marinette. “He’s fine. I mean I’m fine” she said.

“That girl’s an open book” said Lila, hoping to break the ice properly with Adrien’s friend.

“Don’t you buy books to open them?” Vlad retorted. Lila was not amused.

“Lila, you will be paired with Nino” Ms. Bustier said. Lila looked at him, and smirked. Ms. Bustier continued to list off pairs.

During the free period Vlad approached Alya while she was talking with Marinette. “Hey” he said. “You wanna start working on that project now, or after school?��

Alya sighed. “I should do it now. I gotta babysit the twins as soon as school is over.”

“Sounds great” said Vlad. He and Alya left.

“Pst” said Beyyo. Marinette noticed him in the corner of her eye and approached him cautiously. Tikki popped out and glared at him. “You have a good Ladybug in Marinette” he said. “Don’t lose that over our history. I’ve changed since then. And this new person is also different. Don’t judge him based on the previous holder.” Beyyo flew off.

Tikki was still mad. “What happened last time?” Marinette asked her.

Before she could answer, Adrien came up to Marinette. Tikki hid. Adrien said “Marinette. Do you want to work on the project?”

“Anything for you. AH! I mean, yes of course” said Marinette.

Beyyo re-entered Vlad’s pocket without alerting Alya. “So Alya, Marinette tells me you two are close” Vlad said.

“Are you in love with Marinette or something?” Alya said. “Ever since you got here, your focus has been on her.”

“No no” said Vlad. “Nothing like that. It’s just right now, she and Adrien are the only people here I trust.”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me?!” Alya said, incensed.

“Yeah” said Vlad.

“How rude” said Alya, turning her back toward him.

“It’s not just you” said Vlad. “I don’t trust anyone I don’t know that well. Adrien and I met a while ago, so I trust him, and I learned to trust Marinette yesterday.”

Alya turned around “Like, during that meeting you had with her?” she asked.

“Yup” said Vlad.

“Well, if all it takes is a meeting, then let’s have this meeting,” she said, dragging Vlad.

“Oooo. You’re feisty” said Vlad. “I like that.”

Marinette and Adrien were in the library studying for the project. Marinette thought to ask him about Vlad, and what he said this morning. “Um, Adrien?” she said. “Do you know what Vlad was doing last night?”

“I think he had a photo-shoot at the Arc de Triomphe” said Adrien. “What’s this about? Do I have competition now?”

Marinette was shocked. “Competition, what?”

“For fashion inspiration” said Adrien.

“Oh. No” said Marinette. “I just ran into him this morning. Literally. He seemed like he had a rough night.”

“Yeah” said Adrien. “He enjoys modeling, but he doesn’t always enjoy what comes with it.”

“Is that why you two are close?” Marinette asked. Adrien stood, mouth agape. She realized what she had just asked. “AH! I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s cool” said Adrien. “I never really thought about it like that before. But that totally makes sense. So, what is he doing now?”

“Oh, he and Alya are also working on the project together,” said Marinette. A look of concern hung over on Adrien’s face. “Is something wrong?” Marinette asked.

“It’s just, Vlad is unique. He doesn’t trust people easily” said Adrien. “He likes to gauge a person’s character before he decides to trust them. I’m worried that depending on how it goes, he might learn to hate Alya.”

Marinette was now concerned. “Why?”

“It’s not just Alya” said Adrien. “I’m worried about all of the class. Vlad has a tepid relationship with people. He gets along with them fine, but Vlad has a high bar when it comes to forming bonds. I’m just worried that the bar might be too high for everyone. Especially if they don’t know him too well.”

“Well, I’m sure everything will work out” said Marinette.

“You trust him that much already?” said Adrien.

“I trust our class” said Marinette.

“Spoken like a true class representative” said Adrien. Marinette blushed.

Meanwhile, Alya and Vlad were facing each other. “So, what do you need to know?” Alya demanded.

Vlad scoffed. “I just need to see what kind of person you are,” he said.

“Well, what did Marinette tell you?” Alya asked.

“Hey now, trying to figure me out like that is cheating” said Vlad. “But, since Marinette is a commonality between us, why don’t you tell me how you two met?”

Alya sighed. “Fine. It was the first day of school. I was new, and Chloe was giving Marinette a hard time. I couldn’t let that stand, so I talked to Marinette to help give her the confidence she needed to confront her.”

“So, you’re friends out of pity?” Vlad asked.

“NO! Of course not!” Alya shouted at him. “I mean, yes, Marinette was a bit timid when I first met her, but I didn’t pity her. I don’t think Ladybug would pity people she is rescuing from an Akuma attack. It felt like that.”

Vlad smiled. “I see.”

“To be honest, I’ve always been a fan of super heroes. And when Ladybug and Cat Noir showed up, I was ecstatic. But I can get a little overzealous sometimes, and at those times Marinette rescues me as well.”

Vlad put his arms on her shoulders. “I’ve heard enough. You’ve earned my trust, Miss Cesaire.”

“HEY!” said Nino, charging in.

“Nino?” Alya said, surprised.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Nino asked.

“What’s the matter?” Vlad asked.

“Lila told me the reason you didn’t want to be paired with Alya is because you’ve got a crush on her and didn’t want to reveal it!” said Nino. “Well too bad! Alya and I are dating.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” said Alya. “As much as I like seeing how seriously you take this relationship, I don’t think that Vlad is into me whatsoever. At least not like that.”

“Are you sure?” Nino said.

“He told me to my face that he doesn’t trust me” Alya said.

“Yeah, that’s not a good way to pick up girls” said Vlad. “Or, you know, whatever you’re into. Who told Lila that anyway?”

Nino was confused. “Lila said you told her,” he said. “Just as we were beginning to work on the project together.”

Vlad sighed. “Of course she did. Look, I know you all like her, but you know she’s a liar, right?” he asked.

“Did Marinette tell you that?” Alya asked.

“What? No” said Vlad. “Adrien did.” Alya and Nino looked at each other, confused. “Look, Adrien has told me a lot about you guys. He told me that Lila lies constantly, but maybe if we set a good example, she might feel the need to stop lying so much. Adrien sees people through these rose-tinted glasses. So, when he tells me about you all, he is so enthusiastic about you. To hear him say something negative about someone, even if it’s the slightest thing, is odd.”

Alya and Nino were stunned by this realization. “I had no idea” Alya said.

“And hey, if you wanna give your boyfriend here an advantage on this, ask Adrien what he told me about him. I’m looking to see if what he said is the real deal, or if it’s just Adrien being too kind for his own good” said Vlad. “Now, do you want to work on the project?”

“Sure” said Alya. “Nino, are you going to be OK?”

“Of course” said Nino. “I trust you completely.” Alya and Vlad walked off to start their project.

Nino turned back around and rejoined Lila. “So, how did it go?” Lila asked.

Nino realized that Lila was indeed a liar. At least, about this. But he didn’t want to set her off. What if she got Akumatized again? Or worse? “It was just a misunderstanding” Nino told Lila, who was shocked. “Yeah, uh, it turns out that Vlad is a little weird. So, whatever he said to you, he might have meant it differently.” Nino wasn’t lying, exactly. Vlad was weird.”I got all mad for nothing.”

“That’s not true” Lila said. “You got worked up for the woman you love. I find that to be very noble.” Nino was surprised by this. He blushed and said “Thanks.” Lila began working, and Nino looked at her. That wasn’t a lie. He had to ask Adrien about this. After all, maybe that was her just changing her behavior to be more positive, like his bro said.

After school, Marinette and Alya said goodbye as Alya left to look after her sisters. “She off to babysit?” Vlad said, approaching Marinette.

“Uh, yeah” said Marinette. “How was working with her?” Marinette was anxious about the answer.

“It was delightful” Vlad said. Marinette sighed a sigh of relief. “What’s that about?” Vlad asked.

“I just told her you might not trust her best friend” said Adrien, joining the scene.

“Come on Adrien, give me some credit” said Vlad.

“Adrien did say you have trouble trusting people” said Marinette.

“I guess that’s true” said Vlad. “But I gotta say, you were right about Alya.”

“Maybe you’d be better off if you trusted what I said more” Adrien said.

“Yeah, we’ll see” said Vlad. “By the way, that Nino guy is next.” Adrien giggled. “I thought you would take that harder” Vlad said, confused. “Considering you said he’s your best friend and all.”

“Well, I would be,” said Adrien, “but Marinette told me she trusts our friends, and it’ll all be OK. And I believe her.”

Vlad smiled. “You never cease to amaze me, Marintte” he said. “Hey, I’m stopping by Adrien’s house this afternoon. Wanna come?”

Marinette was surprised. “Thanks, but I’ve got another matter to attend to. Seeya!” she said, as she rushed off.

“Looks like it’s just you and me” Vlad said. From Vlad’s pocket, a sniffing noise could be heard.

“Yeah” said Adrien. Adrien’s limo pulls up. “Ready to go?”

“Of course” said Vlad. The two boys walked to the car.

[idk-mlb-is-reals-cute44]

MLB Secret Santa Gift Part 5!

For @clockworkgalaxies

Oh boy! Picking up right where we left off because Tumblr cut me off, with some excuse like “oops you hit the word count maximum!” Here we go...

~••~

The only good thing that had happened that two weeks was her friendship with Luka had grown. And she’s been seeing Adrien more often, because Alya was always dragging her off to some tea party or cricket match where Adrien would be.

Alya had to be there because of her job, of course, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t also loads of fun. Alya also seemed to have loads of fun teasing Marinette about Adrien, Which Marinette claimed to resent but secretly didn’t mind (which they both knew).

Still, it was hard to get distracted by itty bitty tea cakes when you had a partner who was basically off the map and a king at the forefront of your county who was probably terribly evil, and you couldn’t do anything about it.

Plus, Adrien didn’t quite... seem himself. He was off. Sadder? Marinette wasn’t sure.

“Are you ok?” she asked him one evening, sitting in the fading light of dusk.

“I’m...” he paused, and didn’t say anything for a moment, “I’m doing the best I can.”

He changed the subject before she could say anything more.

Three weeks passed, and no sign of Chat.

~••~

“This is kind of gross.”

Marinette and Luka were standing in a field of toads. Every square inch of the ground was covered in them for at least a quarter mile around.

“It worked, though!” Luka said.

“We should have tried a different spell,” Marinette protested. “Like, literally anything else.”

“You never know when you’ll need a toad!” Luka said, “And it’s a good spell for beginners.”

“I can’t believe you actually roped me into learning magic,” Marinette said.

“I’m proud of you!” Tikki said. “Not many of my bugs ever did spells on their own.”

“Thanks Tikki,” Marinette smiled. “And thank you, Luka.”

“I’ve been a good distraction, haven’t I?” Luka asked, “From... you know.”

“I know.” Marinette sighed. “Is it weird that I miss him even though I hardly knew him at all?”

“No, that makes perfect sense,” Tikki chimes in, “You two were destined to be partners. It only makes sense that you miss him.”

Marinette sighed and hugged Luka.

“What are we going to do?” she whined.

“I have no idea,” Luka said.

Croak. Croak. Croak.

Toads were annoying.

They were in the forest, and it was nearly noon. Almost lunch.

“I’m hungry,” Marinette said, and Luka laughed.

“We can head back then.”

They made their way through the forest, stepping on amphibians left and right. (“This spell is too powerful,” Marinette grumbled, “Who’s idea was this again?) By the time they reached he edge of the palace grounds, they were late.

“We’re gonna miss out on all the good food if we don’t hurry up!” Marinette cried, pulling Luka along as they ran across the fields.

“Hey,” someone said, kind of quietly, but the very sound of it shook Marinette to the core.

All thoughts of lunch were forgotten.

“Chat?”

He was leaning against a wall, in the shadows. It looked like he’d been waiting for them.

“You’re Ladybug, aren’t you?” he asked.

Marinette wanted to lie, for Tikki’s sake, but, “Yes,” slipped out instead of whatever lie she’d been planning to tell.

“You heard the voices,” he said, “In the forest.”

Oops.

“I did,” she said, cursing her apparent inability to keep a secret.

“I... I’m...” Chat paused, took a deep breath, shook his head, and said, “I’m sorry for disappearing for so long. I’m ready to help out again. What’s the plan?”

Marinette winced.

“We don’t have one.”

Chat nodded solemnly. Resigned and unsurprised.

“I may have an idea... There’s something I have that we could use to our advantage.”

“What is it?” Luka asked.

Chat took a deep breath and mumbled, “Claws in.”

Her looked up at them, mask melting away to reveal a face Marinette knew oh-so-well.

“Surprise,” he said kind of weakly, “Im the prince.”

~••~

The plan was simple, but dangerous.

So, so dangerous. Probably a little idiotic.

They would “kidnap” the prince and hold him hostage until the king showed up, by himself, in a meeting place of their choice.

Hopefully the king would agree. Hopefully he wouldn’t just send the army. Hopefully Alya would let them get away with it.

Lots of hopefully-s. Not any definitely-s.

It was the best plan they had, though.

Unfortunately.

“What do we do when he shows up?” Luka asked.

“Blast him with everything we’ve got?” Ladybug suggested, and then blanched and turned to Chat.

“I-I mean, well I—” she sputtered.

“It’s alright,” Chat said, “I really want to punch him in the face, too.”

Ladybug grinned unsteadily, not sure how much she believed that. He’d disappeared for three weeks, after all.

“Marinette,” Luka said then, “I mean, Ladybug. If the code names are even necessary right now? No one’s here?”

Ladybug sheepishly dropped her transformation. Chat did too. They were in the privacy of Luka’s lab. (If she was being honest, the only reason she was transformed was because she looked cool.)

“Anyway, Marinette, and you too, Adrien,” Luka said, “You should learn more magic. I can teach you how to make a safety charm.”

Marinette reluctantly agreed. King Gabriel has a whole damn army of magical warriors. They could use all the help they could get.

Learning magic was hard. She was either in the forest practicing it with Luka and Adrien, or trying to convince Alya to basically sabotage herself and her job.

“Please?”

“I’ll think about it,” Alya sighed, “You’re asking a lot of me.”

“I know,” Marinette winced.

“I’ve had this job for years,” Alya said.

“I... know...”

“If I loose it,” was Alya’s final point, “I might have to leave the caste and find a new job somewhere else, possibly very, very far away.”

Marinette screwed her face up.

“I know,” she whispered, “I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t really, really important.”

“I know,” Alya said. “...I’ll think about it.”

And that was that.

“We’re getting nowhere!” Marinette said.

“We’ve got a plan,” Luka said, “And obviously we’re getting somewhere. You guys have freed, like, twenty people!”

That was true. She and Chat has been slowly but surely freeing possessed civilians. Not enough to be noticeable, (element of surprise) but enough that they’d got a reputation with the kitchen staff. (Hopefully The king didn’t listen in to his staff’s conversations.)

Still, this wasn’t anything like the books Marinette had read as a kid. They had known Gabriel’s secret for a little more than a month, but they were stuck in a tug-of-rope war between failures and successes.

There was no showdown. No dramatic final battle.

Just a whole lot of planning.

Marinette wished she could skip ahead to the last page.

~••~

Adrien Agreste has said you needed to dig a little to get to know Chloe—the real Chloe.

Marinette did not think a little digging was a good descriptor for a full scale mining operation.

Chloe was terrible. Actually. And Marinette was the one with a reputation for being able to befriend anyone. But not Chloe.

Chloe hated everyone, except for Adrien, but especially Marinette. The death glare Chloe has fixed Marinette with was enough to knock the girl back a step.

The way Adrien had explained it, Chloe was one of the daughters of a high ranked noble. As a child, she was one of the only other kids that had been on the Dad Aproved list of playmates. And although Adrien now would often sneak out to the guard barracks to hang out, his friendship with Chloe had never waned, even after years and years. Somehow.

Marinette didn’t even really mind, because the feeling was mutual. Chloe was a spoiled brat, and that was evident within the first five minutes of meeting.

Still, she’d recently returned from her five week long voyage to visit her mother, and Adrien had wanted them all to meet. Her, Marinette, and Alya.

Alya was a diplomats. A real professional. She was polite.

Marinette was trying to say the same about herself, but it was incorrect. Her conversation was bordering hostile.

They were having tea in the gardens. Adrien was laughing at something Alya had said, and Chloe and Marinette were feigning newfound friendship—for Adrien’s sake.

Then they all winced.

The voices.

Master Fu’s cryptic mention of Alya made Marinette pretty sure Alya was one day destined for a miraculous, but Chloe winced too.

Marinette didn’t have time to worry about that, though.

Because the voices were nearing.

That meant something was about to happen—something big, probably.

“Adrien!” Marinette hissed trying to ignore the pounding stream of Marinette! Marinette! Help!, “Didn’t you say, you had to show me the... the thing... at the place?”

Alya raised an unimpressed eyebrow through the headache. (She was a professionally trained assassin, she had standards about lying.)

Thankfully, Chloe was too distracted holding her head to notice the badly crafted falsity.

Adrien nodded at Marinette and they both raced off to transform behind the bushes.

They followed the sound (was it a sound if it was inside their heads?) to its source.

They didn’t find Gabriel, but instead a different woman in a (stunning) blue and green dress, looking rather nefarious at the edge of the forest.

Great, Ladybug though dryly, There’s another one.

“What’s she doing?” Chat whispered.

“No idea. Let’s get closer.”

They split up, circling her, trapping her in and spiraling nearer, nearer, until they were as close as the could creep without risking alerting her to their presence.

There was a feather in her hand. Ladybug thought the feather was giving very creepy vibes, but it might’ve just been in her head. It was just a feather, after all.

The woman was crying. She didn’t seem to be up to anything terribly evil, but maybe this was just the villains version of a smoke break.

All right, we’re paying you minimum wage, so we’ll let you take two five-minute sobbing breaks per day. Any questions?

Ladybug quickly banished the silly thought.

What was she doing?

“Gabriel,” she whispered mournfully.

So she was definitely working with the king.

Great.

As if they didn’t have enough problem.

“For you,” she said to no one, but supposedly meant it for the king who could not hear her.

Then something magic happened—literally. The feather morphed and changed, taking the shape of a terrible, awful monster. It was twice as tall as the woman, with claws and sharp, sharp teeth and an aura of sadness.

Sadness...

Ladybug jolted.

Had this woman turned her feelings into this beast?

The woman faltered and swayed, as though the action had taken more out of her than she could afford to give.

I shouldn’t feel bad for her, Ladybug thought to herself, but nevertheless she did.

“I need you,” the woman said to the beast, “To strike fear into the hearts of those at the palace.”

All the pity Ladybug has felt for her vanished.

Oh no freaking way.

She was sending this after people? This wouldn’t just frighten people. It had the means to crush people with its feet, to kill them easily, even accidentally.

No way was Ladybug letting this get anywhere near her friends.

She stepped out of the brush to face the woman head on.

“My name is Ladybug,” she said, her skirt flying in the wind, “And I swear to the gods you better banish that monster back to wherever the hell it came from or we’re going to have a problem.”

She was thankfull she sounded tough. She was worried all that would come out was an unintelligible squeak.

The woman whiped her tears, turned, and smiled.

The smile was offsetting. It was confident. She looked like she already knew she’d won.

“Why hello there,” she said, “My names Mayura.”

~••~

The beasts lumbered past them, towards the castle.

“I’ve got it!” Chat cried! “You deal with the creep!”

Did he have it? Maybe not, but there weren’t a lot of other choices. Ladybug didn’t want the leave Mayura here alone—who knows what she’d do.

Ladybug swung the first punch.

Which Mayura easily blocked.

Turned out, even when you were misusing your miraculous so thoroughly it gave other people stomachaches, you still got the added benefits like “unparalleled progress in battle” and “grace and agility.”

Ladybug was evenly matched.

Maybe even a little bit out of her element.

Which did not bode well for the success of the rest of the tea party. (No one likes to eat dainty sandwiches opposite someone badly bruised and battered.)

Mayura was good at fighting. No sign of the woman who’d been crying in the forest remained—she hit hard, she hit fast, and she didn’t hestite. There was a glint in her eye.

“What are you and the king doing?” Ladybug yelled as she tried to get a hit in, knowing getting an answer was unlikely but trying anyway, “Why are you hurting my friends and the people who live at this castle?”

Mayura laughed.

“You’re angry,” was all she said. “Good.”

It was then that Ladybug remembered she was dealing with a man who preyed on people’s negative emotions to capture them for his secret army. She took a deep breath (sent Mayura reeling with a really cool looking kick-hit combo) and tried to calm down.

“He has an army,” Ladybug said, her voice labored only by panted breath and not by (too much) emotion, “Why does he need a second force?”

Mayura laughed too, although it seemed a little stained.

Then she clocked Ladybug upside the head, sending the spotted heroine flying.

“You’re asking too many questions,” Mayura said, “And you know too much.”

She illustrated the point by kicking the girl while she was down.

“Great sportsmanship,” Ladybug muttered, stumbling back to her feet.

Mayura didn’t answer, just sent a punch flying.

Ladybug blocked it, and yelled, “Lucky charm!”

A pencil.

“Tikki, what do I do with this?” Ladybug yelled.

No answer. Duh.

Ladybug slipped it into her pocket and threw a punch.

“What are you going to do?” Mayura taunted. “Your partner is gone. I’m stronger than you. And I have more real world job experience than you as an adult!”

“That’s probably true!” Ladybug yelled and decked Mayura in the face.

Mayura said a word Ladybug’s mother would have washed her mouth out with soap for.

“Nice,” Ladybug whispered, shaking out her fist.

She spotted a broach and grabbed her pen, lunging forward and using the pocked clip the hook underneath it, so that she could easily tear it off if she wanted to.

“Get rid of that monster,” Ladybug whispered through clenched teeth, “Bring it back here right now and git did of it.”

Mayura hestitated. She looked down at the broach and then back up at her.

She whispered something under her breath and snapped.

The feather flew from the direction of the castle and into her hand.

“There,” she said.

Ladybug grinned and ripped the broach off of the woman’s (fabulous) dress. Mayura was then revealed to be King Gabriel’s head advisor, who Ladybug has never learned the name of.

Ladybug grabbed the broach, and ran.

She had to find Chat.

~••~

The palace was trashed.

Ladybug stumbled through the halls, looking for Chat, looking for someone.

Silence.

Silence had never been so loud.

There were claw marks in the walls. Doorways were caved in. Portraits were knocked from the wall.

There was no one. Nobody. Ladybug ran from room to room.

She ran into someone.

“Luka?”

“They’re all ok,” he said, grabbing her shoulders and wiping away the tears she hadn’t noticed. “Everyone got away. They ran to the village.”

Ladybug sagged with relief. Then remembered something.

“Where’s Chat?”

Luka looked just as worried as her.

They dashed up the staircase, calling his name.

Finally, finally, they found him.

“Chat!” Ladybug asked, “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” he said. He was battered and a little bloody (concerningly), But Ladybug believed him. He looked steady—he wasn’t going to dissapear on her again. And his voice didn’t quaver, even as he said, “My dad. Well. He’s calling himself Hawkmoth. He’s in the forest. I don’t know what he’s doing, but... something big is about to happen.”

“Where in the forest?” Luka asked.

“The place.... the place where we found my mom.”

Part six coming soon!

[quicksilversquared]

How to Fake a Marriage: Ch 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19   

(AO3) (FF.net)

Once Adrien and Marinette finally peeled themselves apart more than just a few minutes later, they had to have a bit of a talk about their relationship. Clearly they were both interested in dating each other, but Adrien's father hadn't budged on his position against Adrien dating while he was in London. Adrien was initially worried that Marinette might judge him for not wanting to blatantly defy his father's (ridiculous, completely stupid) wishes, but she understood that he wasn't exactly interested in losing his funding for his apartment and university. It would put a strain on Adrien and make their future finances less stable, since Adrien would have to dip into his savings from modeling.

Adrien had to hide his grin at that. Already they were talking pretty far out into the future, taking long-term effects of them dating publicly into consideration. If it were anyone but Marinette, Adrien probably would have gone running for the hills. It was pretty heavy stuff, talking about their future several years out and assuming that they would still be together and maybe even married by that point even though they had literally just started dating minutes before, but Adrien was reasonably certain that it wasn't a crazy assumption. He had known Marinette (and Ladybug) for forever, and they just clicked. They were fabulous as friends and, if the kisses and cuddling thus far were any indication, they would be fabulous as boyfriend and girlfriend.

(Adrien knew full well that quality of kissing wasn't exactly a reliable indicator of long-term relationship quality, but their friendship had practically been a relationship already what with the cooking each other dinner, helping each other with other housework, hanging out together all the time, and sharing a bed at night. He might have denied it for all he was worth before they started dating, but looking back there was no way to deny the fact that they had pretty much been dating already for most of the year.)

"I think dating in secret would be best," Marinette said, passing Adrien another fresh cookie. "We just have to make sure that Nathalie and your father don't find out until you've finished school."

Adrien couldn't help but pout just a bit, even though it wasn't a bad idea. He had always dreamed of dates with Ladybug where they would go wandering around the city while holding hands and seeing all of the sights before going to a movie or a play and kissing in the back of the theater. He was a romantic at heart, and not being able to treat his Lady like the princess she was crushing. But Marinette had a point. Being obvious about their dating would just get them press attention, which in turn would catch Nathalie's attention, and then she would tell Mr. Agreste and Adrien would get in trouble.

Sometime Adrien just really hated being even somewhat famous. It made his life much more difficult. Most people would simply have to not tell anyone at home if they were "dating secretly" while living in another country, but no, not him. He had to keep it completely out of public view.

Ugh.

"How secret do you think we have to be?" Marinette asked, dragging Adrien out of his mental bemoaning of the loss of romantic candlelight dates out with his Lady. "Like, just out of the journalists' eyes? Or should we be even more careful?"

Adrien let out a long sigh as he thought about it. He wanted to be able to only do the bare minimum to keep it secret, but that probably (unfortunately) wouldn't be sufficient, not when they would have to keep the secret for two long years. "Well, I think we should probably be careful around my classmates and your coworkers, since we don't know all of them terribly well. And- oh, gosh. If we told Alya and Nino they would probably get excited and post it online before we even finished talking, wouldn't they?"

They totally would, Adrien couldn't even lie to himself about it no matter how much he wanted to. Based on how hell-bent Alya and Nino had been to push the two of them together the previous year, they would totally post the news online just to gloat and then it would spread from there. Even if they thought they were being careful, the news would be bound to get to someone who wasn't so careful about who they told and then his father would hear and get mad and then there went his funding.

Marinette groaned. "Yeah, they would. And so would my parents, because they, uh." She turned a lovely shade of pink. "They've been hoping that we would get together since we were fourteen. And they haven't exactly ever been subtle about it, either. I wouldn't put it past them to gossip with Nino and Alya."

"Sooo... tell no one for a bit?" Adrien suggested. He wasn't thrilled about that, honestly. He had always known that Marinette and her parents were fairly close, so he would have thought that she would tell them almost everything. Not telling them about their new relationship seemed like a bit of a bad sign, even if he knew the reasoning behind it. "...and what do you mean, they weren't subtle? I never thought they were pushing us together. They always seemed perfectly friendly to me whenever I came over."

Marinette groaned, shaking her head. "Of course you didn't notice, kitty." She reached over to ruffle his hair. It had gotten into quite a mess since he got home, mostly from her running her hands through it while they were kissing, but Adrien wasn't about to care. "I love you and all, Adrien, but you sure can be oblivious sometimes."

He just stuck his tongue out at her.

"I just want to start out being cautious," Marinette added quietly after a moment, catching sight of Adrien's slightly downcast expression despite his attempts to hide it. "Normally I would run and tell Alya and my parents right away, but I don't want to cause trouble between you and your father. I'll just squeal about it with Tikki for the time being."

Adrien couldn't help but smile at that. "Squeal about it, hmm? What would your past self think if she heard that you were squealing over Chat Noir?"

Smiling, Marinette tapped Adrien's chin lightly. "No teasing, minou. You know perfectly well that you'll probably squeal about it too."

Adrien couldn't really argue about that, not that he wanted to. He had mostly just wanted to get reassurance from Marinette that she was actually as eager to date him as he was to date her.

"I just wish I could take you out on proper dates," Adrien sighed in lieu of actually responding. "I had ideas, you know. I mean, we're probably a little too old to really enjoy some of the ideas that I came up with in collège, but most of them would have been fun still."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Too old? You say that like we're ancient, buddy."

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Adrien protested, trying not to laugh at the look on Marinette's face. "I just mean that some of my ideas... well, it's obvious that a collège student came up with them. They're kind of cheesy, and not in a good way."

"Cheese? Where? I want cheese!"

"Oh no, we awoke the beast," Adrien muttered as Plagg, stirred by the mere mention of cheese, woke up and immediately came to investigate. He shared an exasperated look with Marinette, but even Plagg and his obsession with stinky cheese couldn't spoil his mood right now. "So...that's okay, then? If we keep the relationship secret for now?"

"Definitely," Marinette assured him, a smile of her own spreading over her face as she leaned forward to kiss him again. "That is definitely okay with me."

  Being in a relationship with Adrien, Marinette soon found, really wasn't a whole lot different than just being friends- or, well, at least not a whole lot different than their version of being just friends with each other. There was a bit more cuddling, maybe, and a whole lot more kissing, obviously, and Marinette often slept over at Adrien's apartment now even when her next-door neighbor was completely quiet, but they had already been spending a ton of time together before and with the need for secrecy, they couldn't go out on proper dates.

And the other thing that didn't change was the teasing from Marinette's coworkers. They had teased her endlessly about her just a friend Adrien before the start of the summer, and of course they had no reason to stop now. Still, it never got to the point where she or Adrien were uncomfortable around them, which was nice.

Now in her second year at Rosalie Fashions, Marinette found herself settling into the work more. Most of the people who had been on her team the previous year were still there and they knew each other well, and she was good friends with most of them. It meant that they worked together more smoothly, and Marinette was more willing to just drop in on the others to collaborate on a piece or to ask for advice. She knew what Madam Rosalie would look for in a design, and what pitfalls she had to be sure to avoid. More and more of her designs were sent back with fewer changes suggested, and more went on to production and even runway.

"I'm glad you decided to stay for a second year," Abbey told Marinette as they ate lunch together several weeks into the summer. The older girl had been promoted from intern to junior designer after working for Madam Rosalie for two years, and Marinette agreed that it was a well-deserved promotion. She was just glad that her friend had stayed on her same design team even with her new title. "It's a good opportunity to learn more- but I gotta ask, did you decide to extend your time because you thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more and a good thing on your resume, or because a certain blond model is going to be here for two more years?"

Marinette did her best not to blush, but Abbey's smirk told her that she hadn't been entirely successful. "Well, I can't deny that having Adrien in the city made me consider the extension more seriously. I was sure that I was going to be too homesick with none of my friends in London to stay more than one year, but now Adrien is here and I have all of you guys as friends, too." Marinette shrugged, hoping that she wasn't too red. "So I don't have to worry about being homesick at all."

"Oh, are we bugging Marinette about her boyfriend again?" Emily asked as she entered the break room. "He's keeping her from being homesick, is that it?"

Abbey laughed while Marinette tried not to act any differently than she had in the face of the same teasing before the start of the summer. The other girls had teased her about Adrien pretty much since their wedding photoshoot and called him either her husband or her boyfriend ever since. She couldn't react any differently than she normally did or that would tip them off, so she just sighed and rolled her eyes.

The giggles trailed off soon enough as Emily sat down at the table with her lunch. Their discussion turned to different things, designs that they were working on and what they were doing over the weekend. Marinette relaxed (when the topic of conversation moved away from Adrien; just because it was normal didn't mean that she wasn't worried about messing up and saying something weird), joining in on the conversation without pause.

(That was another bonus to staying longer- now she knew more about her coworkers and could recognize names and places and stories, so she didn't have to just sit back and listen, completely lost on what was going on. Now, there was so much more of a sense of inclusion, and that feeling didn't just stop at the company doors.)

Abbey and Marinette finished up their lunches before Emily had gotten halfway through theirs. As they stood up to leave, Emily suddenly straightened. "Oh! Before you leave, I was meant to remind you- Sarah's birthday is this Thursday, so we're doing lunch out. And Mrs. Kelley is collecting for a present, if you want to give anything."

"Okay!" Marinette agreed immediately. She was pretty sure that she had some bills in her bag that she could put in to the team pot for a birthday present. "That sounds great."

"Tell Adrien he's welcome to come join us, too!" Emily added. "I haven't seen him for more than a few minutes in passing for ages. We should all get together again for dinner sometime before he has to go back to school and gets swallowed up by homework again."

Marinette grinned. Adrien would definitely appreciate the invitation. Even with all the teasing that they always had to endure from her coworkers about their "relationship", he enjoyed their company and had become at least casual friends with several of the members on her team. "I'll pass the invitation along."

  Even with the need to keep their relationship a complete secret, Adrien was happy. He was dating the girl- or, rather, the woman- who he had been in love with for years, and they were completely and utterly comfortable with each other. The transition from best of friends to lovers had been nearly seamless. After being partners for so long, they could read each other like a book. It was easy enough for them to tell when the other person needed space, or needed hugs, or was just generally upset about something. Being together just came naturally to them.

Adrien was in heaven. Plagg was in mushy-flirty-grossness hell, at least according to him.

"Old married couple," Plagg grumbled every time Adrien swung by the grocery store to pick something up for Marinette on his way home from work, or when she mended his favorite jacket, or when he planned to cook her favorite meal in his apartment. Adrien thought Plagg's muttering was embarrassing, but Marinette just found it hilarious. Tikki figured that Plagg was just sore about losing his teasing material now that Adrien and Marinette were dating and unabashedly open with each other about their feelings. Now that Adrien really didn't mind (much) when Plagg called him a lovesick kitten in front of Marinette, Plagg had no easy way to rile him up.

Well, besides loudly and rudely interrupting any kissing. Tikki usually tried to keep him out of their way, but sometimes she just wasn't fast enough to catch Plagg. Adrien had quickly found that the best way to shut Plagg up was to threaten to not buy any of his favorite cheeses for a month, and the threat did work most of the time.

Adrien had thought that it would be hard to keep their dating a secret. Not kissing in public was, of course, an easy thing to avoid (most of the time, at least), as was going out on obvious dates, but the nicknames and affectionate touches that had become so automatic could be harder to avoid. He had thought that there might be some sort of obvious shift that would tip off any lingering journalists, but apparently he and Marinette had been acting as though they were dating for so long beforehand that nothing really changed there at all. Their banter was old news at this point, and while Marinette's colleagues might roll their eyes and laugh or joke about Adrien and Marinette practically being an old married couple at this point, they had been doing that ever since Adrien came to London. It wasn't anything to get worried about.

(Adrien did wonder, though, if Madam Rosalie might have noticed their slight shift in behavior towards each other. He had seen her eying him and Marinette speculatively the time he had popped in to join Marinette and the rest of her team for a birthday lunch. He had tried to keep his hands to himself, but, well. It was Marinette. He couldn't help it if his hands tended to migrate to either her shoulders or her waist when she was close by.)

Still, Adrien couldn't spend all of his time daydreaming about his relationship with Marinette. He had to respond from emails from Nathalie inquiring if he thought he could maybe make it back to Paris for one photoshoot or another for the fall line, track down the books for his fall semester courses, and stay on top of things at his job.

His job wasn't in Physics- as a first-year student, even one that was top in his class, it was a bit of a stretch to think that he might get one of the treasured internships available in the city- and it involved a lot of filing paperwork and doing spreadsheets, but the work environment tended to be nice enough, if perhaps rather boring most of the time. He didn't have the same kind of relationships with his coworkers as Marinette had with hers, but he hadn't exactly expected to, either.

At least it wasn't customer service. He had gotten all sorts of texts from Paul and a couple of his other university classmates complaining about awful customers that they had had to deal with at their jobs. With his job, the worst he had to deal with was the occasional coworker who hadn't filled out a form right who he then had to go track down to get the right information. It could be frustrating at times, sure, when the people he was trying to find didn't seem to understand what they were doing wrong on the form, but it was mostly smooth sailing.

Besides, it paid well enough, and Adrien kind of needed the money in his account so he could pay for Plagg's taste in cheeses in the future once his father was no longer supporting him. It would also be useful for gifts and dates (in the future, of course, once they actually got to have such things) with Marinette.

The main downside to the job was that Plagg never stayed put. He flew off every morning to zip around the office, leaving Adrien to do his best to ignore the sounds from the rest of the office, all the while praying that none of the crashes of papers or other things falling to the floor out in the main office were Plagg's fault.

(The scream of "Eeew! A mouse!" shortly after three one afternoon was definitely Plagg's fault, though. Adrien just buried his head in his paperwork and hoped that no one would see the "mouse" entering his office whenever it finally got hungry.)

"Are you ready to go yet?" Plagg whined later in that afternoon, popping up beside the computer monitor and startling Adrien. "I've been all through the building and it's boring."

"And you've been spotted," Adrien commented, not even sparing his kwami a glance. "And no, you know that I'm going to be here for another hour at least. I want to get this stack of papers done today."

Plagg scowled and sulked.

By the time Adrien was actually ready to go, Plagg was predictably nowhere to be found. He texted Marinette- maybe if she showed up, Tikki could drag Plagg out of whatever corner he had decided to hide in- and then dove into the next pile of papers. He could tell that the backlog was slowly getting smaller, and if Plagg was hiding and therefore also staying out of his way, then darn it Adrien was going to take advantage of the opportunity and get some more work done.

And then Marinette called.

"Hey," Adrien answered immediately, only barely swallowing back the 'love' he would normally attach to the greeting. There were still too many people in the office, and he didn't want to risk someone overhearing. Most of them didn't care about magazine gossip and wouldn't care, but it never hurt to be careful. "What's up, Mari?"

His only response was an excited shriek. Adrien tried not to laugh. "Marinette?"

The next set of squeaky excited noises contained a noise that sounded suspiciously like "Jagged Stone", and Adrien grinned. Aha. He had thought it was about time for Jagged to put out another album, and who else would he choose but Marinette? That was exciting news for her. It would be her fourth CD cover for him, and another bit of money to put away in her savings account on top of her wages.

"That's great news, Mari!" Adrien enthused, even though he still couldn't quite make out any proper words. "I can pick something up for dessert on my way home to celebrate. Just let me find Plagg and I'll be on my way."

"Great!"

Adrien let himself laugh after the line went dead. Marinette still got adorably excited sometimes, even though this was hardly her first CD cover for Jagged. He had to wonder if there was something besides the cover- had Jagged maybe asked her to design some outfits for him as well? That would be amazing- for her to get so excited.

Well, he was going to find out soon.

"If you don't show up in the next three minutes, I'm going home without you, Plagg," Adrien informed the room as he packed up. "And I won't bring any cheese tomorrow."

Unsurprisingly, there was a squeak from one corner of the room and a black blur dove into Adrien's bag moments later.

One stop at the local bakery later, and Adrien was headed back to their apartment building with a large, sweet-smelling bag in his hands. He trotted up the stairs and headed straight for Marinette's door. It opened right away, and Adrien stepped inside and immediately got an armful of excited girlfriend.

"Hello to you too, lovebug," Adrien teased, dipping his head to kiss her as he pushed the door closed behind himself. "A little excited about something, are you?"

"Just a little," Marinette said with a grin. Her eyes landed on the bag. "And- oh, did you get-?"

"I got those tarts we like so much," Adrien confirmed with a grin. "And some pain au chocolate, because they taste amazing and I figured I might as well pick some up while I was there."

Marinette grinned and took the bag from him to peer inside. "You're the best, Adrien."

"I'm impressed you could even figure out what she was saying," Tikki told him as they watched Marinette practically dance her way into the kitchen with the bag. "I was standing right next to her and I couldn't even tell, and I knew what she was excited about!"

"I heard her say something about Jagged and it was pretty easy figuring it out from there," Adrien admitted. "Was I right about it being another CD cover?"

"Yes, she got an e-mail about it." Tikki pointed to the laptop that had been left open on the table. "Marinette still needs to respond, of course, but Jagged is asking her for both a CD cover and a few more sunglasses designs to add to the line he's had. And now that she's graduated and accredited and everything, he'll be paying her more than the last time. Like, significantly more."

Adrien grinned. Marinette deserved it. She worked super-hard on everything she did, and the things she produced were absolutely amazing.

"Jagged wants some holiday-themed glasses to add to his line this time around," Marinette said as she returned from the kitchen. She was grinning, still bouncing on her toes. "And I have so many ideas for that! He wants a few more regular sunglasses too, but-"

Adrien snickered at that. "Regular?"

Marinette swatted his arm. "Non-holiday! And he and Penny had come up with some ideas there, so I do have a good starting point. I can't wait to get started!"

"She's already started," Tikki hissed in a stage whisper. "She has sketches finished already, because she started scribbling as soon as she finished reading the email."

Adrien laughed as Marinette turned pink. That sounded like Marinette, all right. Back when Marinette was in university, Adrien remembered times when their group had gotten together right after one of her classes got out, and she would be telling them about some assignment or other that she had just gotten that day, and she would already have sketches of ideas that she wanted to play with. Once she showed up with a fully sketched and colored design idea for an assignment she had only just gotten an hour earlier, complete with a list of fabric types and yardage in a neat list on the side of the paper.

"Jagged wants the holiday designs approved and in production by mid-November," Marinette told Adrien as he went over to peer at her sketches. In typical Marinette fashion, they were whimsical and fun. Next to a pair of snowmen sunglasses, Marinette had scribbled out glitter?.

Adrien was absolutely positive that Jagged would love every last one of Marinette's glasses designs.

"Once she sends confirmation, Penny will send her some of the demo tracks for Jagged's new album to inspire her for the cover," Tikki told Adrien. She sent Marinette a look. "Of course, she can't send anything if Marinette doesn't respond or forgets to tell Penny her new address!"

"I wanted to get my ideas for the sunglasses down while I was inspired!" Marinette protested. "I'll respond tonight, I promise!"

Adrien tried not to laugh as he made a metal note to make sure that Marinette actually sent her email. He wouldn't be surprised if she got so caught up in her designing that she completely forgot until it was too late at night for her to compose an email that made sense.

His laugh burst out of him when the kitchen timer went off loudly and Marinette let out a small curse as she dashed back towards the kitchen to pull a casserole out of the oven. It was a little darker than usual on top, and Adrien guessed that she might have intended to pull the dish out of the oven before the timer actually went off.

"No laughing," Marinette chided, depositing the dish on the stovetop and reaching over it to turn off the oven. "How was your day?"

"Less exciting than yours," Adrien shot back with a laugh. "I didn't have any famous rock stars contacting me. Plagg did decide to go exploring, though. And he got seen."

Tikki gasped and turned a glare on Plagg. Plagg, in turn, turned a glare on Adrien.

"You weren't even there! You can't prove anything!"

"We've never had any issued with rats or mice before," Adrien said pointedly. "Yet somehow, the minute you're out of my sight, someone just happens to spot one. Yeah, right."

Plagg pouted.

"Plagg," Marinette said reproachfully. "Really?"

"It's boring at his work!" Plagg complained as Adrien scooted around Marinette to wash his hands at the sink while Marinette dished up their dinner. "Nothing ever happens. All Adrien ever does is shuffle paper around and tap at the computer."

Adrien sighed. Marinette giggled at his displeased face.

"I don't see how school is any more interesting," Adrien pointed out. "Or me just hanging around at home, or photoshoots. It's not like what you can do actually changes that much."

"It does so! You go to more than one place at school, and I get to see what's going on and snoop in other people's bags. Your classmate Karen always had lovely cheese crackers in her bag last year. At the office, there's nothing interesting to see and no one brings any interesting snacks. You're all boring."

"He's impossible," Adrien grumbled as he and Marinette headed for the table. Marinette carefully set all of her papers to the side, shifting her laptop so she could sit down. "I just don't know what I can do to entertain him when I'm working. I know it would be more fun to be outside and whatnot, but that's impossible. My papers would blow away and I can't exactly bring the computer out. I wouldn't be able to see the screen."

"Marinette works outside sometimes," Tikki offered. "Sometimes Madam Rosalie has them go out and look at fashions on the street, or just try to get inspired by stuff outside. It's really nice!"

"It really helps us get new ideas," Marinette told Adrien. He didn't miss how a blank piece of paper and a pencil still rested by her right hand, ready in case she came up with any more ideas for Jagged Stone's glasses. "We see new stuff when we're out and about, and that can be inspiring. Not like sitting in an office is."

Dinner flew by, and then Adrien went out for a walk while Marinette sketched. He had asked if she wanted to join him- after all, it was a very nice day- but Marinette had insisted that she would be awful company until after she had gotten out all of her ideas for Jagged Stone's sunglasses line and that he should go out on his own.

"You aren't going to just sit there and watch her?" Plagg asked curiously as Adrien stepped outside. "I thought that was your guys' thing, just hanging all over each other all the time."

"We do not," Adrien protested. "We cuddle a lot, but we don't hang off each other. And Marinette needs her space to design so she can actually focus on having conversations later instead of spending the time trying to remember the designs she comes up with. I know how she works. We'll hang out later."

Adrien strolled for a little over an hour, then headed back to the apartment. Marinette had sketched out all of her sunglasses ideas, and now was cleaning up her favorites.

"Those are great, Mari," Adrien said as soon as he caught sight of the cleaned-up drawings. The sunglasses she had designed were completely outlandish, but Jagged Stone would love them, and so would his fans. "Definitely different than the last line you did, but it's obvious that you're the designer behind them."

"Thanks." Marinette sat back and surveyed her work, satisfied. "And I even emailed Penny back to say that I would love to do the sunglasses and CD cover, and I sent her my new address so she wouldn't mail the music demos to my parents by accident."

"I double-checked to make sure she actually sent the email and didn't just compose it and then forget to send," Tikki added with a giggle. "That's happened before."

Adrien laughed at that. "Really, Bug? You composed an email and never sent it?"

"I thought I had!" Marinette defended herself, pouting at him. "I just missed hitting the Send button and didn't realize it until later!"

"Are you cleaning all of your sketches up tonight?" Adrien asked. He really, really hoped not, but if Marinette wanted to blast through the designs, then he would understand. He would just pull out the book he was slowly working his way through and just lounge on the couch while Marinette worked.

Marinette shook her head. "No, I'm done designing for the night. Want to play some Mega Strike?"

"Sure!"

  Even with Marinette's commission for Jagged Stone taking up a chunk of their evenings, Adrien thought that they were doing a good job of not letting it get between them. Marinette never let her designing take up the entire evening, and then once she finished for the night they would do something together.

"I'm glad we don't have downstairs neighbors," Adrien said with a laugh as he and Marinette tried to follow the directions on a dance video they had found one evening. "I think we would get complaints about thudding around all the time."

Marinette giggled. "You mean when you drop me?"

"That was once!"

Marinette was nearly done with the sunglasses designs by the time she received a thin manila envelope from Jagged Stone- or, more accurately, from Penny- in the mail. It contained a single CD with four demo tracks on it, and was completely unlabeled so that there would be less chance that someone would spot it, realize what it was, and run off with it to release it early to Jagged's rabid fans.

Even though the arrival of the CD meant that Marinette threw herself back into designing during their evenings, Adrien couldn't find it in himself to care. She let him flop across her lap and read while she sketched out her ideas, and then they could both listen to the demo songs from Jagged.

Yet another perk of dating Marinette, apparently. According to her, she had gotten either demo tracks or sneak previews of Jagged's new songs for every CD cover she did, with the exception of the very first one. She just hadn't told anyone when they were younger because she didn't want the information getting out; now, even though Alya and Nino had both matured enough to not go posting anything about the demos online, it was just habit to not mention that she had gotten the new songs before they were released.

Besides, the fact that Alya and Nino now knew better than to spread the music didn't mean that they wouldn't beg for sneak peeks.

"I'm just not sure about this design," Marinette sighed after another few minutes. "I really liked it at first, but it just doesn't fit the music like I thought it would. It needs to have more, I don't know, edge? I guess?"

"You'll get it," Adrien assured her. A buzz at his hip made him frown. "Mari, your phone is going off."

Marinette wriggled, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "It's Alya! Adrien, turn off the music, fast!"

Adrien lunged for the music player from his position draped across Marinette's lap. She let out a little oof at the movement, but the music turned off.

"Pretend you aren't here," Marinette hissed, and then she answered. "Hi, Alya!"

Adrien quietly wriggled back into position across her lap, and Marinette's free hand automatically drifted down to run through his hair. Adrien settled down happily and made an effort to not purr as Marinette and Alya chatted.

"Really? You did?" Marinette asked, and Adrien rolled onto his side to raise an eyebrow at her. She patted his head in way of answer. "That's great, Alya! I can't believe you found so many experts on potential historical Miraculous holders already!"

Aha. So that was what Alya was calling about. Adrien briefly considered sitting up to try to listen in to their conversation, then decided that it might be a better idea to just wait. If Alya heard anything on their end that made her think that Adrien was hanging out with Marinette, they would never hear the end of it.

"Sure, I can go get Adrien," Marinette said, making him perk up. "What? No, he's not over here right now, what makes you think that?"

Adrien hastily muffled a snicker. Marinette pinched his side and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Just give me a minute," Marinette continued, pushing Adrien off her lap and onto the floor. He snickered and flipped up onto his feet, following her as she headed back to the bathroom and knocked on that door loud enough for Alya to hear over the phone before returning to the living room. "Here he is, just let me put the phone on speaker."

"Hi, Alya!" Adrien said cheerfully as soon as Marinette held her phone out between them. "What's up?"

"Hey! So why weren't you and my girl hanging out?" Alya demanded. "Seriously? You were in different apartments?"

Marinette gave a long-suffering sigh. Adrien grinned at her and answered. "Yeah, so? She had stuff to do, and I was reading."

There was a grumble on the other end of the line.

"Alya was telling me that she's gotten some really good leads for her Miraculous research," Marinette told Adrien. "Several experts from around the world who know a lot about some of the historic figures that Alya suspects might be old Miraculous holders."

"And some of them even have artifacts for me to look at!" Alya told them excitedly. "And a couple have journal entries that they think might give something away. Like, obviously no Miraculous holder would write it down directly that that was what they were, but the details fit really well. So then if I win the contest, then I can go talk to them directly and get to look at the artifacts in person and get my own pictures of them!"

"That great, Alya!" Adrien told her, trying not to laugh. He was pretty certain that Marinette had mentioned several calls involving her diary (which did include clear mentions of her being Ladybug) and Alya or Chloe snooping. It was likely that past Miraculous holders simply edited their journals later on, once they were well known, to remove mentions of the Miraculous. "It sounds like your application is really coming along this year."

"Yeah, it's great! I've gotten a bunch of solid leads, and really good contacts, and, y'know, reasons to travel. I'm starting to get everything organized, so I know how much research I've done with each lead I have. There are some that I probably have enough on for now, and then there's leads that I haven't even looked at yet because I was spending so much time on the others. Like, there's other animal-themed superheroes that I've found signs of, and I want to look into that and see how many I can find mention of, and if they supposedly had any superhero-type powers. Mostly just myths of super-strength, or managing to survive things that they shouldn't have, because that's mostly what I've found with the old Ladybugs and Chat Noirs."

"They didn't use Lucky Charm or Cataclysm in the ancient days?" Adrien asked, feigning ignorance. Plagg and Tikki had mentioned to them that a lot of previous users had tried to keep use of their powers out of sight of others. There had been societies that weren't particularly accepting of magic- or magic users- and it was safer to stick with out-of-sight heroics. Things like Lucky Charm and Cataclysm were kept secret, and the Butterfly Miraculous was rendered practically useless since any heroes that could be made with the butterflies would then just be targeted for witchcraft or, apparently, devil possession or something similar.

"Some obviously did," Alya said, clearly eager to share her knowledge. "And more obvious use of powers correlates with cultures and time periods that were more accepting of magic. I can't believe how far-flung the Miraculous have been! They bounce back and forth between continents pretty fast, really. I'm trying to figure out how they traveled so fast, actually. Ladybug and Chat Noir were good at travelling pretty fast across the city, but Ladybug required buildings for her yo-yo-ing and Chat Noir's poling...well, it wouldn't get him across an ocean. So either they somehow had ships that didn't really make it into history, or they traveled somehow else. And I wanna figure that out."

Adrien made a mental note to ask Plagg later and, if Plagg didn't know, to ask Master Fu next time they were in Paris, because now that Alya mentioned the whole traveling issue, he was curious too.

"There's some movement that coincides with boat travel between those two countries, but not everything," Alya continued. "So they must have had some other form of transportation."

"Are you telling them about the Miraculous movement?" Nino's voice drifted faintly over the phone. "It's so weird!" he continued, voice much closer. "I've mapped out the time periods and locations that Ladybug and Chat Noir gave Alya, and some of them happen so close together time-wise and yet so far apart physically it's unbelievable. Alya hasn't confirmed all of them yet and that would be important for, like, scholars in the future, because right now she's just going off Ladybug and Chat Noir's word, but- it's just cool, that's all."

Adrien exchanged a smile with Marinette. Nino definitely sounded on board with the whole research thing again. That was good to hear, especially after how frustrated he had been after discovering the truth behind Alya's research.

"I'm hoping she can at least find some sort of confirmation for most of the historical superheroes," Nino added. "Just so there aren't those gaps, and so she has more of a confirmation than just 'oh a superhero told me this'."

"Two superheroes," Alya corrected.

"Maybe you'll find something with one of your sources," Marinette suggested. "Like, they'll have some idea about the travel, or maybe they've heard other stories that are hard to find online. I know you've talked before about having to have the perfect keywords to find what you wanted for this sort of research, and maybe they'll have some new ideas."

"Yeah, I'll ask! Maybe reach out to some historians in those areas and ask them about the time periods Ladybug and Chat Noir gave me and give them some hints of what to look for. That's a really good idea. They'll be more familiar with the history there!" Alya sounded even more excited than she had at the start of the conversation. "It doesn't hurt to check."

There was a snort from Nino. "Yeah, but maybe wait until you've caught up with your assignments at work again. You won't be able to enter the contest if you're on probation there."

"I'm not behind!" Alya protested. "...but okay, maybe I should stop doing research while I'm at work."

Adrien and Marinette just groaned in unison at her.

[that-sokovian-bastard]

Miraculous Rent

Words: 1935 Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Rated: Teen for language Summary: The ot4 have to do a project for class that includes them choosing an original play/musical and compare it to the modern adaptation. Adrien, Nino, Alya, and Marinette choose La Boheme and Rent, and instead of doing actual work, they get caught up dancing to the songs and choosing which character they would be. Authors Note: So this is my first Miraculous fic that I’m actually publishing, so let’s see how this goes. It was a ton of fun, so yeah!

Rent spoilers, but i think that’s kinda obvious.

Based on this lovely headcanon from @gijinkart

Ao3

When the class was told to choose a classic play and research the modern adaptations, many kids sounded bored by the idea. But when they were allowed to choose their groups, everyone was a little happier.

It was obvious that Nino and Adrien asked Alya and Marinette to be in their group, as Nino and Alya have a thing and Alya is always trying to push together Adrien and Marinette. It was just a plus that they all worked so well together, and they were excited, too.

Adrien offered that they all come over to his house after school and they can research classic musicals to find one they liked. They only had a week to do the project, and with the crazy schedules teenagers have, it was easier to start right away.

Alya and Marinette met Adrien and Nino outside as they waited or Adrien's driver to arrive at the school. He already contacted Nathalie to add to his schedule that he would be working on a group project, so that way his father could not say he had new plans for him. And Adrien was more than excited to be able to hang out with his friends for a few hours, even if it was for a school project.

"All of these seem so boring!" Nino groaned as he looked through the list on his computer. Nothing was really grabbing anyone's attention since they were so old and different. Granted, the project was to compare the classic and the modern adaptation, but some still seemed like they hadn't changed much.

Alya put her hand up after scrolling a bit more. "Oh, this one! Its adaptation is Rent!" She caught everyone's attention. "La Boheme. I didn't know that was the original," She confessed.

Adrien took the computer from her with a smile. "Let's do some research." Adrien began typing away on the keyboard and everyone gathered around. He pulled up a page on Rent and a page on La Boheme. They read about La Boheme, and decided it would be more fun to watch the movie version of Rent instead. They had time, as it was a Friday and could stay as late as their parents allowed. Adrien claimed his father would be leaving for another trip early in the morning and Nathalie wouldn't care if everyone ended up staying over.

Time quickly passed as the four friends watched Rent on Adrien's TV in his room; laughing and smiling in the beginning, but crying in act two. "Act two is always sadder," Marinette declared, "That's just how it is," She told the group as she wiped her eyes with the bottom of her shirt.

"Why did Angel have to die? She was the best, and so pure, and Collins was so sad..." Alya whispered as she tried to hold back her tears as well.

The movie was over and Adrien shut off the TV. "I'm Mark."

Nino turned to Adrien with a strange look on his face. "Where do you get that impression?"

Adrien smirked like he was made for this moment. He pulled out his phone and pressed a button, making "The Tango: Maureen" play through the speakers.

"There's another way...say something, anything," Adrien mouthed along to Anthony Rapp singing.

"Test one, two, three!" Alya stood up singing, and walked towards Adrien with a strange look on her face.

"Anything but that," He playfully rolled his eyes and walked around her. Nino and Marinette watched as the two interacted with each other. They were both ready to see if they would actually tango, and it was times like these Marinette wished she had actually paid attention when they were dancing in gym class.

"This is weird"

"It's weird."

"Very weird."

"Fucking weird!"

They continued to walk around trying to portray the angry characters, and doing a great job at it. Adrien stopped walking to prepare himself for the next line, and he was excited to start the tango. "Honey, I know this act; it's called "The Tango: Chole!" Adrien replaced 'Maureen' with the beloved classmate, making the other three friends burst out laughing.

"The tango: Chole!" Adrien spun in a circle with his arms up, "It's a dark dizzy merry-go-round!"

Alya got closer to Adrien with an annoyed look on her face as more lyrics passed. "I think I know what you mean..." She sang.

"The tango: Chole!" Adrien joined in and they continued to sing, the best parts coming at random times.

"Has she ever pouted her lips and called you 'Alyakins?'" Adrien sang, trying his hardest to make it sound more like Chloe and the strange nickname Chloe always gave him.

Alya scoffed and had to try very hard to keep herself from laughing. "Never." And they started to tango all over Adrien's room. Adrien started out leading. But once Alya started to lead, to say Adrien was intimidated would be an understatement.

They stopped dancing and broke into laughter after about halfway through the song and Adrien pressed the pause button. "Wait," Marinette interrupted all the laughing, "Alya, why would you want to be the Joanne to Chole's Maureen?"

Alya smirked and walked over to Marinette, putting her hands up. "Awe, kiss pookie?" Marinette chuckled and pushed her best friend away. "Plus, can you imagine Chloe saying 'moo with me?'" Alya added, making the group laugh again.

Nino's jaw dropped. "What am I? Am I nothing to you people?"

Adrien walked past the two girls. "You'd obviously be Roger, music man," Adrien pointed to Nino's headphones and got an approving nod from Nino. Then, he turned to Marinette with a puzzling look. "And Marinette would be," He paused to think, "Mimi?"

Marinette's face flushed when Alya looked over to her and then over to Adrien. "M. Agreste," Alya started, "Are you implying that Marinette has the best ass?"

Adrien's jaw dropped. That wasn't the way he meant for it to come out! He knew Marinette had a nice voice and she could hit all the notes Mimi had to, and it would be interesting for Nino and her to have songs together! "N-no!" Adrien shouted, his face turning pink. "I mean, she does have a nice- uh- she has a nice voice! I'm saying she has a nice voice!" Adrien yelled in embarrassment, trying to explain himself. He covered his mouth and cheeks, trying to hide the redness, and fell on the couch. "I'm sorry Mari, please don't hate me," Adrien whispered as he turned his head to her. Marinette couldn't even come up with a response, and she just nodded while she could hear Tikki giggling in her bag.

"Nice save, kid," Plagg snickered to Adrien. This was the first he had even heard Plagg speak all night; he was surprised he wasn't begging for food right now.

Marinette looked over to Nino for help to get her out of this, but instead, he just nudged her side. "I didn't recognize you without the handcuffs," And he put his hands above his head like they did in the show. She wasn't sure her face could get any redder, but it did.

"I can't stand any of you!" Marinette shouted, walking away from everyone teasing her.

Adrien shrugged. "I guess I don't know if I could see Marinette being Mimi. They're so different," Adrien tried to talk quietly, but Marinette heard him.

"Is that a challenge, Adrien?" Marinette turned around abruptly. She was never one to back down from a challenge, and if it was a chance to show everyone that their teasing was dumb, she would do it.

"N-no?" Adrien answered, but it came out more as a question. "Maybe, I don't know?"

Marinette smirked and she knew what she had to do. "Since we saw Alya and Adrien do a song together, maybe it's time for Nino and I to give it a go," Marinette suggested and pointed to Alya to play a song. She had no idea where this confidence was coming from, but she liked it. She wasn't freaking out around Adrien, and she was actually having fun!

Out Tonight started to play and Marinette laughed at Alya's song choice. "This one? Really?"

"Yeah, you told me to chose! This is your challenge to prove you can actually be Mimi!" Alya encouraged.

Marinette took a deep breath and started to move to the music. "What's the time?" She sang, "Well, it's gotta be close to midnight! My body's talking to me, it says 'time for danger!'" She danced around with her eyes shut, letting her body move to the music without even thinking. She was supposed to be like a cat for this song, and thinking back to how Chat Noir acts was helping with her confidence. He's such a flirt, and just goes with whatever is thrown at him. It was hard for Adrien to keep his jaw closed, as the way she moved did seem very Mimi-like. He was impressed, and her voice was perfect for the part. She may be a quiet girl with a small talking voice, but her singing voice is powerful and able to project it as much as she would like.

Marinette still had her eyes shut as she tried to envision what she looked like, and how much Chat would have loved to see Ladybug doing this. He would be so proud she was taking notes from him, and it made her smile.

"Meow! Ha!" Her eyes popped open and she turned to where Nino was sitting and watching. She started singing towards him, as he was the Roger of the group. Marinette couldn't tell at the time, but like Adrien with Alya, he was intimidated beyond belief.

Marinette danced around and sang her heart out, and surprised everyone. No one had seen her act like this before, not even Alya. "Please take me, out...tonight!" She sang loudly. The song ended as well as her adrenaline rush, and she collapsed on the couch next to Nino.

"Holy, wow, Marinette..." Alya started and stood in front of Marinette, "I've never seen you like that before."

Marinette smiled with a shrugged. "I channeled my inner Chat Noir. He's a flirt." Adrien stood watching the interaction between Alya and Marinette without a thing to say. She...she channeled Chat Noir? Was he really like that? Did he really show that side of himself to people other than Ladybug? He needs to watch out more.

Marinette turned her head to see that Nino was still in shock from what just happened. "I think I broke your boyfriend...maybe you would be a better Mimi to Nino's Roger," Marinette suggested to Alya. She didn't give a straight answer, but shrugged and continued to talk to Marinette as Adrien helped Nino recover.

"We're screwed, bro," Nino whispered so the girls wouldn't hear.

"Oh, I know," Adrien replied. "But we'll always be the best of friends and Brotp's even in a hypothetical Rent situation," Adrien told him, and they fist bumped.

"And what about when Joanne and Maureen are fighting? You would make for a perfect Maureen there!" Alya suggested to Marinette, but Marinette just brushed off what she was saying. "Just think about it!"

Alya was left discussing her ideas with Marinette. Marinette couldn't seem to get her to stop, so she joined in. "You were flirting with the woman in rubber!" Alya shouted, trying to sound like Joanne.

Marinette rolled her eyes and spread her arms, scoffing before she talked. "There will always be women in rubber flirting with me!" Marinette playfully argued back. "Boys, girls, I can't help it, baby!"

[karawatermelon]

Miraculous Ladybug drabble

So, guess who’s been re-watching the show on Netflix? This lady.  Also, I guess I’ve been prompted by all the Adrinette month fan-stuffs going on right now?  I haven’t gone to bed, so I’m going to count this as on time. XD  This is my first piece for the fandom, but I’m not planning on making it into anything bigger, just a little snippet I had floating around in my head.  Anyway, heave ho!

“You have no idea!”

“No idea about what?! Why don’t you just tell me!”

She spun away from him, frozen for a second before her shoulders slumped, then shook as her emotions welled out in the form of tears.

He stood motionless watching her cry before him.  He didn’t know what he had done.  Yes, he was angry, he was confused!  He had tried, damnit!  He had tried to be her friend, and she still pushed him away!  The darkness that always hovered around him threatened to pull him in the swirling vortex as his inner voices shouted hateful slurs at him.

You’re a failure. No one will ever like you.  Not when they know the real you.  You’re disgusting.  Not even Marinette likes you, and she’s friends with everyone.

Adrien felt the tears forming in his own eyes.  “Marinette, why do you hate me?”

Her shaking gasp confirmed his fears.  He had guessed correctly.  His head lowered, tears falling unchecked as he let that fact stab all the way into his heart.  The world was fading away, slowly being engulfed by the blackness of his sorrow.

It was like a light piercing dark storm clouds when he felt her trembling arms wrap around him and draw him to her.  She was still sobbing, but in true Marinette fashion, was putting him first.  Not caring if she saw him break down, he buried his face into her shoulder and let himself really cry, snot leaking onto her jacket and tears streaking his face red.  He needed her, even if he couldn’t have her.  He needed her strength to accept anything that came her way, her ability to stand up no matter the cost to herself.  

Marinette held the young man as he sobbed.  Only this one thing, his desperate need for help, could so easily break the spell of panic she felt around him.  How can he think I hate him?  Even though she was still crying, her emotions threatening to overwhelming her will, she comfortingly brushed her fingers through his hair.  At her touch, Adrien’s arms wrapped around her, as if he couldn’t bear letting her go.

“I don’t hate you Adrien. How could I possibly hate you?” she whispered into his ear.  “You are the most caring, amazing, talented person I know.”  He shuddered at her words, but she continued.  “You’re always helping people, taking time out of your already packed days to be there for your friends.”  She breathed in a steadying breath, her tears slowing as she focused on the incredible man in her arms, knowing what she had to say. “Adrien, only an idiot wouldn’t love you.”

Something in him fractured at her words, it seemed like the chains of self-hatred he had worn for so many years were crumbling into dust.  Only an idiot wouldn’t love you. Everything clicked into place.  Her actions around him for the last three years, the stuttering, the avoidance.  She was shy?  It didn’t answer the questions of her being so secretive, but it explained so much. He had been so naïve when they’d met, so oblivious.  And it hit him, the desperate desire to be her friend, the admiration for her, his need to just be in her presence…  His breath caught in his throat, and as he released it, the words tumbled out.

“I love you Marinette.” Her gasp of surprise mirrored his own feelings.  But what about Ladybug? he could hear his mind shoving forward.  Comparing the two women in the light of this revelation, it became so obvious that his infatuation with Ladybug was exactly that.  She was beautiful, and strong, and dedicated to Paris, and had only grown into a better version of herself in their years together.  She was perfection, but perfection viewed from a distance.  He didn’t crave her as he did Marinette.  Marinette was real, not the symbol of a sheltered boy’s freedom.

“Tikki?  I know you’re there.”  Adrien’s joy turned to alarm as he heard Plagg’s voice muffle through the pocket of his backpack at his side.  “Let me the hell out of here.”

Pulling back from Marinette, Adrien raced to make up some excuse as to why his backpack was talking, but he could see her eyes were wide and she seemed just as panicked as he was. His new vantage gave him a view of the one thing that could have shocked him any more than Marinette’s confession of her feelings.  A red and black being, the same size as Plagg, forcing its way out of Marinette’s purse despite her efforts to keep it closed.

Finally free, it flew down to his backpack.  Yanking the zipper open with both hands, the new kwami embraced Plagg as he emerged.  Adrien’s brain refused to work; like a clock stopped, the cogs of his brain jammed and refused to churn out thoughts.  His eyes drifted back to Marinette’s, who was already staring at him incredulously.

“Kitty?”

“My Lady?”

Marinette reached up to his hair, slowly mussing it out of its cleanly combed form.  Pulling her hand away she stared at him.  “Chat…”

Her voice broke as she said his other name, and it jerked him back into reality, where time moved, and he was staring at his best friend, his Ladybug, face tracked with tear stains, telling him she loved him, no, more than that, that he was worthy of her love.  Watching her, the two women became one with surprising ease, perfect complements making a whole.

He reached towards her, tracing his finger over where her mask should be.

“My Marinette.”