#until then enjoy tiny ladybug and kitty cat

[sapphanimates]

[writtenvisionary]

Rooftop Riddles

Read on Ao3

WC: 5.1k

Summary: One riddle changes everything. Dramatic identity reveal, oneshot, ladynoir/adrienette | trigger warning - depression, self-harm, abuse/neglect

The breeze was nothing short of refreshing as she sat next to her partner in crime. He was silent for the time being, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he would start saying something stupid. So she took in her surroundings while there was still silence between them.

It was dark; street lights illuminated all of Paris. Shadows bounced from wall to wall as civilians took their nightly walks, either from work or just around the block to get some fresh, cool air before they go to sleep. There are also those pathetically trudging toward their place of employment for their overnight shifts, and Marinette felt for them. Being Ladybug was all too taxing on her, and she often felt like she worked 24 hours, but in reality it was just all of the extra exercise that made her so exhausted every day.

Looking over at Chat Noir, she takes in his appearance. His hunched back, drooped cat ears, slow breaths. He’s looking straight ahead, seemingly lost in his own train of thought. Her eyebrows furrow.

She opens her mouth to speak, but her partner beats her to it.

“Wanna hear a riddle?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Okay. What do you call a sad watermelon?”

Ladybug had to think. Biting her bottom lip, she pondered an answer.

“Um... I don’t know, what?”

“Melon-choly.”

A smile lit up her face.

“Oh!” She laughed.

“Here’s another. It’s kinda long, so get ready.”

She nods, shifting in her seat.

“A single father took care of his baby, and he was rich so the baby had a lot. Food, clothes, excessive stuff. What didn’tthe baby have?”

Marinette frowns, some weird feeling rushing through her veins. She sits up, narrowing her eyes at the boy clad in a black leather suit. He sits with his legs pulled up to his chest, looking straight forward. Not even a tiny upward lift of his lips, making her worry.

Something about the way he delivered that riddle was… ominous. It didn’t seem like he was disconnected from the story he was telling. It’s almost like he could relate.

She gulps.

“A mother?”

He nods, then hangs his head for a moment before pulling it back up and flashing an obviously fake smile in her direction.

“Bingo,” he says dryly.

Her frown deepens.

Why did that riddle sound like something personal? Is he rich?

That sounds like someone she knows. And the riddle boy’s mother was gone… that sounded like him too.

No, there’s no correlation. It’s just a random riddle.

“Alright, last one.”

“Okay,” she nods.

“I am twisted from what I was, to hold the weight of others. Yet tie a knot, and my use to this world is gone.”

Her heart plummets down into her stomach. She loses her breath and has to look back at the city of Paris to think.

If it was possible, this riddle sounded scarier than the last. Chat Noir must really be in a bad mood because normally he puns, not riddles, and the jokes he tells are stupid and funny. These are just... depressing. Her concern is growing by the minute.

She needs to give an answer.

Twisted… Hold the weight of others… Tie a knot… My use to this world is gone.

Tie a knot? What?

“I—“ she licks her lips and shakes her head.

“I’m at a loss. I don’t know.”

Chat hesitates before whispering the answer.

“A noose.”

Her eyes widen and she suddenly feels like she’s been punched in the face.

“Just kidding, it’s a paperclip.”

But he didn’t seem like he was kidding. She was officially scared.

“Chat, you’re worrying me.”

“What do you call a dead pine tree?”

“Chat.”

“A never-green.”

“Minou, I —“

“What do you call a broken pencil?”

“Chat Noir.”

“Pointless,” he laughs darkly.

“Chat Noir!”

Finally, he looks over at her and her mouth falls agape.

His complexion is so pale, lips are pressed into a thin line, and his eyes are glistening.

“What?” He asks, voice breaking on the word.

Carefully, she places her hands on either side of his face. She stares directly into his eyes.

“You’re worrying me,” her voice shakes. “Please tell me whatever’s making you upset so I can help.”

“… I-I’m not upset.”

“Kitty. You just told me a riddle about a noose.”

He shakes his head, scrunching his eyebrows.

“It was a paperclip, milady. Can’t you appreciate a good joke?”

“Chat, all of the jokes you’ve cracked tonight have been nothing short of depressing.”

Frowning, he pulls away from her hold, avoiding her gaze.

“So? New to dark humor?”

“No,” she shakes her head. “But that’s not normally the humor you have, Chaton.”

He’s quiet for a couple seconds before responding.

“Just wanted to try something different—“

“I’m not going to take these bullshit excuses, you know?”

Chat Noir raises an eyebrow, not used to such language coming from his lady.

“They’re not excuses—“

“YES they are!”

She softens her voice.

“Please,” she begs. “Talk to me.”

It’s almost as if she didn’t say anything, how he continues to stare into the distance, silently appreciating the view of Paris. She follows suit, not knowing what else to say. Instead, she decides to wait it out. Hopefully he’ll talk. Eventually.

And he does.

“My mother died about a year ago.”

Her jaw slackens, but she stays silent.

“Father has always been very… strict. But lately he’s been putting a lot on me. Stuff that… stuff that a normal, average sixteen-year old shouldn’t have to put up with,” he sighs.

He calls his dad father? The only other person who does that is…

Alarms go off in her head.

“He makes me take so many lessons beyond school. Chinese, fencing, piano— and he didn’t even let me go to public school until four months ago. I was homeschooled by my father’s assistant, I mean she’s a good family friend—“

Wait.

“And the only friend that was ever allowed over was the mayor’s daughter, and she’s snobby and hangs off of me like I’m her fucking property when I’m NOT and—“

Chloé?

“Father doesn’t even have dinner with me. I mean, maybe once every two months if I get lucky—“

Her eyes widen. He couldn’t be…

“But most of the time it’s just me and the family friend, and she’s not even eating! She’s looking over my schedule to make sure it’s as jam-packed as it was the day before. I swear I never get a break.

“Sometimes it feels like Father is always disappointed in me, no matter what I do. I feel like I’m trapped in his bubble, like I can’t get out. My house is like a fortress. Or a prison. Being Chat Noir is my escape but I just… It’s getting to be too much, milady.

“I don’t know how much more I can take.”

She feels like she lost her voice. Her brain is on overdrive.

If all the pieces are adding up, my akuma-fighting partner is also my crush who is also a world famous model and—

Focus, Marinette.

“It sounds stressful, A— uh, Chat.”

He intakes a sharp breath.

“Did I say too much?”

She bites her lip. Yes.

“No?”

It comes out as a question. He must suspect that she’s lying.

He tilts his head in admission, then looks down.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Um… I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”

Slowly, Chat Noir—Adrien—meets her gaze once again.

His response was hesitant. “Yeah.”

She has to sigh; she doesn’t seem to be getting through to him.

“Minou, you are loved and wanted and I want to make sure you know that.”

Chat Noir chews his bottom lip.

“Thanks, bugaboo.”

They fall into a comfortable silence, just peering down at the streets of their city. She wants to ask him more questions because it seems like there’s more he’s not telling her, but decides against it. She doesn’t expect him to tell her everything, especially since opening up that much was already hard enough for him (and she really shouldn’t have been able to figure out his identity because danger! but she supposes she’ll forgive him since he’s literally the love of her life and he needs someone to be there for him either way).

A small movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention. She looks in Chat’s direction, noting how he’s holding a hand over his left wrist. Her frown deepens. It’s not like she wants him to notice that she’s staring, but she can’t look away. Warily, she watches his face twist in pain.

“Does your wrist hurt, kitty?”

He startles, but shakes his head.

“It’s good.”

“But,” she challenges, “you’re holding it. Looks like it hurts…”

Chat Noir clenches his teeth, turning to look at his lady with fire in his eyes.

“I said it’s good, Ladybug. Leave it.”

Marinette flinches at the use of her superhero name instead of one of his usual nicknames for her. His tone is uncharacteristically harsh, as well.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

The last thing she wants to do is upset him more.

She clears her throat, at a loss for words. The atmosphere had suddenly turned tense and she wasn’t fully enjoying his presence anymore. Of course, he wasn’t dangerous or anything, but she really didn’t want him to snap at her again.

Ladybug likes a happy kitten, not a bitter one.

She wishes she knew what to do.

“Well,” Chat speaks. “I gotta head out; get back home before my father’s assistant notices I’m gone and I get taken out of school.”

He stands, getting ready to extend his baton and hop from building to building for as long as possible in order to procrastinate his return to the large, lonely mansion where he resides.

Ladybug hops up so quickly that her head spins, but she ignores it in hope of saying one last thing before he leaves.

“Hey, Chaton?”

Said cat boy looks in her direction, letting her know that he’s listening.

Instead of speaking, she just leans forward to press her lips onto his cheek. When she pulls away, she offers a smile.

“You and me against the world.”

He plasters a (fake) grin onto his face, “Thanks, bugaboo. See you later.”

Then he bolts away, leaving his Lady alone on a rooftop.

Life had gone on as normal for both Adrien and Marinette. For the next two weeks, the superhero pair had not spoken about Chat’s home life or his internal struggles. She wanted to give him some space and he simply wanted to forget that he even showed so much vulnerability around her.

Granted, Adrien didn’t care that she knew. In fact, he was pretty happy that she had been willing to listen. Usually she never allowed rants from the either of them because she knew that it was easy to slip up and say something that could lead an unwarranted identity reveal.

Marinette wanted to talk to him, come to a mutual agreement, and then officially tell each other who they were. She knew it was unfair that she knew and wasn’t telling him, but in all honesty, she wasn’t even sure her suspicions are right.

(She’s ninety-nine percent sure).

Her eyes had been on Adrien for those two weeks, subtly checking to make sure that there weren’t bags under his eyes (there were), that his smiles weren’t forced (they were), and that he was eating enough (she had no way of knowing, but he hadn’t asked for a macaron in a few days and she was starting to get worried).

He was doing somewhat alright, from what she could tell. She didn’t expect to see anything different today.

Boy, was she wrong.

She had been passing out papers to the class regarding their next class trip, explaining that they needed a parent signature, as well as forty-two Euros by next Monday, in order to attend. When she reached Adrien, she paused.

He was rubbing at his left wrist — the same wrist that Chat had been holding in pain that night two weeks ago. His face was contorted painfully; familiarly. This brought about her worries.

Subtly, she placed down the papers in front of him, to which he looked up at her and sent an oh so fake smile in thanks.

As she walked away, Marinette just barely caught a glimpse of some red, scratch-like marks on his skin as he picked the paper up.

Her heart dropped.

She hadn’t realized that him holding his wrist earlier was a sign of self-harm. Apparently he was worse off than she thought. Now, it’s a whole different ball game — one that can’t have secret identities interfering with. She has no choice; she needs to stay in contact with him.

He needs to be okay.

Marinette tried to wait until patrol that night. Really, she did. But she couldn’t resist zipping over to his house and knocking at his window right after his fencing practice had ended.

He jumps at the sound, quickly ushering Plagg to hide in his shirt, before turning around to look at the super-heroine.

“Hi, Ladybug!” He greets with a smile. “Anything I can help you with today?”

She takes that as an invitation to leap into his room, then she allows her yoyo to snap close as she lands in front of him.

Her hands stay in fists as she brings them up to rest at either side of her waist. She grins brightly in his direction.

“Hi, kitty!”

It’s almost comical how his smile drops.

“What?”

In lieu of a response, she drops her arms to rest at her side. Then she takes a few steps forward so that she’s standing much closer to him.

“Your father is strict… he has an assistant… he makes you take piano, fencing, Chinese lessons…”

His eyes widen slowly as she speaks, his heart beating erratically.

Ladybug scoffs, “Honestly, Adrien? You couldn’t have been more obvious.”

He gulps in horror.

Then he narrows his eyes.

“How did you know that Adrien Agreste takes Chinese lessons? I’ve never once mentioned that in an interview…”

She stiffens.

“Uh. B-because you told me before.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“As Chat,” she supplies.

The model scoffs, “I’m not Chat Noir.”

Ladybug shrugs, beginning to stroll around his room.

“Okay. So why did I see you rub your wrist in class today, hm?”

Now it’s Adrien’s turn to stiffen.

“Y-y-you’re in my class? What?” He asks incredulously.

“Yes. I’m the class president.”

She says it so confidently that it scares her. He’s sure to figure it out by now. She can’t look at him as he comes to the realization.

“But my class president is Marinette— wait.”

He huffs, smirking.

“Are you Marinette?”

Finally she casts her gaze in his direction.

“In the flesh.”

She watches as his eyes light up. He approaches her with a smile.

“Oh my god. Wait, then I’m totally okay admitting I’m Chat Noir.”

Her eyebrow raises, “Oh yeah? And if I was, say, Chloé… would you have admitted it?”

He immediately shakes his head.

Ladybug doesn’t even try to stifle her laugh.

“Spots off.”

Adrien watches in amazement as a magical, pink light engulfs her entire body, leaving Marinette Dupain-Cheng standing in his bedroom.

When she’s out of the Miraculous, the first thing Tikki does is call Plagg.

“Plagg, get out here! I need to talk to you!”

Plagg phases through Adrien’s over-shirt and glares at his counterpart.

“Well hello to you too, Sugarcube!”

The other side of the room is then occupied by two magical creatures, allowing for Adrien and Marinette to have some time alone.

An awkward tension fills the air for the first couple moments, as the two recently-outed superheroes stare at each other, letting everything sink in.

Adrien is the first to speak.

“Wow, uh… wow.”

Marinette only nods, unable to comment on his reaction as she is overflowing with concern.

“Adrien, we have to talk.”

His eyes dim and his lips curve downwards. He nods, hanging his head.

“Yeah,” he whispers, “we do.”

He leads her over to the couch and gestures for her to sit down. Then he gets situated right next to her, positioning his hands on his knees. Marinette takes a deep breath.

“So… I saw the scars in class today.”

She shifts her eyes to his left wrist, uncovered and visibly scarred. He follows her eyes, frowning when he meets their destination.

Adrien simply hums, staring at the abused skin but not saying a word.

“Why?” Marinette whispers.

He shrugs.

“I’m fine. It’s just… Chat Noir gives me freedom, but sometimes it’s not enough. I promise I don’t do it that often.”

“The amount of times you do it doesn’t matter, kitty, it’s the fact that you do.”

“What do you care anyway?” He scoffs. “You weren’t paying me much attention before I was in a sour mood that day.”

“I’ve always cared, Adrien. Always. Just because I’m super level-headed doesn’t mean that I don’t pay attention. I notice when you’re sad. I do. This time you were really worrying me, though, so I spoke up.”

Adrien rolls his eyes, “And it didn’t occur to you that maybe I wanted you to ask how I was feeling all those other times I was sad?”

She quiets at that.

“I mean, I understand that you don’t want to get in my way, but I appreciate people caring, Marinette. It means a lot to me. I feel like, if I never gave away too much information, you would still be assuming things about me. Things like, oh he’s okay because he’s loud and cocky and cracks jokes all the time — maybe it’s just a bad day.”

He shakes his head, allowing a bitter laugh to escape his raw throat.

“Every day is a bad day, Mari. I’m just a good fucking actor.”

Marinette soaks in every word like a sponge, letting each and every one hit her right where it hurts, because it’s true. He is a good actor; she’s not good at understanding the script.

I’m sorry, she wants to say. The words dance on the tip of her tongue.

He’s not finished, though.

“I want the world to suffer some days, you know? I want everyone to feel just as pressured and exploited as I have been for basically my entire life. I want all my friends with a good family to see what it’s like to live in this large mansion, with their father closed away in his room, never to be seen again by his own son who just wants him to say I love you.”

When had he started crying?

Well, the tears are flowing and he can’t stop the river now. Not when he has more to say.

“I have the power of destruction wrapped around my finger, Marinette.”

His lip trembles.

“You should be glad that I haven’t tried to Cataclysm any houses, or street lights, or cars, or busses, or-or-or—“

He breaks.

He meant to keep going — to finish his sentence — but he breaks.

There’s not much more that Marinette can do, other than pull him into her arms and whisper soothing words of reassurance as he sobs uncontrollably.

She rubs his back, softly shh-ing him as he lets it all out of his system. She allows him to drown for the time being, all while reassuring that she’ll be there to pull him back to shore.

Each one of his sniffles was a subtle reminder that she was there for him; that no matter if his father comes around to finally paying him some attention, or not, he will always have her shoulder to cry on. Simultaneously, though, her heart twists at how unhealthily he’s been dealing with the trauma.

She had heard stories upon stories of teenagers resorting to self-harm because they had no other outlet, and she had been so thankful that no one she knew had taken those measures. Now, a statistic has become personal. She would be lying if she said that she knew how to handle it.

But she knew that no matter the circumstance, it had to be dealt with.

That meant getting her crush some professional help. A therapist, some medication, and plenty of cuddles. (Cuddles arescientifically proven to relieve anxiety, right? It’s a professional technique).

A quiet sniffle breaks her out of her thoughts. She glances down at Adrien as he slightly pulls away from her hold, eyes red and puffy.

Maybe that can all be dealt with later.

She ruffles his hair.

“Let’s go get some ice cream, yeah?”

Adrien peers up at her in confusion.

She just smiles and wriggles out of their position on his couch, then stands up with her hands on her hips.

“Ice cream always cheers me up. We definitely have to talk more about this later, among other things, but I can’t bear to see you sad any longer. So let’s go!”

The left corner of his mouth perks up, albeit only for a mere second.

“My father—“

“To hell with you father,” Marinette reaches down to grab his hand and hoists him up from the couch.

“We are going to get ice cream whether he likes it or not. You need to do what makes YOU happy, ‘kay?”

He concedes.

After ice cream, they return to the bakery and consult with Tom and Sabine. It had taken a lot of convincing on Marinette’s part to get Adrien to agree, but from there began the journey of his recovery.

They explained his home situation and mental health struggles in full, only leaving out the part about them fighting akumas. Both adults had immediately started searching for a good therapist (and lawyer) that would help Adrien get on the right track.

In the end, Adrien was glad that they had told her parents. Their concern for him and dedication to his cause filled his heart with long lost hope and parental love. It had been so long since he felt cared for. And now that he’s felt it once again, he’s not ready to let it go.

Thank goodness the Dupain-Chengs’ weren’t going to let him go so easily.

It was a unanimous decision that, until he feels comfortable going back to the mansion, he would stay. He didn’t want to burden them, but they insisted. So he had no choice but to accept the offer.

Before he even knew it, another two weeks had passed. A new routine was broken in by the members of the D.C. household — Marinette was getting real annoyed with Adrien’s constant comparisons of her last name initials to Marvel (her father had taken a liking to his puns, however, so now she just lived in constant pain) — and suddenly it was like he had always been there.

His first therapy session wasn’t great. He was riddled with anxiety (no pun intended) and Doctor Benson was too nice for his liking. Well, it wasn’t that he didn’t like it. It was just so off-putting, considering he wasn’t used to being treated with such kindness even by his own father.

Doctor Benson told him that a lot of the things he’s been experiencing aren’t normal, but his response to that trauma is. At first he had been confused when he was told that his father was emotionally neglectful and verbally abusive. He didn’t understand what his father was doing wrong. Once Doctor Benson explained that, “Abuse is a violent, repetitive behavior that has a negative mental, emotional, and/or physical impact on the victim,” it became more clear.

It’s still a concept that he’s getting used to — that he’s a victim of abuse. The thought makes his skin crawl and a shiver run up his spine because he never considered himself to be part of a statistic. Now that he knows he is, he’s not sure what to do.

Marinette keeps telling him, “Even agreeing to go to therapy is a huge step in the right direction, and I’m so proud of you.” Then she goes on to tell him just how special he is to her and how important him and his life is and all of this crap about how he’s worth more than he thinks.

He has to believe her, too, because she’s the one that found him at his worst and instead of judging him, picked him off the ground and took initiative. She’s the one that brought him to her parents, helped him hide from his father, and even got him a part-time job at the bakery. It’s only temporary until he is able to access his earnings, but he will admit that he likes it way better than modeling; that had just been because his father wanted him to, anyways.

Everyone tells him time and time again that he should not be living for his father. He wants to disagree, because that’s what he’s been conditioned to do for so long, but he ultimately chooses not to. Because they’re right; he’s a young adult who should have the freedom to make his own decisions.

In the end, if he’s not happy, there’s always more opportunities. He knows that now.

And there’s no better way to figure out what he wants than to explore, and reach out for help.

A black cat and a ladybug sat atop a roof.

Marinette has her head tucked into the crook of her partner’s neck, eyes closed as she feels the wind blow past her. Adrien’s head lays on top of hers’ and eyes are trained on the full moon above them.

It had been a long day; one akuma attack and three tests, plus their friends wanted to hang out. Exhaustion had taken over hours before, and sleep was creeping up on them. They cherish the view of Paris at night while it lasts, before they have to go home and do it all again the next day.

When she lifts her head to look at her favorite kitty, she’s relieved to see a soft smile resting on his features.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

He glances at her before turning back to the stars, then hesitates.

“Can I tell you a riddle?”

Her face pales and stomach plummets.

“N-no, I don’t want to play this game again.”

“I promise its a good one, nothing too sad.”

They lock eyes. She can tell there is sincerity within those dark green orbs, so she reluctantly nods.

Adrien licks his lips, not breaking his gaze.

“I visit you every night, even if you don’t call me. I’m lost every day. What am I?”

Jokingly, she wants to say “Chat Noir” but their identities are known now, and she sees him every day (so, admittedly, it wouldn’t be that good of a joke). Then she looks up at the sky and she has her answer.

“The stars,” she whispers.

She’s not looking at him, but she can almost hear his smile widen. So she looks back to him, because she loves to see her kitty happy.

Sure enough, a grin — genuine, not forced — is playing on his lips. It’s human nature to copy social expressions, so she lets her mouth curve into a matching grin.

Then she leans in.

Their smiles fade as they inch closer, focused on the next task at hand. His gaze drops to her pink lips, and she stares into his eyes. She can see the thirst, the want, but she can also see his hesitance.

Experimentally, she pauses to see if he’ll close the gap, but he simply stops in accordance with her. She wants this so bad, but he’s very shy when it comes to romance; despite being so outwardly confident as Chat Noir.

He had told her that it was a mask to hide how scared he truly was. His advances towards her were genuine, although deep down, he was afraid of rejection (to which she will forever feel guilty for putting him through). He wanted to break his façade sometimes, but he chose not to for the sake of not worrying her. The media might have noticed his change in behavior, too; granted, he never cared what the public thought of him anyways.

So, to save them both the trouble, she takes the leap and closes the gap, capturing his lips in a fluid movement.

It’s pure ecstasy; electricity pulses through his veins, but at the same time… he’s calm. He’s not sure how to describe the feeling, in all honesty. It’s just perfect.

Well, not perfect, he corrects himself. Enjoyable, but not perfect.

They don’t move in perfect sync and his lips are chapped so she’s probably wondering why the heck are his lips so dry?and her mouth keeps opening and he isn’t sure if it’s a mistake or if he should do something but he’s not ready for the tongue yet, and so their heads are tilting at an awkward angle trying to make sense of the situation —

— but she smells like pastries and her lips are so soft and he can’t help but crack his eyes open because she is so beautiful in every single way oh my god I love her and nothing makes this better than cupping her face with his right hand and feeling just how smooth her skin is which calms him immensely and he just doesn’t want this to end.

When they finally pull away, with heavy breaths and big smiles, little giggles and red cheeks… he’s happy.

Maybe he’s not perfect. Neither is she. Nobody is, and Adrien is just starting to understand that.

Years of conditioning is hard to unlearn, but he is so grateful to have a support system he can count on. Marinette’s parents honorarily adopting him as one of their own, Doctor Benson offering coping mechanisms he hadn’t even known existed, his bodyguard protecting him from the  father  sperm donor he’s still afraid to talk to (one day soon, he’ll have to, but he’s planning on crossing that bridge when he gets there), Ms. Bustier’s unwavering faith in his abilities, and his friends’ insistence that he is more than enough — all of this support is overwhelming, to say the least, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Most importantly, there’s Marinette. She has been his rock for the past three years and it’s more true now than it ever was. She is family, in every sense of the word.

“Hey, Mari?” He says quietly, breaking the silence.

“Yes, Chaton?”

The nickname rolls off her tongue in a teasing manner, and he has to laugh.

“Thank you.”

“Always.”

[waveypedia]

This is why we can’t have nice things- Chat Noir and Ladybug

It’s You, My Dear

Ladybug sighs and slaps her hand against her head. “This is why we can’t have nice things, Chat.”

Chat flashes his famous Cheshire grin, wide and proud, and locks his hands behind his back, rocking on his heels to burn excess energy. “This is just an expression of my artistic genius.”

“There’s flour all over my kitchen,” Ladybug deadpans. “The kitchen that took me an hour to set up so we could cook together.”

“And now I’ve helped you decorate!” Chat replies, grinning,  “Don’t crap on my creativity, M’Lady!”

“I would never crap on actual creativity,” Ladybug sighs. “This is just a mess.”

“But it’s our mess,” Chat gives Ladybug his best winning smile.

Ladybug boops Chat on the nose, causing his mouth to open in a small, perfect ‘o’. “No, it’s yours.”

Chat chuckles softly and brushes some flour off of his suit. They float to the ground like tiny snowflakes, revealing the darkness of his suit underneath. “All right, My Lady. I concede. You’re by far the better cook out of both of us. I’ll clean up, and you cook up a purr-fect feast.”

Ladybug snorts and gently slaps a layer of flour off Chat’s shoulder. “I spend a lot of time baking, Kitty, don’t be discouraged.”

Chat Noir simply laughs and brushes more flour off of him. It coats the floor. “I don’t mind if my cookies aren’t perfect. It’s fun to make them. A good friend taught me how!”

Ladybug smiles wistfully. Her train of thought arrives at the familiar Adrien station, like always, and she remembers the day a couple years ago when she taught Adrien how to bake chocolate chip cookies. But, of course, the two instances are completely unrelated.

She pushes away the nostalgia of that sweet summer day and consciously focuses on the here and now. She could make these cookies in her sleep (and she has), but right now, Chat deserves her attention.

He’s gotten most of the flour off of him now, so he looks much more like himself than Chat Blanc (although, whenever those heartbreaking memories surface when Ladybug looks at flour-covered Chat, all she has to do is look into his eyes. His beautiful, un-akumatized, green eyes. That’s her kitty.) and is sweeping up the flour on the makeshift kitchen floor - which is really a rooftop. Flour soars off the roof and into the streets below, causing passing Parisians to look up, point, and shout with excitement. Ladybug waves at them, and they eagerly wave back. She smiles at the phones with cameras pointed at her and imagines Alya’s future blog post.

But that doesn’t matter right now. She and Chat step away from the roof, and after a little while, the novelty wears off. The consistent subtle murmur of passerbys’ chatter from the streets fades into the background, and Ladybug turns back to her cookies.

“Almost done, Chat,” she calls over her shoulder.

“Wonderful, M’Lady,” he replies, spreading out the checkered picnic blanket. It’s her parent’s, soft and worn from use, and she takes it out on picnics with her friends all the time. Granted, they’re usually in a park rather than on a rooftop. “I think my friend has a picnic blanket like this. She likes to throw picnics.”

Ladybug hums in response as she takes the first batch of cookies out of the oven. “Oh, really? This is my parents’. I think it used to be popular.”

“My friend’s picnic blanket is her parents’, too,” he replies absently. “It must be.”

Ladybug piles the cookies on a plate and sets them next to the picnic basket on the blanket. Chat Noir is seated already, with his legs dangling off the rooftop, gazing at the horizon in the distance. His expression is soft and thoughtful, and his eyes are filled with a million thoughts she can not discern. It’s endearing.

Ladybug sits down next to him. “Are you ready, Kitty?”

His smile is back in full force as he snaps his head over to meet her gaze. “Of course, Bugaboo!”

Ladybug rolls her eyes, but busies herself with setting out plates for each of them. He statches a piece of cheese for his kwami for later. 

She savors the way his eyes light up with delight.

They sit in comfortable silence for a little while as they enjoy the food. Parisians stroll along the streets below, mostly unaware of the heroes perched above them, save for a few sharp-eyed denizens who are rewarded with waves and winks for their efforts. After a while, Chat leans his head against Ladybug’s shoulder, letting out a soft sigh.

Ladybug snorts and pushes him, but gently. “You’re too tall for this, Chat.”

His only response is to hum contentedly and snuggle in closer, causing her to giggle despite herself. His neck is twisted almost sideways to fit on her shoulder, but he doesn’t look uncomfortable in the slightest.

She shoves him a little harder. “Chat, c’mon. You’re going to get a kink in your neck.”

“I sleep in class all the time, My Lady. I don’t mind it.” But he obliges, rubbing his neck. 

Ladybug sighs good-naturedly. “That’s not good, Chat.” She’s aware that she’s a hypocrite, but only sometimes. She tries not to be. It’s hard enough to keep her grades up with all her… extracurricular activities.

Chat shrugs nonchalantly. “Sometimes I have to get up really early for pho- for my job,” he explains. “And of course the midnight akumas. I swear, does Hawk Moth ever sleep?”

Ladybug laughs at that. Tension she didn’t even realize was there fades away, floating into the wind as Ladybug’s giggles tinkle like bells and Chat grins wide at the validation. “His sleep schedule must be so messed up. Maybe that’s why he’s like that.”

“A lack of sleep does make me quite a grumpy cat,” Chat muses. “But I can say with certainty that I’ve never gone on a homicidal violence spree and tried to steal jewelry because of it.”

Ladybug giggles again. “Good job on beating Hawk Moth, then.”

Chat smirks and sighs contentedly, picking up a cookie. He sighs with pure delight as his teeth sink into it.

Ladybug watches him, smirking, ignoring the growing valley of joy in her chest at the validation. Chat’s initial reaction whenever he eats sweets is always the same - pure bliss, over the top, but always genuine. It never fails to make her smile.

She’s noticed before that Adrien reacts similarly whenever she brings in baked goods, and she knows full well he’s on a very strict diet (one that always seems to leave him tired and drained, no matter how much she tries to hide it). Chat’s home situation is probably similar, especially based on the little details he’s let slip out, which makes her blood boil. So she’s made it her mission to fill both boys up with all the treats they can handle.

It’s the little things.

“These are wonderful, M’Lady,” Chat says softly. He won’t meet her eyes.

Ladybug fights the smile growing on her face and shoves him playfully. Her feelings, and the mood, are threatening to take a turn down a road she’s terrified to explore.

Adrien. Adrien. Adrien. Remember Adrien. Do not fall for Chat Noir. Don’t ruin what you have.

“You’re just saying that,” she teases, even though she knows he’s not. The guilt stings in her stomach, settling with the homemade food she’s eating.

“Why, M’Lady, I meant what I said! These cookies are simply purr-fect.”

Ladybug placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “You got flour all over my makeshift kitchen.”

“These cookies are all the better because you made them, My Lady,” Chat smiled back, unfazed in the face of Ladybug’s annoyance, but with a touch of genuinity. 

Ladybug huffed in response and spread out the picnic blanket. “Sit down already. You’re going to fill yourself up on cookies.”

Chat put the cookie he was about to bite into down and cast a longing look at the cookie platter, but sat down without complaint. “You’re a wonderful cook, My Lady!”

Ladybug smiles softly. “Thank you, Kitty.”

They lean against each other, foreheads touching, and watch the sunset. Oranges and pinks flush Paris  in auroric flames. Ladybug’s hand tingles from where it’s brushing Chat’s and the cookies. 

“You know,” Chat says softly, so softly Ladybug isn’t sure if she’s imagining his voice or not, “You say we can’t have nice things, but this seems pretty nice to me.”

A grin slowly worms its way up Ladybug’s face. “Yeah,” she replies, equally as soft. Chat’s ears twitch. “I think so too.” In more ways than one.

Their hands brush closer and closer until their fingers close around each other. Somehow, inexplicably, she knows Chat hears her unsaid words.

“Pretty nice,” she echoes, half to herself, as they sit on the rooftops of their city and watch the world go by. All they have is each other. All they need is each other.

The sun sets, and the world turns to shades of gray, and still they sit. Ladybug pulls out the hot chocolate, kept warm in the thermoses her family swears up and down by. They stay long after color bleeds out of the world, shoulders touching, hands entwined, heads leaning against each other despite the height difference. 

It’s nearing midnight when Ladybug shifts her asleep foot and breaks the proverbial blanket over the two of them. A pang of regret resonates in her heart, but as she shakes life into her cold limbs, she knows it’s for the best. Parting is never easy, even if it’s just for the night.

With her kitty, she’d rather always be with him. Every goodbye hurts.

Chat stands up and stretches, curling up his back and tail just like a real cat. Ladybug’s mouth quirks into a teasing smile, and she reaches out to give him a quick scratch under the chin, relishing in the way his eyes close in pure safety and contentment. She presses her fingers slightly closer to feel the purr that rumbles through his body, steady and sure.

They divvy up the remaining snacks (Ladybug sneaks him half her share - he needs it more than she does. Even if all of her conceptions of his home life are mistaken, blown out of proportion, based on what she knows of Adrien’s, she does live above a bakery. But she’s fairly certain she’s not wrong on this one, despite how much she hopes she is.) and part ways for the night. Chat gives her a tight hug, and he’s so warm, just like a real cat. Ladybug melts in his embrace, and wishes they could stay there forever, frozen, untouched by the world moving around them. She knows he’s thinking the same thing.

Alas, it does have to end, and they part ways with a wave and a few nonsensical words shouted to the wind with the adrenaline from movement and the cold air kicking into their tired bodies. Ladybug begins the trek home, her limbs moving mechanically through the familiar movements as she soars over Paris in a way most people could only dream to.

When she’s safe in bed, with her diminished share of snacks tucked safely away in the cupboard, Marinette clutches her cat pillow to her and bundles up in her blankets. She thinks about how they don’t quite compare to Chat’s warmth.

Tikki, curling up on Marinette’s pillow, smiles knowingly.

~

these guys are really fun to write fluff for 

title is from my dear from red velvet! lyrics from this song actually inspired me to make a doc filled with title ideas (mostly song lyrics, which is what i’ve been drawing a lot from lately) and i’ve been saving this one since june 😳 i think it fits here

[chatonne-rousse]

Three Kids and a Hamster

This was my contribution to the @adrienettezine.  I joined the zine as a beta and ended up as a pinch hitter - this sweet little fluffy story was the result.  I hope you enjoy it!  I just love these two so much.

Read it on Ao3 here.

                                           **********************

The same full moon that lit their way over rooftops and across the Seine an hour before shines through the hatch above the bed, illuminating their entwined legs in its gentle glow and casting shadows on the room below. Even if she weren't tucked beneath his arm with her cheek against his chest, this would be a place of perfect peace, awash in a sense of rightness and comfort and home. It makes his chest constrict all of a sudden, his next inhale a sharp shudder that rouses her immediately from near-sleep.

"You okay, Chaton?" she murmurs, eyes wide and worried.

He reassures her with a soft, genuine smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...thinking."

Bending forward to press a kiss to her forehead, he pulls her back down to his chest and starts up a purr for her. The breathy giggle he gets in return is always worth the twinge of embarrassment and the weird tickle in his throat.

"About what?"

The purr dies down, replaced with a contented hum. "How much I love you, of course, Princess. What else?"

As expected, she swats him playfully and laughs, but a moment later he feels her hand stretch across his torso as she cuddles closer into his side.

"I mean it," she whispers into his shirt. "Your breathing got all weird. What's wrong?"

"Bugaboo, you know you take my breath away!"

"Adrien."

Her voice is all no-nonsense Ladybug, but it just makes him grin wider.

"I'm actually not kitten, Marinette."

She groans and lifts her head again but when she meets his gaze after an exaggerated eye roll, her features soften in response to his. She begins to duck her head shyly before changing course and pressing her lips to his instead, soft and sweet and warm. His eyes slip shut and he melts beneath her, his ever-romantic heart singing her name over and over in a three-beat cadence.

"I love you, too," she whispers against his lips, finally breaking away after a long, slow kiss that leaves them both breathless.

After a quick kiss at the corner of his mouth and another on his jaw, she settles back into the crook of his neck, her breath warm and tickly and perfect against his skin.

Logically, he knows he needs to transform and head home, but the stark difference between his bedroom prison and Marinette's warmth is enough to keep him here just a little longer, stretching time and tempting fate.

Wouldn't it be wonderful, he thinks, as the sleepy calm drifts over them once more, to stay here forever, just like this?

He imagines waking up this way, morning breath and snoring kwamis and a warm tangle of limbs illuminated by a new day's dawnlight instead of the quiet moon. Perhaps there would be a purring cat asleep on the bed with them. And one day, maybe, he'd wake to find a toddler who had crawled up onto the bed and wriggled between them in the night to be close to maman and papa. A family. His heart squeezes with emotion again, but he keeps his breathing steady and Marinette doesn't seem to notice this time.

Dreaming of what the future might hold seems like an extravagant luxury in a world where a supervillain regularly terrorizes Paris and threatens to rend the very fabric of the universe and its delicate balance. Then again, isn't that all the more reason to dream?

Even with the freedom being Chat Noir grants him, the responsibility of avoiding that fate is a heavy weight across his shoulders, and a far more cumbersome yoke on his Lady's. Imagining a day when they can transform for fun instead of necessity, cook dinner together, fall asleep just like this, and not have to wonder if an akuma alert will rouse them before the sun—well, that just makes him fight each battle harder and despise Hawkmoth that much more. After all, the fate of humanity includes the fate of Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, too.

Her fingers glide feather-light at his wrist, so he knows she's still awake, and before he can think twice about it, he's murmuring a question into the dark.

"Hey, Bug?" He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Do you ever think about...the future?"

Her hand stops its gentle, soothing motion against his arm, and he misses the feeling immediately.

"After we defeat Hawkmoth, or...?" she trails off.

"That could happen tomorrow, so let's start with tomorrow and go from there."

She resumes her caress, though this time her hand trails higher, up and under his t-shirt sleeve to the warm skin of his bicep. He smiles against her hair and hugs his heat-seeking little bug tighter.

"Well, tomorrow we have a calculus test, then you have a piano lesson after school. I really didn't plan anything beyond that, but if we're going to squeeze in an epic final battle with Hawkmoth, I suppose I should work on my history project at lunch to get ahead."

"Cheeky bug!" He tickles her in retaliation, and she giggles into his chest. "I was being serious!"

"I know, Minou." She laughs for another moment but says nothing more.

He waits through one deep breath, then two, before he whispers her name, questioning, against her hair.

She cranes her neck to look up at him, her gaze shy but warm. "It's just...can I be weird?"

Ah, that explains her reticence. The delighted half-smile that crosses his face is pure Chat Noir, but he can't help it. He loves this.

"Of course, My Lady. Always."

Five months and four days ago (yes, he's counting—it was the greatest day of his life, so far), after more than three years of superhero partnership and civilian friendship, an unplanned reveal, and the awkward nine day aftermath (yes, he counted—it was awful), they'd finally made it official. Adrien and Marinette had, at least. Ladynoir was still under wraps for now to avoid suspicion, but he looked forward to the day when a real kiss they could both remember would grace the front page of the Ladyblog.

At the beginning, between blissful kisses and timid touches, they'd taken the time to really get to know each other—with no secrets between them, a whole, beautiful picture emerged. It was amazing and thrilling and freeing. It was also a bit embarrassing.

She'd seen him in his Ladybug pajamas one evening when she'd stopped by his bedroom for an unplanned visit. Another afternoon, he'd opened a drawer in her room looking for a pen and discovered approximately two dozen photos of himself looking back at him. Plagg had unceremoniously dropped Adrien's Ladybug and Chat Noir action figures onto Marinette's lap while they watched a movie and proceeded to tell her that Adrien sometimes played with his dolls and made them kiss. He'd never been so mortified in his life (and he once fought an akuma wearing a banana costume, so that was saying something), especially when Marinette had laughed until she cried.

He'd have sentenced the tiny magical agent of chaos to eating Velveeta for a week if Marinette hadn't caught her breath, removed his hands from his beet-red face, and kissed him silly.

Afterward, lovestruck, he'd asked, "So I'm not...weird?"

Cheeks still stained with the sweetest blush, eyes soft and bright and full of love, she'd responded, "Of course you are, kitty. I already knew that," and kissed him again for good measure. "It's a good thing your Lady is just as weird."

And just like that, it was okay. His pajamas, her photo collection, his action figures, her calendar.

Can I be weird? preceded his admission of being unable to sleep if his Marinette lucky charm wasn't beneath his pillow. It was asked before he learned she slept with her handmade Chat Noir plushie beside her every night.

The question is rhetorical, of course. Permission to be weird is simply indemnity from embarrassment, a solemn vow of understanding between them. It's been the lead-in to many shared secrets and it still gives him a little thrill every time, just knowing that he's about to learn another closely-held tidbit about his Lady.

Tonight, he's especially curious—the question he asked was about the future, after all.

"I used to think about it a lot," she begins quietly. "And I mean, a lot. I'm a planner, you know."

Oh, he knows. Thank goodness one of them is.

"You've seen my sketchbook. You saw my wedding dress designs and all your possible matching tuxes. Alya's dress and Nino's suit..."

"And they were beautiful, Bug. I loved them all."

He can feel her smile against his t-shirt collar.

"Thank you, Chaton. But...it's not just that. I, um...I chose the flowers for my bouquet, I planned the menu for the reception dinner—"

"And your parents will make the croquembouche," he whispers, suddenly entranced.

She nods, but goes silent once more. He wants to hear about everything—the venue she imagined for the service and reception, what they'll wear at the civil ceremony prior, whether their guests will throw rice or rose petals or wheat as they exit as newlyweds. It's all so beautiful, his heart is positively singing; how could she ever think this is weird?

"I named our children."

The song in his heart comes to an abrupt stop when the rhythm falters before restarting at hummingbird speed.

Dazed, he breathes, "Our..."

"I know!" she groans. She covers her eyes with one hand and buries her face in his shirt. Her voice is muffled, but he's hanging on every word. "I told you it was weird! I named them! I thought about who would be youngest, oldest, middle--"

"Three?" He chokes on air. Is he even breathing?

"I designed the little outfit we'd bring each of them home from the hospital in. Their nursery had a theme! Our hamster had a name! I imagined our house, our garden, the layout of the kitchen, the color of our master bathroom!"

"What color?" he asks weakly.

A pause.

"Blue."

"I love blue."

"I know."

Silence descends again, as he attempts to regulate his breathing and bring his swirling, scattered thoughts under control. She hasn't moved a muscle, and neither has he. Honestly, he's thankful to be moored to his steadfast port in the storm right now, so he can't float away or slip under.

"Adrien?"

He hums questioningly in response.

"I'm sorry." Her voice is small and tinged with sadness, slicing directly through his current bubble of overwhelmed euphoria in an instant.

Sitting up so quickly that she's dislodged from his side with a startled squeak, he pulls both of her hands between his and brings her close enough to really see her face in the shadowy moonlight.

"Why are you sorry?" he asks, baffled. "That was..." he trails off, shaking his head as he searches for the correct word, wanting to convey his feelings properly. Incredible doesn't seem like enough. Perfect, perhaps? A dream I didn't know I had until you said it, and now I want that exact thing more than I've ever wanted anything in my life?

"Crazy, I know. Selfish."

"What? No!" he exclaims, and her wide eyes snap to meet his. "Marinette, it sounds amazing!"

"Amazing?"

He lets go of her hands to gather her in a hug instead, happy to feel her arms wrap tightly around him in turn.

"Amazing," he murmurs against her hair, hoping she can hear the sincerity in his voice. "Why do you think it's selfish?"

"Because...because I never thought about what you'd want, not really. Maybe you don't want kids—"

"I want kids," he interrupts.

"Or maybe you don't like hamsters."

"Mari, I love hamsters."

She smiles against his skin. "I'm glad. I thought you'd want a cat."

"Oh, I do," he says, nodding.

"I knew it!" she laughs. "But I didn't know any of that back then. I just dreamed my own wild dreams and brought a fantasy of future you along for the ride. It wasn't fair to you." She leans back, settling her wrists over his shoulders and searching his gaze with her own. "You deserve to have a say in your own life, Adrien. For once."

A wave of stunned gratitude wells up within him and he swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. No one, not even his beloved mother, has ever extended him the courtesy of autonomy, much less apologized for not considering it in the first place. The way Marinette loves him, with a selfless, gentle kindness, is like nothing he's ever known, and it overwhelms him sometimes.

Oh, he loves her so much.

"Marinette," he says, when he's able to. "Do you want to live on a desert island with me and eat only fruit for the rest of our lives?"

She blinks, confused.

"Because that was one of my dreams," he continues. "You—well, Ladybug—me, our hamster, and a ton of fruit. Silly, right?" He shrugs. "I was a lovesick teenager. I have a feeling you know something about that, don't you, Bugaboo?" His cheeky wink and Chat Noir smirk are rewarded with the blush and giggle he'd hoped for. "My point is, I wasn't thinking about what you wanted when I daydreamed about that, and I never worried about it. You have nothing to be sorry for, Bug."

Her smile is bright even in the shadowy loft. "Thanks, Minou. Those were fun dreams."

"Were? You don't want the hamster and the blue bathroom anymore? I was just getting excited about our house and three kids."

"What do you dream about?" She asks, clearly dodging the question with one of her own.

He doesn't even have to think on it to know the answer.

"A family. Hugs. Eating dinner at a little table together. Going to the beach and seeing you in your bikini."

She snorts. "Tomcat."

"I'm only human, Mari."

"Adrien, you can purr."

"Touché."

They can only laugh. Their lives really are ridiculous.

"Princess?" He asks after they've settled into silence again. "What are their names?"

"Who?"

"Our kids."

She takes a deep, deep breath, and it feels like an eternity before she speaks. "Emma, Louis, and Hugo."

"I love them already," he breathes, imagination awhirl with scenes of bedtime stories and blanket forts and the myriad other childhood joys he only knows about from movies and tv. It's so beautiful, they're so beautiful, that he has to clench his teeth for a moment to keep from crying. "Have you drawn them?"

She nods, brow starting to furrow in concern at what must be one hell of an expression on his face.

"And their clothes? The nursery? Our kitchen?"

"Yes, I told you I was—"

"You're amazing, Marinette. I can't wait to see them. I can't wait to meet them."

Before he knows it, she's pulled him into her embrace, whispering her love against his shoulder. If a few tears escape into her hair, she doesn't say a word. They stay like that for a few long, sweet moments, until a thought pops into his mind.

"Mari? Why didn't Plagg find those drawings when he found your sketchbook of wedding ideas?"

She pulls away from him and giggles. "Because that sketchbook is hidden under the mattress."

"Along with how many of my photos?"

The mock-glare she levels at him would be terrifying if she weren't so adorable. He leans in and watches her stern expression slacken just before their lips connect and his eyes close, and her soft sigh tells him he's forgiven once more for teasing her.

They fall back against the cat pillow and soft pink sheets once more, rearranging their bodies to that perfect fit that reminds him every time how phenomenally lucky he is to have found his soul's other half as a teenager via ancient magic and fated proximity. The kiss deepens, his hands clutch at her back, and he thrills at the feel of her fingers in his hair. This is everything, everything—love and light and power and freedom, the chance for a future, a home, a family.

It's just another late autumn Tuesday night in Paris. Marinette will convince him to stay for another hour, he'll set an alarm. They'll go to school again tomorrow and, though it's certainly possible they'll defeat Hawkmoth before the day is over, it's more likely they'll simply fight and cleanse another akuma before returning to the library to work on that history project.

But it's suddenly different. He's always fought for Paris, for the safety of his friends and family, for his beloved partner. Now? A new and different feeling of protectiveness rises in his chest, even as her tongue brushes the seam of his lips and his purr rumbles gently between their bodies.

Hawkmoth will rue the day he tried to take Emma, Louis, and Hugo away before Adrien could meet them. He makes the promise right here and now, with his Lady in his arms and their kwamis sleeping on the desk below: Every akuma from now until he can punch Hawkmoth in the face and rip the misused miraculous from him, Chat Noir will fight for Paris, the world, and that shining dream of the future. He's one half of an unstoppable team. Together, they can, and will, do anything.

He and Marinette have three kids and a hamster to look forward to, after all. And it's going to be amazing.

[writtenbyrain]

The Holes of My Sweater

Read it on AO3

Summary: When Ladybug and Chat Noir agree to a Christmas gift exchange in an effort to brighten Chat's solitary holiday season, they might just find themselves exchanging more than gifts. Or, in which an ugly Christmas sweater unwittingly leads to an identity reveal.

Notes:

Written for Day 28 of the @miraculousfanworks 2020 Advent Calendar Prompt: Ugly Sweaters Thank you to @Kizerain, @HopefulPhoenix, and @TheBluemoon for being kind and thorough betas!

The winter months had again approached with their usual lack of fanfare, the colder weather settling in to coax most citizens back into the warmth of their homes.

Most, but not all.

Chat Noir and Ladybug sat poised atop the edge of one of the many nondescript Parisian rooftops, their legs dangling in the snow-dusted air. Their standard patrol had ended about an hour ago, yet they found themselves reveling in the simple joy of each other’s company.

“So, Chat Noir, any particular plans for Christmas?” Ladybug asked, her legs kicking out one after another to keep her blood flowing in the chill.

It was an innocent enough question — particularly as it followed their earlier conversation about their favorite holiday drinks (hot cocoa for both, it seemed) — and yet Chat Noir went rigid in response.

“Can’t say I do, Bugaboo,” he replied, his breath ghosting in front of him. “I suppose I’ll just enjoy the evening in my room with Plagg. Maybe I can ask my classmate to make a tiny Santa hat for him, though I’ll have to tell her it’s for a pet hamster or gerbil or something.”

While Chat Noir had dropped hints here and there that he wasn’t overly fond of his time spent at home, Ladybug was still startled to hear that his isolation would extend to the point of the holiday season.

“Wait, you won’t be with your family for the holiday?” Her eyes creased in concern, her head tilting to one side as she tried to catch his eye.

“No. I won’t.”

Normally, Ladybug wasn’t one to poke or pry at the subject of Chat’s life. The secrecy of their identities was essentially her one Golen Rule, and any breach of information would send her straight into deflection mode. But this? This, she found particularly distressing.

“Chat, you’re going to be alone for Christmas?”

“Well… Things just aren’t the same this year.” “But they’re different enough that you won’t even be around your family?” Ladybug put a hand on his shoulder. “Or what about your friends from school?” “Well, they all have their own lives and families,” Chat said as he leaned back on his hands, his face tipping up in an effort to avoid his partner’s unabashed look of concern. “And with Father, well… nothing has been the same since… Anyway, he’s not exactly a jolly guy to be around, even when he is around, so it’s really no big deal.”

Ladybug pursed her lips in thought.

“Well, that simply won’t do.” She removed her hand from his shoulder to poke his nose with her forefinger. “That settles it, we’re just going to have to have a little gift exchange, then.”

Chat perked up, finally turning to look her in the eye.

“A gift exchange?” A small smile emerged. “Between the two of us?”

“Well, I’d be remiss if I didn’t get a gift for one of Paris’s best heroes,” she said. “Of course, this does mean we’ll have to give each other at least three facts about ourselves so that we can come up with some good gifts. But don’t get any funny ideas.”

She had to throw in that last word of caution, taking note of the now-wider grin and upturned eyebrow of her partner.

“Why, M’lady, no funny ideas here,” he quipped. “We’re all business. All bright and merry business.”

Ladybug didn’t make any attempt to smother her smile. Any joy she could infuse into Chat Noir’s holiday invariably infused joy into her holiday, which was somewhat a gift in and of itself.

“Okay, then I’ll go first.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, well, my favorite color is pink, I love hamsters, and… Jagged Stone is my favorite musician. So that makes three!”

She swung her legs back up, crossing them and turning so that her knees bumped closer to Chat’s.

“Now it’s your turn, Chaton. ”

“Alright, well, first things first, please don’t buy me camembert,” he laughed. “Plagg will kill me for saying that, but seriously, I think I’ve already had my fill of stinky cheese for a lifetime. But, other than that… well, I love Ultimate Mecha Strike III!”

Ladybug perked up this time. “So do I!” “You do? Well, M’lady, we’ll have to have ourselves a little battle sometime,” he said, playfully punching the air before continuing. “Let’s see, number two is that I also love anime.”

“Nerd.”

“Number three… well, I don’t really get much of a say in what I wear.” His earlier enthusiasm slowly faded, his hand coming up to self-consciously cradle the back of his neck. “I always have to follow certain rules with my clothing. Don’t worry, I won’t say why, but it would be nice to just… wear something a little more personal for once, you know? Something silly or fun. I don’t know.”

Chat looked sideways at a deflated Ladybug.

“I’m so sorry!” He threw his hands up. “This is supposed to be fun, and I’m just dragging it down.”

“No, it’s okay, I’m just really sorry to hear that you don’t get to express yourself like that,” Ladybug reassured him. “Clothing is one of my favorite ways to express myself.”

“Really, Bug, it’s okay.” Chat Noir affixed his signature smile in an attempt at blitheness. “Anyway, that makes three facts for us both, and it’s getting late. I hate to take away such a handsome view from you, but this cat is feline pretty tired.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. “Oh please, I was over the view hours ago.”

Chat Noir stood, holding out a hand to help Ladybug up before extending his baton.

“Sure you were.” He winked, turning and bracing himself to vault to the next rooftop. “Stay warm, M’lady.”

Ladybug remained in place after he left, watching his silhouette bound and disappear over the rooftops.

“Stay warm, Chaton ,” she whispered.

___________________

While Ladybug was usually late to her meet-ups with Chat, she did her best to arrive on time the night of their gift exchange. Not only did she not want to leave him waiting, but she was also exceptionally excited to see his reaction to her gift.

She had spent almost every evening for the last two weeks trying to perfect the handmade garment. The pads of her fingers were still sore from constant pinpricks, and her eyes remained persistently dry from the nights she stayed up late to design, edit, and sew for hours at a time.

But it would be worth it. She knew .

Of course, her partner just might have been more excited than her, considering he was already sitting on their favorite beam of the Eiffel Tower.

“Someone’s early,” she noted as she recalled her yo-yo, landing gracefully a few feet away.

“And someone’s not late!” Chat Noir sat up straighter, careful not to drop a crisp red envelope into the thin air.

Ladybug bit her lip to try and suppress her smile as she approached him, her own package hidden in her hands behind her back.

“Well, I suppose there’s no use in waiting.” She edged closer. “So … Merry Christmas, Chaton. ”

She pulled her gift from behind her back, holding it out with both hands.

“Why, M’lady, you shouldn’t have,” Chat jokingly chided her, standing and extending his hand to trade off his own gift. “This was all your idea, so you should open your gift first.”

“Well, if you insist,” she said, handing off her package before sliding her thumb beneath the fold of the envelope.

Chat watched with a bright grin, his eyes scouring her face for the first hints of a reaction. His ears twitched forward in excitement as he heard her gasp.

“VIP tickets to Jagged Stone’s next concert?” Ladybug looked up in shock, the tickets gripped tightly between her right thumb and forefinger. “Chat, how ? This show was already sold out, let alone with the chance to buy tickets like these !”

“Just trust that I know how to work some Christmas magic of my own.” Chat bowed elegantly, his hands fanning outward as he winked up at his partner.

“Okay, kitty,” Ladybug giggled before tucking the envelope inside of her yo-yo. “Now it’s your turn.”

She found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet in similar anticipation as she watched Chat tear easily at the package with his clawed hands. And as he unfurled the wrapping to reveal the soft fabric beneath, his lips tugged of their own accord into a look of unrestrained mirth.

He let the inner tissue paper fall to the side and held up an ugly Christmas sweater in both of his hands.

“Do you like it?” Ladybug asked shyly.

The base of the sweater itself was black with a gaudy, neon-green paw print sewn into the center. Bright circles bubbled out from the center, mimicking the appearance of a Cataclysm — only mocked up to resemble that of Christmas ornaments. Small Christmas lights were sewn delicately into the hem around the sleeves, neck, and bottom of the fabric.

“Like it?” Chat Noir sputtered. “This—this is amazing!”

He began to pull the garment hastily over his head, prompting a cautious grimace from Ladybug.

“Careful, now, Chaton , otherwise you’ll—”

Chat Noir froze, stopping in dismay to inspect the way two claws had snagged and hooked straight through the seam near to the sweater’s neckline.

“Oh no! No, no, Ladybug, I’m so sorry!”

Ladybug just smiled and shook her head patiently, reaching out to once again rest a placating hand on his shoulder. “That’s okay, Chat Noir. I can just—”

Beep beep beep

The two startled before looking down toward Ladybug’s yo-yo.

“An akuma alert.” Chat gingerly extricated himself from the fabric.

“The sweater will have to wait. Right now, we have a job to do.” Ladybug turned out to scan the skyline. “Just don’t wear it until I have the chance to fix it, okay?”

___________________

Marinette arrived at school the next morning about as groggy as usual. While the akuma battle hadn’t taken all too much time for Paris’s illustrious heroes to defeat, it still hadn’t left her with much time to make up for nearly two week’s worth of lost sleep.

“Geez, girl, devoid of caffeine, much?” Alya poked one finger into Marinette’s exposed cheek. The other was pressed to the desk as she attempted to grab whatever fleeting moments she could with her eyes still closed.

“Just, uh, stayed up late sewing again.” Marinette failed to stifle a yawn.

“Well, you can sleep later,” Alya teased her. “You prince charming just walked in. Don’t you want to wish him ‘good morning’?”

That merited a slight raise of Marinette’s head (albeit the movement was devoid of her usual frantic energy), and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust before a small gasp caught in her throat.

That sweater.

“Hey, nice ugly Christmas sweater, Adrien!” Alya called. “I’m surprised your father let you out in anything that wasn’t trademarked as an Agreste original.” She discreetly elbowed Marinette in the ribs as Adrien took his seat.

“Y-yeah!” Marinette stuttered. She sat up stiffly, bracing her hands on the desk as a light blush bloomed across her face. “Um, where get you it? I mean, w-where did you get it?”

Adrien beamed. “From a friend.”

“A friend? Like… in our class, friend?”

“Oh, no,” he clarified. “Just someone I had a little gift exchange with last night.”

Marinette’s blush turned cold, her whole body going icy as her eyes caught on the frayed fabric near the sweater’s neckline.

Then she began to sweat.

“Marinette,” Alya interrupted softly, leaning in to inspect her friend’s face with mild concern. “You good, girl? You look… kind of sick.”

“Yeah!” Marinette took a slow, shuddering breath, pausing a moment to school her features into something resembling that of an assuring smile. She then glanced at the boy who had turned back to face the front of the classroom. “I’m totally fine.”

Several minutes passed by wherein Marinette could only quietly watch the back of her classmate’s head, inwardly comparing him — the tilt of his shoulders, the lilt of his voice — to that of her partner’s. And there was simply no mistaking it.

Not anymore, at least.

In front of her, Adrien began to rummage through his bag, searching for a class item that was apparently nowhere to be found. Sighing a little, he stood up to address Nino, who had just taken his own seat beside him in the front row.

“I’ll be right back, I forgot something in my locker.”

“Me too!” Marinette stood quickly, struggling to tame the warmth that had returned with a vengeance to her cheeks. “Not ‘me too’ as in I, uh, forgot something, too, but as in I… I’ll come lock you to the withers! I mean, come with you to, um, to the lockers!”

Alya sat gaping at Marinette before she remembered to throw her an encouraging thumbs-up. Meanwhile, the rest of the classroom sat watching in silent interest before the girls began knowingly whispering to each other, muted giggles erupting before being shushed by one another.

Adrien, blessedly, seemed oblivious to his peers’ varied reactions.

“Sure, a little company sounds nice.” He gestured forward politely, allowing Marinette to step down the stairs before him. Her legs felt wooden beneath her, and her tongue had gone dry in her mouth.

What do I say? What do I say?

The two exited the class silently, Adrien glancing curiously at Marinette as she mentally tested her words. She kept her face fixed forward for the duration of their walk, and it was only when they had finally entered the locker room and Adrien reached forward to grab his textbook that she gently grabbed his outstretched wrist.

Adrien was startled but didn’t recoil, providing Marinette with the opportunity to steel herself before meeting his eyes.

“I like your ugly sweater.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. But I thought I told you not to wear it until I could fix it for you… Chaton.”

Adrien paused, his eyes wavering over Marinette’s in brief panic before the warmth of realization set in.

And then he smiled.

“So you did… M’lady.”

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: T

Chapter Summary: A month after Chat Noir learns Marinette's identity, they're just vibin'

Word Count: 4388 | Chapter 2/2

Notes: Written for @chatnoirinette​ through the @mlbforblm​ charity drive!  The donations go directly to Color of Change, an organization for racial justice.  I highly recommend checking them out and reblogging/donating the mlbforblm posts if you’re able!  I have two fic request slots left as of 7/17/2020, and many other talented writers and artists are offering incentives as well

XXX

Marinette glanced over her shoulder for what had to have been the thirtieth time.  Outside her bedroom window, stormclouds were gathering over the glittering skyline. What if the weather was too dangerous for Chat to come visit tonight?  Or what if he’d gotten held up with something in his civilian life?  That happened too often, though he probably spent every moment he could with her now.  It was oddly comforting that he wanted to be around her so much, even if it was just keeping her company while she worked on homework, or deciphered the grimoire, or let the kwamis out for some fresh air.

Despite seeing him practically every day, she still managed to miss him.

“He’ll be here,” Tikki said from her perch on top of Marinette’s mannequin.  

She sighed.  “That obvious, huh?”

“You almost pinned the collar to my leg.”

Oops.  As it was, the she’d bunched up the collar of Juleka’s dress all wrong.  She’d have to remove the pins and smooth it out again unless she wanted the fabric to pucker in her sewing machine.

“Sorry Tikki.  I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately.”

She’d survived with only seeing her partner during akuma attacks and patrols for two years now.  But in these few weeks since she’d accidentally revealed her identity, she’d come to rely on him more than ever.  Maybe too much, honestly.  She had no idea what civilian responsibilities he was carrying on his own.

Well, she had a guess, but that was better left unsaid until she knew for sure.

You could always ask him, she thought for the thousandth time, but banished it just as quickly.  

A tap at her window made her jump and prick her finger.  Even startled as she was, guilty relief flooded her.  Tikki was right; he’d shown up anyway.

She sucked on the sore spot as she ran to open the window.  “You know Papa would let you in the front door.”

“But then I’d miss getting to see you in your natural habitat, Bugaboo.”  Chat Noir grinned as he swung himself in.  Luckily it hadn’t started raining yet.  She didn’t want her room smelling like wet cat.

“My ‘natural habitat’ has too many pins on the floor.”  She scrambled to pick them up before he ended up stepping on one.  His boots would have protected his feet, but he was polite enough to remove them every time he entered, even though she’d never asked him to.

At least, she’d never asked Chat.  That was one of her flimsier evidences for his identity, though.

“I like it.  It’s cozy.”  He plopped down on her chaise, which he’d claimed for himself weeks ago.  Not that she minded.  She kept that space clear for him, even when fabric and thread was piled on every other surface.

“What about your room?  Is it this ‘cozy’?”  She asked.  It was an innocent question, not overtly fishing for information on his identity.  

“Nah.  I’m not allowed to… I have to keep things tidy.”  He frowned.

Another piece towards her theory.  She’d add that note in the conspiracy page she’d webbed out in her diary.

“Oh!  I’ve got something for you!”  He untied a plastic bag that he’d hung from his belt.  “It, um, might be a little bit squished, but hopefully it’ll still taste good.”

Her eyes widened at the small box of cupcakes he presented to her.  The frosting was pale pink, with wobbly dots of chocolate arranged to look like the spots on her yo-yo.  They were a little smushed, but still in remarkably good shape for having traveled with Chat across Paris.  She popped off the box’s translucent lid, giggling at the tiny pigeon stickers at each corner of it.

He winced.  “They look terrible, don’t they?  I know I’m not as good at baking as you, but Mr. Ramier helped so I thought they might be kind of okay—”

“They’re perfect.”  She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.  “You didn’t have to make me anything, Kitty.”

“I know, but I wanted to.  Since you’re always sharing your delicious pastries with me—”

“Maman and Papa make most of those.”

“—and because you deserve something nice, and you refuse to let me buy you anything.”

Her face warmed.  Before she’d put that rule into place, he’d tried to bring her a present every time he visited.  Considering he visited a lot, that would have taken a toll on his wallet.

Unless money wasn’t an issue for him, of course.

Stop that, she told herself.  She could hardly deny her feelings for Chat anymore, but she couldn’t keep muddling them with feelings for her first crush.  Not until she knew for sure they were one and the same.

Now if only she could stop being a coward and ask him.

“W-well thanks,” she said quickly.  “You better help me eat them.”

He winked.  “Can do, Princess.”

Before they dug in, she bundled her fabric away and pulled out the Miracle Box from its hiding place next to her sewing machine.  It was the perfect spot, now that she’d learned how disguise it as an extra sewing box rather than that Ladybug-themed egg-thing.  She’d never have been able to keep that a secret.

“Who’s coming out today?”  Chat asked.  He’d sprawled on the chaise with his hands propping up his chin.  Tikki had nestled herself in his hair, eating half of a cupcake and scattering crumbs in his golden locks.  

The kwami would probably enjoy Chat Noir’s visits more if Plagg was allowed out for her to play with.  Plagg would devour all of her parents’ cheese-filled pastries, and Marinette… Marinette would have to look into her partner’s unmasked eyes and admit she was still half in love with someone else.

Unless she wasn’t.  But what if she was?  A few hardly-lucid dreams and wishful evidence weren’t proof that Chat Noir was actually Adrien.

She shook her head.  That train of thought could do donuts in her brain if she didn’t pull the brakes.

“I was thinking Kaalki and Pollen.”  She wasn’t up for any of the rowdier kwamis tonight, even with Chat helping her “babysit.”  Plus the two of them liked sweets; they’d appreciate the cupcakes.

She pulled out the hair comb and glasses, and Chat Noir excitedly put them both on.  The miraculouses somehow managed to make him look both dorkier and cuter at the same time.  Maybe that was just because he was at his cutest when he was being a dork.

Tikki smiled wide as Kaalki and Pollen appeared in flashes of light.

“Oooh, someone glorious and famous.” Kaalki flew in circles around Chat Noir’s head, nudging a few of his tufts of hair with her hoof.  “You would make a fine holder.  Plagg wouldn’t be up for a trade, would he?”

Chat blushed beneath his mask, making Marinette giggle.

“Uh, sorry, but I’m going to have to say neigh to that.”

Pollen covered her laugh in her hands. Kaalki just harumphed.

“Fine.  Your sense of humor is far too unpolished anyway.”

Glorious and famous.  Kaalki might have been talking about his status as a hero of Paris, but Marinette still made note.

They fell into their usual routine, Chat Noir entertaining the kwamis by answering their questions about the world while Marinette went back to work.  The steady conversation was a better backdrop than any white noise or instrumental music playlists.  She only wished she had time to join them.  Unfortunately, she’d put off this dress for too long.  She only had a week before Juleka wa supposed to model the floral sundress at the school’s ameteur fashion show, and who knew how many akumas would strike between now and then?

Marinette was just getting ready to transfer the fabric from the mannequin to her sewing desk when she heard Pollen ask Chat, “How are things between you and your Princess?”

The pins slipped from her hand.  She barely noticed a couple pricking into her slipper.

Chat had sat up straight since the last time she’d glanced back, and the nervous yet hopeful smile on his face threatened to melt her.

“Uh—well—how are things between us, Marinette?”

Her mouth briefly forgot how to make words.  She knew what Pollen meant; Tikki and her gossiped about Marinette’s love life all the time. Maybe she shouldn’t have let the bee kwami out tonight.

“Well, um.”  Her fingers twitched nervously against the fabric of her pajama pants.  Say something, Marinette! “We’re—we’re best friends, right?”

She wanted to shove her fist in her mouth.  How many times had she died inside over Adrien calling her just a friend?  And no matter who Chat was beneath the mask, she didn't want to obscure her true feelings for him.

But his face still lit up even brighter.  “I’m your best friend?”

“Of course, Kitty.”  She sat on the chaise, scooting close to him.  Probably closer than even a best friend should, but it wasn’t like Chat was shy about personal space.  “I don’t let just anyone climb in my window, you know.”

“Awwww,” Pollen sighed while crossing her hands over her heart.  Tikki gave Marinette a knowing look, which she pretended to ignore.

Then Marinette shoved a cupcake into her mouth before she could say anything more incriminating.

Chat blinked.  She wondered if he was impressed—that cupcake had been about the size of her fist. Guess she could’ve fit her fist in her mouth after all, but at least the cupcake tasted better.

“Thesh ah really goo’.” 

...Well, she said she wouldn’t say anything incriminating.  She’d never ruled out saying anything stupid.

Chat Noir laughed.  “For a Princess, your table manners could use some work.”

She swallowed about half the cupcake.  It was really good, thick and chocolatey with a hint of strawberry.  It probably would’ve tasted better if she’d taken the time to savor it.  But the loss was worth it for the look on his face.

“No table manners allowed.  Only vibes.”

He blinked before bursting out a real laugh, fuller and brighter than the one before.  One that she was sounded strikingly familiar—especially with the backdrop of rain hitting the window behind them.

That truth cracked like a flash of lightning.

“You’ve been hanging out with Nino too much.”  He wiped a claw under his eye, flicking away a few drops of water.

It was him. It had to be him. She’d recognize that laugh anywhere.

“Princess, what’s a ‘vibe’?”  Pollen asked.

“I believe it’s like a, like a feeling,” Kaalki answered over the sound of Chat’s cackle.  “Perhaps there’s a kwami of vibes?  Or would that fall under Duusu’s domain?”

Marinette was too stunned from the whiplash of Adrien’s laugh and Pollen’s question to actually answer.

“Sort of,” Tikki interjected instead.  “Marinette and her friends sometimes talk about vibes like they’re feelings, but they also use ‘vibing’ as an action.  I’m still not really sure what that means though.  Maybe we should Google it?”

When she sat on Marinette’s computer keyboard, the desktop collage of Adrien’s photos flashed on the screen.  Marinette almost lunged for her kwami in horror, but Chat was still laughing too hard to notice.

“Princess—what’s a—what’s a vibe?”  He got out between tears.

Then he actually doubled over far enough that he toppled off the chaise—which made Marinette laugh so hard she choked on her remaining cupcake. 

Adrien was dressed in a catsuit, literally rolling on the floor laughing.  That was more hilarious than even the kwamis trying to understand teenage slang.

“Marinette?  Are you okay?”  Tikki hovered up to her face, her blue eyes filling Marinette’s vision.

She giggled again, coughing out crumbs stuck in the back of her throat.

“I’m—I’m straight up vibing!”  

With that, she too rolled off the chaise and fell on top of Chat.  He yelped before giggling again, wrapping his arms around her.

“Spare vibes, Princess?  Spare vibes for a poor vibeless kitty?”

“Ack!”  She flailed as he tickled her sides.  “Nooo, stop!  You’re stealing all the vibes!”  

“Were vibes in the cupcakes?”  Pollen whispered to Kaalki, prompting another giggling fit from both Marinette and Chat Noir.

“Maybe it’s a secret,” Kaalki replied.  “Like a code.  For when the two of them want to do… whatever this is.”  She waved a hoof towards where they were tangled together.

It was only then that Marinette realized what this would look like.  And the fact that the floor wasn’t that thick, and her parents might hear something any minute.

Not to mention the fact that Adrien was tickling her.

“I, um, need some air!”  She burst, scrambling off from his chest.

“Huh?  Wait, Marinette!” 

He reached out a hand, but she’d already bolted up her ladder and shoved open her skylight.

Which, of course, let rain dump right into her bed.  Oops.

“What was in those cupcakes?”  She mumbled, climbing onto her balcony shutting the skylight behind her.  

She pressed her palms to her cheeks, trying to cool the heat there.  The rain wasn’t doing a quick enough job of it, even though the spring shower chilled the rest of her to the bone.  Had she flushed her last brain cell down the toilet?  What was she thinking? 

Of course, she was stupid with Chat Noir all the time.  They’d challenged each other to handstand contests, dared each other to eat spicy peppers, even one-upped each other’s Hawkmoth impersonations.  Chat might be Adrien, but that meant Adrien was still Chat. Knowing his identity didn’t change the fact that he was her ridiculous partner.

“Marinette?”  A blond head poked out of the skylight.  The glasses were askew on his nose; the golden hair comb had almost fallen out. “If you want me to leave, I can.  You don’t need to stay out here and get soaked.”

It was a bit late for that.  Even though she had ducked under the awning, the rain was blowing practically sideways.  She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.  Why had she worn her pajama tank?  Not that it mattered; Adrien had seen her in it before.  She could hardly embarrass herself more than she already had.

“N-no, of course not!  I just thought, we were being kind of loud, and it’s late, and since you didn’t come in through the front door…”

Chat winced as he climbed out onto the balcony to stand beside her.  Just a few seconds out in the rain, and his hair was already plastered to his forehead in a wet mop.  The glasses were too splattered to see through; he removed them and the bee miraculous with his free hand and put them in his pocket.

As for his other hand...

“Well, at least use this.  It might work a little better than your awning.”

...He popped open the umbrella.  Black and slick with rain, it brought her back to a moment two years ago.  Different green eyes, but the same soft gaze.  

“Of course you’d grab that one.”  She couldn’t help smiling.  It was the only umbrella she owned, and it had been sitting by her desk, but it still felt ironic.  

She reached for the umbrella, but Chat pulled it back at the last moment.

“Wait, it’s broken, isn’t it?”  He squinted up at its underside—

Just in time for it to snap shut on his head.

A laugh burst from her like a crack of thunder.  “Come on, Ad—Kitty.  It’s drier over here.” 

He disentangled himself from the umbrella and followed her to the corner of the balcony, where the rain hadn’t quite snuck under the awning.  

“Why do you have this old thing anyway?  Looks like a piece of junk.”  He twirled the now-closed umbrella like his baton, but fumbled it under her folding chair, where it promptly exploded open.  Chat scowled.  “Oh, I see how it is.  When I want you to open, you only know how to stay shut.  But when you’re out on your own you’re ready to party.”

The umbrella rolled slightly as it began to fill with rainwater.  Marinette laughed as Chat continued to glare at it.

“Be nice to that umbrella.  Someone very special gave it to me.”  She stretched out her legs, letting her heels dangle in the puddles in the brick.  Her fairy lights reflected in the water, casting the two of them in an ethereal glow.

“Oh, really?  Should I be jealous?”  He playfully wrapped an arm around her back.  Every place he touched burned, even though she knew the gesture was just part of his jealous act.

She hummed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“...Oh.”  She felt him deflate, though he infused his voice with fake confidence.  “Well, good.  I’m a pretty territorial cat, you know.”

Gently, she tugged on the bell at his neck until he met her eyes.

“You don’t need to be jealous,” she clarified, “because I know he’s you.”

Chat Noir’s—Adrien’s—eyes widened.  But then his gaze softened, and he shook his head with a smile.

“I should’ve known you’d figure me out.  You’ve already done it once in your sleep.”

She blinked.  “I did?  And—and I’m right?”

She’d been sure, but it was still another thing to hear him admit it.

And it was yet another thing to hear “claws in.” To see green lightning crackle over over him, unmasking Adrien’s tender face.

The electricity had barely faded before she flung her arms around him.

“Woah!”  He laughed before hugging her back just as tightly.  “You know, I think I should be jealous.  You never hugged Chat Noir like this.”

“That’s not true.  I definitely hugged you tighter after we fought the Scrambler last week.”

“Huh.  I guess it just doesn’t have the same effect when I’m covered in egg whites.  Or maybe it’s because the suit isn’t in the way now.”

She was all too aware of that.  His bare hands were warm on her back, even through her pajama shirt.  Her face was tucked in the crook of his neck, where she could drink in his scent unobscured by the leather suit.

“Sniffing me again?”  He wiggled his eyebrows.

She flushed at being caught.  Adrien her friend from school might not have called her out for it, but Adrien her partner of two years would.  Well, two could play at that game.

“Oh, like you haven’t sniffed me before.  Besides, I can’t help it that you smell radiant, carefree, and dreamy.”

He looked mortified.  “That commercial was over a year ago!  Even Wayhem forgot about that!”

“Wayhem probably didn’t watch it two hundred and fifty-five times.”

“...I can’t tell which one of us should be more embarrassed about that.”

“Probably me,” she admitted.  “What was your point again?”

“Either we both get sniffing rights, or neither of us does.  That’s fair.”

She laughed, nuzzling deeper into his neck.  “Fine.  But I probably just smell wet.”

He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in, tickling the part of her hair.  “Don’t worry.  You smell perfect.”

Maybe it should’ve been an awkward compliment, but he still found herself giddy over it.

“Thank you.  You smell like cheese.”

“Hey!”  He pouted.  “What happened to ‘radiant, carefree, and dreamy’?”

“She gave you a compliment, kid. What’s more radiant than cheese?”  Plagg asked.

Marinette nearly screamed.  She should’ve realized he was there, but he’d blended into the shadows in the wake of Adrien’s detransformation.

“Plagg!”  Adrien hissed.  “Go inside with Tikki.  We’re having a moment.”

“Yeah, whatever.”  Plagg dismissively waved a paw.  “You got any cheese in there for me, Pigtails?”

“Uh—Tikki can get you some cheese-filled pastries from downstairs.  Don’t let my parents see you.”

“They’ll never know I was there.  Unless they notice a plate of those delicious treats is gone.” The kwami grinned and dove through the floor.  

Well, that was about all she could expect.  Hopefully Tikki could keep him under control.  If not, Marinette might have to fake a rat infestation.

“Sorry about him.” Adrien sighed.  “He’s always like that.”

“Could’ve been worse.  Imagine if you were stuck with Xuppu or Roarr as your kwami.”

He laughed.  “Pretty sure my father would have grounded me for life if he saw the mess.  Or he would’ve found out my identity.  Probably both.”

Chat had been there the one day Marinette decided to let the monkey and tiger kwamis outside of the miracle box.  She’d actually had to transform and use her Lucky Charm just to undo the damage.  

“Speaking of which… I knew it was only a matter of time, but how did you learn my identity?”  He asked.  “If I need to be more careful…”

She shook her head.  “It’s not that.  I… I don’t know if I can even explain it.  At first I thought it was just wishful thinking.  Ever since we spent the night at Mr. Ramier’s apartment, I…”

She blushed and bit her lip.  Getting caught sniffing him might have been embarrassing, but admitting this somehow felt more personal.

“What?” He asked.  “Is it because I smelled the same as Chat and myself?”

“Huh?  No—well, sort of?  Maybe subconsciously.”

“Oh.  That’s what you said while you were sleeptalking.”  He shrugged.

“I guess that makes sense, since… well, I’ve been dreaming about you.  Both of you.”  

She took a deep breath.  He was still waiting patiently, his hand softly stroking her back.  If he didn’t think she was crazy yet, she guessed this wouldn’t change his mind.

“You were always the same person in my dreams.  You’d switch back and forth between Adrien and Chat Noir.  “Chat” would sit in front of me at school, or “Adrien” would help me bring down a scary akuma. Either way, it was always you.

“And then I couldn’t help looking for similarities when I was awake.  I—I started writing down all the evidence I found.  The time “Chat” almost beat me at Ultimate Mecha Strike was when I started to actually believe it.  But what finally convinced for sure me was your laugh.”

She laced her fingers together in her lap to keep from fidgeting.  All of it sounded weirder when she said it out loud.  Almost like she’d been stalking him, sticking all of their casual interactions under a microscope.

“Wow,” he breathed, leaning back against the wall.  “I’m flattered that you went through all that effort, but I don’t get it.  The only reason I didn’t reveal myself sooner was because I was afraid it would put more stress on you, and you were already dealing with so much.  Why didn’t you just ask me who I was?”

She stared into his eyes, watching the pastel lights reflect in them.  He still didn’t know.  All these secrets shared, all these weights lifted, and she still hadn’t revealed the one secret she’d wanted to confess all along.

“Because…” she licked her lips, “because I didn’t want to be wrong.  If you weren’t Adrien—I didn’t want to project my old crush onto you.  You deserve better than that.  Though I guess it doesn’t matter now, since I wasn’t projecting after all, it is you and so I should. Just be able to say this.”

He blinked at her, but then his lips began to part in a slow smile.

“Are you saying…?”

“I’m saying I’m in love with you,” she blurted before she could lose her nerve again.  “First Adrien you, then Chat Noir you, then just, well, you.  So—so jot that down.”

A startled laugh escaped him before he squeezed her tight again.

“Consider it jotted.”  He kissed the top of her head, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  As if she wasn’t going to dissolve at the faintest sign of lip-on-hair contact.  “And in case it wasn’t obvious, I’m in love with all of you too.  So you can jot that down.”

It shouldn’t have undone her.  Chat Noir had confessed his love to her countless times.  Granted, all of those times had been before their battle with Miracle Queen, after which he’d obviously tried to move on.

But he still loved her.  She wasn’t too late.  

Maybe that relief was what pushed her to grab the collar of his shirt in both hands and press her mouth to his.

Her brain screamed, but her lips slowly figured out what to do, particularly when Adrien got over his shock and kissed her back.

Adrien. Holding her in his arms. Kissing her back.

She wasn’t sure if the sound she heard was the rain or the roaring in her ears or just her internal screaming. But it didn’t matter. For the first time, they were really, finally together, no secrets or fears between them. That truth was just as sweet as the kiss.

He finally pulled back, the front of his shirt damp where he’d been pressed against her. From the wide grin on his face, he didn’t mind.

“Will I get that kind of kiss every time I tell you I love you?”

“I don’t know.”  She tapped her lips. “It might be worth finding out.”

“I love you, my La—”

She cut him off with her mouth on his.

All that time waiting, every failed attempt at confessing her feelings, slipped away like the rain off the slick balcony railing.

When the sky finally cleared, she woke to them tangled together, slumped against that same railing.  She had a crick in her neck, and she’d probably end up with a cold from sleeping in her wet clothes.  But it still felt worth it to look up into Adrien’s blissful face.  Somehow she’d woken up before him—probably because her clothes had been more uncomfortable, since his were dry where his suit had covered them.

“Are you going to give me any juicy secrets in your sleep?”  She asked before kissing the side of his jaw.

His only response was to hum and hug her.

“I guess that’s a no.”  She chuckled.  “No fair.  I shouldn’t be the only one embarrassing myself in this relationship.”

Relationship.  She could’ve exploded into confetti just thinking about it.

“Mmm… love you… m’lady.”

Her breath caught at his slurred voice.

“...Well I guess I can’t complain about that.”

She rested her head back on his chest, and let the dripping remnants of rain from the gutters lull her back to sleep.

[miracle-maricat]

Miraculous : The Reveal : a Phone Call Away

Marinette ran up the stairs wiping her tears after she heard the bad news. She was moving to Shanghai! Even though she had an amazing adventure with Fei and Cat noir, moving to Shanghai would mean she can’t be ladybug anymore!

              “Tikki, I don't know what to do! I can’t be ladybug and the guardian from Shanghai! It’s all too much. I can't take it anymore!” She sobs. *Ring Ring* “Oh Alya is calling.” Marinette says as she wipes her tears.

              “Hey Girl, I heard the news. I’m coming over right now stay there!” *beep* Alya hung up the phone.

Meanwhile in the Agrete Estate…..                                                                        

              “Father Please! I don’t want to go to boarding school! I have friends! If i go there I will only be with a bunch of rich snobs!” Adrien pleaded.

             “I have made my decision. You leave in a few weeks.” Gabriel told him sternly. After the door closed Plagg came out and started panicking!

            “This is bad, you can’t leave. Who will feed me my Camembert!” Plagg cried as Adrien looked at him with an annoyed face. “But the truth is that I will miss you 100 times more than Camembert. You're the best Cat Noir I’ve ever had. Plagg said and hugged Adrien.

            “Woah Plagg I’ve never seen this side of you before! It’s so not you!” Adrien explained happily. “We should get going, It’s almost time for patrol with M’lady!”

Back to Marinette’s……..

           “What do I do Alya? This is way too much to handle. And if-if-if I move there I’ll have to take Cat noir’s miraculous because I can’t leave him to protect Hawkmoth alone. I can’t even leave you! You still need training! An-“ Marinette get cutt of by Alya.

           “Relax, Girl you’ll figure it out! You hid your secret identity from me for a long time. And I’m a reporter! You fought Shadowmoth hundreds of times you beat him even when it all seemed lost.”

           “I don’t know how I did it! I was alone! I couldn't tell anyone about how much pressure I was under! And now Master Fu has lost his memory! I just can’t take it anymore!”

          “Marinette, listen to me. You might not realize it but you did have someone to talk to, Chat noir. He knows you the best. And he’s cute too!”

          “You don't mean that '' giggled Marinette “But you’re right he was there for me all this time, I just never took the time to see underneath his silliness, that reminds me I was supposed to get him a gift for his birthday! I have just the thing. “Marinette ran to her secret stash of gifts for Adrien and pulled out a black and green wrapped book. Marinette transformed and swung here yo-yo to the secret spot where she and Cat noir meet before every Patrol.

          “M’lady you made it!” Cat noir exclaimed

          “Of course! How could I miss your birthday patrol, Kitty!” Ladybug said as she started into his green eyes. “Have they alway been that shade of green?” She thought as she felt herself start to blush.

           “What’s in the box? A tiny bed for Plagg? Or maybe it’s a book?” He said curiously.

           “Actually you’re right, Kitty. It’s a memory book. I got pictures of our best moments and put them inside.” She said as she hoped he would like it.

           “…” Chat noir was silent

           “ You don't like it do you.” Ladybug said sadly.

           “No, I Love it! It’s so amazing! But why are there empty pages?”he questioned.

          “ Those are for new memories. For the future!” Ladybug said as she remembered she had to tell him the bad news.

          “ M’lady there is something I need to tell you. I can’t be Cat noir anymore.”  Cat noir said as he started sobbing.

         “Cat noir? I-I-I can’t be ladybug either.” She sobbed. “My parents decided to move out of Paris and I can't do anything about it.”

          “Why does this have to happen to me? M'lady I’m so unlucky, you don’t even know how hard my life is! And now I have to give it all up! And for what! So my Father Can be Happy!” Cat noir sobbed even louder.

          “Cat Noir I- I don't know what to say. I-I” Ladybug got cut off by her alarm and said “ I‘m sorry Cat noir, See you tomorrow, same time?”

         “Same time” he sighed and wiped his tears.

The next day the both got ready for School having to tell everyone that they are leaving. Right before Marinette entered the school she tripped on a rock.

         “ Woah! You Better watch where you’re going!” Adrien said as he helped Marinette up.

         “DUPAN-CHANG! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ADRIKINS!” Chloe screamed loudly across the school.

          “Hey Chloe. I’ve had enough of you picking on me! All you do is hurt everyone! But I’m not going to yell and tell you off.” Marinette said “I believe that you have an amazing person inside of you. All you have to do is let her out.” Marinette said as she tried to hold in her tears from the news she still had to tell. “Hey you guys, I’ve got bad news. I’m moving to Shanghai!”

          *Gasp* Everyone was shocked.

          “Oh no” said Rose “Marinette you're the best Marinette ever! You can’t go!”

          “What!” Exclaimed Adrien “I have to move too!”

         “ How is that possible!” Marinette thought “Me, Cat noir, AND Adrien are all moving! That’s crazy” After school marinette went home to get some packing done with Alya. They packed and talked. They also tried some new power up recipes. Then Alya accidently released the kwami’s, but them got them all back.  Around 9 Alya went home and Marinette went to bed. When Marinette fell asleep Plagg came inside.

         “Tikki, what are we going to do! This can’t be happening. Paris will be destroyed! And it won’t be my fault this time!” Plagg ranted

         “Plagg! Calm down! Marinette will figure something out.” Tikki explained.

         “Bye Tikki!” Plagg yelled.

         “Bye Plagg!” Tikki yelled back.

In the morning at Adrien’s house…

          “Isn’t that weird Plagg? M’lady and Marinette are both moving.” Asked Adrien.

          “Nah this is all rotten cheese. Marinette can’t possibly be Ladybug! She’s Multi-mouse remember?” Plagg answered as he ate his cheese.

          “You’re right.” Sighed adrien “I guess i have to continue packing.”

          “Adrien, these are your last weeks in Paris, enjoy them! And they’re you last weeks with me” play said as he started tearing up.

          “Plagg, come here! I want to give you a hug!” Adrien said as he started to chase Plagg around the room.

         “YOU WILL NEVER GET ME ALIVE!” Exclaimed Plagg.

Later that day…..

        “Plagg, Claws out!” Adrien quietly whispered the transformation words as he went to fight Mr.Pigeon. Again.

        “Hello M’lady! Looks like we got ourselves a Fur-miliar friend!” Cat Noir exclaimed as he got into his battle pose.

        “I’m Glad you’re here kitty!” Ladybug replied. “You know what to do!” Soon they defeated the villain and captured its akuma.

        “M’lady Great Job out there! I would’ve never guessed that he would give the akumatized object to one of the pigeons! You deserve an ap-paw-se(applause)!” Chat noir emphasized.

        “Thanks Cat noir! You too! We would’ve lost if it wasn't for your idea to scare the pigeons.” Exclaimed ladybug. *BEEP BEEP BEEP* “I better get going! I can't show you my identity. Bug out!”

        “WHEEEEEE” Cat noir exclaimed as he swung through Paris. He landed inside his bathroom and de-transformed. “Plagg, why does it smell like your cheese inside my shower?”

         “Well I had to age my cheese somewhere! In my defense it said to put it in a glass container!” Plagg Blabbed. Adrien sighed and went to shower. Then he had a thought. “It sure is weird that marinette and ladybug are both moving! I mean they are pretty similar. No but Marinette is clumsy. BUT! No, that can’t be true.”

         “Adrien you have a photo shoot in 30 minutes! You have 10 minutes to get ready!” Nathalie Told him. Adrien nodded and got ready. He drove to his photo shoot and saw Marinette hide on her balcony.

         “Why would Marinette need to hi-” Adrien was cut off by a red flash. Then Ladybug flew off Marinette's balcony! “OMG OMG OMG MARINETTE IS LADYBUG! I CAN”T TELL HER THAT THEN SHE WON’T BE ABLE TO FIGHT! Oh but I really want to tell her now because Marinette is already so amazing. And her being ladybug is 100 times more amazing! Wait if she transformed that means there is an akuma attack!” Thought adrien. “Ahh there is an akuma attack! He exclaimed and ran to transform. “At least it's not Mr.Pigeon!” Chat noir chuckled as ladybug gave him a new look. “I’ve never seen that look before mar-Ladybug” Cat noir stuttered. “Oh shoot. I almost called her Marinette”

         “Uh-um what look!?” Ladybug quickly responded.  They quickly found a way to defeat the villain and its sentimonster. They said their goodbyes and went opposite ways. “Cat noir? Wait i-”

         “Claws in” Adrien said as ran out of the ally.

         “B-b-bwahhhhhhhhh… ADRIEN AGRESTE, MY ADRIEN AGREST, IS MY PARTNER. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I loved and hated Adrien or cat noir! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO CALL HIM ANYMORE!” Marinette panicked. “Tikki…..”she whined.

         “Marinette, it was time you knew. You are the Guardian after all!” Tikki replied.

They kept the secret from each other for almost a month. Adrien packed for larding School. While Marinette slowly packed her room. Everyone was slowly saying their goodbyes. Until one day…

     “I’m leaving tomorrow M’lady! I can’t keep my miraculous anymore if I’m leaving for America!” Cat noir confessed!

    “Cat noir! Don’t say that! We’ll figure it out!” Ladybug pleaded.

    “Plagg, I renounce you.” Cat noir said as he teared up. “I’m sorry Marinette..”

    “M-marinette…You know!? Adrein I know too..” Ladybug Cried.

    Meanwhile…..

    “I knew they were solemates since that time Alex got akumatized.” Luka said as he held up his ship flag. Marinette detransformed And ran up to him crying.

    “I’m so glad it you, Cat noir” She said crying.

    “Marinette? Me too! I mean you're amazing both way! Marinette is amazing. Ladybug is amazing. And you’re both! Like that's Pawsome!”

    “Hehehehe” Marinette giggled “But what is going to happen now? I’m moving to Shanghai, and you……”

    “Well? I’ll only be a phone call away. Besides that? I want to ask you something.” Adrein said happily

    “And what is that, Kitty?” Marinette flirted

    “Will you be my girlfriend, M’lady?” Cat noir asked eagerly

    “ Will I? Of course I will! Now I need to tell Alya! She will never believe me.” Marinette exclaimed.

At school….

   “OH MY GOD! GIRLS IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!” Alya yelled. “Marinette! WHAT IS THIS! WHAT IS GOING ON! Did you actually…You know.. tell him.”

  “ I told him everything! EVERYTHING And I mean EVERYTHING” Marinette said.

  “YOU DID NOT, I swear girl, if you did …..”Alya continued.

               “ He’s my soulmate. HE’S CAT NOIR!!” Marinette whispered.

               “…. WHATTTTTTTT” Alya screamed. “GIrl you need to fill me in tonight! We're gonna have a girls night!”

                “Shall we get to class, M'lady!” Said Adrien

               “We shall! Kitty!” Marinette said. Marinette couldn’t believe she had finally found her kitty. Adrien was beyond excited that he found his love. Later that night at Marinette house. “ Alya I think it’s time.” Marinette said reluctantly.

                “You don’t mean..” Alya started

              “I do! If I’m not going to be ladybug anymore then it’s time they know.” Marinette confidently walked down the stairs and sat her parents down at the table. “ Mom, Dad I have something important to tell you. Actually 2 things. Well the first is that I have a boyfriend!” She said excitedly.

               “Omg Marinette! Who is it!” Her parents blurted out.

               “ It’s Adrien Agreste, actually!” Marinette said super fast.

               “…WERE SO HAPPY FOR YOU!” Her mom said as she teared up.

              “My daughter! The girlfriend of a supermodel” her dad said as he was crying.

            “But there is one more thing…I’m Ladybug.” She confessed.

           “Wait… Hold on, you are ladybug!? That’s why you're always missing your classes and late all the time! You’re saving Paris! I’m so proud-” Sabine exclaimed before Tom interrupted her.

          “My daughter is the girlfriend of a model AND is a superhero! She can’t get any better than that!” Tom told her.

         “Actually.. I can’t be Ladybug if I live in Shanghai. I don’t know what to to. It’s all so hard! You have no idea how hard it was lying to you all the time! And all for nothing!” Marinette broke down in front of her parents.

         “Marinette, sweetie, You are not alone anymore. Even if we move, Paris will be safe. ShadowMoth might attack one or twice but when he realizes that you're not here he will stop.” Sabine comforted her. Marinette still had to move, but she was more sure of herself.

At the Agreste Estate….

         “I finally feel complete. I found my true love! My father might not know any of this but I can do anything without him. Tomorrow I have to leave, but at least I’ll have Marinette.” Adrien sighed. Nathalie came in and told him goodbye and that his bodyguard would take him to the train station tomorrow morning. He nodded and went to bed.

The next morning at the Train Station….

          “Bye Adrien! I’ll miss ya Dude!” Nino said and gave him a fist bump.

          “Goodbye Adrien. Hope I will see YOU soon.*Wink” Alya smirked

          “Bye!” Rose said.

          “Yeah.. bye adrien..” mumbled juleka.

          “Bye Adrien!” Said the rest of his friends Unanimously.

          “Wait….Where’s Marinette?” Adrien questioned as he looked for her.

          “Mgh” His bodyguard grunted singling for him it was time to go.Before Adrein stopped onto the train Marinette came running to him.

“Marinette! You made it! I thought you didn’t wanna come!” Adrien exclaimed!

“Adrien Agreste. Here is the Miraculous of the Black Cat. It grants you the power of destruction. You will use it for the greater good.” Marinette smiled and handed him the ring. He grinned so much everyone was confused.

         “What’s that? Ooh, is it a special couples thing!” Rose asked.

         “Yeah what is it! Everyone asked. They looked at each other and knew it was time.

*Cue Miraculous instrumental theme song*

         “Tikki! Spots On!” Marinette exclaimed while Adrien said “Plagg! Claws out!” They decided it was time the world knew because if they knew each other’s identities they could protect one another. Sooner or later Marinette went off to live in Shanghai. But like Adrien said “I’ll always be a phone call away.”

[captainmeowvelwrites]

All You Knead Is Loave (a miraculous one-shot)

Pairing: Marinette x Adrien Genre: Romance Rating: K+ Words: 2805 Summary: With her clumsiness in full swing, Marinette trips and sends Tikki flying across the classroom. Thinking she's a doll, the ever-crafty Lila accuses Marinette of stealing her—but for a certain clued-up classmate, that just won’t do. (Adrienette reveal fic.)

ANs: Bonjour! This prompted one-shot was written for a one year anniversary event on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server! The prompt, courtesy of Squishysib on AO3, was:

Tikki is somehow revealed to the class, but the class thinks she’s a doll. This could be anything from Marinette tripping and she comes flying out of the purse, to Lila stealing her from Marinette’s bag and claims that Mari stole it from her. Either way Adrien sees Tikki and uses the braincell.

Thanks for the prompt, Sibby! Hope you all enjoy. :D

ALL YOU KNEAD IS LOAVE:

First, her pigtails took twenty-two minutes to come to terms with the concept of symmetry.

Then, she barrelled through the bakery, only for Sabine to point out her shirt was back to front.

Now, she found herself in the midst of another maladroit mistake.

Underestimating the height of a step.

The first step to her seat.

A seat that was conspicuously empty because she was late.

But oh, it didn't stop there.

No no no. The day was just getting started.

Because in that moment of supreme clumsiness, Tikki, who'd been snoozing in the aftermath of a late-night akuma, flew from Marinette's pink clutch.

Time slowed, and in a blur of red and black, the kwami sailed through the air.

Down, down, down.

Until she landed on the hardwood floor, near a pair of brown boots. With eras of practice under her figurative belt, Tikki went rigid in a nanosecond.

But like a fox, Lila pounced. "My doll!"

Marinette's eyes bulged as Lila swiped Tikki off the floor.

"This was a gift from Prince Ali on a trip to Achu," she cried, clutching Tikki to her chest. "I thought it fell out of my bag! I was SO heart-broken."

It was then that crafty eyes honed in on her.

"Why did you have it, Marinette?"

Gasps shook the air.

All eyes in the classroom whipped to her.

Marinette marched up to Lila's desk, her shoulders squared. "Because she's MY doll," she growled, "not yours!"

A two-second silence hung thick in the air.

Frantic chatter erupted. Her classmates spoke over each other, a flurry of questions and accusations flooding the room.

"Children! Children!" Miss Bustier cried over the commotion, holding her hands high. "Settle down, everyone. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this."

"It's okay, everybody," Lila declared, cradling Tikki in her conniving clutches. "The last place I saw Cindy was Place des Vosges. That's right by her parents' bakery." Her lower lip quivered as she spared the still-frozen kwami a dramatic glance. "Maybe Marinette just found her and didn't know who she belonged to." She sent the fuming girl a shaky smile. "Right, Marinette?"

"No!" Marinette sliced a hand through the air. "No, that's NOT right at all! I've had her for over a year and—"

Lila gasped, pressing Tikki to her chest as if expecting Marinette to lunge. "You're not refusing to leave Cindy with her rightful owner, are you?"

"But, Lila, you're not the rightful owner."

Marinette's sights shifted left.

Because someone had shared that truth.

With startling certainty.

But that someone hadn't been her.

A wall of windows framed Adrien's body, spilling light across his golden hair like a literal halo of sunshine. The human embodiment of an angel, watching over her clumsy self. He stared down Lila, his jaw tight and his eyes ablaze. It was an expression she was well-acquainted with, though she'd only ever seen it in another pair of eyes, on another face, from another boy.

"Her name is Tikki and she belongs with Marinette."

Every cell in her body screeched to a halt.

"I know this because she's one half of a pair—"

He wasn't another boy!

"—and I just so happen to own the other doll."

Adrien reached beneath his white overshirt, revealing a black doll with green eyes and a wiry tail. Only, it wasn't a doll at all. It was an unmoving Plagg, right there in Adrien's palm.

In Chat Noir's palm.

Her Kitty.

Her Adrien.

The same person.

Currently sending her his softest smile, eyes creased and imploring and utterly heart-melting.

"Right, Marinette?"

Reality struck with the subtlety of a spaceship. She shook her head with whiplash-inducing suddenness. Or did she already have whiplash?

…

Chat Noir is Adrien!

…

His eyes flickered over her face and slowly, his smile sank. "Marinette?"

Wait.

She'd shaken her head.

That meant she disagreed.

But she didn't.

Because Adrien was right.

Marinette nodded like a bobblehead stuck in an earthquake, fixing her tragic faux pas.

…

Adrien is Chat Noir!

…

He stepped between her and Lila and held out an expectant hand, palm up and waiting. "Thanks, Lila," he chimed, as cool as a whole patch of cucumbers, "for returning Tikki to Marinette."

Lila's lips moved, spelling what were probably more lies. Marinette was too busy fighting the blaring MAYDAY in her brain. Adrien Agreste, her larger-than-life partner. Chat Noir, her angelic classmate and year-long crush.

And if his face showed his thoughts, each one was hidden; he stood between her and Lila, quiet as his hand inched closer to the latter. His fingers beckoned like a silent encouragement. Or a silent hurry up.

A nerve twitched in Lila's temple, and Marinette's mouth fell open as Lila reluctantly placed Tikki—poor Tikki, stuck in a pose that looked awfully uncomfortable—into Adrien's awaiting palm. His fingers curled around her kwami like she was a living thing.

Because she was.

She was and Adrien knew it.

Just like he knew she was Ladybug.

He… knew she was…

"I'm so sorry, Adrien!" Lila threw both hands to her lips. "You too, Marinette. I don't know what came over me. My rare disease must be acting up again!"

Marinette's lips parted.

Some sort of strangled sound escaped them.

She should've just kept quiet.

"It's all right." A smile lined Adrien's voice. The same voice that delivered silly puns, cheesy one-liners and words of affirmation, all behind a black, leather mask. "If you'd like a referral for a great doctor, I can ask Father for some recommendations."

"Wow!" Lila pressed her palms together, flaunting a sickeningly sweet grin. "That's so nice of you, Adrien. I might just take you up on that!"

"No problem." But as he faced Marinette, she was eighty five percent sure she glimpsed the tail end of a grimace. Then, their eyes met, and his wrinkled with a smile, glistening green like dew-dusted fields, like early spring, like Chat Noir's.

Adrien stepped closer and held out his hand, Tikki stiff in his palm.

Marinette stared. She stared at his hand. She stared at Tikki. She stared at the shine of silver around his ring finger.

Marinette "Staring" Dupain-Cheng.

That was her name now—

A cough cut through the air. It sounded suspiciously like Alya.

But something else yanked her back to reality.

A warmth around her hand.

His gloveless fingers curled around hers, placing Tikki in her trembling grasp.

Trembling because he was her partner, her kitty…

And he knew it too.

Adrien guided her hand to her chest. "She's back where she belongs." His touch was tender, so very warm, and dare she think, loving. "With you, Mariboo."

Marinette's eyes blew wide. Her face was an actual sun, her heart a pounding conga drum, and by the way her jaw slackened, words were a foreign concept.

Adrien pressed a palm to her forehead, and she went stiff as a mannequin. "Excuse me, Miss Bustier? I think Marinette's running a fever." No, but give her five seconds and good God, she might be.

"No no no!" She peeled his palm away. "I am totally—"

One wink from her kitty.

"—uhh – in need of a qualified ice pack! I mean nurse!" She offered an affirmative nod. "Yes. A qualified nurse. Who can give me an ice pack. For my forehead. Which is on fire."

Adrien turned back to the teacher. "May I please have your permission to walk her to the nurse's office?"

"You're both excused," said Miss Bustier, beaming from the front of the classroom. "Take care, Marinette."

"I'm sure he will!" Marinette lurched ramrod straight. "I mean, I'm sure I will. Take care. So much care." She showed a double thumbs up. "And so will Chadrien—dah!—Adrien. Of me. He will take so much care of me."

From the corner of her eye, a hand appeared on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Miss Bustier!"

Even through her black blazer, the heat of his hand radiated as he guided her out of the classroom and into the sunny spring air.

It wasn't until they reached a quiet corner of the courtyard that Marinette realised three things:

She'd eyeballed his hand since its arrival on her shoulder.

Two hands now held her shoulders in place of one.

Both hands were trembling.

Marinette gazed at the boy before her. His eyes – the same eyes that glowed green during late-night patrols – pored over every inch of her face.

And finally, they found her own.

Gradually, his lips parted—

"I expect one heaping pile of cheese after THAT whole charade!"

Plagg emerged between them, a crease on his forehead and his tiny arms crossed.

It was then, as Tikki flew from her palm to hover near her shoulder, that Marinette realised she'd spent that whole time laying comatose in her hand. "Plagg," her kwami growled, hands on her hips, "they were about to have a moment!"

"So whaaat?" Plagg flicked a dismissive hand, suspended mid-air as though splayed across a sunlounger. "The cat's outta the bag! They have all the time in the WORLD to have more moments." He flipped upside down. "Besides, being a doll really worked up my appeti—"

Tikki fired him one of the fiercest glares Marinette had ever seen. And not just from her kwami.

Plagg righted himself, ears flattening. "Err – What I meant to say is that YOU must be starving, Sugar Cube." She shoved her nose to the cloudless sky with a little harumph, so he zoomed to her side. "You stayed still for SO long. It was very impurressive!"

Marinette pursed her lips. Apparently, Plagg cat punned too. "I'm so sorry for this whole mess, Tikki." Her kwami's face brightened as she held up a pink macaron. "Tomorrow, I'll be sure to bake you a whole batch of these little guys!"

Meanwhile, Adrien tossed a wedge of camembert in the air. "And I'll be sure to order an entire box of Pont l'Eveque," he promised, as Plagg downed the wedge in one gulp. "Just for you, buddy."

Plagg rubbed his belly and burped. "It's a start, I suppose."

"So," Adrien said, sights settling on her, "now I know you're a baker's daughter." His eyes gleamed. "I'd batter get a batch of puns in the oven, huh?"

Yup. That was her silly kitty, all right.

A giggle escaped her. "As long as your puns aren't stale," she countered, complete with a cheeky grin.

With gentle fingers and a gentler smile, he looped a strand of hair behind her ear. "Only the freshest for you, Mariboo."

Heat flamed up her face as she gawped at him, speechless.

Was he—

Was she—

Were they flirting?

Adrien bolted upright. "S-Sorry!" He rubbed the nape of his neck. "Old habits pie hard, I guess."

Marinette blinked at him.

Once.

Twice.

Finally, she made words happen.

"N-N-No!"

Kind of.

With a clear of her throat, Marinette tried again. "No, it's okay, Adrien." She reached for his hands, hearing his soft gasp as her skin brushed his. "I loave your puns."

His lips quirked up.

"You wouldn't be you without them." She threaded their fingers, free of leather and latex. He was so, so warm. "And thank you, Kitty," she breathed, giving his hands the lightest squeeze, "for all your help back there."

"Of course, M'Lady." Her heart fluttered, first at the title, then at the way he squeezed her hands right back. "You and me against the world, right?"

"Always."

A soft smile painted his lips.

It was so Adrien.

So Chat Noir.

So him—

"Y'know," he whispered, his voice feather light, "I could glaze into your eyes all day."

The sentiment of those words shone true in his own and before she knew it, Marinette was bringing her lips up to his. It was a light kiss. A quick kiss. Too sudden to let herself tremble. Too sudden to let him return it. Even as she pulled back, the warmth of his lips lingered on hers like an irrefutable fact.

She'd just kissed Adrien Agreste.

His mouth popped open, closed, open again.

Apparently, her kiss had turned him into a goldfish.

Oh God.

No no no no no.

Nerves exploded in her chest.

Had she misread his cute comment?

Marinette leapt back. "Sorry! Sorry! I am SO sorry!" She clutched her scalp in both hands and started to pace. "I – I thought— I mean, you were just so sweet and I—"

Adrien sprung forward to grip her elbow. "Date!" He slapped that same hand to his chest, panic flashing in his eyes. "I mean, would you like to date me?" One shake of his head. "No. Uh. Go on a date with me?" He kneaded his temples. "Which might lead to dating. If you'd like. But if not, that's fine too. There's still that boy and you—"

Marinette cut him off with a laugh of relief. “Silly cat.” She re-tangled her fingers with his, peering up at him through full lashes. “You ARE the boy”—oh, the irony—"and you always HAVE been.”

Adrien gaped, once again embracing his inner-fish. “I… I am?”

Chewing her lip, she nodded—slowly but surely.

In the moments that followed, his look of sheer shock transformed into unbridled joy. He leaned in close, their hands weaved together, and oh, she could definitely get used to this. "So, Marinette, what would you say if you and I met up tonight for a little dinner? Rooftop style?"

"I'd say that sounds purrfect."

Just like the sunshine smile that brightened his face in that moment.

She might've booped his adorable nose, had his hands not been so warm, so soft, so perfect in hers. Instead, she traced a thumb up the side of his hand, and her heart thrummed as he did it right back.

"Marinette?" Adrien's gaze flicked from her to his feet and back again. "Now that we're on the same page"—the tips of his ears flushed pink—"I'd loave to kiss you again… if you have dough complaints—"

Marinette moved onto her tiptoes and answered with her lips on his.

And this time, he kissed back. Lightly. Nervously. Perfectly imperfect.

One brush of his lips. Their noses bumped. They shared an awkward laugh and an angle readjustment; then, their lips reunited like two pieces of a puzzle, melding as wonderfully as his hands in hers.

Those same hands left her own, and her lips stilled on his. Until his arms stuttered around her. Inched her closer. Hesitated. She slid her hands through his golden locks, softer than mulberry silk. Her pulse fluttered as he melted against her, the delicious aroma of cologne filling her senses. Sweet. Spicy. Dizzying.

Like a budding artist to white canvas, each brush of their lips came more surely than the last—

A whiny groan had them springing apart. "Humans show affection in the most DISGUSTING of ways," Plagg droned, sticking out his pink tongue.

Marinette assumed the shade and heat of a chili. She jerked to throw her hands over her eyes, but as she glimpsed Adrien's endearing expression, they stopped just shy of her face. He'd revealed the most adorable of pouts and dawww, her poor heart was about ready to burst.

"Pla-Plagg," Adrien sputtered, and she imagined his tail going straight as a sabre. "That – That was our"—he hesitated, counting on his fingers—"fourth kiss you just interrupted!"

Plagg snorted. "Yeah, and I'm sure there'll be plenty more where THAT came from."

Tikki shot Plagg a scowl.

He whipped behind Adrien, peeking over his shoulder.

With a heart-stuttering smile, Adrien recouped his composure like a stumbling runway model, a blunder she knew for a fact he'd never done. He ruffled his perfectly coiffed hair and God, he sure looked like her kitty now. "Guess Plagg had better get used to the kisses"—he took her hands in his, his eyes twinkling—"because yours are unfurgettable."

"Except for the first two times when they weren't—"

"Plagg!" Adrien's pout returned with a vengeance. His red-tipped ears, twice as much.

Through a giggle, Marinette squeezed his hands. "Magic notwithstanding," she said, and placed a reassuring peck on his cheeks. "And back cat ya, my kitty."

Adrien's eyes went wide as a chasm, that pawsitively adorable blush creeping down his ears to his cheeks. Soon, his face softened, and a dreamy sigh slid from his lips. "I love when mew call me that."

First, her pigtails had taken twenty-two minutes to come to terms with the concept of symmetry.

Then, she'd barrelled through the bakery, only for Sabine to point out her shirt was back to front.

After, she'd tripped on a step and nearly lost her poor kwami to Lila.

But now, here she was, hand-in-hand with her friend, her partner, the love of her life.

And with their first date tonight, the day was just getting started.

[enternalempires]

Those Eyes

This is a Ladynoir/Adrienette fic. It has switched Miraculous and a reveal and Marinette purring, lol. Lots of fluff. Hope you enjoy! Haven’t figured out how to use links yet but my Ao3 username is the same!

We all know that Plagg with Marinette would be chaotic as all hell, like she’d mention a very very bad course of action that would have us all going ‘second-hand embarrassment, no!!’ but that sarcastic little shit of a Kwami would be like, “Yes!! Do it!!!” because like, after eons of being alive and literally killing the dinos off along with various other disasters you just learn to not care anymore. And Adrien with Tikki would be chaotic in a different way. They’d be so?? Productive??? Like, they’d agree on so much and just vibe that it would be pure sunshine magic. Like, there’s a reason why they got the humans that they did.

Marinette shrieked, scrambling past a car that was picked up and thrown in her direction— successfully dodging any debris and sharp objects left over from the Akumas wake.

At eighteen years old, she knew better than to take off her earrings.

She knew she shouldn’t have, even if it was Adrien Agreste who asked her to change them out, promising with his life (as she made him do) that they would be safe in his bag. She knew that having a photo shoot with him and she in her original MDC designs shouldn’t have made her heart flutter but it did.

They were modeling together.

God, if the fifteen-year-old her could’ve predicted this, she would’ve melted in her spot.

But she didn’t.

And she also didn’t predict that Hawkmoth would choose absolutely the worst time to put an Akuma out into the streets of Paris, but she wasn’t surprised. Her luck as Ladybug never passed over into her life as Marinette— ruler of clumsiness and bad decisions.

Marinette knew she needed to get back to Tikki, she needed to find her earrings and quickly put them on.

She just didn’t expect to find the car that Adrien’s bag had been in to be completely destroyed with its contents spewed around the street.

Oh, she was screwed.

“Tikki,” She hissed, getting onto her knees and ignoring the glass that stuck into her palms as she shifted through all the now unrecognizable car’s contents. “Tikki, where are you?”

“Oh, this is golden,” A voice cackled from behind her and Marinette whipped around— coming face to face with a tiny black Kwami with glowing green eyes and a long tail. She blinked once, twice, and then noticed the bright silver, almost white ring he was carrying. “You’re Sugercube’s babybug, huh? Oh, loverboy is going to get a kick out of this.”

She gaped, unsure about how to continue.

“Do you have cheese?” He asked, scowling when she shook her head. “Great. What use are you then?”

“Uh…”

This was Chat Noir’s Kwami?

He seemed… completely opposite of Tikki.

“Well, aren’t you going to torture me now?” He asked, floating up to her face— his sardonic tone deepening as he lazily landed in Marinette’s palms as soon as she offered them up to him. “I’m Plagg, by the way. Why did you take the earrings off?”

“Urm, I’m Marinette and Tikki didn’t want me to but I kinda… I had this photoshoot thing that I had to switch them out for. So I did.”

“Oo! A rule breaker! I like you. My human is a goodie-goodie, unless it comes to you. He’s so in love that it’s revolting.”

“Not good at the emotional stuff, huh?”

“Nah, cheese is my love.”

“Oh,” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Not the tiny goddess that calls you Stinky Socks?”

Giving her an eyeroll, Plagg huffed out, “Can you just say ‘claws out’ already?”

“Is there anything I need to know regarding Chat’s powers?”

“Be careful when you’re jumping around and moving, it’ll look a bit different than usual and you’ll be faster.” His voice was so bored that she couldn’t help but to giggle. “I’m awesome, so you’ll also be able to hear a lot better and see in the dark. Also, people will smell.”

“Excuse me?” Marinette blinked. “Smell?”

“Yep.” The black cat yawned exaggeratingly. “Loverboy says you smell good or whatever. Also, don’t ruin everything.”

For whatever reason, that made her cheeks flush and Plagg laughed, his cackle creating goosebumps to go over her skin.

He felt powerful— like destruction and death and sadness. He felt like he could destroy the whole world, like he could send it into a proverbial darkness, and Marinette was reminded of Paris drowned in water, and the moon cracked in half in the sky.

It was terrifying.

Plagg was terrifying.

Tikki felt light, like home.

Like life and warmth and creation and happiness. Her power was intimidating, it was skin-tight and heavy and weighed down her shoulders with a burden she never wanted but bore anyways.

Marinette wondered how his magic would feel after she transformed and looked around. The destruction still damaged around her, but she was hidden by three toppled over cars and couldn't see anyone through the cracks.

“Plagg,” She slipped the ring onto her middle finger, watching as it turned smaller and shone in a soft sky blue color. “Claws out!”

The power that overwhelmed her made her feel unbalanced, her head swarming like she was twenty feet underwater, the pressure pounding around her in all directions.

Being Ladybug felt suffocating sometimes. It felt like responsibility and trauma walked beside her every day.

But wearing the Black Cat Miraculous?

That felt like drowning.

Like devastation was clinging to her.

How did her kitty deal with this? With feeling demolition wreck havoc through his veins on an almost daily basis?

Ladybug— or well, she couldn’t be ladybug anymore— sucked in a harsh breath and looked around. The world was just… in ruins around her but it was more vivid than anything she experienced. The sun shone on everything brighter, the shadows almost nonexistent and the details— god, she was starting to see why Chat stared so much.

Taking her baton into her hands, the young heroine saw that the silver was the same color that the ring had turned into, a soft sky blue, and noted that in the light it glowed with an azure flicker.

Strange.

Turning around with a flinch as a loud boom followed by multiple screams rang throughout the street, the heroine had full intention to join in on the chaos and to hopefully find Chat— until she caught sight of herself in an upside-down car’s windshield.

She stood there gaping.

Unsure.

What the…

She wasn’t really sure what to expect, maybe an exact replica of Chat’s outfit, maybe her outfit as Ladybug but cat-themed but not… not this.

Her eyes were the same color but brighter, the iris having a deep blue ridge to them and the white part of her eyes were a slightly lighter shade. And her pupils— her pupils are slitted!

Wait.

Does that, does that mean that… that Chat’s eyes are normal now?

Ignoring that thought, she looked at the rest of her.

The suit was still the same black leather that her partner wore but with an azure shine to it. Around her neck, there was a dark blue bow with three loops made out of what seemed to be a soft and a baby blue bell in the middle.

Around her waist was the same blue ribbon that wrapped around her twice and then swished around her hips and extended towards her ankles in her ‘tail’.

Tail.

She had a tail.

Her eyes flew back up to her hair and her hands instantly shot up to her ears— leather ears exactly like Chat’s but they had light blue tips. They flicked and she felt it. She grabbed them with her hands and she squeaked.

How does he live like this?!

Instead of her pigtails, her hair was down to her shoulders with two thin ribbons going down to her shoulders. Her bangs were still present but the little hairs that used to frame her face on either side of her head and in front of her ears were now three curved whisks of hair that almost made her think they were supposed to resemble whiskers.

Her hands had claws, her wrists had ribbons and a small bow on them, as did her ankles— and her feet were shaped into paws!

Hopping on one foot, she saw the ‘toe beans’ on the bottom of her sole and squeaked rather loudly again.

She was a cat— a cat!

Her panicking came to an end when the car she was looking at herself was suddenly picked up and— thrown at her.

She heard it moving before she saw it, her ears perking up and dragging forward, her body leaping out of the way as the tension in her body raised. She sensed it coming towards her, somehow being able to feel the immediate area around her— she couldn’t stop observing it all.

Oh. Oh. It all makes sense now.

How Chat was always able to see the Akuma or any objects that were about to hit her before she did.

That and she could get so stuck in her head so much that it could be problematic.

Like now, for example.

The Akuma— a giant doll version of Reflekdoll, poor Juleka probably got akumatized again— was throwing things at her and, well, she tried her best to dodge, using her baton and newfound speed and agility to avoid being dangerously squished.

Unfortunately, she was rather clumsy with her new suit and powers.

She tried to listen to what Plagg had said, to be careful, and to be slower but she couldn’t. She never got hit by cars or building debris or the giant doll's hands but she flinched at her roars of rage and collided with building edges or other things she underestimated her own ability to stop with.

It would be so much easier if she had her yoyo or her wings to help guide her.

Where was her Chaton when she needed him?

Across town in a shady alleyway, Adrien Agreste was smiling brightly at the tiny red and black Kwami who was giving him a soft smile of her own— blue, almost purple eyes twinkling.

“I can tell why my babybug likes you so much,” Tikki said, having found and calmly explained the situation to the blond who she found calling out for Plagg mere minutes before. “You’re very polite and sweet, Stink Socks probably complains so much!”

“Thanks,” Adrien flushed slightly, wondering if he heard the miniature goddess correctly when she said that her Babybug, Ladybug by omission, liked him. “He’s not too bad as long as I give him enough camembert.

“Him and his cheese,” Tikki rolled her eyes before focusing them back on him, her smile turning encouraging. “I’m sure Plagg has found M— Ladybug by now. All you have to do is say ‘spots on’. I’m positive you’ll be able to handle it, Adrien! You’ve proven to be an amazing Chat Noir, I’m sure you’ll be an amazing Ladybug as well!”

“You’re… nothing like Plagg.”

“I know,” The Kwami giggles and strangely enough it reminds him of his lady’s giggles— that is until a loud shattering boom went through the air and shook the ground around them and a flash of black and blue went past the alley. “Ready?”

“Not really, but I’ll do my best!” Adrien gave a nervous chuckle and then took the earrings into his palms, then turning a darker sheen of red then what the black glowed with originally and the part of them that would go into the holes turned into cuffs.

When he put them on, he tugged, delighted in the way they were tight enough to never fall off unless physically torn from his ears.

“Alright, Tikki, spots on!”

Adrien didn’t expect the warmth that encased him.

Usually, the magic that he got from Plagg felt cold and secure, like a protective darkness hiding him from the loneliness, giving him the freedom to run through the night without fear of the isolation waiting for him at home.

Tikki’s magic felt heavy, like burning alive— and suddenly he understood the burden that had been placed onto his lady’s shoulders and the strictness in her eyes.

There was no room for mistakes.

The world was in her palms, she had become Atlas at thirteen and never complained once. She had taken up the mantle with wariness and a proud stance and she held it so tightly that she never dropped it once.

He sucked in a breath, almost doubling over with the weight of it all.

Ladybug— for five years— felt this unyielding responsibility? She did this and put up with him, him who teased and goofed around and made mistakes? Him who had admittedly gotten better over time but still flirts and is playful on the field?

How did she deal with that?!

Fortunately, he didn’t have to think long about that being a giant doll stopped at the edge of the alleyway, turned to him as he shuffled back and roared.

He saw his own reflection in the shiny face— a maroon suit with black details and a black mask, his hair the same mess, and the yoyo around his waist. Thick wings were on his back, he could feel them twitch and scuffle as they opened in surprise. Ladybug had wings, he didn’t know why he expected not to.

His eyes were wide and so normal that it took him a second too long to realize they were coming closer.

Because the doll was moving closer, making his reflection do the same.

Why couldn’t he sense it?

Why did everything look so… so familiar? No extra sight, no extra hearing. How did Ladybug do this— how could she fight while being so normal?

God, he always had a lot of respect for her but now he has even more.

Shooting into the air, the yoyo automatically swung in his hand as he used it to volt himself into the sky, having seen his lady do so so many times it was almost second nature. Once he got over the doll, she shrieked in agitation— looking like Reflekdoll— and moved her clanky, large body to try and grab him.

Chat, however, if he could even call himself that anymore, opened his wings with some experimentation and flapped them a couple of times, not expecting the power they held and went so far into the sky that the sight could rival their rendezvous point on the Eiffel tower.

He tried to drift right but ended up volting upside down and catching a large gust of wind that sent him backward, wings snapping painfully straight.

The hero yelped and desperately, yet futility, clawed at the air.

Where was his lady when he needed her?

The young heroine was just thinking she got the hang of how to run across the rooftops with her accelerated speed— having failed and either trip or face-planted into a chimney here or there— but a masculine yelp came from above her and she looked up just in time to see the panicked face of her partner before the deep red-suited boy with long wings crashed into her.

They went flying, both rolling as their bodies tangled together, the cold tiles of the roof underneath them not hurting but definitely not pleasant as they came to a stop a couple of seconds after.

She groaned, feeling his familiar and hard body underneath hers.

She wanted him to be there with her, of course, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to tackle her after being airborne.

“Chat,” She struggles to detangle her arms from around him, his wings crowding them more than the usual present-battle entanglement. She was grateful though for this moment, he was warm and soothing and Tikki’s magic felt like a breath of fresh air. “Why would you—”

Why would you try to fly?

She was going to ask, seeing as that’s most likely how he literally fell out of the sky and onto her but then, then something horrifying happened.

She started to purr.

“Eek!” She shot up, arms painfully pulling out of their spot as she desperately tried to crawl away from her partner. “No, no, no, no—”

“Milady,” Chat’s teasing voice froze her but, unfortunately, made the purring all the much louder and she snapped her eyes up to meet his startlingly normal eyes. “Are you doing that because of me?”

“N-no! No, of course not, that would be, that would be, uh—”

She tried to focus on what she was saying, her lie so obvious, but then that stupid cat put a gentle hand into her hair and started to massage her scalp, petting her so softly that her purrs echoed.

Why did that make her feel so warm inside and why did it feel so good?

“Aw, my little kitten.” Chat cooed out. “So adorable. You’re happy to see me, hm?”

“Hm— ah, n-no.” The heroine leaned into his palm, forgetting about their surroundings as she melted into his touch— that is until a prickling sensation shook her whole body and she heard the faintest scrap of metal against the ground.

Her eyes flew open again and she jerked back into a sitting position, eyes snapping to the right as her hackles raised. Another stupid car was coming right at them! Without much thought, the heroine pushed her partner down onto the opposite side of the roof, rolling down after him just as the vehicle smashed into the building.

Okay.

So this Akuma was the murderous kind.

Not the trap or trick kind.

Nice to know.

“Okay, we have to lure her towards the Seine,” She jumped into her usual serious mode, jumping to her feet and unaware that her tail was swishing behind her. “That way there’s less of those stupid cars to throw. I’m pretty sure everyone is to safety by now but we still don’t want her damaging buildings due to the people inside.”

“Ladybug— er, I mean… what do I call you now?” Chat asked, standing up and stretching his wings, and then almost falling over again due to the wind and some building chunks the muttering Akuma was chucking at them.

“Uh, I don’t know, you pick.” She said half mindlessly, blocking hits for both of them. “It looks like a bigger version of when Juleka got Akumatized but I haven’t seen anything that could be the object and trust me, I’ve been thrown around enough to catch all of her.”

“Bluebell Kitten,” He said, pointing to the bell in the middle of her bow. “And are you okay? Did you have trouble using the baton?”

“No, the baton is easy, it’s the stupid senses thing! How can you focus on anything?” The apparent kitten asked, pointing towards the Eiffel tower. “And for the record, I regret giving you the choice to choose, Scarlet Beetle.”

“Ah, nice name.” He grinned, heeding to her signal, and started to run in that direction. “I don’t know, it just comes naturally. Makes sense it would be overwhelming for you, though. You get no extra senses at all, I don’t know how you fight like this.”

“Quite easily,” Bluebell Kitten quipped. “And just wait until you use my charm, it’ll definitely knock you off your feet.”

“That’s okay,” Scarlet beetle helped her keep the right face and sent her a wink that sent her tail wagging embarrassingly. “It’ll just be another way I fell for you.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile that made its appearance. “You ready for this, buggy?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, kitten.”

The battle went by with a little struggle— Scarlet Beetle having to help Bluebell Kitten with her speed, showing her the best way to stop or how to adjust her eyes to focus properly on what she was doing and about the new depth perception she had. In return, the bug turned cat helped the still flirty boy fly better, teaching him how to find the right air currents and how to land— but the heroine could tell her partner struggled with the Miraculous.

It was a different kind of struggle than she had with his.

Sure, Plagg’s magic was uncomfortable and too light and just wrong against her skin but Tikki with her kitty? Not a good mix.

He struggled to understand that he couldn’t take any hits for her— that that was the Kitten’s responsibility now.

That, no matter how much he wanted to save her, he couldn’t do anything that would put himself incapacitated or at a greater risk. They could defend each other but he was the last line of defense— they were a team but he mattered more.

He was the only one that could heal those hurt, that could fix things that were broken.

“Minou,” She had sighed out, blue eyes sparring her partner a glance as she distracted and he tried to figure out what his lucky charm meant. “No self-sacrificing today, okay?”

“What do you mean?” Scarlet Beetle had asked, frowning as he spun his yoyo in a circle to block some rumble from hitting him.

“It’s not your job to protect me right now. It’s your job to survive long enough to defeat the Akuma and fix everything.”

“But—”

“No buts. You can’t put yourself at risk, even for me. Understood?”

Begrudgingly, the blond-haired boy nodded and they settled their full attention back into the battle. Within minutes it was done, both of them having used their powers and able to return poor Juleka back to the Couffaine boathouse after fist-bumping and answering Alya’s question when she stormed up to them for a report on the Ladyblog.

The heroine could tell that her poor bug was still upset, having witnessed her take a couple blows that he hadn’t seen coming— being more unattentive than usual and not able to sense as much.

She had broken ribs but still fought by his side.

Broken ribs were nothing compared to what he went through before, she had told herself. He had died before, she wasn’t as unlucky.

“Chaton,” The Kitten grabbed his wrist, stopping him from where they were running on a roof, his earring cuffs beeping letting them know he only had three minutes left, her ring was at four. It had been roughly twenty minutes since they used their powers; more time from being older and getting more powers and mature suits. “I’m sorry that today was bad for you.”

“I’m just… I’m not used to not being able to protect you, milady.” He grumbled with a  pout, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t like it.”

“It was only for today,” She reminded softly. “And I know how you feel but you just— you have to remind yourself that what happened, how I was hurt, wasn’t your fault. I know you would’ve protected me if you could have. That’s one of the burdens of having the Ladybug Miraculous.”

Scarlet Beetle just frowns at her and she sighs, reaching up a hand to softly cup his cheek.

“It’s okay, Kitty,” She smiles. “I’m fine now, aren’t I?”

“Is this how it’s like for you?” He questions, shiny green eyes flickering between her own. “Feeling helpless? Just watching and unable to save… I was unable to save you. I can’t, I can't do that again—”

Scarlet cuts himself off with a choking sound, hand clenching by his side with tears in his eyes. He trembled slightly and the Kitten felt her ears press flat as she recognized the terror in his eyes.

“Come here,” She holds her arms open, offering a hug and her boy is quick to take the opportunity and wrap himself into her gentle hold. “I know that was a hard fight but you’re not going to lose me, okay? Never. You’re stuck with me now, I’m not going to leave you or get hurt and not be there. I promise.”

“Promise,” He wiggles until his arm is free and holds out his pinky, the action so adorable that she can’t help but to giggle as she lifts her own hand and interwinds her pinky with his.

Beeps echo through the night and Bluebell pulls away, running a hand through Scarlet’s hair to make it even messier. She ruffled the spots his ears would normally be and smiled when the strands fluffed up and stuck up into different angles.

“We have to go, Minou.” She boops his nose. “Meet me in our hotel room tower tonight, we’ll switch back to normal.”

“Okay,” He gives her a goofy smile. “What does Tikki like to eat?”

“Chocolate chip cookies, or just sweets in general. Plagg likes cheese, right?”

“Really! Cookies are so much better than stinky camembert— which I’m guessing he mentioned. Do you, urm, even have that?”

“My dad’s secretly a cheese fanatic, I’m sure I can smuggle some of the good stuff from him.” Bluebell tilted her head slightly, eyeing his wings. “Don’t fly if you’re going into a window or something narrow because, and no offense, you're not good enough to avoid smacking into it and breaking something.”

“I take full offense,” He winks. “See you Milady.”

“See you, kitty.”

“Can you keep me?” Plagg asked, staring dreamily at the gruyere cheese that the young heroine had given him shortly after she detransformed and made it back home— and after he laughed about the pictures of all her friends including Adrien and Chat Noir on her walls. “I know I called you mushy and sentimental but this is even better than camembert!”

Marinette laughs and shakes her head, “Sorry Plagg, I prefer Tikki. I don’t like smelling like cheese.” Even if gruyere smelled quite a lot better than camembert.

“Ugh, humans.” The Kwami grumbles. “So fickle. You just wanna smell good for loverboy. I think that cheese smells amazing, for the record.”

“Your opinion has been noted.” She nods to him. “And I don’t want to smell good for Chat!”

“Mhm,” Plagg rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

“I’m not!”

“I totally believe you, kid.”

“You’re horrible,” She grumbles.

“Yeah, yeah. Feed me some more.”

“No.”

“Feed me!”

“Stop yelling or I’m telling Tikki you were being mean to me.”

“Hey!” Plagg turned to her with glaring green eyes. “Don’t bring Sugarcube into this.”

Marinette turned to him and raised an eyebrow, “Then don’t bring my kitty into this.”

“Aw,” He snickered. “You called him your kitty. He’ll get a kick out of that.”

“Plagg, claws out!” Marinette flushed a bright red and a green light encased her.

Time to go visit her kitty— because he is hers, no matter Plagg’s teasing.

Across town in a lonely room, Adrien was laughing so hard his stomach was hurting and tears were coming out of his eyes. He was practically wheezing at this point, curled up as he tried to catch his breath— something that, at this point, was useless.

He had managed to convince Tikki to try some of Plagg’s camembert.

And the little Kwami quite honestly looked like she was going to throw up, cheeks going almost a purple as she grimaced and gagged.

It shouldn’t have been as funny as it was but Adrien couldn’t help it.

Tikki was so different than Plagg and the simple fact that she looked like she was ready to die right then and there from the mere taste of the black cat’s favorite food was one of the funniest things he has ever seen.

“Haha,” She said, voice light but disgusted as she tried to cover up the taste with chocolate— which, by her expression, he could tell did not blend well. “Now you have to try it. Fair is fair.”

“No!” He choked on a chuckle. “Plagg has tried to feed me it so many times and succeeded. I don’t need to smell like that cheese more than I already do!”

“Hmph,” Tikki crossed her arms and floated up to his face. “I’m going to tell baby bug you tried to poison me.”

Adrien gaped, “You wouldn’t.”

The miniature goddess giggled, “You’re right, but your expression was worth it!”

“You’re so much nicer than Plagg, I can see why Ladybug loves you so much,” He commented, blinking slightly at the little Kwami’s stupefied expression. “She’s talked about you before. I didn’t know your name or anything but a couple of times during patrol she mentioned how, well… how she was so grateful you were her best friend.”

“Really?” Tikki gave an excited smile that only widened as Adrien nodded.

“Really really.”

“Well, she’s the best Ladybug I’ve had. The youngest too.” Her smile goes softer with a tender look only a being as long as she had lived could have. “I don’t know how she does it all, but despite all she thinks about herself, she’s a very resourceful little bug. I couldn’t be prouder of her. Or of you, Adrien! Plagg loves you, even if the stinky socks won’t admit it.”

“Thank you. He purrs when I hug him, even if he yells at me.”

“Does he really?” Tikki laughed joyfully. “I’ll have fun teasing him about that.”

“I thought you were the one that got teased?” Adrien tilted his head to the side.

“It goes both ways,” She reassured. “He’s just better at it.”

“I see. Did he really kill all the dinosaurs?”

“And the doo-doo birds.”

“No!” He gasped. “Evil.”

“Laziness and distractions,” The kwami corrected, lifting a solemn paw. “He was different back then. Less happy.”

“Less happy?” Adrien questioned.

He always assumed that cheese was the only thing that made Plagg truly happy, well, until he met Tikki and she had shared a couple of stories, telling him about all the interesting things they’ve been through together.

“Yeah,” Tikki gave him a sad smile. “We’ve been around since the dawn of creation, Adrien, we’ve seen countless civilizations and being rise and fall, empires turned to nothing more than ash. We’ve seen evil rise and good defend time and time again. My bugs… they are always smart, always compassionate people. Sometimes gentle and sweet like your lady is. Sometimes not. But they all— each and every single one of them— see horribly traumatizing things that Plagg’s holders do not, they get torn apart from the inside out. But his kittens? They get hurt more. They risk more. They die more and they die first. Always. And he dies with them a bit each time.”

“That’s…”

Adrien didn’t even know what that was, the only thing that came to mind was— sad.

“I know,” She gave him that motherly smile of hers, tone soft and soothing but with a note of sadness to it. “You don’t have to say it. Plagg takes a long time to open up to someone. He doesn’t like acting close, he doesn’t like being close— he said that it hurts less that way. But I know that it hurts the same, that it hurts even more. That he wants more time with them, I know I always do.”

“I can’t speak for anyone but myself,” The young hero says. “But I know that whenever I go, I will want more time with him, too.”

Tikki fixes him with a sweet look in her eye, “That’ll mean a lot to Stinky Socks. Could you tell him that?”

“Of course,” Adrien gives her one of his bright smiles— one that’s actually real. “It’s almost time to meet Milady at our room, are you all energized?”

Their room was at Le Grand Paris, paid for by Major Bourgeois after he assured the two heroes that there would be no supervallince, no one allowed on that floor (the very top) without their explicit permission and that they could come there at any time, the balcony always unlocked.

Chloe told them that it was a gift to her favorite superhero and ‘friend’ of all time.

Ladybug gave a weak smile and scowled once whom she considered to be a nuisance looked away.

Besides Chloe beings, well… Chloe, Adrien had no clue what she could’ve done to make his lady hate her so much. They interacted once every couple months due to her causing an Akuma, so maybe that was it but the dislikement Ladybug had for the girl seemed to go beyond that.

It seemed personal.

“Yep! Take me back to my baby bug, please.” Tikki smiles at him.

Returning the look, Adrien calls out, “Spots on!” And is encased into a burning, dark red light before the same maroon suit and dark wings flexed against his skin.

Scarlet beetle sighed.

Oh, how he couldn’t wait to see his lady.

Arriving at Le Grand Paris, Bluebell Kitten knew that her partner was already inside based on the precariously left open door and an album from Jagged Stone that she could hear extraordinarily well even from outside.

She, expecting to be able to stop, landed onto the balcony and put away her baton— only for her clumsy feet to stumble due to her speed and she crashed right through the open door, thankful that he left it open.

Then for the second time that day, the two heroes crashed into each other before slamming into the floor, the Kitten on top of the beetle and both bright red, bodies tangled up and so close that she couldn’t tell where she ended and he started.

“H-hey, Milady.” He, for some reason, chuckled and cupped the back of her head, holding her gently as he shifted slightly underneath her. “That eager to be bugged by me, huh?”

“Chaton,” The heroine scowled, pushing herself onto her elbows as she rests peacefully against his chest. “Aren’t you punned out for the day?”

“When am I ever punned out, little kitten?”

Bluebell shrieks as a purr loudly announces her appreciation— that she otherwise would’ve been able to hide— for the pet name and she scrambled back as that stupid blond started to laugh.

“Chat!” She covers her mouth with both hands, desperately trying to stop both her blush and the noise coming from her as it only grows thanks to her useless partner pulling her back onto him with a wicked grin. “Make it stop! How do I make it stop?”

“I don’t know if I want to help you with this, Milady,” He bites the inside of his cheek. “I quite like you not being able to hide how you feel.”

The purr in her chest turned into a soothing, almost constant rumble and she pouted.

“Yeah, well, I don’t.” The words seemed to vibrate in her throat and she swallowed the odd tickling feeling down. “I purr, Chaton. Purr! And every time I look at you my stupid tail wants to act up! Why? Because it hates me.”

“No,” He grinned. “Because you loooove me.”

Flushing deeply, she buries her head into her hands— deciding that's not enough and then buries it into his chest to hide the red-stained cheeks but Scarlet Beetle only laughs, telling her he saw it already.

“Come on, Bugaboo. I’m just teasing you.”

“I don’t like this.”

“But you like me.”

“Chat!”

“What? I didn’t do anything.” His laugh deepens and she can feel it in her own chest, being that close to him. That traitorous purr only gets louder. Stupid, stupid cat instincts. Why can’t she enjoy the sound of his laugh without him knowing? Was that too much to ask?

“Just give me my miraculous back, you silly tomcat,” Bluebell grumbles, successfully sitting up this time, the purr quieting when Scarlet Beetle puts his hands back to his sides. “And don’t tease my purring!”

“Why not?” He pouts. “You tease my purring.”

“That’s different,” She whines. “You’re cute when you do it. It’s just weird for me too! I don’t want to be able to hear your heart beating— wait!” She stared at him in wide-eyed horror. “Do you… do you usually hear that good?”

“Yeah?” The hero gives her a weird look. “But I learned to ignore it, why?”

“No reason.” She sighs, looking away from her partner as she scrambles off of him, both standing up and a foot apart. “Point is, I’m a cat person but I don’t want to be a cat.”

“I rather like seeing you as a cat,” His comment earns a dry look.

“I’m sure you just love seeing me prance around in leather but I like being Ladybug, not a kitty.”

“But you're my kitten,” Beetle’s pout returns, and his green eyes widen innocently— almost as bad as Manon’s when she wants something.

The longer she stared into his eyes, the more familiar they became.

Not because they were Chat’s eyes, no— she’s seen her partner’s slitted gaze thousands of times. She’s seen him look at her a thousand times with that look in his eyes, too. The look that got her heart racing and the ‘what ifs’ to drag through her mind.

But these eyes?

And that expression?

She saw it somewhere else, on someone else.

All she can do is stare blankly at him, mind reeling.

No… no, it can’t be him— Chat can’t be—

But he could.

The missed classes, the poor excuses, the exhaustion, the secret gaze, the trusting of her civilian self. Blonde hair, green eyes. Bad father. Kind, selfless, smart. Lonely. The gentlest soul she has ever met.

Everything just clicked.

The thing they had been dancing around for years just fell into place looking into those eyes— eyes she used to be too nervous to look into. Eyes she tripped over, eyes she used to be in love with; eyes she still was in love with.

Raising a shaking hand to his cheek, she caressed it softly before bringing it up to his hair and brushing the strands back. He watched her, curious gaze intense as they locked eyes.

“Adrien?”

The name passed her lips so softly, so assured, and her kitty flinched in surprise, wide eyes filling first with confusion, then panic, and then with questions.

“How did you…”

She fell for him once under the hood of an umbrella and a sincere apology, with thunder and lightning crashing around them in the downpour but she didn’t mind. She wasn’t the only thing in Paris that day that felt so heavy that she could scream and she didn’t mind. She fell in love with the sweet boy with good grades and a sadness trapped into a smile. She fell in love with the boy who did everything he could to make his father happy, to help people. She fell in love with the boy beyond the good boy, perfect model facade he put on.

She fell in love with Adrien Agreste at fifteen.

She fell in love with him again at eighteen but it was different this time. There was no lightning, no quick strike of feelings and amazement and warmth. No, it was like swimming in shallow waters only to get swept up in the tides, completely trusting the water to keep her safe.

She fell in love with the puns, with the goofy smile and flicking ears and curious green eyes. She fell in love with her best friend, her partner. She fell in love with the boy in the mask, the one who supported her whenever she needed it and held her even when she didn’t. She fell in love with his sensitive heart and sharp mind.

She fell in love with Chat Noir.

And ever since then she’s been falling all over the place, enamoured over everything he did. She fell and fell and fell. There were so many things to love about him— both sides of him.

How couldn’t she see it before?

Because, honestly, who else could’ve been good enough to be Chat Noir?

“Your eyes,” She murmured almost absentmindedly, looking between the verdant orbs. “They’re usually darker and slitted. Cats eyes. But… but these eyes? These are Adrien Agreste’s eyes. I know these eyes, they’re beautiful.”

She could hear his heart racing and she could see the almost begging way he looked at her. She could see the tension in his body, the way he could so easily shrink in on himself.

“And is… is being Adrien okay?” The hero questioned, wincing slightly as he looked away from her. “Are you disappointed that it’s me?”

“Of course not,” She giggled and that stupid purr still hadn’t left. “You’re you. How could that ever disappoint me, Chaton?”

“I don’t know... I’m not, I don’t— do I know you?” Adrien— Chat— questioned, shuffling on his feet as he leaned into her touch. “Outside of the mask, I mean?”

She felt the purring stop and her ears went back. She retracted her hand slowly to her cheek and hugged herself around the middle. She looked down at the wings opened anxiously against his back, not wanting to see the disappointment on his face.

“Yeah,” The heroine nods. “We’re friends.”

Friends.

That’s all they were.

Chat Noir and Adrien were in love with Ladybug— not her.

She wasn’t elegant or agile, she tripped over her feet three times a day and could be so unorganized and forgetful that she drove herself insane. She wasn’t too confident and she was far from brave.

Marinette wasn’t like Ladybug.

She wasn’t… she wasn’t that perfect girl Chat made her out to be.

Adrien was her friend, they hung out and could have good conversations but she noticed that he avoided her slightly, almost like he was disgusted by her. Like she made him uncomfortable.

Like he couldn’t stand her, even if he was polite.

It was almost like how she acted the first year they knew each other but he seemed more… wary, like she had done something to offend him and he was just waiting for her to realize or talk to him about it.

Would he be disappointed that she’s Ladybug?

Angry, even?

“Why do you look so sad, bugaboo?” Adrien asks, concern touching his tone. “Did you— do you not want to be my friend?”

When she looked at him, her poor partner looked ready to drop with worry and she gave a watery chuckle, just realizing there were tears in her eyes.

“Sorry,” She rubs the wetness away, almost poking herself with the claws. “I just… you don’t like me much. The civilian me, anyway. I don’t want you to  be upset that it’s me.”

“There are very few people I don’t like,” He frowned. “And none of them have blue hair, or blue eyes, or your smile. Who are you?”

Bluebell lowered her eyes, “You won’t hate me?”

It’s always been a fear of hers— Chat finding out who she actually was and leaving her, being disgusted. How could an insecure klutz like that protect Paris? How could he trust the girl who couldn’t get three good sentences out to him to talk down an Akuma or soothe one of the victims with her tone?

How could he still love her, knowing the girl underneath the mask?

Ladybug was stunning.

Marinette was just… Marinette.

“I couldn’t even if I tried,” Adrien reassured her, wringing his hands together in such a cute, unlike-Chat way that she giggled. “Can I detransform?”

“Sure,” She took a step back again, nervous for no reason at all.

It was just Chat, just her partner. Just the boy she’s been in love with for the last five years.

No big deal.

None whatsoever.

“Are you sure?” He asked. “You look like you’re going to cry. Oh no, I’m so sorry! I knew you wouldn’t like that I was Adrien! God, I’m so stupid—”

“Stop being mean to yourself!” She snapped. “I care about you, both sides! I care that you’re Adrien because you make me a little nervous but it’s nothing bad, I promise! I just have, urm… it’s a lot to process.”

“...Understandable.” He swallowed, then said, “Spots off.”

A flash of red consumed Scarlet Beetle and in his place stood Adrien, hair neater and muscular body less accentuated in his, ironically, ladybug-themed sweater and jeans that she knew he wore to school.

It was Adrien Agreste.

Her friend Adrien Agreste.

Bluebell knew that— of course she knew that but seeing it… it took her breath away.

Tikki floated between the two heroes with wide eyes, glancing to her baby bug and then back to the blond. She had no clue what was happening and her holder dreaded the lecture she’d get later of the importance of keeping their identities a secret.

With slightly narrowed eyes but an encouraging smile, Tikki went over to the other side of the room where the cookies were at and started to eat.

She could feel the Kwami’s eyes on her and the anxiety creeping around her veins pulsed viciously.

Taking a deep breath, she looked Adrien in the eyes— and then purred.

Loudly.

Horrifyingly loud.

When will this nightmare end?!

“Eep!” She stumbles back, flushing. “I don’t mean to, I swear!”

Adrien gives her that bemused smile, one usually reserved for Marinette after she did something weird or awkward, and chuckles, “It’s okay, Milady. No judgment here.”

“Thanks.” She said, still covering her cheeks.

“Are you, um… going to detransform, too?”

She knows that Adrien— Chat— has wanted to know who she was since the day they met. She wanted to know too but the fear of Hawkmoth getting to them outweighed the desire.

But thinking about it and actually telling him were two different things.

“I meant what I said,” Bluebell told him, voice steady but wary. “You avoid me and… and the way you look at me— we’re friends but just don’t… don’t get your hopes up that I’m someone you’ll like.”

“I already know I like you, with or without the mask.” He reassured, that usual comforting smile on his lips that got him that sunshine-boy reputation. “So please, bugaboo? I really want to know who you are.”

She bit her lip, holding her breath for a couple of seconds as she held herself in place too, leaning against the wall besides the windows.

She felt trapped, worried, but also excited.

She wanted him to know, even if she was scared.

She was far enough away from him, she could probably make it to the window and escape if he looked absolutely revolted by her.

She’s faced rejection before.

She could do it again.

Even if it would hurt really, really bad.

“Claws in.” She said, face turned to the ground as she trembled.

Oh God, there was no turning back now.

The soft baby blue light surrounded her, the drowning, beating wave-like power of the Miraculous leaving her as Plagg appeared in the air next to her arm— him being tackled by Tikki before he could even say anything, followed by a loud ‘shush’ from the Kwami.

Marinette stood there, shoulders raised with tension and her heart pounding behind her ears. She had the strongest urge to hide her face from view, to run away from all of this.

From his reaction.

“You’re… you’re Marinette.” Adrien said this slowly. He got a nod in reply. “And you think that I— Adrien Agreste— don’t like you?”

She gave another nod, not trusting her voice to speak.

She couldn’t even look at him. How pathetic could she get?

“I don’t hate you, Mari,” He said this and Marinette shyly looked up, flushing at the look of adoration on his face. He could still look at her like that? How? “I always noticed how uncomfortable I made you, I was just giving you space. I didn’t mean to make you upset, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” She rubs her arms and looks away again. “You don’t make me uncomfortable, just nervous.”

“Why?” Adrien questioned, voice almost cracking. “Do I intimidate you or something?”

Marinette couldn’t help it. She laughed.

“Intimidate me?” This is said with a giggle and she makes her amused eyes meet his. “You think you’re intimidating? Cute.”

“Hey,” His tone turned slightly offended and she bit her lip as he pouted. “I can be intimidating and scary.”

“Yeah?” She teases, leaning forward with that twinkle in her eyes— playful like how she could be with Chat. Because this was Chat. “Do it. Be scary. Intimidate me, ‘o frightening one.”

“Urm, I d-don’t think I can right now. You’re you.”

“Does your brain feel like it’s going to explode?” Marinette asks, blue clashing with green as she tilts her head to the side.

“Kinda.” Adrien admits sheepishly. “I’m still trying to understand why you get nervous around me.”

“Uh,” She blinks, a sheepish smile coming onto her face. “I know you’re in love with Ladybug but— but I’m not her, I’m not that great. I’m just me. And you think of me— Marinette— as a friend. But… I’ve kind of been in love with you since Dupont?”

“You what?”

“Been in love with you,” Marinette’s face burned. “Since I was about thirteen. I hated you at first, you were friends with Chloe and the gum on my seat didn’t help but then I noticed how kind you were. Smart, selfless. Lonely, too but you don’t like talking about that so I’m sorry for mentioning it— I just, I fell in love with you and that’s why you always made me nervous because I didn’t think you could love me back.”

“Marinette,” Adrien looks at her, tenderness and seriousness oddly mixed in his gaze as he slowly walked towards her. “I’ve been in love with you from the second we met. And don’t say that you’re not Ladybug because you are, both inside and outside of the mask. You help people, you protect them. You’re passionate and strong and stubborn and I love you. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say it before you believe me but I’ll do it until then and even after. I love you. I love you so much that it hurts— mph!”

With slight tears pricking her eyes, Marinette closed the distance between them and wrapped him into a tight hug, his now familiar body both making her feel calm and make her heart race.

“I love you too.”

Adrien sighs contently, wrapping his arms around her too. He held her gently but tightly, not willing to let her go but not risking hurting her— not that the silly kitty could.

Suddenly he chuckles and says, “That explained why you purred.”

“I said not to tease me!” She whined, pulling back enough that she could look up at him with narrowed eyes. “You’re  so mean, Chaton.”

“And you’re stunning, Bugaboo.”

The comment made Marinette squeak and dunk her head, desperate to get her blush out of his eyesight— but a soft yet collapsed hand holding lightly onto her chin stopped the action, Adrien bringing her eyes back up to look at him.

“You believe me when I say that, yes?” He asks. “Because I mean it. Everything about you is gorgeous, I don’t know how I didn’t realize the two girls I fell in love with were the same one.”

“It’s because we’re both stupid,” She giggles, stering the converastion away from compliments, unsure of how much warmer her face could get before she combusted. “But I also blame your hair.”

“My hair?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” She hums, reaching up to play with the soft strands as she had done so hundreds of times before. “You always have it so neat but as Chat it’s messy.”

“I like it better that way,” He explains, a slight purr to his voice. “It’s more comfortable.”

“Both styles are equally cute, so you’re lucky.” She murmurs absentmindedly, still focused on his hair, ruffling it slightly with a smile. Then she notices the ear cuffs he had on and blinked in surprise. “Are those my earrings?”

“Huh?” Adrien blinks his eyes open and Marinette giggles at his dazed expression. Even without the ring he was her silly kitty who liked to be pet and cuddled. “Oh, yeah. They changed when I touched them.”

“Your ring did too,” She shows him. “It was weird, I thought it would’ve stayed silver.”

“Yeah, me too,” He poked the ring and then gently slides it off of her finger, putting it on his own before reaching up for the earrings and giving them back to their rightful owner who puts them off and sighs in relief.

This magic was familiar— this magic was warm and like home and tight enough to keep her safe, not like swimming in an open ocean and gasping for air only for her lungs to fill with water instead.

“Mari?”

“Yes?” She looks up at him, seeing questions in his verdant eyes.

“Have you, um, seen something bad that I haven’t?”

It was admittedly a weird question, one that through her off guard but one that also made her think of the word drowned in water and dust, of the Eiffel tower toppled over, of watching herself crumple and fade, of seeing the moon cracked open in the sky and a boy in white with blue, crying eyes and a broken soul.

It made her think of how she saved him— but how she hadn’t saved her Chaton all those times, how she watched him die and fade and get captured and tortured and taken control of.

It made her think of the trauma of watching her city burn and the people in it all relying on her since the tender age of thirteen to save them all.

It made her think of all the times she had to protect everyone by herself because she lost Chat after he risked everything to save her.

Realizing she got lost in thought, Marinette startled and focused back onto her partner, “Yes, but don’t worry Minou. I can handle it.”

“I want you to be able to talk to me about those things,” Adrien murmured softly. “Tikki told me that all her Ladybugs live through things Chat Noirs don’t— but we’re a team. I want to share that burden with you.”

She sighed— and then she told him about Chat Blanc, she told him about how Paris drowned under the weight of their love three years ago and she’s been scared for him ever since, she told him about all of it.

By the end, they were both in tears and holding onto each other.

A weight feels like it was lifted off of her shoulders, like she was light enough to just float. It felt good talking about it, to let go all of that terror and heartache she accumulated over the years.

“You’re stronger than I ever knew,” Adrien kisses her forehead and her heart flutters. “I’m so proud of you, my little kitten.”

“Adrien,” She whines, hiding her face into his shoulder. “Stop.”

“Stop what?” He chuckles, lightening the mood. He always had a way of doing that. “Complimenting you?”

“Yes, I’m not used to it!” Marinette exclaimed. “You’re making me blush too much!”

“What if that’s my goal?”

“Then it’s a bad goal.”

“Meow-ch, Princess.” Adrien puts a hand over his heart. “You hurt me so, but fine. If that’s a bad goal, then what’s a good one?”

Feeling brave, she shoots him a wide smirk, “Kissing you until you’re breathless.”

He just stares at her, gaping as he blinks.

“What, Kitty?” She teases, leaning closer. “You flirt all the time but can’t take it?”

“No, it’s j-just… I completely support that goal.”

Laughing, Marinette rolls his eyes before cupping his face and kissing him— the feeling of his soft lips on hers sending a shiver down her spine. It was passionate and slow and loving, a kiss that told both of them all they had been feeling for these years.

It was a kiss that told them no matter what happened, they’d be okay.

So they kissed, again and again until they lost reality.

Going through the pain of having their Miraculous switched was worth it.

[capesandshapes]

The Last Resort: Chapter 4 (Adrinette)

Summary: After an akuma attack goes wrong, Adrien finally learns Ladybug’s secret identity and finds himself falling even deeper in love with his friend. He thinks he’s finally gotten lucky when she declares to him that she’s currently in the business of falling love with anyone but her previous crush… until that crush turns out to be him. Now Adrien has to somehow convince the girl of his dreams to fall back in love with him, while keeping his own identity a secret from her. Well, if there was one thing his father taught him, it was how to multitask.

Chapter Summary: Adrien Agreste, Professional Moron  Adrien finally discovers what Luka had to speak to Marinette about and subsequently steps up his game. Alya tries to help him but doesn't take into account the logic of two idiots in love.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again and again. Adrien was sure that Marinette had watched the footage from earlier that night no less than a hundred times, never pausing of skipping, her eyes stuck in a look of constant scrutinization. Alya had only just uploaded it a few hours ago, but through Marinette’s constant clicking, the views had skyrocketed. The cat on the chaise behind her could hardly hope to hold her attention quiet like the video of her own humiliation did.

“You know, if you take a screenshot, it will last longer,” he joked.

“Ugh,” she replied with a roll her eyes, finally pushing away from the desk as the video played once more. She grimaced as the scene played once more, an akumatized villain named the Chessmaster grabbing her pigtails and swinging her halfway across Paris. “All of Paris is going to see this and think, ‘there goes Ladybug, human discus.’”

“You got distracted.”

“I’m not supposed to get distracted, Kitty.”

“You’re human,” he replied with a slight smile, leaning back in his chaise. If you had told him that Ladybug was capable of being anything less than perfect a week ago, he wouldn’t have believed it. But now? She wasn’t just human, she was Marinette. Being Marinette, the selfless and incredibly clumsy girl, should matter more than Ladybug.

“I need to stop letting my thoughts about my personal life bleed into my superhero life,” she muttered, her eyes drifting down to the floor as her mind wandered elsewhere. She’d only just spoken to Luka hours before; it was clear where her mind laid.

Adrien’s ears quirked, his face turning to look at her with an expression that said it all, tell me more . He’d waited there for hours for her to indulge him, give him even a hint of what he was up against. But she didn’t, her face remained caught in worry. He sat up slowly in the lounge chair, drawling, “welllll?”

“Well?” She echoed, tearing her eyes from the floor to look at him.

“A penny for your thoughts, my lady?” Adrien gleamed, “purr-chance an old alley cat could solve your problems?”

“I don’t have problems,” Marinette replied, sinking back into her chair, “at least not real ones.” She grimaced, emphasizing herself as she stated, “I’d love to have real problems though.” Another sigh, she reconsidered him, Chat Noir, as she seemed to contemplate what exactly she was doing. “Scoot over,” she demanded, “let me sit by you.”

He obeyed, only lifting his eyebrows slightly as the request. She fell into the spot almost immediately; her thighs touching him as she sat close to him on the lounge chair. A part of his mind wanted to put his arm around her, but the look of exasperation on her face warned him otherwise.  

Leaning towards him, she rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling loudly. Her eyes didn’t travel towards or anywhere near him, instead of looking to Tikki as the kwami dozed away on her desk.

“You’re stressed,” Adrien acknowledged.

“You’re stressed ,” Marinette replied, a slight mocking to her tone.

He chuckled, letting his head rest on top of her only slightly, “So.”

“So?”

“Anything to tell me?”

More air was audibly taken into Marinette’s lungs, her posture stiffening as she sat next to him. Slowly, his foot began to tap, and, with a glimpse, he saw her eyelashes flicker in time with the beat. After a moment, she spoke, her voice hesitant. “Civilian stuff, nothing important.”

He snorted.  

He could practically feel the unamused expression blossom upon her face as she outright stated, “Okay, let me rephrase. Romantic stuff, nothing that should be important to you,” her head pressed a little firmed against his shoulder as she gestured to him, “but you refuse to acknowledge that.”

He nodded, letting out a slight agreeing sound as he did so.

“And now you expect me to tell you, and if I do, you won’t drop it for the rest of the night.”

Another nod.

“Because, for some reason, you’re a masochist who likes to hear about the person you love dating other people,” she stated. “Which I can kind of understand because once I thought that I was that kind of selfless person, but then it turns out I wasn’t, and then Adrien dated Kagami but never really found outwheretheystoodandnowthat’sawholethingandmymindisamessand--”

“--I’m not that kind of person either,” he interrupted.

“No one’s that type of person,” Marinette admitted, pulling away from him only to look him square in the eyes, “everyone thinks that they’re that person, but they’re not! Every single time I saw them I wanted to be that person, but then they’d get really close like they were going to kiss and I thought I would vomit and then my brain would go white and I couldn’t look away and -- Luka!” She stopped her rambling to grab both of Adrien’s shoulders, repeating the other boy’s name once more, “Luka.”

“Luka?” He replied, halfway amused.

“Luka,” she affirmed before falling against the back of the chaise, repeating the name over and over again like a madwoman. For all Adrien knew, she could be going mad, “Luka, Luka, Luka. Why on earth would he do that? Why would anyone do that? I mean it just-- I-- Ugh!” She fell silent once more, repeatedly smacking her face.

“Ok, well,” Adrien began in the break, far more confused than he let on. “You’re going to have to explain because I don’t--”

“He asked me to hang out!” Marinette shouted. “And I said yes, of course, and then I asked, because I’m an idiot, if it was a date!” Her head rolled back against the chaise as she kicked up her feet, placing them on Adrien’s lap as she continued speaking dramatically, her arms doing half of the talking. Forming imaginary quotation marks with her fingers, she said in a Luka-esque voice, “‘only if you want it to be.’”

“Only if you want it to be?”

“Exactly,” she nodded. “I must have angered some sort of vengeful god or something, because before that I. Got. A. Text.” She bolted upwards into a sitting position once more, her eyes livid as she stated, “from Adrien, Adrien Agreste.” Her hands planted down on the chaise as she leaned towards the young man she knew only as Chat Noir, “ ‘I love spending time with you.’”  

“Oh no,” Adrien replied, struggling to hide the hint of humor in his voice.

“Oh yes.” Whatever professionalism she held as Ladybug must have come with the suit, because the young woman in front of Adrien had no composure. “I mean, what does that mean? What does any of it mean? What do boys mean?”

“Well, I--”

“It’s a rhetorical question, Chat,” she replied.

“It sounded like you wanted an answer,” he grinned. “Which, if you did, I would say that Adrien likes spending time with you. Which means, if I’m not mistaken, that he enjoys being around you. And boys? Well, that word means…” He trailed off purposefully, his smile widening as he teased her.

But she took no notice of his taunt. Instead, Marinette chose to correct him.  

“He didn’t say like,” she said, sounding slightly annoyed. She turned to her side, her body curling into the chaise as blood rushed to her face. Under her breath she murmured, “he said love.”

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

Alya leaned forward, her voice light as she placed her hands on Adrien’s shoulders, her face likely attempting to be soothing but the pure excitement behind her eyes made it anything but that. Her hands tightened around his shoulders, the edges of her mouth going up a bit too far as she asked him, “You’re ready?”

“I’m ready,” he reassured, his shoulders practically bouncing up and down as he said it.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Alya sighed, giving Adrien a good once over before nodding to herself. “Now remember, no matter what you do, no matter how you screw up; you’re going to come out ahead so long as you say the word date. You clearly state, ‘Marinette do you want to go out on a date this weekend,’ and then you’ve done it. Don’t focus on anything else; just think about the word date.”

“Date,” Adrien repeated helpfully.

“Date,” Alya nodded, a tiny bit of pride showing through. She’d made comments that she’d found it easier to coach Adrien in love than Marinette; he was sure this was one of those moments.

“And if she says no?” He asked, his nerves rising.

“She’s not going to say no,” Alya quickly replied, pulling her hand back from his shoulder to grab her phone out of her back pocket. Ignoring the look of doubt on his face, she shook her head at the boy and pressed a single button of the phone, checking her call log. Across the courtyard, she made eye contact with Nino. “Listen, Adrien. Right now, Marinette is waiting in the bakery for me to come to pick her up. I’m going to walk her this short, short distance to the park. Nino and I will coincidentally run into each other; he’ll make up some great excuse about how he left something at school and needs help getting it, then we’ll both go hide behind a tree or something in case you need help. Marinette’s going to wait there alone for a moment a little sad because wow everyone’s in love but her… and then, bam! Adrien Agreste, professional guy she could maybe love, shows up and asks her on a date. It’s short and it’s simple-- it’s not a convoluted plan involving giving half of the class flower names-- It’s perfect.”

“I mean, it’s hardly even a plan, it’s just--” Adrien began, but cut himself off as he noticed the glare on the brunette’s face. “Maybe I should bring flowers or something? Chocolates or a drink, or…”

Alya’s face reaffirmed him that that was not the best of plans. “You want to look spontaneous, like you just coincidentally decided, ‘oh, today I’ll ask my good friend Marinette out on a date.’ If you refuse to start with the whole I love you thing, then this is where you do start.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” but his face must have portrayed some of his uncertainty because she leaned towards him once more, her hands reassuringly tightening on his shoulders as she informed him, “You know, she’d kill me for saying it but, she’s crazy about you, absolutely crazy. The second she realizes that you like her too? It’s over for every man in Paris.”

“Thanks, Alya.”

“Now,” she began, flicking through her contacts before landing on the pink icon of Marinette’s number. “You stay here and practice asking, Prince Charming, and I’ll go get your clumsy Cinderella.” Her grin was practically infectious as she pressed the number, holding her phone up to her face as she walked away from him.  

He watched her go, his lips still tensed in a worried frown. Soon Marinette would be there and then… Showtime, he supposed.

“Human courting…” A voice from his pocket mused. “It’d be easier to just kiss her and explain later, but what do us kwamis know? We’re only centuries old.”

“Shut up, Plagg,” he muttered, slightly amused as he turned to his pocket, opening it slightly to face the small cat.

“All I’m saying is, you know she used to like you. Would it really be such an awful thing to her if the guy she used to like just so happened to kiss her? Mash mouths now, say you’re Chat Noir, snuff out the competition, and BAM! Ladynoir all over Paris.” The Kwami waved his paw like he was waving away Adrien’s worries.

“I can’t just kiss her!” He couldn’t even comprehend a reality in which he just walked up and kissed her. That was something, but it wasn’t exactly the path to love that Adrien was willing to take.

“You can, and you should,” Plagg said as he settled a little bit more into Adrien’s pockets.

“I can’t, and I shouldn’t!” He likely looked crazy, getting so emotional and almost yelling into his pocket. But he couldn't’ help himself; the idea was just too much. “Marinette deserves more, Marinette deserves…” He trailed off, his mind running through the exceptionally long list of things that Marinette deserved but cutting itself off the second that she entered the park, Alya’s arm wrapped around hers.

Ah, he should have hidden.  

“Adrien!” How she managed to project so much sound with just a squeak was a miracle to him. Alya and her had crossed the field in a matter of seconds, Marinette looking rather cheerful while Alya’s eyes stabbed daggers into him.

“What are you doing here?” Alya asked through gritted teeth, her face asking, why didn’t you hide, you gigantic moron?  

“Oh, there’s Nino too!” Marinette pointed out, waving at a very stressed Nino peering out from behind a tree.

“What a coincidence ,” Alya’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, yet that somehow went unnoticed by the other girl.  

“I’m going to go say hi to him,” Marinette said, already beginning to walk. It wasn’t hard to notice how quick she was to leave.

Alya’s hand reached for her arm, grabbing it and holding her in place. “NO. That’s…” The gears churned behind Alya’s eyes as Marinette shot her an innocent glance, confusion beginning to cover the blue-eyed girl’s face. “I mean, he’s my boyfriend! I want to say hi first, you know? It’s been a while since I last saw him!”

“Oh,” Marinette nodded.

“So, you’re going to stay here with Adrien… and maybe have a good conversation or two,” Alya said, gesturing to him momentarily before, quite suddenly, taking off in the direction of Nino.

So much for looking spontaneous.  

“I missed you this morning…” Marinette mumbled, her eyes rained on Alya and Nino as she spoke. A blush crept across her face, but she didn’t so much as glimpse him. Across the way, Nino and Alya were putting on quite the show of the world’s most prolonged greetings.  

“Weekends, what are you gonna do?” Adrien replied, stepping a little bit closer to her as he spoke. His head turned to Alya and Nino as well, trying to put on the facade of watching the two. In reality, his eyes remained on Marinette instead.

She gave him a half-smile, her arms crossing as she moved to hug herself slightly.

“I mean, there is something we could do…” He began, shuffling a little bit closer to her and allowing himself to look at her fully.

She spared him a glance, “Hm?”

“You could go out with me.”

The words fell on her, but she didn’t process them immediately. He could tell when she did though, because her whole body stiffened in a way that made his stomach drop. Blinking rapidly, she turned to face him, her mouth slightly ajar as she tried to rationalize what exactly was going on. “With Alya and Nino, right? You, me, Alya and Nino?”

He let out a nervous chuckle, “No, uh… Just you and me.”

“Just you and me?” She repeated, her face growing pinker as her eyes widened.

“Like a movie, or…”

“With just you and me?” She looked as if she might faint. “Alone? Together?”

“Hanging out,” Adrien affirmed. If he were smart, he would have realized his mistake with that.

“That’s…” She nodded, first to herself and then to him. But when it came to him, it wasn’t a small motion in the slightest. Her whole body moved with each nod, her pigtails nodding up and down as she seemed to affirm not only him but the universe that this was happening. “Us spending time together, yes! That’s good… That’s a good thing! I’d like that.”

“Then it’s a date,” he beamed.

And if Alya Cesaire were there and not currently going through the motions of an extremely long greeting with her boyfriend, she would have grabbed him by the shoulders and informed him that that, actually, is not how you ask someone on a date. She would have run him through the inner workings of Marinette’s mind and informed him that saying ‘it’s a date’ isn’t enough.  

But she wasn’t. And so, at that moment, Adrien stood next to the girl who he was fairly sure was the love of his life, rocking back and forth on his heels, and grinned like he had won the lottery instead of having done one of the stupidest things in his life.

[coffeecomicsgalore]

For the Love of a Chat

NOTES: Had to finish the story with a long winded chapter! Sorry guys. I hope you enjoy!

Ao3

Chapter 31 - Time travel

Ladybug and Chat Noir bounced out of Marinette’s bedroom, making their way to the area the akuma was last seen. Lost Time was hanging out at Lycée Carnot when he called out for the victim he wanted.

“Where are you, ma chère Marinette?

“Marinette?” Ladybug questioned quietly as they perched silently on the building nearest to their high school. “What does he want with me?”

“Are you sure it’s for you, milady? Maybe it’s for another Marinette.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” He drawled out. Ladybug stared at Chat with an eye roll and Chat pursed his lips in a bit of protective haste.

“Who is that and why is he calling for you?”

Ladybug stared at the akuma for a long moment to figure out who the akuma could have been. Trying to denote the features and build, she gasped as one person came to mind.

“Jules?”  

Chat was about to question who this Jules-person was but Ladybug beat him to it. “He’s in my art program. He’s been flirting with me and I’ve been trying to stop it without being rude, never giving in to what he was saying because of being in love with you and all. He did ask me out once, but I turned him down as gently as I could.” She looked over to Chat and Chat’s eyes were narrowed and filled with a bit of jealousy. “Knock it off. I didn’t want to date him and as you can see, I’m with you.”

Chat’s ears drooped and he knew she was right. “Sorry.”

She placed a caring hand on his wrist. “Hey. It’s alright, Chat. Let’s focus on the akuma, okay?” When Chat smiled and nodded in agreement, she turned back to stare at the akuma. “But why? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?”

“You rather hang out with a cat than spend time with me?” Lost Time laughed bitterly. “Why don’t you show your face to me. Then I can show you how to have a real good time.”

Both Ladybug and Chat smacked their foreheads and groaned.

“I’m surprised Alya didn’t say anything to me when we talked earlier.”

“Nino didn’t message me either to see if I had seen the photo. It must have happened over the last few hours or so when we were... you know” He waggled his brows.

Ladybug continued and ignored Chat’s false inuendo. “Either that, or someone placed it on social media before Alya found out about it and that’s how he found out.”

“But then that means people are going to think you’re dating Chat Noir.

“Even though I am....” She added with a wink and a flick to his bell. “Well, whatever the reasoning, we have a lot to figure out so we don’t expose you, Chat.”

“Yay...” He said sarcastically. “Alright, LB. What’s the plan?”

“Well, I’m going to need you to bring me there... as Marinette.”

“Ladybug, no. I can’t.

“It’s okay. I trust you to protect me, okay?”

Chat gave her a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”

Ladybug detransformed and Marinette stood in her place. “Okay, Chat. He’s going to be angry at you, so you’ll need to drop me down somewhere below and I’ll walk over to him. Keep close to me in the shadows and if something seems wrong, come get me. I won’t know where the akuma is hiding until I get closer. He doesn’t seem very irrational, at least, not right now. We’ll see in a bit.”  

Chat dropped her down to the alleyway. When she felt okay enough to move forward, she nodded at Chat to hide. She meekly popped her head out of the alleyway and made her way to Lost Time.

“Jules?” Marinette called out, nervously.

“Marinette!” He announced, happily. Marinette walked closer to him; her hands were clutched to her heart to act like it was out of fear. “Please do not be scared. I won’t hurt you.”

Marinette finally reached him, her eyes constantly searching for an object that didn’t make sense to his wardrobe. She noticed he was wearing all black, numbers and empty clock ticks scattered all over his clothes in neon greens, purples, and yellows. His eyes were covered in translucent green shades, while his hands were covered with purple gloves. The only thing that stood out was a silver watch on his wrist.

“Jules? What happened. Why are you like this?”

His demeanor changed from happy to angry. “I’m not Jules. I’m Lost Time.” He started. “You. You broke my heart, Marinette. I have been flirting with you, talking with you, even asking you out, and yet you go out with that mangy tom cat? What does he have that I don’t?”

“Chat Noir took me out dancing because I was upset. But he is my best friend and he surprised me. Please, Jules. There’s nothing to be upset about.”

“Lies!” He screamed causing Marinette to take a step back. “I saw you dancing with him. I saw you holding him the way you did. I saw that you almost kissed him if it wasn’t for the fireworks scaring you apart. Don’t you dare lie to me with that nonsense. I. Saw. You! The pictures on Instagram don’t lie.”

Okay, so she was definitely going to have to wheedle her way out of this one somehow. But this also meant that she couldn’t date Adrien publicly right away until this entire mess is fixed.

“Okay, okay. Yes, we almost kissed. I won’t lie to you. I get why you’re upset, but please, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I lost my chance with you. Lost my time to be with you. Haven’t you ever felt like you lost time?” He said, his voice strained from the pain.

“I know how that feels, Jules. Please trust me. I lost so much time with someone because of my own fault. Because of my own insecurities. I get it.”

“Well, I don’t care how you feel because I’m hurt and the only way to fix this is if I give Hawkmoth Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous.” The butterfly mask covered Lost Time’s eyes and as quickly as it came, it was gone. “Lucky for me, Hawkmoth gave me a great idea.”

Lost Time lunged at Marinette and she ran towards where she felt Chat would be hiding. Running quickly behind her, she could feel Lost Time gaining speed. Marinette looked over her shoulder and her eyes blew wide when he stuck out his arm and a ball of light started to form over his watch. Using his index and middle fingers, he pushed the beam out towards her.

Chat Noir jumped out just in time to leap her out of the way from a blast of light. Lost Time groaned out in anger as he watched Chat pick up Marinette bridal style off to an area where he could safely put her down.

A few more beams of light pounced towards them, one actually hitting them and engulfing them in a translucent light.

“Bye-bye kitty cat. I wonder how you’re Ladybug is going to do without her protector around.”

---

Marinette woke up splayed out on the roof of a building. Chat was already awake, rubbing his head as he overlooked his position.

“Chat?” Marinette groaned out as she sat herself up.  

Chat ran over to Marinette and helped her up. “Hey are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I feel woozy, but I’m okay.” She looked up at him and could see a bruise forming on his forehead. She pushed his hair away to look at the injury better. “You have a bump. Are you okay?”

“Besides that, yeah. I’m okay. We’re still in Paris, but it isn’t our timeline anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette said, confused. Chat pointed to a billboard over on the other side of the rooftop where it showed an older Adrien Agreste wearing a fitted black suit, a black button down with the silver buttons with an “M” inscribed on each one, and a signature red tie. He gave the camera a smoldering look, a slight smirk pulling at the edge of his lips, while his thumb pulled his bottom lip down just a tiny bit.  

“Damn, Adrien.” Marinette said, fanning herself. “You age amazingly.”

“That’s not all, Marinette. Look in the corner.”

Marinette looked and noticed a change in who Adrien was modeling for. “MDC? But that’s my symbol. That’s my signature.” She turned to him. “I- I made it?”

Chat gave her a tight squeeze. “I always knew you could do it.”

“I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but...”

Chat and Marinette turned around and noticed three figures standing on the rooftop.  

“Hey Minibug, Kitty Noir!” Bunnyx waved at them, excitedly. “We were wondering when you were going to show up.”

“Bunnyx? Ladybug? Chat Noir?” Marinette called out, looking at each one.

“Hey you two.” The older Ladybug called out. Her hair was out of her signature pigtails and into a ponytail. Her suit had changed too. She wore a red and black spotted high collar jacket over a black skin tight suit and gloves with a pair of red and black spotted thigh-high boots. She looked to be about 25 if Marinette had to guess.

“Nice of you to beam in.” The older Chat Noir said making younger Chat laugh out in a fit of giggles. His suit looked exactly the same except his zipper went down a little to where his bell used to sit. His hair was a high fade with longer teased locks dripped over to one side. He had a more muscular build, but overall looked as good as the billboard they spotted him on.

“I can see that I don’t stop punning, huh?” Younger Chat Noir finally said.

“Not at all, mini-me. We actually get better with our puns.”

“Told you Marinette. You’ll have to live with this furrever!”

“He’s right you know.” Older Ladybug teased. She walked up to Marinette and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave Marinette a confident smile. “I can at least tell you this much. It’s okay you know. I remember this whole akuma and I remember what I had told myself right before the alert came out.” She quickly looked over at the older Chat Noir who was chatting away with his younger self. She knew he was going to give the same speech but with an added pun or two to break the ice. “He’s not wrong in his pre-proposal, even though he couldn’t wait 5 seconds after revealing himself.”

Marinette looked over to Chat and he was positively beaming. Older Ladybug leaned down and whispered something to her ear. “Keep this between you and me, but Adrien is going to need something positive to keep his focus on. It’s going to be a big year for both of you in so many ways. I won’t give away too much because I don’t want the future to change over something I said, but remember to follow his lead on some things, give him all the love you know he deserves, and always keep working together, no matter how hard some moments become.”

Marinette looked up with a frown. “Okay. I promise you I will.”

“I know you will.” Ladybug stood back up and looked over to Chat to see if he had finished his part of their conversation. When older Chat Noir looked up, they nodded towards each other in silent communication over their next move.  

“Alright. We are all here to bring these two back to their timeline. Marinette. You are going to be bait. Mini-kitty. You’re going to keep tabs on her and be by her side the entire time. You are going to lure him out and then capture the akuma. I’ll be on standby to help purify the akuma since Marinette can’t do it. Kitty, I want you to stand by in case something goes wrong. Bunnyx. You keep an eye out to make sure the akuma isn’t messing up the time line. Everyone got it?”

“Got it.” Everyone said in unison.

Ladybug called out for her Lucky Charm and a ring dropped into her hands. Ladybug winked at Marinette and older Chat Noir let out a happy chuckle as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

“I remember this. Mini-kitty. That one’s for you.”

Mini-kitty beamed again and Marinette looked over to him with a happy sigh. “Later kitty. Okay?”

“Okay!”

Chat took out his baton and helped bring the two of them back onto the ground. They called out for Lost Time.

“Jules!” Marinette yelled; her hands wrapped around her mouth like a megaphone. “Jules, come out. Can we talk?”

Chat followed her lead. “Jules? Lost Time? I wanted to apologize. You can have Marinette! I’m not in love with her! I just got caught up in the moment.” Marinette stopped for a second and stared at him.  

“What?” He said with a shrug. “We have to lure him out somehow.”

Marinette went back to calling. “Jules? Please come ou-”

A bright light appeared and Lost Time dropped onto the street in front of them. “Well, well, well. You are giving up on her that easily? I told you Marinette, he’s not worth it.”

Marinette ran up to the akuma and grabbed onto his hands. “You’re right, Jules. I’m so sorry for never giving you a chance.” She lowered her hands until it rested on his forearms. “Could you ever forgive me for how I rejected you?”

Jules narrowed his eyes but a hint of a smile could be seen. He gazed into her bright blue eyes. “Do you- do you really mean that?”

“Yes. Jules. Secretly, I liked you. I was just too enamored with my old crush to see the truth.” Marinette placed one hand on his cheek as she continued to lower her other hand until it reached the watch. “So how about that date?”

“Da- date?” The akuma swallowed, still staring into her eyes.  

“Of course.” She continued until she reached the watch, unclasping it from its spot and throwing it behind her.

“Chat!” She screamed out, throwing the watch in his direction.

Chat called out his cataclysm, grasping onto the watch as it disintegrated into ash. Ladybug and older Chat Noir dropped down beside their younger selves and Ladybug captured the akuma, purifying it into the white butterfly.

Bunnyx dropped down beside the older duo, and the three winked as they managed quick goodbyes.

Ladybug called out for her Miraculous Ladybug and as quickly as they arrived, they were back to their original timeline.

“Time travel is weird.” Marinette said to Chat as he nodded to agree.

After Chat made sure the akuma victim was alright and Marinette talked over the problem with Jules, Chat Noir helped Marinette onto his back, bouncing over the rooftops until they reached her balcony.

“So that was a wild ride, huh Marinette?”

Chat detransformed and Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette’s waist.

“You’re telling me.” Marinette nuzzled her nose into his neck. “So, Ladybug told me something today.”

“And what’s that bug?”

“That I should follow my heart.”

Adrien pulled away from her for a second and scrunched his nose. “Well, what is your heart telling you?”

“That you’re right and if you still want an answer to your question, I can give you an answer.”

Adrien waited with bated breath. “If you really don’t want to wait to propose to me, then I won’t make you wait. When you’re ready, ask me. I already know my answer.”

He smiled brightly, his pearly white teeth beaming in the moonlight. “Well don’t make me wait bug. What’s your answer?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a long, but gentle, kiss. When she pulled away to take a breath, she leaned her forehead against his and peered into his glossy green eyes.

“Yes.”

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

I wanted to say thank you all for all the kudos and comments. I never planned on writing this story, but my Marichat heart could not hold out from writing it.

Thank you for hanging out with me these last 31 days and I hope you enjoyed the final chapter.

[gryffindorcls]

Can We Try This Again?

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Hello, lovely readers!  Thank you for taking the time to read.

I know I have three works in progress right now, but I saw Puppeteer 2...and I couldn’t help myself.  This is how I would have changed “The Scene” everyone is talking about.

So...be aware.  This contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Season 3.

Enjoy!

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Marinette walked into the room desperately trying to psyche herself up.  She knew that even if he didn’t feel the same way, she at least had to try to tell Adrien how she felt.

“I am super cool.  I am super cool.  I am super cool,” she repeated quietly to herself.

She crossed the threshold and was met by an unmoving Adrien.  Marinette shrieked and flailed her arms.  When Adrien did not react, the tenseness in her muscles disappeared.  She slumped over and sighed.

“It’s fine!  It’s just a statue.  Hmmm...maybe I should use this opportunity to practice.  What’s the harm?” she asked out loud.

Marinette walked up to the figurine and looked it in the eyes.  She smiled and reached out to touch its cheek.  It felt unusually warm, but she continued anyway.  Her lips formed into a sad yet wistful smile, and she took a deep breath.

“Adrien, I...I…I...can’t.”  Her face scrunched in frustration as she slumped into a heap on the floor.

She hung her head low and groaned.  “Tikki!  I can’t do this!  How am I supposed to talk to Adrien if I can’t even talk to a statue?  I don’t understand.  Why is this so hard?  I can fight Akumas and stand up to people like Chole, but I can’t tell the boy I love that I have feelings for him?  I’m hopeless.”

Marinette could feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks.  

“Tikki?  Tikki?  Where are you?”  she opened the clasp, revealing the tiny being cowering at the bottom of her bag.  “Why aren’t you coming out?  What’s wrong?  Are you sick again?”

Marinette sniffled and attempted to wipe the tears away from her face with the back of her hand.  She stood up without taking her eyes off of her Kwami.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Tikki whispered, “It’s not what you think.”

She gave the Kwami a confused look.  “I don’t understand.”

“I can’t believe it,” a third voice said, entering the conversation.

Marinette froze.  She really hoped that she was dreaming, and she even pinched herself just to make sure.

“No,” she said quietly, “It can’t be.  I didn’t just say all that in front of him.  Why is this happening?”  

The tears started to reform in the corners of her eyes.  She buried her head in her hands and pressed her palms against her eyes.  An audible sob escaped her lips.  Suddenly, a pair of strong, comforting arms held her close to something warm and breathing.

“Please don’t cry, Marinette,” a worried voice attempted to assuage her, “I’m so sorry.  I thought it would be funny.  I’m a complete idiot.  Ohmygod, how can I fix this?  I don’t even know what to do.”

She spent several minutes leaning into the embrace waiting for the tears to stop.  All the while, a hand on her back rubbed soothing circles.  

”I can't believe it's you,” he whispered. 

Marinette looked up, and her bloodshot eyes met Adrien’s verdant irises.  A new panic settled in her gut--he knew she was Ladybug. 

“Please,” she pleaded, ”You can't tell anyone.  I trust you, but only the person who gave me my Miraculous knows who I am.”

Adrien grinned.  “You mean Master Fu?”

“Yes, and he doesn’t want…” she paused, “Wait...what?”

He brushed a stray tear off of her cheek.  ”I found you, my lady.”

“Kitty?” Marinette questioned breathlessly.

A small black blur flew from behind Adrien’s shoulder.  “Finally!  We can move past the sighs and the pining!  Tikki!  Look!  They figured it out.”

Tikki zoomed into view, rolled her eyes playfully, and smiled brightly.  “I know, Plagg.  Come over here.  Let's give them a few moments to themselves to talk.”

The black Kwami happily obliged.  He zipped over to his other half and nuzzled her with the side of his head.  Tikki grabbed Plagg’s arm and pulled him into Marinette’s purse. 

After the initial shock of seeing Chat Noir’s Kwami phase into her bag, Marinette realized that she was still being held in Adrien’s arms.  To her surprise she did not feel the urge to pull away from him; instead, she leaned further into his embrace.  He responded to her movement by tightening the hug.

“Why did you do that, kitty?” she mumbled into his shirt, “Why did you pretend to be a statue?”

He gently stroked her hair.  “Plagg always makes me feel better by joking around.  I thought you were mad at me, and I wanted to make you laugh.  I had no idea...ugh...I’m so stupid.  I can’t apologize enough.  You probably hate me now.”

“Oh, no, Adrien.  I could never hate you.  I love…” she stopped herself before completing the statement.  Marinette flew out of Adrien’s arms, and she slapped both of her hands over her mouth.

“Please finish what you were going to say because I can promise you that nothing bad will happen.  I have loved you since the day I met you.”

“You love Ladybug.”

“You are Ladybug, and that means that I love Marinette.  I wasn’t joking when I said that I thought you were our everyday Ladybug.  All this means is that the girl I love and my amazing friend from school are the same person.”

“You think I’m amazing?”

“I always have.  You kick butt at video games, bake really well, and are an incredible designer.  You look out for your friends, and you stand up for what is right.  You are smart, helpful, and beautiful.  AND now I know that you also save Paris from Hawkmoth’s Akumas.”

Marinette shook her head and smiled.  “Paris would be doomed if I didn’t have you, Chat Noir.  I need you, minou…even though some of your jokes aren’t the best.”

Adrien’s eyes lit up.  “Only some, Bugaboo?”

She looked down at the ground.  “Well, it’s not that your jokes are bad.  It’s just that...well, you should probably work on your timing.  The statue prank probably would have been funny under different circumstances.  I’ve seen lots of celebrities do it with their wax figures on YouTube.”

“Yeah,” he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, “I’ve seen those, too.  That’s why I thought it would be funny.  Like I said before, I thought you were upset with me, and I was just trying to cheer you up.”

Marinette felt her heart begin to melt.  “I can’t believe you were trying to make me feel better.”

Adrien shook his head.  “I really care about you, Marinette.”

“I’m sorry you thought I was angry at you.  All day I’ve been trying to tell you that I have feelings for you, and I can’t even do that right.”  She threw her hands up in frustration.

He scrunched his face in thought.  “I think we need a do-over.  Can we try this again?”

She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled.  “I would like that.”

Adrien walked closer to her and took her hands in his own.  “Hi, Marinette.  I have to tell you something.  I’m Chat Noir, a famed Parisian superhero who fights Akumas alongside Ladybug.  I’m also hopelessly in love with you.”

Marinette giggled.  “Hello, Adrien.  It’s funny that you’re Chat Noir because I’m Ladybug, your partner who works with you to fight Hawkmoth’s Akumas.  I’m also in love with you...like a lot.  I have been since you gave me your umbrella.”

“Is that why you’ve always been so jumpy around me?” he asked with empathy in his eyes.

“Yes,” she released a long breath, “Being near you always made me anxious.  My crush made talking to you feel like I was climbing Mount Everest.  I didn’t know how to start a conversation with you.”

“What changed?”

“Why would talking to my Chaton make me nervous?  I already know him.  He’s my partner, and I trust him with my life...even though he’s a huge dork.”

“Your Chaton?  I kind of like the sound of that,” he purred, taking a step closer.

She brought her arms up to rest around his neck.  “My flirty kitty.”

The sharp thwack of a cane hitting the ground sounded from the entryway behind them.  They both looked up to see Hawkmoth standing in the doorframe.  Adrien quickly grabbed the umbrella from Aurore’s wax figurine as the purple-clad villain lunged at them.

“It looks like we’re going to have to finish this conversation later,” Adrien noted with a strained voice, “You go first.”

“And then we’ll take care of this mess together...like we always do!”  Marinette ran towards the elevator and transformed.

The duo found defeating the Akuma to be easy work.  Both heroes remained focused during the battle and were eager to get back to their civilian lives.  

After detransforming, Marinette and Adrien rejoined their friends and played with Manon until it was time to leave the museum.  Adrien had his driver drop off Nino, Alya, and Manon at their respective destinations.  The teens then found themselves sitting alone in the backseat of the vehicle.

There was no divider in the car.  Marinette knew she couldn’t say what he wanted without Adrien’s bodyguard overhearing, so she stayed quiet and fixed her eyes on the passing scenery outside the window.  Suddenly, Marinette felt a hand take hers.  She looked up and saw Adrien looking at her with a smirk.

He winked playfully.  “How do you feel about cats?” 

“It depends what kind of cat,” she answered, raising an eyebrow.

“What would you do if one came to visit you tonight?”

“I guess I would feed it.”

Adrien’s eyes widened with excitement.  “Wait...really?”

Marinette squeezed his hand.  “Sure...why not?”

The car pulled up to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.  Marinette got out of the car and hovered by the door momentarily.

“I’ll see you later, Adrien,” she said cheerfully.

He beamed.  “Yeah...see you later.”

***

Marinette sat on a lounge chair on her balcony.  She sipped hot tea and hugged a blanket tightly around her body.  Even though it was springtime, there was still a slight chill in the evening air.  Next to her sat an untouched plate of cookies.

After a few minutes of waiting, she heard the clink of metal and a soft thud behind her.  “Good evening, kitty.  What brings you here at this hour?”

Chat Noir took a seat in the chair next to her.  “I heard that if I came here, a nice girl would feed me.”

Marinette snorted and held out the plate of cookies.  A stunned Chat took the treats from her hands.

“I thought you were kidding,” he continued, “I wasn’t actually expecting you to feed me.”

“I am the daughter of a baker,” she replied, “My family doesn’t fool around when it comes to food.  Trust me, if you came over for dinner, you would be fed at least three servings.”

“I usually eat alone at home.  Dinner with your family sounds nice.”

“How about tomorrow then?  We usually eat around 6.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Alya comes over for dinner all the time.  My parents would be more than happy to have you eat with us.  However, maybe you shouldn't come wearing a leather catsuit.  Remember what happened the last time?”

Chat laughed.  “I agree.  Purr-haps I should even consider a wardrobe change right now.  What do you think, Princess?”

Marinette shrugged.  “Whatever you want to do is fine with me, but I’m sure that Tikki would love to see Plagg.”

In a flash of green light, Chat detransformed and Adrien was left in his stead.  Plagg zipped into Marinette’s room and out of sight.

She looked at her crush sitting next to her and began to feel a creeping blush make its way up her neck.  Marinette covered her face with her hands and groaned.

“I’m sorry,” she groaned, “I’ve just liked you for so long, and I still can’t believe this is happening.  I’ll get over it.  Please just ignore me.”

Adrien got off of his chair and joined Marinette on hers.  He put an arm around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

“I never want to stop paying attention to you again.  I’m sorry for not noticing that it was you before.  It’s so obvious now,” he stated plainly.

“It’s not like I did any better.  I’ve turned down the boy that I like on multiple occasions without even realizing it.”

“How about I make you a deal?  I will come to dinner if you agree to go to the movies with me.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Yes.”

Marinette tapped her chin and pretended to ponder her response.  “I guess that would be okay.”

Adrien wrapped his other arm around her and he released a happy hum.  She snuggled against his chest.

“I just have one question,” she moved away from him and met his eyes, “What are we now?  Like...are you my...my...uhm…my boyfriend?”

He once again pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head.  “Only if you’ll be my girlfriend.”

Marinette squeaked upon hearing his response.  “I would like that a lot.”

“Princess?” he asked quietly.

“Hmmm?”

“Would it be okay if I kissed you?”

“Yes, Chaton.  Kissing will always be okay.”

Adrien pulled back just enough for his lips to reach hers.  The kiss was cautious and unsure, but at the same time, it was exhilarating.  Electricity coursed through her entire body.  She moved her hand to the back of his head and deepened the kiss.  He returned the gesture by tightening his hold around her waist.

 For that moment, nothing else existed but the two of them.  They were in their own private universe, and neither wanted to leave.  However, the need for air eventually forced them to separate.

“I love you,” Adrien said breathlessly.

“I love you, too, Chaton,” Marinette responded, “I’m so happy that it was you.”

“You are my one and only,” he stated reverently, “and I will always stay by your side, my lady.”

“Even when we go to school tomorrow and face all our friends?”

“Especially then.”

As they moved in for a second kiss, Marinette smiled.  She knew that this was the best possible outcome for today’s events.  Who knows what could have happened if things had worked out differently?  She definitely didn't want to find out.

AO3

Fanfiction

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Thank you to everyone who has read and followed my other stories.  New chapters for my works in progress are coming soon!

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.  I love talking with all of you, and my asks are always open.  Thank you all for being incredible!

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[minetteenfers]

My kids each picked a letter he picked i she picked c.

I wrote 2 short stories for your twins. ^-^ Tell them thank you! XD

I: Broken Glass 

Adrien sat in his bedroom with Nino. They were studying for a test with Wayzz and Plagg flying around them. The two kwamis played chase around the two boys, causing them to become annoyed. 

Adrien and Nino barely had a moment to catch Plagg before he knocked over a glass of soda onto the rug. “Plagg!” Adrien scolded the small cat as he stared at him with his hands on his hips. 

“I’m sorry, kid.” Plagg tried to scoop up the glass that he had broken, but Adrien sighed and shook his head as he moved him out of the way. 

“It’s fine, but your lack of self control is what got you in trouble centuries ago.” Adrien scolded the small kitty and Plagg gasped at him. 

“Are we really bringing up that again?” Nino laughed as he watched his best friend argue with a tiny cat. 

“Yeah. I’m still upset over the fact that you got rid of the dinosaurs.” Adrien shook his head. “I love dinosaurs and did as a kid. Just think… we could be seeing them in the zoos right now.” 

Nino burst out laughing and Plagg tucked his tail between his legs and his ears folded down. 

“I- I really didn’t mean to make them go. They were really amazing.” Plagg peered down at the ground. 

“You know… I’m sure Bunnix could take us back to see them…” Nino raised an eyebrow and Adrien stared at him. “Just saying. The dudette has a way with time.” 

“Yeah, but she doesn’t just poof out of no where.” Adrien rolled his eyes when suddenly a portal appeared in his bedroom. 

“Did you guys call for a tour guide?” Bunnix stuck her head out of the portal with a warm smile. 

“Really? I thought we weren’t supposed to use the Miraculouses for our own enjoyment.” Adrien raised an eyebrow and Bunnix yanked them all in. 

They peered around them at all of the time holes until they reached the Jurassic one. 

“Here we are.” Bunnix opened the portal and they all climbed through. 

Dinosaurs walked around them and made the Earth move beneath their feet and some flew over their heads. Adrien and Nino peered up in awe as they took in all of the tropical plants and dinosaurs. 

“This is crazy!” Adrien was in shock as he took it all in. 

“Yeah Dude! Crazy awesome!” Nino adjusted his hat as he watched everything around them. 

“It is pretty awesome, but I’m also happy being with friends.” Adrien laughed as they walked a bit further until they heard a loud roar. 

Adrien jumped as a T-Rex came through the bushes and took off after them. 

“RUN!” Bunnix pulled them back in the opposite direction and she opened up a portal. “JUMP THROUGH!” 

Nino and Adrien jumped through the portal right as the T-Rex chomped down, barely missing them. 

Bunnix laughed for a moment. “Imagine if that was on Earth now? You’d never go outside.” 

“Yeah I- I’m good with the dinosaurs being there. I enjoy not worrying about being a snack.” Adrien laughed as he smiled at Plagg. “I’m sorry Plagg. I understand now.” 

“It’s okay.” Plagg warmly smiled as Adrien pet him behind the ears. 

“But you still need to be careful and not spill my drinks like a clumsy cat.” Adrien laughed and Plagg scoffed. “Hey…” Adrien’s laugh faded into a chuckle as he hugged Plagg. “I’m not mad at you anymore. You’re a good kitty.” 

“I’m not a kitty. I’m a very scary cat.” Plagg glared at him out of annoyance and Adrien laughed. 

“Sure.” Adrien rolled his eyes and opened his shirt for the little kwami. “Time to go home.” 

Plagg zipped into his shirt and Wayzz flew under Nino’s hat. 

C. A moment’s Respite (Chloe)

It had been a long time since Chloe had had a moment to just relax. She had been running around all week as Queen Bee and was really tired. 

Chloe laid back on her beach chair as she took a sip from her glass of tea. Pollen flew over and settled down on her shoulder. 

“This is nice. A moment to rest our wings.” Pollen sighed as Chloe passed her a glass of sweet tea. 

Pollen took a sip from her glass and hummed a song. “This week has been really hard.” 

“You have done so good, my Queen.” Pollen smiled as she focused on her drink. 

“I don’t feel like I have.” Chloe sighed as she thought about the past week. 

“What do you mean? You helped Ladybug and Chat Noir a lot. They couldn’t have done half the stuff they had without you.” Pollen set her glass down and zipped up to hug Chloe’s cheek in her tiny paws. She rubbed her cheek against the girls with a warm smile. “You are amazing in and out of the suit. Strong and stubborn, but deep down? You care about people. You just need to show it once in a while.” 

“Thank you, Pollen.” Chloe raised her index finger and rubbed the little bug’s head. “I’m glad that I have you.” 

“You have more than me, my Queen. You have the whole team!” Pollen flew in front of her with her arms out at her sides and excitement in her voice. 

Chloe giggled and nodded with a warm smile. “I suppose you’re right, Pollen.” 

[graaythekwami]

Love Square Fluff Week: Day 1, Concert

Also read on ao3!

Pairing: LadyNoir

Note: This takes place in an animal/shapeshifting AU I’m working on. Instead of superheroes their Miraculouses turn them into animals, and the general public is scared of them and their powers.

-----

‘My Lady? Is that you?’

The ladybug let out a small hum as she heard the voice in her mind, wings flapping wildly as she tried to navigate the dark corners near the ceiling. Her senses were a mess at the moment, so many smells touching her antennae, echoing noises of hundred of people below. She was either flying in patches of darkness, or in the bright lights of the show below.

‘Yes,’ she replied telepathically as she flew closer to the agreed meeting location. In the daytime it had been easy to find, when the concert hall was empty, but now that everyone had gathered for the performance tonight it had become pure chaos. ‘Are you positive an akuma is going to strike tonight?’ 

She caught a glimpse of neon green out of the corner of her eye, turning mid-flight as she sped towards it. She didn’t slow down, her mind still trying to sort through the array of senses coming to her– and she ended up crashing right into a mass of fur– which proceeded to shake as it let out a loud purr.

‘I see you decided to crash for the night,’ Chat said, and the ladybug let out a grumble as she folded in her wings, the protective elytra swiftly covering them as she was no longer flying. ‘And with so many emotions running high tonight? I would be surprised if Papillon didn’t strike.’

She crawled up her partner's chest, scurrying past his neck and not stopping until she was on the top of his head. She settled herself into his fur, feeling much more secure on him when she was this small. He was no bigger than the average house cat, but seeing she was a tiny ladybug he was giant to her.

‘I think you just want to see the Jagged Stone concert for free,’ she replied, and if she could smirk in this form then she would have.

‘“Free” is not the issue,’ he replied. ‘It’s seeing it at all for me, my father isn’t that keen for me to go to events such as these,’ Chat began purring once more. ‘Besides, if we didn’t come like this I wouldn’t be able to see it with you.’

‘True,’ she said after a moment of thought. ‘We have a pretty good view too, might I add.’

They were up in the rafters, perched on a metal beam above the concert hall. They were a ways back so they could see the stage, but close enough that it was just as good as front row seats. She peered out from between his fur to look down at the crowds of people below. For a moment she was tempted to grow larger, but shuddered at the thought of if someone saw her.

A just cat in the rafters? Annoying, but not the biggest concern to most people. Chat Noir and Ladybug up here though? She knew they would be less than welcomed. Especially Chat.

‘You have your symbol covered up,’ she noted, peering down as his black furry chest. A neon green paw pad that was an emblem of his power usually sat there, but he often covered it up with ink or mud to hide the fact he was Chat Noir, so he could roam the streets of Paris without the people scattering in fright.

‘Too many people out here tonight, I would have been noticed otherwise,’ he replied, laying down with a yawn. The cat was careful to keep his head balanced as to not knock her off of her perch. ‘You have it easy.’

That was true, her symbol was simply the spots present on her back, meaning she just looked like the average ladybug when transformed, and it was easy for her to blend in. Chat’s on the other hand stood out like a sore thumb, and had to put effort in his appearance.

‘At least you aren’t at risk for getting squished,’ she replied.

‘You can fly.’

‘You got to stay a mammal! Have lungs and vocal cords and a nose!’

‘You can climb up walls, heal your own wounds, are practically invisible you’re so small–‘

‘At least you actually have a natural ability to fight– claws, teeth, agility– I’m just basically a tank with the akuma!’

‘A beautiful tank,’ Chat replied with a purr.

‘...I’m literally a bug, Chat,’ Ladybug said.

‘You’re beautiful,’ He insisted.

She buried herself deeper into his fur. ‘I’m not beautiful like this, Chat, and I know it. I don’t have the cute factor going for me like you do. When I augment I’m nothing but a hideous giant bug.’

‘My cute factor is gone once I augment too, My Lady. A giant bull-sized cat isn’t exactly the most cuddly thing,’ he pawed gently at his head, not enough to knock her off, but she got the message and flew down in front of him.

He pressed his head against the metal beam they were on, trying to get as close to her eye level as possible. In the end she had to crawl up onto his paw, bumping against his nose. A puff of warm air ran over her, and he began purring once more.

‘And by the way, you are beautiful,’ Chat’s telepathy became softer. ‘You’re kind, brave, funny, selfless. You help protect a city that’s looking for any reason to turn against us.’

‘Chat–’

‘Trust me, Ladybug, I’ve been around plenty of people that the world would claim as “beautiful”, and they’re some of the most toxic people I have ever met. You on the other paw... You do everything in your power to be a good person, and I can’t think of anything more beautiful.’

She had no reply.

Chat brought his paw in close, gently bumping the top of her elytra with his nose. ‘Let’s enjoy the show, shall we?’

The crowd below let out a wild cheer as Jagged Stone went out on stage, Chat Noir joining in with several loud meows. She could see his excitement– ears perked, tail swishing, pupils dilated. At times it was surprising how easily she could read him, but after how long they had worked together it was to be expected.

She knew the people in the city feared them, even if they had come to need them with the presence of akumas. No matter what they did they were just unnatural to them, dangerous, fused with a foreign magic they couldn’t understand. She had come to accept these terms a long time ago.

But as she looked up at Chat, her Kitty happily purring away, she realized he was right.

They were beautiful.

[macaronsforchat]

Love Square Fluff Week Day 3 - Flowers

read on ao3!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 (you are here) | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

After another long day, Adrien couldn’t have been happier to finally call on Plagg and stretch his legs. He couldn’t believe how stiff he’d gotten after that afternoon’s photoshoot, not to mention the big storm that kept him indoors yesterday. He’d been looking forward to patrolling with Ladybug, but they’d agreed to call it off when they saw the treacherous weather.

But the sky was clear again, so Adrien took advantage of the warm spring afternoon and escaped to the rooftops. He ran as fast as he could, pushing his muscles to the limit and feeling the fire in them ignite. It felt amazing compared to the dull week he’d had.

After working up a sweat, the superhero stopped to take a break. When he glanced around to see how far he’d gotten, he realized he’d ended up right next to the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery. Maybe it was the sweet smell of vanilla and sugar that had subconsciously brought him near. Or something else.

The resulting smile that appeared on his face was more than welcome, his mind immediately bringing up the sight of Marinette earlier today in school. She’d said hello to him that morning, and he’d heard her whispering excitedly to Alya that she hadn’t stuttered. Adrien couldn’t resist feeling proud of her.

His classmate was just as sweet as the pastries kept downstairs in her parent’s’ shop, though he wished he could spend more time with her in his civilian life. He didn’t know her as well as he wanted to.

Like magic, as soon as the thought of her popped into his head, he saw her climb onto her balcony. He couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped through his already-smiling lips.

She looked adorable.

Her hair looked frazzled but had been wrestled back into a high bun, and the little strands that stood on end only made him giggle more. She was wearing some pink, polka dotted shorts and a white tank top, and the long, black socks with cat faces near her knees made him stare. She seemed to glow in the late afternoon sunlight.

Though as soon as she walked a few feet forward on her balcony, she yelped, jumping back and looking down. There were puddles left over from yesterday’s storm, and she’d gotten her socks all wet.

It was a shame, Chat Noir sighed to himself as she slid them off and hung them over the railing of her balcony. But the little pout that had formed on her lips was what drew his attention next. He thought it was just because of her wet socks, but as he looked to what had upset her, he understood.

The wind from the storm had ripped up the roses in her hanging flower bed, he noticed as she walked over to assess the damage. She looked pretty upset, taking the pot down and placing it on the floor, now with a frown settling on her face. Chat Noir realized he was frowning, too. He didn’t like seeing Marinette upset.

Just before he pounced and jumped over to try and lighten her mood, her attention perked up, and she climbed back inside her trapdoor like she’d been called by her parents.

Letting his mind wander back to her messy hair almost distracted him from the alarm ringing out from his baton, and he shook his head quickly to try and rid his mind of Marinette. He had set the alarm to remind himself to meet Ladybug at the Eiffel Tower for their rescheduled patrol.

But as he flew off towards the beautifully lit monument and the love of his life, he still couldn’t stop thinking about Marinette.

~~~~~

Adrien ambled into Ms. Bustier’s homeroom the next morning, yawning.

“Hey, Nino,” he sighed, slumping into his seat.

“Hey, dude. Did you sleep at all last night?” he chuckled, nudging his arm a little. Adrien laughed back humorlessly.

“Couldn’t turn my mind off,” he replied, remembering how the two pigtailed girls had run around in his head for hours.

Before Nino could ask what he’d been thinking about, Marinette and Alya walked in. He glanced up at them, noticing that Marinette had the same look on her face from last night.

“--completely ruined,” he heard her finish, seeing Alya throw an arm around her best friend’s shoulders.

“I can come and help you replant sometime, girl,” Alya offered, but Marinette’s face only fell again.

“Thanks, Al, but I won’t have time or money to go buy another rose bush for a while,” she sighed as they both sat down in their seats.

“I’m sorry, Mari,” Alya spoke gently, and Adrien realized he’d been staring when Marinette’s eyes met his.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Marinette,” he spoke quickly but kindly, turning around in his seat to think.

Maybe he’d be able to help Marinette smile again after all.

~~~~~

Just before its closing, Chat Noir walked into a local plant nursery, nearly giving the owner a heart attack. He asked all about planting roses and made sure to buy the best looking rose bush, enjoying how excited the owner got.

He flew across the rooftops, carrying the present carefully until he reached her balcony. He crept across the floor as quietly as possible, having noticed that her lights weren’t on. Checking his baton and seeing it was nearly 11pm, he hoped she was asleep, and he //really hoped he wouldn’t wake her up if she was.

Chat started on replanting the roses, sitting cross-legged and whistling lightly to help himself stay focused. After a few minutes, he realized that maybe claws weren’t that suitable for planting with delicate roots, having already sliced the plastic pot he’d brought the bush in. He tried sweeping the dirt that he’d spilled everywhere into a pile, but in doing so, knocked over the small table behind him with his tail.

He froze, eyes wide and muscles tensed. Seconds later, Marinette peaked her head out of her trapdoor, wielding a pair of fabric scissors and looking like she’d just woken up. Even so, he felt threatened by the determined look in her eyes. But that vanished when he laid eyes on Chat Noir looking like a guilty kitten.

“Chat Noir?” she hissed, blinking rapidly. He stood up quickly, smiling nervously.

“Hi, Marinette,” he smiled, picking up the table he knocked over as she climbed up onto the balcony. She was looking at him incredulously, folding her arms across her chest. That was when he noticed she was in pajamas again, her hair falling gently around her face in messy strands.

“It’s late! What are you doing?” she wondered, and he tore his gaze away to look back down at the mess he’d made.

“I saw that your roses had gotten ruined, and I wanted to help, but...” he trailed off, peering up at her and expecting her to be annoyed. He watched as her eyes moved to his attempt at gardening, but when they met his again, her deep blue eyes had softened.

“You did all this for me?” she whispered, staring at him. He nodded, smiling down at her. She walked over and stood on her tippytoes to hug him tight, surprising him yet again.

“Thank you, Chat Noir,” she said as he carefully hugged her back, trying to keep his wide smile under control.

“It’s my pleasure, princess,” he grinned to himself, watching her face as she let go. She was smiling, too, but as she took another look down at his work, her lips tightened into a smirk.

“You’ve never planted anything before, have you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Guilty as charged,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. He heard a tiny giggle emanate from her.

“Silly kitty.” She knelt down and started up again where he’d left off, glancing up at him. “Can I teach you?”

The gentle moonlight spilling over her features distracted him for almost too long, her pretty pink lips locked in a smile just for him.

“I’d be honored,” he responded, kneeling down with her.

And at midnight when the two had finally finished, he left her balcony unable to think of anything else but her.

Marinette.

~~~~~

thank you all for reading! I struggled a little with this one, but I think I like how it turned out.

[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 2: Moving Day

It’s the big day - Marinette finally moving out of the bakery, and her boyfriend Adrien is there to make it as quick and painless as possible. 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3.  My ko-fi.

Adrien set the box down in the empty room and dragged the back of his hand across his forehead, keeping the sweat out of his eyes.

“Is that the last of them?” He set his hands on his hips. Marinette had already started unpacking a while ago.

“Hm…” Marinette looked around, caught holding a whisk in her hand as she mentally counted the boxes. “Looks like that’s everything…” She looked him over, a playful smirk on her face. “Why don’t you sit down for a little bit, kitty? You’re no use to me tuckered out.”

“Normally I’d decline, but those three flights of stairs really took it out of me.” Adrien glanced around and realized there wasn’t really anywhere to sit. So he sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning back on his elbows. “You gonna be okay walking that distance everyday?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “While not all of us can afford high-end gym memberships, I get plenty of exercise, kitty. I’m still Ladybug, after all.”

“Speaking of which…” Tikki emerged from one of the boxes, and ducked into another one. She dragged out a startled Plagg who was too busy clutching a wedge of camembert to resist. “C’mon, you stinky sock! Let’s go exploring.” Despite his grumbling, he followed after her as they disappeared into another room.

As Marinette hummed to herself, Adrien let his eyes wander across the room. So far, he hadn’t been that impressed by the building and he couldn’t tell how much of that was his upbringing and how much was just sense. It felt cramped, the space was tiny, the windows were clouded and opened out into the alley - although, admittedly, that might come in handy if she had to leave the building as Ladybug. He’d only seen her landlord briefly, but he already didn’t like the sleazy looking man. While he wanted nothing more than to denounce it and talk Marinette to her senses…

...He decided to bite his tongue. She seemed happy, so maybe the problems weren’t as big as he thought they were. Besides, maybe this was just him being upset that they weren’t moving in together. It wouldn’t be fair of him to nag on her first home outside of home, especially if that was his real motivation.

“I know it’s not much to look at now,” Marinette said, breaking the silence and making Adrien blush in embarrassment.

“Was I that obvious?”

“Mhm. And I get it - it’s a step down from how I was living back at the bakery, but…” She sat down across from him, her knees drawn close to her chest, “...I think, with a little love and a lot of hard work, this place will feel like home before the semester is out.”

“I’ll be more than happy to help out whenever you need it.”

“That’s sweet of you to offer, but you’ve got plenty on your plate as is. I’m not about to ask you to play home makeover with me too. Although,” she said with a wink, “I wouldn’t be opposed if you came over for dinner and some late night fun.”

He scooted closer to her, their faces centimeters apart. “Well, you did say this place could use some love…”

“I did say that, didn’t I?”

He closed his eyes and leaned in, only to be pushed back by the nose.

“...But not right now. You’ve got a lunch with Nino to get to, don’t you?”

Adrien whipped out his phone and cursed. He had ten minutes to beat Nino to the cafe.

He sprang to his feet and took Marinette’s hand to help her up. He planted a kiss on her knuckles. “Until next time, m’lady. Plagg?” He called out as he walked toward the door. “We gotta go!”

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

It was close, but Adrien made it in time. Nino was already waiting for him, as was a cup of coffee done just the way Adrien liked it (extra sugar and cream). Nino glanced up from his phone when Adrien pulled up a seat, a grin spreading across his face as he rose from his slouch.

“Bro! It’s been way too long.” They did their secret handshake from collegé over the table. His grin faded a little. “Sorry we couldn’t show for the anniversary, Adrien. Not a lotta free time these days, ya know?”

“Yeah, I get it. Don’t worry, no one understands the pain of a busy schedule more than me.” Adrien took a sip of his coffee. He was relieved when he felt the heat hit his tongue - he hadn’t left Nino waiting too long after all. “I’ve been meaning to ask - how’s that internship stuff working for Alya?”

“My babe has been working double time to leave a good impression.” Nino chuckled. “Not that she needs to, though. All that work on the Ladyblog over the years really paid off. Having the dopest place for anything miraculous related gave her tons of credibility. And while I bet I’ve lost years from worry after seeing her run into danger so much…”

Adrien chuckled.

“...It really showed how hyped she was for the job. She had her pick of the internships when we got out of school.”

With a glance at the green bracelet on Nino’s wrist, Adrien added, “Well, at least later on, she could more than handle herself, right?”

Nino followed his eyes and smirked. “Yeah, I guess you could say that, whiskers. Still, to everyone watching, it was one crazy blogger doing her damnedest to get the best scoop.” He took a big gulp of his iced coffee. “Helps that she always got the best interviews with the heroes.”

“Hm…” Adrien rested his chin on his hand, his elbow propped up on the table, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “I wonder how she managed to cultivate all those contacts…”

“Well, after she got in good with the most important and beautiful hero - Rena Rouge - I bet it was loads easier.”

Narrowing his eyes in mock anger, Adrien growled, “You don’t want to start this argument again, shelly. Clearly, the most important and drop dead gorgeous hero was Ladybug.”

“Look,” Nino said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Let’s just say all four of Paris’s defenders were hot, okay?”

Adrien pretended to consider this for a moment before nodding. “I accept your truce. And speaking of the biggest names in Paris, how’s my main man Nino doing?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say he’s a hot shot in Paris yet, but…” Nino tugged at his hat, his cheeks a little rudder than they were a moment ago. “I’m doing good. Remind me to do something special for Marinette soon. This internship… apprenticeship… thing, I’ve got going with Jagged Stone has been like in the top three best experiences in my life. I owe her a lot for hyping me up to the rock legend himself.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short! You didn’t get there on Mari’s word alone. If Jagged didn’t love your work, he wouldn’t have taken you on, recommendation or no.”

“Thanks, bro.” Some of the tension left his shoulders and he let out a deep breath. “I needed to hear that. Hanging out with Jagged has been a dream come true, but… it’s hard to believe I’m worthy sometimes.”

Fiddling with his ring, Adrien smiled sadly. “I know what you mean.”

“But hey! Enough about me - what about you, bro? What’s the future got in store for the big cat himself?”

Adrien leaned back, putting an arm over the back of his chair and looking up at the clear blue sky in thought. “Honestly? I don’t know. And I’m kinda in love with not knowing, if that makes sense?”

Understanding lit up in Nino’s eyes. “All that time marching by the beat of someone else’s drum and you finally got all the freedom you could want. I get it, dude. Well,” he conceded with a nod, “as much as someone who has never gone through that can get it.”

They sipped at their coffee in peace for a few quiet moments, the background babble of the cafe filling the empty space.

“So… what’re you gonna do between now and the future?”

“Pick up some modeling gigs every now and again. Try out some odd jobs to see if anything sticks. Do shifts at the bakery. That sort of thing.”

“Nice, bro. It’s not like money is that much of a concern for you.”

“I haven’t even scratched the surface yet, so I’ve got plenty more time to work things out too. Especially if I don’t go overboard with it.”

It had been a shock to the system, finding out that all the money he’d earned while modeling during his school years had only been a fraction of the money he’d actually made. The rest had been in a bank account that Adrien only found out about when he’d turned eighteen. It made for at least some good news at the end of the worst month of his life. Two years later and he’d barely made a dent in it, and even then only because he had moved out of the bakery last year.

Which came after the last break in by overly desperate reporters trying to dig up something on the only free Agreste left. There hadn’t been any incidents since then, but it had shaken him more than he’d let on. The idea of repaying the Dupain-Chengs’ kindness with that invasion of privacy…

“Big cat!”

Adrien snapped out of it and noticed Nino’s hand on his arm. He looked up into his concerned amber eyes. He smiled nervously.

“Sorry, dude. Kinda zoned out for a second.”

Leaning back into his spot, Nino’s concern didn’t fade in the slightest. “You know…”

“Therapy, yeah, you’ve mentioned.”

Nino held his hands up defensively. “I’m just saying. It helped me out a ton, and I don’t have the baggage you’ve got. You should at least give it a try, yeah?”

“Yeah, sure,” Adrien replied noncommittally. He hunched over and clutched his coffee in both hands.

Adrien felt a hand on his shoulder and dragged his gaze from his coffee to Nino’s eyes. “Bro, I know it’s not something you want to hear, but you’ve been through a lot. More than any of us, even before that sucker punch at the end. We’re your friends, but there is only so much we can do for you, especially now that we’re busier than ever.”

“I know.”

“Promise me you’ll at least think about it?”

“I promise,” Adrien lied.