#✦ adrien agreste || answered ✦ cat got your tongue?

[storiedhistories]

@missallanea asked: ‘ just because we’re friends doesn’t mean i’m going any easier on you. ’ / kagami @ adrien

"You'd better not," Adrien said with a grin from behind his fencing mask, foil raised and at the ready. "We both know you're better than I am; how can I improve if you take it easy on me?"

Adrien was quite good at fencing, make no mistake about that, but Kagami was better. Still, he held his own, for the most part, and he enjoyed a good challenge.

[stardustedstories]

@missallanea asked: the last thing i want is to see you get hurt. / nathalie @ adrien ( bonus points if it includes supervillain reveal )

Adrien sat beside his bed, legs pulled up to his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. If he tucked himself into the little corner provided by his bed and the wall, he only had to watch two sides of the room, could to keep an eye on the entrance to his room. He would have preferred if his bed was further from the door, so he could have at least a little bit more preparation when someone pushed it open, but he had to make do with what he had.

It was better to have more sides guarded, to be able to keep an eye on the door and the windows at the same time. And if he needed to, he could use the bed for cover, could slip under it and even hide, if it came right down to it.

This wasn't the first time he'd tucked himself into as much of a corner as he could, ready to have to deal with any threat that came at him. He hated being locked into his room, and it was one of the quickest ways to push him right to the edge.

And sometimes Plagg could help calm him down, reminded him that he wasn't helpless, that if he needed to, he could transform into Chat Noir, that he could defend himself, even get out if he really needed to. But there had been times that even that hadn't helped.

Tonight was unfortunately one of those times.

His father had sent him to his room, had locked him in, and that had sent Adrien spiraling in a way he hadn't in a while.

Usually when his dad locked him into his room, there was some sort of threat, something Chat Noir had to help deal with, but he didn't think he was going to be able to get out of here tonight.

And he had a feeling that it wasn't going to matter anyway. The last couple of times he'd had to take time to get to the scene of the latest akumatization, Ladybug had already recruited one of the other heroes that she knew about, showing him yet again that she didn't need him. All she needed was a sidekick, and it didn't matter who that was.

Adrien was so tired of not mattering to anyone. He didn't matter to his father, didn't matter to Ladybug; he was pretty sure he didn't even matter to his friends. They had their own group, did all their own things; they didn't need him, not the way he needed them.

He hears the door opening, and his head jerks up, looking wide-eyed in the direction of the door. For a split-second, he stays where he is, not sure what he should do, but he quickly dashes across the room and throws himself into the bathroom, which probably would have been a better place to start out, but….he hadn't exactly been thinking clearly.

Heels click across the floor, and part of his brain registers that it's probably Nathalie, coming to check on him, the way she'd been doing fairly often, recently. If he were in a better mindset, he might be a little worried about that, might wonder if there was a reason she was checking on him more than usual. But all he can think about is making sure the door is locked and wishing he'd brought one of his foils into the bathroom with him. It wouldn't do much against an actual threat, but it was better than nothing.

He can't even call out, can't ask what she wants, tell her to go away, anything; all he can do is press himself against the door and hope that'll be enough if it has to be.

The knock that comes on the door is a surprise; he'd been expecting the door to be pushed open. But after a moment, when he doesn't answer, another soft knock comes, followed by words.

"The last thing I want is to see you get hurt," Nathalie murmurs, and for the first time since the locks engaged, Adrien feels himself start to relax, just a little. Out of everyone in his life, Nathalie really did look out for him. She had his best interests at heart, and he believed her when she said she cared about him, when she told him she just wanted what was best.

And then his mind shifts to someone else who was looking out for him, had encouraged him to take control of his own life, to step out of everyone else's shadow. Mayura had told him she wanted what was best for him, too. Which he found interesting.

But the more time he spent on his own, the more time he had to think…., he was beginning to believe that she was right. He makes a mental note to see if he can contact her, the way she'd told him to, before squaring his shoulders, moving to pull the door to the bathroom open, to finally talk to Nathalie.

Only to see Mayura staring back at him.

[escapeaddict]

Anarchy

A shadowy silhouette stands in a dim room lit only by its one large window. A humanoid butterfly bobs up and down anxiously next to the tall specter, who is reading a passage from an ancient looking tome.

A conclusion is reached.

And a grin spreads across the shadowy figure’s face.

What better way to motivate heroes, than a villain?

Many stories begin the same way.

A threat. An attack. And a response.

But this one starts long before all that.

Yes, the Guardian of the Miraculous chooses Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste to wield The Earrings of the Ladybug and The Ring of the Cat, but in this tale that is the least of their roles.

This story commences with the birth of the Couffaine-Stone children to the world-famous Croco Duo.

You see, in this universe, while the same cannot be said for the couple, the band never broke up. This has far reaching consequences on subsequent events.

So, what follows?

Pure, utter, chaos.

“You really need to drop that utterly ridiculous habit.”

Juleka takes a final drag of her cigarette, leaning on the balcony banister, and ignores the blonde behind her.

Chloe watches in distaste as smoke curls out of Juleka’s mouth and she stubs her cigarette out, throwing the ashy tipped filter into the wastebin of the hotel room behind her.

“Disgusting,” Chloe mutters, lips curled. “I am merely here to inform you of Adrikins arrival. Feel free to not join us.”

Juleka turns her head just enough to make eye contact with Chloe’s icy gaze, lazy smile spreading across her face.

“Who else will give Roger another heart attack when he comes to pick up his daughter from her playdate?”

“If she were here today, your brother’s new tattoo would suffice,” Chloe sneers. “I swear his arms are a crime against humanity. As well as your face.”

Juleka sticks out her tongue, deliberately playing with its piercing.

“Tch,” Chloe spins on her heel, over-sprayed ponytail cutting a sharp path through the late summer air.

Juleka, mainly out of spite, follows her out into the hallway and into her suite.

“Jule!” Adrien hits the pause button on his controller and looks up from the TV screen. “You came!”

He crushes her into a hug as Chloe scoffs at the nickname, and Luka discreetly unpauses the game and beats Adrien’s level three mecha into the ground.

“How have you been?” Adrien beams, stepping back with a final squeeze.

“Decent,” Juleka answers, resolutely not thinking about their recent swimsuit photoshoot. “Skimping on schoolwork.”

“Oh!” Adrien lights up. “I'm not going to be homeschooled this year!”

“For real?” Luka finally stops restarting the game behind Adrien’s back, twisting around to rest his chin on the back of the couch in order to face everyone.

“Guess who got a new classmate?” Chloe strikes an exaggerated pose, flipping off Juleka while Adrien’s looking at her brother.

“Chloe Bourgeoise’s friend,” Juleka muses. “What a first impression. I feel bad for Adrien’s social life.”

“Fuck you.”

Luka sighs.

“Anyway, I was thinking,” Adrien rubs the back of his neck, ignoring the mini spat. “You could live full time at the hotel… I’m sure Andre will give you guys a discount… And you already know me, Chlo, and Sabrina…”

It didn’t take a genius to realize where this was going.

“Well, you could, um, join our class?”

“Excuse me?” Chloe says, whose face sours more the longer Adrien talks. “Are you serious?”

For once, Juleka somewhat agrees with her.

“I mean, the three of us have been taught by tutors our whole lives!” he continues, arms flapping. “Surely you want to try something different? Also, my dad won’t back out at the last minute if you do.”

“We do move around a whole lot,” Luka says.

Juleka stares at him flatly.

“Come on,” he says. “We’re only back in Paris this long because of your modeling contract. I mean, when was the last time we stayed in one place for longer than two weeks?”

Upset at being mildly tempted, Juleka looks away from Luka’s calm face, only to meet Adrien’s puppy eyes and Chloe’s grimace.

Staying would have the added benefit of pissing her off.

“Well, if it’ll make you happy,” she grumbles. “Could be interesting.”

“Yay!” Adrien does a celebratory spin and leaps over the back of the couch to face the screen once more, only to meet betrayal. “Hey, what happened to my mecha? I saved up my level four respawn!”

Luka presses his knuckles to his mouth, muffling his laughter.

“Juleka Couffaine?”

“Present,” she says quietly, anxiety drying her mouth and throat.

Whispers between classmates, which previously sprang up at Adrien’s name, increase. Juleka definitely overhears snatched fragments of conversations mentioning the Agreste summer line, as well as those cursed swimsuit photographs. She hides behind her bangs, which for once aren’t clipped back in public.

“They’re definitely dating,” some meathead mutteres.

“More like fornicating,” his nerdy friend responds.

They both snicker, as though she can’t hear every word they say.

She’s sitting directly behind them for fuck’s sake.

See, PR team? This was why she should come out publicly already, potential backlash be damned.

“It would be so romantic if they were together,” someone across the aisle dressed in eyesore pink squeals to her red haired deskmate. “The chemistry in those pictures is to die for!”

“You just like those photos because they're both hot,” he says, not looking up from his doodles. “Not that I can blame you for that.”

“Settle down class,” Ms. Bustier speaks loudly to be heard over the spike of noise in the classroom, thankfully cutting off any more mortifying tidbits from reaching Juleka’s ears.

Chloe, Adrien and Sabrina have their faults, but this much of a reaction from people who are supposed to be her peers now?

This was a mistake.

The universe seems to agree with her, as the left-hand wall explodes inwards, little bursts of plaster dust twirling through the air.

A stone behemoth roars at the sky.

Entranced, Juleka yells back.

The giant pauses and looks at her, confused.

“Come on!” Eyesore Pink grabs her by the hand. “Run!”

And Juleka’s yanked away from the chaos.

Eyesore Pink- Rose -is an obliviously bubbly but ultimately kind hearted person. Juleka decides to forgive her for her earlier statement, considering the girl braved a colossus for someone she didn’t know. She may have done it for fanatic reasons, but in order to stay sane, Juleka’s just going to treat her as a potential acquaintance.

“What is she doing here,” Chloe appears in the doorway of the Couffaine-Stone suite, nose wrinkled in distaste.

“You get back from being kidnapped by a supervillain,” Juleka says, “and the first thing you do is complain that I brought one of your classmates over?”

“They’re your classmates now too, loser.”

“I wouldn’t have worded it that way,” Luka interjects. “But yes, what she said.”

“I can just leave…” Rose inches towards the door. “But I'm glad you're all okay!”

“No,” Juleka says. “Unless you really want to, that is. You should know that my ulterior motive here is annoying Blondie, but we can still hang.”

“Yeah!” an out of breath Adrien materializes behind Chloe and nudges her into the room. “I’ve always wanted to have a movie night with friends from school.”

“It’s not night,” Luka points out.

“You're not friends,” Juleka adds.

“Yet!” Rose and Adrien say simultaneously, then exchange a high-five.

“So, movie?” he asks.

“We better pick a good movie, assholes,” Chloe scoffs, patting her hair. “Last time we watched The fucking Room.

“But consider; you have shit taste,” Juleka says. “Maybe you shouldn’t get to vote.”

Rose looks between the two of them, eyebrows arched.

“They’re just teasing,” Adrien tells her kindly. “It’s kind of a habit now, whenever we watch a movie.”

“Sure,” Chloe says. “Teasing.”

“Okay,” Rose shakes off her momentary confusion. “In that case should we weigh our options? I vote for Inside Out!”

“We already know we need therapy,” Luka says, ignoring the glares sent his way by a pair of indignant blonds. “Let’s watch something dumb.”

Juleka leans forward to pick up the remote and says “Birds of Prey.”

“How about a no?” Luka is quick to respond, snatching the remote from between her fingers. “Once was enough.”

Juleka crosses her arms and growls.

“You’re allowed to like whatever trash you want,” Chloe says. “Just don’t foist it on us. If we’re going for dumb, I vote Legally Blonde.”

“Once was enough,” Juleka echoes her brother. “The World’s End.”

“What did I say about therapy?” Luka says, raising the remote out of her reach when she attempts to swipe it. “Even the press knows you’re probably an alcoholic.”

“But Edgar Wright’s an amazing director,” Rose objects. 

“Maybe we can compromise?” Adrien speaks up for the first time since the debate started.

“On what exactly?” Juleka challenges. “None of the nominations are similar in any way.”

“Well, what else has he directed?” Adrien asks.

“I’m not watching Baby Driver,” Luka states. “It’s a matter of principle.”

“Tsk.” Chloe shakes her head. “Scott Pilgrim is obviously what we’ll end up agreeing on. Idiots.”

“It is hilarious,” Luka concedes.

“See?” Adrien smiles. “Compromise.”

“Hey, I’m the genius here,” Chloe tosses her hair. “It would have taken you knuckleheads half an hour to reach a decision without me.”

“Any vetoes?” Juleka asks, mostly to stop Chloe’s self congratulatory speech. “No? ‘Kay, Luka. Hit it.”

Music is blaring and a rainbow of strobe lights cut through the dark, blinking in and out of existence. On the refreshment table, behind the obligatory smattering of snacks, bottles line up, artificial fruit juices and six-packs of beer next to fizzing champagne and cheap vodka, while stacks of disposable red cups of the large, medium, and shot-sized variety teeter precariously at its very edge. Luka disappears into the crowd, no doubt in search of his fellow crackheads, though Juleka does her best not to think about that. The host shoves a shot into her hand and she downs it in seconds, grimacing at the taste and the flare of dry warmth on her tongue and in her chest, which climbs through her airways and presses behind her eyes. The initial overwhelming sensation quickly recedes into vague fuzziness, more a promise of future gratification than direct intoxication, and, guilty with pleasure, Juleka lets herself be pulled to the dance floor by someone she met minutes before.

[wornoutmouse]

Look I wrote this for my friend but i popped the hell off with this one so if you don’t mind reading a name inbetween a few dialogue points pls read

You ran hurriedly through the halls of the school as the third bell finally rang. You had overslept and had barely made it onto the bus. Skidding to a stop, you slow down when you get to the door, catching your breath before entering. Just as you annoyingly expected, eyes dart towards you as soon as you entered, effectively catching the teacher’s attention.

 “This is the second time you are late young lady, one more time and I will have no choice but to write you up.” You smile awkwardly, “Sorry Miss, it won’t happen again.”  Ms. Bustier clicks her tongue disapprovingly as she watched her student walk to her seat, head hanging low. You sit down in your chair with a soft sigh as Ms. Bustier spoke about today’s lesson.

For the most part, you pay attention to the lesson being taught, that is until your attention is being interrupted by a pencil poking your side. From your peripheral vision, you see fluffy blond hair swaying gently to get your attention. You mutter under your breath, swiping the pencil with your hand, “Quit it Adrien I’m already in trouble.” The boy huffs but the playful aura still hung around making your skin buzz with excitement.

 Shifting in your seat, you squint your eyes at the smartboard, writing down notes every so often. Looking down once again, you notice a small piece of paper folded, You look at Adrien who boredly watched your teacher speak. Opening the paper you roll your eyes at the note inside. 

A - Late again are you Miss Mia? One more time and I might have to wake you up myself

Nibbling the tip of your pencil you write a note back, crumpling the paper before tossing it at Adrien’s head with a smirk.

You- Well maybe I wouldn’t have been so tired if you hadn’t interrupted my study time with your modeling rants

The paper is tossed back at your head, catching in your curly hair, making Adrien snort.

A- Well I can think of other ways to keep you up at night...

You cough loudly at the message, eyes darting at Adrien’s laid-back figure. You scribble down a quick snarky reply with shaking hands. You go to pass the paper but the sound of a throat clearing interrupts you. You turn to your left and are forced to look up, gulping when you notice your teacher’s signature white blazer. She holds her hand out and you reluctantly place the ball of paper in her hand.

“While I will not embarrass you by reading out your hidden messages, I will embarrass you by writing you up for detention.” Sputtering, you point an accusing finger at the smug boy behind you, “He started it first I was just..” You are hushed by a firm hand on your shoulder, “Well if that’s the case, both you and Adrien can join each other at study hall.” Adrien groans behind you and you throw a glare his way, one that he responds with a teasing wink. The sound of the bell ringing grimly reminds you of the dreadful time awaiting you in study hall after school.

 When you get thereAdrien is already there and waves you over to him. You narrow your eyes at him but sit next to him anyway. “Aww don’t look at me like that Mi, it’s not my fault you aren’t stealthy enough to pass a simple note in class.” You roll your eyes, “Well if you weren’t tossing notes like a child, we wouldn’t be here either.” Adrien laughs loudly earning a sharp look from the detention monitor. 

He mutters a silent apology as you busy yourself with a notepad and pencil. The study hall is silent and boring and 11 minutes feel like 11 hours as the clock ticks by. Adrien watches your small scribbles turn into different shapes and sizes. Before long, he notices you drawing a rather familiar face. “Whatcha drawing?” You shrug, watching your pencil make the shape of cat-like ears.

You continue drawing, briefly recognizing Adrien’s body heat as he watches over your shoulder. “You like Chat Noir huh?” Your precise pencil strokes outline the lean frame of one of Paris’s heros. While it is undoubtedly Chart Noir in a heroic setting, the way his eyes slant a little more than his mask allows and the way one of his hands rested on his chest did give way to a more seductive undertone. 

“Yeah, I think he’s pretty hot not gonna lie.” Adrien hums, the feeling of his short breaths blowing against your shoulder makes you shiver. “Really? Well, he can’t be hotter than I can he?” Adrien fluffs his hair pompously as he stretches his body lazily. “I don’t know maybe a little.” Adrien sticks his tongue out at you.

Your monitor stands up and walks towards the door before turning around, “Listen you two, I am going to get lunch, and I better see you two here when I come back or you’ll get worse than detention.” The teacher fixes you both with a long look before leaving. “They are a little stiff in the ass.” You chuckle resting your head on your palm. Adrien slouches in his chair to play on his phone, giving you the perfect opportunity to observe him. Your friend is attractive, that is something you’ve come to terms with a long time ago, hiding your crush away deep in your mind. 

“You like to stare at me when you think?” His tenor voice startles you out of thought and you realize you now have his full attention. Your face is warm and for once you are glad you couldn’t visibly blush. 

“Hey, Adrien? What did you mean by that last message you passed me in class?” You tried to pass the question off as casual but you could feel your heart racing as the room filled with daunting silence. “What do you think I meant?” 

Suddenly Adrien felt too close and the room felt smaller. When you made eye contact with him, his eyes were slanted just like Chat Noirs on your drawing. “You tell me.” You said boldly. Adrien pondered for a while, green eyes observing your features, going from your eyes, down your nose before finally resting on your plump lips. “Well, I think it meant exactly what it said.” Adrien placed a hand on your thigh, squeezing the flesh in his palm. “So tell me why you like Cat Noir?” You stare at nothing, unable to compute the absurd request that came seemingly out of nowhere.

“What?” Adrian’s hand doesn’t stop moving on your thigh, heating your skin through your jeans. “Come on Mi, humor me for a moment.” You hum softly in an attempt at calming your heart rate. “Well, I like how he seems to enjoy what he does,  saving people...” As you speak Adrien takes the time to scoot closer to you paying a sparing glance at the door your teacher left out of a moment ago. “What would you do if you met him?” His hands got closer to your inner thigh fiddling with your belt loops.

The urge to clench your legs together was immediate as the fire within you grew stronger. “I would thank him for his service and-” Adrien shushes you with the sound of your belt clinking a loose. “Let me rephrase, what do you want him to do to you?” Before you had comprehended your predicament, Adrien’s hand had found itself inside your pants.

You were sitting rigidly in your chair, lips parted in a silent exhale. Slender fingers focused themselves on your swelling bud, pressing soft circles on it in an effort to coax it out of its hood. Noting your tensed posture, Adrien tries to distract you. He’ll admit even to himself that this was a bold move on his part and he was surprised you hadn’t pushed him off at this point. “I can stop if you want me to?” You feel his fingers stop their ministrations and you quickly grab his wrist. “No!”

His concerned demeanor is quickly wiped away by a broad smirk as his fingers resumed their task. “Okay then.” He places a kiss on your shoulder through your shirt making you shiver. “You didn’t answer my question.” You nod and try to speak in a stable manner. “I would want him to- oh god!” Adrien’s fingers began to work overtime as they went down to your lips, now wet with your arousal. “I would want him to touch me there! Please.” 

Lips latched lazily on your skin, sucking hard enough for you to feel it but not hard enough for marks to be left behind. “Where is’ there’ Mia? Use your words.” Your back arched in your chair when you felt his slick index finger playfully dip inside of you before returning to your clit.  “Adrien~” Your soft moans were audible now, and every small whimper made his cock ache at the thought of being the cause of your sweet noises. Adrien mockingly hummed, “Oh I see now.”

“You want him to fuck that pretty pussy of yours don’t you?”  You make a strange noise that is a mix of surprise and a moan. You’d never think words like those could leave Adrien’s mouth. “Y-Yes!”  Adrien nodded moving to use both hands now, it was an awkward position but it was worth it seeing you fall apart by his hands. “I bet you think of him at night, kissing you slowly, while his hands roam your body.”  Adrien sinks his teeth in your shoulder blade making you jerk as a particularly hard burst of pleasure racks your body. “You look so damn sexy like this kitty cat.’

You lean forward, holding yourself up by your desk as Adrien’s fingers move faster on your clit. “I can feel how fast your heart is beating, you gonna cum?” The teasing tone in his voice ignited the smallest ounce of competitiveness within you. You grit your teeth and shake your head, “Don’t get so full of yourself Agreste.” Your eyes clenched shut at the feeling of a finger finally entering you. Adrien looked at you with narrowed eyes. He wasn’t a fan when you got competitive, especially when you were obviously bluffing.

There was a thin layer of sweat forming on your skin as your orgasm got closer. Adrien focused on the way your walls quivered around his finger. Your choked-back moans cut the air as he pumps his finger faster. Your wetness was dripping onto your underwear and around his palm making squelching noises. “Are you sure you aren’t going to cum?” Adrien whispered close to your ear taking glee when a tremor passed down your spine. Your orgasm was too damn close for him to stop so you decide to swallow your pride just this once. “F-faster, Adrien, I’m close.” Those were indeed the wrong words to say. Adrien slowed his finger down to slow pumps while his thumb pressed harshly on your clit. He laughed as he could practically feel it throbbing, “I thought you said you weren’t going to cum?” You try to grind down on his hand, bucking slightly as his rough palm stimulated your sensitive lips. “Don’t be an ass ah-fuck!”

You grip the edge of your desk as you finally cum on his hand. Your eyelids flutter and Adrien marvels that the feeling of your cunt that was squeezing him so tightly he could neither tell if it was pulling him in or pushing him out. 

You grunt as he removes his finger, when you look over at him, he is preoccupied with pulling his cock out while licking his fingers clean of your cum. Adrien whimpered around his fingers as his other hand jerked his cock sharply “Ah, you taste better than I thought.” Your eyes travel down his chest to meet his junior. It was thick and surprisingly long. You couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the angry red it was at the tip. But the vein traveling up the side made your mouth water.

His hips bucked to meet his hand desperately. Curses left his soft lips as he tossed his head back in pleasure. A deep warmth flooded your gut from the vibrant imagery of him fucking you with it. “Mia-ah shit.” You raise your head up to meet his eyes, your heart skipping a beat at how the green of his eyes was almost completely drowned by his pupils. “It’s not fair if I helped you get you off, but you won’t help me.” You scootch forward a little bit, swallowing your saliva, “What do you want me to do?” Adrien spread his legs with his hands holding the sides of his chair, “Come on Mi, I haven’t even fucked you yet and you’ve already gone dumb?” 

A hand comes on your shoulder and gently coaxes you down to your knees. You feel small as Adrien peers down at you,  gaze disrupted as his cock begins twitching in front of you. Nervousness enters your head as you quickly come to the realization of how large his dick actually was. “What, are you afraid Mia? Or do I need to get you into the mood?”  Adrien sits up straighter, “Claws out.”  Your tilt your head curious as he combs his fingers through his hair, revealing...cat ears? The sight of a green glow slithering around his body was almost as unnerving as the sight of his outfit changing right before you. 

In little as no time flat, Paris’s neighborhood hero sat in front of you in all his leather glory. His eyes seemed even greener than before, and his personality seemed to change right before you. “Adrien you’re Chat Noir!?” The blond shrugs nonchalantly, gripping his cock and slapping it against your cheek. “Mi I am all for the formalities, but I am so close to fucking your brains out right now, that I think it would be in your best interest to start sucking.” While still being conscious of your hairstyle, Adrien...Noir, pulls your head closer to his groin.

You resist the urge to scrunch your face at the feeling of precum being smeared on your mouth and chin. This resistance only makes Noir chuckle, “Stick your tongue out for me.”  As if it was routine, you do as he says and moan softly from the feeling of his tip tapping your warm muscle. “So fucking perfect for me.”  The praise makes you clench and gives you the courage to open your mouth wider. You suck on his member making him release a pleased growl. His hand laid limply on the back of your head as you take the lead.

The salty taste while slightly unpleasant, wholly addictive. Feeling your growing comfort, Adrien begins thrusting to meet your mouth. The tip of his cock goes all the way to the back of your throat making you choke before dragging back but the sounds of you struggling doesn’t dissuade him. The feeling of your tongue grazing over his vein just before your throat constricted around him drove him wild. Your tiny whimpers made his balls vibrate as he moved faster.

You place your hands on his thighs in order to stable yourself as his thrusts got more brutal. Slob collected around your mouth before dripping down your chin and finally collected by his balls every time they hit your jaw. “Fuck I’m going to cum, I’m going to cum!” Adrien’s voice pitched higher as his claws scratched into the wooden chair of his seat. His head tossed back violently as his thrusts became sloppy, legs shaking. Loud sobs left his mouth as you bright him closer to the edge each thrust is accentuated by filthy words. “Your mouth is so. fucking. Tight. Fuck Mia!”

You felt cum shoot down your throat as Adrien holds your head painfully against this crotch. He weakly thrusts into your mouth a few more times before realizing you. Gasping for air, you wipe your mouth of saliva and look up at Adrien as he catches his breath.  Rough hands grip your chin making you look up at him. “You looked wrecked Mi.” Adrien laughs as he wipes cum off the corner of your mouth.  You stand up wobbly and albeit a bit light-headed, Adrien stands with you and kisses your lips, enjoying the taste of himself in your mouth.

“We are going to finish this later.” Before your brain could even prompt you to ask, the bell rings signaling that detention was over. Adrien deactivates his miraculous before grabbing his backpack and leaving detention hall.

[sariahsue]

Confession

Part two of this (but can be read on its own)

It was barely 9:00 a.m. and Adrien Agreste was already sweating. After an hour of pep talking and encouragement during patrol last night, Ladybug had declared that she wasn’t ready to ask Adrien out yet, but she never would be, so why keep waiting?

And Ladybug was Marinette.

And Marinette wouldn’t stop looking at him.

He hadn’t even gotten through his first class and it was already the longest school day of his life.

(Adrien peeked over his shoulder for the eighth time, just as Marinette turned her face away again and blushed. He whipped around to the front. She was going to get suspicious if he kept doing that, but he couldn’t seem to stop.)

It had been a whole week since Chat Noir had found out Ladybug’s identity, and four days since she’d told him the name of the lucky boy who’d caught her heart. And Adrien still couldn’t believe it was him.

And now she was going to ask him out. When? That was the question floating through his mind as his teachers droned on about algebra. When? Maybe something about the Revolution in history class, but he wasn’t entirely sure. When? Science possibly?

When? 

When was she going to talk to him? Today? Tomorrow? Did he smell nice? Had he misunderstood and she meant a different Adrien Agreste? Should he wait for her to approach him or start a conversation to give her an opening? He should have asked her last night! Why didn’t he ask her that?!

One advantage to peeking at her so often was that he could tell he felt more nervous than she looked, which was probably a good thing. Maybe something he said to her last night had helped. He felt scattered and on edge. Marinette’s nervousness was subtle. A tap tap tap of her pencil. The squeak of her shoe as she bounced her knee. Meanwhile, his mind was going in a hundred directions at once, wondering how she would confess.

And that thought sent anticipation swooping through his stomach.

Maybe it would have been better if he’d just told her his identity last night, make sure she knew how crazy he was about her so she could stop worrying.

But Ladybug had made it clear how much she wanted to ask Adrien, and how much effort she had already put in for him, and he didn’t want to minimize her struggle. Plus - and he felt a little guilty for it - he really wanted to hear what she would say. Wanted her to ask him. Wanted to be wanted by her.

Behind him, Marinette let out a breathy sigh. This was going to be a very, very long day.

***

A few hours later, Adrien stood at the top of school stairs, looking down at the waiting limo with its door already open for him, waiting to take him home for the weekend.

His pep talks hadn’t been enough. Even though she’d had plenty of opportunities, Marinette hadn’t asked him. His footsteps were heavy as he walked away from the school doors and waved a limp hello to his driver.

“Adrien, wait!”

He turned back so fast that the world blurred. Marinette ran toward him and then stopped a few inches in front of him, stone still, hands clenched to her sides.

His heart pounded in his mouth. “Yeah?”

“I-” That was as far as she got before her eyes fell to her feet.

“Yes?” Adrien prompted, hoping he was keeping the desperation out of his voice. He was not going to let her get out of talking now. Not if she was finally going to tell him how she really felt about him. “Was there something you wanted?”

“N-no, I don’t want anything,” she said, eyes flicking back up to his. “Just, um.” Paper rustled as she reached in her pocket and held out a small piece of notebook scrap to him. This wasn’t in any of the plans that they’d made together.

“What’s this?” He took it quickly, careful not to let their fingers brush (even though he wanted them to) because it might make her more nervous. On it was a little doodle of a cat face.

“What’s this about?” he whispered, even though he knew exactly what was going to happen next.

“So I have a purr-fect idea.”

This was it. This was it! She was making puns! She was going to ask him out! This excitement and joy were expected. Every single wish he’d ever made was about to come true.

And all of it was almost overshadowed by the single revelation that his Lady trusted him this much, to take his advice on something so important to her, something that was literally keeping her up at night with worry. It wasn’t trust out of necessity. It was trusting him with her vulnerabilities. He hadn’t realized that was going to hit as hard as it did.

“Cat got your tongue?” Marinette asked.

A second cat pun? Adrien leaned against the open car door for support. It swung farther open under his weight and nearly took him off his feet.

Marinette’s face went white.

“Sorry,” he said, standing back up. (He leaned against the frame of the car this time.)  He had to pull himself together and not make this harder for her than it already was. “Sun was in my--” The sun beat down on the back of his neck. “Never mind. What’s your idea?”

“Uh.” She pointed to the paper. “Flip it over?”

On the back was a hastily-drawn ice cream cone. One of the many date ideas they had discussed. That had been his favorite one. Low pressure, but still enough to get the point across that it was a date and not just hanging out. She trusted his opinion and went with his idea.

“If you’re free sometime, would you want to get ice cream with me?” Its job complete, Marinette’s mouth clicked shut. Her lips screwed up tight as she politely waited for his answer.

Adrien was having none of it.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you asking me for ice cream?”

“Oh.” Marinette folded her hands in front of her chest, eyes looking everywhere but at him. “I just, you know, thought that you might like some ice cream. Some time. And I like it too, and we know each other, so we could get some at the same time.”

“Is that the only reason? Because you thought we both liked it? Or is there something else?”

She sighed, shoulders dropping suddenly. “Listen, I really like you. A lot.”

“Yeah?” he prompted.

She finally looked at him, searching his face for any sign of impending rejection. Adrien smiled softly to let her know she wasn’t ever going to find any there.

“I think you’re great,” she said. “You’re very kind and you’re fun to be around, and I was hoping you’d want to go on a date with me sometime?”

“Yes. I’d love to.”

“Wait.” Marinette took a step back. “Yes? Did you just say yes?!”

“I’m really glad you asked me,” he said. “I’ve had a huge crush on you forever.”

It was Marinette’s turn to be speechless, but she recovered enough to squeak, “How about Monday after school? Do you have time then?”

“Sundaes on Monday? That sounds great!”

Marinette beamed, beautiful and wide and just for him. She liked him! She’d asked him! She trusted him!

She trusted him.

And he couldn’t start a relationship with her when he was keeping a huge secret from her.

“I have something to tell you first though, before our first date, and then you can decide if you still want to go out with me.”

Marinette cocked her head. “Of course I will. What is it?”

Adrien took a deep breath. Would she? He’d effectively tricked her into asking him out.

The Gorilla cleared his throat. A line of cars was forming behind them.

Feeling a little like a coward, Adrien started climbing into the limo. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“But it’s Saturday. We don’t have school tomorrow. And don’t you usually have shoots and fencing?”

He leaned out of the door and grabbed her hand. It would be too much of a hint for him to kiss it, so he squeezed it instead. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find you.”

***

Author’s note: There will be one more part! Update: Here it is!

[quixotin]

can i interest you in a fanfic that had no business making me so emotionally invested?

Heads up this is a bit of a self-promote. 

Okay, it’s a lot of a self-promote but please stay with me. 

I just wanted to share this story that I started writing in 2019 shortly after S3 ended, in which Marinette goes through the events of Truth and basically S4 and onward. I’m always a lil self-conscious about promoting it because it was never really popular so maybe it’s just not good. But I just really enjoy reading and writing it myself and I want to share it with you guys. I’m doing a lil recap of it because at 13 chapters in, it’s not getting a whole lot of readers anymore so here’s to maybe piquing your interest? 

The Wall Between Us 

Marinette is left to pick up the pieces after losing her chance with Adrien and having Master Fu give up his memories to protect the Miraculous Box. She struggles to find her ground as the new Guardian, and when it all becomes too much, finds unexpected support in Luka Couffaine.

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and their friends are tested when Luka accidentally discovers who they are. With their identities in line and complicated feelings in the air, Ladybug and Chat Noir must come up with a plan to defeat Hawkmoth before he ever realizes the secret Luka is keeping and is able to hurt him and everyone involved. 

Gather Your Bearings - In which Marinette finally succumbs to the pressure of being the Guardian of the Miracle Box and struggles to find her footing, due to forcing herself into isolation and secrecy. 

Macaron Advisor - Still struggling to juggle her personal life and duties, Marinette finds unexpected support in Luka Couffaine after a rather awkward encounter with him, Adrien, and Kagami in the unlikeliest of places.

The Guardian’s Apprentice - Following Luka’s advice, Marinette decides to address the elephant in the room with Chat Noir in an attempt to strengthen their partnership.

Party at the Couffaines’ - Being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Luka learns a secret he is aware he is not supposed to know. Much to his undoing after learning this new information, Marinette decides to act on her feelings for him. 

Keeper of Secrets - Marinette goes on with her plan to form a “support group” she can entrust with her secrets but an Akuma forces her to reveal herself to her first confidant faster than she planned. Meanwhile, Adrien realizes where his heart really lies a little too late. 

The Hangout Spot - Marinette finally brings herself to see Master Fu’s final gift for her: The place where he kept all the records of his adventures as a Guardian of the Miraculous.  Meanwhile, Luka’s knack for picking terrible hiding spots in Akuma attacks lands him in a position he doesn’t want to be in, yet again learning another secret he is not supposed to know. Adrien works up the courage to finally be honest with Kagami, and Chat Noir reaches a terrible conclusion. 

Luka’s Realization - Growing jealous of Adrien and Chat Noir, Luka struggles with the decision to come clean to Marinette, fearing he might lose her if he does. In the aftermath of being summoned by Chat Noir to join a regrettable battle against a love-themed Akuma, Luka realizes if he wants his relationship with Marinette to work, he must find a way to make peace with the truth he knows about her and Adrien Agreste.

Ladybug Got Your Tongue - Influenced by his suspicions about his father, Adrien lashes out at him and Natalie. Anticipating his father might retaliate he decides to finally reveal himself to Ladybug in their hangout spot. He realizes who she is before they ever get the chance to reveal and heartbroken at the fact Marinette truly does not love him, reassesses his role as Chat Noir in an attempt to make things easier for her. His sudden disappearance sends Marinette into a grieving spiral and Luka reaches a decision about his relationship with her.

9. It's Better This Way - Chat Noir and Ladybug make up after Ladybug’s partial reveal, with Chat choosing to stay anonymous after all. Luka acts on his resolution to break up with Marinette, leaving her devastated at the fact her being Ladybug has yet again interfered with her personal life. In a rare happenstance, Adrien attempts to cheer her up and gives her a word of advice.

10. The Akumatization of Luka Couffaine - After a short and well-meaning encounter with Kagami, Luka loses grip of his emotions and ends up struggling to keep his secrets away from Hawkmoth’s knowledge. Meanwhile, Chat Noir realizes how much danger Marinette and Luka are in, and Ladybug and Luka decide to act as if their relationship never happened to protect him from Hawkmoth. 

11. Becoming Friends - Marinette slowly but surely begins overcoming the heartache with the help of Alya, Nino, and Adrien. As months pass by, Adrien and her become closer friends. Meanwhile, Gabriel schemes to squeeze the truth out of Luka to finally learn the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

12. A Cat on the Roof - Panicked that Ladybug is not answering his calls and fearing Hawkmoth might have hurt her, Chat Noir rushes to Marinette’s house, accidentally walking in on a sleepover with her friends. Days later, she confesses something to him. 

13. The Akuma That Wasn’t - After Adrien is almost akumatized at school, Marinette accidentally realizes who Chat Noir is in the worst possible moment.

14. The Photo Shoot - After learning Chat Noir’s identity, Marinette does all in her power to keep him company throughout a particularly lonely day as she gathers up the courage to let him know she has figured him out. 

15. Chat Noir’s Name - A completely exhaused Adrien ties up the string and comes to the conclusion that Ladybug knows who he is. He tests that theory.

16. The Butterfly Manor - The joy of finally learning each other's identities is short-lived when Adrien finally has his suspicions confirmed.

17. The Future She Sees - Ladybug and Chat Noir process the horrible news of Hawkmoth's identity and have a difficult conversation about their future.

So yeah, if this post worked and you end up reading it let me know :D 

[tryingmydarndest]

Thank You (Luka Couffaine x Reader)

Summary (Part 1/probably 3): The author goes on a bit of a tangent about how Y/N goes on a bit of a tangent about Viperion. Who may just have a little, big ol' crush on them?

Tags: -not enough actual relationship -fluff -but like, a weird sprinkling of angst that I didn't plan on right at the end???

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: Inspired by this fic by @seriously-sirius-black <3. Luka? OOC? Idk, probably, I don’t write fanfic. But I am actually kinda proud of how well Alya turned out. Writing this made me realize how much of a mom friend I apparently headcanon her as. I wrote this gender-and-as-everything-else-neutral as I can make it (lemme know if you see ways I can improve, tho idk how much more fanfic I'll even be writing). Also, I freakin' RAMBLE and overuse italics, but ya get what ya get and ya don't gotta fret. Ooh, important note for future parts (if i write them) - this is a kinda!au where the miraculous users keep their miraculous. also if I had a nickel for every time I get awkwardly specific about the placement of both of a character’s hands I’d have TWO nickels. Happy reading!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Part I - Paris's Cutiest Heroes

The look currently on Marinette’s face as she sputtered out a response was priceless, “Cat Noir? Cat Noir!? What makes you think I’d find Cat Noir attractive at all? And- and- HIM- the cutest superhero! Ridiculous!”

“Utterly ridiculous?”

“Nice one, Alya”

“Thank you so much, Y/N,” you gave Alya a high five on your way to your seat next to Juleka and Rose on the couch facing Marinette and Alya. A sunny Friday after school was the perfect place for Kitty Section and their entourage to hang out. Unfortunately without Ivan and Mylène, seeing as their anniversary called for a private celebration. After pushing a couple couches onto the deck of The Liberty, Alya had predictably started talking about Paris's resident hero team. Today, she chose to ask everyone who they deemed the cutest, and she made sure to jump on Marinette's... interesting response, “And girl, he has the same silky golden hair and dreamy emerald eyes as Adrien Agreste. What’s utterly ridiculous is you freaking out and dodging every time we bring up superheroes!”

The designated snack-boy, Luka, walked out precariously carrying three bowls of goodies for everyone, “Alright, I got more popcorn. Sorry, but looks like we’re out of cheese flavoring, Y/N”

“Oh... that’s fine. I honestly wasn’t expecting it since I forgot to ask,” your free hand not reaching for the bowl rubbed the back of your neck, “but thanks for remembering.”

“Oh, um yeah- Always," is it creepy to remember something so specific? Someone as nice as Y/N wouldn't be interested in some creep. Ugh. Luka took a seat with his own bowl after passing Alya and Marinette theirs. He ended up next to you on the floor, leaning against the arm of the couch, dangerously close to touching your legs.

Rose reached for the popcorn as she interjected, “You know, Alya does have a point. So Marinette, why don’t you just tell us who you think the cutest superhero is, if you don’t like us guessing?”

Somehow Marinette’s face went even paler as she spoke, “What- I mean, I don’t- I haven’t thought- Wha- what about Y/N? Why aren’t you interrogating them?”

Alya crossed her arms, “Because Y/N says the same thing about the same hero every day. Just watch. Ahem, Y/N, care to weigh in on the cuteness level of our lovely Parisian superheroes?”

You looked up from the bowl you had stolen back from Rose with wide eyes, "Hey! Okay, no, that is not fair! Besides, what is our criteria for 'cute'? I mean... Are we going just by physical characteristics? Is costume a factor? What about the animal they're representing, could our opinion of that make this whole thing unfair? And cuteness is so subjective anyway... Why are we even reducing these amazing and honorable superheroes to just their looks? I mean we could be talking about skill, or their powers or power lev-"

"-And your answer would be exactly the same. Seriously, are you done trying- and might I add, failing- to talk yourself out of this one yet? Or should I just read the article you wrote for the Ladyblog?"

"You said you deleted that!"

Luka had perked his head up at your initial fumbling response and turned to you when he spoke, "You wrote an article? That's pretty cool."

You rubbed your face to try and distract yourself from the burning embarrassment, "Umm, yeah. But it was terrible and extremely not. worth. publishing." You hoped the glare you sent the girl in question was enough to scare her into deleting it on the spot, or to at least lie about it, "So Alya kindly deleted it, right?"

Sitting up with a smug look and crossed arms severely lowered your faith that she'd keep quiet. "A good journalist archives everything. Especially something as juicy as one of her besties going on for five thousand words about how dreamy the great Viperion is," dramatically fake-fainting into Marinette's lap, Alya could barely finish before bursting out in laughter. Of course, quickly followed by the others joining in to varying degrees. Juleka and Rose happily giggled to themselves, Marinette looked more relieved that the heat was off her, and Luka seemed to be shocked, or maybe just holding back to see how you were taking this.

Horribly. Horribly embarrassed would describe how you were taking this conversation. You sat there stock-still as you hoped that none of the others could hear your heart's desperate attempts to pound its way out of your chest. That's certainly all you could hear, at least until Alya's voice brought you out of it, "Hey, it's fine," she made her way over to sit next to you as she continued, "We all have our little hero crushes. That's why I bring it up all the time, to show you that it's totally normal! I mean, we all know how I could go on about Carapace for days," Alya gestured for the others to continue, and used her other hand to try and comfort you.

"Well, I find Ladybug to be just absolutely adorable and so kind.... oh it just makes me so happy knowing she's keeping all of Paris safe," Rose added softly.

Juleka brushed a strand of hair aside as she spoke, "Rena Rouge is super mysterious, pretty rad in my opinion."

Alya was rubbing your back like the mom friend she is to try and help encourage you, "See? Super normal, so go ahead and release all this pent up Viperion energy that I know you have. Maybe it'll encourage Marinette here to finally join in the fun!" Alya stuck her tongue out at her best friend, who responded promptly by smashing her face into a pillow.

You just sighed, "I mean- it’s- it can't just-'' were you supposed to just get over it all just like that? Well, at least the embarrassment was wearing off, maybe you could just entertain her for a bit, "Well- um, you see.... HisHairJustLooksReallySoftAnd- you know what. Nope. Can't do anymore of this. Yep- that's all you're getting out of me!" This time when everyone started giggling, you were able to comfortably join them. It was a nice feeling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A nice evening chilling out with your friends was always welcome, especially with the rising number of akumatizations making that less possible. But the night had come to a close. Alya and Marinette went home, Juleka was walking Rose back herself, and Luka and you had volunteered to clean up. Luka stopped drying the cup in his hand for a minute as he looked at you, “Um, I know it might not be my place, but I want you to know that you don’t have to be embarrassed about the whole... Viperion thing.” God, how am I supposed to take the news that MY crush has a crush on.... Sort of me? Am I supposed to count it as me at all?

“Oh, um. Yeah, thanks. I think I’m over the embarrassment now that it’s out. I don’t know, it’s just that a lot of people think it’s weird since he’s kind of a new hero,” how are you supposed to explain this to him? That you kept such a non-issue secret from him, especially without getting suspiciously defensive about it. “And then people use that to try and say that I only like him for his looks..... And that’s not it! I don’t know, it’s kind of.... A lot? To explain, that is.” This was not going well.

“Oh... Well, what is it? That you like about him, I guess.”

This was so not going well. But he was waiting for a response so... “Uh, well I guess it did kinda start..... that way.... but then I started doing research. I learned about his power and saw videos of his fights. He’s really good! Especially for being so new, which kinda goes into why his power makes me like him so much.” Shit. Rambling, I’m just talking and talking and I need to stop. But how am I supposed to change the subject now? And now Luka’s sitting down, and he seems so invested. Why does this have to happen to me?

“What do you mean by that?”

Luka’s voice kindly shuts your little thought-spiral in its tracks. What were you saying? Oh, Viperion’s powers! You can talk about this, you know this. Just keep talking, at least he seems interested in it, “Well, you know how he can go back and redo the last couple of minutes?” Luka nodded, “Well, we always see the time that worked out. Us civilians get to keep going from the one time it all went right. Just imagine all the times he failed, all the times he couldn’t get it right. It could be dozens, maybe even hundreds of times! He must get so discouraged at some point, I mean I know I would.... I guess I didn’t really think about it at first, but.... but, I doubt I could keep that determination, and I’m so glad Paris has a hero who can, and does.”

Silence. Why was it so quiet? Oh no, he thinks I’m weird. He must think-

“All of this from ‘his hair looks soft’?”

“Hey! You can’t tell me not to be embarrassed, then make fun of me! That’s against the rules!”

Luka chuckled as he said, “Against what rules, exactly?”

“The Rules Of Best Friendship, duh!”

“And who exactly said you were my best friend?”

“Well... your loss, I guess. Now you won’t get an invitation when I plan Rose and Juleka’s wedding,” you brushed off his offended glare as you took the seat next to him.

“She’s my sister.”

“She’d take my side.”

I’d take your side, too. I will always take your side. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

A/N the sequel: I am super bad at finishing things, but I really wanna keep motivated to finish this (like I have a full, probably 3 part, plan for this). If you guys want to help, shoot me a message and I'll send you a link to the google doc I'm writing this on. Feel free to leave a little comment (pls be kind, obviously) and see my writing process! Idk, would any of you guys be interested in that? Would you just get annoyed at having already read the thing before I post it?

[thewritewolf]

No, Really

Summary: Adrien can no longer deny it - he is in love with Marinette! The only problem is, she has made it absolutely clear that she is definitely not interested in him. But when he discovers that Marinette might be harboring feelings for Chat Noir, Adrien decides that there is only one way to get together with her: Reveal his identity.

Trouble is? She doesn't believe him.

Hello and welcome! This fic was written for the @totographszine, which was publish for free here. Go check it out, the wonderful @anna-scribbles even did some excellent art of this fic in there.

Read on Ao3

Without any further ado... Enjoy!

Adrien was in love with Marinette. There was no getting around that any more. But, unfortunately, it didn’t seem that she felt the same way.

Ever since he had come to terms with his feelings, he’d been trying to flirt with her. A few cheesy lines here. Some lingering touches and eye contact there. Compliments scattered throughout the day. Although, as he had realized now, it was harder to compliment her more than he already had been. How had it taken him so long to figure out his feelings?

The worst part of it was that she even flirted back! Which may sound great, but his experiences with Ladybug had taught him that flirting back could also mean friendly banter. It was a frustratingly similar experience, which he chose not to dwell on too hard.

And just like with Ladybug, he was at least appreciating the friendship that he could share with Marinette. Now that she had begun to open up to him, he was learning all sorts of things about her. Her favorite foods, what exactly tickled her most, her little mannerisms.

One day he learned the most important little fact about Marinette of them all.

“What is it with you and crushin’ on celebs, girl?”

Adrien recognized Alya’s voice at once and his eyes widened when he realized who she was likely talking to on the other side of the locker.

Sure enough, Marinette let out an irritated groan. There was a sound of a locker opening.

“What makes you think I have a crush on him? Just because I drew him in my notebook—”

“Oh sure, if you were just drawing him, that’d be one thing. But the hearts and kissy faces tell a whole different story.”

Adrien stood stock-still, listening as intently as he could. It felt as if his heart had

stopped beating. Had he failed to win the hearts of both his crushes? Would he ever get a lucky break just for once?

“They weren’t��that’s—no! Those were …” Marinette sputtered and eventually mumbled something that sounded a lot like “spades.”

“Spades.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, girl, if you want I could probably mention your name the next time I see him. Sure it’d be harder to pull off than with blondie, but I’m down.”

“Drop it, Alya,” Marinette said half-heartedly. The locker door was shut and they walked toward the entrance. For a moment, he was scared they would turn around and see him eavesdropping. “I’m sure Chat Noir doesn’t want to have my number pushed into his hand.”

Adrien’s eyes widened as he suddenly jolted to life. Chat Noir?

“Maybe. We’ll only find out if we give it a shot.” Their voices got more distant as they walked away. “At least we know you’ve got a type now.”

“Alya!”

In his heart of hearts, Adrien hoped that type included boys with green eyes and blond hair. Would it be too much to ask that she fall for him a second time? Not just as Chat Noir but as Adrien?

It was there, standing alone in the locker room, heart pounding in his throat and feeling light headed, that Adrien was suddenly struck by a plan. And while he was no Ladybug, he was pretty confident about this one.

After all, he didn’t need to make her fall for him twice. She just needed to find out who Chat Noir was.

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

His first opportunity took way too long to arrive. The need to confess his secret identity to her had been weighed against his duty not only to Paris but to Ladybug. He was as certain of Marinette’s trustworthiness as he could be, but he needed to be sure that she and only she heard him.

Besides, it made confessing his feelings a little easier too, which was honestly weighing just as heavily on his mind. Sure, safety of Paris and fighting Hawkmoth and all that, but there was also his poor battered heart to take into consideration. Ladybug had been gentle with her rejections, but they still stung as much as being tossed into a wall by a dozen akumas.

It took over a month for a golden opportunity. The four of them had been studying in Marinette’s room when Alya had left to go babysit her sisters, taking Nino along with her. Adrien watched them slowly pack up and amble over to the trap door, silently screaming every time they stopped for another little chat. But eventually, they did leave. Nino’s cap disappeared below the floor and the trapdoor shut behind them. It was late enough that Sabine and Tom had gone to bed already, but not so late that Adrien would have to leave yet, at least not for a couple hours.

Swallowing against the suddenly dryness in his throat, Adrien looked at Marinette. All thoughts of the physics homework in front of them banished the moment he saw her tongue poking out the side of her mouth, her brow furrowed in concentration.

How could one person be so cute?

Her bright blue eyes flickered up at him. “Something wrong, Adrien?”

There wasn’t going to be a better time. It was now or never.

“Marinette … I’m Chat Noir.”

The sound of her pencil scratching along the paper stopped as she stared at her homework. There was a long moment of silence wherein Adrien silently panicked. After a few seconds that stretched into infinity, which Adrien spent praying that she would say something, anything, she finally spoke.

“Yeah, okay.”

She said it with a snort and a chuckle. It was like when he was experimenting with different jokes for her and he found one that didn’t quite land but didn’t completely fall flat.

She returned back to her homework, and the sound of the pencil resumed.

“Okay? That’s all you’ve got to say?”

“Um … I suppose I can add a ‘haha’ in there too? If it makes you feel better?”

“You’re not supposed to laugh!”

“Then it’s not a very good joke.”

“It isn’t a joke,” Adrien said, crossing his arms haughtily. This was not going how he had planned in the slightest.

Marinette raised an eyebrow as she sat up. “There is no way you are Chat Noir.”

“Why not? I’m cool!”

“Exactly, and Chat Noir is a massive dweeb.”

Adrien gasped, scandalized. “Take that back!”

“I will not. Besides,” she continued, raising her hand, “there are plenty of things Chat Noir is that you aren’t and vice versa.” She raised a finger for each point. “Chat Noir is loud, outgoing, with a sharp tongue, and he’s a flirt to boot. Plus the whole massive dweeb thing.”

“And what about me?” Adrien pouted, almost dreading the answer. “Adrien Agreste me, I should say.”

“You’re quieter, to start with.” There was a faint blush on her cheeks. Maybe it was easier for her to describe someone who she thought wasn’t present. “You’re considerate and kind and a perfect gentleman.” She smirked and chuckled. “At least, you usually are.”

Adrien put his hands together and brought them next to his lips as he took a deep breath. He was suddenly reminded of all the times he’d made reservations or tried to set up an account on some website under his own name, only to have it deleted because it “couldn’t possibly be actually Adrien Agreste.” By this point in his initial planning stages of confessing to Marinette, they were already organizing their first date between passionate spells of making out, not trying to determine if he really was himself.

But Adrien was nothing if not adaptable.

With a wide, toothy grin worthy of his alter ego, he leaned forward, putting himself dangerously close to her face. The faint blush she’d been sporting flared to life and spread across her entire face. Her eyes went large as he purred out a reply.

“What an unfortunate alley cat I am, baring my soul to a beautiful princess and she doesn’t even believe me. Whatever shall I do?”

“W-wow, you’ve … you’ve really practiced this, h-haven’t you?” She put on a brave face and scooted backwards.

“You could say that. You could also say I’ve got a lot of experience with the whole Chat Noir flare.” The smile became more genuine as he added teasingly, “And it looks like you think Chat Noir might be more than just a massive dweeb, hmm?”

“Y-yeah?” She got back some of her composure—not much, but enough to start bantering back at him. “And what else is he then?”

“A cool cat, maybe,” he said, tossing his hair and running a hand through it. “Or, even better, a fine feline.” He grinned and finger gunned at her.

Marinette snorted. “You’ve definitely nailed down some of that Chat Noir full-of-yourself stuff. Congrats on getting your research done at least.”

“Not research. Just living the life, Pigtails.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Very creative nickname.” She smirked and crossed her arms. “Then again, it’s better than princess or my lady, so I’ll take it.”

“Hey now, Ladybug likes me calling her that, even if she tries to hide it.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Somehow I doubt that. But seriously, whose idea was this? It feels like Alya had a hand in this. I just know it.”

“Why would Alya get me to try to tell you I’m Chat Noir?”

“She never gives up on her ships is all.” Marinette’s eyes went wide and she threw her hands over her mouth. “Forget I said that!”

“But I—”

Her hands went straight for his mouth. “Forget!”

He held his hands up in surrender and she backed off.

“Come on, though. What’s so hard to believe about me being Chat Noir?”

“I just can’t see you and Chat Noir being the same person. You’re both so different!”

“Okay, first off—yeah, I can be quiet sometimes,” Adrien admitted. “But you’ve seen how I am with my friends, when I’m comfortable. I can be just as outgoing as I am in the mask!”

Marinette massaged her temples. “So what, you’re saying you have to be with close friends to be as confident as you are making terrible puns in front of all of Paris?”

“Well, the mask helps a little,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “After all, then I don’t have to think about how what I say will impact the company or get yelled at by my father. I get to just … be wild.” He gave her a timid smile. “I suppose sometimes I go a little overboard, huh?”

Her blush deepened. “Y-yeah. I guess you do sometimes.” She cleared her throat and schooled her expression back into a skeptical one. “Assuming you are Chat Noir, of course.”

“Of course.” Quietly, he added, “You know, Adrien me isn’t the only one who is ... kind. I’ve done it plenty of times in the mask.”

“I mean, yeah, you do the heroics and everything, but I was talking about something—”

“Gentler?” he said with his best Chat Noir grin, which made her eyes widen like saucers. His voice was still barely above a whisper. “Like when I comfort akuma victims or sponsor animal shelters?”

“I—yes, like that,” she admitted in the same soft tone. A little stronger, she poked his chest and gave a small smirk. “But don’t you think Ladybug will be mad that you revealed your identity? You promised not to do that, you know. Assuming you really are Chat Noir.”

“Maybe I should have asked her about it first,” he admitted, even as something tickled at the back of his mind. How did she know about the promises between them? “But I’m sure she’d understand if she knew. The value of love is something we both agree on.”

“I mean, I guess, but—wait, what?”

“And I suppose you’ve noticed how, no matter what side of the mask I’m on, I love to flirt with the person I love?” She gasped, but he just shook his head and laughed. “Finally get there? I mean, I’ve been flirting with you nonstop for like a month.” He smiled. “Maybe you and Ladybug should hang out. The everyday Ladybug and the real-life Ladybug. Both of you can be really dense when it … comes to … realizing … oh my god.”

Adrien saw the exact moment that she realized that he had figured her out. One moment she was watching him attentively. The next, her eyes had widened in panic, her pupils shrinking down to tiny pinpoints. He knew that if he did nothing, she’d start flailing her arms around and denying it.

The distance between them turned to nothing as he leapt toward her, laughing. She grumbled as he pulled her close, squeezing her tight against his chest, but she didn’t try to break free.

“Don’t be so proud of yourself. You only got lucky,” she said as she returned the hug.

“Luck or not, I finally found you … my lady.”

He looked down at her face at the same moment that she looked up into his. A moment laden with meaning passed between them before they both broke down laughing again. At long last, they had finally found each other.

[gatheringofdawn]

Akumatized!Adrien Agreste x Reader: “In the Name of Justice and Love”

(Non-canon Miraculous Ladybug & Miraculous Ladybug AU: Akumatized victims can stay akumatized for days or weeks and their activity is darker than what the show shows—also in special circumstances, a close loved one to the akuma victim can gain powers to counter the akuma’s/Hawkmoth’s powers.)

[This is only a work of fiction and not to be taken as non-fiction]

“Saturday night. You. Me. And an oversized bucket of buttered popcorn,” Adrian finished up your idea on what the two of you were going to do after school. “There’s a new film from oversees. American. Heard the reviews were mostly near 100 percent in the worth it category.”

“Black Panther?” you asked, remembering the French trailer that played on multiple YouTube videos as ads.

“Exacta-mundo!” Adrian smiled.

“Is it in English or French?”

“Can’t say. We can always wait for the English adaption to come out. I can wait.” Knowing that you preferred watching movies in your native-born tongue, Adrian added, “I heard there’s some other movies preceding it. Wanna check ‘em out?”

You shook your head. “Do you wanna see it?”

Adrian rubbed the back of his head and smiled meekly, blocking out the dozens of times he watched the trailers and might have fantasized a couple of fantasies of Black Panther meeting Chat Noir, being the test subject of Shuri’s experiments for an upgraded suit...

“Well, I’d be a lion if I didn’t.” Did he let that slip out?

You blinked multiple times. “Nice try.”

Adrien chuckled.

“Then yeah, lets go see it,” you bumped his shoulder with yours. “It’d be nice to see something from home, and it’d be nice to show you what it’s like there.”

Adrien nodded. “See you Saturday night. 8pm. Out in front.”

You agreed, then both you and your friend parted ways, back to your houses.

***

Mud. Grime. Stale old popcorn and sticky soda spills splattered everywhere on your back, in your hair, on the back of your neck......

.......................sweat stains, rancid-smelling drool sticky on your cheeks and swollen lips. White and clear male bodily fluids falling from trembling thighs. The memory echoes of sensations long gone but ghosting over your paralyzed body. A male. Pale, sickly, sweaty, cursing, deep nasally voice, tall. A brown beard scratching up and down your neck and cheeks. Thin, slender, and physically strong from one hand holding down your mouth from screaming and the other violently, violently stimulating himself on you by whatever means got him off...

—You explained over and over to the police officers. Their faces were grim, asking for your parents phone numbers. You told them of your foreign exchange program in return for leaving their abusive home. There was no one of bloodline to call for help.

Around the fifth or seventh time you repeated the violent rape and violent rapist, did you notice Adrien standing there. Right in front of you with wide eyes.

Words scrambled out of his mouth and towards you. And you scrambled them back to him. A mess of blurry, fuzzy scrambles.

Alya and Nino were conveniently there. And watched after you the moment Adrian pushed a police officer into his car with surprising strength. Other officers physically restrained Adrien, yelled at him warnings and more scrambles to your ears.

He fiested himself out of the officers’ grip and tasked Alya and Nino with the duty of watching over you the moment he spotted the familiar black butterfly fluttering in his direction.

To you or him? He backed out of the scene, and the butterfly followed him. You watched him leave the scene altogether.

“I’m sorry-I’m sorry this happened to you...” the whispered utterings, so frail, so soft crept into your ears, like warm milk on the tongue. Adrien held your hand with frailty. His forehead against the hospital bedside.

Your own consciousness dripped in and out of his mutterings. But it was darkness when he was there, and morning when he was gone.

No trial.

The very next day, in the morning, what lay at your doorstep was the mangled dead body of the rapist. Mangled and maimed, almost recognizable save for that rancid scent of his doused in overpriced cologne... mixed with the heavy scent of his blood.

All your emotions numbed out. The shock from last night carried over to the morning, numbing out your response. Alya, who stayed the night as a comfort support, yelped in shock for you and immediately began dialing 1-1-4.

You kicked the body, making certain of its permanent state then closed the door. You whispered faintly to Alya how you would be in your room, going back to sleep (forget school today). With the most friendliest you’ve ever experienced, Alya was accepting of your need and closed the door to your room behind you.

Two pills of sleep aid would knock you out. And so, you slipped into a deep, lukewarm sleep again. Heavy, heavy nerves as weightless as feathers....

***

The scratching at your door led you to wake up at... noon. The sleep aid carried over a handful of heaviness to your weight and starvation, but you opened the door anyways to find Adrian crouched like that of a cat and looking up at you.

...you thought you’d seen the black butterfly that causes akumatizatuions last night.

Adrian smiled up at you. Appearing averagely himself, save for his eyes. Like a hybrid of feline and human. Round, green orbs with giant black irises within them, made him look excited to see you.

“Did you like my gift?”

Instead of answering, you backed against the doorway and slid to the floor. Adrian cautiously approached you on all fours, as best he could with a human body.

“I...I heard that, males like me, after an attack like this...” he said very clearly, eyes downcast. “I can leave if you want. If that’ll make you more comfortable.”

***

On the news was the last remaining body camera video of the rapist’s last moments.

“In case you’re wondering, I took the videos he made of you. Everything in his apartment too like the computer in case... well... I burned everything else in there.”

And in that video was his torturer. A large male in all-black, fighting and fighting ferociously and more violent than soldiers in the trenches, than mercenaries on the hunt, than boxers would ever hope to reach for in the ring. Glowing green feline eyes, howls and yowls of that of a lynx.

The news accused an overzealous Black Panther fan of going too far.

“Well, a fan, yeah! What could be a better match up in partnership than Black Panther and Chat Noir, milady?” He scooted up from your lap and pressed the side of his head against your chest, and purred. He hummed in pleasantry, the soothing coo of his purrs softening. “For you, to protect you—that guy had it coming.”

Your answer fell soft on your lips. Words you tried to form but to no avail. The depths of your hiding heart knew the answer and if only Adrien could hear it echo.

And he returned his eyes to the television, resuming his comfortable cat position in your lap. You held his hand, squeezing affectionately.

***

Over the weeks, Adrian eventually stopped coming to school. You met him and found his appearance has yet changed again.

He spoke from the shadows that coated so well with him they could’ve been him, and he would’ve been everywhere under this bridge in the dark of the night. “I’ve gotten rid of a few more. For all women, men... children... for you.”

You shook your head. No longer were you in the daze of trauma. An accusing voice shouted that you should’ve stopped him that very day this all started.

“The rapists and white supremacists, two of them are hanging from the US Embassy’s flagpole. God bless America. Home of the brave enough to corrupt justice and land of free to oppress.” His outline in the shadows, you could see him on all fours, slithering closer to you in a manner paralleling a lioness on the hunt. “The rest are spelled out clear as modern truth on their pavement. Starting with the first American rapist that terrorized you—“

A vibrant and loudly attentive purr elicited from Adrien. “My friend~”

A shiver ran up your spine. His glowing green feline eyes showed complete delight towards you.

How could you have stopped him? What could you have said to the akumatized feline-Adrien in those moments? Dazed in trauma, depersonalize to reality and even your own sense of self. Then, you’ll just have to say it now as Adrien stood much taller, much bulkier, much more alive right in front of you, with his clawed fingers resting underneath your chin to lift it up.

Small simmers of memories between the two of you, hiding on the roof at school during lunch, from Nino, Alya, and Marionette, reading to each other whatever either of you had on hand and by the flip of a coin: Adrien’s fashion magazine, your “Spirited Away” graphic novel, Adrien’s “The Boy and the Beast” graphic novel, Adrien’s “The Wind Rises”, your “The Raven”, Adrien’s “Sherlock Holmes”...

Adrien chuckled, a soupy mix of harsh purr and his own lighthearted chuckles. “Around 36 Americans criminals have already been rounded up in less than three days.” His neck cracked, revealing a thin layer of a black pelt under his obsidian bodysuit. “And I haven’t even moved on to Purr~risians yet~”

“Adrien, that’s the Akuma talking, not you.”

“I let Hawkmoth akumatize me, ______, and it was all for you.” He cranes his neck and spine down, leveling eye to eye with you. The gesture would’ve been normally sweetly teasing, friendly, if not for the malice and stench of blood perforating from Adrien like cologne. Heavy in his messy, unkempt black hair where matted pieces held together by brown-crust. Stained red in his whitened-yellowing sharper teeth. And his eyes danced with delight, but all you could see was potential betrayal. “Seeing what that putrid, evil man reduced you down to, how could I have taken that? How could I, even as Chat Noir, be okay with that guy walking free?”

You blinked, confused but for a second before it clicked in your head what he had been subtly expressing. “You’ve seen him. The way he looks. Influential, charming, intelligent, and a promising college student. I looked up his background on his computer, and no way would your country have prosecuted him. Justice would not have been served, ma chérie.”

His quick switch to English with that phrase threw you off into dozens of memories from America. Flashbacks. And you said, “My friend, my best friend,” and you gently slid your hand into his, scratching yourself only slightly on his claws and feline pads. “Adrien. Just please. Let me know where the akuma is.”

In a sudden, his arms wrapped around you. His heavier and bigger body towering, entrapping you. “My best friend...” his silky, sultrier than warm milk voice slid into your ears. “I’m not Adrien anymore. That weakling gave himself to me because he knew what had to be done and what could be made.”

“So now, and forever, all there is, is Dark Justice.”

And he disappeared with the shadows helping me.

***

He barged into school, having changed more into a feline-human hybrid and wielding a sword 🗡, that had once only been a lasso at his side, pointed at Chloe Bougarais. With kind, alight feline eyes, he spoke, “Even despicable women like you will be served justice, so tell me, Chloe Bougarais, who was the male that assaulted your privates?”

It took most of the class by shock and storm, hearing their gasps and whimpers. You lowered your chin. This was too much, so much. Your rape, your best friend akumatized into a twisted justicebringing mass murderer, Chloe’s hidden sexual assault...

And with her chin upturned, lips twisted but trembling, Chloe appeared to murmur out a name. Adrien sheathed his sword and crept down on all fours, sitting like a cat would with his tail swishing nonchalantly below the desk. “Don’t worry, he will never see another daylight. As have others.”

***

Adrien coughed out spittal and obvious pain. He glared at the ground then at Hugh, who’d just ran out of the courtyard by the aid of Ladybug.

“Have you any idea what that boy has done?" Adrian gasped, voice purring-rumbling in anger. "My lady?"

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug gasped.

"Not even you will stop me from taking his life. I won't allow it. Not now," he raised his sword and charged. "Not ever!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir clashed. Sword and dodging, she was doing really well. "Adrian Agreste, snap out of it! This isn't you. You wouldn't do this! Not even if someone hurt you enough that you were in the hospital, you would never hurt anyone! You always forgave them, you always found a way to deny their evil ways in a peaceful manner!"

Dark Justice had Ladybug pinned against the wall. "I changed for my best friend over there, for my lady. So do not think I won't go to extremes to supply justice. You've no idea what legal systems let him go free despite the evidence larger than a mountain."

The cameraman was filming all of Adrian's rant. All of Paris would see this.

"He would be stopped. If not by the ones we put our faith in, then by me. That's all there is to it, Ladybug; Justice!" Adrian clipped off Ladybug's ponytail. "The right to get what is earned! The right to end evil once and for all! Aren't I just a descendent of the French Revolution, savior of Paris?! Aren't I just barging down the mansion to drag the pigs who are protecting their fellow pigs out of their comfortable, lush halls -- I am dragging them, my lady, and they don't want that but I've kept dragging them out--"

Ladybug's other ponytail fell to Dark Justice's sword. She was looking panicked. Dark Justice's moves were obviously too much for her, and she was already crippled without Chat Noir to help her -- but instead, had to fight her well-experienced partner, akumatized and fueled higher and more terrible than the sun.

"And I will slice open their bellies, I will gut them in the center for all of Paris to see at the slaughter that'll never end! Never will it end! Not by you, not by the military, not by the president of the fucking United States of America, not by my father once I find him and gut him too!"

You stumbled backwards.

You heard an agreement somewhere, two, multiple.

You heard a loud cheer somewhere outside of the school.

Adrian dominated Ladybug in power and strength. His fangs clenched, not even a smile, he was too into this, too attentive to his justice. Ladybug would have to activate her winning move -- her Lucky Charm -- as her last shot.

"Is this what you want to do forever!" Ladybug screamed.

"Until the last droplets of evil is extinguished and the pigs can no longer breed, I will be their inevitable reckoning!" Dark Justice responded, "Don't you get it by now, Ladybug? I can do something about the people who escape the system, the ones who deserve to be punished and to the ones who contiuosly cause harm to other people without mercy. All I have to do is be given a name. I will hear them. I will avenge them. I will end their tormentors!”

Dark Justice's growls increased in volume, like the growling of a tiger and a chainsaw merged as one. He grunted and arched his back as his body increased in muscle mass — and slenders of black protective silky fur spread across his skin. Dark Justice completely overwhelmed Ladybug's strength as he threw her over his head. His pants tore and a loincloth grew from the sudden belt around his waist. His anatomy now that of an anthropomorphic big cat as his face violently changed into that of the creature's, and two masses formed on his abnormally large shoulders. He hissed and clenched his fangs as the masses broke from the surface. His growls and howls of agony of the transformation as the two masses shaped into similar heads like his own and roared upon their birthing.

Adrian really was no longer there, now there was Dark Justice -- the Judge, the Prosecuter, and the Executioner.

“OUR JUSTICE.”

“OUR FRIEND.”

“OUR PEACE.”

“WILL REIGN FOREVER!” yowling from all three mouths simultaneously.

And his sword glowed a bright silvery-white and transformed into a massive Hammer of Justice.

You watched all of this, falling to your knees, and knew how far this was going. But you would get your best friend back.

(POV switches and changes)

“Adrien!” I shouted his name like a vehicle was about to run him over, but that love and warning combusted in and through my veins like fire poppers. The pressure, the height in sensation, I continued walking towards my changed friend, slowly gaining speed until I was in a sprint.

Then I collided paws with Adrien’s. Mine and his. Locked in strength. My jaws stretched open to show their gigantic, lethal lioness teeth and let out a warning yowl.

Adrien was forced back by my strength. I held the form nearly identical in stature and prowess to him, but I was a lioness. Surprise clear to see on his feline features, but then your strength held steady against his.

“I’m not going to fight you, ______. I refuse to.”

Your nostrils flared. The scent of him permeated with blood, old blood, sweat from sudden shock and anxiety, rotting flesh. You growled, "I won't fight you either."

Adrian's eyes showed recognition. "What are you doing then?"

"Doing justice.” Her teeth locked on Adrian’s neck and held. One of his heads yowled. Adrian appeared surprised. Her teeth didn’t dig too far into him but just long enough to immobilize him... and discover where his akuma was hiding.

She spotted the oddity on his loincloth. Some sort of ticket. Their movie ticket. She grabbed at it but missed. It was lodged into his side right.

In all this, Dark Justice struggled to free himself. But her lioness form was much to integral against him, and she hurried. She grabbed the ticket and punched a hole in it with her claws. Dark Justice felt as if his heart had stopped. He fell forwards into her arms as Ladybug began to purify the akuma and the damage done.

***

Adrian stayed in most days after his akumatization. He played video games with ________ and talked with only a few of his classmates. Most everyone at school was wary of him now, but he still went, he enjoyed his time on the roof with _______ and learning new things in class, staying out of the house, finishing his homework and ignoring the near constant hammering of what he had done.

________ grabbed his hand in class. He tightened his group. Soul shaken, but smiling. Things could’ve gone worse.

Thanks to the Paris-Catacomb Accords of 2015, Adrian was completely clean of any and all wrong doing he had brought on everyone, as every Akuma victim was given.

_______ and Adrian looked each other in the eye. “One day, we’ll catch Hawkmoth and make end his reign of terror.”

[This is only a work of fiction and not to be taken as non-fiction]

[dandelionflower]

Felinette Month Day 27

In between

Alya stared, blank-faced at the pair in front of her.

Marinette and Adrien had always had chemistry, but this was unbearable. They were just standing at the doorway of the classroom, each one offering to let the other go in first.

“You go ahead.”

“No, you, I insist.”

“Please, just-“

“Excuse me.” Felix walked in between the two without a second thought or a third word. He headed to his desk and sat down, flipping open a book and reading diligently.

Felix Culpa. The destroyer of her OTP. He was terrible, almost always introducing himself at the worst moment, never seeming to purposely do anything, but it always ruined whatever was happening between the other two.

Marinette seemed to hate him just as much, always tracking him with her eyes whenever he entered the room. Adrien was his usual oblivious self, giving Felix a grin whenever he saw him. He seemed to be making more of an effort to connect with Felix, since he and Marinette started their awkwardness. Weird.

Still, Alya was certain something had changed since last week. Marinette and Adrien had somehow become closer and more awkward simultaneously, but she expected that the two would be dating within the week.

Speaking of, the two walked in together, whispering and shooting furtive glances at the back of the room, where Felix sat. Clearly they had noticed his tendency to ruin their moments.

They slid into the front desk, Marinette shooting Alya an apologetic glance that she waved off with a knowing smile. If the lovebirds wanted to spend more time with each other, who was she to stop them?

—

Felix was avoiding her. She just knew it.

Ever since Team Builder, she and her two partners had been out of it. She and Adrien were getting to know each other anew, but Felix seemed insistent on never looking at them directly again.

Team Builder was the coach of a failing baseball team. She wanted the all teams to be honest with each other and share deep secrets to become a closer team. Her first target was her baseball team.

Her second was the group of three heroes.

After working through the trust-building obstacle course with ease, they reached the truth telling stage.

Some of the questions weren’t so bad, even things they’d talked about before.

“What is your greatest fear?”

“Who on the team do you trust most?”

“What is your greatest pet peeve?”

Easy answers, with little opportunity to hurt anyone, even the question about trust. Both of the boys said they trusted her most, and she begrudgingly revealed that she trusted Chat Noir more. Apidae faux pouted for a moment, but admitted that he expected that would be the case.

It was around “who is your crush?” that things started going downhill.

Chat Noir opened his mouth, probably to proclaim his “undying adoration” for her yet again, but choked.

“What’s wrong?” She had teased. “Cat got your tongue?”

“My L- M- Mi. Kagami Tsurugi.” The words sounded normal, albeit strangled, but his face showed that he did not intend for them to come out.

Apidae was next. He stepped forward, breathed in deep, and said without a waver in his tone.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

She didn’t say a word. She couldn’t. What could she say?

On her turn, she walked up, ready to spill her guts on her crush on Adrien, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“A- Adri- Apidae.” No. That wasn’t it. What was happening? Was this how Chat Noir felt?

Apidae coughed as the doors opened to the next level. Neither of them looked at each other as Chat Noir bounded ahead of them to what looked like the final stage.

“Welcome! You have proven yourselves to be a secure and trusting team. With this final push you will become the perfect team!”

Apidae snorted. “What? No, let me guess. You’re going to take our miraculouses and force us to reveal our identities to each other, so our final walls are down.”

“You’re close!” She waved her hand and chains appeared on their wrists. “I’m not giving Hawkmoth anything until he proves he can be a team player with his blue belle. But I’m also not giving you the chance to fight me until you prove yourselves. So here’s your final question; what is your true identity?”

Chat Noir grunted, shifting against the chains. “I’m not saying a- Adrien Agreste.”

“Chat! You’re Adrien? All this tim- Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Apidae made a startled sound. “We don’t have time for this. We need to stop her. Now.”

“How aren’t you saying it?” Ladybug glanced at him as Chat- Adrien used his cataclysm to destroy their chains.

“I’m not using the initial sound in my name.” He said simply, though it was clear that he was struggling with his words.

It was a difficult fight, with Apidae unable to communicate to the best of his ability, Chat and Marinette awkward and embarrassed, and Team Builders ability to manipulate their environment.

Apidae tried to use his venom, but it was blocked, and they were left with less than five minutes before she would be fighting alone.

And soon she was. Chat Noir detransformed to reveal Adrien, who, while athletic, did not have miraculous armor to protect him from the blow. He was knocked prone against a wall, and stayed crumpled there.

A minute later, Apidae detransformed too, revealing the crush she didn’t even know she had until then to be Felix Culpa. Felix still stood, weaving around every attack, using one of the still-intact chains to hold her.

“Ladybug. Lucky Charm. Now.” He struggled for hold her, only barely containing Team Builder.

“Right. Lucky Charm!” She threw her yo-yo and was met with a baseball bat. She knew what had to be done. She gave Felix a look and he nodded.

Team Builder broke free of his hold and knocked him aside, not hard enough to knock him unconscious.

Marinette distracted her by asking about her batting form as he got back up and crept behind her.

Like a well-oiled machine, she tossed the baseball bat to him as he leapt up, he caught it and swung it into Team Builder’s head, just barely fracturing her helmet. A fracture was all that was needed for the akuma to crawl out and get purified.

She tossed her miraculous cure, and waved for Felix and Adrien to scramble away as she knelt by the dazed coach.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Yes, I think so, but I can’t remember anything.” She looked up at her with horrified eyes. “Was I akumatized?”

“I’m afraid so, but you didn’t do much harm.” Her miraculous beeped and she waved a goodbye before swinging away, catching Felix’s eye as she left.

They hadn’t talked since then. She and Adrien had taken every opportunity to talk to him and he made every excuse not to.

“Enough is enough.” She hissed at Adrien, during quiet reading time. “We need to talk to him now.”

“So you two can talk about your crush?” He teased with a grin.

“Not just that!” She felt her ears turning red.

“But mostly that.” He gave her a kind look. “Just let me handle it. You go stand by your locker after class.”

“Okay.” The rest of the class was spent on trivial topics, jokes, and planning fo make it easier to slip away during akuma fights.

She left to go to her locker after class, Adrien shooting her a wink as he walked purposefully towards Felix.

A few minutes later and she was at her locker, in the crowded room, staring at the doors waiting for Felix (and Adrien too, of course).

Suddenly, the doors slammed open to reveal Adrien, carrying a struggling Felix over his shoulder.

“Adrien, I swear to-“

“Yeah, yeah. We need to have a conversation, and you have to deal with it.” He commented with an east smile.

He set Felix down in front of her, restraining him in a hug.

“I do want to talk, but in front of so many people?” She glanced at Adrien, then the room.

It was deserted. In the few minutes she had been distracted, Alya has shuttled everyone out of the room, shooting her a wink and a thumbs up before exiting herself.

“Never mind then.”

“Sir please.” A squeak came from Felix’s bag. “I’d like to see Tikki and Plagg. Just for a moment?” An adorable yellow head gave him puppy-dog eyes.

“Fine.” She squealed and flew out, hugging his cheek and dive bombing Adrien’s bag. “But I want it clear that I’m doing this for Pollen.”

“Noted.” Adrien cautiously released Felix.

“So, what needs to be said? I feel that there’s nothing to be resolved.”

“I beg to differ.” Marinette took a step forwards, fully aware of how close her face was to his. “I think we have quite a lot to talk about. Like your crush on me.”

“You mean our mutual crush on each other.” His eyes bore into hers and she stepped back, rubbing her neck.

“Y-yeah. So...”

Adrien waved his hand. “I’m gonna step out and let you two handle this.”

Once he was gone, Marinette sat down, putting her head in her hands.

“I have a crush on you. You had a crush on me.” She murmured. “What else for you want me to say?”

“Well, ‘yes’ would be a nice start.” His feet shifted.

“Huh?” She peered up at him. His face was absolutely crimson.

He coughed a pulled out a crumbled sheet of paper. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he glanced at her, “when I first saw you, I thought you were immature, and preppy.

Then I actually had a conversation with you and I was proven exactly right.”

She made a little sound of dissent.

“But accompanying your immaturity and preppiness, was a deep compassion, and an impeccable fashion sense. I fell for you and kept falling with every day I spent in your presence. So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you go on a date with me?”

She stared at him.

“This is why I made the request that you say yes.” He whispered.

���Oh!” She straightened. “Right.”

“So...”

“Of course.” She beamed and lunged for him, hugging him as tight as she could.

“Finally!” Adrien shouted from the hallway.

“Finally.” Felix whispered into her hair.

@felinettenovember

[storiedhistories]

Spiderman Prompts // Accepting!

@missallanea asked: one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail. / mayura at chat?

As much as he doesn't want to listen to Mayura, doesn't want to put any stock in her words…., part of him has seen as much first hand. Paris might love Ladybug…., but would they even notice if Chat Noir wasn't around? She was the heroine of Paris…, and he was just the sidekick. He could be easily replaced, with just about any other hero, and no one would be any the wiser. No one would miss him if he was gone, especially not Ladybug. Maybe she'd be better off if it was Ladybug and Rena Rouge or Ladybug and Carapace or any number of the others she'd called upon. He just happened to be the first one.

But that didn't mean anything, not really. He'd seen first-hand how much he annoyed Ladybug; she'd probably be glad if he was gone. He was nothing but trouble, anyway.

Chat knew he couldn't let Mayura see how much she'd gotten to him. Thankfully, she can't really see his face, and he does his best to get his emotions under control.

"What do you want, Mayura?" he calls back, keeping a careful grip on his still-collapsed staff. She was trying to get to him…, and he hated that it was working. He needed to get hold of himself, needed to fight her. But he wanted to know what her angle was first.

[starshine583]

Le Paon Part 8

(Hey, guys! Here’s another chapter of the Le Paon AU. I’m going to try to update this every two weeks now- since weekly updates were a mess for me. Please tell me what you think, and if you want to keep reading!)

Part 1 / Part 7 / Part 9

“‘Change tactics’? What do you mean?” Felix asked, sparing Nathalie a glance. She seemed to be in a bitter mood that evening, more so than usual. 

“Just that.” Gabriel said, regaining his attention. “Ladybug is too cunning to challenge her head on. We must come up with another strategy. One that under-goes her suspicions and exploits her weaknesses.”

Felix frowned. Does Ladybug even have a weakness?

“What do you suggest?”

His Father smiled, and he resisted the urge to flinch. 

“I’m glad you asked.” Gabriel all but purred. “Ladybug, should she activate her Lucky Charm, has a five minute time span before she detransforms. Normally she runs off to hide before that happens, but if you were to follow her long enough..”

“I could discover her identity.” Felix finished.

“Exactly. Knowing Ladybug’s identity would surely give us the advantage.” 

Felix nodded. They could practically waltz into Ladybug’s house and take her miraculous if they knew who she was, and once Ladybug was defeated, Chat Noir wouldn’t be far behind. 

Speaking of the Alley Cat..

“How do we get past Chat Noir? I imagine he won’t just let me run off after Ladybug.” He questioned.

Gabriel hummed. “You’ll just have to be subtle, then, won’t you?” 

Felix held back a scoff. That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Obviously, Father hadn’t thought through this plan completely. 

Nevertheless, Chat Noir would merely act as a bump in the road. He was certain he could find a way around that furball.

“Yes, sir.” Felix said. “I’ll find out her identity as soon as I can.” 

“The sooner the better.” Gabriel remarked, before gesturing for him to leave.

Felix moved to exit the room, but Gabriel spoke again as he opened the door. Something about his tone sent a chill through Felix’s bones, and whether the words were meant to be supportive or not, Felix found himself speed-walking to his room after the door closed.

“I know you won’t disappoint me.” 

~~~~~~

Marinette held her breath, trying to keep steady. Still, the needle trembled between her fingers. She tisked in annoyance. One would think that keeping their hands steady during sowing would get easier after years of practice.

Easy.. She told herself, her tongue slowly slipping past her lips as she tried to concentrate. Just a bit more to the left and-

“Ugh!” 

Marinette flinched, causing the needle to poke through the fabric and prick her finger. She hissed, pulling the needle away from her dress and sticking her injured finger into her mouth. 

“Oh, sorry Marinette.” Allegra apologized, sparing her a guilty glance. “I just can’t believe I missed that epic ice fight yesterday! It would have put my blog’s ratings through the roof!” 

“But your ratings are already booming.” Marinette pointed out, wiping her finger on a handkerchief. “Didn’t you get a picture of Ladybug saving Le Paon?”

“Yeah, through frosted glass.” Allegra sighed. “People could easily call it a hoax.. And you’re sure you didn’t get any pictures either?” 

Marinette shook her head. “We got stuck in the ice rink when the frost hit.” 

Allegra rose a brow. “‘We’?”

“Oh, yeah. Alya and I went together, and she invited the Agrestes.” Marinette replied, not thinking much of it. 

She didn’t notice the coy smile that curled onto Allegra’s lips. 

“Felix was there?” 

Marinette nodded, feeling a bit of heat come to her cheeks at the thought of him. By the time they finished ice skating yesterday, Felix and Marinette had practically been hugging each other. It wasn’t until Alya started taking pictures that she actually let go. The fact that she didn’t want to step away from him only worried Marinette more. What if she really did have feelings for Felix? He seemed to enjoy spending time with her, but did she honestly have a chance when it came to love? Marinette was a baker girl, and Felix was the heir to an enormous fashion company. He probably had girls lining up for his affections just like Adrien did, girls who were far prettier than her and a much better fit for someone like him. No, she and Felix could never be together in a romantic sense. Despite what Alya thought, some people just worked better as friends than lovers. This was obviously one of those times.

“Mari, I’ve been thinking..” Allegra spoke again, pulling Marinette from her thoughts. “Why don’t we plan a study date together? I know this really good cafe that serves the best lattes-”

Marinette perked up at the mention of lattes. She loved those heavenly drinks.

“-and it’ll help me be a little more productive while we talk about ‘Birds of a Feather’.”

“I don’t see why not.” She shrugged, sticking her needle into her pin cushion. “Would Saturday work for you?”

Allegra smiled. “Perfect! We can meet at the Laduree cafe around noon for lunch?” 

Marinette stood up. “Can you do four? I need to help out in the bakery first.”

“Four’s good.”

“Great! I need to get going now, if you don’t mind. The suns going down, and I was hoping I could get some sketching in today.”

“Oh, sure, but why do you need to go outside to sketch?” Allegra asked, slipping her purse over her shoulder.

“It helps keep my inspiration flowing.” Marinette shrugged. She then scooped her sketch pencils and erasure into her “art bag” and shook her bag around so she could fit her sketchbook inside as well.

“Huh.. that makes sense. I’ll see you tomorrow at school then!” Allegra said with a wave before flipping open the trap door.

Marinette returned her wave with a smile and took a few extra minutes getting the last of her things together before following her friend down the ladder. 

“Maman, I’m going out to sketch!” She called over her shoulder as she passed the cash register.

“Alright, sweetie! Be back in time for supper!” Sabine called back from the kitchen.

Another wave to Allegra, and she was out the door, strolling down the sidewalk and thinking up a few designs to start when she got to her favorite sketching spot. Hopefully it would take her mind off of the whole Felix business.

~~~~~~

“Alright, a little to left!” 

Adrien moved to the left as told, trying to hold his pose while doing so.

The cameraman frowned and shook his head. “No, no, show me a smile! A smile! Surely you can do better than that, Monsieur Agreste.”

Felix rolled his eyes as Adrien’s smile widened. He was trying too hard to look happy. Of course, Felix wouldn’t be happy either if he had to do multiple photo shoots two days in a row. Maybe he should look up some of the child labor laws in France. This much work on a fourteen year old couldn’t possibly be legal. 

The photographer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, something is still missing! Let’s change the scenery. Maybe that will get your sparkle back.” 

As soon as the camera was off of him, Adrien’s shoulders sagged. He looked exhausted.

“You know, I could always have Father rearrange your schedule for rest.” Felix offered, extending his cup of coffee to him.

Adrien refused the drink, but gave a half smile at the thought of an easier schedule. “Thanks, but you know he’d never agree to that. If I start complaining, he might pull me out of school.” 

“It’s not complaining. It’s called ‘Mental health’.” Felix replied, taking a sip of the coffee himself.

“He’ll still pull me out of school.” 

“Come! Come!” The photographer interrupted, gesturing for the boys to follow him. “We must hurry if we are going to finish!” 

Reluctantly, Felix and Adrien climbed into their car, where they were driven to another park across town. 

-

The Trocadero Gardens. Felix had seen it before in passing, but he’d never visited the park for some reason. Maybe he’d just been too preoccupied with his books.

The car rolled to a stop, and the boys barely had time to unbuckle before being ushered out of the car.

“No time to waste!” The photographer stressed as he set up his camera again.

Felix sent the photographer a glare. This guy was literally getting paid by the hour. What was he rushing for?

Adrien- good little doormat that he was -walked over to stand in front of the fountain as the photographer instructed. 

Felix opted to wander around the park instead. Why watch your little brother waste away in the model industry when you can enjoy a nice afternoon at a new park? It seemed like a waste to stay put, if you asked him.

The park wasn’t all that large, but he found it refreshing anyway. There was a mother taking her baby for a walk in a stroller, a man taking his dog for a walk, and another man who appeared to be feeding pigeons. Felix didn’t recall that being allowed there.

Oh, there’s even an artist here. He thought, seeing a young girl on the concrete steps across from the fountain. She held a pink notebook in her lap, and appeared to be very engrossed in what she was doing as she scribbled across the page. Her tongue was sticking out and everything. The only other person he knew that did that was..

Wait.

“..Marinette?” He said, a bit hesitant at first. When she looked up, though, Felix had no trouble walking over to her.

“Felix? What are you doing here?” She asked, eyes wide with surprise.

Felix smirked. This girl was too adorable.

“Adrien is having a photo shoot.” He answered, gesturing behind him to the cameraman. “You look busy. Should I leave you to your work?” 

“Oh, no, no. It’s- um -I’m just working on some sketches, so..” Marinette stuttered, fiddling with the edges of her notebook.

Felix nodded and mouthed an “ah”.

“Do you mind if I..” He trailed off, motioning towards the spot on the stairs next to her.

Marinette straightened. “Oh! No, of course not. Please.” 

“So what are you working on? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” Felix asked as he sat down.

A smile graced her lips. “Not at all. I wasn’t working on anything specific. Just a few things that popped into my head.”

She tilted the notebook, and Felix leaned closer so he could get a proper view. The first sketch on the left was what looked to be a thin, transparent dress clipped around a solid sheath dress. The picture was only half-way colored, but he could tell she was aiming for a colorful creation. The transparent fabric would be a brilliant rainbow color lined with silver, and the sheath dress would be a deep shade of red to compliment it. The second sketch on the right looked just as promising, though it wasn’t colored yet. It was a casual outfit: Jeans, high-heeled ankle boots, and a blouse with vertical stripes and bell sleeves. 

“They look wonderful.” He commented, lightly touching the edge of the page. “I can’t wait to see them in a fashion show.” 

Marinette pulled the notebook away. “Oh, I don’t know about a show. I mean, I love designing, but these are just doodles, really.”

Felix couldn’t help giving a soft smile. Sometimes it was hard to tell if Marinette was just too humble or too insecure. Maybe a little bit of both. 

“You should come over again sometime.” He hadn’t meant to say out loud, in all honesty, but he certainly wasn’t going to take it back now that he had. Felix rather enjoyed her last visit, more so than he would ever admit out loud.

“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” He added, suddenly getting the urge to look at the ground instead of her. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to talk with him personally, but I’m sure Father would love to see more of your work.”

Marinette smiled bashfully. “That sounds great. Thank you.” 

Felix let out a breath, relieved. “You don’t have to thank me. With talent like that, you were bound to be noticed eventually, whether I introduced you to Father or not.”

An adorable blush bloomed across her freckled cheeks as she turned back to her notebook. How can something so small make him feel so light? 

“Woah, Marinette! You’re here too?” 

The moment was interrupted by none other than Adrien, who either just finished his shoot or convinced the photographer to let him take a break. Judging by his outfit- the usual black shirt and white jacket with jeans -Felix was going to guess the former.

“Oh, hi, Adrien!” Marinette greeted brightly. “I just came here to get some sketching done. How was your shoot?” 

“It was fine.” Adrien replied, leaning over her to get a glimpse of the pages. “Those drawings look awesome! I wish I was that talented.” 

Marinette flushed again and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “T-Thanks, but it’s really just practice..” 

Adrien chuckled. “Believe me, Mari, I could practice for years and not be able to come up with those designs.” 

“I can’t say I disagree.” Felix spoke up. 

He learned too late that that was a mistake.

Adrien turned his gaze to Felix, a predatory-like smile coming to his lips. “No, I’m sure you can’t. How did you two run into each other, again?”

Felix held back a glare. Barely. “If you must know, I stumbled upon her by chance while roaming the park” 

Adrien hummed. “‘By chance while roaming the park’.. I guess that’s convincing enough.” 

Felix scoffed, but Marinette giggled.

“Marinette, it was nice seeing you, but we should probably get going. If the shoot is over, Gorilla should be in the car waiting for us.” Felix said, getting to his feet. Better to leave now than let Adrien keep babbling nonsense.

“You’re not going to try to stall to see her longer?” Adrien asked, thankfully in a lower tone this time. Felix nudged him in the side in retaliation. That boy was just begging to be locked out of the mansion later.

The two waved goodbye to Marinette, and Felix made sure to hold Adrien with an iron grip as they made their way back to the car.

“Have you no shame? She’s going to think that we’re complete idiots. At the most, you’ll make her extremely uncomfortable.” Felix scolded.

Adrien laughed. “Relax, Fe. Marinette obviously doesn’t mind. She even laughed!”

Felix tisked, though he couldn’t deny it. Marinette did laugh.. But that didn’t necessarily mean she enjoyed his implications. He wasn’t sure what it meant. Did she like him back? Was this her way of hinting that Adrien was right? Or was she just being polite as usual?

He shook his head. What was he thinking! He didn’t even feel that way towards Marinette! Or.. he wasn’t supposed to. Argh! Adrien’s teasing is starting to get into his head.

“Hey, look on the bright side.” Adrien said, noticing his brother’s annoyance. “I’m sure she thinks you look cute when you’re angry.”

“Shut up.”

~~~~~~

Claude hummed a little tune as he walked into the classroom. It wasn’t everyday that he got to class early, but this was a special request via Allegra. And when Allegra asks you to do something, you do it. 

He sat down at his assigned desk, paying no mind to the classmate or two that walked in after him, and took his tablet out of his bag. After turning it on, he pulled out another textbook, placing it neatly next to the tablet. A simple set-up, but it should do. Now all Claude had to do was play the part.

The bell rang through the halls, prompting more students to file into the classrooms. Felix came stalking in not a minute later, the exact time Allegra said he would.

Showtime.

Claude groaned as loud as he could and dramatically flopped onto the desk. “Oh, it’s hopeless! It’s all just hopeless!” 

He heard Felix sigh.

“What’s your problem now?” The blonde asked tiredly, moving Claude’s arm to the side as he sat down. Not as much sympathy as he was hoping for, but- hey -it was Felix. What did he expect?

Claude rolled to the side, letting his head fall on Felix’s shoulder and throwing his arm over his face. “It’s Chemistry. I just can’t understand any of it! No matter how hard I try, or how much I study, the formulas make no sense! I’m going to fail this class.”

Felix tisked towards his wailing and moved over, causing Claude to fall back onto the bench. “Maybe you should try paying attention in class.”

Claude rubbed the back of his head with a pout. This guy really was heartless. How did Marinette get him to be so nice?

“I do pay attention. It doesn’t help. You’re a straight-A student. How do you do it?” He continued as he sat back up.

Felix rolled his eyes. “It’s not hard. Just listen, take notes, and do the reading. Simple.” 

“Felix~.” Claude whined, falling back onto him again. 

As Felix started pushing him off, Claude noticed Allegra and Allan walking in. Allegra caught his eye briefly and gave him a subtle yet satisfied smirk.

Claude gasped, abruptly straightening in his seat. He needed to finish this soon or class was going to start.

“Hey, I know! You can tutor me!” He exclaimed, as if he’d just been given an epiphany.

“Absolutely not.” Felix replied flatly.

“Aw, come on, Fe.” Claude pleaded, even batting his eyelashes. “It’ll just be one little study session! All you have to do is check my work and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

Felix glared. “I said no. Why don’t you have Allegra help you?”

Allegra tilted her head back to look at them from her assigned seat. “Can’t. I’m busy tomorrow.”

“Who said anything about tomorrow? Study with him another day.” Felix said, pulling his tablet out of his bag.

“Oh, don’t be so cold.” Claude frowned. “What if I take you to your favorite coffee shop?”

Felix paused. “The Laduree cafe?”

Claude perked up. “Yep! You can get anything you want, and all you have to do is explain a few simple terms to me.”

“Or I could just go by myself.” 

Claude scoffed. “Just take the deal, please.”

Felix gave him a skeptical look. That was a good sign, right?

“Fine.” He finally relented. “When do you want to study?” 

Yes! 

“Tomorrow’s good. Say around..” He trailed off, glancing at Allegra. “Noon?”

Allegra shook her head and held up four fingers.

“Er- four. I meant four. Let’s meet up at four tomorrow.” 

“Mhm. Sure. Just don’t be late.” Felix replied, already going back to his books.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Claude assured as the last bell rang. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

Felix didn’t respond, but if he would’ve bothered to look up, he would have caught Claude and Allegra giving each other a quiet high five.

Mission accomplished.

This was going to be fun.

~~~~~~

Marinette slid into the booth and set her backpack against the wall. She then brushed off the bits of flour sticking to her sleeve. Even after changing, the powdery substance still managed to infect her second outfit. At least it was one of the smaller bags that she dropped this time. How can she save an entire city as Ladybug, but not be able to make a simple batch of cookies without wrecking the kitchen as Marinette? Sometimes she wondered why her parents had her help in the bakery at all, if you can call that helping.

“Thanks for meeting with me today, Marinette.” Allegra said, putting one of her textbooks on the table.

Marinette smiled. “Of course. A study date is definitely something I need, and I always enjoy our time together.”

Allegra put a hand to her chest. “Aw, so do I! What do you want to do first? Study or talk about ‘Birds of a Feather’?”

Marinette glanced down at her backpack in thought. They had a test coming up next week, so they definitely needed to study at some point. If they did, though, she’d want it to be fresh in her mind. 

“Mm, let’s talk about the blog first.” She decided. 

“Perfect!” Allegra beamed, pulling the app up on her phone. “There hasn’t been an akuma for three days. That means that one is bound to show up soon, since Hawkmoth doesn’t normally wait a whole month for akumas.”

Marinette nodded, genuinely impressed. Allegra’s reports were always so detailed. It didn’t surprise her that Alya was threatened by the competition. 

“Like I expected, people are claiming fraud on my pictures. I think the few pics Alya got for her blog are the only reason I’m not being swarmed by haters. We need to get a lot of good pictures during this next battle or I’m going to start losing followers.”

“How do you suppose we do that?” 

Allegra pressed a few buttons on her phone, before flipping the device for Marinette to see the screen. Multiple videos were splayed across the screen, each showing a different area of the city.

“We’re always having trouble getting the footage because we have to run around the city, right? Well, the way I see it is: why bother racing around to get one, blurry photo when we have all the cameras we need already?”

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. “Are those.. Security cameras? How did you get access to these?”

Allegra pulled the phone back, a smug expression making its way onto her features. “Let’s just say I borrowed the little tech genius from your class.”

“Max?” Why would he agree to help with something like that? Tampering with the camera systems was illegal!

“Allegra, I’m not sure about this.” Marinette said. Not only could they get in serious, legal trouble for this, giving Allegra access to the city’s security cameras could also jeopardize her identity. What if she landed in the wrong alleyway, and Allegra caught her detransforming on tape? What if she already had?

“But it’s such a good idea!” Allegra tried to persuade her. “With these, we’ll be able to catch tons of video footage for Le Paon without lifting a finger!” 

Marinette sighed. “This isn’t right. What if the government found out? Mayor Bourgeois would be furious. How long have you been doing this?”

Disappointment flicked across Allegra’s expression, but she turned the cameras off. “Only since this morning. I thought it was a good idea, too.”

Marinette slumped back into her booth seat, feeling the rush of relief. 

“So, no on the security cameras.” Allegra concluded, setting her phone on the table dejectedly. “I guess we’ll just have to keep getting as many pictures of him as we can.” 

Marinette hummed. Security Cameras definitely weren't an option, but they couldn’t run around Paris like they had been, either. Something needed to change..

“What if we made a tag.” She suggested. “Like an akuma or Le Paon tag. That way, when someone saw Le Paon or an akuma, they would tag us.”

And Ladybug and Chat Noir will get more warnings before an attack.

Allegra brightened. “Oh yeah! That’s pretty close to security cameras. Maybe other people can get pictures for us too.” 

Marinette nodded and started typing out the ideas on a memo from her phone. She didn’t want to forget what the tag names would be. 

They started brainstorming what names to use, but the two only got a few names in when a gasp interrupted them.

“Woah! What are you guys doing here?”

It was Claude, and he seemed extremely enthusiastic about seeing them for some reason. 

“Are you guys studying? What a coincidence! We are too!”  He exclaimed as he reached behind him and pulled someone else forward. 

Marinette’s eyes widened, recognizing them immediately.

Felix glowered at Claude, until his eyes landed on Marinette. She felt her heart rate pick up as they stared at each other. First, the park, and now, the cafe? Why was she suddenly seeing him everywhere? It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but..

“Wow! What are the odds?” Allegra said, bringing Marinette from her thoughts. “Since we’re all here, why don’t you guys study with us?”

“Wha-?” 

“Oh no, we couldn’t.” Claude replied, though he was already sitting down next to her. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course we’re sure! Aren’t we, Marinette?” 

Marinette faltered at the sudden question. They both looked so expectant and eager. It was a bit unnerving, to be honest. She glanced at Felix, who seemed equally astonished- and a little annoyed, but she was told that he always looked that way.

“Uh.. sure. You guys can sit with us.” She finally answered.

“Thanks, Mari, you’re the best.” Claude remarked as he reached for one of the menus. 

Felix remained standing, apparently indecisive about what to do.

“Take a seat, Felix.” Allegra prompted, flashing him a sharp smile. “It’s rude to linger.”

His lips twitched in a scowl, but he sat down as he was told. Why was he so upset? It wasn’t because of her, was it?

“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to sit with us.” Marinette assured, trying to sound as understanding as possible.

Felix met her eyes again at the comment, and his expression softened.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll stay.”

“Great!” Claude grinned. “Now we can all study together.” 

Marinette smiled for Claude’s sake, even though she still felt nervous on Felix’s behalf.

Everyone got out their respective books- Chemistry, History, and English -and started studying. Felix grumbled a few pointers to Claude, who wrote them down with an all-too-pleased expression. Allegra would occasionally ask Marinette to check her work, and, in turn, Marinette would ask Allegra to quiz her on a few terms. A waiter came by with their drinks not long after. Marinette made sure to set a sweet aside for Tikki.

“So how’d you guys end up here?” Marinette asked as she sipped on her latte, simply making polite conversation. 

Claude, of course, was the first to answer. “I bribed Felix into tutoring me by bringing him to his favorite coffee shop.” 

“Oh, this is your favorite coffee shop?”

Felix nodded. “It’s close to the library that I fancy. The Cappuccinos aren’t bad either.”

Marinette hummed. “I wouldn’t know. I prefer lattes, myself.” 

“Would you like to try it?” He offered, gently pushing the cup towards her.

Marinette took the cup with a “thanks” and carefully brought the hot drink to her lips. The boldness of the coffee taste threw her at first, though she couldn’t say that she disliked it. A hint of sweetness caught her attention too, despite the liquid being mostly bitter. It’s not something she would usually order, but overall..

“Not bad.” She decided, pushing the cup back over to Felix.

Felix gave a small smile as he pulled it back. “Told you it wouldn’t be.”

Marinette giggled. “I’ll have to get one next time I come.” 

“Well, maybe I’ll see you here. Then I can get your latte.” He replied lightheartedly.

Marinette smiled, fighting down another blush. At least she knew that she wasn’t the reason for his discomfort. 

“I’d like that.”

~~~~~~

Felix slipped his books into his bag and tucked his pen and pencil into their respective pockets on the side. The fact that he stayed here for three whole hours with those hooligans should be considered an accomplishment. He swung his bag over his shoulder, looking out the window for his car as he did. With all of the street lights, it was almost hard to tell that the sun had already set. The slim line of dark blue above the building across the street was his only confirmation of the night’s presence. 

He glanced down at Marinette, who was now curled up on her booth seat, head tucked in her arms on the table, fast asleep. She’d lulled off around ten minutes ago, which is why they decided it was time to leave in the first place. 

“Don’t stare too hard.” Claude smirked. 

“I can take a picture for you if you want.” Allegra teased.

Felix shot them a glare, his irritation from earlier resurfacing in his mind. “Don’t patronize me. What the heck was this, anyway?”

Allegra smiled innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Don’t act like you two didn’t set this whole thing up!” Felix snapped.

“Now, now, let’s not get riled up. We wouldn’t want to wake sweet Marinette.” Claude said in a hushed tone.

As if on queue, the ravenette let out a yawn, before cuddling back into her crossed arms.

“I don’t see what the problem is.” Allegra commented as she picked up her book bag. “You two had a good time.”

“You even got an indirect kiss.” Claude remarked.

Felix flushed. “Wha-”

“And you got a second date.” Allegra added.

His blush deepened. “Date? Second? What are you two even talking about?” 

The pair snickered.

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know.” Claude sang as he nudged Felix in the shoulder.

Felix scoffed and went to retort when Allegra spoke again.

“Welp! We’d better get going. Be a dear and make sure Marinette gets home safe, will you?” 

How she wormed her way around him, he’ll never know, but Allegra and Claude were out the door before he could even refuse the request. It’s not that he minded taking Marinette home. It’s more of that he’d just about had enough of those two meddling in his personal affairs. Didn’t they have anything better to do with their lives? 

Probably not. He thought, moving to Marinette’s side so he could wake her up. She heaved a sigh, blowing a bit of her bangs to the side as she did. She looked so peaceful. So delicate. It made him want to let her sleep forever. 

Felix brushed a strand of her hair to the side, lightly tucking it behind her ear so it didn’t bother her. Round, black earrings gleamed under the cafe’s lights. They were a bit plain for a fashion designer. Maybe they were special to her somehow.

“Mari.” He said softly, giving her shoulder a small push. “It’s time to wake up. I need to take you home.” 

Marinette hummed and shifted on the booth. “Mm.. yes, Le Paon, you should go home.. Come back tomorrow, though”

Felix reeled back, heat rushing to his cheeks. Did he hear that right? Was she.. was she dreaming about him? (Or, dreaming about Le Paon.) Either way, it sounded like she wanted his alter ego to come visit again.

He shook his head, and nudged her a second time. Now was not the time for bashfulness.

After a few tries, she finally woke up enough for him to walk her outside. By then, Gorilla was already out there and waiting for him in the car. He opened the car door for Marinette, then walked around to his side once she was settled in.

“Take us to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, please.” 

Gorilla nodded and pulled onto the street. Felix leaned back in his seat, still thinking about what Marinette had said. Granted, she’d said it in a dream-induced state, but that just meant she dreamt about him, right? To dream about something, you’d have to think about it often. How much does she think about Le Paon? About him?

A light weight sunk into his shoulder, effectively cutting off his thoughts and seizing his heart. He didn’t have to look down to know what it was. Marinette. She was sleeping. On his shoulder. She must have forgotten to fasten her seat belt. When did she move so close to him? Should he wake her up? That would be the polite thing to do..

Felix shook her shoulder slightly, but she only snuggled further into his arm. He was about to shake her again, when he paused. She looked so cute, and the way she leaned on him felt.. Nice. He didn’t want to wake her up. He.. he liked it. 

Oh gosh, he liked it. 

Felix sucked in a breath. 

Calm down. It’s not like you haven’t been this close before. He told himself. They’d practically hugged each other at the ice rink the other day, though he didn’t feel the way that he did now. 

His thoughts flicked back to that time when he first went to her house as Le Paon, when she held his hand and looked at him with a quiet understanding. He’d felt something then. It was..anxiety..and excitement. An odd eagerness that yearned to be explored. Moments like these- in the quiet of the night and the vulnerability of their hearts -were the ones that resonated within him the most. He couldn’t help wondering if he would feel it now. If he just moved his hand a little closer.. Would he be able to..?

Felix ripped his hand away and took another deep breath. Marinette was asleep right now. He couldn’t go around touching people like that while they were unconscious, even if it was a simple hold of the hand. 

He pushed her back onto her side of the car- careful not to wake her up too much -and buckled her in so she wouldn’t fall again. They dropped her off a few minutes later. She was a bit disoriented, but thanked them nonetheless and got out like nothing had happened. Felix wondered if he would be able to act the same way when he saw her again. 

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[spooky-z]

Confident

It's time to get the chains out

Is your tongue tied up?

'Cause this is my ground

And I'm dangerous

And you can get off

But it's all about me tonight

Confident – Demi Lovato

××××××

Warning: Adrien and Marinette's potty mouth

@ozmav @maribat-archive

××××××

 "Do you think she'll like it?" Damian asks, his worried face.

"Absolutely." Jason whistles, enjoying the breathtaking view.

He hoped his brother was right.

•••••

Marinette was... bored.

Chloe hadn't come to school today because Kagami was going to travel to Tokyo and she wanted to say goodbye to her girlfriend at the airport.

Because she's a drama queen.

Her class was once again around Lila, eating everything she spat out of that lying mouth.

At least Adrien had stopped covering her and was now helping Marinette when Lila tried to hit her.

The class was not happy with any of the three (Adrien, Marinette and Chloe), but neither did they exclude them. At Lila's request, of course. She wouldn't let Adrien go like this without a fight.

"... Then Damiboo took me for a romantic picnic in the garden of Wayne Mansion." Marinette felt bile rise in her throat, but swallowed back. "He has a motorcycle, but he loves me so much that he was afraid I would fall out of it, so the driver, Alberto, took us for a ride around Gotham."

How could people believe this? For real. Marinette seriously doubted whether her classmates still had working neurons. Even a monkey could tell what was true and what was pure shit.

But she had already given up on them. It was no longer her problem.

Her cell phone buzzed twice signaling that she had received a message.

Bǎobèi: Angel, did you dress like I asked?

Marinette smiles, but bites her lips to avoid questions.

Habib: Maybe... You didn't tell me why. And I am waiting.

She had dressed as Damian had requested.

Leather pants, boots, a leather jacket as well. Underneath she had a plain, loose-fitting white T-shirt.

She still didn't understand why the request and Damian didn't tell.

Bǎobèi: Wait for you at the school entrance at break. Do not be late!

Marinette straightened in her chair.

Damian was coming for her?!

Habib: Are you coming here?

Habib: Dami?

Habib: ?

Habib: Hello?

She drops the phone giving up on getting an answer for now. It was only five minutes before the break.

“... My God, girl! You're so lucky!” She hears Alya scream “Damian Wayne at your feet!”

And there we go again.

•••••

When it gave two minutes for the bell to sound, the loud sound of two bikes was heard throughout the school.

High performance bikes.

And Marinette thought it would be too much of a coincidence that Damian would come and pick her up, soon after, bikes prowling the school.

The class looked confused at each other. Kim looked excited with the expectation of ... something? Marinette didn't understand very much what was going on in the boy's head.

Alya had the sparkle in the eye of the one who found the exclusive of the day. Lila seemed to be up to something and Adrien... Poor baby, sleeping as if he'd been kept awake for a whole week.

Which was probably true, given that Mr. Agreste was a dick. Marinette has never hated an adult as much as she hates him.

"OH MY GOD THAT IS DAMIAN WAYNE?!" someone shouted in the courtyard and the class got surprised.

“Hey, isn't Damian Wayne your boyfriend's name, Lila?” Mylene asks innocently.

Marinette suspects that her classmate is not as stupid as the others. She always seemed to know things you don't want anyone to know.

Adrien wakes up scared, his face scrunched up and his eyes heavy.

"What is it?" He asks.

“Lila's boyfriend Damian Wayne is here at school!” Alya gushes excitedly.

The blonde tilts his head in confusion. “Lila's boyfriend? But he wasn't-“

“It can't be my Damiboo because he went on a business trip with other billionaires.” Lila quickly cuts Adrien knowing that he would say something against her.

This is when the bell rings and everyone seems to jump out of their chairs and leave the room. Curiosity eroding them.

Even Lila ran.

That left only Adrien (who looked like a cat, sprawled on the table) and Marinette, who was waiting for Damian's message.

She goes to Adrien, worried about her friend.

"Chaton, you don't look well." She strokes the blonde's head, hearing the soft purr coming from him.

He turns his head to look at her.

"It's been a tough week for this cat, My Lady."

Plagg runs away from the bag just like Tikki, only to land on the boy's head.

“That miserable man that my kitten has as his father decided it would be a good idea to make a busy schedule to the brim of appointments for the whole month.” The god of destruction complains “If Tikki hadn't stopped me I would have totaled him already.”

Marinette smiles at him.

“Plagg, we already talked about it!” Tikki complains and the two starts arguing.

“Gabriel seems to be getting worse, Adrien.” Marinette says, “You're 18 years old soon, I think it's time for you to run away from him. Have your independence.”

The model rises from his chair, bag on his shoulder. He smiles at his friend.

“And I will.” She raises her eyebrow to show she wasn't having any of that. “Really! Luka has been helping me. As soon as I turn 18, I leave the mansion.”

Marinette smiles mischievously.

“Luka, huh?!” Adrien blushes at her tone. “You've been very close lately. Can I celebrate already? Because it was about time.”

She pokes him playfully.

“MARI!” He squeaks.

"What? It's true and you know it.”

“Alright!” He complains. “Now let's go, because I'm sure Lila must be trying her moves and Damian pissed off that he couldn't get rid of her and Alya.”

Marinette gets serious quickly.

"You're right! He's going to kill her!” She pulls Adrien out the door, their kwamis quickly hiding in their bags.

“Even, I must say, My Lady, you're divine in those clothes.” He says gallantly. “Makes a better cat than me. A total of 10/10.”

Marinette doesn't respond, just pulls the blonde harder through Dupont's corridors.

When they arrive at the school's front door, they come across the crowd of students. Everyone squeezing so they could see what was happening on the street.

“… What do you mean you don't recognize me, Damiboo?” Despite all the confusion, Marinette and Adrien were able to hear.

The brunette palmed her face, not believing what she was hearing.

“Look, she can be a liar and all, but you can't deny she has courage.” Adrien whistles.

"Too much courage." Mari observes. "Now help me through them."

"Right away, my lady!"

They start pushing people, apologizing when someone complains more strongly. Marinette thinks they lost two minutes pushing the students until they reached the top of the stairs.

“Holy shit.” Adrien sighs.

"Fuck." Marinette replies.

The scene was as follows:

On one side was Lila in Alya's arms pretending to cry, while Alya had the furious expression on her face. The class was close behind, anger was a joint feeling, from what Marinette could observe.

On the other side was Damian, all dressed in black leather, helmet in hand, and scornful expression.

A beautiful black Suzuki GSX R1000/R with red accents and an all-black Kawasaki ZZR1400 Ninja parked on the sidewalk.

"Look, I'm just going to talk one more time: I've never seen or met this girl in my life." His voice colder than the Antarctic glaciers. "I've only had one girlfriend in my life and I still keep dating her."

“Why are you lying, Damiboo? I thought we loved each other!” Lila pouted.

“Layla-“

"It's LILA." She growls.

"-LILA, unless you were born with the name Marinette and changed your identity from yesterday to today, you're not my girlfriend."

“Marinette? Like Marinette Dupain-Cheng? That Marinette?” Alya asks surprised.

"Yes. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. My girlfriend for three years.” He frowns “That’s late again.” And looks at Marinette standing at the top of the stairs. He smiled.

She takes her cue and jumps into his arms. The boy catches her effortlessly.

“Hey you.” She kisses his lips quickly. "Wǒ xiāng nǐ."

"I missed you too, Angel." He replies. "And I brought your gift for taking your license." And points to the parked Suzuki.

Marinette lets him go, the shock on her face.

"Wait! Is this my?!” She looks incredulous “Adrien comes here! I have a bike now!” She shouts at the blonde running down anxiously.

They were totally ignoring the rest of the class.

"Damian." He greets before going to see the Suzuki.

“Adrien.” The brunette greets back.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Alya demands, having already released Lila, very focused on trying to understand what was going on. The three stops to look at her. "Are you dating Damian Wayne, Marinette?"

"... Yes? I thought he already said that.” She answers placidly.

“And Lila? Are you stealing other people's man now?!” Alya was livid.

“I never thought you'd play so dirty, Marinette.” Lila sniffles. She would be a terrible actress, Jesus. "I know you hate me because all the boys you like end up coming to me, but I didn't think you would do anything like that."

Marinette feels a vein burst in her temple.

“Girl, you need urgent help! This is not healthy.” Alya supports Lila.

“… Are you telling me they really believe this?” Damian asks Adrien, not believing what he saw.

"Unfortunately."

"How can you handle it?"

“At the base of croissants and hot chocolate.”

Marinette snorts, looking like a bull.

"I won't argue with you." She says "I have more important things to do."

"Like me." Damian jokes maliciously.

Some students blush at the blatant joke.

“You two are gross.” Adrien scowls.

Marinette doesn't answer because she was admiring her motorcycle. Her wonderful, beautiful and powerful bike.

She was almost jumping with anxiety to run through the streets of Paris.

Mari rode the bike, testing the comfort, the pedals, and the accelerator. Not paying attention to the discussion going on between Adrien, the class, and Damian.

Maybe she was drooling a little.

"Bǎobèi!" Marinette calls, cutting off the discussion. "Can I take a walk with her?"

Damian smiles, delighted with the animation of his angel.

"Sure." He replies. "But first the helmet."

He goes to her, the black helmet in his hands and extends it to her.

Marinette runs her hands through her hair to fix it so that it doesn't fall into her eyes. They were much shorter than at 13. She had decided on an asymmetrical jaw-length cut.

She takes the helmet from Damian's hands and puts it on her head, pinning the buckle below her chin.

Damian adjusts to fit her helmet better and closes the leather jacket she wears, for better protection.

She turned to Adrien.

"How am I?" She poses.

“I would let you kidnap me. Approved.” He claps his hands. “If Damian wasn't here… Oh boy.” He shakes his eyebrows and Damian rolls his eyes.

“I'M TALKING TO YOU!” Lila screams angrily.

Adrien looks at Marinette.

"She was?"

Marinette shrugs.

“I don't care.” She turns the key to the bike, loving the sound. “Now get in loser we're going shopping.”

Adrien widens his eyes in surprise.

“Really?!” Marinette rolls her eyes at him before closing the helmet visor. "I'M GOING!"

He rides the bike holding tight to Marinette's arms, knowing she can take his weight.

Damian was already seated in Kawazaki, his helmet steady, when Adrien tightened his grip around Marinette.

“Let's bet who's the fastest, Wayne?” He says mischievously.

“Oh? Do you really want to bet a race sitting in the passenger seat?” Damian sneers.

Adrien seems to understand his situation, but it was too late.

"I accept the challenge. May the best win."

“Wai-” his voice was cut off by the acceleration Marinette gave.

Damian close behind.

The whole school stopped without understanding anything.

And Lila? Well, she kept talking to herself.

BONUS!

"Do you think Marinette would take me for a ride?" Alix sighed, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Marinette could take me with her anywhere." Kim replies, his face an exact copy of Alix. "Did you see how beautiful she was?"

"Yes..." They sigh together

"... So how long have they been like this?" Max asks Nathaniel.

The redhead shrugs.

“Since Adrien and Marinette left.”

"... That was an hour ago."

Nathaniel shrugs again.

[quixotin]

pst. hey. hey kid, yes you.

Chapter 9 of The Wall Between Us is up on AO3 if you feel like crying over fictional teenagers who like to dress up in skintight suits to battle a magical terrorist. 

Read on Tumblr below the cut. 

Chapter 9  Adrien would like to say that he went back to school the Monday after Alya’s intervention because if he stayed a day longer, his father would probably just go ahead and arrange for a private tutor. However, if he was really honest, his return to school was attributed largely to his fear of Alya. He knew she was not above storming into the mansion again and dragging him all the way to his classroom, no matter his state or what he was wearing.

Nobody needed to see him in days-old comfort clothes, so he decided it was in everyone’s best interest if he just showed up.

Luckily, he severely overestimated how much of a fuzz his classmates would make upon his return. The only ones who prodded with questions were Nino and Chloe.

The sight to behold was Marinette, who had barely batted an eye when he went into the room. He felt as if somebody had punched him in the gut as he took her in. She looked sick, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes were directed at her table. She clutched the phone he had given her as Chat Noir on her hand, tucked underneath the table, knuckles white from holding it so tight.

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and forced to calm himself even though there was nothing he wanted more than to hurry up to her and pull her in the tightest hug he could give her. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, how much of an idiot he had been for leaving her hanging, how awful he felt for making her believe he abandoned her.

Then the bell rang and had no option but to take a seat as their teacher came in. The end of the day couldn’t arrive fast enough, he couldn’t wait to call her. He had lied about his schedule so he wouldn’t be forced to go back home when he called her. He had told Natalie there would be an extended fencing practice but instead he’d head somewhere in the outskirts of the city where he’d have enough privacy.

He found a tower that seemed tall enough that no one would spot him hanging around at the top. He transformed and pulled the burner phone from his backpack, then with shaky hands dialed her number. He held his breath as the line rang.

It couldn’t have been five seconds before someone answered at the other end of the line.

“Hello?”

It was her, she sounded worried. “Is it you?… Hello?”

“Yeah,” he said, finding it hard to speak with the painful knot that strangled his vocal cords.

Ladybug let out a gasp. “Are you okay?”

“Yes…Ladybug, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I–”

“Stop,” she said. “Whatever you’re going to say next, I want you to tell it to my face. Tonight, top of Eiffel.”

“Okay, but–”

“Tonight, Chaton… I trust you to be there,” she said, then hung up.

Chat Noir gulped. Maybe she suspected what he had wanted to do. Even though Alya had advised against it, he was still not entirely sure it wasn’t the right way to go. Things would be so much more complicated from now on, and even though there was still the risk of his father being Hawkmoth, the prospect of confirming his suspicion seemed just as dreadful as revealing his identity to Marinette.

That night, he was earlier to the rendezvous than Ladybug, which gave him a few minutes to take in the city for a while and calm his thoughts. He was caught off guard when Ladybug suddenly swung from behind him, grabbed him, and hoisted him all the way up, to the very top of the tower.

“What the—”

“The only way you’re getting off from here is with your baton,” she said, tearfully. “I won’t let you give up the ring. I– you… You can’t!”

Chat Noir looked at her for a second and then launched himself into her arms. “I’m so sorry, Ladybug,” he said. “I’m sorry I disappeared like that, I… it took me by surprise.”

Ladybug sobbed against his hair. “You… you… dumbass!”

“Takes one to spot one,” he joked softly, still hugging her tightly. He only let her go once she had calmed down a bit.

“Ladybug, I’m so sorry,” he repeated. “I never wanted to hurt you… Which is why I can’t—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” she pleaded.

Chat Noir sighed heavily, sensing as his assuredness wavered. “I can’t be Chat Noir anymore, Ladybug. I don’t want to make this harder on you…”

“You aren’t!” she protested. “Chat Noir, you’re my partner!”

“Trust me, you’ll be better off without–”

“For once in your life, stop making assumptions!” she yelled, wishing she knew his name so that he could shout it. “You always do this! You never give me a chance to explain!” she cried. “Chat Noir, you won’t make things harder on me by knowing my identity.”

“You don’t get it,” he said, quietly.

“What?” she demanded. “What is it that I don’t get since you haven’t grown past hiding things from me, apparently?” At his silence, she pressed again. “What is it Chat Noir?” she cried.

“I’m in love with you!” he yelled back, if only to interrupt her accusations, summoning a heavy silence. “I love you,” he repeated softly, after what felt like an eternity. “I know who you are, Marinette.”

She gasped at the sound of her name. A part of her knew one day in the future he’d probably speak it, but it was one of those things one assumes but never really understands until they happen. The same way one knows life will happen at some point but cannot really fathom it.

“I did get over you,” he explained. “Then I fell in love with you again, with you under the mask… I know you’re with Luka and I don’t want to get in the way. But I also can’t… I–”

Ladybug didn’t know what else to do but to hug him. “You don’t have to tell me who you are,” she said softly. “I’ll keep my distance. Just… please don’t leave. You won’t get in the way, I promise. No matter what you think, you’ll never be an obstacle for me, I need you to understand that. Please, Chat.”

Chat hugged her tightly and nodded against her shoulder. “Okay.”

They stayed like that for a good while and once calm was regained, they descended back to the lower beams of the tower, where they usually met.

They were quiet until a question dawned on Ladybug. “Why did you show up to the hang-out with no transformation anyway?”

“It was the middle of the day,” he said. “And… there was an emergency.”

Ladybug arched an eyebrow at him.

“Um… don’t ask follow-up questions, but… I have reason to believe Hawkmoth might be Gabriel Agreste.”

Ladybug widened her eyes. “What?”

“I, uh… got a lead from someone who’s very close to the Agrestes and there’s evidence he has—or at least had the Peacock Miraculous. But knowing how he works, he probably has given it to his assistant, Natalie Sancoeur.”

“Gabriel Agreste?” she said pensively. “That can’t be, he’s been Akumatized.”

“And I’ve fooled you so that you thought my civilian self was hanging around while I was actually transformed one time, anything is possible, LB. Especially since he’s an adult. Remember what Bunnix said? Adults develop more command over the Miraculous.”

Ladybug shook her head. “But… How did you find out? Who told you?”

“I can’t tell you,” said Chat Noir. “I know, I know how it looks but… you trust me, right?”

She looked straight into his eyes and nodded.

“So please, take my word for it. I’m almost completely sure he’s Hawkmoth.”

“Okay,” she said. “Somebody ought to be checking on Adrien Agreste, then. He might be in danger if Gabriel and Natalie are Hawkmoth and Mayura.”

“I’ll take care of that, don’t worry.”

Ladybug gave him a long, thoughtful look but nothing came of it. She blinked a couple times and looked back at the city, a shaky breath escaping her lips.

“We have to make sure though,” she said. “It could be a disaster if it turned out it wasn’t him and we make a move. And even if he is, we need to figure out how to defeat him. I don’t want to let out too many Miraculous to fight Hawkmoth but at the same time I’m not sure we can defeat him just between you and me.”

“I’m working on that, too.”

Ladybug gave him a look. “Chat you’re not sneaking into his house or something like that, right? It could be very dangerous, what if he catches you? We need a plan.”

“I’m trying to get closer to Adrien Agreste,” he lied. “He might have a clue.”

“Maybe I could help,” Ladybug offered. “I know him in civilian life.”

Chat Noir bit his tongue. “It’s not necessary, Bugaboo, I also know him in civilian life. But if you’d like, be my guest. Just be careful.”

“Same to you.”

The air between them got steadily lighter as the hours passed and the nightlife of the city quieted down into a soft murmur. Ladybug’s eyelids became heavier with the flowing of the night and soon began dozing off. It only came to her attention when her head fell and found support on Chat’s shoulder. She quickly jolted and patted her cheeks to try and regain awareness.

Chat Noir chuckled. “Maybe we should head back,” he suggested.

Ladybug shook her head stubbornly.

“Why not? You’re falling asleep.”

“I’m scared you’ll leave the ring,” she admitted with a mutter.

Against his will, a powerful wave of affection for her coursed through his body which compelled him to pull her into his arms. Yet, he restrained himself and simply gave her a warm smile.

“I won’t do that, cat’s honor,” he said. Seeing as his reassurance didn’t convince her, he added, “I promise, Ladybug.”

With that, each went their own way.

Thankful that the next day would be a school holiday, Marinette planned on sleeping in and gathering her bearings. Which was why she was caught completely off guard when somebody rang her apartment’s bell sometime during the late morning the next day.

Marinette begrudgingly got out of bed to open the door and was surprised to find Luka.

Luka took her in, she was wearing pajamas and seemed she had had a long night. Her hair was a little bedraggled and there were bags under her eyes. He suspected he knew exactly why. Somebody had spotted Chat Noir and Ladybug talking at the top of the Eiffel Tower the night before. The way his stomach churned with insecurity over what could they have possibly talked about reassured him in the worst way possible, that he was about to do the right thing for both of them.

“Luka?” Marinette gasped, dread washing over her. “What– I’m sorry I didn’t reply to your texts… I was…”

He sighed. “It’s okay, Mari… Can I come in?”

Marinette simply nodded and led him to her room. Luka tried to pay no heed to how weak his legs felt as they climbed up the stairs, how his throat was tightly tied up in a painful knot.

Marinette sat on her chaise as Luka paced around nervously, trying to gather courage.

“Mari, I…”

“Stop, I know what this is about. I’m sorry I hadn’t been answering the phone, Luka. I really am. It’s just…” she looked down. “There’s been some stuff going on. I’m sorry…”

“It’s not that,” Luka said. “I figured there must be something going on if you didn’t pick up, I know you don’t mean to push me away. But that’s not why I came here.” He looked down, taking notice of his trembling hands. He sighed. “Mari, I’ve been trying so hard. But I just… I can’t take it anymore. I’m not like you.”

Marinette stared perplexed at Luka, who now stood at the center of the room looking down.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know,” he said, still not able to look at her. “You said you wouldn’t want me to tell you if I found out, but the truth is I can’t act as if nothing’s going on anymore.”

Marinette slowly caught drift of what Luka implied, feeling a sudden chill running down her spine.

“I know your secret,” he admitted, finally looking at her, who was pale as a ghost and with eyes wide open. “I didn’t mean to,” he immediately added. “It was an accident. I wanted to tell you that I knew, but I… I was so scared that you’d want to break up with me, then when Chat picked me to join you the last time I fought, I knew I had to try and tell you again. Then you said you wouldn’t want to know if I knew… But I just can’t take it anymore.”

Marinette was petrified in her seat.

“Marinette, I know you don’t mean to hurt me. But I just… I can’t take it. I tried to get used to it, but it’s just driving me mad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’ve been evading me because he was gone,” he said with a strained voice, trying his hardest not to cry in front of her.

“Luka, I– It’s not that…”

“Then what is it?”

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to explain myself without revealing my identity,” she said quietly then looked down, tears pooling in her eyes knowing that wasn’t all the truth, hating that she understood why Luka was directing the conversation to where she suspected it was headed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “He’s my partner, Luka,” she explained. “I can’t just act like everything’s okay when he gets hurt.”

Luka looked down and sighed. “That never stopped you before,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You used to tell me about your life as Ladybug,” he pointed out. “I never asked questions because I really just wanted to help you, but it wasn’t hard to figure that’s what the ‘macaron mafia’ was when I discovered you were Ladybug. And then suddenly, you stopped talking about it when we started dating.”

Marinette sighed. “I did think about telling you,” she admitted, to which Luka looked up at her hopefully.

“So why didn’t you?” Luka asked, impatient at Marinette’s silence. He looked at it from her perspective. The battle against Queen Wasp ended up revealing the identity of almost all the wielders and that meant Hawkmoth knew. They were akumatization targets.

“I’ve only ever been akumatized once,” Luka said, catching drift of her logic. “Why... why don’t you trust me?” he asked, sounding more wounded than he intended.

“I do trust you, Luka. But you never know what might happen in the future,” she explained.

“Something like breaking up?” Luka asked sadly.

The silence that met his question was worse than any injury he’d ever gotten. Luka didn’t know one could possibly be in this much pain while physically intact.

“As Ladybug there’s many things I have to sacrifice. I need to be prepared for everything. At first I thought of telling you because we were just friends and you’re good at handling your emotions way more than me or Chat, even. But a break-up... that’s enough to get anyone. I’m not saying it would happen, but...”

He clung to the silence like one clings to a lifeline before falling into an abyss. He knew what he needed to say next and yet he couldn’t bring himself to speak the words. He knew this couldn’t go on. Either way, he knew there was no way around getting hurt. Staying with her was not good for him, but leaving would break his heart.

Suddenly, he let go of his lifeline. “I think we should break up.”

“What?” Marinette said, gasping, looking up to him. “N-no! Why? I said I’m sorry.”

“Mari, I know you love him,” he said, painfully.

“I also love you. Luka, if you just give me a little time, I can just–.”

Luka walked close to her and gently took her hands in his. Then, asked a question that, though he knew was selfish, simply needed to hear the answer to, “Do you think you could love me as much as you love him?”

“I… I’m trying,” she said gently and pulled him into a hug to prove her point. “I’m trying.”

A sob finally managed to escape Luka as Marinette held him as tight as she could. “That’s the point,” he said as he snaked his arms around her, too. “I don’t want you to force yourself to feel something… something that doesn’t come naturally.”

Marinette cried.

“I… I can’t compete with him, Marinette.”

“It’s not a competition!” Marinette protested.

“I know it’s not supposed to be,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter what I do, the thought is always there, at the back of my head. I can’t help but compare myself… I’m jealous out of my mind, Marinette,” he confessed, burying his face into the nook of her neck.

“You don’t have to be,” Marinette said. “Luka, you don’t… You’re so different from him, you don’t have to be jealous of him. The way I feel about you is different.”

“I know who he is, too,” he confessed quietly. “I know I won’t be able to take it.”

Marinette pried herself off Luka’s arms, eyes wide with terror.

“It was also an accident,” he admitted, sadly. “I was hiding from an Akuma one time we had a date. You tend to pick the same places to transform,” he said.

Marinette trembled. “Luka… you… you know what will happen if Hawkmoth ever akumatizes you again?”

“I know,” he said. “I’d never put you in danger like that,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s up to you,” she said with fear in her voice

“I meant what I said when you first started confiding in me, Mari. I’ll keep your secret. You can trust me…” His voice broke again. “But… it doesn’t change how I feel. I can’t change how I feel, I can’t help wishing I was him, and getting jealous and… It’s not good or fair for you or me.”

Marinette cried softly, not finding it in herself to refute him because she knew he was right, as usual.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Me too.”

Luka didn’t hang around much longer after having said what he needed to say. He didn’t want to leave Marinette crying like that, but if he didn’t leave in that instant, he knew he wouldn’t have the will keep his word and he’d inevitably backtrack on it. He’d ask for a second chance, even though he knew much like when he was Viperion, sometimes we don’t get the things we want no matter how many times we try.

He hurried back home and immediately called his friends so that they’d come to be with him. He didn’t trust himself in the state and he meant to keep his promise: He wouldn’t be akumatized, no matter the cost.

Marinette, on her part, did call Alya but once she had already gotten a good hold of her emotions. She sent her a message in the afternoon. Unbeknownst to her, Alya had to ditch going to the movies with Nino and Adrien. When they asked why the sudden change of plans, Alya had to do some mental somersaults to come up with an excuse who was believable both for Nino and Adrien.

Nino knew it wasn’t like her parents to call her for sudden babysitting duty. Adrien knew that almost any excuse she’d come up with would be inevitably related to Marinette.

“My sister broke her nose in a boxing match,” she explained. It wasn’t an entire lie, Nora had broken her nose, just not that day. “My mom and the girls were with her and apparently it’s a whole ordeal, so I need to go and pick up the girls like, asap. Sorry guys.”

It seemed to do the trick. Half an hour later, she showed up at the Dupain-Chengs’ door with two liters of caramel ice cream and her bodyweight in chocolate.

By the look on Sabine when she opened the door, it seemed Marinette had already told her parents of the breakup. She saw herself into Marinette’s room, knocking a couple of times at the trap door before entering.

Marinette was in bed, embodying the definition of a blanket burrito as she munched on a plate of macarons with Tikki.

Alya gave her a look and only sighed, pulling her into a hug. “Oh, girl.”

Marinette sniffed. “I feel like such an asshole, Alya. He didn’t deserve this. He’s so… so… good. And I hurt him so bad, you should’ve seen his face. He didn’t deserve this…”

“I don’t think it was your fault, Mari,” Alya offered. “Nor Luka’s, for that matter. Did he say why?”

“He found out by accident,” she muttered. “He knows who we both are.”

Alya hissed in sympathy for him. “Yeah… then, that makes sense.”

“Why? Who is he?” Marinette complained. “I’m getting sick and tired of everyone keeping me in the dark about this.”

“I thought Chat didn’t want to reveal his identity,” Alya said.

“He said, ‘I don’t want to get in your way,’” Marinette imitated him, doing a stupid voice. “And–and Luka! He did the same thing! He broke up with me because he thinks I love Chat more than I love him, he said he didn’t want to force me to feel something that wasn’t there. And…I get that he might think that, but he didn’t even give me a chance to–to prove to him that I also care about him!” she cried.

“Mari,” Alya said softly. “But was he right? Luka, I mean.”

“I… I do love him, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“He was right,” Marinette said, sobbing. “I feel awful that it didn’t work out, after all he did for me. He was there for me when I most needed him. He doesn’t deserve to suffer like this, and I hate that I’m the one who hurt him,” Marinette cried.

Alya rubbed her back and sighed. “I know it hurts, girl. But you did the right thing. Like you say, Luka is a good person, he deserves to be with someone that can love him the way he needs to be loved.”

“I know,” Marinette admitted.

Alya perked up urgently as her thoughts caught up with her. “But what if he gets akumatized? Hawkmoth will know and then–”

“He said he’d try his best to keep the secret,” Marinette said. “I know, don’t look at me like that. But honestly, what can we do other than to try to get the upper hand on Hawkmoth before he gets akumatized? Chat said he has a lead on him, that it might be Gabriel Agreste. I figured if we manage to bust him first, then it wouldn’t really matter, would it?”

“Marinette, Luka literally just broke up with you,” she said desperately, grabbing her shoulders. “Do you not remember how absolutely awful Kagami’s Akuma was when Adrien broke up with her?”

“Why would that have to do anything with Luka?” Marinette asked, quirking her head to the side.

Alya mentally scolded herself. Too much information. “Nothing, it’s just, break-up Akumas are super powerful. And he literally knows your identity!”

“I know, but Luka isn’t anything like Kagami,” she said. “For starters, Kagami didn’t have friends to rely on when Adrien broke up with her and that’s why her Akuma was so powerful. Their breakup was just the final strike on layers on top of layers of negative emotions. Luka is not like that.”

Alya had to keep to herself the remark that Marinette perhaps had too much faith in him.

Although her conversation with Alya helped Marinette to earn some consolation, she still couldn’t help but feel devastated for the next couple days. It was natural, she supposed. But that didn’t change the fact that the breakup between Luka and her had suddenly made things a little awkward with Juleka and had unmistakably altered the dynamic of their friend group. The fact that Luka waited at the sidewalk for his sister at the end of the school day, instead of by the steps as he used to do before. The fact that he practically had to look the other way to pretend Marinette was not there.

She knew why he did it, and that it was selfish to want to talk to him. It didn’t change the fact that she desperately wished she could do something to make him feel better.

She sighed, why did everything have to be so complicated with these boys all the time? Adrien, Luka, Chat Noir. In spite of her heartache, she also couldn’t help but be a little fed-up with the whole drama that had plagued her life for the good part of two years.

As days kept on rolling, she fell back into the habit of taking anonymous metro rides and going on walks in parts of the city where she was certain she wouldn’t come across any of her acquaintances. A moment of anonymity in her civilian persona was always a good way to sort her thoughts out. Apparently, one of Paris’ resident celebrities had the same idea, she realized one of such afternoons as she found the unlikely picture of Adrien hanging out in some indistinct part of the city.  

He hadn’t noticed Marinette saw him and sat on an unassuming bench in a random city promenade. His usual entourage was decidedly missing, and for some reason he had concluded that donning a ridiculously mismatching outfit a neon green cap would somehow conceal him. Marinette had to laugh. That boy wouldn’t be able to hide his identity for the life of him.

“You stick out like a sore thumb, in case you were wondering,” she teased, deciding to approach him for a quick hello. She found it refreshingly easier to talk to him now that the mess of emotions that always tied up her tongue were missing.

Adrien was effectively startled. “Marinette?”

At the same time, both asked, “What are you doing here?”

Laughing, Adrien said, “Jinx, you owe me a soda.”

“You didn’t answer my question, I owe you nothing.”

“Um… I’m sort of sneaking out,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Ah. Heard you’ve been doing that a lot, lately.”  

Adrien shrugged, blushing slightly. “Teenage rebellion? What about you?”

“Just, uh, taking a walk. Clearing my head and so on.” She nodded. “Yep.”

A bit of an uncomfortable silence set between the two, and so Marinette hurried to excuse herself. “Well, I better get going. By the way, you might want to use a cap that’s not the color of a traffic sign if you want to pass unnoticed,” she joked, but Adrien distinguished the inklings of sadness in her voice. He was too used to putting up a happy face when he felt anything but to not notice Marinette was doing the same. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

His stomach churned, he hated to see her looking so down. He suspected it had something to do with Luka, probably a fight. He found himself fighting the urge to ask. He knew he shouldn’t meddle, after all, that’s the reason why he didn’t want to reveal himself. But if there was anything he could do to make her feel better, he’d give it his best shot, even if it was just as Adrien.

After a few seconds of deliberation, he stopped her. “Hey, I know this is out of nowhere and I don’t mean to be awkward but, uh, would you like to just… hang out a bit? We could find something to do. I mean, unless you’re busy…”

Marinette pondered on it for a second, taken a bit aback by the proposition. “Sure, why not. What do you have in mind?”

Adrien stood up and dusted off his pants. “Are you up for a little breaking and entering?”

“Erm. No?”

He laughed. “It’s not as illegal as it sounds, I promise.”

Adrien and Marinette headed to the first convenience shop they could find to buy as many snacks as they could fit in Marinette’s backpack. They were essential to his plan, Adrien assured as he insisted on paying the whole loot himself.

Thanks to his neon cap, they almost busted his cover but after a few “Oh really? You think I look like Adrien Agreste? heh. I get that a lot,” they managed to buy their goods. Once packed, Adrien started testing the front doors of different apartment buildings to find one which wouldn’t be locked.

“Success,” he said, as they found one after a few tries.

“What are you doing?” Marinette asked, completely confused as she followed him through the stairs all the way to the top floor, where he struggled with the door to the roof. He pulled a card from his wallet and clicked it open.

Marinette was absolutely dumbfounded.

“You are an actual criminal,” she said, laughing breathily.

“After you,” he said, and then grabbed an indistinct bottle which lay on the rooftop to prevent the door from closing.

They sat down at the edge of the rooftop and emptied Marinette’s backpack, each grabbing the drink of their choice. As Adrien deliberated which pack of gummies–since gummies were his favorite–to open first, Marinette tried to push away how awfully reminiscent this was of her meetings with Chat Noir. On very quiet nights, one of them, usually Chat, would volunteer to detransform, head to a convenience store or a kebab shop to grab a late-night snack, which they would eat at the top of their favorite sightseeing spots.

“So, this is what you do in your free time?” Marinette said, opening a bag of chips to go with her soda. “Sneaking into people’s rooftops?”

“You could say that, I guess,” he said.

Marinette shook her head as she munched on the chips.

“It’s just nice to hang out where no one will find you sometimes,” he explained.

“Yeah, I can see the appeal…” After a moment of silent contemplation of the landscape, Marinette spoke again, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Only if I get to ask you something, too,” he said with a wink, to which Marinette rolled her eyes and nodded.

“Okay, shoot,” he said.

“How come you’ve been so rebellious lately? I mean, I just noticed you’ve been missing your gazillion things to do, and Nino just mentions it sometimes. I don’t mean to pry, it’s just… you always seemed so, so–”

“Boring?”

“Perfect.”

Adrien scrunched his nose in disgust as he stuffed his mouth with a handful of Haribo bear gummies. “Precisely because of that. I’m tired of acting like someone I’m not.” He sighed. “I was doing it to please my father because I thought… I thought if I just did what he wanted he’d get out of his head and mourn my mom like a normal freaking person. But lately I’ve realized he’s not grieving her, he’s just an asshole.”

Marinette perked up at the comment, suddenly remembering Chat Noir’s suspicions.

“That sounds tough… Is there anything in particular that he does, or…?”

Adrien gave her a funny glance. “He made me homeschooled ‘til age fifteen. And he also sorts of forced me into this whole model thing. I mean, I don’t have anything against it, but I would like to stop at some point. My dad will probably have an aneurysm when that happens, though.”

Marinette chuckled half-heartedly. “Yeah.”

“Anyway, I just try not to think about it ‘cause otherwise it just gets super depressing,” he said, pulling his knees to his chest. “Can I ask you now?”

Marinette nodded.

“How come you’re so… calm right now?”

“Calm?”

“I think this is the first time we’ve had a full conversation,” Adrien said, with a bit of a blush. “It’s… nice.”

“Oh. That, heh.” Marinette blushed, too. “I don’t know, you always just made me a little nervous, is all.”

“Why, is it because I’m famous?” he said, acting smug so as to annoy her, to which Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Ugh. You’re so full of yourself,” she said, chuckling. She didn’t know what came over her as she jabbed him with her elbow. There was a certain familiarity to the lightness of their conversation that she couldn’t pinpoint, something that made her simply trust him.

Adrien was surprisingly open about himself. It could be they were enjoying a sort of privacy that was almost just reserved for her and Chat Noir, but it was pleasantly surprising. She almost felt sad that she hadn’t gotten over him before.

A few years ago, she would never had done this in a million years, but in the light of how her breakup with Luka made her realize important things about herself, she just decided to let him know.

“It’s kind of silly, actually,” she said. “I used to have this huge crush on you.”

Adrien coughed on his drink. “Really?” he said, managing to sound shocked. It was not because he didn’t know, but because he was surprised Marinette actually had the guts to admit it to his face.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “But it’s all water under the bridge now, don’t worry.”

“Oh, sure!” Adrien said, laughing nervously and unable to feel a little wounded. “And anyway, how are things with Luka?”

“That’s two questions in a row,” she teased, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic.

He rolled her eyes, ruffled her hair, and used the distraction to snatch the bag of chips from her hands.

“Hey! What you’d do that for?” she exclaimed.

“There’s your question,” he said grinning at her and handing her the bag again.

Marinette laughed, faking indignance.

“You don’t have to answer that, though,” Adrien said, assuming a quieter demeanor. “I just noticed you’ve been looking a bit down lately, and Luka doesn’t hang out with the group anymore, so I thought maybe something was going on… but actually, don’t answer. It’s nosy of me, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Marinette said with a sigh, looking out to the city. “Actually, we just broke up,” she admitted, sadly.

“What?”

Marinette shrugged, without looking at him as tears were threatening to make an appearance. “We just… we weren’t right for each other.”

Adrien regretted the turn the conversation had turned. “You really love him, huh?” he asked quietly.

“Yes… no… I don’t know,” she admits. “It’s complicated. I do love him, just… not in the way he wants me to–it’s just… It’s a mess. I really care about him, but I realized lately that I sort of love someone else, so it’s really not fair to keep dating him. And he was the one that broke up with me, anyway. He was smart enough to figure it out before even I did,” She sniffed and suddenly realized what she just had done. “Oh, wow. And just like that I’m oversharing. I’m so sorry, I rant without noticing, sorry,” she said blinking back tears and fanning her face, chuckling with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to dump my problems on you.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Adrien hurried to reassure her, if only so as to hide the confusion Marinette’s confession stirred inside him. “I don’t mind.”

After a while he said, “I get it, though. It’s the same reason I broke up with Kagami.”

Marinette turned to look at him. “It sucks big time,” he said. “I didn’t want to let her down because she’s a great girl and she was unbelievably good to me, but… At one point you just realize it’s just not fair.”

Marinette nodded, surprised that Adrien would understand exactly where she was coming from. “That’s… that’s… you get it, yeah.”

The moment was abruptly interrupted by a sort of commotion. A massive electric blue cloud of dust rose in the horizon, then contracted, then expanded, again and again. It was an Akuma, no doubt, but it seemed almost as if it was glitching. As if the butterfly couldn’t decide whether or not to akumatize.

Both of them stood up at the same time, snacks forgotten.

“Uh… we should get down,” Adrien offered, knowing that Marinette would probably look for an excuse to go transform. “It’s not safe up here with an Akuma around.”

“Right!”

They rushed downstairs and out to the street. Marinette seemed evidently stressed that she wouldn’t be able to shake him off so again, for her benefit, he inconspicuously played his ringtone and pretended someone had called him.

“Yes? Aha. Yes. Okay.”

He pretended to end the call. “I should probably head home,” he said. “They found out I’m sneaking out.”

“Yeah, yeah. Me too–I mean, my parents don’t like it if I’m out and there’s an Akuma, so… see ya!” she said.

Adrien had to laugh at the fact she didn’t even wait for him to say his goodbyes.

He turned to an indistinct alley to transform and vaulted in the direction of the Akuma.

[kittinoir]

Joyeux Noelle

Happy Holidays! Please enjoy this fic that I wrote last year for the holidays, a Miraculous holiday-themed reveal fic I wrote right after I got totally sucked into this show and fandom.

“Bye bye, little butterfly.”

Chat Noir tilted his head back, watching the purified akuma flit away from the Eiffel tower into the snowy night. As he did, he caught sight of a glittering bush speckled with red berries hanging overhead. Fairy lights had been strung through it and they twinkled warmly against the velvet sky.

“Mistletoe,” he heard Ladybug murmur. He turned to see her gazing up at the same thing he had noticed, wistfulness clouding those blue eyes.

“You know, mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it,” Chat Noir said, stepping closer. He took one of her hands in his own, wishing more than anything the miraculous wasn’t between them right now, that he really could feel the warmth of her hand in his own. A little christmas miracle.

“A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.” Ladybug’s eyes flashed a warning, but she didn’t pull away or take off like she normally did. Hope flashed through him, stronger and more dangerous than he realized. Something in her eyes softened, and he froze as she leaned in. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her waist, enjoying the warmth of her body even in this freezing cold. Electricity seemed to sizzle across his skin as she pressed her lips against his cheek. Joy and disappointment crashed through him in equal parts.

She pulled back again as her earrings began to blink their final warning, and reluctantly he let her go. That age-old request was once again on the tip of his tongue, to beg her to stay, to break down this last wall between them, but for once, he stayed quiet. Maybe it was how sad she looked. Maybe it was because of the holidays. Maybe it was because he’d already received so much more than he could have hoped for tonight.

“Merry Christmas, m’lady,” he said instead, banishing the disappointment. She was more generous with him than he had any right to expect anyway.

“Merry Christmas, kitty,” she said. And then she was gone, swinging away into the night. Adrien watched her leave for a moment, wavering as he usually did, trying to imagine where she was going, picking out clues to who she was. He knew he shouldn’t, but he’d been doing it for so long now it was practically habit. Not that it mattered too much. There never seemed to be much of a pattern to where she went.

And tonight, not much of a point. Tonight, he had somewhere else to be.

* * * * *

Marinette dropped into her bedroom, breathless. She was short on time - again. And it was all the cats’ fault.

“Tikki, spots off.”

Marinette was already pulling out her stash of macaroons from where she hid them in her room as her kwami reappeared, dazed. She always felt a little like she was over-using Tikki, but her kwami had always assured her it was part of the process. So Marinette made sure she was always stocked up with Tikki’s favourites, determined to make it as easy as possible.

“I wish getting ready for the dance could be as easy as becoming Ladybug,” Marinette joked as she dropped down from the loft to her room.

“If there was no challenge it wouldn’t be any fun,” Tikki teased around a bite of macaroon. “Besides, there’s something satisfying in seeing your own hard work pay off.”

“Tell me about it,” Marinette agreed as she eyed her mannequin in the corner. She’d been waiting for this night for months. The school held a winter wonderland formal every year right before holiday break, and every year, Marinette had designed a new dress to wear. This year had been a close call; between her duties as class representative and Ladybug, she’d been left with little time to design and even less time to create. The fact was she’d spent most nights the past week finishing up her dress instead of sleeping, a fact that was becoming increasingly obvious as she made more and more mistakes. Thankfully none of them had revealed anything too…cataclysmic.

But it was all worth it, because it meant that tonight she got to wear her finest creation yet. Featuring a full skirt created out of what felt like miles or glittering black tulle, it was almost too formal for the dance. The bodice was corseted with a sweetheart neckline, and a light pink sash at her waist broke up the otherwise dark gown. She’d decided to forgo a bow in the back; the disney vibes in her initial sketches had been just too strong. She’d thought about a colour palette more suited to the season, but these were her colours, and there had always been something enchanting about the contrast between black and pink.

“Better hurry, Marinette,” Tikki urged, derailing her train of thought. “Not much time left before the dance starts.”

Marinette didn’t bother checking the time before hurrying to her mirror to start on her make up. Not only was Tikki right, Marinette was usually late. Might as well get to it. “Let me know if my phone chimes!”

And in the end, she ended up being right on time. She’d decided to go simple with her look, leaving her hair down and styling it in easy curls, touching up the make up she was already wearing. She preferred to let her dress do the talking.

She was ready within half an hour.

“Ready, Tikki?”

The kwami smiled and sailed happily into a little pocket Marinette had designed for her, hidden in the folds of the tulle. Really, more dresses should come with pockets.

Marinette’s phone chimed just as she finished descending the stairs. This was it. All those sleepless nights had been leading up to this.

Marinette stopped to kiss her parents good bye and assure them she would be home by ten thirty before she slipped out of the bakery.

There, waiting at the curb, was Alya’s dad’s car. Nino and Alya were going to the dance together, but rather than leave her, her friend had suggested the three of them go together. Nino had tried to loop Adrien into their group, but Mr. Agreste had struck again: Adrien had a photoshoot for his dads’ new line and was expected to come straight home for a Chinese lesson directly after.

“Hey girl,” Alya exclaimed, fingering the tulle as Marinette slid into the car. “This dress is amazing! Your best one yet!”

“Off the hook, Marinette,” Nino agreed, giving her a thumbs up. Marinette couldn’t help a smile; she doubted Nino knew much about her design, but she really appreciated the support.

“Thank you,” Marinette giggled, but she couldn’t help the slight twinge of disappointment. If it really was her best work, the most important person was going to miss it.

She looked up just in time to see Alya elbow Nino in the ribs, knocking the air out of him with a whoosh. Marinette quirked an eyebrow, her Ladybug senses tingling.

“We have a surprise for you,” Alya admitted, her eyes darting between her and Nino. “But it’s a surprise, so you’ll have to wait til we get to the dance.”

Marinette’s palms instantly felt clammy. “Surprise? You know I don’t handle surprises well. What if I trip and fall? What if I trip and fall onto the buffet table? What if I trip and rip down the decorations?”

“Not even you’re that clumsy, Marinette,” Nino interjected. “You’ll like it, trust me.”

“He’s right,” Alya said as they pulled up to the hall. “Trust me.”

“Of course I am,” Nino said, stepping out of the car. “I’m always right.”

“I think always is a bit of a stretch,” Alya said as Nino helped her out of the car. “Remember when you thought Sabrina could be Ladybug?”

Marinette tripped over the hem of her dress as she stepped out of the car at the mention of her alter-ego. She may be getting her stammering under control around Adrien, but her secret coming up in conversation never failed to turn her into a gibbering puddle of pathetic excuses. Marinette felt a hand go under her arm, steadying her just as her lack of balance threatened to send her careening into the pavement.

“Careful, girl,” Alya said, helping her friend straighten up. She was beginning to look like maybe Marinette’s fears about her clumsiness hadn’t been totally unfounded.

“Thanks,” Marinette said as the three headed toward the hall. She didn’t miss the conspiratorial grin her friend and Nino shared and she felt her stomach clench. Whatever this surprise was, she hoped it didn’t include a spotlight. Or a speech. Or - god forbid - dancing.

“Amazing!” Alya exclaimed as the threesome stepped into the hall. Whoever had decorated had outdone themselves: soft white fairy lights were wound around the pillars in the room, giving the room a gentle low. Green boughs were draped off everything, and at the far end of the room stood a giant twinkling christmas tree.

“It’s beautiful,” Marinette said as she looked around the room, drinking in the warmth. She just wished it didn’t remind her of where she’d been an hour ago, and who she’d been with. Part of her couldn’t help but wonder if her kitty had someone to spend tonight with. A bigger part of her she didn’t care to listen to wondered which answer she would prefer.

“It is,” she heard Nino murmur beside her. She glanced over to see him gazing at Alya with a goofy smile. Marinette’s heart squeezed and she couldn’t help a smile at the warm moment. Setting them up had been an accident, but she was happy she’d found someone who adored her.

Come on, Marinette!” Alya squealed, breaking the moment. “It’s time for that surprise.”

Marinette giggled nervously as she and Nino followed Alya deeper into the room. Their classmates swirled around them, throwing out greetings and compliments as they passed.   Marinette let it wash over her, her earlier disappointment fading, enjoying the company of her friends, even paying Chloe a compliment on her dress until the crowd in front of them parted and suddenly she was standing in front of -

“Adrien?”

Marinette was so shocked her mind simply went blank at the sight of him not four feet away from her. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t coming tonight.

“Marinette?” The sound of her name dispelled a bit of her surprise. That was definitely his voice.

“I thought…you had a shootphoto? I mean a picture shoot? I mean - ” So much for having her stammering under control. Maybe it was the suit; it was Gabriel’s brand, black with sharp lines that had been tailored to fit him perfectly. It was too much. She needed the messy hair and casual clothes to just look him in the eye. This was overwhelming.

“I did.” Marinette reached for that confidence she’d been beginning to feel around him as he stared at her. He was looking as stunned as she felt. “Father relented at the last minute. I, uh, think Nathalie spoke to him for me.”

“Oh, well, that was lucky,” Marinette said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I would’ve really missed you. I mean ‘we’! ‘We all would have missed you. Because the formal is always, aha, so much fun…”

“I would have hated to miss it,” Adrien said, but something about the way he said it made Marinette think that maybe he wasn’t really talking about the dance. “Dance with me?”

She’d been so shocked by his sudden appearance she hadn’t realized Alya had had her directly to the edge of the dance floor. A slow song had started and their classmates had all taken to the floor, spinning as gently as the snowflakes outside.

“Uh, Adrien - ”

“I remember,” Adrien said, holding out his hand to her. “I promise to keep you steady.”

She should say no. Between the heels and not being able to even see her feet beyond her skirt, it was bound to be a disaster. She knew she could and Adrien wouldn’t be hurt or take the rejection personally. And yet -

She trusted him to lead her through it. And more than that, she was tired of saying no, of missing out on opportunities to be with him when she had to be Ladybug, of choking on her little crush, of watching him slip through her fingers time and time again.

“Ok,” she said, placing her hand in his own. She let him lead her to the dance floor and take the lead, his arms warm around her waist. She hoped he couldn’t feel her heart pounding, close as they were.

“You look really beautiful tonight, Marinette,” Adrien said as they slowly spun. “Not that you don’t always look beautiful, you do, I just mean - wow.” Marinette glanced up, surprised. Was he stammering?

“Thank you, Adrien,” Marinette said, “I…” She trailed off as she caught the glittering mistletoe directly over their heads. Noticing her gaze, Adrien looked up and saw the decoration as well. Marinette felt him stiffen in surprise before he looked back down at her. Oh god, now he was going to think she was some crazy stalked who’d lured him out here to steal a kiss! She had to diffuse the situation, now.

“You know,” Marinette said, reaching for the first thing that came to mind, “Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.”

“A kiss can be even deadlier if you…mean it.” Adrien’s smile dropped as he looked down at her, the colour draining from his face.

Marinette froze. It was like being struck by lightning. Adrien. Adrien. Was. Chat Noir? Before she could even begin processing it, hundreds of images burst through her memory, every little coincidence she had somehow missed. His feather allergy. How he was always late, like her. How she never saw both of them at the same time, not really.

“…m’lady?”

Adrien’s voice broke the spell. She looked up, searching his face - those eyes! - suddenly afraid of the disappointment she was sure she’d find there. That his lady, his miraculous Ladybug, was just Marinette.

But…it was just the opposite. Marinette felt ever fibre of her being tingle in response to the way he was looking at her then. Like she put the stars in the sky every night and called for the sun every morning. Like every dream he’d ever had was coming true. Slowly, she nodded.

He abruptly pulled her back to him and continued their slow dance as though nothing had happened. To anyone watching, it may have appeared to be a small blip in their conversation instead of the life-altering revelation it had been.

“Marinette.” The way Adrien breathed her name made her shiver.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispered. A thousand memories were crashing through her, lighting up as they fell into place.

She felt Adrien hesitate as they completed another rotation. “Are you disappointed?”

Marinette jerked back, and they stopped again as she peered up into his face. Worry and doubt coalesced there, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Disappointed?” Marinette shook her head in stunned disbelief. “How could I possibly be disappointed? Adrien, you’re…you’re everything to me. You’re my best friend, and the person I trust the most. You make being Ladybug so much easier than it is. Adrien, I love you.”

Marinette didn’t think he could be more surprised if Hawkmoth himself dropped in on them right then. “The other boy you like…is me? You love me?”

Marinette blushed but nodded, lacing her fingers through his. Those words she’d tried to say a dozen times and couldn’t seemed to come so easily to her now. Despite the secret she’d tried so hard to keep being from revealed, everything felt like it was finally falling into place. The warning bells she normally heard pealing had finally quieted.

Adrien reached up to cup her face face, so gently, as though he was afraid she might disappear if he moved too fast. He started to lean toward her, but as much as she didn’t want to, Marinette placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He stopped, his face open and wondering.

“You’ve been…clear about how you feel about Ladybug, but I’m - I’m just Marinette, and…I need to know how you feel about me before anything else happens. Because I don’t know if…” Marinette trailed off, the words getting stuck in her throat. To her eternal embarrassment, she felt tears stinging her eyes. She had wanted this for so long she was terrified to have it slip through her fingers again.

“Just Marinette?” Adrien shook his head, running a thumb along her cheekbone. “You’ve never been just Marinette to me. You’ve always been amazing as Ladybug, brave and smart, but knowing that it’s you… it just makes me love you more.”

Marinette couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out of her. “I..I love you, Adrien.”

He smiled down at her, wiping away the lone tear that slid down her cheek. “I love you, too, Marinette.”

This time she didn’t stop him as he kissed her.

She’d been expecting an explosion; wasn’t that how it was always described? Fireworks…

It wasn’t. It was…stillness. Like the world was holding its breath, afraid to disrupt the moment. Like they were the only two people in the room, like they’d never come up for air. It was as though everything else had ceased to exist, except for her, and Adrien, and the beating of his heart beneath her palm. Time itself had stopped.

Finally, Adrien, pulled back, but only far enough to rest his forehead against hers, his breathing as ragged as she imagined her own was.

“That was…” He seemed at a loss for words as he trailed off, gazing into her eyes. For once, Marinette didn’t have that problem, and readily finished his sentence, the one word she could think to sum it all up.

“Miraculous."

[thewritewolf]

After the End Chapter 13: Flower Shop

Marinette and Chat Noir talk about the future

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@marichatmay

Enjoy!

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It was too chilly to be standing out on the balcony alone at this time of year, and especially with how late it was. The nearly-winter air only grew more biting when the sun sank below the horizon and if you closed your eyes you could almost smell the frost on the wind.

Thankfully, Marinette was not alone.

Between her jacket, sewn by her own hand to be as warm as it was fashionable, and being tucked snuggly against Chat Noir, the cold barely even crossed her mind. It was much closer than either of them would have been comfortable with just a couple months ago, but the nights they’d spent in each other’s company had slowly but surely shifted things between them. For now, neither of them wanted to examine those changed feelings too closely.

Instead, Marinette wanted answers to a different set of questions entirely.

“What are your plans for the future?”

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

The yellow tape with the words in all capital letters ‘CONDEMNED’ disintegrated into black ash along with the rest of the door. Chat Noir pulled back his hand, glanced around at the empty side street, and drifted inside noiselessly.

Finding this place had taken some ingenuity on his part - Marinette may have gotten his brain jogging, but there were a lot of options in the city. In the end, though, all he needed to do was find the ones that had been abandoned since at least the fall of Hawkmoth.

Taking a deep breath of the dusty, stale air that carried a hint of rot to it, Chat Noir knew that this place fit that description to a t.

Chat Noir blended into the shadows and began to search through the wreckage.

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“I don’t know,” Chat said with a shrug. “Right now, I’m just focusing on my hero duties. There’s still a mystery that needs solving.”

“I mean, yeah, but don’t you have a life outside of this?” She ran a finger along the edge of his mask for a moment. “You’ve got to have a plan once everything on that side of it is resolved, right?”

“What’s your plan then?” He leaned on the balcony rail and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Simple - I’m going to build a new fashion empire. After the Agreste brand imploded, there is space for something new to flourish.”

“You’re welcome for that.” Chat shook his head, staring off into the distance. “With everything that came to light after Hawkmoth got unmasked, it looks like they had it coming.”

A wave of anger washed over Marinette. She put a hand on her hip and jabbed a finger at Chat. “Listen. There was only one bad Agreste and I’m grateful for how you and Ladybug took him down, but the rest…”

She let go of Chat’s chin as the anger abated. All she was left with was a cold pit in her stomach, old doubts resurfacing as the memories of the days and weeks following the unmasking replayed in her mind. Was there anything else she could have done? Would Adrien still be in Paris, safe and happy with them, if she had done better?

“They were victims like everyone else.”

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Even with his gentle footfalls, debris still crunched under his feet. Something about it tickled at the back of his mind. The devastation around him seemed almost… familiar.

Destruction was something of a specialty of his, after all. He’d seen cataclysm get used on countless objects and substances over the course of his years being Chat Noir. But it didn’t look like anything that the miraculous had done - there wasn’t enough ash and black decay for that. Then it suddenly hit him as he lifted a piece of wood that looked like it had vibrated apart.

His miraculous hadn’t inflicted this damage - this was the doing of the butterfly. Specifically, a sonic-based akuma back in January. That one was rough, with large swaths of the city getting screamed apart. But the miraculous cure had put everything back to normal, same as it always did.

So why hadn’t this place?

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“There’s plenty of options for you!”

“You don’t know that much about me, Marinette,” Chat replied with a sad smile. “How can you possibly know what would make a good fit for me?”

“I don’t need to know what your face looks like to know something that fits your personality.” She snorted. “Well, except for modeling, but what would you model? Leather? Cat ears?”

“Yeah. Me, a model? Ridiculous.”

“Don’t worry, there’s lots of other stuff for you.” She took a theatrical few steps back, made a square with her fingers that she surrounded him with, and closed one eye. “How about… Chat Noir the circus clown!”

Chat laughed. “Oh, so you’re saying you always secretly liked my pun, huh? Then I’ve got a few more for you…”

“Oh right, you’ve got to actually be funny to be a clown.” She stuck her tongue out playfully to take the bite out of her words. “My bad.”

“Clown’s out then - what else you got?”

“Teacher? You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”

“Eh, maybe. I like kids but I’ve never been much of an authority figure.” He whispered to her conspiratorially. “Don’t tell Ladybug, but I’m actually a big rebel. Sometimes I stay up a whole hour past my bed time.”

“Wow, next you’ll tell me you don’t even look both ways before crossing the street.”

“Of course I do, I’m an anarchist, not stupid.”

“Which brings me to my next Chat career - counsellor. Like helping people work through their problems?”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah…” she tapped his nose, making him blink. “I can tell those eyes have seen a lot. And yet, you’ve come through it. Maybe you can use what you’ve learned to help people?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Anything else?”

“Well… and this one is a bit out there, but… How about opening a flower shop? You’ve always been such a romantic and- Chat? Are you okay?”

He had suddenly gone very stiff, his eyes widening as he took in a sharp breath. It seemed to pass quickly, suddenly replaced with a manic energy as his hand darted for his baton.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to go! I just had an idea!”

“Wait, Chat-!”

But it was too late. He’d leapt off the balcony and gone running off into the night.

Marinette was left to wonder - did he really have an idea, or had she made him uncomfortable? Did thinking of the future really upset him so much?

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

Whoever had been here before must have left in a hurry and never come back, Chat Noir thought as he passed rows of decayed flower beds. Little was left of the beautiful plants except for gnarled twigs and rotten petals. It wasn’t what he was here for, but it did give him some hope that maybe, just maybe, the Gentlemen had forgotten something here.

If they had ever been here in the first place, that is.

Chat Noir stepped into the backroom of the former flowershop. The rubble that might have given a civilian difficulties yielded to super human strength and the slightest touch of Cataclysm. There, he found a small filing cabinet marked with the store’s name - Boutonnière Noir.

While he was grabbing what few files remained, intending to pour over them back at the mansion, the gleam of something metallic caught his eye at the bottom of the cabinet. Reaching in, he pulled out a badge that just barely fit in the palm of his hand. It had no words, but he knew in his heart that it was the symbol of the Gentlemen - a man with a top hat, a fanged smile, and a finger held up like a hush.

After one last look over the husk of the Boutonnière Noir, Chat Noir left with his spoils.