#Adrino friendship

[dooralight]

friendship/ship dynamic:

person a, blinking back tears: so what will happen to us now?

Person b, intertwining their fingers: something good.

[kasienda]

You Don’t Have to Pretend with Me

“Can I talk to you?”

Carapace sighed at the question. “Yeah, of course.” And he obediently followed Ladybug.

“What do you have against Chat Noir?”

“Nothing!” he denied.

She gave him a flat disbelieving look.

“He has something against me!” Carapace insisted.

“Nino, I don’t get it. You’re one of the most chill, accepting guys I know. And Chat is the sweetest! I need both of you on the team. I literally don’t have anyone else I trust to replace either of you. I need you to get along. You think you can do that?”

Nino felt like he was being chastised by his mother for not getting along with his little brother.

He nodded. “Yeah, I will try.”

It shouldn’t be that hard. Nino didn’t not like Chat Noir. He thought the dude was cool and hilarious. His sense of humor reminded him of Adrien. Things hadn’t always been tense between them. When they fought back to back during Heroes’ Day, it had felt like they were brothers.

But it was clear to him that Chat Noir wasn’t his biggest fan. The other hero had been welcoming and kind to Rena Rouge on day one, to the point of borderline flirting (and Nino wasn’t a huge fan of that even now), while he had always been somewhat aloof with Carapace.

Then there  was  the whole Chat Noir is stealing my girl thing. And even though he  knew that wasn’t what happened, it was hard to just let go of all those feelings, especially since Chat Noir had been acting differently around him after Rocketear. And maybe he had a right to be after Nino's akuma had thrown him into a van, but it wasn’t like Chat Noir knew that Nino and Carapace were the same person, so why had he started avoiding Carapace?

With all of that, it was easy to snap at the other hero.

...

Adrien couldn’t figure out why things between Adrien and Nino had always been so easy when things between Chat Noir and Carapace felt so hard.

Like, he knew he was different as Chat, but he was far less different as Adrien with Nino than anyone else. Or he had been before Rocketear.

And now? Now, he had no idea how he was supposed to act. Had no idea what Nino wanted from Chat Noir, but it was  very  clear he wasn’t measuring up.

Had Nino just taken pity on him that first day of school? Maybe Adrien was irritating all the time and Nino was just too kind to show it. Did Nino actually like him at all?

“Dude, you okay?” Nino interrupted his musings.

Adrien started and looked up into warm concerned golden eyes, and sucked in a breath.

That had to be sincere, right? Nino wasn’t pretending to care. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t care.

“Mec! What’s wrong?” Nino asked again.

“Nothing!” Adrien lied, pasting on a bright smile.

Nino frowned. “This is clearly not nothing.”

“I…” Adrien didn’t know how to talk about any of this.

“I don’t mean to pressure you,” Nino backpedaled immediately. “If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I just…” Nino pursed his lips before pinning him with a look Adrien didn’t know how to interpret. “You don’t have to pretend. Not with me. Not ever.”

Adrien nodded, but he couldn’t be reassured. Because he knew Nino was wrong.

He had to pretend when he was Chat Noir.

And he  knew that he wasn’t being completely fair, that Nino thought he was two different people.

But the hurt was still there, and Adrien didn’t know how to erase those feelings when he was hanging out with Nino.

And since he couldn’t explain any of it without revealing secrets he wasn’t allowed to share, he didn’t know how to  stop  pretending. That’s just what he  did.

…

Nino watched as Adrien walked away. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, but Adrien was distant. He wasn’t talking to him anymore. Not about school or home. Not even about stupid stuff like the latest anime he was obsessed with. And to make it worse, Adrien gave him more and more false platitudes and fake smiles.

Adrien was treating him the same way he treated Chloe. With polite indifference.

Nino couldn’t help but wonder what he had done wrong.

Nino kept trying though. He sent Adrien a bunch of cat memes, tried to invite him out to lunch, shared some of the music that he was working on, and he had asked what was wrong so many times, Nino suspected they were both sick of hearing it.

But Nino couldn’t give up.

Because what if this had nothing to do with Nino at all?! What if something horrible had happened to Adrien and he was just like this with everyone now?

He’d have to watch Adrien the next time he was around Marinette to check, but in the meantime, Nino wanted to break something.

And unfortunately for probably everyone, it was Chat Noir who happened to cross his path first.

…

It took Chat about a moment after Carapace had snapped at him to find his voice. And if it had been anyone else, anyone besides Nino, he probably could have taken it in stride. But it  was Nino and Adrien was tired of pretending everything was okay.

“What the hell is your problem? What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me?” he demanded.

Carapace froze, his eyes wide and startled. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know why you hate me?” Chat repeated in disbelief. That seemed kinda shallow for Nino.

“No! That’s not what I meant. I don’t know what my problem is. I swear I don’t actually hate you, dude.”

“You don’t?” Chat wasn’t sure he believed it.

Carapace slid to the ground and buried his head in his knees. He wasn’t shaking, so Chat didn’t think he was crying. At least, not yet.

“Are you okay?” Chat asked, falling into an awkward crouch near Carapace’s huddled form, but not anywhere as close that Nino would think he was pushing into his space.

Carapace shook his head, finally looking up. “I’m really angry.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I pride myself on being totally chill. A completely low maintenance dude. But lately, it seems like everyone is mad at me. And I don’t know why. And I don’t know how to fix any of it!”

“Who’s mad at you?”

“Who isn’t?!” Carapace snapped.

Chat was silent.

Carapace sighed and looked back at him. “Sorry. I don’t mean to unload on you. You probably don’t care about my problems. I know I’ve been a jerk to you. You’re just… larger than life, ya know? Doesn’t seem like anything can hurt you. And I…” he trailed off, not sure what he was saying.

“You’re jealous of me?”

Carapace shook his head. “No, that’s not it. It’s more like, I have to be strong for everyone. And you, you seem like you can take anything that life throws at you.”

“I’m your scapegoat,” Chat realized out loud. The tension in his body faded and he slowly took a seat next to Carapace. Closer than Chat probably would have, but not as close as Adrien wanted to. “Someone who can handle you lashing out at them.”

“Dude! I’m sorry! That’s so messed up. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But yeah, I think that’s what I’ve been doing. With Alya, I didn’t want to be mad at her. It was easy to be mad at you instead - some anonymous hero who never seemed to like me anyway.”

“What made you think I didn’t like you?”

“You referred to me as the turtle when we met.”

“What?”

“When Rena joined the team, you were excited. You said her name and flirted with her.”

“I didn’t flirt with her!” Chat objected.

Carapace arched an eyebrow at him.

“I was just… trying to be charming. How do you know about it anyway?” Chat shook his head before the question was finished. “Right. You guys are dating.”

“Dated.”

Chat stopped breathing. “Y-You broke up?”

Carapace shrugged. “Yeah, it’s probably my fault. I guess I’m not good at this whole communication thing. I guess when I’m upset I just put my head in my shell and pretend it’s not happening.”

Chat swallowed hard and looked away. “How long ago?”

“About a month.”

“A month?!” Chat hissed. “Why didn’t… I mean, have you talked about this with anyone?”

Carapace shook his head. “There’s no one to talk to.”

“There’s no one?” The heavy sadness struck him in the chest harder than any hit he had ever taken. He had been so busy feeling hurt, he hadn’t realized Nino was hurting too.

“I’ve been pretty lonely most of my life,” Carapace said. “I was friendly with everyone, but I was never good at making friends.”

Chat drank in every word. This was all news to him.

“I thought that was changing. I made this really great friend at the beginning of last year and then there was Alya. And it just felt like everything was right. And then she broke up with me. And my best friend…” he trailed off. He didn’t even know what happened with Adrien.

“Yeah?”

Carapace shrugged. “I don’t know! He just clammed up one day. Started pasting on fake smiles the way he does for everyone else. He won’t tell me anything. And I’m scared he’s mad at me, but I don’t know what I did! And if he’s not mad at me, I’m terrified something happened to him and if he’s not talking to me, he’s not talking to anyone.”

To Chat’s horror, Nino started crying.

“I just love the dude so much,” his voice cracked. “I feel like I lost him too and honestly, that has hurt more than losing Al- I mean Rena. Fuck! I totally blew my identity this conversation, didn’t I?”

Chat burst into laughter. “If it makes you feel better, I already knew.”

Carapace’s face fell. “Oh. Is that… is that why you’ve been weird with me since Rocketear?”

“Sort’ve,” Chat hedged. It was really more complicated than a jealous Rocketear trying to thrash Chat Noir into tiny pieces.

“I’m really sorry for that whole mess.”

Chat shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said at the time, we all have doubts.”

“Even you,” Carapace echoed.

Chat shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to talk about that particular bit of vulnerability.

Carapace was kind enough not to push. Chat shouldn’t have been surprised. Nino had always been great at respecting Adrien’s boundaries. But somehow, he was.

“Well, I guess I should thank you,” Carapace said.

Chat swung his head toward Carapace. “For what?!”

Carapace shrugged again. “I don’t know. Listening? Taking my crap? Just… I don’t know… being real with me? I promise I’ll try not to unload all my baggage onto you anymore, cat dude. Just because you can take it doesn’t mean you should have to. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chat said.

“It really isn’t.”

This time Chat shrugged. “But in a way I feel flattered?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I hate the unsolicited crit and the snapping turtle attitude. The total lack of grace or understanding when I’m late or can’t make it when you know I can’t explain anything—“

Carapace groaned, burying his face into his hands.

Chat laughed.

“But I  am flattered that you could just be your raw unfiltered self around me when you couldn’t be that around anyone else. I don’t have very much of that in my life either.”

Carapace shot back up, his eyes wide behind his goggles. “What do you mean?”

“Just that I can’t afford to be myself most of the time in my civilian life. Partially because of my… umm… parents, and partly because I have to hide my identity. And I did have one friend,” Chat looked up at him then, “that I felt pretty comfortable around, but that’s been rocky lately, too.”

Carapace nodded. “I’m sorry, man. All of that is rough. What happened with your friend?”

“He doesn’t know about this half of me and it’s caused some issues. I’ve tried to pretend that everything is fine, but… I think I might have lost my best friend, too.” Chat admitted, glancing at him carefully.

Carapace nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I definitely know how that feels.”

“Maybe I’ll try talking to him again,” Chat said.

“Too bad you can’t just tell him who you are.”

Chat bit his lip. He wasn’t supposed to, and he definitely knew better than to ask for permission, but… Ladybug had told someone her identity. Would it really be so bad if he told Nino?

“Maybe you should try again with your friend, too,” he said.  

Carapace sighed and looked up at the sky. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying with him, but I doubt it’ll go any different. My friend… he’s not allowed a lot of boundaries in his life. He’s scared to set them. And like, so when he does, I can’t push back. If I do, he’ll cave, like, immediately. And I’m supposed to be chill and laid back. He’s not supposed to have to try with me.”

Chat was stared at him, more than a little floored, but also a little upset at this new context.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just… that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”

“I love him.”

“Even so, you’re only human. Maybe he needs to remember that, too. And maybe he wants you to be able to be totally yourself when you’re around him, too.”

…

Nino was waiting on the sidewalk outside the school building. Adrien’s car would pull up in exactly four minutes - the same time it did every school morning. Other people arrived and chatted with one another as they moved up the stairs. But Nino could barely pay attention to any of it, his eyes on the road waiting for the familiar white vehicle to pull up.

He tapped his toe into the ground, and he tried to keep his hands in his pockets to look more casual, but they wouldn’t stay there as he kept fidgeting.

Why was he so nervous? This was  Adrien. His best friend might not be talking to him, but he would still hear him out and he was always insanely patient.

When the car finally pulled up, Nino’s heart seemed to rise up into his throat and his palms were wet with sweat. He  really shouldn’t be this nervous. Adrien was going to step out of the car and give him a polite and distant smile, and then start walking beside him as they headed to home room.

Only, that’s not what happened at all. Adrien stepped out of the car, but when he did he was beaming a megawatt smile brighter than the sun. When he walked up to Nino, he offered his fist and Nino had to scramble to meet it to play out their old secret handshake that they haven’t done… in  weeks!  

It felt good. Like so good, and Nino laughed more in relief than anything else. Had he just imagined the last few weeks of distance and cold shoulders?

He almost didn’t want to bring anything up, not wanting to upset this return to joyous normalcy. But at the same time Nino was so confused, and he needed to understand because if he  did  do something wrong, he needed to understand what happened so he wouldn’t do it again.

“Hey, dude? Can we talk before we go to class?”

Adrien nodded. “I think it’s long overdue.”

And Nino was thrown and relieved all over again that Adrien wasn’t denying that there was something worthy of talking about.

Adrien led them to a storage closet where he jiggled the handle very precisely and the normally locked door just fell open.

Clearly, Adrien had used this space before.

“Dude! Did you just break us into a closet?”

“Shh!“ And Adrien yanked him inside.

Two minutes later they were sitting side by side on upside down plastic buckets in the overcrowded closet.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

Nino clutched his own shoulder, and shot a glance at Adrien who was still smiling patiently at him. This felt like such a stupid question.

“Are we okay?” Nino made himself ask.

“We’re okay on my end,” Adrien said. “Are we okay on yours?”

“Yes!” Nino assured rapidly, but Adrien raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t actually believe him. And Nino wilted. “Actually, no.”

Adrien nodded like he was expecting it. Adrien knew something was off - he still wasn’t denying everything was fine.

“Go on.”

“You’ve felt really far away recently, dude. Except for today. I feel like I keep reaching out and I keep asking what’s up, but you never tell me, which is fine if it’s other stuff. You don’t have to tell me stuff. I just… you’ve been so distant, and it feels like you’re lying. Not that I’m accusing you of lying! I just… i just feel like I did something wrong. And I… I miss you.”

Adrien put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be far away and distant. I didn’t want to lie. I literally couldn’t explain what was wrong and I probably still shouldn’t.”

Nino held his breath.

“I was distant because of how you treated me.”

Nino was super confused. And it must have shown on his face because Adrien instantly held his hands up.

“No wait. Let me explain.”

Nino nodded.

“You’ve always said that I didn’t have to pretend with you, but it really really felt like that wasn’t the case.”

“Dude! I’ve always tried to just be chill and to respect your boundaries.”

“And you did… when you knew I was Adrien.”

“When I knew you were Adrien?” Nino repeated slowly, every muscle in his body was suddenly pulled tight. “There was a time when I didn’t know you were Adrien?”

This was sounding too familiar, but Nino couldn’t pinpoint why. And if the dread pooling in his gut was anything to go by, he didn’t want to.

“More than one time.”

Nino’s gut twisted further in on itself. “When?”

“When I was Chat Noir.”

Nino literally couldn’t breathe. His eyes were hot and his throat was caving in. And holy fuck.

He rolled forward, burying his face into his knees, as he tried to hold back the torrents that wanted to break forth.

He didn’t succeed. He shook like a musician just before going on stage for his first gig. But the wailing was so much worse than that.

Adrien was talking, but Nino couldn’t hear him, his mind too busy reviewing everything he had ever said about Chat Noir to Adrien, everything he had said and done  to  Chat Noir, who was apparently his best friend.

Adrien who  was so good at taking heat and never saying anything because at home saying something always made everything worse.

Nino had always aspired to be an escape, a safe place for Adrien. And Nino had been betraying that every time he had used Chat Noir as a punching bag to lash out at when things weren’t going well for him.

“Nino!” Adrien’s hands were on his face and his shoulders, pulling him in. And Nino let him, feeling limp like a rag doll. “It’s okay now!”

Nino shook his head violently. It didn’t feel okay. Not remotely. “Dude! I’m… I’m so sorry,” he choked out.

“You already apologized,” Adrien reminded him gently.

This was why Adrien had been so happy to see him this morning. Carapace and Chat Noir had talked things out. “I know, but it feels so much worse now.”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, it felt worse to me too. But Nino, you didn’t know.”

Nino only cried harder. “You weren’t supposed to tell me, were you?”

“Hey! This was your idea! When Ladybug finds out I’m compromised, I’m definitely throwing you under the bus.”

Nino laughed through his tears. “I’m fine with that. I would deserve it after… everything.”

“Nino, I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

Adrien sighed. “So, are we okay?”

Nino nodded rapidly. “If you think we’re okay, we’re definitely okay.”

“I’m uh… sorry about Alya.”

“That wasn’t your fault, dude! It wasn’t Adrien’s or Chat Noir’s.”

“I meant more that I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me about it?”

Nino nodded. “It’s fine. I’m… not totally okay, especially when it felt like I had lost you, too. But,” and Nino pulled off what had to be the most watery smile, “I think I will get there. Thank you.”

“I love you, too, you know.”

“What?”

“You told me as Chat that you loved me as Adrien.”

Heat burned in Nino’s neck and ears. “I did say that. I didn’t know I was telling you though.”

“I know, but that’s how I knew you meant it, and weren’t just saying it to be nice to the awkward loner kid who needs friends.”

“Dude, before you joined our class,  I  was the awkward loner kid who needed friends!”

Adrien smiled. “But I never knew that either until you told Chat.”

“Gah! This is so confusing!” Nino complained.

Adrien grinned. “But it’s awesome, right?”

Nino mirrored the expression. “Hell yeah! Definitely awesome!”

And they stood and immediately pulled each other into a hug. And if they had been twenty minutes late to class, no one said anything.

…

“What the hell happened?!” Ladybug demanded of her earpiece.

Rena Furtive chuckled into her ear. “You’re the one that yelled at them. I thought you wanted them to get along?”

“I did! I do! But now-”  She gestured to the two boys laughing their heads off as they kept trying to outdo each other with increasingly complicated stunts that they failed more than half of the time. “Now, they’re just being stupid.”

Rena Furtive laughed again. “I, for one, am glad to see Carapace so happy again. A mopey turtle is just wrong.”

And Ladybug softened. “Yeah, you’re right. A pouty kitty wasn't fun either. I’m glad they’ve bounced back.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Now, can you please go in there and show them how it’s done since I can’t? They’re embarrassing us!”

Ladybug laughed before launching herself towards the new tight-knit duo she had on her team.

“You guys, dating or something?” she asked, as she landed next to them.

Chat Noir and Carapace shared a look. It felt like they were having a whole conversation with just their eyes, and they suddenly both grinned and nodded at one another in agreement.

“Guys are allowed to have emotionally close friends, bugaboo!” Chat told her.

“Doesn’t mean anything is romantic or sexual,” Carapace added.

Ladybug held up her hands in surrender. “I’m not judging either way. Just happy that you’re finally getting along!”

[jennagrinsoverml]

do you know any good adrino fics?

So as lovesquare stan and monoshipper, I’m able to acknowledge that adrino is absolutely amazing and would be my ship of choice if not for the love square. (Seriously, how is lukadrien so popular when adrino is right there???) But sadly, I only read platonic adrino. (Okay, I wrote this when I first started compiling this ask, but I have recently started so I may do a less platonic rec list later.)

However, the amazing @kasienda has put together two wonderful adrino rec lists:

Adrino Rec List 1

Adrino Rec List 2

I do have lots of platonic adrino recs though! I...may have gotten a little carried away with this one...oops? Oh well, enjoy!

Off the Mark by @buggachat​

Ever since Nino’s (frankly embarrassing) akumatization into Rocketear, Chat Noir’s behavior had taken a strange and sudden turn in the presence of Carapace, and Nino could only think of one possible explanation:

Chat Noir hated him.

Somehow, Adrien didn’t seem to agree.

One-shot. As you all may have realized by now, I’m an absolute sucker for misunderstandings, and I’ve been desperate for good fic dealing with the aftermath of Rocketear since it came out. And this is just SPECTACULAR! Nino doesn’t understand why Adrien’s so bothered, but of course it’s clear to us as readers, and it’s finally resolved so beautifully omg I love this fic!!!

The Five Minute Adventures of Snake Noir by @kasienda​

After Ladybug admits to Chat Noir that she told someone her identity, she insists that he do the same. He wants it to be her. She insists it has to be anyone else. He suggests they use the snake. She finds this to be a reasonable compromise.

After many heartfelt five minute conversations that Ladybug doesn't remember, she decides he should keep the snake. That way he can always confide in her if he needs to. He also realizes it means he can talk to anyone… for five minutes... on repeat.

Multi-chapter. This is also a love square fic, but it’s amazing to see Adrien get to confide in Nino and get the support he so desperately needs. An Nino isn’t just some minor character in this, we get focus on him and his relationships too! 

such small things by @guardiankarenterrier​

It starts with such small things.

It starts with things Nino does without thinking about it, because they’re just the sort of thing you do for friends, and he’s never had to think about them before.  Nino hasn’t had that many friends himself, at least not outside of their class, but the ones he does have are good friends- he doesn’t need more than what he has.

Adrien needs more than what he has, though.  Adrien needs friends like Nino needs music.

Two-shot. I have so many feelings about this one. It starts off solid and then only gets better from there! There’s just so much love and friendship and care and LOVE in this fic!! It’s beautiful.

team is a four letter word by @ladyofthenoodle

Alya didn’t want to come between Ladybug and Chat Noir. But she didn’t want to stop being Rena Rouge either. And if Chat Noir didn’t want to talk to her, then she’d need to find a different way to prove all three of them could be a team.

Her plan unintentionally brings a few secrets to light, which leads to even more secrets coming to light, which leads to… well, Alya is sure it’ll all work out eventually.

Multi-chapter. I can’t not rec this one. This fic focuses on the entire core four, and the adrino relationship is no exception to that. I love all of the little bits of information and the exploration of their dynamic here. The way Adrien knows Nino so well but keeps parts of himself from his friend. The growth and development as the fic progresses. Highly recommend.

Shellter Chat by @bridgetinerabbit​

A peek inside Adrien's school bag gives Nino some very unexpected insight as to what makes his good friend tick, but leaves him in a very delicate position. He never expected to strike a deal with the Kwami of Destruction, but now he and Plagg are working together to relieve some of Adrien's (and Chat Noir's) burdens for his own good. But being Adrien's guardian angel isn't as easy as it seems; other secret identities start falling apart, and there's no telling where the falling dominoes will stop.

Multi-chapter.  I loved this so freaking much. I don’t even know where to start. Nino and Alya are such good friends to Adrien! Seriously, this is such beautiful friendship fic. I need to reread it.

A Miraculous Reveal: Rocketear & Meddlesome Friends by @kasienda​

Nino has been watching the Rocketear footage on loop, and one thing doesn't make sense to him. Why hadn't Chat Noir fought back? (Platonic Adrino, hurt/comfort).

Two-shot within a collection of one-shots (description taken from first part). If, like me, you absolutely loved the angst of Rocketear and were so disappointed that canon didn’t follow up on it at all to give us a resolution, you need this in your life. Go read it now!

Alya is NOT Disloyal! by @peppermint-shamrock​

Alya loves to flirt with her boyfriend when he's suited up as Carapace. Chat Noir, for some reason, is upset by this.

One-shot. This is a DJWifi fic that I’m including because Adrien is just such a good friend to Nino, like he cares so much and I love that.

I will take it / It can't go wrong. by @officialratprince​

Be loved by his friends, or love himself, or earn his father's love. Adrien's at a point where he's pretty sure he can only have one of those three things, but he's doing his best to juggle all three of them.

They aren't always compatible. He's doing his best, though.

Series. Summary taken from the first fic. This gets heavy, but the adrino friendship really shines here as Nino supports Adrien in the aftermath of Gabriel’s abuse.

when the dust clears, there is only us by blight_light

Alya figured out that Marinette was Ladybug after she knocked out a bank robber and defused a hostage situation using nothing but a ping pong ball and a bandana. Nino figured out that Adrien was Chat Noir when he rolled under a table and Chat Noir rolled out. A glass table.

A collection where Alya and Nino are helping their superhero BFFs

One-shot. This fic is an amazing mix of hilarious and heartfelt and it just fills my heart with so much joy!!

the naming of cats by @guardiankarenterrier​

"Dude, you know once we beat Hawkmoth you can go by whatever you want, right?" Nino finally offers, not entirely sure if it's the right thing to say.  He can't keep saying nothing, though, because he's not gonna let his friend think he's being ignored.  He never wants him to think that.  "Like, you're a hero of Paris, man. You wanna go ahead and change, just, like, your whole name to Chat Noir, pretty sure they'll let you.  Pretty sure they can't stop you, honestly."

Plagg's quiet little rumble takes on a note of approval.

One-shot. This is so beautiful and heartbreaking and Nino’s such a good friend and excuse me please I need to go have a little cry. I love them so much.

[xxxcertifiednerdxxx]

I can’t believe I’ve never seen anyone talk about a Miraculous Ladybug Lego ninjago au before. I feel like we are missing a golden opportunity

[chatonfils]

No Worries 2023 Edition

By chatonfils

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe

Tags: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Nino Lahiffe, Coming Out, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Friendship, Rewrite

Summary:

Adrien has a secret, and he’s finally ready to tell his best friend. But how will Nino take it?

Rewrite of No Worries from 2017

[asukiess]

It was all he could do just to break away and run. I’m so sorry, Ladybug.

a gift for @pisoprano

this is inspired by the first chapter of their comic, runaway catwalker! I have thoroughly enjoyed it since discovering it this year, and the author just so happens to be a very sweet and kind person 🥺🫶🏻 I highly recommend it (especially to those who appreciate adrino friendship because it’s portrayed so well!!)

[ilikekidsshows]

Most egregious and unforgivable part of season 4 is how it ruined Adrien and Nino's friendship send tweet

Adrino is too powerful, and the writers knew it.

Adrino:

The Miraculous New Adventures of Ladybug writers: …I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

[flightfoot]

Not sure if you've been asked this before, but can you recommend some good Kwami swap fics?

Sure! I dunno whether you just mean Adrien and Marinette sapping kwamis, so I'll list anyone using kwamis that are different from their normal canon ones.

---

Auspicious by The_Rabbit42

Entry #6 for AU April 2023: Reverse-Crush Kwami-Swap Adrien is quiet and reserved whenever he’s not consumed by stress. And between extracurriculars and modeling and his responsibilities as Mister Bug, he’s often stressed. He appreciates his kitten, but he loves his bright and outgoing classmate. Not that she knows that. Marinette’s parents have always allowed her a good deal of independence, but she’s felt her confidence skyrocket since getting Plagg. Simply being Lady Noire allows her to be more flirty and free. She likes her friends, but she loves her stoic and heroic partner. Not that he knows that.

This is just a lovely fic that’s exactly what it says on the tin. I like how Rabbit goes into what Lady Noire’s and Mister Bug’s dynamic is like here especially.

---

Thanks, But No by @pauliestorylover

For every miraculous that Fu cupped in his palms, an image of the same blue-eyed girl flashed through his mind. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was born to hold the miraculous—she resonated with every single one of them far better than even the late Celestial Guardian, and it was Fu’s duty as the last Guardian not to allow such talent to slip through his hands.

Too bad Marinette wasn’t on the same page.

Or; au where Master Fu keeps throwing miraculous at Marinette hoping one will stick, Marinette goes around handing out miraculous like candy, and Wayzz has never seen anything so ridiculous in his millennia-long lifespan.

This one’s fun. Everyone except for Adrien ends up with a different Miraculous than in canon, and it’s really interesting to see how they all adapt. Marinette’s thorough noping out is pretty funny too, and there’s some sweet bits of Adrino and Alyanette in here!

---

Crepes and Petals by @fruitdragon1a

Alya and Marinette have been friends ever since that fateful first day in collège. Scarabella and Lady Noire have been friends ever since they started fighting crime together at the age of fourteen. Alya and Lady Noire? Their friendship is newer-- and Alya wishes it were more.

---

instant familiarity by @fragileizy

“We must’ve told each other everything,” Adrien whispers. “I couldn’t imagine being able to take photos with you like this and not fall in love with you.” Marinette’s face goes red again. “You know? In some really weird way, I’m really glad that the two of us lost our memories together. It’s not so bad falling in love with someone you care about for a second time.”

---

theory bored by @14muffinz

You’re not supposed to theorise about who your partner is, Tikki had scolded, glaring at Luka as he continued to map out his entire theory, abbreviating as many miraculous-related names as he could feasibly remember. To be fair, it’s a lot, so it’s not like this would be much if anyone were to get their hands on it. He’d sighed, capped his marker, and turned around as though he was going to clean up the board. And then, because Tikki unfortunately taught him just how stubborn he could get if he really wanted to, he calls for his transformation while facing the other way. [OR: Ladybug Luka, Black Cat Juleka, and a reveal.]

---

The Unluckiest Cat In Paris by @aidanchaser

Mister Bug has always been a hero, and his partner Lady Noire has always stood by his side--until he has to face a future where he betrayed Paris and his partner is trying to kill him. Kwami Swap AU - Chatte Blanche

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Down on Her Luck by Proper_Prose

Exhausted from her most recent Akuma (which she most definitely did not cause), Chloe has a heart to heart moment with her kwami. Hopefully it goes better than the other times.

---

The Cat’s Out of the Purse by The_Rabbit42

Adrien just took the ring off to be safe. Plagg just got bored and wanted to annoy Tikki. Rose just opened her purse and SURPRISE! Ladybug just wants to get the ring back to her partner.

This was a fun fic, never seen Rose and Plagg interact like this before! It’s a treat getting more Rose and Plagg focus in general of course, but I really like their relationship here. Plagg’s really good with his wielders in general, and I love how he emphasizes that while he needs to get back to Chat Noir, while Rose is transformed with him, she’s as much her own wielder as he is. It reminds me of how he acted with Zoe, Plagg’s just a treasure XD

---

as luck would have it by @silver-hibiscus

It’s Adrien’s birthday, and there’s an akuma attack. Luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir are there to save the day! Even if they’re not the heroes that we’re familiar with… Not so much a kwami swap as an another au entirely.

Same title as one of my own fics, funnily enough! Though entirely different premise. This is a Gabenath fic, with Gabriel as Chat Noir and Nathalie as Ladybug, complete with a lovesquare and some unspecified other person as Hawk Moth. In this version, Gabriel and Emilie had some terrible fights and were separated, with Gabriel realizing along the way that he’d been a distant father and working to rectify that, he’s a pretty decent person here. I could actually kind of see this being a feasible path Gabriel could have gone down, if he wasn’t so desperate to revive Emilie and hadn’t gone so far to try to distance himself from who he was and where he came from back before he met Emilie and started changing to fit in with the upper class.

---

Fortississimo by @azuriteartist

Juleka and Luka are the Ladybug and Black Cat holders, but a fearful akuma requires them to ask for help from a new source.

---

Scarlet Fever by @chronicallylatetotheparty

Papillon Écarlate has managed the impossible. He's akumatized Marinette. Now with an army of supervillains and no Ladybug to stop him victory seems inevitable. Unless Adrien can stop him. But will he be enough when his own mentor doubts him?

[miraculousdeservesbetter2024]

Adrino

Alyanette

Lukloe

Adrino

👍

It’s a nice ship! I see them more as friends/bros, but I don’t mind the ship at all.

Alyanette

👍

One of my favorite OTPs from MLB, and my Alya OTP. Their friendship is amazing as it is, but I feel the two have at least some chemistry, and their personalities are pretty compatible and fun to think about 😄 I think they would’ve made a nice couple. Bi goals 💖💙💜 They’re both Bi, fight me.

Lukloe

👍

I’m neutral on Luka x Chloe as a pair, but I don’t mind people shipping it. Some may dislike it because “Luka isn’t her therapist”, “Chloe has bullied his sister and actual LI”, “Luka is boring/uninteresting”, etc. , but people also see it as opposites attract or their personalities complement each other.

[sweetcloverheart]

Now that part one of “Transmission/Kwami’s Choice” has finally aired, here are all the characters who I would have liked to have been used to sub in for Chat Noir instead (Sorry Zoe)

Again, this isn’t me trashing on Zoe (She did a decent job actually), I’m just most musing on what could have been

Nino - the show may have forgotten the Adrino bromance but I sure haven’t. Let Nino help out his buddy and get to bond to Plagg a bit! Let him experience the fun and joy of being a holder again! Let him accidentally figure out Adrien’s Chat and finally give Adrien his own confidant! (Not to mention Ladynoir!DjWifi fun (I imagine Tikki and Plagg show up in front of them at the same time, so they know who the other is))

Luka - Aside from the obvious fanservice of Cat!Luka, Boy has done absolutely nothing outside of his Adrinette shipping. Plus we can actually make use of the whole “Luka knows Adrien is Chat Noir” plot with this! Come on, you know you want to!

Chloe - “But Chloe’s evil!” Okay, but consider - Chloyla enemies shenanigans. Chloe and Alya constantly fighting and not getting along as holders. Chloe trying to show off/expose her ID again and Alya having to reign her in. Chloe being forced to support Alya because she can’t really hack solo heroing. Chloe and Alya having to begrudgingly work together and reaching a middleground of “not quite ‘friends’ ” but they don’t hate each other as much anymore. (And we can’t forget Plagg being an absolute horrid little goblin to Chloe for some of the stunts she pulled in previous seasons)

Kagami - Again, fun fanservice for the peeps who were chomping at the bit back in season 4 when they thought “Kuroneko” was the kwamiswap ep. Also Kagami deserves nice things after everything season 5 put her through, and frankly I can see her and Plagg getting along so well in that “contrasting temperaments” sort of way. Plus, we would also get the rarepair that is Alyagami interactions/potential budding friendship.

Sabine/one of the other adults outside of Nathalie - Mostly just for the fun/experience of what an adult user on the good guy’s side would be like.

Socqueline - Technically, it would also be a case of “We just introduced this character, why are you giving her such a big role all of a sudden?!”, but I genuinely would like to see more of her and her character and how she interacts with the rest of the cast

[goldensmilingbird]

Trying to organize my thoughts on the movie

- I have gripes with how Adrien was portrayed for a good chunk of the movie, but third act was amazing

- I'm not really a fan of Marinette, though I can say she also felt different from the show. Her whole arc is basically "Tikki, I'm afraid"/" You just have to believe in yourself!" It could've been more interesting, I feel

- The romantic moments and also some playfulness between Ladynoir was very good

- Gabriel was just straight up a better parent than in the show. Wonder what happens to him after though

- Nathalie hasn't been in it much, but looks like she will get more focus in the sequel without being tied to Gabriel. Good for her

- Chloe didn't feel over the top evil, and I think they could still pull a Sunset Shimmer with her (redeem her and let her join the main characters team in the second movie). I wish there was some Chloe/Adrien friendship though :(

- Sabrina already has hints of redemption, so I bet she will befriend Marinette

- Alya and Nino were cute. We got little Adrino interaction but I will cherish it

-/Luka...was there for some reason

-/I definitely need to rewatch the movie later in better quality and with better subs, so I can appreciate the animation, the music and the dialogue in full

-/I wish there was just...more time. Maybe the pacing will get better in the sequel since they won't have to establish everything

[box-of-birds]

Lukadrien and adrinino for the ask game?

Lukadrien

I remember I started shipping them when Desperada came out and I used to read fics of them, but then my interest died down. I'm just not very invested into Luka. But they'd probably have a cute and healthy relationship

Adrino

I'm reading an ot4 fic and it has very good Adrino interactions which reminded me how I love them. (Psst, it's called "It Started With Sleepovers" and more people should read it - just mind the rating. Also "Withering Wings" is a great Adrino fic while we're at it)

I wish we got more of their friendship in canon, it just kinda feels like Alya and Marinette are bffs and Nino is Alya's boyfriend but he and Adrien don't hang out much 😔

[kasienda]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤️

Look Kayla! I can't answer this question! It's hard! How would YOU answer this question?! (Did you already answer it? I'm going to go look. You probably did). It's just so hard to narrow it down to five at this point. I have like 40+ stories! I don't even remember them all without having to go an look at the list myself! And the other struggle is that I have two different kinds of favorites. I have the stories that I think are examples of my best writing. And stories that are like warm blankets - the fics that I wrote that I find comfort in and end up rereading them myself constantly. I'm going to limit myself to the comfort ones here because I feel like I self rec the same three stories constantly as my best writing.

Rings True - Post Season Five Fallout. I like to make characters hash things out. I like communication! And this one, I made it worse before I made it better and for awhile I had NO IDEA how to fix it, but when it came together I really really liked it. And there's something so satisfying about coming back to it again and again myself. Love Square.

Spin the Bottle - OT4 - core four shennanigans. I had SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS ONE and I like to think it's true to each of them. And I have so much fun rereading it. Like it always makes me smile!

Love Remains - I have no idea where this story came from to this day. But I like to flip tropes on their head just a little bit and I think I did that so well with this one. It sits with me. I think the geography lesson is one of my favorite scenes, as is the scene where he tries to tell her but she keeps interrupting. There's just so much here with identity formation and self acceptance that I don't always write, and it stands out to me for whatever reason. Love Square.

Would Trust You With Everything - this is my comfort fic. If I'm sad and want a hug, I read this fic. That's what it is to me. A Ninoir story.

Rocketear - this is the oldest fic on this list, but still one I come back to over and over again. Whenever I'm unhappy about missed platonic adrino potential - or am unhappy with how Nino or their friendship is characterized, or just when I finish an adrino fic that I loved and have no where else to go, I come back to this one to satisfy my cravings with my own work. platonic adrino

Thank you @coffeebanana for giving me the opportunity to talk about my stories. Love you and are lucky to call you friend!

(Psst! Aftermath, Right Behind You, and Restorative Justice are examples of my best writing if you somehow didn't already know that).

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Nino: Sorry to hear about you and Kagami.

Adrien: Its okay. I guess my heart wasnt as in it as I thought. Kagami deserved better. (Drinks water)

Nino: So, does that mean youre still hung up on Ladybug?

(Adrien spittakes)

Adrien: How did you?

Nino: Ive seen your room dude. I know about the 100s of photos of Ladybug on your phone. You can deny it all you want, But I saw how into her you are.

Adrien: Sighs... It will never work out. Ladybug is...

Nino: Look, I will text Alya. Maybe she will help get a message to ladybug. Maybe you two could get coffee or something. (texts Alya)

Adrien: Nino I appreiciate it but I dont think Alya would...

Nino: (Phone dings) Alya just said that she will make it happen. Just give her a minute.

Adrien: Nino Im serious you both dont need to.

Nino: (checks phone) Friday, 2 pm. Be there in disguise as to not draw attention to yourself.

Adrien:(Stunned) Is your girlfreind magic?

Nino: (Hearts around him) I totally think so.

[kasienda]

Okay! The other reason I will forever love this episode is because it’s giving me Adrino content! Romantic or platonic? I don’t care! I want all of it!!

(Actually appreciate that this season brought back Alya and in a positive light, too. But Nino is the most precious of beans. Even when he calls Chat Noir annoying and too sexy to his face).

regret

[februaryberries]

ok sorry i have no idea where this came from but i was thinking about adrien and nino right?

imagine adrien goes over to nino’s for a sleep over for the first time ever and adrien gets there and sitting on nino’s bed is a folded up towel and some travel sized gabriel toiletries and nino is like “i know how you get with your model showers and all dude so i wanted to make sure you could still take one if you need to”

and adrien is SO confused for a second before he’s suddenly struck by flashbacks of every single time he’s told nino offhandedly that he’s gonna shower during an akuma, and ofc he like almost tears up because his friend cared enough about his weird as fuck shower habits to be prepared but also oh god this is all based on a lie,

meanwhile plagg is losing his shit inside adriens shirt and almost laughs aloud, adrien has to cover one of his snickers w a cough