#But at least she gives a reply to Nino's request for affection

[randomnameless]

How is Sothis worse than Sonia?

Sonia at least talks to Nino, even if it's to tell her to fig off !

I know it's a low bar lol

[starshine583]

New Girl on the Block (3)

(Hey guys! finally got around to posting chapter three of this! There’s a second, mini series connected to this that’s called Journal Entries. You don’t have to read it to understand the plot, but I felt like it would be fun to write so enjoy it if you like!)

Ch. 1 / Ch. 2 / Ch. 4

Chapter 3: There’s a First Time for Everything

Adrien tapped his pencil against his notebook paper and nestled his cheek into his open palm with a sigh. It’s been a little over a week since Marinette exchanged schools, and he’s yet to talk with her about it. He tried visiting her the day Ms. Bustier informed them of the transfer, but Marinette wasn’t home. Naturally, he tried again the next day and actually managed to catch her, but then she ran off. Ran off! Adrien still couldn’t believe it. Why would she run from him? 

“Dude, you okay?” Nino asked, giving him a light nudge.

Adrien straightened slightly. “Ah, yeah, just.. Just thinking.”

Alya scoffed behind him. “Don’t tell me you’re still moping about Marinette.” 

Needless to say, the class didn’t exactly share Adrien’s sentiment about Marinette’s leaving. With all of Lila’s stories circling around, they were overjoyed that the “bully” was gone. Alya was low-key furious, ranting about “injustices” and “letting Marinette run from the consequences of her actions”, but other than that, everyone was pleased with the outcome.

Everyone except Adrien.

Adrien knew better. The class may think that they’re better off without the bluenette, but he knew for certain that they were all going to drown without her. Marinette organized the budgets, supplied the goods for bake sales, signed off all of the paperwork for their trips- she even made dresses for the girls on special occasions. They needed her. That’s why he had to get her back. If only he could find time out of his packed schedule to visit her again..

“Alright, everyone, settle down.” Ms. Bustier spoke up. “The results for the new class president are in.”

Adrien sunk further into his seat. Ah, yes. The new class president, another reason Marinette should have stayed. With her gone, they had to make an impromptu election. Chloe, of course, ran again, but Lila decided to run as well. With the class’ obvious loyalty towards Lila, it’s a wonder Ms. Bustier didn’t announce the brunette as the president right there and save everyone the trouble.

Ms. Bustier pulled out a small card with the results and cleared her throat. “With a near-unanimous vote, the new class president will be Lila Rossi.”

The class cheered, and Lila gasped as if she hadn’t expected this to happen.

“Thank you all so much!” She beamed.

Alya slung her arm around Lila’s shoulders. “You deserve it, girl.”

Chloe scoffed from her seat and crossed her arms, but no one acknowledged the show of disdain. They were too busy congratulating their beloved Lila.

“Congratulations Lila. You can visit Marinette after school to get the paperwork from her.” Ms. Bustier said, setting her cards aside.

Adrien straightened. Someone had to go visit Marinette? “I’ll do it!”

The classroom paused at the outburst.

“Oh, Adrien you don’t have to do that for me.” Lila remarked with a grateful tone.

“Oh, no, it’s my pleasure.” Adrien was quick to reply.

A hint of annoyance flicked across Lila’s features, but it quickly vanished when Alya said, “Yeah, Lila, you shouldn’t have to suffer through that.”

A smile forced its way onto the Italian girl’s lips. “Thanks, but I think it’s only right that I meet with her in person. Class president to Class president and all.”

Alya frowned. “Well, at least let me go with you. I don’t want her trying to pull anything.”

“Oh, Alya,” Lila sighed, patting the red-head’s hand, “It’s just a small visit. I’m sure Marinette and I can be civil about this.”

Alya reluctantly agreed, but if anyone had actually been paying attention, they might have seen Lila’s smirk.

~~~~~~

The soft rhythm of Felix and Allegra’s instruments floated around the music room as they played. Marinette never imagined the violin and the flute sounding well together, but the way Felix and Allegra harmonized had her swaying back and forth with the melody. It was a lovely song, and she couldn’t help closing her eyes to fully relish the masterpiece. 

Her eyes snapped open a second later, though, as her entire body jolted from the large calamity of piano keys that was suddenly pounded on by Claude. Felix startled as well, his violin flying off key, and Allegra nearly dropped her flute. 

“Again, Claude?” Allegra sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

Claude leaned back on the piano stool with his palms and flashed them an innocent smile. “What? I was only helping.”

Marinette held back a smile, but Felix wasn’t amused.

“I told you to stop doing that.” He scolded with a scowl. “You’re going to get our music room privileges revoked!”

“Good. You guys practice too much, anyway.” 

Allegra gave Claude a flat look. “We need to practice if we’re going to get better.”

“But you already sound great.” 

“Because we practice.” Felix replied pointedly.

Marinette subtly nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to get directly involved in their arguments, as that never seemed to go well.

Claude huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Whatever. Waste your time on endless practice. I’m gonna do something more productive with my time.”

Felix narrowed his eyes. “Like what?”

Claude turned to lay across the piano bench while throwing Marinette a smile. “Like making croissants! We’re still coming to your house, right?”

Marinette returned his smile, secretly relieved that he didn’t ask her to do something outrageous like going to chase pigeons around the park while on roller blades. (Yes, that’s happened several times in the past week, and yes, each time she’s said no.) 

“Yeah, but you guys are coming over tomorrow.” She told him. 

He pumped a fist into the air. “Yes! I can’t wait!!”

“Neither can I.” Allegra admitted. “Your parents sound splendid.”

Marinette’s smile widened. “I’m sure you’ll all get along great.”

“Yes, I’m sure.. If we can practice enough to go straight to your house after classes tomorrow.” Felix remarked, shooting Claude another look.

Claude tisked, waving a hand at him. “Yeah, yeah. Get back to your music already.”

Allegra gave a short laugh, sarcastically stating, “Oh, thank you so much. I was wondering when you would give us permission to play.”

“I know, I’m such a generous person.” Claude joked back.

Allegra playfully rolled her eyes and held up her flute to resume playing. Felix followed along, and Marinette went back to swaying as their song continued. 

-

The familiar ring of the customer bell brought a smile to Marinette’s lips as she opened the bakery door. 

Her mother, Sabine, looked up from the cashier desk with a warm smile. “Marinette! How was music practice?”

“It was wonderful, Maman. Felix and Allegra play beautifully.” Marinette answered as she walked inside. She set her bag next to the counter and gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek. “Is everything ready for them to come over tomorrow?”

Sabine nodded. “Tom’s got the ingredients and tables ready for when they get here. He’s so excited to meet them, and so am I.”

Marinette chuckled. “They’re excited to meet you guys too.”

Sabine’s smile widened at the comment, but then her expression darkened as she said, “Hopefully they’re not two-faced and backstabbing like your previous classmates.”

Marinette gasped. “Mom!” 

“Well, it’s true!” Sabine replied defensively.

It was true, but that didn’t mean Marinette was any less surprised to hear her maman talk that way. Of course, Sabine did tend to speak her mind when Marinette’s feelings were involved. 

Before she could respond, the doorbell rang again, signaling a new customer’s arrival. Marinette turned with her mother to offer them a greeting, but stopped short when she saw exactly who the new customer was.

Lila Rossi stood in the doorway, a smug smirk on her lips as she eyed Marinette up and down. “I see you’re doing well.”

Sabine was in front of Marinette in the blink of an eye. “You are not welcome in this bakery. Leave immediately before I call the cops.”

A look of feigned hurt crossed the Italian girl’s expression. “How rude! I only came here per Mme Bustier’s request. I have to get the formal papers from our previous class president.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes, stepping around Sabine with crossed arms. “I suppose you’re the new class president then?”

Lila’s smile returned, sharp and triumphant. “By a near-unanimous vote. Alya is still the deputy though, since she practically begged me to let her help.”

Marinette’s lips tightened into a thin line. That sounded about right. “How nice for you. You two really do deserve each other.”

When Lila first came around, Marinette had been torn and heartbroken about her friends abandoning her for a stranger. It didn’t help that Adrien kept assuring her that everything would be fine, that they didn’t mean what they said. He gave her false hope, and it made it all the harder to find the courage to leave. 

Now, she’s realized how toxic her old environment had become, and though it still hurt her to think about it, Marinette knew she couldn’t let them affect her anymore.

Lila faltered at Marinette’s uncaring tone. “Uh.. right. Where are those papers again?”

“Up in my room.” Marinette moved towards the stairs, bringing Sabine back behind the counter as she did. “I’ll go get them now.”

“Good.” Lila said, sounding satisfied. “I’ll be waiting outside, but don’t take your time. I’m supposed to go meet Alya and the girls for a girl’s night out.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes at the obvious jab, but continued up the stairs anyway. The sooner she got the papers, the sooner that lying leech could leave.

She swiftly ran up to her room and gathered the papers to stuff them into the large, blue binder she’d been given only two semesters ago. It sunk into her arms as she picked it up, and the sheer weight of the packed binder made her smile as she brought it back outside, especially when she saw Lila’s panicked expression.

“Um.. What is that?” The brunette asked, pointed at the binder.

“Oh, this?” Marinette replied innocently. “This is just the binder that holds all the formal papers you need. Being class president takes a lot of work you know.”

Lila nearly toppled over when Marinette dropped the binder into her arms. 

“That’s allergies, budgets, complaints, schedules, and trips!” Marinette told her with a grin. “But don’t forget to give Mme Bustier and Principle Damocles the proper reports each semester.”

Lila shot her a scowl, but quickly recovered, slipping on a smile of her own. “No need to be petty, Marinette. It’s fine to admit you’re breaking inside. Losing all your friends can be a hard thing to go through.”

Marinette’s grin faded slightly, knowing that Lila was right. She’d lost everything. All of her childhood friends, her crush, her fun teachers, anything she used to hold dear.

But maybe that was a good thing.

“Have fun sorting through the binder.” She said, spinning on her heel and walking inside. She had better things to do than listen to someone who had to lie just to get people to like them. 

The bakery door closed behind her, and Marinette saw Lila leave out of the corner of her eye, taking the painful memories with her.

~~~~~~

Friday afternoon. 4:45pm.

Felix stared at the bakery door, unsure how to proceed. The group had originally agreed to walk straight to Marinette’s house after school, but they changed the plan last minute to come back at five, an hour after school ended. It gave Marinette’s parents time to finish up the preparations, and the rest of the group time to drop off their school bags at their homes. 

Felix, as usual, arrived at the Dupain-Cheng’s early, but now he was doubting his actions. On one hand, he would get to meet the Dupain-Cheng’s without the chaos that the trio tended to bring. It would be a nice way for him to get a quick impression of the family over-all. 

On the other hand, he’s at Marinette’s house before the time she specifically told them to come, which could be considered rude in some cases. Should he go inside or wait in a nearby cafe?

After a few more minutes of debating, Felix stepped forward and knocked on the door. If they really needed him to wait until five, he would apologize and come back in ten minutes. The opportunity to meet the Dupain-Cheng’s on a one-on-one basis was too good to pass up.

It only took a moment for the door to open, and a short, asain woman greeted him with a sweet smile. “Hello! I’m assuming you’re one of Marinette’s friends from school?” 

Felix nodded, noting her raven hair that matched Marinette’s perfectly. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Felix.”

He stiffened slightly when she reached forward to take his hand in both of hers. “It’s great to finally meet you! Marinette has told us so much about you all.” 

A small smile passed his lips. For some reason, that knowledge gave him a satisfied feeling. Assuming that the talk was good, that is. “She’s talked a lot about you as well. I’m assuming you’re Mme Dupain-Cheng?”

The woman waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, please, call me Sabine.”

‘Sabine’ showed him inside, where baked goods lined the walls in glass cases. Claude was going to lose his mind when he got here. The overwhelming scent of vanilla and cinnamon alone was going to be enough to make the brunette’s mouth water.

“This is my husband, Tom.” Sabine introduced, gesturing to a tall, burly man at the cashier desk. “Tom, this is one of Marinette’s friends, Felix.”

Felix would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated by the man. His head almost grazed the ceiling as he approached them, making Sabine look like a dwarf in comparison. Felix felt like a dwarf in comparison.

Tom offered a wide, hearty grin, though that didn’t help Felix’s unease. “Ah, Felix! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

The man scooped Felix up into a bear hug, squeezing him tightly to his chest. Felix would have replied to his greeting had he been able to breathe. 

“Oh, Papa!”

Felix glanced over Tom’s shoulder- he’d been raised that high -and saw Marinette standing in another doorway behind the cashier counter, a slight cringe in her expression.

“Papa, put poor Felix down before he passes out from lack of oxygen!” She insisted, walking forward to tug on her father’s arm.

“Oh that’s.. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?” Felix wheezed as Tom set him down. 

Marinette’s hands hovered around him for a moment, then she nervously clasped them together. “I-I’m so sorry, I should have warned you. I thought I was going to be down here when you guys arrived.”

Felix shook his head and bent over slightly to catch his breath. “No, no, you’re fine. They actually remind me of my own mother. She’s a rather adamant hugger herself.”

A relieved smile came to Marinette’s lips. “Really? I didn’t think anyone could be as ‘homely’ as my parents.”

Felix chuckled, but the customer bell jingled again before he could reply. Claude sauntered inside a second later, his arms spread as wide as his grin. 

“We’re here~!” The brunette sang, looking around the shop. His gaze found Felix’s flat one almost immediately.

“Hey!” Claude gasped, pointing accusingly at Felix. “He beat us here!”

Allegra stepped out from behind Claude, wearing a curious expression. That quickly changed to knowing smirk, though, as she shot him a playfully scolding look. “Why, Felix! I’m surprised at you! You should know more than anyone how rude it is to arrive at someone’s house early.”

Felix grimaced at the reminder of his bad manners and quickly turned to apologize.

“Oh don’t be silly!” Sabine said before he could get a word out. “Any friends of Marinette are friends of ours. You guys are welcome here anytime.”

Claude lit up at the sentiment. “I’m gonna be here a lot then.”

Allan popped out from behind Claude and Allegra. “Thank you for hosting us, M. and Mme Dupain-Cheng.”

Felix held back a smirk. He’d wondered when Allan would show himself.

“Please, call us Tom and Sabine.” Tom replied in a casual, yet booming voice. It highly contradicted his wife and daughter, who tended to speak in soft tones. “Follow me. I’ll show you where the kitchen is.”

The group was led into a room in the back where three islands stood in the center, each equally parted from each other. A large counter lined the wall to the left as well, and two, large ovens sat on each end of said counter.

“Do you guys want to start from scratch or start with pre-made dough?” Tom asked.

“Oh! Scratch! I want to be able to make these at home!” Claude answered eagerly. 

Tom smiled. “Alright! Scratch it is. Everyone take the needed ingredients on the counter.”

The group took a moment to pass around the items, then they separated to find a counter. Allan took the first counter with Tom, and Allegra and Claude stole the last counter, leaving the middle counter for Marinette and Felix. 

“I’m glad you guys got to come.” Marinette commented as they aligned their ingredients on the shared countertop.

Felix nodded. “I think Claude’s going to get a sugar-crash before we leave.”

Marinette snorted. “With all of those baked goods in the other room? I’d be surprised if he makes it to supper.”

Felix spared her a glance. “Are we staying for supper?”

Marinette paused, having to think out her answer. She must not have noticed the implication when she said it. “Uh.. I mean.. I wouldn’t mind. Do you guys want to stay for supper?”

Felix shrugged, though the idea sounded perfect. It would give him more time to understand the Dupain-Cheng’s lifestyle. “I’m sure Allegra and Claude will be ecstatic over the news. I’d have to contact my mother about the change in schedule, though.”

“Oh, were you planning something with her tonight?” Marinette asked, worry lacing her tone. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to.” Felix hastily amended. “I simply need to tell my mother that I won’t be home for supper tonight. We always have a family dinner when everyone is available.”

“And you won’t miss it?”

“Well, it sounds like it’s a special occasion, but everyone’s available more often than you’d expect.” 

Marinette tilted her head up and mouthed an ‘oh’. “I’ll tell Maman that you’re staying, then. She was sort of planning supper for all of you anyway.”

Felix smiled. Given the daily croissants that the group’s received since their first lunch with Marinette, that didn’t surprise him. Mme Sabine had proven to be an extremely kind and charitable person, much like her daughter.

Tom, once his own ingredients were in order, regained the room’s attention and began showing them how to make the croissants. Because he was in the front, it was easy to see how the ingredients were supposed to be thrown in and follow along. That said, Felix found himself extremely grateful to have Marinette as a partner. Her little tips on how to mix the dough helped him immensely, especially since she told him when his mixing was sufficient.

“Alright,” Tom sighed as he set his bowl to the side, “Now that the dough is done, we’re going to start the hard part. Everyone needs to get some flour so we can start rolling the dough and folding it. Marinette, if you would.”

Marinette sprang from her place next to Felix and crossed the room to a cabinet. She pulled it open and grabbed a large bag of flour that appeared to be at least a fourth full, then carried it to the long counter against the wall and set it down with a huff. 

“Here’s the flour that you all are going to be using.” Tom explained. “That should be plenty, but if you need more-”

A light knock on the doorframe ahead of them caused Tom to trail off. Felix glanced at the door to see Mme Sabine standing there, holding a sheepish smile.

“Tom, dear. I know you’re busy, but could you help me with this customer real quick?” She asked politely. “They’re being.. difficult.”

Felix noted the sharpness of her smile, along with the iron grip she had on the doorframe. It appeared that the sweet, loving mother also had a temperance, though he didn’t blame her. Customers had a tendency to be massive pains for retail workers. (That included himself on a few shameful occasions.)

M. Tom’s nervous smile said it all as he joined his wife at the door. “Oh, of course. Uh.. children, just- just keep doing what you’re doing. Marinette will show you how to roll the dough if necessary.”

The parents left the room, causing the rest of the group to turn to Marinette for instruction.

Marinette, who had returned to Felix’s side by that point, shrank slightly at the sudden attention. “Oh, uhm.. Do any of you know how to fold dough?”

A short laugh came from Allegra in the back. “Mari, I’m quite certain that none of us have even touched uncooked food before.”

“That’s the price you pay for being rich.” Allan agreed, putting a hand to his chest and shaking his head with feigned grief. 

Felix opted not to comment. His mother rather enjoyed cooking, much to their butler’s dismay. She often cooked their family meals, and every now and then, Felix found himself helping. “It’s a necessary skill.” she would tell him. “Your future wife will thank me and so will you.”

Why his mother assumed he would be able to tolerate anyone long enough to marry them was beyond him.

“Oh, how horrible for you.” Marinette retorted with a playful eye roll. “I guess I’ll show you how to fold dough then. For your sakes.”

“We are forever grateful.” Claude joked.

Marinette laughed and scooped up her bowl, bringing it to the front with Allan for all of them to see. 

“Now, everyone needs to get some flour. We’ll start with Claude and Allegra getting some. That way, the flour will work its way to the front by the time we’re done.” She instructed.

Felix nodded. That sounded like a reasonable plan.

Claude walked over to grab the bag as told and hauled it back to his and Allegra’s table. “How much are we going to need?”

“Oh, not much.” Marinette answered. “You only need some on the table and some on the dou- Claude, wait!”

Claude tipped the bag of flour upwards, expecting it to slide smoothly onto the table. Instead, the flimsy ingredient smacked into the table in a large clump, causing white dust to explode into the air. Felix scrunched up his nose in annoyance. How were they supposed to mix that? How easily did it spread? He knew he should have worn something less formal. (Oh, who was he kidding? Felix didn’t have anything less formal.)

An apologetic whimper came from Marinette, as if any of this was her fault. Claude and Allegra quickly fell into a coughing fit as Claude dropped the flour bag onto the ground. Of course, dropping the bag only threw more dust into the air. 

The two attempted to wave the dust away, but it only partly worked. When the dust did finally clear, though, Claude and Allegra were left with a small pile of flour on their table. The rest of the flour was either in the air or draped across their clothes and hair.

“Wow.” Felix stated dryly. “I’m impressed. You actually managed to wait until M. Tom left before making a complete mess of yourselves and the room.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it u-” Claude’s retort was cut off by another coughing fit, but Allegra continued it for him.

“I don’t see you rolling out your dough in a perfectly clean and pristine manner.”

“That’s because you used up the rest of the flour.” Felix shot back.

Marinette gasped. “Is it really all gone?”

Claude and Allegra, suddenly dawning a sheepish expression, looked down at the bag that was still on the floor. Claude reached down to pick it up, but, as if the situation weren’t bad enough already, he grabbed the wrong end and pulled it up upside down. 

The last bits of flour trickled to the floor, spreading across the brunette’s legs.

“...Yeah. It’s all-” He let out another cough “-gone.”

Allan’s eyes widened, a mixture of admiration and mortification swirling onto his features. “How did you waste an entire bag of flour on one spill?”

“You’d be surprised.” Marinette muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“We can reimburse you.” Allegra was quick to offer. “How much did the flour cost? Do you take checks?”

A light chuckle fell from Marinette’s lips. “No, no, that’s not necessary. I’ve.. actually done worse.”

Claude’s eyes bulged out of his head. “You’ve done worse?”

Felix thought over the many falls that Marinette had had over the past week. Her clumsiness certainly made it possible to have more extreme accidents. 

“What do we do now that the flour is gone?” He asked, trying to get the group back on track. The sooner they finished baking the croissants, the sooner he could examine the rest of Marinette’s house instead of sitting in the kitchen. The Dupain-Chengs appeared to be a lively, fun-loving family, but he’d only gotten a small taste of their life, only seen the tip of the iceberg. Felix wanted to absorb as many details as possible before leaving. 

Marinette straightened. “Oh! There’s actually more flour in the back! I’ll go get it.”

Before Felix could offer any assistance- his curiosity piqued about where they might store more food -the ravenette had already left the room, disappearing through another doorway in the back. 

A moment later, she returned, another large bag of flour in her hands. This time, however, the bag was full. Felix vaguely wondered how heavy the bags must weigh for her to be wobbling over with one so easily. Wasn’t flour supposed to be heavy?

“Here’s a fresh bag of flo-ou-ah!” Marinette’s words jumbled into jargon when her foot caught on her ankle. Her body lunged forward from the momentum, and Felix stepped up to catch her on reflex.

Bad idea. 

Due to the weight of the flour bag yanking her downwards, Marinette crashed into Felix’s and dragged him to the floor with her. His back hit the floor with a painful *thud*, immediately sucking all of the air from his lungs. 

Of course, the flour bag popped open upon impact, sending more white dust directly into his face. Between the weight of Marinette and the flour, along with his aching lungs and the suffocating dust, Felix was convinced that he was about to die right then and there on the bakery floor. 

Felix Culpa: tragically taken from this world by a bag of flour and a clumsy classmate. What a way to go.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Felix. Are you okay??” Marinette asked frantically, pushing herself off of him. 

Felix coughed out a weak response with what little oxygen he had. Even without Marinette, the flour bag pressed into his chest like a block of concrete. How had she been carrying this without breaking a sweat earlier?

Marinette hauled the bag off of him, and Felix sucked in a deep breath despite the flour still cluttering the atmosphere. All he needed right now was some sweet, blessed air. Infected or no.

It wasn’t until he regained enough of his senses to push himself up into a sitting position that he heard Claude’s howling laughter.

“Oh, man!” The brunette cackled. “And you thought we were bad! Look at you, Fe! You’re a ghost!”

Felix glanced down at his clothes, which were indeed covered in white. He could even feel the weight of the flour in his hair. How long was this going to take to wash out? Was he going to have to buy new clothes before going home?

A snort brought his gaze upwards, where Marinette stood with the bag of flour. She had a hand on her mouth- holding the bag of flour with one hand -and a barely contained smile on her lips that she was obviously trying to hide. 

That’s when Felix knew that he must be looking ridiculous. 

“At least I wasn’t the one to cause the mess.” Felix grumbled in response to Claude. He reached up to start brushing some of the flour out of his hair, finding a bit of comfort in the fact that Marinette was white with flour as well. It might have been irksome if she had escaped her fall unscathed while he appeared to be a freshly made snowman.

“I am. So sorry.” Marinette apologized again, this time offering him her hand to help him up.

Felix took it, his bafflement towards her uncanny amount of strength only growing as she managed to pull him up with one arm and keep the bag of flour steady in her other arm.

“It’s..” not your fault. Was what he was about to say, except that would be a lie. It was entirely her fault.

“It’s fine.” He said instead. “It’s just clothes.”

“Wow~” Allegra sang, immediately latching onto Felix’s nerves. “‘It’s just clothes’? That’s a first.”

“Remember that time Felix threatened to sue us for enough money to buy a new wardrobe if we ‘got so much as one drop of food on his vest’?” Allan chimed in.

Embarrassment coiled around Felix’s stomach, though he wasn’t sure why. That designer outfit was expensive! And the trio was acting especially chaotic that day. Who knows what might have happened had he not put his foot down when they started joking about a food fight.

Felix whipped around to Allan to explain that exact reasoning, but something caught his attention, causing him to pause. Allan was still at the front of the room, the farthest position from the chaos that had just ensued. Aside from the stray dust still fluttering around the room, the man was completely untouched as far as flour was concerned. 

“Marinette,” He said, catching the girl’s eye, “I do believe that Allan hasn’t gotten his flour yet.”

Marinette’s gaze flicked to Allan, then to the bag, and Felix prayed that he assessed her correctly. Because if Allan didn’t get flour on him this instant, Felix might be tempted to do something foolish. Like attempting to throw a bag of flour that was, without a doubt, too heavy for him to even lift on his own.

The barest hints of amusement lit up Marinette’s features. “You know what? I think you’re right.”

Felix smiled, feeling a devilish satisfaction. Yes!

Allan took a step back, suddenly looking very concerned. 

“Woah, w-wait a second, guys.” He squeaked, holding up his hands as Marinette inched forward. “L-Let’s talk about this!”

“One of us. One of us.” Claude began chanting behind them. “One of us! One of us!”

Allegra joined in, and, in the spirit of things, Felix joined in as well, if only to push Marinette further towards his goal.

Allan bumped into his assigned counter while trying to put useless distance between himself and Marinette. “Please, no! It’s rare that I come out of these things unscathed!”

Marinette’s grin was downright predatory as she held up the bag of flour. “I can’t imagine why.”

Allan’s scream was the last thing Felix heard before Marinette swung the flour bag forward. 

The entire room erupted into uncontrollable laughter as Allan coughed out at least half the bag. He was now stark white from head to toe, and Felix couldn’t be prouder. It served him right for poking the bear.

Allan hung his head in defeat, a bit of flour falling off of his head from the action. This only made the group laugh harder. Claude started to say something about the “set being complete”, but before he could finish-

“What is going on?!” 

M. Tom reappeared in the doorway, his eyes wide and puzzled as he stared at the flour-covered room. 

Felix froze. Right. They were supposed to be baking with Marinette’s parents. 

Marinette set the flour bag down immediately. “I’m sorry, Papa, this is all my fault.”

“No, that’s not fair!” Claude protested. “Allegra and I spilled the flour bag first!”

“So she had to go get more!” Allegra continued the explanation.

“I’m the one who told her to throw the fresh flour at Allan.” Felix added. If anyone was to get in trouble, it should certainly be him. He was the only one who actually spilled the flour on purpose. Marinette didn’t deserve to take the blame for his petty actions.

M. Tom furrowed at the near-simultaneous remarks, but then let out a hearty laugh.

“I see you’ve all gotten into the baking spirit!” He declared. “Now who wants to learn how to actually fold dough?”

Felix blinked. He’d expected the man to be at least a little upset. Did this sort of thing happen often? Or was Marinette’s father simply that forgiving? M. Tom did refer to the mess as ‘the baking spirit’.. Whatever that means.

“Yeah we do!” Claude shouted enthusiastically, taking Felix from his thoughts.

“Great! Let’s start with putting the flour on the table.” Tom smiled, going back to his original spot next to Allan.

Felix followed the notion, going back to his original spot as well. He tried brushing more of the flour off of his vest, but, as expected, it didn’t help much. He was probably going to get more flour on him during the folding process anyway.

“Don’t worry.” Marinette whispered as she reclaimed her spot next to him. “I’ll let you guys wash up in the bathroom after this. If you want to, that is.”

Felix nodded. “I would be eternally grateful.” 

Marinette giggled. “..So did you really threaten to sue them over your clothes?”

Felix paused his kneading long enough to sigh. Freaking Allan. That idiot deserved every speck of flour dust that he had on him.

Tag List:  @artbyknigit @athena452 @nickristus-dreamer @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @arsaem @abrx2002 @neakco @pawsitivelymiraculous @too0bsessedformyowngood @nathleigh @lusicing @officiallydarkgeek @all-mights-asscheeks @tbehartoo @woe-is-me0 @raeuberprinzessin @lazuli-11 @miss-chaos27 @trippingovermyfeet @sadpotatoondrugs @ladybug-182

[eggrestes]

the two of us

the lovesquare through the time.

Find it on AO3!

"I win again, chaton." Ladybug greeted him with a giddy smile. She stood tall, hands on hips, brighter than the moon hidden behind the clouds in the sky. She wore a smirk looking so beautiful and stunning his knees would have buckled if he was on the ground. It was one of those rare nights when Ladybug disregarded her responsibilities and just had fun i.e the best nights. Her smile was a little wider, her eyes twinkling and his heart over the moon.

Chat rolled his eyes. "You got lucky."

She huffed and giggled, turning away to go to the next rooftop. Her giggles were always so adorable, her cheeks a little pink. He smiled at her back. He loved losing to her.

He grabbed her hand and bowed low, placing a feather light kiss on the knuckles. She froze, her eyes rounded and mouth agape with shock. No matter how many times he pulled this trick on her she always reacted just like this.

And just like every other time, she snatched her hand back and laughed, light and easy.

"Silly kitty." She said, flicking his bell, taking out her yo-yo and gracefully swung to the next rooftop.

He followed her, slipping a little on the wet roof, his heart beating fast and loud, his ears tingling with her laughter, sweeter than any tune he had ever heard.

•••

August came with a scorching sun and a lot of changes.

Kagami flew back to Japan for further training. Alya and Nino moved in together (Nora had not been a fan of that idea and had let them know that very loudly and violently). Chloe was going to New York for some acting course. Marinette (who might be Ladybug but he can't go down that lane, not today) had gotten into Esmond and would move in the dorms a week before the semester starts.

And Adrien had moved out of his childhood home, out of his father’s dictatorship, a step towards independence.

His new apartment was quaint and smaller than his room back home but it was warmer and alive. Moving out was something Adrien wanted to do for years but seeing the empty shelves and the cardboard boxes in his old room, it dawned on him that he was going away from a house that contained his mother’s memories, comforting as ever. But then there was his father, who had not been happy with his decision to not continue to model after he turned 18 so that he could commit fully to his course at the University and then to move out. He had not even come out to see him off.

Alya, Nino and Marinette had come over to help him organize but left at his request, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He regretted sending them away. He was too restless to sleep. He could really use someone's company right then.

And so he jumped to the opportunity to go out when Ladybug came knocking at his window.

Currently, they sat side by side on a rooftop, knees touching, fingers millimetres away, the stars twinkling above. Adrien often wondered why Ladybug brought only him to this place. It didn't offer the best view of Paris but it was private because of the quiet neighbourhood. It always felt like they were secret lovers, hiding from the world in broad daylight (or moonlight as it would be usually dark) when they ended up here.

Their mood was a little pensive. Both were a little lost in their head. It was obvious that his Lady needed some company that night. And so did he.

They both tried to talk a little but eventually gave up , just sat there side by side in solace.

Ladybug's presence calmed him down. She was one constant in his life, always confident and supporting, making his heart fill with hope. She showed her adoration in the form of sweets and gifts, putting so much thought and detail in them it startled him. She picked him up when he felt low and disconnected, putting faith in him even when he often lost it.

And if she was Marinette, then it made her so much more real, human and unattainable. Someone who was as sweet as her and determined as her wouldn't look at him twice. It hurt him a little that his affection would never be fully returned but he was fine with it. As long as he could be with her as a friend, he would be blessed and content.

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if I had kissed you that day?" The voice was quiet and he would have easily missed it if not for the placid quiet of 2 A.M.

Oh that day.

They were sitting right here, around this time. The mood was light, both talking nonsense and their laughter loud and carefree.

Until Ladybug exclaimed, "I could kiss you right now."

And before either of them could process what she had said, Adrien replied, "Maybe you should."

He hadn't stopped thinking about it ever since.

And apparently neither had Ladybug. Adrien still finds it hard to believe that Ladybug had noticed him, had actually thought about him during the day when he wasn't around and had thought about kissing him twice. His brain went static at that thought. After all he had always longed for Ladybug, even when he dated Kagami, and then later Jean. His feelings for her had started out strong but eventually it dimmed down but never truly went away. The feelings were always there, like the quiet hum of the laptop when it was turned on.

Before he could even blink, Ladybug stood up,muttering under her breath, a little embarrassed.

"It's late. I should go now." She said, not looking him in the eye, holding out her hand. He took it and slowly got up, blood rushing to his ears. He resisted the urge to scratch his neck. She held him close, hand tightening around his waist just before she took the first swing. He hoped that she was not able to hear the erratic beating of his heart.

When they got back to his place, a little winded and their cheeks flushed now because of the wind too. She gently put him down, her hands lingering a little. And then she got on tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips against his pulling back before he could react.

"Good night, Adrien." She whispered cupping his cheeks and then was gone with a zip.

He just stood there stupefied, fingers hovering above his lips, the same lips that Ladybug had just pecked, until Plagg grumbled something about lovesick teens, coaxing his limbs move.

He fell asleep with the feel of her lips on his, the feel of her hands on his cheek, his heart warm.

•••

Marinette was not having a great day.

She had slept through the alarm and had to skip breakfast to get to class. Her designs were heavily criticized and now she had to do it all again. An expensive fabric was ruined when Alya had accidentally spilled coffee on it.

And now she just couldn't get the colours right.

She groaned and flopped down on the desk. Her luck seemed to disappear with her alter-ego's suit. She was so tired, the temptation of just closing her eyes and passing out right at her desk was strong.

There was a light knock on her window and she just grunted in reply. After all there was only one person who entered her room through the window. (Leaving that one time when Alya had actually climbed the three stories on a dare.)

"Long day?" Chat Noir greeted, right at her ear. She was startled and lifted her head just to give him a stink eye. He gave an apologetic smile. She put her head back between her arms on the desk and sighed.

She had told everyone that she was to be left alone that day but he had showed up anyway. She was glad he had but was not going to voice it.

Through her peripheral vision she could she Chat- who was also Adrien, and oh my god why was this fact making her feel things - taking in the disaster that was her room: papers, pieces of fabric lying about, some random pin in between waiting to needle her when she least expected. Then his focus shifted back on her, her hair pinned up messily, her fingers red and eyes heavy with sleep.

His face wore a soft look, his gaze bright and full of affection. Marinette felt a bit self-conscious. Ever since the reveal that her dorky, pun-loving partner was also the boy she had mooned over, things felt a little different. Not uncomfortable but so much more raw and real and intimate.

His face scrunched up in determination, lips pressed thin and how the hell did he look so cute and why did she swoon at it.

Get a grip Marinette, you are 19 now not 15!

"C'mon m'lady, let's get you to bed." He lifted her up in his arms, her heart beating a little bit faster because of that nickname. She loved it when he called her that. He only called her that when they were alone.

She whimpered in protest, trying to get back in her chair. If she didn't figure that now she would never be able to.

He just shook his head fondly at her antics, holding her firmly against his chest.

"That can wait for tomorrow, little lady. You need your beauty sleep." He said carrying her over to her bed, dodging the pins and the fabrics along the way.

She gave up struggling and relaxed in his arms, trying to get as warm as she could. She should have closed the window.

Her thoughts drifted how she was being carried princess styled by Adrien (it's not the first time he has done this but this time she knows.) She thought about her crush on Adrien and his on Ladybug and how they had been running in circles for years. They were so oblivious. And dense. She suppressed a smile. (The funniest bit was that Adrien still doesn't know about her hopeless crush on him though. Nino had told him but he had laughed him off.)

Finally they made it to her bed and he gently put her down.

"Good night, Marinette." He said patting her head, smiling a little.

She took hold of his wrist just when he was withdrawing it. His eyes rounded, surprised, mouth agape.

"Stay." She whispered. "You are so warm. You know bugs get cold in winter."

He chuckled "it's not winter yet." But got in her open arms. She snuggled him closer, burying her head in his chest.

A soft "claws in" and the magical suit was replaced by cotton, claws replaced by fingers, running soothing circles on her shoulder. She drifted off to sleep wrapped in his arms and scent.

•••

Wednesday evenings were spent on Adrien's couch, the two of them finding comfort in each other's presence. It had become a tradition between them when she had one day come over for video games. Mostly they played video games, but sometimes, like today, they just sat in comfortable silence, doing their own work.

Adrien was lying on the couch, head in her lap, his long legs hanging off the handrest. Marinette scrolled through youtube, hoping something catches her eye, while her hand absentmindedly snakes into his head. His hair was soft (when was it not) and he leaned into her touch.

She gave up and closed her phone and looked over at Adrien. He looked at ease, just on the edge of sleep.

He was probably listening to a podfic about astrology which he would tell her about later. He loved talking about the distant stars and possibility of alien life and ranted about it to anyone who would listen.

Stupid nerd.

And now he had been prescribed glasses.

Stupid, blind nerd.

Her stupid, blind nerd.

Alya often complained that she spent more time with him rather than her. It was an understatement. Both of them were constantly in contact through one means or another. If they were not at others place (a very common sight), they would be out fighting an akuma or patrolling. Or they would be texting. Or they would be out stupidly wandering the city, arguing which restaurant or cafe they should try out that day.

Acquaintances assumed they were dating. Her classmate had actually thought that they were engaged. ("You both have matching charms!") Maman gave her a knowing smile when she would pick up some sweets for him. Papa had actually greeted him as son-in-law but he was too scared to correct him. ("What if he gets akumatized again?" He had argued, face pale.) Even Nino had said that being in the same room as them was sickening because of the unresolved tension.

Alya had sighed and told her to just ask him out already and put everyone out of misery. "Besides what's there to lose, 'nette?"

What was there to lose?

Their partnership. The banter. Theses Wednesday nights. The flowers left at random places with a note and a pun. The silly jokes, eye rolls and nose boops. The little touches when they were out with friends. The eyes seeking out the other's even when the room is full of people. The unwavering trust when the other is about to do something reckless. Their quiet conversations at 2 A.M., voices so low they would whisper into each other's ears. The companion she had been confiding in for years and who was so precious, so close to her heart that she didn't know if she could go a day without him.

Him.

Her partner who was lolling off in her lap, wearing ladybug PJs. Whose heart was so pure and full of love she wondered how lucky she got to find him and win his trust, his love. Why was she afraid when she knows that no matter what happens, he would still be there by her side?

His eyes opened when her hand went still at that thought and blinked as if he had woken in a stranger's house. He really did look like a lost kitten. His eyes found hers and he relaxed again, her presence reassuring, sinking back in the couch,eyes closing again

Seeing this made her heart swell, getting so big she thought that it would burst right out of her. She knew that she loved him, her feelings getting deeper and stronger as the years passed. It was a fact when it came to her. But right then she realises how strong those feelings were. She felt like she was drowning in it, too helpless to even move.

Adrien seemed to sense the change in her mood (because of course he did) and partially got up on his hands, a worried look on his face.

"Bug?" he called.

She didn't say anything.

"Mari?" He called, again. "Are you o-"

His words were cut off as she pulled him towards her and bended down to press her lips against his. She had never imagined that she would have to bend down to kiss her horrendously tall partner but then again many things weren't going the way she had thought so why would this be any exception.

He kissed back, a hand cradling her cheeks so tenderly she melted. The kiss was rough as if they were trying to make up for the lost time. And maybe they were. They broke apart gasping for air but kissed again, this time slower, Adrien now sitting in her lap.

Eventually they stopped. She rested her head on his ,eyes still closed, a small smile forming on her face.

They would be more than okay

[quicksilversquared]

The Babysitting Fiasco Bonus Chapter: Mom Squad

Alya and Nino aren’t actually supposed to be pushing off their babysitting duties onto Marinette in favor of going on extra dates, but try telling them that. But after a poorly-timed akuma attack and a chance encounter set off a domino effect…well, they couldn’t get away with it forever.

This was formerly a cut scene from the Babysitting Fiasco, but I made the mistake of mentioning it on FF.net and AO3 and people liked the idea of the Mom Squad, so it’s been expanded a bit, cleaned up a lot, and now here it is!

links in the reblog

Marlena Césaire was on a mission.

No, it wasn't a mission to catch Alya in the middle of slacking off on her responsibilities, like it had been the night before. Her daughter had been caught red-handed and given a very strict talking-to, though exact punishments were still being decided on. After all, Marlena and Otis didn't know exactly how long Alya had been getting away with her skipping (the younger kids were rather vague, though they let on that it had definitely been more than a couple months), and, well, they didn't exactly trust Alya to tell them.

So now, Marlena was headed for the Dupain-Cheng's family bakery in search of a more trustworthy source of information. Marinette would still be at school, of course, but perhaps her parents would be willing to take a message, or maybe they happened to know how long Marinette's babysitting had been going on.

Thankfully, she had timed her break perfectly with the bakery's afternoon lull, and Marinette's mom was sitting at the bakery's counter, reading a book. As Marlena entered, she looked up and smiled, tucking a bookmark between her pages and setting the book aside.

"Hi, Marlena!"

"Hi, Sabine," Marlena replied at once. She glanced around, making sure that there weren't any customers around. "Do you have a minute?"

Sabine nodded, not looking at all puzzled by the request. "I assume that this is about the whole babysitting thing?"

"Of course. I was quite surprised when Marinette mentioned it yesterday. It was pretty obvious that she didn't know that I wasn't aware of it."

Sabine managed a smile. "Yes, she was quite upset at lunch over the whole thing, which is when Tom and I learned about it. I just wished that she had mentioned it before, because she's been so overworked lately. We would have put a stop to it, at least on her end. She wasn't sure if she should admit the mistake to Alya. We told her not to."

"That's a good idea," Marlena agreed. "Alya was clearly really upset that she had been caught. Ridiculously so, considering that she was the one fully in the wrong, but she doesn't seem to see that yet. I would hate to see her blame Marinette for her punishment and have the two of them fall apart over this." She paused. "Am I correct in my assumption that Alya and Nino didn't pay Marinette for her time?"

Sabine sighed, nodding. "Yes, that's what Marinette said when we asked. And they kept springing the requests on her. Marinette hasn't had time to sit down and design like she normally does for ages now."

...well, that was another thing to talk about with Alya. Her daughter needed to recognize how she was affecting others. It was rude and selfish for her to be making requests of her friends that resulted in them not having any free time and Alya- who had plenty of free time to start with!- getting even more.

"If Marinette can come up with an approximate number of times that she's babysat Chris and the twins- or Chris or the twins, I don't know what arrangements they had- and for how long, that would be great," Marlena said instead. Alya's selfishness and apparent tunnel vision when she wanted something needed to be discussed directly with her daughter, not with Mrs. Cheng. "We'll pay Marinette back out of Alya's allowance, and Nino's family will be doing the same. Both of them were getting raised allowances for babysitting, so it's only fair."

Sabine smiled. "That sounds like a good solution."

"Yeah. Alya's not happy about it, but I'm not particularly happy with her at the moment." That was an understatement, honestly, but Marlena wasn't going to linger on it. Alya had gotten that message loud and clear the previous night, when she and Otis had set Alya's grounding for a minimum of a month, potentially extended out for however long Alya and Nino had kept the secret from their presents. That would mean a grounding of several months, far more than they had ever doled out for any punishment before, but if Alya actually showed remorse for what she had done and an understanding of how wrong it was to take advantage of her parents' trust in her and her friend's kindness- well, that could potentially be shortened a bit.

Time would tell. At the moment, Marlena was leaning towards a longer punishment.

"Has Marinette said anything else about it? How long things have been going on, how long she normally babysat per night...?"

"Oh, for months, but she didn't say anything exact. She did mention that Alya said that the idea came from her classmate Lila." There was distaste in the way she said that, Marlena noted, and that was interesting. "Marinette had questioned that, and from what she heard, Alya had been in contact with Lila and had been complaining about wanting more dates with Nino, and Lila was the one to make the suggestion that they give the kids to someone else and use that time for a date."

"The same Lila who I found telling tall tales to the kids when I got home, I assume," Marlena said, mentally thanking Otis for finding the seminars that he had signed Alya up for earlier in the day, focused on healthy relationships both romantic and platonic. At least one of them would be going with her to- well, the romantic one at the very least, to make sure that they were enforcing whatever behaviors the instructor was encouraging (and discouraging whatever the instructor deemed unhealthy, of course), and possibly the friendship one as well to make sure that Alya was actually paying attention. The taking advantage of Marinette... well, that was something they just couldn't not address. "The one cooking up some ridiculous tall tales that she claimed were perfectly true."

"Precisely." Sabine was frowning. "I need to ask Marinette more about that girl. I could tell there was more there that she wasn't telling us, but we didn't have enough time to fully delve in before Tom and I had to get back to the bakery."

Marlena sighed. "Alya thinks that Lila is a fabulous friend, but I've heard more than I ever want to about Lila's tall tales. That and the news that Lila was the one to encourage Alya to shove her babysitting off on Marinette...well, unless Lila's lied more, her mom works at the embassy. I've got a mind to go over there tomorrow during my break and have a word with Mrs. Rossi about what her daughter is up to."

"That sounds like an idea," Sabine agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's being kept in the dark, too. Welcome to Tom and Sabine's!" she added to the customer who had just entered. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Well, I'll let you go," Marlena said, stepping aside so that Sabine could help her customer. "You have my number, so let me know what Marinette says. And after hearing how stressed Marinette was- let me know how much more Marinette's rates are for emergency babysitting versus her normal rates. She deserves the money, for sure. And she'll be getting whatever Lila would have earned, because that girl certainly doesn't deserve it."

Sabine laughed. "All right. I'll try to have Marinette give me those numbers tonight and then I'll pass them on."

Marlena smiled, thanking Sabine one last time, and then she headed back out the door. She had to get back to work, and if she had any time to spare for a quick Google inquiry...

Well, one Mrs. Rossi would be getting a visit tomorrow afternoon.

  At eight o'clock that night, Marlena got a text from Sabine Cheng.

Sabine: I'd like to come along with you tomorrow. That girl threatened my Marinette.

  Marlena swung by the bakery the next afternoon to pick up Sabine. When she stuck her head inside, she found Sabine by the door and a rather unhappy-looking Tom behind the corner.

"Tom wanted to come along, too, but someone had to watch the counter," Sabine told her as they left. "He was quite angry about finding out everything that Lila has been doing and how much stress she's causing Marinette. Marinette has been trying to call out the lies but, well, Alya has apparently refused to listen and then Lila threatened her to try to get her to stay quiet."

"I'm not surprised about Alya," Marlena said with a sigh, leading the way over to the bus stop. "I wish I could say that I am, but I'm not. Otis and I talked to Alya more last night, and she accidentally let slip that when either she or Nino had babysitting to do and the other didn't, the one without anything would claim that they were going to another classmate's to study or work on a project and then the two of them would go on a date instead. So that's another deception. And all Alya could say was that it hadn't hurt anyone, so why was it such a big deal?"

"She's still not picking up on how much stress she was putting on Marinette," Sabine filled in, and Marlena nodded.

"That, or how big of a deal the lying is, or how dangerous it could have been to have Lila babysitting, or how making Marinette take care of three very rowdy kids at once could have turned out badly." On top of that, Marlena and Otis had looked through Alya's texts- not something they normally did or advocated doing, but the breach in trust rather warranted it- to see if there was anything else that she was hiding, and the texts that Alya had sent Marinette in response to finding out that Marinette couldn't make it... well, they were rather self-serving, less focused on Marinette's struggles and more on what Marinette could do for Alya. That was going to get addressed.

Sabine only nodded.

The bus came, and they got on. It wasn't a long ride to the Italian embassy, and then they were heading for Mrs. Rossi's office. Marlena had set up an appointment the previous day to ensure that Mrs. Rossi would be free when they came, and considering how busy the embassy was when they stepped in, it had been a good idea. It didn't take long to find the office they were looking for, and then they were waved in to meet a politely puzzled Mrs. Rossi.

"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Rossi said politely as the door shut behind them. She glanced at a paper on her desk. "Uh, which one of you is Mrs. Marlena Césaire?"

"That's me," Marlena said at once, stepping forward to shake hands. "And this is Sabine Cheng. Our daughters are in the same class as Lila."

"Is- is this really the time to discuss the girls?" Mrs. Rossi asked, clearly more puzzled than ever. "I mean, I am at work right now, surely we could arrange to meet at another ti-"

"Your daughter has been threatening mine."

"And she's been feeding all sorts of lies to her classmates and persuading them to behave poorly," Marlena chimed in, though she wasn't entirely sure that Mrs. Rossi had caught that, she was so busy staring in shock at Sabine.

"Threatening- that doesn't sound like my daughter at all! She told me that people at school were very friendly and that she got along with all of them and-"

Marlena cut across before Sabine could say anything more. "Lila has been telling people that she's met all sorts of famous people and travels all over the world on a regular basis. According to Alya, she has also been claiming all sorts of ailments- arthritis, allergies, tinnitus that she supposedly got from saving Jagged Stone's kitten on an airplane runway-"

Mrs. Rossi had sunk back into her chair, eyes wide as Sabine picked up the list.

"She's gone on the Ladyblog as claiming that she was saved by Ladybug and now they're best friends. My daughter saw Lila deliberately knock over her classmate Adrien's book bag to steal an old book from him, which Lila later threw in the trash. If Marinette had not rescued the book and returned it, that would have resulted in Adrien getting pulled from the school by his father, which would have crushed the poor boy-"

"Adrien? Adrien Agreste?" Mrs. Rossi demanded. She didn't even wait for them to nod before barreling on. "Lila told me that he was her boyfriend! That they started dating- oh, months ago, back before the akuma attacks that shut down the school for so long!"

There was a long pause. Then-

"Uh, what do you mean, shut down the school?"

  By the time Sabine and Marlena left, Mrs. Rossi had been brought up to speed on all that Lila had been up to and was on the phone with Mr. Damocles. Ms. Bustier was on her way to the office to join the call, so that they could discuss all of Lila's stories. She seemed quite stressed, but managed to wave to them on their way out.

"Well, I think that was rather successful," Marlena said cheerfully as they headed for the bus stop to ride back to the bakery. "We got apologies for Lila's behavior and from the sound of things, Lila will get rather thoroughly punished."

"And the principal is now aware of Lila's threats," Sabine chimed in. She was looking rather pleased as well. "So Marinette will finally get her justice. I can't believe that she didn't tell Tom and I before. I rather hope that Tom hasn't decided to leave the counter to one of his helpers and storm the school in our absence," she added with a small laugh. "He was ready to head straight over last night when Marinette told us, never mind that it was late and the school was closed! And it took both Marinette and I this morning to convince him not to tag along with her to school so that Lila wouldn't be able to threaten her again."

Marlena laughed. "I can just see him now, wedging himself between Marinette and Alya on their bench at school and acting like he's meant to be there. I'm sure Marinette is happy to know that you two are so firmly on her side, though. Even if Tom's reaction was perhaps a bit impulsive."

"I'm just concerned that she didn't come straight to us in the first place. Like, what did we say to make her think that she had to deal with it on her own? As much as I'd like to think that it's not something that we did but rather just her becoming more independent... well, I kind of doubt that that's the case." Sabine was frowning, concerned. "So Tom and I will be doing some reflection as well, I suspect. We certainly don't want to make Marinette hesitate to come to us with any problems she has."

"It is concerning that she was getting threats and hadn't said anything," Marlena agreed. She sighed. "All this drama. I don't remember my collège years being anywhere near as- as-"

"Dramatic? Stressful? Crazy?" Sabine offered, then gave a little laugh. "And Marinette is doing commissions for famous celebrities on top of everything else, which is- it's crazy. We're so proud of her, of course, but it's still not something we ever would have expected to happen."

Marlena smiled. She had heard about that and- well, it was truly impressive. What was strange about it, though, was how crazy Alya had gone over Lila's stories about hanging out with celebrities when Marinette was designing CD covers and posters and concert outfits for famous people. On top of that, Marlena had heard Jagged Stone referring to Marinette as his honorary niece more than once.

And somehow, Alya was impressed by Lila. At least those lies were going to be coming out today.

"Oh, before I forget," Marlena said suddenly, digging in her purse. She pulled out an envelope and passed it to Sabine, who peeked inside. "Checks from both our family and Nino's, to pay Marinette for her babysitting. We did time and a third because it rather sounded like the babysitting was getting forced on her when Marinette already had more than enough to do."

"They are very generous," Sabine commented, tucking both checks back into the envelope and placing it carefully in her purse. "Wow. We'll take Marinette to the bank to deposit them this weekend."

"Yes, well, I think Marinette rather earned them." Neither Alya nor Nino would getting their allowance for a while to pay for it and neither were thrilled about that, but it sounded as though Nino at least had gotten to acceptance stage by the night before. Alya was more stubborn, though, so it would probably take her longer to accept responsibility for her actions. Marlena sighed at the thought. Dealing with haughty, demanding customers was the worst, but dealing with a stubborn teenage girl was pretty far up there, too. "I'll just be glad when all of this is behind us."

"Me too."

  Marlena returned home that evening after the dinner rush to find Alya in what could only be described as a mood as she spluttered out the events of what had apparently been a very interesting afternoon. Lila's mom had ended up going over to the school to meet up with their teachers and principal in person, and it had come out that Lila was lying and manipulating them for her own benefit. Alya was steaming because of the deception, but, well, still not for quite the right reasons.

"I can't believe I posted that bucket of lies on the Ladyblog!" she was fuming, a fierce scowl on her face. "There goes my reporter's credibility! And she- she was the one who told me to have Marinette babysit so that Nino and I could go on dates! This is all her fault!"

Marlena sighed. Clearly the concept of personal responsibility was still eluding Alya.

"She wanted me to like her, and so she made me think that it was a good idea and that it would be fine and- and-"

Nora snorted, glancing over the top of her textbook. "How very unfortunate that you lost the ability to, oh, fact-check things that went on your blog before posting them. And at the same time that you lost your critical thinking skills, too!"

"Why, you-!"

Marlena sighed again, exchanging a look with Otis as he headed over to try to fend off a fight between their two older girls. She had hoped that they would have a peaceful evening, but it was looking like there wasn't much chance of that.

Across town, Sabine smiled as Marinette gushed about her day- Lila had been pulled out of their classroom mid-afternoon and hadn't come back. Rumors had buzzed around the classroom, unhampered by Mr. Haprele, who had stepped in to oversee the classroom while Ms. Bustier was out, and it wasn't until their last class that their teacher had returned and broke the news to them about Lila's lies. The news had been received with no small amount of shock by most of her classmates, and more than a few had apologized to Marinette for not believing her before.

Marinette herself had been called to the principal's office after school let out to give a statement about the threats that Lila had made towards her, and it sounded like the Italian girl wouldn't be returning to their school at all. In fact, it sounded like Mrs. Rossi was planning on sending Lila back to Italy to stay with her grandparents there as soon as possible, probably because Hawkmoth's presence in the city meant that there was an added note of danger to the whole situation- either Lila herself would get akumatized over being found out, or someone upset with her would. Removing her completely from the situation meant that Lila couldn't try to retaliate in any way, either by more lies or by accepting an akuma, and Marinette could finally relax.

Maybe nothing about the situation before had been ideal- Marinette's best friend taking advantage of her kindness and hiding information from her, the bullying, Marinette's absolute burn-out level kind of exhaustion- but Sabine personally thought that it had resolved itself rather nicely. There had been a lot of lessons learned, and now she and Tom would know to be on the lookout and ready to step in to investigate and offer a helping hand if Marinette started to struggle and get overwhelmed again, hopefully intervening before it got to be too much.

And with any luck, nothing like this would ever happen again.

[tsuki-chibi]

BlackBerries (Adrinette April) Day 4: Hand Touches

Or see it on AO3: Blackberries 

--------

Not long after they returned to class, Adrien got the text from his bodyguard that it was time for him to go to the photoshoot. He regretfully packed up his things and, when Madame Mendeliev came in to start science, slipped out before the lesson could start. Marinette and Nino waved as he left; Adrien waved back, wishing that he could stay. The weight of what was sure to be a boring afternoon settled heavily on his shoulders as he headed for the car waiting just outside the gates.

“Hello,” he greeted his boyguard as he opened the door.

The Gorilla merely grunted, as always. Adrien sighed and climbed inside, setting his bag down beside him. It was moments like this where the weight of Plagg’s absence was heaviest. He didn’t know what he would’ve done without Marinette’s presence in the back of his head. She was the only thing making this situation bearable: losing Plagg and not having Marinette would’ve driven Adrien crazy.

She registered those thoughts, of course: even without the miraculous, their bond was still deepening at an accelerated rate. Adrien grinned to himself as he felt her embarrassment, followed by a soft pulse of affection that warmed him from head to toe. That was, if he was being honest, his favorite part about having a soulmate. He loved that there were no shields between them, and so he could feel the full force of whatever Marinette felt.

‘So you don’t regret it, then?’ Marinette thought, and Adrien could tell that this was something that she’d been idly thinking about ever since they’d left Master Fu’s. He knew immediately what she meant.

Most soulmates put up their own rudimentary shields when they first met. Children like Rose and Juleka, or people who couldn’t create their own shields for whatever reason, usually had someone else create blocks for them. There were specialized services out there just for that. Neither Adrien nor Marinette knew how to construct shields, so what they technically should have done upon finding out that they were soulmates was told their parents and been instructed on how to do that. Then, if they still couldn’t, blocks would have been put up.

Of course, in Adrien’s case, Gabriel probably wouldn’t have trusted him to create adequete shields and so would have insisted on the use of blocks anyway. His father was controlling like that. But from what Adrien knew, most people used shields that they had built and thus could modify themselves if they chose to. It was pretty rare to find someone who had blocked or shielded a bond fully, but it did happen sometimes.

He supposed that’s what Master Fu would’ve wanted them to do. Had he and Marinette had shields in place, they could’ve hidden the information about their miraculouses behind those shields. It would’ve been difficult and probably pretty awkward at times, and might have even required a full shield eventually. The thought was enough to make him shudder, and Marinette reached out comfortingly.

She was so good. Too good. So soft and sweet and gentle that from the moment that they’d met Adrien had never had any hesitation about letting Marinette into his mind. He hadn’t wanted to hide anything from her. Maybe that made him weird - few people were comfortable with someone else having unfettered access to their minds, particularly when that someone else was still a stranger – but it was just how he felt.

‘That doesn’t make you weird, Adrien. I’m okay with not having any shields too,’ Marinette thought, ready to jump to his defence as always. Adrien smiled.

‘Or it makes us both weird,’ he thought.

Marinette paused, and then he felt her smile too before she thought, ‘Okay, I’ll give you that one. But either way, this works for us. It really sucks that we don’t get to be Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore because of it, but I wouldn’t change anything.’

‘I wouldn’t either. I don’t want any shields or blocks between us,’ Adrien thought back, staring out the window. Frankly, at this point, he wasn’t even sure if a shield or block could be created to block their bond. And if it could, within another year or two it probably wouldn’t be possible. He was looking forward to that day, because then he’d be able to tell his father and Gabriel wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

‘Me either,’ Marinette thought, pushing more affection and comfort his way until Adrien was drifting on it. Pushing his own feelings back towards Marinette created a feedback loop that both of them thoroughly enjoyed until the car got to its destination and Madame Mendeliev snapped at Marinette to pay attention.

“Ah, Adrien,” Nathalie said as Adrien opened the door. “You’ll be modeling with Jeanne today.”

“Okay,” Adrien said. He liked Jeanne. She didn’t try to cozy up to him the way some of the other models did. He got out of the car and followed Nathalie inside, where he was put through the full wardrobe and make-up regiment. Today was a formal shoot, which meant he was wearing a dark grey tuxedo with a black papel, white shirt, and blue tie.

Jeanne joined him on set wearing a blue gown that was so tight she was clearly having difficulty walking in it. She tottered awkwardly over to Adrien and he laughed as he stuck out an arm to help her balance. She gave him a mock glare, her lips twitching with humor, before taking his arm.

“I swear, this dress couldn’t get any tighter if it tried,” she said.

Adrien gave the gown a critical look, feeling Marinette peek through his eyes. The beautifully decorated gown was very form-fitting, with a small trail that would slide behind her as she walked. She had a pale blue shawl which had been carefully set over her elbows before falling almost to the ground. He wasn’t a designer, of course, but he knew enough about photography to know that his father was probably all about the contrast between the tight dress and the loose shawl.

‘That should really have a slit in it,’ Marinette thought.

“No slit?” Adrien said.

“There is one, but for the first part of the shoot they’ve sewn in shut,” Jeanne replied. “Sorry, Adrien. Most of this is going to be on you. At least until they cut the slit.”

“I’m fine with that. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself,” Adrien said. At Marinette’s mental request, he glanced down at Jeanne’s shoes and was unsurprised to see that they were four-inch stiletto heels.

‘Your father creates amazing stuff, but it’s not very practical,’ Marinette thought.

‘Not even a little bit,’ Adrien thought back. He was suddenly very glad that he was a boy.

“Alright, you two, let’s make some magic!” Vincent shouted, walking towards them. “Let’s have you both in front of that wall over there, yes?”

“Ugh, moving,” Jeanne whispered, and Adrien couldn’t help a grin.

It took a bit of effort but finally they were both where Vincent wanted them to be. Per Vincent’s direction, Adrien stepped behind Jeanne and leaned over her, resting his chin on her shoulder and his hands atop of hers. They both cast coy looks at the camera. Vincent practically squealed in delight and started snapping photos, occasionally pausing to give them different directions.

‘School’s over,’ Marinette thought. ‘There goes Alya and Lila.’

Adrien had to remind himself not to frown on the outside. ‘Are you jealous, My Lady?’ he thought.

‘No. Yes? Maybe a little? Alya’s allowed to have other friends. I’m just not sure Lila is the right choice for a friend,’ Marinette thought back. ‘I’m really curious to see what this interview contains.’

‘You and me both,’ Adrien thought. Chat Noir was Ladybug’s best friend, thank you very much.

‘Yes, you are,’ Marinette thought with some amusement; she was smiling.

“Adrien!” Vincent exclaimed, and Adrien snapped to attention. “I need a serious look, not a smile!”

“Sorry,” Adrien said quickly, trying to school his expression.

‘Oops, sorry,’ Marinette thought.

‘It’s not your fault. That’s just the effect you have me,’ Adrien thought, stepping away from Jeanne. He dutifully took her hand and tried to pretend like they were dancing and he had just spun her out. Though how Jeanne would dance in her dress, he had no clue.

‘Flatterer,’ Marinette though, sighing. ‘I guess I’ll go help in the bakery.’

‘Cheer up, Mari. Things will be better tomorrow. It’s only Monday; I bet it’s going to be a great week,’ Adrien thought. He had no idea how wrong he was.

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 | AO3 link

“And just where are you going?” comes an unwelcome voice as Adrien’s about to head through the front doors. He winces and turns to confront his father, who’s standing on the staircase as he always does when talking to Adrien.

“To get ice cream with my friends, Father,” he says. “You said I could.”

Next to Gabriel, Nathalie clears her throat. “You did, sir,” she says. “Adrien explicitly asked me to find a time when he had no obligations, and you gave your permission when I passed along his request.”

“Hmm.” Gabriel surveys Adrien with cold eyes. They’re grey, just like Marinette’s, but they couldn’t be any more different; while Gabriel’s are chilly and devoid of life, Marinette’s are like warm fire, blazing with the spirit and passion that’s present in everything she does. “How is your piano coming along?”

“I’ve mastered the piece you’ve had me play.”

“Chinese?”

“I got every single exercise right in my last lesson.”

“Fencing?”

“I’m still the best in the class. You can ask Mr D’Argencourt.”

Gabriel continues to stare at Adrien unblinkingly. Adrien holds his head high, willing himself not to gulp or shuffle or show any sign of weakness that his father can latch onto and turn against him.

“Be back by seven o’clock,” Gabriel finally says, and Adrien has to squash down the urge to shriek and start dancing a jig on the spot. “Not one minute later, or this will be your last outing.”

“Thank you, Father!” Adrien blurts out. “Um, what if there’s an akuma attack and I can’t get home?”

Something unidentifiable flickers across Gabriel’s face for a nanosecond. Then his face is smooth and blank as ever and he’s replying, “Then I expect you to hide appropriately and return home as soon as Ladybug and Chat Noir have defeated the akuma. I’m not unreasonable.”

Adrien’s sorely tempted to snort at that but considering that his father’s given him free reign for the evening, that’s probably the quickest way to get himself locked up in his room again. Instead, he smiles and nods and follows the Gorilla out to the limo so that he can meet his friends at the Trocadéro. Marinette, Alya, Nino, Ivan, Mylène, and Lila are already there when he arrives, and their faces light up in unison at the sight of his limo pulling up to the kerb.

“Adrien! Dude!” Nino gives him a bro hug once he makes it over to his friends.

“I’m surprised your dad let you out,” Alya says dryly.

“So am I,” Adrien says. “But I’m not gonna complain. Um, Lila, can you please not hang off me?” he adds when Lila tries to latch onto his arm.

“Oh! I’m sorry that you’re uncomfortable!” Lila says. “We’re just very physical in Italy. It’s how we show affection among friends.” She looks like she’s going to try and grab his arm again but thankfully, the looming presence of the Gorilla behind Adrien dissuades her, and so she settles for standing as close to him as she can without the Gorilla scowling at her. It’s still too close, but at least Adrien can breathe.

“We’ve got an escort?” Marinette says.

“Yeah,” Adrien says, “We can’t drive to find André, so he has to tag along. Is that…okay?”

“Sure!” Marinette smiles and waves at the Gorilla, but his face is as impassive as it always is. “So, guys, where’s André today?”

“The deal with André and his ice-cream cart is that you never know where he's gonna be!” Nino says, already tapping away on his phone. “You gotta follow his clues to find out where he's gonna set up!”

“The first time Mylène and I wanted André's ice-cream, it took us three hours to find his cart!” Ivan says and wraps an arm around Mylène with a laugh. “Do you remember?”

“Yeah!” Mylène chuckles in response.

“Hey! Someone posted a photo!” Nino cries. “He’s on his way to the Pont des Arts!”

“Let’s go!” Mylène grabs Ivan’s hand and takes off. Lila looks like she’s going to make a grab for Adrien again, so he turns to Marinette and hauls the surprised girl onto his back before she can react.

“Last one there’s a rotten akuma!” Adrien says and breaks into a sprint, carrying Marinette with him and leaving Nino, Alya, and the Gorilla to bring Lila. Okay, so maybe this is a little mean…but honestly, Adrien’s asked Lila not to touch him and he’s repeatedly made his discomfort obvious, so he doesn’t feel as bad as he thought he would for leaving her behind. Marinette’s giggling in his ear is just further proof that he’d made the right choice, especially because she’s got her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him to secure herself without constricting him and feeling him up, as Lila might have done. “Is this okay, Marinette? Sorry I didn’t ask you first –”

“Don’t apologise!” Marinette rests her chin on his shoulder, her hot breath ghosting across his skin as she continues to laugh, and he has to fight back the sudden shiver that threatens to break free and ravage his body. Huh? “I’m glad you’re having fun, Adrien.”

Being Chat Noir must be paying off, because Adrien’s surprised to find that he’s not tired in the least from carrying Marinette as they near the Pont des Arts bridge, where a fat, jovial man is singing in front of an ice cream cart. Ivan and Mylène are waiting, and the way they raise their eyebrows as Adrien draws level with them and sets Marinette back on her feet is…odd. Why are they looking at him like that?

“How sweet of you, Adrien,” Alya pants when she, Nino, Lila, and the Gorilla finally arrive just moments later. Lila looks very disgruntled, probably from being left behind, although Adrien can’t help but wonder if the way she’d directed her look at Marinette for a split second is just his imagination.

“It was a spur of the moment decision, honestly,” Adrien says, shooting a glance at Marinette. Her cheeks are flushed pink and for a brief moment, Adrien’s mind is drawn back to his visit last week, when he’d pinned her underneath him as Chat Noir. And okay, that had been a joke, but…why can’t he stop thinking about it, and why does he just want to touch Marinette every chance he gets?

“My name is André! André Glacier, the sweetheart matchmaker!” André sings nearby, ringing the bell on his cart. “With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you with magical ice cream flavours! My name is André! André Glacier, the sweetheart matchmaker! With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you with magical ice cream flavours!”

“Let’s go!” Alya claps her hands. “I wonder what flavours he’ll give us, Nino!”

Iva and Mylène are the first to reach the cart, and André’s face lights up when he sees them.

“Striking young Ivan and dear sweet Mylène!” he cries as he starts to scoop up an ice cream for them. “Chocolate, praline, and white nougat for you! A special concoction to keep your love true!”

“I wonder what I’ll get,” Adrien whispers to Marinette as Alya and Nino approach for their ice cream.

“Ah, these two, I’ve never seen!” André says. “This is your first time here with me?”

“Yeah!” Nino and Alya laugh, taking each other’s hands.

“Probably candy cane, for your father’s tie,” Marinette says, and Adrien devolves into a coughing fit from the sudden bubble of laughter that shoots up into his throat. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Adrien?”

“He’s choking!” Lila gasps. “I know the Heimlich manoeuvre, but my wrist is –”

“I’m fine,” Adrien forces out, wiping his eyes. Even the Gorilla’s lips are twitching now that he’s sure that Adrien isn’t in danger. “I just – sorry, that was just hilarious.” How has he never realised just how funny Marinette is? It’s truly a delight to be around her now that she’s so open around him and can string together more than two words. If not for Ladybug, he might have liked Marinette –

Whoa. Wait. Where the hell did that thought come from? Marinette’s a very good friend and that’s all.

“Adrien next!” Alya says and pushes Adrien towards André, who beams.

“Ah, hello to you!” he says and twirls his scooper. “Let us see what André can do!” He starts to form the ice cream of Adrien’s heart in front of Adrien’s eyes, singing, “Strawberry chocolate chip, with blackberry for her hair and vanilla blueberry for her sweet stare!”

Ladybug? Is his ice cream Ladybug? Adrien’s heart races as André hands him the ice cream. The colours certainly match…but what does the vanilla mean? Does that stand for her grey eyes in her civilian form? If only he knew who she could be…

“And you, pretty young miss!” André says to Marinette as she draws level with Adrien. “I have the perfect ice cream to give you bliss! Lemon for his hair, peach pink like his lips, and mint for his eyes! Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialise!”

“O-Oh!” Marinette’s cheeks flush to the colour of Adrien’s strawberry ice cream as she takes the ice cream. “Um…thanks!”

“I wonder who that could be,” Alya drawls, and Marinette’s cheeks darken. Adrien blinks. Marinette’s in love with someone? Who could it be? Someone with blond hair and green eyes –

Wait. Is she…in love with Chat Noir? The blackberry ice cream in Adrien’s mouth nearly trickles out when his jaw drops, so he’s forced to turn away momentarily to swallow the ice cream and avoid turning into a mess in front of his friends. She had mentioned liking someone who plays video games and is associated with the colour green, and Chat Noir has green eyes…but how did she know he likes video games?

“Oh, Marinette, that’s so sweet!” Lila simpers. “I can’t believe your ice cream is Adrien!” She gasps and covers her mouth, while Marinette lets out a high-pitched sound and Alya, Nino, Ivan, and Mylène freeze. “Oh no! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to let that slip!”

“Wait,” says Adrien around his suddenly-swollen tongue. Oh. Oh. “Marinette has a crush on me?”

The ice cream tumbles out of Marinette’s hands and splatters on the ground, causing André to gasp. But before he can even attempt to make an ashen-faced Marinette another one, she lets out what sounds horrifically like a sob and turns to hightail it out of there.

“What the hell, Lila?” Alya hisses. “Why’d you have to go and do that to her?”

“I’m so, so sorry!” Lila wails, although Adrien can’t shake the nagging feeling that she’d deliberately let that slip. “I didn’t think – oh my gosh – I hurt Marinette! I hurt my friend! I’m such an awful person!”

“No, you’re not!” Mylène rushes to comfort Lila. “It was a mistake!”

“I’m gonna go after her,” Adrien says hoarsely. But Alya shakes her head and throws an arm out to stop him before he can move.

“You’re the last person she’ll want to see,” Alya says. “Just…trust me. Let her deal with it. I’ll go and let her cry it out on me in a bit.”

A drop of vanilla ice cream with a vein of blueberry drips onto Adrien’s hand, and he swallows and hands his ice cream back to André. “Thanks, but I think I lost my appetite,” he says.

“But –!”

Adrien shakes his head and takes off in the opposite direction to Marinette before André can try and convince him to stay, the Gorilla following immediately. Once he’s reached the bottom of the bridge stairs, he sighs and lets his shoulders slump.

“I think I want to go home,” he mumbles. The Gorilla nods and heads back for the Trocadéro where the limo is parked, and Adrien follows, lost in his swirling thoughts.

The sun’s nearly set by the time they get back to the mansion. For once in his life, Adrien’s grateful that his father’s nowhere to be seen, because it means that he’s able to make a quick escape to his room without being stopped and subjected to a thousand questions.

“Lila said that deliberately, didn’t she?” is the first thing out of Adrien’s mouth as soon as his bedroom door is shut.

“What do you think, loverboy?” Plagg drawls, wriggling his way free from inside Adrien’s shirt. “Every other person managed to avoid “accidentally” letting it slip.”

“But why? Why would she do that?” Adrien starts to pace, to try and sort out the chaos in his head. “She had to know that Marinette would be upset!”

“Maybe that’s what she was aiming for?” Plagg says with an eyeroll.

“She’s never been mean before, though. A shifty liar, yeah, but she hasn’t been outright nasty. Maybe it was a mistake?”

“Kid. Not everyone’s got a tragic backstory. Some people are just rotten.”

Adrien sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I have to talk to Marinette. I have to make sure she’s alright. And I don’t want her to get akumatised because of it.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re the person she really wants to see right now.”

“Not Adrien, sure. Plagg, claws out!”

“Oh, come ooooon –!”

The best thing about being a dark superhero is that Chat Noir’s pretty much invisible as he bounds through Paris at night, so no one’s staring at him and pointing and speculating if there could be an akuma. When he makes it to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, his stomach starts to churn at the sight of a dark-haired figure leaning on the balcony railing with her head bowed, and for a moment, he just sits on his rooftop and stares and wonders why all he wants to do is squeeze her and never let her go. But then Marinette’s shoulders spasm, and Chat Noir’s in motion before he can even think about it, leaping over to perch on the railing next to her.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette jumps back with a hand over her heart. “You scared the hell out of me!”

“Sorry, princess.” Chat Noir attempts to smile, but all he can manage is a small twitch of his lips. Marinette immediately picks up on this.

“What’s wrong?” she says.

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh.”

“No, really, nothing’s wrong with me. I, uh…heard about what happened.”

“Oh.” Marinette crosses her arms and looks away. “Did my friends ask you to come and play therapist?”

“Your friends don’t even know I’m here,” Chat Noir says. “Well, most of them. Actually…Adrien asked if I could come and make sure you’re okay. He figured you wouldn’t exactly want to see him right now.”

“Wow, and I thought he was oblivious,” Marinette mumbles. But she turns back to face Chat Noir and unfolds her arms, and Chat Noir’s heart lurches at the sight of her cheeks glistening in the orange Parisian streetlamps. Did he really cause her that much pain? How had he never noticed before? The stammering, the nervousness around him…

“He is,” Chat Noir says with a little shrug. “He didn’t realise that till Alya told him. Uh, that’s what he said to me.”

Marinette snorts. But she gestures for him to jump down next to her, so that’s a good sign at least.

“I thought I was finally getting around my c-crush on him,” she says, hunching over the railing and using the balls of her feet to rock herself. “Ti – uh, a friend told me to focus on being his friend, to forget about asking him out, because that’s when I’d turn into a mess around him. And it was working! I still l-liked him, but I could actually talk to him. And then – then Lila said that, and the look on his face, and I just – it was like every nightmare I’ve ever had about being turned down, because I forgot that he didn’t actually know that I was crushing on him.”

“He doesn’t hate you for it,” Chat Noir says. “He’s flattered. Really. Or he wouldn’t have asked me to talk to you. So, um…what made your friend tell you that? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I just realised a few things.” Marinette’s mouth twists in a way that doesn’t suit her at all, and Chat Noir would Cataclysm whoever she asked him to just to avoid seeing that distorted smile ever again. “Like when we got grouped with Lila for a class exercise and I got so competitive with her for Adrien’s attention. I didn’t like the person I was becoming just to get him to notice me. I realised that I was better off with him being a friend I could talk to instead of…you know, someone I couldn’t even function around. But I’m so glad I’m his friend. I still love how sweet and nice he is.”

“Sweet and nice. Sounds…generic.”

“Don’t be rude, kitty.” Marinette grabs the black-gloved hand resting on the metal railing. “I know everyone thinks he’s just some perfect little angel, but I know that he’s a sweet person! I know that when he really smiles, not his bland model smile, his eyes light up and his whole face smiles, not just his mouth! I know that he’s a lovely person when he could have turned out to be a mean jerk like Chloé – heck, I assumed that about him at first and I thought he was the one to put gum on my seat, until I realised that he’s everything Chloé isn’t! I know that he’s lonely and appreciates genuine friendship and heartfelt gestures over fake social status stuff, which is why I didn’t say anything when he thought the blue scarf I knitted for him was from his father, because I knew how much it meant to him to think it was from his dad!”

Chat Noir freezes, staring at Marinette with wide eyes and an open mouth. Is that really what Marinette thinks of him? Is that really how she sees him? And the scarf – the scarf that she’d knitted, it had been her, but she’d let him think it was from Gabriel just to make him happy, when any other person would have made sure he knew it was them? Dear lord. How has he never noticed just how amazing Marinette Dupain-Cheng is before now?

“You made that scarf?” is the first thing he says when he finally finds his voice again. Marinette squints at him.

“You’ve seen it?” she says. “Wait…do I –” She cuts herself off, no doubt to refrain from asking if she knows him. Oh, if only she knew.

“You do,” Chat Noir shrugs. “But that doesn’t matter. I…” He pauses for a second to gather his thoughts and recall what Ladybug had said about him on the night of their interview, when she’d confessed her own feelings for Adrien. “I know Adrien, okay? Really well. And he hates it when people say they’re in love with him, because they’re not. They’re in love with…the bits of information they’ve got that they blow up in their own minds as some perfect image of him. They’re the people at school and around Paris who chase him and scream for him to marry them and give them his babies.” He gives Marinette an odd grin and adds, “Sounds like you’re a great friend of his, though, if you like him for who he is rather than for what he can give you.”

“Yeah. And I’m happy being his friend. At least now I can talk to him without stammering like an idiot.”

“That sounds absolutely adorable, purrincess,” Chat Noir teases. Marinette whines and leans over to punch him on the shoulder.

“Don’t make fun of me!” she says. “That’s the last time I talk to you!”

“Okay, okay, sorry!” Chat Noir says, holding his hands up in surrender. “For what it’s worth, I think he loves having such a cute friend like you.”

“Chat!” Marinette scowls, and she’s so adorable right now that Chat Noir can’t even. His mind traitorously reminds him of the bed thing, but he shoves that aside because he’s not going to think about that. “I – you can’t just say something like that!”

“I can if it’s true,” Chat Noir smirks. He takes her hand and kisses the back of it, and Marinette’s face looks like it heats up by about a thousand degrees. Ah, so his dashing cat charms are finally getting to her. The implications of how irrationally happy he is about that thought are something that he’s very firmly going to suppress, just like his emotions around his father.

“I – thanks for listening to me,” she finally says. “You didn’t have to let me dump on you.”

“Sometimes, it’s good to let other people help you,” Chat Noir says and nudges her. “And you helped me a lot, princess, not just tonight but every other time you’ve let me hang out here. You’ve helped me realise some stuff I needed to hear. And you’ve graced me with your ameowzing compurrny when I was feline down.”

“One more pun and I’ll push you off this balcony,” Marinette threatens, though she’s also grinning. Good. Sure, Chat Noir’s a serial punner, but he only tends to chain them like that when he’s trying to lift someone’s spirits, and it looks like he’s succeeded with Marinette.

“Don’t you know that cats always land on their feet?” he says.

“Science is all about experimentation, right?”

“Then you should fall with me. It wouldn’t be fair to just make a super handsome superhero fall off a balcony.”

“But I’m not a cat,” Marinette says with a triumphant jab of her finger. Chat Noir pretends to clasp at his heart.

“The princess has defeated me!” he cries, and his heart soars when that wrenches a giggle out of Marinette. A few moments later, he holds his arms out, waiting until she leans in before wrapping them around her, squashing her in a tight hug. She melts into the embrace and hugs him back, and her smell of strawberries and vanilla invades his nostrils, involuntarily relaxing his whole body like he’s been rolling in catnip. “You know…Adrien’s actually told me about you before.”

“He has?” Marinette moans into his chest. “He’s probably told you all about what a weird loser I am –”

“Actually, quite the opposite,” Chat Noir says. “Didn’t you listen to me, princess? And if he did say that, I’d kick his butt for you. No, he’s told me that you’re…sweet. That you’re always there with a smile and a hug and some homemade pastries when he’s having a hard time at home. That you’re so brave that you stand up to Chloé when no one else will. That…you’re one of his dearest friends, and he really appreciates you, even if he didn’t have feelings for you in return.”

“Oh,” is all Marinette can say faintly as she pulls away just enough to be able to see his face. Her grey eyes are dark in the glow of the streetlights, piercing but soft, and for the briefest of moments, she reminds Chat Noir so much of someone, but the thought slips away before he can latch onto it. “Um…yeah, he did tell me that he valued me as a friend.”

“Then stop doubting yourself,” Chat Noir says. “He wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t mean it.”

“You’re right. It’s just…I guess I needed to hear it from someone else to confirm it. I hate my brain.”

“Well, I happen to like it. And the girl it belongs to.”

“Oh, stop it, you mangy flirt,” Marinette says, swatting his chest. He breaks the hug so that they can lean against her balcony side-by-side, though he keeps his arm around her. “Thanks, Chat. I think I needed that.”

“Anytime, princess.” Chat Noir squeezes her. “At least I can report to Adrien that my mission was a success.”

“Yeah, that’s the only reason you came,” Marinette drawls. “I think –” The balcony rumbles before she can finish her sentence.

“Look out!” Chat Noir grabs Marinette in a bear hug and yanks her away from the railing at the sight of the gigantic freaking ice cream snowman that’s stomping through the streets. The snowman slowly turns its head to look at them, raising its hand to aim right at their huddle, but just as Chat Noir’s preparing his baton to deflect an incoming attack, the snowman lowers its hand and thumps away.

Huh. Okay, then.

“Lila!” the snowman calls. “The breaker of hearts! Glaciator will turn you into a work of art!”

“André?” Marinette gasps. Suddenly realising how tightly he’s holding her to him, Chat Noir clears his throat and drops his arms.

“The sweethearts ice cream maker? He isn’t looking too sweet right now,” he quips.

“I don’t think he’s very happy with Lila either,” Marinette says. “You’d better go protect her, kitty cat.”

“It’s like you don’t want me here,” Chat Noir sniffs. Marinette rolls her eyes.

“You think I want to imagine you taking Lila for a moonlit stroll through Paris? Just go do your job.”

“So long as you hide in your room and don’t come out till he’s beaten.”

Marinette salutes and heads for her trapdoor. But before Chat Noir can bound off, she grabs his tail.

“Chat Noir?” she says. “Thanks for cheering me up. It means more than you think.”

“Well, after all the times you’ve let me impawse on you, it was the least I could do,” Chat Noir says. Marinette’s face falls flat at his pun.

“Get out of here,” she deadpans. Chat Noir grins cheekily and leaps off after Glaciator to find Ladybug and protect Lila, and a part of him wishes that it was Marinette he got to take for a moonlit stroll instead of Lila. Because Marinette’s his friend. And because he’s mad at Lila. That’s exactly it. Man, he’s so in-tune with his feelings. Him, oblivious? No way.

[seasonofthegeek]

No Other Choice, Part 1

This story is dedicated to @cheeseeatingtrashmonster and @miraculouspaon to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY month! I feel like we’ve formed a special Nelix club and I’m so glad we all love these two ridiculous characters so much!

This is going to be a longer fic based on a drabble I wrote a year or so ago so this first part is just a freshened up version of that and I should have new content in the second chapter posted later today. :D

Part 1: 

“I’m getting it removed. I suppose you have a right to know.”

Before Nino had the chance to look up at the owner of the voice, a stack of books dropped onto the table where he sat, barely missing his brand-new headphones he’d been mysteriously gifted only the day before. He grabbed them quickly and scowled up at the person responsible for their almost demise when his heart leapt into his throat. Felix Agreste glared at him as he stood on the opposite side of the table, his chin lifted defiantly.

“I don’t need a soulmate and I certainly don’t want a soulmate. The only reason I’m telling you is because I need you to sign these.” He dropped a packet of paper across the table, just beyond his books. “I’ve flagged each place you need to sign or initial. It should be simple enough for you to understand. Please don’t make a mistake. It was a headache getting a copy of the form.”

Nino looked at the papers and then back up at Felix. “What the hell are you talking about, Sir Scowls-A-Lot? What are these?”

Felix’s brow furrowed. “You’re my soulmate and I don’t want a soulmate so I need you to relinquish your claim. What do you not understand about that?”

“The part where you’re my soulmate.” Nino grimaced as if the words tasted sour. “There must be some mistake.”

“Alas, I was hopeful at first too. There’s no mistake, except on the cosmic scale. We’ve been registered since birth.”

“You’re almost two years older than me; that’s not how it works.”

“Twisted, isn’t it? Do you own a pen? These aren’t going to sign themselves.”

Nino brought the document closer with a frown. “Can you try to act like a human being for a second and explain this to me?”

Felix sighed heavily and glanced around the university courtyard before pulling the other iron chair away from the table. The legs protested loudly against the cobblestone and pink bloomed on Felix’s cheeks as he slumped down in it sullenly. “You understand that this whole soulmate fascination that our society has created is completely false and inaccurate, right?”

“You should be careful who you say that around.”

“I’m saying it to you,” Felix shot back. “Are you going to turn me in for brainwashing or something?”

“No, but…” Nino shrugged but still glanced around uneasily. “I guess it all seems a little too…neat and tidy.”

“Except it isn’t. We still have adultery and murders of passion and unsanctioned pregnancies. All the stuff they were trying to get rid of by implementing this moronic program decades ago is still here. Probably even worse if I cared enough to go through the statistics.” Felix leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Not only that, but they only call it the soulmate program to make it sound romantic. Parents are the ones who decide what kind of person to pair you with when you’re born and if they don’t decide, the government does.”

“But some soulmates fall in love,” Nino argued. “Most do.”

“Well, if you thought you were stuck with one person for the rest of your life for legal reasons and most likely had no other options, wouldn’t you try to make the best of it?”

“You aren’t.”

“Yes, that’s why I said you and not me,” Felix clarified. “I was able to get the file my father filled out when requesting my soulmate the day I was born. Would you like to know what it said?”

Nino had a feeling he very much did not want to know what it said from the angry, pained look that leaked from Felix’s eyes but he gave a stiff nod.

“A male soulmate so biological reproduction wouldn’t be possible. His first request.”

Nino paled. “Oh, I…I’m sorry. That’s…if you aren’t….you could still try to adopt or–”

“I don’t want to be a father,” he snapped. “But that’s what this all is, isn’t it? I’m apparently gay because my father said I should be. Adrien’s straight because that’s what dear old dad chose for him so he can carry on the Agreste line with his own little brat when the times comes. Nevermind how either of us feels in the matter.”

“I can sign–”

“I’m not finished,” Felix interjected. “He also requested I be paired with someone at least a year younger from a lower income home, preferably a government-chosen male. Would you like to know why?”

“Even if I say no, are you going to tell me anyway?” Nino regretted the question as soon as the words left his lips. Felix’s mouth snapped closed and an invisible wall slid between them.

“If you’ll just sign where I’ve marked.”

“I’m sorry. Please tell me why your father is an even bigger asshole than I already thought he was.”

The hint of a small smile flickered across Felix’s lips and was just as quickly gone. “My mother was my father’s soulmate and he hated her for it. Or maybe she hated him. I’ll never really know. When she had me, he wanted to make sure I was the end of that line. Gabriel grew up poor and inherited my mother’s family’s money with her death. I guess he wanted a fresh start as if the Agrestes have been old money all along.” His voice was quiet as he spoke. “My mother died giving birth to me. It freed my father to move on. He met Emilie and married her immediately when her soulmate mysteriously disappeared. He chose her and he chose to have Adrien. I was just a mistake he hopes will fall off the family tree soon.”

“You aren’t a mistake. No one is a mistake.”

“Nino, I’m well aware of what people think of me. You don’t even like me. I’m not someone who needs his hand held and told he’s special. I know what I am.”

“Adrien loves you.”

“Adrien loves everyone,” he replied flippantly. “But since he is one of the few sincere people in this world, I’ll take it.” He studied Nino for a moment. “Have you never wondered who your soulmate was?”

“I’ve asked before but my parents never wanted to talk about it. I thought maybe they were embarrassed. I know they couldn’t afford one of the big agencies when I was born but most people seem so happy with who they have. I guess I just thought…”

“You thought you’d be happy too,” Felix finished.

“It sounds naïve, I know.”

“That’s because it is.”

“How did you find out about all of this anyway?”

“I turned twenty-one last week and my official records were released to me.”

“Oh. Happy Belated Birthday then.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Felix muttered. “What would be the point?”

“Why someone younger?”

“What?”

“Why did Gabriel specify someone younger than you?” Nino asked.

Felix frowned. “It’s just a theory but I think so I would be forced into finding a way to support my soulmate until he was old enough to have his files released and then I would be legally stuck.”

“Manipulative.”

“My father’s forte.”

“Does he know it’s me? You know he hates me, right?”

Another flicker of a smile touched Felix’s lips. “The thought of staying with you for that reason alone was tempting but no, I don’t believe he knows. Honestly, I’m not sure he cares.”

“You know I think Gabriel is the worst but that seems cold, even for him.”

Felix sat back in his chair. “I think…I think that perhaps to the rest of the world, my father isn’t so bad a person. He dotes on Emilie and Adrien, though his affection for Adrien has lessened over the years for his own unfathomable reasons.” He looked down at his hands. “But I’m something that reminds him that his perfect life isn’t real. He was forced into a marriage he didn’t want and fathered a child he didn’t want. The marriage is over and his wife buried, but I’m still here. I’m the reminder of where he came from and he hates me for it. I’m not even sure I blame him.”

“Dude, he really needs a therapist.”

A bark of surprised laughter passed Felix’s lips. “Don’t we all.”

Nino looked down at the papers. “What happens to us if we sign this?”

“You’re still young enough to be up for reassignment. Things happen, people die. I’m sure there are people your age, men and women, who are hoping to get a new soulmate before they’re legal. I assume you would be paired off with one of them.”

“And what about you?”

“I suppose I’ll be a social pariah but that’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m not the first person to relinquish my soulmate claim, though they do make it infuriatingly difficult.”

Nino nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I never gave much thought to if my soulmate disliked me enough to legally null our pairing.”

“This isn’t about you, Lahiffe.”

“I mean, it kinda is.”

Felix huffed. “No, it’s about me.”

“Not according to these papers, it isn’t. It’s about both of us.”

“You can’t honestly think this is a good idea. You don’t like me and if you’re thinking about my family money, my father has already given me my trust and sent me on my way. It won’t last long once I pay the fee for breaking this claim and find a place to live.”

“Gabriel kicked you out?”

“For my own well-being, naturally,” Felix replied dryly. “I’m fine.”

“Where are you staying?”

“You’re not signing these today, are you?”

“It’s kind of a lot to dump on me when I was just sitting here before my next class, thinking the weirdest thing to happen this week was getting these from a secret admirer.” Nino picked up the headphones and held them aloft. “They’ve been on my wishlist forever but they’re hella expensive. I already interrogated Adrien and he swears it wasn’t him.”

Felix flushed. “They’re from me. It seemed right to at least gift you something you would enjoy before I did this.”

Nino blinked, looking back down at the headphones. “How did you know I wanted them?”

“Because I pay attention.”

“You have to order them overseas.”

“Yes.”

“But you just got your soulmate file last week. That wouldn’t have been enough time to order them and get them here.” Nino continued to talk as a theory unfolded in his mind. “You already knew I was your soulmate. You were just waiting for the paperwork to be released.”

Felix sat back in his chair stiffly. “You’re smarter than most people give you credit for.”

“I know.”

“It isn’t personal, this decision,” he said quietly. “I’ve been watching you since I found out a couple of years ago by paying off the right clerk. You’re a wonderful person and if I could–”

“If you would,” Nino interjected.

Felix scowled. “You don’t want me either so don’t pretend to be the hurt party here.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch today, Felix.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Exactly what it means. I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch when I went into the cafeteria but then I saw my options and I’m happy with what I had.”

“So I’m a cafeteria option?”

Nino sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward slightly. “Where are you staying?”

All the fight seemed to leak out of Felix and he deflated, sagging in the chair. “A hostel five stops away. I’ve been lucky enough to have my own room and moving furniture in front of the door at night has deterred hopeful looters.”

“Do you have anything there?”

“Do I look like a fool? Most of my things are in a storage building. I slept there the first night, but the manager made me leave.”

Nino stood. “Come on then.”

“What?”

“Take me to your storage unit. We’ll get anything you need immediately and move it into my studio.”

“That tiny place above your family’s restaurant?”

“Are you really going to be a picky homeless guy, Felix?” Nino shot back, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “I moved in last year after I got it cleaned out and half of it is still storage and yeah, it’s cramped, but there’s space for you if you want it.”

“Just sign the papers, Nino. Please.”

“No. Give me a year.”

“Why, so I’ll fall in love with you? Surely you aren’t so idiotic.”

“I have a year and a few months until I’m twenty-one, right? Let’s take a year and see if we can figure things out. We both know it’ll be easier if we don’t rock the boat.”

“And if you realize two days in that you can’t stand me?” Felix challenged.

“Then in a year, I’ll sign your papers and still have time to be reassigned.”

“Do you even like men?”

“I don’t think gender has much to do with anything.”

Felix scowled. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re like an angry kitten, lots of hissing but no real danger.”

“This is not a good start,” Felix growled.

Nino held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Now, really, let’s go get your stuff.” For a tense moment, he thought perhaps Felix wouldn’t comply with his request and then the other man was standing and adjusting the strap of his messenger bag.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

Buy me a cherry coke?

[nerdasaurus1200]

Game

Sequel to the Adrimouse drabble request. This was actually my first fic collab; with the very talented @snowypinkbunnies. We were both inspired to write this

Adrien was NOT excited to go to school the next day. Maybe he could just pretend to be sick! Yeah! That could work! No, no that was ridiculous. His father would be able to see right through him. I mean it wasn’t a lie he felt ill. How on earth was he going to face Marinette?

—

He was at school now. His senses were raised and on guard. She could be anywhere now.

“Hey, Adrien!” He heard her greet cheerfully. Speak of the sweet-lipped devil; he was too late.

 “H-hi, Marinette!” He replied, trying and failing to hide his blush. 

“Are you okay? You look a little red.” She asked innocently. ‘You know full well why you little minx’ He thought bitterly. 

“I’m gooey-good!” He answered. He made the mistake of looking her in the eye and suddenly he was transported back to last night. It was too much for him. “Gotta go!” He muttered out, racing off. 

“That was a bit strange. He’s never that nervous. What is up with that boy?” Alya thought aloud.

 “Beats me,” Marinette responded, biting back a smirk.

Adrien had run into the nearest locker room. “Fuck, Plagg! I can’t do this...” Adrien muttered, his hands flying to his face in embarrassment. He had to go to class at some point. He wasn’t sure how he was going to manage the rest of the day.

“Maybe he’s sick,” Marinette suggested. Oh, this was hilarious.

“You should probably go check on him.” Nino shrugged.

“Nah, Nah. I think we should just give him time.” Marinette threw out another sweet smile.

It didn't get better once class actually started. He could've sworn Marinette kept sending sly smirks his way. Later during lunch, she attacked. 

"Are you sure you're alright, Adrien? Here, let me." Marinette asked in a sweetly concerned voice. Before he could protest, her hand was on his forehead and suddenly he was on fire again 'Don't entice me, temptress!" He thought bitterly as he stood stiff. "Hmm, you're a little warm, but I don't THINK you have a fever...." She thought aloud as she removed her hand. 'Wait, no, keep touching me.' His traitor brain begged. "Well, see you around! I hope you feel better, whatever it is you're feeling." Marinette bade farewell, sending him a sly wink as she walked off. Oh, that was IT. With Plagg as his witness, that saucy little mouse was going to PAY.

—

Adrien was now sitting at home on his bead with a notebook set out in front of him, and a pen in hand. “Okay, Plagg. How am I going to get Mari back?”

“Get her back?” Plagg made a confused face.

“Yeah! Get her back! You know, make her as much as a blushy and anxious goopy mess that she makes me! Like you think holding her bridal style will work? What about neck kisses? Oh! I like it! That’s GOTTA do something.” Adrien began to scribble something down in his journal.

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Are are you serious? Writing down in a journal? You are such a nerd.” Plagg blew a Cataclysm breath, destroying the journal.

“Hey! That had homework in it!” Adrien protested.

“Too bad. You’ve got patrol soon anyways. Just keep all your revenge plans in your head.”

"Patrol! Of course!"

"W-w-wait, what are you-" "PLAGG CLAWS OUT!"

Plagg wasn’t thinking, but Adrien was glad he said something. He had the perfect plan on how to get her back.

•

Multimouse stood in their usual spot for patrol. “Jesus. Chat should have been here by now.” She rolled her eyes. “What on earth could be doing?” Multimouse spoke aloud to herself. “I swear I’m gonna leave without him.”

“That’d be quite the shame if you did, ma petite souris. It’d break my poor little heart.” Cat Noir said, startling her. She turned and saw him leaning against the chimney, swinging his tail as his eyes glowed in the moonlight. “You’re awfully bold for a guy who hasn’t been able to look me in the eye all day. Did you like my little show, chaton?” She retorted, crossing her arms.

Chat let out a short cackle. “Ha! Oh why yes. I know I only get the best from my lady.” Chat Noir took a step closer Multimouse, still swinging his tail around.

“What are you gonna do? Get me back or something?”

She saw him smirk deviously in the darkness, and before she knew it, he had taken his tail off, wrapped it around her, and used it to pull her as close to him as possible. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He purred, “Tell you what, why don’t we....play a little game? Hide and seek, shall we say? I’ll give you a ten-minute head start. Once those ten minutes are up, you have to make sure I don’t find you and catch you, my sweet little mouse.” It took Multimouse a second to regain her composure, especially with him looking at her like that. “Do you know what will happen if I catch you?” Cat Noir asked, leaning closer. At a loss for words, Multimouse could only shake her head. Cat Noir’s smirk grew even wider as he kept one hand on his tail and trailed the other from her shoulders down to her waist. “If I catch you...I’m going to punish you for all your mean teasing. You’re going to know exactly how you make me feel. Because you yourself will feel it.” He purred. 

“A-and what if you don’t catch me?” Multimouse finally found it in her to speak. He let out a throaty chuckle that made her go weak in the knees. “We’ll just wait and see, my sweet little mouse. So, you ready to play?” He whispered in her ear.

Oh god. Multimouse could hardly even watch her breath enough to keep her alive. “Uh-iahhhh....”

Chat Noir’s face molded once again into a smirk. He was already winning.

Multimouse took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. “I’m ready.”

The second he let her go, she raced away. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Whether it was from the adrenaline or what he just did, she didn’t quite know. But she did know this- she couldn’t let him win.

‘Okay, Marinette.’ Multimouse thought to herself. ‘Strategy. Strategy...’ Thoughts raced around in circles inside her brain. As she ran, jumped, leaped, and swung around, she desperately tried to think of a way to make sure Chat wouldn’t catch her. But of course, there was that one traitor thought in the back of her mind.

‘Do you really want to win, Marinette?’

For a brief moment, she stopped and began to wonder how bad it would be. He was always a gentleman towards her, after all. He always made it known that her pleasure would always come first. 

“Oh, mousey!” She heard him call out, making her gasp. The ten minutes couldn’t be up already! ‘No. He can’t win. He just can’t.’ She thought. And with that, she continued running. She’d never admit it to his face, but a small part of her was scared to submit to him like that. Not that she was uncomfortable with him; quite the opposite....but she didn’t like giving up control. At one point, she decided to cheat a little and double back a different way. By the time she stopped to catch her breath, it took her a second to regain her bearings. She looked around and noticed she didn’t see or hear him anywhere. She felt someone tackle her to the ground. Acting on instinct, she tried to get the attacker off her, but he firmly held her hands and pinned them over her head. As she registered what was happening, she realized she was staring into a familiar pair of emerald eyes. “Caught you.” Cat Noir purred smugly, touching his nose to hers.

“I really did try, Chat Noir. Y-You can’t g-get the best of me.” Multimouse replied sternly, though her breath was still heaving.

“Get the best of you?” Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.

“Y-Yeah! Uh....I’m not giving up control to you.”

“Oh?”

“Yep.”

“That’s what you feel like this is about?”

“Um....yes?”

He let out another low chuckle and smirked like a cat who caught the canary. Or rather, a cat who caught the mouse. “Oh, mouse....I told you earlier. This is about making you feel...exactly....how you...make me feel.” He whispered sweetly, giving butterfly kisses to her face. “And now that I have you in my claws, I think it’s high time for your punishment. Not to worry, though. I think you’ll enjoy it.” He added.

Multimouse let out a deep breath. Okay, so this was going to happen. Technically all he was doing was showing her affection. That wasn’t bad. And he was right, she did really like it.

“O-Okay Chaton. Do what you wish.” A small smile formed on her face with the narrowing of her eyes.

His smirk seemed to grow even wider; his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck. She couldn’t help but let out a gasp at the feeling of it, but he was still right about enjoying it. She barely bit back a yelp when she felt him start nibbling. “Oh, come now. Don’t be shy. I like hearing you squeak.” He purred.

Multimouse closed her eyes as Chat continued. This time when the nibbling began, she didn’t hold back her yelp. “Ah...” She just barely let out. “Don’t...don’t stop..”

“Not gonna.” He growled out roughly, then returned to his task. She moaned when he started planting love bites (at first it hurt, but then the pain was soothed my his sweet kisses), but that moan was swallowed when he smashed his lips onto hers.

Multimouse managed to break her arms free from Chat’s grasp. She then moved her hands to grab the side of Chat’s face. He was right. This wasn’t bad at all. And, she really enjoyed it.

As soon as she began combing her fingers through his hair, he linked his hand in hers and pinned them back down. He pulled away and looked a little amused. “Did you forget, mouse? This is supposed to be a punishment.” He teased, “Which means you can’t touch me. Well, not yet at least.” “B-but-” Multimouse tried to protest, but Cat Noir pressed a gloved finger to her lips and smiled at her through half-lidded eyes. “Shhh, just relax. You’ll get what you desire in due time, little mouse.” He cooed, and before she knew it, his lips were back on hers again.

Fucking Chat. Getting her all riled up. Multimouse moaned into Chat Noir’s mouth, causing him to let out a low chuckle into hers. He pulled back ever so slightly. “I told you this wouldn’t be so bad, didn’t I?” His low voice asked.

Multimouse gave a small nod in return.

“Glad you’re enjoying it.”

Before she could process, his lips were on hers once more.

Multimouse attempted to move her arms once more. She longed to touch him, even just a little bit. Damn, he was good at this.

No matter how much she tried, he kept her arms pinned. She noticed in the back of her mind that his grip never really increased to the point where he’d be hurting her, and marveled once again at how gentle he always was. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt his tongue gliding her lower lip, shyly asking for entrance. More out of shock than anything, she gave it to him.

Multimouse let out a shaky breath into Chat’s mouth as his tongue explored hers. Ever so slightly, she moved her tongue to intertwine with his. This action drew a small gasp from Chat, causing Multimouse to give a giggle in return.

She felt him growl in the back of his throat, making his entire body rumble. She sighed in pleasure. Yes, she’d like more of that, please. She leaned more into him to deepen the kiss, and her tongue explored his mouth the same way he just did. He moved one of his hands to gently hold her waist and bring her closer to him, making her back arch. She used her finally free hand to run through his hair; she loved messing it up. It made him look even wilder. And quite frankly, irresistible.

She pulled back from the kiss ever so slightly. “You know, I’m so going to get you back for this tomorrow. This game is very far from over, Chaton.” She whispered. 

"Oh, I'm counting on it." Cat Noir purred lowly. With that, the couple parted ways. The following morning, Marinette couldn't help the blush that colored her cheeks when she saw Adrien at school. Just seeing him transported her back to last night.

 "Mari, you okay? You look kinda red." Adrien asked in a fake concerned voice. She sent him a half-hearted glare. The smug little terd knew exactly what he was doing. Was this how he felt yesterday? All hot and bothered? "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He asked, smirking a little. Oh, he did NOT. 

"Bite me." She shot back bitterly. His smirk grew a little, and he leaned close to her ear. "I already did that." He whispered smugly, then walked off to join Nino. Before she could start planning her revenge, she felt a hand grab her arm. 

She turned and saw Alya, Alix, Kagami, Juleka, Chloe, Sabrina, and Rose. For some reason, they all looked embarrassed, amused, and disappointed all at once. "Hey, girls, what's up?" She asked, trying to calm down so her blush would fade. 

"Nothing much. Just this." Kagami answered, holding up her phone to show her a photo. Marinette's heart froze when she saw what it was. The girls had seen her and Cat Noir last night! The photo showed only the beginning of it when he was kissing her neck, but it was no less risque. Or embarrassing.

 "I-I don't know what that's about!" She squawked. 

"Then how do you explain the love bites on your neck?" Juleka asked. Crud. She forgot to cover those up! Her hand flew up to hide them.

 "Did you just forget we also had patrol last night or something?" Alix asked smugly. Marinette's response was to blush even more.

 "Girl, you got some 'splainin' to do," Alya said smugly. That settled it. She was gonna destroy him for this.

[leswansong]

Letters To You - A Royal AU

Summary: A story of a Knight and a Princess told through a selection of Letters.

[ A03 ]

   To My Loyal Knight,

October, 23rd, XX43

  My love, I worry for you, I hear the war is getting worse, I wish there was something I could do to help you, but there is nothing I could do from the confines of my white cage, the lords and ladies of the court are growing frustratingly annoying none of them seem to care about the war down south, they continue to worry over petty little things, I've never considered how sharp the stake knives actually are.

  There are some days in which I wish I wasn't who I was, I wonder if you and I would have met, would we have had enough time to form the bond that we did or would we have fallen in love with someone else, these questions plague my mind, more often of late.

  I long for the day your able to come home so I could kiss those red lips of yours, the days we spend running through the forest without the weight of the world on us.

  But I must confess that I'm writing to you for another reason, one that I hate to tell you in this trying time.

  My Father, The king, and lord of the land we call home has started the search for my husband, He didn't even tell me until one of them had arrived, but I must inform you that I put up quite a fight at the dinner table right in front of my intended, I'm glad to say that they retracted their proposal soon afterwards. I won't be able to stave off all of them, I wish this war would end, I wish it would end so that there will be no more bloodshed, I wish it would end so children could have their fathers back, mothers their sons and you, I wish it would end so I could hold you in my arms, I dare not care who sees, I want it to end for you.

  I wish I could end this letter on a better note.

Your Princess, Marinette.

-x-

  My Dearest Lady,

October, 31st, XX43

  Those stake knives have been known to have protected your family from many murders, whether or not they are apart of the same set I do not know but please don't kill them, members of the court, until I return, I wish to see you fight. But if you find that you can not hold yourself back, I know that you want to make them suffer but please make the kill quick.

  I wish I could come running home to your loving arms and whisk you off your feet, but I must confirm that the war is growing worse, we lost 24 men from blood fever last night, I've lost count of how many on the battlefield all for a measly 10 feet. This war will need a resolution soon I fear that I will soon join the many numbers of the dead, but I don't wish to talk of war, your letters although short and so far between are my only glimpse of the world outside this war that I now call home.

  Your Father searching for your husband is not a bad thing, I made peace with the fact that you will never truly be mine no matter how high up the social ladder I climb, my only wish is that your husband treats you like the Queen you are, but I'm sure your wonderful parents wouldn't let you marry someone you weren't happy with, if they don't I know of a small farmhouse up north were no one would look for you. I'd hate to suggest that you leave your duty to the county but if you feel the need, My Lady.

  I passed by a small village today, I've been moved further west closer to bigger fight, we claimed the lands to our north, they seemed to have retreated, I sense a trap being set and I'm the lamb being sent to the slaughterhouse I plan to double back for a few days although I doubt my Sargent will allow me, he will most likely have me shot for cowardness, but maybe I'll fame sickness he might send me back south.

  Hoping to hear your voice soon.

Your loyal Knight, Adrien

  -x-

  My Loyal Knight,

8th November, XX43

  I write this letter to you urgently as I need your council, I write this as I myself am still processing this revelation.

  You, my Love, came to me in a trying time, My older Brother, named after my father, had passed from a riding accident, his body was never recovered, our enemy to the west claims that he is alive and well, they say that he has married their daughter, the weight of what they say has been backed up by a letter written in his hand and a photo of him and his wife and child, their request is that I give up the right to the crown among many other requests, I wish to surrender to that request but I'm still unsure something seems wrong, if they already had the key to the thone why start a war, I know my parents would have accepted the marriage and gladly called her family but this war, this war has made my once soft parents into people I hardly recognize.

  I wish that I could tell you all of their demands it might help you council me better, but I dare not risk it.

I will most likely write another letter before I receive yours.

  Waiting for your response.

Marinette

  -x-

  My Dearest,

11th November, XX43

  If you feel as If something is wrong please trust your gut, we know where its lead us before and it had yet to fail us, but I do think it is od that they started a war, I suggest that you do some digging but please My Lady be discreet, I don't want to have to storm a castle for you.

I wish I could come home, it sounds like you need me there.

  Currently pretending to be a sick soldier.

Your Loyal Knight, Adrien.

  -x-

  My Knight,

13th November, XX43

  Please don't return home just yet, you may just be my only hope of answers, I need you to stay on the front lines, I may just have a plan, I cannot explain it now i need to iron out the details, I want there to be the least amount of risk involved for you.

  Still trying not to kill the members of the royal court.

Your Princess, Marinette.

  -x-

  Princess,

15th November, XX43

  Please tell me that the task you have in mind will be an easy one?

  Have you noticed our letters are taking a shorter amount of time to arrive?

  Hoping that the quest you plan to send me on will be a short one.

-Adrien.

  -x-

  Adrien,

17th November, XX43

  Do you doubt my abilities?

  It certainly seems like it, but I must inform you that is task will be long, it will keep you away from me for many moons.

  If you don't want to do it, I'm okay with that, I could always find someone else.

  I'm having our letters fast-tracked through the ranks, turns out being the Princess gets you special privileges.

  Dreading the thought of attending a ball.

Your Lady, Marinette.

  -x-

  My Love,

20th November, XX43

  I knew that your title would come in handy somewhere.

  I do not doubt your brilliant mind, I know that if you were to put your plan into action you would have plan A though to Z.

  I am disappointed that the cost of this mission may take me away from you for longer, but if it ends this war I shall do so, No price is too steep to pay for you.

  Please tell me that you are going to wear a bright red dress for the ball.

Waiting eagerly for your reply, Adrien.

  -x-

  My Knight,

25th November, XX43

  Just for you I shall wear a red dress, I hope that there will be at least some talk of the war, I can't stand to be in a room of rich pompous fools talking about nothing but the latest fashion, on any other occasion I would love it but not in this dark time, I would much rather talk about the ways to stop this horrendous war.

  My plan is almost complete.

  I hate to ask you but is there someone you trust, someone who would be willing to put their life on the line. I tried my best to make this a one-person job but it would put too many variables into play, a second person would eliminate so many risks. I need to know soon as it is of great importance.

  My handmaiden is growing suspicious of my letters I may grow quiet for a few days, please don't worry about me, I don't want to arouse suspicion from my parents, they seem to suspect that someone holds my heart. Maybe they would approve of us?

  I still have so many thoughts that I have no idea how to put to paper.

  Currently wondering how to hide these letters.

Your Princess in a tower, Marinette.

  -x-

  My Love,

28th November, XX43

  To hear that you'll be wearing red has me smiling, if it is still fashionable please wear the one that stopped my beating heart, I sadly must inform you that my sister is currently married to one of those pompous fools, but please continue to insult them as my sister is currently too chicken to do it herself she doesn't know the power that she now wields, please remind her that she is now a member of the royal court, not a frightened goat and shouldn't be concerned with what she says unless it is ill against you and your family.

  But yes My Lady I do have someone I trust here on the front lines with me; I still consider you my most trusted, but Nino is a close second.

He is still considering the risks as he is the only provider for his younger brothers and sisters, although I believe that he will agree.

  There is little to no action here now, it's starting to worry me, others have noticed as well. We can tell something is happening, maybe our enemy is waiting for a reply?

  I grow wary every day, I fear sleeping, the silence is deafening. There were days in which I wished that the firing would stop now all I wish for is their return.

  I'm going to see if I can return home for a day, I need to return to normalcy for a day.

  Maybe I'll see you soon.

Your tired Knight, Adrien.

  -x-

  Dearest Adrien,

3rd December, XX43

  It saddens me to hear how this war is affecting you, the sweet shy loyal knight that danced with a princess and won her heart within a single song now sounds broken and extremely saddened. I wish I could wave a magic wand and bring you home to me but not even my reach extends that far, the best I can do is fill you with hope and my love from afar.

  I do hope that you could return home but I know how hard it will be, maybe it will be easier if I go to the frontlines. Do you think other soldiers would be happy to see me? I could disguise it as a morale boost, how well my parents believe that is currently unknown, but I highly doubt we would be able to be alone together, my parents would be concerned about my safety over anything else, I fear that I would cause more trouble than help.

  My Parents have considered the deal our enemy has brought of the table immensely as of late, I fear my plan may come too late, I'd hate to stall the resolution of this war but I need time. What shall I do? My heart is torn between a rock and a hard place. What this deal means to our people, I can not begin to describe, it would restore peace for a time but the impact it would have on the poor... it's hard to explain in one letter but I have read and reread the terms, so once again I seek your counsel.

  Please see the attached document.

  I ask what kind of impact this would have on our people. I also ask that you keep this letter hidden from all eyes, even friends, I cannot express the importance of this letter staying hidden.

  I've been inquiring into the lives of, I must express that there is no easy way to say this, My brother's in-laws, I've been stonewalled at every turn. I wish things could be easy for once.

  Your friend Nino wouldn't be Nino Layfayette would he?

  Patiently waiting for your response.

You Lady, Marinette.

    -x-

  Mari,

5th December, XX43

  It's hard to say how this war is affecting me, I too fear for my health, I'm afraid that this war has already changed me and I don't know how to feel. My Grandfather spoke often of how war changed him I never truly knew how much.

  I feel many men here would appreciate your visit, but I too fear for your safety, there are so many horrors that I've witnessed in these trenches, I wish to never expose you to them, but I believe that your parents need to see the effect of this war.

  I find it hard to find time to write, we've been under constant fire for the past 3 days, I fear that you may have rattled the right cages, I have a feeling they may be trying to stop you, Just promise me that you'll be careful.

  My Lady, please don't sign that contract, the conditions of the contract would destroy this peaceful country, but I'm sure you already knew that. I too find it hard to describe the effects in a single letter.

  Yes, My friend would be Nino Layfayette,

  I Await your response

Your ever-loyal knight Adrien.

  -x-

  My Love,

7th December, XX43

  Another suiter has come to ask for my hand in marriage, I dread having to meet them. Maybe once this war is done I could present you to my parents as a war hero.

  Has Nino considered your offer?

  Your Princess, Marinette

  -x-

  My Dear,

9th December, XX43

  He has, he's making some preparations before he officially says yes.

  - Adrien.

  -x-

  My dearest,

14th December, XX43

  Please, Mari, tell me the roomers aren't true, Please tell you didn't renounce your claim to the throne.

  -Your Loyal Knight

  -x-

  Princess Marinette,

18th December, XX43

  I write to you to ask if the roomers in Paris are true. A simple yes or no answer will suffice.

I only wish to know to quell the uncertainty of my fellow soldiers, not much news reaches us here on the front lines.

  I await your response,

Your loyal subject and servant, Lord Adrien of the house Agreste.

  -x-

  My Love,

21st December, XX43

  I write to you on the road to the frontlines, I fear the roomers you've heard a partly true and more complex than you could imagine.

  I'm sorry that I left you in the dark for so long, I barely caught your letters before they reached the castle. It has grown extremely dangerous in the capital. I didn't give up my right to the crown, my parents stripped me of it, I fear they are being influenced by someone, so I fled the capital, I'm sure you can understand where exactly I'm headed.

  you are the only person I trust in the world.

  Please don't worry about me I'm not travelling down the main road, I'm disguised as a nurse.

  I'll soon be with you - Your Princess, Marinette

  A serious tone doesn't suit you.

  -x-

  Mari,

 23rd December, XX43

  You know how I feel about you coming to the front lines, I know I can't stop you but I can urge you to be careful, the roads are dangerous. I hate to think of something bad happening to you.

  Please be safe - Adrien.

  and yes I know a serious tone doesn't suit me, I was worried.

  -x-

  24th December, XX43

  Adrien, I ask that you turn around.

Wanna Buy Me a Coffee?

                                                 Drabble Master List

[3laxx]

This one was requested by a friend in my personal squad!

29 - going away to war au

“Nino!”, Alya yelled as she burst into the house in which the Lahiffe household lived, his siblings immediately looking up from the table as she entered. His older sister only turned away while his younger brother and sister blinked at her, their tears glistening in their eyes.

“No…”, she breathily mumbled, before entering the kitchen and seeing his mother heavily propping herself up on the counter, her shoulders trembling.

Alya gulped, turning around on her heels only to almost run into his father, steadied on a cane from an injury that he had gotten in the first world war.

His face spoke novels to her as she met his gaze, his lips pressed in a tight line.

“… T-Tell me… Tell me he d-didn’t get drafted…”

His father only shook his head, silently limping past her towards his remaining children.

Alya had known her boyfriend would be chosen, he was in perfect health, he was young but still of age and he was expendable. He wasn’t the son of an important businessman or a politician, he could be sent away and be killed without any problems.

And most of all, he was the only male in the family who could be drafted.

Her vision blurred as she found her way to the stairs, her feet stumbling up the steps. Her hand came up to wipe the tears away but it did nothing as new tears built up again, barely letting her see the wooden floor of the first floor. She found her way down the hallway and pushed open his door, the squeaking sounding alien to her.

There he was, standing in front of his cracked mirror ever since he had slammed a wooden toy truck against the glass as a young boy.

Alya felt the lump in her throat as she let her eyes travel down from his unruly hair over to his tight collar that was held together with a tie, over his broad shoulders and his chest that was heaving with trying to hold back his sobs beneath the light fabric of his uniform that weighed down on him with a heavy duty.

She sniffled as her eyes went down his legs, to the wiped clean boots instead of his usual worn out shoes. She spotted these beneath his bed, cleanly packed away with all of his stuff. His room had never been this clean.

Finally, she looked up to the part she had skipped, beneath the attempt of combing his hair. His face that was pulled into a grimace beneath the mask of no emotions.

She could see him struggling to keep himself sane, to keep himself from sobbing as she was. The twitching corners of his mouth showed her, the golden eyes that were filled with so much hurt and fear that her heart almost broke.

“Nino…”, she choked out with a whisper, her chest heaving with forced pants, her hands balled up to tight fists, “Why would they do this to you…”

He sighed as he let his hands travel down his chest, to flatten out the ironed fabric. She had never seen him wear ironed shirts, except that one time when he had taken her out for their first anniversary.

“They need me in the war…”, Nino weakly replied, shrugging without much belief, “The Germans-”

“The Nazis.”, Alya firmly interrupted him, pulling a face. She remembered Nathaniel, a German Jew who had fled here as the second world war had broken out. Not all Germans were Nazis, she knew that.

“The Nazis are marching too fast. They need more men to-”

“… To run in and die. You know this war is not going to work. The Nazis are overrunning everything and our men are just being sent in to-… To be brutally murdered and-… And s-so m-many, Nino, s-so m-m-many haven’t c-come back yet, N-Nino… Nino…”, it had been the last drop to make her burst in tears. She slapped her hands in front of her face and started weeping, before feeling his hands on her arms, taking her closer to him, pulling her against him and his arms tightly embracing her.

She sobbed into his chest as he gently brushed over her hair, his chin resting atop her head as he mumbled soothing things, but she could hear his voice being thin and stopping from time to time to swallow.

Nino had never been one to fear something so badly he had to cry. He had either ran away or, as he had grown older, begun standing in its way, bravely facing his fears.

She pressed closer against him, responding to his embrace by tightly hugging him back, feeling their hearts stuttering before aligning in beats.

“… P-Please… Please c-come back to me… Please d-d-don’t leave me-e… Do-on’t get yours-self k-ki-”

“… I won’t, Alya…”, he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair, “I’ll return… I’ll get back to you and I’ll marry you, even if you haven’t said yes yet… I’ll marry you in a big party and we’ll have a lot of children after that… We’ll live until we’ll sit on our front porch and are old and judging other people like our grandparents always do… I promise.”

He got a snort from her but she still couldn’t stop crying into his uniform as he continued holding her, her fingers digging into the fabric on his back as she held on to him.

“… We’ll have a big house like this one… And you’ll become an amazing reporter… And we’ll cook together every day, even if I got a baby in my arms and you got a big tummy. We’ll manage it all and we’ll have a big family and we’ll have tears in our eyes watching the twins being great aunts… We’ll both have a good job and we’ll be happy… Adrien and Mari will live across the street and we’ll let our children play every day…”

Slowly, only very slowly, Alya calmed down again, and even after that she remained pressed against his chest until her tears in the fabric dried up.

His strokes over her hair were calming and his kisses on top of her head were sending a loving shockwave of goosebumps through her body again and again.

“… I’ll come back unharmed… I promise…”

“You better…”, Alya mumbled back, nudging his shirt with her nose, before leaning back and looking up to him. His golden eyes shined against his dark skin and she sighed, lightly cupping his face.

“I need you to make an exchange with me.”, it slipped out of her and she blushed deeply as the sentence came over her lips but she couldn’t stop now. It was out and the risk to lose him was too big, “I give you something and you give me something.”

His questioning gaze didn’t help at all.

“Okay? Sure. What do you want?”

She held her left hand up between them, closing her eyes.

“I give you my heart. I commit to you. I want to marry you, I say yes.”

For a heartbeat he didn’t say anything, then he scrambled away, standing on his nightstand when she opened her eyes again. Before she could even ask he was on his knees again, as he had been two times already to ask her for her hand, and held out the ring she had already seen twice.

“Oh gosh, you dork!”, she burst out but broke into laughter, letting him slip the ring on her finger.

“You said yes.”, he repeated unbelievingly, while coming to his feet again, holding her close again, “You rejected me twice but now suddenly you want to get engaged to a man who’ll probably die soon. Why.”

“Oh shush.”, she snapped at him, eyeing the ring that was on her finger like a shiny band, “I don’t want this ring.”

For a second he hesitated, then he stuttered.

“I-I can get you another…?”

“No, I mean…”, she couldn’t help but laugh, “I-… I want this, I do. I want you. I just-… I don’t wanna be engaged. I wanna be married already. I want a wedding band, not an engagement ring. I’m-… I’m so sorry I hesitated in the past. We could be married already…”

He sighed heavily, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“You weren’t ready yet, Alya. It’s okay, really.”

They swayed in each other’s arms for another few minutes before she heard his voice rumbling in his chest again, against her ear.

“… What was the thing you wanted from me?”

She gulped but couldn’t take it back anymore. She knew she’d need it. She’d need him. And even if it wouldn’t work, they would’ve tried.

“I-… I need you.”

“I can’t stay.”

Alya leant back and cupped his cheek with her left hand, her ring shining on their dark skin like a tear.

“Then give me something equal. Please.”

His eyes widened for a moment as he understood what she meant, his heart beating faster against her chest.

“… You-… You want…?”

“Please, Nino. If-… If I can’t keep you… Please give me a child… Please. I-… I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t at least try. I hesitated before and we could be married already. Because I was scared, I was scared to bind myself to one man, but-… You’re the one. And I’ve been stupid to only see that when you’ll be sent to war.”

His eyes captured hers and ended her rant so easily, even before their lips connected.

She closed her eyes and gave herself to him. Not caring about their fears, not worrying about the future and how it would affect their, her life if they did this now. She just gave herself to his love, feeling safe and comfortable when he never stopped holding her.

And for that moment, she swore, they were together forever.

I loved that one so much... ;-;;

Send me an AU and a pairing!

[seasonofthegeek]

Fluff Month: Soulmates

Today’s drabble was commissioned by the lovely @perditaalottachocolate-blog who is an absolute angel for requesting Nino/Felix. Thanks for the support, sweets!

This is supposed to be fluffy but it ended up being angstier than I meant. I think it ends on a hopeful note though so maybe I’m edging into fluff territory? In this AU, soulmates are assigned at birth, either by private agencies for the rich or by the government for lower income families. At the age of 21, each person is given their files and told who their soulmate is so they can begin their lives together. Soulmates in this universe aren’t actually mated souls, but rather government-sanctioned couplings for population control and a ridiculous level of meddling. 

“I’m getting it removed.” 

A pile of books dropped onto the table where Nino sat, barely missing his brand new headphones he’d been mysteriously gifted only the day before. He grabbed them quickly and scowled up at the person responsible for their almost demise when his heart leapt into his throat. Felix Agreste glared down at him, chin lifted defiantly.

“I don’t need a soulmate and I certainly don’t want a soulmate. The only reason I’m telling you is because I need you to sign these.” He thrust a packet of paper toward Nino’s face. “I’ve flagged each place you need to sign or initial. It should be simple enough for you to understand. Please don’t make a mistake. It was a headache getting a copy of the form.”

Nino looked at the papers and then back up at Felix. “What the hell are you talking about, Sir Scowls-A-Lot?”

Felix’s brow furrowed. “You’re my soulmate and I don’t want a soulmate so I need you to relinquish your claim. What do you not understand about that?”

“The part where you’re my soulmate.” Nino grimaced as if the words tasted sour. “There must be some mistake.”

“Alas, I was hopeful at first too. There’s no mistake, except on the cosmic scale. We’ve been registered since birth.”

“You’re almost two years older than me.”

“Twisted, isn’t it? Do you own a pen? These aren’t going to sign themselves.”

Nino took the packet of papers with a frown and set it on the table, pushing the stack of books closer to the edge and earning another glare from Felix. “Can you try to act like a human being for a second and explain this to me?”

Felix sighed heavily and glanced around the university courtyard before pulling the other iron chair away from the table. The legs protested loudly against the cobblestone and pink bloomed on Felix’s cheeks as he slumped down in it sullenly. “You understand that this whole soulmate fascination that our society has created is completely false and inaccurate, right?”

“You should be careful who you say that around.”

“I’m saying it to you,” Felix shot back.

Nino shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it all seems a little too...neat and tidy.”

“Except it isn’t. We still have adultery and murders of passion and unsanctioned pregnancies. All the stuff they were trying to get rid of by implementing this moronic program decades ago is still here. Probably even worse if I cared enough to go through the statistics.” Felix leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Not only that, but they only call it the soulmate program to make it sound romantic. Parents are the ones who decide what kind of person to pair you with when you’re born and if they don’t decide, the government does.”

“But some soulmates fall in love,” Nino argued. “Most do.”

“Well, if you thought you were stuck with one person for the rest of your life for legal reasons and most likely had no other options, wouldn’t you try to make the best of it?”

“You aren’t.”

“Yes, that’s why I said you and not me,” Felix clarified. “I was able to get the file my father filled out when requesting my soulmate the day I was born. Would you like to know what it said?”

Nino had a feeling he very much did not want to know what it said from the angry, pained look that leaked from Felix’s eyes but he gave a stiff nod.

“A male soulmate so biological reproduction wouldn’t be possible. His first request.”

Nino paled. “Oh, I...I’m sorry. That’s...if you aren’t....you could still try to adopt or--”

“I don’t want to be a father,” he snapped. “But that’s what this all is, isn’t it? I’m gay because my father said I should be. Adrien’s straight because that’s what dear old dad chose for him so he can carry on the Agreste line with his own little brat when the times comes. Nevermind how either of us feels in the matter.”

“I can sign--”

“I’m not finished,” Felix interjected. “He also requested I be paired with someone at least a year younger from a lower income home, preferably a government-chosen male. Would you like to know why?”

“Even if I say no, are you going to tell me anyway?” Nino regretted the question as soon as the words left his lips. Felix’s mouth snapped closed and an invisible wall slid between them.

“If you’ll just sign where I’ve marked.”

“I’m sorry. Please tell me why your father is an even bigger asshole than I already thought he was.”

The hint of a small smile flickered across Felix’s lips and was just as quickly gone. “My mother was my father’s soulmate and he hated her for it. Or maybe she hated him. I’ll never really know. When she had me, he wanted to make sure I was the end of that line.” His voice was quiet as he spoke. “My mother died giving birth to me. It freed my father to move on. He met Emilie and married her immediately when her soulmate mysteriously disappeared. He chose her and he chose to have Adrien. I was just a mistake he hopes will fall off the family tree soon.”

“You aren’t a mistake. No one is a mistake.”

“Nino, I’m well aware of what people think of me. You don’t even like me. I’m not someone who needs his hand held and told he’s special. I know what I am.”

“Adrien loves you.”

“Adrien loves everyone,” he replied flippantly. “But since he is one of the few sincere people in this world, I’ll take it.” He studied Nino for a moment. “Have you never wondered who your soulmate was?”

“I’ve asked before but my parents never wanted to talk about it. I thought maybe they were embarrassed. I know they couldn’t afford one of the big agencies when I was born but most people seem so happy with who they have. I guess I just thought...”

“You thought you’d be happy too,” Felix finished.

“It sounds naive.”

“That’s because it is.”

“How did you find out about all of this anyway?”

“I turned twenty-one last week and my official records were released to me.”

“Oh. Happy Belated Birthday then.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Felix muttered. “What would be the point?”

“Why someone younger?”

“What?”

“Why did Gabriel specify someone younger than you?” Nino asked.

Felix frowned. “It’s just a theory but I think so I would be forced into finding a way to support my soulmate until he was old enough to have his files released and then I would be legally stuck.”

“Manipulative.”

“My father’s forte.”

“Does he know it’s me? You know he hates me, right?”

Another flicker of a smile touched Felix’s lips. “The thought of staying with you for that reason alone was tempting but no, I don’t believe he knows. Honestly, I’m not sure he cares.”

“You know I think Gabriel is the worst but that seems cold, even for him.”

Felix sat back in his chair. “I think...I think that perhaps to the rest of the world, my father isn’t so bad a person. He dotes on Emilie and Adrien, though his affection for Adrien has lessened over the years for his own unfathomable reasons.” He looked down at his hands. “But I’m something that reminds him that his perfect life isn’t real. It’s forced and fake and I’m the only real thing that came from him. I’m not even sure I blame him.”

“Dude, he really needs a therapist.”

 A bark of surprised laughter passed Felix’s lips. “Don’t we all.”

Nino looked down at the papers. “What happens to us if we sign this?”

“You’re still young enough to be up for reassignment. Things happen, people die. I’m sure there are people your age, men and women, who are hoping to get a new soulmate before they’re legal. I assume you would be paired off with one of them.”

“And what about you?”

“I suppose I’ll be a social pariah but that’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m not the first person to relinquish my soulmate claim, though they do make it infuriatingly difficult.”

Nino nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I never gave much thought to if my soulmate disliked me enough to legally null our pairing.”

“This isn’t about you, Lahiffe.”

“I mean, it kinda is.”

Felix huffed. “No, it’s about me.”

“Not according to these papers, it isn’t. It’s about both of us.”

“You can’t honestly think this is a good idea. You don’t like me and if you’re thinking about my family money, my father has already given me my trust and sent me on my way. It won’t last long once I pay the fee for breaking this claim and find a place to live.”

“Gabriel kicked you out?”

“For my own well-being, naturally,” Felix replied dryly. “I’m fine.”

“Where are you staying?”

“You’re not signing these today, are you?”

“It’s kind of a lot to dump on me when I was just sitting here before my next class, thinking the weirdest thing to happen this week was getting these from a secret admirer.” Nino picked up the headphones and held them aloft. “They’ve been on my wishlist forever but they’re hella expensive. I already interrogated Adrien and he swears it wasn’t him.”

Felix flushed. “They’re from me. It seemed right to at least gift you something you would enjoy before I did this.”

Nino blinked, looking back down at the headphones. “How did you know I wanted them?”

“Because I pay attention.”

“You have to order them overseas.”

“Yes.”

“But you just got your soulmate file last week. That wouldn’t have been enough time to order them and get them here.” Nino continued to talk as a theory unfolded in his mind. “You already knew I was your soulmate. You were just waiting for the paperwork to be released.”

Felix sat back in his chair stiffly. “You’re smarter than most people give you credit for.”

“I know.”

“It isn’t personal, this decision,” he said quietly. “I’ve been watching you since I found out a couple of years ago by paying off the right clerk. You’re a wonderful person and if I could--”

“If you would,” Nino interjected.

Felix scowled. “You don’t want me either so don’t pretend to be the hurt party here.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch today, Felix.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Exactly what it means. I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch when I went into the cafeteria but then I saw my options and I’m happy with what I had.” 

“So I’m a cafeteria option.”

Nino sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward slightly. “Where are you staying?”

All the fight seemed to leak out of Felix and he deflated, sagging in the chair. “A hostel five stops away. I’ve been lucky enough to have my own room and moving furniture in front of the door at night has deterred hopeful looters.”

“Do you have anything there?”

“Do I look like a fool? Most of my things are in a storage building. I slept there the first night but the manager made me leave.”

Nino stood. “Come on then.”

“What?”

“Take me to your storage unit. We’ll get anything you need immediately and move it into my studio.”

“That tiny place above your family’s restaurant?”

“Are you really going to be a picky homeless guy, Felix?” Nino shot back, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “I moved in last year after I got it cleaned out and half of it is still storage and yeah, it’s cramped, but there’s space for you if you want it.”

“Just sign the papers, Nino. Please.”

“No. Give me a year.”

“Why? So I’ll fall in love with you? Surely you aren’t so idiotic.”

“I have a year and a few months until I’m twenty-one, right? Let’s take a year and see if we can figure things out. We both know it’ll be easier if we don’t rock the boat.”

“And if you realize two days in that you can’t stand me?” Felix challenged.

“Then in a year, I’ll sign your papers and still have time to be reassigned.”

“Do you even like men?”

“I like everyone. I don’t think gender has much to do with anything.”

Felix scowled. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re like an angry kitten, lots of hissing but no real danger.”

“This is not a good start,” Felix growled.

Nino held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Now, really, let’s go get your stuff.” For a tense moment, he thought perhaps Felix wouldn’t obey his request and then the other man was standing and adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. 

They walked towards the bus in silence and rode to the storage unit without a word spoken. Felix was making a small pile in the middle of the room as Nino leaned against the open door when he finally spoke.

“I told Adrien it was you.”

Nino straightened and felt his cheeks warm. “Oh?”

“He’s the only other person who knows and I swore him to secrecy.” Felix paused in placing a picture frame of him and his brother in a box. “He said he was really happy for me, for us. I think he actually meant it.”

“Adrien usually means what he says,” Nino agreed, an unfamiliar nervous sensation beginning in his gut. 

Felix half-turned towards Nino and hesitantly met his eyes. “Do you really think we can make this work?”

Nino thought about what his mother had once told him about meeting his father for the first time. She said she was nervous and upset and an anxious mess and then he looked at her as if for the first time someone was really seeing her and everything fell into place. Maybe some soulmates weren’t completely accidental in assignment. Maybe...

Nino took in Felix’s anxious expression and flipped it in what he hoped was a calm one on his own face. “Yeah, I really do.”

August Prompt List

Buy me a cherry coke?