#I like adrien a lot it's upsetting to make positive content just see see people read it in a way against him

[mari-monsta]

It’s really discouraging to produce fun queer content out of my love for the characters and then have it re-purposed into salt type stuff... 

[into-september]

A few years back, people smarter than me were discussing how one of the fundamental flaws of tumblr was how reblogs are copies of the original post, not just passing it around. Any edits the OP makes won’t make it into any reblog chains, which makes this a platform ripe for things to get passed around with comments framing the original content in wildly different contexts than they were meant to be read in. 

Yesterday, I wrote some words about the nebulous definition of “salt” and the MLB fandom’s tendency to have a lower-than-usual barrier for what goes into that definition, and how I’m sometimes hesitant about posting... pretty much anything that isn’t overwhelming positive takes about the show. The hatedom existing for the show from outsiders and for certain character from insiders has left a lot of people with some kneejerk reactions to any criticism that I GET, I honestly DO. But as it happens, a part of my enthusiasm for this dumb show gets its outlet in me having opinions about its creative choices. Much as I love it and much as I overwhelming think it excels at what it’s trying to be - sometimes they’re not altogether successful. And I occasionally find it tricky to navigate a community where my criticism of the work of professional writers is potentially interpreted as hate of fictional characters. 

Today, I posted a dumb meme that was making fun about the inconsistent characterisation between the NYC special and “Kuro Neko”. I left no comment on the post proper but pointed out in the tags that this isn’t meant as salt. And what do you know but within two reblogs, people were missing the joke and feeling the need to prove me wrong. 

And in the context of the current fandom climate, maybe I can’t say I was surprised, except possibly by how quickly that went. It’s not like I’m any level of internet famous enough to have a reputation to lose, but having my post passed around as something it legitimately isn’t (or was meant as, at least) irked me enough to verbalise, at length, the point I’d hope to make to people who know me well enough to know that it was tongue in cheek, or at least not out to read it in the worst possible meaning. It’s not that I think the people getting defensive will ever see this, or bother reading it if they do, but heck - this is apparently how I like to spend my evenings these days. 

So to talk storytelling:

A year and a half ago, we got the NYC special where Cat Noir giving up his ring leaves Marinette so destroyed that she legitimately can’t imagine being Ladybug if he’s not at her side; she verbally defines Ladybug’s existence as dependent on Cat Noir’s, something we’ve only seen implicitly during the season finales. In what was probably the most heartbreaking sequence in the show’s history, we witnessed her complete collapse at his absence - and yes, there were Circumstances, such as her immense guilt at Robostus’ attack on Paris and Adrien’s departure, but still. That moment was such an immense confirmation of how important Cat Noir is to Ladybug. 

And then there’s “Kuro Neko”, which I really enjoyed! It was a fun episode! I’m sure it’ll be a lot sadder in all the right places when I get to hear Adrien in a voice I can take seriously too, but like. Guys. Her reaction to finding the ring was to look upset, and then promptly reject Plagg’s suggestion to just ask Cat Noir to please come back already. Her focus during the entire debacle is on finding a new Cat Noir, and the emotions she displays, beyond some vague sadness in the very beginning, is annoyance and determination. No more little Miss I Do My Crying In The Rain here, sir! 

We can hope she spent all night crying about Cat Noir being gone, we can desperately want it, but if she did, it wasn’t important enough to be confirmed and made a point out of on screen. You know, unlike the NYC special, or the aftermath of him mentioning That Girl He’s In Love With, or her moping after breaking up with Luka, or even her denial about Adrien in “Mr. Pigeon 72″. Or like Adrien’s sad breakup montages (he had like two of them in this episode alone)

It could be easily remedied. Give us sad flashback montages. Cut a few other frames and add ten seconds of her looking wistfully at the moon. Have her hesitate a real second before going “nah, better get a new one”. Have her wipe away a single, mournful tear while looking at the last rose he gave her. They made it amply evident that Adrien was upset. They made it a point that Nathalie was upset on Adrien’s behalf. Since they put that on screen but did not show us Marinette being notably sad about it, the text leaves us with one answer: she wasn’t.

At the point where we’re going “they didn’t need to SPELL IT OUT FOR US, we KNOW that she was heartbroken”, then here’s the question: if they didn’t need to spell it out for us, then why spell it out when it was Adrien? Why spell it out the last time Cat Noir gave up? 

(answer: because Spelling It Out is how events happen in visual storytelling, and certainly in a story written for a primary school audience)

When I point out this difference between the two events, it’s not out of hate for Marinette. I know there are people who somehow find joy in watching this show even though they hate her guts, but the lord only knows I don’t understand them. I wouldn’t be writing 40+ K fanfic about her if I hated her. I wouldn’t be writing love letters about her if I hated her. I know the difference between fictional characters written by real life people, and real life people who have real choices and agencies over their lives. 

In this particular case? My point was that Marinette’s reaction to Cat Noir leaving in “Kuro Neko” looks weird after the NYC special. It’s not a big deal next to the rest of the episode; unless you know that the NYC special ever existed as a basis for comparison, there’s nothing really unexpected about Marinette’s reaction here. Other people have written clever things about how she often doesn’t seem to think about Cat Noir as an actual human being, but rather as this fairy-tale creature who conveniently shows up to help her in battle. The case could arguably be made for her being in denial about how this means she’ll never, ever meet him again. (which we know is a concern he has, re. “Hack-San”) We know that there were a number of episodes where the writers had to cut a lot to fit it into the 23 minute frame, and this absolutely feels like it could be one of them. 

And if that was the case, then either Marinette’s feelings about Cat Noir leaving were victims of that limit, or they’re setting up a later story point about how she doesn’t comprehend the reality of losing him for real. 

[emsylcatac]

Umm so heyyy! I have been feeling really kind of conflicted about something and talking to someone helps, so here I am!

I actually like the Senti-Adrien theory very much, and I do make a lot of content based on the theory on my blog (Right from the blog header title haha). And needless to say, that is the reason of my conflict.

I...love the theory. But after Ephemeral aired, many of the people who I followed were really against the theory and I had to unfollow and even block some of them because of that. And Moreover they were one of the few positivity blogs which had excellent analysises but they like, REALLY dislike the theory and I am not blaming them hear, but I also kind of feel guilty for liking the theory now? Like so many people say that it makes them uncomfortable, depressed and distressed. If it causes so many people such trouble, is it really worth liking??:( I am tired because almost no one likes the theory now and I do have to wonder if I am being really obnoxious and pushy by saying he is a senti, and making posts about the clues which I think could point towards this? Everytime I make a post about it, I feel lowkey terrified because I don't want any backlash, I don't want to argue, and I really don't want to cause people distress or make anyone uncomfortable or trigger them, and thus is posting triggering content as such really worth the amount of people getting upset by it??🙁

I can't even imagine the fandom backlash if the theory does become canon (Because according to most of the people apparently the ring twisting could be anything other than Senti-Adrien). I don't really want them to ruin the show for me. I don't want to see all the salt that comes up either. I just... don't know what to do.

Heya ♥︎

I think it all comes down to how everyone deals with it regarding their personal feelings & experiences, and most importantly it comes down to respect.

It's no surprise that people are against the theory, but they shouldn't make you feel guilty for enjoying it. Just like we shouldn't make them feel bad for being uncomfortable with it. Remember it's a cartoon guys

[the rest is undercut cause it's a little long]

What I do is that I avoid to engage into discourses on Tumblr because they're usually pretty heated on both sides, and I talk about it with friends on discord who also like it and are also chill about it. I'll reblog or make jokes about it, or posts pointing things out with clues and everything and theorising about what it could mean, but I'll avoid engaging in a "is it good or not" fight otherwise I would loose my sanity lol

I don't think you should stop yourself from picking up on clues the show is leaving and making connexions and talking about it on your blog. It wouldn't be fair, because these hints are here for a reason: even if it turns out that Adrien isn't a sentimonster, it's not a bad thing to speculate, you know?

Liking the theory isn't a bad thing: coming to harass people who don't is. And the same works the other way around. Sometimes people like to use big words to guilt trip you and scare you to make themselves be heard and that's not ok.

The best way to go about it for now I think is:

to tag the posts you make accordingly, sadly there's no official tag but find one of the most common one and use it - if people are angry at you in the comments then block them because it's also on them for seeking out or wanting to interact with something they don't like instead of scrolling and avoiding it

to not engage into people's own post going against the theory - if they want to express their dislike of it or prove by A+B explanations that it can't be true, good on them! but if we don't agree with them, to avoid troubles it's better to just scroll down, unless they're really being insulting towards people liking the senti thing - and even then I'd be cautious and do that only with people who usually seem reasonable and that I'd trust to stay respectful

being respectful towards those who really are triggered by it for various personal reasons, and keep an open mind and be understanding. We won't go anywhere if we start insulting each other

and of course unfollowing/blocking/blocking the username of those who aren't respecting your enjoyment of the theory

Now if people interact with your posts and are being stupid about it and insulting, you can just block them. I know I tend to be a hot-head at times if I'm not in the mood and I might answer when someone reblogs post of mine discussing it, but if you don't feel confident enough to do that without getting into a heated argument just block and move on haha

I'm mostly rambling at this point but really, don't feel bad for liking the theory at all! It's pretty hinted at in canon, and it would explain tons of interesting things. The problem is that lots of people probably had expectations regarding Adrien that the show maybe never really planned on fulfilling so they're disappointed, which is understandable, but no one should make you feel guilty about liking a theory involving magic in a magical cartoon universe. (just like we shouldn't make people feel guilty about having troubles to reconcile it)

To be honest I'm more scared for the theory being only hinted at and implied but never clearly confirmed rather than it being confirmed (or explicitly disproved): cause then there'll always be this split in the fandom with people attacking each other 😅

Anyway, in the end: if we can disagree on Adrien being a sentimonster, we can't disagree on Adrien being a princess 😌

[paganinpurple]

Roofie, Ch 6- The Truth

Buy Me A Coffee?

Story on AO3

<<Ch 1   Ch 2   Ch 3   Ch 4   <Ch 5   Chapter 6   Ch 7>  (Should I write an epilogue? (unwritten)

So, It has been almost 2 years since I updated this fic. I'm sorry. I've been having a hard time and inspiration, motivation and time to write are 3 things that never seem to hit me even 2 at a time, never mind 3.

Hope you enjoy! I'm unsure whether just to end this here or to add an epilogue to this. Suggestions welcome.

The Truth

She stared. The panic had set in and she had absolutely no idea how to answer him. Should she admit she remembered? Should she claim ignorance? What if she said she remembered but played it off as a drunk kiss that didn’t mean anything? That drunk her just latched onto people or-

“Um,” she squeaked, her face burning.

“S-So you do remember then?” he said, his blush-stained face an otherwise completely blank mask which gave nothing away for her to decipher.

She flung her face forward, burying it in her sleeved hands as the rush of blood took over her face. “Argh, I’m so embarrassed!” she mumbled.

Adrien gave a stilted chuckle. Of course, she was embarrassed, he was positively dying of mortification and he hadn’t even said anything cringe worthy. Yet.

“Oh, join the club,” he said with a surprising amount of calm. He was still blushing, but somehow seeing Marinette’s reaction was calming. There was literally no way to make enough of a fool of himself to out-embarrass her right now.

He moved over to the chaise and slumped down in the space next to her as she glanced up through her fingers in shock at his relaxed appearance. “Do you remember everything, or…?” he trailed off - not wanting to give her any ideas, lest she use them as excuses to deny anything.

With a huge exhale, her hands swept up her face and back into her loose hair, gently dragging through and ruffling the damp locks as she tried to get a handle on herself. She’d unintentionally disrupted her parting in the process and Adrien restrained himself from reaching over and delicately lifting at the strands to correct it. Instead, he focused on her hands as they returned to her sleeves, disappearing inside the protection of the oversized sweatshirt.

“I…remember Phillipe got me a drink.” She bit her lip and refused to look at him. “After that it all gets a bit, uh, confusing.”

Frowning –partly because hearing that name pissed him off to a ridiculous degree, but mostly out of sheer frustration at Marinette’s evasiveness – he reached out and took one of her hidden hands in his. Tenderly, he slid the soft fabric up her arm slightly to reveal her hand, his own gently clasping her dainty wrist. He felt genuinely torn. He wanted to know what she remembered so he knew the right questions to ask to clarify his own confusion, but he also didn’t like the idea of Marinette feeling awkward and uneasy. He sighed.

“I won’t insist on the truth,” he said, putting her feelings before his own, “I’d rather you told me whatever makes you comfortable instead.”

He watched as her eyes bored a hole into the spot their skin met for a moment before shyly drifting up to meet his own gaze. She took a deep breath before she spoke, but she held that contact between them, even when her voice trembled slightly.

“That puts me in a tight spot. There’s nothing I can really say because the truth…well, you know. And lying makes me very uncomfortable.”

“Then please, just tell me what you remember,” he asked her, “Honestly.”

She trembled, but seemed to force herself to hold his gaze. “I know I left the ballroom after that. I spoke to someone, but I can’t actually remember who, or what I said. But I know I…”

When she trailed off, he gently ran his thumb across the underside of her wrist as a silent encouragement and she closed her eyes and swallowed audibly before continuing.

“I know I kissed them. Him. Time’s a little fuzzy so I don’t remember getting from that to being in the car. But I know I was in the car with him. He wouldn’t let me kiss him, but I was pretty persistent.” She gave a humourless laugh of sorts. “I don’t remember getting out of the car or anything after that.”

Adrien was shocked at just how badly his chest hurt at her admissions, his father’s earlier revelations about Marinette’s feelings seeming to fade into the back of his mind as his own pain and anxieties took precedence. She remembered enough about the night to have a general idea of what had happened, but she didn’t remember that it had been him with her the whole time. In a way, he felt like it made the whole thing worse. If she hadn’t recalled any of last night, then that was easily written off as the drug wiping her mental timeline clear. But for her to remember so much, but have him edited out of those memories? It almost felt like…like he wasn’t important enough?

“So, you don’t know who…”

“Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean it’s not obvious who it was,” she said, her eyes opening once again and piercing him with an intensely vulnerable stare, “My parents told me you brought me home, Adrien. And I’m pretty sure…no, I know there’s only one person I would have tried to kiss.”

He was suffocating. He may as well have been at the bottom of the Marina Trench or out in the vast vacuum of space for all the oxygen he seemed to be able to capture once the words left her mouth, and it was painful, yes, but also exhilarating.

She was admitting that she knew she had kissed him, but she was also confessing that what she had said to him last night, and what his father had told him today were true.

She loved him. She loved him. She loved him.

And suddenly the air was rushing back into his lungs in much the same way the adrenaline in his body raced to make him speak, to act, to do...something.

Have you really been in love with me for years?” he breathed, afraid of his own voice in case the sound broke the spell they both seemed to be under as their eyes stayed fixed to one another.

She squeaked, but she didn’t pull away or take her eyes from him and he counted that as a victory.

“Did I tell you that?” she asked in the same soft tone, her free hand coming up to her face to cover her mouth.

He nodded, breaking into a smile as the atmosphere shifted into something significantly more comfortable than before. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you meant it or if it was just what had happened messing you up. My dad was the one who had to convince me, actually.”

This time, Marinette did take back her hand, bringing it up to join its twin in pressing against her face as her eyes bulged in horror. “Your dad!?” she shrieked, “Your dad knows?”

He tried, he really did, but he couldn’t hold back the laughter that bubbled from his chest at her reaction and he howled all the louder when she looked adorably offended by it.

“Look,” he said once he had calmed down a little, “as much as my dad used to act like he didn’t have a clue that he was upsetting people, it turns out he’s ridiculously good at reading people. He says he’s known you liked me since we were fourteen.”

“Oh my God!” Her pitch was getting louder the more she spoke and given the increased range that came with being the Black Cat Miraculous user for so long, he suspected she might start to hurt his delicate ears soon if he didn’t distract her somehow.

“He…he brought some other stuff to my attention as well.” He scratched at the back of his neck nervously, his blush returning stronger than ever. “And, well, it totally threw me at first because I didn’t really believe him, you know? But…it makes a lot of sense now. And I guess when I think about how I’ve reacted to things in the past-”

“Adrien,” Marinette interrupted his ramblings, “Can I have a map to this conversation, please?”

He mock glared at her. “As if you’re one to talk. You used to stammer nonsense at me all the time when we were younger.”

“And now you understand my reasoning. What’s your excuse?” She finished by crossing her arms and facing him and sitting up straighter than before, a smug look on her face. Her gaze faltered as he suddenly seemed extremely interested in her ceiling light. Or her floor. Or really anywhere but her. “Adrien?” she asked hesitantly.

Gulping in more of that sweet air that had evaded him not so long ago and which threatened to do so again, Adrien looked at her once again, reaching out a tentative hand to take her own. He intertwined their fingers as Marinette watched, transfixed and used his other hand to cup her face. The contact made her flinch in surprise for a moment, but she quickly regained her senses and slid her own free hand into his hair as he closed the gap between them.

He was sure her lips had only barely brushed against his before she started to pull back abruptly –nerves and overthinking, he assumed– and he took the risk to chase after them, promising himself that he would only chase so far so as not to encroach on her own comfort. He was incredibly relieved when she stopped retreating, her whole body relaxing and melting into his touch.

The kiss wasn’t like they were often described in fiction, he found. Her lips didn’t taste of anything he recognised, and it didn’t feel like she was something he was physically missing, and that he needed to complete him. But it was sweet and gentle, and he was sure he’d never been more content than he was right now.

He pulled back enough to press his forehead to hers, his lids blinking open to see her own doing the same, a simple smile resting on her lips now. He found himself smiling in a way that echoed her own.

“I don’t know if I love you,” he told her honestly, “But I do know that I like you. A lot. Like, a whole lot.” He watched as her smile widened to a grin and she glanced down at their joined hands shyly. “But,” he added, “I love the way I get all warm inside when I think about you telling me how you feel about me. Even if you were out of it.”

Marinette gave a light chuckle, gently squeezing his hand in her much smaller one as she looked up at him again. Her eyes were full of that warmth and adoration he’d been overlooking all this time and his chest swelled with affection for her.

“Then I guess, now that I’m sober, I better tell you again,” she said with a smirk. She leant up and pressed a quick peck to his lips before she continued.

“I love you Adrien.”

Buy Me A Coffee?

[goji-pilled]

I'm rewatching Reflekdoll,again,and tbh I can say for sure this is by far my favourite episode ever.Here some thoughts since I'm a little late to that party lol

-The talk between Chat and Ladybug is like this mix of friendly teasing and joking and a very serious topic (at least that's how I see it lol)But honestly the parts I love so much come after that so skip that

-Juleka and Luka sibling moment.I mean we finally got to see what their realtionship is like and I couldn't be more happy with what we saw.Luka engouraging and supporting his sister and her dreams?Fuck yes that's some really good content

-What else I like about this scene is that I can personally relate to Juleka a lot,not only in Reflekdoll but also in Reflekta.The fact that she didn't want to bother Marinette or how insecure she is is something I did/said/felt too (or well still do/say/feel)Like this feeling that you're all alone,that noone cares or notices you?That hurts,a lot.And it's something I know all to well.And honestly it's super important to show children that these feelings exist because it might help someone

-Juleka not being able to handle a compliment?Yep,absolutely relateable.I swear I'm going to protect Juleka 'till the very end

-Alrighty this is the part that makes me slighty salty:Alya pushing Marinette into things that clearly make her uncomftable.I mean yes she means well and want to help her best friend but seriously,pushing her like this and forcing her into uncomftable situations with Adrien is the absolute wrong way to do it and the girl just doesn't seem to get that.Fucking hell Marinette pretty much begged Alya to not invite Adrien but she is just like "Fuck it!" and disrespects Marinette's wish.

-After 'Ladybug and the Miracubros' we present to you:'Adrien and the Girlsquad'

-Juleka getting more nervous untill it's an actual panic attack.Again I can relate a lot to this,even though I wouldn't say that I have panic attacks.It's more this feeling of becoming so nervous that it feels like you have a knot in your stomach,your throat is dry,you feel super uncomftable and all of the sudden your thoughts are worst case scenarios;"What if I mess up?","What if I'm not good enough?","What if they laugh at me or hate me?",etc.I have these thoughts more often than I like to admit since I was 6/7 years old.It just makes me kinda happy that a show for children shows this topic

-Marinette trying to comfort Juleka is something I loved too.Like Marinette is very understanding here and tries to help Juleka calm down which shows us a bit of their friendship and I just really apprechiate that

-And Alya is at her bullshit again dear god.Honestly Alya sees that Juleka is having a panic attack and all she thinks about is getting Adrien and Marinette together.It's just wrong on so many levels.Not only does she keep disrespecting Marinette but she also head on ignores Julekas situation,which is rude and disrespectful.Like seriously that's so not okay and she should've been called out for that.

-Adrien sweetie thanks for trying.It's good to see that he wants to help Juleka in this situation.

-ALYA GODDAMNIT.And again she is being pushy.Yes Marinette said she's gonna do it herself but in a way where you can tell she wanted to help Juleka and remove the pressure,plus Marinette never said she would never consider Juleka as a model again so there is that!But of course a certain Blogger had to be pushy and forceful about it again.And Adrien didn't even want to model,he just wanted to help.Oh god the way Alya told Juleka to give her suit to Marinette is just...no.Juleka is upset and honestly does Alya notice?No.And Marinette's clearly uncomftable oh god why.

Alya:"I care about all my friends equally!"

Alya:"Adrien!"

Alya:"Marinette!"

Alya reading something from her arm:"And uh...Julia?"

Honestly I could go on with this but let's refocus on the positive stuff.

-How the fuck does noone hear or see Adrien and Marinettd talk with Tikki and Plagg????

-Adrien and Marinette in that Partnerlook just expanded my lifespan for 100 years

-"He's too hot-I mean I'm overheating inhere don't you????"

Mari please you need to calm down oh god please someone save the poor girl-

-Julerose.Julerose.JULEROSE.I swear everytime Juleka and Rose interact my hesrt bursts.Also thank god for Rose and Marinette,it's these two who try to help Juleka (just like in Reflekta).Also Juleka bot wanting to bother others with her feelings?Yes hello I'd like to say that this situation is relatable.

-That soft look Juleka gave Rose after Rose kissed her cheek is just...so adorable and it shows how much Juleka loves Rose

-God Juleka talking herself down?Almost crying and super upset by herself?Probably even hating herself?Yep again,this is all too familiar to me and it feels so good to have a chrachter to relate too.

-"Yet again my young prey fails to be the center of attention."Your "young prey"???Seriously????Gabriel what the fuck-

-YEET THEM GLASSES

-No honestly Nathalie's transformation is so amazing.It's simple but in combination with the amazing theme this transformation is by far one of my favorites.I'd go as far as to say my second favourite transformation(Together with Luka's)

-I genuinly love the whole scene in the lair.I can't even tell you why because I don't know but I just love it.

-Them sending off an Akuma and an Amok?Loved it.

-Petition to let Gorilla adopt Adrien

-Also Gorilla is so soft for these kids

-I loved the scene of Juleka's akumatization.Like the purple maskoutline being a combination between Hawkmoth's and Mayura's looks so fucking cool

-Reflekta is back bitches!Honestly Reflekta has always been one of my favourite akumas and I'm happy seeing her again!Also her design is so fucking amazing holy shit

-I'm not fan of Miraculous' english dub but Juleka's voice actress is amazing.Lots of love to her.

-"I'm gonna show you what it feels like to be me!"Honestly that's such a great line on many diffrent levels.Not only does she say it because she's a villain right now but because she obviously has some kind of selfdisliking and ugh can you make Reflekta even more relatable too?

-"Juleka is no more,I'm Reflekta!Everyone always forgets about Juleka anyway..."Honestly this is again a pretty deep line and it shows more of her emotions...And I can relate to certain dagree.It feels like people just forget about you,that you're not important,don't matter,sometimes you want to be someone else so badly...Honestly Juleka truly is one of my favourite characters

-Reflekta turning Marinette into a Reflekta and saying:"Perhaps you'll understand me better now that you're in MY shoes!"It's another line that shows how Juleka(or at this moment Reflekta) feels.She feels misunderstood and wow same here haha...

-Tikki and Plagg's interaction earlier was great and Plagg reassuring Tikki is so adorable.Honestly these two need more screentime together

-"Rose!Where are you my BFF!"Juleka has the 'She's just a friend' desease,we all know what people in this show mean when they say:"She's just a friend".And since she said BFF they're probably married

-Plagg calling for Chat Noir and then almost casually telling Marinette his identity is gold.

-Honestly all Plagg/Marinette interactions are gold.I love this chaos duo.They are the best part about Kwami swap AUs.Also Plagg looks and sounds so soft when talking to Marinette I love them

-Marinette taking the ring like:"Fuck it"

-I love the detail that the Miraculous changes to it's wielder

-LADY NOIR TRANSFORMATION.I absolutly loved everything about it and it's my favourite transformation with Roi Singe's

-Lady Noir is giving me gay thoughts

-Lady Noir said fuck Reflekdoll rights

-Tikki is just like:"Oh god no the choas duo finally found eachother-"

-Adrien not introducing himself,rude.

-Adrien taking the earings:"Fuck it I always wanted to do this"

-MISTERBUG TRANSFORMATION.I love his transformation so much,he's an adorable Bugboy.Honestly his version of the Ladybug theme sounds so great holy shit

-Adrien sweetie why do you have a Reflekta head agi-oh never mind it's gone

-Hot take:Marinette does the Black Cat transformation better than Adrien,while Adrien does the Ladybug transformation better

-"M'lady Noir" I love it

-Adrien did the Orgins-Ladybug move with that yo-yo

-Lady Noir helping Misterbug out even though she sounds a bit rude gives me life

-The Lucky Charm scene is amazing I love it,them arguening and teasing like a married couple god just kiss already you dumbasses

-Again Marinette is explaining how the Lucky Charm works even though she may sound a little harsh she means well but she didn't have to hit him.......well it was funny...haha

-"Why don't you help me instead of making fun of me?!"...Adrien...she explained you the lucky charm the whole time...she tried helping you and teased you....you pun and tease her all the time...your still an adorable bugboy and I love you

-Marinette is so extra when summoning her cataclysm...I love it.Though she could've thought about the idea of cataclysming a sentimonster a bit longer...she's still a queen and I love her

-Adrien getting to explain cataclysming a sentmoster is a nice contrast to her explaing the lucky charm

-That wink Lady Noir gave Misterbug that just gave me a lot of life

-Reflekta is the first Akuma to ask for help nakwsnkwwk

-And again she helped him by reminding him to catch the akuma in a teasing tone

-Idk why but Adrien catching an Akuma and saying Marinette's catchphrases was so awesome

-Adrien admitting and understanding why LB never jokes around is some character developement we stan!Untill the writers decide to take that way that is but y'know

-Marinette admitting that she's happy to have a little less responsibilty for once hurts my heart like the girl has so much responsibilty and stress an in the end it always depends on her to fix thing and she just needs a break and a hug...

-Them working our a plan was great.It showed how well they work together and just ugh,kiss already you idiots!

-Gabriel goddamnit why are you letting her use the damn Miraculous god jesus

-Dusuu is absolutely adorable and I love her

-oh...rip Nathalie

-Oh the reunion with their kwamis was so sweet holy cow my heart is gonna explode

-And here I go again becoming salty,like Marinette should not have been the one to apolagize.It should have been Alya,to both Juleka and Marinette.Alya way the one being rude,pushy,disrespecrful ans inconsidered.But oh well of course it's always Mari's fault...

-Adrien and Girlsquad are the Brotp

Anyway overall I love Reflekdoll so much.It absolutely is my favourite episode.From Juleka/Luka sibling moment,being able to relate so strongly to Juleka,Mayura's transformation,the Kwami swap untill the end I loved the episode,despite being salty here and their but you can't expect me to watch a mlb episode and not be salty

[chocoluckchipz]

Forbidden Love That Wasn’t - 2

< Previous                                                          Read on A03, FF.net. WattPad

Adrien had hoped that he wouldn’t dwell on the fact that Marinette had been in love with him for years. It was a shocking discovery, to a degree, as it wasn't the first time a girl had had a crush on him, and it had never especially bothered him before. Not this time, though. This time it was different. This time it was Marinette, someone too dear to his heart to just ignore and eventually forget about. This time it didn't seem like just a crush as well.

Adrien survived the dinner at Kagami's purely on an autopilot, years of training in etiquette coming in handy in front of Kagami's mother, who barely differed from his father in her attitude. He barely slept at night, though, and found himself terrified to get out of the bed the next morning. As Gabriel's leading model and his only son, Adrien couldn't miss his work, especially not right before the Fashion Week. Marinette, as his father's protégé, couldn't do that either. Usually, Adrien looked forward to their frequent random meeting throughout the building but not today. Today Adrien wasn't sure if he was ready to face her yet, not when he didn't think that whole feelings ordeal through. Yet he had to go.

Grouching, Adrien rolled out of bed and got ready, a tiny hope sprouting in his chest. If he remembered correctly the last days before the big show were always extremely hectic. For him, it meant countless hours of catwalk practice with his colleagues, multiple last-minute fittings to do the necessary alterations and even photo shoots. Clothes, changes, cameras, makeup, shoots, ramp, walks, lights… Typically it would all fuse into a single mess of activities and Adrien would just blindly going through the motions. Marinette would probably be just as busy. He knew his father, he’d make her work to her limits at times like those. Therefore, there was a high chance that they wouldn’t even see each other or at least they wouldn’t have time to talk when they did. He could survive that until he could give it more thought and come up with a plan of action.

Except that didn’t happen. The first person whom Adrien noticed upon entering the building was Marinette. And not an angry to a sobbing or even a pouting Marinette but a smiling one with his customary morning baked goods from her parents’ bakery in her hands. Adrien gawked and looked at his empty ones. He completely forgot! It was their tradition ever since Marinette had started working at Gabriel – she would bring him treats, and he would pick up her favourite coffee from a little coffee shop by his house. Then they would meet here at exactly seven in the morning and do an exchange before riding an elevator together to their respected floors. This little ritual of theirs was the highlight in Adrien's day. Only today his hands were empty. In his mental hassle, Adrien had forgotten, and even if he would remember, he would've probably assumed that Marinette wouldn’t have wanted a coffee from him anymore. Yet she greeted him with a smile.

“Good morning, Adrien.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot your coffee,” Adrien blurred out, accepting a box with two croissants and two eclairs inside. “Double?”

"I didn't know if you'd be having breakfast with Kagami, so I brought extra for her just in case." She smiled again, and Adrien felt his heart tightened. "And don't worry about the coffee. You seem to have had little shut-eye, so I'll make myself some at the staff room."

“How did you know?” Adrien murmured following Marinette to the elevator.

"If you're asking if it shows then no. Not much, but unfortunately for you, I know your pretty face too well."

She smiled yet again, and Adrien felt the corners of his lips lightly twitch. He could never resist smiling with Marinette. The elevator door opened and they stood in silence waiting for people to exit. They kept quiet riding up, their usual carefree chatter never staring. Despite the smiles, the air felt tense, and Adrien didn't know what to say so he just took one the croissants and pretended he could stomach it. Marinette didn't say anything either until he reached his floor. Then she wished him a great day with a smile yet again.

Like usual.

Like nothing had happened.

Like Adrien, the love of her life, hadn't announced yesterday that he was dating another girl and broken her heart in the process.

Adrien felt baffled. Shouldn't Marinette be upset? Shouldn't she be showing the signs that not everything was okay and fine? At least a little? Maybe Nino was just pulling his leg, and something entirely different had happened to Marinette yesterday, and they just wanted to keep him in the dark for some reason? Adrien bit into the last treat into his box. Something obviously wasn't right. He'd need to investigate into that. He'd watch Marinette at work and talk to Nino more time because things didn’t add up and he wanted to know what was going on.

An opportunity to observe Marinette more closely came slightly faster than he'd hoped. About half an hour after he'd showed up for his fittings Marinette entered the room and immediately headed his way.

“Bonjour again, M Agreste,” she said playfully and bowed. “Your personal slave has arrived.”

"My what?" Adrien almost choked on air. Marinette laughed and gave him a pat on the back.

“Sorry,” she smiled after making sure he was alright. “Maybe my word choice was a bit too much. I am just a bit exhausted to think about my wording-”

“I see you’ve already briefed him in,” Nathalie’s voice sounded from the side. “In that case, I’ll leave you two to it.” She vanished as fast as she’d appeared.

Adrien blinked. “Briefed me in on what?”

"You don't know?" Adrien shook his head, so Marinette explained. "The girl who usually fits your clothes fell ill and won't be able to make it for the next few weeks, so your father asked me to do the final fittings for all of your clothes now and assist you during the runways- and all of the photoshoots and I think he also said whatever you need me for. Basically, as I said, I am your personal slave, M Agreste, the next ten days or so."

"Isn't it a bit below your position?" Adrien frowned. Marinette was Gabriel's protégé, not just any regular employee. Gabriel personally handpicked her to bestow all of his knowledge upon amongst a huge crowd. To be honest, he wasn't even looking for a protégé. He just saw Marinette's designs and loved them. Adrien was super proud. Marinette deserved it. She was that talented. Why he would reduce her to a simple seamstress position was beyond him.

“I guess.” Marinette shrugged. “But who am I to argue with the boss? Now if you don’t mind - less talk, more work. We have a lot of it. So, scram and start doing something.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Adrien saluted and went to change into his first outfit. They spent most of the day together, laughing, chatting, working and just having a great time, easily slipping back into their usually carefree ways. Adrien was wary at first, but when Marinette didn't give him any hints that she was even the slightest upset with him, he relaxed. Marinette looked happy and content. She smiled, as usual, her banter was just as friendly and carefree as always. Like nothing had happened, like nothing between them had changed. By the end of the day, Adrien was more or less assured that Nino had lied to him and Marinette had cried for some other reason than of a broken heart from Adrien. That was why the first thing Adrien did when getting home late in the evening was to confront his friend through a text message.

[Adrien: Marinette doesn’t look heartbroken, Nino. What’s really going on?]

Nino’s reply came almost immediately.

[Nino: She’s always put your happiness above her own]

[Adrien: What’s that supposed to mean?]

[Nino: Marinette always did what was best for you, Adrien, at the expense of her own happiness. Do you remember the scarf your father gave you back in lycée?]

[Adrien: Yes. The blue one. I still have it]

[Nino: Well then check the signature, because it was Marinette had who made it for you, and when you showed up the next day all happy because you thought it was from your father, she didn't say anything to keep you happy. Or that time when you lost that book and your father grounded you? Ever wondered why he suddenly changed his mind about your school attendance?]

[Adrien: No. Not really? Why?]

[Nino: Marinette found your book and went to your father and told him you were innocent because she stole it from you. Heck, even that first date you took Kagami to? She went along only because you asked her to, despite being heartbroken to see you on a date with another girl. That’s how much you mean to her, Adrien. She is probably hiding her true feelings now too, to keep you happy.]

Adrien put his phone down and plopped on his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to remember everything he knew about Marinette, sought to evoke from memory every moment of not only today but in general, every moment he spent with Marinette and compare them to how he saw her treat others.

And suddenly he saw it. Little differences he never paid particular attention to before because that was how best friends were supposed to treat each other. Right? Apparently not, and to prove himself wrong all he had to do was to compare himself, Alya and Nino, Marinette’s other best friends. Her eyes had never lit up so bright for them as they did for him. Her smile for him had been different – softer yet a bit nervous. Her voice would match, and sometimes she would even stutter. That was adorable. Marinette would often straighten up and try to subtly fix her hair and clothes. She would hold herself differently and seemingly would enjoy his company more than that of the others. How could he not notice it before?

His phone beeped.

[Nino: Listen, bro. I'm not trying to guilt you or anything. It's a complicated situation, and there is no easy solution. But you made your choice and we all, including Marinette, respect it. Kagami is cool, and if she makes you happy, we are all aboard that ship. But feelings are messy and unpredictable. Neither you nor Marinette can control who you like, BUT she’s your friend first of all, and she’s doing her best for you. She always did, and I'm sure you can you return a favour and do the same for her, right? Just give her some time, be her friend, and I'm sure it all will get settled.]

[Adrien: Of course. Thanks, Nino. Gtg now. Ttyl.]

Turning his phone off, Adrien wished goodnight to Plagg, who seemed to sense his unsettlement and kept quiet for most of the day, and crawled into his bed in hopes of falling asleep. Yet his thoughts were far from resting because as he was analyzing Marinette's behaviour, her crush was not the only thing that had become apparent. Today Marinette's smile was tenser than usual, her chatter was all over the place, and somehow, she seemed overly chipper, probably trying too hard to blind him to what she was really feeling. He noticed it now - Marinette was not exactly herself today either. Adrien grew up in the world where “fake it til you make it” was a part of mandatory education. He knew the difference. It pained him to see it in Marinette who was one of the sincerest people he knew. Everything to make him happy, Nino said? Adrien sighed and shut his eyes. He needed to rest and think about this properly on a fresher head. If only he could.

The next day started almost identically only today he brought Marinette her coffee and happily exchanged it for another double dose of sweets. They had another day of fittings to get through, and this time Adrien paid better attention. By the end of the second hour his fears were confirmed, and now there was not a doubt in his mind that Marinette did love him and she did everything possible to make him happy, even hiding her pain under a perfectly manicured smile and fooling him with her happy babbling. And yet, despite everything, Adrien had not once felt being blamed or accused by her. Quite the contrary, in Marinette's presence, he felt strangely calm and happy. It was only when she left the room that the gloomy thoughts attacked.

Just after lunch something that Adrien had ever expected, something he would never forget, happened. Even before they could resume his fittings, Nathalie interrupted their work and announced that Adrien is needed for an important, last-minute photoshoot and Marinette would have to stand in for his partner because none of Gabriel's models were available at such late notice. None of Marinette's protests that she wasn't a model and could never possibly make it happen worked. Nathalie only stated that M Agreste felt like her education would greatly benefit from visiting the other side of the camera and experiencing not only the designing of clothes but also modelling it to the world.

“Either way,” Natalie stated at the end. “You either take this rare opportunity M Agreste is willing to give you and learn a valuable lesson or prepare to be dismissed from this company. Gabriel Agreste does not waste his time on persons unwilling to do whatever it takes.”

“Come on, Mari,” Adrien gently put a hand on her shoulder. One of his best friends was already feeling like crap because of him, he didn’t want his father to make her even more miserable and possibly cause her to lose her job. He had to help. “It’s just a couple of pictures. I’ll help you.”

"I don't think I really have a choice," Marinette nervously chuckled and followed Nathalie. Upon arriving in the studio, though, both Adrien and Marinette almost died inside. The photoshoot was beach themed, and nothing but a couple of swimming trunks for Adrien and a few different bikinis sets for Marinette were to be worn. Marinette gulped, Adrien leaned closer and whispered,

“Think of it as a beach day out with a friend. We went to the beach together quite a lot, right? This is just like that.”

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Only there were no cameras and no so many dressed people around, and we weren't the only ones in the swimming suits."

"You'll get used to that after a while-" Adrien was going to add something else, but their makeup assistants arrived and whisked them away into different directions. When Adrien re-emerged back on the stage, Marinette was already there, dressed in nothing but a red, polka dot bikini. Her face was covered with a pinkish tint already, but as soon as her eyes locked on nothing-but-a-black-swimming-trunk-on Adrien, it changed to crimson. On his side Adrien unexpectedly found himself paying attention to Marinette's figure. Somehow, just like her feelings, he didn't notice that before either. Well, Adrien always knew Marinette was beautiful and worked on her body hard, but he had never really noticed just how good she looked until now. Especially in his Lady's themed outfit.

Trying his best to not stare, Adrien composed himself and did what he had promised – guided Marinette through the shoot. It wasn't that hard. There were no overly intimate moments. They just had to show a pair being happy to be soaking up the sun and having fun at the beach. Still, Marinette didn't look very comfortable at all, seemingly bothered by the lack of coverage and the novelty of being in front of the camera. Despite that, she managed to do a great job, and Adrien was proud… as well as finding himself unable to sleep most of the night again. This time for a little bit different reason, though. Marinette was his friend. She was the kindest, smartest, the most amazing person he had known. He couldn't think about her in that way. He couldn't imagine all of the perfect curves of her body and remember every touch they shared. He just couldn't. Especially not since he had an official girlfriend.

The next day brought little relief as the first thing in the morning Nathalie had found them and declared that Gabriel didn't like yesterday's photos so the shoot would have to be urgently redone. For Marinette's education's sake. Today. With a few adjustments, he felt were extremely necessary. Specifically – swimwear would be replaced by lingerie.

"You'll need to go two directions—" the pair vaguely heard Nathalie give instructions to the photographer, "The girl teasing, and I quote him ‘the hell out of the oblivious idiot and a sensual near kiss that would make him hold his breath and wish for a cold shower. He needs to survive, but a near-death experience is welcome'. End of quote. Any questions?"

Adrien swallowed and looked at Marinette. How was he supposed to play an oblivious idiot? He'd never done that before, and he doubted he could do that now when he still remembered every perfect curve of her body. And what was that nonsense about cold showers? He did quite a few intimate-ish photoshoots before, and none of them had put him in that desperate of a state. Plus, Marinette was his friend. His father knew that. He couldn't expect him to- Adrien shook his head and glanced at the said friend again. She didn't look to be faring any better as she was nervously glancing his way. "I can't do this," she mouthed to him, her face bright crimson red. "No way. I can't."

“We’ve got a coach for you, Mlle Dupain-Cheng,” Nathalie commented, coming up from behind to stand in front of the terrified girl. “M. Agreste understands that this is your first time doing such a shot and seeing how unnatural you looked in the pictures from yesterday, he is willing to facilitate you as much as needed. Marcel would be arriving shortly to teach you the art of seduction and to help with the photoshoot.”

Adrien was certain Marinette was going to faint any moment. He was about to combust himself, so he reached over, grabbed her hand and said, "Marinette? I can talk to him. I am sure we can find someone else if you aren't comfortable with this-"

"That won't be happening, Adrien," Nathalie interfered. "First of all, M Agreste had left for the day and requested not to be disturbed by anyone, including you. Secondly, even if he were present here, do not forget that this is a part of her education and until she passes his standards photoshoots won't stop. I saw yesterday's pictures. You two looked good together, but there has to be more spark to make it really work, more emotions, more fire. That's why he asked Marcel to come today, and unless Mlle Dupain-Cheng wants to say goodbye to her fashion career permanently, she'd better do it."

“Are you threatening her?” Adrien looked scandalized. “Nathalie, you can’t do that!”

"I certainly can, Adrien." Nathalie raised her eyebrow. "Marinette signed a contract with your father that granted him almost unlimited powers over her professional activities over the next few years, and he wants her to do this photoshoot. Frankly, I don't see why this is such a big deal? Of course, we can always replace you and give her another partner. You father just felt she'd be more comfortable with someone she knows, but if you don't want to help her, I'd be more than happy to bring in Antonio. He'll be free in an hour."

Adrien almost growled. That bastard of a playboy-extraordinaire Antonio was not touching Marinette. He’d be damned if he’d allow that.

"I'll do it," he seethed through his teeth but Nathalie didn't seem to pay any attention to him already as she looked at Marinette and continued.

“I said it repeatedly, Marinette. This is a part of our education. How can you understand fashion more intimately and be at the top of your game if you don’t dip your toes into every sphere of its domain? All Gabriel wants is to make you, Marinette, an extraordinary designer, someone who would not just sweep this world by storm but someone who would become an icon and a legend for generations to come. He thinks you have that potential if you’d be strong enough to do whatever it takes. The question is - do you think you can do it?”

With every word, Adrien saw Marinette's face transform. It went from reflecting an absolute horror to mirroring a steely determination in a matter of a minute, and by the end of Natalie's speech Marinette made up her mind.

“I can do this,” she said. “Just like you said it, Adrien - it’s just a couple of pictures. Not a big deal at all. Where do I go to put this on?” She grabbed the first set from the hanger. It was a red bra and panty set with black lace detailing. Marinette looked at it and added. “Before I change my mind.”

"This way." Nathalie motioned to the side, and soon Adrien was also pulled away in the opposite direction.

The next couple of hours were one big slow torture because all of the pieces his father selected were perfect on Marinette, as if tailored-made especially for her, to accentuate hers and no one else's features. Breathtaking. It rendered Adrien speechless even from the sight alone. Besides, Marcel proved to be an expert and transformed a shy and somewhat innocent, naive image of Marinette he had, into a sexy seductress Adrien had never thought possible. Under her new teacher's guidance, Marinette completely disarmed him. She made his breath hitch, and his heart skip a beat more than he cared to count. She touched and teased him so expertly that his face and ears seemed to obtain a permanent crimson blush and everything but her vanished in thin air. About halfway through Adrien found himself unable to even focus on his own moves, losing himself in the feeling of merely holding her close and taking that in. His thoughts blanked on everything but how tender, how soft her skin felt against his, how sweet and addictive her smell was. The way her breath burned his skin he would never forget and the moment she locked her eyes on him just before that final near kiss Adrien died.  

"Yes!" he vaguely heard Marcel, and the photographer let out a cry of victory. "Yes! Perfect! That's what we are looking for! Great job you, guys! You are free to go."

Marinette immediately pulled away, and Adrien exhaled. She shyly smiled at him and quietly apologized before dashing away to change into her regular clothes.

“You can go now, Adrien,” his assistant called. “The shoot is over.”

He nodded and slowly headed back to his changing room, hoping that his Father was as willing to accommodate him as he seemed to be inclined towards Marinette and there really was a cold shower somewhere in the building with his name on it. Once inside, though, when no one was looking, Adrien, brought his trembling fingers to his burning lips. Was Marinette's apology due to the way she made him feel during the shoot because he knew she had noticed. Heck, the whole set had noticed! Or was she apologizing for that brief moment when their lips touched just before it was all over? He couldn't be the only one who noticed that either, right?

Adrien sat down and groaned, running his hands through his hair. It was hard to judge because, despite her newfound boldness, Marinette was just as crimson as him all throughout the experience. She was still his awkward, clumsy Marinette and not all of her moves were as smooth as Marcel wanted them to be. But still, none of the other models he had ever worked with, even the more professional ones, had ever held such overwhelming power over him. He didn't expect that. He was baffled by it. In a matter of hours, Marinette managed to completely erase any thoughts of any other woman from his mind and by the end of the session he was utterly lost to the girl who was just a friend.

How was he supposed to behave around her after this and how was he supposed to look Kagami, his official girlfriend, in the eyes after today? He hadn't lied when he said he would do his best for their relationship. He did. He really tried, but while the spark was barely alive between the duo, a sudden thunderstorm developed between Marinette and him. His knowledge of how exactly Marinette felt toward him wasn't making it any easier.  

Quietly Adrien swore under his breath and got to dressing. He had a dinner date with Kagami tonight. They wanted to coordinate their activities for the start of the Fashion Week in three days, and this mayhem would have to wait.

Next >

[thelastpilot]

Knighted- Part 5

Thank you for your patience!

To the east of the Castle Town was not much of anyone, any small villages or settlements for outside trading either favoring the east or hiding just within the shade of the forest to the south. Instead it was dominated by a great expanse of rolling fields, a scattering of rocky outcroppings the only thing to break up the gently flowing waves of color. In late summer as it was the hills and creeks were dressed in thick, sleepy yellows and light stalky greens. The stones of the creek beds bore every shade of a storm and cast them against the trickling blue of its waters, lazy shafts of sunlight fighting through the billowing white clouds that hung in the sky. But perhaps most notably, were the wildflowers.

All across the hills and gripping tightly to the boulders were flashes of royal purple, shocking azure and pure snowfield white. Keeping together in clusters of vibrant color were the poppies, varied from crimson red to every shade of failing sunlight. The pollen and insects natural to all of these sights drifted on the breeze and traveled uninterrupted, unless their path happened to cross the only current inhabitants of such a naturally beautiful place.

The finely woven blankets the princesses had brought with them lay flat on the crest of a hill, creating a lowered square in the tall growing grass. The flora surrounding their place also hung low, the sudden traffic of two eager children and their older sister enough to cut narrow paths between their destinations. No matter where they wandered in the fields however they always drifted back towards their chosen spot, where stood on the hill their guard kept watch.

 Nino shifted a bit as he stood, subtly positioning the gaps in his armor to catch the cool breeze as it came through and sighed quietly in content, glad to be cooled down. The weather itself was far from brutal, but he found it uncomfortable to go without the breeze for too long, the sun working hard to heat his armor and him along with it.

He cast a careful eye over the vast area, glad once again that there were so few places to hide in such a place. It was the main reason the girls were allowed only one guard to be on hand, any others standing far in the distance at the edges of the forest or watching the road. So long as he made sure to watch for movement outside of the occasional animal visiting a creek, he could actually enjoy where he was.

It was stunning here, the end of summer bringing out its best. He partially believed that thanks to the wonders natural to the location, but he also could not deny that he was quickly growing fond of it for another reason all together.

He turned at the sound of shrill laughter, smiling openly to see one of the young twins gripping the length of her dress in her hands and charging through the creek with her bare feet. Her laughter sounded again as the cold water made her jump away, giggling happily as she sprinted back towards her twin. He chuckled to himself as he turned to face them completely, pleased to see them enjoying themselves under his watch but also wondering if should intervene before they slipped.

No, he decided, they were careful enough on their own for now.

His attention was caught again by another sound, this time coming from his side, and he looked down to see that the eldest princess was lounging peacefully on the blanket he had laid out for her, laughing to herself.

Alya looked up when she noticed him move, smiling at him lazily as she soaked in the pleasant atmosphere. The twins were taking another charge in together this time, holding hands as they did and sacrificing half of the hems of their dresses to be dragged through the water with them.

“Enjoying yourself, your highness?” he asked, attempting to be the one to start conversation.

“Yes,” she answered happily, shifting to sit up a little to better watch her sisters play. “It’s so nice here, and it’s fun to see them play.”

“Mm…” he replied distractedly, failing with conversation right away as he focused more carefully on the twins, watching as the two of them crouched low in the grass and whispered to each other about something on the other side of the creek. “What are they up to?”

“They’re just playing probably,” she reassured him, though she too watched curiously as her sisters flattened themselves against a rock, peering over the edge at something. “Made up a new game or something. I’m sure they’ll be safe, no need to worry.”

“Yeah… yeah you’re right,” he agreed, craning his neck somewhat to keep them in view as they started to move farther away but heeding Alya’s request to leave them alone.

There was a small stretch of silence, the twins being quiet now with their attention so entirely focused. Alya remained on the blanket with their guard, silence reigning until Alya broke it.

“So… what was being a farmer like?”

Nino jolted, looking back to her in surprise and found that she was smiling at him, grinning wide as could be.

“That’s right isn’t it? You were a farmer before Adrien brought you here?”

Nino blinked once at her, suddenly becoming a bit nervous as he quickly looked away again under the excuse of watching the twins.

“Um yes, I was. Uh...” he hesitated, smiling at her bashfully as he said, “there isn’t much to say honestly. It’s all boring.”

Alya didn’t reply, just watching him expectantly till he laughed somewhat nervously, trying to figure out what he could tell her.

“It was just, well. It’s my family’s farm. I worked on it with my father and cousins to set the crop and keep it alive, then work the harvest. Selling it wasn’t every really my job, I was more so responsible for making sure we still had something to sell.”

“What do you mean?” she pressed, her head tilting curiously. He shifted again nervously, trying to remember that she was a person just like anyone else. It was hard to forget who she was entirely though, even if they were alone. In fact being alone with her almost made him more nervous.

“Um… I learned to fight for a reason. At first it was to pass the time but it became necessary eventually. Since we were so close to the border raiders would cross over into the outer villages where we wouldn’t have the protection of the castle. They preferred to steal their food rather than pay for it, so it became my job to fight anyone who showed up in a raid and escort our shipments to town.”

“You had to fight bandits just to keep the crop!?” Alya blurted indignantly, her expression so genuinely outraged that he jumped in surprise. “Farmers already work hard enough; I knew the borders were weak that far out but I didn’t know that.”

“Don’t be upset,” he somewhat pleaded, trying to smile as he placated her. “It’s alright, a lot of people who live that far out know how it is. Lots of men study fighting in order to protect their families and keep off raiders. We can’t expect the castles aide when we are so far away, so we fend for ourselves.”

“But what happens now that you’re gone?” she asked quietly, watching his expression carefully. “Is your family going to be alright?”

“My village keeps things tight, no one there would ever leave my family unprotected. My cousins can fight as well and my fathers no pushover, I know they’ll be alright. The bandits in the area know not to mess with my family, raids only came close to us when they were attacking travelers in the woods or moving shipments of stock.” The young guard smiled, but she could tell he had had the same fears himself no matter what he said.

“Will they struggle without you when the harvests come again?”

“Maybe…” he admitted, but he shrugged, looking away again. “But I can be of more help from here then I would be if I had stayed. This way I can save money to support them. The farm is dead through winter time, we don’t raise livestock, so we usually have to look for other kinds of work. But I’m being paid much more here than I ever would have been anywhere closer to home, and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Alya was quiet, and after a while the silence stretched long enough that he looked back down to her, watching as she fidgeted with her dress.

“Are you alright?” he finally asked, thinking through his words and trying to figure out if he had said something wrong. His worry heightened when she didn’t respond, but when she looked up at him at last he was surprised by her soft smile.

“… It’s very honest. And noble,” she said slowly, looking him in the face as she did, absorbing his expression. “Your reasons for being here,” she explained. “It’s noble. That’s what I think all the guards should be like, people with that kind of earnest intention. You’re here because you earned it and you were capable, and you stayed because you knew you could help your family if you did. Despite the fact that I’m sure so many people told you that you didn’t belong I can honestly say you’re one of the only guards who actually does, I believe. I admit I don’t know you…” she paused, looking him over and seeing the way the tall armored image of a guard paired with the earnest open expression of a farm boy, before saying with a smile, “but you certainly have my attention.”

Nino was stunned, staring at the princess in silence but she did not look away. He was stood facing the royal in surprise, and truly he felt like a farmer in a bigger man's clothes, if only for a moment. But the longer she watched him and the more he absorbed her words he was again reaffirmed that he was not, in fact, out of place. He was exactly where he was supposed to be, and he was doing his job.

“You are… too kind, your highness.” He finally managed, looking down to allow himself a brief moment of privacy. Despite the genuine flood of affirmation though, he still afforded her a smile when he looked up again. “And incredibly well said… Thank you… You’d expect a guard to be more sure of themselves, but your faith makes me feel… better.”

He grit his teeth at the ineloquent reply, glad he decided to quickly look away when he heard her giggle. In his defense he didn’t have schooling like she did, but he had a feeling that even if he did he wouldn’t come off nearly as sharp as she did. He was realizing pretty quickly that ‘sharp’ was as good a word to describe her as unbreakable was. When he glanced back he could see the edge of her in her grin and the flash of humor in her eyes as she no doubt prepared to tease him over it, something he accepted with good nature. Her presence was, in a way, overwhelming, but also easy. How someone could manage to be both the most intimidating person he had ever met yet also someone he could grin at effortlessly he had no idea… She was brilliant and beautiful and incredibly important, but as she teased him jokingly he recalled that it was HIM who had caught her attention.

“Yeah well… I didn’t spend the ride over preparing a speech so excuse me princess if it was lacking.” Nino rolled his eyes, smiling as he turned back towards the field.

“You were so set on making a good impression I just figured-,” she had started to reply with a smirk, when she was suddenly cut off by an incredibly serious and alert guard, Nino’s playful tone instantly gone.

“Where are the twins?”

 “What?” Alya questioned but he was already moving down the hill when she turned to look. She sat up straight, looking out over the tall grass and sweeping her gaze across the creek where they had been and all the hillocks and wild flowers.

But that’s all she saw.

Her breath caught when she heard the sharp distinctive sound of a sword being unsheathed and she whipped around to see Nino moving quickly towards the creek bed, calling out loudly in a powerful voice that startled her.

“Girls!” he shouted out, “Etta! Ella!”

Nino stood where he had seen them last, his heart starting to race as his grip on his weapon tightened. He shouted again, stepping forward and crossing the stream quickly, a thousand thoughts silenced in the back of his mind.

Part of him wanted to panic, whether for the kingdom or the girls or himself. He was dead if something happened to them on his watch but that didn’t matter, it fell silent in the face of the greater threat. Even in as peaceful a place as the field he had been an idiot. He got complacent, distracted. His own life was forfeit, but those two little girls-

“Girls!” he shouted a final time, climbing the hill of stone and rock to get as good a view as possible, ready to face an army should he find it when quite abruptly, bursting up from the tall waist high grass… were the two most furious little girls he had ever seen.

“You RUINED it!” shouted out, her pink dress dirty and wet in places, startling the battle ready soldier so thoroughly he almost lost his footing on the stones. Nino blanched and retreated, glancing up just in time to see a small family of field rabbits dart away into the grass, followed a brief distance by the heart broken wails of the second young princess.

“They were right there, they were playing and they were RIGHT THERE and you ruined it!”

“I- you- what!?” Nino blurted incredulously, somewhat aware of Alya coming up beside him as he lowered his sword.

“Girls what were you-!” Alya started herself, her entire posture furious when she was cut off by one of her sisters running into her legs, gripping her dress in greedy hands and crying out indignantly.

“We followed the bunnies all the way there to their house and they had the little babies and then he came by and he was shouting and he RUINED IT!”

Nino stared at them in disbelief for another full second before he nearly dropped his sword all together and groaned heavily, an armored hand reaching up and covering his face.

He heard Alya sigh as well, her tone frustrated as she said, “You scared us half to death and disappeared because you were watching rabbits!?”

Instead of seeing any kind of error on their part for ignoring Nino’s clearly distressed calls they chose to cling to their sister, pointing accusingly at Nino and only seeing his fault in the whole affair.

Alya was frowning as she tried to make sense of their babbling, groaning again herself before looking up to see Nino sheathing his sword, shaking his head until he finally looked relieved. He was clearly pleased that nothing had actually gone wrong, but he had been ready to kill in a heartbeat and that had to be exhausting.

“Listen you two, no listen to me,” Alya cut in to her sisters’ frantic accusations, her tone so heavy and serious that they faltered and stared up at her, Nino looking over as well. She had on her best ‘princess’ voice as she gave them an order. “Under no circumstances, ever, EVER are you to ignore your guard when he calls for you. He is here to keep you safe you do not just DISAPPEAR on him; do you understand me?”

The twins looked up at her, their expression twisting in stubbornness and still mixed with their previous devastation. However, ever as strong willed as their sister, Etta had the nerve to say, “You ignore guards and run away ALL THE TIME.”

Alya froze, pulling back a little as she opened her mouth and closed it again, searching for an answer. She didn’t look at him but she saw Nino raise an eyebrow out of the corner of her eye.

Eventually Alya huffed and said, “That’s different, I am not a little kid! You two have to stay where he can see you, and you answer when he calls. Got it?”

Alya felt a little warm for the first time in the late summer sun as she deliberately ignored Nino’s questioning expression, not appreciating getting called out by her baby sisters. She waited firmly until they more or less agreed, moving away from her now and looking instead towards Nino.

“We’re sorry,” they said together after a moment, trading a glance between them before somewhat stiffly curtsying, clearly knowing it was what they were supposed to do even if they still held him responsible for ruining their fun.

“We should have answered,” replied Etta (he was fairly sure), looking away as she added “even if it would have scared them away…”

“Yes,” Ella agreed, looking up at him and seeming a little more genuine than her sister. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We were just playing.”

Nino didn’t reply right away, taking a deep breath and finding solace in seeing them both safe and sound before saying, “It’s alright. Just please, don’t run off unless I know at least where. I want to be able to let you two have your freedom but if you ignore me when I look for you I can’t do that.”

“Yes sir,” they replied together, bowing their heads. When they looked up again his heart ached dully at their expressions, and though it was completely ridiculous to, he honestly did feel a little bad about scarring away their rabbits.

“I’ll tell you what,” he finally said, gesturing further out into the field. “If you let me help, maybe we can try and find those rabbits again. That way you can play but I can keep an eye on you, alright? I promise I won’t scare them away this time.”

The twins were expressionless for about two seconds before it finally settled in what he had said, and he couldn’t help but smile a little at how suddenly ecstatic they seemed.

“You’ll help us?” Said one, bouncing on her heels. “You’ll play with us!?” asked the other, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Yes,” he reiterated, laughing aloud when they cheered. Suddenly though he thought better of it, looking up and past them towards Alya who was watching the scene with a fond smile. “If that’s alright with you, your highness.”

“Watching a guard in full armor try and sneak around and find some rabbits?” she asked back, quirking an eyebrow as she smirked at him. “It would honestly make my day. Mind if I help?”

“Of course you can!” Etta cheered, jumping and cheering with Ella before the two of them sprinted off, heading towards the blanket where their lunches rested uneaten saying they were going to grab some ‘bait’.

Quite abruptly, as was common with the twins, they were gone, and Nino was left standing in a small clearing of trampled grass with a very amused heir to the throne.

“You’re seriously going to play with them?” Alya asked, her smile clear in her voice as she looked at him, genuinely surprised which seemed odd to him.

“They nearly scared me half to death, seems like the best way to keep an eye on them,” he answered, shrugging a little as he looked back over the small trail the girls had cut towards the hill they had set up on. “Besides,” he continued, looking back towards Alya with an exasperated smile, “they actually managed to make me feel bad about the rabbit thing. I feel like I owe them.”

Alya let out something like a ‘pfft’ before eventually she was laughing, shaking her head. “They have that effect on people, but don’t be a pushover or they’ll take you for everything you’re worth.”

“I’m not a pushover,” Nino defended himself immediately. “…I’m not!” he said again when she just laughed, starting to walk away from him and towards the girls.

“Sure thing, farmboy,” she said over her shoulder with a grin. Surprisingly, even though if anyone else had said it it might have offended him he didn’t mind it when she said it. He knew she saw him as he was… it was more just… familiar sounding. “Come on now, I need help organizing them,” Alya continued, looking forward now.

“As you wish, your highness.”

“Alya,” she replied, and when she looked back at him the image of her stunned him. The sun shone through her red hair and made it look like fire against her dark skin. Her eyes were bright and her smile kind, if mirthful, as she reminded him, “When we’re alone, you can call me Alya.”

“Right…” he answered slowly, swallowing as he suddenly looked down to create some space. He was still smiling however, focusing on the grasses and the wildflowers to clear the sight of her from his head.

Didn’t work, he noted sourly.

She laughed before calling him by name again, and together they headed back towards the hill where the twins were rifling through their lunches for anything they were willing to spare. When they reached the creek he held out his hand on instinct, prepared to help her over it, but she gave him the stink eye and he retracted it, shrugging and gesturing for her to go on her own.

He rolled his eyes when she managed to soak half of her dress but otherwise made no comment as she shook out the hem, the water logged fabric clearly enough of a cost to pay to do something on her own. He did however say aloud, “Really?” when she turned back to offer her hand to help him cross.

“Don’t want you to rust your pretty new boots farmboy,” she said with a smirk, snickering when he ignored her hand and stepped over the creek alone, bursting into a short laugh when he shot her a withering look and continued on ahead.

“Oh I was just helping!” she called after him, “Isn’t that the polite thing to do?” but she only earned another dead panned glance for her trouble, and far out into the field a family of rabbits turned their ears to the sound of light, ringing laughter.

[thesirenserenity]

Miraculous Medley Chapter Six: Something Just Like This

Marinette, a Vocal Performance and Composition Music Major at a local community college, is secretly Ladybug, the lead singer and songwriter for Paris’ most famous band, The AKs. Adrien, a Cello Performance Major at the most elite Music Conservatory, joins them under the guise of Chat Noir to play Bass. Adrien grew up believing that music was all about following exactly what the composer wanted, but Marinette teaches him that there is so much that can be communicated through music - everyone has someting to say through this universal language. Marinette is closed off to the world after being burned from a recent breakup, and Adrien helps her break down the walls she built up arround her. Based off of gittana’s Musicans AU

Rating: T - swearing and some adult content

Also on: AO3 | Fanfiction

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Thank you guys for your patience. I just finished my senior recital and can now graduate college in a month :D 

Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!! 

But she said, where d'you wanna go? How much you wanna risk?

I'm not looking for somebody, with some superhuman gifts

Some superhero; Some fairytale bliss

Just something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss

I want something just like this

-Something Just like This - Chainsmokers, ft. Coldplay

His hair was sticking up on one side under his hood.

Marinette glared across the room at the offending hairstyle, semi-hidden under his black hood. With any other of the guys, she would not hesitate to cross the room in a couple steps and fix their hair. But she had only known Adrien for a little over a month, and she wasn’t sure if they were close enough, nor had she run her hand through his hair before.  

Though, she meditated, he had all but cuddled up to her leg this afternoon while she was writing, because he had been seeking the patch of sunlight to nap in. All under the pretense of helping her write music, of course. The messed up hair was probably because of his nap.

Silly kitty.

He really did seem to act like a cat. Marinette chuckled to herself, because Alya always bragged about designing characters that were spot on.

Adrien had wiggled his way into her life. He had become her partner in crime for so many things: writing music (the boy had such good taste and his basslines were epic), teasing Alya and Nino, long chats about music history or theory, and the like. One time, they got in a debate on the chord progression of a movie that they were watching with Nino and Alya, who were slightly annoyed at the interruption.

Marinette rolled her eyes and crossed the room. “Chat,” she called, adhering to Alya’s rule of using their pseudo while being fully in costume. This gave her full right to record videos, take pictures, and whatever else she needed to do for advertising purposes. When he didn’t respond, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Kitty, your hair is a mess,” she said, lifting his hood and running her hands through his hair to fix it properly.

His bright green eyes, accented by the black make-up mask painted on his face, turned to her in surprise. He smiled down at her, allowing her to spike up his hair properly. “Hi, my Lady. You can fix my hair anytime,” he winked.

Marinette propped his hood back up on top of his head, noting the glistening silver that sparkled from his left ear. “How are the piercings feeling? It’s been a couple days since Juleka did them, yes?”

Adrien winced a little. “They still are very sore, but it’s not bad. Juleka did an awesome job.”

Marinette peeked inside the side of his hood. He had one piercing on each ear, and then a cartilage piercing on his left side.

“What did your friends think?” Marinette asked. He had come in after his rehearsal and promptly fallen asleep. Then, there had been the normal flurry of getting ready for a concert. She hadn’t really talked to him in a couple days and found that she had missed the dorky guy.

Adrien chuckled, “The people in my ensemble didn’t say much. One of my friends was a little more opinionated, but she didn’t seem to hate it. My dad was a little more upset, but I’m an adult and it doesn’t affect my performances.” He leaned in a little to her, lifting his hand to block his mouth from others, confiding. “Between you and me, bugaboo, I have been ordered around all my life, so it’s nice to make decisions of my own now.” He pulled back and winked at her.

Marinette giggled in response, but filed away the information. They had been slowly learning more about each other as they worked together as band-mates and writing buddies. He treated her like a close friend, but she could tell that he hid away a lot of his life from everyone.

“Your secret is safe with me!”

He grinned, “Are you ready for the concert tonight? We have been pumping out music pretty fast.”

“That’s usually what happens when it is summer. I have more time to write, and everyone has more time to learn the songs! I’m ready, it’s just going to take a lot of energy for these songs.”

Adrien avoided Rose, who jostled behind him through the kitchen. “You always are able to perform with an abundance of energy, so I don’t think you will have any issues! I’m excited to see you and Alya do the opener.”

Marinette grinned and looked across the room at her best friend, who was taking pictures with one hand and gesturing at Max, who was messing with their video camera. “She always brings out the best in me for these types of songs! The lyrics are a play off of a conversation we had a year ago.”

Adrien paused for a moment, reflecting on the lyrics he remembered. “That makes a lot of sense, now that you say that!”

“Okay kids!” Alya shouted through the group, “It’s showtime!”

Xxxxxx

Marinette took a deep breath as the upbeat intro played. She looked across the stage, that was set up in a park for them, to Alya, who gave her a quick wink.

They both nodded to each other and pranced onto the stage, in front of the band as Marinette began to sing.

Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun

But baby when you're done, you gotta be the first to run.

She and Alya circled around each other as Alya began to sing.

Rule number two, just don't get attached to

Somebody you could lose, so le-let me tell you

The girls high-fived as the chorus started, launching into a simple hip-hop style dance with Rose and Mylene framing them. Marinette belted out the lyrics, and Alya sang a harmony over her.

This is how to be a heartbreaker, boys they like a little danger

We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing I lo-lo-love you

How to be a heartbreaker, boys they like the look of danger

We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing I lo-lo-love you

At least I think I do

The girls finished with a spin and then pranced around the stage as they vocalized. Marinette stopped to dance back-to-back with Lila and Alya went to hip bump Nino at his keyboard.

'Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you

Both of them sang together and then circled back to center stage. Marinette took the lead, and Alya sang the upper harmony over her.

Rule number three, wear your heart on your cheek

But never on your sleeve, unless you wanna taste defeat

Marinette tapped her cheek and then waggled her finger at the audience, a grin etched on her face. Singing with Alya always gave her tons of energy. Again, the girls switched and Alya sang the melody as Marinette sang the upper harmony.

Rule number four, gotta be looking pure

Kiss him goodbye at the door, and leave him wanting more, more

Alya pantomimed a kiss at the front of the stage, and then joined the rest of the girls toward the center to dance again. They launched into the same dance sequence, popping together and spinning.

This is how to be a heartbreaker, boys they like a little danger

We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing lo-lo-love you

Marinette was in a full grin. This was one of her new favorite songs; it was so catchy, thanks to Adrien’s amazing chord progression and bassline, and she loved the lyrics. It was amazing how much Adrien had helped her with music for this concert, and she was so happy he had given her the assistance.

How to be a heartbreaker, boys they like the look of danger

We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing lo-lo-love you

At least I think I do

The song abruptly cut off at the end of the lyric, Max throwing the stage into a full black out. Through the silence, Marinette heard Nino start the beginning melody for the next song, his synth ringing out. She could hear the rest of the crew shuffling to their next positions as she planted center-stage, waiting for her cue.

She heard the phrase starting again, and jumped in, still shrouded in dark.

Tonight feels like we can do anything we like, oh

Tonight feels like the best night of my life

Bright lights started to strobe around her, and she heard Nino begin to rap over her singing, alternating with her as the beat rose.

I'm goin' in, (put your - put your hands up), I'm goin' in, (put your - put your hands up), I'm goin' in (put your - put your hands up), I'm goin' in, (put your - put your hands up)

The music built up around her, and she took a couple steps back, trusting the Alix and Kim wouldn’t run into her in the dark. Nino had recorded her voice and looped it with his own, editing it into the build up.

I'm goin' in, in in in in

On the drop, chaos ensued. There were a blow of small, sparkler-like fireworks across the stage, and the lights snapped on, colors roaming everywhere. Marinette watched as Alix and Kim flipped around the stage. Alya had traded her microphone for her phone, doing a ‘stage cam’ for the fans and running through the chaos.

Marinette pranced to the front of the stage and began to sing.

It's 'go' time, press my button yeah blow the stage, grenade

Oh my, tonight we gon' ring the tank, bananas

The music dropped slightly, allowing her to sing more lyrically.

No hold, there ain't no stopping us tonight

I'm on my crazy, she on a crazy, we on this crazy

We are amazing

She could feel the subtle build again, as Nino looped her voice for the chorus. Marinette was always amazed by Nino’s skill, as he preferred to do the majority of his mixes on the fly, rather than prepare them before, like most DJs. Like any of the other band members on stage, he responds to real time and performs just like them.

Tonight feels like we can do anything we like, oh

Tonight feels like the best night of my life

I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, in in in in

Marinette jumped into the complicated dance sequence with Rose and Mylene framing her. They had been pushing her to do harder choreography, and she could tell that her hard work had been paying off. She popped to the music, putting as much effort into the short sequence as she did her singing. Alix and Kim were pumping up the crowd with their fancy tricks and flips.

Take it to the head, take it off the edge

Nothing but the best

Feeling like a million, million people everywhere

Put it in the air

We don't give a damn, feeling like a billion, billion

Alya came up next to Marinette, her phone still filming in her hand. Marinette sang into the camera, punctuating the section with a wink to the fans. She knew that they loved the view from the stage, watching the performance from their point of view.

No hold, there ain't no stopping us tonight

I'm on my crazy, she on a crazy, we on this crazy

We are amazing

Marinette backed into the left corner where Adrien was rocking out on the bass. She bumped her hip against his, giving him a giant smile. He had worked his butt off with Nino, taking her basic sketches for the music and making it come to life. She was amazed at how talented he was, and his ability to push her to create better music.

Tonight feels like we can do anything we like, oh

Tonight feels like the best night of my life

I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, in in in in

She passed by Juleka on the drums, reaching out her hand. Juleka gave her a fist bump, her drum stick still in hand and not missing a beat. Grinning at Ivan and Lila, who were rocking away on the other side of Juleka, Marinette meet Rose and Mylene at the front of the stage just as Nino took to the mic, rapping away.

Hey you hands on the ceiling, Nobody move, nobody get shot, Lip pounds on me

I love it how a mami went around on me, So I never get enough of yelling, ven aqui

Officer on duty, *Ladybug what they call her; Take me to jail, cause I wanna be your robber

Put me in a cell if you really need to holler; Put me in a cell feed down *Bubbler, hey

To the sky, put your hands on rock, plus nobody telling please that the club is mi casa

So they wanna freak, on the way you call papa, gotta make them sing high notes like Oprah

When the ego, I got four Leo; Even the DJ, wanna rep Puerto Rico

Got it on replay, like you just broke a needle; whatever that he say, better listen up people

The girls finished their dance sequence, Marinette launching out, almost breathless, to sing again. She pranced over to Nino, giving him a high five for spitting out all those words.

Facing the crowd, she planted in center stage, singing out the last chorus.

Tonight, feels like, Tonight, feels like, the best night of my life

I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, I'm goin' in, hey!

The whole crew pumped their right fist to the air, freezing as the lights went out around them.

Xxxx

Adrien watched as Ladybug’s pigtails bounced with each step as she talked animatedly with Nino. Her hands flew in the air as she gestured, almost smacking the boy in the face. Her makeup mask was slightly smudged, but still very present.

The red really brings out her blue eyes, he thought, watching them flash with excitement.

“… And Chat killed that bass part!” She spun around quickly, startling Adrien. Her smile was breathless and beaming, as she walked backwards a couple steps. “I’m so glad that you fixed it on that drop, it made the world of a difference.”

“Of course, my Lady,” he replied with an amused smile.

Nino winked at him over his shoulder, as Marinette turned back around and skipped a few steps to the side door of Le Chat Noir. She flung it open with a bang and dashed in to greet Alya, who had come in Max’s car to help him with the tech stuff.

Nino’s eyes were laughing at her excitement, “She’s super pumped right now.”

“I haven’t seen her this excited after a show yet,” Adrien mused, as he followed Nino in through the door. “I mean, she was pretty happy after the last show, but not walking on literal sunshine.”

Nino shrugged, “She used to be like this after every show when we first started, but that ass she dated for a while kinda brought down her energy.” He smiled fondly at Marinette, who was hopping around in a squealing circle with Alya. “I’m really glad that she seems to be getting better, now that he is gone.”

“Was he really that bad?”

“Yes,” Nino almost growled. “There were many days where Alya wanted to beat the shit outta him, but knew that Marinette would be pissed.”

Adrien sighed, sad that she had to go through that relationship, but happy that she seemed to be getting better now.”

He glanced around the small club, observing the band scattered throughout the room in clumps. Alya and Marinette were still dancing around and chatting a small way from Max, who was pouring over his computer, most likely editing the video from their performance. He didn’t like to do a ton of edits, but merged in some of Alya’s on-stage camera and dubbing a better sound recording over, rather than the crappy camera sound. Juleka was carrying a couple of beers and a pink drink over to Rose and Lila, who were talking. Nathaniel, Mylene, and Ivan were watching Kim and Alix, who seemed to be trying to balance plastic cups on their noses. Everyone was lively and laughing, high off of the energy from the performance.

“It was really nice of your cousin to let us hang out in the club after the performance,” Adrien said, following Nino to the DJ booth.

Nino unpacked his laptop. “Jax is a really cool guy. The club is closed on Tuesdays, so we usually come after concerts, if they happen to be on that day. A lot of the band hangs out here a lot anyways. Mari bartends, so the drinks are free or reduced, and there is always dancing.” Nino smacked Adrien’s shoulder, “You should come on a Latin night! Those are the best.”

Adrien laughed, “Sounds like fun!” He watched as Marinette walked over to the bar and ducked under the counter that lay across the entrance. “I’m gonna go get something to drink, do you want anything?”

Nino followed Adrien’s gaze and gave him an eyebrow raise. “Tell Mari to make me my usual. I’m gonna get set up over here so we can have some beats!”

Adrien rolled his eyes at Nino’s antics and jumped down from the booth. Strolling up to the bar, he sat on one of the seats in front of the girl.

She smirked at him, “This feels familiar.”

Adrien chuckled, “Just a little over a month, huh? Who would have thought that the almighty Ladybug, Paris’ favorite singer, would become one of my close friends?”

Marinette grinned at him. “I’m glad you joined our group, kitty. You’re a fantastic addition to the team and I have enjoyed getting to know you.”

Adrien reached out, releasing her hand from its hold on the glass and setting it on the counter. He brought the back of her hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across the back of it. “And I, you, my Lady.”

Marinette pulled her hand back and poked him in the nose, her eyes gleaming. “Alright, you dork. What do you want to drink?”

Adrien smiled a loopy grin at her, “Whatever you made me last time was fantastic, and Nino requested his usual.”

Marinette laughed, picking up the glass Adrien had made her discard. She filled it with ice, and then swooped up two more glasses to join it. “Nino’s usual is just a random beer on tap. I surprise him every time!”

Adrien watched as she quickly poured rum in his glass, and what looked like vodka in the other two glasses at the same time. Another liquor was added to the two glasses with vodka, while she poured coke from the soda gun into his drink. She reached down and grabbed a jug of orange juice from the refrigerator. Dashing a little bit into the two other drinks, she poured what looked like cranberry juice from the gun to top them off. She reached into the fruit tray next to her and squeezed a lime in his drink, and slid it across the bar to him. Two orange slices were dunked into the other two drinks, followed by straws.

Whirling around, she pulled a pint glass off the stack and pondered in front of the beer taps. Adrien watched her pigtails flip over her shoulder, as she cocked her head in contemplation. He felt a loopy smile come across his face; he admired this girl so much. She was so brave, strong, and smart. Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for music amazed him endlessly. He loved watching her eyes light up with excitement when she came up with a genius idea for a chord progression or drew connections between composers’ works. He adored the teasing glint in her eye as she fended off his flirty advances. Her loyalty to her friends and deep love for them made him desire to become that close to her. Her courage to pick herself up after a bad relationship and thrive in her art regardless was inspiring.

Her playfulness made his heart sing.

He knew he was falling for ‘his Lady,’ and falling fast, but part of him did not care.

Marinette whirled back around, her bluebell eyes meeting his. She saw his loopy smile, his chin propped on his hand as he gazed at her, and offered a cocked eyebrow. He could see the familiar teasing glint in her eyes, knowing that she had caught him gazing longingly at her.

She propped one hand on her hip, “Like what you see, alley cat?”

Adrien tried not to sigh, “How could one not, when you are the view?”

Her eyes widened, and he realized that he actually said his thoughts out loud. Stammering, he sat up straight waving his hands in front of him, frantically trying to back track. “I didn’t mean… Well, you are really pretty… I didn’t want to…”

Giving up, he threw his hands in the air in frustration, and flopped his head on the bar top with a groan. His arms came down to hid his face from the still-shocked girl in front of him.

He heard a snicker, some giggles, and then her ringing laughter. Peeking up at her from his hiding place in his arms, he saw her bracing herself against the bar top, almost falling over in laughter.

Indignantly, he cried out a short, “Hey!” She looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes and still giggling.

“I’m so sorry, you just got so flustered and I didn’t even do anything this time!” Her eyes met his, filled with mirth.

He sat up, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest in a pout. “Glad to see you find my embarrassment so humorous.”

She leaned down, almost draping herself on the counter, coming close to his face. Her hand came up to caress his cheek, a dangerous glint coming into her eyes. “Kitty, why do you think I tease you so often?” Her right eyebrow cocked upwards, “Besides, you actually caught me off guard this time.”

His breath hitched at her close proximity. She drew back, walking with swaying hips to the end of the bar and ducking back under the entrance. Coming beside him, she teasingly elbowed him out of his frozen state and swooped up the two cocktails and Nino’s beer in her capable hands. Adrien shook himself out of his shock and snatched up his own drink, chasing after her quick strides.

Catching up to her, he looked down at her with a smile. She was amazing.

And he told her so, chuckling when she winked back at him.

They walked up to Alya, who was still working with Max. Marinette handed her one of the cocktails, grinning when Alya thanked her with a kiss on the cheek.

“Wanna go give Nino his beer and get the party started?” Marinette asked her, with a large grin on her face.

“You know it!” Alya snatched the beer from Marinette’s hands and bounded up to the DJ booth.

A moment later, her voice was resounding through the speakers. “Alright gang! You know the drill. I’m gonna be filming for a little bit and snapping some pictures for promo stuff, so stick to alias names for a little while. Let’s get this party started!”

The rest of the crew shouted as Nino turned up the music and down the lights. Adrien felt his heartrate pick up with the beat of the music.

Baby, this is what you came for

Lightning strikes every time she moves

And everybody's watching her but she's looking at you

He looked down at Marinette, who was taking a long sip from her drink, her hips moving in time with the music. She was watching Rose, who had grabbed Juleka by the hand and pulled her to the dance floor. Lila skipped out behind them, her hair fanning out over her shoulders. Mylene and Ivan followed a little slower, Mylene leading him with a cute dance. Alix and Kim swooped down on Max, pulling him off his laptop and onto the dance floor. Even Nathaniel was chilling on the outskirts, sipping on a glass of beer.

Marinette put her half-empty drink on the tall cocktail table and pulled his own out of his hand. “Come on,” her smile beamed up at him, her hand warm in his as she tugged him toward the dance floor. “I said I would teach you how to dance to this style when you could handle me,” she said with a wink.

Adrien’s mind flashed to the first night he had been in this club, Marinette teasing him endlessly. He grinned as she pulled him closer to her in the center of the dance floor, “Teach away, wild mustang!”

He watched as she bobbed to the music in front of him, her arms thrown up in the air, eyes sparkling, and hips swaying to the beat. Her dark hair caught the light of the flashing lights, entrancing him.

Baby, this is what you came for

Lightning strikes every time she moves

And everybody's watching her but she's looking at you

Her eyes met his, laughing. “Come on, kitty. Just let loose and have fun! There are no rules on this dance floor.”

Adrien looked around, finding that everyone was moving however the music led them to. Everyone sang the lyrics to each other, jumping up and down with the beat. He saw how people would gravitate toward each other, touching for moments, and then pull away.

Marinette saw his hesitation and pulled him toward her by his wrist. “Listen to the music and enjoy,” she shouted over the music, putting his hand on her waist.

Adrien took a deep breath, allowing the beat to wash over him as he followed her lead.

We go fast with the game we play

Who knows why it's gotta be this way

We say nothing more than we need

I say, "Your place," when we leave

The music dropped around him and he found himself singing lyrics over the loud music, his nose almost rubbing with Marinette’s.

“Follow my lead,” she said by his ear.

Baby, this is what you came for

Lightning strikes every time she moves

And everybody's watching her but she's looking at you

He looked down at her feet as she took two steps to the side, tapping her foot at the end with a hip swish, and then repeated the other way. Adrien followed her steps, syncing in quickly. This he could do, just like the ballroom dance lessons his father had him take. But this time, it was Marinette, a stunning, enthusiastic, amazing young lady in his arms and not the old ballroom instructor. He felt Marinette pulling him closer and put her right hand in his left, similar to a ballroom closed position. Instead of placing his right on her shoulder blade, as he should, he tightened his full arm around the small of her back, his arm flush against the bare skin exposed by her crop top.

Baby, this is what you came for

Lightning strikes every time she moves

And everybody's watching her but she's looking at you

They continued to move together, her hips swaying in time with his. Once he got the feeling of the step, he pulled his hand up on the touch and spun her around on the next step. He pulled her close at the end, grinning at the breathless surprise on her face. A smirk fell over her face, and her knees bent as she swished her hips more, pressing closer to him.

The music faded around them, switching to a different song. The beat gradually changed – a testament to Nino’s DJing – and everyone cheered as the new song came on. Adrien joined them, recognizing the song as one from a popular American artist. He locked eyes with Marinette, her laughter taking his breath away as she opened her mouth to belt out the lyrics.

I've been reading books of old, the legends and the myths

Achilles and his gold, Hercules and his gifts

Spiderman's control, and Batman with his fists

And clearly I don't see myself upon that list

He joined his voice with hers, singing with her and the rest of the group.

But she said, where d'you wanna go? How much you wanna risk?

I'm not looking for somebody, with some superhuman gifts

Some superhero; Some fairytale bliss

Just something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss

Adrien cradled her closer, pushing her into a typical ballroom box step. He watched her eyes widen as she followed his lead, picking up quickly.

I want something just like this

Oh, I want something just like this

He spun her around again, pulling her close. Her eyes seared into his soul with her laughter. They sang together as they danced to the music, pressing every inch against each other.

I want something just like this

I want something just like this

He could feel her breath against him, his heart pounding in his ribs. He dipped his head closer to her, singing the lyrics to her.

But she said, where d'you wanna go? How much you wanna risk?

I'm not looking for somebody, with some superhuman gifts

Some superhero; Some fairytale bliss

Just something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss

I want something just like this

Oh, I want something just like this

The music began to fade again, and the two stood, chest to chest, in the middle of the dance floor. The world had melted around them, leaving them alone. All he could feel was Marinette in his arms, her hands around his neck and tangled in his hair. Their foreheads were pressed together as they swayed with little attempt to follow the music.

“I want something just like this,” Adrien sang with the dying music.

His breath hitched as she pulled closer, laying her head in the crook of his shoulder. Her body fit right into his, her breath against his neck. Adrien folded his arms around her further, hugging her to him.

It felt perfect. Amazing. Miraculous.

They stayed like that for what felt like decades, with no attention to the next song playing through the speakers, lost in each other.

Marinette finally pulled back a little, looking into his eyes with a deep gaze that surprised him. He had never seen her look at him like that.

Confusion splashed suddenly across her face, and she reached into her back pocket. Still tucked in his arms, she fished out her phone and unlocked it, looking at a text. Adrien couldn’t help but watch due to the close proximity and his natural curiosity.

He felt, rather than heard, her gasp against him, her fingers frantically pulling up a different application. Her head whipped toward the edge of the dance floor, where Alya was smirking at them, waving her own phone in the air.

Adrien followed her gaze back down toward the twitter feed on her own phone. A video began to play of a familiar dance floor and two familiar figures in red and black, pressed together and singing their hearts out.

Trending: #Ladynoir

[thatwriterchickrachel]

Mysteries at Midnight - 16.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe; Chat Noir/Ladybug

Characters:

Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug)

Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug)

Alya Césaire

Adrien Agreste

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Nino Lahiffe

Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug)

Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)

Madame Bustier (Miraculous Ladybug)

Chloé Bourgeouis (Miraculous Ladybug)

Nathaniel Kurtzberg (Miraculous Ladybug)

Lila Rossi (Miraculous Ladybug)

Additional Tags:

dance au

Ballroom dance

College

Grown up AU

Royalty AU

Language:English

Read on Ao3 Chapter 1                        Chapter 2 Chapter 3                        Chapter 4 Chapter 5                        Chapter 6 Chapter 7                        Chapter 8 Chapter 9                        Chapter 10 Chapter 11                      Chapter 12 Chapter 13                      Chapter 14 Chapter 15

Chapter 16 - The Afterglow and the Undertow

Summary: Marinette isn't the only one with a guest

“I feel bad for the delivery guy,” Marinette said as she began to unpack the three bags of food the guy had delivered. “Next time, Alya, we are meeting him down stairs.”

“Holy crap.”

Marinette looked up to see Alya in a fit of giggles and Adrien blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“We may be slight, but we can eat a lot,” Marinette giggled, trying not to let embarrassment eat her alive. She turned and got three plates and began to open everything up, calling for her friends to come and get what they wanted.

Marinette stood aside, a glass of juice in her hand as she watched Alya begin to pile her plate, Adrien staring in disbelief. Adrien shot Marinette a look of shock as Alya grabbed a fork and carefully walked back to her spot on the floor with the coffee table.

“Don’t you dare get food on that fabric, Alya,” Marinette warned as she picked up the last plate. Marinette noticed that Adrien only had a small amount of food on his plate and she frowned.

“Is everything okay? Do you not like Indian?”

“N-no, it’s great. I love Indian food,” he said, staring at his plate as he put some rice onto it.

“Adrien,” Marinette said, staring at him until he met her eyes. “Please, don’t be shy, eat as much as you want. Don’t forget, I have pastries and bread filling my freezer. No-one goes hungry in a Cheng house,” Marinette added with a smile.

“I-if you’re sure.”

“Adrien, if you don’t at least double the content of what’s on your plate,” she said, looking at the tiny portion, “I will personally force feed you until you get so fat you can never be a model.”

Adrien met her eyes and she was trying to hold her best serious face but Adrien began to laugh and Marinette broke with a smile. “Really, Adrien, it’s fine.”

“Yeah, this girl learned from her mother and you know how much that woman cooks and how good she is. Adrien you have to come ‘round one night and have Marinette make you dinner, she is so talented in the kitchen. She’s just good at everything,” Alya called to them and Marinette felt her cheeks burn. That woman was going to get a punch in the face, Marinette resolved.

“I have no doubt,” Adrien said with a smile as he finished putting food on his plate and showed it to Mari who nodded in approval.

Marinette filled her own plate and sat back where she had been before, the bottle of juice in her hand so she and Adrien could have refills whilst Alya continued to work on her bottle of wine.

“So are you feeling better, Mari?”

“Huh?”

“You seemed pretty upset earlier, I don’t blame you. But you missed dance class and I thought you never missed dance class?” Adrien asked as he scooped a forkful of rice, careful not to spill any on her couch.

“O-oh, yeah. I guess I just needed some time to myself,” she said, hoping it sounded believable.

“Well, here,” he said, shifting to the side and pulling a thin folder from under him, handing it to her. Marinette tried not to blush as she realised why the folder was warm, instead focusing on opening it and feeling all air leave her lungs as she saw the intricate careful designs of her idol. Sure, the copy was black and white and there was a watermark on each page, but it was inspiring.

“T-thank you,” Marinette said after a moment. “Looks like I’ll be able to get some work done this weekend after all.”

“But you were going to design for Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Alya whined.

“I still can, but I do have a course to pass, you know. I mean, yes, I’m worried about them and their real identities getting out, but we all have studies, you know? I doubt they are dealing with them very well.”

“That’s true,” Adrien replied thoughtfully.

“Anyway, I’m staying in tonight, but if I make some decent progress, I’ll be able to see Nino tomorrow night,” she smiled and Adrien looked at her in surprise.

“Y-you’re going out? To the club? Where we know Volpina has been?”

“I don’t want to think about it like that,” she explained, but in truth, that exact thought had been running through her head in the last few hours. “Plus, I promised Nino weeks ago. This is his first time DJ-ing for the dancers, I wanna be there to support him.”

“Mari, you only want to go to learn some more moves,” Alya replied shaking her head.

“That’s not true!”

“M-moves?” Adrien echoed and Marinette felt her cheeks turn pink.

“I, um, I like to dance and last time, well, I, um…”

“She was drunk and got some cute dancer guys to teach her moves,” Alya smirked and Marinette widened her eyes, hoping the metaphorical daggers she was sending might actually pierce through Alya’s inebriation and knock some sense into that girl.

“Alya,” she hissed but Adrien just gave a small smile.

“That sounds like it would have been a lot of fun,” he said, seemingly unperturbed by Alya’s statement. Marinette felt a small wave of relief.

“I did learn some good moves,” she replied before focusing back on her food. The other two did the same as their food slowly went cold. The music played around them, Marinette’s mixed playlist switching from Jagged Stone, to something lighter, and then something ballroom before switching back to some pop-punk covers. The three ended up talking until mid-evening when Adrien received a call from his driver about heading home.

Marinette tried not to let out a yawn as she stood up and cleaned their mugs from the tea they had turned to drinking.

“Marinette, thanks for letting me stay,” Adrien said and Marinette turned to see him leaning against the bench top behind her in the kitchen.

“Oh, it was nothing, really. You saw how much food we had,” she added with a smile.

“If you’re free this weekend, let me know and we can hang out,” the boy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Okay, but at your place for a change, right?”

“Exactly,” he chuckled before looking at his phone in his hand as it lit up. “Gideon is down stairs, guess it’s time for me to go. Alya, do you need a ride home?” he asked as he headed to the door.

When she didn’t respond, Marinette and Adrien turned to see Alya slumped against the couch, breathing deeply, her glasses askew.

“It’s okay,” Marinette sighed with a tired smile. “She’s done this before. I’ll wake her and she’ll stumble to my bed and pass out in no time. I’ll walk you down.”

“Your bed?” Adrien asked as he watched Marinette pull on a cardigan.

“It’s just easier,” Marinette shrugged as she held the door open for him. She shut it behind them and wrapped her cardigan around her waist before following him down the stairs. “We’ve known each other so long, it’s like sharing a bed with a sister,” Marinette explained.

“Huh, I didn’t know people actually did that,” Adrien replied.

“Why did you think my spare room was so trashed when you first stayed over,” Marinette asked with a nervous laugh.

“I didn’t think about it,” Adrien said after a moment. “So what are your plans for the night?”

“Well, I’ll put Alya’s drunk ass to bed and then maybe design. Madame Bustier said Ladybug and Chat Noir are doing the tango, so looking up references will be fun. I’ll work on my project tomorrow. Thank you for bringing me those copies,” Marinette said as they reached the entry doors.

“It was no problem really,” Adrien replied but there was something in his tone.

“You sure? It doesn’t seem like…”

“Y-yeah, just bargaining with my dad is frustrating is all,” Adrien sighed. He put his hand on the door and turned, flashing Marinette a smile. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow then. Goodnight Mari.”

“G-Goodnight Adrien,” she said as she watched him head down the steps to the waiting black car. Frowning, she made her way back up to her apartment and locked the door behind her, picking up her phone to check the time only to see her Ladybug account had a message from Chat Noir.

[ChatNoir:] Are we still on for tonight, m’lady?

Crap. Marinette shook her head at her phone, typing her response before walking over and giving Alya a nudge.

“Hey sleepy head. Get up or else you’ll mess your back up,” she said, her voice rather motherly. Alya just grunted in response and Marinette shook her head, poking her friend in the side until she groaned in annoyance.

“Mari, let me sleep,” she whined.

“I will, just not on the floor. Come on, you can borrow and pair of my pyjama pants,” Marinette said as she grabbed Alya’s arm and tugged her to a standing position before helping the girl stumble to her room.

~~~~~~

[Ladybug:] Sorry Chat. I’ve got a friend staying around and can’t get out. Tomorrow. I promise.

Adrien sighed as he threw his phone onto the seat beside him. He was worried about her, that was for sure, but if she was spending a night in, then at least she was safe. Marinette was safe too and not alone. Sure Alya was passed out, but she was still there.

Adrien was left on his own though, like too many other nights. He asked Gideon if he would be able to drive him out in an hour and the driver nodded, dropping Adrien off and driving away. With a sigh Adrien took the elevator up to the top floor and opened the door to greet Plagg. The cat followed him to the kitchen, meowing and winding around his ankles, almost tripping him up until Adrien put down the bowl of cat food, wincing at the smell of camembert – Plagg’s favourite.

He went into his room and threw some clean dark clothes on his bed before going for a hot shower. When he stepped out, he shook his hair out and watching in the mirror as it fell into place of someone more familiar than his well-groomed self. He let Chat’s trademark grin slide on his face and took it away just as quickly when he realised how out of place it looked on the face of the model. Without the mask and with that smile he looked like some weird random who didn’t really fit in, but it was the opposite for Adrien, even if it didn’t always feel that way.

As Adrien got dressed, he thought about how everyone seemed to accept him wherever he went. He often had wondered if it was because of his name and his fame; but then he met Nino. Nino didn’t care for the fame like others seemed to. They had just sat together at the open day and Adrien had made a rather terrible joke about something the speaker had said, and just like that, Nino became his friend. They began joking and laughing and spent the day chatting and hanging out, Nino never once mentioning Adrien’s claim to fame and he greatly appreciated it.

Adrien pulled on a black shirt and ran his hands through his hair, about to apply his cat ears, when someone knocked on his front door. With a frown, Adrien hurriedly neatened his hair and went to answer it, his heart nearly stopping when he saw a mask.

“Hello Adrien Agreste,” the girl almost purred. She had brown hair and two plaits down her front that faded to orange. Her mask was orange, similar to his Chat Noir mask, only the ears went up past her hairline and she wore a fox-tail necklace.

“Volpina,” he breathed and the girl blushed.

“You know my name? I’m flattered,” she replied, fluttering her green eyes. “May I come in?”

“Uh, um, sure,” he floundered as he stepped aside to let her in. She wore a peplum dress which appeared to be a bit too small for her as Adrien noticed the way the cuffs on the sleeves seemed to tighten around her upper arms as she took off her coat. The top of the dress was orange like her mask with a dark peter pan collar which Adrien recognised from his father’s line. So she was pretty well off, he realised as he shut the door and followed her.

“Would you like a drink or something?” he asked and she shook her head.

“No thanks. I came to talk to you about something,” she said as she sat on his couch, her jacket slung over the back. She patted the seat beside her and Adrien slowly moved to it and sat stiffly, not letting himself relax until he knew exactly what she wanted with him.

“Wh-what did you want to talk about, Volpina?” he asked and she smiled.

“I would like to tell you my true identity, but not tonight,” she said, reaching for his hand. He let her take it, but kept his body rigid.

“Then why did you come here?” he asked before swallowing hard to bury the squeak he was sure would come out his throat. He had to keep his nerves in check, he reminded himself.

“I wanted to ask if you got my note,” she said coyly, fluttering her eyelashes as she ran her other hand up and down his. Her behaviour was more than a little over the top, he thought. She must really be desperate to impress him.

“N-note?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” she replied with a smile and Adrien nodded slowly.

“Y-you’re V,” he said. “That makes sense, I guess. V for Volpina,” she nodded. “Unless your real name also starts with V?”

She smiled at him. “You’re eager, I’ll give you that, sweet Adrien, but I’m not here to tell you that tonight.”

“So, um, what did you mean… about Ladybug being a fake?” Adrien asked after a moment, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. She seemed to appraise him, whilst simultaneously adoring him and he found he would rather be in a sea of screaming fans.

“Oh, that will all come to light soon. I just wanted you to know that she is misleading you. She isn’t the perfect little doll everyone thinks she is.”

“Well, I know that,” Adrien said. “I mean, she’s human, she’s a student like me, like us. We have classes we have assignments, we are human, we are flawed,” he said with a shrug but she gripped his hand tighter, forcing him to meet her eyes.

“No!” she hissed. “You don’t understand. You are perfection, like me, we are excellence. We are above the others; don’t you see? She is a fake, a fraud. She is pretending to be something everyone wants when she is not.” Volpina’s green eyes were almost blazing and Adrien was a little surprised at the intensity of her tone.

“You will see, Adrien Agreste,” she murmured, looking away from him. “You will see the truth and then we will rise, we will be the strongest couple the world has ever seen, on the dance floor and off.”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp knock at the door caught his attention. He got up, leaving the girl on the couch and opened it to see Gideon standing there, looking tense and a little worried.

“Gideon?”

“Adrien, you left your phone in the car. I wanted to make sure you were-” Gideon’s eyes floated to the girl on the couch and he lowered his voice. “Adrien, who is this?”

“This is… a friend,” he replied and Gideon frowned.

“So you will not be going out tonight then?” the man asked, but he said nothing more on the topic of the girl.

“Um, well, no, I guess not,” Adrien said after a moment. “S-sorry to put you out. Thank you for bringing my phone up.”

The driver just grunted and bid him goodnight before stalking off, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Adrien just watched him, confused but not saying a word, unable to say anything due to his guest.

“Who was that, Adrien?” Volpina asked from the couch.

“Oh, um, just my driver. I left my phone in the car,” he added with a mumble as he put it in his pocket and returned to the couch. Volpina shifted closer to him once he was seat and put her hand in his again, leaning closer.

“You’ll see, my sweet Adrien. Ladybug is a fake and you deserve better,” she hummed, leaning on his shoulder. Adrien, feeling incredibly uncomfortable, suddenly got up claiming something about going to the bathroom and all but ran to his salvation, locking the door behind him and leaning against it with a sigh.

This was the girl who was threatening Mari and Ladybug. The girl who for some reason wanted him, well, he reasoned with himself, he knew now. She wanted him to dance with her, to be her partner on the floor and off. Everything he wanted with Ladybug, he realised as he stood and ran some cold water before splashing his face.

But he wasn’t like Volpina. He wasn't blackmailing and threatening others to get what he wanted. If Volpina wanted to win him, she would have to do it the right way. But Adrien wasn’t supposed to know so much, he remembered as he towelled off his face.

But maybe… maybe if he could convince her to come back, that he was on her side, she might confide in him, tell him her plans.

Adrien nodded to himself, taking a deep breath before leaving his room.