#adrinetteapril2018

[purrincess-chat]

More Than Just a Friend CH6

I did it! It has been updated! Enjoy this angst/crack/fluff. You’re welcome.

Read on AO3

Chapter 6

Adrien fell backwards onto his bed with a sigh, arms spread out on either side of him. He’d really screwed up. Marinette would probably pick Luka over him after what he’d done, and he couldn’t really blame her. Maybe Luka did deserve her more; he certainly seemed more level-headed and knowledgeable about this stuff. Why was he so lame?

First Ladybug, now Marinette. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for love. Maybe he was just meant to be alone forever, locked in a giant house. Some boyfriend he’d make. He would probably arrange a date then his father wouldn’t let him go. At least Luka could actually show up.

His chest tightened at the thought, and the walls of his room seemed a bit narrower than usual, filling his stomach with a fluttery feeling of dread. His lungs felt tight, forcing him to take short, quick breaths until his head spun. He needed to get out for a while before this house suffocated him.

Once out on the rooftops, he took a deep breath, gripping his staff in one hand and letting the cool air brush his cheeks. He didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he didn’t want to be there right now, so he began wandering the city aimlessly, barely paying attention to which direction he was headed, just letting his feet carry him where they pleased.

One thing he did have in his favor was that he was Chat Noir, but he couldn’t exactly tell her that. It would make life a lot easier though. Then he could steal her away from her balcony and take her on her own private tour of the city, but if Hawkmoth found out, it could put her in danger. Sometimes he hated keeping secrets, but he knew why they were important. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to her because of him.

Speaking of Marinette…

“So, you’ve really made up your mind?” He picked up Alya’s voice below, ears standing upright as he skidded to a stop above them. She and Marinette were chatting over coffee by the looks of it.

“Yeah, after I kissed Luka, it all became clear to me,” Marinette said, and Chat felt his stomach flip.

He shouldn’t listen in. He couldn’t listen in. As he vaulted off, his heart began to crumble piece by piece, eyes burning, hands shaking. She picked Luka. He really had screwed everything up. After putting a considerable distance between them, he stopped on a roof, leaning against the wall and biting his lip hard to prevent tears from spilling over.

What was wrong with him? Everyone else found love so easily, but he had failed twice now. He glanced over at a billboard of his cologne ad and let out a bitter snort, his perfectly doctored face seeming to mock him. Lots of girls went crazy over that face, his face, yet he still always ended up alone. He had so many admirers yet no one to love. Maybe it was just his lot in life.

Many people told him how fortunate he was to have a famous father. To have wealth and fame, popularity and possessions, but he’d never felt lucky. Not all those years he spent trapped inside. Not when his mother disappeared. Not when his father constantly stood him up or when he was forced to eat dinner alone. Not now as he sat crying on a rooftop because his heart was torn in two.

No, Adrien Agreste wasn’t lucky. He was completely and utterly alone.

His staff beeped, startling him a little as he flicked up the screen. An akuma near Notre Dame. Near Marinette’s house. Great. Exactly what he needed. At least he knew that she was across town, so he doubted they’d run into each other. Better get it over with.

“Doesn’t Hawkmoth ever take a break? It’s a school night,” Ladybug groaned as Chat landed beside her, and upon seeing his less than sunny disposition, she cocked a brow. “You okay, kitty?”

“Not really, so let’s hurry up and take care of this,” he said, springing into action.

Chat was in no mood to crack jokes or come up with witty banter, and Ladybug shot him worried glances throughout the battle. When she finally tossed her lucky charm, he didn’t bother sticking around. Ring flashing, he vaulted himself across the city, paying no mind to which direction he was headed. He didn’t care. He just needed to be away, but as it turned out, not paying attention to where you were going when you were leaping through open intersections came at a cost.

“Ack!” A high-pitched yelp sounded as he crashed into another body swinging through the intersection at the same moment.

His vision blurred red as they toppled to the ground, rolling over each other until they landed in a tangled pile of limbs and yoyo string. He sat up with a groan, locking eyes with her as the last pad on his ring faded.

“Oh no,” they said in unison as their transformations dropped before their eyes, unable to untangle themselves until Ladybug’s yoyo disappeared, and they were both left staring blankly at each other.

And who else could his partner and first love be other than the one girl in the city he was hoping to avoid.

“You’re Ladybug? You’re Ladybug?” He repeated with increasing volume until Marinette clamped her hands over his mouth with a shush and pushed him up.

“Okay, okay, yes, I’m…” She glanced over at the animated movie promo and shrugged. “And you’re…Okay, this is not good.”

“Wow, I’m certainly happy it’s you too,” Adrien grunted, turning away with a scowl.

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant!” She waved her hands frantically, crawling over on her knees to cup his face. “What I meant was this shouldn’t have happened. We aren’t supposed to know.”

“Too late for that now,” Adrien said sardonically, and Marinette covered her face with a moan.

“Okay, we need to talk about this, and…we also just need to talk,” she said, lowering her hands slowly to peek at him.

“Look, I already know you picked Luka. You can spare me the announcement,” he said, and when her eyebrows furrowed added, “I overheard you talking to Alya.”

“You eavesdropped?”

“Not on purpose! I was just out getting some air, clearing my head, and I heard you tell her that you picked Luka,” he explained, holding his arms out in a display of transparency. “I didn’t stick around after that. Trust me.”

“Adrien, you big, dumb, stupid, idiotic-” she punched his shoulders with each new adjective. “I didn’t pick Luka, you dummy.”

“But I heard you tell Alya that everything became clear as soon as you kissed Luka!”

“Yeah, became clear that I didn’t feel that way about him!” Adrien leaned back, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Wait, so you-”

“Picked you, you walnut!” She smushed his cheeks between her hands.

“Oh.” He said through fish-lips. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

“Adrien,” she sighed, sitting back and pinching the bridge of her nose with a laugh before punching him in the shoulder again.

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get for eavesdropping!”

“I’m sorry!” He dodged another punch. “Stop hitting me!”

Above them, thunder rumbled, and they glanced up as droplets began to fall. Marinette glanced around, spotting her umbrella a few feet away and crawling to retrieve it.

“Come on,” she opened it then offered him a hand. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Adrien accepted gently, twining their fingers as they walked which she allowed. Everything suddenly felt so surreal, his pulse quickened, his palms started to sweat, fingers tingling against hers. She’d really picked him. Him and not Luka. All of his worry and doubt seemed so silly now as she huddled closer to him as the rain picked up.

Marinette picked him.

Marinette was Ladybug.

The only two girls to ever steal his heart were actually one and the same, and she was holding his hand. They were probably going to makeout later.

“This is actually your umbrella,” she commented as they walked. “You gave it to me on your first day of school when it rained, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” he glanced up at the plain black umbrella.

“That was the moment I fell in love with you,” she said, and his heart lurched at the declaration. “There was this big clap of thunder, and all of a sudden, I just saw you. I’ve never been able to get my words right around you ever since.”

“Wait, so that’s why you always-”

“Yeah,” she pressed her lips together. “You must have thought I was crazy.”

“No,” he chuckled. “Just anxious and easy to set off.”

“Somehow that feels worse,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. “All this time I wanted to be close to you, and all along you were always right beside me as the person I trusted most.”

“Well, am I everything you’d ever hoped?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“I could do without all the cat puns,” she said honestly.

“Me-ouch.”

“I’m home!” Marinette called as they entered through the back door. “Adrien and I got caught in the rain. Is it okay if he stays here until it lets up?”

“Of course, honey. You two go dry off. I’ll bring up some warm croissants,” Tom said with a smile.

“Thanks, Mr. Dupain,” Adrien nodded politely before Marinette dragged him up the stairs to the apartment.

“Sorry, we don’t have any Camembert, but will brie do?” Marinette offered Plagg a small plate with a wince.

“Oh, yes, this will do just fine,” he moaned, licking drool from his lips before digging in. She smiled down at him before pouring hot water from the kettle over their tea in cups.

“So, what exactly are our options here?” She asked, setting a cup in front of him.

“We could invent a time machine and go back and stop us from bumping into each other,” he suggested with a smirk, but her expression was anything but amused.

“We need to be careful. I think it’s best if we keep pretending like we don’t know when we’re fighting akumas. If Hawkmoth finds out we know our identities he’ll use it against us,” she said cupping her chin. “And we need to be open and honest with one another. We can’t get akumatized, so we need to lean on each other for support whenever we need it.”

“You can lean on my shoulder any time,” Adrien winked, and Marinette suppressed a giggle.

“Speaking of, we should confine our relationship to our civilian life. No kissing in costume. Ladybug and Chat Noir must remain professional partners,” she said giving him a stern look. “That also includes interactions between civilian and alter egos. No balcony visits.”

“But-”

“None,” she quirked a warning brow, and Adrien bit back a teasing grin that grew wider as the corners of her mouth twitched. “You stay off my balcony.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he curled his shoulders and sipped his tea, casting her sad kitten eyes before they both broke into a fit of giggles.

Adrien flicked his gaze down to her hand resting on the table, walking his fingers over until they brushed her palm. She turned her wrist to twine their fingers together, rubbing her thumb across his knuckle.

“So, I can be as affectionate as I want with Marinette, right?” He asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Of course,” her cheeks flushed a little.

“So, I can hold your hand in public?”

“Yes.”

“Hug you from behind?”

“If you want.”

“Stare adoringly at you in class?”

“Only if you promise to pay attention to the lesson.”

He mulled over her answers a moment then flicked his gaze back up to hers.

“Me being you-know-who doesn’t change your mind at all?” He asked, cocking a brow, and Marinette pressed her lips into a firm line.

“No,” she shook her head. “If anything, it strengthens it. I know I can trust you.”

He smiled at that, biting his lip a little.

“I am a little offended by one thing,” he said, and her eyebrows furrowed. “You kissed Luka.”

“Adrien,” she rolled her eyes, shoulders relaxing. “If we’re being technical, I kissed you first.”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember it, so it doesn’t count,” he smirked as she let out an exasperated sigh.

Thunder clapped outside as their gazes locked, and Adrien leaned in first. Marinette tilted her head, breath hitching as their lips brushed. Adrien laced his fingers through her hair, her breath hot on his lips, but before they could release the tension, Tom burst through the front door. They jolted apart, cheeks flushing as her father waltzed in.

“I brought up some- oh, am I interrupting?” He paused, a giddy grin creeping over his lips.

“Papa!” Marinette growled, cheeks as scarlet as her Ladybug suit.

“I’ll just leave these here; carry on,” Tom smirked, setting the tray down on the table and tiptoeing out, and Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So, based on what you remember, who’s a better kisser? Me or Luka?” Adrien asked, and Marinette shot him a glare.

“You really want me to judge based on the one time I awkwardly kissed you while dodging your cataclysm to break a spell put on you by an akuma?”

“Fair point. I need a do-over,” he leaned in again, puckering his lips, but Marinette stuffed a croissant in his mouth before he made contact.

“You can have your kiss if you take me on a date,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, and Adrien bit through the croissant, setting it aside as a smug grin pulled at his cheeks.

“Oh, you wanna go on a date with me?” He cocked a brow.

“Yeah, and you better impress me,” she shot back, jabbing his chest with her finger.

“Oh, I’ll impress you,” he said with a wink.

“Why do I have a bad feeling?”

“Just be careful what you wish for, m’lady,” he shrugged. “I’m young and irresponsible with a lot of money at my disposal and a lot of people willing to throw together anything I ask for at a moment’s notice.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

“I have a hot pie!” Tom announced, reentering the room with Sabine in tow. Marinette knew those faces well. Embarrassing parent mode had been activated. She needed to act fast.

“Why don’t we all have a slice and talk about our day?” Sabine suggested.

“The rain is letting up now actually, so Adrien was just leaving,” Marinette said, pulling him to his feet, but the traitor seemed to catch on and enabled smug boyfriend mode.

“I could go for some pie,” he said, flashing her a knowing grin.

“It’s getting late. What if the rain picks up again?” She countered, giving him a warning look.

“A little rain never hurt anyone,” he shrugged.

“You could get sick and then you wouldn’t be able to come to school, and you’d fall behind, and-”

“You could help me catch up.”

“Yeah, but you have so many extracurricular activities that syncing our schedules might be hard, so better not chance it,” she shoved him toward the door.

“I’m so lucky to have someone who cares about my health and well-being so much,” he sighed, pressing a hand over his heart. “I’ll definitely come over another time, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” she said, pushing against his rock-hard abs, but he dug his heels in stubbornly.

“See you tomorrow,” he leaned down to press a purposeful kiss to her cheek then tilted his chin up to whisper in her ear, “lovebug.”

Her cheeks burned red as she watched him smugly round the corner of the stairs, eyes locked until he disappeared. He was so dead, and she was so not keeping that nickname. Mangy cat.

[harleysart]

Adrienette April Day 9: Jealousy This hurts me more than I thought it would be 😢

[australet789]

We will call this place our home, The dirt in which our roots may grow. Though the storms will push and pull, We will call this place our home. Let the years we’re here be kind, be kind. Let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide. Settle our bones like wood over time, over time. Give us bread, give us salt, give us wine.

Made this for Adrinette April Day 24:Piano 

Yes i know im late, when im on time with this events?

[nattikay]

Adrienette April Week 3: “Reveal”

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

[rhyme-vii]

I heard it was @adrinetteapril, so here’s smth for day 25: sneaking out

[quesbee]

‘Look at us,’ he crooked a smile at the display. 

‘You look like sunshine,’ Marinette mumbled, eyeing his dry and as always perfect blonde locks, and the blue scarf framing his beaming face. 

‘You look like rain,’ he chuckled.

‘Thanks a lot’, she sniffled and brushed her bangs away from her eyes, just in case she would need to scowl at him. 

‘Rain is beautiful, Marinette,’ he said all of a sudden, turning to her. ‘There are thousands of songs in the rain, if you know how to listen. There are thousands of stories,’ he whispered. Rain gives life.’

 It gives love too, she thought, recalling a different rain and a different umbrella. Suddenly her eyes felt wet again. Adrien was staring at her expectantly, but what did he expect, she had no idea.

~@perditaalottachocolate-blog  

Day 18 Umbrella: Read Chapter Here

[adrinetteapril]

Announcing Adrinette April

Welcome to Adrinette April, the month dedicated to nothing but Adrinette! Pictured above is the calendar of daily prompts, however! Considering a lot of people are busy (including myself) I have opted for an alternate system as well. You’ll notice that each week his highlighted a different color, and each of those responds to a different weekly theme which are as follows:

Week 1: Just Friends (yellow)

Week 2: Falling in Love (green)

Week 3: Reveal (purple)

Week 4: Dating (pink)

You may either create daily content for each prompt as you please, or if you are short on time you can just create one thing a week following the weekly theme. If you want to participate on hard mode you can even follow the weekly theme as you do the daily prompts. (week 1, each prompt depicts them as just friends, week 3, each day is a different reveal, etc) Your entries can all be related or all complete separate entities; it’s totally up to you! You are welcome to participate in any way that you like. Art, fic, gif, cosplay, interpretive dance, whatever your craft is! Just be sure to @ this blog and use the tag #adrinetteapril2018 (make sure that is aDRINette and not aDRIENette) so that I can see it and reblog it here! If I fail to reblog something within 24 hours of you posting it, please feel free to message me! I won’t intentionally skip over anyone, so if I missed something please let me know! Hopefully everyone has fun, and Happy Adrinette April!

[seasonofthegeek]

Adrinette April, Day 30: Rewrite

Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (art), 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

“What are you doing in here?”

Adrien jumped at the sound of his father’s voice, face going red as he turned away from the large family portrait at the end of Gabriel’s office. “I was, um...”

“Save both of our time and don’t bother with a lie, Adrien,” Gabriel sighed, moving further into the room. “Were you trying to get into the safe?”

He straightened, squaring his shoulders. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’d like to see the jewelry you have in there.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Adrien fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the photos he’d taken of Marinette’s drawings. “These. I want to see these.” He expected Gabriel to go cold and tell him to leave so when his father let out a heavy sigh, Adrien blinked in surprise.

“I guess I knew this was coming,” Gabriel murmured. “I don’t know that I have the strength to keep fighting it anyway.”

“What are you talking about?”

Gabriel held up a finger as he crossed the room. “You’ll listen to what I have to say and then if you still think you should take the jewelry, I’ll let you.”

Adrien frowned but nodded, following his father’s lead and taking a seat at the desk. 

“What is in the safe isn’t just jewelry; they are items of immense power and magic. I used them to create this world.”

Adrien stiffened. “I don’t understand.”

Gabriel nodded. “I know. That’s my fault as well.” He leaned forward. “Adrien, in another life, we lost your mother.”

“No...”

“It wrecked me. You know how much I love her. I did things...” He trailed off, pursing his lips. “I did things that I’m not proud of now, but at the time, I was desperate to get her back however I could.”

“But she’s not gone.” Adrien looked towards the office door. “I just saw her when I got here.”

“Now,” Gabriel nodded. “She exists here. When I brought her back, it rewrote our lives as if she had never been gone.”

“The memories.” Adrien swallowed hard, looking down at his hands. “You made me see so many doctors.” He glared across the desk at Gabriel. “You made me think I was crazy.”

“I’m sorry. Adrien, I’m so sorry.”

Adrien stood, the chair screeching across the marble floor. “Give me the jewelry.”

Gabriel sagged in his chair. “I’m not sure what will happen if you put the ring on, son. We could lose her all over again. Is that something you’re willing to chance?”

“I don’t...I’m not...” Adrien sank back down.

Gabriel shook his head. “I knew the moment I heard Marinette was in the building that it would be over soon. I’ve kept you away from them as much as I could. I wanted to leave Paris but your mother wouldn’t have it. She loves it too much here.”

“Do you remember the other world? The one without Mom?”

“Clearly,” he nodded. “Things are finally starting to blur because this would be around the time when I changed everything. Hopefully I won’t have two sets of memories anymore soon.”

“What about the rest of the world?”

“What do you mean?”

“What did bringing Mom back affect?”

Gabriel blinked. “Outside of us, nothing that I’m aware of. The business has been more successful so I suppose there could be ramifications for someone else because of that, but I doubt anything big has changed. No one would remember it if it had.”

“Does everyone have two sets of memories? No one talks about it. Until Marinette, Nino, and Alya, I thought I was nuts. You let me think I was nuts,” he accused.

“The four of you had recently held Miraculous when everything changed. I believe that saved your memories somehow.”

“Me, Marinette, Nino, and Alya wore the jewelry?”

“Well, and Chloe Bourgeois,” Gabriel added with a grimace. “I suppose perhaps that didn’t go well but still worth the cost to have your mother.”

Adrien felt a rush of anger. “Chloe?! Chloe, who has been institutionalized on and off our whole lives?!” He stood again and slammed a fist on the desk. “No one affected?! Give me the jewelry, Father, now.”

Gabriel stared at him and then nodded, standing and crossing the room to the safe. “You could be taking your mother’s life away.”

“You took five lives away,” he spat back. “I’ll go talk to Mom. When she finds out what you’ve done--”

“No.” Gabriel turned sharply. “Whatever you do, you can’t tell her about this. No matter what you think of me now, it would destroy her.”

“Fine.”

Gabriel opened the safe and pulled out the glass box that held seven pieces of jewelry. “Please take some time to think about it,” he said, carefully handing the box to Adrien. “And read these.” He gently placed two books on top of the box, one thick and obviously very old and the other a leather-bound journal.

Adrien took them and left the office without another word.

______________________________

Marinette paced the length of Nino’s living room as Alya and Nino watched her. 

“He’s on his way,” Alya offered.

“You didn’t hear the way his voice sounded,” Marinette said quietly. “It’s been days since he talked to his father.”

Nino stood. “Maybe we’ll finally get some answers. Do you guys want me to order in some food?”

“I’m not hungry.” Marinette turned on her heel and began to pace the other way.

“Well, you’re eating,” Alya replied. “Thanks, babe. Food would be great.”

A knock on the door grabbed all their attention and suddenly Marinette was suddenly wrenching it open. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was about seeing Adrien that instantly made her feel better but it was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A weight that seemingly stayed on his. 

He moved past her with barely a smile and set the box and books on Nino’s coffee table. “It’s all there. Everything about why we have different memories.”

Nino immediately picked up the old book, eyes widening. “I remember this.”

“Yeah, I think it was yours,” Adrien sighed, dropping into the armchair. “The other one is a journal my father kept about everything. Things he did in the other timeline, the Miraculous we held, things he wishes he could’ve changed.” He shook his head. “It’s all there.”

Alya brushed her fingers against the glass over the foxtail necklace. “And he just gave these to you?”

“If you read towards the end of the journal, it makes more sense. He’s exhausted. I guess having two timelines in your head for almost forty years really does a number on you.”

Marinette stood by the armchair. “How are you though?” she asked softly.

He looked up at her with a broken look in his eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” he whispered. 

Giving in to her every instinct, Marinette dropped into the chair with him, wrapping her body around him as much as she could in a hug. Adrien’s arms were instantly around her, his face buried in her neck.

Everyone stayed silent for a while, Alya and Nino reading while Marinette and Adrien held each other.

“So one of us could bring the Ladybug and Black Cat together and try to change the world back, but you would lose your mom,” Nino finally said.

“And our lives here would be over. We can’t know for sure what has happened here also happened in the other timeline,” Alya pointed out. “Our family, our friends, the experiences that made us who we are, those could be gone, or at the very least, too different to make the same impact.”

“Yeah,” Adrien sighed. “That’s the problem. There’s also a friend of mine who held one of the Miraculous. She’s been in and out of institutions our whole lives. I never really knew why because no one talk about it, but I’m going to bet it has to do with all this.”

“Do you think getting the Bee back to her could help?” Alya asked.

“It’s not going to erase the last twenty-five years even if it does.” Adrien scrubbed at his face with the palm of his hand. “No one really wins either way.”

“Except your father apparently,” Marinette muttered. 

“I don’t know.” Alya held up the journal. “He seems pretty miserable.”

Nino leaned back against the couch. “I don’t think we should try to undo this timeline.”

“Why?”

“There’s no way to make it exactly the same. What if we all end up with three sets of memories. We really will be insane, no offense,” he nodded to Adrien. 

“None taken.”

“So Gabriel just gets away with what he did?” Marinette sat up. “Who knows what he took away from us, what we could be missing out on. It’s not right.”

“I know, but there’s nothing we can really do, Mari,” Nino winced. “We can’t take this to the police and have him arrested. No one would believe us.”

“Do we just leave them in the box?” Alya stared at the necklace. “I don’t know if I can.”

“What if we out them on and try?” Marinette suggested. “You said it would take the Ladybug and the Black Cat together to change things so they should be safe enough apart, right?”

“It’s worth a try, I suppose,” Nino nodded. He opened the box carefully. “Let’s give it a shot.”

______________________________

Chat Noir crouched on the wall outside of the Agreste mansion, watching Emilie move around the office through one of the large windows as she straightened things and laughed at something her husband said while he worked at his desk. 

“She’s still here.”

He turned to see Ladybug standing behind him. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I was worried.”

“I told the others to go ahead. They’re going to attempt to see Chloe.” She sat down beside him on the ledge. “Do you remember?”

“It was kind of a rush of memories when I transformed. Sorry for running off. I really needed to know if she was okay.”

“I understand.”

“We were...we were together,” he finally said.

“Yeah, I remember,” she nodded.

“How does that make you feel?”

Ladybug bit her lip and smiled at him, cheeks burning. “How does it make you feel?”

“I asked you first, my Lady.”

Her breath caught at his words. “It makes me angry that your father caused us to forget a second of it,” she admitted, glaring at Gabriel through the window. “It’s not fair that he doesn’t get punished for this.”

“I know.”

“But I don’t want to lose any more time.” She took his hand in hers, resting her head on his shoulder. 

There were more words that needed to be said. There were actions that needed to be taken. There were questions and complications and so many issues that needed resolution. But for now, for this small moment at the beginning of their new lives, they simply sat together and enjoyed their time together.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading this month! I hope you enjoyed the story. <3

Buy me a coffee?

[catboythanatos]

Adrinette April Day 14

here’s some sweet fluff to make up for not writing yesterday;;;;;;; i really like this one, actually, so i hope yall do too c:

@adrinetteapril

Day 14: Confess

“And then, I would confess to him, but, oh, I can't do that, can I-”

“Of course you can! You can do anything, Marinette!”

Marinette huffed, blushing, curling up in the corner of her bed where she and Alya sat, discussing the logistics of Marinette’s longtime crush.

“You've been friends for like, almost a year, babe, I know you wouldn't be ruining your guys’ friendship. You want him to know, don't you?”

“Yeah, but, like… only if he likes me back,” squeaked Marinette.

“Marinette,” Alya assured gently, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “He will. He does.”

“You don't know that.”

“Sure I do.”

“But what if he doesn't!? I know you say it wouldn't ruin our friendship, but wouldn't it be awkward if he knew I liked him? And he didn't like me back!? I know it’d make me feel pretty guilty…”

“But c’mon, think about it; You're still friends with Nathaniel, and you know he had a crush on you. And Nino did, too. Remember? It'll work out, no matter what, okay?”

“Okay…” Marinette was obviously still unsure. “I guess…”

Alya didn't know what else to say to reassure her. She wanted her friends to stop dancing around their obvious crushes on each other and just get together already. And she knew that, as ridiculous as it may sound looking at Marinette’s shy disposition and obvious aversion to making the first move, the blue-haired girl had to be the one to initiate in this situation. Adrien was adorable and oh so sweet, and Alya loved him to pieces, but he was just downright oblivious. He didn't know he had a crush on Mari, but he did. She knew he did. It was obvious to everyone but himself... and Marinette.

Their entire class was getting sick and tired of hearing the two pine over each other so air-headedly. Marinette, at least, knew that she was gushing over him. Adrien didn't even seem to have a clue what he was doing. In his defense, he was extremely repressed, and had never actually had friends before (Chloé notwithstanding) let alone a girlfriend.

“Girl,” Alya sighed. “Don't worry so much. If you're not ready to confess to Adrien, then you don't have to. I think you should, but this is about you, not me. It's okay if you don't yet.”

“No, I do want to!” Marinette suddenly exclaimed. “I do! I wanna tell him.” Then she pouted, excitement levels plummeting. “I'm just scared. I'm scared of what he’ll say, and I'm scared of what I’ll say, I'm so bad with my words, what if I just say something embarrassing…”

“It'll be fine, Marinette. I'm sure of it.”

“Okay…”

“You’re going on another coffee date with him tomorrow after school, aren't you?”

“Well, not a date, no, just a-”

“And you said you were wanting to tell him then, right?”

“Yeah… But… No… I don't know.” Marinette sighed heavily. “I did say that. But what if I can't?”

“Then it's no big deal! There's no pressure, Mari. Like, go for it, but don't feel bad if you have to stay in your comfort zone either. You're Adrien’s best friend! I'm sure he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable either. He will understand. No matter what happens, it'll be okay. I'm sure.”

“One hundred percent?”

“One hundred thousand percent.”

“That's not how percentages work,” Marinette smiled as Alya pulled her in for a hug.

“You'll do fine. Now, c’mon, let's go have some of those cookies your dad’s making. You'll feel better.”

--

Marinette and Adrien sat in the café, sipping their drinks in relative silence. Adrien smiled at her, she fidgeted with the hem of her top under the table.

“So, Marinette,” Adrien broke the silence.

Marinette looked up at him from where she’d been hyper fixated on the one loose string coming off of her shirt. “Hm?”

“Have you played the new Mecha Strike game yet?”

“Oh, uh, no. I haven't bought it yet. Is it any good?”

“It's awesome! You should come over and play it sometime!”

Like a date? thought Marinette. Yeah. That was smooth. She imagined herself saying it five separate times, with different hand movements and mannerisms, but the words just couldn't come out of her mouth for some reason. She looked down at her hands.

“Y-yeah, for sure! I'd love that…” Her mouth suddenly felt really dry, and she wished that she had ordered something besides a coffee.

“Marinette? Is something wrong?”

“Uhh, n-no… no…”

“You sure?” Adrien tilted his head to the side a little, curious but perfectly concerned. Marinette melted down into her seat under his questioning gaze.

“Uh, um, I, the, uh,” she stammered. She knew that she should tell him -- he already knew something was on her mind… But she really hadn’t wanted to make a scene about it. She wanted to curl up and pout; barely 10 minutes in and she was ruining everything already.

Adrien was still just looking at her, with that worry in his lovely green eyes, and his lips set into a slight frown.

“I-it’s not…” she managed, swallowing the lump in her throat. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“Are you sure?” It was obvious that Adrien didn’t believe her.

Ughhhhhhhhhhh.

Marinette tried to remind herself of what Alya had said. It would go fine, no matter what.

“If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me.” Adrien’s eyes were gazing into her soul, in a way she normally would have loved, but right now, she just couldn’t bear it. She stared down at her lap.

“There… is something, I guess. B-but it’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s upsetting you, then-”

“N-no, I’m not upset! Just… nervous.” Marinette met Adrien’s wide eyes finally, offering him the most petite of smiles. He seemed to light up at it, and her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. He was so wonderful...

“I like you,” she blurted out suddenly. She then gasped at herself, slapping a hand over her mouth.

“No, no, no, don’t be embarrassed.” Adrien’s cheeks were tainted a faded pink. “What did you say?”

“I-I, um…!” Marinette’s voice came out as a small, high-pitched squeak. “I-I… I l-l-li….”

Adrien blinked at her.

“Like… you…”

“Like me?” he echoed.

Marinette nodded very slightly, burning up with embarrassment.

“You…” Adrien quickly rouged at the realisation. “Oh, um…”

Marinette was avoiding looking at him, hoping that if she concentrated hard enough, she could cease to exist and become one with the leather chair; willing an akuma to burst through the window of the cafe and kill her and Adrien both to end this misery.

“Marinette, I…” Adrien swallowed, chuckling nervously and rubbing his neck. “I think I like you, too.”

Marinette looked up, wide-eyed. Her lips parted in a small ‘o’ of surprise. She couldn’t even find the words to express how she felt. Really? She wanted to say. For real? You, Adrien Agreste, like me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng? There’s no mix-up here? Really really? But the words didn’t come out. She just continued to gape.

“M-Marinette? You’re making me nervous here.”

“Oh! Um! Oh gosh…”

“Haha, it’s alright…”

“No, I…”

“It’s okay… y-you don’t have to say anything…”

“Okay.”

They looked at each other, each embarrassed for their own silly and nonsensical reasons. They both liked each other! There was really no need for any of this. But that was okay.

“So, are we like-- did-did you wanna be like...” Adrien said, clearing his throat. The next word came out in a whisper that sounded a little bit scared, and very unsure: “Dating?”

Marinette would have laughed at his treatment of the word ‘dating’, but it sounded fairly foreign to her, too. She swallowed. “Only…. Only if you wanted to be.”

“I think I want to be.”

“Really?”

Marinette stared up at him, eyes still blown wide. Adrien cracked a smile finally.

“Absolutely.”

Marinette thought she might melt. “O-okay!”

The rest of the date went on comfortably, and almost the same as normal, except Marinette caught Adrien blushing and stuttering, and Adrien couldn’t stop noticing the girl’s adorable freckles…

Even though it hadn’t exactly gone the way Marinette had planned, she was still ecstatic.

The pair both went home that evening with big, dumb smiles on their faces that they couldn’t shake off.

--

When Adrien arrived finally in the sanctuary of his room, his kwami emerged from his coat pocket, and immediately started laughing, as if he had been about to burst the entire date from holding in all of his teasing side comments.

“What was with all that stuttering?” Plagg howled. “Aren’t you normally cooler than that? Where’s Chat Noir, huh? Who’s this loser!?”

“Shut up!”

“I’ve never heard you so nervous! What were you even nervous about -- you already knew she liked you back!”

Adrien was bright red with embarrassment. “Yeah, but… I dunno, Plagg. She just… She’s so…!” He failed to find a comparison. “Even Ladybug has never made me feel that way before. She’s really somethin’ special.”

Plagg rolled his eyes at his chosen, who was sprawled across his couch in a theatrical swoon, looking like a human version of the heart eyes emoji. “I’ll never understand you.”

“Me either,” sighed the blond boy, sounding nothing short of delirious.

Plagg shook his head. “I’m still proud o’ you, though.”

“Proud of me? Why?”

“Ehhh…” the kwami shrugged. “Well... You’re alright, kid.”

Adrien didn’t really understand what that meant, but he’d accept any compliment from the normally sarcastic kwami. “You’re alright, too.”

Adrien sighed dreamily again.

“I’m better than alright, though. I have a girlfriend, Plagg. Oh wow… That feels kinda funny to say, doesn’t it… Girlfriend…” Adrien was giggling like a baby, or someone high on something you can only find in a dentist’s office.

“Alright, I take it back. I don’t even have words for how much you’re embarrassing me, Adrien. I’m going to ignore you now.”

“Mmm, okay.”

“I’m serious.”

“Uh huh.”

“Like, if an akuma attacked right now, I wouldn’t even hear you say ‘transform me.’ Although you probably wouldn’t notice it anyway, you wouldn’t notice an akuma even if it punched you in the face, you’re so wrapped up in your own little world here.”

Adrien just laughed lightly. “Yup, sure, whatever.”

“Whoa, wait, I’m ignoring you, you’re not ignoring me. Stop that. I’m trying to complain about you.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Hey!!”

Adrien closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. Plagg continued to protest, but he had really stopped listening now. Marinette is my girlfriend….

“Hey, Adrien!! Adrien!!! Ugh, the nerve! Goddammit. He’s so dumb. He never listens. He’s an idiot. A lovesick idiot. She’s Ladybug, too. Not that he cares, no, he doesn’t even care. I know who Ladybug is and it’s his goddamn girlfriend and he doesn’t even care!” Plagg huffed. “Kids these days…”

[sodokachi]

Day 14: Confess

(ao3 link)

Adrien held the two objects steadily in his hands. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he glanced between them. Behind him, Plagg lounged on his desk with a piece of cheese in paw. The Kwami looked decidedly uninterested in what Adrien was doing. Despite this, Plagg rolled his eyes and then spoke.

“Are you going to waste all day staring at those?” he grumbled. “Surely, your time could be spent better… like by getting me some good cheese.”

Adrien didn’t take his eyes of them as he replied. “I already got you the good cheese.”

Plagg made a disgusted sound. “Psh, and you call yourself french. Can’t even tell which cheese is good.”

Adrien finally looked up, annoyed. “I prefer brie, Plagg. Sometimes I want to eat some as well.”

“Whatever,” Plagg said, gulping down the piece of brie. “Why are you looking at those things again?”

“This scarf isn’t from my father,” Adrien said while holding it up to the light. Marinette was written clearly on the inside of the hem.

Plagg actually looked surprised. “How did that happen?”

Adrien grimaced softly. “I don’t know… and I’m not sure if I want to. I hope Marinette didn’t get too upset about me not realizing this was her craftsmanship.”

“I don’t know why you’re feeling guilty,” Plagg said flatly. “How would you have known?”

“Trying to be nice now, Plagg?” Adrien asked, his lips quirking up into a smirk. “Is this your new strategy for getting cheese out of me?”

Plagg stared at him. “Is it working?”

“A little bit,” Adrien admitted, barely stopping himself from laughing.

There was a moment of silence before Plagg spoke up again.

“So, you gonna tell the girl that you know now?” he asked.

“I would, but...” Adrien hesitated.

Plagg sighed, already getting impatient. “But what? Do I need to ply you with a cookie too?”

“No, although a cookie would be nice...” Adrien drifted off for a moment before shaking his head. “I just, does this look familiar to you?” he held out the other object.

Plagg pretended to squint confusedly at it. “Are you still going on about that being from Ladybug?”

“Yes,” Adrien said suredly. “It’s definitely from her. I know it.”

“Suuuurrrrrre,” Plagg said sarcastically. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t tell the baker girl-”

“Marinette.”

Plagg shot him an irritated look. “-your girlfriend that you know about the scarf.”

Instead of his normal reaction to him saying that, Adrien cheeks darkened into a soft rose color.

“That’s just it,” he murmured softly. “The handwriting on the card is the same as the scarf.”

“...It’s not fun to mess with cats, kid,” Plagg frowned slightly as he spoke. He floated over to Adrien and took a closer look at both the scarf and card. After a moment a slow catlike grin spread across his face.

Adrien pouted, already knowing where this was heading.

“You’ve been sitting behind Ladybug for months,” Plagg guffawed. “Oh this is rich! I can’t believe you didn’t recognize her.”

“You didn’t either!” Adrien defended.

Plagg waved his paw dismissively. “I’m not in love with her.”

“..Shut up,” Adrien’s cheeks grew darker. “How in the world am I going to talk to her?” he muttered.

Plagg rolled his eyes. “What’s there to talk about? She already confessed. All you have to do is respond.”

“I’m going to have to figure out how to explain finding out her identity,” Adrien anxiously ran his fingers through his hair.

“Just bake a cake or something,” Plagg said dryly. “And get me some camembert. I think I’ve put up with enough today to deserve the best.”

“A cake?” Adrien beamed. “Of course! I’ll bake a cake.”

“Uh,” Plagg frowned. “That wasn’t a serious-”

Adrien dropped some camembert in front of Plagg. “I’ve been hiding some,” he winked. “Thanks for the help!

Plagg stared at the cheese for a moment and then looked up at Adrien. “Okay.”

“At least this will be entertaining,” he said to himself as he watched Adrien look for a good cake recipe online while snacking on his cheese. “The idea is so stupid I bet Tikki will love it,” he grumbled, before hiding a smile behind his cheese.

[freedom-shamrock]

Taste of Freedom

Also on AO3. This is a Hugdrien story and direct follow up to “Settled In”, though it can stand on its own.  It is also the @adrinetteapril April 15 prompt, heartache. 

For the first time in her entire secondary school career, Marinette had no trouble getting ready for school on time. It helped that her boyfriend and superhero partner was now her roommate, and that he was definitely a morning person.  It also helped that he offered sweet rewards, like kisses and neck nuzzles, along with his nudges to keep her moving.

"Have a great morning, kids," her papa called, waving as they picked up a small bag on their way out the door.  "See you at lunch."

"Bye, Dad," Adrien replied, positively beaming.  He hadn't taken up residence with them for even 24 hours yet, and he already looked so much happier.  "Have a fantastic morning."

Marinette ignored the wide-eyed looks of their customers, many of whom were long term and knew she was an only child, and most of whom recognized him as Adrien Agreste.  She caught his hand and tugged him out of the bakery. At this rate, the gossip rags would have them married by lunch, but she didn't really care that much. His joy was infectious, and she smiled at him as they started down the sidewalk.  

"I like seeing you like this," she said.  "It might even be nicer than hugging you."

His eyes narrowed slightly.  "To be clear, you aren't planning on withholding hugs just because I'm happy, right?"

"Of course not," she insisted with a laugh.  "I'd never do that to you."

"I know, and I'm grateful," he replied, going completely serious.

And she was back to wanting to suit up to plant her first in his father's face.  "Unlike the poorly-blended buttercream that you commonly call 'father,' I am not an abusive fuck."

His eyes went wide.

"I'm honestly horrified that you think it's okay or even necessary to thank me for not being manipulative."  She held up a hand when it seemed like he was about to interrupt.  "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault you were conditioned by a loaf of moldy supermarket bread to expect abusive treatment."  She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier how bad it was for you."

"It's not your fault, Princess."  He leaned down and kissed her forehead.  "I didn't really realize it, either." He shrugged.  "And since we're on the subject of my delightful father."

She rolled her eyes and bit back the commentary that wanted to come out.

"I'm meeting with him after school."  He pulled on her hand when his words made her freeze in the middle of an intersection.  "Not at the mansion, because I don't want to have to physically fight anyone to get back out."

"You think he'd…" she stopped herself, shaking her head.  Of course Gabriel would try to use force to keep his son under his control.  "When and where, and should I be there?"

"Right after school."  His smirk was very Chat Noir in nature.  "With two months until Final Bac, he tried to pull me out of school once he realized I'd really moved out.  Or rather, once Nathalie told him. But I'm eighteen, so Mr. Damocles contacted me to see if this was what I really wanted. With a very brief summary of the situation, he was willing to let us borrow his office."

"Wow."  She smiled.  "Score one for Mr. Owl."

"Yeah.  It's honestly the most neutral spot we could meet."  He looked down at his feet. "I think you shouldn't be there, just because that would give my father a target other than me, and the minute he blames you, I might kick his stupid teeth in."

"Oh."  She stared at him, surprised.  It was a really good reason. "Uh.  Can I wait for you in the library?"

"I'd love that, actually."

Marinette was on her feet and out of her chair the moment Adrien opened the library door.  Shoving her sketchbook into her bag, she jogged over to him before he'd gone more than three steps.  His arms were slipping around her waist, pulling her to him before any words were spoken, which was unusual for him.  Even after being assured that hugs were available anytime without a request, he tended to ask or announce his plans to hug her.  She felt a faint tremble in his hands where they rested on her back.

She pulled his head down to her shoulder, pushing her fingers into his hair.  She wanted to ask what happened, but it was obviously bad, probably even worse than he'd expected, and really, she didn't need to know right now.  

"Can we go home?" he asked, his voice small.

"Yeah."  She tightened her arms around him.  "You want to go the regular way, or the fast way."

"Fast, please," he mumbled.

She stepped back, and he let her.  She took his hand and hauled him to one of her favorite on campus places to transform.  It was even easier since school was over, and the only students they had to watch out for were staying after for clubs or studying.  In less than five minutes, they were dropping into her… their bedroom through the skylight, transforming as they hit the bed.

"What do you need?" she asked.  "You don't have to tell me what happened or even how you're feeling, just let me know what I can do to help you."

"Can we snuggle?"  

She hated hearing him so meek. She flopped onto her back and held out her arms.  "Come here Kitty. Ooph." He'd sprawled mostly on top of her, burrowing his face into her neck.  She settled herself in for a long session of comforting him, one hand on his back and the other in his hair.

After several minutes, he broke the silence.  "I don't know why I let him do this to me. I give him power he doesn't deserve over me."

"It's hard to break a pattern after several years," she said.  "Even if you can look at it and logically recognize something isn't right, emotions don't work like that."

"It makes me feel stupid," he grumbled.

"You aren't stupid, but it's okay to feel that way."  She sighed. "Should I ask what happened or would you rather not talk about it?"

"He's just such a jerk," he blurted, one of his hands finding the skin of her arm to draw random designs with his fingertips.  "He didn't think I'd actually move out."

"Not a surprise, there," Marinette said.  Gabriel's reaction after Adrien announced he was leaving, had not sounded like a man who believed his son.

"And he thought he could threaten me into going back."  He moved to rest his head on one hand, but kept his eyes on the mindless motion of his fingers.  "No bribery, and certainly no apologies. Not even empty promises that neither of us believe anymore."

"Ugh."  She couldn't quite keep it in at this point.  "How on earth did you spend the last five years raised by that separated ganache emulsion, and end up so kind and caring?"  His lips twitched briefly into a faint smile, reinforcing her use of food-based insults. She shook her head. "Do we need to do anything to prepare to deal with his threats?"

Adrien snorted.  " He thinks he can blackball me from modeling, cut off my income and ability to support myself, but he's going to be disappointed on that front."  He smirked. "The day before I moved, I spent a lot of time contacting other agencies and fashion houses in Paris, and it turns out Gabriel Agreste has made plenty of enemies with that charming personality of his."

"Oh my," Marinette whispered in delight.

"Enough of them are eager to poach the Agreste heir, that they aren't going to push for long term contracts with non-compete clauses, leaving me free to model what I want."  He looked pleased for a moment, then it gradually faded. "He didn't mention you, but I get the feeling this won't be the last I hear from him. I'm worried he'll try to hurt your career next."  His warm green eyes filled with tears. "And I know, rationally, that none of this is my fault, but it's like you said. And I can't help but wonder why my own father doesn't love me."

Marinette reached up to catch his tears with her thumbs.

"And the things he said…"  He took an abrupt breath. "He wants to hurt me, ruin me so I come crawling back to him.  I expected the anger, but that…" he gulped. "It was worse than even I imagined he could be capable of."

Seeing him so hurt, made her feel like crying, and she had to swallow the frog in her throat before she could speak.  "Think you'll be up for a war council tomorrow? I think you'll feel better if we have contingencies."

"War council?"  His tear-stained puzzled look was positively heartbreaking.

She nodded.  "Mama, Papa, Alya, Nino, and Chloe.  They love you too, and we're going to help you move past this so you can regularly be the happy guy you were this morning."

Next in series > No More Lumpy Custard

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

April Weather (20)

@adrinetteapril​ 2018, Day 20: Scarf

Days: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | art | 6 | 7 | 8 | art 1 | art 2 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | art | 19 | art | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | art | 29 | 30 |

AO3 / fanfiction

‘Kill me, Tikki,’ Marinette whined. ‘Put me out of my misery!’ She dropped to her cushion again with a dramatic flail of her hands.

‘Get yourself together, Marinette,’ the kwami was hovering over her head with a motherly scowl on her face. ‘This is not the end of the world.’

‘It definitely is,’ the girl pouted. ‘I messed up things with Adrien. I used my secret identity to spy on him. I used that knowledge against him. I’m gonna go die an old unloved crazy spinster, and I’ll be found three weeks later half-eaten by Alsatians!’

Tikki shook her head. ‘Aren’t you overreacting a little bit?’

Marinette stuffed her head under a pillow.

‘It’s not like you’re old already or keep any animals,’ the kwami pointed out. ‘And with your luck you might even get mummified into a nice wrinkled and dry corpse.’

A blue eye peeked from under the pillow. ‘Thanks,’ Marinette grumbled sourly.

‘You’re welcome,’ Tikki beamed at her. ‘It’s good to always stay positive,’ she lectured. ‘Now get up.’

More of Marinette’s face appeared. She shook her head. ‘I am never leaving this bed again,’ she stated solemnly.

The red sprite giggle was cut off when she looked at her Chosen.

‘I’m serious, Tikki,’ the girl warned. ‘It’s already decided. I will stay here and this way I won’t do any more harm,’ she declared.

‘Come on, Marinette,’ the kwami pulled at her pigtail. ‘There are far worse things than learning your crush might reciprocate your feelings,’ she suggested.

‘Yeah, continuously lying to your crush is probably near the top of that list,’ Marinette sulked. ‘I am never getting up. I’m a mess, worse than Chat’s cataclysm,’ she reasoned.

‘Wouldn’t be so sure about that,’ Tikki said under her breath.

Marinette’s phone chirped, but she made no move to retrieve it. The kwami sighed deeply and flew to the device.

‘It’s the Ladyblog,’ she said matter-of-factly.

‘Akuma?’ the girl raised the pillow only a bit.

There was a beat of silence, as Tikki read the entry and frowned.

‘Tikki?’ Marinette called. ‘What’s happening?’

‘It’s Chat,’ the read sprite replied thoughtfully.

‘Is something wrong with him?’ the girl sat up so fast she felt dizzy. ‘What does the Ladyblog say?’

Tikki brought the phone to Marinette. A deep wrinkle ran across the cute black dot on her forehead as she chewed at her cheek. ‘I don’t know,’ she finally replied dropping the device into the girl’s hands. ‘It says here Chat was spotted on the Eiffel Tower some time ago and he just sits there. He doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak. He’s wedged tightly between the beams and only his feet are visible from below.’

Marinette quickly browsed through the post and included pictures. She looked to the window. It was barely noon and there was no patrol scheduled for today. Why would Chat do such a thing? If he was in trouble he would call Ladybug or in other way let her know he needed her help.

‘I need to check on him,’ she decided forgetting in an instant about her plan to never leave her bed.

Tikki gnawed at her bottom lip. ‘I don’t like it,’ she mused. ‘Be extra careful, okay?’

Marinette nodded in agreement and called on her transformation. Soon she was approaching the tower. She spotted Alya at the base.

‘Hey,’ she called. ‘You’re the Ladyblogger, right?’

The girl turned to her and sighed in relief. ‘Oh, Ladybug, thank god you’re here.’

‘What’s happening?’ Marinette felt the sudden spike of panic.

‘Nothing really,’ Alya explained. ‘We’re just worried because Chat is always so chummy and outgoing. And now he doesn’t reply to anything.’

‘Maybe he’s taken a cat nap?’ Ladybug jested but it came out a little strained.

The blogger knitted her brows. ‘I’m sure there are far more comfortable places to chill than this.’

She pulled up her gallery and showed the footage of two feet dangling from a beam.

‘That is strange,’ Ladybug agreed. ‘Well, time to see what’s this all about.’

She climbed to the second floor before looking around for Chat’s location. She spotted him soon enough. He must have felt extra mean choosing that place, because there was nowhere to stand on. She would have to hang on her yoyo if she wanted to get to him.

As she neared him, it turned out that he was hidden under a beam in such a way, that she couldn’t see the upper half of his body, no matter how she angled the yoyo.

‘Chat? Chat!’ she called, getting as near as possible, so that she wouldn’t have to shout.

‘M’Lady,’ a mumbled acknowledgement of her arrival came from under the beam.

‘Is everything okay?’ Ladybug asked, relieved that he at least spoke to her. ‘Why are you here?’

There was a deep exhale and a screech of his claws against the metal of the beam.

‘Nothing is okay,’ he muttered.

‘Welcome to the club,’ she snorted.

Chat hummed something inaudible in reply, but to her ears it sounded suspiciously like “Not yet”.

‘Wanna go somewhere else?’ she asked instead.

‘I’m gonna stay here, thank you very much.’

Ladybug rolled her eyes at the grumpy tomchat’s antics. ‘Wanna tell me what happened, then?’

‘Can’t,’ he droned. ‘It concerns my civilian identity.’

‘Oh,’ she tightened her grip on the yoyo. Her arms begun to go numb from hanging in this position for so long. ‘Is there a way to tell me without giving me too much personal details?’ she asked. ‘Maybe I can do something.’

‘Oh, you’ve already done enough, believe me,’ his voice sounded almost ominously, but there was no doubt that he was hurting.

‘Come on,’ she encouraged. ‘Give it a try. We’re friends, right?’

His snort was so loud, people downstairs probably heard it too.

‘Chat?’ she was grasping at straws at this point, uncertain how to get to him. ‘Please, talk to me?’

There was another deep sigh, a pause and-

‘There’s nothing to talk about, LB,’ he finally said. ‘I screwed up. Big time.’

‘Oh.’

‘There’s this… girl,’ he continued and Marinette’s heart clenched. This was something new.

‘I- I was stupid. At first I didn’t see how amazing she was. Then I did, but I was still stupid because I thought of her as my friend and before I realized I-,’ he sighed again,’ I hurt her.’

This sounded oddly familiar. Her ears twitched as she listened to his story, peppered with sighs and pauses.  

‘She agreed to my moronic idea of fake dating even though it must have been really difficult for her,’ she heard him say and her grip on the yoyo loosened, causing her to slip down a few centimeters.

‘Fake d-dating?’ she asked faintly, catching herself before she slid further down.

‘Yeah,’ he confirmed gravely. ‘The stupidest of my ideas that made me fall for her and lose her at the same time.’

She heard a sniffle that probably marked the end of the tale, but she was unable to respond. Between the numbness of her hands and the numbness of her brain, she couldn’t sort out what she should do. There was a thought nagging at her mind, that she couldn’t quite shape, like an itch that she couldn't reach.

‘So there you go,’ Chat breathed sadly. ‘My misery in a nutshell.’

‘It sounds like…’ Ladybug hesitated, briefly wondering is she had the right to make that assessment, ’it sounds like you love that girl,’ she pointed out, ignoring that strange tug her heart gave.

‘Yes,’ he whispered through a shaky breath. ‘I do.’

‘I- ,’ she squeaked, ‘I’m sure you’ll find the way to make this right,’ she offered. ‘You can start by being honest with her.’

‘I already have,’ he replied scrambling to his feet. ‘Kind of started anyway.’

His head emerged from under the beam, hair in even more mess than usual, ears dropped. He smiled sadly at her. ‘Thank you for listening, my Lady. I feel better now.’

‘Of course,’ she nodded watching as he crawled into her view. ‘If you ev-’

She choked on her tongue, when she saw a blue scarf wrapped around Chat’s neck, obscuring the bell from her view and billowing behind him. Her partner pulled himself up to the beam, oblivious to her shock

‘W-where did you get that?’ Ladybug burst out before he could get away.

‘You like my scarf?’ He smiled tenderly, hand clutching at the garment. ‘She made it for me,’ he purred, his claw tracing the edge where a silver thread was woven into a curvy M.

‘I’ll be going, LB,’ the lovestruck smile morphed into his trademark grin, ‘As I apparently like to say, a hero’s work is never done.’

With that he shot her a two-finger salute, and vaulted himself of the building and into the brightness of the sunny afternoon.

Ladybug let go of her yoyo.

[harleysart]

Adrienette April Day 19: Partners 

Part 2 Part 3

 Sorry it got a bit wordy. I'm getting cheesy again. I'm not gonna stop though.

[deijnar]

In the Rain again

<previous day // overview // next day>

Adrinette April, Day 18: Umbrella ran by @adrinetteapril

The following is the continuation of this

“I’m sorry son but I don’t think that Marinette would be comfortable with meeting you right now” Tom apologized to Adrien and mumbled “also she’s got a bad hangover” to himself so the innocent, nervous boy in front of the counter couldn’t hear him. Apparently he was more than sure that his daughter didn’t drink much but alcohol seemed to be her natural enemy.

“Oh- uhm- yeah, well I understand, yes” Adrien stammered as all the hard-earned courage he’d built up to actually go to her home to talk to Marinette vanished within seconds.

With a small smile Tom exhaled and inspected the fidgeting jitterbug, clearly clueless about what to do next. That he didn’t want to go without having achieved anything was as obvious as that this boy and his daughter had blooming feelings for each other.

So he, Tom Dupain, declared it his very own mission to get this awkward yet adorable mess sorted out!

Who said you can’t pick your own son-in-law?

“I’ll see what I can do but don’t get your hopes up” he said as indifferent as possible but the sparkling beam he got as an answer threatened his poker face immensely. Now he understood why Marinette’s best friend always referred to him as ‘the pretty sunshine boy’.

“You will? Thank you so much Monsieur!” sunshine boy exclaimed euphorically before clearing his throat and calming down a little.

Control yourself, Agreste.

“Watch the bakery while I’m gone, would you?” Tom turned around and headed to the stairs leading to their personal space. On his way he passed his wife that leaned against the doorframe and shook her head at him with an amused smile. He answered with a wide grin and she began to giggle.

“That’s my husband all over” she chuckled and kissed his cheek. “You may be the only father in all of Paris setting his daughter up instead of chasing every boy away.”

Playfully he scoffed. “If I wouldn’t do it my dear wife would” he responded and the proud grin on Sabine’s face was all proof needed.

Since the very first time he’d climbed them he hated the stairs to Marinette’s room with a fiery passion. They were steep, the stairs were small and the trap door was nothing less than a nightmare.

But he would do anything for the happiness of his little girl.

“Marinette?” he asked carefully after knocking while he entered her room.

“Donscreamame” she mumbled into her pillow and curled up.

With a smirk he remembered his first hangover and how much he wanted to kill his parents for not letting him suffer in peace.

Surely he would grant his beloved Marinette the exact same experience.

“There’s a gentleman in the bakery dying to speak to you” he explained casually (yet louder than necessary) causing her to sit up straight blazingly fast. Her painful grimace showed that she regretted it immediately so she just slumped back on her back.

“Tell him I’m not home” she answered embarrassed and hid her face behind her blanket.

“No, better tell him I passed away! Yes, I’m dead!”

Holding in his laughter Tom started a last attempt.

“Oh Netti, but he really is so nice and…”

“I’m dead!” she yelled into her pillow as loud as she could without causing her head to burst (which wasn’t very loud).

“Guess I’ll send him away then” he responded and slowly turned around, not banning the smirk off of his face.

“Do that” Marinette answered deadpanned and turned to her side, ready to truly die due to a mix of shame and alcohol abuse.

“And never call me Netti again!” she ‘shouted’ after him as he climbed down Mount Everstairs.

 ***

“Guess she’s not coming. Sorry again, son” shrugging Tom entered the bakery finding a concentrated Adrien narrowing his eyes at every costumer entering. Seemed he took the ‘look over the bakery’-thing quite serious.

As soon as he heard the man’s words he straightened up and smiled at him politely.

“Oh, it’s okay Monsieur. I wouldn’t want to pressure her.” Sheepishly he fumbled at his jacket before getting himself to actually leave.

“Nevertheless, thank you very much for the trouble. Have a good day!” he waved and left the bakery hesitantly.

What a nice guy Marinette had picked to give her heart to.

Thanks to his fatherly senses he could nearly hear his daughter groaning and tearing her hair as she accepted that she couldn’t let him leave like that.

Satisfied with his work he watched the blonde boy walking through the rain as he saw a shaky ball of colorful blankets come running/stumbling from the other side of the building.

Curiously his wife accompanied him.

 ***

Resigned about the fact that he wouldn’t get the words he’d prepared off his chest Adrien headed outside, sighing as he realized that it’d started to rain while he’d been inside.

Discouraged he took a few steps towards the main street but suddenly a shadow appeared above him.

Surprised he turned around, facing a sheepish Marinette wrapped in a self-made patchwork blanket holding an umbrella – his umbrella, to be exact – over their heads.

For a second they just stood there like this, staring into each other’s eyes.

She was so beautiful.

“Guess it’s time to give it back after all” she said and laughed nervously, remembering very well what she’d said the other day. Luckily her face had been red the whole time so he couldn’t see the uprising blush. Little did she know that he barely even heard what she’d just said.

He was too smitten by her sheer appearance.

With bleary eyes, messy hair and burning cheeks she still (or even more) caused the urge inside of him to pull her into his arms and just hold her close as long as possible. Preferably forever.

He wanted to feel her warmth again, her soft skin. He wanted to smell her unique scent and he wanted her loosen strands of hair tickling his chin.

He wanted to place a butterfly kiss on her forehead, on the tip of her nose, on her cheeks, on her…

Welp, there goes his well prepared speech.

What did he want to tell her again?

“…Adrien?” she asked insecurely and he realized he must have stared at her without saying a word for quite a while. Baffled he blinked himself back to reality and with a small smile Marinette offered her help.

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked innocently as if she wasn’t perfectly aware about what he wanted to talk about.

“I- uh…uhm. I wanted…”

Damn, her lovely eyes were so distracting! How was he supposed to concentrate like this?

Screw it.

“I wanted to do this” he whispered tenderly, not averting his eyes from these bright red lips of hers and leaned in ever so slowly so she could back down if she wanted to.

She didn’t.

 ***

A few feet away Parisian citizens wondered what got into the local bakers causing them to cheer and performing little victory dances.

[nattikay]

Adrienette April Week 4: “Dating”

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[arolla-pine]

Adrinette April – Day 10 – Holding hands

Adrien: You know what? I want that.

Marinette: What? Holding my hand? Here.

Adrien: I’d like to hold your hand even after fifteen years of marriage.

Marinette: Adrien Agreste. Have you just proposed?

Adrien: It’s obvious, don’t you think?

Marinette: Wh… What?

Adrien: You said that we shouldn’t risk our friendship for love unless it’s for ever.

Marinette: I didn’t say that!

Adrien: OK, you said the first half. And the second part I figured out.