#but yeah no adrien just tends to full on turn it into his own pity scene (and that’s the narratives intention)

[jacquesthepigeon]

I just wanna point out that is not always a low empathy thing to share a relatable story about yourself when somebody shares their own hurt. That's a communication style very common to people with autism and ADHD, including those with high empathy, because it shows "hey, I can understand at least a little what you're going through, it's safe to talk to me about it". If you do NOT do that then you come off as the rude asshole/person with zero empathy to people with that communication style. Not doing so communicates "I can't understand you and I don’t care enough to try". (But the writing for Adrien is so bad it 100% comes off as selfish guy who needs to be the center of attention, not as a communication style thing)

Yeah it always depends on the context. I always try to make it relatable myself but I think it comes off the wrong way 😅

[a-marlene-s]

La Red: Part 5

I am doing Ko-Fi commissions if anyone is interested or want to support my writing feel to drop by.  https://ko-fi.com/a_marlene_s

Marinette liked going to Nino family's Food Mart. It was small, but it was very cozy. There was even an eating area as Nino's mom would make food there too. Which is where they are right now. Marinette and Nino sat facing each other, both munching on whatever they ordered off the menu for breakfast.

It was quiet between them, to the point that Ms. Lahiffe escaped to the backroom, yelling out to Nino to call her if a customer walks in. this left with the teens wondering who was going to talk first.

Nino would occasionally look over at Marinette as he tried to think over what he needed and wanted to say to her. Many of those things could very well get himself into trouble as he could run into. How could he tell her that Ladybug had told him as Carapace, not as Nino, several things that have been happening to her ever since Lila came into the picture? He really is a horrible friend…

"Didn't you say you wanted to say something to me in person?" Marinette asked, breaking Nino out of his self-deprecating thoughts. She put down her fork to pick up her drink and taking a tentative sip from it.

For his own part, Nino looked away bashfully. Right, that was one of the reasons he wanted to meet up with Marinette is to properly apologize and to get her full side of the story, then to talk about his breakup with Alya… or was it the other way around…

"I don't know where to start or say, Marinette." Nino said honestly, he pulled off his hat to scratch his head. "I found out a lot of things yesterday and I am still reeling from what I found out. I… I talked to Ladybug yesterday. Alya had a huge fight with her and I wanted to know-"

"If you could smooth things over between them?" Marinette added in.

"Ye-Yeah, that." Nino knew he was on a thin thread as he needed to be careful with his words. He can't just tell Marinette when he talked to Ladybug, he did so as Carapace. How Ladybug had told him about Lila's lies and how it severely affected not only the hero but also Marinette to a massive degree. "She told me… that she could no longer trust Alya due to her inability to seek out the actual truth than going onto detail about Lila. How they are not actually best friends and everything Lila had ever said about her to everyone, is just lies. Then… then Ladybug told me how Lila is going up against you and nearly caused you to get Akumatized! Marinette, why didn't you say anything?"

"Who would have believed me, Nino?" Marinette questioned back with an obvious shrug. She looked down at her half-finished breakfast wondering if Tikki would like some of it. "Alya would have easily said it was because I'm jealous of Lila or something else just a pitiful. Don't argue with me on this."

Nino had to agree, Alya has been making Marinette feel horrible every time the bluenette attempted to stand up for herself at every turn. And what did he do during all this? Nothing. He picked up his fork to take another bite of his food, but his stomach clenched over when he remembered something Ladybug mentioned to him. "I'm not arguing. I promised to just listen and not jump to conclusions but… almost getting Akumatized?"

"Luckily for me, it did not happen." Marinette said, patting Nino's hand in an attempt soothe him. "I'm okay, I didn't allow Lila to get to me."

"What did she say? What did she do?" Nino doesn't know if he really wanted to know what nearly caused Marinette to almost cross that point.

Marinette shifted uneasily in her seat. This was it. The make it or break it point. "Lila… she…"

Nino… Nino did not know what to think anymore as he sat there as Marinette told him everything that Lila has been doing against her. How Lila threatened her, causing her to lose all her friends and so much more. But he did what he promised the day before, to promise to judge or jump to conclusions. This is about Marinette, not about him.

"She made good on her threat on having everyone turning against me." Marinette finished with a half-shrug. She looked down at her unfinished food, deep in thought.

"What about Adrien?" Nino asked, wondering what part he has in all of this.

Marinette did not bother to hide her snort in clear aggravation at the mention of the name. "He knows about Lila's lies and told me to take the high road. That her lies were not hurting anyone."

Nino took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. This whole Lila thing goes far more than he originally thought it to be. "What else did Adrien do?"

"You're not going to stick up for him?"

"My supposed best friend allowed some chick to allow his friend to be bullied by the entire class… he has no ledge to stay standing on at this point." Nino put his glasses back on and wondered what the hell is going on in Adrien's mind. "Lila's lies are hurting someone. They are hurting you, even I could see that. Now more so than before."

"Adrien said something in the lines that her lies will blow over and that we should wait it out. No harm, no foul. He just wants to continue to see the good in people." Marinette concluded on her thoughts on Adrien, and his need to keep her quiet about Lila's lies.

"This is so much worse than I originally thought it to be…" Nino could not help but say aloud. He looked over at Marinette and could see how much this hurt her even if she attempted to hide it. It was not so much that the guy she had a crush on since day one treated her in such manner, but for her best friend and everyone else she grew up with turning their backs on her… he's more surprised that Marinette hasn't been Akumatized yet. "I'm so sorry, Marinette. I am so sorry for everything I've done and haven't done."

"Thank you, Nino. For believing in me."

Unbeknownst to the teens, they were overheard by someone who walked out of the shop with an all-knowing chuckle…

Nino and Marinette didn't know where to go after leaving the food mart. They knew that they would run the risk of running into their classmates if they go to all their normal hangouts. Almost getting caught by some of them when they visited the food mart, and this resulted with them having to use a side exit to escape unnoticed.

The only other place they could go would be the bakery but that would be too obvious. Far too obvious. So, they needed to go somewhere that no one would ever think to search for them.

"Sabrina… how did you manage to get several Jagged Stone's limited editions signed posters!" Nino could not help but exclaim at all the posters that covered the walls of Sabrina's room.

Sabrina looked over at Marinette to look for some sort of approval and when the latter gave the nod, she looked back at Nino with a wide grin. "Marinette did several commissions for Jagged Stone and as thanks, he gave her several of his posters and other merchandise. She gave me several of the posters! Aren't they amazing!"

At that, Nino turned around to see a nervous Marinette closing the door of Sabrina's room behind her, avoiding his gaze. "You met and have made clothes for Jagged Stone?"

"He considers Marinette as his honorary niece." Sabrina added in, shooting Marinette an unapologetic shrug.

For her own part, Marinette shot her a glare before looking at Nino with a half-hearted shrug. "I've been in contact with him since he last visited Paris. He tends to send me a bunch of his merch as a thank you for making his costumes… or clothes in general."

"Did you ever tell Alya about…" Nino asked, pointing at one of the posters.

"I did, but she still decided to believe Lila." Marinette rolled her eyes, she looked around Sabrina's room and couldn't help but be amazed by it. It was smaller than her own room, but it was cozy to say the least. Bookshelves filled to the brim with books, there was a massive desk that is filled with piles of papers, notebooks, and more books. Many of those books are textbooks that are related to local laws and other related things to the topic. "I asked him about it, and he confirmed my suspicions on him never having a cat, let alone writing a song about her."

Nino only shook his head, he also looked around the room to now see Sabrina sliding into her chair and slid in front towards her computer. "Could you tell me why we are here? No offense, Sabrina."

"None taken." Sabrina waved him off in favor to log in into her computer. Once she logged in, she looked over at Marinette. "Have you talked to him about the site?"

"That's why we are here." Marinette responded, shooting Nino a worried gaze. Nino, for his own part, kept his gaze on all the posters on the walls being completely memorized by them.

"Since you are wondering why you are here, it has to do with Lila." Sabrina rolled her eyes over to Nino to see him whip his head over at her and Marinette.

"What?"

Sabrina turned her attention back at her computer and quickly pulled up the blog. Her lips pursed seeing that one needed to login to get into it. Not surprising, M/B does this often to ensure certain people do not get logged into the site before changing a couple of things. Logging in and grinning at seeing there were many people online. "Here we are. Nino, come here."

Slowly, Nino walked over towards the desk and took Sabrina's seat when she got up and motioned him to sit. Nino slowly reached over to the mouse and looked through the blog his jaw just continued to drop further and further. Marinette and Sabrina looked at each other, wondering how this is going to go down. Nino could still very well not believe what he is seeing and runoff or… believe everything that is set before him.

"Does Adrien know about this place?" Nino asked in a low whisper.

"No, and we don't plan on showing it to him. The last thing we need is him using connections to get it to shut down or being all high and mighty on us." Sabrina rolled her eyes at the thought. She looked over at Marinette to see her looking uneasy before turning her attention back at Nino. "Are you going to tell him?"

"No." Nino shook his head; he could feel bile beginning to rise up his throat. He swallowed back down the bile as he needed to keep calm and continue looking through the site. Oh, he could not believe himself for actually allowing himself to follow Lila so blindly. "I'm afraid he'll just turn this around on us and try to make us feel bad about it too."

Marinette actually took a step back at Nino's words, so did Sabrina by the looks of it.

Nino could sense how the others were surprised by his words and explained his reasoning he said such thing. "Out of everyone in the class, minus Chloe, know him best. He wants to see the best in everyone, even if it means leaving himself in the open or… not see how it is hurting anyone else. He wants his life that is picture perfect…"

"So... you're saying he's looking through the word in rose-tinted glasses?" Sabrina asked with an eyebrow raised, not at all surprised by Nino's words. "When you said 'us,' does that mean you're going to help us take down Lila? We need to know before we figure out what to do with you."

"I'm in. I refuse to be a bystander anymore."

[marinette-sky]

Cigarettes and Leather Ch. 6

Time to spice up the story with some good ole' fashioned romance! Or, A.K.A, people who mistake their feelings of attraction as friendship! It's subtle, and it's in the context, but fear not! The build up will be worth it ;)!

I'm trying to speed things up a bit to get to the good stuff (like in the next chapter), so from here on you might see a spike in time skips to keep the ball rolling and the plot flowing.

I might have the next chapter out by next Thursday(?), or sooner depending on my mood.

Enjoy, lovelies!

Summary:  Adrien swallows his pride and asks Marinette to help him investigate the crime against Ivan and Kim. Chat Noir and Ladybug discuss the turn of events from their last meeting, and things do no go as planned.

Word Count: 4,106

Rating: T+

Adrien shifted awkwardly to one side, digging his hands deeper into the recesses of his jacket pockets. He felt out of place in the living room of the Dupain-Cheng household, his usual rugged appearance largely contrasting with the rosé and white themed décor of the space. It was a far cry from what he was used to seeing in his own home considering his father’s love for white walls and linoleum floors with black granite accents. Sabine had encouraged him to ‘make himself comfortable’, but he was almost reluctant to ruin the pleasant image of the room by claiming a spot on their champagne pink couch.

Too much has happened for me to feel at ease anyways.

He listened to the sound of Sabine banging on what had to be Marinette’s bedroom door, trying to decipher what she shouted before he heard her push something heavy open. A feminine voice responded back, and the ceiling creaked with the weight of someone moving around above him.

I came here for one reason, and one reason only…

Sabine materialized at the bottom of the stairs with a strange smile that wasn’t quite like the one she wore when she first greeted him. While he found it almost unsettling, Adrien quickly brushed the feeling aside and squared his shoulders. His main concern had just rushed past the giddy woman and stopped a few feet short of where he stood.

…Marinette.

“You’re okay…” Marinette spoke aloud with a relieved sigh, her intense stare panning the length of his body.

Adrien couldn’t help but notice the frazzled state his friend was in.

Her pig-tails were lopsided and frizzy, the red hair ties placed at different lengths on each sides. The blazer she sported was slightly off, despite the obvious effort that had been put in to iron it. Her skirt was ruffled in areas, even with the pleated design to keep it from crumpling. One of her socks had smudges of ink on it.

She looked as discombobulated as he felt.

“Yeah.” Adrien nodded, the word sounding laden and foreign as it rolled off his tongue.

Liar.

Just tell her what you came for.

Adrien glanced fleetingly at Sabine and frowned.

Marinette mimicked his expression.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.” He kept his voice low, pleading almost. “It’s about what happened.” All the bravado he had gathered on the trip here seemed to fall through the cracks of his tough exterior like sand. Just the mere acknowledgement of the incident was enough to send him spiraling into the depths of despair while simultaneously bringing his blood to a boil.

Judging by the look on Marinette’s face, she understood what he was talking about.

“Okay.” She said simply, her tone all but sepulchral.

She twisted around to address her mother, who he suspected had hung back and let them talk out of motherly politeness. The woman, now concerned by their solemn demeanor, lifted her chin to attention.

“Mama, do you mind giving us some privacy? Please?” Marinette requested quietly, holding Sabine’s gaze for a few moments.

An unspoken conversation passed between them before the ladder broke the silence.

“Of course, sweetie.” Sabine agreed hesitantly. She took uncertain steps towards them, and Adrien could practically see the worry lines in her forehead deepening.

(Who could blame her? I wouldn’t want my cute daughter to be alone with some guy they didn’t know.)

She stopped and pecked a kiss on Marinette’s cheek, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting way. Adrien knit his brows in discomfort; he was unversed when it came to witnessing such open displays of support and affection in light of the fact that he ceased receiving that luxury when his mother disappeared.

So unversed, apparently, that he flinched when Sabine patted his arm nicely.

“It was nice to meet you, Adrien. I’m guessing you’re the one who Marinette has been texting so often?” Sabine remarked warmly, catching Adrien completely off guard.

Oh. He thought, the crisis at hand momentarily forgotten. Heh.

“Mama!” Marinette hissed, turning pink. “Really?!”

The older woman smirked and whisked down the winding stairs that lead to the bakery without another word, the younger continuing to make indignant sounds after her. It was sort of endearing.

“Hell, darlin’, do you not text anyone else except me?” Adrien teased dryly once Sabine was safely out of hearing range, allowing himself a small grin. “I’m flattered!”

Marinette whirled around to face him, lips puckering into an embarrassed pout.

“No! I text everyone an equal amount, thank you very much.” She scrunched her nose meticulously and crossed her arms.

“But you still text me more, right?” Adrien chirped, removing his hands from his pockets to reveal a lighter and a cigarette pack. “Right?”

“I won’t tell. I guess you’ll have to live in suspense the rest of your life.” Marinette retorted cheekily, laying a hand over her heart. “How tragic.”

“Oh, indeed.” Adrien conceded, and just like that their banter hit a blissful lull.

Well.

The male absently knocked a cig from its encasement with his palm, holding it between his index finger and thumb. He tucked the pack back where it came from, disturbing Plagg in his hiding place. He knew well enough that Marinette would refuse if he offered her one.

I sure as hell need one right now, though.

Especially after what has happened…

Adrien began to remember his purpose for visiting and sobered up quickly. Their light-hearted atmosphere shriveled up like a leaf in winter the moment the end of the cigarette caressed his lips.

“May I?” He gestured to the lighter, waiting for Marinette’s approval. She grimaced, but nodded anyways.

Adrien took a few seconds to light the other end of the cig, sighing contently as he breathed in the smoke and watched it escape back out through his nostrils. This went on for a full two minutes before he spoke again.

“Sorry, I needed to relax a bit first. The whole Kim and Ivan situation has got me feelin’ like shit.” Adrien began roughly, coughing around the lump in his throat that definitely wasn’t residual tar from his smoking habit.

God, this is harder than I thought.

“You’re not alone, I feel just as bad.” Marinette sympathized, looking too guilty for someone who had nothing to do with the crime. For some reason, his heart ached painfully from seeing her crestfallen expression.

I should be the one wallowing in self-pity, not Marinette.

She’s too compassionate for her own good. Another voice echoed. And you’re not.

“…” He let the quiet surround them for a few more minutes, because talking about what happened was so damn hard and his request was too damn much to ask of someone. Damn his father for raising him to be this emotionally constipated for the benefit of his modeling career!

“…fuck!” He muttered, running his free hand through his already-messy blonde hair.

Chat Noir is so much better at this.

I’m just too prideful.

Gentle hands found his knuckle, curving around the underside of his fingers with the lightest of pressure. Warm skin brushed his cheek bone.

“Adrien, what did you want to talk about?” Marinette pressed, voice sharp and soft all at the same time. Under the scrutiny of her endlessly azure eyes, Adrien found the words that had refused to come out creep up his throat. When she caressed his hand fully, it all came spilling past his chapped lips.

“I have a big favor to ask of you. Like, a huge favor. Bigger than I should dare ask.” Adrien rasped, leaning into the friendly touch.

“No matter what you ask of me, I’ll still try my hardest to do it. That’s a promise.” Marinette gave a hint of a smile, giving him more courage.

Here goes nothing.

“Where Kim and Ivan were, where they were…there’s a bar near the crime scene, and I know the owner’s daughter. Can you go with me, this Friday night? To kind of investigate this mess, I mean?” Adrien rushed with his words, the hand holding his cigarette shaking from anxiety.

Marinette blinked in shock at him, her own hand falling back to her side.

“I feel like you can hold your own pretty well, and I feel I can’t ask anyone else to do this with me…and I just trust you for some reason. It’s no coincidence that Kim and Ivan were targeted, and I think I might have to do with me.” He took a quick puff of his cig to calm him nerves, accidentally blowing the smoke in his friend’s face; yet, she didn’t seem fazed.

“I-I…well, what about Ladybug and Chat Noir? Don’t you think you should leave stuff like this to them?” Marinette asked in a weird tone, her stare painstakingly neutral. Adrien noticed that whenever the topic of Ladybug and Chat Noir came up, Marinette became a different person; her shoulders tightened and she tended to avert her eyes from whoever she was talking to. Adrien thought it was odd to behave that way about individuals who saved lives on a day-to-day basis, but always chalked it up to shyness.

Not the time! A voice in his head admonished.

“Unless Ladybug or Chat Noir themselves demands that I stop, than I don’t think we should worry about them right now.” Adrien answered lightly, trying to divert attention away from his alter-ego.

Marinette brought a pale finger to her bottom lip, tapping on it thoughtfully. Where she compressed the plump skin, there was an obvious red mark left in her immaculately rounded nail’s wake.

“Why me? Why not ask Nino, or heaven forbid, Chloé to help you? I know Lila knows a few things about what happened, too.” She argued, forcing Adrien to look up from her lips.

What the hell would Lila know? Adrien made a mental note to pester his sly friend later.

“Because.” He motioned vaguely, cigarette smoke following closely behind his hand.

“Because what?” She was trying to be modest at this point.

He grinned wryly.

“Like I said before, darlin’, I trust you. My crew would just fuck things up, or anger the wrong person. I know you won’t make their mistakes, you’re too cunning for that to happen.” Marinette pinked at the ears from his compliment, fighting to keep her mouth from upturning in embarrassment. Adrien allowed himself to be pleased at the sight.

“Besides, you said yourself you would do your best to help me. Are you going to go back on your word?” He ventured so far as to tease, holding his cig between his teeth masterfully.

Marinette made a face at him.

“No, I like to keep the promises I make, thank you very much. I’ll help you, since you put so much faith into me.” She threaded her fingers in her air, sighing. “And even if not for you, my sense of justice would want to do it for Kim and Ivan. They may have gotten under my skin more times than I can count, but those two didn’t deserve this.”

“Agreed. For Kim and Ivan.” Adrien echoed solemnly.

A chasm of silence opened between them as they looked at each other, both mute with hidden thoughts that could not be voiced.

Adrien continued to smoke his cig, feeling slightly guilty for the scent that would settle on the furniture when he would eventually put it out.

Marinette peered over him in that curious way of hers, and he briefly wished that he was a mind reader if only he could know what she was thinking.

“Anything happen at school today? Didn’t have it in me to be in that hell hole this morning.” Adrien broke the quiet, shaking himself of inappropriate misconceptions that his train of thought would lead to.

Marinette appeared visibly exhausted at the mention of school, leaning towards him in the familiar way that Nathalie would whenever he bothered to ask her how an interview with a troublesome client went. Through the cloud of nicotine-smelling fog, he caught the whiff of freshly baked cookies that most likely clung to her uniform based on the fact that she lived above a bakery.

“Where do I even begin?”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow in dry humor.

“That bad?” He questioned.

“That bad.” Marinette nodded before diving into the shit show that was their homeroom earlier that day.

Tuesday Night

Chat Noir, for once, was early for patrol that evening.

He hovered on the outskirts of the rooftop of their meeting place, pacing back and forth before ultimately deciding to settle criss-cross on the ledge until Ladybug arrived. The harsh bite of uneven concrete dug into his rear, but Chat ignored it in favor of watching the moon usher away the lingering signs of the previous day. Although the night sky was overhead, brightly colored streaks of amber and violet chased the horizon line in lieu of the setting sun.

Adrien loved this time of day, when the moon became more prominent and the sun became a flurry of hues and contrasted the midnight sky with reds, oranges, and purples. And on any given patrol, he would try to savor such a relaxing and mesmerizing sight.

Yet…

With what has happened as of late, not even a bird’s eye view of the city and the sunset could calm the waves of anxiety in his head.

School had been terse and lonely, even with Nino and Chloé glued to his side practically the entire day. Alya, who finally realized he had developed a friendship with Marinette, had attempted to comfort their sad group (though to no avail). Everyone was on edge, understandably, because what happened to Kim and Ivan; plus, the perpetrator was still at large, so it could any one of them next.

But, the final nail in the coffin was when other students questioned where Ladybug and Chat Noir were, and why they didn’t stop the attack. This occurred in his philosophy class that he shared with Chloé, Alya, and Marinette.

Naturally, Alya and Chloé fought off the mounting accusations fiercely, defending their hero’s pride and credibility in a shocking moment of team work.

(“Ladybug and Chat Noir has saved us all countless times! Countless! They have gotten hurt for us! How dare you doubt their loyalty as the saviors of France!” Alya roared, slamming a fist on her open philosophy textbook.

“Ladybug and I are basically besties, and my bestie would have definitely stopped that criminal if she knew! Lowlifes like you have as much bravery combined as she has in her fingernail! You don’t deserve to talk about her that way, and Chat Noir too!” Chloé screeched at the class, the fire in her eyes ready to reduce anyone who made eye contact to ashes.

Adrien exchanged a look with Marinette, who smiled secretively to him, like if she herself was Ladybug, and was proud to have such vehement supporters.)

Guilt constricted Chat’s lungs upon remembering the fear and remorse on his peer’s faces, wishing with all his might that he could have prevented the attacker from ever existing. It was his duty, his required destiny, to keep the citizens of France safe. Ladybug and him were very serious about the burden put on their shoulders, which is the reason why an accident like this hasn’t come about in months.

Is it a coincidence that the people close to me were hurt? Should I really be that naïve?

If a thug had done this, the Mayor wouldn’t have been so freaky about publicizing the incident.

Could Hawkmoth know something about my identity…

He had voiced his concerns to Plagg, but his kwami brushed him aside quicker than usual, blabbing about how he was too paranoid.  Adrien suspected Plagg knew more about the situation than he was willing to let on, but didn’t pester him anymore after that. Though it had only been a few days, he felt there was something much bigger in the works between the rising tension in his kwami and the inactivity of Hawkmoth.

He could only hope Plagg would tell him what exactly has been going on before it’s too late.

Soft footfall behind him indicated that Ladybug had arrived, along with the scattering of gravel beneath latex soles. He sensed her every move as she padded towards him, seating herself on the ledge as well. Their shoulders touched, and Ladybug gently slipped her hand in his for comfort. Embarrassed heat spread across his chest, yet Chat chose to ignore the fire in his stomach for now.

When he looked at her, the stare she gave him was startling intense.

“Chat Noir, we have a problem.” Ladybug began, “I trust you’ve heard about Lê Chiến Kim and Ivan Bruel?”

“I have, yes.”  More than you know, he almost said.

“And have you watched the news lately?” Ladybug inquired, expression and tone anomalous. He dully noted that the iconic pig-tails she sported were messy and uneven, deviating from the normal stringent style he was used to.

Huh?

“Well…uh, yes? Kind of…father only lets me watch certain channels.” Adrien could only ever watch political debates and educative programs carefully selected by Nathalie that were Gabriel Approved™.

“…oh. So you haven’t heard, then?” Ladybug, in the dying light of day, paled so much that the tan dusting of freckles on her nose were starkly noticeable. “Chat, Nadja Chamack is building a story around us as the prime suspects of the crime. She did a briefing on Monday night, that damned woman making me look like the bad guy in out interview.”

His heart skipped a beat out of fear.

“Interview?”

“God…okay, let me fill you in on what happened to me the other day.” Ladybug then went on to recount her run in with Nadja Chamack, and their unsettling interview. Chat felt chills run down his spine when she told him about a mysterious outside source, flashes of the Copycat akuma haunting his vision. Additionally, she informed him of the Mayor’s sketching actions and the downward spiral of faith the populace had in them. Stuff he already knew, but details nonetheless.

But, this sounds different…could someone, like a civilian, be trying to frame us?

What is their motive?

By the time Ladybug finished her encounter, Chat’s head was spinning. How could so much change in the span of a single day? His talk with Marinette had left him hopeful, sure that her brain and brawn paired with his nefarious connections to underground Paris would upheave some dirt on their target. This entire ordeal would just make things harder for him.

“Ladybug, you don’t think anyone would fall for this ploy again…would they?” He whispered, the ice in his veins refusing to thaw.

“They have once, and they will again. At first, I thought it was some petty crime corporation that did this…now I don’t know what to think. The night that it happened, my kwami acted strange. She keeps telling me that she doesn’t know anything, but I know she’s withholding information.” Ladybug fondly caressed her earrings, tone downtrodden and worried. “What could be so dangerous that she can’t even tell me?”

“I don’t know, but my kwami has been acting like that, too. Whatever is going on, I have a sick feeling it’s all connected to Hawkmoth.” Chat thumbed his ring, pressing on the steely surface with conviction.

“I thought so, too. I did a lot of thinking yesterday, and I have reason to believe that Hawkmoth has teamed up with a willing akuma candidate. You know, civilian by day, akumatized by night? It could explain his radio silence for the last week.”

By god, she might be right.

“Yeah, you could be right!” Chat exclaimed, suddenly excited by the realization. “Heck, that mysterious source that Nadja Chamack has been talking to could be the accomplice! Ladybug, you’re a genius!”

Ladybug threw him a cheeky smirk.

“I know. Nice attention to detail yourself, because now we have a lead in this whole mess. Let’s make sure that bullshit story Nadja is building never sees the light of day!”

“Agreed, m’lady! You’ll be happy to hear that I’ve already committed to investigating outside the mask with someone.” Chat beamed proudly, the awful atmosphere from before lifting.

Our kwamis may not want to help us, but that didn’t stop Lady and I from coming up with a solid answer!

Ladybug perked curiously at his revelation.

“Really? Do you trust him? And is he trustworthy?” She prodded, leaning in slightly.

Chat couldn’t stop the blush from rising to his cheeks at her wrong assumption.

“W-Well, she’s pretty brave and kind, so yes I trust her. She’s almost as trustworthy as you, in fact. If you could meet her, I think you two would get along well.” Marinette’s gentle, but stern face bubbled to the top of his mind as he spoke. It was easier to think about her as Chat Noir than it was as Adrien, and he allowed himself to feel vulnerable as a result; the sensation was nice.

I wish Adrien could cope with emotions as well as Chat Noir.

Ladybug abruptly ripped her hand away from his, and Chat looked up just in time to catch the raw expression on her face.

What?

“She sounds dandy, but I would never want to meet her.” His partner declared coldly, standing up. “It could put both of our identities at risk.”

Chat jumped up, something dreadful curling around his heart.

“M’lady, it was just a thought. Don’t take it too seriously.” He watched as she briskly put space between them, assiduous in hiding her face from his.

She was fine when she thought Marinette was a guy…

Is she upset that it’s another girl…no, Ladybug would never be that petty…

“I would hope so! Since you trust her so much, I can only imagine what you’ve revealed to her so far.” Ladybug huffed, and crossed her arms slyly.

Did she just…

“What are you insinuating, Ladybug? That I would throw my secret away that easily?” Chat was beginning to get angry, something he never got with Ladybug. For the amount of respect and awe he held for her, he simply could not allow that reverence to overshadow the fact that she had just disrespected him.

“You said it, not me.” Ladybug sniffed.

Chat’s already short fuse became nonexistent.

“How dare you! I would never do that, not to myself, and not to you! Despite what you believe, I care about protecting who I am just as much as you! I can’t believe you have so little faith in me.” Chat was shouting, and didn’t care that someone might hear him. “What’s worse is that you don’t even know my friend, but you think she would tell everyone about my secret if I were to tell her! How can you judge her like that if you don’t know firsthand how much she reminds me of you!”

“Don’t you compare her to me, dammit!” She spun on her heel, jabbing a finger in his direction. “I’m just worried, okay?! We need to be on our guard after all that’s happened.”

Ladybug appeared as if she was about to cry, and from what Chat did not have the privilege of knowing.

“Yeah, well, it seems to me like you’re more concerned about yourself and how my actions could affect you. For someone who acts so selfless, you sure know how to be selfish.”

Ladybug stiffened at his comment. In the moonlight, he swore he saw something shiny fall from her eyes.

“Chat Noir, I think we should start patrol before both of us say something we might really regret.” Her voice was wavering, but the threat presented itself loud and clear: if he wanted to leave unscathed, this would be the time.

I see how it is.

“Fine. Run away from our problems like you do best, see if I care.” Chat waved his hand dismissively, gripping his baton in the other. “Maybe on Saturday’s patrol, you’ll be over this.”

She swiped at her watery eyes, sniffing loudly before turning her back to him. With her yoyo in hand, Ladybug leaped into the night air and promptly vanished from his line of sight.

Chat Noir did the same, vaulting in the opposite direction. Guilt pricked at his heart, though as Nathalie had told him countless times, ‘there’s no use crying over spilled milk’. Let bygones be bygones, he supposed.

 Little did he know that Ladybug wasn’t crying because she was angry at him, nor from the fact that they had a petty fight; on the contrary, she was merely suffering from a broken heart.  

Ahahaha...so not sorry for that ending. Just like canon Adrien is oblivious to Marinette's feelings, Chat Noir with canon Adrien's personality is oblivious to Ladybug's feelings for him (honestly Marinette and Ladybug in the show have a thin membrane separating their personalities, so they act the same in my eyes).

Next chapter will be centered around Adrien and Marinette's visit to the bar and crime scene, possibly with Marinette still feeling hurt over Chat's lady crush ;;;)))