#but adrien would agree (more eager to please) and would not be in a position to return 'i shouldn't have had to'

[memesomething]

mmmm "You never asked." / "I shouldn't have had to." thinking thoughts thinking thoughts

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

#4: There's totally character development, you guys! You just don't see it!

A common critique of Miraculous Ladybug is the lack of actual character growth and development in three seasons, a sentiment most of the fandom agrees with.

At the time of this post, Miraculous Ladybug has been through three seasons with 78 episodes, and nothing has really changed. Sure, by the third season, new villains were introduced, and the season finale shook up the status quo a little bit by exposing the identities of the temporary heroes as a result of Chloe's damnation arc that was obviously planned from the beginning, but despite one of the main plotlines being the relationship between the two, Marinette and Adrien are still at square one. She's still a stammering mess around him, he still doesn't get she has feelings for him, while Cat Noir still can't take a hint that Ladybug isn't into him.

Sure, you could make the argument that they're in relationships with other people now, but not even the show wants to acknowledge it, as a big part of the recent New York City special was about Marinette and Adrien's friends forcing the two to spend time together, even though Marinette said she was trying to move on from him. Even the synopsis for the fourth season says that Marinette still has feelings for Adrien, so now we're wasting even more time on this subplot that's starting to rival Ross and Rachel in terms of tediousness.

Honestly, a good representation of the writing process can easily be summarized like so:

But enough of my rant, what you're here for is what Astruc has said in response to this kind of criticism in this (now deleted) tweet.

Okay, first of all, who unironically uses the term “haterz” to describe someone who criticizes them? What is he, Taylor Swift?

Second, in order to properly analyze this tweet, I'm going to have to talk about Luka and Kagami first. They were introduced during the second season of Miraculous Ladybug to complicate the Love Square, sort of like Jackie and Tom during Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Their reception was... mixed, to say the least. Part of it had to do with how the show first portrayed them.

Now, I like both of these characters, as well as the ships associated with them, but I want to make things clear that this is based on fan interpretation of these characters. If you like Luka and Kagami, or the associated ships with them, that's fine. Same goes for the ships in the Love Square between Marinette and Adrien. While I will be criticizing the writing of the romantic subplots, I am not trying to start a ship war here. This is all about the way Astruc views the writing of Luka and Kagami. So let's please try to keep any comments here civil.

Luka first appeared in the episode “Captain Hardrock”, and was instantly infatuated with Marinette. Fans really didn't like the episode. In addition to the boring villain and horrible animation on display, some viewers simply found Luka to be a boring character. Don't get me wrong, there were still some fans who loved Luka in his first appearance, but for others, it took until his next appearance, “Frozer”, for them to warm up to Luka. The thing is that was because of how Adrien had been for some of the season.

See, mid-Season 2, people had started to question the way Adrien was being written. He had been much more assertive in his attempts to get Ladybug to fall for him, like setting up dates, offering flowers, and supporting the media shipping the two together, claiming they're “meant to be”.

This ties back into why people stated to like Luka more. Unlike Adrien, who was more intrusive of Ladybug's boundaries, Luka was much more calm and understanding of how conflicted Marinette was when she was caught between him and Adrien. By Season 3, a lot of fans found Adrien was only getting worse and basically abandoned ship (no pun intended) to start shipping Luka with Marinette.

While I believe there are some problems with the way Adrien is being written (which I will get into in a later entry), I don't think all hope is lost for the Love Square, as there are some generally cute moments between Marinette and Adrien, and there have been a lot of great fanfics featuring the two as a couple. So it's safe to say I don't think the Love Square is a lost cause.

At the same time, I can understand why people would start shipping Lukanette instead because of the way they viewed Adrien's behavior during Season 3. I also think they have some nice moments in the show, with one of the few good episodes in the garbage fire that is Season 3, “Silencer”, being all about Luka and Marinette growing closer.

Here's the thing. The way the fanbase perceived Luka? IT ISN'T CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

A big reason fans started to ship Lukanette because of how poorly the other romantic subplot with Adrien was going. Hell, people started to ship Marinette with Damian Wayne because of how much they hated Adrien. Some fans have also cited how Marinette looks much more comfortable around Luka compared to when she’s an anxious mess around Adrien, allowing for better interactions with the former.

And Astruc is acting like the fact that more people are shipping Lukanette like it's all part of his brilliant plan. It's hard to explain how ridiculous this sounds without starting a ship war across Tumblr, so let's move onto what he said about Kagami.

Kagami's first appearance in the episode “Riposte” didn't really give the audience a good idea of what she was like, as she was the Akuma of that episode. All we really knew about her was that she was a fencer, her mom was incredibly strict towards her, and she hit it off with Adrien. It didn't help that she didn't have another appearance for almost an entire year.

Her next appearance, “Frozer”, really didn't portray her in a positive light. Because Kagami had a crush on Adrien, she was a lot more cold to Marinette (even though they hadn't met before and when Adrien told her about her at the end of “Riposte”, she sounded eager to meet her) and basically told her to move her ass or Adrien was hers. Oh, you think I'm paraphrasing? That is literally what Astruc said when someone asked the meaning of that line.

Because all girls do is fight over cute boys, right? Such a good message for a “girl power” show.

Her next appearance in “Animaestro ”made her out to be the threat in the first half of the episode for the crime of hanging out with Adrien. This motivates Marinette to team up with Chloe of all people to embarrass Kagami in front of Adrien, and neither of them are ever called out for it. Yes, Marinette and Chloe both have a crush on Adrien, but the show is demonizing Kagami for daring to spend time with him when Adrien honestly looks much more comfortable around her compared to when Chloe or Lila (another character I'll talk about later) force themselves onto him.

So here's a fun fact: If you write a character as a threat to the protagonist in a completely irrational way, all while perpetuating the cliche stereotype of girls fighting over boys, people aren't going to like that character.

It wasn't until the episode “Ikari Gozen” that Kagami and Marinette finally became friends, and people actually warmed up to her because the show stopped trying to portray her as a romantic rival on the same level as Chloe and Lila.

So while you could call Kagami becoming friends with Marinette character development, it just comes right out of left field, I don't really think it was planned out. But even if, congratulations Astruc. You finally wrote some character development for two supporting characters. Now if only you could do it for your main characters too.

(Sorry if this isn’t my best work, I’ve been focusing on another entry that tackles an... interesting example of how poorly Astruc can respond to criticism.)

[mikauzoran]

Marichat/Lila Fake-Dating/Emotional Blackmail: Betting Against the House: Chapter Six

Read it on AO3: Betting Against the House: Chapter Six: Fidelity

Marinette was so engrossed in her sewing project that Tikki had to inform her that Chat Noir was tapping on her skylight.

“What?” She looked up with a jerk, her stitch going crooked as her hands accidentally moved the material.

“Chat Noir’s here,” Tikki repeated, glancing back up towards the skylight. “Or, he might have just left. I don’t hear him knocking anymore.”

Marinette swore under her breath as she pushed herself up out of the chair and sprang into action, ascending the ladder up to her loft at double her normal speed. She didn’t see him at the window, so she pushed it open and pulled herself up onto her balcony.

He turned around from where he’d been leaning on the balcony railing, taking her in with soft eyes she was more used to seeing as Ladybug.

“Uh…hey,” he greeted, raising a hand tentatively.

“Hey.” She blinked, eyes going to the rose in his other hand. “Is that…?”

She pointed.

He followed her gaze, looking down at his own hand in surprise. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”

He lifted the rose, holding it out to her as he timidly advanced. “I think you dropped this—I mean, I know you dropped it. I saw you drop it, but… Did you want it back?”

A cloudy expression set into her face as she stepped forward to take the rose and then stared at it thoughtfully.

It didn’t look like her thoughts were positive ones.

“You don’t have to take it back,” he hurriedly added. “I’ll keep it if you don’t want—”

With a jolt like one suddenly waking in the middle of a dream, Marinette’s gaze whipped around to her right, and she began searching the streets below.

“…Uh… If you’re looking for Adrien Agreste, he’s gone,” Chat informed gently, not all together sure that she was even looking for him in the first place.

Marinette looked back to him in surprise. “He is?”

Chat nodded. “I kind of saw the…er…little scene…between you and him. I was here to see you, and I just happened to catch…whatever that was. Sorry.”

She held up her hands and waved them, seeming to come back fully to the present moment and out of her thoughts. “No, it’s okay. It was…” She winced, biting her lip. “It was nothing. Um… Did you want to come in?”

“May I?” He took a hesitant step forward. “I don’t want to bother you. I heard…” His brow furrowed, and he lowered his voice. “I heard a couple things. Are you feeling okay? I heard you were sick.”

She averted her gaze, her cheeks colouring slightly. “Thanks. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not actually sick. I just…I kind of feel like crap. I probably look like crap,” she laughed ruefully, glancing down at her sweatpants and baggy t-shirt and touching her hair self-consciously.

“You look cute,” he chuckled. “I dig the messy bun.”

She cracked up at that. “Thanks, but it got that way by accident rather than design. It was a fully-functional, respectable-looking bun earlier before I rolled around and pulled on my hair in grief and messed it up.”

He clicked his tongue, waving away her protests. “You’re rocking it, Princess. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”

Her lips settled into a soft smile, and she motioned for him to follow her down into her room. “Come in, Minou. I could use a friendly face. For some reason, today, it feels like everyone’s against me.”

“I promise they’re not really,” he attempted to comfort her as they made their way down into her attic bedroom.

She hummed ambivalently, dropping the rose off at her desk before taking a seat on her chaise and gesturing for him to sit at her feet. “Can I play with your hair? Please?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, hoping he didn’t sound too eager as he sat between her knees, his back to her.

They sat in silence for a good minute or two, Marinette running her fingers through his hair to comb it and then separating little strands into sections to braid, before she finally spoke up, mumbling, “…Today kind of sucked.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered a little more balefully than made sense since she didn’t know that he was the chief cause of her strife. “Did you feel like talking about it?”

“No. I mean, yeah, but…” She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “It’s complicated.”

He waited a beat, debating before remarking offhandedly, as if he had no personal stake in the matter, “…I hear that Adrien Agreste is persona non grata around here. Apparently he’s dating that awful Lila girl?”

“Lila freaking Rossi,” Marinette hissed. “I don’t know what the heck is the matter with him. How can he just…? She is worse than awful, Chat Noir. She’s a bully and a liar and—ugh. I don’t even,” she growled. “How can he even stand to let her touch him? He knows what she’s like, and still he…he…” Marinette petered out with another “Ugh!” of frustration.

Chat swallowed hard, guilt wrapping its fingers around his heart and squeezing painfully. “Maybe…Maybe there’s some piece to the puzzle that you’re missing,” he suggested cautiously. “Maybe he has a good reason. Maybe he doesn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” she pouted sullenly, her temper cooling somewhat. “He could stand up for himself and say no for once. He’s always been like this, Chat Noir. He never wants to cause trouble, and he always avoids confrontation. He’s spineless.”

Chat winced, feeling the jab slide clean between his ribs and puncture a lung.

“He just appeases everyone and lets them walk all over him. It makes me sick sometimes to watch him cave without a word. I don’t know what I ever saw in him, and I don’t know why I put my faith in him,” she muttered bitterly.

“Maybe it’s more complicated than you think,” he offered in a flimsy attempt at self-defence. “I’m sorry he let you down, Marinette. You’re totally within your rights to be angry, but you can’t know what’s going on inside his head. Maybe he has a good reason, and you’ll feel bad later for being so harsh on him.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She blew out a long sigh, dropping her arms from his hair to loosely hang around his neck and resting her head on top of his. “I’m just really hurting right now, Chaton. He was the one person I thought I could count on in my struggle with Lila, so I’m feeling utterly betrayed,” she whimpered. “It’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt when I can’t imagine any circumstance that would compel him to date her.”

Chat closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe through the aching pain in his chest. It killed him to sit there useless while she was hurting—while he was hurting her. But he couldn’t explain himself. She’d insist that he stop, and then what would have been the point of submitting to Lila’s ever-increasing demands over the years?

He had to see this through to the finish.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he whispered helplessly. “I wish I could do something to make it better for you. Know that I would do anything to make it better.”

“Well,” she chuckled halfheartedly, trying to lighten the mood. “You could start by not trying to make me behave rationally and think about things from Adrien’s point of view. It would be easier if I could just demonize him and lash out at him with all of my righteous fury.”

“Sorry to take away your scapegoat,” he laughed weakly.

“Yeah,” she teased, giving his hair a little nuzzle. “Whose side are you on, anyway? Mine or his?”

He twisted around to face her, kneeling at her feet and gazing up at her earnestly. “Yours,” he stressed, desperate for her to believe him. “Yours. Always yours, even when it doesn’t feel like it.”

She blinked at him, taken aback by his vehemence.

Slowly, a warm, genuine smile danced across her lips, and she leaned in to brush a delicate kiss against his forehead. “Thank you.”

His heart nearly exploded as she pulled back and smiled down at him with a soft look that made him think that maybe he had a chance after all.

“Yeah. I mean, yeah. Anytime,” he replied dumbly, struggling to get his brain and his mouth to work in concert. “You’re welcome. Always.”

She laughed—a light, airy sound that made his heart soar—and it was obvious from the smug look on her face that she could tell how smitten he was.

He couldn’t bring himself to care. So what if she knew she had him at her mercy? He trusted her with his heart.

“Wanna play video games?” she inquired, breaking him out of his reverie.

He blinked at her, his brain still scrambled from the memory of her lips against his skin.

“If you have time,” she hastened to add, nerves flaring up at his lack of a response. “I mean, I know you’re busy what with saving Paris and regular life stuff, but…if you weren’t doing anything, I was supposed to be hanging out with my friends tonight, only that’s not happening because Adrien is a traitor, so if you wanted to hang out, play some Smash Brothers, have dinner with me and my family, snuggle on the couch and watch movies…? I could use the company,” she confessed.

“Yes to all of the above,” he replied enthusiastically, finally getting a handle on how his mouth functioned again.

Adrien was still floating on cloud nine when he returned home several hours later.

 Lila had pressured Adrien into agreeing to come up with a romantic surprise for her in response to Adrien’s claim that Nino had been consulting with Adrien about a surprise for Alya the previous day (since Adrien was, allegedly, so good at that kind of thing), and Adrien did not aim to disappoint.

He escorted Lila to her locker where she found beautiful orange lilies inside.

“Oh, Adrien!” Lila squealed, leaping into his arms and giving his cheek a joyful kiss. “They’re beautiful!”

He couldn’t tell if she were just putting on a show or if she were genuinely pleased with the gift.

She was certainly satisfied with the response of the other students as they cooed and raved about how sweet Adrien was, what a cute couple he and Lila made.

Marinette stood apart from the others, looking on in a mix of resentment and pensiveness.

Adrien wondered if she knew anything about the meanings of flowers. If so, she might know that orange lilies were not a nice gift. Perhaps she was wondering if Adrien knew the implications of the flowers he had given his girlfriend.

She caught him gazing at her and turned away, going to her own locker. Once there, she gave a start, a soft gasp escaping her lips when she spotted the sunflowers, tucked inside and waiting for her with a little note attached.

Adrien’s heartbeat quickened a little at the pleased smile gracing her lips and the rosy blush rising in her cheeks.

Alya was the first to notice Marinette’s surprise and draw the attention of the others.

“What’s this, Girl? A secret admirer?” she trilled excitedly.

“Alya, don’t—” barely made it past Marinette’s lips as Alya swiped the card and read aloud, “‘For my Princess. I hope these sunflowers brighten your day, even though they’re not half as radiant as you are. Much love from your not-so-secret admirer.’”

The girls chattered excitedly all at once, completely forgetting about Lila to join in the speculation about Marinette’s mystery boy.

Lila turned a venomous glare on Adrien, hissing dangerously under her breath, “Your ‘Princess’, is she? You did this on purpose to upstage me, didn’t you?”

Adrien frowned, leveraging all of his acting skills to feign wounded innocence. “Hey, I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. Those flowers aren’t from me.”

Lila’s eyes narrowed, scanning him intently.

“He’s just a friend,” Marinette insisted over the din of her friends. “Just a close friend that I play video games online with. He’s a total flirt. He’s not even serious. He knows I had a rough day yesterday, and he was just trying to cheer me up.”

The girls didn’t seem to buy Marinette’s story entirely, but her persistent denials seemed to mollify all but Alya.

“Oh, Honey. I think he’s serious, even if you’re not,” Alya hummed skeptically, pitying the poor boy who had fallen for her rather oblivious best friend.

The other girls joined in with sympathetic hums of their own.

Adrien turned to Lila. “I feel like you owe me an apology for your accusations of infidelity.”

“How about not?” Lila growled quietly, shoving her books roughly into Adrien’s arms as she continued to seethe over Marinette inadvertently stealing the spotlight.

 The week stretched on with, luckily, only a few minor incidents to mark it.

Marinette continued to hold a grudge against Adrien, but she was more than happy to spend her evenings with Chat Noir.

He was glad that he could help her feel less alone, even if it were just in some small way, and the time he passed with her was a balm for him too.

It was a relief, after dealing with Lila’s ever-increasingly ridiculous demands all day, to cuddle and watch Disney and Studio Ghibli movies with Marinette, to bake cookies together, to play niche video games, or just to sit in her room working on separating things but enjoying the other’s presence.

Nino kept giving Adrien worried glances, looking like he was this close to saying something several times a day.

It made Adrien sick with anxiety.

He shouldn’t have told Nino. It felt like he had the sword of Damocles hanging over his head and never knew when it would drop, when Nino would break his promise and try to tell everyone about Lila, ruining years’ worth of Adrien’s sacrifices and hard work to protect Marinette.

If Nino asked him if he were okay one more time, Adrien was going to cry.

All he could do was lie and say he was fine, all the while knowing that Nino knew he was lying.

“Just don’t say anything to anyone,” Adrien kept repeating, and Nino would nod, assuring, “Yeah. No. I won’t.”

But Adrien could see the way Nino tensed around Lila, how he clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes whenever she invaded Adrien’s personal space or asked him to do things for her.

The week was rough and already wearing Adrien down by the end of it.

He felt sick with guilt over hurting Marinette and sick with fear about when Nino was going to crack and spill the beans. That wasn’t even taking into account the hell Lila was putting him through.

Lila was steadily getting worse. She was growing bolder with her public displays of affection to the point where Adrien was genuinely uncomfortable.

The casual touches and the expectation of cheek kisses had quickly crossed the line. More than anything, he was sick of the sensation of Lila clinging to him. The constant contact and her weight and her warmth made his skin crawl. He couldn’t wait for evening to come so his personal space could be his own again to share (or not share) as he saw fit.

Adrien had always been a little touch-starved, but, now, physical contact was something he found himself recoiling from, sometimes even with Marinette.

On the third day, Lila made Adrien move to the back of the class to sit with her, and it was torture to be separated from his friends. Classes had been a brief reprieve from Lila’s presence, an oasis where he didn’t have to think about her for hours at a time, but, now, even that solace was stolen from him.

He missed passing notes with Nino and the little sweets his best friend would often share.

Adrien had considered it a victory when, the previous year, he’d convinced his father to allow him to eat lunch at school with his friends. Now, he found himself wishing he could go home for lunch again because Lila had gotten it into her head that she needed to sit on Adrien’s lap and that they needed to feed one another to show what a lovey-dovey couple they were.

Adrien was quickly finding that he had little appetite during the day. He scarfed down leftover baked goods from Tom and Sabine’s as well as whatever the Dupain-Chengs had for dinner in the evenings when he visited Marinette, but he couldn’t keep much down during the day.

The smell of Lila’s cloyingly sweet floral perfume made him feel nauseated.

He wasn’t sure how much more he could take, but he was certain that something had to give, and soon.

He was afraid it was going to be him.

Adrien was at his breaking point, so maybe that’s why, when Ladybug asked what was wrong that Sunday on patrol, he gave in so easily and spilled his guts to her.

[verymuchimmortalcat]

Maribat March Day 9: Teen Titans and Day 10: Creatures and Cryptids

ao3

@maribatmarch-2k21 

Marinette and the others were at the tower celebrating Tim's return. They had been overjoyed to hear of his return and by the time they had left for their rooms it had been fairly late. She was checking her phone when Adrien messaged her. Her sleep addled brain was confused for a moment until she remembered that London was eight hours ahead of San Francisco and Adrien had probably just woken up.

Kitty: Marinette!!!!

Kitty: I googled the meaning of cryptid and look what I found!!!!

Kitty: cryptid/ˈkrɪptɪd/Noun

1.an animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.

Kitty: That would make the Kwamis cryptids, there existence isn’t really substantiated.

She stared at the phone; it was too late to deal with this but she responded anyway.

Bug: I’m pretty sure they’re just normal creatures Adrien

Bug: I’d tell you to go to bed but its morning there so…

Bug: however im sleeping now. Good night.

Sighing she fell asleep, she’d ask Tikki about it tomorrow.

.oOo.

Marinette returned from Breakfast with cookies for Tikki and cheese (that’s not camembert) for Plagg and some food for if any of the others decided to come out. The two of them spent the most time out of the miraculous box, Tikki obviously staying with Marinette and Plagg joining them nearly every other day. The Kwamis preferred to stay in her room, some of them had wanted to explore the tower, but she had told them not to, she didn’t want to scare her team mates. Though, she doubted Raven would get scared.

Handing the food to the Kwamis, she lets Trixx out and waits for a bit before asking them about Adrien’s findings. Tikki hummed thoughtfully while Plagg remained absorbed in his cheese. “Well, technically I guess both could apply. While there are ancient scriptures and such that show our existence none of them provide concrete evidence. The only people who are usually aware are the Guardians and the users. In current times that would just be you and Adrien, given that Master Fu removed Gabriel and Nathalie’s memories on the functioning of the Miraculous before he lost his when he passed over guardianship.”

“What Sugar cube’s trying to say is technically to everyone other than you and the kid, we are cryptids.”

Trixx who had been silent up till this point, piped up, “ooooh, your team mates don’t know about us. Can we please go around pranking them? Spreading some necessary chaos? Pleaaaase?”

Plagg had gotten a look in his eyes that spelled mischief. Tikki just sighed. Marinette was torn. On one hand she knew it wasn’t exactly right but on the other hand Plagg and Trixx might just carry out some convoluted plan without her permission. It would make more sense to know what exactly they were doing, also it would definitely be fun to watch them freak out hr team mates. Grinning at Plagg and Trixx, Marinette agrees. Tikki just sighs and shakes her head, Marinette thinks Wayzz would probably have the same reaction, but she can’t bring herself to care. They’re going to wreak havoc on the rest of the team.

.oOo.

They went with Victor first. His one mechanical eye meaning that he would only be able to see the Kwamis through one eye and he would probably just brush it off and wouldn’t alert the others. Marinette and the Kwamis hid while Kaalki talked his ear off. Making sure to stay out of sight other than a few glimpses. Leaving him confused at why he couldn’t see anything. Eventually they heard foot steps and hurried out, Kaalki calling out a bye.

.oOo.

Gar was next. The other Kwamis had managed to talk Wayzz into taking part in their elaborate prank. So, when Gar was eating alone, Wayzz went in and started commenting on the most random things. Garfield had responded completely casually the first time and then had turned to look at Wayzz and freaked out. He ran out of the room calling for Raven and screaming about spirits and that she had to make sure they weren’t being haunted or anything of that sort. Marinette and the Kwamis just snickered as the others in the tower started yelling at Gar.

.oOo.

They had unanimously agreed that they were not going to try anything on Raven.

.oOo.

Kon and Bart had been the next on the list. They were easy enough, they spent enough time around each other that it wasn’t hard to catch them together. They were playing video games when Xuppu and Nooroo, the both of them having been extremely eager to join, showed up next to Bart and Kon and started making a mess and calling out insults every time they made a mistake and floating out of sight when they turned to look. Eventually the two of them got worked up enough for Kon to use his X-ray vision. The two of them had phased through the floor and returned to her room not wanting to test whether or not they would show up on his x-ray vision.

Unsurprisingly the news got to Tim, which she knew would get him worked up and more paranoid then usual but she was going to have to tell them about the Kwamis soon enough. She’d put a stop to it if it was affecting his physical health.

Bart had decided that Gar had been right about the haunted spirits and had gotten Raven to check the whole tower. Raven had done so, and in front of the whole team had declared there was nothing to worry about, there were no spirits the only magical prescence in the tower was positive and whatever had happened was probably harmless. She had then proceeded to tell them it would probably end soon while giving Marinette a pointed look, to which she just guiltily smiled back. Raven the sighed and returned to her room.

.oOo.

None of them had actually seen the Kwamis, Marinette realised when the Kwamis went to Cassie. While she knew the others thought something was going on, she wasn’t too worried about it. This unfortunately had its disadvantages. Sass had gone to Cassie and had gravely started, “Cassandra Sandsmark-“

“Tell Ares he can go fuck himself,” she snapped and then walked out of her room to the training room leaving the Kwamis and Marinette in confusion.

Mentally noting to check up on Cassie later, they decided to move in onto their next victim.

Robin.

.oOo.

They couldn’t get to Tim. They had been called for a fight and Marinette had to transform. In the end she had to use more than one Miraculous, revealing to the others that it had just been her and the Kwamis messing with them the whole time.

“I thought the tower was haunted,” Gar complained.

“I was there,” Marinette repeated, “It was incredibly funny.”

He just groaned in response. They had returned to the tower not long back and had not moved away from their current topic since then. Bart had calmed down in about five minutes of nonstop talking and Sass had decided he was going to explain things to Bart himself. Victor had just frowned in exasperation and walked out. Raven having already known had left for her room as soon as they returned to the tower. Kon was laughing at Gar’s misery and Tim had started talking to Wayzz about the Kwamis and such. Marinette had pulled Cassie aside and told her that she was there when Cassie spoke to the Kwamis and that she was there if Cassie wanted to talk. Cassie had given her a nod told her that she’d think about it and had left.

She was explaining everything to Gar now, she had finally gotten around to when Xuppu and Nooroo had gone to Bart and Kon. Kon had stopped laughing at Gar immediately at that point. When she mentioned what happened with Raven, Gar shrieked, “she knew?” At which everyone still in the room burst out laughing.

Hawkmoth's defeat in this was before Miracle Queen. Master Fu then modifies Gabriel and Nathalie's memories and hands over guardianship to Marinette and loses his memories and then joins Marianne. The temporary holders dont get the miraculous.

[aliensunflower-fics]

Wildfire

(( Hia! So here’s a little Lukanette fic I wrote because I get inspired way too easy and it happened. Enjoy because it’ll be back to Daminette right after this! ))

It hadn’t been intentional. At least not at first. All Marinette had wanted was a way to express herself a way to let out the emotions that threatened to pull her under, drown her, destroy her. She was Ladybug and if she let that negativity eat her up alive she would not have the luxury of getting akumatized having a tantrum then being saved. That wasn't how this worked. Luka was the one who saved her he saw the dark water filling her lungs and when she felt ready to take her last breath he extended his hand. And she had taken it unaware that the water would turn to gasoline or that Luka would help strike the match that would light her on fire and turn her into a star for the whole world to see.

 It had started with music lessons. A guitar being slid into her waiting hands and a patient teacher. Luka had seen her spark fading bright eyes dimming Juleka who had always spoken kindly of Marinette began to hesitate and change Luka watched as she let her purple fade from her hair and changed clothes when he tried to ask her why shed mention a new girl Lila how Lila said this or that picking at anything and everything Luka tried to tell his sweet baby sister that she didn't need to change for anyone but she was scared to lose everyone but especially Rose. It has been only a week after that event when suddenly Luka was told he was being kicked out of Kitty Section. When he looked for an answer it was the name Lila Rossi that came back.

 Eventually he set out to find Marinette hoping she would have answers to his questions, but what he found was hardly the girl he knew more like a scared husk the song in her heart was a nightmarish harmony. Fearing she’d be akumatized before his very eyes he took a seat behind her slid his guitar in her hands and helped her work her emotions out. The melody she created was heartbreaking the tears she cried were worse. After that Luka made it his goal to seek Marinette out and help her work out the emotions. She started picking it up and they started regular lessons. Her parents were left speechless when Marinette asked for a guitar instead of a mannequin or fabric for her birthday.

 The day Marinette first sang Luka was left speechless. They had been playing together for months, in that time Luka learned just who Lila Rossi was. A liar a manipulator a bully. She had the school running like her personal kingdom and after stripping Marinette of everything, her reputation, her friends, her position as class president, she started targeting other students. It was not as head on as it had been with Marinette but rather subtle manipulation she made Juleka change herself to fit in, she broke up Kitty Section, she ruined relationships, and kept Adrien as a pet. But even still Marinette loved him until one day Lila decided that even the feeling love was too good for Marinette. Luka had still never found out what Lila or Adrien or both had done but that day Marinette played her new pink guitar like it was the only thing keeping her a float but then she started singing her gorgeous voice carrying lyrics of pain, anger, and betrayal.

 When she was done she all but collapsed. Luka felt as though he'd seen her soul and what he noticed was that the spark in Marinette wasn't dead yet just waiting to be fanned into a fire. And Luka, well all he wanted was to see her light up the world like she was always meant to do. Luka knew someway somehow he needed to get Marinette up on a stage. She was a born star and Luka would do anything to see her shine.

 Jagged Stone had been not only eager but insistent on hearing her sing and play. Marinette stared down at her pink guitar she had no one to blame but herself. After all she had been the one to introduce Luka and Jagged and they’d hit it off so when Luka told Jagged that his honorary niece was a star in the making what was she really expecting. But Marinette was terrified she wasn't meant to be on stage but behind it yet here she was guitar in hand with Jagged and Penny looking at her expectantly. She wanted to cry and puke and hide she had no control of her body when it ran from the room. Luka was quick to catch up, finding her hyperventilating in the hallway.

 “I-I cant! I cant Luka! I’m not made to stand on a s-stage! I can't do this! N-not alone!” She tried to control her sobs but tears kept falling and her body was shaking. Luka knelt by her side and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders offering the support she so needed.

 “Who said anything about you doing this alone?” He saw the way her eyes widened as she looked at him. Truthfully he had not pictured himself next to her on that stage but he suddenly understood that if she was to shine for the whole world to see then she needed him by her side and really how could Luka ask for more?

 They returned to Jagged’s room and with Luka at her side Marinette played and sang. When the duo finished Jagged and Penny erupted into applause and by 7pm that evening Marinette found themselves agreeing to be trained by Jagged Stone and all his many connections. That night Luka laid on his bed exhausted when he heard a knock at his window when he opened it Ladybug slid in. Seeing her up close Luka could see how tired she looked. He had noticed Chat’s many absences and how much harder Ladybug had been working as a result clearly it was taking its toll on the superheroin. Wordlessly she held out the snake miraculous and Luka took it with great confusion. The news playing in the other room gave no indication of an akuma attack and Ladybug herself did not seem in a rush. Just as he was about to open his mouth Ladybug spoke.

 “You were right… who said ANYTHING about me doing this alone.” Luka’s eyes widened and he tightened his hold on the miraculous. Just how long? How long had Marinette been facing the world alone? Well no more! Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder he smiled and nodded understanding flashed between them and she burst into tears before hugging him closely and de-transforming. The next morning when Luka and Marinette left the boathouse together hand in hand with pink cheeks and shy smiles only Juleka was surprised, later when she asked her brother about the incident he answered honestly that Marinette had cried herself to sleep in his arms and he hadn't had the heart to wake her.

 Having someone by her side in and out of the mask who liked her as she was changed the music in her heart. Luka would not lie, being a hero was tiring but akuma were back to being defeated in record time. Opinion of Ladybug skyrocketed back up and soon Viperion merchandise started selling better than Chat Noir. Every news outlet was all over the Ladybug and Viperion development theories of all kinds sprang up that Chat Noir wasn't helping because he was jealous or that he and Ladybug had broken up, that Viperion and Ladybug were in love. People got pictures of the pair holding hands on a late night patrol and it was all anyone could talk about. Luka could not help but be pleased when Marinette relayed the news that Lila Rossi was furious at not being the center of news at school for a few days. But what made him happiest was the confidence and strength he saw regrowing in Marinette.

 A few weeks later, Marinette had introduced Kagami and Chloe to Luka. It had been awkward with all the different personalities but Marinette gave them balance, she was growing with each rehearsal with every song and practice she got brighter. Chloe who had never known real friendship where she wasn't in control and now was just as alone as Marinette in school seemed bothered and annoyed at first but Luka could tell her melody was softer then she showed and was eager to preen under Marinettes genuine encouragement and praise. Kagami who had met Marinette through an old mutual crush was cold and harsh but melted easier than expected when treated with the friendship she truly desired. They made an odd group and Luka was honestly confused but happy that the old Marinette was coming back stronger than ever and was eager to find honest people in the world.

 The first time Kagami and Chloe were invited to rehearsal they ended up holding hands as they listened to Marinettes newest song a duet with Luka about growing love in unexpected places. And if Luka and Marinette could hardly make eye contact afterwords no one said anything about it in between teasing Chloe and Kagami. When both girls asked to join everyone was shocked. But Chloe was quick to scoff.

 “Jeez, Marinette! Did you really think two rich girls from influential families wouldn't know how to play an instrument? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Chloe refused to admit she’d learned the piano in hopes of playing with Adrien and Kagami knew multiple instruments and shyly admitted to having self taught how to DJ in hopes of being able to throw her own party.

 Of course Marinette was over the moon to have them join the duo. But now they needed to name themselves, they argued about it over pizza in Jagged Stone’s suite while Penny and the aforementioned star listened in and laughed. In these moments away from those who hurt her Marinette was filled with light and fire her hand racing as she sketched all manor of designs. Luka who could not help but look at her in awe suddenly felt a name bubble to the surface.

 “Wildfire.” They all paused to look at Luka a heavy silence falling over the room giving Fang the opportunity he needed to drag away half of Chloe’s unattended pizza. Feeling his cheeks flush Luka scrambled to try and find the words he needed to explain but Marinette spoke before he got the chance.

 “Its perfect.” She grinned a wild look filling her eyes. “Our music its wild its raw! No one would expect it from any of us! But thats what we are! Were wildfire! And we are going to light Paris on FIRE!” The room erupted into cheers and Jagged Stone screamed out his signature Rock n Roll! Luka didnt cheer he just let Marinettes words vibrate inside of him as he watched the fire in her eyes blaze.

 A day later when two new heroes joined Viperion and Ladybug, Luka wasn't surprised at all he felt Chloe made an excellent ‘Wasp’ and Kagami was definitely a perfect fit for the dragon miraculous. But whether they were in or out of costume the group worked like a well oiled machine. They spoke without speaking backed each other up without question and the double dates were not only fun but were impossible to ruin akuma attack or not. But maybe even better was that with the final pieces in place ‘Wildfire’ was finally able to put finishing touches on songs and begin releasing them. Jagged insisted that the music be released without revealing who any of them were just yet his arguments were pretty solid, all of them needed to be coached on how to deal with the stress of stardom but apparently more importantly Jagged stressed there was NOTHING Rock n Roll about just revealing who they were without an epic concert of some kind.

 When Wildfire hit the number one spot in fan popularity Marinette felt grateful for heading her honorary Uncle's advice. The secrecy surrounding the band had fans running wild, theories from the realistic to the alien were circulating. They continued writing and releasing songs all the while being trained for everything from live performances to dealing with the press. Marinette felt like maybe dealing with the press would be easy after she let her parents know about Wildfire in their eagerness to show support while still being secretive they played all of Wildfire’s song on repeat in the bakery and regularly sent her to band practice with macaroons. Marinette blossomed under all the fresh positivity in her life Tikki and Master Fu were practically glowing with pride at the young chosen. Luka felt like he might go blind from how brilliantly she burned his heart that he felt could never hold more love for her filled even more and he knew he'd do anything to keep her happy.

 The day she arrived at practice bruised and bloody broken guitar in hand Luka would have given Hawkmoth anything for revenge until Marinette collapsed into his arms and asked to play guitar with him the same as when he’d first started teaching her. Chloe had left school early to catch Kagami’s tournament, Marinette had wanted to go but had been late so many times to school that week that the teacher threatened to give her detention if she missed one more class. So Marinette had waved Chloe off telling her to cheer twice as loud so that it was like she was there also. The rest of the school day had been mostly uneventful, with Luka and her friends help Marinette’s confidence had returned so even with the whole class sneering at her day in and day out she no longer backed down. But it seemed like Lila had not been happy about that and had only been biding her time. Now with Chloe gone she struck.

 “I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS MARINETTE!” Marinette who was pulling her guitar from her locker froze and looked at Alya with confusion. The girl was absolutely furious.

 “And what, may I ask is Lila accusing me of this time?” The whole class was glaring at her and Marinette felt herself grip her guitar tighter.

 “UGH! I can't BELIEVE I use to be friends with someone like YOU! But I’m sure you’ll just keep playing dumb! So il jog your memory! You DESTROYED Lila’s dress! That was a gift from her late grandmother! Oh but I guess you can't stand the idea of anyone else dressing up for Adrien!” Marinette mentally sighed she hadn't so much as spoken to Adrien in months. Hearing the pitiful fake sobs Marinette glanced over Alya’s shoulder sure enough there was Lila sobbing into Adrien’s shirt vague stain covering the clearly cheap dress. The blonde was glaring at her but Marinette felt nothing. Finally Marinette sighed.

 “Listen, if I say im sorry and vow never to speak to Adrien again can I go? I have somewhere else to be.” Alya narrowed her eyes and Marinette knew that would not be the end of it. She began looking around for an escape route but quickly noticed she was surrounded. Alya smiled a ugly horrible smile and Marinette felt her stomach twist.

 “Oh your not going ANYWHERE Marinette.” Marinette saw the girls eyes fall on her beloved pink guitar, the one her parents had struggled to buy her, the one that held so many precious memories. She felt Kim grip her arms tightly and she screamed as she was lifted into the air kicking wildly. “Oh calm down Marinette, this is just justice. An eye for an eye right?”

 Alya had all but ripped the guitar out of Marinette hands before slamming it against the ground over and over. Marinette had wanted to close her eyes but she kept them open and watched. Watched as her old best friend grinned like a madwoman as she slammed the precious instrument into the ground. Watched as Lila Rossi held Adrien close and smirked. Watched as Adrien did nothing but pout like an inconvenienced child at Marinette for crying as her guitar broke. Watched as they all bore witness to it, all except Juleka who closed her eyes tightly and looked pained and ashamed while holding Rose tightly. At least some felt guilt but Marinette was too devastated to care. When Kim let her go Marinette rushed to the remains of her guitar sobbing but the tears blurring her vision kept her from noticing Alya’s well placed foot she landed hard face first in the remains of her guitar, the wood cutting into her skin. But she didn't care all she could do was gather the remains of her precious instrument before she ran out. Not stopping till she was safe in Luka’s arms.

 Now they sat as they once had when it had all started. Her back in his chest his arms wrapped around her guiding her small fingers over the guitar strings but it was different this time. In the past he had helped her play out her feelings but this time they played out their feelings together. His anger deep resounding, her sadness echoing soft, his concern questioning gentle, her relief delicate easy. Luka removed his hands from overtop hers to wrap his arms around her waist protectively letting his head fall into her shoulder. Marinette continued to play letting her feelings out as she did so, comfortable in the knowledge that that only Luka could understand what she was truly saying. The melody was confused at first trying to find itself Luka smiled to himself thinking how it was just like Marinette to struggle for words. Marinette soon found her music soft gentle there was an underlying sadness but that was to be expected, she found a rhythm and Luka hummed along he was still angry but he knew Marinette did not want revenge she wanted only for the truth. The music grew slowly it was warm and loving his heart melted and his grip tightened but Marinette played unbothered pouring her love and care into each note. She loved him and he loved her and in that moment even with all the horrible things that had happened and had still yet to come they were content.

 An hour or so later when Kagami and Chloe arrived the store was retold and new anger sparked Chloe fumed and yelled while the ever calm Kagami sat like stone eyes staring into the remains of Marinette's most precious guitar as if trying to comprehend the senseless act of cruelty. But there was nothing to understand, only cold cruel reality.

 “We can’t just let this go! They’ve gone too far!” Chloe despite all the advancements she’d made stamped down her foot angrily. It made Marinette who was burrowed comfortably in Luka’s arms snort in amusement. She shifted turning in Luka’s lap to better address her friends.

 “We won’t. But were not stooping to their level either. I want the truth and I want to live my life free of lies and guilt and shame! They may have made me feel useless took me lower than ever before but Im not ever letting anyone do that to me again!” Marinettes words were so firm so full of fire that no one questioned her. There was a moment of silence before Chloe grinned.

 “Alright. What do you need?” Marinette returned the grin her eyes darting around before she spotted her sketchpad. She had a song to write.

 Months passed by and Wildfire announced that they were ready to be seen for the first time by the world in their first ever concert and a few days after that mysterious envelopes appeared on the desks of almost every student in a certain class at College Francoise Dupont. Almost because one Chloe Bourgeois and Marinette Dupain-Cheng had not received any such mystery envelope though they didn't seem bothered by that at all. As the class filtered in no one paid attention to the two girls sitting in the back together chatting amicably and sharing macaroons. Instead everyone was busy looking curiously at the unmarked delivery on their desks though none dared open it without Lila. Finally the class queen arrived followed by her ever loyal reporter they took their seats and sure enough Alya with permission opened the envelope, the following scream of joy was almost enough to shatter glass.

 “Oh my GOD! Lila girl! You are to good to us! Front row seats to the first ever Wildfire concert hosted by THE Jagged Stone! Pinch me I’m totally dreaming!” Everyone now eager to see if what Alya said was true ripped open their envelopes and gasped. Lila knew she had not bought tickets she knew she wasn't responsible but her sheep were well trained so anything good was obviously her doing and she was quick to lie.

 “Well of course! Didn’t I tell you guys I had a surprise in store! And Jagged was so insistent on me being there but I totally refused to go unless all of YOU could come!” The class erupted into compliments showering the girl in praise for her selflessness.

 “I just hope you didn’t extend your generosity too far SOME people really don’t deserve it!” Alya shot a look at Marinette and Chloe. Lila was pleased to note that neither girl had an envelope it was almost too easy.

 “Oh Alya you know I would have invited them but everyone in Wildfire and me are actually good friends of mine and they refused to let me invite my bullies! But I really wish it could have been the whole class.” She wiped a fake tear from her face and practically threw herself at Adrien demanding comfort from the boy.

 Chloe and Marinette however said nothing only watched the charade with growing amusement. Marinette caught Juleka looking at her and an invisible message passed between the two before Marinette smiled warmly. Juleka had finally had a long talk with her brother and Marinette and had finally redone her purple streaks there was no more tension between them and if anything Juleka was excited to see Lila’s empire fall. For the rest of the day all anyone could talk about was the concert and Lila eager to keep eyes on her kept piling on lie after lie.

 “I'm sorry I didn’t get us backstage passes but you know how celebrities are! Oh but don’t worry Alya i'm SURE I could get you an interview! I mean were just that close!” Lie after lie the bubble grew larger and Chloe could not wait to watch it pop.

 On the night of the concert weeks later the one who might have felt the bubble pop hardest was Alya. With their tickets in hand the class had been treated wonderfully they got in easily had the best seats and compliments rained down on Lila for everything. Jagged Stone had played some music to keep the crowd entertained but then finally the time came for Wildfire. The lights dimmed and Alya felt her heart pounding in her chest this was it! The music that started was unfamiliar and Alya heard Nino and Adrien excitedly whisper about how they must be starting with a totally new song! The music got louder instruments being added Alya felt shivers run over her body the dark stage not betraying a thing until all at once the music hit a peek the lights flared and there they were Wildfire for the first time in the flesh.

 Alya was dizzy with excitement her eyes darting around trying to take everything in she was obviously recording everything on her phone that dizzying excitement at the thought of her next scoop is why she remained blind to what was truly in front of her. The lead singer had her eyes closed letting herself soak in the music as she played with her band Alya felt she was so familiar but it wasn't until her eyes slowly opened as she sang the first words that it dawned on everyone. Those bluebell eyes were unmistakable.

 “MARINETTE?” It was Adrien who shouted it first he sounded horrified. Alya wanted to say he was wrong but despite how different the bluenette looked from earlier that day it was her. The blue flames that danced in her eyes the confident and almost wicked smirk as she sang her voice so different but now familiar like a siren drawing in the crowd.

 “Its… not just Marinette.” Alya could barely hear Nino from the roar of the crowd and fire filled song on Marinette’s lips. But he was right slowly the class looked from person to person. Luka was possibly the easiest to recognize having changed his style the least. Chloe was next her hair and makeup altered but her unmistakable yellow theme showing through. The other girl was harder to pinpoint but finally Alya brain supplied a name ‘Kagami’ she remembered seeing Marinette climb into the girls car with Chloe for a shopping trip.

 The memory made her jaw clench. Why had she not been invited? Why had she not been told? Marinette was lead singer for THE most popular band is paris and yet Alya her best friend knew NOTHING. ‘But are you really her friend?’ Alya felt her grip on her precious phone tighten until her knuckles were white. Of course they were friends! They had to be… Alya felt her shoulders sag as she listened to Marinette’s song. It was raw, anger, betrayal, fire, and Alya couldn't help but feel the lyrics were aimed at them. Her eyes looked over the pink guitar in Marinette's hands the one she played so expertly now and Alya bit her lip remembering the precious guitar she’d ripped out of Marinette’s hands and destroyed. The lyrics and tone of the music changed it was still heavy still the rock and roll Alya never would expect from Marinette. She tried to focus on what she was singing but it was painful to hear, moving on, getting stronger, burning those who wronged her into the ashes of the past. It got louder and louder and the concert Alya should have been loving felt like torture Marinette and her band all of Wildfire was practically screaming now it was passionate it was raw, it was a slap in the face.

 When the song finally ended there was silence then a roar of applause the crowd loved it. But near the front the group save Juleka who was overjoyed and yelling wildly sat numb the lyrics coupled with realization of what was done and said leaving them feeling exposed. Lila however felt nervous her gut churning her mind racing, before the concert was over she needed to find a lie to cover for everything or her kingdom would crumble. When the applause died down the music began anew each song was different and unique each conveying emotions wild and unchecked and in Paris a land where emotions were kept so lidded due to Hawkmoth it was like a breath of fresh air. Then the music slowed the love duet that had helped skyrocket the band into popularity in the first place. Marinette who for the most part stood apart and in front stepped back to be near Luka the two looked at each other as they sang their eyes never parting as they sang together then back and forth the soft loving smiles they had was enough to fill Lila with jealousy, the liar had thought she'd taken away the love of Marinette’s life but here on stage for all to see the two were practically declaring their undying love for all too see. And one glance at Adrien Agreste showed how unhappy how clearly jealous he was.

 Finally what felt like an eternity later and 2 encores later the concert came to a close. Marinette grinned as she took the microphone into her hand waving enthusiastically to the crowd. “Thank you each and every one of you for coming out to Wildfire’s first ever concert! We cannot wait to perform and sing more for all of you another day!” The crowd cried out praises as the group disappeared behind stage. Soon people began to file out but the class stayed where they were struggling to process all that they had just heard and witnessed. Finally it was Rose who broke the silence.

 “Lila you…You! Lied! To us!” The small girl was trembling huge tears threatening to fall from her large eyes. Juleka placed a supportive hand around her to keep her steady. Alya reflexitively went to defend Lila only to bite her tongue. Lila had said she was best friends with Wildfire, she claimed the tickets were her doing, she’d been saying for months all Marinette wanted was Adrien and she’d bully anyone for him but she sang of Luka and smiled for him. Just how many lies had Lila told?

 “R-Rose how c-c-could you! I would never lie! Right Alya!?” Lila sobbed out. “I-I’m so hurt you would say s-such an AWFUL thing!” Lila threw herself into Adrien’s arms crying into his chest.the class exchanged a look they were confused. It was Nino who came to Rose’s defense first.

 “You said you were Wildfire’s friend but Marinette like hates you dude.” The class murmured in agreement which gave Nino the encouragement to continue. “Also I just don’t believe Marinette would sing like that about Luka if she was really after Adrien you know?”

 “SHE- SHE’S JUST USING THAT LUKA GUY!” Lila’s facade was cracking the panic she felt bubbling into her desperate words. The class was muttering now, were the tickets really her? What about saying she was Prince Ali’s secret lover? Or saving Jagged Stone’s cat? Had he had a cat?

 “There’s an easy way to solve this you know.” The class looked at Juleka stunned waiting for her to continue. “We just ask Marinette.” She pointed to Penny Rolling who stood at the entrance to the backstage checking her clipboard. Lila was quick to try and cut in but Alya gripped her tightly and dragged her towards the backstage the class in tow none noticing the amused smile on Juleka’s lips.

 Getting back stage was surprisingly easy Alya had all but demanded to see Marinette and Penny would normally refuse but when she saw Juleka in the group she gave a forced polite smile and guided them. When they entered the room where Wildfire was relaxing Alya felt the air and whatever she had planned to say leave her body along with her soul. Marinette sat her back to Luka’s chest the boy holding her tenderly a soft smile on his face as he watched his beloved Marinette negotiate with a CROCODILE ‘Fang’ Alya’s mind supplied about how no the scaly creature did not NEED another slice of pizza and no puppy eyes would change that. Chloe meanwhile had her head in Kagami’s lap while she redid her nail polish. Kagami was lovingly stroking the blondes hair while arguing with Jagged about which pizza toppings should be illegal. The whole scene was too much and Alya felt her brain short circuit and rage build it should have been HER she was Marinette’s best friend!

 “Well, well, look what the alley cat dragged in~” Chloe had been the first to notice vengeful wicked smile plastered on her face as she sat up and wrapped herself in Kagami’s arms. “I hope you all LOVED the show!” Alya felt her rage build until she felt she’d pop.

 “HOW COULD YOU MARINETTE! I thought I was your BEST FRIEND! Why didn’t you tell me!” Fang who’d previously been relaxed turned and growled at Alya causing the girl to shrink back.

 “Oh please Alya.” Marinette’s voice was cool, the blue flames dancing in her eyes. “You? My best friend? I think that would require us to talk. And your daily insults hardly count.” Alya felt a pang in her chest guilt eating at her shame staining her cheeks.

 “Tch. I  know Ive certainly never heard of any friends who break each other guitars on purpose.” Kagami’s voice was like ice piercing the classes hearts shame and guilt wracking them.

 “So… Lila really was lying then?” Alya shot a glare at Nino causing the boy to wither under his demanding girlfriend gaze. It was Chloe who burst into laughter first high and mocking followed by Marinette. Alya bristled not understanding what was so funny. When Marinette was done laughing she stood Luka easily letting her go his loving eyes watching his now confident sweet girlfriend.

 “Lila is a liar.” It was a fact nothing more but it bit like teeth. Marinette began slowly walking back and forth in front of the class “She’s lied to all of you. About everything, she isn’t Prince Ali’s secret lover, she isnt Wildfire’s good friend, Ladybug’s got no clue who she is, no she didn’t buy you the tickets tonight, I’ve been dating Luka for months, I don't care enough to bully her, and for the last time Jagged Stone never owned a cat.” To that Jagged cheered and threw his beloved Fang another slice of pizza.

 Lila burst once more into sobs and clung onto Adrien as she whined about how cruel Marinette was. “Oh those are the fakest tears I’ve ever seen! I can’t believe any of you fell for it! Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!” The class looked if possible even more ashamed. Finally Adrien who’d been silent broke.

 “I can’t believe you Marinette! I thought we’d agreed but no you had to pull this ACT all because I didn’t love you.” Marinette simply scoffed letting herself fall back on to the couch and into Luka’s waiting arms.

 “Oh please Agreste. I never agreed to anything. And in case you didn’t notice. I don’t need or want YOUR love.” Luka who had seemed previously content to sit by pulled Marinette close to himself protectively she giggled at the rare show of jealousy. Nino’s eyes widened as he stared at Adrien.

 “You knew?” The class paused finally realizing. “Adrien, bro answer me! DID YOU KNOW!” Adrien stiffened and nodded. That was it the class erupted accusations firing in every direction Lila sobbing trying desperately to get pity. The noise was silenced when Kagami loudly whistled. But it was Chloe who spoke.

 “Listen. As fun as it is to watch you idiots realize just how stupid you’ve all been its been a long night for us~ So I think its time for dear Uncle Jagged and auntie Penny to give you your farewell gifts. What do you think Marinette?” The bluenette was comfortably nestled in Luka’s arms gently caressing her boyfriends cheek with a small hand but she gave an absent nod to go ahead. With the signal to go ahead Penny handed out large stacks of paper to Lila and Alya respectively.

 Alya felt the numbness return to her body. Adrien had known, shed destroyed Marinette’s guitar and trust, Lila had lied potentially as Mari had said about EVERYTHING, how could things be worse. At Lila’s screech of horror Alya finally looked down at the papers. “Your… Suing us?” Her tongue felt like led.

 “Oh not us.” It was finally Luka who spoke the usually calm boy clearly containing some hidden rage he felt toward the class though it seemed Marinette’s touches helped him remain composed. “Just some celebrities including Jagged are. After all you wrote a LOT of stories about them.” The boy looked pleased.

 Beside her Lila kept sputtering angrily but Alya was completely frozen this had to be some mistake! Marinette! Marinette would help her. “Mari gurl! Your joking right?” Alya grinned wildly looking much like a crazed animal “I mean you won't let anyone sue me! You’ll help me right? You know I'm sorry about the guitar thing!” Marinette’s eyes grew uncertain the fire in them dimming Alya felt her heart leap in hope until Luka took her gently by the chin and they looked each other he silently shook his head no and just like that the wildfire in her eyes returned. The bluenette looked at her old friend and Alya felt like her skin was on fire.

 “I think its about time you all went home.” Alya screeched trying to protest Adrien and Lila joining in. Juleka left the rest of her stunned classmates to sit with Luka absently petting Fang as the chaotic confused student body was pushed out by security. Luka smiled proudly at HIS wildfire his beautiful brave Marinette the spark in her was brighter than he'd ever thought it could be she was a beautiful star one he felt undeserving to be loved by. As if reading his thoughts she smiled and kissed him sweetly.

 All of this, none of it had been intentional. Not falling in love with both music and Luka. Not exposing or getting her class sued. No all Marinette had ever wanted was to express herself proudly to feel each emotion good and bad. But as a member of Wildfire Marinette had gotten everything she’s wanted and more. As she curled into Luka ever warm and comforting arms she felt herself relax in a way she’d never thought possible. Yes nothing had been intentional but it didn’t need to be.

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[ethelphantom]

The Greatest Miracle

This fandom does not have enough BartAdrien content like, seriously. They're the cutest thing to ever exist. Two sunshine children. Please love them. Please love my greatest creation. Anyway, have some cuteness and fluff and (possible? I have no idea if it is funny) humour for a change! Maribat March day 22, rare pair

Ao3

This is Maribat -- Don’t like; Don’t read

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“Please don’t.”

“Oh, Adrien. I totally will.”

❋❋❋

“Hey, Bart, give my tablet back! I need it for my speech!”

“Nooopppe! I may not be able to open it but I know what kind of things there are! Kon, catch!”

“Thanks, Bart. Have fun. You forgot I’m also doing the speech. You literally asked me to.”

“Dang it.”

❋❋❋

Marinette snorted as Adrien took one look at her before burying his face in his hands as she stood up, Tim and Conner following suit. She grabbed the microphone from the stand nearby and blew a kiss at Adrien, winking.

“Good afternoon everyone! It’s a beautiful day, even more beautiful than Adrien’s hair, and we all know how beautiful his hair is, soooo… Anyway, before I actually get to any important part, I need to say that I asked Adrien if there was anything that I shouldn’t say in any case, and well. He didn’t say anything in particular, I swear. To everyone else, I’m sorry if this makes your idea of Adrien’s supposed put-togetherness just vanish in front of your eyes. I can promise you, it never existed in the first place.

“I can’t believe this day actually came, seeing Adrien get married to someone,” Marinette said, smiling when she heard the quiet “rude much?” coming from Adrien’s direction. “Oh yeah. In case some of you didn’t know, I’m Marinette, Adrien’s best friend, though I’m pretty sure the only ones who don’t know that are from Bart’s side as Adrien has somehow managed to introduce me to his entire family, all of his few friends — and Adrien, before you say anything, you met most of your friends through me, don’t try — and we went to the same school so there’s that as well. Honestly, I think he’s even dragged me to a few family reunions during the years.”

There was laughter in the crowd but it quieted down as soon as Marinette began talking again.

“Adrien and I have gone through thick and thin. There have been liars, bullies, gold-diggers, over-eager wannabe journalists… Well, we’ve probably seen anything you can imagine. We’re siblings in all but blood, rather literally. My parents even adopted him after Gabitch — I mean, Gabriel, all parents of little children, you did not hear that, and neither did you, Bart, Wally and Dick, but like seriously, if there's anyone that deserves to be called out for being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad father in a wedding, it's that man —, was arrested. It was easier since that meant he wouldn’t need to transfer schools.”

Marinette tilted her head and bit the inside of her cheek. “Wait a second. Tim, dear, did you have the tablet connected to the projector already? I want the photos, like, five minutes ago.”

Tim laughed at her. “Cuppie, you started the speech less than three minutes ago. But yeah, it’s connected.”

“Shush, you. Thanks! I’ll say when I want the pictures. Anyway. I met Adrien when we were like, 13, and it really didn’t start great. I hated him at first. Like, honest to God hated him. You can imagine how the rest of the day went. Somehow, he cleared the idea I had of him within a few hours though, so we became friends. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, always been there for me through everything.

“I don’t think I’ve got too much time to speak even though I’d absolutely love to do that for the rest of the day because Adrien’s gonna murder me if I try, so I’ll just tell you one of my favourite things with him. Who everyone knew him on some level when he was 17?”

Maybe a quarter of the room raised their hands.

“Great. How many of you noticed he had a crush then?”

Less than half of those people raised their hands, though rather hesitant.

“Fine, Adrien, you win, but that just means they didn’t spend enough time with you. Anyway. He had a crush on our dear Bart over here though he kept denying it for ages. Tim, the pictures, please? Because I’ve got a compilation of how he looked like when I felt like pointing the fact out to him and after I had actually informed him of his crush. I have no idea how he didn’t realise it right away.”

There were pictures of clearly lovesick Adrien, looking at something (a lot of the time it seemed to be his phone) the same way he had looked at Bart only some time earlier.

Someone in the crowd yelled “he was so whipped oh my god, did he really not realise?” when they got to the fifth photo.

Adrien had hidden his face in Bart’s hair.

He was lucky Bart’s hair was like it was.

Bart, though, he was laughing.

“Yeah, yeah he was, and me neither. He literally had a gay panic after he met Bart for the first time — trust me when I say that he was royally screwed already from day one. And yet. Yet. Considering Adrien had known me for only a day or two when he decided he was in love with me when we were like 13 and actually declared this in front of a whole bunch of people, it’s so funny how it took him actual months to admit he was actually in love with Bart. Fun fact, the three of us—” Marinette pointed at herself and then at Tim and Kon on her left, “still have a group chat full of plans to get those two together because they were so oblivious, especially Adrien, and also idiots. God, do I love them, but I swear they caused me more grey hair than the wild kid I babysat as a teenager ever did.”

Tim snatched the microphone from Marinette’s hands, pecking her cheek quickly. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him but didn’t complain about the interruption. It wasn’t like she had anything important left to say anyway. For now.

“Yes, listen to my beautiful and wonderful wife over here. They were so frustrating, always talking about the other like they had hung the moon and the stars on the night sky but neither realised they liked the other until it was pointed out to them. Well. According to Mari, it took until Kon and I got Bart to realise he liked Adrien, which eventually led to him confessing, that Adrien recognised his own feelings. It’s ridiculous, but oh so amusing to tell now.

“So, hello everyone, I’m Tim, one of Bart’s best friends — the other is over there being a loser. I met Bart through Dick and Wally maybe half a year after Bruce started watching over me because my parents were never there, so we must have been seven or eight. I had troubles with befriending other people back then—”

“You still do, Tim.”

“Mari, this is my speech, yours ended already.”

“Yeah, because you stole the mic.”

“Technicalities, technicalities. Anyhow, I had trouble with getting friends around that time, but it was somehow easy to befriend Bart. He was so open, friendly, positive, full of light and determined to befriend you that it was actually impossible to avoid it. After I befriended him, though, I noticed I started getting other friends as well because he made it easier. That’s actually also how I met Mari, the love of my life and my wife, which has me forever thankful to Bart, but that’s a story for another time. Right now, I’m here to tell you how great Bart is and also make fun of him, because isn’t that what best friends are for.

“So, like Mari already said, we had a group chat just because of those two. Favourite ship ever. Not gonna lie, we all shipped them together since the moment we realised how well they would fit together and the only reason today didn’t happen sooner is because this guy here—” Tim pointed at Adrien, “—refused to admit he liked Bart and scoffed every time we tried to suggest it. Yet, every time he made a terrible pun, and we all know he makes a lot of those, it was Bart he looked at first to see if it made him laugh. Always. Not his best friend, Mari. It was Bart.”

That was when Tim lost the microphone — Kon had walked up to them, now behind Tim, and just took it out of his hands. Tim tilted his head backwards and frowned at Kon.

“And Bart. Bart laughed every. Single. Time. Like, regardless of how horrible the pun was that time, and how it should have not made anyone laugh, Bart laughed because he knew it made Adrien smile, and happy Adrien equalled happy Bart equalled happy Adrien. This is why it was so strange they didn’t realise, and this is why them dancing around one another drove me up the wall. Tim and Mari too, I suppose. By the way. Here’s a list of pictures and videos where the aforementioned situation is shown multiple times so that you’ll understand what I mean.”

The (seemingly endless, if Adrien’s mortification was anything to go by) videos and pictures were projected onto a big screen and it seemed that no matter what Adrien thought, everyone else thought them adorable and heart-warming. Everyone. Especially Bart, who had not been aware of said pictures or videos’ existence and was now beaming and nearly jumping up and down in his seat. Marinette could almost swear he was vibrating.

Once they were done showing them, and the roomful of people had stopped cooing at Adrien like he was still that starry-eyed, adorable, baby-faced fool so very in love with Bart (he was), Kon brought the microphone to his lips again. “So yeah. We all had to suffer. And because of that, now you two had to suffer a little too,” he said, snorting.

Shaking his head fondly at the newlywed couple, he smiled. “You know, I have known Bart for nearly my entire life, and I never thought there would come a day I would meet anyone that was as much of a sunshine child as he was. Then we met Adrien.”

Tim nodded in the background, clearly agreeing. Marinette hummed. Kon handed her the microphone as she tapped her foot against the floor with her heel. “Yeah, same here, though the other way around — I thought there couldn’t be anyone I’d call sunshine incarnate other than Adrien, and then there I was, face to face with Bart who I swear glowed when I met him for the first time.”

Marinette sighed, smiled, and walked to Adrien and Bart. “So, Adrien, Bart, I am so immensely proud of you two. I can’t help but be happy whenever I think about you both overcoming so much and deciding to dedicate yourselves to one another and believe me when I say, I am so glad I got to witness you exchanging vows today. I wish all the best for you, as do those two dorks, and remember that we’re all going to be there for you both. You have two souls but a single thought, and two hearts that beat as one. This is the day that now belongs to one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life and I could not be happier to have gotten to see it happen.” She raised her glass. “A toast to these two fools and to their union! May you always be satisfied!”

Marinette returned to her seat next to Tim and rested her head against his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“I’m happy for them,” Marinette whispered, watching as Adrien danced with Bart, leading him, before Bart grabbed Adrien and picked him up before running around the room, presenting him like the greatest miracle ever granted for the humankind to everyone. Marinette squeezed Tim’s hand, smiling at their best friends.

“Same, Cuppie. Same here.”

_____________________________________

@kris-pines04​ @thethirdwheelfriend​ @maribat-is-lifeblood​ @abrx2002​ @persephonebutkore​ @rebecarojas07​ @corabeth11​ @kadmeread @silverwhiteraven​ @freshbark @maribat-march2020 @catsandfanfic @fertileleaf @eat0crow @cutechip

[miracul0us-multishipper]

Welcome to the back (Part 5)

First Chapter  Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

Thank you so much for all your sweet feedback!

This chapter deals a little more with Lila’s manipulations and their first effects, and both Chat Noir And Felix make a move. With varying degrees of success.

Also, Felix would literally die for Maman Cheng’s Quiche.

- - -

Lila was fuming when she arrived at home.

“Who does he think he is?!”, she spit out between clenched teeth. “He had zero proof!”

And not only had her attempt to win Felix over failed, Hawkmoth hadn’t even sent an Akuma for her! That, or this goddamn beetle had caught it before it had reached her.

“What a dutiful little bug, aren’t you, Ladybug?”, she seethed on. “Always looking out for butterflies. Well, newsflash: you aren’t perfect! And as soon as you let one of them slip through, Volpina is going to kick your ass!”

That brought her thoughts to another pain in her butt and she threw her phone away in frustration. If it weren’t for that pigtailed goody two shoes, Felix would be writing poems of admiration for Lila by now. All these beautiful words, lost because that stupid Marinette couldn’t leave Felix alone. He was unreachable for her now!

Taking a deep breath, Lila tried to calm down.

Don’t do anything rash. We’ve come so far.

She still had Adrien wrapped around her finger. That boy was so eager to believe her, he threw all reason away for some pretty fairy tale. And as long as his father was with her, she had Adrien handled.

Still. Loosing her chance with Felix had... hurt her. She hadn’t realized she’d looked forward to their relationship that much.

Sighing she fell on her bed and grabbed her phone, going through his poems. She’d pictured how everything would go from the moment she’d looked through his bag. He would’ve been smitten with her writing, her poetry resonating with his. Once they were on their date at the Eiffel Tower, he wouldn’t have been able to deny how pretty she looked with the sunset illuminating her face, the wind in her hair... He would’ve intertwined his soft, slender fingers with hers and confessed how connected he felt to her. She would’ve blushed and told him to stop, but he would’ve written her a poem about his feelings for her and kissed her hand. Then they would’ve kissed, just as the sun disappeared and the lights at the tower went on. The rest of the evening, they would have talked about their shared affinity for words and tales, how they both could spin their audiences in webs of emotion and wonder - even though they used different mediums to accomplish that. He would’ve realized that they were the only ones that understood each other, that they were made for each other, that they were soulmates. How they were better than these silly children in their class.

She groaned and turned her phone off, not bearing to see his pretty poems now.

It was all Marinette’s fault! She’d stolen that future from her and Felix!

Lila froze.

Wait a second.

Since when did she give up that easily?! This was Marinette she was talking about! That girl didn’t have enough brain cells to walk properly! She was no opponent for her, Lila Rossi, the cunning Volpina! She was the Queen of Lies, the Master of Manipulation, Gaslighting and Illusions! If she wanted Felix, she’d get Felix!

With renewed determination, she got in front of her computer. She had some research to do!

-

“There you are, Chaton!” Ladybug greeted her partner. She was still smiling from her encounter with Felix, and determined that this patrol would go smoothly. Chat Noir replied with his usual smirk.

“If you don’t look energized today, My Lady! Happy to see me?”

She chuckled and landed next to him, on the rooftops next to the Seine.

“Come on, Kitty! This city doesn’t patrol itself, you know?”

“Actually, can we wait a few more minutes?” her partner asked with surprising seriousness. “I wanted to talk to you.”

She wanted to refuse - she still had to catch up on her missed history lesson, time was precious - but the pleading look in his big green eyes made her weak.

“Alright” she sighed. “But only shortly! What is it, Kitty?”

He hummed.

“You always call me these pet names. It’s so cute!”

“Chat. Focus.”

“Right! Uh, my dad is... the owner of a business, you know? Famous and renowned across France. He always has to look super professional, or his investors run over to his rivals.”

“Okay?” Ladybug tried to follow, unsure where this was supposed to go.

“You kind of remind me of him, sometimes! You’re both smart, and very serious about your work, and usually too busy.”

She didn’t know if he wanted to compliment or insult her.

“Anyway, my mom and I are very similar, he always says. She used to work for him, as a model. And when they fell in love, my dad was a bit worried a relationship with one of his coworkers might look unprofessional. ‘What would everyone say?’, and so on.”

“And then?”

He shrugged.

“Nothing. They got married and it worked out fine. No problems whatsoever.”

“Huh.”

Chat looked at her, obviously expecting something, so she added: “That’s... a very sweet story. Your parents sound very lucky.”

He beamed.

“Yeah! And luck is just our thing, right?”

“Uh, yes” she agreed carefully. What did they have to do with his parents. “But why are you telling me this?”

“I just wanted to let you know... I understand how important it is for you to look professional. And that I support you, always. You don’t have to worry.”

“Thanks?” She was positively confused now. “I don’t think anybody doubts our professionalism, but... that’s reassuring.”

“You’re welcome.”

He probably meant well, even though she didn’t understand what he was playing at. So when he closed his eyes and leaned in, her mind had yet to catch up. Only when he was actually pressing his lips on hers, it clicked.

She slapped him. Hard.

“Ow! What the-“

“Oh no, that’s my line, Chat! What the fuck?!”, she hissed out, wiping her mouth with her wrist. Chat looked up, his face shifting from shock to betrayal.

“I-I thought-“

“You thought what?! You can just kiss me out of the blue after I repeatedly told you I’m not in love with you?! What don’t you get about that?”

If he looked hurt, she didn’t care. She was tired of this, tired of his advances. For once in her life, she wanted him to listen and understand her!

“I- someone told me you were worried that-“

“Why are you so quick to listen to some bystander, but refuse to hear my very! Clear! Answer!”

“Your answer isn’t clear at all!”, Chat Noir yelled back, getting to his feet. “You say you don’t love me, but you’re acting like you do! You call me pet names, you flirt with me, you kiss me all the time! So either you enjoy leading me on, or you’re lying to both of us about your true feelings!”

“Aaaargh!”, she groaned in frustration, clasping her hands above her head, “You’re impossible!”

“No, I’m simply making my feelings very clear for you! We are partners, and we’re supposed to be honest with each other!”

She tore her hair. He was so stubborn, so obstinate that that he could do no wrong. She wanted to scream.

“Chat, I honestly don’t want you to kiss me.” she tried to keep it simple, lowering her voice to prevent herself from lashing out. But Chat certainly didn’t help at that.

“That’s okay! We can just hold hands, if you want to. Or go for Ice cream.”

“No! I don’t want any of that! Kwamis above!”

“Then what do you want?!

If she didn’t get out of here, she’d do something stupid. Slap him again, probably.

“Leave me alone, Chat.”, she pressed out, her voice breaking.

“What? We’re partners! You- We need each other!”

“I’ll handle patrol from now on.”, she ordered, leaving no room for discussion. “Until you can accept that I don’t reciprocate your feelings, we should only work together when necessary.”

She swallowed, throwing her yo-yo.

“Please, Chat.”

Then she was off, disappearing behind the buildings of Paris. Leaving a stunned, upset Cat behind. It took him a while before he could move, and even longer before he reached his home. Detransforming had never felt so draining to him.

“What the everloving Fluff were you thinking?” Plagg raged as soon as the ring set him free. Adrien groaned.

“Not now, Plagg. I really don’t feel up to this now.”

“You don’t feel up to this?” Plagg snarled incredulously. “I don’t feel up to this! I don’t feel up to anything! Ever! And even I can’t let you do something like this!”

“How should I have known she’d react like this?” the boy defended himself. “Lila said-“

“Volpina-Girl! You know she doesn’t like Ladybug! But somehow you thought her love advice is more credible than the answer Ladybug has been giving you for months!”

“But she’s Ladybug! And I’m her Black Cat! We’re completing each other.”

Plagg shook his head.

“Right now, you overgrown airhead, you are about to loose even the most platonic part of her feelings for you. It’s simple: that or nothing, Kiddo.”

-

Where Ladybug was lonelier than ever, Marinette was soaring high. After Alya apologized for not believing in her innocence regarding the poems, the others soon followed - much to Lila’s dismay. And the compulsive liar got even angrier after seeing how much closer Marinette and Felix were becoming. Marinette found that she didn’t care.

Felix was... odd. He spoke clear and directly, not caring if he sounded rude. He didn’t like warm temperatures, preferring to hide on the shady yard. He listened to classical music, but had beaten Marinette more than once at Freestyle Clash 2.

(“Rap is poetry as well!”, he had defended himself when she teased him about it.)

He also didn’t like crowds, or people in general. But whenever Marinette was chatting with her classmates, she found him listening attentively, even if his eyes were glued to his book. While he didn’t want to be actively involved, he wasn’t antisocial either.

And to be honest, she appreciated his silent company more than ever when her other friends became... overwhelming. Being around Felix was easy. His mere presence was calming, as if everything was in control.

“Girl, are you there? ‘Cause if I’m not losing my senses you’re staring at Mister Icecold instead of Sunshine Boy.”

Marinette blinked, pulled back into the real world. Alya was looking at her expectantly, eyebrows raised so high they almost vanished beneath her hair.

“I didn’t!”, Marinette insisted, but Alya rolled her eyes.

“Come on, you’ve been hanging out with him and him alone for the past week! What’s up with that?”

“Nothing! I just really like Felix, that’s all. You know I have a crush on Adrien.”

Alya’s eyes were scrutinizing but playful.

“Hm... If you say so?” She chuckled. “I should be glad. Frosty is kind of scaring me, actually. He’s so rude!”

Marinette huffed with arms akimbo.

“He’s just... honest! And hasn’t been around people much. He doesn’t mean to be rude, he just doesn’t want to lie for politeness’ sake either.”

“I don’t mean that. At least, not only that. He’s been glaring at Lila whenever she tries to speak with him.”

Marinette sighed. They’d talked this over at least a dozen times already, and while Marinette didn’t call Lila a Liar openly anymore, she did like to give hints. Which Alya successfully ignored.

“Just... let’s get to class. I don’t want to be late again.”

While Felix hated nothing more than talking during the lessons (“It’s disrespectful!”) he did communicate from time to time. Over the course of the week, they had developed an intricate language of stolen glances and discreet expressions that was comprehensible to them alone.

When Marinette fell into her seat next to him and replied “present” upon hearing her name from Mme Bustier, he gave her a concerned look from her to Alya.

Everything okay with you two?

Marinette shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Just the usual disagreement.

He huffed, concentrating on the lesson, but not without nudging her leg with his knee. His gesture for showing support.

“Before we continue with Napoleon, let me make an announcement.”, Mme Bustier caught her class’s attention. “Since you’ve all been so eager and hardworking during Monsieur Agreste’s bowler hat contest, I’ve been looking for another opportunity to let your creativity run free.”

She smiled at the front row.

“Since Lila has so generously helped me out, You now have the chance to participate in a competition called “Journalism Junior”, hosted by Alec Cataldi and Nadja Chamack.”

The class cheered and Alya high fived Lila, who smiled as Adrien patted her on the shoulder. A sharp pang in Marinette’s chest made her look away.

“If you want to enter the competition, you’ll have to create a report on something that greatly impacted you, until next Friday,” Mme Bustier continued. “It can be about your greatest inspirations or fears, a problem you want to draw attention to or something you want to support. Copying is as always,” a sharp glance at Chloé and Sabrina, “strictly forbidden! This is about an honest and genuine insight into Paris’ youth, so be true to yourselves!”

As soon as Mme Bustier finished, the class was alive with the buzz of excited students.

“Journalism! Not really my specialty, but sounds interesting.”, Marinette beamed at her gloomy neighbor. “I think I’ll do something about fashion! Or baking? Or media design?”

Felix only huffed and Marinette stilled.

“Is... everything okay?”

He blinked and straightened himself.

“Yes, of course. Journalism just isn’t my cup of tea.”

He leaned his head sideways.

“You should do something about fashion. You’re talking about it constantly, and I’ve seen your room. If something has an impact on you, it’s designing.”

“You’re right!”, she agreed, already thinking about what sketches she should work with. “Oh, will you do the report on your poems? No, wait, they’re personal. Your music then? I’ve heard you play the violin in the art room, it’s magical!”

Felix’ cheeks appeared a bit more saturated for a moment, almost as if he were blushing, but it disappeared when he shook his head.

“I won’t participate at all.”, he clarified sternly. “I’ve had enough people trying to peak into my life. But I’ll help you with yours. You’re horrible with deadlines.”

“True”, she grimaced. “But I don’t get why the behavior of other journalists should keep you from trying something out yourself!”

His fingers twitched, betraying that this was about something entirely else. A bit gentler she added: “Are you sure you don’t want to do something of your own? It’s different if other people try to drag your personal life into the limelight, or if you willingly share something on your own terms.”

“Hm...”, he murmured, before giving her one of his rare smiles. “You are exceptionally smart, Marinette. I appreciate your advice.”

She rolled her eyes. He could’ve as well written her a thank you letter, as formal as he was.

“Thanks. But don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re deflecting!”

She backed down anyway. Felix obviously didn’t want to share his thought process with her, but hopefully, he just needed some time.

Or maybe she was just misinterpreting his behavior and blowing things out of proportion. Wouldn’t be the first time for her.

-

Felix might not look the part, but he did think about what Marinette had said. She was right, of course. There was a difference between someone stealing his secrets, and himself sharing them. But to him it had always been technical at best, a mere incongruence in terminology.

Insisting on being involved in Mum’s company from an early age on had put him in the spotlight far more than he’d anticipated, then. When he took up modeling – the only way to help he was given, his mother didn’t want him to “waste his childhood with adults work” – he’d become a minor celebrity basically overnight. It hadn’t gotten better when he grew up.

He’d always felt like some sort of public property, a puppet for others to project onto, or a fancy building people went sightseeing for on weekends. More than once his mother had to hire security people to ensure he had some semblance of peace outside, without being bothered by fans or paparazzi. His father’s position and... attitude certainly hadn’t helped to give him some personal space. So, at one point... he’d simply stopped going amongst people. And he didn’t mind that!

But the week he’d spent with Marinette, or even Aurore and Marc, had made him realize that while he could be on his own... he didn’t want to, anymore. Not always at least. They were so... generous with everything, sharing help or stories or simply their company with him. Especially Marinette, without ever expecting anything in return.

He wanted to return something, though. Anything to let her know he appreciated her. To make her smile the way she drew out his own.

So when school was over, he waited for her to pack up her things and get ready to go.

“You wouldn’t happen to be free this afternoon?”, he asked quietly. There where a few other students left in the room, Rossi and Agreste among them, and while he’d never concern himself enough with them to whisper, he wouldn’t push his luck either. This afternoon should go as smoothly as possible.

Marinette smiled and nodded.

“Sure! Want to come over for lunch again? Maman made Quiche.”

He saw Adrien perk up four rows further, and Felix himself found his determination waver. The Dupain-Cheng Quiche was a work of high culinary art, as he’d learned the last time he’d visited Marinette. But no! He had to stay strong! This was for Marinette!

“Actually, I’d hoped you came back home with me for lunch.”

He fidgeted a little, which was odd for him since it usually annoyed him on other people.

“It’s as you said, I should try to share things willingly, on my own terms, and you... make me feel like it can’t be that hard.”

Her smile was replaced by a look of surprise and he mentally kicked himself.

“You don’t have to! It was just an idea, but it doesn’t have to be today. Or ever.”

Why would she want to have lunch with him if her parents were already culinary deities? His mere invitation after tasting their creations was an affront to their craft.

To his relief, however, Marinette didn’t seem to mind his proposal.

“I’d love to come over! I’ll just have to call my parents before.”

She gave him one of her playful smirks that usually came before reading him.

“You actually listened to me? I’m impressed!”

His slight pang of disappointment that he wouldn’t get his beloved Quiche today was drowned out by his happiness to enjoy her company a bit longer. When she turned away to call her parents, he realized he should probably give his mother a heads up as well. He sighed. Mum would be over the moon once she heard he was bringing a friend over.

What had he done?

-

Lila was prepared. She was cool. She was completely fine with Felix asking the walking mess named Marinette out for lunch. And the pen she’d snapped would’ve broken anyway, she was sure.

Not that it mattered. Pigtails could revel in his attention all day, for all she cared. It wouldn’t last.

“Madame Bustier?”, she called the teacher as soon as the other students were gone.

“Lila! Is something the matter?”, the woman asked her new official favorite student. “I hope you didn’t mind that I thanked you in front of the class. I didn’t want to put you in the spotlights so unprompted, but you were a great help and that should be acknowledged.”

Lila smiled modestly.

“Oh, I don’t mind. I just like to help out.”

Herself, first and foremost. The contest was merely a puzzle piece in her scheme.

“Speaking of that,” she continued, “I wanted to ask for a small favor, if it’s no problem.”

“Of course, Lila. What is it?”

“It’s Marinette.” she began, putting on a sheepish face. “We didn’t have the best start, and her behavior last week when I proposed to change the seating again... I think she still holds some sort of grudge against me.”

She paused for a moment, to let the hint settle before she continued.

“I wanted to help her out a bit, so we can become friends! She’s always so busy as class rep, and I fear that the contest might add some weight to her load.”

“That’s so sweet of you! What were you thinking about?”

She had Bustier wrapped around her finger, now.

“Well, I obviously can’t help her with her report.” she mused out loud. “I don’t want to influence her in any way, so she doesn’t get disqualified for copying something by accident. So I hoped I could help her with her class rep duties! Usually, Alya does that, but she’s so passionate about her report and I don’t want to distract her.”

“Very considerate!”, she praised. “What duties would you like to take over for now?”

Now came the important part.

“Oh, Kim has been sick for a while now.” she reminded her. “I wanted to bring him some of the work we did, and inform him about the contest. And the swimming team asked Marinette to bring him the bag he forgot last time. Would it be alright if you gave me his address?”

She seemed to think for a moment before searching for a list in her bag.

“Usually, I’m not allowed to give out personal information.”, the teacher confessed. “But I think in this case, we can call it an exception, don’t we?”

“Of course”, Lila agreed dutifully as she skimmed the list Bustier held out to her. LeChien, Kim... there. And directly above: Leanne, Felix. Smiling, she typed the address into her phone. Felix’ address, of course. Max was already bringing Kim his homework, and the forgotten bag was a lie.

“Thank you so much, Madame!”, Lila said genuinely when she put her phone away and walked towards the door. “Oh, one last thing! Would you maybe... not tell Marinette I asked for this? I want to surprise her.”

“Don’t worry!”, Bustier said cluelessly. “I‘ll forget you asked me for anything.”

“You are the best, Madame! Good bye!”

She didn’t her her teacher’s reply, she was already out of the door. Her phone was on and she pulled up the pictures she’d taken of Felix’ calendar.

He was meticulous when it came to organizing his day, and she was more than grateful for it. He would be home by now, and lunch with his mother would last until 15 o’clock. He’d made a note not to disturb her from 15 to 16 o’clock, since Madame Leanne was in a meeting. From 16 to 18 o’clock, he’d be busy with his violin lessons.

Perfect.

But before her plan could be set in motion, she had another little tale to spin.

“Nino!”, she called when Adrien’s best friend came into her sight. “Wait for me!”

He was alone when she reached him. This was almost too easy.

“Wow, everything alright, dudette?” Nino asked, concerned that she’d hurried so much to catch up to him. “You look kinda rushed.”

She smiled and waved it off.

“I’ll be meeting Jagged Stone soon, and I don’t want to be late. I showed him your latest tape by the way, and he was really impressed.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah! But I really have to hurry now. Could you maybe tell Adrien from me that he doesn’t need to worry. You know, because of the Marinette thing.”

Nino frowned.

“Wait a sec. Marinette thing? Is she or Adrien in trouble?”

Surprised Lila put her hand over her mouth.

“Oh no, he didn’t tell you? Oh, I messed up! I’m so sorry!”

“What did you mess up? C’mon, I’m not telling anyone.”

She looked from side to side, as if worried others might overhear.

“I’m sure he meant to tell you.” she started secretively. “It’s just that... he’s been worried about Marinette. He thought she acted so weirdly over my proposal that Felix should sit with us in the front, that maybe she doesn’t like him. He thinks Marinette is ignoring, or outright bullying Felix.”

“What? I mean, that dude is giving me the creeps, but Marinette is super close with him.”

She forced a smile.

“You’re right, I noticed that too! But, you know, Adrien has been isolated so long... he just doesn’t know how to read the atmosphere, you know?”

“Yeah, he’s kinda oblivious.”

“I just wanted him to stop worrying so much. He was really concerned when he thought Felix and Marinette might not get along.”

Nino gave her a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry about him, I’ll soothe his nerves. You go meet Jagged Stone!”

“Thank you so much!”, she said, and meant every word. He was really useful, even though he made her cringe. “Oh, but maybe don’t tell him you heard this from me. He didn’t tell anyone else, and I don’t want him to think he can’t trust me.”

“Sure thing, dudette!”

“Bye-bye, then! And thank you!”

Lila smiled as she ran off. Everything was fitting perfectly together. The best tool to keep Marinette away from Felix was her crush on Adrien. The best way to use her crush was his dislike of Felix, and his assumption he knew what was best for his friends. The closer he thought them to be, the more he’d try to spread his animosity towards Felix onto Marinette, who’d do everything to please him.

Now Lila only had to wait.

- - -

I’m happy over every reblog, Part 5 is on its way. Here’s the tag list:

@crazycookie13o @a-6-yearold-inside @sinfulfoxbeast @kuroko26 @sternsneeze @zeyheartstaylor @elliecake5 @kristycocopop @yamadochie @sofmimis @enigmaticagitator @offically-over-it @earth-demon @juhavs @omgelisahagemanuniverse @owllover132 @kaydenth3gayden @janaikam @mewwitch

[gryffindorcls]

Meant To Be:  Chapter 6 (AU)

IT’S DAY SIX OF LOVESQUARE FLUFF WEEK 2020!!!

(LOL.  NO, IT MOST DEFINITELY IS NOT, BUT I MUST MAKE EACH POST LOOK THE SAME.  WE CAN ALL JUST PRETEND THAT THIS ISN’T TWO WEEKS LATE. *nervous laughter*) Thank you @lovesquarefluffweek​ for organizing this event!

Welcome back!  Today’s prompt is “AU”.

I PROMISE YOU ARE STILL READING THE SAME FIC.  IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE IN THE END.  I based the entire fic on this chapter.  Also, this chapter is much longer than the other ones for...reasons.

I also collabed with @flashflashitsash!  She made some STUNNING art for this chapter.  You can find it here.

Enjoy!

---

BEGINNING

<— Previous    Next —->

AO3

FanFiction

Chapter 6: AU

“Rise and shine, Your Highness,” a loud grating voice called out, “It’s time to start your day!”

Adrien groaned, flipped onto his stomach, and smashed his pillow over his head. “Why do you sound so cheerful today, Plagg? You’re never happy this early in the morning.”

The older man drew the curtains with a flourish. “And why would I not be jumping for joy on a day where I get to attend a party and have access to a buffet?”

“So you’re telling me that you and the rest of the palace staff have the night off? I don’t know. The ball really seems like an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ kind of event.”

“No one has the night off, young prince. Not even you. Still, as Master of the Household, I am afforded certain opportunities.”

“Ahhh, so even though you don’t technically have the night off, somehow you’ve been given the chance to enjoy the party along with all the guests. I hope my father is aware of your plans.”

“Enjoy is a strong word. As per the king’s orders, someone has to keep you in line tonight; however, it’s not a crime to enjoy some expensive cheese while I’m at it.”

Adrien sat up. “I thought it was Nathalie’s job to keep me in line.”

“The Grand Duchess will have other matters to attend to tonight, so His Majesty enlisted me to keep a watchful eye on his son,” Plagg grumbled.

“I’m guessing those other matters include wooing my father?”

“And comments like that are precisely why he’s asked me to keep an eye on you. He wants me to make sure that you are the perfect gentleman at the ball.”

“I am aware of how my father wants me to conduct myself tonight. Pray tell, since when have I not followed his rules?”

“Ever since you met that girl in the market a few months ago.”

He felt a swell of emotion rise in his chest. “What can I say? Falling in love with my lady changed me.”

“And your clandestine meeting created more work for the rest of us. How I long for the days where you would stay on the palace grounds and attend to your duties,” the servant said with a heavy sigh.

“You say that as if you don’t enjoy breaking the rules, as well. What happened to the man who helped me escape last week?”

“Today, that man is old, tired, and hungry.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Plagg. How can you be both chaotic and lazy at the same time? Teach me your ways.”

“Oh, trust me, you don’t need any lessons in rule-breaking. You’re doing fine all on your own.”

“Only because I learned from the best.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Your Highness.”

Adrien did his best to hold back a smile. “While that may be true, your old cloak gets me everywhere I need to go.”

“For the love of all that is good in this world, please refrain from disappearing tonight.” Plagg pinched the bridge of his nose. “I would like to enjoy my evening at the ball without actually worrying about you.”

“I only disappear when it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Necessary to see your lady friend?”

“Precisely! And she’s coming tonight, so I have no need to leave the palace. You will be able to enjoy your disgusting cheese in peace.”

The door flew open and thudded against the wall. “Good morning, Your Highness! Isn’t it a wonderful day.”

“Not while you’re around,” Plagg mumbled under his breath.

Adrien glared at the older man. “Would you stop that? Even though he’s being strangely formal with his greeting this morning, Nino is like a brother to me.”

“Trust me, young sire, my aching bones are fully aware of that fact. I know that he’s your partner in crime.”

Nino shot Adrien a worried look. “He knows? What did you tell him?”

“Where do you think I got the cloak?” Adrien shrugged.

“You’re telling me that you got the idea for Chat Noir from him?”

Plagg scoffed. “Excuse me, but long ago and far away, I was Chat Noir. This fledgling over here is my successor.”

Nino smiled, tipped his hat, and bowed. “Good show, sir. May I just say that the cat ears on the cloak are a nice touch.”

“My darling Tikki came up with that idea. She even sewed them on for me. It helped us through the dark times we experienced under the former king’s rule.”

“Are you telling us that life is better with King Gabriel seated on the throne? Goodness, you have some low standards, old man,” Nino chuckled.

“You know I could have you beheaded for talking that way about the king.” Adrien threw his legs over the side of the bed.

“You could, but then you’d lose the greatest Captain of the Guard this kingdom has ever seen.”

“I’m sure we could find some eager, young recruit who would be up to the task.”

“But he wouldn’t be your best friend.”

Adrien stood up. “You’ve got me there.”

“All jokes aside, are you ready for tonight?” Nino asked with a grin.

“Surely you jest?” Plagg laughed, “He won’t stop talking about his ‘foolproof’ plan. That’s why he’s so tired this morning. He was up all night making sure everything was...oh, how did he put it? Purr-fect.”

“Wow,” Nino shook his head, “You’re really taking on that Chat Noir persona with gusto, aren’t you?”

He shook his head. “That’s just it, my friend. I think Chat Noir is who I’ve always been. When I put on the mask and cloak, I feel like I can finally be myself. I’m no longer Prince Adrien. I’m just...well, I’m just Adrien.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you are a prince.”

“Yes, but for a moment, I’m free to live my life as if I’m not. People treat me differently. They see past the jewels and title.”

“It’s not like anyone would know that you’re the prince anyway. You haven’t been paraded around in public since your mother died, and that was years ago. No one would recognize you.”

“Still, one can never be too careful.”

“With your dad around, I can’t argue with that.”

“Yes, especially with how unreasonable he’s been as of late.”

“He’s always unreasonable, but I agree. I can’t believe he reacted like that when you told him about the girl you met.”

“Well, I did meet her when I snuck out, and I know that he isn’t pleased about that. Unfortunately, I also know that he’s doing everything in his power to keep me from the love of my life. He wants me to marry a princess, but why can’t he see that my lady is royalty in my eyes. She would make an excellent queen one day.”

“Is that why he turned this event into a masquerade at the last minute?”

“Yes, and even though everyone will be wearing masks tonight, I will recognize my lady. Our love will help us find each other,” Adrien declared confidently.

“That and the dress you secretly commissioned Tikki to make for your lady friend,” Plagg noted.

Nino released a heavy sigh. “That was you? You’re the reason I haven’t seen Alya in a week? She and Tikki have been working on that gown day and night. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because the fewer people who knew the better.” Adrien hung his head. “You’ve been an amazing friend. You kept my escapades as Chat Noir a secret, and I didn’t want my crazy plan to outsmart my father to further jeopardize your position as Captain of the Guard.”

“You know I’d do anything for you. I consider you a part of my family.”

“I know, but contrary to popular belief, I’d like to actually keep you around.”

“I guess that’s good to hear. Thank you, brother.”

“Speaking of the wonderful Alya, I hope that she’s excited for tonight.”

“Honestly, she was surprised that she even got an invitation. Alya told me that while she was living in King André and Queen Audrey’s kingdom, they would have fabulous parties in which they never invited the ‘common folk’.”

“Alya is anything but common.”

Nino clapped his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I think I’m going to ask for her hand in marriage tonight.”

“Truly?” Adrien embraced his friend. “Congratulations. You are a lucky man.”

Plagg cleared his throat. “May I remind you that breakfast starts in fifteen minutes? I doubt you want your father in a foul mood today.”

“My father never eats breakfast with me. He’ll never know if I’m late.”

“He’s already in the dining hall counting down the minutes until your arrival.”

“WHAT?”

Adrien ran to his closet and threw open the door. He tossed on a pair of tight black pants, a billowing white shirt, and a green vest with gold embroidery.

“Do I look presentable?” he asked while pulling on his black riding boots.

“How you are able to look like that minutes after waking up I’ll never know,” Nino chuckled.

“I will take that as a ‘yes’.”

Plagg pulled out a pocket watch. “Now, you have three minutes to get downstairs.”

After taking a glance at himself in the mirror on his wall, Adrien ran out of his bedroom and bounded down the stairs. He took a moment to slow his breathing and adjust his vest before quietly walking into the dining hall and taking a seat.

“You’re late,” King Gabriel said without looking up from the papers in his hands.

“I’m sorry, father.” Adrien carefully placed his napkin in his lap. “It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t. You’ve been late for a lot of things recently. Is there anything you wish to tell me? You’re still not sneaking out to see that girl, are you?”

“No, sir.”

“I see. Well, I hope that you are prepared for this evening’s festivities.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Tonight’s event is very important for the future of our kingdom.”

“I am aware.”

“Also, I hope you are ready to announce who your future bride will be by the end of the night.”

Adrien choked on air. “Excuse me?”

King Gabriel put down the papers. “This ball is meant for you to choose a wife. I’ve invited plenty of royal families from neighboring kingdoms. Surely you’ll have no problem choosing someone suitable to rule by your side.”

“But father, we’ve never discussed anything like this. I thought tonight was merely a pre-coronation celebration.”

“It is, and at your coronation next week, you will have your future queen by your side.”

“Is this really necessary?”

“Yes, Adrien.” The king leaned forward. “Come this time next week, you will have been declared the crown prince of this kingdom. Our citizens need to know that the royal line of succession remains intact. Having a fiancée will ensure the people that you will have an heir one day.”

“But why only one night to choose?” Adrien did his best to stay composed. “This is not one of our traditions. Mother was not by your side at your coronation.”

“We live in a different world now. Things are not as they were when I was your age.”

“That’s because grandfather was still king.”

“You will not speak of that man in my presence!”

“And why not?”

Gabriel paused and took a deep breath before returning his attention to his son. “Why the sudden hesitation to marry? You seemed all too eager when you told me about the commoner you met in the market.”

Anger continued to boil in Adrien’s gut. “Is that what all of this is about? I know that’s why you turned this into a masquerade, but would you really rather see me miserable than to love someone beneath our status?”

“I would rather see you in a strong political alliance than throw away your greatest bargaining chip for a frivolous romance with some girl.”

“So, my heart is a bargaining chip?”

“No, your hand in marriage is.”

“I love her, father.”

“You don’t even know her name.”

“It never came up, and I plan on learning it tonight.”

“Love and politics do not go hand in hand.”

“Then why were you allowed to love my mother? Or was all of that a lie?”

Both he and his father locked eyes as a tense silence fell between them. After several uncomfortable minutes, a quiet cough caused Adrien to break his stare.

Nathalie sauntered across the room and took her place next to the king. “Pardon my intrusion, sire.”

His father’s lips curled into a disconcerting smile. “Ahh, good morning, Grand Duchess. I trust the preparations for tonight are nearly complete.”

“Indeed they are, Your Majesty; however, I came here to remind Adrien that he has his final suit fitting in ten minutes.”

“Just as well.” Gabriel redirected his attention to his son. “It would be impolite for you to be late for your appointment with the seamstress. It is not proper to make life unreasonably difficult for our staff.”

“You’re one to talk,” Adrien mumbled under his breath.

The king slammed his hand against the table. “I beg your pardon?”

Not wanting to apologize for his insubordination, Adrien turned his head and looked at the entranceway to the dining hall. Plagg stood silently in the threshold with Nino by his side. Seeing his support system reminded him of all that he had experienced as Chat Noir over the past several months.

He’d found freedom.

He’d found love.

He’d found a life.

And now his father was threatening to take all of it away. Adrien knew that he had to do everything in his power to find the right girl at the ball, and at that moment, he realized that his lady needed to be able to find him, as well.

A wave of confidence washed away the anger. “I don’t want to wear the white suit tonight. I want to wear black.”

“What did I say about making things difficult for the servants?” Gabriel seethed.

“I have a black suit.”

“Black is for funerals, Adrien. This is meant to be a joyous occasion.”

“Is it? I had no idea.”

“Excuse me?”

“May I interject, Your Majesty,” Plagg said, stepping into the room.

Gabriel looked at the servant. “Yes, please come in. Anything to help my son see reason.”

“Actually, I was going to suggest a compromise.”

“Oh, how very diplomatic, Plagg. My son could learn a thing or two from you.”

“Thank you, my lord. I noticed that tensions were running high, and I know that several royal families are staying here at the palace. I thought it might be important for our guests to see us looking calm and collected. Also, getting ourselves worked up now will do us no favors for our moods come this evening.”

“As per usual, you’re absolutely right. We shouldn’t let our emotions get the best of us. Let’s hear your suggestion.”

“What if the prince wore his blue suit? He looked rather becoming in it at your birthday dinner last month.”

“If I recall things correctly, that suit had a tear on the sleeve.”

“Yes, Your Highness, but our seamstress could mend it in a matter of minutes.”

Gabriel tapped his chin. “Very well. Have one of the maids fetch my son’s blue suit and bring it to Tikki.”

“I shall bring it to her myself.” Plagg bowed and exited the room.

The king turned towards Adrien. “As for you, I expect your best behavior tonight. There will be serious consequences if I find that you are rude to our guests.”

Every muscle in his body felt tense. “I would never be rude to our guests. They have done nothing wrong. However, don’t expect me to fall in love with anyone new tonight.”

“Let’s just see what happens at the ball.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“You may take your leave now, Adrien. You don’t want to keep Tikki waiting.” Gabriel dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“I will see you at the ball, father.” Adrien stood, bowed, and exited the room.

When he turned the corner and began walking down the long corridor towards Tikki’s chambers, Nino grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“What was that?” his friend hissed through gritted teeth, “I’ve never seen you talk to your father that way? I’m all for thwarting his evil plans behind his back, but do you really think that was wise? This isn’t like you.”

Adrien pulled his arm out of Nino’s grip and continued walking towards his destination. “I’m tired of not being heard.”

“You will have plenty of time to be heard when you are king.”

“Yes, but forcing me to choose a bride tonight is his way of making sure that he’s able to maintain some control even when I am the king. He’s setting up political alliances, and if my father gets his way, I’ll always be his puppet. This morning proved to me that I’m merely a pawn in whatever sick game he’s been playing behind the scenes, and I’ll have no more of it.”

“Are you insinuating that your father is actually up to something nefarious? I was kidding about the whole ‘evil plan’ thing before.”

“Honestly, I’ve had my suspicions for a while, but this confirms it for me. He obviously doesn’t care about my happiness, so I don’t care what his plans are. He had my mother; therefore, I am well within my rights to marry for love. I will find my lady tonight, and if she’ll have me, I will ask her to be my bride.”

“Then it’s a good thing that dress is almost complete,” Plagg chuckled as Adrien entered Tikki’s room.

Relief washed over him. “It is?”

“Indeed, Your Highness,” Tikki replied cheerfully, “I just have to finish sewing on the beading. Would you like to see it?”

“Yes, please.”

“Come with me.”

The seamstress motioned for Adrien to follow, and he happily obliged. She led him into a large storage space filled with dozens of dress forms, but a floor-length ball gown made of shiny red satin immediately caught his eye. Intricate beading glittered in the closet’s dim light and covered the dress’s bodice with swirling patterns. The sleeves draped delicately off the mannequin’s shoulders and met in the middle to create a sweetheart neckline.

“Tikki.” Adrien ran his fingers along the smooth fabric on the skirt. “You and Alya did an amazing job. My lady will love the dress.”

The older woman smiled. ‘I’m happy you like it, Your Highness.”

“I love it.”

“Did you tell your lady friend what to say to my apprentice when she goes to retrieve it from the shop?”

“Yes, I spoke with her last night. She knows to tell Alya that the dress is from Chat Noir. I also gave her the pink rose and told her to use it as payment.”

“And I will make sure that her invitation is with the dress when she comes to pick it up.”

“Excellent.”

“Everything's in order. You have nothing to worry about, Your Highness. Now, shoo! I must finish this dress and have it sent into town!”

“Thank you, Tikki!”Adrien laughed, backed out of the storage closet, and bumped into Nino.

“Hey!” Nino exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

“Sorry. I was too busy trying to memorize how that dress looked.”

“I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Thank you.”

“So, was it all you hoped it would be?”

“It’s a stunning gown, and I’ll have no trouble recognizing my lady...as long as she’s the one wearing it. What if this doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong? Now that my father wants me to choose a bride tonight, there’s so much more at stake.”

Nino put his hands on Adrien’s shoulders. “Breathe, my friend. That dress is only meant to be one way for you to recognize your lady. Surely there are other things that you can use to confirm her identity.”

“You’re right.” Adrien nodded. “I would know my lady anywhere. I have a whole list of things that I can use to make sure that I’m dancing with the right girl tonight.”

“Well, it’s time for your fencing lesson. You can tell me all about your list on the way there.”

Adrien felt some of his nervousness melt away. “Excellent! First, let me tell you about her eyes.”

“Something tells me that it’s going to be a long day,” Nino groaned.

“Oh, just wait until I tell you about the song I heard in a dream! When I sang it for her, she kissed me!”

“How many more things are on your list, Adrien?”

“I’m just getting started, Nino, and I’ve got all day until the ball begins!”

Over the next few hours, Adrien went to his fencing lesson, talked with his best friend, gave the musicians the sheet music for the song he’d sung for his lady, attended to an array of princely duties, and got ready for the ball. Once he was dressed in his navy blue suit, he fastened his mask to his face with a ribbon and placed a silver crown on his head. He then made his way to the ballroom.

Once inside, Adrien kept his eyes glued on the door. He was vaguely aware of the crowds of people and lively music that swirled around him, but the only thing he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding against his eardrums. His anxiousness grew with each passing thump.

“Are you okay, brother?” Nino asked, tapping him on the shoulder, “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

He wiped his hands against his pants. “No, I’m not okay. She’s not here yet. I fear something may have happened to her.”

“Well, Alya took the dress to Tikki’s shop a few hours ago, and your lady friend is probably still getting ready.”

“What if my lady forgot what to say to Alya? What if Alya doesn’t believe that my lady is the one who was meant to wear the dress? What if…”

Nino cut him off, “I’m sure everything will work out. If something happened with the dress, you have plenty of other ways to make sure that you pick the right girl. Remember?”

Adrien nodded. “Yes, my lady is much more than the dress she’ll put on tonight. I will be able to recognize her.”

“Exactly! You have the song that you heard in the dream.”

“And there’s the color of her eyes and her love of pink.”

“By the end of tonight, you will know your lady’s name, and she will be your future bride.”

“Only if she says yes.”

“If she’s anything like she is in the stories you’ve told me, you don’t have anything to worry about. It sounds like she’s pretty enamored with you, as well,” Nino laughed.

“I hope so.” Adrien took a deep breath. “Otherwise this is going to be an awkward night.”

The doors at the top of the stairs swung open, and Adrien’s knees went weak when he saw a guest who was wearing his commissioned dress appear on the balcony. Time stood still as the raven-haired woman floated down the stairs and across the room. He thought he was going to pass out when she finally stopped in front of him.

The woman curtsied. “Good evening, Your Highness.”

His gaze remained transfixed on the woman. “Good evening, my…”

Everything inside of Adrien stopped when their eyes met. Behind the red and gold mask that covered the top half of her face, he was met with two shining, brown irises, not the bright ocean blue he’d been expecting,

“Are you alright?” she asked with worry lacing her voice, “Do you feel unwell?”

He shook his head and fought back tears that had begun to pool in his eyes. “My most sincere apologies, miss. I mistook you for someone else.”

“Well, I’m afraid you and I have never met. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Princess Kagami Tsurugi.”

“Ahhhh, yes. I remember my father mentioning that you and your mother were coming to stay with us. I apologize for not coming to see you when you arrived. Are you enjoying your visit to our kingdom?”

“I am! I even met someone who is supposed to be working here tonight. I fear that I may have promised to spend the evening with him, and I didn’t really plan on dancing with you. I hope you’re not upset. I know my mother is. She likes it when I follow the rules and spending the night with a commoner definitely goes against her rules.”

“I completely understand. My father isn’t too happy with me right now either.” Adrien took both of Kagami’s hands in his own and chuckled. “Trust me when I say that I’m not offended, princess. As long as we’re both being honest, I wasn’t really planning on dancing with you either. I’m still waiting for someone to arrive.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, a girl.”

“Is she also a commoner?”

“Yes.”

“And that is why your father is angry.”

“He doesn’t want me to marry beneath my status.”

“Then we live very similar lives.”

“It appears that way.” Adrien paused before continuing. “Also, I don’t know how or why, but you’re wearing her dress.”

“I am? Is that why you thought I was someone else?” Kagami cocked her head to the side. “Did you think I was her?”

“I did. May I inquire as to how you obtained the gown?”

“The Grand Duchess brought it to my room this afternoon.”

“Nathalie?”

“I believe that was her name, yes.”

Adrien turned to Nino. “Now do you see what I mean about my father? He has to be up to something.”

“Is it bad for me to say that I’m not surprised?” Nino asked, shaking his head.

“Not at all. I’ve come to expect this kind of nonsense from him over the past few months.”

“Well, brother, tonight is not the night to be thinking about your father. Right now, we need to focus on finding your lady.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kagami looked between both boys.

Adrien sighed. “I’m not sure. Right now my lady is without a dress and an invitation. There’s no way for her to get into the palace, and I have no idea where she is right now.”

Nino rubbed his chin. “We could always check her house.”

“I can’t just leave.” Adrien pointed to the balcony overlooking the dancefloor. “My father is quite literally watching my every move, and I don’t want Plagg to get in trouble. Remember, he’s supposed to be ‘watching’ me.”

“Then, let’s just wait for Alya. I’m sure she could help us come up with something.”

“Are you two talking about me behind my back?” Alya laughed, entering the conversation.

“Perfect timing, as always, my love,” Nino leaned over and kissed Alya on the cheek.

“Yeah, yeah. Enough sweet talk. I have to tell you two about the night I had.” She turned to look at Kagami. “Or should I say three of you?”

Adrien scratched the back of his head. “We’re having an interesting night, as well.”

“Considering that’s the red dress that made me age ten years in two hours, I’m guessing that you know part of what I’m about to tell you.”

“We don’t know much. Princess Kagami just told us that Nathalie brought the dress to her room this afternoon.”

“Wait,” Alya turned to the woman in the dress, “you’re Kagami? My best friend told me all about you.”

“Oh, you must be Alya.” Kagami clasped her hands in front of her. “She told me all about you, as well. I was hoping to meet you here tonight.”

“She told me that she introduced you to Luka.”

“Yes, I did get the chance to meet him.”

“I also heard that you two kissed by the fountain last night.”

Kagami smirked. “A princess never kisses and tells.”

Alya chuckled. “I can see why she likes you. I’m sure she’d be happy to know that you’re the one who accidentally received her dress.”

“Hold on.” Adrien held up his hand. “Are you telling me that your best friend is the person who was supposed to get this dress? You know my lady?”

“Your lady? There’s only one person who calls her that. Wait...you’re Chat Noir?” Alya pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. “You’re the masked gentleman who’s visited my best friend almost every single night for the past three months?”

“Guilty as charged.”

“So, that means that you’re the one who commissioned the dress?”

“Yes, and I’m desperate to know what happened.”

Alya nodded. “Of course. Umm...let’s see, Tikki sent me into town with the dress once it was completed. I waited for about an hour, and the Grand Duchess told me that the dress was from Chat Noir, and she gave me a pink rose as payment. Tikki told me that the person who did those two things was the rightful owner of the dress, so I gave it to her.”

“And what about my lady?”

“You keep calling her ‘your lady’. Do you not know her name?”

“If we’re being fair, she doesn’t know mine, and I plan on asking her what it is once I find her. Right now you’re the only one who can help us.”

“Point taken. Well, when she came into the shop, she also said the right words and tried to give me the rose, and that’s when I knew that there had been a terrible mistake. I was about to give her my dress and invitation when Tikki arrived and saved the day. All the dresses in the shop had been cleared out, so I don’t know where Tikki found the one that she gave her.”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. “So, she did get a dress?”

“Yes,” Alya replied with a reassuring smile, “And Tikki gave her an invitation.”

“Do you know where she is now?”

The doors once again swung open, revealing another raven-haired woman; however, unlike Kagami, this guest wore a pale pink ball gown with a skirt that billowed behind her. Her arms hugged the form-fitting bodice of her dress as she scanned the room from behind a matching mask. When her eyes locked with Adrien’s, she offered him a tiny wave and beamed. He returned the gesture, and she gracefully descended the stairs. All the air left his lungs when she began to walk towards him.

“It’s her,” he whispered.

Alya placed a hand on his shoulder. “It is, and it’s time for the three of us to leave you two alone.”

“I’ll go ask Luka to play the song we gave him earlier today.” Nino then turned to Kagami. “Come, Your Highness. I will show you where the musicians are.”

“That would be greatly appreciated,” Kagami said with a smile, “Good luck, Prince Adrien.”

“Mmmhmm,” he said absentmindedly, “Thanks."

Even as the trio walked away, his eyes remained glued to the woman who was slowly making her way across the room. He desperately wanted to run through the crowd, sweep her off her feet, and hold her close, but he knew that his father was still watching; therefore, he made the difficult decision to hold his position.

She quickened her pace the last few feet, crashed into him, and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m so happy to see you, Chaton. You’ll never believe the night I’ve had.”

Adrien wrapped his arms around her and felt fully at peace for the first time that night. “Good evening, my lady. Words cannot describe how overjoyed I am that you are finally here.”

“I apologize for not wearing the dress you got me, but there was a little mix-up at the shop.”

“I heard, and I don’t care. All that matters is that you are here and that you are safe.”

“But how did you know that it was me?”

“I could see your beautiful blue eyes from across the room.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and considering the number of times I’ve gotten lost in your eyes, I would recognize them anywhere.”

“Stop! You’re going to make me blush. How do you always manage to say the most wonderful things?”

“My words come straight from the heart when I’m with you.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you bring out the best in me.”

Her cheeks grew red as she pulled away from the embrace and tapped him on the nose. “Alright, kitty-cat, am I supposed to listen to your sweet talk all night, or are we going to dance?”

He took one of her hands, raised it to his lips, and kissed it. “I am ready to do whatever the lady wishes.”

Adrien’s gesture sent her into a fit of giggles that came to an abrupt halt. “Is that a crown?”

“This is it,” his mind reassured him, “Now’s your chance to tell her who you really are.”

“Yes,” he stated with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Oh.” She visibly swallowed. “Is it part of your masquerade costume or are you wearing it for another reason?”

“I wear it every day. My father would be very upset if I took it off. He’s been watching me all night, so he would know if I did.”

“Your father?”

Adrien pointed to the lofted space where his father and several other dignitaries sat with stone-faced expressions. When she turned her head to look, Adrien watched her hands clench the fabric on her skirt.

“My lady?” he asked tentatively, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m f-fine,” she squeaked, “Is your father the one sitting on the throne?”

“Yes.”

She spun around and faced him. “You’re Prince Adrien?”

His heart sank at the sight of tears shining in her eyes. “I am.”

“Your Highness,” she said quickly, curtsying low, “I am not worthy to stand in your presence. I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait!” He reached out and gently grabbed her hand, “Are you leaving because my title makes you nervous, or are you leaving because you don’t want to be with me anymore?”

“I want to be with you more than anything. My heart aches when you leave me each night.”

“Then stay. Please.”

“I’m not royalty.”

“You could be.”

“I’m just a baker’s daughter. I’m not special.”

Adrien leaned in. “Yes, you are. You’re purr-fect.”

She laughed and wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand. “You really are my Chaton, aren’t you?”

“I am. This is why I didn’t tell you that I was the prince. I wanted you to get to know me without all of the distractions that come with the crown. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive.”

“You’re not angry?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I understand. Your instincts were right. I probably would have run away from you if I had known the truth.”

He took her hands. “Are you going to run away now?”

“Now why would I go and do something like that? You still haven’t given me that dance you promised.”

“Is that so?”

The song being played by the musicians faded away, and the lilting sound of a familiar melody began to resonate throughout the ballroom. Adrien took his lady’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“Is that what I think it is?” Her voice was laced with disbelief.

Adrien nodded. “It is.”

“I thought you said that you heard that song in a dream.”

“I did, and it plays in my head every time I think of you. It was driving me insane, and I finally had to write it down after a few days. I gave the sheet music to Luka, and Nino just asked him to play it.”

“Does this mean that I finally get to dance with you?”

“Yes, my lady.”

He pulled her close and placed one of his hands on her waist. She rested her free hand on his shoulder, and they began to glide across the floor. For a moment, everything else in the room melted away, and the only thing left was the incredible woman in his arms.

All too soon, the song ended and the rest of the world came crashing back into focus. He became painfully aware of his father’s overbearing glare, and his brain desperately searched for a way to be alone with his lady.

“It’s getting kind of warm in here,” Adrien mumbled, tugging at his collar.

“Perhaps we could go outside?” she shrugged.

“That’s a wonderful idea. I can show you the palace gardens.” He held out his arm for her to take.

She smiled and linked her arm with his, and he quickly escorted her out of the ballroom, down the hall, and through a set of doors that led to the gardens. They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached a quiet corner that was hidden by a willow tree in full bloom. Within the tiny space, there was a white gazebo and dozens of rose bushes.

“They’re all pink.” She reached out and touched the petals of a rose in full bloom.

Adrien felt a pang of sadness shoot through his heart. “This was my mother’s favorite spot. She planted all of the bushes here. When I was younger, we’d sit inside the gazebo, and she’d read me all kinds of stories.”

“That’s a beautiful memory. Thank you for showing me this place.”

“She would have loved you. Probably almost as much as I do.”

He heard her breath catch. “What did you say?”

“I think I may have just told you that I love you,” he chuckled.

“You’ve never said that to me before.”

“I mean it, my lady. I love you with all that I am.”

“But you’re the prince, and I’m just a commoner.”

“That doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“What does that mean for us then?”

“It means that I want us to be together.”

“Your father wouldn’t approve.”

“I don’t care what my father thinks. He’s not going to be king forever.”

“Okay.” She walked into the gazebo and sat down on a bench. “Let’s say we do begin courting. Then what would happen? It’s not like we could have a normal relationship.”

Adrien took a seat next to her. “My lady, our relationship thus far has been anything but normal.”

“True, but still! How would this even work?”

“Well, by the end of the ball, I am expected to choose a bride. If you’ll have me, when we go back inside, I will declare you as my future wife. Then you will stand by my side at my coronation next week, and in a year’s time we’ll be wed.”

“You want me to marry you?”

“More than anything in this world. You’re already a princess in my eyes, why not make it official?”

“A princess?”

“Yes, the wife of the crown prince becomes a princess. Then, when I become king, you would become my queen.”

“Queen?”

“My lady, you are the most incredible person I’ve ever met. Even in the face of great hardship, you manage to stay positive and selfless. You have the kindest heart and the quickest mind. This kingdom would be lucky to have you as it’s queen. You make my life better and brighter, and I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you.”

She smiled and choked back a sob. “I love you, too.”

“Are those happy tears?” Using his thumb, Adrien wiped the wetness off of one of her cheeks.

“Yes.” She nodded into his hand. “They’re very happy tears. I love you, too.”

He laughed, took her hands, and got down on one knee. “In that case, my beautiful lady, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She pulled him to his feet and threw her arms around him. “A thousand times, yes!”

Adrien picked her up and spun her around, causing her to giggle. When he placed her back onto the ground, he kept her in his arms and rested his forehead against hers.

Without letting go, he pulled away. “There’s just one thing that you need to do before I can go back inside and tell my father that I made my decision.”

“Oh,” she said, looking up, “and what might that be?”

“I need you to tell your name.”

“My goodness, I never told you what it was, did I?”

“No, you didn’t. You didn’t want to tell me what it was during our first meeting, and I didn’t want to upset you by asking again.”

“You should have said something! I feel so silly now.”

“Don’t, my lady. We had an interesting start to our relationship. We both chose not to disclose our names, so it makes sense why you would choose to keep something like that to yourself.”

“I just got so used to hearing you call me ‘your lady’, that I forgot to tell you.”

She let go of his hands, took a step back, untied the ribbon holding her mask in place, and smiled. “My name is Marinette.”

Joy flooded his body and his mind began to spin. Her name sounded like the sweetest symphony. Adrien felt himself falling in love with her all over again. Everything made sense. His lady was Marinette, and all was right with the world.

Then, everything faded to black.

***

Adrien’s eyes flicked open. His heart was racing and he gasped for air. His mind scrambled to hold onto the memory of the dream that was slowly fading away.

“My lady is Marinette,” he whispered.

Plagg groaned. “Kid, why are you awake? It is three o’clock in the morning, and I thought I told you not to wake me up.”

“Ladybug is Marinette.”

“Finally.”

“Marinette is Ladybug.”

“Yes, we’ve already established that.”

“I’m not in love with two people.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to be up for the rest of the night talking about this.”

“How can I sleep at a time like this?”

“Just close your eyes or something,” Plagg grumbled, “You can finish having your existential crisis in the morning.”

He turned away from his Kwami and let his mind race. “She was right next to me the entire time.”

Adrien grabbed his phone, tapped the screen, and pulled up a new browser. He only had eighteen hours to figure out how to tell Ladybug that he knew who she was. And right now, all he could do was hope that she wanted to know his identity, as well.

And he could also buy flowers. Lots and lots of flowers.

[loosescrewslefty]

Lab Rat

“A partner?” 

The words sounded beautiful to Marinette. Choirs of angels had begun singing in the background of her brain as she gaped at the elderly man before her in shock. She may have even actually teared up a little in a combination of joy and relief. Master Fu seemed oblivious to all of this, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to give the now giddy girl his full attention.

“I’m not comfortable with the idea of having more miraculouses out and about, but the situation is too dire. Since Scarab has the Ladybug Miraculous and his partner Psyche is abusing the Butterfly, it leaves us at an incredible disadvantage. Especially as I cannot join you in battle as often as I’d like,” here, Fu gave a heavy sigh that seemed to originate from his toes, “you have proven to be a remarkable hero, Marinette. Incredibly clever and adaptive. But I’m worried that the longer the fight drags on, the more dangerous our enemy will become. And I don’t like the thought of leaving you alone in their line of fire.”

“I definitely wouldn’t turn my nose up to a little extra help,” Marinette admitted, biting her lip, “trying to do all of this by myself is really stressful sometimes.”

“I can certainly appreciate that. And you did an excellent job of securing both the dog and the rooster miraculouses and returning them to me before Scarab could claim them for himself and abuse their powers as well,” Fu said, giving her a warm look of appreciation that had Marinette smiling back. That battle had not been an easy one, since a lot of her classmates had gotten caught in the middle of the fight, so she had to both keep Scarab from finding the mystical artifacts he was after AND protect her friends at the same time.

She was still a little amazed that she had made it out of the fight in one piece, honestly. If it hadn’t been for Adrien jumping in at the last minute and carrying her to safety, she probably wouldn’t have managed at all. She hadn’t been happy about it at the time, nearly blinded by the panic that the model was recklessly endangering himself, without the protection the magic suit gave her. Thankfully, Scarab seemed to have been taken by surprise by Adrien’s sudden appearance and didn’t attack, so everything turned out okay in the end. Still, Multimouse had spent about twenty minutes chewing the blond out before his sad eyes made her cave and she thanks him, but asked him to leave the heroics to the heros from that point on.

And hopefully, getting more heroes involved in the fight would mean that Adrien would stay safe, far, FAR away from the danger where he could potentially give Marinette yet another heart attack.

“So you’re going to find new heroes for the rooster and the dog, then?” Marinette asked eagerly. Fu gave a small frown at the question.

“Just one for now, I think. Throwing two inexperienced heroes into the mix at the same time could make things more difficult rather than easier. Once the first choice is adept enough, we will revisit the potential of adding another to the team.”

“But Master Fu, with my Miraculous training two new heroes at once would be easy!” Marinette protested with a frown, “we could have more allies trained faster if I just used Multitude to help both of them at once, and then we’d be better prepared to handle Scarab and Psyche!”

“Perhaps, but that would also weaken you, and as you are currently the strongest fighter we have it’s not a risk that I feel comfortable taking. Our enemies know that we have more miraculouses in our possession now, and their next attack will be much more aggressive in response to that. If our line of defense comes down to myself, an elderly man who can barely help with the fights, two new heroes who will have no idea what they’re doing, and you, weakened from overusing your powers to train both of your new allies at once, it will leave us in a bad position, even if we outnumber our enemy.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Marinette admitted, a little reluctantly. It was a little disappointing that they weren’t going to double their team’s power right off the bat like she’d hoped, but she did see the logic behind Fu’s caution now. And they’d still be getting a little stronger, going forward with his plan, which hopefully meant less weight on Marinette’s shoulders.

“Luckily, I already had an eye on someone who should be a strong asset to the team,” Fu said, making Marinette perk up. “If worse came to worse, I was prepared to surrender Wayzz to them, so that you would have a more battle capable partner to help with your fights. But now that we have other miraculouses, I believe that they could be an excellent choice for the Dog Miraculous.”

“Great!” Marinette said happily. “The sooner we can get them familiarized with the Miraculous, the better. It’s probably better for them to try to train first, instead of throwing them into a fight unprepared.”

“Indeed,” Fu said with a rueful smile, no doubt remembering the near disaster that was Marinette’s clumsy first attempts with the Mouse Miraculous. It was lucky for both of them, and Paris as a whole, that she was a quick study and eventually got the hang of it. Otherwise. Scarab would have already won, “I will give them Barkk today, and hopefully their training can start tonight.”

“I can do that,” Marinette agreed. “Just let them know to meet me at the Mazarine Library tonight around 11 or so. It should be quiet enough over there that we can work with getting them more comfortable with their miraculous before their first fight.”

“Of course,” Fu said, nodding. “However, I will not be revealing myself to the one who will be given the Dog.” THAT made Marinette start a little, staring at her mentor in confusion.

“What?” She said, eyebrows stitching together. “But… why not?”

“With a new chosen in play, it may be wiser for me to remove myself from the battlefield more, so I can instead focus on helping from a more supportive position. I’m too old to be of much use in a fight, but my knowledge may help serve you and your team in the coming battles. Not only can I put more time and effort into locating the other Miraculouses before they fall into the wrong hands, but I can also find ways to help you unlock even more power, so you can fight more efficiently.

But we need to be safe about how we proceed from here on out. Yes, we will have more allies going forward, but that may also mean making ourselves more vulnerable to the enemy, should one of us be discovered. For that reason, we need to be even more cautious from here on out. I will hand out the Miraculous, but will not allow the one I chose to know my true Identity. And when I believe our new hero to be adept enough, you will choose the holder for the rooster. Neither of us will tell the other who we chose, and of course We will not reveal our identities to either of the new heroes or allow them to reveal themselves to each other. If, at any time, anyone’s identity is compromised, then the hero or heroes involved will have to relinquish their Miraculous. Even if that hero is one of us. Do you understand?” Marinette stared at the elderly man across from her for a moment, too stunned to speak as he held her gaze with his own unwavering look. It was only after Mullo gave her palm a worried nuzzle that Marinette realized that he was still waiting for her response.

“I… yes. I understand, sir,” Marinette said, holding Fu’s gaze with her own. She understood the seriousness of this undertaking, and the reason the precaution was necessary, and she knew that she needed to step up and be more authoritative if Fu really was stepping back away from the fight. These new heroes would be looking to her for guidance, and she couldn’t leave them vulnerable. She was going to be the one with the knowledge and experience. And she was the one who was going to have to make sure that these rules were enforced.

“Excellent,” Fu said, giving Marinette a warm smile. “Tomorrow, start giving serious consideration to anyone you feel would be fit to use a Miraculous themselves. But for tonight, get some rest, so that you’re ready to help your new partner.” 

“Of course, Master,” Marinette agreed. She already had a few potential people in mind, but needed to mull it over carefully before she committed to any of them. And before THAT, she had to devote her full attention to training whoever Fu chose to wield the Dog.

Whoever it was, she hoped they were better prepared for it than she was.

Multimouse was a little surprised when she got to the library and found someone else already waiting for her on the roof. Surprised, but pleased. Being eager to start was a good sign that the new wielder wouldn’t be a clumsy, half panicked mess like she was. 

Landing nimbly on the roof, Multimouse smiled warmly at her new companion. Male, from the look of it, with sunny blond hair that almost blended perfectly with the yellow of his suit and big green eyes that went wide with awe at the sight of her.

“You must be my new partner,” Multimouse greeted him cheerfully. “It’s nice to meet you…?” She trailed off inquiringly, waiting for the new guy to introduce himself. After a moment, the blond snapped out of his daze and grinned widely at her, and the belt that served as his ‘tail’ began to wag aggressively behind him.

“Me? I’m Chien de Garde! At your service, Ma Souris!” He said, bowing in flouish. Multimouse arched an eyebrow and gave him a bemused smile. ‘Guard Dog,’ huh?

“Affectionate, aren’t you?” she observed, eyes flitting to his wagging tail. She grinned when Chien de Garde blushed and grabbed the offending appenage to try and stop it, to no avail. “you planning on flirting Scarab and Psyche into submission, puppy?” Chien de Garde pulled a face at the question, clearly not finding her little tease that amusing.

“I’ll have you know I am a well trained attack dog, Ma Souris,” He said, pouting a little. Multimouse snickered a little at his antics.

“I’ll be the judge of that, puppy,” she said, motioning for him to follow her, “come on, let’s go see if your bite lives up to your bark,”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Chien de Garde said happily, eagerly following behind her. Multimouse felt her lips tug up into an easy smile as the feel of his presence right behind her, already comfortable with this boy she hardly even knew.

She had a feeling this would work out great.

[cheryllcher]

hold up can u imagine how much angrier adrien would be if adrienette was canon?? scene rewrite

A bit longer than i expected, because here i have adrien actually being observant and know wat's happening around him. really wish we had the keep reading thingy on mobile. ://

---

"Lila?" Adrien was happily greeting the photographer for waiting for him when he saw a familiar silhouette. Too familiar in fact.

"Do you know each other? Oh myyyyyy your papa's new muse is incredible! She's been all around the world, she knows all the celebrities and she's Italian, like me." The photographer pulled Adrien into a tight side hug, before enthusiastically raving about the achievements of the seated young girl, not that those achievements were real, anyhow.

Then Liela- I mean, excuse my language- Lila said something, but Adrien didn't register any of it. He was livid, furious! He was so infuriated that he could probably catch Hawkmoth's attention, but that could be dealt with later. He had more important matters at hand than some butterfly man desperate for some jewellery.

She knew that he knew of her untruthful ways, yet she still wormed her way into having a photoshoot with him, after all she's done? Those worms don't deserve to be associated with her either, neither do rats or any animal really. Adrien put on his best model smile, turning to the photographer. (sorry i didn't know how to spell his name oof)

"Would you mind leaving us alone for a second?"

"Sure!"

Adrien caught the flash of surprise on Lila's face, before it disappeared into a sickening faux sweet smile with fluttering lashes, before turning towards the Seine. Those eye flutters won't work on me Lila, I've seen through it all. Only one person is able to do that to me with a positive response.

He walked to the other available chair with purpose, gears in his mind churning, thinking of how he can go about this. However, he caught Nathalie watching over them from the corner of his eye, and knew that this conversation was to take place somewhere more private; somewhere away from the prying ears of his father's assistant.

"Actually, I think we should take a little walk around while we chat. I could use a little warm up before the shoot begins. Shall we?"

Lila buoyantly agreed, making quick work to rise from her seat, eager to please him. They strolled to a bench by the Seine, away from the roads which didn't allow any cars to follow them, let alone a certain one. And Adrien's sure that Nathalie would be smart enough to remain in the vehicle so as to not seem suspicious. Ha! I've already known anyway. He geastured to Lila to have a seat, sitting down himself. Sight remaining on the water before him, he began.

"I've warned you once already Lila, but you didn't listen. You've hurt Marinette and that's not okay." Straight to the point.

As expected, the cunning liar quickly scrambled to defend herself, and from his peripheral vision, he could see her feigning hurt. "Me? Hurting Marinette? But she's the one who-"

"I don't know how to prove you lied Lila, because you're good at it. And didn't we already established that I am very well aware of your lies? So you can stop pretending, because I know you're not the victim in this, not in any way." Actually she wasn't good, but Adrien wanted to give her something to be proud of. But if anything she should be ashamed of it.

"I-" Whether it was to continue playing the damsel or to finally drop the act and state her piece, Adrien didn't allow her to but cutting her off yet again. He was done with her dramatics.

"Marinette is my girlfriend Lila, I'm sure you of all people should know from all the snooping around that you did on behalf of my father. I love her very much, and this means that if she is hurt, whoever or whatever hurt her will regret doing so.

"I've been giving you so many chances, Lila, I really did. I wanted to believe there was some good in you, that you would eventually learn your lesson and change for the better. But I realised I was wrong, and look where that got us."

Lila was caught off guard by Adrien's knowledge of her attempts to spy on him, and even more so when he suddenly turned towards her, pure resentment clear in his features. It was a miracle that Hawkmoth hadn't sent out one of his butterflies yet. The emotion could be felt from a mile away. For once, Lila felt true fear, her face paling and hands shaking, completely betraying her act, much to Adrien's satisfaction.

"You've hurt my princess, and I'm not going to stand for that. I'm giving you one. Last. Chance, Lila. Admit to your lies to everyone, make sure that Marinette is no longer expelled. Face the music of your actions, no matter how loud and jarring it is. You are to show the world who Lila Rossi truely is."

Lila gulped, no longer having the upper hand and feeling as if she might pee her pants, literally. She had never heard his voice so low, never seen his eyes filled eith such fury. But she dared to challenge him, stubborn as she was.

"B-but... What if I d-don't...?"

"Then you will be exposed either way. Spin as many lies and excuses as you like, but there's no running away. I know much more than you think, Lila, and I'm not afraid to make use of what I know and possess. You better know what you will be walking into."

Oh, it was no empty threat. Adrien had accumulated enough over the time since Lila returned to school. Like the fact that she threatened Marinette in the bathroom, or the recording of how Lila delved into his things and harassed him back in his room, all safely stored in his extra phone that no one knows about. Not even his princess. He abruptly stood up and walked in the direction of the crew.

"A-Adrien? Where are you going?" He whirled back to face her, and his innocent sunshine look was back on.

"I'm telling them I'm not doing this or any shoots with you. As you've been invading my personal space and I'm feeling really uncomfortable with having you near me. You'll comply with my request, won't you?Because you're such a concerned friend who would do anything to make up for what you've done wrong..." A quick shift to the same glare from earlier.

"Because we're friends, aren't we?"

And as he walked away, Lila decided that she will still take the risk and believe that Adrien was only barking and no biting will be done. Tomorrow she will resume standing her ground and see what he really has to go against her. Curiousity killed the cat after all. But deep down in her heart, in the back of her mind, she knew her reputation will perish before her very eyes before she even knew it; no matter how much she tried to ignore that thought.

[thekitsune]

Marigami Week Day 1: Sleepovers

Here’s my submission for Day 1! I hope you enjoy!

Marinette smiled as she sat down a tray of freshly baked cookies. Looking around her room, she felt her smile widen as she saw that everything was ready! In an instant, Tikki was floating right next to her.

"Are you excited Marinette?" Tikki questioned her clearly eager partner. Marinette nodded as she turned to face the little kwami.

"Of course I am! Kagami is coming over for our first sleepover!" Marinette pumped her fist into the air in excitement while Tikki giggled off to the side as she saw Marinette spin around on one foot. As the girl went off on one of her excited fantasies, Tikki let her smile rest. She felt so relieved to see Marinette this happy after the last few weeks. Marinette seemed to be in a downward spiral of depression thanks to Lila's schemes and her heavy work schedule, but a miracle seemed to happen. That miracle's name: Kagami Tsurugi.

The two love rivals befriended each other during that competition across Paris. The more Lila pushed against Marinette with the class's backing, the more Marinette drew herself to her new friend. And after awhile, the young fashion designer began to see the fencer in a new light. A light that shone brighter than any she has seen before.

Tikki can still remember the day that Marinette placed all her Adrien pictures and magazine cut outs away into a box (and eventually the trash). She had asked Marinette what the occasion was, but Marinette's response was a small squeak before hesitantly placing a photo of Kagami on the wall. One she took at a fencing competition that Kagami had won.

Since then, the girl's romantic focus has shifted to her new friend, and she was excited when Kagami agreed to spend the night with her. Tikki could remember how nervous Marinette was when asking Kagami over. Her behavior must have shocked Kagami since the normally straight to the point girl hesitated for a few moments before agreeing.

Tikki was happy that Marinette finally found someone that made her happy without reducing her to a stuttering mess and accidentally caused her to deal with constant bullying in class. She really liked Adrien, he was a great kid, really! But his home life has left him with a less than ideal mindset when it came to dealing with people like Lila. She also felt bad that Chat would never get to be with Ladybug, but it was probably for the best. This should hopefully get Adri-CHAT! Chat Noir, to stop getting upset when Ladybug doesn't respond positively to a date or something else he had set up. Times like those really made her wish that Plagg would talk some sense into the boy instead of lounging about eating cheese.

Anyway! Back on topic, Tikki was just happy that Marinette found someone, outside of just her, that would support her and be there for her in her time of need.

"Tikki...are you okay? You've been floating there for a few minutes without saying anything. I know I kind of started rambling about Kagami again, but...ehehe," Marinette questioned the kwami while nervously scratching the back of her hair. In the process of scratching her head, she ran into her pigtails. As much as she loves her new hairstyle, she found some strange urge to let her hair down for the night.

Reaching back, she gently pulled the bands out of each pigtail and allowed her hair to fall down freely. Sighing happily, she looked back up...only to freeze with a blush when she spotted Kagami staring at her from the trapdoor with a surprised look on her normally stoic face.

There was silence before an 'Eep!' broke out across the room.

And that was all Kagami said before slamming the trapdoor shut.

---

Letting her head tilt to the side like a confused puppy, Marinette just had one thought in her mind before rushing after Kagami, "Since when does Kagami 'eep'?"

After a few moments, she stopped in the living room where an embarrassed Kagami sat on the couch. Cautiously walking over to her, Marinette smiled shyly as she stepped in front of Kagami. Bending down lightly to look Kagami in the eyes, Marinette offered her hand, "Um...I'm ready for the sleepover if you are?"

Kagami gently took Marinette's hand and allowed the girl to lead her back up the stairs to her bedroom. Opening the trapdoor for Kagami, Marinette followed after her and closed the door behind her. Looking up, she saw Kagami glancing to the side which worried her.

"Marinette...please...do not tell anyone that I 'eeped...'" Kagami quietly requested much to Marinette's shock, and relief (she thought she offended her somehow). Nodding her head like an energetic puppy, Marinette took Kagami's hands and flashed Kagami a bright smile.

"Your secret is safe with me! Now how would you like to start the sleepover?!" Marinette excitedly asked as Kagami looked up at her with a relieved, yet flushed face.

As the two girls enjoyed each other's presence with every type of activity that they could think of, Tikki watched from the sidelines with a warm smile on her face. Like that of a mother who watched her child interact with their loved one with pride and tenderness.

Letting her smile spread, she flew across the room and turned the lights off around midnight before quietly flying over the bed to her own. As she settled into her small makeshift bed, she took one last glance at her chosen, cuddled against Kagami who held her in a protective embrace, before allowing herself to fall asleep.

[aalissy]

Fencing

Welp this is now my favorite chapter so far haha. Though I love kiss I like them realizing the others’ feelings more ;). I can’t believe we’re already a week into June. Can summer come back pleasE? I say even though my sister still isn’t done with finals lol. Lemme know what you guys think :) <3

AO3

“Do you think you can take me on, Agreste?” Ladybug said, a playful smirk appearing on her face. With a quick spin of her sword, she immediately went into the en garde position.

Adrien chuckled before sliding into the stance himself. After the battle with Riposte he had managed to convince the superheroine to practice fencing with him. The boy had made the claim that she needed to be prepared in case Kagami got akumatized again but, secretly, he only wanted to spend time with the superheroine. Luckily she agreed with little-to-no effort on his part and seemed really excited at the prospect. Thus, here they were at fencing practice after hours after Ladybug snuck the two in quickly and efficiently. Ladybug giggled before lunging at him, her sword clashing with his own. In the next second his sword was flung aside as the hero made a powerful swipe and hit him lightly in the chest.

“Someone’s been practicing,” Adrien said as he raised his eyebrow slightly at her.

“What can I say,” she shrugged, “I’m known to be competitive.”

Adding that to the list of reasons on why he completely and utterly adored her, Adrien reached for his sword. “Well now that I know that I won’t be going easy on you,” he turned back to her with a smug smirk.

“I’d like to see you try,” Ladybug proudly stated, grinning mischievously at him.

Adrien struck against her sword as the two began their fencing duel again. Just as it seemed that the superheroine was about to beat him again, he managed to surprise her with a powerful blow which caused the heroine to trip and land on the ground. “Are you alright?” Adrien said worriedly, reaching a hand down to help her up. As Ladybug grasped onto his hand he was forcibly yanked down. Adrien let out a startled yelp as he fell down next to her before a sword touched his chest.

“That means I win, right?” she asked cheekily with a bright grin on her face.

“Y-you cheated!” Adrien pouted.

“Still won though,” her eyes sparkled with mirth as she threw her head back with a beautiful laugh. He stared at her adoringly as she continued to giggle, wiping a tear from her eye, “You should have seen your face.”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough teasing on Adrien, thank you very much.”

“No, no, you don’t understand,” Ladybug snorted, “Your face looks just like mine whenever I say something embarrassing or awkward around you,” her mouth clamped shut as she realized what she just said. A light blush entered her face as she snuck a side-long glance at him.

Now it was his turn to tease her and he leaned in close to her face, a playful smirk teasing at his lips, “Do you usually say awkward and embarrassing things around me Ladybug?”

Her blush turned darker as she fiddled with a pigtail, “More than you know,” she muttered. Before Adrien could understand the implications of that statement, she quickly changed the subject, “Wanna play another round?”

Adrien leaned on his elbow, staring at her with a teasing twinkle in his eyes, “I think I’m good here actually.”

“O-oh,” Ladybug stuttered with another beautiful blush and he really needed to get her to blush more. She looked amazing with rosy red cheeks. “Do you finally think I’m ready to take on Riposte then?”

“I think you’ve been ready for a while,” he beamed, “I just wanted to spend more time with you.”

With an adorable squeak, she looked directly into his gleaming green eyes, “Me too,” Ladybug said earnestly.

It was his turn to blush now as Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “T-thank you.”

“I seriously couldn’t have asked for a better fencing partner,” she placed her hand delicately over the one that wasn’t keeping his head propped up.

He gulped as she leaned closer to him, “Mhm,” the model managed to squeak out.

“So thank you,” Ladybug cupped one of his cheeks before she kissed the other one softly.

Letting his eyes flutter closed as he felt the softness of her lips on his cheek, Adrien sighed dreamily. Ladybug pulled back and it was all he could do not to sweep the superheroine up into a passionate kiss. Standing up to avoid the temptation, he reached a hand down to help her up again.

She took it gratefully this time and stood up with a cute hop and a bright smile, “Now that we know I’m the superior fencer what would you like to do next?”

“Superior fencer? Really? You’re a big cheater is what you are,” he laughed as Ladybug pulled him closer, getting him out the same way she had gotten them in.

It was dark outside when Ladybug landed the two gently back down on the sidewalk. The twinkling lights of the Parisian city lit up the night as the moon slowly rose up from the horizon. Both he and the superheroine turned to each other and spoke at the exact same time.

“You go first,” Adrien chuckled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Did you have a ride home or d-did you want me to take you back?” he could just barely make out her cheeks flushing through the darkness, “I didn’t realize how late it was. I don’t want your father to be mad...”

“Oh no, no. It’s okay!” he rushed to reassure her, “They don’t actually know I snuck out. Probably think I’m sleeping by now. And I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to go somewhere else?” Adrien asked hesitantly, trying to gauge her reaction through the darkness.

Ladybug blinked at him before a smirk teased at the edges of her lips, “You snuck out? Adrien Agreste, I never pegged you as the type to sneak out of your room to practice fencing with mysterious girls.”

His laughter filled the nighttime quiet before he responded, “Well when a superheroine asks for fencing tips you can’t exactly turn her down,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Pretty certain it was you who begged me to fence with you,” a pink tinge lit up her cheeks.

“Details, details,” Adrien’s hand wove her words away.

Ladybug rolled her eyes before she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, tapping her index fingers together nervously. And why did that seem so familiar? He frowned as he attempted to shake off the uncomfortable itch that had settled in his brain and tried to listen to the heroine. “-and I mean you suggested going somewhere else so I was thinking we could go to the Eiffel Tower, maybe?”

“That sounds perfect!” Adrien beamed at her.

“I-I know but just um- wait really?” her eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah if you uh, were ok with going with me and all.”

“No, no that sounds perfect to me too! And then I can sneak you back inside after an hour or so,” Ladybug grinned mischievously back at him.

Adrien gasped, “Am I corrupting you to the dark side? Are you seriously helping to smuggle me back inside?”

“You’re a bad influence on me,” she giggled, bumping her hips with hers which tingled pleasantly from the contact before she pulled him closer and began their journey through the darkness.

Landing on the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug turned to him with an eager look in her eyes, “What do you think?”

“This is beautiful,” Adrien breathed out to seem as though he had never seen this view before as Chat Noir.

“This was one of the first things I did when I didn’t have an akuma to worry about,” she sat down on the edge, “I came here after dark and just looked out at the city.”

He nodded, joining her on the edge, “I can see why. You can see the whole city from here.”

“I stayed out here for hours and just watched people.”

Adrien leaned back on his arms and glanced out over the city he swore to protect. The lights twinkled and danced before his eyes as he looked out over the landscape. He glanced over to the girl next to him and sighed softly to himself. Yep, the city still doesn’t hold a candle to her beauty. “Thank you for bringing me here, Ladybug. I never thought I’d get to see all this,” he gestured out to the city before him.

“There’s um... there’s no one I’d rather be here with,” she stuttered, turning to him as her bluebell eyes glittered at him prettily.

He blushed a deep red, “M-me too,” he managed to squeak out before he realized the superheroine was leaning in closer. Ladybug stopped just before she made contact with his lips and he could feel the heat emanating from her body and smell her minty toothpaste as she waited there hesitantly. Letting out a quiet groan, Adrien gave in and finally connected their lips. He kissed her gently as tingles raced up and down his spine as she kissed him back. Oh my god, I’m kissing the girl of my dreams on the top of the Eiffel Tower right now, he thought as he cupped her cheek and tilted his head to kiss her deeper.

Finally pulling back to take a breath of air, Ladybug stared back at him with rumpled hair and swollen lips, “Wow,” she panted out.

He sucked in a harsh breath before he leaned into her again, nibbling on her bottom lip gently. The two stayed out there, continuing to explore the other's mouth as they shared kiss after kiss. Finally, Adrien pulled back and laughed, “Thank God for fencing practice.”

“Mhm,” Ladybug squeaked before leaning in for another kiss.

[hidayasu]

Revamped (ch. 4)

I... have been writing... for THIRTY YEARS! D: Lol jk it just feels that way. Hey guys! Sorry about the delay! I had like three different directions I could have this story go, so I had to play around with it and decide which one I wanted. SO I finally did, so now hopefully we can get back on track! Soooo if it's riddled with mistakes I missed, I rewrote this a lot, so I apologize. OTL. Now, onward! :D

Lol, snapped a pic of Ladybug carrying someone across the city!

Aw, that's our Ladybug! So sweet and helpful!

OMG is that ADRIEN AGRESTE?!

OMG NO WAY

I THINK IT IS

They look so cute! 3

No way, she and Cat Noir are in love, didn't you see the photo? THEY'RE so cute together 3

omg did they break up?

GASP! Is Ladybug cheating on Cat Noir!?

No way!

How could she!?

Poor Cat Noir!

Adrien deserves better!

"Adrien is it true?!"

"It can't be true!"

"No way, how'd you manage it?!"

"What?" Adrien jumped from one questioner to another, flabbergasted at the sudden swarm and barrage surrounding him. "Is 'what' true?"

"You and Ladybug are an item!"

"What?!"

Alix shoved her phone in his face, where there was an unmistakable picture of Ladybug swinging through the skies of Paris, a common and accepted sight. Save for the fact that she was carrying a lean, blond male with a very signature outfit, and blond hair.

"Oh no," he groaned before he could stop himself.

"So it is true!" she pestered.

"No! No, no, we were just, uh," He grimaced as he glanced between everyone trying to wrack his brain. "She was just giving me a ride home! I was right by where the Akuma attack was and-"

As Marinette came to school, she was surprised by the crowd near the front door. It wasn't the first time she'd seen Adrien in the middle of an overexcited group of teens, but their classmates had stopped being star-struck a long time ago.

"What's going on?" She asked a distressed Alya as she approached.

Just then, nearly all the girls in her class turned with a gasp and suddenly crowded around her. "Nothing!" "Nothing's wrong!" "Nothing's happening!" "Adrien was just telling us about his-"

"No way guys," Nino spoke up suddenly, coming over to put his arm protectively around his friend. "There's no way Adrien is secretly dating Ladybug! Cuz if he was, he would've told me about it, his best bud!"

"Right, of course!" Adrien said quickly, though the agreement seemed a little haphazard.

"ADRIKINS!" Came the distraught wail as Chloe jogged up to him. "Tell me it isn't true! Tell me you're not dating Ladybug!"

"It's not true!" Adrien finally said in exasperation. "I was late for dinner and Ladybug was just giving me a lift home, that was it!"

The girls winced and looked worriedly to Marinette. And somehow mistook her worried expression for disappointment.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Chloe sighed with relief, instantly cuddling his arm, ignoring his leaning away from her. "Not that Ladybug isn't great of course, but she's not the one for you."

His grimace came back, knowing where this was going, and quickly coming up with a distraction. "Right! Because, uh, sheeeee and Cat Noir are a thing, right? Didn't they just become an item?"

Of course, so focused on Chloe, no one noticed the way Marinette grimaced. Ugh, right, that photo! The one of her and Cat Noir kissing! He'd been so eager about it, and Alya had gotten so trigger-happy with it. All her hard work of "rejecting" Cat Noir, down the drain...

...well ok, that wasn't true. Every now and then she still wound up flirting with him back, so maybe her attempts hadn't been that successful anyway.

"Ugh, she can have him if she wants," Chloe waved him off in her typical fashion before clinging onto the reluctant boy's arm. "You're the perfect one for me!"

Marinette crossed her arms. "Oh please, he's hardly "perfect"."

She hadn't realized she'd said it aloud until the shocked eyes rounded on her. Her own eyes widened, especially when she saw Adrien's stunned confusion.

"What was that?" Chloe pressed.

"I mean, uh, no one's perfect, Chloe!" Marinette said, trying to be more confident than she really felt. "And, uh, you shouldn't expect that of people!"

"Ugh, what would you know? You wouldn't know perfection if it hit you in the face," She said airily, flipping her ponytail with a flourish.

Marinette leered.

And then she smiled mischievously. "Actually, Chloe, I always thought you and Cat Noir would make a great couple."

"What?!" She wrinkled her nose in his disgust, while everyone else looked confused. Adrien looked positively alarmed. "Me and that mangy cat? Why on earth would you think that?"

But her cool, easy smile never faltered."You two brag about yourselves so much, you'll be able to keep each other entertained for hours."

Everyone burst out laughing, much to Chloe's anger, and Adrien's embarrassment. She scowled at the laughing faces, and Adrien flushed with a forced embarrassed smile. The warning bell rang, and the others dispersed, though Chloe of course couldn't leave without a threatening point to Marinette. "You'll regret this, Dupain-Cheng!"

"I seriously doubt that, Chloe."

"Hmph!" She turned up her nose before marching off to class.

"Shouldn't expect him to be perfect, huh?" Alya raised a brow as she smirked, crossing her arms. "Nice philosophy. Did you decide that in the last five minutes?"

She smiled bashfully with a helpless shrug.

"Marinette?" Came Adrien's voice, making her snap straight.

"Speaking of perfect," Alya muttered with a sly grin, before she stalked off. "See you in a bit, Marinette." She sang.

She looked after her friend longingly before turning with a nervous smile. "H-hey, Adrien!"

He seemed as nervous as she was. "Hey! So, uh," he rubbed at the back of his neck. "You like Cat Noir, huh?"

"No!" She panicked, making him blink. "I mean yes! I mean- I like him! As a hero! But it's not like I like him romantically or anything!"

"You don't?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "But I thought- er, that is, you were uuuh-"

"I did used to have a little crush on him," she said quickly, proud of herself for this brilliant turn around. "But he's in love with Ladybug, so now I'm just a fan!"

"Oh! Great! Glad to hear it." He nodded, half to himself, though he seemed mostly distracted as he fidgeted. "Soooo... do you really think he brags a lot? As bad as Chloe?"

Her lips twitched traitorously, but she managed to school her expression. "That depends. Do you really think Ladybug and Cat Noir are an item?"

He raised a brow, obviously confused as to how those two were connected. "Don't you?"

"Oh, I dunno, I mean it's just one photo," she excused quickly, turning around in pretend thought. If she faced him, she was pretty sure she'd lose her nerve. "Maybe they had another reason for kissing. Maybe Ladybug was saving him again, oooor maybe they thought they were trying to break a spell!"

Of course, not looking at him, she didn't see the sudden flash of worry. "You... think so?"

"Yeah, I mean, who can really say, right?"

He was quiet for a moment as he considered it. "Yeah, I... guess that's true. Ladybug's done it before."

"Exactly!" She agreed cheerfully, finally turning to face him. "I'm just saying, you can't believe everything you-"

She stopped. As she looked at his face, she was stunned by how... down he looked. He was clutching the strap of his bookbag, face to the ground as he hunched over.

"...though I guess they did look really happy together," she finally relented. "I mean, what do I know, I'm just a fan!"

He looked up at her in some surprise, like he had forgotten she was there, and then balked when he remembered himself. "Right, of course! We're just fans! I guess only Ladybug and Cat Noir know, right? We should head back to class."

"Oh, yeah," she smiled as she followed him quickly. "Don't wanna be late again!"

Of course, neither of them were aware of their eavesdropper. Lila watched from the shadows, her face turning into a scowl as she gripped the photograph of Ladybug in her fingers.

After that, everyone in school had forgotten about the incident, and took Adrien at his word. He thought that was the end of it.

"ADRIEN AGRESTE!" Cried the angry female akuma from the school rooftop. She was dressed in a garish mockery of a retail worker's uniform. "Where are you!?"

The students ran screaming for safety, trying to hide in some classes and rooms nearby. Adrien was trying to head for the locker room, but he was spotted, and the female akuma dropped down to block his path.

"I don't understand," he said. "What'd I do to you?"

"Nothing, I just know that you're my ticket to Ladybug, Loverboy," she sashayed toward him. "It's nothing personal."

"Uh," He grinned nervously as he tiptoed back. "I would just like it to be known that that photo was taken out of context, and we're not actually-"

"SILENCE!" She shouted, holding up her weapon- a rather formidable looking… coat hanger? Either way it started glowing and he had a feeling he wouldn't like getting hit with it. "I don't care what the rumors say- all I know is that you're enough to make her come running."

There was no where to run, and no where to hide, and as he braced himself for the attack, he silently cursed his need for haste yesterday.

"WATCH OUT!"

And then he was suddenly yanked away, Ladybug's yo-yo wrapping around his waist to pull him toward her.

"HA! I knew it." The akuma sneered. "Attacking your precious lad in distress was the perfect way to bring you straight to me!"

She scowled, holding him protectively close as she rebutted the claim. "Ugh, I'm going to rescue anyone in distress, not just him!"

And while normally Adrien would be thrilled at the close contact, the sight of the smug akuma, and the students peeking through the windows with their phones out, made him clear his throat. "Uh, Ladybug?" He smiled shyly with a blush, pointing to their touching waists.

She blinked at him, then her protective hold, and released him with a squeak, activating her yo-yo. "Sorry!"

"No problem! Uh, thanks Ladybug!" Adrien saluted obligatorily before dashing for cover to transform and join her.

Thankfully, the battle itself was not a difficult one. Cat Noir didn't even need his Cataclysm. The day passed by relatively quickly, leaving the students to finish up their classes and head home. And in Adrien's case, head to fencing.

"Hey, Kagami!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Hey," she nodded once in acknowledgment, then readied her stance. He hesitated a moment, curious.

"Sooooo you're not going to ask me about the picture?" He asked cautiously.

"Do I need to?" She asked sharply.

"No! No, no, it's nothing like people are saying," He assured quickly.

"Then there's nothing to worry about. I'm not going to worry about some suspicious pictures anymore. I already know where your affections lie."

He was grateful for the fencing helmet to hide his blush. Because it was true, he had been developing a crush on her lately. Granted he was still falling for Ladybug over and over, but... if Marinette's point was right, then maybe he really should give up on-

"En garde!"

Her warning snapped him out of it, and he readied his stance. He could think about it later, but for now, he had to try to beat her again.

"Would you care to explain this?"

Adrien had a feeling word of this would come back to his father. So this time, as the man held up his own phone with the incriminating picture, he was prepared.

"Father, that's not me! It's just an excited fan dressed up like me."

"Oh really?"

"My face isn't visible, is it?" He crossed his arms. "Besides, Nathalie saw me before I came down for dinner. I was in my room the whole time."

He glanced at his assistant for confirmation, and she nodded.

"It's true, sir. He was already in there, and there was no sign of Ladybug."

The man studied the boy hard, looked at the photo again, then relented. "Very well, you may go."

Adrien smiled, quite pleased with himself as he made his way back to his room. Today just had a quick battle, a quick evasion, so all was well and good.

But needless to say, things got a little… hectic after that. And not just from akumas.

It happened Tuesday, after the battle when the reporters had to get their 'scoop'…

"LADYBUG! How could you cheat on Cat Noir!"

"Uuugh, I'm not cheating on him! I'm not dating either of them!"

"Can confirm. On both ends."

Wednesday, when there were three akumas in the same day...

"Now that I have super powers, I can be good enough for Adrien!"

"Trust me, with your super powers, you can do so much better."

"Hey!"

Thursday, when they got a nice combo of one of her fanboys, and one of Cat Noir's fangirls…

"I'll take the Miraculouses, then we'll be together forever!"

"An eternity of corny pick up lines and bad jokes? Be my guest."

"For the record, I know you're teasing me, but I'll still stand by the fact that my jokes are hilarious."

And Friday, when it felt like everything was piling up bit by bit.

Lila stared at her phone, teeth clenching harder and harder as the newest news clips came out. Image after image of Ladybug valiantly protecting Adrien only fueled the fans of the assumption of their "secret relationship", giving her plenty of fodder for rumors, which she had been taking. To no avail.

"Why? Why can none of these idiots take out Ladybug?" She ranted. "What else do I have to say?"

She jumped onto her computer, looking up more articles and forums, trying to make as many comments about "secret dates" and "outings" and possible.

'Come on, come on, someone take care of her!'

Because no matter how Adrien tried to deny it, Lila knew the truth.

"Why?! Why isn't Hawkmoth akumatizing me?!" She chucked her phone across her room, and stomped about in rage. Picking up the photograph from her desk, she glowered at the smiling, swinging image of Ladybug, gripping so hard it crinkled in her fingers.

"Just as I planned, her anger is growing with each passing day I "ignore" her." Hawkmoth mused as he sensed her rage tumbling through. "But not yet. Her work in helping spread the rumors is giving me plenty of ammunition to wear them down. And then she'll be ready to be my perfect puppet."

He held out his hand, letting a butterfly land in his glove. He akumatized it, and let it flutter out the window. "Fly away my little akuma, and evilize him!"

Ladybug dropped between a couple buildings, trying to catch her breath against the wall after the latest battle. Cat Noir transformed back first, having to use his power a lot sooner than her. Plagg took the time to zip out and groan in annoyance. "Man, that's the 10th one this week! It's nice being popular with the ladies, but this is ridiculous!"

"If it wasn't for people taking all these pictures it wouldn't be happening so much!" Ladybug groaned in exasperation. "It's not like I'm saving you any different from normal."

"Normally, I might be disappointed, but this time I have to agree. I mean:" He had given Plagg a piece of cheese, then pulled out his phone to pull up the latest "craze". "This one isn't even remotely flattering!"

It had been a picture where Ladybug had just barely caught Adrien mid-fall by the ankle, leaving him swinging precariously in mid-air, and screaming bloody murder. Clearly, the affection was palpable.

"Honestly, I'm gonna need my PR people to get on the ball soon," He mused. "My nose looks way too big in this one."

"This is getting out of hand." Ladybug groaned with her head in her hand. "You've got to go on TV and tell people they're wrong."

"I've been trying! But the more I try to deny it, the more people think I'm trying to hide it!"

"Well there's gotta be some way to stop all these akumatizations." She murmured as she grasped her chin in thought.

He watched her a moment, brow furrowing in worry, before he quickly schooled it to be casual. "Well, what if we pretended we're dating? I mean as Cat Noir!" He said quickly. "Like we did before for the other akumas."

She looked at him sharply, but he searched her face to decipher her reaction, hand at his neck. She seemed less-than-thrilled at the idea, though turned her face away so he wouldn't see. "I-I don't know, wouldn't that be hard for you to-?"

Then the akuma found them, and burst in with a mighty roar, making Plagg have to hide.

"Another one?!" Ladybug complained. "It hasn't even been five minutes!"

"LADYBUG!" He cried angrily. He was a massive, muscular boy with a wrestler's yellow uniform blindingly bright against his purple skin. There were stripped braces on his wrists and calves, with an orange armored helmet, but besides that had nothing else to shield him. "Why, why do you love him? What does that weakling have that I don't?!"

"Oh, one of your fans again," Adrien realized brightly, hands on his hips. "I gotta say this is a nice change of pace."

"Silence, girly boy! You don't have what it takes to make Ladybug happy!"

Both Adrien and Ladybug glared.

And then Adrien sneered. "Well, better a "girly boy" than a toy store reject." He said easily, leaning to one side. "With a paint job like that I'd say a 2 year old could do better."

"Ca- Adrien!" Ladybug snapped, just before she had to dive to snatch him out of harm's way. "Are you insane? Don't antagonize him like this!"

The boy didn't even have the decency to look fazed, simply shrugging as she held him in her arms. "What? He asked," he defended. "Besides, you can't expect me not to feel a little jealous of anyone after you."

Of course, neither of them were aware of Hawkmoth on the other side of the psychic link. "What?!"

"Oh, go "hide" already," Ladybug spat as she dropped him, whirling her yo-yo to life.

"Oh no you don't!" the wrestler shouted. "Come fight me face to face!"

"No!" Hawkmoth interrupted. "Not until you've faced Cat Noir and Ladybug and given me their miraculouses!"

"Hmph, go ahead, girly boy!" the akuma yelled after Adrien as he darted around a building. "Go run an' hide! While I show Ladybug what a real man I am!"

"Real man, huh?" Adrien opened up his shirt to let Plagg out again. "Why don't we go show this guy what a real man can do. Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"

Once fully powered up in his own armor, he came out into the fray, happily jumping in to take a few swipes at the technicolor wrestler.

"Nice moves, Cat Noir." Ladybug praised. "Think you can hold him back for a while?"

"No problem. You just go recharge yourself," he assured with a wink.

"Don't let her get away!" Hawkmoth demanded. "She's about to transform back!"

But of course, the akuma's attempt to go after her was thwarted by Cat Noir jumping between them.

"Ah, ah, ah," he wagged his finger, whirring his pole around himself dangerously before striking a defensive pose. "You'll have to go through me first."

Ladybug dashed around a building, letting herself detransform. "Hurry, Tikki," she whispered, pulling out the cookie. "There's not much time!"

"I don't know how much more I can do this, Marinette," Tikki admitted weakly as she got to eating the macaroon.

"Hang in there just a little longer!"

Cat Noir was quick and agile compared the big, hulking muscle man. His strikes were fast and fierce, and he kept his pole close to his body to keep his control. For once, he was focusing hard on the fight. So much so that he didn't even hear Ladybug when she finally jumped beside him, yo-yo at the ready.

"Alright, I'm ready to-"

He let out a battle-cry and charged at his enemy, going low to try to knock him flat. Ladybug blinked, before chasing after him and trying to join in.

"No, Ladybug, stay back!" Cat Noir grunted. He was on the ground, on top of the wrestler as they pushed against his pole to try to beat the other in brute strength. "I'll handle him!"

"Ha! You don't have what it takes! How'd a puny boy like you get to be the hero of Paris?"

"My charm and sense of humor, of course. You should try it some time- it might make you more tolerable!"

The wrestler managed to switch positions, rolling on top and trying to shove the pole into his throat. "I deserve the miraculous! Ladybug needs a real partner!"

"I'm her partner!"

Ladybug, for her part, let her yo-yo stop its spin. Narrowing her eyes and letting her scowl deepen, she straightened her stance and crossed her arms. She had a feeling of where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

Cat Noir finally kicked out the wrestler's leg, flipping him over and jumping back to his feet. He went on the attack again, the wrestler using his braces to block his moves, and of course throw a few punches, with Cat Noir leaping out of range. They advanced and retreated in an angered dance of showmanship, sparring verbally as well as physically.

"Not bad for a weakling, puny man!"

"You're delusional if you think a muscle-head like you has a chance with Ladybug. I'll take you out using brains as well as brawn."

"Hmph, I'll show you and that girly boy! A real warrior is full of strength and power, nothing like your skinny little-"

"Will you two knock it off!?" Ladybug finally snapped, and the pair paused in their fighting. "Did neither of you think that maybe I don't care who's stronger?"

The blinked, and they stared from her, to one another, back to her.

"What are you doing?!" Hawkmoth demanded. "Get his miraculous!"

"You… don't?" Cat Noir asked in confusion.

"No! I'm a superhero for crying out loud!" She said. "I can save myself just fine! I don't need a knight in shining armor to impress me!"

"Then…" the akuma victim lowered his hands in confusion. "What do you need to impress you?"

She glanced to Cat Noir, then sighed as she looked to her clasped hands. "The boy I love is… kind, and sweet. He's helpful to people, and always has a smile for everyone, and it's the most beautiful thing in the world. I don't love him because I think he can "save me", I love him because he's kind to me."

"I can be kind," the wrestler said instantly. "I'm a nice guy!"

"You've been fighting me and Cat Noir to take our Miraculouses and help Hawkmoth. How is that "kind"?"

"She's right," Cat Noir sighed in mock sympathy with a shrug. "Helping the supervillain doesn't usually give you points in the "nice guy" department."

"Don't think you're free from this either, Cat Noir," Ladybug frowned at him, jabbing at his chest. "If we'd been working together instead of you fighting over your ego, we could have gotten his akuma already!"

He flinched, then lowered his head, properly chastised.

Ladybug hadn't really been sure what to expect, but it wasn't the akuma victim willingly handing over his arm brace.

"What?! What're you doing?!" Hawkmoth yelled.

Ladybug smiled up at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing the right thing."

"I guess it's too late to ask you for a date, then."

"Sorry, but I'm in love with someone else," she said sympathetically, taking the brace and dropping it to the ground and stomping on it.

She captured and purified the butterfly, but since the akuma hadn't actually been doing anything but trying to fight Cat Noir, there wasn't any damage to fix.

"Uuuuuugh, ah..." the akumatized victim groaned as he looked around. He was obviously much smaller than his villainous form, though still tall and muscular. With his young face it was clear he was only a couple years older than the heroes. "Ladybug? Cat Noir?!"

"Hey there," Ladybug smiled kindly, ignoring the way Cat Noir wrinkled his nose in distaste. "You feeling alright?"

"Uh, yeah," He shot up to his feet, cheeks pink. "I-I'm great, but what am I…?"

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth."

"What?! No, that's impossible! I'm not evil!"

"I know, it's Hawkmoth that's evil. He gets into your head and makes you do things you wouldn't normally do. Just be careful from now on."

"I will. I promise I'm stronger than that," he assured, flexing for her.

Cat Noir snorted, and Ladybug sighed. Right, since he was akumatized, he wouldn't remember her "speech".

"Do you need a lift?" She asked instead.

Taken aback by her lack of response, he glanced around the area to get his bearings back, and he smiled in embarrassment as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, actually."

"Sure thing," she threw her yo-yo to catch a perch, and held out her arm.

He looked at her, then balked. "You mean, you want to carry me?"

"Don't worry," she waved off his concern. "I'm much stronger than I look."

He still seemed uncertain, and Ladybug couldn't understand why he seemed hesitant, knowing that she was, well, a superhero.

"Ah, on second thought, I'll be fine walking after all."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind."

"It's not that far, actually."

Cat Noir, who knew instantly what was going on, was leaning on his cane with a slyly amused smirk, before he looked at his hand, and gasped.

"Oh no, I'm about to transform back!" He stole the opened spot, hopping into her arms and holding on with the arm not holding his staff. "Quick Ladybug, you've got to get me out of here!"

"Honestly, Cat Noir, again?" She chastised. "You've got to be more responsible. Sorry," She said to the former victim. "Maybe next time."

Of course, since she was looking at him, she didn't see the way Cat Noir leaned his head toward her to look like he was "cuddling" her, or the way he waved farewell with a smug grin before she pulled them away. She brought them to drop behind a building, and was about to let him down before she blinked, memories rushing back to her.

"Hey wait a second, you're not about to transform back. You didn't even use your Cataclysm."

"I know. I just had to show the guy what he was missing."

"Cat Noir!"

"Look, I already knew he wasn't going to do it. He can't be seen being carried by you, it would ruin his image."

"Oh, but not yours?"

"Of course not. Everyone knows I am still the greatest hero of Paris."

She let him drop with a yelp, dusting her hands off and planting them on her hips as she waited for him to stand. "Well, the greatest hero of Paris can go ahead and walk himself back, then."

"Aw, c'mon, bugaboo, I was only joking. You know I think you're the number one hero of Paris," he cooed, leaning sideways to look up at her from under his lashes. Blink blink blink.

"Hmph. Sweet words from someone who wanted to fight all by himself. And haven't I told you not to call me 'bugaboo' anymore?"

He straightened, rubbing at the back of his head worriedly. "Right, sorry, it slipped."

"Just keep it in mind," she said easily, throwing her yo-yo to catch a perch.

"W-wait, Ladybug!" He twisted his pole self-consciously. "Do you… think I brag a lot?"

She blinked.

He darted his eyes away, fidgeting nervously. "It's just a thought I had, lately, for no reason, I just wondered-"

"You mean you hadn't noticed?"

He stared.

"I thought it was just a part of your act as Cat Noir," she stated in incredulity, before pointing at him. "You mean you were serious all those times?"

He hedged and erred, forcing himself to laugh it off. "Act, right! It was! I-I was just worried it was a little too much, you know? I mean I don't want to come off as too annoying."

She facepalmed.

He looked at her worriedly.

She sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it with you."And then she was gone, flying off to her destination.

"W-Wait! What do you mean "used to it"?" He called after her. "Ladybug? Ladybug!"

He had enough time to leap back to the school, and hid between the buildings across the street before turning back. Plagg zipped around, groaning hungrily, but Adrien ignored it.

"Does she think I'm annoying? Is that why she doesn't like me?"

"She said she's used to it, what's the big deal?"

"The "big deal" is that I probably messed up my chance with Ladybug! What if all those times I was trying to impress her did just the opposite?!"

"Then just stop bragging around her, problem fixed."

"It's not that easy, Plagg. Even if I do, I don't know how to actually win her over after all this time."

"Dude, just be yourself. You're like, the nicest guy I know! She'll go nuts for that."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that while we're busy saving Paris? Besides..." He almost looked as though he were going to continue, and then the wind whooshed out of him with a long, drawn out sigh. "You heard her. She's already found someone. They're probably already happy together."

His disappointed musings were cut short when a familiar car rolled up to the front of the school. "C'mon, Plagg. Let's go home." He opened his outer shirt up to let him in, and trudged across the street.

When Marinette got in her room, she was distraught. Tikki sighed, plopping down on her bed tiredly.

"Tikki, am I doing the right thing?"

"About what, Marinette?"

"About trying to get Adrien to fall for me! Tikki, what if I came out and confessed to him? Would people react the same way? Would there be akumas, this time coming after me?"

"That's hard to say," she admitted. "Some of these akumas are happening because of Ladybug and Cat Noir. They probably wouldn't care so much about "Marinette".

"But what if they do!?" She wailed. "What if I get hordes of crazy fans coming after me everywhere I go, and all our dates are hounded by the press and even more crazed fans destroy any chances we have at private time together and Adrien decides it's not worth the effort and dumps me and-"

"Marinette, calm down!" Tikki flew into her face to get her attention. "You're worrying too much! It's not going to be as bad as you think."

"...But if I am targeted, that means Chat Noir would have to face them on his own. And I'd have to keep switching between myself and "Ladybug" and I could mess up somehow. I mean, he almost discovered my identity already! If I have to keep changing, things could slip up for sure!"

"You're right, it is a risky plan," Tikki agreed sympathetically. "More than anything, I think other people would start to get suspicious too."

"Tikki, does this mean I… I can't be with him? Not until Hawkmoth's gone?"

"You could still accept his feelings as Ladybug."

"But I want real dates, Tikki! I want us to go to the movies together, go to concerts, and go out for ice cream, and be able to go on romantic outings! We can't do that as superheroes!"

"You're right, you have to do what's best for Paris. But even if you can't go out like you wanted, are you really ok with him never knowing how you really feel?" Tikki asked pointedly. "It's your choice, Marinette. But I think you'll be happier at least letting him know."

Marinette was silent as she looked at her phone, where the smiling face of her love stared brightly up at her. A hero listened to her head, not her heart. The question was, what was the right choice when even your head was a mess?

A few miles away, someone else was wondering the same thing. He was staring solemnly out his car window with a growing ache of disappointment.

I don't love him because I think he can "save me". I love him because he's kind to me.

It just didn't make sense to him. She was brave, and confident, practically a genius in her own creative way, and she just wanted someone "nice"?

Nah, this guy, whoever he was, had to be the most perfect guy on the planet. From the sounds of it he was friendly, kind, and ridiculously handsome, even moreso than him. Not in a "vain" way, but come on, he was a literal model, and she was saying some other guy's smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. And he was helpful and "sweet" on top of everything else. Honestly, how was he ever going to compete with that? He'd love to try to be "kind" and "helpful" to win her over, it wasn't like he didn't know how. The only way would be if they went out somewhere, just to hang out or something. But she never agreed to it every time he tried. More than anything, he really wanted to meet this guy for himself. Who the heck was perfect enough to catch the eye of Ladybug?

He bumped his head against the window, brows crinkling as his jealousy stirred again. This guy sounded too good to be true. Adrien hoped he was secretly a jerk or something.

But even if he was, there was… really no point, was there?

Sorry. But I'm in love with someone else.

Marinette was right. Ladybug hadn't fallen in love with him after all. Maybe it was time he finally switched targets. For good this time.

When they came through the door, he had prepared himself to trudge up the stairs to get started on his homework, but was surprised at Nathalie's voice speaking to him from the door.

"Adrien, your father wishes to see you."

He blinked, wondering why he was breaking his schedule. He knew for a fact that the man was normally finalizing his themes for the upcoming lines around this hour. Yet he followed her into the man's office, looking at his father's back. The man was staring up at the golden painting of his mother.

"Is it true?" He asked. "Are you in love with Ladybug?"

Adrien sighed. He'd gone through this all week already, and it was starting to wear on him. Plus, he thought the man was convinced by now. He let his head drop as he forced himself to speak. "No, father. She's just been protecting me from all the akuma attacks. There's nothing between us."

"I didn't ask if there was anything between you," He said suddenly, curtly as he turned to look at him over his shoulder. "I asked if you are in love with Ladybug."

Adrien flinched, both from the question, and the steely tone from the man. It was nothing like the excited barrages all through the week. Those eyes that bore down on him weren't like anything he'd ever seen before on him. And for a weird, strange moment, he felt scared. Not in his usual "respect" of his father's authority, but an honest to goodness fear of the consequences of his answer.

But the fear was pointless, worthless, and he dropped his gaze. "No, Father. Now can I please go?" He asked, voice cracking as he held himself together.

"...Very well. You may go," He said briskly.

The boy gratefully beat a hasty retreat, and the door shut with finality behind him. Nathalie looked up at Gabriel.

"What do you plan to do, sir?"

"Hard to say. I cannot have him admit to anything without revealing who I am."

"And if it's true?"

The silence was heavy, so much so that even Nathalie was worried.

"… This changes nothing. The plan is still the same. Tomorrow, we'll begin."

"We should break up."

Chat Noir, who had just told her that he didn't have much time since his father wanted him for some kind of appearance, stared at her. "...What?"

"With you as "Adrien"." Ladybug explained. "No one believes we aren't a thing. So go on TV, and say that we were secretly dating, but now all the akuma attacks have made you decide dating a superhero is too dangerous. We can't have people talking about us like this if it's causing this much commotion."

She expected his hesitation from her suggestion, and an argument, of course, and was already bracing herself for his rebuttal.

"Uuuum, isn't there something else we could try?"

"Look, Cat Noir, I know this will be hard with your feelings for me, but if we can just convince people that we're not involved, then-"

"It's not that!" He said quickly. "I know we have to do something. I just don't want to say that we've already been dating, since… Well..." He seemed oddly hesitant, nervous, and uncomfortable in a way Ladybug couldn't ever remember seeing him. "I may… want to ask someone out soon, and it would look pretty bad if I said I had just been dating someone."

Ladybug blinked, wide-eyed. "...What?"

"You remember Kagami, right?" He said, cheeks turning a little pink. "She's actually my fencing partner. We've been hanging out for a while. She's pretty cool, and… she told me recently she's fallen for me, so lately I've been thinking that maybe… we should… give it a try?"

He was looking at her, almost… Nervously? Or was it hopefully? Ladybug couldn't be sure, she was too busy trying and failing to make her mouth shut.

"Ladybug?"

"Oh, wow Cat Noir, I had no idea!" She managed to say instead, forcing herself to smile. "Congratulations! But wow I'm sure surprised, I mean… Kagami just seems so, you know, serious! I-I didn't think she was your type!"

"Yeah, but she can be pretty cool at times," He said, and there was an oddly… sad glint to his smile. "She's actually nice once you get to know her. And she's strong, too. She could probably even give you a run for your money," he joked.

But then he fell silent, looking down at his hands on top of his pole. Ladybug did the same, trying to filter through the emotions suddenly tumbling through her.

'He's… he's giving up on me. I mean on Ladybug, and going for...'

"Wasn't…. there someone else?" She asked in a small voice. And she wanted to kick herself, but the words just wouldn't stop, because she had to know, she had to hear for herself. "That- that girl who tried to have a date with you. Maribell or something? She- she said something when I rescued her, and..."

"Marinette? She told you about that?" He winced, rubbing at the back of his head. "Ah, yeah, that was tough. I'm glad she feels better about it now. But she's just a friend. I couldn't ever really see her like that."

She pressed her lips together, and her hands wouldn't stop shaking. "Oh..."

"Don't get me wrong, she's really nice!" Ever the nice guy, he was quick to praise and speak well of her. "She's super helpful, and talented! I'm glad to have her as a friend. But we've barely had a real conversation," he finally admitted with a half-shrug that said 'oh well, that's life'. "She's super shy, and so nervous all the time. I try to help when I can, but I think she just flusters so easy it's hard to really get to know her, you know? I kinda worry about her sometimes..."

And as she looked at him, her cheeks grew red until she finally buried her face in her hands. Ugh, she knew it! She knew he couldn't possibly fall in love with her stupid, clumsy self! Not only was her crush getting in the way, but her fear of him "realizing" who she really was just made her more nervous, which made their interactions… well, just as he described. No wonder he never fell for her.

"Ladybug? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" She assured, smiling up at him weakly. "I'm really glad! You finally have a chance to be happy!I'm sure you and Kagami will be great together!"

She could see his face falling, his expressions an open book, as always. But he was quick to smile back, and he reached for her hand. "I'm always happy whenever I'm with you, milady," he assured, bringing her hand to his lips. "You'll always have a special place in my heart."

His attention on her hand, he didn't see the pain on her face, or the longing in her eyes. Only the saddened smile. "...I know, Cat Noir." Then she pulled her hand back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course," he said. Then stepped back to bow low. "Until next time."

And then he was gone, already vanished into the night. She stood under the moonlight, gazing longingly up at the stars.

"This is what's best for Paris… isn't it?"

"Marinette! Why didn't you tell him?!"

"You heard him, Tikki. He's already going for Kagami."

"The only reason he's going for Kagami is because he thinks he doesn't know you! But he does!"

"But I can't tell him that! AAAAAAAGH, TIKKI THIS IS THE WORST!" She fell to her knees, grabbing at her head as she cried to the ceiling. "I know he's in love with me but I can't tell him why!"

"Listen to me, Marinette!" She zipped in front of her face, gesturing and flitting about wildly as she ranted. "Hawkmoth is still out there, and your number one priority is stopping him and all these akumas! But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your happiness to do it! You can't tell Adrien who you are, but you can still tell him you love him! Even if he can only see a part of you right now, isn't it worth it to be with him, even if it's only to save Paris?"

Marinette looked up at the energetic and emotional kwami, smiling slowly as she started bringing the pieces into place. "You're right… you're right, Tikki! We can still be together!"

"Yes!" The kwami cheered. "Now you have to go to him, tonight, before he talks to Kagami!"

"Tikki, SPOTS-!"

"WAIT! … I'm still hungry."

"Oh, sorry."

A few minutes of eating, and then a transformation later, Marinette was bolting down the rooftops of Paris, sailing and leaping for her destination. Time and time again she had failed to tell Adrien the truth of how she felt, and her clumsy nature and terrible luck just spawned her at every turn. But would it be different as Ladybug? Would she have the confidence and the luck to finally get her feelings across to him?

She stopped outside his house, ducking down to peer over the edge of the roof. Outside his gate was a swarm of reporters and cameras hounding him, and his assistant holding up her tablet device.

"What's going on?" Ladybug wondered out loud, before memory served her, and she answered her own question. "Oh, that's right! Cat Noir said his dad had something planned."

Of course, this far away, she couldn't hear what was being said, so she pulled out her yo-yo and activated the screen.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. I'm Nadia Chamack, right outside Gabriel Agreste's mansion, where he's called a press conference in light of the recent events centering around his son, Adrien."

The camera zoomed in on the pair, Adrien of course appearing taller next to his father on the video call screen. Adrien smiled at the cameras obligatorily, though seemed just as in the dark as the rest.

"My son has been the center of many rumors lately, which I would appreciate to cease immediately, given the danger it keeps putting him in. I cannot bare to see him in such a position. That being said, I am eternally indebted to Ladybug and Cat Noir for protecting him from the onslaught of Akuma attacks recently. As a token of appreciation, I'd like to invite them both to dinner to the establishment of their choice."

Ladybug gasped, eyes honed in on both the older man, and his young son, who looked to with equal surprise. "A… dinner?"

Down below, in the center of the hubbub, Adrien's surprise made way for disappointment. "Father, you're wasting your time. Ladybug never accepts these invitations, you know that."

"I do," the man assured. "But so long as the sentiment is out there, I'm sure the message will get across."

He raised a brow, a little confused as to how that worked, until a surprised shout from the reporters got his attention. The sea of paparazzi parted before them, showing a familiar red-clad superheroine rising from her three-point landing, and making her way toward them.

Adrien gaped. "Ladybug?"

"Gabriel Agreste," she acknowledged, her lips curling into a smirk. "I accept your invitation."

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Your Hands Hold Home: Chapter Ten

@lukadrien-june

Read it on AO3: Your Hands Hold Home: Chapter Ten: Synesthesia

Luka just so happened to be walking by Adrien’s room when, through the open door, he spotted his crush lying on the floor.

“Adrien?! Are you okay?!” he exclaimed as he rushed to Adrien’s side.

Adrien sat up with a jerk, pulling the earbuds out of his ears.

“I’m fine,” he assured, guilt pooling in his gut as he took in the frantic expression on Luka’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“No worries,” Luka assured with a sigh of relief, slumping down to the floor beside Adrien. “So long as you’re okay.”

Adrien’s insides twisted into pretzels at the affection shining on Luka’s face.

“What were you up to before I so rudely interrupted?” Luka teased.

“You didn’t interrupt,” Adrien responded hastily.

Luka laughed. “Adrien, I literally did.”

“Well, you weren’t rude about it,” Adrien clarified so that there would be no doubt. “And I was just…”

He bit his lip, squirming as he looked away and lowered his voice. “I was playing a game.”

Luka’s eyebrow arched in interest. “What kind of game?”

Adrien shook his head. “It’s stupid and childish. My father always said—”

Luka reached out and placed his hand on top of Adrien’s.

Adrien looked up in startled surprise.

Luka’s lips spread into a comforting smile. “Don’t talk down about yourself for him while he’s not here to do it. Be nice to yourself, okay?”

Slowly, Adrien began to nod.

“So, what is this game you were playing?” Luka prompted.

Adrien wetted his lips. “When I was little, I used to listen to music and draw the pictures it made me think of. They were lousy drawings, but…”

Luka rolled his eyes. “I’m sure they were fabulous drawings. Anyone who told you otherwise is a jerk.”

That got a laugh of out Adrien. “My father was never very good with children…. I thought it could be fun to play that game again.”

“You’re going to try drawing? That’s a great idea,” Luka encouraged.

“You think?”

Adrien had thought so, but he couldn’t shake the need to get approval and validation from someone. Years of being told that he had nothing to contribute beyond his pretty face had eroded his confidence in himself.

Luka nodded. “Yeah, definitely. Just let me know if you need to go to the art supply store. I’ll go with you and help carry stuff.”

A wide grin stretched across Adrien’s face. “Thank you. I really appreciate you always being so supportive.”

“But of course. You deserve support, and I’m happy to give it…. So, what are you going to draw? What are you listening to?” Luka pressed, trying to draw Adrien out a little more so that he could continue encouraging Adrien’s ideas.

Adrien’s cheeks glowed like morganite as he looked down at the floorboards and mumbled, “I was actually playing a version of the game where I pretend I have synesthesia. I learned about people who see sounds as colours when I was nine, and I was really fascinated by it, so I started to pretend that I had synesthesia,” he explained.

“I did a lot of abstract drawings, and Father hated them because he hates all art done after the 1880’s, but…I had a lot of fun coming up with what colours the songs were, so…that’s what I was doing when you came in,” Adrien continued bashfully, still half afraid that Luka was going to tell him he was being silly. “I was listening to Yoshimatsu Takashi’s And Birds are Still… and pretending to have synesthesia.”

“May I join you?” Luka inquired, seeming completely in earnest.

“You want to?” Adrien blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. It sounds like fun,” Luka replied with a shrug.

“I’d be happy to have some company,” Adrien returned with a pleased blush and a smile to match as he got to his feet.

He tipped his head towards his bed. “If it’s okay, I think the bed would be a lot more comfortable than the floor.”

“Sure,” Luka agreed, following Adrien’s lead and lying down beside him.

Adrien offered Luka one of his earbuds and started the song over once they were both settled.

Luka tried not to betray how their location and position was affecting him, but it was difficult when he was in Adrien’s bed where even the sheets smelled like his crush and Adrien was snuggled up shoulder to shoulder with him.

Thankfully, the music provided a welcome distraction.

It started off mellow and fairly static before the strings suddenly began to move and take on a soaring life of their own. Long, graceful passages seemed to evoke birds in flight, moving like a team of synchronized swimmers through the air.

“This song always makes me think of pastel colours,” Adrien whispered. “It’s really subtle and sparse in places, but even the simplicity and occasional scarcity of sound adds to the piece.”

“It’s like a Chinese painting,” Luka mused. “Like those ones done on wall scrolls in black and white. The artists get a lot of milage out of a monochrome palette and simple lines that combine to form impressive landscapes.”

“Yeah,” Adrien hummed, closing his eyes and picturing it. “The empty spaces are just as important as the places there are ink…. This song is like a wall scroll painting of birds in flight…only done in pastel yellows and greens and blues.”

“It’s beautiful,” Luka whispered as the music quietened and returned to the soft, still sounds at the beginning.

“…Want to listen to another one?” Adrien asked hopefully.

Luka was content to lie there with Adrien and listen to music as long as Adrien desired, but he didn’t want to let on how eager he was.

He pretended to be impartial concerning the outcome. “Yeah, if you want, I’m game.”

“Cool…. How about…this one? It’s by Missy Mazzoli. It’s called Vespers for Violin, and I, personally, think it’s really neat. There’s only one violin playing, but it sounds like two because they play the audio from the performer again delayed a second or two, so it’s like the soloist has a musical shadow,” Adrien explained with enthusiasm.

“That’s such a cool idea,” Luka hummed, quickly getting sucked into the music as it started.

“…I think this one is a kind of surreal painting,” Adrien evaluated a minute or two into the piece. “Maybe even abstract.”

“I could see that,” Luka agreed. “Definitely in dark, rich colours. Maybe, like, deep purple and crimson?”

“Yeah,” Adrien chuckled, snuggling closer and resting his head on Luka’s shoulder. “Dark, but not bleak. The sounds are kind of creepy but…sort of…majestic?”

“It reminds me of a crumbling castle out on the Scottish moors with lots of mist or something,” Luka added.

Adrien giggle-snorted. “Yeah. I get that vibe too. Lots of spooky mist. And whales.”

“Whales?” Luka chuckled, caught by surprise.

“Whales,” Adrien confirmed. “My drawing is definitely going to have majestic whales floating around the ruins of an old castle on the Scottish moors in the mist.”

“That could be an album cover,” Luka remarked, suddenly getting ideas. “You’re a genius.”

“Am not,” Adrien laughed.

Luka’s body sang at the vibration.

“You most definitely are,” he pressed.

Adrien turned his head, hiding his face in Luka’s shoulder. “Okay, but I’m only agreeing with you because my self-esteem is really poor, and I need the validation.”

“I’m more than happy to give it to you. You deserve it,” Luka stressed, hoping that Adrien would one day believe him.

“…Thanks,” Adrien whispered, voice brittle and on the edge of tears.

“You’re welcome.” Luka leaned in and gave Adrien’s hair a nuzzle.

They stayed like that in silence until the song came to an end.

“…Would you want to do another one?” Adrien inquired tentatively, not wanting the moment to end.

“Yeah. This is fun,” Luka agreed, thinking much the same thing.

[freedom-shamrock]

The Chat Righting Reflex - Chapter Three

Also on AO3 Chp 1 - Kitty’s New Home    Chp 2 - Taking Care of Business Chp 3 - Hugs and Kisses   Chp 4 - A Well-Fed Chat Chp 5 - Chat in the Night    Chp 6 - Here With You Chp 7 - The Adventures of Mr. Stainless and the Muffin Maiden Chp 8 - New Normal          Chp 9 - Caretaker Kitty Chp 10 - More Normal      Chp 11 - Everyday Miracles Chp 12 - Family by Design     Chp 13 - Contented Chat

This is also the @miraculousfluffmonth  prompt #3- Summer Love

Hugs and Kisses

"You didn't have to walk us all the way out, son," Tom said, standing before the apartment building's front door.

Adrien shrugged, smiling up at the man who still had a couple inches on him.  "I wanted to."

Sabine ran her hand from his shoulder to his elbow.  "Just remember that you get to decide what dictates proper manners now.  You're in a new place, with new rules."

Adrien nodded.  "Yes, Mama Sabine."  He leaned down to hug her.  "I also wanted to thank you.  For everything."  He'd no sooner than straightened up when he found himself wrapped in the bigger man's arms.

"We're happy to be here for the everything, son," Tom said.  "And it's important to us that you understand that we mean everything, and that you believe us when we say it."

"I do."  Adrien took a small step back.  "Even when I was still trying to be two different people to you, you were kind and supportive.  Telling you who I was, was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

Sabine reached up and patted his cheek.  "I'm glad you've been able to open up to us."

The past six weeks had been amazing.  He didn't just have his sweet girlfriend and crime fighting partner supporting him, caring for him, but he'd somehow gotten her parents as well.  He'd known them for years, but revealing his identity had changed their relationships in ways he had never imagined possible.  Tom's heart-to-heart talks while teaching him how to do laundry and dishes, showed more love than he'd gotten from his father in the last ten years combined.  Sabine's cooking lessons and life advice filled the huge mom-shaped hole in his heart.

"I can't even explain how much you two mean to me," Adrien said.  "I just don't have the words, in any language.  But I need you to understand that I appreciate all of it."  He flashed them a rueful smile.  "I used to desperately want to make Gabriel proud of me.  I don't care what he thinks now, but I know some part of that old drive has awoken recently, and it's you two I want to make proud."

"Then let me assure you," Tom said, laying a huge hand on Adrien's shoulder.  "We are very proud of you."

"And nothing would make us prouder, than to see you happy," Sabine added.

Adrien returned to his apartment, once again marveling at those words, his apartment.  He was exhausted, but wasn't sure if he'd ever been happier.  Marinette had dimmed the lighting, letting him see his place clearly, but in a cozy soothing way.

"Hey, Kitty," she said, looking up from the list she was making.  While he'd been seeing her parents out, she'd changed into an adorable pajama set.  Soft black fabric with green paw prints, obviously crafted by her into short shorts and a short-sleeve shirt with four buttons up the front.

He smiled at her.  "You're adorable, Princess."

She beamed at him, pushing aside her paper to cross the room.  "I made these because Chat Noir is my very favorite superhero.  He's sweet and sexy, and deserves all the good things."

He laughed, letting her take his hands.  "When did you even have time to make these."  He brushed her sleeve with a thumb and almost melted at the softness.  "I mean, you made curtains and a comforter, too."

Marinette shrugged.  "Stolen minutes here and there."  She popped up on her toes to kiss his cheek.  "Yours are waiting in the bathroom with your toothbrush."

Just when he was sure he couldn't possibly get any happier, Marinette nudged him a little farther.  "You made some for me?"

She giggled.  "Go change.  We need to get started on those cuddles."

He woke a little warmer than was comfortable, but everything else was perfect.  He could smell Marinette, thanks to his amped up senses, and that was always soothing.  The fan blowing morning air over his bed provided a lovely white noise.  The source of heat was his girlfriend, actually.  He was half overlapping her, his head resting on her upper chest while her fingers did magical things to his scalp.  He realized then, that he was purring.

"Hmmm," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her.  "This is nice."

"It is," she agreed, letting one hand down to make circles on his shoulders and upper back.

"Is it okay that someday, maybe not too far in the future, I want to wake up like this every day?" he asked, wondering if he was moving too fast or becoming too clingy.  Those were worries he'd discussed with his therapist once he and Marinette became official, even before he told her who he was under the mask.

Her hands kept working despite the kiss she planted on his forehead.  "That's a good life goal.  Very attainable."

He giggled.  "I love you."

"Perfect," she said.  "Because I love you, too."  She continued to pet him for a while, in the comfortable quiet of coming fully awake.  "My parents left us breakfast," she eventually said.  "They wanted to be sure we had something here since it's unlikely we'll be able to stop by their place.  But they wanted you to know that you have an open invitation to breakfast and dinner anytime."

"Your parents are amazing," he said, slowly rolling off Marinette to sit up.  He looked around his room with its bare walls and superhero curtains.  "I like my new room."

"Are you going to decorate, do you think?" she asked, shoving her pillows around to sit up as well.

He nodded.  "Yeah.  But probably slowly."  He knew he wanted pictures of his friends and the people he cared about.  "I need to figure out what my style is."

"That's a great idea," Marinette agreed.  "It's better to wait and make sure your place suits you."

He chuckled.  "Is it weird that it already does?  At least a little?"

"Nope."  Marinette leaned in and kissed his cheek.  "And trust me, I know all about weirdness."  She stretched.  "So what's on the plan for today?"

He smiled, delighted to get to pick his own schedule and plans.  "I need to get a new phone.  That's probably the most important thing.  And some basic groceries to get me, or us, through until we get my kitchen set up."

"Do you want to work on the kitchen at all today?" she asked.

He leaned into her space, brushing his nose against hers.  "Nope.  I want to save a big chunk of my day to spend with my super incredible girlfriend.  I'm hoping she'll go to lunch with me.  Maybe have a romantic walk somewhere.  Just doing things together that we haven't been able to do before."

"So you're ready to go public with your relationship status?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, I've been ready for ages," he admitted.  "It just wasn't a good idea until now.  I've no doubt there will be complications and drama next week when Gabriel gets back in town, and I'd like to distract myself from that inevitable mess.  I also thought it would be really nice to just embrace our freedom as recent graduates together, maybe explore some parts of Paris that have been off limits to me my whole life."

"Oooh."  She was so dang cute as she wriggled in glee.  "I love it."

"I kind of want to make sure I keep the fun stuff at the top of my list this whole week, while still getting one or two important things done a day," he explained.  "In addition to being a really positive start to my new life, it'll help me fight off the emotional suck of Gabriel Agreste when I finally have to talk to him again."

Moving with a swiftness that he'd come to expect, Marinette was suddenly in his lap, hugging him.  "That's a great idea.  You're brilliant, do you know that?"  She didn't even give him time to answer.  "And if there's anything I can do to help, things I can set up or get, or even if you need a little time to yourself, you just tell me, okay?  I want to support you, but I don't want to take over your life now that you have control of it."

Her words sparked a sudden joy in him, and he pulled her close for a kiss.  He'd planned on something tender and lingering, but her eager response and  grip on his hair made it something far more intense.  His hand strayed down her back to settle on her fabulous ass, apparently spurring her to press herself more fully against him.  He gasped, involuntarily breaking the kiss.  Marinette took that as an opportunity to relocate her lips to his neck.

After nearly two months together, he was no stranger to hot and heavy makeouts with his girlfriend.  Her physical affection reflected the passion and enthusiasm she threw into anything that she loved, and it was fantastic to be on the receiving end when she decided to take charge.  Planting a foot and a hand on his mattress, he flipped them, grinning down at her when she froze in surprise.  He caressed her cheek lightly, watching for any hint that she wasn't okay with any of this.

"Oh," she whispered, mischief glinting in her eyes.  "Is that the way it's going to be?"

"Yeah.  For right now, anyway, and if you're okay with it."  She was so pretty from this vantage point, and  he really hoped she wasn't uncomfortable.

"I think I could get used to it… some of the time anyway," she teased.

"Ugh!  Could you two get any more gross?" Plagg whined, startling Adrien up onto his knees.

"Stop it Plagg!" Tikki chastised zipping in to grab hold of the black kwami's tail.  She met Adrien's eyes as she dragged him out of the room.  "I'm so sorry. I was looking for Marinette's phone. Don't mind us. We're going to go in the living room to play Candy Crush."

"Please keep the moaning to a sensible level," Plagg added before muttering, "Stupid rutting humans."

Below him, Marinette started to giggle.  Shaking his head, Adrien flopped down next to her.   "Maybe we can revisit this later after my embarrassingly rude kwami has gorged on cheese."

"It's a plan," she agreed.

This got away from me a little bit, but it's summer, and there's love, so I'll call it a good fit.

There are a few Fluff August prompts that fit what I'd like to do in this story, so those are going to happen as I can fit them in, so Dumpster Dad won’t show up until he has to.

Tagging:  @the-wheel-comes-full-circle

[quicksilversquared]

Plagg and the Butterfly Costume Outtakes: Ch.2

Set after PatBC chapter 6

Plagg is willing to do a lot in order to get more cheese. When he’s spotted one too many times en route to the kitchen, he decides that a disguise is in order. One purple costume later, and Plagg is free to flit down to the kitchen without people thinking that he’s a rat.

And then he gets caught.

PATBC: (1)  (2)  (3)  (4)  (5)   (6)

PatBC Outtakes: (1)  

(AO3) (FF.net)

A Peculiar Request Pt. 1

To say that Max was surprised when Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up at his window was an understatement. Chat Noir was positive that he had never seen anyone so puzzled before.

"Is there an akuma?" Max inquired as soon as he opened his window to let them in. When they shook their heads, he frowned in confusion. "No? Then why...?"

"We need some tech help, and you were the first person that came to mind to ask," Ladybug told him. Max looked pleased, though clearly he was trying to hide it.

"Really? Me?"

"You figured out how to build a robot with emotions," Chat Noir pointed out. "And we've heard that you developed software to counter a super-virus. You're good with this kind of stuff."

Max looked a little starstruck as he nodded. "I'll certainly help if I can," he promised. "What do you need?"

"We need to know how to put security camera feed on loop," Chat Noir told Max. He handed over the slip of paper with all of the information about that part of his father's security system that he and Plagg (and apparently Ladybug's kwami as well, though when she had been close enough for that he didn't know) had found. "That's the info about the system. Just let us know if it's missing any information you need and we'll try to find it for you."

"No problem," Max said immediately, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the sheet. "This looks like a fairly common system, actually. I'm ninety-eight percent positive that I'll be able to find the information you need for this without too much trouble."

"We also need a virus," Ladybug added, and if Chat Noir had thought Max looked startled before, he was wrong. Max looked as though he could be knocked over by a feather.

(An artificial feather, of course. Chat Noir had no desire to set off his allergies.)

"A- a virus?"

"Yeah," Ladybug said. "Something that wipe all of the files from a certain user on a computer, preferably without affecting other users on that same computer."

Chat Noir nodded. That last requirement- well, request, really- was something Ladybug had suggested. He himself hadn't thought of it- in his opinion, his father would damn well deserve it if he lost all of his design files on his computer as well, but Ladybug had pointed out that it might not be a great idea to enrage Mr. Agreste too much. If he thought that just the Miraculous filed were lost he would surely be annoyed but think that he could just scan everything in again, no real harm done. If everything on the computer was lost including his original designs, he would probably fly into a fury and might end up taking some of his mood out on Adrien.

Sure, it might make it easier for him to give up any remaining love for his father, but it didn't make sense for him to make his life harder.

"It'll be easy enough to limit it to one account as long as the user you want to affect doesn't have administrative privileges," Max said after a moment's pause, still looking positively baffled. "It'll be more difficult to limit it if it does have those privileges."

Chat Noir blinked, lost, and glanced at Ladybug. She didn't look any less confused than he felt. Max looked at the both of them, sighed, and elaborated.

"The administrative account is often the main one, for most home users," Max told them. "If it's a computer in a business then it probably isn't an administrative account, but it might have administrative privileges. You can check- hold on, let me write down some instructions for you." Max turned and pulled a blank sheet of paper out of the printer by his desk and started writing on it. "If it's a business account it probably won't have administrative privileges, but either way, it would be a good idea to check." Max finished writing and handed the paper over to Chat Noir before regarding them curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, what is this for?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged a glance. They had decided easily enough that they weren't going to tell Max who Hawkmoth was or that they were targeting Gabriel Agreste, but they had decided that they could trust Max with the fact that it was Hawkmoth that they would be targeting.

"We've discovered who Hawkmoth is," Ladybug started, and Max's eyes went huge behind his glasses. "And he has some information that we would rather that he not have. At the moment it's in code so it's not exactly something he could have memorized, but we don't want him to have it long enough to decipher it."

"We'll be switching out the physical copies he has for fakes," Chat Noir chimed in. "But he scanned things into his computer, so we want those destroyed. Or, rather, we're going to transfer his files to a really big flash drive so we can see what he knows, and then we need the virus to make sure he can't, y'know, somehow recover stuff from backup or whatever or if we missed something, and to give us some cover."

"You want something that he won't realize that someone came in and took his files," Max filled in. "Okay. So you need a virus that makes itself known, not just one that works in the background. Something obnoxious. I can do obnoxious." He grinned.

Chat Noir was suddenly very, very glad that Max was on their side. The look of glee on his face as he considered the virus he was going to design was rather eerie. Ladybug must have felt the same, since she spoke up again.

"We just want one user affected," she reminded Max. "No matter how tempting it is to destroy all of his work. If we tick him off too much, he might take it out on the city by making even more akuma than usual...or he might take it out on his kid, who definitely doesn't deserve any of this."

Much to Chat Noir's relief, Max's expression dialed way back in intensity. "Oh, right. I didn't think about that. Okay, I'll limit the virus, but I do have to know about the administrative access on the account."

"We'll try to find that out," Chat Noir promised. "And then we'll let you know as soon as possible. And thank you so much for your help. We really appreciate it."

"I think that went well," Ladybug commented after they had said good-bye to Max and he had waved them out of his room, clearly eager to start work, though he had tried to hide it. "I'm glad I said something more about why we don't want everything on Hawkmoth's computer destroyed, though. I trust Max, but I think he might have been getting big ideas revenge for the attacks through the virus."

Chat Noir nodded. "Yeah. I think he'll be more careful now for sure." He pulled the paper that Max had given him out of his pocket and looked down at it. "Now I have to do is have my kwami try to follow this and figure out the administrative thing." He was willing to bet that his father's Miraculous account wouldn't be the administrative one, partly because the design account on the same computer had surely been there longer but mostly because Nathalie would know all about how viruses spread on the computers and would have taken steps to make sure that nothing would be able to bring the whole system down. In fact, he vaguely recalled Nathalie telling him something similar when she set up his computer account for him several years back. He had ended up with both an admin account and his own personal account that he actually used on his computer.

That was a good sign, at least.

"I could have my kwami do it, too," Ladybug said, looking surprised by his assumption that he would be the one to have his kwami look at Mr. Agreste's computer. "There's no reason why you should have to do all of the work, Chat Noir. Seriously."

"It's no problem at all," Chat Noir promised her, trying his best not to laugh. No reason for him to do all of the work? Living in the same house as Hawkmoth was a pretty good reason for him- or rather Plagg- to take on the lion's share of the work. All he had to do personally was to sit in his room (like normal) and supply cheese (more than normal) while Plagg zipped around the house. If Ladybug investigated, she would have to try to lurk close to the mansion without getting spotted or questioned by Nathalie or the police. "Really, I, uh- I live close enough nearby that I don't even need to leave home for Plagg to be able to sneak over. That's how he found out about Hawkmoth in the first place, too. I wasn't having him search or investigate or anything."

"Okay," Ladybug finally agreed, though she sent him a funny look for some reason. "If you say so. But your kwami is doing so much already! Tikki said that he was disabling something in the lair and that it would take a lot of energy, especially since you're not in the same area."

"He can handle it," Chat Noir promised, patting Ladybug's arm. "Don't worry about it, 'bug. All I need to do is supply my kwami with extra cheese and he's fine with doing a little extra poking around." Maybe that wasn't entirely true- Plagg's grumbles about being asked to investigate had been increasing as of late- but Ladybug didn't need to know how lazy Plagg was.

A yell attracted their attention then, and both superheroes glanced over to see an orange and purple-clad person zipping over the rooftops away from them. They sighed in unison.

"Well, duty calls," Chat Noir commented, tucking Max's paper back into his pocket. "Shall we?"

"That sounds like a plan."