#i’ve had the ladybug mug for a while but the chat noir one my friend JUST sent me TODAY

[anna-scribbles]

you come over to my house. i offer you tea. “how hospitable,” you think. you accept my offer. i give you a choice between two mugs. these are your options

[dayenurose]

Writer’s Month Promts (written for @writersmonth )

Day 16 - Comfort (Miraculous Ladybug)

For the last forty-eight hours, Marinette hadn’t left her apartment. She ignored work, and school, and her friend’s increasingly desperate requests to know what was wrong. She hadn’t spoken to anyone about what had happened between her and Adrian. Her and Chat Noir. How could she? After all, it wasn’t Marinette who knew Chat Noir’s identity, it was Ladybug.

Of course, when Alya arrived home late Monday evening, she didn’t know any of this. She and Nino had spent the last week in New Orleans visiting family and attending her cousin’s wedding. It was late when Nino dropped her off at the apartment she shared with Marinette and her first inkling that something was wrong was the heavy scent of sugar when she opened the front door. Every flat surface of the apartment was covered with pastries. Croissants perched along the windowsills. Macarons in every color of the rainbow lined the table. The end table was piled high with delicate choux pastries, while Marinette’s design table was covered with tarts. Rows of madeleines cooled on the ironing board. In the kitchen, Marinette stretched out paper thin layers of filo dough.

“Thank goodness you’re here!” Tikki flew across the apartment to Alya and fluttered around her head in a fretful buzz. “Maybe she’ll talk to you.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose under her glasses, Alya exhaled a deep breath. Between jet lag and the nonstop activities of her vacation, she was beyond exhausted, but Marinette needed an intervention now. When she got in these creation frenzies, it usually meant Marinette was feeling stressed and like the situation was over her head.

Okay, she could do this. She needed to be strong so she could comfort her best friend.

Alya held out her hands so Tikki had a place to rest. The kwami sagged gratefully onto her hands. “What’s wrong with Marinette?”

Biting her lips, Tikki shook her head.

“Do you know what the problem is but can’t tell me?” This would be easier if Alya didn’t have to play investigative reporter before finding out what was wrong. But, if the kwami couldn’t speak, that certainly limited the scope of the problem.

“Is it about Chat Noir?”

When Tikki’s eyes grew larger at the suggestion, Alya figured she was on the correct line of inquiry. She could work with that. “How long has she been like this?”

Tikki hummed as she considered. “Since Friday night…no, Saturday morning.”

This left Alya with the impression that Marinette had probably been out on patrol as Ladybug and that the clock had ticked from one day to the next. “Okay, I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks.” Tikki smiled. “I think she’s made more sweets than even I can eat.”

Despite the situation, Alya laughed. She doubted that even this surplus of baked goods was more than the kwami could eat. It was probably more along the lines of more than Tikki should eat.

“Go on, I've got this.”

Following Alya's instructions, Tikki took flight. Before disappearing into Marinette's room, the kwami gathered as many macarons as she could carry.

“Salut Marinette.” Alya joined Marinette in the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to heat. “It looks like you’ve been busy.”

Marinette grunted in possible acknowledgement of Alya’s presence. Or, prehaps telling her to buzz off. It was hard to tell the difference.

“The wedding was wonderful. Thanks for asking.”  Alya figured she’d keep a running stream of conversation going until Marinette reacted. After all, Tikki had inferred Marinette wasn’t talking to anyone. Reaching for the cupboard, Alya retrieved two mugs and the tea caddy. “Nino and I got some ideas we want to incorporate into ours. I know there's not much time to make changes, so we're not looking at anything drastic. Since you're helping, I'd love to have your opinion if it's doable.

“And, the food was amazing. Did I tell you my grand-père is a chef and he insisted on cooking for all of us. I was afraid we were going to have to drag twins away kicking and screaming. Thankfully, mom was able to get a few of his new recipes. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was great ‘cause he taught mom. Speaking of parents, does the bakery have a big event coming up? I haven’t seen you attempt this much on your own since the day you promised a tasting picnic for the whole school.”

“Alya, I’m fine,” Marinette ground out between gritted teeth. She yanked on the corner of the dough, causing a large tear to form in the nearly translucent pastry.

Laying a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder, Alya turned her away from the counter. Marinette’s eyes twitched as they tended to de when she was on the edge of a breakdown. Under red rimmed eyes, dark smudges from worry and a lack of sleep marked the drawn and pale features of her face.

“No, you’re not fine,” Alya said softly. “C’mon, let’s take a break.”

Broken from the frenetic spell, Marinette allowed Alya to lead her trance-like out of the kitchen.  Alya decided to have their chat in her room since the living room was filled with baked goods and her room was less likely to have reminders of whatever set Marinette off than her friend’s room. Situating Marinette on the bed, Alya wrapped her in a quilt. Without making a sound, Marinette clasped the blanket around her shoulders.

Before she get any further in comforting Marinette, the kettle whistled. “I’ll be right back.”

Returning to the kitchen, Alya set the chamomile tea to brewing. Neither of them needed any caffeine right now. While the tea brew, she rummaged through the refrigerator to find a non-sweet snack for both of them. Marinette tended to forget to eat when she spiraled into worry. Hopefully some food would help. Alya hesitated as she reached for the cheese. If her supposition about Chat Noir being involved was correct, maybe it would be better to forgo the cheese for the present.

As the timer for the tea beeped, Alya gathered the food and mugs on a tray and returned to her room. To her surprise, Marinette had left her spot on the bed. She moved across the room and stared at the contents of Alya’s bulletin board. The quilt laid in a rumbled heap in the middle of the room.

“Marinette?” Alya set down the trey and studied her friend.

Marinette had plucked a photo off the bulletin board. It was a recent picture of the four of them—Nino, Alya, Marinette, and Adrian. It was taken on the day they helped Adrian move into his new apartment. Despite the entirety of the shoebox sized apartment was minuscule in comparison to his room at his father’s house, that had been the start of a new era for Adrian. They’d never seen their friend happier or more confident. It was almost as if part of his personality had been freed from an invisible restraint. Alya wouldn’t say this out loud, but there was something in the way Adrian behaved which reminded her of Chat Noir.

“That was a good day.” Alya moved Marinette back to the bed. It was more comfortable than the desk chair, only other place to sit in the room. With her friend settled, Alya exchanged the photo for a pink polka-dot mug and a plate of food.

“It was,” Marinette whispered. She rapidly blinked several times. Almost mechanically, she sipped the tea and nibbled the edge of a croissant. After a moment, the dazed expression slipped from her eyes and Marinette was fully present.  

Sitting in the desk chair, Alya breathed deeply. She waited as the comforting aroma of the tea soothed her frayed nerves. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Shaking her head, Marinette refused to meet Alya’s eyes.

“Is it a Ladybug thing?”

Marinette took a too large bite of croissant and mumbled her answer around the bit. “Sort of.”

“Chat Noir?” Alya prodded.

At the mention of her partner’s name, Marinette’s cheek flushed a brilliant scarlet and she began to cough and splutter around the croissant. Her arms flailed and she shook her head in a vehement no, which in Marinette freak-out meant yes. Alya hadn’t seen Marinette act this way since…since she’d been tongue tied over Adrian. Her crush on the boy had faded over the years until Marinette could treat Adrian like any other friend. While a trace of her crush remained, Alya suspected the intensity of her feelings had transferred to her partner in opposing Hawkmoth.

Had Marinette finally admitted to herself that she was in love with Chat Noir? It would explain quite a bit. If only Marinette allowed herself to be honest about her feelings.

“Breathe, girl, I’ve got you.” Alya moved to sit beside Marinette and pulled her friend into a hug.

They sat like that until Marinette’s breathing calmed. Eventually, she pulled away from the embrace and offered Alya a sheepish apology. “Sorry about that.”

“You know that isn’t a problem. Remember, you don’t have to carry everything on your own.” Alya stifled a yawn.

“I know.” Marinette stared down at her hands. Absently, she rubbed at the dough dried to her fingers. “Have you ever found out something so incongruous with the way you view the world that you don’t know how to deal with it?”

“Yeah.” Alya brushed her fingers along the necklace from Nino she wore now instead of Trixx’s pendant. “My best friend told me her secret identity.”

“Oh, yeah.” That almost brought a smile to Marinette’s face. “I…I learned Chat Noir’s identity.”

The reporter in Alya was instantly wide awake. Yet, as much as she wanted to know the answer, she knew she could never actually report on that knowledge. “Does he know yours?”

“No. I panicked.”

“Oh.” A crease furrowed Alya’s brow. “Is he someone bad?”

“No. The opposite.” Marinette’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s someone good. Really good.”

“Then why did you panic?”

A breathless sob escaped from Marinette. “I’ve caused the both of us a lot of heartache. I pushed him away for no reason…I…I ….don’t know what to do. He still loves me….”

“That’s a good thing. I’ve watched you all these years. You love him too….” Alya’s eyes grew wide with sudden insight. “Wait! Are you saying…Chat Noire is…” Marinette clapped her hands over Alya’s mouth so all that  came out was a muffled, “…A-dwee-an A-gues.”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Marinette pleaded. “It would be the end of the world.”

Alya removed Marinette’s hands from her face. “I won’t tell. It’s not my place. Though, I do think you need to talk to him. You love him as both his identities. I think you’re hurting each other by keeping this secret.”

“But…”

“I know it’s a risk. But neither of you are middle schoolers anymore. You’re both stronger people because of your time as heroes.” Alya handed Marinette the photo of the four friends mugging for the camera. “I was thinking earlier how you and Adrian have become a lot more like your heroic alter egos in your civilian life. And before you try to deny it, know that it’s a good thing. You’re both more confident, bolder. You both have good hearts and that’s what makes you both good holders of your Miraculouses.”

“I’ll think about it.” Marinette’s head drooped as her eyelids grew heavy.

“Remember, when you explained everything to me, it was the right thing for you to do. I think it’s the right time to share with him. And, I promise, he’ll do a better job at keeping and coping with your secrets than I did at fourteen.”

“Alya…”

“You don’t have to tell him right now, but don’t keep shutting everyone out. That definitely won’t help.” Alya gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. “Are you feeling better?”

With a pause which resembled Tikki’s when she was thinking, Marinette finally nodded. “Yes. Thanks.”

“That’s what friends are for.” Alya yawned. Her last reserves of energy were fading quickly. “And I am happy to help anytime, but right now I really need some sleep and so do you.”

“You’re right.” Marinette pushed herself off the bed and headed for the door. “Good night, Alya, sweet dreams.”

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 17: Talking (Alt Prompt: The Talk)

AO3

First

Prev

Tim walks into the kitchen, blinking sleepily at his little sister. He glances over at the clock on the microwave, blinking again to make sure that he hadn’t misread the time. Five thirty in the morning, and she was baking cookies. He clears his throat, smiling apologetically as she jumps. 

“Sorry Mari. Early morning?” He asks, moving to get coffee and noting that the pot was already half empty. 

“More like, late night.” She corrects. Tim frowns. Her summer in Gotham was supposed to be relaxing for her. It was supposed to be a way for her to be a kid again. Instead she was making cookies by herself at five thirty in the morning after not sleeping. He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he was determined to figure it out. There was no way he was going to make her deal with whatever this is by herself. She has backup now. 

“Did you want to talk about it?” He offers, leaning against the counter, drinking his coffee quickly to try and wake up more. 

“Not really. Kinda just wanted to stress bake.” She says quietly. He nods. Sometimes it was hard to talk about things. That’s okay, he can look into it later. 

“Well, I’ve gotta go work on some things in the cave. Did you want to come with?” He asks, refilling his coffee. She frowns, looking at the bowl in front of her. 

“Can you wait like, five minutes? I just need to get these ready to chill.” She says, gesturing to the bowl. He nods, watching as she zips around the kitchen as if she’d grown up in the kitchen. He wasn’t sure why she’d been up baking so early, but he was determined to help her. As much as he avoided sleep, he knew it wasn’t exactly healthy. Probably shouldn’t encourage his little sister to do the same thing. 

---

Bruce walks into the theatre room, frowning when he sees Dick and Jason, but no Marinette. That was odd. She hadn’t been in her room either. He decides to check the kitchen next, knowing his daughter enjoyed baking. Walking into the kitchen, he’s surprised to find it empty as well. Glancing at the coffee pot, he notices it’s nearly empty, but still on. Which meant Tim had been up to get coffee recently. Flipping the pot off, he turns and starts towards the Batcave. Perhaps Tim knew where Marinette was. Walking down his usual entrance, he’s unsurprised to see Tim working at the computer. What he hadn’t expected, however, was Marinette curled up in a chair next to Tim, sleeping. 

“Tim?” Bruce calls, catching his son’s attention.

“Oh, hey B.” Tim says, not looking away from the screen. 

“Is there a reason Marinette is sleeping in a chair instead of her bed?” He asks. He knew she had a nightmare last night, but he had assumed she’d fallen asleep with Jason and Dick in the theatre room. And if she hadn’t, he’d at least expected she’d return to her own room. Not the Batcave. While some of his sons preferred the cave to any of the other rooms in the manor, he’d hoped his daughter was different. That he had at least one child willing to live in the house instead of the cave. 

“I’m sure there is. And I’m going to find out.” Tim says, leaving Bruce with more questions than answers. 

“Okay. How long have the two of you been down here?” He asks. Tim stops typing, glancing down at his watch before looking back up to the screen. 

“Little under two hours.” He replies, jerking his head towards Marinette. “Think that’s also the only sleep she’s got all night, so probably best to leave her for a little longer.” Bruce frowns at this. Sure, he knew that she had a nightmare last night. He knew it was bad enough that she had sobbed into his arms. But had she really avoided sleep after that? Was it really that bad? She didn’t want to talk to him about it last night, but maybe she’d talk later today. He wouldn’t push her, lord knows that any child of his isn’t going to take well to that, but maybe she’d talk to 

him now. Hopefully the nightmare would now be far enough from her mind that she could talk. 

---

Marinette gasps, sitting up so quickly that she manages to flip the chair she’d fallen asleep in. She hisses in pain as her head bounces off the stone floor. So much for being the holder of the Miraculous of good luck. 

“Did you just fall out of your chair?” Tim asks. She glances up at her brother, who had apparently left for another cup of coffee. 

“No?” She says, smiling awkwardly from the floor, where her limbs are currently entangled with the chair. Tim shakes his head and snorts, sipping from his mug. 

“Whatever you say Mari.” He says, walking over and sitting back in his chair, going back to his work on the computer. 

“What time is it?” She asks, carefully untangling herself and getting off the ground. 

“Mmm, around nine.” He says, not looking away from the screen. 

“In the morning?” She asks, knowing it was completely possible for Tim to have worked nonstop in the cave.

“Yes.” He says, shaking his head. “B wants to talk to you, by the way.” He adds.

“Oh. Okay. Am I in trouble?” She asks, suddenly self conscious. It was the first time anyone in her family had had to deal with one of her nightmares. Usually, Tikki was the one to wake her up and calm her down before she attracted an akuma. 

“Of course not.” He reassures her. “He’s probably in his study.”

“Oh, good, okay. Well, I’m gonna go talk to him. Please take a break, Tim. I know you haven’t eaten anything today. You can’t run on coffee and spite, trust me, I’ve tried.” Marinette says, grinning at her brother before using the tunnel that connected straight to the study. She still hadn’t figured out the many rooms of the manor, but the maze-like setup of the Batcave was something that she’d figured out easily. Taking a breath, she knocks on her side of the Grandfather clock, waiting for a response. 

“Come in.” Her dad says. She walks in, grinning at the exasperated look on his face. 

“Hi dad!” She says cheekily, plopping down onto one of the couches. 

“Is there a reason you didn’t use the actual door?” He asks. She shrugs. 

“Why get lost in the manor when I can just use the secret tunnels from the cave?” She asks. He sighs. 

“I still don’t understand that, but alright. How are you feeling this morning?” He asks, his face turning serious. She smiles, but it’s forced now. She didn’t want to talk about this. She really didn’t want to talk about this with her dad, who would surely never give her permission to date Adrien if he knew. Not that she needed permission, but it would make it easier not having her dad against her. 

“I’m fine!” She says, keeping her plastered on smile.

“I talked to Tim this morning.” He says, instead of calling her out. Well crap. 

“Oh really?” She asks, silently cursing Tim. Or, wanting to anyway. But she wouldn’t because she knew he meant well. 

“He said that you hadn’t slept last night. I know you didn’t want to talk to me about your nightmare last night, but maybe now-”

“No. No, I’m fine. It’s fine.” She rambles, cutting him off. He frowns. 

“Marinette, I’m not going to be angry with you if that’s what you’re worried about. You had a nightmare, and it has clearly left you shaken.” He says. She huffs, running her fingers through her hair exasperatedly. 

“I just- I can’t tell you. If I tell you, you’re going to be mad at someone and I don’t want you to be mad at them.” She explains, wincing as his face darkens. 

“Did someone hurt you?” He asks, his voice the coldest she’s ever heard. 

“Dad-”

“Did someone hurt you?” He asks again, cutting her off as he stands up.  

“Not on purpose.” She insists, wringing her hands together. 

“It doesn’t matter if it was on purpose, Marinette! This person hurt you badly enough that you had a nightmare about it. Bad enough that you were sobbing, that you couldn’t go back to sleep. I don’t care if it was on purpose or not, Marinette, that person does not deserve to be anywhere near you.” Her dad says, his face and voice hard as stone. 

“But Dad, it really wasn’t his fault-”

“His?” 

“Yes, Dad, he was akumatized.” She says, watching as he unclenches his fist and collapses back into his chair. “So it wasn’t his fault.” She adds, frowning as he shakes his head. 

“Why didn’t-” He pauses, seemingly recollecting himself. “Why isn’t there a story on it?” He asks. She frowns. 

“Story on what?” She asks. 

“A story on Adrien being akumatized? Why isn’t there any record of it?” He asks. She jerks back like she was slapped. How did he- world’s greatest detective. Of course. 

“He doesn’t know.” She says softly. 

“How?”

“One of the Miraculous users is Bunnix. She holds the Miraculous of time, and is able to time travel. It was about a year ago, she came and grabbed me and took me to the future.” She explains, avoiding looking at him. She didn’t want to talk about this. It was the talk that she’d been avoiding, no matter how many times Tikki assured her she could talk to her dad about it. Or her brothers. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to. But now she had to. 

“In the future, Adrien and I had been a couple. He found out my identity as Ladybug, and I’m not exactly sure how it came to it, but for some reason, Hawkmoth targeted us. He was able to akumatize Adrien while he was Chat Noir. He….he became Chat Blanc. The complete opposite of Chat Noir.” She says, watching her hands as they shake in her lap. He doesn’t say anything, so she continues. “He still had the power of destruction but with the help of the akuma...it was awful. His power became unlimited. He blew up the moon.” 

“The moon?” He asks. 

“Yes.” She says. “He also flooded Paris, destroyed the Eiffel tower, and killed both Hawkmoth and future me. That was why Bunnix needed me. I had to fix it. But she wasn’t able to stay with me, so I had to fight him alone. And I didn’t know that he was Adrien then, but he was still my partner and he kept calling me Marinette and he told me that it was our fault. That our love did it to the world. And it hurt, Dad. It hurt that my best friend destroyed the world because of me. Because of us.” She says, voice breaking as tears fall. 

“Marinette, honey, look at me.” He says softly. She looks up at him, surprised to see that he had moved to kneel in front of her. “That was not your fault. And you should not have had to go through that by yourself. That was wrong of Bunnix. It was not your fault.” He reassures her. She lets out a sigh of relief, throwing her arms around him and crying into his chest just like she did last night. 

“Father, have you seen- what did you do to Marinette?” Damian asks, barging into the room. Marinette snorts, her cries quickly becoming laughter as she catches a glimpse of her little brother’s face. His usual scowl had become full of anger before flickers of confusion flit across as she laughs. 

“I’m sorry, petit oiseau. I’m okay now. I just had a nightmare last night and Dad asked about it.” She explains, knowing that Damian hated being out of the loop.

“Tt. Very well. I was trying to find you to see if you would like to accompany me to the park with Titus. Alfred said that I cannot go alone, and you are the least annoying possible companion.” He says. Marinette smiles. Ever since she’d been hit by the de-aging akuma, Damian had wanted to spend time with her and Titus together. She assumed it was the best way he knew to bond with her without sparring (which her Dad had banned for the moment unless he or Dick were able to supervise, honestly you break one little display case). 

“I’d love to. Could we come back to this later?” She asks, glancing at her Dad who had moved to lean against his desk. He sighs, but nods. 

“Yes. Keep your phones on, both of you.” He instructs. She nods, grinning before pulling her brother after her. They couldn’t keep Titus waiting, after all.

Next

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[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 12: Dare

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event Prompt: Dare Rated: T (Drink responsibly my friends) A/N: Maribat fangirl went to Uni in the UK. Most people thought they could outdrink the Americans, and that American beer tasted horrible.  DC fanboy isn’t much of a drinker. Also we planned this earlier, but I saw this blog post from @ritacrow-blogrequesting something similar a few days ago, so here you go.  I don’t know if you’re a fan of the in vino veritas/drunken confession trope, so feel free to skip it if you aren’t.

“So, why are we doing this again?” Tim asked hesitantly, as they gathered in the Wayne Manor lounge. “Because Pixie Pop here issued a challenge, and I don’t plan on letting her win”, Jason explained with a smirk. “All she said was ‘American drinking laws are bullshit’, and it’s not like you don’t know the name of every single bar in Gotham that doesn’t card.” Tim retorted.  “She also said American beer tastes gross, so I don’t know why you brought Budweiser of all things”.

“She dared us to try and drink her under the table, and I’m sure as hell not backing down.” Jason hissed, and Tim decided that it was pointless trying to argue.  The whole reason Tim and Steph were even involved was because they had just turned 18, which meant they were allowed to take part in this little drinking competition.  Alfred was in the corner of the room keeping score, someone had to, considering the night they were about to have.

After they all gathered in the lounge, it was time for the challenge to begin.  Barbara quietly sipped her glass of wine, curling into Dick’s side as she watched the movie playing on the TV.  Jason and Dick had downed a bottle of beer each, waiting for Marinette to finish her first glass of wine.  Marinette rested her back against Jason’s arm as she watched the movie play out, the night had just begun and she wasn’t about to let them win.  She wouldn’t be able to look any non-American person in the eye if they knew she got out drunk by them. Marinette took in the soft glow of the lounge, alternating between leaning on the sofa or Jason’s leather-clad shoulder.  It almost reminded her of her home city at night. She looked around at the people she had come to know, fairly certain she had the dopiest smile on her face at that moment.  

She had arrived in Gotham City not long ago, and she was surprised to find that some of them welcomed her with open arms.  Not all of them, obviously, some were a bit more welcoming than others.  Bruce didn’t really trust her as a magic user, and Damian usually kept to himself.  Preferring to be alone with his pets, Titus and Alfred (the cat). The others assured her not to take it too personally, that they are like that with everyone.  With Jason, it was hard to tell what he thought about her.  Dick was like an older brother to everyone, and in some ways reminded Marinette of Chat Noir, alot.  While Barbara, Steph and Cass were like the sisters Marinette didn’t have.  Tim was at least somewhat curious about her powers and how they worked, hard as he tried to fight it in the beginning.

With Jason, it was much harder to tell at times.  He wasn’t quite as closed off as Damian, though sometimes she found him in the Wayne Manor library reading by the window.  They had each other’s backs in a fight, and the fact that she was much smaller compared to him earned her the nickname “Pixie Pop”.   They worked well together on missions, and there was plenty of friendly banter between them.  There was almost a veneer of sarcasm and bravado.  

The only time it showed any sign of falling was when his pit madness took over.  Even then she was more focused on asking Plagg and Tikki for help, seeing as it was their magic causing this.  There was no fixing it, but they had managed to help get it under control.  Marinette was almost frustrated when he woke up to find her waiting at his bedside, after working around the clock to keep the madness at bay.  The sounds of him screaming and thrashing around were still ringing in her ear, and the most that he could muster was “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there, Pixie.” he drawled.  

“Pixie, you there?” Jason gently poked her on the shoulder and she realised that she had been staring into her wine glass for a moment.  She took a large gulp before setting the glass down on the table, the night had just begun.  

As the night went on, Tim was not impressed with how beer tasted. “People actually drink this stuff for fun?” he muttered. He was starting to think Marinette might have a point about how American beer tasted. Sadly the old adage of “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” meant that it was too late to try Steph’s approach.  Steph was nursing a Jack Daniels and coke as she watched the film, letting that light of the TV screen dance in front of them.

Later into the night, Tim was getting tipsy at that point. Considering this was his first time drinking, Marinette gave him a smile that said “you get points for trying”.  If Steph wasn’t drunk now, she was going to be feeling the effects very soon.  She mostly drank spirits chased down with soda and juice.  Barbara had already left after a couple of glasses of wine, deciding to leave the rest of them to this game.  Jason and Dick had beer bottles lined up in front of them, almost as if they were competing with each other first. Marinette continued to leisurely sipped her wine, knowing that she was their final boss at that moment.

In the end, only Marinette and Jason were left in the lounge.  Steph left had already left, and Tim followed not long after,  Alfred helped get Dick into bed after he nearly passed out on the coffee table.  “It’s you and me, Poxie Pip” Jason slurred, Alfred occasionally came in to check on them.  

Marinette, who at this point was slightly tipsy, leaned in close and whispered in his ear “What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll lose?”

“There’s worse ways to go, Pixie, trust me.” he laughed, Marinette gave him a very sad smile.  He finished the last of his beer bottle before laying down on the sofa, resting his head on Marinette’s lap. Marinette was certain she could feel her face heating up, she could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she looked down at him.  

“Are you sure my teeny tiny legs can support your big head?” she joked. Great, now she was doing it too. she looked away in hopes that he couldn’t see the blush on her face.  She didn’t get Asian glow, but now she was really hoping she had that as an excuse.    

“I’ve seen you lift goons twice your size and throw them across rooms,” he laughed “besides, this feels kinda nice.” he mumbled.

“Yeah but that was me as Ladybug, it’s also what keeps me from tripping over air and landing on my face.” she explained.  She didn’t think her heart would be able to handle looking down to see one of the few times she saw him completely at peace.  She was used to people who preferred her as her alter ego anyhow.

“I guess you win this round,” he slurred, Marinette still hadn’t moved his head from her lap.  If anything, her free hand was working its way through his dark locks of hair.  He smiled, letting himself be lulled to sleep by the simple yet kind gesture.  “Serves me right,” he yawned, “getting drunk with a fairy princess.”

Marinette turned her attention back to the last of her wine, “there he goes again, making silly jokes like that.” she thought.  “Especially with one as pretty as you,” he laughed. Marinette was about to get up at that moment, now he was just being ridiculous.  “I like you...” were the last words he said before letting sleep take him.  

It was everything Marinette could do not to drop her wine class on the floor in shock.  Marinette thought she heard wrong.  She shook her head, what did it matter? I mean, she had called her friends pretty loads of times before, it’s not like he said he loved her or anything.  These were things that you said to friends all the time, right? At that moment, there was a knock on the door, Alfred came in and saw Jason asleep in Marinette’s lap.  “I was just about to leave could you maybe help Jason get back to his room? That would be great thanks Alfred.” she quickly spluttered before dashing out of the lounge and down the hallway in search of an empty guest room to sleep in.  

Jason tragically awoke the next morning with a hangover and a vague memory of what had happened the night before.  He thought this was probably the very reason why Bruce did not drink.  Alfred came in with a tray of chilli dogs and water, to nurse the hangover.  “Thanks Alfred,” Jason groaned, “do I even wanna know what happened last night?”

“If you must know Master Todd, you won second place in last night’s drinking competition.” He explained, Jason sighed, Marinette wasn’t going to let him live that down.  He still had to admit he was impressed with her. “Miss Dupain-Cheng seemed rather flustered after you compared the experience to  ‘getting drunk with a fairy princess’ and confessed your admiration and affection for her.”   It was all coming back to him now, and he was about to be sick.  He told her that he thought she was pretty and that he liked her. He wasn’t wrong, but it probably didn’t sound as romantic coming from someone who was probably very drunk.   He reached for the chilli dog, hoping that he would be able to keep it down.   “In vino veritas indeed, or in birro veritas in your case”, Alfred quoted.  Jason took a sip of water, still too stunned to speak.  “If you still hold such affection for Miss Dupain-Cheng, might I suggest telling her when you’ve sobered up?” he suggested, giving Jason a slight sympathetic smile.

“I’ll try, thanks Alfred” he replied as Alfred left the room, leaving him to his thoughts.  

A couple of days later, Marinette was sitting in her studio, drinking a warm mug of hot chocolate.  Jason hadn’t called her or spoken to her since the party, and she had hoped that he had just drunkenly forgotten his little drunken confession.  It wasn’t that Marinette didn’t reciprocate his feelings, it just felt like there was no point in putting stock in something he said while he was so very drunk.  It almost made Marinette laugh a little at the thought.  Her phone buzzed, it was a message from Jason:  “Hey, you busy today? I’ve got something to tell you.  Sober, this time”.  Marinette smiled, maybe this time there was truth in the foul tasting American beer.

 BONUS: The next morning in the Batcave... Tim: That tasted like actual vomit.  Dick: It's an acquired taste, Baby Bird. Tim: Which is to say you were peer pressured into liking it.

[justcourttee]

Okay that "Love,Right?" oneshot was wonderful but now you've got me obsessed with wondering how all the boys would fight for Mari's attention and all trying to date her omg

On an off note, I hope this came out alright. I really wanted to answer your ask but I’m running on low fumes rn. Loved thinking about this too though! I would love to read a more thought out fic, but I have to imagine it would go something like this

I could totally imagine like them all being relatively close in age. Like let’s say, 

Dick 23

Jason 21

Tim 20

Mari 18

Damian 17

And Mari is almost done with her last year of lycee so she is in uber done mode until the batboys show up in Paris conveniently at the same time that the Wayne boys show up to scout out a potential new business partner. 

She first meets Dick at the gymnasium that Chloe’s father had built for her when she went through a gymnastics phase but soon opened it to the public after she had moved on to whatever interested her next. Marinette is there to practice swinging mid-air to move faster in battle and what better way to do that than over a safety net 40 feet in the air?

Anywho, Dick is just arriving to blow off some steam after a particularly long day of negotiating. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Hawkmoth mission and the need for a cover, he would’ve abandoned Tim ages ago. He finished locking up his stuff and when he moves into the acrobat section that is always empty, he isn’t sure whether to be impressed or disappointed that someone is there first. She looked nervous as she finished tying her hair into a high ponytail, her eyes calculating as if she was debating if she could make the first jump.

He wants to tell her that there is an easier way to mount, but his curiosity gets the better of him. With one last look, she closes her eyes, inhaling deeply. Without warning, she takes off down the short walkway launching her whole body into the air. Dick is sure she’s going to fall, but at the last minute she reaches out, her hand grasping the bar as she uses her momentum to flip upward, landing gracefully on top of the swinging trapeze. 

Dick couldn’t help his cheers. Her eyes widened as she realized someone else was watching her and in what felt like slow motion, she lost her balance and fell onto the net below. Dick rushes over to make sure she’s okay, apologizing a million times a minute. They introduce each other and it’s like an instant connection. They spend the rest of the afternoon trying new techniques and helping each other improve their own techniques. 

When Dick returns to the hotel that night, he can’t help the fact that her first swing was stuck on replay in his mind. The next day, he rushes over to the gym only to find her there again. This time, he’s determined to get her number, and surprisingly (to him) he succeeds. They spend the night trading funny memes and tiktoks. After a couple of weeks, Dick decides to try and ask her on a date. They were already close friends, I mean she trusted him enough not to drop her from forty feet in the air, that meant she trusted him right?

He shows up with a giant bouquet of roses only to receive a text message that she couldn’t make it that day. While it was a setback, it didn’t mean he was going to give up. He would show up with a bouquet of roses every day until she was there to receive them. And only then would he ask her on a date, because I can totally believe that he wouldn’t want to do it over text. It’s in-person or not at all.

The second Wayne she meets is Jason.

Muggings in Paris weren’t common with Ladybug and Chat Noir around, but it seemed to be Marinette’s lucky day as some guy just decided that a high school girl had enough money in her little purse to steal. As he backed her down an alleyway, a small hand knife pointed at her, Marinette was considering her options.

She could always try to run. After all, the guy was big and bulky, it would be hard for him to keep up with her and she doubted he wanted her bag enough to actually put up a fight. Just as she was eyeing an opening, a small sound echoed through the alleyway, one she was quite familiar with. The guy’s face looked mortified as he turned slowly to face his attacker. 

The man said something in a hushed tone to the guy that Marinette couldn’t quite make out. Whatever it was though, it was enough for her would-be assailant to book it out of the alleyway without a glance back. Assessing her newest threat, Marinette decided that this guy was more punk than thug. She was safe for now. 

He asked her if she was okay and if she needed anything as he adjusted his gun back into his waistband. Marinette was fine, but she was curious as to how he smuggled a gun into France. 

“Ah. My American accent give me away Princess?”

His french was flawless, but it was clear that he wasn’t from the area. He joked that his adopted father was rich enough for the national security to look past it. At least, she was pretty sure he was joking. 

He asks if they can grab something to eat, just because a pretty girl like her shouldn’t go hungry. Marinette is tempted to decline, but her curiosity gets the better of her. They end up going to a small diner near her parent’s bakery where they spend the night flirting shamelessly, both tinging their compliments with enough sarcasm and insults that the people around them couldn’t tell if they were together or if they were related. 

Exchanging numbers, the two continued to meet up for weekly dinners at that same diner as they bond over hating people and insulting/admiring each other. When Jason finally realizes his flirting may have shifted from mocking to an actual crush, he's conflicted. It’s just a couple months, at most a year in Paris, but would that really be a reason not to try? He starts bringing her small gifts to the dinners, starting out small like her favorite dessert or small rocks that reminded him of her, but he soon gets more elaborate like bringing her his favorite books to borrow and throwing in a new set of threads for her sewing machine. 

He hopes that when she looks at the small gifts that she’ll start associating him with the things that make her happy and just maybe, she’ll fall for him too. 

I think you guys already know where Tim is going but I have to do this 

Marinette frequents a small coffee shop near the hotel that the Wayne Boys are staying in. She would just drink the coffee that her parents serve in the bakery, but they refused to let her load up her drinks with enough caffeine to get through her day. 

She always shows up at 7:00a, after all, she’s gotten better at this punctuality thing over the years. The owners already expect her at this point and already have her drink ready before she even steps foot through the door.

One morning, one of the owners ask her to deliver a coffee to the young man that fell asleep at one of their tables. 

“He’s the first person I’ve met whose order rivals yours Ms. Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette is impressed as she inhales the strong black coffee wafting from the mug. He definitely amped it up with two expresso shots and maybe a pump of hazelnut? If he could taste it over the bitterness of the expresso, she would be impressed.

As she sat the cup down on the table, she slid into the booth in front of him, patiently waiting for him to stir. Watching his soft exhales, Marinette felt at peace. She had never seen someone sleep so softly without moving a muscle. As quietly as she could, she brought out her sketchbook. She got about halfway through his frame when his soft breathing stopped. 

Her eyes snapped up to find his blue ones studying her cautiously. Of course, she mutters out apologizes at a million miles a minute, trying to explain that she needed practice for her living art class and that she was just dropping off his coffee and she was so sorry for drawing him without his permission. As she finally trails off, Marinette is more confused than ever. She thought he was awake, his eyes studying her, but now she wasn’t so confident. She was pretty sure he was still half asleep, assuming she was some sort of hallucination.

He reached out, draining his cup of coffee without coming up for a single breath.

“I didn’t think I was this sleep-deprived. Please beautiful sleep-induced entity, draw me if you must.”

Marinette bites her lip trying not to laugh as he tiredly pulls out a laptop, typing away at seemingly nothing. 

The next day, Marinette finds him in his same spot, already two empty mugs occupying the table. As she orders, she’s sure to grab an extra one for him before joining him once more. This time, Tim is the one to apologize as he realizes finally that she is a real girl and not a hallucination. 

Marinette laughs it off and the briefly chat about their lives. As Marinette gets up to leave for her morning classes, she promises to meet him for coffee the next morning. Surely enough, as she walks through the door, he’s already at their booth. He waves her over, motioning to the coffee mug holding her go-to order. They come to an agreement, he allows her to draw him for practice, she offers him the occasional advice. There is sometimes small talk, but it’s mostly just full of comfort that they found in each other’s presence. 

After weeks, Tim finally decides that he wants to get to know this beautiful coffee angel. He starts by asking her to meet at a bakery that he had been dying to try. As he arrives at the bakery, Marinette sheepishly admits that it was her parent’s bakery. Tim feigns ignorance, but that smirk he gives her makes her reconsider the innocent sleep-deprived man she had met weeks earlier. From now on, he has breakfast with the Dupain-Cheng family every morning. After all, your in-laws have to like you first before you can try anything else, right?

Finally, we have Damian. 

They meet in the living art class. He had already taken something similar at Gotham Academy, but he was curious to see the French side of something he cherished so dearly. 

At first, he hates her. She reminds him of a mixture between Dick and Tim and in all honesty, he only volunteered to pretend to be a foreign exchange student to spend the majority of the day away from his brothers. 

He slowly begins to change his mind though as he is partnered with her for a partner draw project. The teacher forces them to spend all of class drawing each other how they feel the world should see their partner. It involved a lot of sharing and as she became more confident in him, he slowly felt himself opening up to this strange girl as well. 

It was going fine until one day, two of her old classmates entered the classroom, trying to pick a fight with Damian. He remembered one of them, yes the sausage haired girl, her name was Lily perhaps? She tried to ask him out and he turned her down, hard. Now here she was, crying the fakest tears he had ever seen as some ombre haired woman was chewing him out. 

He was fine going on ignoring them, but then the ombre haired woman reached out for his notebook, tearing it from his grasps. She glanced over it for a second before raising it above her head and slamming it into the ground. She lifted her foot to stomp on it, but she never had a chance to finish. Before Damian had even moved a muscle, Marinette was standing above her, a murderous look in her eyes. The sausage haired woman helped the girl to her feet as they retreated quickly, both of their faces pale as they sent empty threats in Marinette’s direction. 

With a sigh, Marinette picked up his notebook, dusting it off gently before handing it back to him, apologizing for her ex-classmates. He wanted to let her know that he didn’t need her to look out for him, that he could handle it, but his mind flashed to the look in her eyes. If anything, his interest was now piqued by the girl. 

As the project came to an end, the moment of truth had finally come. Damian showed Marinette her portrait. He had drawn her as mother nature, warm and protective of her children and cold to anyone that threatened them. He would be lying if the small blush on her face didn’t boost his pride. When she showed Damian his portrait, he couldn’t help but let his jaw drop, even slightly. 

He looked like a medieval knight, posing on the defense, a slight trickle of what looked like blood dripping out the corner of his mouth. 

“I’m sorry, please don’t think it’s weird. It’s just the more you talked, and so passionately too about how you wanted to protect everything dear to you from your family to your pets, I couldn’t help but get swept away in this idea that you were some gallant knight-”

He cut her off with a single look as his face broke into a grin. He loved it. Everyone always described him as a demon or a baby bird, but a gallant knight, it was certainly a first.

That night at the hotel, he would search google for the best ways to ask out a girl. After all, he sure as hell wasn’t asking his brothers.

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[mc-lukanette]

Ladybug had long since gotten used to the monotony of her superhero life, though perhaps it was more accurate to say that she'd gone numb to it. There were only so many akuma one could take without seeing it as something formulaic, and she'd seen more than she could count.

Even when she went out on patrol, she didn't think about it, merely hopping to wherever the next rooftop was and surveying the area. Thinking about the life she'd been roped into wasn't productive and only succeeded in making her imagine unnecessary what-ifs. Paris didn't need that kind of hero; they needed one devoid of attachment or longing.

And the more time passed, the more she tried to be exactly that.

In the midst of her patrol that particular day, late into the night as it always was, she stopped as she suddenly heard the sound of a guitar. Granted, it wasn't rare for her to hear someone blasting music or playing an instrument in the evening, but there was something inherently familiar about the way the guitar was being played.

Deep down, she knew that there was only one person who could play guitar like that.

Ladybug turned her head towards the source of the sound, her heart involuntarily skipping a beat when she saw him, sitting on the balcony of a house she didn't recognize.

Luka. He was just as she remembered: the highlights, the guitar, and the gentle blue eyes.

Ladybug sat on her heels, staring down at him curiously. How long had it been since she'd seen him? She knew it had to have been at least a few years, though she didn't know the exact amount.

She wondered if that was his house. She wondered if the guitar in his arms was brand new or was cared for with years of love and attention. She wondered if he chose the balcony because he was playing for the night itself.

She wondered how he'd been doing since she'd cut him and everyone else out of her life.

Almost as if he'd sensed her, Luka suddenly glanced up to the rooftop she was on, his fingers bringing the song to a sudden end. She stiffened, just as his eyebrows rose at the sight of her.

He glanced down at his guitar, seeming to make the connection, then smiled up at her. Raising the volume of his voice so she'd hear, he asked, "Do you want a front-row seat, Ladybug?"

She blushed lightly, standing up and waving her hands dismissively. "Uh—no, I'm just passing by!"

But she couldn't deny that he looked really inviting sitting there, and he had already noticed and spoken to her. She debated with herself for a good few seconds before deciding that a small conversation would be okay.

Patrols were supposed to be unpredictable in timing, after all, or else people could plan around them. Getting a little side-tracked helped with that, she supposed.

She took a few steps back, then took a running leap onto the balcony that Luka was seated at, just barely missing the table and chairs next to her. Glancing over at his welcoming smile, she put on her best superhero demeanor and simply asked, "Have you seen anything strange going on recently?"

He shook his head, though his expression didn't change. "I haven't." He looked down at the neck of his guitar, running his hand along it. "Sorry I can't be of more help."

"Oh! No, it's okay!" She frowned. She knew he meant patrol, but she couldn't help thinking of when his identity had been compromised. "...It's Viperion, right?"

He seemed pleasantly surprised. "I'm glad you remember."

She bit back the ’of course I do’ and opted for a more formal, "It's part of the job. Even if I can't call on certain heroes anymore, I always remember them." She glanced at his guitar. "It's the same with your music, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "You could say that."

He played a quick melody that she recognized but didn't dare put a name to. She'd only arrived to talk, not to be reminded of the past, so she averted her gaze to the fence around the balcony, idling running her fingers along the railing.

Reminded of one of her earlier musings, she commented, "This is a nice place. Is it yours?"

He hummed with a nod. "I bought it a few weeks ago."

That explained why she'd never heard him play there before. "And the balcony?" She paused in thought, realizing after a moment, "I guess it's no replacement for playing on a deck, but it's the closest you can get to it?"

"Mm." He leaned his chair back, propping his feet up on the railing. "It's something. Nothing will ever beat the Liberty though."

She understood to some degree. She'd moved out of the bakery as soon as she could and it took time to stop missing the warmth and scents. "But you're happy at least?"

"Yeah," he replied, though the look on his face was less "happy" than she would've expected from him. She supposed it was her memory failing her, given all their time away from each other.

"What about you?"

Her shoulder went stiff. "W-what?" Did he really just ask her for personal—

"Are you happy too?" he clarified, offering her a smile. "You deserve to be."

She relaxed, though turned back to the fence to look at the night sky instead of him. It might've been a long time since they'd seen each other, but she was afraid that he'd read her somehow.

Happy. She supposed that it depended on the definition one might use for it.

"...I'm happy that Paris is happy under my watch," she finally answered. Eyes giving off a hint of a sparkle, she added, "I'm happy that it's safe enough for musicians like you to stay up past their bedtime to play me songs."

That earned her a chuckle, and she couldn't help turning back to him to see what his face looked like. If it made her feel happy at all, she didn't acknowledge it, the only hint being the wide smile on her face.

Luka had always been a special case. He was so unlike everyone else she knew, not only in the way he acted, but how he treated her. While she was never able to figure out how she felt about him, there was a gentle tug he had on her that she couldn't deny.

Not that she missed him though. She didn't, and she wasn't lonely either.

She wasn't lonely at all.

After his brief giggling fit was over, Luka dropped his feet from the railing, settling his chair back down before getting up. He turned, walking to the sliding glass door and pushing it open. "Do you want a drink before you go?"

She tilted her head at him. "A drink? Are you sure?"

In response, he slipped inside, the gentle tug urging her to follow after him. She was hesitant, but supposed it'd be rude to refuse him, so she walked into his house and closed the glass door behind her.

She couldn't help smiling at the casual way he'd simply invited a superhero into his house.

The living room and kitchen weren't separated by any wall, Luka heading towards the latter from the former after setting his guitar back on its stand. Ladybug took a look at her surroundings, noting that it wasn't unlike his room on the Liberty. Anarka was messy, Juleka was more controlled, and Luka himself was cleanest just out of not having a ton of belongings.

There were a few instruments, of course, but she also noticed the same Jagged Stone poster from back in the day. In addition, there were two pictures hanging on the wall, one of his family and one of the time she'd taken a photo of Kitty Section for their contest entry. The family picture seemed to be from a time she wasn't around him for, as he looked older than how she'd remembered.

Luka called from the kitchen, "What do you like?"

She turned to him. "Oh, tea's fine, thank you." Then, approaching the photos, she observed aloud, "You must be really close to your family and friends."

"I am," he replied, a smile in his voice. "Are you? You care so much about Paris that—"

"No," she cut in. "I don't have anyone like that." She could tell that Luka was thrown off and continued, "It's for the best."

Luka didn't reply, an awkward silence stretching on. She looked over at him, wondering if maybe he was pitying her, but he was occupying himself with making her tea. She turned away, walking over to his couch and taking a seat on it.

A few minutes passed. Luka returned to her with two mugs and offered her one. She took it, giving him a grateful nod, but waited until he sat down next to her to say, "You think it's strange."

"No," Luka assured. "I'm just surprised. I've never been alone, so I don't know how it must be for you." He took a sip of his drink, then stared thoughtfully into the mug. "...And everyone already knows about Chat Noir having a girlfriend."

She shrugged. "Chat Noir can afford to blurt out those kinds of things; to have those kinds of things. He doesn't have the responsibilities that I do."

On a basic level, she knew that she should've left it there. She'd held everything in for so long that she could do it for a few minutes longer, at least as long as she was staying there.

But it was always different with Luka. With Luka, all of her secrets and pent-up emotion grew wings and fluttered around her stomach like a swarm of her magical ladybugs, begging to come out and heal some unknown damage. Any attempt to drown them by sipping Luka's tea just made them fly faster.

"...It was too exhausting," she finally admitted.

Luka glanced over, giving her his attention.

She continued, "I used to have them, but it drained me. It was too much and I couldn't balance it with my hero life. It felt like I was always doing something for someone and I couldn't do it anymore without risking Paris."

He didn't respond verbally at first, but let out a sympathetic hum. He took another, much longer sip of his drink, and all Ladybug could think was, Not you though. You weren't that way.

"I wish it hadn't been like that for you," he told her, setting his drink down. "That's not how it's supposed to be, and it's never been that way for me."

She went to reply - to tell him it was okay and he shouldn't worry - when she noticed a somber expression wash over his face. He averted his gaze from her, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.

Ladybug breathed up when she noticed his phone's wallpaper: it was her, in civilian form, next to him, back when they were teenagers. She swallowed, seeing the soft look in his eyes even as he frowned, and wondered what exactly they'd talked about that made him think to pull out the image of her on his phone.

She'd tried not to think about it when she saw the pictures earlier, but apparently he still thought about her after all.

"Ah—" She leaned over, trying not to be obvious about what she was feeling. "Is that... your girlfriend?"

He glanced over at her, brows raised, then relaxed and shook his head. Managing a sad smile, he replied, "No. She knew I was interested in her, but I never got a reply; I never asked for one. I haven't talked to her for years either. She just left one day."

She stared down at her lap, running her free hand along her leg. "She—um—sounds unreliable. It was cruel of her to abandon you. Didn't that hurt?"

He looked at his phone a moment longer, then set it down on the table. Leaning back, he tilted his head up at the ceiling and replied, "Not like that. Marinette doesn't do anything without a reason, and I trust her. I—" He sighed. "—I was hurt because I wished that she would've relied on me."

Ladybug gaped, blurting out, "You wanted her to rely on you more?" She covered her mouth as she realized what she'd said. "I-I mean, ah..." She tried to figure out a way to salvage it, but curiosity won over. "Why?"

"I wanted to see her happy," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "and I was happy to be the one she went to. It meant that she trusted me more than anyone else."

Suddenly, Ladybug recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look he gave her when he held her hands while they were ice skating together, and the same look he had on when he confessed. She didn't understand it.

"But," she began, trying to pull herself out of her speechless stupor, "you thought she didn't return your feelings? Wasn't it a bother?"

The soft gaze gone, he jolted up, looking at her like she'd offended him. "Marinette didn't owe me anything, and her happiness doesn't mean less to me because she didn't feel the way I did. She didn't take advantage of me and her relying on me isn't suddenly a bother because we never dated. I cared about her, and I didn't need anything else out of making her feel better."

She blushed, both from the intensity of his words and the embarrassment from feeling as though she was being scolded. Unable to meet his eyes anymore, she stared down at her tea, drinking it slowly at first and then scarfing it down when she realized that it'd gone cold.

She wondered how many times he'd had to tell people that, given the way he so actively jumped on what she'd said. It wasn't that he sounded wrong, but...

wow.

"I-I'm sorry," she managed. "I didn't mean to make it seem like..." She trailed off, biting her bottom lip.

Luka breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's okay." He averted his gaze, meaning neither of them were looking at each other anymore. "Marinette had a lot to deal with. She cared about everything and had so much talent. I can't imagine how suffocating it was to be known by so many celebrities and have so many expectations put on her." His hand twitched, then curled into a fist. "That's why it puts me so out of tune when I see people talking about us like I was doing all the work or that I shouldn't care as much because she might love someone else."

Ladybug always thought that relationships were a give-and-take, and they were, but it hadn't occurred to her that maybe she'd misconstrued what the "taking" part entailed. When she'd initially decided to cut off everyone, including Luka, it was because she wanted a completely clean break; to be separated from every person she'd put time into so she could focus on being Ladybug. It'd hurt, of course, but she'd gotten over it, hoping to put Paris as her top priority.

Luka had been an afterthought in a way, because she'd presumed that he would've done so much better without her there. She honestly believed that she was doing what was best for both herself and him, since everything she'd been taught implied that she was only troubling him.

Perhaps there was such a thing as "foolish selflessness" then, where she'd focused so much on what she thought might be best for him without actually confirming it. She thought she could be sure based on what she'd experienced before, but she couldn't.

There was no one else quite like Luka, it seemed.

"...How did you know?" she asked, peeking up at him.

Luka looked over, blinking at her. "Know what?"

"That—" She took a breath, knowing that she was in too deep to back out now. "That you were in love with her?"

His eyes went wide. She grew sheepish, pulling her empty mug closer to her face like she was ready to hide behind it.

"If it's too personal, that's okay. I've just—never seen someone as sure as you are."

After a few seconds, Luka calmed, his expression turning thoughtful. He stared straight ahead of him, looking at nothing in particular, then finally smiled.

"Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with a normal family," he mused, "but I've always thought about love differently."

She tilted her head at him. "How so?" Then, hesitantly, she suggested, "Do you mean you're not really in love with her romantically?"

"No, I am," he stated, and so bluntly that she started blushing again, "but it was never about that for me."

He eyed his phone, though it'd already gone dark from being idle. "Dating, marriage... those aren't things I think about when I see Marinette." He smiled, the softness in his eyes coming back. "Of course I'd be happy going however far she wanted with those, but I don't think loving someone should be about worrying about things like that."

"Really?" She leaned towards him. "Then, what do you think when you see her?"

He met her gaze, accidentally directing that softness her way. For a moment, it was like she was her civilian self, and it was impossible not to feel loved.

"That I want to be with her," Luka answered, "forever, if she'd let me. Whether we're friends or lovers, I want to be able to make her happy and let her rely on me. If there's something bothering her, I want her to know that I'll listen, no matter what it's about. I want her to be comfortable and not worry about what I'll think, because she knows I won't judge her." He placed a hand to his heart, gaze dropping to the couch. "That's love to me."

Ladybug absorbed that, but was unable to say anything coherent outside of, "Oh," her heart doing a flip in her chest.

He chuckled. "I know it might sound weird. You don't have to—"

"No," she cut in, voice softer than intended. She swallowed, her tone returning to normal as she assured, "I think it's really sweet. I wish that I—I mean, I wish that more people could hear that sort of thing. It's touching."

He hummed, staring at her with a look of content. "Thank you." Eyes drifting downwards, he held his hand out and asked, "Do you want me to take that?"

"What?" She looked, only now remembering her empty mug. "Oh, yeah, thanks."

She handed it to him, and Luka took both mugs back to the kitchen to put them in the sink. She watched him, feeling all too much and once and not knowing how to process it.

The idea of it being so simple had never occurred to her; that things like rejection or marriage or children suddenly wouldn't matter, and being content just loving and being with a person was where true happiness lied. She was used to being dragged around towards someone, insisting that her love from long ago had to be a certain way, and that any exceptions would make it imperfect.

The force of it caused her nothing but pain and anxiety, and the "love" she felt was all the more fake for it.

What she had for - with - Luka wasn't like that though. She knew it from the start, but didn't know what it meant.

Luka's wasn't forceful; it was the gentle tug she'd felt and needed all along. Suddenly, everything made sense.

"...I should probably go," she admitted, glancing over at the window. "I need to get back to patrol."

The wind in her face would probably do her good. She had a lot to think about.

Luka came back from the kitchen, heading for the sliding glass doors and picking up his guitar on the way. "You probably should. Thanks for coming in for a while though." He was apologetic as he added, "You deserved the break, but I'm sorry if things got a little heavy for you."

"Not at all," she assured, pushing herself up and walking to stand next to him. She smiled at him, acknowledging, "I think it was just heavy enough, actually."

It was Luka, so of course he didn't prod or ask questions; he just returned her smile with his own.

She passed him, partway into the doorframe before something occurred to her. She glanced back at him, his smile turning into a lopsided frown as he didn't seem to know what she was thinking. Placing a hand on the frame of the glass door, close to where his hand still was, she leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

She grinned as she pulled away, admiring the way his brows rose in surprise. Giggling, she whispered, "For good luck," promptly turning away and hopping onto the fence.

She then leapt away, continuing the patrol that she'd put on hold. Even though she hadn't looked back at him when she left, his face was vivid in her mind as she beamed, the adrenaline from patrol unable to compete with the way her heart had already been pounding.

I want to be with you.

—————

Marinette

Luka?

...Please tell me you didn't change your number. I might die of embarrassment if you did.

Luka

Marinette?

Marinette

Luka!

Thank goodness.

Luka

Did something happen?

Marinette

No!

Yes?

...Look, I know this probably sounds really out of nowhere and it won't make a lot of sense, but I was thinking about you.

I have been for a while.

I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but can I take you out somewhere? Not as an apology, even though I'm really sorry, but because I want to.

You don't have to say "yes."

You don't have to want to talk to me ever again either.

Luka

...What if I want to do all of those?

Marinette

Oh.

Then... I guess it'd be a date?

Luka

Just me and you?

Marinette

Yeah. Just you and me.

Mostly me.

Because I'll be paying and I don't want to hear one word of complaint out of you.

Alright?

Luka

Ha. Alright.

It's a date.

Marinette

Yes!

Luka

I have to warn you though, Marinette.

Marinette

About what?

Luka

I'm going to be smiling a lot when we meet up. I hope that's okay.

Marinette

That's what you're worried about??

Don't.

I will be too.

[s-and-n-writes]

you are my north

a/n: hey guys! here's the soulmate fic i've been working on for a while. it's an outline-style because i didn't want to write out the whole thing. enjoy! -s ps. i can't write summaries to save my life. pps. this fic is rated teen only because of two curse words, and while there is some major character death, i didn't mark it in the warnings because it's temporary.

quick links: | crossover masterlist | 

People get many types of soulmate bonds

Some are romantic and some are platonic

Platonic can be friends, family, found-family, etc

Bonds can include marks, writing on arms, switching bodies, etc

Everyone has a soulbond but some aren’t visible or obvious

Marinette grew up in Gotham named Marianne

She didn’t have a visual bond so hers would manifest when she met her soulmate

Her parents were killed when their house burned down (she was 5)

She was sent to an orphanage and ran away after a few months (she was still 5)

Lived on the streets for a year until she met Jason Todd (she was 6 and he was 10)

They met when two older boys tried to steal Marianne’s money since she was small

Jason beat them up and gave her his hand to lift her up

When their hands met there was a flash of light

Marianne - My mama told me about this. She said it was a soulmate bond and the person it was with was really really really special to me.

They both have a compass on their palms pointing to where the other is

They go off together and live together on the streets

She calls him “Jay-Jay” and he calls her “Pixie” or “Mari”

2 years later (Marianne is 8 and Jason is 12)

Jason goes out and finds the Batmobile and proceeds to get adopted

He refuses and wants to find Marianne

Jason - Let me go old man!

Batman - No. You’re coming with me.

Jason - I need to find my sister!

Batman - Fine. Find her and you both will come with me.

Both go in search of Marianne

Earlier Marianne woke up and found Jason missing so she went out to search

She couldn’t find him and was upset and was sloppy

A Parisian couple found her and adopted her

The people at the GCPD were like ????? because who adopts a Gotham street kid?

Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng apparently

So Marianne is taken to Paris while Jason and Batman are looking for her

They can’t find her and Jason goes with Batman and gets adopted and everything

Jason believes she must have been taken out of Gotham because his compass points towards the harbor and towards the water

Eventually gives up because he won’t be able to find her since across the ocean is a massive place

Gotham proceeds as normal

In Paris...

Marianne is refusing everything because she didn’t want to leave and she misses her brother

Tom and Sabine didn’t want two children so they didn’t bother looking for her brother

They rename her Marinette

She goes to school and makes friends with two boys named Nino and Kim and is enemies with Chloe, the mayor’s daughter

Reluctantly starts calling Tom and Sabine ‘Maman’ and ‘Papa’ because it would look weird if she didn’t and she didn’t want to talk about her past

They treat her nicely but she still misses her old parents

Marinette makes more and more friends but they don’t know about her past or her brother

When she’s 11 she sees on the news that Jason Todd-Wayne died

She’s really sad because her brother and soulmate died but also insanely confused because he somehow got adopted by Bruce Wayne???

Back to his death

Her compass stays but her compass needle disappears

She withdraws and doesn’t go to school for a week

She asked everyone not to give her any nicknames (not that she had any in the first place)

Nobody knows she had a brother except Tom and Sabine but even they don’t know his name

Everyone is told one of her family members died and her parents try to console her but eventually give up

Continuing on and time skips

Her parents start leaving her alone more as she got older

It helped when she became Ladybug

Marinette also slightly resents them for forcefully adopting her and then kind of neglecting her but let’s not get into that

Becomes friends with Alya and starts crushing on Adrien

Alya posts everything and is very intrusive

Marinette is constantly questioned about her soulbond but always refuses to answer

Did I mention that she always wears gloves ever since Jason died?

Because she does

She doesn’t want to see the compass and be reminded of him

Anyways, Alya keeps trying but is always refused

She calls Marinette ‘Mari’ one day and she just…snaps

Marinette goes on this big rant about personal information and privacy and respecting boundaries and ends up screaming at her and curls in a ball crying

Alya leaves and stops being friends with her because Marinette is ‘mean’ and ‘sensitive’

They occasionally talk but they’re not really friends anymore

Very soon after, Lila comes and that's why Alya turned on Marinette so quick

Adrien tells her to “take the high road” and her crush on him dies

Marinette becomes even more miserable because everyone has left her and she is alone

Luka and Kagami aren’t her close friends here

And Chloe is not in her class anymore

Tikki is her only friend until Master Fu gives her guardianship and she is in charge of her kwamis

She is incredibly stressed because of Ladybug, Guardian duties, bakery shifts, and school

Tikki gives her the idea to get rid of bakery duties and not focus on Guardian stuff and instead do a hobby

She tells her ‘parents’ that she’s too busy with school to work at the bakery

They roll their eyes and ignore her again and sometimes she thinks they only adopted her to get her to work for them for free

There isn’t too much to do for Guardian stuff anyways

She designs more and more as a hobby and ends up opening a commission website (that’s completely anonymous so Lie-la and her cronies can’t do anything to it)

It’s more work but it relaxes her and is great for making money

Her pseudonym ‘MAT’ is famous because of Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale constantly mentioning her

MAT stands for both Marinette And Tikki, and MariAnne Todd

Eventually she gets a request from the Waynes

Marinette just cried because this was her brothers family and takes the request

She makes everything extra personalized and charges a bit less and writes a note to them

The note says something about how she knew Jason before he died and he was like a brother to her and she misses him so much and she can’t imagine what they’re going through

By this time she’s 16 and Jason would have been 20 and he is currently being Red Hood (not that she knows that)

Stuff happens, Hawkmoth is defeated, and she takes the ring away from Chat Noir because he’s an asshole who can’t take no for an answer

It’s Adrien Agreste...thank god she didn’t have a crush on him anymore

Time passes, and Marinette is now 18

She has moved out of the bakery and into her own apartment

She’s still in school but it’s her last year

She is now insanely famous and her identity is the best kept secret in the world

She is completely alone except for the Kwamis

So Marinette had entered a contest sponsored by Wayne Industries and won

The prize is a trip to Gotham for the entire class...fuck

If Marinette had known she probably wouldn’t have entered

Why would she go back to the place where her brother died?

She has to go though because she is the contest winner

Lila took credit for it and is spinning lies about how she’s so close to the Waynes and is dating Timothy Drake

So now onto a plot twist yay

On the morning of the trip Marinette is getting ready

She hasn’t looked at her hands in forever because she doesn’t want to be reminded about Jason

Keep in mind that she wears gloves constantly

That morning she looks at them because she wants to prepare for being in Gotham again and memories sake and things

Marinette is shocked when the compass needle is back and pointing in a direction

She doesn’t know what happened since as far as she knows people can’t come back to life and her needle was definitely gone before

So after interrogating Tikki and Plagg for a while she finds out that yes, there are ways to bring someone back to life and some aren’t very good for you *cough* Lazarus Pit *cough*

On the plane ride she is thinking and being both excited and scared/worried

Excited because Jason’s alive!

Scared/worried because some ways of bringing back the dead don’t work very well…

The plane lands and they get out of the airport with no big issues

Except for Lie-la hiding her luggage and getting the class to leave without her

So now Marinette has to walk across Gotham at night, alone, while carrying heavy luggage and looking like a tiny, weak, foreigner

She is practically begging to get mugged but what can you do?

Around halfway to the hotel she hears footsteps behind her

Before she can do anything, Red Hood jumps down from a roof and takes them down

He ties them up and calls the police

Marinette thinks he is familiar but ignores the feeling and goes on her way

Red Hood (Jason) also thinks she is familiar but also ignores it

Now is the time for normal Maribat field trip tropes and ideas

Nothing big happens to advance the plot

The last week of their trip is at Gotham Academy and then they go to the Wayne Gala

Again, normal first day at GA tropes until there’s a Rogue attack

For plot reasons (can’t reveal the akuma situation, Ladybug can’t be in Gotham, she has nowhere good to transform, etc), Marinette hides in a storage closet

She rubs her compass-palm to calm herself and looks at it

The needle is moving as if her soulmate was walking towards her (or the closet where she’s hidden)

But that’s not possible because Jason should be 22 and definitely shouldn’t be in a school right?

Marinette is freaking out and then the needle is pointing directly in front of her

And then the doorknob turns and the door opens and she sees…

DUN DUN DUN

Red Hood!

Marinette is kind of shocked but shrugs it off for a minute

Red Hood tells her the attack is over and she can come out

He helps her up but when their hands touch there’s a flash of light

Marinette - Jay-Jay?

Jason - Pixie?

Then there’s a very heartwarming reunion that I’m too angsty to write properly

Marinette starts going by Marianne again and meets the Bats

They love her immediately (and more when they realize that she is MAT who personalized their commissions and wrote that note long ago)

Lie-la’s lies get taken down

At the Wayne Gala she is announced to be Jason Todd-Wayne’s platonic soulmate, Marianne Todd

They live happily ever after

a/n: if you would like to be tagged for any of the maribat drabbles we post, shoot us a message and we’ll tag you!

[bring-the-storm]

Rated: T

Word Count: 1833

written for @mlcorefour appreciation week

After accidentally panicking and telling basically the whole world that she's dating a member of the hero team, Ladybug must someone to fake-date her, and fast. Of course Carapace suggests the obvious solution: she can just date his girlfriend for a few weeks. As the plan dissolves into chaos, the four learn what it means to be the heart of a team, while also getting into more shenanigans than humanly possible along the way.

---

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Those were the first words to tumble from Chat Noir’s lips, his smile too overeager, too happy to be genuine. 

“I didn't-”

“Girl, you have GOT to be kidding me,” Rena Rouge interrupted, whirling on her the second her feet touched the rooftop. “I thought we were friends!?! Who is it? Pegasus? Viperion?”

“I thought he was dating Ryuko,” Carapace jumped in.

“I’m not-” Ladybug opened her mouth to explain, only to be interrupted. She couldn’t really blame Alya (who only had fifteen Ladynoir pinterest boards and showed them off to anyone who so much as mentioned the superhero duo). 

“Oh, right,” Rena Rouge nodded. “Otherwise she totally would’ve been my next guess.” The fox heroine turned to her desperately. “Please don’t tell me it’s Tigresse. I’ve been working on my Tigerella fanfic for months.”

“Guys, can you calm down for-”

“King Monkey, maybe?” Carapace guessed as Chat plopped down on the edge of the building, failing at not looking miserable. “He doesn’t really seem like he’s her type, but you never know.”

Rena Rogue cut her off again. “I swear, if it’s Vesperia and I didn’t see it coming…” The heroine buried her face in her hands. “Ladybug you better explain. I don’t know what to do with my life anymore!”

Instantly, three sets of eyes locked on her, begging for clarification. Ladybug took a deep breath.

“Guys, I’m not dating anyone.”

“But you said-” Rena protested. 

“I know and I’m sorry!” she cried, trying not to look at Chat as her face heated. Not that it meant anything. Obviously.  “The reporters kept asking all these questions and I just wanted to get out of there and it slipped out.”

It was hard to miss the flash of relief in Chat’s eyes.

“So, let me get this straight,” Carapace said, staring at her incredulously. “Your grand plan to get out of a stressful press conference was to tell everyone in Paris on live television that you’re dating someone on our team?”

It sounded a lot worse when he said it out loud.

“I panicked,” Ladybug admitted with a wince.

Carapace breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least you can just admit that and everything will go back to normal.”

Rena Rouge and Chat Noir glanced at each other knowingly and almost simultaneously burst into giggles, as if he had said something hilarious.

“That doesn’t sound like a good sign,” Ladybug swung her yo-yo in an anxious circle.

“Trust me when I say it will not work out like that,” Chat Noir smirked somewhat bitterly in the light of the setting sun.

Rena waved her hand across the sky as if she could already read the headlines written on the clouds. “Shocking Reveal - Ladybug Tells All.”

“I could just tell them the truth,” she tried to protest.

“Heroes Attempt to Cover up the Truth,” Alya finished, stopping the yo-yo’s frantic circle with her flute.

Ladybug groaned, wanting to kick something, preferably Hawkmoth’s stupid face.

“And of course it's right around the anniversary,” Chat Noir reminded her.

“Uh, no it’s not,” Carapace glanced at her partner like he was crazy. 

And he kinda was. She distinctly remembered a picnic with a certain kitty on the rooftops near where she ‘fell from heaven’ as they watched a parade of small children stream by, wearing Stoneheart cosplay only a few months ago.

“Not that anniversary,” Chat Noir deflated a little. “I was talking about Oblivio.”

Her brain screeched to a halt. 

“This just keeps getting better and better,” she groaned. 

Carapace and Rena exchanged a glance. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“After a certain Ladyblogger posted a photo of me and Chat,” she locked her gaze on Rena, relishing the moment a little too much. “Some of the fans seem to have gotten it into their heads that Kitty and I are destined to get together on that day.

“Generally involving a week full of frustrated Ladynoir-shipping akumas,” Chat jumped in. “And one exhausted and pointedly not together bug and cat.”

Ladybug giggled. “Okay, you have to admit, some of them are kinda funny.”

The cat hero snorted. “I wouldn’t call Aphrodite funny.”

“What about the fanfic style one?” she nudged his knee playfully, trying to see if banter would help cheer him up. “You have to admit, throwing mugs at the akuma during the coffee shop AU was the best.”

A hint of a real smirk flickered across her partner’s lips. 

“You called me sweet when you dumped all that sugar in my hair,” she reminded him.

“It was an accident!” he protested with a grin.

“Yeah, right,” Ladybug crossed her arms. “You were supposed to throw it at him. You totally did it on purpose!”

Chat clutched his chest, pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. “I can’t believe you would have such little faith in me, m’lady!!”

Both of them somehow missed the knowing glance their best friends shot each other.

All their weapons buzzed simultaneously, doubtlessly with an update from the news. Chat Noir flicked open his baton and sighed, showing the headline to the rest of them.

“Which of Our Heroes is Ladybug’s Boyfriend?”

Her partner scrolled through the article, grumbling under his breath.

Carapace raised his eyebrows under his hood. “Bold of them to assume you don't have a girlfriend.”

“I wish I could say that it’s bold of them to assume I’m dating anyone at all,” she sighed. “But I kinda started this so I guess I can’t blame them.”

“THAT’S IT!” Rena Rouge leapt to her feet, nearly knocking her boyfriend’s shell over the edge of the roof.

“What?” Ladybug glanced at her comrades to check if they had the slightest idea of what was going on. 

“You told the press that you’re dating one of us on the hero team, right?” the fox heroine asked excitedly.

“Yes?” Ladybug answered hesitantly. “You were there too.”

“Not the point,” her friend waved the comment off. “The only solution that doesn’t end in even more akuma attacks is fairly obvious.”

The other three glanced at each other to see if they had gotten it.

“COME ON GUYS,” Alya sighed. “Ladybug just has to pretend to be dating one of us for a few weeks. Think about it. They go out on a few dates, cue general excitement from Paris about the first official hero couple, tragically break up after a few weeks and everything goes back to normal.”

Ladybug shrugged. “I guess it could work.”

“Why does this sound way too similar to the basic plot for any fake dating fanfic?” Chat Noir hissed in the nearby turtle hero’s ear. 

Or hood by where his ear should be. 

“Probably because that's exactly what it is,” Carapace whispered back. 

Rena smirked.

“And I happy to know of an available cat who would be happy to take-”

Her triumphant Ladynoir wingwoman grin fell from her face as the duo shook their heads in unison.

“Bad idea,” Chat Noir admitted. “I don’t want to think about the worldwide catastrophe that could occur after out ‘breakup.’”

“It would be like last Valentine’s day, but infinitely worse,” Ladybug jumped in, wincing at the memory of yet another love akuma that nearly burned Paris to the ground in its mission to make its OTP kiss.

Not that kissing Chat was such a bad thing. He was kinda good-

She cut off that mental track before it could get anywhere.

“Well, who else are you going to fake-date?” Alya asked. “I mean, I would totally be up for the job, but…”

She gestured at her boyfriend.

Carapace’s silence spoke for itself.

“Uh, babe?” Rena nudged him with her boot.

“Yeah?” he said with a grin.

“You can’t actually be considering this.”

“Why not?” he shrugged. “It’s not like anyone in Paris will know any better.”

“Hawkmoth could target me!” Alya pointed out. “He knows where I live!”

Carapace shrugged. “I mean, he could do that anyway.”

“Still, this could…” her voice trailed off. “Uh- why you aren’t fighting me on this.”

The turtle hero shrugged. “I guess I don’t see a problem with it, dudette. As long as both you and Ladybug are cool with it, then I’m not going to stop you.”

“You’re supposed to be my voice of reason!” Rena Rouge stared at him like he had just admitted to secretly being Chloé’s BFF. “Are you secretly a sentimonster or something?”

Nino raised his hands innocently. “I’m just trying to be a supportive boyfriend and help you reach your dreams.”

“By handing me off to the first bug who wants to date me?”

Carapace fell back dramatically. “Babe, did you see Ladybug today,” he cried in an impression of his girlfriend's voice. “The way she stuck that landing and then she winked at me and I swear I died. No offense babe, but if Ladybug ever asked me out, I would break up with you in an instant.”

Rena turned bright red.

Ladybug giggled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You’re cool with this?” Rena spun on her.

“I mean, if Carapace is,” she smirked. “Sounds like it's the closest to a realistic relationship I’m going to get.”

Rena Rouge buried her head in her hands. “Hold on. I need to go scream on a rooftop.”

“Take all the time you need, babe,” Carapace called after her.

Ladybug smirked, grabbing her hand and kissing it like Chat would sometimes do for her (which totally didn’t leave her in a stuttering mess afterwards. Obviously.). “Yeah, babe. Take all the time you need.”

Rena Rouge turned red and fled.

“Whoops,” Ladybug turned back to Carapace with a sheepish grin on her face. “Too much?”

“Just because you’re fake dating my girlfriend doesn’t mean you can steal her,” Carapace nodded. “Don’t worry. She’ll be back in a few minutes and fully on board with this.”

“I should go and talk to her,” Ladybug said as she bit her lip nervously. She waved to Chat in a TOTALLY NORMAL WAY as she leapt over the rooftops.

***

The ribbons on her pigtails fluttered in the evening wind as Chat Noir watched her vault over the rooftop after her possible future fake-girlfriend.

Carapace whistled. “Dude, you’ve got it bad.”

Adrien’s face heated as he punched the turtle hero's arm. “Shut up.”

“Have you considered telling her that, you know, you still love her?”

Chat Noir laughed bitterly. “And watch her heart rip in half as she tells me yet again that we could never be more than friends? No thanks.” He glanced away. “I’d rather give up my miraculous.”

The sounds of the city that echoed off the rooftops awkwardly filled the void between them.

Finally, Chat Noir asked. “So, wait, are we actually doing this?”

Carapace nodded. “We’re superheroes. It’s our duty to protect Paris. If the only way for us to do that is for my girlfriend to pretend-date yours, then it’s a sacrifice we have to make.”

[artisticflutter]

AU August - Day Four: Soulmates

Haha! My work schedule is trash right now! Thanks certain virus that continues the trainwreck that was 2020! Also, have some minor angst!

Series: Miraculous Ladybug Rating: G Genre: General, Fluff, Angst Pairing(s): MariChat Summary: Marinette doesn’t want to believe in soulmates. It’s not that they don’t exist, but given their rarity, they might as well not. And yet, for each failing relationship she has, she keeps coming back to the same masked boy willing to hear her out. Warning: Nope! This is safe!

Ever since she found the café, their relationship had been like this. Marinette would sit nursing a black coffee after another break up, watching the steam rise, and managing the barest smile as the blonde barista did his best to cheer her up. She didn’t know his name - he preferred going by ‘Chat Noir’ for some reason - but it felt comfortable coming back to him anyway. Besides, he distracted her from her spiraling thoughts - of wondering if maybe she should try finding her soulmate again - and she loathed those intrusive thoughts.

Why were soulmates a thing? Why should people’s lives and true happiness apparently be dictated by something so rare? People should be happy with whomever they pleased!

Nathaniel was happy with Marc after their break-up after all!

And Kim had Ondine…

Nino and Alya…

Luka…

She thought things would really work with Luka. They’d been happy, and she traveled with him for some of his performances, and he came to her fashion exhibitions - they’d supported each other so much, so how had it not been enough? And she hadn’t been the only one to feel like that either; it had been mutual and they agreed to being just friends.

“Why don’t you take a break from dating for a while?” Chat Noir asked, tilting his head. “Aren’t you applying for a position at a fashion house soon? Sounds like this stuff’s just stressing you out.”

“But then I’ll be too busy to date, Chat,” she sighed. “Once I finish designing for one season, it’ll already be time to work on the next, and then the next, and the next… I’ll get swallowed up by my career and wake up forty years later still single! No offense to anyone who doesn’t want to get married, but I’ve dreamed of having a family. I love work, but I don’t want to marry my career.”

“Well… then why not reward yourself with trying to date? Once you get into whatever fashion house you apply for, get back into the game before you get pulled into that whole whirlwind you mentioned.”

“... You know what, Chat, I might do that,” she hummed, taking a sip of her coffee. “It’ll take a while to fill out applications and flesh out my portfolio. And I won’t be hearing from them for a few months either! Alya would throw a party to celebrate and I could meet someone there; and they would already know because of the party what my workload would be in the future! This could totally work!”

Drinking down the rest of her coffee, she leapt to her feet with a grin.

“Thanks for the talk! Now, I have three companies I want to apply to and two more I wanna look into! See you!”

Running out with a smile on her face, Marinette missed Chat’s wave and smile, and missed the way his hand remained up as his smile fell. Sighing himself, he looked towards her abandoned mug and reached for it, his eyes catching the needle tattoo on his index finger. Their fingers had accidentally brushed the first time she’d come in, but that had been after her first break-up. She’d mentioned in subsequent visits that she didn’t believe in soulmates, but he wanted to believe so badly. Still, his soulmate didn’t want to look for him, but he would continue being right here in her favorite café, waiting to help her the next time her heart broke.

[writtenbyrain]

Say Goodnight and Go

Read on AO3

Summary:

Marinette turned to clear away the plates from their earlier meal, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “Oh whatever, kitty. Just say goodnight and go.”

Chat Noir grinned.

“As the princess wishes [...] Just remember what they say about strays,” he warned her with a wink. “Feed them once and they’re likely to keep coming back.”

Notes:

This is technically a songfic, as I saw "goodnight ‘n go" by Ariana Grande on a Marichat playlist and my brain immediately started going wrrrr, though you don't need to know the song to read. Also a huge thank you and shout-out to @TheBluemoon, @Mwaste161, and @writersmuse on AO3 for taking the time to beta this for me!

Chat Noir clearly had no experience in the fashion industry.

Marinette sighed, toying absentmindedly with the needle between her thumb and forefinger as she watched this absolute dork of a boy try unsuccessfully to thread his own needle. The edges were fraying further every time he tried to push it through. His tongue stuck out the side of his lips ever so slightly — a small testament to his focus and effort.

Why does he have to be so cute? It’s impossible to ignore him when he’s like this…

Wait, no.

Marinette shook her head as if to clear her mind, opting instead to return both her line of sight and thoughts to the fabric at hand. He was her partner, after all. She had no business entertaining such thoughts about him. Not when Adrien was already impressed so firmly upon her heart.

But still.

She snuck a sidelong glance just as he held the sewing needle up in triumph, the red thread swaying gently past his claws as his dopey grin reemerged. Victory, at last.

She couldn’t help but smile softly, too.

Thankfully, the half-finished dress on her desk absorbed all of her attention once she looked back down at her minimal progress. Even Chat’s puns and quips slowly faded into white noise, becoming a jovial backdrop to her otherwise quiet workspace.

And while the silly kitty did try to uphold his promise and repair the ripped seam of a worn blouse, for several minutes his claws proved to be obstacles unto themselves, catching and ripping the fabric further — much to his dismay and embarrassment.

Marinette giggled as a blush bloomed beneath the edge of Chat Noir’s mask.

“That’s okay, kitty,” she assured him. “It was old anyway, and I was considering donating it. I can just tear it into scrap cloth.”

“Are you sure, Marinette?” Chat Noir averted his eyes, one hand coming up to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck. “I can always buy you a new blouse to replace it.”

“Really, Chat Noir, it’s fine.”

“Just let me replace it.”

Marinette huffed.

“I said no. It’s no problem.”

“And I said I would fix it for you, but I kind of did a clawful job of it. So I’m buying you a new blouse.”

“No.” “Yes.”

“No, kitty, I absolutely forbid it.”

Chat Noir paused, slightly taken aback before bursting out in a surprised cackle. “Absolutely forbid ’? Strong words coming from the princess this evening.”

“Oh, whatever, kitty,” Marinette waved her hand in feigned apathy, rolling her eyes as she put down the dress. She turned to clear away the plates from their earlier meal, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “Just say goodnight and go.”

Chat Noir grinned.

“As the princess wishes.” He stood to bow deftly, lowering one arm before him with the other behind his back. “It is getting late, after all.”

With that, Chat Noir climbed up the stairs to pop open the skylight and make his exit for the evening. But before he leaped onto the balcony, he paused, turning to look back over his shoulder.

“Just remember what they say about strays,” he warned her with a wink. “Feed them once and they’re likely to keep coming back.”

__________

And back he certainly came (again and again).

Most nights, Marinette found herself in the easy company of her favorite kitty, feeling slightly guilty about keeping her superheroine alter ego a secret as her civilian self indulged in his presence.

Rules were rules, but still — with the way he made her laugh, the way they got along so well, how could she possibly turn him away when she heard his soft landing on her balcony? Before they knew it, months had flown by, the passage of time marked only by their increased comfort and gradually blurred boundaries.

The more time they spent together, the more natural it felt for Marinette to place a hand on his knee or rest her chin on his shoulder.

The more the two shared meals and stole glances, the more at ease Chat Noir felt knocking on her skylight — not only when he could no longer stand the cold, isolating stagnation of home, but whenever he wanted the simple joys that came with her company.

And as their farewell banter stretched increasingly longer every night (they coaxed out every extra minute they could), their parting words always remained the same:

“Just say goodnight and go, kitty.”

Her words infused with warmth.

“As the princess wishes.”

His eyes conveying his adoration.

__________

“Meowch, princess, you wound me!” Chat Noir pressed the back of one hand to his forehead as he swooned dramatically onto the chaise. “Such cruel words from her highness tonight!”

This silver-tongued girl in pigtails was quite the change from his friend and classmate who was known to trip over both her words and feet on a daily basis. With time, Marinette had grown bolder and flirtier in her teasing, much to Chat’s surprise and delight. And she certainly teased him plenty, playing with clever jabs and retorts that could rival even that of his lady’s. “You know I’m only kidding, silly kitty,” she said, glancing at the clock. “Anyway, it’s getting late. Don’t you think you should —” “Say goodnight and go?” Chat Noir wiggled his eyebrows, beating her to the punch.

Marinette frowned. “Hey, that’s my line.” “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were becoming a broken record.” “And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were stalling,” she retorted with a smirk.

Well, she had him on that one. The truth was that he was stalling, not that he’d admit it. Christmas was almost upon them, and the nearer the holidays drew, the more hollow the Agreste mansion felt — especially with his mother’s absence.

Tonight, he didn’t think he could stand to be alone.

“You’re turning this cat out into the cold?” He turned away to close his eyes and lay one hand over his heart, continuing his earlier melodrama. “Why, princess, it’s far too late! I’ve almost certainly missed my train home, by now. I guess I’ll just be forced to stay here longer, lest I wander the streets alone. And in the dark.”

He popped open one eye to look over at a cross-armed Marinette. “And did I mention that it’s cold outside?”

“Your train, huh?” Marinette leaned forward to meet his gaze. “And here I thought you could just vault yourself all the way to the moon and back with that miraculous baton of yours.”

She said it lightly, but her words were met by an uncharacteristic silence as Chat Noir hesitated.

He wanted to ask to stay, but he didn’t want to impose, nor did he want to make Marinette uncomfortable. But if he continued to joke and pun, she might not take his request seriously. Chat opened his mouth to speak but quickly changed his mind and looked away, lips turned downward in indecision.

Luckily, Marinette didn’t just have to read the change in his expression to understand his reluctance. As Ladybug, Chat Noir had mentioned more than once that his house didn’t necessarily constitute a home, and Marinette simply didn’t have the heart to force him away this time.

“Actually, you know what? I could use some company tonight,” she said, standing to head down to the kitchen. “Just wait here a moment.”

Chat Noir remained seated on the chaise, nervously twisting his miraculous around his finger before his restlessness got the better of him. He edged closer, crossing his legs to sit on the floor nearer to the trapdoor Marinette had disappeared beneath.

A few minutes later, she reemerged, a steaming mug in each hand. “Here, two hot chocolates with marshmallows,” she said, passing the mugs off to Chat before turning back downstairs.

The second time she returned, a thick knitted blanket was draped over her shoulders, a small space heater tucked beneath one arm.

“You were right, it’s going to be pretty cold tonight,” Marinette explained, crossing over to him. “I thought this might be a nice chance to get cozy!”

Chat Noir relaxed and, as Marinette busied herself with plugging in the softly-humming heater, he blew hesitantly on his hot chocolate before closing his eyes and releasing an inaudible sigh through his nose.

How does she always know exactly what I need?

Finally, Marinette circled back, cuddling up to his side and wrapping the blanket around the two of them. She smiled up at him silently, their fingertips brushing as she grabbed the other mug and rested her head on his shoulder.

Taking a sip, the hot chocolate coated Chat’s tongue and warmed his throat, but it was Marinette’s affection that was the true balm to his heart. A gentle purr began to rumble from deep within his chest.

They stayed that way for the better part of an hour, sipping their drinks until they had dozed off into the night, still propped up against one another. They awoke later only when the room was filled with a sudden, startling silence.

Marinette’s head lifted drowsily, her eyes scouring the room for the source of the subtle change. “Oh, it’s the space heater.”

She left the blanket to investigate, toying with the buttons and attempting to plug it into another outlet, all to no avail. “Sorry, kitty, the heater is down,” she said, rubbing her arms for warmth as she walked back over to Chat. “But you can still stay if you want, and I can grab another blanket if you’re cold.”

Chat Noir just nodded mutely, not entirely awake again. But after what felt like only a moment, a pillow was plopped onto the ground next to him, his eyes shifting to adjust to the sudden dark as Marinette turned off the lights and spread the comforter from her bed across the expanse of the floor he occupied.

And as he shifted to lay down, he was startled to feel her crawling underneath with him.

Oh, well now he was awake. “Marinette, is — is this okay?” he asked hesitantly, despite the fact that she was the one to initiate the contact. Not that it was unwelcome.

“Um, I hope so,” came her shy response. “I mean, it would be warmer this way, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it would.”

“Okay.”

She snuggled closer to him, drawing up the blankets and relishing in the simple quiet the two now shared. Chat Noir’s lips ghosted over her forehead so lightly she almost wasn’t sure whether or not he had actually kissed her.

“Goodnight, silly kitty,” Marinette whispered.

“Goodnight, princess.”

Eventually, Chat’s breathing slowed, evening out as it fanned across her face. It was only when she was certain he was asleep that she finally let herself follow suit.

I think we’d be good, she thought vaguely to herself as she drifted closer toward sleep. No, we’d be great together.

[theluckiestwitchatblackwell]

Winter Love

HELLO hi @coffeecomicsgalore this is my @mlsecretsanta fic for you! I had so much fun writing this one, happy holidays! Massive thank you to @adrienettes-hamster for beta-ing!

Also on FFnet and AO3!

Mid-November is when the chill of the impending winter started to set in. Not cold enough for snow, but cold enough that Ladybug had begun to notice her kitty shivering while on patrols. Granted, she was quite cold herself, but she was handling it better than Chat Noir.

“Do you need to stop, Chat?”

“No, I’m fine,” he stuttered out between chattering teeth.

“Chat, go home and get warm. We can patrol again tomorrow night.” Her voice was soft but commanding, and his ears drooped. “I’ll bring some hot chocolate, okay?” His ears perked up a bit at the mention of that.

“Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replied with a small smile, turning and bounding away with his staff.

She watched him for a moment before turning herself, luckily only needing to travel a few blocks to her own home. The dull light of the lamp she had left on before heading out cut into the darkness. It was still relatively early in the night, only around 9 o’ clock, but she knew that her parents would already be in bed, ready for next morning’s early rise.

Marinette landed on her balcony and hopped down through the skylight onto her bed before calling off her transformation. When Tikki swirled out of the earrings and into her hands, she was also shivering.

“Yeah, it is a bit too cold tonight,” Marinette mumbled to her as she cupped her hands around her kwami. “Let me grab us some hot chocolate, okay?” Tikki nodded, her little head bobbing up and down as vigorously as Chat’s jaw was. Marinette gently slid her onto her pillow then climbed down the ladder to the rest of her room, then the ladder to the rest of the apartment. Finding her favourite mug clean and ready to be used, she ducked down and grabbed the teacup she had hidden for Tikki. It was almost matching with her favourite design, covered with florals over a white background, and it had belonged to one of the dolls from her childhood doll house.

Marinette hummed while she filled the mugs with the still-steaming hot chocolate from the flask her mother had left out for her. She wondered whether or not it would snow soon, and if it would shut the school down. Would the snow mean Hawkmoth would slow down on attacks? Or would he send out more akumas?

She wondered about her friends. Alya would probably spend most of the time babysitting her sisters, Marinette by her side of course. Nora might be home for the winter. Nino would probably be glued to his computer, creating new tracks and networking with other DJs. Adrien…

Adrien would keep up his studies with Nathalie. Marinette knew how tough his dad was on him based on how detailed his schedule was. Mandarin lessons, fencing, piano, modelling and school? And she thought she was busy between school, sewing and saving Paris. Then again, saving Paris was never on a set schedule. She supposed she and Adrien weren’t too different in that aspect.

Adrien had been shivering a bit in class recently. While everyone else bundled up in their warmest sweaters and thermals, Adrien’s outfits didn’t seem to hold the same temperature. Did Gabriel favour style over comfort? The very thought burned Marinette.

She stopped pouring as she realised it was about to overflow her mug, and set the flask down with a hardened resolve. This Christmas, she was going to knit something warm for her two favourite people. The gears in her mind began ticking over as she thought of what to give each of them. She still had Adrien’s head measurements from when she created the hat for the contest a year or two back, and his body’s measurements from the designs she had made for her website... maybe a sweater? Or a beanie?

She didn’t have Chat’s measurements though. She supposed if she worked hard and fast enough she might be able to squeeze in a blanket. Now she had to think of patterns for both...

Marinette made her way back up to her room, carefully balancing the mugs in one hand as she pushed the trap door up then set them down on the floor to climb inside.

“Tikki?” She called out gently. “Hot chocolate has arrived.”

She set them down on the bench by her computer as she opened up her sketchbook. Knowing it would take longer, she began working on the blanket’s design, but stopped short as she realised that while she knew her partner, she didn’t really know him. She vaguely remembered his favourite colour was green, and funnily enough was a cat person, both literally and figuratively. Marinette began to worry that what she makes wouldn’t be good enough for him, or that he wouldn’t like it.

“What are you working on, Marinette?” Tikki asked sleepily while sipping her hot chocolate.

“Both Adrien and Chat Noir haven’t been dealing with the cold well, so I figured I’d knit them both something warm for Christmas,” Marinette replied as she began writing in some notes. Tikki peered over the book and looked back at Marinette.

“A blanket? Will you have time to make that? Christmas is only a month away.”

“I know, but I figured if I work on it in all of my spare time then I might be able to get it done in time. Hopefully there’s a few snow days in the next few weeks,” Marinette said as she glanced out the window. The window stubbornly continued to show no sign of snow, though there was the twinkling of stars between the clouds.

Tikki took another sip of her drink. “Who’s the blanket for?”

“Chat Noir. I have Adrien’s measurements, so I was thinking either a beanie or a sweater, but I’m not sure of Chat’s. What do you think?” Marinette picked up a green pencil and began to shade in the sketch. In each corner there was a small, blocky cat face with light whiskers.

“He does tend to wear that short sleeved top a lot. I think sweater.”

Marinette hummed and nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. What about the middle of this?” She held the page up to Tikki, who had ditched the now empty cup and was snuggled into her neck. “I was thinking maybe the initials C.N. but that might be too obvious.”

“What about a Yin Yang symbol, but a ladybug as the white dot and whiskers on the black dot?”

“Tikki, you’re a genius!”

And so Marinette got to work, having most of the yarn colours she required already. Quite a few rows in, she started to nod off and, seeing that it was now well past her bedtime, climbed the ladder to her bed and whispered goodnight to Tikki.

----------------------------------------------------

“That’s… a lot of yarn, Marinette,” Alya said with mild concern. “You surely haven’t gotten this low by now?

Marinette shrugged, or at least shrugged the best she could with her arms piled up with rolls of yarn. “I’ve got a few commissions and wanted to be sure. I can use what’s left to make some gifts as well.”

Marinette had dragged Alya on a shopping trip for materials after school the next day. She had some pocket money saved up from chores and her birthday. Half an hour later, they emerged from the fabric store with a lot of yarn and some new shearing scissors, an early gift from Alya.

“Ooh, who’s commissioned you? It must be a big project!”

Marinette almost stumbled, unsure if she should tell Alya, even if she did have the perfect cover up for it. But then again, she knew her best friend.

“Uh, Ladybug commissioned a blanket as a gift for Chat Noir. Apparently they’re having a tough time on their night patrols with the chill.”

Alya’s eyes bugged out of her head and she squealed, “Oh my god, that is so cute! She’s totally in love with him!”

This time Marinette did really stop. “No way! She did not give off that vibe at all when she came around! It’s just really cold at night!”

“Babe, you don’t just commission a whole BLANKET for your friend!” Alya shook her by her shoulders, a few rolls threatening to fall out of Marinette’s arms, who gasped a loud “careful!”

“They’re friends, Alya, and friends can share a blanket when it’s cold. Can we please drop it?”

Alya huffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure, but you know I’m right!”

----------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Marinette was zooming through rows of knitting on her balcony. She barely stopped for a few bites of the dinner that her mother had brought up earlier. When her hands began cramping, she turned back to her sketchbook to work on the design for Adrien’s sweater. She figured it best to keep it simple, and made it light green in shade with darker green and black accents. When the cramping had lessened, she picked up the needles again and started knitting furiously again.

Around 8 o’ clock, Tikki nudged her and reminded her that she needs to meet up with Chat Noir. Marinette thanked her and transformed, grabbed the bag of treats she had snuck up earlier, then leapt off the balcony with her yoyo flying off into the distance.

She found Chat Noir on their rooftop an arrondissement away, huddled next to the chimney for warmth.

“Chaton, look what I brought!”

His ears perked up and his lips curved into a wide smile. “That doesn’t just smell like hot chocolate, m’lady. Is that…” his eyes lit up as she lifted the Dupain-Cheng bakery box out of the bag after the flasks, “croissants? And macarons?”

She matched his smile and replied, “all of the above, plus pain au chocolat. Only the best for the cat hero of Paris!” She had to set down the box quickly as he crushed her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him as well, happy that he was happy. She didn’t miss his murmur of “what did I do to deserve you?” and simply hugged him tighter, almost shielding him from the cool wind. He let go after a few more moments, diving for the flask of hot chocolate and sitting against the chimney.

“Half hour of snacking before we make the rounds?”

“Works for me,” Chat Noir replied in between sips, visibly settling down as the drink warmed him up from the inside. “How did you get the Dupain-Cheng goods? Aren’t they closed by now?”

“They are, but I picked them up just before they closed for the day, so they’re pretty fresh.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, she did get them from the last batch her father made for the day.

Chat Noir hummed as he bit into a macaron, savouring the taste. “They are the best in town, no competition.”

“You’re not wrong there.” Ladybug took this moment of comfortable silence to take the top off of her flask and have a long drink of her hot chocolate. They sat together, shoulder to shoulder against the chimney and the wind started to settle down.

The sun had well and truly set by now, the moon as bright as ever with the stars shining like the streetlights below them. Tonight, there were no clouds, and nothing above them but the open sky. Ladybug loved the sight, and found it to be the second best perk of being a superhero, the first being partnered with Chat Noir. Her friend, Chat Noir, she thought, thinking back to Alya’s words earlier in the day. She was in love with Adrien and absolutely, definitely, totally had no such feelings for Chat Noir.

----------------------------------------------------

Marinette was exhausted, to say the least.

It was now the beginning of December, and the blanket was just over half done. She had resorted to bringing in her spare needles and knitting before and after class to start on Adrien’s sweater, and ignored anyone and everyone that asked about it with a small blush.

She also resorted to ignoring any pressing by Alya on Ladybug’s “commission” of the blanket, which had not died out as time had gone on. Alya wanted to know everything from the words Ladybug said to her expression and body language as she spoke about Chat Noir. Marinette now highly regretted giving in and telling her anything.

Thinking of the blanket, she thought about the surprise she was given when Chat Noir dropped in a few nights before.

A gentle rapping on the window shook Marinette from her concentration as she began a new colour for the Yin Yang. She looked around as she heard the telltale swoosh of Tikki hiding and saw Chat Noir waving from her balcony with a sheepish look on her face. She set down the blanket, laying it flat on the floor, and climbed up her ladder to open it.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here?”

“Forgive me, but I saw your light on while I was out for a run. It’s getting very cold and my own place is a bit too far for me right now. Do you mind if I warm up in here for a few minutes?”

She wasn’t aware of any patrol they had planned. She double checked the day it was in her head and confirmed yes, it was their night off.

“O-Of course you can, would you like anything to eat or drink?” She moved aside for him to jump in, and watched as he looked around the room in wonder.

“Some hot chocolate, if you have any, please,” he replied, eyes moving from the chaise to the various mannequins and designs strewn about the room.

Marinette dearly hoped he wouldn’t know it was the same he had had just a few weeks ago, and a few times since as the temperature continued to drop.

“S-Sure thing, I’ll be right back.”

She climbed down after him, throwing a panicked glance to where Tikki was hiding and subtly gestured for her to follow. She climbed down the trapdoor to the kitchen and turned to Tikki.

“What is he doing here?” Tikki asked.

“I don’t know! It’s not patrol night! He’s going to recognise my recipe for sure!” She began to pace the kitchen.

“Calm down Marinette, he might just think you sell it here. You said you bought the treats from here didn’t you?”

“I mean yeah, but what if his civilian identity comes here often enough to know it’s not sold?” Marinette could not keep calm, but she kept her voice quiet. No need to freak out both her parents and her unexpected guest.

“New product for winter?”

That stopped Marinette in her tracks. “That could work.” Her nerves stilled, she grabbed two mugs and the flask, filling them and turning back to Tikki again with a smile. “You always know how to calm me down.”

Tikki giggled, “Kwami of luck and maybe logic as well. You best get back to him, we’ve been down here for a while now.”

As if on cue, they heard a soft knock on the door, and an even softer, “You okay down there?”

Marinette took the mugs by the handles, calling back, “Can you please open the door?”

The trapdoor opened as Marinette climbed up, and Chat Noir hastened to take one from her hand, and helped her up with his other one. Claws brushed her wrist as his grip tightened on her hand and while she shouldn’t have been surprised, his strength as he pulled her up caught her off guard slightly.

“I just couldn’t find my mug, I always have hot chocolate in it,” she raised her mug as she spoke.

“That’s a nice one. And this is really good,” he said, taking a sip. Marinette watched his eyes as a hint of recognition flickered over them, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“It’s a… family recipe. We just began selling it in the bakery for the winter.”

His face relaxed, and Marinette let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“What are you knitting?”

Man, if this cat didn’t stop. Sure, it’s an innocent question on his part, but Marinette was getting increasingly worried about hiding the truth.

“Oh! Uh, it’s a blanket for a friend of mine. They’re a… big fan of you and Ladybug.”

“And the other needles? I like the different shades of green on it.”

“That’s going to be a sweater, for another friend. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of warm clothes so I’m hoping this will help him.”

“That’s a really lovely gesture, Marinette. One of my friends is into fashion as well, you would get on great with her.”

Marinette hummed in agreement, then said, “I hope you don’t mind me returning to it, I’m trying to get them both done by Christmas.” “Of course not. I should get going now though,” he tipped his mug towards her, empty already, “Thank you very much for the drink, Princess.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped slightly and almost dropped her needles as well. “I-I… you’re welcome, a-any time.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” he replied suavely, adding a wink. Marinette waited until he was safely back out onto her balcony before rolling her eyes with a smile, and got back to her knitting. Stupid cat and his flirting.

Seeing that Madame Bustier was running late, she took Adrien’s sweater out of her bag and began to knit. She had switched out her small clutch for a larger, water-proof bag once she realised she’d need to bring the yarn and needles to class in order to finish it in time. Most of the class had been asking about it so far, including Nino and Alya, but Adrien had been quiet about it until now, when he walked in right as Marinette started another row.

“Hey Marinette, you’re early. What are you making?”

“Oh! Adrien, sweater- hi, uh, I mean-”

“It looks great so far. Green would look nice on you.”

Marinette squeaked and went bright red. “O-oh, uh, thank you, but it’s for a friend,” she giggled nervously.

“Well then, they’re a lucky friend!” Adrien smiled as he began unpacking his notebook and pencil case, and turned to the front. Madam Bustier walked in a moment later, gesturing for Marinette to put away the needles. Marinette didn’t miss the slight shiver that Adrien had to his frame, nor the goosebumps beginning to raise on his arms and the back of his neck.

----------------------------------------------------

“Chat Noir!”

It was the week before Christmas, and Marinette was in the home stretch of finishing this blanket. She was knitting on her balcony, hot chocolate by her side and just sheltered from the light snowfall. But now, she could just see the silhouette of the cat hero a few roofs away. He turned his head in surprise and as a result, almost fell off of his staff. She waved her hand, gesturing for him to come over to her.

As he got closer, she called out, “What are you doing out in the snow? It’s way too cold for someone in a skin-tight suit to be out here!”

“But Princess, you’re out here too!” he called back, now standing in front of her.

“I am wrapped up in sweaters and fuzzy pants, with a blanket over me, not a skin-tight suit, as I said! You should be at home, as warm and wrapped up as I am,” she finished on a gentler note as his ears drooped.

“I… don’t want to be home right now. I got into a fight with my father. Can I stay here for a bit?”

Her heart dropped and her eyes filled with sympathy for him. She knew it was a bad situation, but not leave-the-house-in-the-middle-of-winter bad. “Of course you can.”

She opened the skylight, carefully plopping down her almost-finished blanket and needles, then climbed in after it. He shook the snow from his hair, passed her half-empty mug of hot chocolate to her and hopped down onto the bed. She put the mug on a ledge next to her bed and said, “Do you need a hug?”

Almost immediately, he wrapped her in a bear hug not unlike the one he gave Ladybug a few weeks prior. She raised her arms just in time and curled them around his neck and if she happened to feel a tear or two slide onto her shoulders, she didn’t mention it.

Her hands weaved themselves into his wild hair, holding him close. She stayed silent, knowing words couldn’t convey the comfort she tried to give him. His arms were so long, they almost doubled back to himself. Together, they shivered, as he cried onto her shoulder silently and the wind blew through the skylight above. She untangled one of her hands to reach up and close it, but Chat Noir took this as a sign to let go and step back. Her other hand still tangled, she lost balance and they fell, Chat Noir landing on top of her as she hit the bed with an “oof!”

Marinette drew in a sharp breath as Chat Noir’s head hit her collarbone. That’s going to leave a bruise, she thought with a wince.

“I’m so sorry, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just knocked the breath out of me,” she replied, finally removing her hand from his hair. She sat up as he hurried to get off of her and sat at the end of her bed, both of their eyes wide open.

“So, um-”

“I-”

They both tried to speak at once, giggling when they stopped. Chat Noir gestured for her to speak first, so she did.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?”

“Please,” he replied gratefully, moving aside so she could climb down the ladder, following after her. She returned after a few minutes, setting their mugs down next to her computer. “Can you pass me down the blanket, please? I’m so close to finishing,” she asked as she held out her arms for it to be dropped into. She stumbled when it landed; it felt heavier than she expected it to be. Oh well, she thought, this means it should be extra warm.

She got settled in her desk chair, the blanket flowing down past her feet as Chat Noir settled on her chaise with his mug. They sat in a comfortable quiet, the only sounds in the room coming from the whirring of her computer, the clacking of the needles and a sip from Chat Noir every once in a while. She’d look up from time to time, and see his bright eyes staring back at her with a shy interest. There were hints of dried tears on his face, and she subtly elbowed the tissue box beside her towards him.

At last, she finished the last row of the blanket. She cast off, spreading it out on the floor and stepped back to look at her work. Chat Noir joined her, looking over it in wonder.

“How long did this take you?”

“Just under a month. I’ve been knitting as fast as I can and spent almost every waking moment on it. Except for when I’ve been at school, which I spent working on this,” she said as she pulled out the sweater for Adrien. “It’s for my friend Adrien. His father doesn’t really let him wear clothes that would give him comfort. I mean, I get that as a model he’s always representing the brand, but what kind of father chooses style over comfort for his own son? I’m surprised he hasn’t frozen to death already,” she tried to lighten the end of her rant as she realised she was getting angry.

He took a gentle hold on her elbow, and she looked up to face him. He had an odd look on his face, like he was embarrassed, though he had no reason to be.

“You’re an amazing friend, Marinette, and I’m sure he is going to love yo- it.”

She beamed at his praise and set it down on the chair, hugging him again with her whole body, his own arms wrapping tightly around her.

“Thank you for the hot chocolate, but I think I should go before my father realises I’m gone.”

She squeezed him tighter for a moment and whispered, “Will you be okay there? You know you’re welcome at any time, okay?”

He squeezed her back and replied, “I think I’ll be okay, but I will let you know,” and stepped back, taking care to not step on the blanket. She watched as he climbed the ladder and up onto the balcony, only looking back to wave her goodbye. She waved in reply then folded the blanket up, putting it into the bag she had reserved for patrols.

With only half a sleeve to go, she picked up the needles and set herself back down on the chair, continuing her work on Adrien’s sweater.

----------------------------------------------------

Conveniently enough, the next morning was announced to be the last school day before holiday break, as the weather predicted heavy snowfall for the coming days. Unfortunately though, it gave Marinette only today to give the now-completed sweater to Adrien. It was wrapped and labelled to and from (both Marinette and Alya made sure of it) but Marinette was frozen when she reached the classroom, causing Alya to bump into her back.

“Marinette! You can do this,” she heard her hiss, but she just couldn’t. There Adrien was, sitting and laughing at something Nino had said. She squeaked, almost losing her balance trying to step forward, which caught Adrien’s attention.

“Hey Marinette! What’s that you have there?”

Alya nudged her, and this time she did start to slip. This is how I die, she thought with a great internal sigh.

Quick as lightning, Adrien was in front of her, keeping her steady with concern masking his face.

“You okay?”

Marinette couldn’t do anything but stammer. “U-uh, you, I- gift! For you!”

“F-For me?”

He looked down to her hands, which were now shaking with the present between them.

“I-I mean…” Marinette looked helplessly back to Alya, who gave her a gentle nod, then looked back to Adrien and took a deep breath. “Yes, it’s for you. Merry Christmas, Adrien.”

The whole class was silent now, watching the two. Even Chloe watched, clearly fuming with a glare in Marinette’s direction.

He took it from her gently, their hands brushing for a moment. Marinette could swear she felt a spark, something warm in the cold room when they touched, but it disappeared as the package left her hands. She didn’t expect for him to set it down and sweep her into a hug so loving it reminded her of Chat N- no. No feelings for Chat Noir, only Adrien.

“Thank you,” he whispered into her ear with a squeeze.

In the middle of winter, Marinette felt like she was on fire. She tentatively raised her arms to hug him back, only for him to step back at the same moment and suddenly she was cold again.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back as he turned away to open the gift. His eyes lit up with happiness as he unfolded the sweater, gushing, “I’m the lucky friend?!”

Marinette giggled, “You have my lucky charm, remember?”

That made Adrien snort, “Marinette, I think you are my lucky charm.”

The class dissolved into a chorus of “aww’s” and the two suddenly remembered where they were, both blushing furiously. Fortunately for them, Madame Bustier walked in to start seconds later.

He wore the sweater proudly for the rest of the day, and home, as far as Marinette saw.

----------------------------------------------------

“Tikki, spots on!”

Later that night, Marinette transformed once again into Ladybug. She made sure the lamp was on and her goodie bag was secured around her body before launching off of the balcony towards their meeting place for patrols. The snow was falling lightly, looking magical in the night. Chat Noir was already there, holding his own bag that fell by the side of the swea- sweater?

Her jaw dropped and she almost missed her target with the yoyo. Chat Noir caught on evidently as his face dropped with fear and he reached out for her.

“Ladybug, are you okay? What happened there?”

“Where did you get that sweater?”

His face split into a grin as he ran his claws along the accents. “Oh, isn’t it so cool? A friend gave it to me for Christmas!”

The pieces both fell together and shattered at the same time. Her face dropped in shock. “But I… y-you… I mean… Adrien?”

His mouth fell open and he stuttered back, “M-Marinette?”

They stared at each other in shock for a few moments before Chat Noir snorted, which made Ladybug break and they both just burst into laughter. It felt unbelievable, but made so much sense to the pair. The two who always got everyone to safety so they could be alone; they felt like idiots. Finally their laughter died down, but as Ladybug brought out the Dupain-Cheng box, they started up again. More things began making sense and they couldn’t help themselves.

They found their way to each other, holding on like they’ve been separated for years.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” Ladybug mumbled. Chat Noir’s body shielded her from the oncoming snow as they held each other.

“I can’t believe it either. We thought we were smart,” he laughed, and she could hear his smile.

“You’re gonna love this then,” she stepped back and opened her back, pulling out the blanket. She actually thought he might cry then and there. She held it towards him, who took it with such soft hands.

“You made this, for me?”

“I didn’t know your measurements- well, as it turns out I do, but I figured it would be something for us to keep warm under before patrols.”

“Marinette, I love you.”

They both paused, the phrase seemingly slipped out on its own, but she couldn’t help but reply, “I love you too.”

Winter patrols suddenly became a lot warmer.

[miraculous786]

Gotham’s Own Ladybug > Two

Masterlist

The moon's light showered Gotham in an ethereal glow, a dark silhouette of the buildings visible if you looked. Stars dotted the black sky, accompanying the shimmering crescent situated in it.

Robin leaped across another rooftop, his cape flowing elegantly behind his figure. The only noises in the night were his muted footsteps, and the conversation in his earpiece.

"Any crimes in your area?" Red Robin asked, as Damian somersaulted again after making impact with the cement beneath him.

"None in mine," Jason replied, as Nightwing answered "None that I've seen," shortly after.

"Robin, what about you?" Tim questioned when he hadn't said anything.

Damian stopped moving for a few seconds, panting lightly on a roof. "Haven't been able to find any."

Red Hood let out an audible sigh of relief, as he breathed, "Wow! One night without any problems? That's a first!"

"You're telling me. I expected at least a mugging or bank robbery, but nothing? Huh," Richard mused, "Guess that means we can go back to the manor now."

As if he had just jinxed it, the boys heard the gruff voice of Batman inform, "I think I just spotted Harley and Ivy nearby."

"Are they committing a crime?"

"No, Nightwing. They're actually walking out of a grocery store-" their eyebrows rose, "-with items in bags. Pretty sure they've payed for it too."

There was an awkward silence, soon broken by Tim suggesting, "Guess that means we can do one last check before heading off home. Wanna do it together?"

The brothers collectively agreed, and soon they met up at a particular gargoyle situated nearby Wayne Enterprises. Robin and Red Hood surveyed the left, while Nightwing and Red Robin searched the right.

It was when they had just believed that everything was safe that a buzzing noise echoed in their ears. All boys looked around in confusion, before Damian reached for the phone hidden in his utility belt.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, noticing how his adopted sons had gone silent through his earpiece. Instead of an answer, Robin shot his grappling hook onto a roof, latching it onto the edge.

As he let himself up, he shot a quick glare at the trio, and muttered, "I need to silence my earpiece."

Before they could argue, Robin leaped across several more roofs, and answered the phone mid-leap.

"Dami?" a feminine voice asked, making Damian relax against a brick wall.

"Hey, how's it going? Are you okay?" he quizzed, scenarios already rushing through his head that had made her call him at this hour.

There was a slight scuffling on the other end, until she replied, "Oh! No, I just wanted to know what your favourite colours were!"

His brows shot up, though it was hard to tell beneath his domino mask. "...What?"

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Marinette fumbled, "Did I wake you up? Are you in the middle of something important?"

"No, no. Don't worry Angel," he assured, "Why do you want to know my favourite colours?"

There was more shuffling from where she was, before Marinette replied, "Well, remember how I told you I really like sewing? I decided that I wanted to make you something, and I want to know what fabric colour to use."

The corner of Damian's lips twitched upward, as he informed, "Probably red, green and yellow are my favourites. Though I prefer dark shades of green and red."

A faint scribbling noise could be heard, but was soon covered up by Marinette saying, "Thank you! Now I can find them in this store!"

Damian snuck a glance at the corner of his phone screen, noting how it was quite late in the evening. "Wait, what store are you in?"

"Umm...Lucky's. Why, exactly?" Marinette asked, confused as to why he wanted to know.

"Just to see where the fabric will be from."

Thankfully, she seemed to take it as a suitable answer, and said, "I'm going to go look for the materials I need. Talk to you tomorrow?"

He sighed, and parted with, "Bye, Angel."

After she cut him off, he placed the phone back into his belt, and prepared his ear for the onslaught of incoming questions. As soon as he unsilenced his earpiece, several male voices began overlapping each other simultaneously.

"-emon Spawn has a girlfriend?!"

"Brat, who the heck is Angel?"

"I'm so proud of you, Baby Bird!" Robin managed to make out Dick saying, "You managed to make yourself a friend!"

"You act like I don't have any friends," he muttered, causing the brothers to go quiet at his presence.

"Demon Spawn! Did you seriously do something to make that girl be your friend?"

"No, I didn't!" he denied, "She was a new student at school today, and I had to act as her tour guide."

Robin didn't finish explaining, as he used his grappling hook to swing in the direction of Lucky's. Red Hood unfortunately spotted Damian in the corner of his eye, and followed closely behind.

When Damian arrived at the fabric shop, a young female strolled out of the entrance, bags of fabric in her hands. Her hair was easily recognisable to be in pigtails, and the nearby streetlamps caused her locks to appear a dark navy.

A male voice rang out in Damian's ear. "So, Demon Spawn. I'm guessing that's your girlfriend."

A blush obscured by his costume began to crawl it's way up his neck, but before he could be teased, Red Robin said, "Where is she going?"

The males simultaneously turned their heads to where Marinette was walking, and just managed to catch her turn into an alleyway. They all leaped onto the rooftop to the side of it, and saw her peering about her surroundings.

Thankfully, she didn't look up, leaving the quartet unseen from her vision. "You said she was a new student, right?" Nightwing asked, "She wouldn't by any chance be new to Gotham too?"

"She's French," Robin replied, "And she's from Paris, I'm pretty sure. Explains why she isn't concerned about going outside this late."

Marinette glanced down at her purse, a new one her aunts had purchased after moving in with them in Gotham. She felt Tikki push against her thigh, a signal that the kwami was ready to transfer her magic to Marinette.

Just as she was about to say the transformation phrase, footsteps from behind made her swivel her head backwards, where she saw a man adorning a balaclava.

Immediately, the grip on her bags tightened, as the older man said, "What are you doing out this late, young lady?"

The nickname 'lady' caused memories to flash before her eyes, but she decided to focus on how the man inched forward slowly, a pocketknife in his left hand. She dropped her bags onto the ground, softly so as to not damage the material inside.

The man seemed confused, yet carried on slinking forward. Narrowing her eyes, she charged forward, kicking him in the gut and causing the knife to clatter to the ground. She hit it with her foot, making it slide further away from the criminal.

Grabbing the man's arm, she turned around, and pulled him over her shoulder, his back making impact with the solid ground.

She ran to the shopping bags, and looked back at the man, seeing him stand back up with an angry expression. Taking a step back, her eyes darted around the environment, searching for any way to escape.

However, a sharp object soon sailed past Marinette's head, in the direction of the criminal in front of her. Catching the moonlight reflecting off of it, she made it out to be another knife.

The quartet on the roof could only watch in utter confusion as the infamous Cat Woman was visible in the shadows where the knife had come from. From the precision of the aim, cat ears, and costume that blended in with the night, they all recognised who she was, apart from the French teenager below.

"Chat Noir?" a female asked in horror, "Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici? Comment m'as-tu trouvé?"

[gryffindorcls]

When Words Fail

When Adrien was six years old, he asked his mother a question.  “How do you tell someone that you love them?”

“My sweet boy,” she said, pulling him close, “It isn't easy, but it's important to be honest about your feelings.”

Her response confused him.  “But father doesn't always say ’I love you’.  Does that mean he’s lying?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Your father has trouble with his words sometimes, but he shows his love through the things that he does for me.  When your words fail, let your actions talk for you instead.”

He never forgot his mother’s advice, and they became his personal mantra after he met the love of his life.  However, when Adrien accidentally saw Ladybug detransform in an alleyway behind the school three weeks ago, everything changed.  Emilie’s words suddenly began to take on a new meaning.

At the time, shock consumed him to the point where he almost forgot how to breathe.  Marinette had collapsed into a heap on the ground as his own transformation dropped.  Three years of anonymity were stripped away in a matter of seconds.

Things were tense between them during the first week, but then Ladybug showed up at his house one night with a box full of pastries.  They spent the evening talking, laughing, and getting to know each other.  It was then that Adrien was finally able to fuse the two incredible girls together in his mind; however, it was also the night that he fell even more in love with her...and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Nino noticed the change immediately, and strongly encouraged him to ask her out. As Chat Noir, he’d never had a problem telling Ladybug how much he loved her, but now that he knew that the heroine was Marinette...it was a different story.  He’d been turned down so many times as Chat that it became second nature to feel disappointed, but the thought of being rejected by Marinette terrified him.  As a result, every time he attempted to ask her out on a date, he would freeze, but today was going to be different.  This time, he had a plan.  After a pep-talk from Nino last night, he was ready to finally tell Marinette that he was in love with her.

Adrien walked into the classroom with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.  He was early, but he was too excited to care.  Today, he would be getting on a bus and going on an overnight trip to Normandy with his class.  He knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Marinette.

The plan was simple.  He’d already convinced Nino and Alya to sit together on the bus.  All Adrien needed to do now was make sure that Marinette sat next to him so he could have three uninterrupted hours to confess his feelings.  He had even written down what he wanted to say on a notecard.  He stashed this in the pocket of his sweatshirt for safekeeping.  Nothing was going to stop him this time.

As the clock ticked closer to the beginning of the school day, the rest of the students began to file into the classroom.  Five minutes before the bell, Marinette stumbled into the room with a pink duffle bag and a large travel mug.  He watched as she crashed into the teacher’s desk and cursed silently under her breath.  She then stomped over to her seat and huffed.

Alya laughed.  “Well, aren’t you just a little ball of sunshine ready to take on the day!”

Marinette put her head on the desk and groaned.  “Who me?  Not at all.  I wouldn’t dream of taking that title away from Adrien.”

“Seriously, girl.  You look like something the cat dragged in.”

“No.  It wasn’t a cat this time.”

Alya knitted her brows in confusion.  “Wait...what?”  

Marinette shot up in her seat and looked at the Ladyblogger with panicked eyes.  “I mean...I was up late designing something.  Inspiration struck late last night, and I didn’t want it to disappear.”

“Hopefully you can catch some shut-eye on the bus ride...and speaking of bus rides, I told Nino I would sit with him.  Please don’t be mad.”

“I could never be mad at you for wanting to spend time with your boyfriend.  Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to talk in the hotel room later tonight.”

Alya gave her best friend a quick hug.  “I knew you would understand!  Also, Adrien is pretty excited to sit next to you...right Adrien?”

He looked up at Marinette.  “Looks like we’re going to be seat buddies today!”

She gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.  “Sounds fun, but don’t be surprised if I fall asleep on you.  I can barely keep my eyes open right now.”

He felt his cheeks grow warm.  “That’s okay.  I don’t mind!  You’re welcome to fall asleep on me anytime.”

Alya raised her brows upon hearing his statement, but before she could respond, the final bell sounded and their teacher walked into the room.  Miss Bustier gave the class several last-minute directions before having the students exit the classroom.  Fifteen minutes later the class was on the bus, Marinette was staring out the window, and he was doing his best not to pass out.

Once the bus started moving, Marinette turned to look at him with glassy eyes.  “Can I tell you the real reason I couldn’t sleep last night?”

He placed a hand on her arm.  “Of course, my lady.  You can tell me anything.”

“I had a dream last night that we fought Hawkmoth and failed.  It’s not the first time I’ve had a dream like that.  Do you ever wonder if we’ll actually defeat him?  I can’t imagine fighting Akumas for the rest of my life.”

“I’ve had lots of bad dreams, but they’re never about Hawkmoth.  My nightmares usually consist of losing someone I love or being trapped.”

“Oh, kitty…”

“It’s fine.  I haven’t had one in a while.  But I do think about defeating Hawkmoth while I’m awake.  I’m confident that as long as we’re together we’ll be able to take him down one day.”

“Well, if you want us to work as a team, you’ll have to be less reckless during fights.  No sacrificing yourself for me, Chaton.”

He sighed.  “We’ve talked about this, Bugaboo.  You’re the only one who can cleanse the Akumas and fix everything.  It’s my job to protect you and make sure that you don’t fail.  If it’s between saving me or you, it’s always going to be you.”

She leaned back against the window.  “Yeah, I know.  I just care about you.  The thought of something happening to you makes me feel sick.”

Adrien swallowed his nervousness and shot her his best “Chat Noir” grin.  “It’s going to take more than an Akuma to take me away from you, my lady.”

Marinette gently pressed her finger on his nose.  “I’ll hold you to that, kitty.”

“So, there’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Alright.  I’m all ears.  What’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering if maybe you...umm...you see.”  Adrien reached for the notecard in his pocket and stopped as an explosion of frantic butterflies coursed through his body.  “You know what...never mind.  It’s stupid.”

Marinette cocked her head to the side.  “Are you sure?  You know you can talk to me about anything.  That’s what partners for, right?”

“Yeah...partners.  Ummm...it’s fine.  I’m okay.  You’re probably too tired to talk anyway.  Didn’t you say that you wanted to take a nap?”

She cast him a sympathetic look.  “I guess I did.”

A silence fell between them as Marinette returned to looking out the window.  He did his best to stay calm, but his nervousness made him feel unusually warm.  He surreptitiously wiped his hands on his pants.  The last thing he needed was for Marinette to think that something was seriously wrong with him.

“You can do this, Agreste,” he thought to himself, “She’s right there.  All you have to do is say something.”

As he opened his mouth to speak, he saw Marinette shiver and wrap her arms around her body.  Seeing her discomfort caused his mother’s words to crash into the front of his brain.

He could hear her voice echoing in his mind.“When your words fail, let your actions talk for you instead.”  

He knew what to do.  Adrien took off his sweatshirt and tapped Marinette on the shoulder.

“Are you feeling cold?  If you are, you’re welcome to use my hoodie.”  He held out the garment for her to take.

She reached out and took the sweatshirt from his hands.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded. ”Yup!”

“Thank you, kitty!  I forgot to take my jacket out of my duffel bag before it got stowed under the bus.  You’re a lifesaver!”  She pulled the sweatshirt on and put up the hood.  “How do I look?”

He leaned in.  “Wonderful as always, Bugaboo.”

In one swift movement, Marinette flipped up the armrest between them, pulled his arm around her, and snuggled into his side.  While this was not the first time she’d done something like this in the past two weeks, it still surprised him every time it happened.

After the initial shock wore off, he chuckled.  “Comfy?”

She scootched even closer.  “I am now.”

It amazed him how moments like this had become commonplace between them, yet he still couldn’t tell her how he felt.  He vividly remembered how Marinette used to freak out around him.  As they grew closer as friends in their civilian lives, her stammer around him subsided, but she would still become flustered regularly.  Adrien could never figure out the cause of Marinette’s apprehension, but none of that mattered anymore.  The reveal changed the dynamic of their relationship, and he was now constantly in the presence of a confident and playful Marinette.  Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Adrien.  He’d spent the past three weeks vacillating between heart-melting bliss and sheer panic.

Adrien’s heart swelled with affection as she placed a hand on his chest and released a happy hum.  He spent a few minutes enjoying her closeness before gathering the courage to try confessing his feelings one last time.

“Hey, Bug,” he whispered in her ear.

Marinette didn’t respond.  When he looked down, he saw that she had fallen asleep.

“She must have been really tired,” he thought, “It would be rude to wake her up now.”

He spent the next two hours holding Marinette in his arms while she slept.  Adrien could feel her slow, steady breaths against his chest.  He pulled her closer and rested his chin on the top of her head.  As much as he wanted to wake her up and declare his love, there was a part of him that never wanted this moment to end.  He was holding his entire world in his arms, and she trusted him enough to keep her safe while she slept.

When the bus pulled up to the hotel, Adrien gently shook Marinette until her eyes flicked open.  “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.  It’s time to get off the bus.”

“Ugh, no!” she protested, “I don’t want to move.  You’re warm and you smell good.”

He laughed and gave her a gentle squeeze.  “As much as I would love to stay here all day, we will get in trouble if we don’t follow the class.  I’ll let you keep wearing my hoodie if you let go.”

She crossed her arms and pouted.  “Fine!”

Marinette latched onto his arm as they exited the bus.  He grabbed their duffel bags, and they walked into the hotel together.

“You two look cozy,” Alya teased while running towards them, “Did something happen on the bus that I should know about?”

Marinette rolled her eyes.  “Come on, Alya.  Let’s go put our stuff in the room.  We only have a few minutes before we’re expected to meet back here in the lobby.”

Adrien handed the pink duffel bag to Marinette and slumped as she walked away with her best friend.  Because this was a class trip, there were non-stop activities on the itinerary.  He knew that there wouldn’t be another opportunity to talk to Marinette for the rest of the day.  

Nino clapped a hand on his shoulder.  “I’m guessing things didn’t go according to plan?”

“No,” Adrien grumbled, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  Every single time I try to tell her how I feel, nothing comes out of my mouth.  It’s like someone hit the mute button on my vocal cords.”

“Bro, I have no idea what happened between you two, but you and Marinette have been acting so weird these past few weeks.  It’s like you switched personalities or something.”

“I’m hopeless, Nino!  Help me.”

“I don’t know if I can, my dude.  I think you just need to stop overthinking it and go with the flow.  Stop looking for the perfect moment to talk to her.  It’ll come when you least expect it.  Take Alya and I...we got locked in a cage together.  I definitely didn’t plan that, but it gave us time to talk.”

“Too bad there won’t be any time to talk to Marinette in the near future.”

“You never know.  Like I said...just go with the flow.”

Adrien trudged up to the hotel room and dumped his belongings onto his bed.  Nino ignored his dramatics and calmly led his distraught best friend back to the lobby to join the rest of the class.  

During the day, Adrien managed to perk up around Marinette, but he was still lamenting over his lost opportunity.  By the time the group returned to the hotel that evening, Adrien was mentally and physically drained.  All he could do was flop onto his bed and sigh.

“Bro, you do not look like someone who’s going with the flow,” Nino laughed.

“How am I supposed to follow your advice when I know that Marinette is two rooms down from me right now?” Adrien rolled onto his face and groaned into his pillow.

“You know that we don’t have to stay in our rooms until our eleven o’clock curfew, right?  It’s only eight.  Most of the class is hanging out in the lounge right now.”

“Marinette isn’t.  I watched her go straight to her room when we got back.  She was so tired this morning, and I want her to get enough rest tonight.  She really needs it.”

Nino shrugged.  “Well, Alya just texted me, and she wants me to join her down in the lounge.  Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Adrien shook his head.  “No, I’m pretty wiped out, too.  I think I’m just going to turn in early.”

“Sounds good, dude.  I’ll do my best to not wake you up when I come back in later.”

“Thanks.  Have fun!”

Once he was alone, Adrien grabbed his toiletries out of his duffel bag and began to get ready for bed.  Plagg zipped into the bathroom and plopped down on the counter.

“What happened?” the tiny being said, crossing his arms.

Adrien frowned.  “My words stopped working again.  I don’t know what happened, Plagg.  I used to be able to tell Ladybug how I felt without a problem, and now I can barely hold myself together during a normal conversation with her.”

“Kid, you just need to do it.  Rip it off like a bandaid.  Watching you pine over her is absolute torture.  Things are supposed to get better after the reveal, not worse.”

“I thought I could do it, Plagg, but even when I have it all planned, I still can’t ask her out.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you didn’t think all of this through.  You missed something big today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Plagg flew away chuckling.  “Oh, trust me...you’ll find out soon!”

Adrien huffed and started to aggressively brush his teeth.  He was not in the mood for a cryptic Kwami tonight.  He seriously doubted that Marinette had to deal with the same kind of nonsense from Tikki.

Once he finished his nightly routine, Adrien changed into his pajamas and turned on the television.  He flipped through the channels in an attempt to find something that would take his mind off of his misery.  After a few minutes, he settled on a movie and got comfortable under the covers on his bed.

Just as his brain began to settle, a series of rapid-fire texts came through on his phone.  With tired eyes, he tapped the screen and scrolled through the messages.  His heart thumped in his chest when he saw who sent them.

Marinette:  Are you still awake?

Marinette:  I need to talk to you.

Marinette:  It’s really important.

Adrien’s mind jumped to a thousand different conclusions at the same time.  As he racked his brain for the reasoning behind her frantic text messages, he recalled their conversation from earlier in the day.

“She probably had another bad dream,” he thought.

He took a deep breath before responding.

Adrien:  I’m awake.  Are you okay?

Marinette:  I don’t know.  Can I come over?

Adrien:  Sure.

Two minutes later, Adrien jumped out of bed as he heard three quick knocks at his door.  Even though he knew Marinette was on the other side, he was not prepared for what he saw.  Standing before him was timid looking Marinette with tears shimmering in her eyes.  Still wearing his hoodie, she played with the fabric at the lining of the front pocket.

She looked at him and bit her lip.  “I...I...there...I...can I some din?  I MEAN...can I come in and sit down?”

Adrien’s brows knitted together upon hearing her stammer come back.  His nervousness was quickly being replaced with concern.  He placed a gentle hand on her back, and guided her towards his bed.

“Bug, you’re scaring me.  What’s wrong?” he asked with worry lacing his voice.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  Marinette then shook her head, reached into the hoodie’s front pocket, and pulled out the notecard that contained his declaration of love.

His mouth went dry as everything inside of his body froze.  “I can explain.”

Marinette held up a hand and shook her head.  She then proceeded to read the notecard out loud.

“My dearest, Marinette...I fell in love with you the day I met you.  I truly believed that my heart only had room for Ladybug.  Then, I became friends with my sweet, caring classmate who sat behind me, and slowly I found myself loving her, as well.  Falling for Ladybug was like being swept away by a crashing wave.  However, falling for Marinette was like following a stream in the woods, only to find out that it leads to a mighty river.  Both sensations are different, but they are equally as powerful.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that the two girls who took up all the space in my heart turned out to be the same person.  I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you this sooner, but my words have failed me over the past few weeks.  I love every part of you, Marinette.  You have my whole heart, and you always will.”

When she finished reading, the room grew quiet.  Adrien became very aware of how loud his breathing had become.

“D-did you mean it?” she asked, breaking the silence.

He nodded.  “Every word.”

“Is this what you were trying to tell me on the bus?”

“Yes.”

Marinette lunged towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.  She squeezed him and buried her face in his shirt.  Adrien soon found himself returning her embrace with equal vigor.

“I love you, too, kitty.  I’ve loved you since the day you gave me your umbrella,” she whispered into his chest.

He pulled back.  “But...that’s the same day I fell in love with you.”

“I could barely function around you for years.  Didn’t you ever wonder why?”

“You always denied liking me.  I thought you just wanted to be my friend.”

“No.  I’m just a spaz who couldn’t tell the boy she liked how she felt.”

“Well, I can’t really judge.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve barely been able to talk to you.  Every time I try to ask you out, my brain stops working.”

She covered her mouth with her hands.  “You want to ask me out?”

Realizing what he had just admitted, a fiery blush made its way up Adrien’s neck and onto his face.  “Umm...yes?”

“Oh, kitty…” she said breathlessly.

“Well, I guess there’s no going back now...Marinette, would you go on a date with me?”

She leaned in. ”Only if you’ll kiss me.”

Adrien felt his lips curl into a smirk. ”That can definitely be arranged, my lady.”

He closed the space between them and softly placed his lips on hers.  Their gentleness was soon washed away by desire.  Marinette eagerly deepened the kiss as her hands made their way to the back of Adrien’s head.  He could feel himself smiling under her lips, and this caused her to giggle and pull away. 

”Do you think we could do that again?” she asked playfully. 

Adrien rested his forehead on hers. ”Will you go out with me?”

”Yes, Chaton.”

”Then yes, we can do it again.  It's nice to know that I'll actually remember the kiss this time.”

”Shut up and kiss me.”

Eventually, the two found themselves curled up in each other’s arms.  No words were spoken as they reveled in each other's closeness.

It was at this moment that Adrien finally understood the deeper meaning behind his mother’s advice. Words were unnecessary when two hearts beat as one because all they truly needed was each other.

BONUS SCENE:

Alya worried about her best friend...constantly.  However, a few weeks ago when she watched Marinette ruffle Adrien’s hair, tap him on the nose, and talk to him in full sentences, Alya nearly combusted.

For nearly fourteen days, she grilled Marinette for answers and demanded to know if she was secretly dating Adrien.  In her mind, it was the only possibility that made logical sense...because no one could be Akumatized for two straight weeks...right?

Every single time Alya asked for details, Marinette would simply say, “Right now I’m just focusing on being a better friend to Adrien.”

It was like the girl had a total personality shift overnight.  It was incredibly frustrating to watch.

“Are you still thinking about Marinette?” Nino whispered into her ear as they sat alone on a couch in the hotel lounge.

“Yes,” she admitted, “I can’t help it.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Adrien has been acting like a total weirdo, as well.  He’s in love with her, and he won’t tell her.  Nothing I say to him helps him get any closer to confessing his feelings.”

“Woah...wait...hold on.  Adrien has a crush on Marinette?  Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I thought it was obvious?”

“No, Nino...it was not obvious.  Are you telling me that our best friends are now in love with each other, and both of them are doing nothing about it?  I’ve come to expect this from Marinette, but Adrien...wow.”

Nino shrugged.  “I don’t know what to tell you, babe.  There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Alya grabbed his arm.  “Yes, there is.  We still have a whole hour before curfew.  We are going to shove them in the same room together and make them talk.  It worked for us, and it will work for them!”

Before Nino could respond, Alya dragged him out of the lounge and up the stairs.  She huffed when she opened the door and was greeted by an empty room.

“Where is that girl?” She was starting to get annoyed.

“Babe,” Nino called from down the hall, “you might want to come and check this out.”

Alya rushed down the hall and nearly screamed at the sight of their best friends fast asleep in each other's arms.

“I guess they didn’t need our help after all,” Nino chuckled.

“Finally,” Alya sighed, feeling the relief wash over her.

“You’re totally going to wake them up aren’t you?”

“Yup, and I’m going to film it too.”

Nino laughed.  “I’ll help as long as you send me the video when we’re done.”

Alya looked up at him and grinned mischievously.  “Deal.”

AO3

FanFiction

UPDATE- Part 2: When Words Succeed

---

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for choosing to read "When Words Fail". This fluffy little one-shot has been rattling around my brain for the past few days, and I had to get it down.

I will update “More Than Just a Friend” soon...don’t worry!

My username on AO3 and FanFiction is clslovegood47.

---

[milliethekitty27-writing]

Anaïs' Flower Shop

Anaïs’s flower shop had dominated the corner of the street for as long as Marinette could remember. The first time she went, age 5, she and her father were getting flowers for her mother. Her father had talked to the old lady in the pink apron and the light blue shirt for some time while Marinette wandered through roses and tulips that towered over her head in their pastel buckets, past seeds and pretty vases. She and her father had left with an orchid in a pot.

The first time Marinette had been allowed to go to see Anaïs by herself she’d been eight, and the corner store seemed very far as she put her umbrella over her head and brought over the ordered coffee and croissant. The flower shop was bustling and Anaïs greeted her with a smile. They talked about school between sunflowers and seed packets, and Anaïs sent her home with a pack of marigold seeds to try growing on her balcony. 

Marinette’s first summer job, not counting the one at home, was helping Anaïs when she was eleven and the old woman had broken her knee. She spent her days in the bright shop, watering flowers and getting advice from the old woman at the counter, preparing orders and bringing home the dying plants she wanted to save. Anaïs’ sharp wit but gentle, nurturing nature encouraged her. 

“You can’t save every plant.” Anaïs told her one morning, sitting behind the register with her cane at her side, still wearing her pink apron. Marinette had been distressed at the dead hyacinths and come in out of sorts. “You try your best but eventually you have to give up. Sometimes what you do just doesn’t work.” She finished wiping down the counter. “You tried your best, Nettie. That’s the best you can do.” 

She’d gone home that summer with more plants than she could count. 

She and Anaïs got along very well. When her parents went on date night and she was too young to stay alone, Anaïs would come over and they’d sit in the kitchen. Marinette would talk about her latest designs and Anaïs would ask all the right questions, leaning on her cane as she made croquettes stuffed with cheese and ham or cut the vlaai she brought from her apartment. Marinette told her a lot; about Chloe, about Kim and Nino, about what she wanted to do that weekend, about problems she was having with her parents. Anaïs made hot chocolate and told stories. 

When Marinette turned thirteen, she got a new pair of earrings, several new classmates, and a ladybug kwami that hid in her bag. She got new positions and a great deal of stress, and Anaïs shop became somewhere she tried to visit a few times a month to say hello. Anaïs greeted her with the same crinkled knowing smile and told her to visit more often.

When Marinette went over when she was fourteen, after almost two years of stress and exhaustion and in need of quiet, Anaïs finished closing the shop and brought her upstairs. They drank hot chocolate and ate vlaai made the day before, and Marinette talked. Anaïs listened and didn’t say anything for some time. 

“You’ve always been a very caring person, Nettie.” Anaïs was eighty years old with pale pink apron Marinette had made for her when she was twelve. Marinette had tried to give her new ones but Anaïs insisted on wearing the first to death. “You cried in my shop about dead flowers more than I can count. I love you for it, and many other reasons. But I told you, a long time ago, that you can’t fix every flowers.” She tapped her cane on the ground. “I think you might need to start reconsidering what you’re trying to fix. Take care of yourself, Nettie, before you’re burned out.” Marinette considered that a bit. They caught up, talking about akumas and homework and customers. Before Marinette left, she got a collection of geraniums. “You haven’t gotten new flowers in some time. They’re good for ladybugs.” Anaïs had winked rather broadly. “Take care of yourself, Nettie.”

When Adrien came over and Marinette was visiting Anaïs, he came over and found the pair drinking hot chocolate and eating vlaai. The old woman looked him up and down, then gave him valerian with the claim that it was good for anxiety and good for cats. Then she sat him down, poured him a heaping mug of hot chocolate, handing him a healthy slice of vlaai, and told him that he was welcome to visit as much as he liked. As Marinette picked which friends she thought she could work things out with and which were too far gone, she brought over Nino and Kim and Luka, Rose and Juleka and Kagami and Alya. Anaïs looked all of them up and down and gave them flowers that she thought they could use, and she told Marinette that she’d picked good flowers to work with. 

Adrien became a regular customer too. His instagram photos became covered in plant pictures and he visited Anaïs when he visited the bakery. When they turned sixteen, Anaïs broke her knee again. Adrien became her summer worker this time, wearing a pink apron Marinette had made for Anaïs. She fussed over him just as much as she fussed over Marinette, and she sent him home with yet more plants. She asked him why the valerian and the cat mint had little bites in them and she laughed at him when he looked embarrassed, telling him it was fine to just leave the money on the counter and put a few plants out for the stray cats, though not too close to the shop because the cats would never leave. She stuffed his arms full of cosmos and mint and told him where to plant it to attract the most ladybugs. “If you need them, I can get you some wire for the foxes.” she said when he’d complained about Lila once again. “It’s good for keeping them out. Or you can just get one of those loud noisemakers, though that doesn’t work necessarily for long.” Marinette visited him off bakery hours, or he would go visit her during lunch. Anaïs would tuck a collection of seeds or fertilizers or flowers for him to bring, and smile smugly when he came back blushing.

Anaïs looked too smug when Adrien and Marinette got together, and even more so when the Ladyblog reported (with some screaming on Alya’s end) that Chat Noir and Ladybug were dating. Both Marinette and Adrien turned red and said nothing. 

When she retired, age 89, she offered the shop to Adrien. He’d worked summers with her, between shoots, since he was sixteen. When he turned nineteen and fought with his father bitterly over everything, Anaïs let him work for her more permanently. She told him to take a business course so he could learn the basics of running her shop, and she lived upstairs but the shop was his. 

When they got married, a few years later, Anaïs sat on Adrien’s side in a pretty pink dress Marinette made for her, flowers in her hair, and she still looked very smug. She had spent hours on the flower arrangements, tucked catnip into Adrien’s pocket, and a marigold into Marinette’s hair, because Adrien loved cats and Marinette had a thing for ladybugs. 

She met the first of their babies and was perfectly happy to carry them around while they both worked, walking laps around the flowers and telling baby Hugo everything about each blossom. Each babble got a serious response. 

Anaïs died shortly after her 93 birthday. Her gravestone, covered with marigolds and catnip, (planted with loving hands she’d taught herself) became a hot spot for the ladybugs and cats. 

----

Thank you for reading!

Marinette’s balcony flowers have to come from somewhere. I like to think she and the flower shop owner know each other pretty well at this point. I also like Adrien as a flower shop owner/worker. I’ve seen AUs with it before and it brings me joy, and it’s been a rough week. I’m going to treat myself to a bit of fluff. And no, I’m not sure where Anaïs came from. 

Also? It’s very hard to figure out how old Marinette is. I’ve heard things saying that she’s the same age in the entire series, but then on the wiki it says she’s 15 in season three? So… I kind of made it up a bit. 

Side note, classes have started and I’m exhausted, first time in an apartment by myself (my roommate is coming in January). I don’t know how much writing I’ll be able to do, or how good my inspiration will be, but I’ll be doing my best for Monday updates, maybe more!

[mikauzoran]

Marichat: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Five

Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...where it doesn’t hurt.

“Sorry I’m not very exciting company tonight, Princess,” Chat Noir mumbled from where he lay dozing on Marinette’s chaise longue.

“No worries,” Marinette assured as she put the finishing touches on the zipper of the outfit Jagged Stone had commissioned for an appearance at an upcoming music festival. “It’s more than enough just to have you here. You don’t have to be exciting.”

“Good to hear,” he sighed, letting his eyes drift closed again.

Setting down the garment and switching off her machine, Marinette spun around in her desk chair to face her boyfriend. “Hey, are you all right? I don’t want to press if you don’t feel like talking, but…I’m here to listen if you need me, okay?”

Chat’s eyes flew open, and he ignored his aching muscles, propping himself up on his elbows to meet her gaze. “Sorry to worry you. I promise nothing’s wrong. I’m just wiped, is all. …Thank you, though.” He summoned up the energy for a dazzling grin in hopes of convincing her he was fine.

“Has your father been making you help with his company a lot this week? Or is it something else that has you exhausted? School okay? Have you been able to hang out with your friends lately? Are you getting enough sleep?” Marinette ran through the usual list of culprits.

Chat Noir’s grin turned sheepish. “Nothing like that, Princess. I’m still wiped from today’s akuma battle. It was a tough fight, and it took Ladybug a bit to figure out her Lucky Charm, so I had to get thrown into a wall by the akuma a couple times to buy her time…. And now even the bones of my inner ear are feeling it.”

Marinette winced, turning a guilty expression on him. “I’m so sorry, Minou. Ladybug should have figured her Charm out faster.”

Chat shook his head, gently explaining, “No, Marinette. It wasn’t her fault. I know Ladybug makes it look easy, but those Lucky Charms are no walk in the park. Trust me. Maybe you would be good at figuring them out, but I would much rather be thrown into walls. And, I mean, it’s fine. The suit absorbs most of the damage, but…I still feel like I’ve been pummeled by a bunch of bricks.”

“Wait.” Marinette’s eyes went wide in horror. “Doesn’t Ladybug’s Miraculous Ladybug fix everything? Why are you still hurt after she used it? Did it not work?”

Seeing his girlfriend begin to panic, he waved away her concern and rushed to assure her, “It worked. Everything is fine, Marinette. I feel a lot better than I did before she used it, but…” He bit his lip. “…maybe, like, seven percent of the time it doesn’t have its full effect. There’s not really a pattern I can discern, but…sometimes I’m really sore still even after she uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything. Today is just one of those days.”

“My poor Minou,” Marinette whispered, sliding out of her chair and crossing to him, dropping to the ground to kneel beside the chaise. She reached out and gingerly ran her fingers through his hair, eliciting a contented purr. “I wish I could kiss it all better.”

“You and me both,” Chat sighed, pressing up against her hand.

“Poor, sweet kitty,” she cooed, tracing soothing patterns against his scalp. “Is there anywhere it doesn’t hurt?”

“Where you’re rubbing is good,” he purred, eyes slipping down to half-mast.

She kept playing with his hair and stroking his head for several minutes as she fretted, going back over all of their battles, worrying about which injuries her powers hadn’t fully cured, worrying about battles to come where her powers might fail and cause her to lose him forever.

“…May I kiss you?” she whispered a hint of desperation behind the words.

His eyes opened, and he looked at her for a moment, evaluating, trying to decode the anxiety in her voice.

“Of course you can. Always,” he assured, offering her his cheek.

Marinette pursed her lips. “Actually…I meant…may I kiss you? A real kiss?”

Chat’s eyes flew wide. “O-Oh! Oh. You mean…” He gulped. “…on the lips.”

She nodded, suddenly feeling like she’d made a mistake. “Sorry. Am I moving too fast? I’m sorry. I figured that we’ve been dating a couple weeks now, so…but if you’re not ready, it’s fine! I’m not trying to rush you. I know you purposely didn’t date for a couple years since things went poorly with trying to date your one friend while getting over Ladybug, so—”

“—Marinette,” he cut her off softly, taking her hand in his and gently squeezing. “It’s okay. I’m ready. I’d like to kiss you…but don’t you think this is a little…” He winced. “Sorry. It’s not very romantic, is all. Would you really want our first kiss to be like this?”

His eyes studied her face intently, scanning, trying to understand what she was thinking and feeling.

Marinette smiled brightly. “Honestly, it’s not really a big deal. It doesn’t have to be romantic so long as it’s with you.”

Chat Noir blinked, a bit stunned by her answer. “Oh. …I mean, right.” He attempted to laugh it off, despite the uneasy, troubled feeling stirring within him. “It’s not a big deal. You’re right. It’s just a kiss. So long as we’re together, it’s…it’s fine.” He smiled.

What else was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? “No, it has to be romantic”? He supposed that this was what Luka had been talking about when he’d warned a sixteen-year-old Adrien that real relationships didn’t always play out like they did in the movies. Things weren’t always perfect. Things didn’t always turn out how you hoped.

“…So…” Chat’s brow furrowed. “Should we kiss now?”

A deep frown etched itself in Marinette’s features.

“Sorry. I’ve never kissed anyone before—that I can remember, anyway,” he quickly explained, fearing the worst. “Am I doing this wrong? I didn’t mean to screw it up. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. You’re fine,” Marinette insisted, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’re not doing this wrong at all, Chat Noir. I am.”

“What?” He looked after her in confusion as she got up and went over to one of her desk drawers to fish out some fairy lights. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Marinette. Sorry. I’m really confused right now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she insisted with a look of concentration and determination on her face that told him she was planning something. “We’ve still got twenty minutes before my parents’ midnight curfew. That’s plenty of time to get things right.”

Chat frowned as he watched his girlfriend rush to the little closet over by her vanity and pull out three pillar-style candles of varying heights. “I’m sorry. I’m not following, Marinette.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she repeated, cautiously climbing up to her loft with her arms full. “Just wait right there. You’ll see in, like, ten minutes.”

Marinette disappeared up out her skylight and came down a minute or two later to fetch her phone. It too went up to her balcony.

Next went a tray of pain au chocolat along with two mugs of Marinette’s special hot chocolate.

She came back down and went straight for her closet, instructing, “Close your eyes. I’m going to change.”

Chat covered his eyes with his hands for good measure to make doubly certain he didn’t see anything she didn’t want him to. “Why are you changing?” he had to wonder.

“You’ll see,” was the only response she would give.

Marinette finished her costume change in record time and hurried up to the balcony to put the finishing touches on her surprise.

“Okay. Come on up!” she called down to him when everything was ready.

Still feeling utterly lost, Chat uncovered his eyes and apprehensively climbed the ladder up to Marinette’s loft in order to join his girlfriend on the balcony.

He pulled himself up through the skylight and was instantly blown away.

Fairy lights had been wrapped around the wrought iron railing, and rose petals littered the ground. The candles Chat had seen Marinette grab were arranged on the table and surrounded by more rose petals as their flames flickered prettily in the soft breeze.

The tray with Chat’s favourite beverage and favourite pastry was resting on the wooden crate they often used as a seat. Soft jazz played in the background—Diana Panton singing Quiet Night of Quiet Stars.

And then there was Marinette herself: hair down, the breeze gently playing with the strands…coy smile with just the barest hint of teeth. She looked so pleased with herself, so happy to see him and the stunned look on his face.

She was wearing a black, off the shoulder cocktail dress that hugged her curves up top but flared out at the skirt which was longer in back and shorter in front. Around her neck was a small bell on a gold chain, nestled comfortably at the hollow of her throat.

“…Wow,” Chat breathed after gawking for nearly a full minute.

It was all he could come up with when he was feeling so overwhelmed and loved.

“Do you like it?” she prompted shyly, afraid she’d gone over the top and now he felt pressured.

He covered his mouth with his hand and nodded eagerly, unable to get the words for what he was feeling out.

He turned around in a circle in place, taking it all in.

“Wow,” he repeated. “Marinette…thank you. Thank you. It’s wonderful…but you didn’t have to do all this.” He looked back at her with a sappy grin.

She laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a squeeze. “Yes, I did. Earlier, when I said it wasn’t a big deal our first kiss not being very romantic, I wasn’t thinking. Romance is nice, but it’s not really something I need so long as I’m with the person who’s special to me. Just being with you is enough for me, so sometimes I forget that not everyone is like that. I didn’t stop to think that maybe you needed it to be romantic, so…voila. I hope I did okay. It was short notice,” she chuckled.

“It’s perfect,” he stressed, beginning to get choked up. “That you would do all this for me…” He stepped in, lovingly cupping her face in his palm.

Her free hand went to his hip, and she inched closer. “You’re worth it,” she whispered.

“It’s perfect,” he breathed. “You’re perfect.”

He leaned in, lowering his head while she raised hers until their lips met in a warm, unhurried kiss that was everything he’d ever dreamed his first kiss would be.

[komorebirei]

The Water Was Never Afraid - Chapter 20: Kettle

(AO3)

“I was wondering if you’d come by.” Marinette closed her sketchbook and straightened up, crossing her legs like a pretzel in her lawn chair.

Chat Noir found it incredibly cute how she could still fit comfortably in the chair, sitting in such a childish way.

“We’re becoming good friends now, aren’t we, Chaton?” Marinette grinned.

“The best of friends.” He winked and flashed a winning smile, hoping to make her blush… she didn’t. Ah well, worth a try. “By the way, how’s learning the piano going?”

“Heh…  not going, really. I’ve been busy with work lately, so I haven’t had time to practice. And I’m not taking lessons or anything, so… still as lame as ever.”

“Don’t sweat it, Princess.” He perked up as an idea hit him. “Hey, how about I play for you?” That was a friendly, non-flirty thing to do. His guilty conscience could be okay with that.

Marinette quirked an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t?”

“Not while transformed.” Chat tilted his head, chasing a wink with his cutest kitty smile as he let the implication set in.

“Chat Noir…” She leveled him with a warning look that reminded him of the way Ladybug got when he pushed the line with their identities.

Chat laughed off her seriousness. “C’mon, Princess, don’t be like that. You think I’m trying to reveal myself to you? I know better than to play with fire. We’ve got eyelids for a reason. Go ahead, make yourself comfortable on the couch and close your eyes.”

She tapped her lips with a finger and hummed, feigning deep deliberation. “I don’t know, Chat… seems a little risky.”

“What’s risky about it? You’ll be nice and safe on the couch, temptation-free. Unless I’m so good that you can’t resist taking a peek.” He grinned his trademark Chat Noir grin, more wolfish than catlike.

Marinette shot him a look that could curdle milk.

Chat deflated. “Okay, you’re a warrior princess—I respect you. I know you’d never cave and look. That’s why I trust you!”

Marinette’s expression was still dubious, but her lips quirked up at the corners, showing that her resolve was crumbling.

Chat gave another push. “Don’t you want to hear me play? I’m willing to bet you will love these songs I have in store for you.”

“… All right, fine, you win. I really do want to hear you play.” With a smile, she stood up and unlatched the door, holding it open for him. “After you, Minou. No funny business.”

“Thank you, Princess!” He bounded inside excitedly. He knew Marinette would be squealing in minutes. He slid into the piano bench as Marinette followed him in and settled into the couch. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“Ready—Wait, hold on. Let me heat water for tea.”

“Go ahead.”

While Marinette put on the kettle, Chat Noir ghosted his fingers on the keys, brushing up his memory.

“Okay, you can detransform.”

Chat glanced over and took in a side-view of Marinette curled up on the couch, sunken into the cushions, her lips peacefully upturned.

“Don’t do anything shocking,” she warned. “I might accidentally look.”

“The only thing that would shock you is how stunningly handsome I am,” Chat joked.

“Don’t make this hard for me,” Marinette teased back.

He blushed, abandoning the sinking ship.

He realized he felt very nervous. He was about to detransform in front of Marinette. There would be nothing but two paper-thin layers of skin separating this moment from the utter chaos of Marinette finding out it had been Adrien Agreste, her boss’s son and a taken man, visiting her home all along.

Terror clawed at his chest, and he was about to call it off, when Marinette called out quietly, “Minou?”

He took a deep breath and glanced at her, waiting patiently with her eyes closed, her forehead furrowed with concern due to his lack of response. She had felt reservations about doing this, but she trusted him enough to let him. He decided that he trusted her.

“Claws in.”

As the magic left him, materializing in the form of a tiny floating cat beside him, and the world didn’t implode, a mad grin swept across Adrien’s face.

Plagg shot a questioning look between him and Marinette.

“All in good fun,” Adrien assured him quietly. Yes—this was fun, not terrifying. “Marinette knows about kwamis, so you don’t have to be too subtle.”

Letting a momentary silence clear the air in preparation for the music, Adrien pressed the opening jazz chords of the first number, butter-smooth. Since the style was different from the original arrangement, it took a moment for Marinette to recognize what he was playing, but her reaction betrayed the exact moment when she did.

“Oh my gosh, Minou!!!” Marinette squealed, sitting up in excitement with her eyes still closed.

Adrien smirked. He had expected this reaction. He knew her favorite Ghibli films and which songs she played on repeat while stitching for hours.

“Merry Go Round of Life—a jazz version? I love it!! You’ve watched Howl’s Moving Castle, Chat?”

“Of course, Princess,” Adrien answered without stopping. I’m the one who recommended it to you, after all. “It’s my favorite. Don’t you think I’m as charming as Howl?”

“Much more charming,” Marinette replied slyly, and Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. “If by charming, you mean over-the-top and ridiculously dramatic.”

He chuckled. “Ah, but Princess, you’re far too kind.”

Marinette snorted and settled back into listening. “The jazz style sounds so cool! You’re really good, Chaton.”

He soaked up the praise, feeling on top of the world. Plagg jumped on the keys, dodging Adrien’s fingers, a game he often played to make his chosen’s practice sessions more fun. Adrien laughed when Plagg was too slow and he felt the odd sensation of his finger going through his kwami.

“Ouch, speared me, kid!” Plagg teased and fell dramatically onto the keyboard, letting the keys buffet his little body, tossing him here and there.

Adrien laughed again at Plagg’s antics.

“Is that your kwami?” Marinette asked. “You guys are cute.”

Plagg flew over to say hello.

The kettle started to whistle.

“Chat,” Marinette nudged.

Right, she couldn’t get up and walk around while he was detransformed.

He stopped playing. “Got it.”

“The tea bags are in the top drawer to the left of the stove… take your pick.”

Adrien switched off the kettle and opened the drawer to find a variety of colorful boxes neatly nestled together like a Tetris board. “And for the Princess?”

“Plum for me, please!”

“And cheese for me!” Plagg piped up.

He found the box labeled ‘Plum Tea’ in Chinese.

“It’s the pink box in the front,” Marinette guided him unnecessarily.

“Found it.” He knew where she kept the mugs, so he took two out of the cabinet, selecting for her the red one he’d seen her use before.

“Ah, and there’s cheese in the fridge.”

There was only Gruyère, but Plagg liked it well enough.

“Just to let you know, my favorite’s Camembert,” Adrien heard Plagg tell Marinette in a stage-whisper. Funny how well they seemed to be getting along. Nothing seemed to faze Marinette. What an admirable girl.

“Which tea did you pick, Chaton?” Marinette asked curiously.

“Plum.” He smiled to himself. “So we can share the experience, to make up for the fact that you can’t see me.”

Marinette snorted. “What a sap.”

Once the tea had finished steeping, he brought the mugs over and placed Marinette’s on the coffee table by her knees. “Careful with your fingers—it’s hot.” He set his own on a round mini-table by the piano, beside a photo of Marinette posing in the bakery with her parents. He missed the bakery.

“Any requests?”

“Finish Howl’s first. It’s my favorite!” Marinette gave him a pleading smile, eyes squeezed shut adorably. “Actually, could you start over? Please?”

“Anything for you, Princess.” He started over.

She listened in contented silence, and Plagg came to dance on the keys some more.

After finishing, she gave him enthusiastic applause. He moved on to another Ghibli jazz number, this time from Spirited Away, smiling at the appreciative noises she made.

In the middle of playing, she stopped him. “Okay, pause.”

“Hmm?”

“Your tea’s getting cold! Why don’t you drink some before you continue?”

“As the Princess wishes.”

He stopped and took a sip. It was pleasantly warm, instead of hot—the perfect temperature to drink. She must have known because hers was that temperature right now, too. Adrien smiled, savoring their shared experience more than the tea.

“How did you know I would like this music?” she asked.

“Just a hunch.”

The transient perfection of this moment—drinking tea with Marinette, the memory of Ghibli jazz lingering in the air like a fragrance—made his heart ache. It was like freshly fallen cherry blossom petals on their last breath before decay. He sighed, watching her eyelids tremble with the effort to stay shut.

This moment didn’t belong to him, Adrien Agreste. It belonged to Chat Noir. Chat Noir, who could be anybody. Or nobody.

He could run into Marinette at the office tomorrow. Unlikely, but possible. If he did, she’d give him her usual professional greeting, and the same smile she gave everyone.

That thought felt like a punch to the stomach.

He placed his hands on the keys and started to play again, shifting his mind away from these distressing thoughts. The chill, whimsical notes that filled the air seemed laced with melancholy this time. Maybe only in his own ears, though.

As he played, he watched her longingly. She and Plagg were talking in voices too low for him to overhear over the piano. A sad smile tugged his lips when she doubled over, giggling. The pain settled deeper into his chest, the longer the moment wore on.

“Want to watch one together when you’re done, Chat?” Marinette asked in a small voice.

“‘Watch one’?” He stopped playing and stared at her incredulously. “A Ghibli film?”

“Yeah, whichever one you want—I have the collection. You put me in the mood.”

His chest warmed. Marinette hadn’t watched any Ghibli films before he introduced them to her, and now she loved them enough that she had the whole collection? He counted this as a conquest, as proof that they were two peas in a pod.

There was work waiting for him at home, but nothing he minded losing sleep over if it meant a couple more hours basking in Marinette’s presence. “I’d love to, Princess. How about now?”

“One more song, please?”

“How could I refuse?”

He played one last, an upbeat, jazzy version of the Totoro opening theme song. Marinette wiggled her shoulders in a playful accompanying dance, Plagg doing the same in the airspace around her.

Cute.

Smiling at her fondly, he beckoned Plagg and called his transformation back on.

“Open your eyes, Princess.”

When Marinette opened her eyes, she was bursting with glee and enthusiasm to convince Chat Noir of his talents. “Chat, you’re amazing! I can’t believe you play so well.”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Only because a beautiful girl was listening.”

This time, she did blush, which did something to soothe the ache in Chat Noir’s chest.

“Want to watch Howl’s Moving Castle?” Marinette asked. “You said it’s your favorite, right? Or—whichever one you want.”

“Sure. But next time, Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s about you and me.” He winked. “Though, honestly, Jiji acts more like Plagg.”

Marinette laughed. “You got it, Minou.”

Next time—the words echoed in Chat Noir’s mind like a dangerously enticing promise.

How had they fallen into this?

—

In the middle of the film, Marinette suddenly slid an arm behind Chat’s back and draped her other arm across his stomach, nestling her head in the dip between his shoulder and chest.

Melting against her, Chat wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for my charms, Princess,” he joked, the line falling from his lips as naturally as an exhalation. He barely even felt guilty for flirting with her anymore. It was inevitable. She was irresistible.

“This is your hug of the day.” Her voice sounded more serious than he would have expected. “I can tell when you’re sad, Minou.”

“Wow, Princess. Are you sure you don’t have super powers?” He tightened his grip and rested the corner of his mouth on her head, inhaling her scent—rose shampoo and something sweetly Marinette—wishing to press a kiss to her hair if that weren’t crossing the line.

Marinette didn’t answer, but she hugged him tighter, taking his response as confirmation that he was feeling down.

They stayed like that for the rest of the movie, then Chat Noir went home, feeling like a moth whose wings had been crippled by the flame.