#tikki supports this wholeheartedly

[theroseempress]

Hey @wackus-bonkus-maximus, I drew odnlb Ladybug!

POV, you're Lila.

(I put way too much effort into this, and I'm dubbing it the Deranged Knife Ladybug)

Here's a closeup of her little angry face.

[quixotin]

'No therapy? Fine. I'll do it myself binch,' Adrien said.

Part 2 to the "Somebody take this child to therapy challenge :D" meta

I know this season's apple of our eye when it comes to analysing has been Adrien and what in the heck will happen to him. Based on the developments of Sole Crusher, Queen Banana, and Optygami, there's a lot more cloth to cut from and I just wanna point out that for as painful as it is to see Adrien feel like he's being left out, like his worst dreams are coming to life, it's very much necessary and in line with the hints we already had throughout earlier episodes. Particularly, I think that the appearance of Zoé and the (partial?) end of his friendship with Chloé is, to an extent, even more relevant than those 5 seconds of sucker punch angst at the end of Optygami. Why? Well, because Adrien's greatest fear is to be alone. We've been knew. Nothing surprising about that. Painful af? For sure, but we knew this would happen the second Marinette trusted in Alya. And trust and believe, it's going to get much worse. But as I said in the first part of this meta, it's also going to get better. And we're already getting hints it is. Bear in mind the fact that the boy who is feeling shoved to the side by his best friend is also the same boy who followed through on his warning to Chloe. I feel like we glossed over this too quickly: Adrien set a boundary with someone he considered not only a friend, but his OLDEST friend. He has cut off the person he refused to throw under the bus because she was the only company he had. This is HUGE character development, guys. This is the boy that is terrified to the bone of being unnecessary, irrelevant, and alone, denying the affection of someone he considered a friend because he recognizes he cannot be around someone like that. Are you kidding me?! Adrien, you're doing not good, not great, YOU'RE DOING SPECTACULAR, SWEETIE. This is the sort of boundary-setting he needs to exercise not only with Chloe but with his father, and yes, later on, with Ladybug. Then there's the fact of Zoé, who I wholeheartedly believe is there to set an example not only to Chloé as it was implied by Tikki at the end of Queen Banana, but to Adrien as well. As I mentioned in this post, the parallels between Zoé and Adrien are almost freaky. Zoé has a lot in common with Adrien. From the family context, to their social status, to the psychological issues they are dealing with. The only difference is that, thanks to Marinette's support, Zoé was able to be vulnerable and share her issues. And what did I say in the last paragraph of the first meta?

I am also completely convinced that once the Jenga tower of angst falls, he will be able to rise above it if he can bring himself to show this vulnerability to his friends. As we saw, the Miracuclass is a band of cuties who really go out of their way to support their friends, with Marinette leading the hoard of positivity, no less.

I mean, call it a coincidence but I'm really quite convinced that Zoé's finding immediate support in Marinette and the Miracuclass being the new kid will reassure Adrien to do the same. Especially if he finds himself in a context where he feels he cannot rely on his only support network (which is really more of a thread when you think about it lol) anymore. We like to say Adrien's completely alone, but the extent of his loneliness depends on whether he can learn to speak out and make himself vulnerable. After all, none of his sidelining (which, bear in mind has only 'officially' happened in two eps) is intentional, and we know for a fact that Marinette and the class would absolutely jump head first to catch him if they saw how much he's struggling. In a context like that, I can totally see why Adrien is continuously overlooked in the visual narrative: Because his self love journey is about learning to make himself be seen. And what better way to emphasize on him learning to do that than by not only telling us, but showing us.

[pikablob]

Fic Rec List

While I wholeheartedly recommend everything in my AO3 bookmarks, I wanted to do a specific list of my favourite fics; so, enjoy! (I’ve tagged authors where I can find their tumblrs - if you see your fic on here and want to be tagged, just let me know!!)

Of Blood and Alchemy by Professor_Actuality (@professoractualitywrites) (T, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Varian & the Seven Kingdoms, Varian/Hugo, Vampire Varian AU)

When Hugo, a novice hunter, is sent to the backwaters of Corona, the last thing he expects to find is a young blood, barely past his turning, whose very existence defies everything Hugo has come to understand about monsters and humans alike.

Inspired by YUKIMA_Ma's art over on twitter.

This is the fic that made me actually care about Hugo as a character; up until then I had basically been content to let the 7K AU pass me by completely. But his perspective and voice here are really interesting. "Vamparian” is also a great addition, not to mention hilarious. Warnings for some blood and violence, but still a gripping story that hints at a large and interesting fantasy world.

The Thing About Luz Noceda by Everyoneisheretoday5 (@notcaringisdamnhardsometimes) (T, The Owl House, Willow/Luz)

With Luz asleep on her shoulder, Willow reflects

One of the best shipfics I’ve ever read; this one distills everything I love about Willow & Luz’s relationship down into one adorable oneshot. Willow’s introspection is painfully in-character and Luz’s reaction to her confession makes me smile and feel warm every time I read it.

Fatherhood by Platon (@platonwrites) (G, Epithet Erased, Steven Universe, Greg Universe & Steven Universe & Molly Blyndeff)

When a strange girl and her father arrive in Beach City, Greg can't help but be pulled into their lives. What he's seeing just can't be true, it can't be. He has to be sure, and once he is, he has to put a stop to it.

How Molly Blyndeff was saved by Greg Universe.

My current favourite fanfic of all time; set early in both shows’ canons, it gives Molly the father she deserves and Steven an adorable sibling relationship. Everyone is in-character, and seeing Molly come out of her shell and come to trust the Universes is amazing. I even teared up a couple of times on my first read. As a bonus, this also probably has my favourite fic line ever:  “If Greg stole the show, then Martin just burned down the theater.”

Mall Cops by Purpledragon6 (@scipunk63) (G, Infinity Train, Simon/Grace & Hazel)

A series of one-shots dedicated to Grace and Simon. Contains various AUs.

While every chapter of this is great, a special shout-out goes to Chapter 7: Together But Alone, which has perhaps the best Grace & Hazel interaction I’ve ever read in a fic. It’s heart-wrenching, but there’s also a lot of adorable and fluffy chapters too if that’s what you’re after.

Illiterate by AdrenochromeDreams (Not Rated, League of Legends, Caitlyn/Vi)

Caitlyn finds out Vi's major flaw which isn't breaking stuff...

Don’t let the lack of rating scare you; this one’s pure light hurt/comfort with a lot of fluff. It takes an interesting headcanon about Vi and turns it into a genuinely sweet interaction between her and Caitlyn. Not to mention its commentary on intelligence, and how Vi’s “flaw” isn’t really a flaw at all.

Overload by SailorChibi (@tsuki-chibi) (T, Mentioned Abuse & Neglect, Miraculous Ladybug, Marinette & Adrien & Tikki & Plagg)

With every passing day, the weight on Marinette's and Adrien's shoulders gets heavier. Pressure comes from every direction with little support, even from their parents.

It's time for Tikki and Plagg to step up and take care of their kids.

To be honest, I’m not in the Miraculous fandom; I found this by browsing the “adoption” tag on AO3, and I fell in love instantly. The fic really makes you feel for Marinette and Adrien, and thankfully disposes with the secret identity thing fairly quickly. Instead we get a beautiful story of found family and recovery, where Tikki and Plagg provide the caring environment their kids desperately deserve.

whatever you are by suzukiblu (@suzukiblu) (G, Care Bears, Christy/Dark Heart)

They spend most of the afternoon trying to think up a new name for Dark Heart, but it’s hard to explain to a boy who just became a boy why a name like “Dark Heart” sounds a little weird.

I am living for the character interaction in this fic. Dark Heart navigating humanity (or, at least, his limited understanding of it) is adorable, as is Christy’s help. The backstory the fic gives her is sad but believable, and fits her character really well. The kids both play really well off each other here, and the whole thing is just a pure shot of warmth as a result.

I Could Have Killed You by WeightyUncle (G, Kid Icarus, Palutena & Pit)

Pit has a nightmare, and needs comfort from the closest thing he has to a mom.

I’m always a sucker for motherly Palutena, and this fic delivers. It explores the consequences of the Chaos Kin in a way I wish Uprising had, showing how much having to fight his goddess has affected Pit, and the comfort after the hurt is really sweet.

Little Sister by alabasterclouds (@alabasterclouds) (Not Rated, Stranger Things, Joyce Byers & Eleven)

After watching Stranger Things, I had an incredible need to give Eleven someone who would actually love her and take care of her emotional needs. Joyce and Eleven's interactions gave me a bit of a lightbulb moment, and I decided to write a little fic that has Eleven finally getting what she needs - and Joyce giving some of the endless love she has for her sons to a little girl who really needs it.

Another fic where the lack of rating shouldn’t deter you; though there is some bedwetting it doesn’t quite veer into ageplay. It’s simultaneously a cute and heartbreaking fic, as El finds herself with a loving family for the first time and isn’t quite sure how to respond after years of mistreatment. Her fears and Joyce’s care for her are both written incredibly, and their characterisation makes this fic for me.

Feathers and Flames by TheBeanMarket (@thebeanmarket) (T, Mentioned Abuse & Alcoholism, My Hero Academia, Hawks & Dabi)

Hawks invites Dabi for a day out to suggest a business proposition. All does not go as planned.

Not my usual fare, but I absolutely love the voices in this fic. Dabi’s internal thoughts are a treat, and the author handles Hawks’ veneer cracking very well, to the point where he’s painfully sympathetic. Ultimately, even though the fic ends ambiguously, I’m left with no doubts as to his decision.

Bottled Up by Shinneth (@shinneth) (T, Steven Universe, Steven/Peridot)

Steven realizes Peridot has been feeling left out ever since she returned to the bathroom after Lapis fled Earth with their home. Now that he has some downtime after coming to terms with his mother's true identity and the engagement of Ruby and Sapphire, it's high time to let Peridot know she belongs with the Crystal Gems... and also let her know that Lapis does regret her decision to give her hope she will return one day.

Little does Steven know, Peridot has done quite a bit of eavesdropping when everyone thought she was just moping away in the bathroom...

I’ve always been a big fan of Steven & Peridot’s relationship, and this fic handles them perfectly. In particular, the fic has the acknowledgement of just how badly Lapis treated Peridot, and how torn up Peridot must really feel, that canon desperately needed without demonising the former. Both Peridot and Steven’s feelings are validated, and it’s refreshing as much as it is sweet to see.

Thanks Mom by SpaceStingray (G, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Adora & Queen Angella)

Just when she finally starts to feel comfortable around Queen Angella, Adora blurts something out that causes a downward spiral. But what does Angella have to say about it?

This is another fandom I’m not really in, but a fic I adore. Angella really is the star here, with her care squarely on display, and the result is a really sweet tale of found family. Adora’s relatably awkward in response, and Glimmer makes for the best sister. Of course, the fic has a more canon-compliant epilogue for those (unlike me) who enjoy heart-wrenching pain.

It Doesn’t Have To End Here by CosmicCrossing (@shima-draws) (G, Pokemon, Ash/Clemont)

"And—and now—" Clemont starts to choke up, furious with himself for being so weak but unable to do anything about it. "O-our journey will soon come to an end...and you're going to leave and—what will I do without you?" He finally breaks, tears blurring his vision and staining his cheeks.

An adorable hurt/comfort fix-it to the end of the Kalos anime, this is the fic that got me into Diodeshipping. Clemont’s sadness and fears over things ending are really well written, and I am living for how upbeat and loving Ash is in response, especially with his solution to the issue at hand. This is one of those fics I really wish had happened in canon, because it’s amazing.

bandages by pitkiu (@owlskullz) (G, Kid Icarus, Palutena & Pit)

At this point, Pit's wings were just an inconvenience.

A beautifully-written trans!Pit fic, and one of the best trans fics I’ve read full stop. This one really makes me feel for him, especially with how it handles his feelings towards his wings, and as I’ve said I’m always a sucker for Palutena being motherly.

A New Princess In Town by LumenInFusco (G, Super Mario, Bowser & Princess Daisy)

Princess Daisy takes an old friend shopping for a new wardrobe to go with her new face.

A fic that takes the ‘Bowsette’ concept and turns it into a really good fic about trans woman!Bowser (or, to use her name, Ruby). Despite the unusual premise the fic takes itself appropriately seriously; Ruby’s struggles are well written, and the supportive friendship between her and Daisy is a joy to read about. Top it off with an adorably sweet ending, and you have another great trans fic.

Two New Dads, Same Old Fears by lenin_it_to_win_it (@lenin-it-to-win-it) (Not Rated, Mentioned Abuse, My Hero Academia, Todoroki & All Might/Naomasa)

Even though All Might and Naomasa are much kinder than Endeavor, Todoroki still finds herself struggling to feel comfortable with her new guardians due to her past abuse, especially since she's convinced they won't accept her once they realize she's trans.

Trans girl!Todoroki wasn’t a headcanon I’d even considered until I read this, but the fic handles it so well and so believably that I was sold immediately. This is the best trans fic and my favourite MHA fic out of all I’ve read; Todoroki’s struggles are painfully real, and All Might trying to do right by her (with his husband’s help) is the sweetest thing. The voices and characterisation are perfect, and all-in-all I absolutely love this one.

Faith by Mertiya (G, Tangled the Series, Arianna & Rapunzel & Varian)

Varian has a secret. Arianna tries to help. Rapunzel and Cass try to fix things with their friend.

The post-season-1 fix-it I desperately wanted, featuring trans!Varian. There’s a lot of fics diverging after Secret of the Sundrop, but the character interaction in this one is perfect for me. Rapunzel and friends actually acknowledge their mistakes without being demonised, and I love the care Arianna shows. The only character this isn’t as kind to is Frederick, and I think he deserves that.

Her Heart’s Duet by sunkelles (@disregardcanon) (Not Rated, Gravity Falls, Mabel/Pacifica)

In an alternate universe where you get songs stuck in your head when your soulmate does, Mabel Pines finds out her soulmate loves classical music. She sort of just runs with it from there.

An old favourite of mine, this fic is pure fluff. Mabel’s obsession with her soulmate is endearing without becoming grating, and the way it manifests (with Pacifica’s taste in music) is great. I really love how the girls kindle a relationship before Mabel knows whether they’re soulmates, and decides she wouldn’t mind if they were.

When They Held You Under by Puregold (T, Abuse, Drowning, Camp Camp, David & Max)

It was just then that, as Max was lost in his fucked-up train of thought, the dirt and rocks beneath him loosened, giving way to the jagged and steep hill below leading directly into the lake. He panicked, screaming higher and louder than he'd ever care to admit as he tumbled down faster than he could think. Sharp rocks and thorns stabbed and cut at him as he abruptly plummeted deep into the cold water, and he was suddenly surrounded. Surrounded by a cold, uncaring thick blue haze as he tried to kick his way back up to the surface, only to realize that he didn't know how.

The best Dadvid fic I’ve ever read; it’s effectively a sickfic, as David is forced to take care of Max after a near-drowning. Their dynamic is handled amazingly, with David's care running headlong into the realisation of just how badly Max is being mistreated, and the result is an adorable fic.

Blue Roses (orphaned work) (Not Rated, Abuse, Suicide, Danny Phantom, Ember/Danny)

There was a bouquet of blue roses tucked between her knees at the base of the headstone.

This is a really old favourite, taking the popular headcanon about how Ember died, but I still think it holds up. I can’t help feeling sympathy for Ember here, especially with the heartbreaking meaning behind her “remember my name” tagline, and Danny’s understanding adds some nice comfort to an otherwise sad story.

Who Needs Trials, When You Have Gender Issues by OkFandom (@idonthaveacleverquip) (T, Pokemon, Guzma & Plumeria & Team Skull Grunt)

Who needs Trials, when you've got Team Skull? Guzma really needs to re-address the exact rules of the Team Skull dress code.

Team Skull are my favourite Pokemon faction specifically because they’re a big misfit family, and that’s perfectly on display here. I love how Grunt G finds acceptance, and the voices from Guzma and Plumeria are perfect. Another really good trans fic, with some great found family on top.

love, and other 4-letter words by Wrenvibes (@wrenvibes) (T, Mentioned Abuse & Homophobia, Near-Drowning, Star Wars Rebels, Hera & Sabine)

Maybe if she stopped running from her past, she could fix it a little quicker.

This was my overall favourite fic for a long time and still currently sits at second place. Seeing Ursa’s abuse acknowledged is something I desperately needed at the time and still appreciate, and Sabine’s introspection is incredibly well-written. Hera’s motherly side is really nice to see, and overall their relationship in this fic is amazingly handled. I still come back to this when I’m having a bad day.

To Build A Home by Candaru (@epitheterasedgen) (T, Mentioned Neglect, Epithet Erased, Percy & Molly, Molly & Giovanni)

Taking custody of Molly Blynndeff goes much smoother than expected... But between Molly's grief and Percy's parental inexperience, it's the aftermath that's hard to deal with. (In which Percy adopts Molly to get her away from her father, but the new situation is mentally taxing on both. NO shipping. Emotional whump. T for safety and death mentions.)

The characterisation is so perfect in this fic that it hurts. I love any plot that involves Molly getting adopted, but this fic goes above and beyond with Percy’s insecurity and Molly’s uncertainty, plus Giovanni being the best big brother. But what really makes this fic so good is that it doesn’t take the obvious route; Percy isn’t a replacement for Molly’s mother, she’s completely different, and that’s okay.

Shapeshifting Thoughts by thelyokocode (G+, Gravity Falls, Wendy/Dipper)

Wendy thought after talking to Dipper following their adventure in the bunker that everything would go back to normal with ease, but something was lingering within herself. Wendip comfort!

There are a lot of Wendip fics out there; this is one of maybe two that I actually really like. It shows a side to Wendy that isn’t normally seen, and her and Dipper’s relationship is rendered adorably. That, and it’s effectively a fix-it response to Into The Bunker, which is always nice to see.

All Of Them by BellatrixLestrangey (@bellatrixobsessed1) (T, Mild Injury, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula/Katara)

While being healed by Katara, a few of Azula's weaknesses and secrets come to the surface.

What I love about this fic is how it handles Azula. Getting her characterisation right is a delicate balance, especially in redemption fics, but I think this fic handles her really well. She doesn’t come grovelling for forgiveness or even seeking redemption at all, but can’t help herself changing from spending time with the Gaang. Katara’s at her best here too, as a mental healer and confidant as well as a physical one, and I like how she applies the lessons she learned from Zuko and the Southern Raiders.

Lessons Learned by Someone on the Street (G, Scooby Doo, Daphne & Flim Flam)

13 Ghost centered piece. Daphne wakes up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep due to a pressing matter that's been weighing heavily on her for some time. A birthday present for Ellis97!

One of the best adoption fics I’ve read. Daphne and Flim Flam’s relationship is adorable, with him unused to being cared for but not wanting it to end, and her going to great lengths to take him in. Vincent Van Ghoul being supportive was a nice addition, and the result is a really sweet fic.

Unspoken by FidesNemo (T, Head Injury, The Hunger Games, Clove/Katniss)

After the war, Katniss spends most of her days alone. When an unexpected visitor shatters the fragile peace of her life, she is forced to confront her guilt, regrets, and doubts on a journey to recovery. Cloveniss pairing. NOTES: Prim and Finnick survived the revolution. Mrs. Everdeen still resides in Dist. 12.

The premise of this fic is certainly an unusual one, but it makes good on it with some excellent writing. What makes this fic is Katniss, and how the reappearance of Clove gives her the ability to decide her own future for the first time since she was a teenager. In turn Clove is a very interesting character, with her denial over her worsening head trauma and her own regrets over the 74th Hunger Games.

Five Things Pacifica is Scared of by Shaud (@pinellama) (G+, Abuse, Eating Disorder, Panic Attacks, Gravity Falls, Pines Family & Pacifica)

And one she isn't. (Takes place in an AU where she runs away from her parents, child abuse, eating disorder, and panic/anxiety attacks mentioned.)

This is the fic that changed my opinion on Pacifica. Prior to this, I didn’t find her particularly compelling, but the headcanon of her parents’ treatment is written incredibly well here and I can’t help feeling sympathy at everything she’s gone through. The Pines’ care for her is also great, and the influence of this fic can be seen as far down as Forests of Oregon.

Came for me by xxApocalypsexx (T, Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Undertale, Frisk & Sans)

The barrier was broken, the monsters freed. But the world is not a happy place, especially for one so young. Luckily, someone cares about her who is not afraid of the world. Rated for self-harm/suicide references. Female Frisk, and spoilers for all routes.

This was my first ever “favourite fic”, and so long as you don’t mind she/her pronouns for Frisk I think it’s still a really good bittersweet fic. Sans and Frisk’s relationship here is adorable, despite the downer ending the fic gives the Pacifist route, and I love the twist about Frisk’s RESETs.

[p-artsypants]

Integrity (Part 5)

Overwhelmed with her responsibilities, guilt, and drama, Marinette has an emotional breakdown in front of everyone, and even hands over her earrings in a moment of weakness. Only for a few seconds, but the damage was done. Adrien's pretty quick on the uptake like that.

Ao3 | FF.net

God this is turning out to be so much longer than I was expecting. I just want to address all the things that Marinette was upset about in the first chapter. 

So here we go!

—

After class let out for lunch, Miss Bustier’s class was oddly silent as they went their separate ways for lunch. 

Marinette heard Lila try to tag along with someone several times, only to be turned down. 

“Sorry Lila, I need to talk to my mom about something.” 

“Not today, I’m meeting with a friend.” 

“I’d just like some alone time, my head hurts.” 

Though the excuses were vague enough, Marinette saw them for what they were. 

Reconsidering loyalties, just as Miss Bustier had warned. And probably a little bit of ‘if she turned on Adrien like that, what’s stopping her from turning on me?’ 

Critical thinking, as she had put it. In the aftermath, Lila might still have some friends. But as long as the truth came out, that’s all that mattered. 

“Hey, Marinette?” Adrien asked, hand on the back of his neck.

“Yes?” 

“Uh, I had a text from Kagami. She wants to have lunch with me. It sounded serious.” 

“I bet she just wants to talk about yesterday.” 

“Honestly, I’d like to wipe yesterday right off the board, if I could.” Then he gave a little half smile as he caught her eye. “Well, most of the day at least.” He reached up to touch her face, brushing his thumb over his lips. “Other parts are just unforgettable.”

Marinette blushed heavily, diverting her eyes. 

Adrien tried to hide his smug grin. All it took to get his lady flustered was to flirt without his mask on. She was a total sucker. 

“I’ll see you later, Sugar Wugar Bear.” He grinned. 

“Mmm, still not good enough. Keep trying.” She flirted back, still with the bright blush on her cheeks. 

Marinette took her time stopping at her locker, putting her books away, and strolling out of school. She’d go home, have a nice lunch, and maybe even get the chance to hide some of the more embarrassing photos of Adrien she had hanging up before he noticed them. 

Plans changed, however, when Marinette came out of the building to see Luka standing at the stairs. He gave her an easy smile. “Hey Marinette, wanna do lunch?” 

May as well. Adrien was having his hard conversation with Kagami today. “I uh...sure?”

“Cool.” And he reached out to take her hand. 

Marinette, however, pulled her hand away, a bit too harshly. There was no way he missed it. 

He frowned at her. “Did I do something?” 

“What? No! No, you’re fine! I just...um, look, we have to talk.” 

“What about?” 

She rubbed the back of her head, feeling more and more awkward as the seconds rolled on. How do you break up with someone you aren’t even dating? “Um...well, you see...Luka, you’re really nice, and I appreciate you always being here for me. But, I’m still in love with Adrien. And I can’t be with you.” 

“Then I’ll wait.” 

“No, no don’t do that.” She breathed. 

Luka exhaled harshly, sounding like he was only barely hanging onto his patience. “Marinette. I really think you need to move on. Adrien doesn’t like you. That may sound harsh, but I just hate seeing you so miserable.” 

“But he does like me. He loves me.” 

“Then why did I see him and Kagami leave together?” 

“He’s having the same conversation we’re having right now. A lot...a lot of stuff happened yesterday.” 

“You were talking to him? Even when we’re together?”

“Luka, we aren’t together. We never were.” 

“Yeah, well it was implied. You knew I liked you!”

“And you knew I was in love with Adrien!” 

“Yeah, but he wasn’t reciprocating! I thought it was understood that you were getting over him so you could date me!” 

“I never said that!” 

“You sure acted like it!” He spit.

Marinette hadn’t seen Luka so mad since XY stole his music and her costumes. It was frightening to be on the receiving end.  

“So what? All the time I spent with you, everything I did, it meant nothing?”

“I didn’t say that either!” 

“You knew I liked you, but you never gave me a real chance!” 

“I don’t have to!” She cried. “Just because you like me, doesn’t mean you get to be first in line to date me! It doesn’t work like that! You know that!” 

She hated to yell, especially at someone who was heart broken, but this was possessive behavior and completely out of character for someone as calm as Luka. 

He stared at her with tears in his eyes. 

“I don’t owe you anything, Luka. You gave me love and support when I needed it, but I didn’t ask you for it. Expecting something in return is...kinda neck-beardy.” 

He scoffed. “I’m not being a neck beard! I’m just upset because I feel like you wasted my time. If you were never going to like me back, why did you drag me on?” 

“I didn’t know I wasn’t going to like you back! I mean—I did like you! I just—not as much as I like Adrien. I’m sorry. I know that this sucks. I didn’t mean to waste your time. That’s just how it happened.” 

He shook his head. “You were obviously still talking to him though. So you weren’t really trying to get over him.”

She bit back a growl of frustration. “Adrien’s my friend too, okay? I had a moment of weakness yesterday, and he took care of me. Then I confessed. It just—came out of me. I hadn’t confessed to him before, so he couldn’t reject me before, so I didn’t have a reason to get over him. I just assumed he loved someone else. There, happy?” 

“No.” 

“Look, Luka. You deserve someone that can love you wholeheartedly. I could only give you a fraction, and that’s not fair.” 

He was quiet a long time. Then breathed out. “Yeah. Whatever. I’ll see you around.” 

“Band’s practice is tomorrow right?” 

“Yeah, but...maybe you should skip...for a while.” 

“Oh. Okay. Um...I understand.” 

He turned away. “I’ll take a rain check on lunch. I’m not feeling hungry anymore.” And he briskly walked away before she could catch up to him.

“That was so weird. I’ve never seen Luka act like that before.” 

Tikki looked up to her. “Well, that’s the thing with love. It makes people act weird.” 

“This is my fault for leading him on, isn’t it?” 

“It’s like you said, Marinette. He comforted and supported you, but you never asked him to do it. He was supposed to be doing that without the expectation of being reciprocated. Somewhere in there, he thought you’d return the favor sometime.” 

“Should I have?” 

“Relationships work when you give without expecting to receive. And they build when both are willing to give. But as soon as you turn into a taker, relationships crumble. Friendships, however, aren’t based on anything but commonality. You both had different expectations for your relationship, and you didn’t meet his. It’s not your fault, because you didn’t come into this friendship at the level he was at. Do you get what I’m saying?” 

“His expectations were too high?” 

“Pretty much. He was at the romance level, and you were at the friendship level. Different levels of effort.” 

“Okay. I think I get it...” 

“You wanted to nip this in the bud anyways. You knew you didn’t like Luka the way he liked you. You’ve done him a huge favor.” 

“It doesn’t feel like it.” 

“Sure! Right now, after he pointed a finger at you and said some mean things. But, you set him free!” 

“Still, I should probably keep an eye on him in case he gets akumatized.” 

“You don’t need to worry about that, Marinette.” Tikki hummed. 

“What do you me—oh! I had completely forgotten! Gosh, I’m so used to worrying about that...” 

“So now just let him go. You beat Hawkmoth, so now he can grieve in peace!”

“I had nothing to do with Hawkmoth.” 

Tikki shrugged. “Maybe you didn’t, maybe you did.”

—

So far, they had talked about the weather six times. And that was only after the endless loop of ‘how are you? Good. How are you?’s. Adrien was beginning to suspect this might be the most awkward lunch of his life. 

The waiter came, and took their order, and then Kagami fell into business mode. She folded her hands in front of her. “First of all, I must apologize for putting you into this very tricky situation.”

“Wait, what? Kagami, you didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“On the contrary, Adrien. I know you weren’t aware of this. But I was aware of your feelings for Marinette, and Marinette’s feelings for you. However, it seemed like neither of you were making any moves on the other, so I took advantage of the situation. I had hoped you would get over her, but I should have known better.” 

He blinked at her a few times. “Wait—you knew she liked me?”

“It was obvious. From the first day we met, in fact.” 

His face colored brightly, embarrassment clamping on him like a vice. It was obvious? And he never noticed? Who else knew?

“So I apologize.” She said simply. “I should have known not to get in between you both. It was inevitable one of you would crack. So, who confessed? You or her?”

“Um, well, her first…” 

“I figured as much. I don’t think you were quite aware of your feelings. More of a subconscious crush, as compared to her obsession.” 

“Obsession?”

“Yes. She can barely keep her hands off of you. You really didn’t notice?”

His mouth fought to form words. “Compared to all the other girls that can’t keep their hands off of me, no, I didn’t.” 

“I see.” 

“So…you’re not upset?”

“Oh, I was. I cried my eyes out yesterday. But I brought this on myself, so I can’t be pitied.” 

“No, Kagami, I pursued you—“ 

“After I rather sternly told you to switch targets. Or else you would have continued to moon over her.” 

Technically, he had been in love with Ladybug, specifically. But it seemed sub-consciously, he found her out anyways, if he was mooning after her. Or he really was just that fond of Marinette. 

Secret identities were too confusing. 

“I owe Marinette an apology too, but I suppose that will come later. I’m sure she’ll feel awkward around me for a while. Not that she needs too, I’m over you, after all.” 

“What? Really? Already?” 

“I like to win, but I’m not a sore loser.” 

“Oh…okay.” 

“So are you official with her yet?” 

“Not quite. I wanted to clear the air with you first.” 

“I understand, and I appreciate it. She probably needs to do the same with Luka.”

“He’s a pretty cool guy, he’ll probably take it well.” 

“We can certainly hope.”

The waiter came back with their drinks, and then they were alone again. 

“Oh, you said something about class drama. How’s that going?”

He groaned, laying his head on the table. “It got worse today…but also better? Lila—you remember Lila, right?”

“How could I forget?”

“Well, she’s been making Marinette’s world miserable with these…very specific lies. Enough to discredit Marinette, but also give her extra work as class rep. She kind of had a meltdown yesterday, and when I helped her out, Lila decided to target me instead. Apparently, I’m a sex offender.”

Kagami started laughing. “If anyone believes that, they’re an idiot. Or someone has a really low threshold of what they constitute as sexual harassment.” 

“Apparently, I groped her. See? I have the black eye to prove it.” 

“I was wondering where that came from, I figured you’d get to it.” 

“It actually…it came from my father,” he said sadly. 

“On accident?”

“No.” 

“That’s awful. But…not that surprising. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not, but I appreciate your sympathy.” 

“So what happened with Lila?”

Adrien stirred his drink with his straw. “She told our classmates, and they tried to kick me out of class. But our teacher wouldn’t allow it. Chloe suggested we talk about it, and Miss Bustier agreed it was a good idea to get both sides of the story out so people could make their own conclusions.” 

“Not really fair if you wanted to keep your fight with your father private.” 

“I weaseled my way out of it. But now it’s up to everyone else to decide if they believe me or Lila.” He took a sip. “My father’s threatening a lawsuit over it.” 

“Typical.”

“Well, I don’t really want to be thought of a sex offender all throughout my school years. It would kill me. My guess is that Lila is going to find a way to weasel out of her lie before it actually goes to court.” 

“Most likely, but by then, no one will believe her anymore. If you’re going to lie like that, you can’t back out. It doesn’t work like that.” 

“With any luck, she’ll skip the country and we can be done with her.” 

Kagami gave him a soft smile. “Sounds like you and Marinette both have had a crazy few days.” 

“You have no idea.” 

“Then I’m glad you can find comfort in each other. I hope I can have that one day too.” 

“I mean...Luka should be available soon.” 

“A guitarist, hmm? I’ll have to think about it.” 

[macaronsforchat]

Ladynoir July Day 14 - Chat Blanc

@ladynoirjuly2020

read on ao3!

“Tikki, spots on!”

Ladybug jumped out of her skylight, taking a deep breath of fresh air and throwing her yo-yo towards the nearest chimney. Pulling the string hard and letting it carry her forward, she didn’t feel surprised that the wind on her face couldn’t make her feel anymore excited. She was already glowing with the anticipation of seeing her boyfriend, and nothing, not even Gabriel Agreste would stop her from doing so.

She raced against heartbeat to make it to their meeting spot, seeing him waiting there for her and feeling like she couldn’t fly any higher.

“Hey!” she called, his eyes meeting hers as she landed. She would never get over the way his face lit up at the sight of her. Her heart felt like it could burst as she rushed over to him, meeting him in a tight hug and laughing happily. He held her tightly to his chest, lifting her feet off the ground for a second and making her squeal.

“There’s my princess,” he said happily, pulling away and giving her a warm smile. She returned it, grinning up at him with her hands on his chest.

“My prince,” she greeted, feeling his grip on her tighten a little. She glanced at his lips, moving closer as he tilted his head down towards her and kissed her sweetly. His lips were so soft against her own, a gentle hum of delight rumbling in his chest.

They both pulled away reluctantly, gazing into each other’s eyes once more.

“I missed you,” he said, and she giggled, letting her arms fall back to her sides.

“You saw me five hours ago,” she reminded him, and he pouted teasingly, taking her hands in his.

“It was the longest five hours of my life,” he sighed dramatically, bringing her hands to his lips and kissing both of them. She snickered, blushing a little at how sweet he was even when he was being silly.

“I missed you too,” she admitted, seeing a smile work its way onto his lips as he scattered kisses across her knuckles.

“It’s like we’re made for each other,” he said quietly, a joking lilt in his voice. She giggled, kissing his cheek and pulling her hands away, taking a few steps back from him.

“I already know we are, kitty,” she spoke, watching his mouth drop open a little. “Let’s get this patrol started, shall we?” she asked, and he smirked a little, rushing over and pushing her yo-yo down as she lifted her arm to throw it.

“I think we can walk our patrol route today,” he said, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Walk?” she asked, and he nodded enthusiastically, attaching her yo-yo back onto her waist for her.

“I wanna be able to talk to you,” he explained, making butterflies stir in her stomach.

“That’s sweet, but we can’t exactly walk across the rooftops of Paris,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. He raised a finger, shaking it a little at her.

“Nothing’s impossible for Chat Noir, m’lady,” he grinned. “When there’s a gap we need to cross, I’ll carry you across like a true gentleman,” he told her, bowing towards her and making her giggle. She was blushing, rolling her eyes at how lighthearted and silly he always made an effort to be.

“Then lead the way, sir,” she said, watching him stifle a laugh and begin to walk, motioning for her to follow.

They started along their normal patrol route, and after a few minutes, she’d already been carried over a few gaps by her dorky boyfriend. When they reached a long and narrow stretch of roofing, she reached over and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. Both of them smiled at each other, and she wondered where all the room in her heart for loving him had come from. It seemed like there was no end to it.

As she thought about how it had all started, she was pulled under a wave of a thousand different emotions.

When Adrien had come and confessed to loving her in return, she knew that she would remember that as the happiest day of her life. The one she truly loved felt the same way about her.

On the other hand, being forced to break up with her boyfriend was the most painful thing Marinette had ever had to do. She was so blinded by sorrow and grief and pain that she didn’t even think about the possibility of getting akumatized. But he was there for her then too.

And since the reveal of their identities to each other, since that day in the rain, things had been quiet. The peace that suddenly surrounded her felt strange, but she tried to appreciate it while she could. Mr. Agreste hadn’t said anything else about their relationship, but they tried to stay out of the public eye as much as possible anyway. Plus, there hadn’t been an akumatization since that day. Maybe the universe wanted her to be happy.

And she really, really was.

Looking up at her boyfriend, she felt like her heart had been filled to the brim and could burst at any moment. He returned her gaze, blinking at her with an adorable look of curiosity.

“What?” he wondered, and she sighed happily, holding his hand tighter.

“I love you,” she answered, watching him blink in surprise and then melt into a warm happiness.

“I love you too,” he breathed out, making her stomach flip and her shoulders lift to press to her ears. A happy giggle spilled from her lips, her whole body buzzing.

“Do you know how adorable you are?” he asked her, and she looked back up at him, blushing brightly. “And you’re even more adorable when you’re embarrassed,” he grinned, reaching down with his free hand to poke her side. She laughed a little but then quickly pouted at him, and she watched the realization flash in his eyes.

“Ah, sorry!” he chuckled, holding up his guilty hand. “I know I’m banned from tickles for a week, I just forgot,” he explained, and she nodded, letting her pout drop.

“You bet you are,” she replied, finding it funny how quickly the tone of their conversation had changed but that the love in the air hadn’t. He laughed, taking another stride and pulling her along.

They walked for a few more minutes in silence, both of them appreciating the sky as it shifted into a deeper shade of navy blue.

“I never want this to end,” he said suddenly, and she turned to look at him, blushing when she found his eyes already on her.

“Well, uh, I still have that history project to work on, so I can’t stay out for too long but if--” she started, stopping when he shook his head at her.

“I mean us,” he clarified, and she blinked at him in realization.

“It won’t,” she said firmly, feeling his hand squeeze hers tightly.

“Good. I don’t care what my father has to say,” he said, a new color showing through in his voice. She watched him, thinking back to how afraid she was when his father had said that he would pull his son out of school if she didn’t break it off.

Ladybug pulled him gently to a stop, letting go of his hand and pushing herself against him for a hug.

“I never want to lose you,” she said against his neck, feeling his arms sliding across her back.

“You won’t,” he whispered into her hair, pressing a quick kiss to the skin just below her ear.

She sighed happily, holding Adrien tightly and wholeheartedly believing him.

~~~~~

i just re-read this for the first time in a few days and the ending made me cry im gajsbglsjbdg

thank you all for reading! your support means so much to me! 

[mikauzoran]

Platonic Alyanette/Background Adrienette/Eventual Ladrien: Drunk Ladybug on My Balcony? Yeah. This is Fine.: Chapter Two

Read it on AO3: Drunk Ladybug on My Balcony? Yeah. This is Fine.: Chapter Two: The Aftermath

Marinette awoke with her face buried in a familiar pair of breasts and feeling like she’d been hit in the face by an akumatized opera singer who had been turned into a backhoe all over again. (It was a rather unique experience that had occurred almost three years prior, but it was not something Marinette was likely to forget anytime soon. Getting clotheslined by the backhoe akuma had been more painful, but this was a very close second.)

“Alyaaaaaa,” she whined, not bothering to extract herself from the comfort of their snuggling position.

Alya groaned, rolling over onto her back and taking her squishy warmth with her. “What is it?” she inquired groggily, giving a stretch.

“I feel like death,” Marinette whimpered.

“I’m not surprised,” Alya hummed, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. “You got yourself blind drunk last night. I practically had to scrape your carcass off of the floor and drag you in here.”

Marinette made an overly dramatic sound to emphasize her wretchedness. “I’m dying.”

Alya shook her head, chuckling as she ruffled her best friend’s hair fondly. “No, you’re not, you goof.”

“I feel like it,” Marinette grumbled, screwing her eyes closed against the light trickling in from the gap at the top of the curtains.

“Sit tight,” Alya instructed, crawling over Marinette and out of bed. “I’ll be back with some food, water, and pain pills. You going to be okay for, like, fifteen minutes?”

Marinette made a doubtful sound.

“Hang in there,” Alya encouraged, giving Marinette’s shoulder a gentle pat. “I’ll come back with some water before I start on the food.”

“Thanks,” Marinette replied sheepishly through her misery.

“No problem, Girl,” Alya assured. “What are friends for, right? I’ve got your back.”

 Fifteen minutes later, Alya returned with a croque madame sandwich and some pain killers.

“I read something about eggs and meat being good for hangovers,” she explained, carefully setting the tray down across Marinette’s lap.

“You are a godsend,” Marinette sighed happily as she dug into the meal, savoring the way the flavors and textures of the ham, bread, cheese, and egg combined in her mouth.

“I know I am.” Alya preened as she grabbed her desk chair and pulled it over next to the bed. “So…”

She bit her lip, looking down at the toast, jam, and banana she had grabbed for herself. “…How much of last night do you remember?”

“Not much,” Marinette responded through a mouthful of sandwich. She was almost already halfway done with it. “I remember Adrien is an idiot with no appreciation for beauty. I wore my ‘battle armor’ last night, and he barely checked me out. Like, I’m beginning to think that he’s gay, Alya, and just doesn’t feel like he can tell anyone because of his stupid, controlling father.”

“Maybe he’s demi,” Alya suggested, trying to be helpful. “Maybe he doesn’t get attracted to people like that unless he’s in love with them or something.”

“I don’t know,” Marinette snorted, giving her head a dismissive toss to cover some of the hurt and frustration she was feeling. “I’m starting not to care. I’ve wasted enough of my time on this.”

“Time to try to get over him?” Alya very pointedly didn’t add “again” to the end of her sentence.

Marinette had been going through this cycle for the past seven years: she’d fall hard for Adrien when he did or said something particularly sweet or vulnerable that set her off, pursue him wholeheartedly for a while, get her hopes up only to invariably have them crushed, and then vow to get over him. She did her best for a month or two (or sometimes even five or six) to treat Adrien as a friend and push her romantic feelings for him aside…only for Adrien to do or say something that made her fall for him all over again.

Alya had learned long ago just to ride out the cycle and be there for her friend no matter what as it ran its course.

Marinette nodded sadly. “Yeah. I think it’s time. Last night was bad, Alya. I’m lucky I wasn’t akumatized. I need to get this under control.”

Alya nodded supportively.

Suddenly, Marinette looked up as if remembering something. “Oh, yeah. Thank you for last night. I’m sorry if I was a pain. I didn’t interrupt you working on your article, did I?”

“No, no.” Alya waved her concern away. “I was actually calling it quits for the night when you got here, so you didn’t interrupt anything.”

Marinette frowned, scanning her fuzzy, fractured memories. “When I got here? Did I take a cab or something?”

Alya bit her lip, knowing that it was time to come clean. “Marinette, don’t freak, but you crashed landed onto my balcony.”

Marinette blinked several times, lips moving slowly around the words, repeating, “crashed on your balcony” under her breath, trying to make sense of it. “How did I…?”

She nearly dropped her sandwich as her eyes widened as she realized what must have happened.

“No,” she gasped. “Nonononono. No.” She began to laugh, on the edge of hysteria.

“Marinette, listen to me,” Alya commanded, setting her plate aside so she could move onto the bed beside her friend. She grabbed Marinette’s hands and squeezed them tight. “Everything is fine, so don’t freak out.”

“Don’t freak out?” Marinette giggled. “Don’t freak out? I can’t—Do you even know how—”

“—Marinette, calm down,” Tikki coaxed, coming out of hiding to assist Alya in breaking the news.

“Tikki, how am I supposed to calm down?” Marinette squeaked, clearly panicking. “My identity—! I can’t—!”

“Shh,” Alya cooed, wrapping her arms around Marinette as she began to tremble and hyperventilate. “It’s going to be all right. Your identity is safe with me, Marinette. I promise you that. No one else is going to find out, and I’m not telling anyone, even if they torture me. I promise.”

“You’re not… But what about the Ladyblog?” Marinette asked, pulling back just enough to peer up at Alya, looking mystified. “You’re not going to write an article?”

Alya could only stare at her friend for a moment in utter disbelief. “You really think I would do that?”

Marinette had to think about it for a minute. “…I don’t…know? …No?”

“No,” Alya stressed in a tone that left no doubt concerning the matter. “No, Marinette. I would never,” she assured with a quiet solemnity. “I get it. Maybe I didn’t when I was thirteen and superheroes and akumas were new and exciting. I know I was obsessed with finding out your identity for a time, but it’s different now.”

“It is?” Marinette whispered, feeling lost, confused, and afraid.

Alya nodded, reaching up to pet Marinette’s hair gently. “I know I’m still a little fanatical about my blog and capturing the footage and getting the scoop, and I know I do those speculation posts about your identity, but…I would never publish this sort of thing when it could put you and all of Paris in danger.”

Alya took a deep breath and swallowed at the resurgence of dark memories. “I know what it felt like for me when my identity was exposed. I know how it felt to be terrified that Papillon was going to come after me as a civilian or attack my family and friends to get to me. I know what it was like for me to be outed, and I would never do that to someone else, especially not you.”

“Oh,” Marinette breathed, finally starting to feel the air enter and exit her lungs normally again.

Alya nodded, cupping Marinette’s cheek and giving it a loving pat as she smiled reassuringly. “You are my best friend, and I would never put you through that. And I get how important it is to keep Ladybug’s identity a secret, not just for you but to keep all of Paris safe. Even if it wasn’t you, who I love like family, I still would never have published Ladybug’s identity. I’m not a dumb kid anymore,” she explained softly. “I get it. I really get it, Marinette, so don’t worry. You’re safe. Okay?”

Alya held Marinette’s gaze for a long moment as Marinette searched her face, heartrate gradually coming down as she realized that there was no danger.

Slowly, Marinette began to nod, and a tentative smile spread across her lips. “Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay…. Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary,” Alya assured, pulling away and going back to her breakfast. “I’ve got your back, Girl.”

Marinette blew out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and sitting quietly for a moment before wearily returning to her croque madame.

“You okay?” Alya sought to verify.

Marinette laughed self-deprecatingly, shaking her head. “I am such an idiot.”

Alya clicked her tongue. “No, you’re not. You’re a crazy genius.”

“No,” Marinette insisted, taking a savage bite of her sandwich. “I’m dumb. Super dumb. I bet Chat Noir has never gotten drunk and crashed onto anyone’s balcony and exposed his secret identity through sheer stupidity.”

“Girl, I’ve met Chat Noir. I’m sure he’s done plenty of other dumb things,” Alya snorted flatly. “So, you screwed up once in seven years. It’s a big deal, but it’s not the end of the world or anything. It’s just me, and the buck stops here.”

“But what if I screw up again?” Marinette fretted down at her sandwich.

“Don’t get so drunk in the future,” Alya suggested matter-of-factly. “If you do want to get that drunk, have me there to chaperone so you don’t crash into anyone else’s sliding glass doors trying to get home. It’s that simple. Problem solved.”

Marinette pressed her lips together, considering for a moment. “I mean… Yeah, but…”

“But nothing,” Alya dismissed her arguments with a wave. “This is the first time you’ve slipped up like this, right?”

“Yeah. So?” Marinette shot Alya a quizzical look.

“So, I’ve given you a fool-proof solution to the only problem you’ve encountered in the past seven years,” Alya replied confidently. “There’s no point in worrying about solutions for problems you haven’t run into yet and can’t anticipate. The case is closed, so enjoy your sandwich and tell me all about what it’s like to be Ladybug already. I’ve been dying for the exclusive all this time. Marinette, you’re killing me.”

A bout of giggles caught Marinette by surprise, and she found herself genuinely smiling at her friend. “You won’t publish any of this?”

“Not a word,” Alya swore, holding up her hand as if taking an oath. “So, spill. What’s Chat Noir like? You know I ship you two. What are Catboy’s chances? You two have kissed before, right? Is he a good kisser? Do you two have a secret thing? Have you been holding out on me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Alya,” Marinette groaned.

“Marinette,” Alya parroted, a wide, self-satisfied smirk stretching from one ear to the other.

[rhub4rb]

Of Birds and Bugs

AO3

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7

-_-_-_-

Marinette hadn’t put much thought into school, the weekend of the gala.

She knew that the pictures of the event would be all over social media, seeing as it had been a big deal. But not once had she thought about her classmates seeing it. Not once had she thought about Lila seeing it.

The night had been wonderful, very long, but wonderful, and Marinette’s manager was sure that her appearing at the event would boost her popularity in France.

But just because there had been a gala, did not mean Marinette was free from practice the next day. Sunday afternoon, Marinette came into the dance studio and late Sunday evening, Marinette left.

Marinette had been exhausted, and she had fallen asleep the moment her body had hit her chaise.

So, it was safe to say, Marinette’s brain had not been thinking about Lila and her classmates seeing the gala photos.

Maybe, if Marinette had thought about it, she would have noticed the weird, tense silence that entered the courtyard when Marinette arrived at school Monday morning. Maybe, Marinette would have noticed all the stares full of awe that were sent her way when she walked up the stairs.

But practice had been long that Sunday, so Marinette was tired, and she hadn’t completely woken up yet.

She wasn’t allowed to stay inside of her half-asleep state however because the moment she stepped foot inside the classroom, she wished she had just stayed at home in bed, like her parents had offered her.

“I can’t believe you know NeTi, Lila.”

Marinette froze at the door, a feeling of nausea rising inside her, the world turning, to the point she had to support herself up the door.

“Of course! I was the one who introduced her to Clara Nightingale as well.” Lila’s smile was sickeningly sweet, promising more than anyone bargained for. “Clara had originally wanted me as her protegé, but I’m simply too busy with all of my charity work, I was forced to turn her down.”

Bile rose in Marinette’s throat, but she swallowed it, along with her tears. Marinette was about to respond that, no, Lila did not, in fact, introduce NeTi to Clara, that was Jagged, but it seemed someone else had something to say on the matter.

“But isn’t Marinette NeTi?”

Alix.

Marinette almost burst into tears right there, the sheer amount of joy and happiness overflowing in her, overflooding and spreading.

“Marinette?” Lila huffed in disbelief, but Marinette could see it, the anger, the way her shoulders were tense, the way her hands fisted. “Of course not, they just look alike, you know,” Lila glanced at Marinette, and Marinette could feel her heart dropping to the floor, heavy with lead and misery. “Because they’re Asian.”

Anger cracked through the lead and misery, until Marinette’s heart almost burst at the seams.

She opened her mouth, ready to explain and to call Lila out, especially for the racist comment, but Adrien sensed what was coming, and from his position beside Lila, quickly sent Marinette a pleading look.

Don’t expose her, it said.

She isn’t hurting anyone, it said.

It didn’t say that they were in it together. Because that simply wasn’t true.

But it was enough to enforce the quiet in Marinette, and her dry mouth clamped shut, blood roaring in her ears.

Marinette didn’t spare the class another glance. She just turned her back and walked out.

-

Alix had been excited for school that Monday.

Who wouldn’t be when they just found out that their class president was a freaking idol?

Plus, it had felt like the perfect way to mend the broken bond between the class and Marinette.

Alix never really thought that the stuff Marinette did had been all that bad, Chloe had been way worse, and it wasn’t often that Marinette hated someone without good reason.

But Marinette had become more distant since Lila had arrived, always claiming to be busy with something, saying that she had things to do. Back then, it had hurt. Marinette was a good friend, and suddenly she just didn’t seem interested in any of them anymore.

Of course, the class hadn’t exactly been the nicest to her back then.

And, as Alix thought it over as she took her seat in the class, Marinette probably had been busy.

With idol stuff.

So cool.

Alix immediately shot Kim an excited grin, one returned wholeheartedly.

“Did you see the pictures of Marinette this weekend?” Alix asked her grin growing wider.

“Did I? My mom wanted to frame them!” Kim tried to make it sound like he was complaining, but the wide smile on his face betrayed his real feelings on the matter. “Did you hear some of her music?”

Alix took out her phone and opened it to show him the first full album.

‘Butterfly.’

“It’s freaking sick. You wouldn’t think that rock music would fit so well with that whole idol thing.”

The rest of the class filed in, all discussing Marinette, or NeTi as she apparently went by as a performer, with various degrees of excitement. Alya looked like she was about to explode having to wait for Marinette, probably hoping to get an interview, more than anything.

Alix and Kim were so caught up in their little conversation that they didn’t even hear what the rest of class was saying, not paying them any attention until they heard Alya’s voice cut through the classroom.

“I can’t believe you know NeTi, Lila.”

All conversation in the classroom halted, and none of them even seemed to notice the frozen Marinette at the door.

“Of course! I was the one who introduced her to Clara Nightingale as well.” Alix knew that wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true, because Marinette was NeTi. It was obvious that she was NeTi. So Alix did the right thing. “Clara had originally wanted me as her protegé, but I’m simply too busy with all of my charity work, I was forced to turn her down.”

Alix spoke up.

“But isn’t Marinette NeTi?”

Alix hardly noticed the annoyed glare Lila had sent her way, before Lila put on that too sweet smile, but Alix noticed and now it was so obvious what was going on.

“Marinette?” Alix was offended on Marinette’s behalf on the sheer amount of disbelief in Lila’s voice. “Of course not, they just look alike, you know,” Alix hoped that Lila wouldn’t finish that sentence the way she thought she would. “Because they’re Asian.”

Alix was just about to start yelling when she was elbowed in the side. She shot Kim a disgruntled look, but he nodded his head towards the classroom door. For a split second, as Alix turned her head to look at the door, she hoped beyond her growing dread that it wasn’t Marinette, don’t let it be Marinette-

Marinette looked so pale, like polluted snow.

She swayed, like a leaf in the wind, and she turned, and she walked out.

Alix wanted to throw up.

-

Kim couldn’t have gone to school fast enough, despite knowing that Marinette rarely ever came to school on time.

If there was a chance he could talk to Marinette before class started, he would very much like to.

First, to apologize for not being a good friend, and after that, to fangirl because holy hell Marinette was an idol.

At least he understood why she had become so distant. She had been busy. Among other things.

He felt like a jerk.

And he wanted to make up for that.

Kim knew he wasn’t the only one thinking this, he had been texting Alix the whole weekend about it, as well as discussing the fact that Marinette had been an idol for almost 3 years at this point. It was weird to think about.

It had also been a rabbit hole that he quickly fell into. He found interviews, fancams, TV features, live streams, and practice videos.

Don’t even get him started on the music videos.

Before he knew it, he had become a Titanium, as Marinette’s fans were apparently called.

Even after spending the better part of the weekend talking about this with Alix, they still managed to keep a conversation going about the major secret that Marinette had held.

They understood why she had kept it a secret, of course, Marinette had even mentioned it in an interview once. How everyone around her would feel disingenuine if their behavior changed, just because they knew about her career. She didn’t want that.

Still, Kim would fangirl over the fact that he was in the same class as an international star.

His and Alix’s discussion about which single was the best was cut short, however, by one comment.

“I can’t believe you know NeTi, Lila.”

Kim’s head shot up in the direction of Alya’s voice, and sure enough the rest of the class was surrounding Lila, like she was preaching heaven speak.

He saw Marinette too, frozen and pale, opening and closing her mouth, likely trying to find words to say.

She didn’t get the chance to say anything.

“Of course! I was the one who introduced her to Clara Nightingale as well.” Lila’s voice didn’t sound right in his ears, like it used to. “Clara had originally wanted me as her protegé, but I’m simply too busy with all of my charity work, I was forced to turn her down.”

Marinette was shaking. Her head, her hands, almost like she had been dumped in icy water.

Kim didn’t even know what to say, and only looked at Marinette with growing concern.

“But isn’t Marinette NeTi?”

The amount of happiness Kim saw taking over Marinette by just that made him want to punch a hole in the wall.

“Marinette?” Punch a hole in Lila, he meant. “Of course not, they just look alike, you know,” Kim really wanted to punch a hole in Lila. “Because they’re Asian.”

Kim saw Marinette’s anger flare, prepares to back her up when she snaps at Lila, notes Marinette opening her mouth-

She wilts like a flower in winter, and Kim follows her eyes.

Adrien.

He seemed to be looking at Marinette pleasingly, almost like he doesn’t-

The sick realization forces Kim to elbow Alix, because nothing seemed to be what it looked like anymore.

-

Marinette decided to head home.

She didn't know what else to do, but the thought of passing by Master Fu’s place later seemed rather appealing.

For now, the comforting weight of Tikki against her leg had to be enough, until she reached home.

When she reached the courtyard, however, she was stopped by a boy with black hair and a red hoodie.

It was Marc.

“Hey, Marinette, I was just, uhm, I was just wondering if maybe, you could, uh, you could sign this for me?”

Her eyes widened, tears welling up as she looked between him and the notebook he was holding out to her.

“I… I would love to.” Her voice was hoarse and thick with emotion, and Marinette was quick to cough in hopes of clearing it up a bit. “What- uhm, what would you like me to sign it as?”

“Could you maybe sign it Marinette ‘NeTi’ Dupain-Cheng for me?” He’s smiling, and Marinette can barely hold the tears back as she accepts the notebook and pen, doing her best to sign it well, hoping to not spill tears on the page.

She leaves a message for him, of course, and hugs him tightly when she’s done, whispering quiet thank you’s in hopes that he understands what he just did for her.

He waves goodbye as she leaves, and Marinette, despite still feeling the heaviness of Lila and Adrien weighing on her, takes a deep liberating breath, and smiles.

-_-_-_-

@ozmav @shizukiryuu @kuroko26 @fangirl-food-feelings @driftingmoonlitpetals @spicybelladonna @izzynuggets @thebookwormfairy @god-is-dead-and-so-am-i @melicmusicmagic @minightrose @graduatedmelon @awkwardturtlez @sizzling-fairy-oil @thornangelic727 @royalchaoticfangirl @vixen-uchiha @mewwitch @my-name-is-michell @mikantsume @imfreakingmagical @quuen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @constancetruggle @kae690 @resignedcatservant @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @drama-queen-supreme @derpingrainbow @captainmac6 @k-rena-k @lunar-wolf-warrior @skyel0ve @fandomfan315 @fanboy7794 @friedchikening @yin-390 @unholykrow @teresarosiadeviluke2112 @ayuchan07 @seraphichana @justanothersepticeyefan @politelyvicious @roseinbloom02 

[muffindounat]

Saying goodbye (fanfic; post-S3-finale!! Spoilers!!!)

Tikki had accompanied many ladybugs on their way with help and advice, and all of them were unique and great in their own way. She kept each and every one of them alive in her tiny heart, thinking of each one of them every day while patiently waiting in Marinette's purse.

She mourned the fact that she outlived every chosen and every loss left a crack in her heart. Marinette, however, was unlike any other ladybug before her because she was by far the best. And since Marinette loved so freely, itensively, and wholeheartedly, moreover, her sheer presence was soothing and comforting, Tikki was able to forget her throbbing grief for a bit. And she enjoyed every single day with Marinette, she really did. However, and that was just the course of human life, all good things ended someday. And Tikki, with a heavy heart, recognized Marinette's train of thought as she looked at the spotted egg someday.

"Tikki, it’s enough, right?" Her face turned to where Tikki was flying. "I think I can stop now. Hawkmoth has been arrested and Paris is finally safe."

"Of course Marinette, you have more than accomplished your duty and Master Fu would be so proud," Tikki answered, her voice taking on a sad undertone. "But you will lose all your memories, you will forget Adrien, are you sure?"

A bittersweet smile was on her face at the question, her head slightly tilting away. Her eyes were hard to see through the hair. "I'm sure. I love you Tikki, but I would be happier without any memories."

"I love you too, Marinette," Tikki whispered, feeling like this would be the last meaningful conversation between them and trying to memorize every precious word spoken from her.

It was really hard, saying goodbye. Marinette smiled again, a facial expression that looked rather sad. "My only regret is that I’m going to forget you."

Her lips quivering, she broke eye contact with Tikki. "But I cannot be happy and live my life thinking that I'm going to see Adrien and Kagami getting married, seeing Chat getting married to another woman. Besides, and that’s actually the main reason, I’m tired. I’m so freaking tired of all these responsibilities and having to put up a front all the time."

"I understand that, Marinette, and you've never been able to fulfill your dreams before. I fully support you."

"After six years, I just want to be free."

Tikki landed on Marinette's hair, patting her head. An unspoken support and a sign to Marinette that Tikki understood.

"Make yourself happy, Mari."

After many days of crying and saying goodbye, Marinette said the spell under her breath. A new guardian was chosen from Tibet, and Ladybug disappeared from Paris.

Only slowly it dawned on the Parisians that something was definitely wrong. Tikki shook her head, because a few years went by until they fully realized that Ladybug would never come back.

Tikki was immensely sad because the last crack in her heart, caused by Marinette's retirement, was the deepest by far.

But the sight of Marinette cheered her up, who now enjoyed life much more freely. Her charming smile was back, finally reaching her eyes after eight years. Marinette started coming out of her shell and Tikki forgot her own pain, instead feeling relief in her heart.

If someone deserved to be happy, it was clearly Marinette; sweet, sweet Marinette, who finally decided to move forward. And Tikki was hella proud.

[my-miraculous-headcanons]

Kwami Swap AU

Yup. My take on one of the most popular prompts out there. :D

MARINETTE

     • Marinette, when she becomes the next Black Cat, doesn’t really take into consideration her hero name or her outfit. In fact, the only thing that’s going through her mind in terms of a black cat is one of those void cats— just a quiet, black blob with big eyes full of wonder and curiosity. 

     • Her costume reflects that, as well as the instincts she gets from it. She ends up being the mostly silent hero, who only really talks to her Beetle. She’s ridiculously good at stealth, but she’s not really fantastic at loud distractions. She learned later on, however, that she can steal an akuma’s attention by terrifying it. If she keeps blending into the shadows and popping out, like she’s stalking them, it seems to seriously unnerve them.

     • Her relationship with Plagg is, to put it simply, great. He doesn’t bug her for expensive cheeses, because he knows that she’s not a rich kid and her parents would notice immediately, but she still likes to surprise him every once and a while by using whatever money she scrounged up from commissions and getting him fancy camembert. Usually he’ll settle for cheesy bread, cheese danishes, and cheddar snacks. 

     • Marinette and Plagg are both mischievous beings. She comes up with wild ideas, and he full-heartedly supports them. She sort of becomes the school’s resident schemer. It’s been a long time since Plagg last had such a troublemaker for a chosen, so he’s really enjoying himself this time around. Plus, she gives him head scratches and cuddles. This is the life.

     • Marinette’s superhero alter ego has many different names in the public, because she’s never bothered to come up with one of her own, and she doesn’t deal with media really well. In fact, she just straight up tells Beetle her real name on the first meeting— Plagg hadn’t told her much about secret identities. He probably forgot, too focused on how exceptional her parents’ cheesy bread was.

     • She tells Beetle to just call her Chaton. The public sees that as more of a pet name, so they make attempts at other names for her, but she doesn’t really like any of them. 

     • She has a bit of a crush on the Beetle, but she stays quiet most of the time, so really, there’s no way of him knowing. She doesn’t flirt, and since she’s on the job, she never allows herself to stutter. The most she does is blush, but that just makes her seem a bit shy. She’s not.

ADRIEN

     • Adrien, when he becomes the next Beetle, is wholly prepared. He has a whole costume planned out, with a cool jacket, gloves, a black mask with white spots on either side, everything you can think of. Hell, he even has the transformation sequence down to a pat. 

     • Adrien’s eager, maybe a bit too eager, and ends up getting a lesson on patience pretty early in the game. He’s not meant for close combat— his abilities are more long-ranged, and he has to sit back and truly think about how he’s supposed to use his Lucky Charms. The start is rough, because him and Chaton didn’t really have any way of keeping the akuma off their backs long enough to formulate any solid plans. However, later on, things start to go better for them, and he at that point had already figured out how to think quickly whilst under pressure.

     • His relationship with Tikki is rather sweet. She has an open opinion about his father, and takes it upon herself to pretty much properly raise him. She smothers him in affection, gives him as much advice as she can provide, and listens to his heart troubles when he needs to vent. In return, Adrien likes to spoil her with the best sweets he can find. 

     • Adrien and Tikki both have a huge thing for sweets. Particularly the ones from the Dupain-Cheng patisserie. (Tikki likes to tease him about it though, so he only ever goes there on special occasions.) The school pretty much shoves any sort of snack they can find into Adrien’s arms, because everyone knows about his ginormous sweet tooth, and everyone thinks he deserves as much as he wants. Marinette brings him a croissant every morning, and Nino always hands him a chocolate bar during lunch. He usually gives the chocolate bar to Tikki, but those croissants? All his. Back off.

     • Adrien already prepared to call himself the Beetle before he even left his room, the day he got his Miraculous. It took him a while to actually announce that to the public, however, since the first few fights he had next to no time to stick around and answer questions— he spent way too long trying to figure out how to use his Lucky Charm. Eventually he was able to tell friendly teenage reporter, Alya, that he calls himself Beetle. It blew up rather quickly. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell anyone what his Chaton’s name was. He just calls her Chaton. 

     • He’s okay with the public disregarding his pet name and trying to figure out their own name for her. After all, he feels like he should be the only one who gets to call her that. 

     • Adrien has a ridiculous crush on Marinette, and yes, that crush extends to his friendly kitty, because he pretty much knew her identity from the beginning. She had just blurted it out, apparently not being informed about the whole secret identity thing. Begrudgingly, he didn’t want to disappoint Tikki, so he kept his mouth shut about his own identity. Marinette never seemed to mind, thankfully.

MIXED HEADCANONS

     • Adrien and Marinette quickly become good friends after the gum incident. Marinette was a bit embarrassed in the beginning, apologetic for having judged him so quickly. Adrien was super awkward at first, especially because of the sudden realisation that this girl is his superhero partner and he isn’t allowed to say anything about it.

     • Alya ships MariBeetle and has absolutely no shame about it, even though she does feel a little sorry for Adrien. After all, that poor boy has a crush the size of a skyscraper on Marinette, but... Well, best friends come first! And besides, she’s SEEN the Beetle give Marinette The Look™, which means there’s a legitimate possibility of it happening! At least Adrien also has a crush on the city’s feline hero. After all, once she makes MariBeetle happen, she’ll have the connections to make AdriChaton happen. 

     • Nino is also aware of that Look™ that the Beetle had given Marinette, but he’s quite frankly totally against MariBeetle. It’s the only thing he and Alya wholeheartedly disagree on. First of all, he has to look out for his bro, and he knows Adrien has a thing for Marinette. Secondly, there’s no way he’d ever let Marinette get swept up in that superhero business! She’s like his little sister, he doesn’t want her getting hurt or targeted by Hawkmoth!

     • Literally no one knows about Marinette’s massive crush on the Beetle except, possibly, Alya, and even Alya’s not 100% sure about it. Marinette keeps her secrets locked up tight, and if it were any other boy, she’d probably gush about them all the time, but... It’s a little weird for people to think that she’s just some fangirl, when in actuality, that’s not the case. She doesn’t want people she knows to dumb down her infatuation to some simple celebrity crush thing. That’s not the case at all.

     • Adrien’s, like, secretly on board with more than half of the wild plans Alya has in order to set Marinette up with the Beetle, but he can’t say it because it would look super suspicious of him to suddenly be okay with Marinette dating some other dude. It’s unfortunate that Marinette quickly and calmly shoots down every idea, using perfectly logical points.

     • Adrien has spotted Marinette and her Kwami once, and it was... possibly the cutest exchange he’s ever seen in his life. Plagg kind of acts like a snot, but it’s perfectly clear that he has a major soft spot for his chosen. He called Chloe a very colourful name, then started purring and cuddling up into Marinette’s cheek. Tikki was fighting to keep her giggling in at the sight. She later tells Adrien that Plagg very rarely acts so openly affectionate.

     • Marinette doesn’t put up posters in her room. She’s seriously not in the mood to seem like a fangirl, and since Alya’s in her room all the time, she really can’t put any even if she wanted to. She doesn’t want Alya to know. She does have her phone screensaver as the Beetle and his Chaton, though.

     • Tom and Sabine absolutely know that the strapping young man who sometimes visits the bakery has the biggest crush on their daughter ever, and they’re, quite frankly, on his side. Or, well, Tom is. Sabine is a little scary and makes a point to give him a hidden threat every time he visits, basically informing him that if he hurts Marinette, he’ll be uppercutted directly into the sun.

     • There’s a lot of pranks and stuff that happens at the school, but the problem is that literally no one knows who’s pulling it. Well, that isn’t true, pretty much everyone high-key expects that it’s Marinette, but the problem is that there’s no proof. No one can ever catch her in the act, and no matter how much searching you do, you won’t find your stolen items on her or in any of her belongings. She’s a ninja.

Anyone is welcomed and encouraged to add their own thoughts! Hope you liked this, it was fun to write. My mother and I caught a stray kitten recently and I’ve just been brimming with happiness and creativity since then. :)

[iamwhelmed]

Honeymoon Due

Summary: Marinette accomplishes her dreams-- being a designer, owning her own boutique, and even marrying Adrien Agreste! What she’d always wanted just didn’t exactly happen the way she wanted it to...

RATED M

If you like my work, please support me on ko-fi! <3

“Loveless Marriage” wasn’t anything Marinette expected for herself. No, far from it. She imagined that she’d walk down the aisle in a fancy gown she made all by herself and he’d cry when he saw her, that she’d spend her time chasing her dreams, that her husband would support her wholeheartedly and love her with such ferocity that the world could feel it-- like her parents. To be fair, she got most of that. Her wedding dress was, in fact, a Marinette original, a sweetheart neckline that fell like silk over her shoulders and trailed behind her like a queen’s cape. White as snow, fit her body as though Tikki had magiced it out of the thin air. Modest in length but short enough to see her pointed kitten heels. She ran her own boutique, and her customers adored her every creation. She was fairly known locally, and had refused several offers to expand because she simply wasn’t ready. Her husband certainly supported her with everything he had, which was a large sum of inheritance and all the words of affirmation she could handle-- Adrien was always an amazing friend.

He just wasn’t a good husband, not in the emotional sense.

He did all the things husbands should do, like help with chores, work with her as a team (they were really efficient with taxes), and he never, ever forgot a birthday or anniversary. But love? Well, Marinette had doubts when he’d proposed. Nobody else seemed to, and if Nino nor Alya thought that maybe (just maybe) he wasn’t in love with her, then clearly she was just overthinking things, right? Tikki, who was never, with all her years of experience, lacking in advice,  always seemed to get quiet when Marinette mused aloud to her about the whole thing. “I think he loves you, Marinette,” she’d said once. “Just you wait, I bet he’s gonna sweep you off your feet!” Adrien didn’t cry when she walked down the aisle.

Well, he had swept her off her feet in the sense that she was still madly in love with him. The...intimacy… that came with marriage, though? Marinette, five months married, was ashamed to say their honeymoon was spent exploring the beauties of the world’s most touristy locations (Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower, several century-old cathedrals…) and less breaking in a bed. Aside from sleeping. Which was the only thing they did together in a bed. She hadn’t had the heart to complain to Alya yet, not when she’d gone as far as helping her through the very stressful, very experimental process of helping her find Wifey lingerie. Adrien had never seen it, and to be honest she was considering throwing the set (a white lace bodice, strung up with panties that were certainly not meant to be worn so much as they were meant to be taken off and thrown across a room, tucked neatly in a drawer, under a few sleeping shirts so he’d never find it) away before something awkward inevitably happened. Knowing her, that time was approaching with teeth-grinding intensity. She could feel the sharp, hungry nails of impending embarrassment clawing down her back.

The kissing--er, Adrien kissed her cheek, and when his lips neared her mouth, he pecked and moved smooth as ice away from her. It killed her when he did that, because she knew it was for the paparazzi, that it was for appearances so everybody thought they were a happy married couple. She’d thought to herself, a few days into their vacation, if perhaps he was just shy, being as sheltered as he had been most of his life; those thoughts (hopes, excuses, whatever you wanna call them…) were dashed when they moved into their sleek uptown apartment and he still didn’t touch her. The idea that he wasn’t interested in sex crossed her mind, but that thought also… diminished… when she found several lewd Ladybug cosplayers saved on his computer whilst she searched for a work file he needed her to print. She’d blushed, and vaguely wondered if she should make her own cosplay and see if he had a crush on her alter ego, but brushed the thought away as the conflict of revealing her identity immediately clashed.

Maybe just… Ladybug-inspired lingerie, then?

Her whole body grew red hot and she threw her head uselessly against the desk a handful of times.

She’d known, honestly, for a long time. Adrien hadn’t ever touched her out on dates or kissed her, even if he did hold her hand. He had never loved her, not really, he was settling and they both knew it; he just didn’t know that she knew it. If Gabriel’s investment in their wedding meant anything, she had a running theory on her husband’s intentions. It was a formality, for him to get married, and all the better if the art of design stuck in the family. She wouldn’t be surprised if Gabriel started pushing for grandchildren soon, especially since her well-meaning parents were already getting antsy. She hadn’t broached the subject with Adrien, but considering their marital bed was far from active or explored, she figured that topic was best left alone.

She loved him, truly, she did. There was no other man she wanted so badly, no man who meant so much to her that she’d be willing to subject herself to months of affectionless, almost fake domesticity, but she had to wonder if her limit was fast approaching. She could only pretend to be happy for so long before it broke her. Being in an unrequited love was one thing, but constantly subjecting herself to a situation where her heart was as open as it bloody well could have been and receiving nothing for it… even Ladybug couldn’t stand to be an accessory for so long.

She sighed and dropped her bag on the floor, exhausted from the patterns she’d spent all day laboring over and the mental toll overthinking her hopeless marriage had taken. Adrien wouldn’t be home for at least three more hours, and Chat Noir was expecting her in ten minutes. Ladybug was surprisingly desperate to get away from her comfy apartment with her Model-Extraordinaire-Husband and get a breath of fresh air with her flirty kitty. She missed the muffled voice from the other side of their bedroom door as she pushed it open.

Upon flicking the switch, she found Chat Noir himself standing brazenly in the middle of the bedroom, looking for all the world like a cat with a half-eaten bird in its mouth. They both froze.

Moments ticked by, wide green eyes pointedly staring into slanted, confused blue ones.

She sighed. “Chat Noir, what are you doing in my house?”

“Y-Your house? O-Oh, yes, I, well, uh…” He tugged at the collar of his suit, which exposed the already-visible skin on his chest even more than usual, what with his half-open zipper. The unsatisfied, mistreated wife of a clueless, sexless model flared within her at the sight, but she pushed the inner singing voice down. Chat grinned at her, slipping into his typical composure as easy as one slips into a worn pair of jeans. “I was coming to check in on you, Princess. Heard you got married!”

Marinette scoffed, and immediately Chat’s face fell. “Legally, I guess. Yeah.”

“Marinette?”

She crossed the room and plopped down on the king-sized mattress she and Adrien slept side-by-side in every night, let her shoulders sag. No use pretending she was a happy-go-lucky successful designer with a perfect husband when she knew Chat Noir could keep a secret. Besides, he was her best friend, her kitty, her partner-- the man she damn well would have ended up with had Adrien not been in the picture. She knew it, she was sure Chat knew it, not that he knew she was Ladybug or that the other guy in the picture was Adrien. “You know what it’s like… to be in love…” she squeezed her eyes shut, tried to breath and keep the budding threat of tears at bay. “To not be loved back.”

“Princess,” something in Chat’s voice had bristled, like he was offended on behalf of her husband. “I certainly hope you’re not going around falling for other men!”

“Other than my husband?” She said it with air quotes. “No, I love him. Only him. Always have.”

“But you’re married? Clearly it’s mutual, right?”

Something in Chat’s voiced begged her to say “yes”, to tell him that she was just being dramatic because Adrien hadn’t left a note this morning when he left-- which he had. She couldn’t. A broken sob hit her chest and she leaned forward into her hands. “You’d think!” Her body shook, and she felt so horrible not like Ladybug right then. “I’m an ornament, Chat! I was an easy solution. I don’t know, maybe his dad wanted him to get married? He knew me? Knew I loved him? Knew I wouldn’t say no?” She shook her head and exhaled, hating the way her lungs stuttered. “I love him so much! But I’m not his wife! I’m his friend! That’s all I’ve ever been to him! I’ll bet he’s still in love with that other girl, the one he kept mentioning when we were, like, fourteen.” She snorted. “Can’t blame him, that’s how long I’ve loved him, so…”

The bed sprung, and she knew that if she turned, she would find Chat Noir haphazardly lazing on the bed next to her. “What makes you say that?” His words came out soft, softer than she’d heard out of him in a long while. Soft like he was talking to Ladybug. “I woulda thought he was a good partner.”

“Partner, yes. Husband, no.” She wiped away her tears and took a few deep breaths. It would be okay. She would calm down, she’d get used to this “marriage”. Maybe. Hopefully. Heaven knew it was all she’d ever wanted, just not as she’d dreamed. “Adrien is… amazing. He’s sweet, and gentle, and he’s understanding. I can always lean on him,” She chanced a glance at her partner, who was eyeing her from the side with what she could only assume was pity. Hurt, maybe, probably for her. Chat was good like that, a loyal, loving, empathetic kitty. The thought warmed her heart. A part of her wondered what would have happened if she knew Chat under the mask, if she would have married him instead, if he would have cried when she walked down the aisle (the honeymoon certainly would have been… wilder). She wondered if it wasn’t too late to tell him that she was Ladybug, see where things took them.

Would Adrien be relieved if they had an open marriage? Would he take a deep sigh and ease up his bones and tell her how glad he was that he wouldn’t have to pretend out of the public eye anymore? She scrunched her nose; that didn’t sound like Adrien. Then she snorted, because who was she kidding? She’d never want to be with anybody but Adrien, no matter how tempting the promise of her minou could be. “But I don’t think he loves me.”

Chat opened his mouth to respond, and she stopped him. “Not like that.”

He relented and fell silent again, leaning back on the bed in such a leisurely stretch, she’d have thought it was his bed. Marinette shook her head and tried to keep the tears that were making a second comeback away. “I think he married me because his dad wanted him to, and I think Adrien trusted me enough to not do something crazy like divorce him and take half his savings. Like I said,” she shrugged. “We’re friends. But I’ve always wanted more. I thought I could have that, that things would change after we got married.”

“What did you want to change?” Chat was gazing up at her from his now comfortable position on her and Adrien’s bed, head pressed against the fluffy mattress and the red comforter. His green eyes were gazing into her, in search of something and she wasn’t sure what. She turned her head over her shoulder to look at him.

“Us. I’d like to go on dates and cuddle on the couch. I’d like to not be a married virgin!” Chat’s face went the tingest red behind his mask, and her face was levels redder. She turned away from him again and crossed her arms over her chest, like she was adding another layer to her already-covered chest. Suddenly, any loving thoughts of an identity reveal flew far, far away; it would be better if Chat Noir never knew His Lady said something so embarrassing. “I’d like to kiss him, you know? Like an actual wife, like we,” she shut her eyes “love each other.”

She felt his claws, leather and tough, slipping around her arm, cupping the skin near her shoulder and warming it. He was sitting up, she assumed, because she could feel the bed creak under his shuffle. “How do you know it’s because he doesn’t love you?”

“What other reason could there be, Chat?”

His thumb ran in circles, small and simple, around her skin. The claw of his finger lightly grazed the muscle and tickled, and part of her hoped he wouldn’t break skin. She wasn’t sure how she’d explain that mark to Adrien (if he noticed). “You said you’re friends. Maybe he doesn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable? Maybe he already feels like you’re doing him a favor?” The thumb stopped, and the claw was digging not uncomfortably into her arm; he’d break the skin and leave a mark, she knew, but Chat’s caress was the closest she’d gotten to physical affection in months. She wasn’t about to squander the little solace for a husband who would probably be happy for her, or not care, or not ask any questions at all. “Maybe… he wants to kiss you. Maybe he’s thought about it a lot. Maybe, he just didn’t want you to think all of it was fake?”

Marinette snickered and raised her free hand to wipe a tear that had built against her will in her eye. “I doubt it. Besides, I don’t want to force him into--”

Chat turned her head by the chin and kissed her, unabashedly, passionately.

Chat kissed the way he did all things-- no plan, no cares, only feeling. She was swept off her feet in momentary bliss, fingers itching at the comforter as they ached to pull at his hair. He had one hand cupping her jaw, and he was tipping her up to meet his lips and bite at her until they parted and he could set his tongue to work just as well. She let him, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe she was touch-starved, maybe her confidence had taken a bit of a nosedive in the last half a year, or maybe her less-than-platonic feelings for Chat ran a lot deeper than she thought they did; but she kissed him. She moaned and let him grab at her waist and pull her closer. She let him press her down into the mattress and climb on top of her, and if his hands went places they shouldn’t have, she wouldn’t have noticed in the flight of it all.

Right there, on the bed she shared with the boy of her dreams, she was going to break her marital bed in-- without her husband. It should have felt wrong, she should have screamed and slapped him and (for pete sake yelled at him about fraternizing with a civilian which was COMPLETELY unethical) she should have told him not to come visit her again. But she didn’t. She should have hated herself and Chat should have been long gone already and she should have been screaming to Tikki about her infidelity. But she didn’t; no, something about being there with Chat felt leagues right above anything else she’d ever done. Better than opening up her boutique. Better than stopping an akuma. Better than baking her first perfect macaroon. Chat’s fingers in her hair, his body pressed against hers with no space between to speak of, his lips trailing from her lips to her neck where he was biting and kissing and doing everything she’d ever dreamt Chat would do to Ladybug if she’d given him the greenlight-- all of it felt universally right, like fate had brought them here, like Chat was always supposed to be the one.

That wasn’t to say she didn’t still love Adrien-- she did, oh part of her wanted this to be him so, so very badly, but even Ladybug knew when she’d been beat. If Adrien truly was her friend, if he didn’t want to play the role of “lover” that came with the “husband” title, then this had to be fair game.

Chat paused in his ministrations, lips sucking off her skin with a “pop”. He chuckled, low and deep and it stirred her and spurned her further. “Never did get over that crush you had on me, huh?”

“W-what?” It took her a few seconds to register that he meant the weredad incident. Oh. She grimaced and playfully slapped his shoulder. “Don’t let it get to your head, you mangy cat!”

He laughed, wholeheartedly, face digging into her neck and the mattress beneath as fits had their way with his body. Marinette nearly fell into hysterics just hearing and feeling him squirming atop her. She raised a hand to her mouth and stifled the sound that escaped. “I-It’s hard n-not to, P-Princess!” He pulled up and over her, caging her in on the bed with his limbs, green eyes glaring into her with a warm, familiar glow. The mirth was plain on his face, like he knew something she didn’t. She wondered what that would be, but dared not ask. He smirked: “It’s already certainly gone to one head.”

Her face grew three shades hotter. She reached up, grabbed a pillow, and smacked him.

He laughed even harder, pulling back to sit on his knees, but still kept his hands straddling her hips, nails creeping over the band of her jeans. “I should p-probably give Ladybug a call! Let her know I can’t make it to patrol tonight!”

Oh yeah, patrol… that thing she was supposed to go on.

Marinette pretended to be none the wiser as Chat whipped out his staff and dialed in Ladybug’s number. To no surprise, Ladybug did not pick up. Chat raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off nonetheless. “Hello, My Lady. Just wanted to let you know that this cat won’t be an outdoor cat tonight.” Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled to herself at the voicemail she’d get later, and the memories she was yet to make, but would inevitably still be fresh next time she transformed. Chat’s face grew sly in a way she hadn’t really seen him get before. She wondered if it was his smolder face. As much as she hated to say it, for fear of adding to his ego, it worked. “You see, I’ve been a terrible housecat as of late. My poor wife has been feeling neglected, and I wouldn’t be much of a husband if I didn’t, at the very least, lick the bowl clean.”

Wait. Wait, wait-- what?

“Plagg, claws in.”

Chat Noir shut the call down seconds before a green light, gradient and laser-like in movement, emanated from the stray cat at the foot of her bed. She squeaked and reached up to shield her eyes, balling up on the bed in a fetal position as if her knees could cover her eyes, give her another layer.

Chat laughed. “C’mon, Princess. Open your eyes.” He reached over and pried her hands away from her squeezed eyes, holding them delicately as she struggled with the impending doom of seeing Chat without the mask. That made this too real, made cheating on Adrien so much more real! “Marinette, it’s okay,” he brought her hands to his face and pressed a kiss to either knuckle. “Would I ever lie to you?”

Appealing to her trust in him-- low blow. Despite the reservations she had (of which she had MANY), she let her eyes part, let them readjust from the blur.

There, sitting in front of her, was a very flushed, very cocky, Adrien Agreste. She couldn’t help herself, she gasped. His face drew closer, eyes lidded the way she’d seen Chat Noir’s narrow a million times. This time, this time felt so different. It was Adrien, his hair (oh, his hair was so Chat Noir right then it wasn’t even FUNNY), his eyes, with Chat’s smile and husky purr. Her breath caught in her throat as he pressed a kiss to her wrist and watched her reaction as he did it. She flushed. “So, Princess… would you have any interest in putting that wedding dress back on? I never got the chance to fully admire it.”

Admire it he did, with minimal damage, surprisingly. It was clear Chat Noir wanted to tear the damn thing off of her, but Adrien was still gentle and sweet and most importantly knew better. He did the next best thing, though, which meant she would need to replace the zipper if she were to wear it again for vow renewals. The bed that had been untouched for months was a feather-covered, duvet-sulking mess. Whatever makeup she’d been wearing before she started crying on Chat’s shoulder had almost certainly been smeared or smudged or wiped off as she cried into Adrien’s shoulder. He had lips imprinted all over him, but the one he seemed the most proud of was the one at the corner of his lip where he was grinning like a cat who caught a canary. The whole posture looked smug, actually. He sat up against the headrest, one arm propping up his high-held head, and the other running soothing circles into her shoulder where she laid at his chest. She pouted at him, mad that he wasn’t even winded after the stunts he pulled… she was still catching her breath! “Sure you got fed, kitty? You look like you’re about to paw at the cabinets again.”

“I said I’d lick the bowl clean, Princess, never said I’d be full after.”

She went red again, which seemed ridiculous after the sheer gymnastics they’d both performed minutes earlier. “How?”

“Hm?”

“How are you not even a little tired after that?”

Adrien titterted. “That’s what happens when you let a man with month's worth of fantasies jump your bones. I’m not even halfway through my list yet.”

“What part of I am your wife did the wedding not get through to you?”

To her surprise, Adrien’s smile grew soft, full of love; he leaned back down to capture her between both arms and hold her to his chest. This was the Adrien she’d always known, the gentle smile, the quiet voice that still sounded like bells. He pressed his forehead to hers. “The part where you wanted me to do everything I wanted to do. I’m not used to that,” he brushed their noses together. “I’m not used to being loved by a wife, but I want to be.”

She nuzzled into his chest and stuck her face in the crook of his neck. He ran a hand through her hair, still heavily mussed from its time pressed to the pillows. “The girl I mentioned, back when we were fourteen…”

“Ladybug.”

“Yeah,” he huffed, somewhat sheepishly. “You weren’t, um, wrong about me still holding out for Ladybug but--”

Marinette yawned, “That’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t have to waste money making the” she yawned again “lingerie, I’ll just put on the suit.”

“What?!” Adrien pulled away to look down at his wife, but found she was fast asleep, and that she would stay that way until the sun came up. So Adrien lay there, wide awake, contemplating the likelihood of him being that inconceivably lucky.

[unforgetabelle]

New story up!

B3 & B7

“Shit!” Adrien rushed to the pan on the stove, the acrid smell of burning garlic quickly filling the small kitchen as he tossed the charred its contents into the sink. Looking at the blackened pan in dismay, the blonde hung his head before moving to run the still smoking pan under the water. He possessed enough domestic knowledge to know it needed to soak, but as soon as the water hit metal a billow of steam rose up to drown him. Dropping the pan and moving back to catch a clean breath through the cloudy kitchen, Adrien cringed as a creaking noise sounded from the sink. Tentatively, he peered over at the pan before cautiously grabbing the handle. He set it on his butcher block counter and watched it rock back and forth: completely warped. He cursed again. He should have listened when Nino told him to get the more expensive, but better made, set for his kitchen, but Adrien was trying to live normally and not buy anything too extravagant. More than anything, he was annoyed by his own stupidity. While he was definitely no domestic god, he was a physics graduate for crying out loud! Rapidly cooled metal became warped or brittle. It was basic science. Adrien turned off the water and moved to lean against the opposite counter. Running his fingers over his face, he took a deep breath before turning to the fridge with determination still intact and getting the ingredients to start over. He could do this. He had to be able to do this. He needed to prove to himself that he was a fully functioning human out on his own in the world. For some reason, being able to follow a simple recipe had become his symbol of achieving this. When he’d finished university and expressed his desire to move out, his father had been surprisingly supportive. After years of homeschooling and then commuting to classes from home, Gabriel thought it would be a good life experience for him to live alone, away from the luxuries of a fully-staffed house. His father was internationally famous now, but had come from much humbler beginnings. Adrien always wondered if his years of steadfastly fighting to achieve what he had was part of the reason he’d become hardened to the world. And to Adrien. Since he’d moved out, though, Adrien and Gabriel’s relationship seemed to only get better. He hadn’t gone far, just to the next arrondissement, but Gabriel was genuinely pleased to see him every Sunday when they met for lunch. It was a development Adrien’s hadn’t anticipated, but welcomed wholeheartedly. So, he was determined to make it work. Besides, he liked living on his own. He’d found a sparse but decent apartment and furnished it with run-of-the-mill furniture. Posters in loving tributes to his fandoms blanketed the walls and his meticulously arranged bookshelf of books and dvds was dotted with his far-too-extensive collection of funko pops. It wasn’t much, but it was his, and he was determined to learn, as Nino put it, to become “a real boy”: domestic responsibilities and all. First step: he needed to learn how to successfully feed himself. Adrien moved the warped pan off to the side, and grabbed another off the hook on the wall. Turning the burner on low, he added olive oil to heat up slowly and moved to start mincing the garlic. Again. He had just dumped the first minced-clove in the oil when he was assaulted by another burning smell. Looking down in confusion, he considered the pan of oil. He let his hand hover over top, and noted that is was still relatively cold. Smoke started to collect in the galley kitchen and his nose directed him to the oven. The lasagna. “Shit, shit, shit!” He spun around the small space, grabbing desperately for pot holders and yanking open the creaky oven door. Holding his breath, he transferred the baking dish to a trivet on the counter, setting it down so hard tomato sauce billowed like lava from its depths, splattering his shirtfront. He didn’t stop to clean it up though, desperately rushing to open a window and dispel the smoke making breathing currently impossible in the apartment. Just as he unlocked it and shoved it open, an obnoxious blaring resounded throughout the apartment. He’d set off the fire alarm. Again. “Shit,” he muttered, repeating what seemed to be his motto for the day. Sitting dejectedly on the window sill, he ran his still-mittened hands through his hair before pulling back and realizing they were covered with ash and the burnt remnants of his dinner. Pursed-lipped, he just nodded in acceptance. Through the blaring of the alarm, he vaguely heard a subtle chime and turned to regard Plagg who had chosen that moment to languidly appear from his bedroom. They regarded each other for a moment before the cat made a retching noise and promptly hacked up a hairball in the doorway. Adrien simply nodded his head once more, accepting that his life had deteriorated into one grand Murphy's Law spectaculathon. “Purr-fect.”

~*~

Marinette’s head lay on her desk, her chair pushed back and arms swinging uselessly towards the ground. She was stuck. Again. She groaned, just to make a sound and prove to herself she was at least capable of accomplishing that much, before letting her butt slide off the chair and crumbling into a heap on the floor. Maybe if she contorted her body into as many strange positions as possible, one would finally push the artistic-powers back up to her brain and finally get rid of whatever was blocking her inspiration. It hadn’t worked yet. It wasn’t like this was her first fashion competition. She’d done it over a dozen times, even winning some, but this one had higher stakes. She was set to graduate this year, and while she’d had the opportunity to volunteer on some shoots and had been shadowing Madame Tikki at her boutique for nearly two years now, this competition came with the chance for a real internship. The beginning of a chance at a real career. At Agreste Galleries. She groaned again, flopping properly onto her back and throwing an arm over her eyes to block out the lowering sun streaming obnoxiously through her large picture windows. Even in her annoyance at the brightness, she smiled a little and internally thanked Alya’s forward thinking. Picking the apartment with west-facing windows as opposed to the east-facing one that was slightly bigger had been the best call. She couldn’t imagine how much grumpier she would be having to contend with sunrise if sunset made her this annoyed. Nevertheless, she propped herself upright, staring at the horizon as it faded in a million colors, and begging herself to see something. Anything. Sunsets were beautiful. Poets wrote profusely about their wonders. Artists marveled at their kaleidoscope of colors. What did this fashion designer see? Not the vivid scarlets fading into soothing periwinkles. No. She had one thought. Sunsets get their color from air pollution. “ERGGHH!” she screamed and slumped back into the floor. Closing her eyes, she started her deep-breathing exercises instead. Counting methodically and working herself into a meditative trance, Marinette finally felt her heart begin to even out. She latched onto the tranquility, letting nostalgia overtake her as she thought of early morning summer strolls through the city...late night movie binges with her papa...weekend trips to the coast with Alya…. That was something. She thought of the beach. Not of the undulating waves, but of the sand. A million shades from pristine white to a deep mauve. Its faceted surface catching the light just so… She squeezed her eyes tighter, finally feeling on the brink of a breakthrough, when she was interrupted by a muffled blaring and her vision vanished. Her eyelids lifted slowly, an angered frown taking over her face as her brow furrowed. “Seriously?” she shouted to the empty room, her aggravation palpable. That was the third time the smoke detector had gone off in her neighbor’s apartment this week. She’d been concerned the first time, but it always went out after a few minutes. Her new neighbor was either the world’s worst chef or a pyromaniac. Marinette shot to her feet, shrugged into her sweater and hustled out the door. Padding barefoot around the corner to the apartment that backed up to hers, she stopped in front of apartment B3 and pounded on the antiquated oak. She smiled momentarily at the solid sound her knocks made as they echoed through the cramped halls; those doors were just one of the few old-world design charms that made her fall in love with the apartment complex built in the twenties. It had survived so long in their city, standing at a proud 10 storeys. It had been through wars. Call her a sentimental fool, but it made her believe she could create something as resilient and lasting. That is, if its newest resident didn’t burn it down. And if she could finally draw something. If her neighbor’s overzealous smoke detector had anything to say about it, she’d be stuck behind this inspiration block forever. Marinette was grinding her teeth in aggravation now, raising her hand to knock again, when the door finally opened. Out of breath and clearly frazzled stood a man, about her age, his probably-blonde hair darkened with what looked like soot and his maybe-green eyes hidden behind smudged glasses. Add in the tomato splattered gray shirt and ripped jeans that weren’t faring much better, and Marinette was comfortable enough to label the boy a hot mess. Her anger immediately drained away at the far-too-innocent look on his face, and when he opened his mouth and started to speak, she had to forgive him for interrupting her process. He was clearly having a far worse day than she. “Hi,” he gasped, somehow out of breath. Marinette knew the size of these apartments, so there was no way he was like that just from running to grab the door. It was just another hint at the chaos that must be happening inside.

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[quixotin]

I wrote this post back when Guiltrip came out but I'm reblogging again because I feel it's very fitting to the current meta zeitgeist :)

That being said, I have more thoughts under the cut because this post is already long as it is. This time we're talking about Adrien's quest for agency and the fact he's already on the way to achieve it:

'No therapy? Fine. I'll do it myself binch,' Adrien said.

I know this season's apple of our eye when it comes to analysing has been Adrien and what in the heck will happen to him.

Based on the developments of Sole Crusher, Queen Banana, and Optygami, there's a lot more cloth to cut from and I just wanna point out that for as painful as it is to see Adrien feel like he's being left out, like his worst dreams are coming to life, it's very much necessary and in line with the hints we already had throughout earlier episodes.

Particularly, I think that the appearance of Zoé and the (partial?) end of his friendship with Chloé is, to an extent, even more relevant than those 5 seconds of sucker punch angst at the end of Optygami.

Why? Well, because Adrien's greatest fear is to be alone. We've been knew. Nothing surprising about that. Painful af? For sure, but we knew this would happen the second Marinette trusted in Alya. And trust and believe, it's going to get much worse. But as I said in the first part of this meta, it's also going to get better. And we're already getting hints it is.

Bear in mind the fact that the boy who is feeling shoved to the side by his best friend is also the same boy who followed through on his warning to Chloe. I feel like we glossed over this too quickly:

Adrien set a boundary with someone he considered not only a friend, but his OLDEST friend. He has cut off the person he refused to throw under the bus because she was his only friend.

This is HUGE character development, guys. This is the boy that is terrified to the bone of being unnecessary, irrelevant, and alone, denying the affection of someone he considered a friend because he recognizes he cannot be friends with someone like that. Are you kidding me?! Adrien, you're doing not good, not great, YOU'RE DOING SPECTACULAR, SWEETIE.

This is the sort of boundary-setting he needs to exercise not only with Chloe but with his father, and yes, later on, with Ladybug.

Then there's the fact of Zoé, who I wholeheartedly believe is there to set an example not only to Chloé as it was implied by Tikki at the end of Queen Banana, but to Adrien as well.

As I mentioned in this post, the parallels between Zoé and Adrien are almost freaky. Zoé has a lot in common with Adrien. From the family context, to their social status, to the psychological issues they are dealing with. The only difference is that, thanks to Marinette's support, Zoé was able to be vulnerable and share her issues. And what did I say in the last paragraph of the first meta?

I am also completely convinced that once the Jenga tower of angst falls, he will be able to rise above it if he can bring himself to show this vulnerability to his friends. As we saw, the Miracuclass is a band of cuties who really go out of their way to support their friends, with Marinette leading the hoard of positivity, no less.

I mean, call it a coincidence but I'm really quite convinced that Zoé's finding immediate support in Marinette and the Miracuclass being the new kid will reassure Adrien to do the same. Especially if he finds himself in a context where he feels he cannot rely on his only support network (which is really more of a thread when you think about it lol) anymore.

We like to say Adrien's completely alone, but the extent of his loneliness depends on whether he can learn to speak out and make himself vulnerable. After all, none of his sidelining (which, bear in mind has only 'officially' happened in two eps) is intentional, and we know for a fact that Marinette and the class would absolutely jump head first to catch him if they saw how much he's struggling.

In a context like that, I can totally see why Adrien is continuously overlooked in the visual narrative:

Because his self love journey is about learning to make himself be seen. And what better way to emphasize on him learning to do that than by not only telling us, but showing us.

Somebody take this child to therapy challenge :D

Let's discuss Adrien Agreste's character development in S4, shall we?

Yes, it's time for meta. Sad meta (don't worry, I'll try to behave myself). Heads up, this post is a bit of a thicc boi.

So, where to begin. I think it's difficult to really put Adrien and Chat Noir's appearances in Guiltrip in context because it is clear a lot has happened between ep 3 and 11 regarding Adrinette and their individual arcs. The fact that Adrien has appeared literally in only one other episode does not help, but at the risk of being corrected by the episodes to follow: I think this is intentional.

See, one of the main takeaways from GoS in the Fandom Consensus was that there is now a ridge between Ladybug and Chat Noir, one that is bound to challenge the blind trust they have in one another. One of my favorite takes is that this will really help Adrien change his perspective on Ladybug, helping him to move on and realize his feelings for Marinette. But as we saw on Guiltrip:

This is already happening. Those are his love bubbles, not Marinette's.

This leads me to believe Adrien will begin to realize his feelings for Marinette in spite of how he finds emotional support in Ladybug.

Which brings me to the second point: The theme of balance and reflection. It has been established that Adrien and Marinette act as balancing opposites to each other. It's in their symbolisms, in their story arcs, in their design. And most recently, as established by Truth and Lies: what happens to one, happens to the other.

This is to say, I am completely convinced we will get a similar situation where Adrien finally caves into his pressures the same way Marinette was doing in GoS, leading him to take radical action to change his situation, just like Marinette did. Now what might trigger the fall of that particularly unstable emotional Jenga tower is still up for debate, but based on the crumbs we've gotten so far, and the fact there is a literal episode called Gabriel Agreste, I have my guesses.

First, as I said, I feel that they're holding out on Adrien's appearances because his arc will be critical in the second part of the season, leading up to the season finale. I personally believe the Ladynoir Conflict TM and the Sadrien Angstreste arc will culminate this season, but don't quote me on that, that is just my opinion.

Second, his appearances have been very deliberate so far. They serve a clear purpose: To communicate that his feelings towards Marinette are changing. To show that he's starting to consider his situation and becoming aware of his inner turmoil (as per Lies).

Third, Chat Noir's dialogues are also very intentional. Our knowledge of his perspective has been nothing but expanding since the season started:

In Truth we learn that he thought Ladybug didn't like his jokes at all and is pleasantly corrected. In Lies he explains why Ladybug and him are able to trust each other (pointedly, we also find out that he's actually lying to LB about not being upset when she misses patrols). In GoS, he acknowledges Ladybug's struggles and tries to tell her he can relate, that she can confide in him because he understands (and is left hanging :'D). In Furious Fu, we learn he won't trust authority just for the sake of it (hinting maybe at the fact that he'll start rebelling against Gabriel soon). And now in Guiltrip:

The thing that made him spiral was the fact Nino is worried that he can't help Adrien defend himself against his father.

This is really important because it has nothing to do with Ladybug. This is him acknowledging his problems with his father and feeling guilty for making others worry about him, which then translates into him voicing his insecurities about being incompetent as Chat Noir.

Little by little, hidden among Mari's own problems, the fluff of the Miracuclass, and the lighthearted tone of the show, they've been leaving hint after hint after hint that Adrien's arc is progressing towards a culmination where this other side of him, this painfully vulnerable side, will not only come to light, but will be put under a test of fire (most likely at the hands of the Ladynoir Conflict).

Is it going to hurt? Oh yeah.

But is there hope? Also, a big yeah.

Adrien is slowly beginning to show his more spontaneous side, his 'clown side', if you will. As we saw in this ep, my boy did not only (finally!) tell Marinette what he thinks of her rambling, but we also got this gem:

See, for someone who loves torturing people with angst, one of my favorite things about Adrien is his ability to be a beacon of resilience in spite of his struggles. To me, his ability to be kind, caring, and optimistic despite his own pain is one of the most beautiful things about this boy. Granted, he's kind and caring to others, but I am also completely convinced that once the Jenga tower of angst falls, he will be able to rise above it if he can bring himself to show this vulnerability to his friends. As we saw, the Miracuclass is a band of cuties who really go out of their way to support their friends, with Marinette leading the hoard of positivity, no less. With how Adrinette is developing, and learning what we learned about the Miracuclass and Nino in Guiltrip, when Adrien inevitably falls it will be but a stumble because Marinette, Nino, et al. will be there to catch him.

The end.

See? I told you I'd keep the angst in check.