#wait is this another lovesquare side | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

huge-enthusiast · 3 years ago

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Miraculous fic recomendations!!

This is just an excuse to show all my bookmarks? Yes. Yes, it is. I'm pretty sure most of this fics are really popular, but try see if you find something you didn't knew about!

All of the fics will be rated Teen and up audiences or lower. Also if I don't put the author's tumblr is because they didn't put it in the fic or/and I couldn't find it.

Pairing: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

knowing you by emsylcatac (they are not really the author of the fic but that's the account that says in the fic, the actual author doesn't have an account).

After dropping their transformations months ago, Marinette and Adrien see each other for the first time after being apart. They've both left too much unsaid and have to work to pick up the pieces of their confused hearts.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal but mostly ladynoir, light angst with happy ending.

the last day on earth by Reiaji

The first time Marinette sees Chat Blanc, she's fourteen years old. The second time, fifteen—the third time, seventeen.

The closer she grows to Adrien, the harder it is to save him.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, kinda heavy angst, hopeful ending.

tell me something i don't know by carpisuns (@carpisuns here on tumblr)

Do you think it still means something? To love someone, even if the universe said you had to?

The odds of having a soulmate are about negative one billion (or something like that). But somehow, like they always have, Marinette and Chat Noir find themselves together. They’re ready to finally tell each other everything, but it turns out that even soulmates have to keep secrets, and while their bond draws them together, duty forces them apart.

Chapters: currently 17/28 (WIPs can be exhausting but this one is 100% worth the wait!)

Mostly marichat but almost all of the lovesquare sides make an appearance, soulmates au, mostly fluff but it can get angsty if it wants to.

One Thing After Another by SKayLanphear

Marinette notices that, sometimes, Adrien acts a little out of the ordinary--like the time he stood in a cardboard box for no reason, or when he actually hissed at Nino. It's only when she starts to notice the similarities between Adrien and a certain feline that she begins to get suspicious.

Basically, Adrien acts like a cat when he probably shouldn't.

Chapters: 15/15

Mostly adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, miraculous side effects (by both sides wich is really cool!), it's fluff with a lil tiny angst for drama.

This would take some getting used to by Codango (@codango here on tumblr!)

Adrien peeked out from behind the chimney even as the magic of his own Chat Noir mask fell away.

She was still visible, her dark hair bobbing under the street lamps a couple blocks away.

“Marinette.”

Adrien blew out a confused breath. His fiery Ladybug… was the quiet little mouse who sat behind him in class?

“What. The.”

This… would take some getting used to.

Chapters: 8/8

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Adrien's part, awkward flirting, just fluff, nothing to worry about.

comfort food also by Reiaji!

In Marinette's house, cooking is a language of love, and Marinette loves Adrien more than most.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette with a little of ladynoir, super super fluff, a lot of insight into Marinette's chinese heritage.

The right side of his face by walkingonthestars (@hamsternamedmarinette here on tumblr!)

Marinette and Adrien are able to remain in their new seats in the back of the room at the end of Chameleon.

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette, fluff with light angst.

it's a long way forward so trust in me by aloneintherain (@captainkirkk here on tumblr!)

“You’re not the only strong one around here, Chat,” Marinette said. She looked a little winded, but she wasn’t struggling to hold him up.

This close up, he could see the freckles on the bridge of her nose. He could see how that smug smile lit up her eyes. He could feel the strain of her arms—and wow, okay, he really wasn’t the only person around here with muscles.

Six times Marinette carried Adrien (plus one time he carried her).

Chapters: 1/1

All the sides of the lovesquare! Fluff with LOTS of mutual pining.

a fight that you were born to lose also by aloneintherain

When the prosecution starts throwing around the word victim in reference to Adrien, he has to stuff his hands under his thighs to keep himself from bolting out of the courtroom.

Adrien had felt unsafe during those last few weeks, but, until he had woken up and seen Father silhouetted in his bedroom doorway, that had only been paranoia. Father was controlling and cold, but he wasn’t hateful. Adrien was isolated. He was often hungry. And some weeks ago, when he had snuck out to visit Nino, sitting thigh-to-thigh on his bed while Adrien cried in that silent, crumbling way of his, he hadn’t argued when Nino put a hand on his shoulder and said, tentatively, That’s abuse.

But Adrien remembers being small and Father touching his hair after he’d aced another test; Father holding his scribbled drawings like they were something precious, and framing them around his office; Father, dressed as Hawkmoth, his eyes wild behind the mask, lashing his sword against Adrien’s baton; Father, collapsed against Mum, crying into her ashy hair.

Adrien finds out Gabriel is Hawkmoth, and Gabriel gets to bring his long-waited plan into action.

Chapters: 1/1

This one doesn't really focus in the ship that much as is an Adrien character study and an exploration of his relationship with his father, but they're still there so I put them here. Really heavy angst (this is one of this fics that haunt me in the middle of the night) with a happy ending. ❗TW: parental abuse, eating disorders❗

Supercut by LNC

Marinette loves her friends and Adrien can't deal.

Chapters: 1/1

Post-reveal lovesquare, again light angst, an exploration of Adrien's insecurities, Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves the world, happy ending.

Madame Snare by jettiebettie

“Sounds like a lot of work for nothing. She should take this as a sign to have a relaxing weekend with no responsibilities.”

“It's a lot of work she put her whole heart into. It wouldn't be right for it to go to waste,” Adrien whispers to him. The look on Marinette's face is enough to cause Adrien's own heart to ache. If anyone deserves the satisfaction and pride from a job well done, it's her.

“Too bad there isn't anyone else who can walk in those death traps,” Plagg says. Adrien hums in thought, tapping his chin.

“I could.”

Chapters: 1/1

Marichat, episode-based, Chat Noir in a dress!!!, light angst but it's mostly just idiots being idiots and a lot of fun.

in the same sun by peachcitt (@peachcitt here on tumblr!)

"It’s hard to believe that I saw you last at the peak of summer, when the sun was close and warm - and so were you. It should go without saying that I miss you. I miss you something terrible."

"It’s been seven months to the day since I’ve seen you. I wish you were here more than anything else."

Two letters, signed with initials instead of names, found in Paris, France.

Chapters: 1/1

Ladynoir, just angst, that's it, written like letters. No ending, just pain.

an uncurtain discovery by Missnoodles (@ladyofthenoodle here on tumblr!)

When he returns from school on Wednesday afternoon, Adrien discovers the darkness in his own home. He struggles to come to terms with it. To his utter mortification and delight, Ladybug is nearby to rescue him.

(He does not discover that his father is supervillain. That will happen on a different Wednesday.)

Chapters: 1/1

Ladrien, it says it's crack, and don't get me wrong, is super funny, but I also found it sad as fuck?

An Open Secret by Kasienda

Adrien whirled around toward Marinette. She smiled at him.

He couldn’t smile back. He stared at her like the dumb blond model that he was often accused of being.

Something shifted in her expression. And her warm open Marinette smile transformed into Ladybug’s grin. He was looking at Ladybug right now.

He knew Ladybug’s name!

Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

And he couldn’t say anything! Not to Marinette! Not even to Plagg, who had confided two weeks prior that Master Fu was growing increasingly paranoid since the location of his home and hideout had been compromised. Their master had apparently decided that Chat Noir and Ladybug would have to give up their miraculouses if they ever discovered each other’s identities.

It wasn’t fair!

...

A fic where they both know, but can't openly talk about it.

Chapters: 4/4

Post-reveal... but is it? Mostly adrienette and ladynoir, fluff with light angst and them being absolute idiots at hiding their secret identity.

golden (like daylight) by okayanna (@anna-scribbles here on tumblr!)

Friendship, Adrien decided, shaking off the mental image of Marinette’s hurricane eyes and hesitant mouth, parted in a small, careful “o.” He had a very strong friendship with Marinette. That was all.

Adrien thinks a lot about words, love, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chapters: 1 + epilogue

Adrienette but has lots of ladynoir, another Adrien character study because I hate myself, it tries to not be angst but the writing will punch you in the guts and make you cry, it's so good.

Strangers in the Bright Lights by poodles (@ladybeug here on tumblr!)

Adrien is about two drinks in when he sees a girl at the end of the bar wearing black cat ears. It's kind of weird, so he watches her, and although it's crowded he can see her face when she turns around. She’s wearing a Chat Noir mask. He takes a quick look around- nobody else is wearing a mask. Just her.

Adrien finishes his gin martini and heads over to her. He could use some company tonight anyways, he hasn’t told anyone he’s back in Paris and Nathalie won’t arrive in town for another month. And it’s been a rough day, okay? A rough move! He’s not sure he wants to be back yet, and he spent most of the day in the Agreste mansion sorting through some photographs of his father he found in the study. Maybe he wants a drink and some stranger to tell him he’s pretty! That’s not a crime, is it?

Chapters: 1/1

Adrienette but it's also ladrien??? I think??? It's super super angsty but they're both drunk the entirety of the fic so it's also really funny.

Pick-Up and Chase by also SKayLanphear

After she accidentally trips into Adrien and apologizes about "falling for him," Marinette learns that he's no match for cheesy pick-up lines--whether they were unintended or not. And while she finds it flattering that he turns into a flustered mess with only a few words, Marinette comes to regret making him uncomfortable. That is, until she learns he's Chat Noir. At which point the phrase "just deserts" becomes a permanent fixture in her everyday plans.

A story in which Adrien is flustered, Marinette is smooth as glass at dropping lines, and Chat Noir gets the romance he was always asking for--even if he doesn't quite know how to handle it.

Chapters: 10/10

Adrienette with one sided reveal by Marinette's side, it doesn't say it in the tags but I'm pretty sure the characters are much older than they actually are in the show, so much fluff and so much flirting.

Pairing: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe

Nino Has Done Nothing To Deserve This by GuardianKarenTerrier (@guardiankarenterrier here in tumblr)

It's nothing, really- just an innocent comment, a joke. But when they hear it, Nino and Alya come to a realisation.

There were, in retrospect, dozens upon dozens of hints. Now that they're suddenly aware of all their friend's flimsy excuses and rushed explanations, they're not only sure how they've missed it, they're not sure how anyone else has either. They realise that it had to be magic protecting their friends- and that same magic has ceased to work on the two of them.

Well, this means they'll just have to start watching over their friends themselves.

Chapters: 7/7

This is more a found family fic than anything else, Alya and Nino are the mom friend, has light angst but it's mostly identity shenanigans in the most bizarre way. ❗TW: eating disorders❗

christmas lights by demistories

Nino checks up and down the street, checking to make sure there’s no raging akuma headed his way before he crosses quickly and ducks inside the small café. He closes the door quickly before the icy air can blow inside and tugs his beanie down over his ears. He spots Alya sitting alone in the corner.

Chapters: 1/1

Just fluff!! Really short but really sweet.

hold on, i still want you also by Missnoodles!

Written for the @thedjwifizine ! Wich I also recommend if you wanna binge a lot of djwifi fics while also looking at amazing art!!!

Five times Alya ran into her ex, and the one time he stopped being her ex.

Chapters: 1/1

Light angst with a happy ending! I don't really like the ex-lovers to lovers trope but this one is the only exception.

I will continue to expand the list in the future! But by now I hope I was helpful in the search of new fics!

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sweetcloverheart · 3 years ago

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Unpopular Opinion Time

I think the issue with how canon portrays the LadyNoir side of the lovesquare that causes such a disconnect within the fandom between people on how “justified” the ship is in and out of universe is the fact that Ladybug never really shows any responses to the shiptease/in-cast support of it that indicates her considering Chat Noir as being a dating option for her.

That is to say, we never really see her indicate that, were Adrien no longer an option for her (and the whole Hawkmoth no longer being a thing), that Chat would potentially have a chance. Putting aside the culture barrier with France in regards of how relationships are portrayed and the “lost in translation” aspects of the dub that also cause a lot of clashing within the fandom regarding the ship and scene interpretations, I honestly can’t remember or think of any point in the episodes where Ladybug blushes or get flustered at the idea of people thinking she and Chat are a couple, and anytime it is brought up, she shuts it down immediately with a blunt “We’re just partners” rather than a tsundere teased or embarrassed “W-we’re just partners!”, or pretty much rolls her eyes at the idea of dating/liking him, even indirectly (No offense to anyone, but it’s super telling that Marinette’s immediate response in “Ephemeral” after Chat tells her he’s Adrien is to laugh). Like, I understand the series is likely going for a slowburn here - Marinette is still pinning for Adrien after all, even after becoming friends with him and their brief individual stints of dating other people. There’s also the fact that she’s been made Guardian of the Miraculous and is still very high-key traumatized from Chat Blanc, and thus wants to avoid any possibility of putting them back on track to that timeline, which would involve pushing him away and keeping the crush one-sided. When you put all that into consideration, Chat not being on her radar is reasonable, as well as her being fine with the flirting and banter (when she’s not upset/stressed about stuff) to a point. We still have another season on the horizon and possibly more in the future, and with the main team reduced to two again, we might actually see some more bonding between them that might give way to hints/build up on Ladybug’s side that she’s starting to fall for him. There’s also the fact that the episodes are all nonlinear chronologically, so it’s pretty hard to really tack down how the ship develops anyway (unless you are very organized, determined, or prone to bouts of hyper-fixation like I am)

But when you consider the fact that it’s been four full seasons (and two movies with a third one in the works) with Marinette not showing anything close to attraction or even a small miniature crush forming, you gotta wonder when we’ll actually get anything, and as the more impatient/burnedout of us start to pace the deck, they will start to notice scuffs and chips (and holes) on the ship they never realized were there to pick at while they wait. Four seasons, with one or two episodes having Marinette interact with Chat out of costume and her still not feeling anything that might be considering a budding crush in the works. Adrien starts dating Kagami in season 3 to try and get over his crush on Ladybug, and Marinette doesn’t even consider Chat to move on with (not that I would encourage it considering the circumstances), and asks out Luka instead. “Prime Queen” has her very bluntly (and angrily) dismissing any ship moments in the previous season as either “just doing her job” or saving his life from an Akuma (”Dark Cupid”), and honestly seems more...annoyed then flustered by the insistence (though it’s understandable considering how pushy Nadia was being with her questions even before the LadyNoir gallery reel). “Oblivio” gives some good credence to Marinette being able to like Chat the same way she does Adrien if circumstances allowed it and they “met first”/”forgot” their crushes on each other’s other identities, but since their memories were erased from up until the start of the episode, it also indicates that the only way Chat would have a chance is that Ladybug/Marinette was basically given the Master Fu Season 3 finale treatment and “forgot” her experiences as Ladybug/with Chat, and she immediately dismisses the situation once her memories return anyways and backtracking on yet another Identity Reveal (though the same can be said of Adrien towards Marinette/Ladybug too, so it balances out kind of). “Kuroneko” was probably the closest we got to Ladybug genuinely becoming flustered with her partner (despite not knowing it was him getting her all hot and bothered, though it’ll maybe be funny joke they can laugh about post reveal), and despite being a very pro-LadyNoir episode showing that Ladybug can only do her best with Chat despite him being in love with her, and that having “Adrien” around constantly as her partner would distract her, it also sort of negates its own premise by the fact that it basically implies that she’ll only get that way with anyone but Chat Noir (or, at it’s most negative interpretation, that Chat could only get her to crush on him by faking it and being the “false Adrien” he shows off in front of his father (and yes, the episode does state that Cat Walker and Chat Noir are just facets of who Adrien is as a person, and I agree with it, I just also see this interpretation as also being possible). ), though you could also say that it’s just that Marinette is professional enough to keep her feelings separate from her work when it comes to Chat and heroing (and that’s a very fine and valid thing for her to do) because they’re been together so long, but is difficult when it comes to other people.

Basically, any and every chance they have to show “Oh, maybe she is developing a little crush on Chat” is either used to make a joke of the idea, Chat’s crush, or the fact they still don’t know their other “crush” is behind the mask - It’s always “We’re just partners” and “I trust Chat” with nothing ever going further than that. Much as I want to say “it just hasn’t hit her yet/it’s not time yet/we still have more episodes”, it doesn’t really help serve the ship when only one side of it is expressing any fluctuating romantic interest while the other’s opinion is left so vague/up to interpretation. It says something that we get more insight on Marinette and her ex’s feelings toward each other post breakup than we do on her views of the superhero identity of her actual endgame partner as a romance option.

As said before, the ship is clearly trying to be slowburn, and that’s fine, but you think they’d maybe give some tiny crumbs to the audience - showing Marinette catching Chat on patrol and having her gaze linger, having her blush as Ladybug at one of his flirt-puns, having her respond to a question about her and Chat’s relationship with “We’re just partners and good friends, but...” “But?” “...No, never mind.”. Something that shows Marinette/Ladybug being okay/receptive to the crush becoming more beyond the comedic “Oh you silly goose who’s in love me but I will never love you back because the plot says we can’t mutually crush yet I’m in love with your civilian self.”. So far the only real development we get is on the Chat side, and we know he’s in love with her already. I want to know what Ladybug thinks of maybe dating Chat, even as a cute counterfactual-scenario, even as a passing daydream, even in some made-up akumaless scenario world! SOMETHING!

That all said, Season 5 will probably, as previously stated, give some progress on LadyNoir’s relationship as they try and get the stolen Miraculouses back from Hawkmoth, but I honestly would be fine to see Ladybug just blush at Chat once during then. Once. That’s it. Just one episode of her blushing Thomas and Zag, that all you have to do here....

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justafewsmallsteps · 3 years ago

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A look into LadyNoir for my Reversal AU, The Other Way Around. You don’t really need to read the other parts to get this one :)

Title: The Other Way Around, Part 3 Pairing: Lovesquare (LadyNoir) Rating: G+ Word Count: 2.5K

The first time Marinette really interacted with a cat was at a friend’s house. She was six years old at her very first sleepover. Nervous and shy, she’d spent the majority of the evening worrying about what would happen once the lights were out. She’d never had to sleep through a night without her parents or family with her. No amount of cartoons or pillow fights could fully ease the fear of impending darkness.

The other three girls seemed totally adjusted and excited, but Marinette could hardly eat dinner even though it was pizza from their favorite spot. Then she nearly burst into tears at the table when they served the cookies her parents had sent with her, overwhelmed with missing them so badly. With her eyes stinging and her voice ready to cry out that they should call home to pick her up, Button the cat suddenly sprung onto her lap. She was a fluffy tan thing with two black dots going down the center of her back, hence her name. In that moment she looked just like a chocolate chip cookie, albeit one that blinked up at Marinette’s face with huge, adorable brown eyes. The cat smooshed her head against the girl’s stomach, sat down, and began to purr. In her surprise and fascination, young Marinette forgot what she was so upset over.

She never had pets growing up—the hair was too much to maintain when her family also lived in a bakery—so she hadn’t any courage to approach Button before, even when the other girls had spent time petting her. She knew cats had claws and their yawns revealed sharp, pointy teeth. The last thing she wanted was to get scratched or bitten when she was already terrified. Cats had been a scary mystery. Button was small and fluffy and warm. The moment she cuddled up to her, Marinette fell in love.

After that day, cats became her favorite animal, and while she still wasn’t allowed to have one (despite the begging and puppy eyes that her mother valiantly fought against with gentle reasoning), Marinette surrounded herself with them as a good luck charm. She had kitty keychains, plush toys, cat-covered folders to take to class, and cat-print bedsheets. The obsessive phase lasted for three years, but the fondness stayed even when her room took on a pink and floral theme to match her changing design aesthetic. Obviously when she found the giant body pillow shaped like a cat, she knew she had to have it anyway. After long days of dealing with Chloe’s yapping and her own special trademark combination of back luck and clumsiness, hugging that massive squishy cat became her ultimate comfort.

That was, until another cat fell into her lap. Well, crashed into her entire body was more what happened.

When she was gifted her miraculous, Marinette thought herself a poor fit for a superhero. She liked leadership positions and really didn’t have a big problem taking charge when needed, but saving lives was a ton of pressure. She’d thrown her yoyo randomly, not sure of a single move she made, and in doing so managed to tangle her partner and herself up despite the superpowers. Chat Noir seemed more natural, and surely he deserved a partner that had the confidence to match his skills instead of her. Marinette was stuck in her head with apprehension. She’d totally screwed up her very first mission by letting the akuma multiply instead of purifying it. She wasn’t excited to be a hero. She was terrified.

Maybe it was the cat bias that made her instantly trust Chat Noir, but it was the way he put his warm hands so squarely on her shoulders and assured her that she could do this, that made her fall in love. It was the second time a cat had saved her from giving in to her fears.

He gave her the courage to stand up to Hawkmoth, and the moment she vowed to take him down was a triumph of bravery. She wouldn’t have been able to do that without him.

Of course she fell for him.

He didn’t make it any easier for her as they got closer. He was just so endearingly sweet, throwing compliments at her all the time for encouragement.

If only she didn’t turn into an absolute pile of goo whenever he did. At least she was always able to pull herself together to get the job done, but it was his fault. What could anyone expect from her when her partner was talented, smart, super handsome, and somehow humble about all of it?

She’d witnessed how he avoided the spotlight in favor of checking up with akuma victims. She’d seen him time after time go out of his way to protect others, especially her, from harm’s way. And after he did all those things he’d throw her the credit as if she was the one saving the day.

They worked together well, reading each other’s moves and adapting to each other’s pace. But he never needed the attention, happy to just get the mission done. It was a side of him that she got to see when the crowds weren’t looking, proud at what they’d accomplished while holding his fist out to hers in solidarity to say, “We did it!” Together. Always together.

But then their miraculouses would beep, and they’d have to go their separate ways with her casting lingering glances towards whichever horizon he’d disappear off to.

At least during some of their mutual patrols they had time to talk. She looked forward to each one, no matter what other responsibilities she had waiting for her once it was over. Getting to know her partner was such a highlight to her identity as Ladybug. There was the triumph of victory, the thrill of the physics defying feats she could accomplish, the heartwarming gratitude of the citizens… and then there was this: sitting at the top of the Eiffel with their feeting dangling in the cool Parisian air, aimlessly talking above a safe city set aglow with evening lights; the warm sense of security yet tingling excitement of hanging out with her one and only crush.

“Favorite hot drink?” she wondered.

Asking non-identifying questions was their way of bonding without compromising themselves.

Chat Noir hummed thoughtfully over a cookie—raspberry macarons, a favorite she had learned fairly early on. “The hot chocolate you brought in the winter was great. Probably the best I’ve ever had, actually.”

She blushed and kicked her feet nervously. She swore that she would’ve tripped if they’d been walking. Somehow his compliments did that to her. “T-thanks.”

He grabbed another macaron and turned it over, studying the ruffled feet as he added, “Otherwise I’m really fond of tea. My mother liked English high tea; always insisted we have a tea break at some point in the day. When I was a kid I was only in it for the cookies and sandwiches, but at this point I like the drink too. It's nostalgic.”

He always got wistful when he spoke about his mother, but Marinette knew that train of thought would lead them to somewhere too personal. It wasn’t that she didn’t yearn to know more about him. Quite the opposite, but they both knew that it wasn’t safe yet. There had been too many close calls. She followed up with another question. “Any tea in particular?”

“Earl grey, usually. I’m a fan of London Fogs over coffee.”

She smiled down, looking at her home’s direction. They had a lovely macaron with that flavor as well, she thought. She could bring him a variety box next time. Maybe one day they could do tea together in some fashion. A picnic, perhaps? High tea during an evening patrol seemed a bit strange, but she could always brew him a decaf in a thermos so he wouldn’t be hopped up on caffeine. Or maybe that was too much if she was already bringing the same flavor in a cookie. Did hot chocolate go well with earl grey? What about the raspberry? Plenty of people ordered a variety of flavors all the time. Maybe she should throw in a few others for balance, like the rose ones. Wait, were rose flavored macarons too romantic? Would it seem like a date if she brought him flower-flavored food? Not that she didn’t want to date him because of course she did but—

“Deep in thought, Ladybug?”

Chat Noir’s twinkling green eyes greeted her, just a few centimeters from her face. He must have been trying to get her attention for a while.

Surprised, she suddenly scooted back and flailed. “Oh!” Thankfully she was securely seated on the beam enough to not begin a sad plummet to the ground. Desserts were well and good, but she’d prefer to avoid becoming a polka dotted pancake. “Yes, sorry! Did you say something?”

He laughed his magical laugh, accustomed to her tendency to get lost in her own head. “No need to apologize. I was just saying that it was my turn to ask a question before we turn in for the night.”

Ah, was it already time to go back? Sheepishly, the heroine smiled. “Did you already ask it?”

A flash of teeth showed off his mirthful grin. “I did.”

“Sorry.” He had already told her not to apologize, but it was embarrassing that she was fantasizing about dating him when he was literally sitting besides her. “What was it again?”

“I asked if you’ve been on a date lately, Little Lady.”

Oh.

Her mind short-circuited. Had she been babbling out loud? How desperate had she sounded? “What? Me! Doing to date you? I mean, going on a date with someyou? Someone!”

If her slip up meant anything, he didn’t acknowledge it. He never did. Did she want him to?

“Yep. Like a romantic one-on-one date. I, uh,” he bashfully scratched the back of his neck, “I’ve been thinking about it lately.”

A rush of blood warmed her cheeks. “Y-you were?” Thinking about dating someone? Her? Them? Romantically!

He avoided her eyes, choosing to look up instead as he laughed nervously. “For a while now. I don’t even think I could, but there’s a girl…”

I’m a girl, her brain supplied with excitement.

“You can’t ask her?”

He clicked his tongue. “There’s a few conflicts. First of all, I don’t know how she really feels about me, and… I don’t know how to say the other part without really giving anything away.”

Ladybug pursed her lips and gave him time, either out of courtesy or because she was freaking out and incapable of speech.

“Um, it’s like… an occupational issue, I guess. I don’t know if I’d be allowed, in a sense. Then there’s the issue that I know nearly nothing about dating,” he explained.

For all his vagueness, she fit his description enough. She’d never outright confessed to being in love with him, so he didn’t know her feelings. Also they weren’t really supposed to date with all their responsibilities, and wasn’t that just part of their job as heroes? So for all intents and purposes, Chat Noir really could have been talking about her. The possibility made her head spin.

Her hope was strung on a tightrope; a precarious position that could go either way. She could ask him directly if he meant someone in his civilian life or if by some miracle he was talking about her—or she could stay on the precipice between disappointment and bliss. But for all her clumsiness, Marinette preferred balance whenever she could manage it. So she stayed her course, eyes far from looking down at the possibilities and instead on the objective: answer him.

“I haven’t been on a real date recently, no.”

She looked for any hint about his feelings in his response, any indication that he was relieved or just pitied her. He simply nodded, leaving her clueless as she continued to walk the tightrope.

“Same,” he let out a whiny sigh. “I guess I can’t really ask for advice then. I’m terrible when it comes to romance.”

She traced one of her spots with a gloved finger, trying to keep a clear mind despite the slight relief that her crush wasn’t out on dates all the time. “I doubt it. You’re so amazing, you’d make any girl really happy and lucky to be with you.” Saying those words aloud had her face feeling as red as her suit.

“Luck is your department, LB,” he grinned. “I imagine admirers are chasing you left and right.”

“Not in any serious manner,” Adrien’s corny and outlandish attempts to get her attention came to mind. He was just a flirt by nature, hardly what someone would consider a real admirer. “I… I’d be happy to go on a date with somebody who really liked me though.”

He gave her a thoughtful look that made her pause.

She stood up suddenly. “I mean, not just anybody! Like… if I knew they actually liked me, then I might give it a chance? Depending on the person.”

Chat Noir smiled again, patiently letting her ramble as usual.

She took a deep breath to collect herself. “It doesn’t matter how experienced you are with dating, at least that’s what I think. If she’s a nice person then she’ll also understand and you’ll both get through it together. You just have to be yourself.”

“You’re right as always, Little Lady,” he sighed. Her stomach did a flip at the soft sound of his voice. “You know, you do give the best advice.”

Balance, she reminded herself. Tightrope.

But he spoke again, “I can always count on you to cheer me up if things go wrong, can’t I?”

The words were kind—like a soft breeze—which was just enough to throw off her careful, barely established balance; just enough information to tip her over to the fact that he must have been talking about some other girl if at the end of the day he could still find comfort in her, his partner.

And so she fell. Or, well, she’d fallen for him a long time ago. What did she expect? Something happier, she’d hoped. Something more similar to catching herself with her yo-yo, lifting back up to soar instead of her hopes tumbling down.

“Ladybug?”

She took a second to glance down at the ground where her heart felt like it had dropped. From their high position on the Eiffel, it was a long way down. For how much she loved him, she wasn’t sure just how her heart would break. Shatter like glass? Crumble to pieces? Or would it plummet and dent the floor because it certainly felt as heavy as lead when she turned to face Chat Noir, an achingly sweet melancholy painted on face as he smiled at her.

“Of course you can count on me. You and me against it all,” she assured, holding out her hand to help him up. It was time to go, after all.

He grinned as he stood, “Everything from akumas to heartbreak.”

She gave a weak laugh in reply. “Good night, Chat.”

“Good night, Little Lady.”

#miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #chat noir #ladybug #justafewsmallsteps #Jelly art #the other way around #Reversal au #Jelly fic

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capesandshapes · 3 years ago

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Goodbye (LoveSquare)

Summary: Marinette gives up the Miraculous box and forgets. Adrien is left behind as a result.

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

“How did I know that I’d find you here?” She said, and for a moment it was so easy to pretend that she was someone else, that he was in another time, another place in which things went right.

But he wasn’t.

And it was Rena Rouge beside him, that pitying smile on her face that she always had, her long legs covered in orange instead of red and her eyes brown instead of blue as she looked at him, a million things she wanted to say and not the time nor courage to say them.

He could only swallow, because he knew why she was there, and that he was supposed to be anywhere else.

But he couldn’t help it.

It was just like it always had been for the past year, him sitting on that rooftop, his legs hanging over the edge—so close to falling, but so far from it at the same time—and his green eyes trained forward, resting on the windows of a bakery that he had not been to in a year, on the room of a girl who he had not truly known for even a few months before he lost her. Wishing. Waiting. Wanting.

“I guess it’s better that you’re here than over there,” Rena said, slipping onto the ledge beside him, her hands braced on the cement edge as she sighed in that over-dramatic way of hers. As the Guardian of the Miraculous, she should have said more, the Order of Guardians would want her to.

But Rena was always soft on him—Alya was always soft on him.

“She still doesn’t remember,” Adrien said, pulling his knees up to his chin, watching as the girl in the window went about her day, pinning a dress into shape atop the cloth form she had only just bought.

“They said that it was unlikely that she would,” Alya reminded him. “Magic is pretty steadfast, Adrien.”

He, of all of the people, did not need to be reminded of that.

It took a long time to understand that his mother was gone.

And even longer to accept that Ladybug, as he knew her, was gone.

They had just a few months together.

“If you would only let me go over there,” Adrien began the same argument that he always made. Because he was so certain that up close, if she really looked at him, she would see him and remember. They would have back their Ladybug, they could pull her miraculous out of the box—

“Adrien, it’s better this way,” Alya reminded him, frowning as her eyes moved to look where exactly he was watching—taking in the black-haired girl that toiled over yet another design.

“For who?” He asked, but he already knew the answer.

For her.

Because the new Papillion hated her, because she targeted her, because Marinette had to give up the box—because she had to give up everything, and now she was content as Marinette.

But it was easier for Alya to think that, because she remembered her. Because Alya wasn’t so tied up in the Miraculous box that all hints of her vanished from memory, that she was demoted from a partner to this… an acquaintance.

Marinette hardly even knew Adrien’s name anymore.

“We used to dance on this rooftop,” he informed Alya, unable to even look at the place anymore. “Ladybug and I.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“I don’t want to forget it,” he informed her, because memories were fragile, fleeting things as it turned out, and they could leave you with a single beat of a moth’s wings.

“She’ll approach you someday.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Adrien said, and once again he had that urge to climb onto her rooftop, to knock on her trap door like the old days and wait for her to grab a blanket and sit out with him. Those days were better than nothing. Those days were better than now.

How was it that losing one person felt like losing everything? How was it that he was the only person meant to feel like that in the world?

Alya and Nino still had each other, and he?

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Alya begged, because if he did approach her, he would lose his miraculous. The Order of the Guardians practically demanded it. Over and over again, he couldn’t help but think that it would be worth it to forget as well, that Paris could be damned, and so long as he didn’t have to feel like this anymore it would be okay. But that was such a selfish and callous thought, the kind of thing that Gabriel Agreste would think of, rather than Adrien.

He wasn’t like him. He would never be like him.

So he had to sit and wait. Every single day.

***********************************************

He knew it was her when she came out with a black, Agreste-branded umbrella.

Actually, he didn’t know, he just hoped.

Because when she looked at him with those sky-blue eyes, the rainwater trickling off of her lashes—all he wanted was for her to be Marinette.

And then he said her name and it was true.

And then she whispered his and his life was complete.

A few months. Only three months of that. Of his lips on hers, of her hand fitting in between all the spaces in his—and then a new Hawk Moth, a spiteful Papillion.

And then being alone once more, the empty space beside him feeling more devastating because he knew what it was like to have it filled.

He’d find the miraculous someday and put it away, lock it deep within the box that Alya kept hidden in her room. He would never let it see the light of day, just let Nooroo out and the token he was tied to be lost to time.

***************************************************

Whenever it rained, he thought of her.

Whenever it rained, he thought of walking up to her, a new umbrella in hand, and pulling her under it, protecting her from the downpour. He thought of kissing her, like he should have done so many times before, and of her pulling away and warning him that they should get inside, then him asking why, telling the stupid joke that ‘lightning never strikes twice’.

Because the chance of her kissing him again always felt abysmal, and when she did he couldn’t help but gape.

Because now, as a year stood between them and she always acknowledged him last amongst her friends, the idea of his lips touching hers was once again an improbability.

But still, he couldn’t help but think of it, he couldn’t help but get lost in the idea. Even as the rain sank into his skin and made his t-shirt cling to his body, his eyes trained forward as his mind trailed off.

He hadn’t gotten enough sleep again, he’d been too busy watching her the night before. He’d forgotten that Marinette was some miracle of nature, that she almost never got tired.

He could barely keep his eyes open even in a torrential downpour.

“How did I know that I’d find you here?” Said a voice from above. The same song, the same dance as always.

He could only swallow.

The black shade of an umbrella eclipsed the sky over him, providing a momentary reprieve from the cold sting of rain, as a familiar pair of blue eyes looked down at him in amusement, the same as always.

The same as always.

Because he did this too often too, he sat at the bench where she could see him in the rain, waiting for her to realize that he was there. He let the rain wash away any hope of her knowing just as well as it washed away the tightness that always filled his lungs when he thought of her.

And he said goodbye, just as he always wanted to, just as he always wished that he did. She would bring the umbrella over him, he would thank her as he always did, and he would tell her goodbye.

I’ll see you again sometime soon.

God. This was insanity wasn’t it? Repeating the same action over and over again, hoping for a different outcome? But it was always the same.

And somehow it was better than sitting in his old house with his father, who was in just as bad of shape as her, and remembering when things were better all alone. That house could burn up with him inside it and he would have felt nothing, he wouldn’t have even noticed the smoke.

“Hey, are you okay?” Her voice filled his mind, and he could only close his eyes at the sound. “Adrien?”

There was a thump next to him, but he couldn’t be bothered to notice, because, today more than anything, it was too hard.

One year.

A whole year without her. A whole year like that, in that quasi friendship state, waiting for her. One year waiting at the beginning, wanting to start it all over again.

One year remembering when he told himself that he could have had his mother and her, then the crushing realization that in the end, he walked away with nothing. With a father who couldn’t even properly apologize for what he’d done, with a father who couldn’t even remember the past five years. With a dent on the side of his bed where she used to lay and talk to him, one that slowly faded away over time.

With a broken heart, one that he feared would never be repaired.

Was it stupid to cry? He couldn’t help but fear that it was, but that didn’t do much. He cried all the same, wishing that he didn’t.

And then her arms were around him, cradling him closely, and he could pretend that they meant more than they did.

“Adrien, I’m here… I’m right here…”

But you’re not, he wanted to tell her, but you never will be again.

Instead, he held her a little closer, clung desperately to her skin like he could save himself from the raging current threatening to pull him away, from the dangerous thoughts of loneliness that echoed in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to touch her, to press his lips to her forehead and know her skin once again.

But he was just Adrien, and she was Marinette—stuck in the hellish in between.

“I really did love you,” he admitted, the words tearing so softly out of him that he wasn’t sure anyone else could hear him, and her hands only tightened in response, some small part of her calling back, I really did love you too.

#my fanfic #lovesquare #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfiction #mlb fanfic #idk it's a warm up fuck it #post reveal #post relationship

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thelastpilot · 4 years ago

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‘On GOD We Are Going to Get You a Girlfriend’- A Lovesquare Story as suffered by Nino

My last charity fic for @mlbforblm! The prompt was Aged Up College AU lovesquare, in which Adrien is struggling with his love for both Marinette and Ladybug and Nino is put in the position to be the ultimate wingman. I went a little off script with this prompt but I hope it scratches that itch nonetheless.

The concept itself lent itself much better to 15k than 4 but I did what I could! Hope it gets a laugh out of you.

It was twilight in Paris, the tail end of sunset slipping away as people all across campus engaged in extremely varied states of productivity. That is to say, at most 20% of the campus’ live-in population was actually getting any work done, while the rest of them were either limping along or had already given up.

It was midterms week, clearly.

In the dim space of a reasonable apartment accommodation were well -intentioned study implements of every kind. The completely average couch and carpet were covered with just enough of a layer of highlighters, pens, and printed pages to give a really studious impression at a glance, but whatever vibe it might have managed was thoroughly ruined by a young man laying face down on the floor, a game console nearly tumbling from his hands. Another, separate, but equally as unfocused young man had his back to plain white wall against which they had been meaning to put like… a chair or something at least for most of the semester now, staring idly out of the sliding glass door to his left that offered only a sliver of a view from his current position. At most he could see two lovely, but neglected, potted plants and a shoddy balcony looking off towards the main body of their college campus.

He watched the small patch of sky he could see succumb to a light coverage of clouds, and as he considered the possibility of rain, he sighed.

“Nino?” he finally spoke, looking away from his strip of sky. He waited for a response for a second or two, before reaching out with his foot and gently prodding his friend’s side to check he was alive, smirking slightly when he received a grunt for his efforts.

“Mm,” Nino answered from his curled up position, the glasses on his face a perfect reflection of his Pokemon team’s stats, which was ironic considering that Stats was exactly the thing Nino was avoiding at the minute. After a beat too long, he realized his friend was still waiting on his response. He lifted his head slightly, his hat falling free to the ground as he said, “Mm? Yeah?” He blinked slowly. “What?”

Adrien smiled down at him, chuckling a little before tossing aside a textbook he had been pretending to take notes from for the last hour. When his lap was free he leaned forward and rolled to the ground, mimicking Nino’s exact positioning on the ground a small distance away from him, sighing again (louder this time).

“What?” Nino repeated himself, laughing when Adrien leveled him with a sour look. He rolled his eyes but dutifully paused his game, shutting his Switch off and putting it on the ground out of their eyeline. “Go for it dude, what’s up.”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Is it a girl thing?” Nino asked flatly, raising an eyebrow when all Adrien managed was a sheepish smile. “Dude.”

“Come on! You’re my friend, you’re contractually obligated. Look don’t make fun of me just help okay; I’m really stuck now.” Adrien pleaded with him, bringing his hands in front of him to cartoonishly beg for his grace. He got another eye roll for his trouble but Nino hadn’t gotten up and left yet so that was a good sign.

It wasn’t that his friend didn’t want to help him, its just that… well.

Adrien always had some kind of girl problem, pretty much off and on for the past five years. He knew it got hard to listen to and Nino had put in way more than his fair share of time into this. Especially since he had made essentially no progress whatsoever in all that time, but boy was he almost on to something here.

Nino said nothing else, making a vague hand gesture for him to continue and Adrien did as he always did.

He hesitated, carefully considering how to phrase something.

“So um, there is this girl. That uh, girl, I always talk about. The one you don’t know. And then there is another girl, one who you do know.”

“Do we HAVE to be so vague man? We’re in our own place, there is no one around. Can’t you just say it? I get so confused when we do it like this.”

Adrien tensed slightly, discomfort crawling up his back. “I uh, I can’t. Just- just listen okay? I can’t explain it.”

“We’re in our house,” Nino complained again. But Adrien ignored him, because he always ignored him when he said that.

“Just listen okay?”

Nino looked at him squarely, or at least as squarely as he could manage while laying on the ground. When Adrien patiently waited for a response Nino finally sighed, rolling on his stomach and laying his face sideways on the floor to match him, nodding stiffly for him to continue.

“It’s just, there is these two girls,” he began, “I’m losing my mind over it, I’m worried man and it’s coming to a head. I know I’ve said that before, but I mean it this time. I have never ONCE in my entire LIFE gotten the timing right Nino, I’m dead serious.” Adrien rolled around a little gripping his hair with both hands. “I get the timing wrong EVERY TIME. I have never been where I’m supposed to be! I’ve never made a move at the right time I have never done it right. I get close with one girl but she doesn’t reciprocate or she tells me to wait or she says that its complicated, then I get close to the other girl but I feel GUILTY because I still care about the first girl. But she says it isn’t right so I work on it I let go but then the other girl is gone or moves on or life gets in the way. I have been in the wrong place EVERY TIME-,”

Adrien’s ranting continues, rolling around on their carpet as he incredibly vaguely and very stupidly details a problem that he has had for many, many years. Nino can feel himself retreating into his own thoughts, more focused on Adrien’s animated rolling than his actual words. He reaches out once to save a stack of notes from getting creased and ruined, but other than that remains completely still and lets his friend do his thing.

This happened maybe once a week or so, maybe a little less often or more often depending on the status of the girls.

The fact that Adrien literally REFUSED to say their names made this completely incoherent, but where in his love life he was inconsistent, when it came to never talking about work Adrien was true to form.

Nino blinked blearily as Adrien continued, pouring over the reasons he cared so deeply for them both and why that made him feel like a bad person. It left Nino to stew, wondering much like always why they did it like this.

The two of them were superheroes. Spoilers if you didn’t know. He didn’t feel like much of a superhero when he was sprawled out on his shared apartment floor suffering the long run up to failing his Stats midterm like any other student. But the fact remained that he was one, and so was Adrien. The problem was that Adrien was serious about keeping life and work separate. It was pretty much only hard and fast rule about this gig that Nino had picked up on when he first joined. Never talk about work as a civilian, under any circumstances. You only get to talk about work when you’re suited up, and you’re only allowed to talk about life in plain clothes.

Honestly, it was so hard to do it that way, but the rules were clear, not that anyone had actually stopped to explain them to him. Adrien froze up whenever he even so much as mentioned an akuma attack or asked about an injury. Don’t talk about work, but…

They lived together now, this was the first semester where they had done so and Nino was so hyped about it. Like FINALLY, our kwamis can relax and we can be ourselves. He had been so excited about it, but to his profound disappointment Adrien refused to relent on his rule. Their kwamis were never even out in the open except for in their rooms, like he knew Adrien was strict but surely he wasn’t that committed.

Nino understood that it was probably Ladybug’s rule but still, it’s not like she was here. He wouldn’t advocate for disobeying her but… come on man. His brain hurt.

He KNEW Adrien was talking about Ladybug/Marinette. He knew that for a fact, but Adrien would never say her name out loud, because that overlaps with work (even though they hang out with her in person like every single day.) Maybe Nino didn’t know who the heck this second girl he was talking about was, but at the very least he could be clear about one of them.

Whoever the second girl actually was sounded a lot like Marinette, so the for-sure thing was that he had a type. Honestly though he had stopped trying to figure it out years ago. If he wasn’t so exhausted from not studying he would humor him like he always did, but today… man he was kind of tired.

He waited until Adrien was done talking, undoubtably ending by asking for advice as per the usual. Then, like always, Nino said what he always did.

“You need to communicate. If you are not crystal clear with these girls about what they want and what you want nothing with ever happen. You need to bite the bullet and TELL them, at least ONE of them, what you’re thinking.”

And like always, Adrien groaned and covered his face and said, “It’s not that easy!”

They both grumbled dejectedly into the carpet, repeating their years old platitudes until they gave up on each other. Nino usually did this a lot better but he reserved the right to tap out and Adrien usually seemed to accept that.

The only different thing Adrien actually said was when he was standing. He mumbled, “I know, I know. You’re right, as usual but… I’m maybe gonna ask someone else. See what they think.”

“I don’t know what answer you’re hoping for, but that’s all I’ve got.”

“I know,” Adrien sighed, offering a hand to help him off the ground. He smiled gently, but his eyes were sad. Enough of a gesture to explain that he wasn’t actually mad at Nino’s dismissiveness. He had a right to refrain.

They spent an idle few minutes cleaning up their mess, consolidating their notes and books into two loose piles and neither saying much. It was only about thirty or so minutes later when Adrien announced vaguely, “I’m gonna go for a run.”

“Yeah man,” Nino answered, knowing by heart Adrien’s codeword for ‘patrol’. Didn’t know why he didn’t just say it, but that was a dead horse long beaten.

Adrien left within a minute or two but Nino stood blearily for awhile in the living room, staring at nothing as he debated just going to bed for the day.

He was just about to head to his room to ask if Wayzz was ready for dinner when the kwami in question came flying into the room, confidently out in the open space now that Adrien was gone.

“You’re getting a call!” Wayzz piped up importantly, waving his little flippers a bit to sell the point. “It’s Cat Noir!”

“I- what?” Nino sputtered, glancing towards the apartment door in confusion. “He literally just- ugh.” Nino groaned as loudly as possible, Wayzz shaking his head a little. “Why is he LIKE THIS, he could have just TOLD ME TO COME.”

“I know he’s odd about it, but he must have his reasons. You should go, he must need you for patrol.”

Nino demanded a few more moments of frustration, which Wayzz indulged, before grabbing his keys and unlocking a window in case he didn’t feel like using them. It was Adrien’s turn tonight but okay whatever.

It only took him a minute or two to transform and get out onto their building’s roof, stretching a bit before raising his wrist. He forced himself to take a deep breath and remind himself of the rules while he returned Adrien’s call.

Through the hazy, green, holographic screen he saw the face of Cat Noir answer on the first ring, the feline superhero sighing in relief and smiling widely.

“There you are! I was hoping you were out. Hey, I know this is kind of sudden but… um I was wondering if you were willing to meet up with me. I want to ask you about something.”

He allowed himself to hang his head in frustration just out of the video feeds eyeline, pulling a sharp breath through his teeth before answering, “Yeah bud. Lets meet up.”

“Great!” Cat Noir answered enthusiastically, genuinely happy that he had agreed for whatever reason. “Meet me here when you get a second,” and he sent over his current location. Sure enough he was literally like, one block over.

He hung up without a goodbye, dragging his feet as he started to head that way. He was slow about it sine it was at most five seconds away for him. Adrien was so INTENSE about this charade some days it just drove him completely crazy. But rules are rules.

He waited for about a minute to distance their patterns, then with a short jump and a few corner’s turned he found Cat Noir crouched on top of the Linguistics building.

“Hey, you got here fast,” Cat greeted him happily, a little nervous looking actually. ‘Carapace’ as he was really had to resist the eye roll there, deciding instead to nod.

He went over and sat somewhat heavily, not pretending with an greeting at all and just watching him flatly. For whatever reason this made Cat Noir hesitate a little, but he quickly got over it, pushing through the weirdness and folding his hands in his lap.

“Well, listen I won’t waste your time much. I know we don’t really do this, we only ever talk about work and that’s the safe thing, I get how it is.” Cat Noir looked away, his gaze fixated on the possibility of rain, before he finally sighed.

“I just… I was wondering if I could get some… girl advice?”

Cat Noir looked to his ally, scanning his face and getting even more nervous as he more or less saw a brick wall of an expression on Carapace’s face.

Carapace blinked, saying nothing as Cat Noir began to talk unprompted, persevering despite the lack of reciprocation.

“So um, there is a girl, and you know that. I always talk about her, and there is another girl, one that you don’t know.”

Carapace blinked.

He softly let out a “Bro…” but Cat Noir was hyping himself up now and he started rolling.

“It’s just, there is these two girls,” he began, “I’m losing my mind over it, I’m worried man and it’s coming to this point where like, I-,”

He kept going, looking down at his gloved hands and missing Carapace’s slowly warping expression. He started rambling, about how he always got the timing wrong, about how he cared about both these girls so much and he just didn’t know what to do. He started and he didn’t stop, completely unaware of Carapace starting to lose touch with reality.

Finally Carapace interrupted, stammering slightly in a tone that was wildly like…

Disbelief?

“Dude I- stop, hang on. Dude I just- I know?” He waited for a beat, watching Cat Noir blink in confusion. He scanned his face, looking for just- literally anything. After another moment that was way too long, he finally braved it. “We- we already, we already talked about this.”

Cat straightened, throwing his head back in exasperation and groaning loudly, “Okay I know I talk about girls sometimes but I honestly never bother you with this much can you humor me please?”

“No I-,” Carapace paused, his voice getting quieter. “We just… literally we-,”.

“Please man I- UGH I’m really having trouble!” He nearly shouted it, looking so genuinely unheard that Carapace was reeling. “You’re one of my only close guy friends I NEED a second opinion, I’m begging now. I already asked my other friend but he always says the exact same thing and he’s RIGHT but I need someone to say something else!” Cat suddenly mimicked his voice saying, “”You need to communicate.” That’s what he says, he’s RIGHT obviously but I just-,”

He kept talking, briefly glossing over how this ‘friend of his’ wasn’t particularly helpful with this line of questioning, so Cat Noir had chosen to seek HIM out instead.

And as he went on with his rant, Carapace slowly brought his hands to his face in intense contemplation.

Suddenly, in the middle of Cat Noir’s over the top love ranting Carapace decided to interrupt him.

“Hold up- hold on now. I need to clarify something, just cause I need to double check alright, just checkin’ something.”

Cat Noir paused, looking to him and slowly saying, “…okay?”

“You KNOW I know you’re Adrien Agreste right?”

Silence. Cat abruptly went rigid, but Carapace just splayed his hands wide, rapidly searching his face for confirmation of the impossible.

“Like dawg you KNOW that right? You’re aware? You know that right?”

Cat Noir was frozen, holding as still as possible like Carapace was a T-Rex and if he didn’t move this problem was just gonna go away. But Carapace pressed further, getting louder as he said “DUDE you know who I AM RIGHT?!”

The feline superheroes breathing was starting to pick up, his eyes blown wide as he REALLY looked at his friend, before he nearly inaudibly squeaked, “…no?”

“ADRIEN-,”

“Shhh!” Cat Noir leapt forward, trying to grapple him as he went into full panic mode, “Wait shut up shut up!”

“IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS!”

“SHUT UP!”

They started to wrestle, Cat Noir violently shushing his companion as he had a full melt down, saying things like “All this time-!” and “You’re an idiot!” and “I thought you were just- oh my god!”

“Please!!! This is terrible Carapace shut up!! I don’t know how you found out my identity but I-,”

“WHOSE THE SECOND GIRL-!?”

“Lower your voice!”

“WHOSE THE SECOND GIRL”

“What do you mean?!”

Carapace gripped him hard by the shoulders and threw them both until Cat Noir was flat on his back with a harsh thump against the roof tiles. The turtle hero held him tight and shook his shoulders, his eyes crazed with years of realization colliding together at once. “Who is the second girl in your ridiculous life, what’s her name?!”

Cat Noir looked wild and frightened, finally becoming so flustered that he just hissed in a whisper, “It’s Marinette okay!?”

“And?”

“And WHAT!?”

“AND?” Carapace reiterated, shaking him harder.

“And LADYBUG you MORON!” he hissed as quietly as he possibly could.

Instantly Carapace stopped, holding him in a vice like grip just above the tiles. After an incredibly still moment, he dropped him, closing his eyes and putting his hands over his face.

Cat Noir was flat on his back, panting heavily and staring up at him freaked out, but it was like Carapace had been struck by lightning and he was just sitting there, completely still.

“Oh,” was all he finally said, curling in on himself slightly. Before suddenly, he pitched to the side and just lay there on the roof tiles, rolling onto his stomach.

“…oh?!” Cat eventually managed, twisting onto his side to look at him just laying there. “That’s all you have to say?! Of COURSE it’s Ladybug! I talk about her EVERY. DAY.”

“This… explains… so much,” Carapace muttered, not even listening to him. With a huff Cat crawled onto all four and went over to him, his heart racing in what was nearly a panic attack at this point. But all of Carapace’s energy had been spent, and he just mumbled dejectedly with his face smooshed against the tiles.

Cat Noir’s ears twisted forward, trying to make out the words, before he just lost his patience and hissed “What are you saying?!”

“I said YOU’RE STUPID!” the turtle barked out, turning his face back into the filthy roof.

“Why am I- UGH forget it! Just forget it we have a way bigger problem here- If Ladybug finds out my identity has been compromised she’s going to-,”

“Is SHE stupid too!?” Carapace interjected, twisting just enough to look up at him incredulously. “Is everyone stupid but ME?”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Dude there is RULES! No one is allowed to know anyone elses identity!”

Carapace just gaped at him, before his eyes unfocused and he just went limp. He whispered it when he said, “So she IS stupid…”

He waited a beat, and wretchedly mumbled to himself, “Oh god you’re both so stupid.”

Cat Noir was at a loss, looking all around him like he was desperately trying to make sense of it all, stopping only to try and sort of Carapace’s miserable breakdown.

He was about to give up and just drag Carapace to a lockable room somewhere before his friend propped himself up all at once with the most exasperated expression he had ever seen on a human person.

“So help me- someone has to do some shit about this, listen to me-,” Carapace got to his knees and lunged forward to grab him by the bell. He pulled him forward, and with all the determination of a war general he proclaimed, “On GOD I am going to get you a girlfriend, do you hear me? I am going to make this happen because I can not STAND another DAY of this. Got it?!”

“I- Carapace I-!?”

“GOT IT?!”

Cat Noir dangled helplessly in his grip, and with his last wits he sputtered out, “Okay, okay!!! I’ll do whatever you say!”

#adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #love square #adrienette #ladynoir #carapace #mlbforblm #sorry if this isnt my best #but #it cannot be overstated how much i love the fact that almost all of ninos dialogue #is delivered while face down on the floor #cause thats a mood

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giuliafc · 4 years ago

Text

When Magic Fails - chapter 2

Read on A03 || FFN || Wattpad (links to chapter 1)

Summary: The Miraculous Cure can fix the damage caused by a specific akuma. But what happens when said damage comes after the Miraculous Cure? When the damage isn't caused by an akuma? Follow Marinette through the worst day of her life. The day where her identity, or Chat's, won't matter any more. The day when she will discover what's really important. But at what price? Lovesquare story.

Warning: VERY intense! Read previous chapter here on Tumblr

Betas: KhanOfAllOrcs, Agrestebug, Etoile-Lead-Sama, Speckleflower, AmberLambda, Anonymousfriend27 and MiniNoire

Big thanks to: Momo|MarinetteAgresteBrand and Genxha

Cover art and chapter art credit: Rosehealer02 on Deviantart.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc; TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

oOo

Chapter 2 - Code Polkadot

It was a race against time. His ring beeped when she passed the Ministère de la Santé, and her own Miraculous beeped in front of the ambassade des Pays-Bas. People watched in horror as she jumped and zipped across the road. She could see their stares, could hear their whispers. They were probably wondering what Ladybug was doing, holding Chat Noir and running madly across the road, both covered in blood, dust and rubble. She glared at anybody that came within a glaring distance.

“WHERE’S THE HOSPITAL?” she shouted at someone who had just stopped on a bike next to her. A familiar face, but her vision was so blurred by tears and sweat that she couldn’t quite make out who the person was. She shrugged off the idea. Four different hands pointed in the same direction, immediately followed by another dozen. She attempted a grateful smile, but was certain, from the frightened reactions of the people on the road, that she had barely managed to put up a painful grimace.

She jumped across in the direction shown and immediately saw her reflection glaring at her from the windows of the building in front of her. She didn’t even stop to consider what she looked like. The words on the building's windows said Hôpital Necker, but they also mentioned "University". She looked around to find the blue "H" that clearly marked a public hospital and saw it just a few metres away, at the side of a small marble arched gate, which led into a courtyard.

She landed in front of it and burst inside; her eyes scanned the courtyard until she saw at her left a door manning the sign “Accueil”. As she walked inside and looked around, she saw lines of metallic black seats. Mothers and children moved to give her space, as well as the people queuing and standing in front of the reception check in. She heard whispers around the room, mothers consoling their children who were asking what happened to Chat Noir. Why were there so many kids? All the patients had children with them; that was weird.

“I need a doctor, quickly!” she said bluntly at the woman sitting at the check in desk. To her disappointment the receptionist was on the phone, so taken with looking at the screen in front of her that she hadn’t even glanced in her direction. Marinette’s gaze quickly ran to Chat Noir’s face. The side of his head was covered in blood, which had mixed together with the dirt and the pieces of mortar in his hair and had made a sort of paste that had glued to his and even to her own suit. Her heart raced faster in her chest. She needed to hurry.

“Have you got your child’s carnet de santé and carte mutuelle, and your carte vitale please?” came from behind the green desk the voice of said receptionist, who stretched her left hand out to her, her eyes still focused on the screen in front of her, her ear still glued to the phone receiver.

Marinette gulped. Child? She looked around again. There were plenty of colourful drawings and cartoon characters embossed on the walls of the reception desk and pictures of children with many different types of illnesses.

Oh yes. Hôpital Necker, the child hospital. That’s right. She had heard of it in the news so many times, looking for donations for their research.

“He’s not my child…” she said. If the situation hadn’t been so serious she was sure Chat would have found it funny.

The middle aged brunette in front of her took her eyes off her screen, put a thick pair of glasses on and gave her a practised look of pure boredom before her brown eyes widened. “Excuse me ma’am,” she said to the person she was talking to on the phone. “I have an emergency here. You will need to redial.” She hung up and dropped the phone receiver.

“La… Ladybug? Oh Jesus… Chat Noir? What… This is a child’s hospital Ladybug… we have adult patients, but they...they’re not our speciality...” She started stammering and paled considerably.

Marinette felt a gush of anger spreading all over her gut as she admitted it, hastily, “I’m fifteen… and I expect him to be around my age. I don’t care if it’s a hospital for children, for aliens or for wild animals. He could die if we don’t act fast. He needs help. NOW.”

People all around started whispering.

“Fifteen?”

“Oh my God.”

“They are kids.”

“Only kids.”

“Maman is Chat Noir really younger than my big brother?”

“Sure.” The woman at the desk picked up the phone and pushed a couple of buttons on it. “Dr. Richter? Yes, Sylvie here at reception. We have an emergency. Oh you know already? Good… code polkadot you say? What is it, I’ve never heard of it. Ah okay... Cool. Yes, they know. They’re 15! Yes. I hear you, yes. Crazy! I’ll tell her. Leave it to me.” She stood and ran out of the accueil’s room; Marinette could only follow. “They’re already waiting for you in front of the SUSI (2).”

Marinette paled. “But I thought this was…” she muttered, but the woman interrupted her.

“Ladybug, you’re in the wrong place. This is the reception for booked appointments and routine visits. The SUSI is over there.” She pointed to the left. “You’re probably going to be faster than the bed. It’s the other side of that rooftop.”

Marinette gave her a grateful look and a nod. “Thank you… Sylvie?”

“Good luck, Ladybug,” she said smiling warmly. “You saved my boyfriend when he was akumatised. This is the least I can do.”

Marinette nodded again and held Chat firmly, jumping on the rooftop as fast as her legs could take her. She immediately saw that three men dressed in blue were waiting at the back entrance of the next building, near what looked like a gurney and an ambulance. She jumped off right beside them.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Ladybug. Nadja Chamack rang the hospital to warn us of your arrival. Please allow me to take him,” one of the nurses said, as he tried to take Chat from her arms.

She initially resisted, but then heard Chat’s ring giving a louder beep, so she gave in. “Please, we need to hurry. One minute and our transformations will fall,” she pleaded. The man’s gaze became stern. He held Chat firmly and moved steadily towards the gurney next to him. He carefully put Chat on it and quickly pushed the gurney inside the building, trying to move it hastily to the corridor leading to a door labelled ‘PU - Urgences’ (1).

A loud beep came from her earrings, and in a flash of pink, Marinette’s transformation fell as she sped next to the nurses, not even trying to hide her face from the crowd that had gathered all around her. Her gaze stayed firmly focused on Chat and on the nurses who were putting what she thought could be an oxygen mask on his mouth and nose, taking advantage of a moment when the gurney stopped because of the crowd. She didn’t even pay any attention to Tikki, who had come out of the earrings and had looked at her worryingly before flying into her purse.

“Ew, what’s that?”

“A giant bug maman!”

“Does Ladybug keep bugs in her purse?”

“WILL YOU ALL PLEASE GO FASTER? HIS SUIT HELPS HIM, BUT THIS COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIS LIFE OR HIS DEATH! HE’S ONLY GOT A FEW MORE SECONDS TO SPARE!” She could swear that she saw a few flashes and tried to cover her face as best she could. Suddenly she felt someone’s arms wrap around her as a jacket was thrown over her head.

“There’s nothing else to see people, let the gurney pass!” a male voice said. She knew that voice… where had she heard that voice before?

They went through the doors of the PU and walked hastily a little longer until the gurney stopped and moved ninety degrees. The jacket was removed from her head as she heard the zipping sound of curtains being pulled all around them. A quick glance to her surroundings made her realise that they were in a sort of cubicle, protected from the view by a set of blue paper curtains, and the doctors and nurses were surrounding Chat, plugging different cables and machines all around him.

“Where do I plug the oximeter?” one of the nurses asked. She looked very young and a bit pale. She held a sort of peg in her hands, plugged into a machine and tried to attach it to one of Chat’s cat ears. “Nope. Does he have human ears?” She moved his hair at the side of his head and Marinette heard her sighing in relief as she attached the peg to something.

“What happened to him, how did he get hurt, Miss Ladybug?” she heard a doctor ask and she suddenly looked up, realising that the man was talking to her.

“Oh… he fell off the Eiffel Tower…” she started to say. Then she heard the last beep of her partner’s ring and in a flash of green his transformation fell. As Plagg twirled out of the ring and fell with a loud sob on top of Chat’s head, Marinette couldn’t stop her gaze from following the black kwami and running straight to the blond boy laying on the bed.

The plastic mask covered almost all his face, but even with that on, there was not a chance in hell that Marinette wouldn’t recognise his blond mane, now combed neatly to the side of his head and clean from the dirt, but not from the blood that plastered the side of his face. Pale; he was as pale as a ghost. She only caught a glimpse of his face before someone’s arms wrapped around her and held her tight. But that glimpse was enough.

No.

NO!

NOO! It couldn’t be...

“Gamin? Talk to me! Are you okay?” she heard Plagg say. Then, she saw something red dashing around the room, grabbing Plagg, oblivious of his objections, and disappearing behind the curtain. “Tikki, you don’t understand! I need to tell Pigtails! He’s been poi—” the little God of destruction whimpered as he was dragged away. She wasn't sure, but she thought she had seen tears at the corner of Plagg’s electric green eyes. Even her own eyes filled with tears, her chest shaken by loud sobs.

“Mar-Ladybug, it’s okay. He will be safe,” someone said, hugging her tight, but it sounded far away, like a whisper from a different time. "Marinette can you hear me? It's me, Luka," he added in a lower tone of voice. But all Marinette could hear were the sudden angry beeps of the machines in front of her, having gone mad the second Chat's transformation fell. A horde of doctors and nurses rushed to the gurney, busying themselves with plugging in more cables and hooking up strange machines to Chat's body and face.

“Sorry, Mlle. Ladybug, can you please wait over there? We need space!” Marinette heard the voice of one of the doctors say, and she felt Luka’s arms wrapping tighter around her as he tried to move her backwards.

She resisted sternly. That face. She had just given one quick glance to that face. She had to see it again, to see that it wasn’t the face she thought. She wriggled out of Luka’s hold and jerked towards the gurney, peeking around the doctors at work and trying to give another quick look, earning quite a few glares from a couple of nurses.

The neatly combed blond mane framed the handsome face of the boy she would recognise among thousands. As pale as a ghost. His once peachy lips now dry and blue under the transparent plastic mask. His beautiful green eyes closed. Why of all people did it have to be him?

She screamed.

"It's okay, Mar-Ladybug! He will be alright!" Luka's voice said again, his arms firmly wrapped around her shoulders to stop her from lunging straight to the bedside.

"ADRIEEEEN!!!" Her heart-wrenching screams came loud and clear in between the sobs that rocked her chest and lungs.

"Marinette? What… Adrien? Oh girl you must be kidding me! Mar… La-Ladybug?" This was Alya's voice. She heard Luka shushing her, and Alya’s eyes widened, as she corrected herself. What was Alya doing here?

Suddenly, a pair of extra arms wrapped around her from her left side. Another pair from the right, in a vice grip that kept her from going to him, that kept pushing her backwards.

A female voice spoke, the masked emotions trickling in through the tremble in her voice. “You can't go over there! You'll only get in the way of the doctors working on him! Stay here!”

“ADRIE—” A hand cupped over her mouth, barely able to muffle the sounds of heartbreak seeping out of her.

"Shhhhh! Do you want everyone to know, Ma-Ladybug?" It was Kagami's voice. She nearly didn’t recognise it, as the usually confident and blunt tone of the Japanese girl was missing completely. She sounded shaken and emotionally drained. Marinette darted her gaze around to notice that Alya was standing at her right and Kagami at her left, and they were both holding her tight, supporting Luka who held her from behind.

They were all there with her. She wondered when they arrived and how they knew where they were. Nadja probably had told them where she was heading, and they were allowed through the door of the PU before detransforming, Marinette thought, but the sight of Adrien being picked up carefully by one of the nurses and transferred into a hospital bed stopped the last of her rational thoughts from coming through. New sobs shook her chest, as new tears rolled off her cheeks. She buried her face in Alya's chest not even attempting to stop sobbing desperately.

Because Chat was Adrien. And Adrien could die. And it was her fault…

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

Notes:

(1) PU - Pavillon des Urgences (A&E/ER)

(2) SUSI - Service d'Urgences et de Soins Intensifs (A&E/ER, Emergency and Intensive Care department)

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

Author's Note:

Hi! *Keeps hiding*

I know, I know, this is probably the most catastrophic reveal ever. Please don't hate me!

I'll cut the fluff and get straight to the point. In the next instalment of "When Magic fails", “Secrets in the Open”:

— “We will need to put stitches on this cut at the side of his head.”

— “He has the right to choose how to live his own life!”

— “Chat Noir hasn’t just been injured. He’s been poisoned. And it’s not just an average poison. It’s extremely dangerous.”

I know, I'm cruel. If you want to kill m—, I mean, if you read this and you’re not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon, and see you soon here with the next chapters of this story. Won’t be too long. Promise!

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miraculouscontent · 4 years ago

Note

I know I'm not the only one who finds it super unpleasant and annoying with the Staff's attitude towards Lukanette / Adrigami VS LoveSquare. This super bitchy attitude about "yes they are canon u_u, but don't worry, lovesquare is EndGame idiots!", As if it was a fact that everyone loves their stupid stagnant ship and we will party when Adrigami / Lukanette end up in the trash. I'm tired of how the staff interacting with the fandom

You know what they're doing? With both the special and their reactions?

Damage control. That’s all it is.

Think about the Season 3 finale, where the endcard showed clear signs that Marinette’s feelings were leaning towards Luka and Chat Noir’s was leaning towards Kagami. There were no kisses (outside of a cheek kiss with Lukanette - which they do all the time anyway - and an Adrimi kiss that never made full contact), but the love square side of the fandom lost their minds nonetheless.

Then, the next thing we see is this special, which shows extremely little of what the finale did (if anything, it shows the exact opposite), followed by someone confirming on Twitter, not the show itself, that Adrimi and Lukanette are dating. This was further exacerbated by Astruc and Winny, who just had to join in on things.

What this ultimately means is that they want credit for getting Lukanette and Adrimi together, but not the heat from people actually seeing it in the show. The special is nothing but the writers flailing at their audience like, “W-wait, look, Marinette still has feelings for Adrien! The love square isn’t going anywhere! Yes, Lukanette and Adrimi are close but the love square is still alive and well, it’s endgame! They’re meant to be!”

That’s why they hammered it in so hard. That’s why the special feels like a huge step backward. They were so afraid to lose their audience that they looked for the soonest moment possible to throw in their “reassurance” and that happened to be the special.

They’re proud to mess with people on Twitter because the love square is endgame and they think that’s what everyone wants.

Except the problem is that not everyone wants it at that point, and now, because of this whole thing, no one is happy.

The love square shippers aren’t happy because something that’s not the love square is canon right now and they feel like their time is being wasted.

The Adrimi shippers aren’t happy because Adrien seemed completely happy with Kagami at the end of the finale but now they have him sulking and not reciprocating her affections in the only scene he has with Kagami.

The Lukanette shippers aren’t happy because, despite Lukanette being “canon” now, the very next thing the show does is ship Marinette off to another country so she can go be miserable without Luka’s support to comfort her.

And both Adrimi and Lukanette shippers are doubly unhappy because their ship has been “canonized” with zero fanfare, zero respect, and zero acknowledgment of the relationship.

See this?

This is cowardice. This is the writers trying their hardest to convince people that they’re pushing things along when they’re not. After the “unpopular opinion” post, Winny had to make two follow-up posts a day and then three days (which you can see above, where he replies to himself) later, presumably because people were still flipping out.

They expect people to get attached to Luka and Kagami, then expect people to both stay committed to the love square and also not get mad when Luka and Kagami aren’t being given the spotlight.

Take this (long since deleted) tweet from Astruc:

Ignoring the fact that the tweet is extremely childish, it showcases the exact problem. They constantly presume what the fandom wants based on what they themselves want, and anything else is either laughed at, excused, or brushed off. They didn’t want to acknowledge Adrimi and Lukanette directly in the show and didn’t feel it was necessary because they don’t care (since apparently all that matters is love square endgame), and thus we must not care either, right?

Except we do care. We care a lot.

#category: salt #category: staff #other: ask and answer #other: ml spoilers

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cloudshapedpatch · 4 years ago

Text

Bells and Whistles

Happy Holidays @ghostlyhamburger, I’m your Lovesquare Obsessed Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy this very indulgent soulmate au 💚🌸

* * * *

Music. It’s all around, and yet, it never gets old. How? How does an arrangement of notes and sounds create wonderful music capable of bringing deep joy and sadness?

Everyone knows people love music. Archeologists always seem to be finding older and simpler instruments used by early humankind. People just love to create their own sounds, if not for their own enjoyment, or perhaps to attempt to share the songs in their heads with others.

For Marinette, it was no different than everyone else. Her song. The leitmotif that seemed to always play in her head. And she could not get it to be quiet. Just once, she wished to take a school test and be able to focus on her paper, and not the wispy bells meant only for her own ears.

It was a nice melody, and the universe had made it just for her (and for her soulmate, but she wasn’t too concerned with this fact at the moment). She never grew tired of it, thank kwami, but it also meant she could never go very long without hearing it. And how the universe loved to play the tune in the least convenient times.

30 chimes of bells.

What is the circumference of a circle that has a diameter of 8 inches?

30 chimes of bells.

What’s 8 times pi?

30 damned chimes of bells.

Marinette let her head drop onto her desk, letting the lone bells play out a couple more times. She only resumed her math test once it seemed it was done.

Thus was a normal occurrence for most people. It still annoyed her.

Her teacher gave Marinette a sympathetic look as she handed in her completed test, bells still ringing in her head.

“Why don’t you just go look for your soulmate?” Alya had suggested one night as they watched a movie.

“I don’t wanna rush it.” Marinette had lied a little too easily for her liking.

“You know if you do, your tune will get beautifuller and—”

“And I’ll get to control when I hear it, yeah yeah.” Marinette tossed a few unpopped popcorn kernels at Alya, a wide smile on her face. “And beautifuller isn’t a word.”

“Whatever!” Alya had laughed then, a really joyous, belly-shaking laugh. As they continued to watch their movie, Marinette could tell Alya was playing her own symphony in her head (she always smiled like the biggest love-sick goofball).

Alya was among the lucky few who found her soulmate quite young. It always brought a smile to Marinette’s face when the young couple spoke of the day they realized. Although, Marinette always had to swallow her pride because she couldn’t let anyone know she was the one who had locked them in that fateful zoo cage.

Speaking of, Alya was leading Marinette out of the classroom, saying something about the test, but Marinette didn’t hear her. She was too busy with her own thoughts about songs and soulmates.

Surprisingly, Nino was the first to notice Marinette’s dazed state. His ‘You good?’ was accompanied with a familiar smile; the one that told her she had missed everything he had said.

Marinette blinked her thoughts away. “Yeah! Yeah, just thinking. What’s up?”

“Alya and I were saying we were gonna play UMS 3 at my house, wanna come make it a tournament?”

Marinette’s sudden perfect posture didn’t go unnoticed by either of the other teens. “Sorry, I have some family things tonight. You know how Thursdays are…”

“Right!” Alya punctuated the word with a snap. “Thursdays are family nights. Funny, Adrien said the same thing.”

Nino got an elbow to his side for snickering at Marinette’s blush, but it couldn’t be helped. They bade goodbye and went their separate ways.

The chilly December air stung her heated cheeks, eliciting a breath of thanks that she lived close to the school. In truth, Marinette’s family didn’t have family nights. Thursdays were allotted for Chat Noir’s visits.

He came every Thursday, without fail, at 9pm sharp. Why? No one had any clue. Her parents always cooked for four those nights to be sure he had food (They learned early on he didn’t get much to eat. This concerned Marinette deeply, not only as his partner but also as his soulmate). She supposed the saying was true, ‘feed a cat once and they will return’. He hadn’t stopped visiting ever since she offered him a cookie one otherwise-normal Thursday night about 4 months ago.

Tonight was no different. He knocked on her balcony window at 9 o’clock on the dot, he came down and ate his plate of food, and Marinette beat him at video games with her parents.

It was only when they had gone back up to her attic room that the night turned south.

Chat was hovering over her shoulder as she sketched a dress, excitedly giving her suggestions. Sometimes they were good, other times… not (memories of the awful purple and orange clown jumper threatened to surface).

Marinette had started to hum whilst she drew. Chat was playing with her hair and whispering encouragement, and all was well.

“Whatcha humming?” He murmured, barely audible above the sound of pencil on paper.

“Hm?” His hands had frozen in her hair, the lack of movement causing a lull in her train of thought. She blinked hard as if to will her thoughts back. “Oh, just a little tune. Should I put a flower or a bow here?”

“A bow, for sure.”

As she sketched the bow on the dress’ bodice, she hummed a little louder for Chat to hear.

And he hummed the last few notes with her.

Before she could comprehend how he knew the tune, she could hear a piano in her head, playing a sweet little harmony with jazzy drums. The familiar sound of ethereal bells played the melody she knew too well. It felt as if she were surrounded by a thousand magical whistles, carrying her up and away to the clouds. And based on the look in Chat’s eyes as he spun her chair to look at her, he was hearing it too.

Damn it.

She would have gotten emotional if she wasn’t filled with terror. Finding your soulmate was supposed to be an important event in one’s life. For Marinette, now it was another secret under her hat.

He was whispering her name, eyes sparkling and the most endearing smile on his face and why is he looking at me like that? say something, anything! to get him to stop!

“Wow it’s late, time flies, you know?” She cringed at her abnormally high voice, playing off the flinch as a yawn. “I should go to bed, haha.”

Her cheeks twitched with the effort to keep the fake smile as he just stood there, staring at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

And then she was in his arms as he carried her up to bed, eyes large and kind. He set her down gently before giving a two-finger salute and jumping through her balcony window. She felt the mattress bounce slightly from his weight. Too late, she registered his parting words to her, goodnight princess.

With a pillow secured to her face, she screamed.

“Marinette! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Tikki. Just overwhelmed.” She threw the pillow down onto her knees.

“You don’t look fine.”

Neither did Tikki, if Marinette was being honest. She looked just as worried as she felt.

“I just… the ladybug and black cat miraculous are always soulmates, so I wanted Chat’s soulmate to be Ladybug, not Marinette. That makes sense, right?”

“Yes! And it was a great idea, but the universe has its own plans, and you can’t override them.”

“I know! It’s just that— I was planning— I didn’t want Marinette to be associated with Chat Noir. It’s too risky! What if people connect the dots? What if— oh no, Tikki! What if Plagg told Chat Noir about the soulmates? What if Chat Noir knows I’m Ladybug?!”

“Deep breaths, Marinette. It’s gonna be okay! I really don’t think Plagg would have told him, he’s really not fond of romance, he thinks it’s mushy.”

Marinette took a few moments to focus on her breathing, but Tikki’s unsure face didn’t calm her nerves any.

“I can go talk to Plagg if you want. And if Chat Noir really does know who you are, then we can work it all out! You make the rules now Marinette, you don’t have to choose a new partner unless you want to.”

The thought of her identity being known made her sick, but she tried to sleep anyway. A night of good rest would help her think more clearly, right?

She couldn’t help but let the song play out a few times more before she finally dozed off, only for it to echo in her sleep.

* * * *

If Marinette had been paying attention, she would have seen Adrien hovering nearby like the confused, enamoured puppy that he was. She would have noticed his lingering gaze, his soft smile. She would have noticed his internal debate over whether to say hello.

(Everyone else noticed; everyone except the object of his affections.)

Alas, she was too preoccupied with her increasing anxiety. She wasn’t sure when Tikki had left her purse, but she had checked ten minutes ago only to find she was missing. Her foot tapped at the floor at irregular intervals, matching the beat of the song in her heart (Jazz was the worst possible genre to pace her life, but then again, when was she ever regularly spaced?).

She played the whistling song in her head once more, too tired to fight her smile. She could have a much worse soulmate, that was for sure. Who wouldn’t want a sweet, considerate, objectively handsome if she really let herself think about it—

A nudge against her side let her know Tikki had phased into her purse. Almost too hastily, she excused herself to the washroom.

“So? What’s the verdict? I haven’t been able to focus all day!” She whispered, having been too anxious to wait for the door to close behind her.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette.”

Another wave of anxiety. Marinette took a shaky breath in. “What do you mean?”

Tikki’s little hands wrung each other dry as she spoke. “There was a miscommunication between Plagg and Chat Noir, and he knows you’re Ladybug now.”

Her charge slid to the floor by the sinks before her feet could give out completely. He knew? How could this have happened?

She fought the urge to cover her face and cringe. What now?

The door pushed in, Alya successfully interrupting her thoughts.

“Marinette! You okay?”

“Yeah!” Faster than a zip of her yo-yo, her hands flew to the hem of her pink jeans. “Just re-cuffing my jeans. What’s up?”

Alya gave Marinette a quirky sort-of look before shaking her head in amusement. “Miss Bustier wanted me to come get you. We’re starting the holiday party!”

“Let’s get going then!” Marinette locked arms with Alya as they walked out. If neither girl talked about the odd scene, perhaps they would both forget.

The party went well, the shiny menorah and shamash reflecting the small tree’s lights in dazzling patterns on the walls. The atmosphere was pleasant, the treats shared were delicious, and their White Elephant gift exchange went very well. The stuffed dinosaur she made ended up with Rose, and Marinette gratefully accepted a new oversized hat from Nino.

Adrien had caught her eyes a few times too many for her own comfort. It felt almost wrong to be thinking only of her partner while searching Adrien’s eyes for hidden meaning. She took his warm gaze and soft smile with a grain of salt, then turned her mind away to think of Chat Noir’s soft, affectionate gaze and his broad, warm smile that never failed to make her grin in return. For some reason, Adrien’s smile made Marinette want to listen to Chat’s song.

All too soon, the party came to a close. She bade her goodbyes, wished her friends a happy holiday break, and started to walk home in the early minutes of dusk. A fun day of sweet treats and party games left her heart warm and content. The soft tinkling of street lamps illuminating all around her brought a small spread of euphoria in her chest. Shadows danced in the corners of her eyes, drawing her gaze up to the rooftops, where her favorite pair of inhuman green eyes peered back at her. Chat leapt across the buildings in front of her, just enough to stop and look back for a moment as she walked.

Her stomach churned as they locked eyes. Feet glued to the pavement, she stared up at him, waiting for him to… well, she wasn't sure what she was waiting for. He was just looking at her, perched up four stories above her, head tilted.

Oh, she thought belatedly, he wants to talk.

With a small burst of resolution, she gave him a smile before willing her feet to move towards her house. By now the sun had set and the sky was gradually turning dark, a deep ocean encouraging her escape. As much as she longed to fall into the stars and float away, she also found herself giddy with excitement.

Their shared symphony played in her head as she opened the door to her home and excused herself upstairs, the melody almost unbidden, but she knew in her heart she had been longing to allow herself to enjoy it again.

Although, feeling ready for the next chapter of life was different than turning the page itself. There was sure to be shaky hands and stuttered words, confusion and maybe a little more bittersweet than she’d like, but, little did she know, there was going to be acceptance, overpowering emotions, tears, and many long hugs (and perhaps a few kisses), but that was life.

Besides, with her soulmate and partner by her side, she could do anything.

* * * *

Also! I may have gotten a little carried away and composed the leitmotif and the soulmate song as well~! You can listen to it here :)

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xhanisai · 4 years ago

Note

"i dont actually like passionfruit..." (lovesquare drabble prompt)

Ooo very interesting! Let’s give it a go!

~(x)~

“Haha...sorry but I don’t actually like passion fruit...” Marinette laughed awkwardly, politely declining Adrien’s offer to take a sip of his boba tea. Said boy simply eyed her with astonishment, as if she grew a second head.

Marinette gulped and self-consciously twirled a hair strand.

“You’re joking right? Huh?” He twirled the straw in the cup, still watching her as Marinette took a sip of her taro-strawberry milky tea.

“Nope,” She peeked at him through her lashes, cheeks reddening like her alter ego’s namesakes.

“But...but it’s passion fruit!” Adrien gestured towards his cup desperately. It was as if someone was claiming that one add one doesn’t equal two and it was frustrating him. “Pears and bananas, I can understand. Hell even jack fruit and pineapple. But passion fruit!? Impossible!”

Marinette rolled her eyes, albeit fondly, at her dramatic kitten.

Ever since their abrupt reveal a week ago or so, Adrien let go of all restraints and acted and emoted around her as comfortably as he wanted.

The flirting on the other hand was upped by 3000 much to her poor heart’s dismay.

Not to mention the fact that he’s caught wind of her long lasting feelings for him on both sides of the mask which fuelled his shenanigans and dating schemes remarkably.

They were currently on their twenty-sixth date and they were yet to talk about making it official let alone get past the hand holding zone.

He was waiting for her to make the first move like the gentleman he was. Even if everyone else could literally see his thoughts and urges to grab her into his arms and dip her into a deep, romantic kiss.

‘It’s not my fault that I needed time to process everything...’ Marinette huffed internally, finally ignoring her thoughts and tuned back to Adrien’s rant.

“-it’s got that perfect blend of citrus and sweet! That delicious tang afterwards! That refreshing cleanse! Come on, My Lady, just one sip?” Adrien used his special move.

Kitten eyes.

It was a little bit effective.

Just a tad.

A smidge.

“No Chaton. If Maman and Papa couldn’t change my mind, what makes you think that you can?” She playfully flicked his nose, cheeky grin broadening at his whine and took another sip of her boba.

“Fine. You’re missing out though~” Adrien obnoxiously slurped through his straw, making loud “mmm!” and “yummy” sound effects, leaning all his weight against Marinette.

All of a sudden, an idea popped up in the designer’s mind.

Marinette bit her lip as she contemplated on whether or not to act upon the very idea.

On one hand, it would change everything and would require them both to talk about their unspoken feelings which she was trying to bottle up by a mere strand of thread.

On the other, it would shut him up and turn him into a useless puddle of goo.

Or maybe...it would fire up the darker, more passionate side of him that he’s been hinting for a good while.

Marinette quite liked the idea of indulging in that side of Adrien...

“Marinette? Mari? Princesse? Buginette? My Lady- MMMPH!?”

Acting upon her impulsive idea, Marinette caught Adrien’s lips with hers, melding into him with as much gusto and passion as she could possibly muster and then pulled away when shyness kicked in.

Looking away whilst licking her lips, Marinette spoke:

“I guess I don’t mind passion fruit after all...if I get to try it like that...”

Since Adrien fell slack during the quick kiss, Marinette expected him to be a squealing, blushing mess next to her.

She didn’t expect his hands to grab her face and pull her into a deeper, harder kiss. Eyes fluttered shut, tan fingers tangled up in her raven locks as her pale digits dug into the creases of his shirt. Marinette felt Adrien pull her flush against him so that there was not even air between them.

“If passion fruit was what made you do this to me, I’d have taken us on a boba date a long time ago,” Adrien panted in between kisses, wrapping one hand around her waist and clasping the other with her hand.

‘Yes, you should’ve.’ Marinette hummed in her thoughts, smiling into the kiss.

From that day on, Marinette started to like passion fruit.

~(x)~

I hope you enjoyed that anon! Thank you for the prompt!

#my asks #my writing #my fanfiction #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug and chat noir #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ladybug #chat noir #adrinette #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #love square

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2manyfandoms2count · 4 years ago

Note

Adrienette/ladynoir with #3, and if possible have alya witness it and just lose her mind!

Thanks for the ask Anon and sorry for the wait, this was really fun to write!! You are truly galaxy-brained for the Alya suggestion 👀 Hope you enjoy this!

#3: person A letting person B take a sip of their drink: Ladynoir

“Hi everyone, Alya Césaire reporting for the Ladyblog!” Alya’s voice was cut off by little huffs as the video started, like she’d been running. The camera was pointing at the ground, showing her buckled knees as she caught her breath. The camera switched around, zoomed in on the reporter’s flushed face, her eyes twinkling in excitement behind her glasses.

“I stumbled on our very own Ladynoir coming out of a Starbucks and acting very chummy, is our ship finally sailing? Stay tuned to find out!” She added in a hushed voice.

She switched camera sides again to show two figures strolling on a nearby rooftop, the red one clearly holding a cup in her hand. They stopped at the edge of the building as Chat Noir took out his baton. He paused as he looked at it, then elbowed Ladybug slightly to get her to hunch over whatever notification he’d received.

“I think we have a shadow.” Chat Noir whispered in her ear as they watched the livestream. Ladybug smiled, his breath tickling her. She liked it, though. She took a sip from her cup to hide the light blush dusting her cheeks, pensively following herself do so on the small screen.

It was a weird experience, from which she was quickly distracted by the sweet cinnamon taste that invaded her taste buds. She sighed contentedly at her excellent beverage choice. The Chai Tea Latte was exactly what she needed on this chilly November day. She’d have to break out the winter gear soon.

“Tastes good?” Chat asked, eyeing her cup. He’d turned down the opportunity to get something himself (he was saving the calories for some Dupain-Cheng chouquettes), but his partner’s blissful smile was starting to make him regret his decision.

“Heavenly.” She sighed, before taking another sip. “Want to try?”

She offered him her cup, which he took tentatively in his free hand. Seeing his hesitation, she chuckled and took his baton from him to allow him to wrap his hands around the warm drink. He did so, before trying to take the cup cover off, although the gloves made it tricky. She noticed his struggle and put her hand on his, stopping him in his attempt.

He looked at her inquisitively, and nodded towards the small screen. Alya had moved forward and zoomed in on them, giving her audience a clear shot of their faces. Ladybug nodded encouragingly, and he took a sip.

They would have heard Alya’s gasp from the other side of the road without the help of the video. “She shared her drink with him! They basically kissed indirectly! What does this mean?!” She squealed, and Ladybug couldn’t help but smile.

She crossed Chat’s gaze, and her smile grew wider, more mischievous.

“What are you up to?” He squinted suspiciously.

“I think we’ve made her simmer long enough.”

Chat barely had time to process her words as she reached for his bell and pulled him closer, standing on her tiptoes to press a delicate kiss to his lips. Chat almost let go of her precious beverage in surprise, but soon relaxed into her touch, wrapping his arms around the small of her back and pulling her ever closer. Two months into their relationship, and he still wasn’t used to getting kissed by her this spontaneously. He’d always assumed he’d be the one doing it, but she proved him wrong every time.

They heard a screech-like, inhuman sound as Alya dropped her phone, effectively ending the livestream. No doubt her video would be breaking the news later.

Ladybug smiled against Chat’s lips. They tasted just like cinnamon, and really better than any drink she could get from anywhere. She’d have to make a note of that.

Send me a number and a lovesquare pairing!

Others in the series: #4: Ladrien, #7: Marichat, #8: Marichat, #20: Marichat

#just ladynoir doing autumnal things #maybe they should check on alya though #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfiction #miraculous fanfic #mlb #ladynoir #ask game #displays of affection ask #elle writes #elle answers #anon

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gale-gentlepenguin · 4 years ago

Note

Lets say there was no toxic Lukanette stans. And you were able to view Luka and Marinette's dynamic in its entirety. Would you ship it more then the Lovesquare?

If we are talking Canon Lukanette, not Fanon, no salt. Just pure Lukanette.

Still no. But I also have nothing against it either.

Marinette choosing Luka would be a rational choice.

What do I mean by that? Why would that be a bad thing?

Well think about it like this.

Marinette considering Luka because:

-He is someone she can talk with.

-He is encouraging

-Her friends and others comment on how good they are together.

-He has confessed to liking her civilian self.

-He is understanding, to the point of saying he is willing to wait until she is over Adrien

By all feasible logic, that would make Luka an ideal choice to date. If one was using their head.

But from an emotional perspective, I don't see Marinette’s heart in it. Like the end of Miracle Queen, only after seeing what she believed was Kagami and Adrien together. Did she shut off the feeling and went to hear Luka’s song. The rational decision in order to move on.

Im not saying she doesn't like Luka, She does like Luka, but to say it is Love is something I wouldn't really call it that.

The argument for Adrigami is actually similar in this regard.

Adrien moving on from Ladybug was based on logic, BUT he chose based on Feelings.

The problem? He was following his heart, but not his head:

-He felt Kagami and him were similar, Similar background, similar interests.

-He felt that Kagami was into him

-He felt that Kagami understood what he was going through.

But we actually see Adrien’s head have doubts in Miracle Queen. If he had simply went with what he was feeling, He probably would have kissed Kagami.

It might feel reasonable, but he knew it was not rational or Fair to do it.

But with love square. That is where the heart and mind actually blend together.

Marinette falling for Adrien wasn't based on Rational thought. She had initially dismissed him as another Chloé, The umbrella scene opened her eyes to show her that her thoughts were in accurate, that she could feel what he was really like underneath. Then her head followed suit.

Chat noir falling for Ladybug was actually less from his heart and more about knowing how to relate. His thoughts on her, how dazzling she was, how innovative, things he felt he lacked. His mind was rationally pushing him towards her. And then his feelings followed suit

Chat noir is the heart, Ladybug is the mind. They both bring out something that the other needs, both similar yet different.

Oblivio is a genius example of this.

Adrien bringing out an emotional connection between the two which helped encourage marinette to go fight.

While Marinette’s creativity and innovative nature helped inspire Adrien allowing him to find a way to help Ladybug despite his powers. (side note, seeing that ALSO made Reflekdoll super annoying when Adrien couldn't figure out the straight forward Solution, but that is a rant for another day)

At the end of the day, my opinion is my own.

This is why I just don't really ship Lukanette or Adrigami from a pure perspective. But they are fine ships. (So long as the salters aren't Demonizing Adrien or Marinette, but I rarely see toxic Adrigami shippers thank goodness.)

"Love isn't a decision, it’s a feeling. If we could decide who we love, it would be much simpler, but much less magical."

#ml #miraculous ladybug #gale's opinion #no hate on the ships #so I am tagging it accordingly #lukanette #adrigami #lovesquare #adrinette #ladynoir #marichat #ladrien

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coffeecomicsgalore · 4 years ago

Text

With The World On Her Shoulders

Ao3

@marinettemarch

Chapter 31: Everyday Heroine

Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien’s torso, engulfing him in a heartfelt hug that seemed to go on for ages. Silent tears tracked down her cheeks and she couldn’t help the sobs that wracked her body. When she finally felt okay enough to pull away, she did, wiping the tear tracks with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry for crying on you.” She said, patting the wet spot on his chest. “You’re a little wet…”

Adrien let out a chuckle. “It’s okay. I know you needed that. And don’t worry. I kept an eye out for that akuma. I’m not sure where it went,” he shrugged, removing his hands from her waist and placing it beside him, “but there haven’t been any alerts either.”

Marinette laughed bitterly, knowing that an alert would happen sooner rather than later. But then she looked affectionately into Adrien’s eyes, leaning in close and pressing her lips to his cheek in gratitude.

Adrien pressed his hand to the freshly-kissed skin and blushed, a silent thanks whispered by the sweet smile that curled on his lips.

“I—I know I’ve said this before, Marinette, but you truly are our everyday heroine…” he grinned as he looked down, before looking back up with such sincerity in his eyes. “You’re at least my everyday Ladybug.”

Marinette was about to say something when a screech was heard and a booming voice began to shake the entire area around them. Adrien and Marinette broke apart and stood up, yet held each other’s hands to keep steady as the akuma-induced earthquake shook them to the core.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” The voice screamed out, and a woman dressed entirely in steel plates with rivets in areas where there would be seams walked out of the classroom. “There you are! I will get you, Marinette, and lock you up and sent to a different world!”

Adrien and Marinette both gasped, quickly turning and running away from the courtyard until they made it to the street. Adrien held onto her hand as they turned the corner, never letting go until they found a safe spot to hide her in. They found a spot in an alleyway a block over from the bakery, and Adrien made sure they were both pressed up against the wall as best as they could until the coast was clear. When they could hear that her voice was moving further away, Adrien slowly looked around the corner and watched as she walked a block in the opposite direction.

“Guess she didn’t know you live around here.” Adrien managed to say.

“If she did, she probably thought I wouldn’t go home to make it a target,” Marinette replied, trying to find a way out of Adrien’s protective hold in order to transform.

“Touché,” Adrien added, chuckling a bit before realizing the akuma turned the corner away from their sight. “Okay, she’s out of view. I’m going to bring you into the bakery to keep you safe.”

They slowly walked out of the alleyway, then started running towards the bakery side door where she could enter through.

“But what about you?”

“She’s not after me. I’m going to hide near the school. My father doesn’t like me out when there’s an attack, so I’m going to wait until my bodyguard gets there.”

“But… the akuma!” Marinette cried, trying to at least reason with him even if it would hinder her transforming and defeating the monster.

“Don’t worry, Marinette.” He said once they reached the service door. “If she’s looking for you, I’ll make sure to lure her away.”

Marinette struggled to accept his selflessness, but she needed an excuse to be alone.

“Okay. Just… please be safe. Please.”

Adrien quickly kissed her cheek and ran towards the school, ducking down near the steps when he noticed the akuma coming near. She quickly touched the spot he kissed, and a simple nudge from Tikki reminded her of her duty.

“Right.”

Marinette quickly transformed, swinging over to the school to combat the villain.

---------

“Ah! Milady!” Chat Noir announced as she dropped in beside him, placing her yo-yo on her hip as he held out his baton to lean against it. “Welcome to the scene of the box.”

“Scene of the box? What’s going on, kitty?” She went straight to business, wanting to protect Adrien as quickly as possible for protecting her.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a toxic fan. She was angry that Adrien Agreste was taking her to the Fall Gala and blaming her for being a freeloader.”

Ladybug was bewildered over how much he knew of the situation but decided that either the akuma had revealed her plans, or that Adrien had managed to flag down Chat Noir before leaving the scene.

“She also traps people in large steel boxes before snapping her fingers and causing them to disappear. I’m not sure where they are going, but I’m assuming it’s to another time.”

“Well, then. I guess it’s time to make an appearance.”

“Did you… did you just pun?” He asked with an amused smirk.

“Never!” Ladybug yelled out, before jumping down into the courtyard and meeting the villain.

“Ah! Ladybug and Chat Noir. Finally! I was growing bored looking for Marinette and Adrien. No matter. I am Time Trapper! I will lock you up and place you in another realm of time! I will capture your miraculous, and once I find Adrien, he and I will be locked away where no one can reach us!”

“I highly doubt he wants to be locked up,” Chat muttered, before looking towards his partner for her plan.

Ladybug looked around, thought of an idea, before turning to Chat and nodding her head.

“Distract and destroy?”

“As always.”

Both went their separate ways, with Chat becoming the distraction and Ladybug concocting her plan. She could see that this will need to be planned correctly, as the akumatized object was the purple glowing ring on her finger. If she timed it wrong, one or the other would get zapped to another realm. If it was right, they’ll succeed, but a zap could happen either way.

No matter what the outcome, she couldn’t get trapped in the box without that ring to purify the butterfly.

“Lucky Charm!” She called out, a ring falling into her palms as she tried to figure out the clue. She looked at Chat before looking back down to the lucky charm, finally coming up with a plan to work.

“Chat! Call it and go there!” She screamed out, gaining his attention. He nodded as she jumped down, getting closer and closer to the villain as the plan slowly came to fruition.

“Cataclysm!” Chat screamed out, the bubbling void gripping his hand. He ran towards them, finding the opening he needed to cataclysm the object.

But what happened next was unexpected.

Ladybug tripped on a box that had appeared beneath her feet. Then Chat noticed her untimely descent. He leaned forward to try to catch her with his free hand before she fell, but the opening was just enough. Time Trapper laughed out maniacally as she pointed her hand towards the superheroes and a flash of purple light engulfed them completely before a steel box imprisoned them shut.

“Crap.” Chat said as he noticed their current situation. “Hold on, Ladybug. I’m going to touch the box.”

Ladybug nodded and watched as he tried to disintegrate the steel trap to ash, but nothing surprised them more when the wall remained where it stood.

“Double crap.” Chat said again, his eyes now wide as the beeping began on their timers. They each had four minutes left.

“Alright. We can’t panic. We have to just take it easy.” Ladybug looked around and then back to her lucky charm, but nothing was coming to her at all. “Triple crap.”

“What do you mean, triple crap?” Chat said, worried.

“I mean, I don’t have a plan and we are now down to three minutes.” Ladybug screwed her lips tight before looking back at him. “Alright. What do we know?”

“That our timers are about to run out and we have no idea how to get out?”

“Positive thoughts!”

“That I’m stuck here in a box with you?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and smirked, but then tried to think, anxiety filling her as their timers beeped down to one minute left. But before she could think or say anything else, the box opened up and the two heroes fell out until they reached the ground four meters below. But as they fell, they realized that would probably land in a hard thud and each closed their eyes in anticipation of the impact. But what they didn’t realize was what had happened at the end of their descent.

“Not again!” Ladybug cried out as she stood up, looking around to see where she and Chat fell into. She didn’t notice anything wrong besides the fact that they were in a field of flowers, but when she reached up to brush her bangs away from her face, that’s when she noticed the lack of gloves. Fear of what that meant sent a shiver down her spine and she didn’t know whether to stand still or run.

“Marinette?” Chat’s voice quivered as he spoke, and Marinette realized that her identity along with his was now completely exposed.

She slowly turned around, her eyes never wavering from its projection, only to realize who was beneath the mask the entire time.

She brought her hand to her lips and gasped.

“Adrien?”

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

And that concludes Marinette March!

Tomorrow I will be posting Adrienette April, which is a direct following from this story.

How will Adrien and Marinette get out of this one? And what does that mean for their relationship?

Make sure you subscribe to the series to make sure you don't miss any of the six monthly prompts. This story will continue until August, with me writing and covering all sides of the Lovesquare.

Thank you! And I'll see you tomorrow with "Navigating The Chaos"

xo Coffee

#marinettemarch2021 #marinettelove2021 #adrienette #LadyNoir #identity reveal

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emsylcatac · 5 years ago

Text

(Continuation of the Marichat emojis story 😂🥺😭😗😞 - now featuring the whole lovesquare)

Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3

A BIG THANK YOU to @chatnoirinette for once again taking your time to beta-read this story!!! You have been a huge help for this part aaaah I love you!!! ♥♥♥

(read the 1st two parts before reading this one)

_________________

Adrien froze, unresponsive. His brain refused to work for a few seconds, trying to understand what was really going on. Plagg had already darted away from view to let them have their privacy.

Slowly, he regained control of his arms and wrapped them clumsily around Ladybug. She sobbed harder once she felt his touch and clung to him even more tightly.

Feeling her for the first time in two years suddenly felt like too much. He took a deep breath and fell shakily on the floor, his legs too unable to support his weight anymore.

And she didn’t seem to even try to keep him standing; she just let herself fall with him, and they just held each other like that, her hand coming to his hair, his head on her shoulder, and they cried. And they cried. As soon as they regained their breathing, one of them would release a loud sob and they would both cry again. They stayed like that for a minute, an hour, two maybe, or three; Adrien didn’t know nor did he care, and it seemed like Ladybug didn’t, either—why would time matter when living in the present moment, partner finally in their arms, was much more important? What even was time in a moment like this?

He wasn’t sure when they finally stopped crying. But he didn’t move once they did, and neither did she. There was so much to discuss and so much to reminisce. How to start? What to say? So he simply held her—just like he could feel her holding him—for a little while longer.

Ladybug was now tenderly running her hand through his hair; Adrien had started to caress her back, rubbing small circles with his thumbs. He was breathing calmly now, waiting and not waiting for her to move. But she seemed to be just as content to stay in comfortable silence.

Finally, Ladybug took a deep breath and squeezed Adrien one last time before slowly pulling away. Their arms slid off of each other until their hands met and stayed there. Ladybug was looking at him, waiting for him to raise his eyes to hers. After a few seconds, he slowly lifted his gaze—and they lost themselves in each other’s eyes, not sharing a word for he didn’t know how long.

Ever so quietly, Ladybug broke the comforting silence:

“I missed you,” she said simply. Because what else was there to say?

Adrien didn’t answer at first and continued to stare into her eyes. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times. Not talking was easier. Safer. Once he spoke, she would know. Even if deep down he knew his secret was no longer his only.

Is there really a reason to delay the unavoidable? he thought.

“I...me too,” he finally admitted.

Ladybug smiled timidly. “So...you’re not trying to deny it?”

Adrien released a shaky breath, chuckling without humour. “I think I’ve been running away for long enough now.”

He tore his gaze away from hers to look at their hands instead. Ladybug did the same. She took his right hand in both of hers and turned it around in her palms; traced his life lines and his fingers with hers; caressed his ring and played with it, without taking it away from him. And she would start it all over again. Right hand in both her hands, life lines, fingers, ring. Hand, lines, fingers, ring. Fingers, Ring. Ring. Ring. Fingers. And the ring again.

Adrien let her do it without speaking a word, feeling more and more relaxed. His fears were slowly leaving his body, even if not completely, in the face of her ministrations.

And when he felt ready, he took a deep breath and looked at her.

“I’m sorry.”

She kept her eyes on their hands and continued to play with his. “For what?”

“For...everything. Or nothing. For leaving, I guess. For my father. For not coming back to you. All of that, a-and more,” he finished.

She looked into his eyes. “I forgive you. Even if I don’t think you have to apologise for anything. But you—have you forgiven yourself?”

Adrien paused. That was a good question. Had he, really? Now that he understood more about himself than before? But he had only discovered that tonight. “I...I’m getting there. I think. I mean, it’s hard, some days, but—”

“But you’re going to be alright,” Ladybug cut in. “It might take time but...I’m here now and…” She took a breath.

“And the Adrien—the Chat Noir I know and remember is amazing. He still is.” She giggled softly while bringing one hand to his face and letting it rest on his cheek, tracing his skin with her thumb where the edge of his mask would be. “He is brave, strong. He’s a fighter. He’s not afraid to stand back up, no matter how many times he falls,” she continued. “He is still here inside you and I’m sure that if...if you’d let him, he would help you to overcome anything.”

He gazed into her eyes, her words sinking into his heart.

“It sounds like something I would say,” Adrien chuckled.

Ladybug grinned in response. “It does, doesn’t it? I think it’s important.”

“How…how did you know? About me, I mean,” Adrien asked.

Ladybug paused. “A little cat told me.”

“You saw him too, didn’t you?”

She bit her lip. “I did. I was...I was there, and he told me before he left, after I revealed to him who I was.” She stopped stroking his cheek and brought her hand back into his, never breaking her gaze from him.

“Spots off,” she whispered.

Adrien gasped softly as Tikki discreetly went to join Plagg. He looked at her—at Marinette— in awe, his vision blurring as tears formed in his eyes. It was his turn to raise his hand to her face and trace the edge of an invisible mask. She closed her eyes at his touch, a small smile pulling at her lips.

“Wow,” he breathed shakily, “no wonder he told you once he knew.”

Marinette opened her eyes again and smiled warmly at him, her eyes wet with tears. “I’m grateful he did.”

“I think I am too,” Adrien murmured.

He couldn’t keep from basking in her presence, offering a smile and looking, really looking at her as if it were the first time—and in a way, it was. Marinette had picked up Adrien’s hand again and was playing with it—this time gloveless, giving a special attention to his ring. As if she still did not quite believe that he was there, that it was him.

After a few minutes in companionable silence, Adrien’s curiosity won over: one question brought another and soon they were talking like they used to. They talked about what they did during the last two years—because even though they had met through Alya and Nino a couples of times, they still had lost contact, and they both blamed themselves. They reminisced about patrols. School. Akumas. How they dealt with the aftermaths of the final fight. And inevitably, they came to Hawkmoth and Mayura’s defeat and Adrien’s near death.

“He didn’t know you were Chat Noir,” Marinette tried to suggest.

“It doesn’t make it better,” Adrien replied.

“No, you’re right. It doesn’t.”

He pulled the conversation back to small talk to avoid crying again—not that either of them still had tears left this evening. For a while, they chatted lightly.

Until they fell silent. It seemed like they had covered every topic. He searched for one they might have forgotten but found nothing. So they kept quiet for a few more minutes, until Marinette spoke up.

“Transform.”

Adrien startled. “Sorry, what?”

“Transform. Please. I want...I want to see you.” She was looking at him with the softest smile, teary but happy eyes and a hand caressing his cheek. “I’d like to see my Kitty.”

“I...I haven’t transformed in so long…I don’t know if I can do it or…” Adrien trailed off, feeling a bit caught unaware.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. We can transform together if you want. Or later, or not at all. Whatever you feel comfortable with.”

Adrien watched her, feeling torn. Was he ready to transform after so long? But if not now, then when? Would he just...keep postponing it like he had been delaying his meeting with Ladybug all this time? And...what was there to fear, really, especially with his Lady there to guide him…?

“Okay,” Adrien breathed.

Marinette’s eyes widened.

“Okay,” he repeated, more firmly this time, giving her a little nod.

“You’re sure?”

“With you by my side?” He chuckled. “I think I can be brave enough for that.”

“Thank you.Thank you so much.”

A delighted smile stretched onto Marinette’s face and she stood, pulling Adrien up by the hand. He intertwined his fingers with hers, looking into her eyes while he mentally prepared himself.

“It’s you and me against the world, right?” she asked.

Adrien laughed quietly at their old promise. “Always, partner,” he murmured.

She grinned. “Yeah. Partners. To the moon and back.”

Adrien chuckled. “Ah. I had forgotten about that one.”

They gazed at each other a few more seconds until they both gave a little nod, indicating that they were ready.

“Spots on.”

“Claws out.”

Green and red light engulfed them both as their hands and feets and arms were covered with their respective costumes. Soon enough, they were both suited up.

Adrien breathed heavily, slowly untangling his hands from hers. He lifted them to his eyes, staring at the black glove and the claws at the tips of his fingers.

“I did it…” he breathed.

Ladybug released a shaky laugh before grabbing his head with both hands and forcing his forehead to rest against hers. He brought his hands to her waist. She moved one of hers to his hair and started scratching one of his cat ears, just like she had always loved to do.

“Welcome back, Chaton,” Ladybug whispered.

Chat Noir chuckled, a waver in his voice. “Hi, Buguinette.”

“Hi,” she murmured back. “I hope you’re ready to support me. Because I am not planning on letting you go anytime soon.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They both giggled. And they stayed like that, forehead against forehead, enjoying their reunion and the start of something new.

Soon, they found themselves swaying gently to some imaginary song, holding each other tightly. Adrien didn’t know what the future had in store for them. What they would become. When he would completely heal and if he ever would. All that mattered was that they were together now. And he felt like he could take on everything as long as they were side by side. Marinette and Adrien, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the both of them against the world—always.

* * * * *

Chat Noir materialised as the last magic ladybug twirled in the air.

“I AM—” he screamed, and then he stopped dead in his tracks, frowning.

“Welcome back, Kitty!” Ladybug greeted. “Are you alright?”

Chat Noir rubbed his eyes dizzily while she rested a hand on his shoulder. “I think so.”

“That akuma was positively getting on my nerves, and you weren’t there because you’d been hit.” Ladybug pouted at him.

“Oh…oh! Yes!” Chat Noir exclaimed, slowly remembering the events. “I’m sorry, my Lady, but, hum...he was about to get you,” he pointed out.

Ladybug scowled at him. “Still. I hope you enjoyed the future, at least. How was it, by the way?”

Chat Noir pondered how to answer for a moment before placing an arm around her shoulders, grinning. “It was pawwwsitively miraculous, my Lady! Would you guess what? You and I were married and soooooo in love! We even had a hamster and we named it—”

“Riiiight. Admit that you can’t remember a thing.” Ladybug snorted.

“Not at all, not at all! I can totally remember—alright.” He deflated, taking his arm away from her shoulders. “I can’t remember a thing.”

Ladybug giggled. “Aw, it’s alright. Sometimes it’s better to keep the surprise.”

He sighed heavily. “I knooow, but I had all the answers right there and now, pffffewt! Gone into the wind. Never to be seen again.” He fake-wiped a tear.

“Not never,” Ladybug said with a smile, “but later! You need to learn to be a patient kitty.” She bopped his nose.

“Do you realise that Mooseman 3: The Comeback of the Deadly Moss was probably already out?! Imagine if I watched it! That would mean that when I watch it later in our timeline, it’ll be like discovering it a second time! Because I would have forgotten the first time completely! It’s amazing, right?”

Ladybug raised a brow at him. “...If it helps you sleep at night.”

He stuck his tongue at her. “Yes, it does, thank you very much.”

She shook her head.

Chat Noir paused. “Hey, Ladybug,” he said timidly. “No matter what happens in the future, we’ll still be together, right? Ladybug and Chat Noir, partners to the moon and back?”

She smiled ever so softly at him. “Of course, as if you needed to ask!”

He grinned and slowly raised his fist. “You and me against the world?”

Her smile widened, and she pounded her fist against his.

“Always.”

_________________

Aaaand this is the end of tis little story!! I hope you’ll find the ending satisfying enough ♥

Thanks for everyone who has been supporting it, I received very nice comments that really made my day and gave me motivation to continue to write in the future!! 😭 I made an AO3 that is still empty for now, but I’ll post this story as soon as I’ll have the 1st part beta-read!

Tag list: @momabells, @mrs-berry, @scorpybaby (in case the 1st tag doesn’t work), @taora93, @paintedbirdsong, @whimsicallyconfusedforlife, @kpohe8, @kasienda, @aplayfulplatypus, @amychi2000, @magnitude101999, @mochegato, @iridescenceoflove, @katieykat513, @mandlien, @bowser14456, @marikittynoir, @miss-chaos-2710, @whitennerdiest, @gemzwayzz, @lovingcreatorstrawberry, @miraculous-simmer7

#ml fanfic #ladrien #adrinette #ladynoir #marichat #adrien #marinette #ladybug #chat noir #still continuation of an emoji story #look where my dumb game led me haha #identity reveal #myshitwriting

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