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Chapter Text

Adrien slumped in his seat, his head throbbing and the room spinning around him like a whirlwind, tilting at odd angles as the light pouring in the windows made his eyes ache. A growl of annoyance built in him, and he had half a mind to drag his scarf over his face as he sprawled across his desk. Everything from whatever awful perfume Chloe was wearing to the background chatter of the room made his skull want to split clean down the middle.

“Hey man, you doing okay?” Nino’s hand on his shoulder was comforting, but Adrien still shook his head, lifting it just enough from the desk to grind the heel of his palm into his eye. Between work for his father’s fashion line and everything he was having to put up with as Chat Noir, he honestly felt like he was either going to combust, or fall apart at the seams. The idea to call Plagg and find a dark place to sleep things off was growing unbearably tempting.

“Sorry Nino, things have just been really hard lately.” He grumbled, missing the way Nino’s sympathetic nod suddenly halted mid-motion, though he did notice the sudden jab of Nino’s elbow into his ribs. “Hey—!”

“If it’s been so hard, maybe this will help?” The voice of an honest-to-God-angel graced his ears as a steaming cup was set on his corner of the desk, while the blessed crinkle of a wax-paper bag emblazoned with the Dupain-Cheng patisserie with what smelled like some sort of pastry in it was slid towards him. He could have cried. He wanted to pull those bandaged fingers closer and kiss them, he had no words for how happy he was. The nervous giggle that followed finally made him look up, and sure enough, Marinette stood rocking on her heels as she grinned at him.

“You look so tired all the time, I thought it’d be good to help perk you up a bit. I hope things get better soon, Adrien.” Her sweet smile was like the clouds parting and choirs singing and Adrien felt his chest ache hard enough that it distracted him from the stress migraine that felt like a railroad spike driven through his skull.

“Thanks, Marinette. You’re amazing.” He practically sighed it, and her pleased flush and soft chuckle made his suffering almost worth it.

“Just try and feel better, okay? If you need to go to the nurse to lie down, just tell Mille. Bustier, she’s really understanding.” Her little wave before she left had him chewing on his lip as he waved back, and he was not at all surprised to turn back to see the way Nino was watching him with smug amusement.

“So….”

“Nino, don’t. We’re just—”

“Friends. Yeah, I know. But you’re about as obvious as Scarlet Lady is an awful person, so when are you going to actually ask her, man?” Nino swatted Adrien’s shoulder with the back of his hand, and they both glanced behind them to the way Alya and Marinette happily chatted away.

“Dude, you’re literally the only person I know that she brings cocoa with extra marshmallows and pastries to on a regular, and she and Alya are practically twins by now. You’d think she’d be giving her bestie the preferential treatment but she’s not. You gotta step up your game! Half the class had a crush on her before Cutie Bee started helping Chat and Scarlet fight akuma, you know? The odds are not in your favor.” Nino at least had the good grace to keep his voice down, even as Adrien lifted the steaming cup to his lips to delay having to answer. The cocoa was hot, but just cool enough so he didn’t scald himself drinking it, and he had a feeling it was because of the extra cream added. How was Marinette so amazingly thoughtful all the time?

“I don’t know, Nino. I mean I do want to ask her, it’s just…” he sighed, his shoulders slumping. “She’s just too amazing, and you’re right, everyone loves her. I don’t know.” It would be easier as Chat, when he didn’t have to think twice about showing off or letting the over-the-top one liners spill free. Without the mask he felt more uncomfortable, because he had to focus on whether or not what he said would sound weird or not. That and if he wasn’t careful his father would hear about it and the whole thing would turn into a PR nightmare, which left him sulking into his cocoa.

“Just go with it, you’re the one with the smooth moves and telling me to just be myself. Worked out pretty great last time, even if I did get locked in a cage all day.” He grinned, though he made like he was going to steal a piece of Adrien’s pastry and it took everything Adrien had not to hiss at Nino and swat him, though he did yank the bag as far from Nino’s reach as he could.

“Oh my gosh, girl. You would not believe the crazy stunts Chat Noir pulled off last night!” Alya grinned, waving Marinette over to share an earbud with her as they went over the videos on Alya’s phone. With the cold weather setting in, Marinette was waking up later and later, and Alya had half a heart to tease her friend for being extra late what with her new insistence on making a fresh cup of cocoa and grabbing breakfast for two in her rush to make it to school before class started. Yet playful heckling over her obvious special treatment of the class’s sleepy sunshine boy could wait when a new scoop was hot off the press.

“I heard they had two akumas last night, how awful!” Marinette squeezed close, smelling of honey and flowers as always, her hair done up in a high twist instead of the braided knot she’d taken to doing on days when she hadn’t slept through her alarm. “Poor Chat Noir, look at him, you can tell he’s really worn out.” Marinette’s brows creased as she pointed to the hero, his normally playful stance slumped as he seemed to drag himself through the fight. There’d been a larger rush of akumas than ever lately, with Scarlet Lady’s narcissistic quips driving more people to anger and frustration.

True she worked to fight akumas, but she cared more about looking flashy or posing with fans than preventing destruction of the city. Chat Noir struggled to minimize damages, and while Scarlet bragged to the press, Chat Noir was the one that spoke with victims and stayed to keep people safe while Scarlet wreaked havoc trying to make the fights seem as dramatic as possible.

“Yeah, he was really having a hard time, but just wait for it!” Alya grinned, tapping the pause button the moment a flash of gold and black streaked into view. “There she is! Cutie Bee always seems to know just when to fly in to the rescue.” On the screen, Cutie Bee was obviously shouting something that was drowned out by the distance and Alya’s excited voice over, but that didn’t stop it from being obvious that her arrival instantly had the cat-hero perking up.

Marinette watched, chewing anxiously at her thumbnail as the heroine flitted around Chat, her trompo stabbing at the akuma, giving Chat time to find the akuma’s weakness. Soon enough Scarlet Lady was snagging the butterfly out of the sky while Cutie Bee was steadying the obviously exhausted Chat Noir. The heroine hovered nervously, rubbing his back until he shook his exhaustion off and gave her a lopsided grin, and the pair turned to the akuma victim who was only just coming around again.

“Man, you can tell she’s got it really bad for him. That’s gotta be tough.” Alya smiled, and Marinette chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her scalp.

“You think so? I mean, they might just be really good friends?”

“Nuh-uh. There is no way. Look at that girl’s face, she’s got the cat-scratch fever bad if I ever saw it.” Mistaking the panicked look on her suddenly-pale faced friend for that of a spurned fangirl, Alya gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, Marinette, it doesn’t look like he notices, so maybe you still have a chance with our dashing hero in black leather after all. If you can finish a sentence the next time he has to save you, that is!” Alya was too busy chuckling over Marinette’s sudden embarrassed squawking to notice the way Adrien sputtered into his cocoa, or how Nino had to give him several sharp pats on the back.

“Alya!” Marinette whined, yanking on her best friend’s sleeve while the other girl chuckled at her. “Not so loud! Come on!”

“Sorry, you’re right, I shouldn’t when your other blonde loverboy might hear and realize he’s got competition. Isn’t that right, Adrien?” She grinned, delighting in the way both of them sputtered and turned several shades of red.

“Alya!”

“Ugh, I can’t believe she said all that in front of Adrien!” Marinette groaned into her hands feeling her ears go hot just at the memory alone. A soft buzzing sound and a gentle warmth brushed against her cheek, and she felt a wobbly smile slide into place as she caught sight of the golden kwami watching her.

“At least he knows you like him, that counts for something? Don’t be troubled, my queen!” Pollen’s words were as gentle as always, and Marinette let her worries go with a sigh, letting her tiny friend drop a flower crown on her head and laughing softly.

“You’ve been busy! When did you make that?”

“While you were doing work! You’re as industrious as always, Marinette.” Pollen beamed with pride. In the beginning she’d been rather worried, as her Chosen needed surprising amounts of encouragement, yet once she was in her element she shone like the queen she was always meant to be. So Pollen nestled in her dark hair and droned softly, keeping her Chosen calm as the girl hummed along to her favorite music, pins pressed between her lips as she lined up fabric and began measuring seams.

“I don’t know, Pollen.” Marinette carried on, flitting between thoughts like a worker from one flower to the next. A pattern as predictable as honeycomb and yet seemingly scattered. “Can I like both Adrien and Chat at the same time? I thought I only had a crush on Chat...”

“A queen doesn’t need to choose just one consort, you know.” Pollen smirked, smoothing the glossy black strands beneath her and trying not to feel too smug. True, Tikki would chide her for so obviously nudging her Chosen towards the truth after Pollen had come face to face with Plagg and his chosen while they willingly put themselves in the Dark Owl’s trap. Her queen had been so very clever, and Pollen found herself almost bursting at her stripes with the desire to tell her, yet at the same time, she couldn’t help but delight in the way her chosen’s face grew pink whenever she pointed out that really, a queen shouldn’t have to choose when the whole city was her hive’s territory. An idea that Marinette vehemently denied each time...except when it came to Adrien and Chat. A fact that Pollen found particularly delightful.

“Pollen! That’s just...that’s just weird!” Marinette whined, almost pricking herself with a needle, yet as always her plaintive words seemed even more half-hearted than the last time they’d had this talk.

“Not so much, no. After all, if you are with Chat while you are Cutie Bee, and with Adrien as Marinette, it hardly seems strange at all!” Pollen buzzed, peering down at the faux-fur trim her Queen was fastidiously pinning into place.

“Why do you have to make it sound so sensible? I’d...I’d be two-timing them! What if they found out and they got mad?” Marinette chewed her lip, her toes rapping anxiously on the floor, and Pollen had to resist a scoff.

“Never fear, my Queen. I doubt that would be a problem at all.” In fact, the kwami mused, they’d undoubtedly be delighted to know... And she had to keep her pleased chuckle to herself, smoothing her Chosen’s bangs as she nestled in amongst the flowers of her lady’s crown.

Chapter Text

“Plagg, what am I supposed to do if both Marinette and Cutie like me?” He’d spent the afternoon in a stunned haze after overhearing that particular juicy morsel, but the fact of it was only just beginning to sink in while he stared at his homework, fingers tangled in his hair. The kwami looked up from his wedge of cheese, face pinched in something very akin to disgust.

“Is this a trick question?”

“Plagg, I’m serious!” Adrien knew he was almost whining, unable to keep in one place as he shot out of his desk chair and began to pace. His homework was almost done anyway, and it wasn’t going anywhere barring some kind of electrical outage or akuma-related appliance possession. Right now his head was so full it was practically buzzing, which left him antsy and wanting to race across rooftops. Later, he promised himself, they had patrol anyway.

Buzzing.

He stopped, fingertips rapping against his chin, Cutie’s flushed cheeks and soft stutters as she anxiously buzzed whenever she was near him filling his head. The nervous giggles were rather cute, and then there was how her ribbon antenna would twitch whenever she was surprised. She was never like that with any of the other heroes, and she wasn’t like that when talking to victims or the press, either. Well, on the rare occasions when Scarlet ever let her talk to the press. Scarlet Lady had a bad habit of shoving Cutie aside or elbowing her sharply just to get her to move, which meant that very few people outside of the Blog Noir knew anything about her.

Maybe he should ask Alya?

No. Absolutely not. He squashed that idea immediately at the way he could instantly sense how poorly that conversation would go. Alya pounced on hero gossip like Plagg pounced on cheese, and any hint that Adrien wanted information about Cutie Bee for personal reasons would likely get back to Marinette and if there was anything in the world he didn’t want happening was getting his chances ruined with the designer before he could even confess. It had to go perfectly.

Which left him right back where he started, collapsing onto his bed and groaning into his hands as he tried to decide. Marinette liked both him and himself as Chat? Or was that just Alya heckling her like she usually did? How on earth was he going to make this work? If he confessed as Chat that meant he wouldn’t be able to do anything romantic with her out of his suit, but it also meant he couldn’t pull off anything like rooftop candlelit evenings without a lot of explaining as Adrien. Really, there was no good way to go about this.

“You know, you complain a lot considering you’re the one that named her. So if you didn’t want her getting a crush on you, you shouldn’t have named her that in the first place.” Plagg licked a crumb of cheese from one of his paws, regarding Adrien with a heavily hooded gaze. The tiny cat god wrinkled his nose, whiskers and tail a-twitch as the teen blanched.

“Wha—? I didn’t—!”

“Oh yes you did! Don’t think I didn’t have to listen to you going on about how she slipped off the roof and landed in your arms, either!” Plagg scoffed, making a retching sound as his tiny pink tongue stuck out. Adrien felt his sweat run cold at the memory of his new partner’s first day in the suit.

The startled shriek above him and a scrabble on the roof tiles before she tumbled off the ledge, her trompo skittering across the cobblestone street when it slipped from her hands. It had been instinct, his arms reaching out to capture her and hold her close before he’d even realized he’d shifted underneath her. He’d joked about her being sweet enough to drop in, and she’d nearly tucked her chin into her chest as her cheeks had flushed brightly beneath her mask. When she hadn’t been able to recover enough to stammer out a name, he’d simply given her a wink and a grin, and called her the first thing that came to mind at the sight of her freckled blush and the way she hid behind her hands.

“Nice to meet you, cutie bee! Feel free to give me a buzz if you need a helping paw with learning the ropes of the hero business!” She’d sputtered and squeaked, nearly pushing his face away as he’d leaned in to waggle his eyebrows at her, which sent him away chuckling and waving at her. The days when being Chat Noir didn’t leave him exhausted and bitter. He was halfway to dragging a pillow over his face at the memory of all the ridiculous things he’d said when he heard his phone begin to ping with notifications from the Blog Noir forums. Seeing a quick escape from Plagg’s nettling, Adrien snatched his phone off his nightstand, immediately scrolling through the notifications. Apparently Alya had finally gotten around to posting her in-depth analysis of the previous day’s double akuma attacks. Luckily, it was nothing too embarrassing, though there was a really good shot of Cutie Bee dashing past him to sting their opponent. There was something about her face that was strangely familiar, but he couldn’t place what. Whatever, he’d think more on it later, but for now he needed to wrap up his homework if he wanted to have a clear head when he went out on patrol later.

When her boots touched down on the rooftop, Cutie Bee couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. The parcels in her arms felt strangely heavy, and she couldn’t pin it entirely on the approaching chill as night fell early. True it was never cold enough to snow, but she wanted to bury herself beneath blankets in the safety of her room and not leave until the spring. Yet if she never left her room, she’d never see Chat, and she ducked her chin into the soft collar of creamy fuzz as she felt her cheeks go hot. The present trimmed in green and silver was hugged tight to her chest, heart hammering against her ribs. Alya wasn’t here to help her with her nerves, so she’d have to just power through it herself. The sight of him standing at the roof’s edge backlit by the city lights was almost enough to send her scrambling away, his ears and tail twitching as his hair haloed in the chill.

The handsome knight that was always poised to save the city from danger. Biting her lip, she tried to bite back her nervous giggles as warmth filled her at the way his tail curled. A low buzzing sound built within her unbidden, rising to a droning noise as she took the last two steps towards him before her nerves failed her.

“H-hey, Chato—”

“Well it’s about time you showed up! Honestly, for all the awful noise you make about doing these ridiculous patrols, you have a lot of nerve getting here late!” Scarlet sneered, Cutie’s self-soothing buzz stuttering to a halt as she nearly leapt off the edge of the roof in surprise. One of the boxes gave an unsettling crunching sound, the cardboard giving way beneath her death grip squeeze, but the only thing that saved her from plummeting to the sidewalk four stories below was the steady hands on her shoulders.

“Don’t get your ponytail in a twist, Scar.” Chat scowled, tail lashing and ears flicking back in annoyance, only for the glare to melt into a warm smile as he glanced back to Cutie. For a moment her heart lurched, her face scorching beneath her mask as her buzz lurched back to life with a vengeance. “I’m sure there was a reason. Right, Cutie?”

Her nervous giggles spilled out of her as she ducked her head, a flood of warmth at how his smile softened and he seemed to purr her name. The name had been so embarrassing in the beginning, but it had sounded so magical when he said it that it warmed her straight to her toes so she hadn’t corrected the media when they’d taken up the moniker as well. Okay true, it didn’t mean that he liked her just because he said it like that, Chat was friendly with almost everyone save for Scarlet Lady, but sometimes it felt like he had a special way of saying her name that was meant just for her. One that even Scarlet Lady’s irritated scowl couldn’t spoil.

“W-well I just wanted to gift you a make! I mean, present you a get—” the sound of someone’s annoyed groan and a snide just spit it out already you twit! from behind her had her jerking upright and almost slapping Chat in the face with his present much to her own alarm.

“I got you something for Christmas!” Instantly embarrassed by how she’d nearly screamed it at him, Cutie nearly yanked it back out of shame. “I-I mean, it’s almost here a-and I don’t know if you even celebrate it, b-but I thought it would be nice even if we can’t see each other on Christmas? I-I mean, I hope we don’t, not that I don’t want to see you but I meant if there was an akuma on Christmas that’d be awful!” She ducked behind the second present she carried as Chat stared down at the box trimmed with sparkling paper and ribbons in his hands.

Hurrying away from him before her face combusted just from being too close to him, Cutie almost thrust the second package into Scarlet’s chest, trying to stomp down on the irritation and disgust she usually felt for their “leader” by holding onto the warmth that the surprised look on Chat’s face had filled her with.

“Merry Christmas, Scarlet.” Cutie did her best to smile even as she watched Scarlet lift the gift out of her hands like it was either too disgusting to touch or had suddenly sprouted fangs, letting it dangle from her fingertips in disgust.

“Ew, as if I’d want something from someone as trashy as you? You probably tripped and broke it on your way here. If you got anything nice enough for someone as miraculous as I am in the first place.” Scarlet smirked, but Cutie’s sudden gut-wrenching irritation was soothed by the warmth at her back, the hand that immediately clapped down on her shoulder as a growl filled the air.

“Cut it out, Scar! At least Cutie’s considerate enough to get you something.” Though Scarlet obviously missed out on the grumbled which is more than you deserve that followed it. Cutie had to bite her lip to stifle her chuckle, instead focusing wholly on Chat as he glanced down at her.

“You really didn’t have to, Cutie. I don’t know what to say.” Chat’s soft smile could have melted the polar ice caps, the green of his eyes catching the shimmering city lights around them and making them look like stars. It took everything she had to keep herself together and not sigh dreamily right in his face. Instead, she began to wring her fingers, one toe scuffing at the roof tiles beneath their feet.

“W-well I just thought it would be nice to get something for you, since y-you do so much for everyone!” She could feel her pigtail-stingers twitch, antennae ribbons bobbing at the half-truth. Well, it was the truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that it was because he meant so much to her. That every time he’d dashed in to save her in and outside of the suits had meant the world to her, that just seeing him was enough to turn her whole day around and she chewed her lip anxiously as she watched him pluck at the ribbon with his claws instead of simply shredding them. A laugh bubbled out of her when he slid the ribbon from the parcel, planting the bow right over one of his velvety black ears and waggling his eyebrows at her. It was the little things that Chat did that warmed her all over, his banter and lighthearted demeanor, the easy grin that made his eyes seem to glow. The quick way he could turn a fight around and make a joke just to keep their spirits up.

He was amazing, she just didn’t know how to tell him so. So instead she simply chewed her lip, watching him tear the paper with a growing sense of excitement that made her insides flutter and had her wanting to lift clean off the roof tiles as her buzzing grew to a soft droning sound that she could feel in her bones. Which meant she saw the instant his eyes went wide, pupils going dark as a grin split his face when he opened the lid to see a soft bundle of neon green peeking out from beneath tissue paper.

“Cutie Bee, thank you!” The purr in his voice was unmistakable, lifting out the cap that she’d so carefully knitted to form pointed cat-like “ears”, and the long tails with black faux-fur pom-poms that dangled from it. He laughed as he immediately pulled it on, his suit’s ears twitching as they neatly fitted into the corners of the beanie, his fangs gleaming in the street lights. The laughter turned into a delighted whoop when he pulled out the matching scarf, only to discover that the tails had pockets for his hands to fit into, with black pawprints. For a moment he simply grinned in glee, then pulled his cap off to peer inside it and her heart seized in her chest.

Oh. Oh no!

Before she could even lunge forward, Chat let out an excited chirrup, and she found the cap suddenly waved in front of her nose.

“Cutie! These are made by Marinette, aren’t they?” He looked so excited all she could do was nod dumbly, uncertain how else to respond. “They’re amazing! How did you get her to do them?” His excited chatter and her growing pride were immediately dashed by the offended screech behind them.

“Ugh! That baker girl Dupain-Cheng made these?” The scandalized sneer sent an instinctive gut-wrenching sickness washing through Cutie, leaving her shaking and queasy. It was so horrifyingly familiar that she almost didn’t want to turn around. No. No, it couldn’t be.

There was no way someone that awful could have been given a Miraculous, right? Yet dread had sunk its teeth into her, and she felt her hands clench into fists as she glared at Scarlet, and suddenly the world seemed so painfully clear.

Once she got past the initial horror, it all made too much sense. The twist of her lips and the way she nearly flung the capelet away from her suddenly seemed almost incriminating, like the final nails in a coffin that had been building itself the more Cutie Bee had been unfortunate enough to have the displeasure of working with her.

“No wonder it looks like garbage. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something so hideous and tacky.” Flicking her red-streaked ponytail over her shoulder, Scarlet Lady simply huffed, buffing her fingertips against her suit and inspecting them as if she’d somehow see her manicure through the black glove.

“What on earth is your problem, Scar?” Chat bristled, tail lashing as he scooped the capelet up off the roof, glowering at her as he patted dust from the velveteen and soft white faux fur trim Cutie Bee had spent all afternoon working on. Her fingers still ached from some of the stitching she’d had to do by hand, only now she was regretting all the wasted effort. Hand-dyed black spots to match Scarlet Lady’s suit? What had she been thinking trying to please someone who was never happy with anything, let alone someone so ungrateful?

“A nasty little alley cat like you would never understand, so I’d hardly consider you an expert on fashion! You two were clearly made for each other, the stupid baker girl and her tacky little knick knacks and the filthy alley cat.”

Something snapped inside her at that, and for once it wasn’t the horrible things Scarlet said about her civilian self. Fury blazing bright in an instant, her ribbons snapping as her stingers tensed, and Cutie Bee hardly felt the burn in her lungs as she sucked in the frigid air through her nose and stormed up to Scarlet, practically jabbing her in the nose.

“Don’t you dare talk about Chat Noir that way! If it wasn’t for him, Papillon would have gotten the Miraculous ages ago! He’s the one that exhausts himself keeping Paris safe, no thanks to you! If it weren’t for him coming in to clean up your messes you’d be finished in less than a day, and I’m just sorry that he’s stuck with someone as horrible, self-centered and stuck-up as you as his partner!”

Before Chat even had a chance to say anything, Cutie Bee snatched her trompo off her hip and flung it into the night, taking off with an angry buzzing sound and a zip of her wire.

In a chamber filled with moonlight and the sound of fluttering wings that whispered secrets and the echoes of dashed dreams, Papillon lifted his head at the sound. A murmur, sharp and filled with fury and indignation rippled through the fluttering mass that blanketed the floor about him. His lips pulled back, a smile like a slash of ice in the darkness, light glinting off his mask.

“What’s this? The sound of Christmas magic being ruined by disappointment and disgust? The winter wonderland brought to a premature end by someone else’s ingratitude and self-centeredness. It seems as if this is the perfect time to spread sadness and fear.” Lifting a gloved hand from his cane, his smile only grew more cold and wicked as a moth alighted on his palm, darkness consuming the gentle glow of its wings.

Oh yes, he would keep a very close eye on this unhappy soul, to make at least one Christmas wish come true….

Chapter Text

When Marinette stormed the front doors of the school the next morning, she could have melted a hole through the stairs Alya and Nino were sitting on from the force of her glare alone. Other students shied away from her as she fumed, muttering furiously under her breath as she practically stomped her way across the courtyard. Her head felt like an angry hornet’s nest, the buzzing so loud it drowned out her thoughts, only fueling her agitation and none of Pollen’s soothing words had helped to do more than temporarily calm her. If she didn’t do something she felt like she was going to smack Chloe right in her smug face, and so Marinette loomed over Alya, not noticing the looks of alarm she was getting from three of her closest friends.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” Alya glanced between her best friend and somewhere behind Marinette’s shoulder, though the designer hardly noticed.

“A lot is wrong, Alya! I need your help because I’m going to go crazy!” Her flailing hands nearly smacked someone, and she was halfway to apologizing when a warm hand settled on her shoulder.

“Hey, you can tell us, I promise.” Adrien tried to offer a smile, but the look on Marinette’s face was one he’d never seen, and she was too frustrated to see the way he nearly flinched away from her when she glared at him.

“Fine! Come with me really quick.” Grabbing his hand and waving for Alya to follow, Marinette rushed for the first private place she could think of, finding an empty classroom and glancing around to be certain no one else was nearby before ducking inside, Adrien sharing a worried look with Alya and Nino. Once they had closed the door behind them, Marinette paced, not realizing she was beginning to buzz from her built-up agitation when she spoke.

“Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, and I know I shouldn’t be talking about it if I’m right, but I’m almost certain Scarlet Lady is Chloe.” Her hands were flapping, tension bleeding off of every twitch of her fingers, and she almost didn’t hear the surprised gasps over the sound of her angry buzzing.

“Marinette, you know I love you, but this is crazy! What made you think that?” For once, Alya was too startled to even get out her phone, her eyes wide behind her glasses. Marinette threw her hands over her head, letting out an irritated groan.

“Everything, Alya! I can’t think of a single person that’s more self-centered and mean spirited in all of Paris! You know how she is!” A flash of frustration burned through her, her face aching from how deep her scowl was. “Scarlet spends all her time trying to make herself look good and pushing the really hard work off on Chat Noir! Yeah, she fights but when she does, she doesn’t care who gets hurt or how much damage she does as long as she comes out looking great in front of the press! Everyone who’s talked to her knows that!” Again Adrien had to duck away from a hand as Marinette flailed them, having stepped within her arm’s length to try and soothe her temper.

“That’s...a little harsh, don’t you think?” He winced even as he said it, and the look on her face as she stared at him made his stomach ache.

“Are you kidding me? Adrien, she’s an absolute monster to everyone! How many people has she gotten akumatized because she’s so mean?” She sounded so adamant he had to duck his head, rubbing the back of his neck as Nino reached out to give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“No offense to you, bro, but Marinette does have a point. Chloe’s only nice to people who give her what she wants, and to you. So pretty much she’s only nice to you. I know she was your first friend and all, but sometimes you gotta see the forest for the trees, dude.” He smiled at Adrien, giving him a firm pat on the back before fixing his cap and looking to the enraged designer. “Still though, it’s a pretty big jump to start pointing fingers.”

“It’s a huge deal, M. That’s not the sort of thing to accuse people of without a really good reason. We all know Chloe’s a witch, but that doesn’t mean she’s Scarlet Lady.” Alya shrugged at the betrayed look Adrien gave her, though that hardly stopped her.

“Wha—hey!” Marinette’s voice rocketed skyward in pitch when she realized that none of them were convinced, or appeared willing to see her side of it. What was worse, they all seemed disappointed, and she could feel her hands shake when she clenched them into fists as splotches of color broke out on her cheeks. “I’m serious! She’s a terrible person and I still can’t believe—”

“Marinette!” Their horrified shouts surprised her but Adrien lunged forward just a moment too late, and Marinette almost screamed as she felt something cold and sharp, like pins and needles breaking out all across her scalp starting from the comb shoved deep into the half-frazzled bun tied sloppily at the top of her head. Gritting her teeth, she could barely hear her friends calling to her, their words drowned out by the inescapable sound of angry buzzing filling her head. It was all she could do to clutch her face, her fingernails digging into her skin as she fought with the awful sensation of fingers gripping her skull, a voice that she’d only heard once now filling her head, drowning out everything until there was only the buzzing and his words.

“A honey bee without the support of her hive? Whatever will she do?”

“Stay out of my head!” Marinette screamed, the pain of her fingers clutching her scalp as her knees began to buckle almost a relief that she could still feel anything other than the voice.

“Now, now, young lady. That’s hardly the way to start this new partnership of ours.”

“I won’t work for you!” Her knees burned from where they’d struck the floor tiles, and she found herself gasping for air, the effort to fight back the weight of his words bowing her spine as sweat dripped from her brow, her vision swimming.

“Hardly, my dear. Yet what if I told you that you could change things? Protect the people you care for and save Paris? The city is your hive, and it needs a new queen, does it not? Someone to care for its workers, not ruin it all with her selfishness. After all, Scarlet Lady’s the center of everyone’s problems, isn’t she? Poor Chat Noir, and all those times she’s been so cruel to your friends, and how she lords over Adrien as if he’s hers alone. Hurting people just to save the day and make herself more popular, that’s hardly the behaviour of royalty, isn’t it, my dear?”

“I…I…” Tears slid down her cheeks as she loosened her hold on her scalp, her hands falling limp as they rested in her lap. The sounds of Alya and Adrien’s desperate yelling seemed so far away, happening somewhere else to a different person. “But I’m not…”

“You’re more than they’ve ever given you credit for, aren’t you? So many people she’s hurt and you now have the strength you need to protect all of them. Take wing, and defend your hive from this imposter queen! Arise, Queensguard, your hive needs you!”

The buzzing was everywhere now, chill washing over her from head to toe as she rose to her feet, and a strange fluttering sensation crept across her back. When she flexed her fingers, it left an unnatural popping sensation in all her joints, but the tears had dried from her cheeks and her feet were steady beneath her. The world was painted in strange colors, and a flood of new smells threatened to overwhelm her, but she simply gripped her trompo and pulled it free from her waist, not realizing its familiar wire felt different in her hands. Flicking the trompo, it formed a glittering blade, the child’s top melting into a smooth guard to protect her hand as she raised her glass-like foil to the ready position, while in the other hand she held a smaller, needle-like dagger bound to the hilt of her foil by what had once been her trompo’s wire.

“Scarlet Lady’s reign will be at an end soon enough.” Her voice sounded different, filled with the buzzing sound that drowned out her thoughts. Her antennae twitched as the cold grip on her loosened, and she felt her feet rise off the floor as something on her back began to flutter.

Wings.

Now she could feel them, her stingers flexing, wings spreading, the hand gripping the hilt of her fencing foil tightening its grip. Her smaller blade she slung about her waist for now, but first… She turned to her friends—fellow workers? No, they were more important than that—seeing the fear on their faces. That wasn’t right. Her antennae twitched, her foil hung from her waist before she reached for them, humming a soothing buzz as she touched her glossy black fingers to their faces.

“It’s all right, I’ll protect all of you now.” Her smile felt tight, like her face muscles were too stiff, yet her wings continued to drone pleasantly as her antennae twitched. Alya looked close to tears, Adrien’s hand covering Marinette’s glossy black knuckles as he gave her a smile. A wounded, bittersweet sort of smile, but it was an improvement. The pitch of her droning rose with pleasure, though she was surprised by how he leaned into her hand.

“Cutie Bee?” He sounded so torn; the tone of his voice caught between hopeful and heartbroken, and she could only shake her head.

“Cutie Bee wasn’t enough to save any of you, now we’re the Queensguard.” Her antennae twitched in pride, her wings fluttering, and she took the hand resting on her cheek and gently held it clasped in both of hers. “We’ll protect all of you, but first we need to find Chat Noir. Stay here, it should be safe while we seek out the imposter queen and chase her from the hive.” She stepped away, her footsteps lighter than air as her wings fluttered, ready to lift off at a moment’s notice if only she had enough room to take to the sky. A gentle touch on her arm stilled her, and she turned, antennae flicking in curiosity as she studied Adrien’s worried face. She’d have to do something to fix that, she wanted to see him smile once more. Everything would be fixed as soon as she defeated Scarlet Lady, she knew.

“You’re going to fight him?” His eyes searched her face as he spoke, and she could taste the anxiety in his words as her wings fluttered in surprise, hastily waving her hands.

“No, of course not! We’ll have to work together to overthrow Scarlet Lady.” Her brows were too tense to even furrow, but her wings snapped a dangerous staccato as her stingers flexed. “The hive needs a new queen, he’ll understand once we explain everything.” With that, she turned away again, her smooth shell slipping free of Adrien’s slackened grip as he stared after her in shock.

The night before had felt like a blur for Adrien, having argued well into the evening with Scarlet Lady over how she treated Cutie Bee and her choice words about his princess—no, he had to stop himself from calling her that in front of Scarlet—Marinette. It had ended with her flipping her hair over her shoulder and vaulting away into the night, never once taking responsibility for anything as usual, and somehow making everything out to being Cutie Bee’s and his fault somehow. Still, he’d spent the whole evening at home gently squeezing and kneading the knitted cap and its soft pompoms, and it had taken everything he had not to wear them to school the next day. Marinette would have recognized her own work instantly, but he could smell the sweetness of the bakery on them and all he wanted to do was bury his face in its soft warmth and bask in the softness knowing she’d made them just for him. Chat or not, she made them just for him, and nuzzling deep into the scarf left him purring deep into the night, or at least Plagg had complained about him being so loud and annoying it had kept him awake.

To make up for it, he wound his blue scarf around his neck, regretting that it had long since lost any traces of the scent of the bakery from the yarn as he rubbed his face against it. The warmth in his chest carried him through his morning, a purr lying just beneath the surface ready to burst out of him at a moment’s notice. Even Nino and Alya had noticed his extraordinarily good mood as he joined them by the stairs, laughing with them over some Chat Noir memes Alya had found that she’d considered posting on the Blog Noir.

The laughter had died when they’d gotten a good look at Marinette’s face. How did she even know about Scarlet? Hadn’t he and Cutie Bee always worked together to save Marinette? His head spun as he watched Marinette, so much angrier than he’d ever seen her before, a sound just beneath her words that made the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. It sounded just like… The thought shattered to a thousand fragments as he saw the black butterfly squeeze between panes of the window, fluttering for Marinette and he was already leaping for her with his heart in his mouth.

Only to stumble short as Marinette screamed, and the sound was so awful it almost made him ill as he watched in horror, Alya trying to physically shake Marinette back to her senses.

“Fight him, Marinette!” She shook her, while Adrien tried to pull Marinette’s hands away from her scalp before she could hurt herself.

“Come on, princess, please! You can do this!” He didn’t even think before the affectionate nickname slipped out of him, Nino and Alya too focused on Marinette to notice his mistake. Yet for all their yelling, Marinette’s body slumped to the floor, the fire sputtering out of her and Adrien’s stomach dropping like a stone as he watched the tears well up and spill down her cheeks. The itch along his scalp and down his spine made him want to run, find a dark corner to transform and rush back, but he couldn’t leave her side, not when the desolate look on her face made him want to hold her tight to him and ward off the black butterfly’s parasitic influence.

“Marinette…” Alya’s hands flew to her mouth in horror as the dark magic washed over their friend, the girl rising to her feet and leaving them all in stunned silence.

Cutie Bee stood where Marinette had been, yet Adrien had to resist the urge to arch his back and hiss. The soft yellows of her suit were gone. The downy cream collar of her suit now covered most of her chest, her usually elbow-length black gloves now opera-length and hard, sharp yellow lines at the joints allowing her to bend. It actually took him a moment to realize it was because her suit was now chitin plates, and when she turned to look at them he stumbled back.

Black eyes stared at them, highlighted with bright blue irises and white where the pupils should have been. Her hair ribbons now arched higher over her head, and her pigtails had grown longer, sharper, the points less adorable and more deadly. Even her boots were higher, split at the knees, and when her fingers brushed his cheek they were cold. Smooth and sleek, yet it was as if all the warmth had been sucked from her, her expression frozen in an impassive mask, and all her words accompanied by the buzzing of her wings as they fluttered.

Oh, princess…

His chest ached just looking at her, knowing he’d have to fight her, to save her from Papillon and what the villain had turned her into. It was so hard to see her beneath the mask, behind what her face had become. Seeing her like this spoiled the knowledge that his wonderfully brave and fiery Marinette was also the soft, gentle hearted Cutie Bee he’d had the joy of working with. A horrible lurch in his stomach at the realization had him trying to grab her, his hand almost slipping right off the smooth chitin of her glove.

She was going to come looking for him to give his ring to Papillon. Fear soaked him, chilling his chest from the inside out, and he wanted to beg for everything under the sun that it wouldn’t be true. Anything but this, anyone but Marinette.

We’ll have to work together to overthrow Scarlet Lady.

He stared as she slipped from his grip, watched as she opened the door and crouched just outside, wings snapping wide and fluttering, sending up a soft cloud of shimmering dust before she launched herself into the air with a powerful leap.

What on earth did she mean by that? Was she actually serious? Either way, he needed to find a way to follow after her without being followed. After all, Chat Noir now had to have a very long talk with the Queensguard if he was ever going to see his princess as herself again.

Chapter Text

It would soon be too cold to fly, the days short and the solstice fast approaching, leaving the Queensguard sluggish and her joints stiff. Still, she would be swift enough for this task, especially if she could convince Chat Noir to aid her. Wings fluttering, the Queensguard’s face felt warm at the thought of the black cat, chitinous fingers brushing across smooth cheeks, uncertain if he would notice whether or not she was blushing. She hoped not, though her antennae soon twitched, scenting the air, and with a flutter of her wings she was turning, excitedly buzzing as the hero approached. Dark boots landed softly near her, her antennae twitching in pleasure as her happy droning only grew louder. Clasping her hands to the soft fluff over her heart, she let out a soft sigh.

“Chat Noir! You came, we’re so happy you joined us.” Her tone was warm, full of her delighted buzzing as she fluttered closer to him, even if the guarded expression he wore did hurt. Carefully she reached out to touch his face, her antennae tenderly patting his hair and cheeks. He tasted warm and delightful, though she could have done without the overpowering smell of cheese leftover from his kwami, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he’d come, and now they could work together. Everything would be fine now!

“Cutie…” He sounded so unhappy, that wouldn’t do at all! Slowly her hands rose, cupping his face as she brushed her hardened thumbs across the edges of his mask.

“I promise we will fix things, Chaton. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” She tried her best to sound encouraging, but she could not smile like she used to. When she tried, it only seemed to alarm him more, and the fact that he seemed to misjudge her pleased droning with an angry sort made her wilt a little.

“We have an idea, actually,” she said hopefully, cocking her head to look at him. “If we take Scarlet Lady’s Miraculous together, then we can find a new queen. A better one! It’s a good idea, isn’t it? Then we can keep the hive safe together!” She was very proud of this plan, but before Chat could open his mouth to respond, there was a sharp pain in her head, and a voice far too loud echoing in her skull.

“Queensguard! Your job is to steal the Miraculous of both of them!” The voice was loud and like a hot knife through beeswax, piercing her and leaving her hunching. Yet she was the Queensguard, and she no longer feared him, straightening as she glared.

“Our duty is to protect the hive, Papillion. How do we know that you would not hurt Chat Noir the moment we took his ring? That you would be able to keep Adrien safe? No, you have not shown us that you can be trusted. Scarlet Lady is a threat to the hive, but so are you. No one has damaged or wounded our hive as much as you have, and for that you must be destroyed.” Her buzzing grew loud and furious, lifting her blade to the ready position.

“Take wing, our swarm! Find the intruder and flush him out!” There was a shock of alarm that flickered through her from Papillion, and then the connection was severed. The sounds of sleepy bees woken from their dozing filled the air of Paris, and her antennae twitched. That would have to do for now. Sheathing her blade, she turned back to Chat, offering him one of her hands.

“Chaton?” He was still simply watching her, studying her. Suspicious of her. It was uncomfortable the way his gaze narrowed, taking in her newly-armored joints and her new weapons. Her wings fluttered nervously, stingers flexing. “Chaton we...we can go fight Papillion together, if our swarm finds him. We’ll take back his Miraculous together! Everything will be fine then, we won’t have to worry about more akumas.”

“But what about you?” His gaze was sharp, his tail lashing, and her antennae flicked in surprise. “What about Marinette? Are you okay with being like that for the rest of your life, Cutie Bee?” The harsh words were like a blow, and she flinched, wringing her fingers and clasping her hands to the thick fuzz that covered most of her chest. Chat’s expression softened, but she still couldn’t meet his gaze as her fingers ended up tangling in the wire that bound her saber and her dagger.

“We….we just wanted to keep everyone safe.” Her antennae and stingers drooped, her shoulders slumping, but a pair of warm hands settled on her shoulders, claws sinking deep into her thick fuzz.

“And it’s my job to make sure my partner is safe. We’re a team, Cutie. What would I do without my favorite honey bee?” A flicker of his smile caught her eye, one of her antennae gently brushing his hair.

“...get yourself caught up a tree, probably?” She tried to smile, but her face was frozen, all hard casing save for a few joints. Her smile was more of a squint, her antennae and stingers rising as she droned happily, and this time Chat smiled back.

“Exactly, my life’s hardly as sweet without you.” He beamed, and she covered her face as her wings fluttered nervously, and his laugh felt like honey and summer and only made her wings flutter more. A claw caught one of her hands, peeling it away from her face even as she tried to tuck her chin into her soft fluffy collar. “Hey wait, let me see! It’s not often I get to see a fairy princess blush.”

“W-we’re not, though—”

“Could have fooled me.” He smiled, close enough to ruffle her fur and left her antennae shivering, and she clapped her hands over her face. Buzzing anxiously, she closed her eyes, hardly breathing as he leaned in to nuzzle her smooth cheek. “So if you’re an enchanted princess, does that mean kissing you will break the spell?”

“Chat!” She buzzed in embarrassment, her wings fluttering even as he hugged her close. Still it felt nice, though she realized that aside from a general sense of being warm, she couldn’t actually feel him against her. He was solid, but it felt like she was in a shell being squeezed, and her antennae drooped at the realization. Like all the joy had been sapped from the fact that Chat was hugging her because he knew who she was and still he cared. How often had she hoped for this, only to not even be able enjoy it now?

“It’s okay, Cutie. We’ll figure something out, even if we have to drag Scarlet out by her ponytail to get her to cleanse your akuma.” He purred, and Queensguard sagged into his embrace, letting her chin rest on her partner’s shoulder. It still stung knowing this was the first time he’d cuddled her and she couldn’t even enjoy it properly.

“We...we could still find someone else...” Yet the words held less conviction by the moment, as his warmth left her feeling safe and drowsy. It was so cold outside, maybe they could just find a place to curl up together and everything would work out…

“One thing at a time, honey bee. You’ll get your antennae in a twist if you worry too much over everything.” Always gently pulling her out of her self-conscious spirals. How he always managed to get her to focus when her anxiety filled her head with the sound of a thousand angry wasps, she never knew. Chat was always there for her even when he was furious with Scarlet. Had always helped her calm down when she was overwhelmed by the weight of their responsibility and the overstimulation of the battles they faced. And here he was, smoothing down her hair, not flinching away from her stingers or the way her antennae brushed his cheeks when he held her close.

“Papillon’s going to turn on you, isn’t he, Cutie?” He glanced down at her, his pupils blown wide as his tail lashed. Her wings fluttered with a soft humming sound, her fingertips clacking together as she considered it.

“He’s busy with our swarm.” Her face flexed, antennae twitching. “If we follow the swarm, we might be able to find his lair! If we do that, we could likely defeat him.” The words left Chat Noir staring at her, then laughing. It was the most wonderful sound, soft and delighted, his fangs flashing in the afternoon sun, his tail clashing on the rooftop beneath them. A soft buzzing built in her, unable to giggle, though her droning grew loud as the sound of his laugh filled her like sunlight.

“We’d better hurry before he decides to de-akumatize you or do worse, then.” He sobered quickly, pulling her hands up, a nervous purr rumbling through him as he studied her face. “Will you turn back, though?” The serious look on his face made her pause, her wings flicking.

“We...we don’t know?” She felt her face trying to move, but the old muscles were gone, the chitin plates frozen. Instead her antennae caught in his hair, the vague knowledge that he was trying to rub her arms to comfort her drifting to her through the overwhelming information of the scent and taste of his shampoo, his nervous sweat, his skin and the smooth surface of his mask. “We haven’t thought about it.”

“Alright, well how am I supposed to ask you out on a date if you can’t fit your wings through doors? It’ll certainly turn movie nights into a sticky situation, honey bug!” He grinned, and her droning turned to a sharp pitch as her stingers and antennae flicked upward, her hands clapped to her face once again.

“Chat!” Her embarrassment and distress filtered through the buzzing, and she could feel his purring chuckles rumbling through his chest. “Don’t joke about that, it’s mean.” She couldn’t even cry, could she? Did she have tear ducts anymore? The alarm grew, the anxious buzzing fighting its way out of her. How could he tease her about this sort of thing? His claws combed through her thick collar of fuzz and brushed across her hair. Was it still hair or was it more chitin now? What was she?

“I wouldn’t tease you about that, Marinette. After this, I promise we’ll go out and do something nice, I’ll even wear that hat and scarf you made me.” His voice was so warm and soft, and she could have sworn her heart stopped at the feel of his lips brushing the top of her head. “I’ll take you to the top of the Eiffel Tower on Christmas Eve, and we’ll have a candlelit dinner and watch the lights.” Her heart felt like it was going to burst, never noticing the way his hand was gliding closer to her Miraculous. Not even the sharp stab of pain through her head as the violet light flickered across her face was fast enough.

“NO.” The horrible voice was cut off, and suddenly her head was clear and lost to the sound of Chat’s voice.

“Cataclysm!” Light washed over her, and suddenly she could gasp for air. Marinette sagged, her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton as she slumped against the warm body in front of her. Arms closed around her, a hand stroking her back as she began to shiver from the cold, a steady purr soothing the sudden disorientation. A bell jangled near her ear as claws combed through her hair, gently tucking her head beneath a chin.

“Where—?” Why was she crying? She felt like she’d been so upset, so scared, but she couldn’t… “Chloe!” She jerked, but the arms around her wouldn’t let her go, the purring growing louder as someone began to nuzzle her hair.

“Shhhh, honey bug. You’ve had a rough couple of days, how about I take my fairy princess back to her tower?” The warm voice ruffled her hair with his breath, and she found herself looking up into the brilliant green eyes of her partner.

“Chaton...? Oh no, I didn’t fight you, did I?” Her hands flew to her mouth, tears weighing heavy on her lashes, but he just grinned, laughing as he shook his head. Smooth claws carefully brushed the tears away, then he was nuzzling against her and her heart felt like it would burst.

“Not for a moment, Cutie Bee. Even under Papillion’s influence you were quite the defender of justice.” He smirked, then his eyes narrowed as something fluttered just out of her vision. He plucked her purse off her shoulder, his nose wrinkling. “May I borrow this for just a moment? I have a little pest problem to deal with.”

“O-oh! O-of course, sure, no problem!” Popping it open with shaking hands, Pollen was quick to hide herself in the collar of Marinette’s coat, strangely subdued and shivering after their akumatization. Watching numbly as Chat snatched the dark butterfly out of the air, he snapped the purse shut and slung it over his shoulder.

“Well, that should hopefully work for now, or I’ll be on a wild bug hunt for the rest of the day. Now, I believe I promised to escort a fair maiden to her tower, did I not?” He grinned, and soon Marinette found herself scooped into his arms, her arms wrapped about his shoulders as Paris sped by beneath them. When he eased open her trap door and gently set her down on her bed, Marinette found her heart hammering as Pollen nestled into the nest she’d made for her to rest. It felt as if her heart was planning to leap out of her chest, gnawing on her lower lip as Chat dropped to the floor on silent paws and went rummaging until he found an airtight jar. Panic flooded her as her face went hot, and it took everything she had not to hyperventilate when he spent a few moments trying to force the akuma into the glass jar.

Chat knows I’m Cutie Bee. Alya, Nino, and Adrien know. They know they know they know—! The awful thoughts spiraled, tears burning her eyes as she flapped her hands at her face, struggling to control her breath and fighting to ignore the awful sound of butterfly wings beating against glass. Warm hands caught hers, and before she knew it Chat’s forehead pressed against hers.

“Shhhh, Marinette. Everything will be fine. You’re safe now, and I promise I won’t let Papillion hurt my partner again.” His nose brushed hers and faint warmth grazed against her cheek as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. A flick of black leather slipped away from her vision as his tail twitched, and then he was gone, disappeared through the skylight and leaving her staring red-faced after him.

It took her a few minutes before her mind caught up to what happened and she screamed into her pillow. Chaton had kissed her cheek!

“Ugh, this is so stupid.” Chloe groaned, pinching a lock of hair and glaring at it as if it had personally insulted her, squinting to make certain there were no split ends. The instant someone had seen the akumatized bee-thing the whole school had been put on lockdown. As if she’d want to ruin her new manicure just because that stuttering mess of a bumble bee went and got herself akumatized.

She ignored the way Tikki was glaring at her as if it was actually enough to make her want to get up and do anything. Chloe had learned very early on how to tune out the tiny bug-thing’s frustrated chirping, though sometimes she guessed Tikki was okay. Almost nice even! But she spent so much time trying to convince her to be...what was the word Tikki always used? It didn’t matter.

She was busy flicking through the latest posts on the Louboutin spring line that she almost, almost dropped her new phone when the door slammed open and Chat Noir stalked in.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to rescue and carry off to whatever dumpster you live in?” She barely spared a glance for him before returning to her phone, leaving a like on the latest Gabriel spread featuring her darling Adrikins. “Last I heard she was buzzing around somewhere near here, so you’d better hurry.” Waving a hand at him as if to shoo away a stray, she found her eyes wanting to roll out of her head as he practically stomped his way over to her like some kind of neanderthal thug. Ugh! Could her day get any more annoying?

“I would, but somebody isn’t showing up, Scarlet.” For a moment, the gutteral snarl actually made her flinch, his growl setting all her hair on end and a nervous laugh bubbling out of her. Turning the nerves into the cool mask she used to keep everyone beneath her where they belonged, she sat back with a smirk, glancing up at him and fluttering her eyelashes. If they never saw her sweat, they wouldn’t be able to bring her down.

“I think you’ve got the wrong person, alley cat. Although if anyone in Paris is as perfect as I am, it would be Scarlet Lady. She is the best hero after all.” Her tittering laugh was cut off as a glass jar was slammed onto the desk in front of her, her eyes going wide at the sight of the black wings beating against the glass. For a moment, she almost flinched, the urge to leap out of her seat almost overwhelming.

“Do your job for once, Scarlet.” He snarled, and she had an uncomfortably close look at his teeth. Had they always looked so sharp? His pupils were slitted and his tail lashed, striking the floor and desks behind him. Fine, if he was going to be like that, two could play that game. She scoffed, her phone set on the desk as she rested her chin on her laced fingers, a smirk playing across her perfectly glossed lips.

“Why should I? That annoying little wasp is hardly worth the effort, and I don’t see why I should listen to a little mangy cat like you anyway.” The sight of his hands clenching into fists, his jaw working, how he trembled all over only made her smile wider. Worth it. She was still the best out of all of them, and she’d show them that, even if Tikki was poking at her like she wanted attention.

Chloe tsked, waving off her kwami as her nose wrinkled in distaste. In spite of what everyone expected, Chloe wasn’t stupid. Once had been enough to prove why it was actually important for her to not just defeat the akumas, but to cleanse them as well. Just because she thought the little bug-brain needed a lesson, or because Chloe hated other people telling her what to do, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to take care of the problem. Eventually. When she felt like it, probably after watching Chat Noir hiss and spit like the stray cat he was for a little longer because it was kind of funny. It wasn’t as if he could actually do anything to her, everyone knew they needed Scarlet because her powers were the best out of all of them. None of them could defeat the akumas without her. It wasn’t like she enjoyed being important and needed or anything. It was simply fact that she was better.

What she wasn’t expecting was the final beep of Chat Noir’s ring and a flash of green light to nearly blind her. Or the look of pure revulsion and the snarl that had twisted Chat Noir’s lips a second ago to be blistering now that it was spread across Adrikin’s face. For a moment she stared, the smirk falling clean off her face as she gawked, and he loomed closer until she sank back in her seat to escape him. The hands he gripped the edge of the desk and the backrest of the seat with were white knuckled and trembling with anger, and venom dripped from his voice until she felt so small she could have slid under the desk without a fight.

“Chloe, if you don’t get off your high horse and cleanse this akuma right now I am never speaking to you again!” Had Adrikins always looked so frightening when he was angry? Had he ever been angry with her before? She was struggling to process what she was seeing, the ugly look on his face and the way his eyes flashed making her want to hide. “I can’t believe you! I’ve stood up for you when everyone else said awful things and then I find out you’re Scarlet? I’m done listening to you be cruel to everyone I know, I’m done being told I’m trash by someone I thought was my friend. If you even want to hope for rebuilding our friendship, then you’re going to cleanse that akuma right now, or don’t even think about talking to me. Do you understand?”

“A-Adrikins, I—”

“No, Chloe.” He was livid, she’d never seen him so angry, and it left her feeling sick to her stomach. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and the anger turned to something even worse. Disappointment. The heat left his voice, and he sounded drained, hollowed out, and disgusted. “Just do your job, please.”

When he finally left, she was left staring at an empty desk where a jar used to be, and flinched at the feel of Tikki’s paws on her cheek. Surprise flickered through her at the look on the kwami’s face, and she raised a shaking hand to wipe her eyes, horrified to realize she’d been crying.

“Ugh, this shirt was too expensive to drip mascara on.” But the words were barely a whisper, choking on them before she clutched her kwami to her cheek. She didn’t even really care about her new blouse anyway, she had to do something to get Adrikins to forgive her. It wasn’t something she could make people do for her, she knew. Not this time. With that thought, she sniffed, her lips twisting, and she tried to stop her tears. She was Scarlet Lady, hero of Paris. If she could cleanse akumas, she could do anything. After all, they couldn’t do it without her, and if she could fight akumas, she could win back Adrikins!

...Couldn’t she?

Marinette was pacing her room, fidgeting and flapping her hands as she rambled at Pollen, who was watching her with wide eyes as she nibbled away at a piece of candied honey. The young girl had been beside herself with embarrassment after Chat Noir had left, and Pollen was a little concerned that her Chosen was going to buzz herself into a tizzy while wearing out the floorboards with her nervous pacing.

“And he knows, Pollen! And so does everyone else! They’re probably so disappointed in me, what am I going to say to them? And then I have to deal with Chloe on top of that and I just, I don’t know what to do!” Marinette clutched at her hair, groaning in dismay. Yet before Pollen could even open her mouth to say anything, there came a light tapping at the skylight, and the little kwami smiled, buzzing happily. Sure enough, there was a flash of a toothy grin before the hatch was opened, and Chat Noir dropped onto Marinette’s bed with a cheerful chirp of greeting.

“Paw-don me for dropping in, I believe I left a certain fairy purrincess without saying a proper goodbye!” The cat bowed gracefully where he was kneeling on Marinette’s bed, then hopped down to meet her where she stood frozen in the middle of her room. With a soft purr, he reached out to take her hands, rubbing his thumbs over the knuckles.

“Are you going to be okay, Marinette?” He cocked his head, his ears flicking forward as he watched her face. Already it was washed in shades of pinks and reds, her ears flushed as she ducked to hide behind her bangs. He never would have recognized her without her mask, which hid most of her faint freckles from view, and the fact that she kept her hair styled differently. Not to mention how she could barely speak when Chat was near, when she’d never seemed to have a problem with Adrien. Was it just him? Had he not paid enough attention?

“I don’t know, Chat. Master Fu told us no one should know our secrets, but it feels like everyone knows now. Even Papillion, and I’m scared.” Her hands were shaking in his, and he simply squeezed them tighter.

“It’s going to be okay, Marinette. Just you wait and see. We’ll all take care of you, or at least I’m sure Rena and Carapace will if I ask them to, and you’ll always have your trusty partner, right?” He smiled, then brought one of her hands up so he could kiss her knuckles. “So really, only three people know you to be Cutie Bee for certain, and that’s hardly everyone.” Something about what he said made her pause, her brows furrowing.

“But it was Adrien, Nino, and Alya at school that saw me transform…” The moment he saw her mind working, Chat’s smile froze, his eyes going wide. Then she was looking up at him with wide eyes, and his smile twitched wider out of a moment of panic, the look on her face making him regret opening his mouth.

“Adrien?” The astonished tone of voice and the recognition in her eyes almost struck him down on the spot. Plagg was going to skin him.

Chapter Text

The air had only gotten colder as the month dragged on, but Marinette found newer reasons to leap out of bed in the morning. Heart thudding heavily in her chest, the first day after being akumatized was nerve-wracking, chewing at her lip as she forced herself to walk to school. No one seemed to notice anything different, no one acted differently, and she had to steady her breathing as she crept up the steps to the front doors to the school.

Only to be mobbed by Alya. Nearly crushed in her best friend’s grip, Marinette found tears stinging her eyes as they clung to one another. Not arguing as Alya dragged her inside and out of the cold, they found a corner to sit in as they simply sat and held each other’s hands in white-knuckled grips.

“You’ve been holding out on me all this time?” Alya’s words shook with uncharacteristic jitters, frustration building in her.

“Alya, I’m so sorry, I never meant to—” Marinette started, but Alya only shook her head, holding up a hand before pulling Marinette closer.

“Don’t you even start, girl. I know just as well as you do why you couldn’t say anything. I just can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner. You’re the worst liar!” Her laughter was edged with tears, and she bumped Marinette’s shoulder with her own. “No, I’m just mad at myself for not noticing, or being better at keeping you safe from akumas. Not only that, but then you also knew who all of us were except for who, Chat? How is that fair when miss ‘I can’t lie my way out of a wet paper bag’ manages to keep the fact that she’s Cutie Bee top secret? What the heck!” She knocked her shoulder against Marinette’s as they both broke out laughing even as her tears spilled over. It was only when the tears were spent and Marinette sat sniffing and scrubbing her eyes, her head pillowed on Alya’s shoulder that the anxiety felt like it was fully washed away.

“Hey, M?” Alya’s voice was just as thick with emotions and sniffly as she was, and Marinette wasn’t about to point it out.

“Hmm?” She glanced up through her wet eyelashes at Alya, who had to slip her glasses of to clean the lenses, scrubbing her eyes once more before sliding them back into place.

“Thanks, girl.” Alya’s smirk was as steady as ever, and Marinette would have never guessed she’d been crying if they hadn’t been clutching each other a moment ago.

“For what?” She blinked up at her, a squirming sensation in the pit of her stomach.

“For what? For everything! Are you kidding?” Alya grinned, all foxlike charm and delighted chuckles. “For making all my dreams come true? Where do I start!” She gave Marinette a nudge with her elbow, and the two laughed until the first bell rang. It made her day feel so much lighter already, and when she stood to help Alya to her feet, she was able to face the day with a smile.

Something was different about everything in class, though. Chloe met her at the door, lips twisted and looking upset, and for a moment Marinette stiffened to ready herself for a fight. But it never happened, as Chloe simply let out a heavy sigh, unable to meet her gaze.

“I’m...sorry.” Her pastel glossed lips twisted in a scowl, and Marinette’s brows arched high in disbelief.

“For what?” Not that she was complaining, but it was surprising, and a part of her was wondering where the trap was. Chloe continued to struggle, her arms crossed over her chest and looking like she’d swallowed a handful of lemons.

“For…ugh, I can’t believe you’re making me spell it out. Everything, Dupain-Cheng!” Chloe glanced at her for a split second then looked away, sighing heavily as she pouted. “For being awful.” Chloe honestly looked upset, and not in the sort of ‘I’m being forced to say this but don’t actually mean it’ sort of way. Marinette and Alya shared a puzzled glance. It might only last a day, but in the end, Chloe was making an attempt, and Marinette wanted to encourage her to keep at it.

“Thanks, Chloe. I forgive you.” She smiled, and from the way Chloe’s lips pursed as she nodded, it seemed to be enough. The others had been watching in silence, but as both girls moved to sit down, the chatter picked up again, if a little quieter.

“Is it just me or is the world going to end soon?” Alya tried to stifle a baffled grin as she slid into her seat, and Marinette just shrugged, setting her bag down and sliding in next to her.

“I don’t know, but I think it might be good for her if it keeps up like this.” Folding her arms across her desk, she and Alya shared a quiet laugh before Alya pulled out her phone, flipping through some of the more recent ‘candid’ shots she was able to get of Rena and Carapace. Of course they were staged, but Alya had finally gotten some clear shots after setting up a special rig with a timer to let her and Nino both be in some of the photos. Marinette was giggling over one where Carapace was obviously blushing behind his goggles when the door swung open and Nino and Adrien walked in.

Adrien wasn’t wearing the blue scarf she’d made him. He was grinning, laughing at something Nino said, all the while bundled in a neon green scarf and cap with familiar black, faux-fur pom poms. Marinette felt her face turn twenty different shades of red as she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the urge to scream. Even the way his bangs looked with the cap tugged down gave him a Chat-like look. Her heart felt as if it was trying to do some complex acrobatics routine as he playfully swatted Nino’s hands away from the paw ends of his scarf before sitting in front of her. The smug smile on Alya’s face did not go unnoticed, either.

“Hey sunshine, cute new hat!” Alya grinned, leaning forward even as Marinette tried to disappear into the back of their seat. Adrien beamed, carefully unwrapping his scarf and folding it to slip it into his satchel.

“Thanks! It was an early Christmas gift from Marinette. I’d been complaining about my ears getting cold, and she gave it to me the other day.” He glanced at her as he said it, and the effect was instant. Burying her face in her hands as she almost let out a kettle-like scream, she could feel her ears burning as Alya nudged her with her elbow.

“Well, it looks great on you, I didn’t realize you were such a huge Chat Noir fan.” Alya leaned forward, her arms crossed on the desk as Adrien tugged the cap off, raking his fingers through his hair and leaving Marinette feeling a little faint.

“Actually I’m more of a Cutie Bee fan.” He smiled, but it was Marinette that saw him wink, and the way his smile morphed into a Chat Noir smirk had her burying her face in her arms and wanting to die from how hard her heart began to pound.

“Hey Marinette, wait up!”

Marinette almost slipped down the stairs as she tried to turn towards him, and Adrien only just managed to catch her in time before the fall turned nasty.

“Careful! That was almost a bad spill.” He chuckled, his thumbs rubbing her arms through her coat. Her cheeks flushed as she nodded, stammering out nonsense as she tried to regain her composure. He simply watched her, the way her fingers twisted as her hands fluttered, and now it was almost too easy to picture her in the creamy yellow and black mask as she fidgeted. Reaching out, he swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then reached up to tug her pink beanie into place.

“I was wondering…” He trailed off as her eyes snapped up from staring somewhere near their shoes, huge and breathtaking, and he barely glanced at Alya and Nino as they watched with far too much interest. If he didn’t spit it out now, his nerves were going to get the better of him and he’d hate it. Pressing onward, he tuned out their friends, focusing entirely on the way the bridge of her nose pinked, how thick her eyelashes were.

“Would you like to hang out later? I think I’ve got some free time this afternoon.” He didn’t, but they had patrol that evening, just him and Cutie Bee, and he had plans. He’d get there early if he had to. Marinette scuffed her toe against the steps, sinking her face deeper into the coils of her scarf as her whole face tried to flush the red of Scarlet’s suit.

“Th-that sounds good, I’d love to.” She mumbled, casting anxious glances between him and Alya as she fidgeted even more. With a delighted grin, he took her hand without thinking twice, lifting it to his lips so he could brush a kiss across her gloved knuckles.

“It’s a date, then. I’ll see you later!” He beamed, giving her a parting wave before stepping past her to the waiting car, leaving devastation in his wake as Marinette clapped her hands to her mouth and let out a distressed squeak as she sank to the steps, her knees too wobbly to keep her upright as Alya and Nino swooped in and barraged her with questions. Adrien was too excited to hear, his heart pounding in his ears as he slipped into the back of the car, his pulse singing with nervous excitement.

There was so much to do, but he had to do this right. He had the most amazing plan though, now all he had to do was pull it off and if it worked, it’d be perfect.

“Marinette, sweetie! One of your friends is here!” Sabine called up, and Marinette came down the stairs, openly puzzled. The sight of Adrien in his green scarf and a black coat waving at her almost sent her tumbling down the stairs. She wasn’t sure what was more embarrassing, the fact that she fell, or the fact that she seemed to fall right into his arms, Adrien catching her easily and gently setting her on her feet. The moment he was sure Marinette was steady, he gave Sabine a shy smile.

“I was wondering if I could take her out. It’d only be for an hour or two.” He sounded so hopeful, though he did seem to wilt a little as Tom stepped out of the bakery to stare down at him from behind his wife. Only to break out in a face-splitting grin, scooping Adrien up in a rib-cracking embrace before Sabine could stop him.

“I knew you two were made for each other! Sabine, we should plan the wedding! What type of cake is your favorite?” He held Adrien at arm’s length, the boy letting out a nervous laugh as his feet dangled far enough from the floor to be alarming. A sharp throat-clearing from Sabine was enough to stop Tom’s excited rambling about their future wedding, house, and how many grandchildren they’d have. With a sheepish look on his face, Tom gently set Adrien down on his feet and coughed into a meaty fist, instantly trying to put a fierce expression on as he crossed his arms over his barrel-like chest.

“Half an hour.” He tried to sound stern and imposing, though a look from Sabine had him relenting. “Just call us when you’re on the way back, okay? And I want her home before closing time.” Tom’s expression melted at Adrien’s blinding smile, once more practically bouncing in delight, while Sabine set a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Just try to be careful, and have a good time, okay?” Her smile was as warm as the inside of the bakery, leaving Adrien almost buzzing with excitement as she waved Marinette off to go grab her outdoor things. By the time Marinette came back downstairs, Adrien had his new cap on and was holding a takeout box of warm pastries and a pair of travel mugs.

“Ready to go?” He smiled so wide Marinette thought her heart was going to burst. Not trusting her voice, she nodded, and he offered her his elbow, her heart thumping so hard against her ribs she was sure he’d be able to hear it. After their goodbyes they slipped out, the sun already setting and the lights of Paris blinking on. She couldn’t help but let her head fall against his shoulder as they walked down the street, listening to the sounds of the city around them. When his cheek rested against the top of her head, she didn’t even trip! A new record, and she let out a pleased, buzzing sort of hum, and neither of them saw the smiles on her parents’ faces as they watched the pair head off towards the park.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Marinette’s nose wrinkled. She hadn’t realized how warm he’d been until she wasn’t pressed against his side anymore. He’d lead her just out of sight of the pâtisserie before coaxing her into closing her eyes to come with him on an adventure, but only with him transformed. Somehow he managed to convince her to let him carry her, and how they arrived on what she was sure was a rooftop without any of the food or drinks spilling, she had no idea. A miracle, probably. But that still left her shivering a little in the cold as her joints slowly began to ache, and after he’d plucked the drink carrier and the bag of pastries from her hands, she soon enough began rubbing her arms.

“Yes, you can open your eyes now, Marinette.” She could hear the smile in his voice, cracking one eye open to peek up at him. She let out a soft gasp as she took in the rooftop behind him. It was a small balcony lined with roses (in December! How did he get so many?), small candles, and a massive blanket with a portable space heater set close enough that they’d both be warm. A flash of green and it was Adrien grinning shyly at her, her fingertips resting on his as he led her to the center of the blanket so they could curl up next to the heater for warmth.

“Adrien, this is amazing! How did you do it?” The words came out hushed, and his cheeks colored either from the cold or a sudden case of bashfulness.

“A cat can’t reveal all his secrets.” Pulling out a wedge of camembert from a pocket, he lifted it up as a peace offering to Plagg, who grumbled under his breath and curled up next to the heater with Pollen. After a moment of silence, Adrien peeked at her through his bangs, his grin going lopsided. “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” she breathed, lifting her cup to her lips with both hands and sipping her cocoa as she gazed out across the lights of Paris, the Eiffel Tower glittering in the distance. Slowly she built up the nerve to lean against him, and for a moment they both froze, hearts pounding before Adrien let out the breath he was holding and wrapped his arm around her.

“I’m glad. I know it’s not a candlelit dinner on the tower itself, but it was easier to bring all this up here, and not nearly as crowded.” He grinned, pillowing his cheek against her cap, his purr matching her buzzing hum.

“Probably for the best.” The buzz was in her words and he rubbed her side, feeling her sink into him even more. “Can you imagine how cold it’d be up there?” Her giggles were enough to bring out his own, and soon enough they were filling the evening with their laughter.

When the night was beginning to wind down and Adrien was forced to blow out the candles and shut off their heater, Marinette felt warm and full from head to toe, and even the chill of the wind on their cheeks as they raced each other across the rooftops back to the bakery could not chase it away. Stifling their giggles, they dropped into a hidden alcove and let go of their transformations, rushing to the door of her house hand in hand. Standing in a pool of golden light from the streetlights, Adrien pulled her close, grinning at her, his hat crooked.

“Merry Christmas, Marinette.” His voice was breathless, and he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, soft and sweet like peppermint chocolates, and when he pulled back, she was shocked that her face hadn’t burned up. In a daze she reached up, tugging his hat straight before hugging him tight, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

“Merry Christmas, Adrien.” They could have stayed like that for hours, if it hadn’t been for the shutter snap of Tom Dupain’s camera from the doorway, nearly jolting them both out of their skins in embarrassed surprise. Marinette clapped her hands to her face as she let out a flustered screech, while even Adrien couldn’t do much to help her. Too embarrassed to speak, he’d grabbed the edge of his beanie, dragging it down over his face as they huddled in bashful, mortified silence until Sabine had to pull them in out of the cold.