Chapter Text
"Marinette, you're going to be late!" Sabine yelled up the stairs.
Marinette jerked upright to promptly fall from her bed, tangled in the blankets. Hearing the large crash her charge made, Tiki opened her eyes and peered over the edge of the bed.
"Marinette, are you ok?" she asked as Marinette looked at her watch.
"Late!!!" Marinette squealed as she leapt to her feet, legs tangling in the blankets and nearly sending her head first down her ladder and into some of her furniture. She scrabbled at the drawers, grabbing a shirt and yesterday’s pants, before yelling down the stairs, "Coming, mama!"
It was a Monday in its truest form and Marinette didn’t know how she managed it, but somehow she made it into class with a minute to spare. “I hate Mondays,” Marinette panted as she collapsed into her seat, breathing heavily as she tried to calm down from her frantic flight to school.
"Slept through your alarm, again?" Alya asked, and Marinette managed to nod as the teacher walked into the room.
"Ok class, settle down," The teacher began, as the bell rang and the door burst open. Wes, a new boy to their class, stumbled in the door, dropping his books as he tripped. His bag burst on impact with the ground sending papers, pens, and his notebook sliding everywhere across the floor. As the rest of the class laughed and their teacher tried to regain control, Marinette stood to grab a pencil off the floor that had rolled her way. She collected some papers on her way to the boy and knelt to hand him his stuff.
"T-thanks… he managed, turning a bright red as he took the papers and pencil from her.
"No problem, I trip all the time," Marinette answered with a smile. "Your name is Wes, right?"
The boy nodded and looked up, causing Marinette to turn as well. Adrien stood practically at her back, a book in hand, and Marinette felt herself turn bright red as she tried to stand to move out of the way. Her feet betrayed her and she tilted, nearly losing her balance, when a strong arm went about her waist keeping her from hitting the floor. Realizing there was only one person who's arm it could be Marinette felt her heart speed up.
"Easy there, Marinette, we don’t want two people on the floor," Adrien said and once she managed to get her feet under her properly, he released her.
"Uh, t-thanks, scared, uh, um," Marinette barely managed and Adrien withheld a chuckle, seeing her face swiftly darken with a blush. For a moment the class’ laughter seemed to fade and silence filled the space, as she looked up into his eyes. They were a stunning sky blue and Adrien felt his heart stutter.
"Um," Wes said from his position on the floor, breaking into the moment, and Adrien looked down realizing he was still holding the boy’s book in his hand.
"Oh, right, sorry about that," Adrien said, handing Wes his book.
"Adrikins, You don’t have to help that commoner. Just let Marinette do it, since she seems to enjoy it so much," Chloe said and Marinette whirled on her, as Wes flushed a deep red.
"Do you have to be such a snob?" Marinette demanded, causing Chloe to roll her eyes.
”Y-yeah, this isn't the middle ages!" Wes said, his voice just the slightest bit too loud.
Chloe gaped at him, as titers were heard through the room. "Excuse me?" she demanded.
Wes stood, shaking like a leaf. "You heard me. I-I've only been here a little while and you are ridiculously cruel to others."
"Hear, hear!" Alya cried, and several other classmates joined her exclamation.
Chloe’s hand flew to her chest. "How dare you speak to me in such a way! Do you know who my father is?!"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "We all know who he is. In fact you never shut up about who he is."
Chloe’s jaw dropped, and even Adrien looked a bit surprised.
"Yeah, I'm not afraid of you!" Wes cried, and finally the teacher stepped in.
"That’s enough, all of you. Class started five minutes ago. Wes, please pick up the rest of your things, and all of you go back to your seats," the teacher snapped.
Chloe huffed, the look on her face telling everyone that this little confrontation was by no means over. Wes gathered the rest of his things as Marinette and Adrien went back to their seats, and the class settled down once more. Once Wes claimed his seat in the back, class began in earnest, with Alya interrupting Marinette’s concentration every so often as they secretly passed notes. The day passed fairly quickly and at lunch Wes tracked Marinette down to where she was sitting with Alya, Nino, and Adrien. The four friends stared up at him expectantly, having long since gone silent, as they waited to hear him out. Wes stood nervously, shifting as he tried to decide what to say.
"I’m new and I… uh, am part of… what I mean is, I joined the acting club. They are making the costumes and a-after school I was hoping if maybe you could lend some expertise?" Wes asked, looking flustered and eyeing Marinette specifically.
At Wes’ question, Adrien felt a strange sense of annoyance pass through him. Wes was addressing the entire group in politeness, but in truth he was really only asking Marinette. For some reason that Adrien couldn’t quite fathom, the thought of Marinette hanging out with Wes alone annoyed him. Before he could think too much into it he let a pleasant smile slip onto his face, especially when he realized the others hadn’t said anything yet either.
"That actually sounds interesting. Usually we only get to see the finished products on stage. Seeing the costumes in the design phase sounds pretty cool," Adrien answered casually, before anyone else had the chance.
Wes looked at him in surprise and perhaps a bit on the disappointed side, but that quickly changed when Marinette piped up. "I've always wanted to check out the costumes as they are designed. If I can help I would love to!"
Alya and Nino were unfortunately busy with their own stuff, even though Alya wanted to check it out herself. Wes offered to show her another day and Alya was happy to accept, although Nino decided to tag along when she went to check it out as well. Today, though, it ended up being just Adrien and Marinette meeting up once school got out for the day. The three of them met up outside the studio, where all the plays and props were stored, and Wes let them in, then introduced them to the others. Everyone was really friendly and they tried to convince Adrien to come join the acting troop since he already had experience with modeling. Adrien politely declined since what little free time he had was taken up by other activities, but he still had fun as he helped with painting some props and being used as a mannequin for costumes. To his amusement, Adrien also got to see a whole different side to Marinette. Usually she was shy around him, unless Alya and Nino were there with them, and even then she could usually only manage a stutter or two for him. However, in a large group like this she was more distracted, talking to him without even realizing it, and Adrien found that he really enjoyed her wit. They spent almost an hour hanging out, helping with odd jobs, until Adrien was pulled away to help with something else.
Adrien had been pressed into acting as a model, since the person who would be wearing the costume he was in wasn’t able to attend that day. After putting the costume on, he was surprised to find himself standing before Marinette. Apparently, Marinette had agreed to help make some adjustments, and add some much needed design touches, since she had the time. So far everyone had loved the quick design fixes she had made and they were begging her to join the little troup, at least part time, so she could help out. Marinette had laughingly agreed, as long as it didn’t interfere with everything else she did. Now, though, standing before Adrien, Marinette was nervous. She had a job to do though, so Marinette swallowed a little hard and got to work, trying to forget that she was touching her crush as she moved around him. The moment she put the first pin in, Adrien sensed the change and it made him smile. Here, Marinette was in her element and as soon as she started pinning the costume he was wearing, it was as if she had forgotten about him completely.
“You really like designing and sewing, huh?” Adrien asked, causing Marinette to jump and look up with a squeak.
“Uh, yep, it’s clothes and fun. Uh… I mean...” she stuttered and, taking pity on her, Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, freezing her in place.
With a smile, he said in the gentlest voice possible, “Take a deep breath, Marinette.”
She did, a furious blush covering her cheeks and looked down at the pins in her hands. A long moment of silence passed between them, but then she slipped out from under his palm to move once more, circling around behind him, so that she could pin a hem up. “I really enjoy making clothes and designing them. I want to be a real fashion designer someday,” Marinette finally said, and Adrien felt something warm melt in his chest when she was able to speak without a single stutter.
“Well, I would be happy to model your clothes if you would like. I’ve seen some of the designs you have done and -ouch!” Adrien yelped as a pin slipped, jabbing him a little in the side, and Marinette sprang back away from him.
“Sorry! Sorry. I-I didn’t… You surprised…” Marinette cried, the mortified look on her face causing him to burst out laughing.
The other students still there came over to see what the commotion was about and, somewhere in the confusion, Marinette managed to sneak off since she was practically done anyways. Wes approached him as another student helped him out of the pin filled outfit.
“I got that,” Wes said, taking the outfit from Adrien and handing him his over shirt.
As the other student walked away, Wes shifted nervously. He had seen the way Marinette looked at Adrien, the way she had run off, and now his curiosity was practically killing him.
“Is Marinette dating anyone?” Wes asked, as Adrien took the shirt from his hand looking around, hoping to spot the twin tailed girl.
Adrien paused in his search, his face dissolving into a frown. “I don’t think so. Actually, no, I am pretty sure she isn’t.”
“Do you like Marinette?” Wes blurted, causing Adrien to jump.
“Uh, she’s a good friend of mine, of course I like her,” Adrien replied, feeling his face heat up.
Wes shook his head. “No, I mean-“ A loud boom cut him off, followed by a siren, and everyone froze. The sirens were new and part of a system he and Ladybug were working on with the mayor. Basically Paris was split into several sectors and sirens were installed in each sector, each with a different sound. Depending on the sound, Chat and Ladybug could tell where the akuma attack was taking place and get there far quicker. It made their response time even faster, plus it gave civilians a way to tell if their area was safe or if they needed to take cover. So far, the system was working extremely well.
“Akuma attack?” one person asked and the others shrugged. The boom hadn’t sounded all that close and the school sirens were not going off so, for now at least, they were safe.
“What’s an akuma?” Wes asked, somewhat clueless as the new guy, and Adrien slipped away unnoticed as one of the other students filled him in. Ducking into an empty classroom, he transformed and took off across the rooftops.
Thankfully, school was over and seeing as Adrien had nowhere to be and couldn’t find Marinette, he was glad for the distraction. Chat didn’t know how long the akuma attack had been going on but, since the siren had just gone off, it couldn’t have been that long. Chat just sincerely hoped that Ladybug wasn’t fighting on her own again. To his relief, he was the first on the scene for once because Ladybug showed up right as he came to the edge of a roof, less than two blocks away from the school. She stood on the chimney just above him, the brave, unruffled look she wore sending a pulse of giddy joy through him
“Ah, My Lady, what a purr-fect afternoon we are having. The sun is shining, akuma are attacking, and -ack!” Chat cried, as she threw her yoyo at him and yanked him up, as what appeared to be a fire hydrant crashed into the spot where he had been.
“Less flirting and more working, Chat Noir!” Ladybug scolded, good naturedly, as she threw them both sideways, avoiding the next missile with ease.
The yoyo released him and Chat stumbled to a halt, arms pin wheeling at the edge of the roof. “I always have time to flirt with you, My Lady… wait is that a minotaur?” he cried, looking over his shoulder at the furry thing in the street. Twisting around and dropping into a crouch, Chat got a good look at the akuma for the first time.
The person was bulked up several times more than any normal human and was entirely covered with dark black fur. Horns adorned its head and its face was bull like, complete with a ring in its nose. The ring they both noticed was purple.
“The akuma is in the ring! Let’s get it, Chat!” Ladybug cried, wasting no time as she leapt into battle.
Chat grinned as he leapt into action with her. “You know what they say, My Lady. If you like it, then you should put a ring on it!”
Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Just distract it, you silly cat!”
Chat laughed and did as she asked. He was honestly surprised, though, at how little time it took for them to defeat this akuma. His Cataclysm wasn’t even needed and her Lucky Charm ended up being a red polka dotted cape that she wielded like an expert matador. One well-placed extension of his baton was all that was needed and the ring was literally ripped from the Minotaur’s nose, just before it crashed headlong into the wall. Ladybug purified the akuma and after the congratulatory fist bump, she took off once more to disappear into obscurity. Chat sighed as he went off on his own way, only to remember halfway home that he had forgotten his bag at school. With another sigh and a glance at the setting sun he headed back to school and untransformed, letting Plagg eat some cheese as he decided what he wanted to take home with him. Once Plagg was full, he transformed into Chat again and took to the rooftops.
He was a block away from the school when he heard the furious cry of “Leave her alone!”
The voice made him skid to a halt in his tracks. That voice, that tone had sounded exactly like Ladybug.
“And what are you going to do about it, little girl?” a hard male voice demanded.
Chat let out a snarl and turned to where he heard the voices, sprinting as fast as he could.
“Kid, what are you doing?” Plagg demanded.
“Someone needs help, what do you think I am doing?” Chat replied, leaping to the next roof over. Plagg grumbled, and Chat hoped he was close.
“Run, lady!” Ladybug’s voice snapped again from the alley just ahead, and then the sound of flesh meeting flesh was heard.
A woman bolted out of the alley just in front of him and Chat leaped to the street, startling the woman so that she screamed, stumbling back into the wall. Chat recoiled, hands flying up as he took a step back.
“It’s ok! I’m not going to hurt you!” Chat yelped, as the woman took a breath.
Recognition instantly flashed across her features at the sound of his voice, and she pointed down the alley. “They will hurt her! Save her!” she cried.
Chat nodded, then darted past her, coming around the alley entrance as the woman ran away and froze, his jaw practically hitting the ground.
Ladybug was not in the alley. In fact, it wasn’t even a strong bruiser kind of person. Instead, sweet little Marinette stood there, squaring off against a man twice her size. A second man was already on the ground, looking fairly unconscious, and a bag full of what looked like groceries sat near where Chat stood.
“I’m gonna mess you up for that, little brat,” The man snarled, wiping a hand across his jaw, and Marinette dropped into a fighting crouch.
“Bring it on, slowpoke,” Marinette shot back.
Before Chat could even think of stepping in, the man lunged and Marinette melted to the side, popping up from her crouch to crack an elbow into the man’s ribs, hard enough that Chat winced as the man went white. The blow clearly knocked the air out of his chest, as well as unbalanced him, and in the next second she had swept the legs out from under him, sending him crashing face first into the rough ground. Marinette jumped back, turned, and ran right at Chat almost running him over since she didn’t see him in the encroaching darkness.
“Princess?!” Chat exclaimed, finally managing to find his voice, then in a blur of movement he found himself against the alley wall, her fist inches from his face.
“Chat?!” Marinette exclaimed, pulling back, looking both confused and worried. “What are you doing here?”
Gently, Chat pushed her fist down looking her over for any injuries. “I think I should be asking you that question, princess. What are you doing brawling in the streets in the evening? Paw-lease, tell me this isn’t something you do every night?!”
Marinette rolled her eyes and flushed, backing off a step. “They were going to rob that woman and I called the cops, but they were not going to arrive in time, so I stepped in.”
Chat snorted in disbelief at the crazy situation he had found himself in. He had just witnessed Marinette… shy, sweet, adorable Marinette take down a full grown man, twice her size, with a single hit. Not to mention she almost took him out as well, although he told himself he would have been able to stop her before the blow struck. Either way, he was thankful she had stopped before he had reacted. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen, but he wanted to make sure she was safe first. “Get your bag, Princess, we are leaving.”
“I don’t know who you think you are little girl, but you ain’t goin’ nowhere…” The man in the alley managed, as he got to his feet cursing.