Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This day was turning into a nightmare. What was Alya thinking? Marinette couldn’t confess right now. So many things weren’t right! Even with Tikki’s encouraging words Marinette still found a black hole of doubt swirling in her chest. She left the bathroom repeating that she could do this if only to help her convince herself that this wasn’t insane.

She looked up and saw Adrien across the room. “Huh?” Marinette got closer, “They finished the statue already? I thought it was gonna take longer. That’s the whole reason we all got to come here in the first place.”

It was an incredible likeness. She stood to admire it for a moment before an idea popped into her head. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she could practice her confession on the Adrien statue before confronting the real thing.

“Okay. A little practice never hurt anyone. Not like anyone’s around to see me put my foot in my mouth.” Marinette looked around to make sure no one was watching. “Hello Adrien, it’s me, uh, Marinette. No–he knows who you are already!” Marinette chastized herself.

“Focus, Marinette!” she took a deep breath and turned back to the statue. “Uh hey, Adrien, sorry for running off so suddenly. I saw the finished figure back on the main floor. You look good! I mean it looks good! Not to say you don’t look good but–”

Marinette dropped her head into her hands. “Why is this so hard?”

She stared back at the statue and sighed. “Figures, I can’t even tell a wax figure how I feel. Even if he rejects me I want him to know though. It’s not just a little crush but real admiration. I–I–”

She squared her shoulders and looked at the statue. They even got the exact right shade of green for his eyes. “Adrien, I…I like you. Not just as a friend. I’ve had a crush on you since you gave me your umbrella that rainy day after school. Getting to know you over the time we’ve spent together has only solidified what I feel. You’re sweet and kind and brave. You see the best in everyone and have the patience of a saint. Especially with me. That’s why this is so hard, trying to tell you how I feel without spewing word vomit. I get nervous because while the fantasy in my head is nice, it can come crumbling down with one word from you. Now more than ever I feel like I need that fantasy. I’m under so much pressure with things I can’t even tell anyone about.”

She placed a hand on Wax-Adrien’s cheek. The wax was still warm it seems. “I like you, Adrien. I hope that you can like me the same way.”

She leaned closer as if to kiss him but stopped. “Stupid.” she muttered and shuffled past him towards the elevator.

“Wait!” A hand grabbed her wrist. She turned back and saw that the Adrien statue was holding her. Wait. Not a statue.

IT! WAS! NOT! A! STATUE!

“Adrien?” Marinette’s brain started to fry. He was playing a prank! Of course they didn’t finish the statue that fast! He was just trying to play a harmless prank and she–oh no!

“Marinette, I–”

“Why didn’t you say something?” She wretched her arm away from him, “That wasn’t funny, Adrien! Not funny at all!”

She ran back toward the elevator. “Goodness, I’m such an idiot!” She slammed the button for any other floor. The doors started to shut but a hand shot through and pried them back open.

“Marinette, wait, please,” Adrien begged as he jumped into the elevator. The doors slid shut behind him blocking Marinette’s exit. “I’m sorry. It was meant to just be a prank. I thought it may cheer you up.”

Marinette squeezed herself into the farthest corner of the elevator. “Why would I need cheering up?” she muttered.

“Because uh,” Adrien fiddled with his ring, “I thought you were mad at me. What Nino said and then you taking off like that I thought that maybe I had done something wrong. That you hated me for some reason. The prank was supposed to lighten the mood I guess.”

“I don’t hate you.” Marinette looked past him at the elevator key pad. In her rush she had hit one of the topmost floors. This elevator wasn’t exactly speedy either. She was stuck with this conversation whether she liked it or not.

“I gathered as much,” Adrien stood in the corner opposite of her. “Did you really mean all that? What you said when you thought I was a statue?”

Now was the time to deny. Deny everything and let this whole mortifying experience die in a hole where it belongs.

But Marinette didn’t want to deny it. It was the truth. Every single bit of it. “I can’t lie to you, Adrien. I…I did mean it. I meant every word.”

There was a long silence.

“Say something,” she squeezed her eyes shut, “Please.”

“Sorry, I was letting it sink in.” He finally said. “I guess I wasn’t expecting a confession today.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. I knew it would ruin everything.” Marinette slumped to the ground. “I feel so stupid.”

“No, you’re not,” Adrien sat down next to her, “To be honest I was rather shocked. I thought you liked Luka.”

“Luka is great.” Marinette shrugged, “But he isn’t you.”

She dared to meet his eyes once more. He was looking at her with a mixture of awe and pity. “And I’m not Kagami.”

“Kagami?” Adrien’s eyebrows raised, “What does Kagami have to do with you confessing to me?”

“Adrien, please, I know you like her. I helped you go on a date with her for goodness sake.” that dark curling snake of jealousy constricted around her heart.

“Right…” he stared back at the ground, “If you’ve liked me for as long as you’ve said then why did you help me? Why would you offer to help set me up with someone else?”

She drew her knees up to her chest, “Because seeing you happy means more to me than my crush. If I can’t be the one to make you happy then I’d rather see you with someone who could. It doesn’t matter what I feel in that instance. It’s not my heart.”

“Marinette,” Adrien hesitated to put on a hand on her shoulder, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Don’t try and–”

“I mean it!” he turned to her fully so he was kneeling in front of her, both of his hands clasped on her shoulders, “You said how I was kind and brave but you are ten times that. You are without a doubt one of the kindest, bravest, most talented, passionate, and selfless people I have ever met. You are so confident and driven that I can’t help but look at you in wonder. The only person I can think of coming anywhere close to how incredible you are is Ladybug herself. But you don’t need a suit or powers to be amazing. You’re our everyday Ladybug…my everyday Ladybug.”

Marinette was at a loss for words. Would it be too much to cry right now?

The doors pinged open and Alya and Nino were standing there waiting with Manon between them.

“Oh hey,” Alya surveyed the scene, “We were helping Theo look for Adrien but you seem to be in good hands.”

“Alya!” Marinette made a break for the door.

“See you back down in the studio!” Alya was quicker and hit the button for the studio floor. She gave Marinette a wink before the doors shut again. Adrien and Marinette alone again for another long trip back down.

“I am going to kill her.” Marinette banged her head against the door.

“Is that what they were talking about before?” Adrien asked, “The whole thing about leaving us alone together was to…”

“Give me a chance to confess. Yes.” Marinette turned back around, “Not that she told me that earlier. Which is why I panicked and bolted earlier.”

“I still don’t fully understand.”

“Alya and Nino thought they were helping because I’ve been trying for months to tell you how I feel–”

“Not that.” Adrien interrupted her, “I wonder how someone as spectacular as you could see so much in someone as lame as me.”

“You are not lame, Adrien.” Marinette smiled as she took her place sitting back across from him. “You are probably the least lame person I know.”

“You only say that because you like me.”

“No, I don’t. Also, this self-deprecating behaviour of yours has to stop. You are a wonderful individual. You’re a master fencer, you play piano beautifully, you’re fluent in Chinese, and you’re a talented voice actor as well as a model.”

“Only because my father has me practice all those things until I’m perfect at them.”

“What about video games? You’re second only to me, after all. You’re also insanely smart. I think that you and Max are the only ones who got straight A’s on their report cards last term. That is all you, Adrien.”

He finally smiled at her again. “Not to say you don’t have a dorky side too. You’re still socially awkward and make dumb jokes from time to time but it’s cute.”

“You’re not perfect either. You can get a bit scatter brained when caught off guard and you seem to have an intimate relationship with the floor.” he smirked in a way that made her heart race.

“Oh, it’s like that is it?” She laughed, “You know in the anime world my clumsiness would be seen as adorable and endearing.”

“You watch anime?” Adrien’s head perked up, “I didn’t know that about you.”

The rest of the elevator ride was spent in comfortable conversation. It went from them talking about what anime shows they liked to other interests. Music, food, video games, favorite puns. By the time they reached the studio floor again they were leaning on one another howling with laughter with bad joke after bad joke.

“Okay. Okay. I got another one.” Adrien said as he and Marinette got off the elevator, “What do you call a fake noodle?”

“What?” Marinette giggled.

“An impasta!” the two broke down into hysterics again.

“It’s so dumb!”

“If it’s so dumb then why is it so funny?”

“I got one. What kind of tea is the hardest to swallow?”

“Reali-tea?” Adrien guessed.

“Boo! You stole my joke!” she pounded on his chest.

“Get better jokes then,” he grabbed her hands to stop their assault. “I could send you a link to a site I know. The best kind of bad jokes you’ll ever find.”

“Adrien, there you are.” Theo walked up to them, “Where did you go?”

“Oh sorry,” Adrien smiled in apology, “I, uh, got stuck in the elevator.”

“Well, you’re back now. Come then, I’d like to get your figure done today.”

They walked back into the studio. Nino, Alya, and Manon had yet to make it back. Adrien placed his other hand inside the mold. “Now don’t go running off this time. I need to go grab more wax.”

With that Marinette and Adrien were alone once again.

“Hey, Marinette?” Adrien said.

“Yeah?” she plopped herself into a chair next to him.

“We kinda got off-track earlier in the elevator. I just started gushing about you and then you said all those sweet things to me and then we started with the jokes and well…” he took a deep breath, “I think we still need to address the elephant in the room.”

“Right,” Marinette was hoping that they may have just forgotten about her confession with all the other stuff that had happened, “You have an answer for me?”

“I feel like I need to explain first.”

Oh that was a great way to start this! He was gonna break her heart, wasn’t he? Of course he doesn’t like you like that! He’s crushing on Kagami! Stupid! Stupid!

“Stop that.” Adrien’s voice broke her from her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You’re panicking. I can see it in your eyes.” he motioned for her to come closer. He took her hand with his free one, “There’s nothing for you to be scared about.”

“Don’t give me false hope like that.”

“I mean it.” he held her hand tighter, “You’re amazing, Marinette. What all I said before I meant it. I just never thought of you that way.”

“Adrien…”

“That’s not what I meant!” he pulled her closer so she couldn’t run away again, “I mean with Luka and my own warring feelings I just never explored what I felt for you more deeply. You were my friend and that’s all I thought there was to it.”

“Were?” Her heart started to beat faster.

“Yeah,” Adrien looked deep into her eyes, “You…you’re great. You mean a lot to me and I–I–I think I–I don’t know. It’s all happening so fast that I can’t think straight. All I do know is that I like you. I like you as a friend but also not. There’s something there. Something has always been there like a detail in a painting you never noticed before that changes how you see the rest of it.”

“What are you saying?” She didn’t dare so much as breathe at that moment.

“I feel something for you. I may not have it all figured out now but I’d like to.” the bell dinged and he released his hand from the mold. He held both her hands in his. “Can we talk about this? Really talk about it? Say somewhere more private and over a plate of cookies?”

“I’d like that.” she touched her forehead to his. “I’d like that a lot.”

Chapter Text

“And then you, Nino and Manon came back and that was the end of the conversation.” Marinette was on the phone informing Alya of what happened earlier that day at the wax museum. Her humiliating moment of confessing to a Wax-Adrien only for it to turn out to be the real Adrien and the subsequent agonizing talk that ensued in the long elevator ride.

“Oh girl, I am so sorry,” Alya sounded like the experience had wounded her, “I cannot even begin to fathom what that was like.”

“It wasn’t pretty. I wanted to evaporate into thin air the moment I realized Adrien wasn’t a statue.” Just thinking about that moment gave Marinette a bad case of embarrassment PTSD.

“At least it turned out okay.” Alya tried to assure her, “He didn’t reject you and you said that you two were going to talk about it, right? There’s still hope.”

“I’m hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Just because he didn’t reject me right then doesn’t mean he won’t decide he doesn’t see me that way later. If anything I could just be delaying the inevitable.” Marinette laid back on her bed. The picture of Adrien surrounded by hearts staring down at her.

“That’s not the super confident Marinette I know and love. You gotta have more faith in yourself. The boy basically said that you were the most wonderful girl in the entire world. He said he felt something for you! I think you should be a lot happier right now.”

“I am happy. Truly!” Marinette’s face warmed as she recalled Adrien’s speech about how great she was. “But I have enough sense to not go putting all my eggs in one basket. I’m gonna go into this with a level head and leave it with the same kind of grace. I really like Adrien and I don’t want our friendship to suffer if this doesn’t end up with us together.”

“Since when did you get so mature?”

“Since I had to drop my fantasy and face reality.” Marinette sighed, “Now all I have to get through is the conversation with Adrien.”

“When is that happening?” Alya asked.

“Sorry to say but I’m not telling you that, Alya.” Marinette smirked into the phone.

“Why not?” Alya whined.

“Because this really only concerns me and Adrien. So I don’t need you or anyone else snooping around eavesdropping and trying to ‘help’ the situation.” As innocently as Alya may have meant it Marinette knew that she could get just as carried away in a plan as Marinette tended to.

“It’s called moral support!”

“It’s called this is gonna be a tough, awkward, and probably really emotional conversation between two friends that are deciding whether they should date or not and I don’t want everyone poking their noses into it.” Marinette corrected her.

“You’re right.” Alya sighed, “It’s not right away is it?”

“No. Today was exhausting and we’re both busy with schedules and deadlines tomorrow so it’ll be a good time to rest and think about it on our own.”

“If you want I can get Nino to hype you up to Adrien. Really let him know what all he’s getting if he decides to date you.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Marinette sat up straight in her bed, “I think you and Nino helped plenty today!”

“It kinda worked out in the end…” Alya mumbled.

“Alya, please, for the sake of my already stressed mind and heart, don’t mention that I told you this to anyone. Especially to Adrien. Can you do that for me? Can you not get involved?”

“If that’s what you want, girl. I promise not to meddle in your love life. If you two do start dating though I recede my promise.”

“Alya!”

“Joking. You need to chill. I don’t want to get your hopes up but I’m telling you that Adrien is gonna adore you. He’ll see that you two are made for each other and then you’ll live happily ever after.”

“Thanks, Alya,” Marinette relaxed again. “It’s getting late. I’ll talk to you more tomorrow.”

“Night, Marinette. Talk to you tomorrow!” She hung up.

Marinette stared at the ceiling of her bedroom as the events of the day settled on her. Adrien wanted to explore his feelings for her. He wants to see if there is something truly their between them. It seemed too good to be true!

As rational as Marinette tried to be she couldn’t help but let her mind wander to the best possible scenario. A final fantasy to lull her to sleep. Adrien and her having a nice, long talk. Adrien telling her that he wants to be with her. Adrien asking her on a proper date. The two becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Adrien and her having a real first kiss! The two of them becoming so comfortable around each other that being together seems more natural than anything in the world.

Marinette held the dream close for one last night. In the morning she would be sensible once more but tonight she wanted to dream.

The next day really helped to calm Marinette’s nerves about talking to Adrien again. Mainly because she was doing fifty billion other things so her mind didn’t linger all that long on him. Occasionally she’d find her mind drifting before snapping back to the project at hand.

She got a text from Adrien that night asking her when she wanted to talk. It took a lot of hashing out but they agreed on Tuesday afternoon after school. It was a short day and Adrien was able to clear his afternoon so there wouldn’t be any time crunch. Marinette suggested they take a walk down the Path of Swans. It was the off-season so there shouldn’t be a lot of people. A nice, calm, place to walk and talk. Maybe sit down on a bench and watch the river while they munched on some cookies.

The day came and Marinette couldn’t help but be a little nervous. This really was her own personal judgement day of sorts. Adrien and her were gonna have a conversation and it was either gonna end with them together or not. A lot was on the line but she couldn’t let that scare her.

After school let out Marinette went home to drop off her bookbag and grab the bag of cookies she had made for today. Alya hadn’t said anything during class but Marinette could tell she knew that today was the day. She looked herself over in the mirror once more and took a deep breath.

“Are you ready, Marinette?” Tikki asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Marinette opened her purse for Tikki to sit in. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it but good luck, Marinette. Everything will work out, you’ll see.” Tikki rubbed her head against her chosen’s cheek before zipping into the purse.

Marinette made it to the Path of Swans right on time. Adrien was already there waiting at the top of the steps for her. It was a chilly autumn day so he was bundled in a chunky knit sweater and the scarf she made him for his birthday. Why did he have to be wearing the scarf? Wasn’t this already emotionally compromising without that reminder of how much love and care she exerted into him wrapped around his neck?

“Hey,” he gave a small wave, “Glad you made it.”

“I brought cookies.” she held up the bag of fresh chocolate chip cookies she had baked.

“Cool.” they lapsed into silence.

“Do you wanna--” “We should--” They said at the same time.

“You go.” Marinette said.

“Walk? I mean, do you wanna walk? With me? Should we start walking?” Adrien pursed his lips, “Now I’m the one with word vomit.”

“Welcome to my world.” Marinette chuckled.

Adrien smiled at her and motioned for her to take the lead, “After you.”

They descended the steps and started the walk down the path. The autumn cold snap and foggy weather made it a quiet day along the path which was good. No nosy joggers or lost tourists to distract them. The fallen leaves scattered the walkway in shades of orange, yellow and brown.

“You look nice, today,” Adrien said, “New cardigan?”

“Yeah,” she tugged at the fuzzy ivory sleeves, “I finished it yesterday.”

“Fleece?”

“Yep.”

They lapsed into silence once more.

“I’m sorry, I don’t really know what to say. I had this whole speech prepared but it seems so ridiculous now.” Adrien scuffed his shoe through the damp leaves, “I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”

“I don’t want to break your heart or get your hopes up but I also need you to know that I do like you. I had a lot of time to think about what we talked about at the museum and it would be ludicrous to stand here and say that I don’t feel anything for you.”

“I feel a but coming.” Marinette braced herself.

“But you have to understand that this other girl, I’ve been in love with her for so long. She’s amazing and even if she doesn't feel the same way there is a part of me that doesn't want to let her go."

"I understand. I've been going through the same thing with you and Luka."

"So how did you choose?"

"Simple. I haven't."

"But I thought--"

"This is why we're out here, Adrien. It isn't just you deciding if you want me but I am also figuring out if I want you too." It was a point that Marinette realized she needed to make sure they addressed. Adrien wasn’t the one with all the power here. While Marinette did want to be with him her decision wasn’t set in stone.

"That doesn't make this more complicated or anything." Adrien muttered.

"Dealings with the heart are never easy. Trust me." Marinette was glad that she didn’t need to mention a third black clad partner that was head over heels for her hero supersona. Bundling Chat Noir and Luka into one entity as the other man in her life wasn’t fair but it’s not like she could tell Adrien her secret.

After a few more silent steps Marinette took the plunge.

“This other girl, do I know her?” She asked hesitantly.

“You could say that. Everyone knows her at this point I suppose.” Adrien was blushing. That or the cold was nipping at his cheeks and ears.

“Am I competing with a celebrity crush?” Marinette teased lightly.

“Sorta. I mean, she is famous and I do know her personally but...it’s complicated. I just…” he trailed off, “I feel like there is a chance for us. That one day she’ll say yes and we’ll ride off into the sunset. But I also know that she’s in love with someone else and I fear that if I keep making advances then maybe one day she’ll snap and not even want to be friends anymore.”

“Oof,” Did she really just say oof to Adrien’s heart troubles? Idiot.

“Big oof,” Adrien chuckled half-heartedly. His face fell back into seriousness and he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. “And now with you I feel like I’m being unfaithful to my first crush. But then I remember that she’s in love with someone else so me having a crush on someone else shouldn’t matter. Then that comes back around on me because it makes me feel like I’m treating you as a fall back or second best when that’s not the case. I really like you and appreciate you as a friend and I don’t want you to feel as if I’m settling for you because I can’t have my first pick. You’re wonderful in your own way and I--I just--”

“You wish that you had never developed feelings for one of us so you didn’t have to play a relationship invalidating game of who is better.” Marinette could tell exactly what he was trying to get at.

“You put it in words,” Adrien sighed. “I don’t regret having feelings for either of you and wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything in the world but at the end of the day a decision needs to be made.”

“I mean not if you’re open to a poly relationship.” Marinette shrugged, “But I don’t think throwing that monkey wrench into an already complicated teenage relationship is the best thing.”

“Agreed,” Adrien nodded.

They continued on taking a small breather to eat some of the cookies Marinette brought and gaze at the misty world around them.

“We should do stuff like this more often.” Marinette said. “Not as a date thing but in general. I like talking with you and getting an afternoon to breathe in the fresh air with no deadlines is something I didn’t realize I was missing.”

“It is really calming.” Adrien took in a deep breath of autumn air. “No matter how this afternoon ends, we should do this again. You, me, a long walk and a bag of cookies.”

“I’d like that.” Marinette smiled.

They started to walk under the biggest growth of the trees, their branchest bent like a forest archway. Little drops of dew water dropping from their branches and splattering on the walkway and the young pair’s heads.

“Well,” Adrien said, “You know all about my messed up heart troubles. What about yours? Why are you hesitating between me and Luka?”

“I know it was unrealistic to think but a part of me was hoping we didn’t have to keep talking about this.” Marinette groaned inwardly.

“I think the biggest difference between you and Luka is that with Luka there is no pressure. There’s no guessing game about his feelings for me. I know that he likes me. He’s told me so. He confessed and never pushed me for a response.” Marinette stated. “With him everything is easier. I don’t get so nervous or tongue tied around him. He likes everything about me just the way I am. Even knowing how I feel about you he doesn’t make a big deal of it. Heck, he’s encouraged me to go after you before. He’s so good about my crush on you. Never acting bitter about it or trying to convince me to move on. He lets me sort out my own feelings in my own time.”

“Wow.” Adrien processed the information, “Makes me wonder why it is even a competition. Sounds like anyone would choose Luka. I’d choose Luka.”

“Like I said back at the museum,” Marinette rolled her eyes with a laugh, “Luka is great but he’s not you. The way I like him and the way I like you are two completely different things. It’s the same kind of problem you have. I don’t want anyone to get hurt with my choices.”

They stopped at a bench and sat down so they could overlook the river.

“I have an idea.” Adrien said, “It’s not perfect but I think it may help us figure things out.”

“I am all ears.”

“What if we did a trial run?”

“Huh?”

“You know,” Adrien started fidgeting with his ring, “What if we acted like a couple for a bit. Got a feel for how we mesh together and if one or both of us feels like it isn’t right then we can stop. No commitment.”

“Oh,” Marinette clutched her cookie bag tighter, “That um...that is…”

“If you’re not for it then disregard everything I just said. It was a dumb idea anyway.”

“Stop that.” Marinette calmed him, “It’s not dumb. In any other circumstance I think it would help but I don’t want to waste time on a halfway relationship.”

She looked him dead in the eyes. “I want this, Adrien. I want to have a real relationship with you and only you. But I’m not the only one that needs to want this.”

“I do want to give this a try. I want to see where it goes.” He impressed, “If we explore this and it turns out that we decide it isn’t for us then what do we do? I don’t want either of us to walk away from this with a broken heart or even worse an angry one. Isn’t there anyway to test the waters before we jump in all at once?”

“I understand where you’re coming from. The fact of the matter is that I don’t want to wait around for three months hoping for this to turn into something and you ultimately deciding that it isn’t for you. We can take things slow if you want, there’s no rush to be connected at the hip. But at a certain point of waiting it’s not you deciding whether you’re ready or not but you stringing me along. I care about you a lot, you mean so much to me, but I know I deserve better than that. So...I need an answer. A real answer. You don’t have to make a decision right now but if I’m not what you want then I’d rather you tell me sooner rather than later. That way I can move on and we can both be content in our lives.”

She blinked rapidly to banish the stupid tears threatening to spill out. “I know I sound like I’m being demanding but I’ve made my choice. I want you to know that it is okay to say no. I don’t want you to say yes because you think it is easier or out of some sense of guilt. I might be a bit sad but I could never be upset at you for doing whatever it is that makes you happiest. All I am looking for right now is your honesty. Whatever you choose I will still be here for you as your friend.”

“Marinette…” Adrien gripped the lip of the bench seat. So many thoughts and feelings battling for space. He looked back at her. There was no pretense. No wall. This was her heart stripped away of all its inhibitions. So vulnerable and trusting and brave. Just like her.

“I--I want to go on dates.” he stammered, “I want good morning texts and goodnight phone calls. I want to hold hands and get ice cream. I want to cuddle on a couch and watch movies. I want someone who I can be myself around. I want to be a listening ear and shoulder to cry on. I want someone to serenade with piano but will also laugh at my bad jokes. I want a relationship with someone who is not just my girlfriend but my friend as well. And...and I want that person to be you, Marinette.”

She stared at him. Not quite shocked but neither happy either. “You mean that?”

“Yes. I mean it.” he smiled as the truth of it truly resonated with him, “I want you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

She leaned closer hugging him tightly. Her face buried in his shoulder. He could faintly hear the sound of whimpering coming from her.

“Are you crying?” he started to panic.

“I am so tired.” she laughed through her tears, “You’re gonna be the death of me, Adrien Agreste.”

“Marinette, I’m still pretty bad at social cues so I’m not sure if this is good or bad right now.”

“Good.” Marinette wiped her eyes, “Very good. I just...I was so nervous about all of this. I know what I wanted to happen but there was still the anticipation that you would reject me and now that it’s over I’m getting a little emotional.”

“I understand that,” Adrien breathed out in relief, “I had to grab the bench to keep from shaking.”

“We’re regular disasters.” she pulled another cookie out of the bag and shoved it into her mouth, “Care to eat your feelings with me?”

“Yes, please,” he took a cookie and crammed it into his mouth. They sat there for a minute silently finishing off the rest of the cookies and letting their nerves melt away.

They got up to throw away the now empty bag and decided to make the full lap around the path. They certainly had the time since they had cleared their schedules for this talk.

“Can I--may I--” Adrien cleared his throat, “Can I hold your hand?”

“Sure,” Marinette was going to die. He was so shy!

He laced their fingers together and swung their arms gently as they walked.

“We don’t need to tell everyone about this, right?” Marinette asked. “I’m not like embarrassed or anything, I promise. I figured that since we are going to need a little transition time to get used to this that it would be best if we didn’t let all our friends know right away.”

“I like that idea.” Adrien said, “Plus, it’ll give us some time to ourselves without any outside interference.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Until we are more rooted and comfortable with this dynamic no one else can meddle in it.”

“Not even Nino and Alya?”

“I love them but I already had to forbid Alya from spying on our talk today. When we’re ready they’ll be the first to know.”

“And our parents?”

“Maybe the second to know. My tendency to go overboard I got from my dad. If he found out that we were dating then he’d jump right into the big questions that we’re trying to avoid.”

“I have no doubt my father would approve of you but he also gets really protective when there is a new big change in my life.” Adrien admitted, “He’ll probably be easier going if we have some time built up behind it.”

They finished their walk and Adrien gave Marinette a ride home. With a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek Marinette bolted into the house and grabbed the nearest pillow to muffle her giddy squeals of joy.

Chapter Text

The rest of Adrien’s car ride home was spent with his face buried in the neck of his sweater blushing like a mad fool.

It was really starting to sink in. Adrien had just told Marinette he wanted to date her. He wants to be her boyfriend and have a real, romantic, relationship with her. He wanted her. Wanted to be with her in a way he had only ever thought he’d want with Ladybug.

Ladybug.

Ladybug didn’t love him the way he loved her. No matter how much he convinced himself that there had to be something there. Staring at the pictures of kisses he didn’t remember and telling himself that she had to feel just something. Maybe there was something there. Maybe she could return his love. Maybe things with Marinette aren’t meant to be forever and Adrien and Ladybug do get that fantasy life in his head.

But that wasn’t what was happening now. Ladybug was still a faraway dream and he’d always have a place in his heart for her no matter what. But Ladybug was no Marinette. She was a superhero and a good friend and the object of his affections for nearly a year. Marinette wasn’t a magical hero swinging around the city defeating evil but she was a heroine in her own right. To list all Marinette had done for others would take long hours of interviewing every citizen of Paris she had ever come in contact with.

Marinette was always helping others. Marinette was super passionate and a hard worker. Marinette was talented yet humble. Marinette was the kind of person that could rip her enemy to shreds in the sweetest and most graceful way possible. Marinette was scary clever. Marinette was lots of fun. Marinette was a dork. Marinette stumbled over telling jokes as well as her own two feet. Marinette was tardy to events. Marinette loses the ability to pronounce words correctly when she’s caught off guard. Marinette was hot-headed. Marinette jumped to conclusions.

Marinette

Marinette

Marinette

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was beautiful. From the ends of her pitch black hair to the tips of her toes. Whenever she was super focused her tongue stuck out. Her nose did a little scrunchie thing when she was trying not to laugh. Her hands were so soft and warm.

He recalled the hesitant goodbye kiss he had given her when he dropped her off at home. The smell of the bakery clinging to her even after their walk.

He’d have to tell Ladybug about this which he wasn’t looking forward to for a whole mess of reasons. He was excited about this new relationship and where it may go but it was also surreal to just let go of his long standing crush and efforts to woo Ladybug. It wasn’t exactly like she didn’t know about his feelings either. If he stopped altogether with no explanation she might get suspicious. Or not. He had no idea how she would react.

Why was he worrying so much about it in the first place? She’d probably be happy for him for taking this step and finding someone he wants to be with. She was great like that.

After getting into the house Adrien slumped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Marinette is his girlfriend. A week ago she had just been a cute friend in his class. Now they were dating.

“Gotta say, kid,” Plagg floated by his head, “I didn’t think you had it in you. Great work scoring the baker’s daughter though. Can you say all the free cheese pastries we could eat or what!”

Adrien laughed. “Is that all that excites you about me deciding to date Marinette?”

“Adrien, trust me, nothing could make me happier.” Plagg flew into his cheese cupboard, “Except maybe my delicious camembert.”

“Eat up now cause after I finish my homework we need to head out for patrol tonight.”

“You gonna tell Ladybug about your new girlfriend?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I should say something but I also really don’t want to have that conversation tonight. It was already an emotional talk with Marinette and to have another heart to heart with Ladybug? I don’t think I could handle it.”

“No one’s asking you to wax poetic. Just tell Ladybug you have a girlfriend so you won’t be constantly trying to woo her anymore. Simple as that.”

“You are giving me the same advice you did before I went to talk to Marinette.”

“I’m just saying you could have killed a lot of time by being straight to the point.”

“I don’t think Marinette would want to date me if I told her that I only wanted to be with her so I could have free cookies.”

“And cakes and pies and eclairs and brownies--”

“Plagg, please stop before you make me hungry.”

“Also, I didn’t say to date her just because she’s a baker’s daughter. I told you to date her because you’re happier with her around and from what I gathered she’s happier when you’re around too.”

Adrien stared down at his math homework with uncomprehending eyes. His brain was so frazzled from the past couple of hours that it was impossible to focus.

“Plagg, transform me.” Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and leapt out of his window into the night. It was still early so he didn’t need to meet Ladybug for patrol yet.

Being Chat Noir had always been the ultimate escape for Adrien. It was a time to unwind and be impulsive. Running along the rooftops especially had done a lot for clearing his head. It was not a rare sight to see Chat Noir bounding across the Paris skyline at two in the morning because of it.

Maybe if he ran fast enough all these complicated feelings and worries would fall away behind him.

“Incoming!” The shout stopped Adrien dead in his tracks.

Ladybug was gracefully falling from the sky and landed perfectly not a foot in front of him. “Hey Chat. Ready for patrol?”

“Always.” he relaxed a bit. “Shall we get started?”

“Let’s go.” they leapt off into the night.

It started out as normal a patrol as you could get. Leaping across buildings, checking alleyways, waving to citizens, and escorting someone home who doesn’t feel safe walking by themselves at night. Through it all though Adrien kept stealing glances at Ladybug and trying to formulate a lead in to what he wanted to tell her.

Why was he being so weird about this? He needed to spit it out already! What is the worst that could happen?

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug interrupted his thoughts. She was watching him, her brow furrowed in worry. “Are you alright? You’ve barely said anything all patrol.”

“I’m fine. Good. Great even. If not a little mentally exhausted.” Adrien sighed, “I had an...interesting day.”

“Anything you need help with?” Ladybug asked, “I may not have any advice but talking about it could clear your head.”

“I uh...the things is...I was out with this person and…” All his words seemed to leave him. He didn’t want to do this tonight but the sooner he did it the sooner it would be over with.

“Geez,” Ladybug gave him a comforting smile, “You’re like a cat on a hot tin roof. What exactly did this person say to you?”

“She said she wanted to date me.” he mumbled. That familiar warmth spreading in his chest as he thought back to him and Marinette walking along the Seine.

“Oh…” Ladybug rocked back on her heels, “And how did this old tom cat respond to this confession?”

“No tom cat here, milady. I am a perfect gentleman at all times.” He slouched against the roof railing, “But I can say that it was a rather precarious conversation that ensued. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings or give her false hope but I also wanted to think about what she said on my own. After that and another long talk with her I decided--we decided to, y’know, date.”

“Hmm,” Ladybug came to rest next to him. “Is it mean to say I never really saw you dating anyone?”

“Why?”

“Your constant flirting with me?”

“Ah, yes, that would do it.” Why did he have to have this conversation? “To be honest I had never thought of this girl in that way before but after she confessed I realized I sorta had a crush on her but was too enamoured with a certain lady to notice.”

“I see…”

“I’m not giving up on you or whatever but...how do I put this?” He ran his hands through his hair, “I feel like I’ve matured past my crush on you. It’s not to say that I don’t still care for you but I can see the line between us more clearly. And I know that I’ve had a problem of crossing that line in the past but not anymore. I value you too much to lose you.”

“Oh, chaton,” Ladybug flicked one of his cat ears, “I’m happy for you. If you found someone you like that much and who treats you well then I am proud of you. You have a big heart and deserve someone to share it with.”

Adrien breathed out in relief. “I knew you’d be happy for me but a part of me was almost kinda hoping that you’d drop into a dramatic act of declaring your love for me in a jealous stupor.”

“Oh yes, forgive me, just a moment,” she brought one of her hands up to her forehead in a dramatic pose, “Oh Chat Noir!” she spoke like a wounded soap opera star, “I can bear it no longer! My love for you is like a tsunami that cannot be contained a moment more.”

“My lady, how forward!” Adrien gasped in equal ridiculous fashion as Ladybug fainted into his waiting arms, “What can one say to such an unexpected confession?”

“Say that you’ll leave this unworthy maiden who has stolen your heart from me. For I am your one true lady!” she brought her other hand over her heart.

“Sorry Bugaboo, as tempting as running away with you may be, I really like this girl and I have no intention of screwing this chance up.”

She smiled softly at him. Ladybug righted herself so she was no longer draped in his arms. “You like her that much, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Then all I can say is that I hope things go well for you two. She’s a lucky girl.”

“Trust me, I’m the lucky one.” he thought back to Marinette and his heart warmed just thinking of her.

Ladybug gave him another warm look before wrapping him in her arms and squeezing him tightly. He hugged her back. Putting all the love for her into it as he could.

“Come on,” Adrien let go first, “let’s wrap up patrol so I can get home and maybe get some sleep tonight.”

“Unless Hawkmoth decides to send another late night akuma.” Ladybug groaned.

“Does that man ever sleep?” Adrien grumbled, “Probably some jerk that can work from home and take naps whenever he wants.”

Ladybug snorted, “Do you think he sleeps in a giant cocoon hanging from a tree?”

“The real reason we can’t ever find Hawkmoth is because he’s wrapped up in a giant cocoon in a tree somewhere between akuma villains.”

“That would be our luck wouldn’t it?” Ladybug laughed, “If that’s the case then we should go start shaking some trees and see if a purple butterfly man wrapped in a sleeping bag falls out of one.”

They took off back over the rooftops. He was glad that he said something to Ladybug. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Now he could really move forward with this new relationship with Marinette. No more hesitations. Well, less hesitations.

“Nope.” Ladybug popped out of one of the park trees, leaves stuck in her hair, “No Hawkmoth in here.” Adrien laughed as he pretended to be trapped in a different tree.

And more importantly, Ladybug was still his friend.

Chapter Text

It had been about a week since that day on the Seine. Marinette and Adrien were taking things slow as agreed. Little moments and actions to help ease them into their new relationship. Not that they did any of it in public. They wanted to keep this to themselves until they could truly define what exactly this was between them. It was also nice to have this time alone without outside interference or opinion to rain on their happiness. They hadn’t even told Alya or Nino yet. Not that the pair hadn’t been digging at them for information about what happened that day. But Adrien and Marinette agreed that this was something to be kept in the utmost of secrecy for now.

It was actually going rather well. They got their good morning texts complete with too many emojis and their late night goodnight phone calls. They’d find cute notes tucked inside their lockers. Adrien tried to walk her home most days before he had to race back to his own house.

The relationship had also gotten them to relax around each other a whole lot more. It took a couple days of whispered pet names, and hesitant touches, but they had fallen into a comfortable rapport. Adrien liked giving her pet names whenever possible and Marinette found herself tracing patterns on the back of his hand when they were sat near each other. It wasn’t much but it was a promising start.

If anyone suspected that something more was going on they didn’t ask. Discuss about it behind their backs via group chats? Yes. Was there a betting pool going on? Most likely. Did Chloe call him in a fit demanding answers once the rumor got to her? Of course.

Through it all though Adrien and Marinette had their own bubble that no one could pop.

So of course the moment they were finally happy something had to come along and ruin it.

Marinette’s phone pinged alerting her she had received a text. With bleary eyes she reached for her phone and smiled when she saw it was Adrien.

Morning sleepy head, do you wanna have breakfast together? --Adrien

She rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes and texted him back.

Good morning! I’d love to! Where were you thinking? --Marinette

Your place? --Adrien

Are you inviting yourself over to my house at the crack of dawn? I thought we were keeping this from the parents. --Marinette

Can’t a good friend come over for breakfast? ( O ^ O ) --Adrien

I guess a very good friend wouldn’t be amiss in this house ( > ν o) How are you getting out of the mansion? --Marinette

I have my ways --Adrien

Is this in any way going to get either of us in trouble? --Marinette

Perish the thought. I would never risk your reputation --Adrien

I’ll tell my parents you’re coming over and I’ll make sure my dad doesn’t go overboard. See you soon, sunshine! Xoxo --Marinette

Can’t wait! See you soon, doodle bug! <3 --Adrien

“Doodle bug?” Tikki whispered in Marinette’s ear.

“Because I doodle a lot.” Marinette hid her face in her pillow. “Shut up.”

“It’s cute.” Tikki patted her head, “Now you should tell your parents he’s coming over, right?”

“Yeah, I’m going,” she squirmed out from under her sheets and popped downstairs to tell her parents Adrien was coming over for breakfast.

“Awe!” Her mom cooed, “Are you two finally together, sweetheart?”

“Mom!” Marinette flustered, “It isn’t like that. We’re just friends.”

She knew she could tell her parents the truth. They would keep it a secret and would be really happy for her. With everything going on though it just seemed like another step forward that her and Adrien weren’t quite ready for. In time they would tell the parents but not today.

“Of course, dear,” Her mom said, “Sorry to presume. You go get ready, we’ll get breakfast started.”

“Thanks mom, dad, love you!” she sped back up to her room and started getting ready. It was only breakfast so she didn’t need to dress elaborately but she also didn’t want to be bumming it when Adrien came over. She really didn’t want to put on jeans today though. Black sweatpants and chic oversized sweater it was!

A knock on the door sent Marinette shooting down the stairs and careening around her parents to get to it before they did. She opened it and Adrien was waiting patiently on the other side. While he may have been dressed properly for public his hair was all messy as if he had barely taken a brush to it after he woke up.

“Hi,” Marinette giggled as she started to smooth out his bedhead, “Nice to see you groomed before coming to my house.”

“Nice to see you dressing up for our breakfast date.” he quipped back.

“My house, I get to dress however I want.” Marinette crossed her arms, “You should be grateful I deigned to change out of my pajamas for you.”

“If you wanted me to crawl into bed with you that badly you could have just said so.”

“Adrien!” Marinette’s face pulsed red, “You can’t make those kind of jokes where my parents may hear you.”

“What? What did I say?” he frowned, confused, “Is it so bad to want early morning cuddles with my girlfriend?”

“Oh! Cuddling. That’s what you meant.”

“What did you think I was talking about?”

“Nothing. It’s not important. You wanna come in for breakfast?”

“Yeah, but I still want to know what you thought--”

“Mom! Dad! Look, Adrien is here!” she pulled Adrien in and shoved him in front of her parents.

“Good morning, Adrien.” her mom smiled at him, “Go on and take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? Juice? Tea? Milk?”

“Orange juice please.” Adrien took the offered chair next to Marinette.

The food was soon ready and everyone gathered round to start eating. At first a little nervous Marinette bumped Adrien to let him know that he could have as much as he wanted. Her dad always did make enough food for even the biggest appetites.

“So, Adrien,” her dad said, “How are you? School going well?”

Adrien paused, a little caught off guard by the question. “School is going very well.” he answered, “Can’t complain.”

“That’s good. What about outside of school? Marinette tells us you have a lot of extracurriculars that you devote your time to.”

“It can be a pretty full schedule but I enjoy my extra activities most of the time. I think my only wish is that I could have a little more free time to spend with my friends.” And girlfriend, Adrien thought to himself. He knew it had only been a week but he was itching to be able to take Marinette on a real date. Not just a video-call afternoon in the park or a study date in the library with Alya and Nino keeping a keen eye on the pair. A real date...in person...maybe a nice dinner where they didn’t have to pretend nothing was going on.

Maybe at the end of the date he could even give her a kiss. Not just on the cheek or hand like he’d been doing. A real kiss. The thought both thrilled and terrified him. What if he went in for the kiss and missed? What if he was bad at it? Sure he had kissed Ladybug a couple times but it wasn’t like he could remember any of them! What if he really was bad? What if something he ate made his breath smell? What if--

“Adrien.” Marinette poked him, “You still with us?”

“Sorry.” he blushed. He was getting all worked up about a kiss he had yet to give. “I was letting my mind wander. What were we talking about?”

“I’m given to understand you speak Chinese.” Mrs. Sabine said, “Well enough to translate for my uncle when he visited months ago.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Adrien said, “Father had me start lessons a couple years ago. He said it was important to be able to speak more than one language.”

“And how did you decide on Chinese?”

“Well, truthfully, I wanted to learn Japanese. But father said that I would be more likely to need to know Chinese so we went with Mandarin instead.”

“Does your intention of learning Japanese have anything to do with your obsession with anime?” Marinette smirked into her glass.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an obsession.”

“The three page rec list you gave me when I asked for anime/manga titles wasn’t obsessive?”

“You happen to be a fan of some quality entertainment--”

“It was color coded by genre and your personal rating of the series.”

“Like you have room to talk, Marinette.” Her dad said, “You have that huge calendar in your room that is not only color coded but meticulously updated with your ever changing schedule as well as your friends’ schedules.”

“Wow.” Adrien grinned, “Marinette, you’re a huge dork.”

“Come at me weeb!”

“Children.” her mom interrupted them, “No shouting at the table.”

“Sorry mom.” Marinette went back to her food. Her mom and Adrien started a conversation in Chinese that Marinette could barely follow. She had started learning more so that she could better communicate with her relatives back in China when she ever got to meet them. She still had a ways to go before she could hold a full conversation though.

“Not bad,” her mom nodded, “You speak Chinese rather well if not a bit too clunky and formal for normal conversation. That’s something you can only get over with repeated interaction with a native speaker really.”

“Not a whole lot of native Chinese around to practice with.” Adrien shrugged.

“I guess that means you’ll have to stop by more often.” Her mom had that plotting glint in her eye behind that sweet smile.

“I’d like that a lot.” Adrien beamed.

Unfortunately breakfast had to end and Adrien received an notification he had a fencing lesson to go to soon. He’d have to sneak back into the house before anyone came to check on him. He said goodbye to Marinette’s parents and walked downstairs with her to the door.

“Thanks for having me,” Adrien told her, “Breakfast with your family is way more entertaining than eating by myself back home.”

“My parents certainly enjoyed having you around.” Marinette said.

“Just your parents?” he leaned in closer to her.

“Maybe someone else did too. I wasn’t paying much attention.”

“And what could have possibly be splitting your attention?”

“Just some cute blonde sitting next to me.” she pushed his face back with her finger, “I wish we could do stuff like this more often.”

“When we let people know we’re dating we can.” Adrien assured her, “In the mean time I hope you can be happy with video-call dates and secret notes between class.”

“I’m already happy.” she held his hand. Her gaze focused on their intertwined fingers.

“Marinette,” Adrien tilted her chin up so she was looking at him, “I wish I could give you more.”

His face came closer and a little bell in her head started to sound. Was he going to kiss her? Okay, Marinette, don’t panic! Relax. You know how to kiss. You’ve done it plenty of times before! It’s just your first kiss with Adrien. Stop shaking you absolute scaredy cat!

Adrien pressed a kiss to her forehead instead.

Oh. That was new. Usually he only kissed her cheek. She didn’t think something as small as a kiss on the forehead could make her even more of a mess.

“I’ll talk to you after fencing practice.” Adrien told her. “See you later, doodle bug.”

“Yeah…” Marinette was still mooning over the sweet gesture, “Talk to you later, sunshine.”

Marinette went back upstairs to find her parents cleaning up breakfast and whispering animatedly. “Whatcha talking about?” Marinette went to help them.

“Oh nothing dear,” her mom assured her. “It was nice of you to invite your friend over for breakfast.”

“He more or less invited himself but it wasn’t like I was gonna tell him no.” Marinette said.

“Because you two are dating?” her dad guessed.

“What?” Marinette tried to play it off, “Of course not. I already told you it wasn’t like that.”

“Marinette,” her parents gave her a sympathetic look, “If that’s true then you may want to tell him that cause it was obvious he was very smitten with you.”

“We’re just good friends.” she insisted.

“Did you lie because you were scared your father would go overboard again?” her mom asked.

“No! I mean--I didn’t lie! There’s nothing...going on...um…” it felt gross lying to her parents. “Fine. We’re dating. But we didn’t want to let anyone know yet because we didn’t want anyone interfering.”

“Oh sweetie,” her parents hugged her, “We’re sorry for prying. We couldn’t help but be curious. If this secret relationship means that much to you then we promise we won’t breathe a word of it to anyone or interfere.”

“It’s not like I didn’t want to tell you but it’s already pretty delicate and new.” she relaxed in their arms, “You promise you’re not upset?”

“Nothing to be upset over.” they gave her one final squeeze before releasing her. “You make an adorable couple.”

“Thanks.” Marinette blushed, “And you promise you won’t tell anyone? I haven’t even told Alya yet.”

“What’s there to tell?” her dad tapped his chin, “That a friend of yours came over for breakfast?”

Marinette breathed out in relief and continued to help her parents clean up. This was shaping up to be a pretty good day.

True to his word Adrien called her after fencing practice and she admitted that she told her parents they were dating after he left. He wasn’t upset with her which was a relief. It was inevitable that someone was bound to figure it out sooner or later. Thankfully it was just her parents and not some paparazzi or crazed fan.

“How did they figure it out?” Adrien asked.

“They said that you were too smitten to be anything less than my boyfriend. That and if we weren’t in fact dating then I should tell you since you didn’t seem to be aware.” Marinette laughed.

“Do you think we’re that obvious at school?”

“Hard to say, I don’t know how we look when we interact at school. I think because we’re much more wary of the eyes watching us there it isn’t as bad as when it was just us eating with my parents in the privacy of my house.”

“That’s good. Don’t want the news getting out to everyone too soon.” Adrien paused, “Hold on a second, Nino’s calling me.”

“It’s fine. If I don’t hear from you again today then sweet dreams and a good night, sunshine.”

“It’s three in the afternoon.”

“And we both have very busy schedules. I don’t know if we’ll talk again before bedtime.” There was a frantic knocking on Marinette’s front door. “Someone’s at the door. Bye, Adrien.”

“Well, sweet dreams if I don’t hear from you later,” Adrien chuckled, “Goodbye, Marinette.”

They hung up and Marinette went downstairs to see who was banging on her door. She opened it and Alya rushed in nearly plowing over her.

“Alya!” Marinette jumped out of her way, “What is--”

“Do you have something to tell me?” Alya was pacing the living room. Her phone clutched tightly in her hand and her hair even more of a mess than usual.

“What is going on?” Marinette didn’t know what Alya was doing looking like a madwoman in her house. “Not that I don’t love seeing you, Alya, but what on earth are you doing here?”

“Don’t try and act dumb, Marinette,” Alya pulled up something on her phone and shoved it in Marinette’s face, “Care to explain this photo circulating around every social media platform?”

“What are you…” Marinette trailed off as she took in what she was seeing. It was a picture of Adrien and Marinette outside her house this morning. Granted it was a great candid photo of Adrien kissing Marinette’s forehead but who took it?

“Oh no.” Marinette didn’t dare look at the comments. “Who posted that!”

“I think what is more important,” Alya took her phone back, “Is the fact that you and Adrien are dating and didn’t tell me! Your best friend!”

“Alya, you don’t understand.” Marinette pulled out her phone. Already her Instagram was flooding with comments from jealous fans. “This is so bad! We weren’t telling anyone about this for a reason! Now everyone knows.”

“Okay, calm down,” Alya pulled the phone out of Marinette’s hands and set it down on the counter, “You’re freaking out and that’s partially my fault for coming at you full force. Everything will be alright.”

“How can I relax?” Marinette started doing little circles around the coffee table, “Adrien hasn’t even told his dad that we’re dating. You know how controlling he can be. What if he forbids Adrien from seeing me? I already have so much on my plate right now, Alya, I can’t handle any secret dating or star-crossed lover tropes in my life.”

“Marinette!” Alya grabbed her and forced her to sit on the couch, “You need to chill. Look at me, take a deep breath, and try to relax. You are blowing the situation out of proportion.”

“You’re right,” Marinette unclenched her fists, “It’s not that bad...right?”

“Some jealous fans leaving comments on your Insta are not worth the freak out. Don’t worry about Adrien’s dad being a jerk or anything like that.” Alya rubbed her back, “The only thing I want to know is every little detail about your new relationship with Adrien.”

“Alya,” Marinette let out a tired laugh, “Give me a moment to breathe. I just found out my relationship’s been outed to the public when we were supposed to be keeping it ourselves. I need a minute.”

“Okay. Take your time.” Alya leaned in closer and whispered, “I knew he was going to choose to date you.”

“You are hopeless.” Marinette chuckled. “And I suppose I have been dying to tell you about it so get comfortable. You are going to love this.”

Chapter Text

Marinette told Alya all about the long talk Adrien and her had along the Seine and how they decided to start dating. How they meant to take it slow and keep the relationship secret so they could ease into the new dynamic without everyone butting in. It had only been a week but they were already so much closer now if not still a bit shy around each other. It was new and scary but also exhilarating and fun.

“Awe!” Alya gushed, “You two are so cute it physically hurts!”

“You’re not upset that I kept it from you?” Marinette asked.

“No way. I mean I was at first but I get where you were coming from. I should have been more sensitive to your new relationship. My excited reaction was probably exactly what you were trying to avoid, huh?”

“Yeah,” the girls laughed, “It’s so good to talk to you about this though. I hated having to keep it from you.”

“No sweat, girl. I know it isn’t ideal but now you and Adrien can double date with me and Nino.”

“That sounds awesome.”

Marinette’s phone started to ring. “It’s Adrien. He’s probably seen the news now.”

“Put him on speaker.” Alya pleaded.

Marinette rolled her eyes but put him on speaker anyway. “Hey, Adrien,” Marinette answered, “You called back earlier than expected.”

“I know,” Adrien said over the phone, “But have you gone on social media recently?”

“No need. Alya broke down my door to tell me.”

“So you know all about the picture?”

“Yep,” Marinette sighed, “I guess we weren’t as careful as we thought.”

“Granted it is a good photo but also really bad timing.”

“Is everything okay?” Marinette asked, now worried again. “Have you heard from your dad about it?”

“Not yet but I’m sure he’ll be having a word with me when I get home,” Adrien sighed, “It was bound to happen sooner or later but I was enjoying our relationship concerning only us. At least now I can act like a proper boyfriend and take you on real dates and hold your hand while we walk to class.”

“This is so pure!” Alya squealed in a happy whisper.

Marinette ignored her for the moment. “Do you have any idea who posted the photo?”

“No clue, the account it was posted from was brand new. Whoever posted it obviously didn’t want anyone knowing who they were.”

“Cowards.”

“I should print out that picture and get it framed.” Adrien suggested, “You look positively adorable in it. All cuddly and warm in your sweater and Pusheen house slippers.”

“Adrien, you are so sweet you are going to give me diabetes.” Alya sighed dreamily into the phone. “You like my bestie that much?”

“Al--Alya?” Adrien stuttered, “What are--how much of that did you hear?”

“The phone was on speaker,” Alya smirked at the screen, “I asked Marinette to do it.”

“Sorry. I should have mentioned that when I answered.” Marinette apologized.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m glad you stopped me before I started getting into the pet names.”

“Pet names!” Alya grabbed the phone and held it closer, “Adrien, please, tell me the pet names! Please! Pretty please!”

“Alya! Down girl!” Marinette swatted her with a pillow, “Drop the phone! Drop it!”

“But--”

“Drop it!” Marinette brandished the pillow threateningly.

Alya pouted but handed the phone back. “Good girl!”

“Do I look like a dog?”

“Well you certainly can be a real bi--”

“Marinette,” Adrien interrupted her, “Is everything okay over there?”

“Everything is fine. Alya is pouting but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Marinette ruffled Alya’s hair.

“That’s not what I meant.” Adrien sighed, “I mean, have you gotten any mean messages from jealous fans? Are they bothering you at all?”

“I mean, yeah, but don’t worry about it. I was already preparing myself for the backlash from angry fans for when we were going to go public. It may have happened sooner than I thought but I got this. I think I actually worked out the worst of my meltdown with Alya so things should be okay now.” Marinette assured him.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. What about you? Are they coming after you at all?”

“After I saw the picture I got too scared to look at what people were saying.”

“Adrien, boy,” Alya piped in, “I am gonna give you the same advice I gave Marinette. Do not sweat the haters. This is mob mentality. They’re blowing up because everyone else is. If you saw any of these people irl they probs wouldn’t say a thing. So my advice to the both of you is to stay off social media for a couple days until this dies down some. Okay? You can address the photo and your relationship when everyone gets used to the news and don’t have such strong reactions to it.”

“Alya’s right,” Adrien said, “This isn’t our problem. It’s the fans’. All we have to do is keep our distance until it is safe to dive back in.”

“Sounds good to me.” Marinette shrugged.

“I’m pulling up to the house.” She could hear the nervousness in his voice, “Hopefully father is in a good mood. I’d really like for this talk to go well.”

“It will,” Marinette wanted to reach through the phone and hug him, “I promise it will.”

“Thanks, doodle bug.” Adrien sounded happier, “Sweet dreams if I don’t talk to you later.”

“Sweet dreams, sunshine.” Marinette smiled into the phone. “Bye.”

He’ll be fine. It is a talk between a father and son. There’s nothing to worry about.

“Doodle bug?”

Oh crap.

Marinette risked a glance at Alya. She was brimming with glee. “He calls you doodle bug?”

“You really are hopeless.” Marinette laughed.

---

“Kid?” Plagg whispered from inside Adrien’s jacket, “Are you going to go in?”

Adrien had been standing outside the doors to his father’s office for several moments. He didn’t have the nerve to actually enter. His mind kept replaying worst case scenarios. What if this? What if that? What if his father forbade him from seeing Marinette? The only good thing to come out of him forbidding Adrien from seeing Marinette would be an excuse for a forbidden romance. Late night rendevous. Secret love letters. Stolen kisses in the far stacks of the library. The list goes on!

Granted it would just be another thing to keep secret and work around with his already busy schedule but the aesthetic!

“Adrien,” his father’s voice from inside the office cut through his thoughts, “I can hear you shuffling outside the door. Please come in here.”

With a deep breath Adrien stepped inside the office. “You wanted to talk to me, father?”

“Yes,” his father was standing behind his work podium. “As I am sure you are well aware there is a picture of you floating around the media of you in the...comfortable company of a young lady.”

“I’m aware.” Adrien muttered. “It really isn’t anything to worry about.”

“Interesting that you think I would be worried.” His father raised an eyebrow at him, “Should I be worried, Adrien?”

“No! Of course not!” Adrien stammered, “We’re just going out. There’s nothing to be concerned about at all.”

“Going out?” His father inched closer, “You are dating this girl?”

“Yes. And it’s Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. We go to school together and last week we decided to start dating. I just didn’t say anything because we’re still pretty awkward about the change and wanted to get used to it on our own terms.”

“I see,” his father pulled up the picture on his work screen, “The young miss who won the contest I posted at your school correct?”

“Yes. She’s a really great designer, like you!” Adrien felt better now that he saw his father wasn’t angry at the relationship.

“Her skills are underdeveloped but have potential.” His father nodded, “If you were concerned about my approval to your new relationship with Mlle. Dupain-Cheng then there is no need. I will not forbid you from seeing her as I am sure you would go behind my back anyways.”

“I would never…” Little dreams of balcony serenades getting locked back up in the fantasy vault.

“What I am concerned with is that if the time this picture was posted is to be correct then that means you snuck out of the house to go see this girl. Now that I have an issue with.”

“Oh,” Adrien started sweating, “It was just breakfast. I didn’t think I needed to be escorted down the street to eat a meal with my girlfriend’s family.”

“Hm,” he didn’t look convinced but didn’t press the issue any more. “You are growing up, Adrien. I cannot stop you from pursuing romantic relationships. But from now on you will ask permission to leave the mansion. If I find you sneaking out again to see this girl there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes father,” Adrien sighed in relief. That could have been so much worse!

“One more thing,” his father halted his dash to the door, “Since you are so keen to make meal arrangements with your girlfriend’s family then I see no reason why she can’t come to the house for dinner some night. If you two are serious about this relationship then I would like to assess things for myself before giving my complete blessing.”

“Yes, of course, father.” Slight tangent but Adrien expected that. “May I be excused now?”

“Yes. I will see you for dinner.” His father waved him out of the office.

Adrien flew out of there and ran up to his room. Oh thank goodness! His father said the relationship was okay! Now there was nothing to worry about!

“You seem really happy.” Plagg said, “A moment earlier you were shaking like a leaf.”

“I can keep seeing Marinette! Father said it was okay!” Adrien jumped onto his bed. “You have no idea how relieved I am. The worst is over. Life can be normal again.”

“Except that you now have to face everyone at school tomorrow and deal with the invasive questions about your new relationship with Marinette. Not to mention you have to get through a dinner with your dad where he’ll basically be grading your girlfriend the entire time.”

Adrien deflated. “You couldn’t let me have this for three seconds?”

“Sorry.”

---

“Good morning family!” Marinette skipped downstairs, “How are we this morning?”

“You’re in an awfully good mood,” Her dad smiled at her, “What has you so happy?”

“It’s just a good day.” Marinette grabbed a croissant off the plate her dad held out. “I’m also running late for school. I’ll see you later.”

“Have a nice day at school, sweetheart!” her parents called after her before she rushed out of the house.

Marinette was plenty nervous about facing everyone now that they knew about her relationship with Adrien but she was overcoming it by being extremely optimistic. She was already ready for whatever backlash she would get from Lila or Chloe so that wasn’t a problem. If she kept a level head and didn’t freak out then everything would be fine. Honestly, she was probably overthinking all of this. Just because it is new doesn’t mean that it is earth shatteringly significant. It’s two friends that are now dating. It’s not that big a deal.

Walking into school things were eerily normal. No one was staring or whispering about her. Most everyone didn’t even seem to notice she was there.

That was until she got to the locker room. Everyone was huddled around her locker. “Hey,” Marinette tried to push through them, “What’s going on?”

“Marinette!” Alya pushed out of the crowd and started ushering her friend away, “How are you this morning? That jacket is really cute. Do you wanna go over our literature notes before class?”

“Alya, what’s going on? Is something wrong with my locker?”

“Don’t worry about it, girl. Just some dumb kids writing stupid stuff.”

“Stuff?” Marinette’s heart dropped, “What kind of stuff?”

“Nothing to get worked over. We called the janitor to clean it up so it’s not worth fretting over.”

“I think the fact that you are trying your most to keep me from seeing it means that it is something worth fretting about.”

“Marinette,” Alya sighed, “Really it is nothing. Some jealous fans in the school wrote some crap on your locker. I didn’t want you to get upset about it cause it is really nothing to worry about.”

“I’m a big girl, Alya. Some schoolyard insults and petty jealousy isn’t going to make me lose control. Let me guess, it said: Stay away from Adrien! You’re ugly! You don’t deserve him!” Marinette mimicked a scary monster voice.

“Pretty close,” Alya laughed.

“Seriously, it’s alright. To think I was nervous for a moment there.” Marinette was glad Alya was protective of her but something as passive aggressive as writing mean things on a locker? Whoever did it was no better than the people leaving comments online. They didn’t have the guts to say it to her face so they left it somewhere else instead. Pathetic.

They walked into class and Marinette would be lying if she said seeing Adrien didn’t brighten her day all the more.

“Hey boys,” Alya and her waved to Nino and Adrien.

“Ooh! Here she comes!” Kim whistled, “You gonna be able to control yourself, Adrien?”

“You are such a child.” Max rolled his eyes.

“Hey Kim, how’s Ondine?” Alya smirked, “From the looks of things on your Snapchat, Adrien’s not the one that needs to find his cool around his lady.”

Max snorted. Kim blushed. Alya sat down.

“Good morning,” Marinette stopped next to Adrien, “How did the talk with your dad go last night?”

“Great. He even invited you to have dinner some night so you could be properly introduced.” Adrien beamed.

“Oh thank goodness,” Marinette leaned against the desk, “The curiosity was killing me all night.”

“If you were that curious why didn’t you text me?”

“If things went well why didn’t you call me?”

“I fell asleep.”

“You fell asleep...at five in the evening?”

“I forgot.”

“Dork.” Marinette booped his nose. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“I know.” Adrien grinned. As quickly as it appeared though it vanished. “Um, did you see your locker earlier?”

“Nope. Alya pulled me away before I could.” Marinette said, “I’m not worried about it though so I don’t want you getting all distressed about it. Okay?”

“Okay. You’re right.” Adrien relaxed again. “Besides a graffitied locker and a couple of inappropriate comments--Kim--today isn’t going as bad as I thought it would.”

“You thought it was going to go badly?”

“Last night someone made me irrationally nervous and it seeped into today.”

“Aww,” Marinette was halfway to giving him a hug before she remembered where she was. If no one was watching them before they all were now. It felt so weird being affectionate in public. “I’m uh...I’m gonna sit down now.”

“Marinette?”

“ADRIEN!” Chloe burst into the classroom. “You’ve been dodging my calls but not anymore!”

“Oh hi, Chloe,” Adrien waved to her unperturbed, “Sorry I didn’t return your calls. I had a busy night.”

“What is this?” she flashed him the infamous photo floating around the internet, “Are you really dating Dupain-Cheng?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

Chloe was apoplectic with rage but was keeping it in line. Albeit barely. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“If it makes you feel better I didn’t tell anyone. It was nothing personal.”

“But--But--” she glanced at Marinette, “Why her?”

“Because I like her?” Adrien’s brow creased, “She likes me too so we decided to try a real relationship.”

“You decided to date just like that?!”

“I wouldn’t say it was a simple as you’re making it out to be.” Adrien turned around to smile at Marinette, “But I think it was well worth the effort.”

“You two are so cute!” Rose gushed, “I’m so glad you’re dating now!”

“We all knew it was only a matter of time.” Mylene chimed in.

“That reminds me,” Alya stood up, “I drew up what everyone owes from the betting pool.”

“Wait a second!” Marinette shot out of her chair, “You were actually betting? I thought that was just a joke!”

“I mean we weren’t betting money.” Alya shrugged.

“What were you betting?” Adrien asked.

“Favors.” Nathaneal sighed as he wrote something down in his notebook, “I was really hoping I could get Max to do my maths homework with this bet.”

“No such luck.” Max grinned, “Now Nathaneal has to make me a custom poster.”

“And Mylene has to do my science homework.” Alix whooped.

“You do know that this makes no logical sense. If you’re not doing the work then are you really learning? It also won’t help with tests.” Adrien said.

“NERD!” Kim shouted.

“Big talk from the guy who has to put off giving challenges for another year.” Nino quipped.

“Students, in your seats please,” Ms. Bustier entered the room and started class.

Classes went by quickly and soon it was time for lunch break. “You wanna go to a cafe for lunch?” Alya asked Marinette as they packed up.

“Nah. I packed a lunch.” Marinette pat her lunchbox. “How about we head to the dining hall?”

“Mind if I join you?” Adrien asked. “I don’t feel like going home for lunch today.”

“Of course,” Alya said, “Nino, you coming too?”

“Heck yeah, I’m starving!” Nino rushed out of the room without waiting for anyone.

“Hey! Wait for us you big dope!” Alya ran after him.

“Shall we?” Adrien held out a hand to Marinette.

“Oh, yeah,” Marinette took his hand, “Let’s go.”

As they walked up to the dining hall Adrien kept glancing at Marinette. She was strangely quiet and wouldn’t look up from the ground.

“You okay?” he asked, “You’re really quiet today. Is it the stuff written on your locker?”

“Hm? Oh no, I was thinking.”

“What about?”

“Does this bother you?”

“Does what bother me?”

“This,” she held up their intertwined hands, “Doing this stuff in front of people I mean.”

“No. Does it bother you?” Adrien loosened his hold, “If you’re not comfortable with it then--”

“Don’t let go!” she clasped his hand in both of hers, “Just...don’t let me pull away.”

He kissed the back of her hand, “I won’t, doodle bug. Now let’s eat.”

They walked into the dining hall. Marinette was more at ease now, even going as far as feeding Adrien a bite of her sesame balls.

Too soon it was back to class and then home. Adrien had a Chinese lesson right after school so he couldn’t walk Marinette home which was a shame. “Bye, Adrien,” she waved to him from the top of the school steps, “Talk to you later!”

“Bye, Marinette!” Adrien opened the car door. “Oh wait,” He ran up the steps once more and pressed a kiss against her cheek. He pulled back with a smile on his face. “I’ll call you tonight. Okay?”

“O-Okay,” Marinette wavered. He gave her one last smile before sliding into the car and disappearing down the road. She gently touched the spot where he kissed her. Her friends were whispering and giggling behind her but she didn’t care. She was only upset that she didn’t get the chance to give him one in return.

“Adrien! Come back!” Alya chased after the car, “I want a picture of that kiss!”

“Babe! Stop being a creep!” Nino yelled at her. “Alya! Dude, come back! You’re not gonna be able to catch him!”

I love these weirdos. Marinette thought happily.

Chapter Text

There is no decency in this world.

At least that was Marinette’s thought as she left the warmth of her bed in the morning. Not only had she stayed up late finishing homework but that same night after she had gotten settled into bed an akuma struck. That was already annoying but considering that it was thunderstorming at the same time didn’t help. By the time she and Chat defeated the akuma and got to go home she maybe had three hours of sleep left before she had to wake up for class.

At least that was the plan.

“Marinette!” Tikki was tugging on her ear, “Wake up! You need to wake up!”

“Hmm?” she brushed Tikki away, “Akuma?”

“No. You’re late for school!”

“School? Oh crap!” she shot out of bed and grabbed her phone. She was almost two hours late! Why hadn’t her parents woken her up? Ahh!

She grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to throw on before tugging on her shoes and sprinting out the door. Of course it was still pouring down rain this morning too. She ducked under her bookbag as she rushed to the school. Everyone was in the halls as they moved onto their next class.

“Marinette, there you are.” Alya said when she saw Marinette run in. “I was starting to think you were sick or something.”

“I wish,” Marinette tried to shake the water out of her shirt. “What did I miss?”

“I gotcha,” Alya handed her the math homework and history notes. “You and Adrien really are made for each other. He was late to class too.”

“Where is he anyway?” Marinette looked around.

“Loverboy was heading to the library last I saw.” Alya smirked, “Have fun.”

“Shut up,” Marinette mumbled. After an encouraging nod she skipped up to the library.

She shivered when she entered the room. Why was it always so cold in here? Being soaked through from the rain didn’t help.

She saw Adrien sitting at one of the tables. He was really into what he working on. Marinette decided to sneak up on him and covered his eyes from behind. “Guess who. She’s tired and cold and in need of cuddles.”

“Sounds like my very late girlfriend,” he removed her hands and turned around, “And I was right.”

“Hi,” she kissed his cheek and sat down, “Also, it seems I wasn’t the only one who was late today.”

“Overslept,” he yawned, “What is your excuse?”

“Overslept,” she copied his yawn, “Debating if I shouldn’t have just stayed home today.”

“Now if you did that you would have missed very important lessons.” he chuckled as she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You’re all wet. Aren’t you cold?”

“A little,” she rubbed her bare arms. In her rush she hadn’t thought to grab a jacket.

“Here,” he took off the hoodie he was wearing and handed it to her.

“Aren’t you going to be cold now?” she asked.

“Nah, I’m a human furnace.”

Marinette pulled on the hoodie and her body flooded with warmth. Not just from the warm and dry clothing but the fact that she was actually wearing her boyfriend’s hoodie. Her boyfriend Adrien’s hoodie. The other lucky people that got to do this were absolutely right when they said it smelled like their partner. She was never going to return this if she could help it.

“Better?” Adrien was trying not to laugh at his girlfriend burying her face in the neckhole of the hoodie.

“Yes!” she laid her head on the table. “Do you mind if I nap here? I’m still dying.”

“Go for it,” he pulled the hood up over her head, “I’ll wake you up in time to go to science.”

“Thank you.” she closed her eyes and got a bit more sleep before Adrien woke her up and they shuffled to class.

Marinette was really debating if coming in today was worth it seeing as how it was only a half day and after science she could go home. Then she remembered that she had the opportunity to steal her boyfriend’s hoodie and decided that was definitely worth it.

His ride wasn’t there yet when school ended so Adrien got the chance to walk her home.

“Oh, I hope it isn’t creepy but I took this photo while you were napping.” Adrien showed her a picture of herself napping in the library.

“Oh my gosh I look adorable.” Marinette laughed.

“I know. I wanted to post it but with the break from social media we’re taking.”

“It’s been almost a week. I’m sure people have calmed down by now.” Marinette pulled out her own phone. “You should post it.”

“I’m gonna.”

“You better tag me.”

“Duh.” he tapped away on his phone, “And it is up.”

“Nice.” she refreshed her own Instagram. “Like and comment.”

“What is that supposed to mean? You’re not gonna give me back my hoodie?” Adrien read her comment.

“No. It’s mine now.”

“Marinette!”

“It is the girlfriend code! Don’t act like you don’t know this!” Marinette kissed him quick and stepped inside the bakery. “You are never seeing this hoodie again, sunshine.”

“It looks better on you anyway.” he rolled his eyes, “Bye, doodle bug.”

“Bye, sunshine.”

It had felt like forever since Marinette got to check her social media. She had a lot of scrolling to do.

“I thought you were supposed to be avoiding this stuff.” Tikki said.

“That was like a week ago. It’s fine.” Marinette looked at her messages, “Although I should probably clear that out.”

She opened her messages and rolled her eyes. A bunch of caps lock messages telling her to die or break up with Adrien and the like. She started going through deleting all of them.

“Break up. Break up. Ugly. Break up. Die. Ugly. Die. Break up. Break up.” Marinette muttered as she scrolled. “If they’re going to try insulting me they should at least be a little creative. I mean look at this one: ‘You’re nothing but a desperate airhead that doesn’t deserve someone as perfect as Adrien. Please do the world a favor and die.’”

“How are you laughing? That’s so mean!” Tikki sneered at the screen.

“Because half of these messages have got to be that exact text copy and pasted. They really think repeating the same thing is gonna make me break up with Adrien? That makes them the airheads, not me.” Marinette continued to delete, “See this one here. At least this one tried to be distinctive. ‘You look like a sugar cookie chewed you up and spit you out covered in obnoxious pink frosting.’ How can you not laugh at these?”

“I still don’t think you should read them. Let me delete them for you and you can do homework or something.” Tikki insisted.

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette set the phone down on her desk. “I’m gonna go over my notes and see what I missed.”

As Marinette set about her work she occasionally glanced at Tikki tapping away on her phone. She would stop completely if she heard Tikki start to get mad. It was kinda cute. Tikki getting worked up about a few dumb messages.

What had that one message said? Her hair looked like a greasy hair ball pulled out of a shower drain? Dang...that was actually creatively hurtful. Unlike all the other comments telling her she was stupid and ugly and talentless and a social climber and unworthy of Adrien’s affections. If she even actually was dating him at all because why would he want to date someone as desperate and annoying as her? He was probably just pitying her and would let her down gently in a couple days after she got her fill of feeling like she was important.

“Marinette?” Her mom’s voice called up to her.

“Yeah mom?” Marinette’s voice wavered as she tore her gaze from the screen.

“Can you come set the table for dinner?”

Dinner? Marinette checked the time. She didn’t realize it was that late.

She stared back at her notes. She hadn’t made it past the second page. What had she been doing all that time? Every now and again she looked at her phone but...but…

“Sweetie, did you hear me?” her mom called again.

“Y-Yes,” Marinette took a deep breath to center herself, “I’m coming.”

---

Adrien was getting worried. For the past three days Marinette had barely smiled. She kept her head down in class and wouldn’t talk to anyone directly. He thought maybe she was getting sick but she assured him that she was right as rain if not a little tired.

Now that he’d believe. She looked tired. Well, more vacant than tired. Wherever she looked it wasn’t like she was actually seeing anything but staring off into a void only she could see. And it was only getting worse.

But it was Sunday so no school and no lessons but he did a photoshoot that he promptly invited Marinette to. She always liked coming and visiting him during photoshoots before so hopefully seeing the Gabriel winter line would lift her spirits.

He picked her up on the way and she presented him with a box of fresh baked goodies from the bakery. She was looking better. There was more light in her eyes then days prior.

“Not parading around in my hoodie today?” he teased lightly.

“Would you rather me be wearing it?” she smiled.

“You’ve been wearing it every day since I gave it to you so I am a little surprised.”

“It’s just so big and cozy and warm. But today since I’m going to one of your photoshoots I thought I should wear something not as schlubby. Even if it is a designer hoodie it doesn’t stop it from being, well, a hoodie.”

“You could never look schlubby.” he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Now, tell me who the cutest girlfriend ever is.”

Marinette giggled as she tried to squirm out of his hold, “Adrien!”

“No, Marinette, I’m the boyfriend in this relationship. Tell me who the cutest girlfriend is.” He continued to press little kisses to her cheeks and nose. “Tell me! Who is the cutest!”

“Quit it, you dork!” she squealed.

“Not until you say it!”

“Okay, fine,” she pushed his face away, “It’s me. I’m the cutest girlfriend.”

“Say it again.”

“I’m the cutest girlfriend!”

“Heck yeah you are!” he cheered. He may look like a dork but she was smiling and laughing and that’s all that mattered.

They got to the set and Adrien had to go get dressed and made up so he left Marinette out front with some of the girl models. When he got back out to the cameras Marinette wasn’t where he left her. Where had she gone?

He looked over and saw her sat down on the ground near the snack table with her phone in one hand and a lunette in the other. “Hey doodle bug,” Adrien knelt next to her, “What are you doing over here?”

“Nothing.” she muttered. “Having a snack.”

“What’s wrong? What happened to my happy, smiling doodle bug?” he asked.

“Just a little tired.” she shrugged.

“Marinette--”

“Adrien, we need you over here.” the photographer called.

“Go. I’ll be fine.” she touched his cheek, “You look good.”

He didn’t want to leave her like this but the photographer was getting impatient and they were on a schedule. He kissed her forehead. “And you’re still the cutest.”

She smiled again but it was empty.

He started the shoot but he couldn’t focus. He kept glancing at Marinette trying to figure out what went wrong in the fifteen minutes he left her alone. Had someone said something to her? Did she get bad news? What?

“Adrien,” the photographer sighed, “I know it is early but I need your attention on the camera. Not on the snack table.”

“Sorry,” Adrien apologized. They got through his solo shoot and then he went to change so they could do some group shots. When he came back out again Marinette had pushed herself into an even farther corner of the room.

“Hey Agreste,” one of the girl models, Nina, skipped up to him, “You need some Red Bull? You are really out of it today.”

“No. I’m just worried about my girlfriend. She was really happy this morning but once we got here she got all...I don’t know what to do. I can’t figure out what’s wrong.”

“I have an idea,” Nina sighed, “I heard some of the other models talking about her. They didn’t have anything nice to say either. Stuff about her trying to further her own designer dreams by dating you. It was messed up. I offered to say something but she told me not to. She insisted she wasn’t bothered by it.”

“That’s so--” Adrien put a cap on his anger, “I brought her here because she loves fashion and I was hoping to cheer her up after a tough week. Ever since we got together people having been clamoring for information and harassing her and I thought maybe the worst of it was over. Apparently not though.”

“It’ll get better,” Nina patted him on the back. “I’ll say something to the other models and you can go comfort your girlfriend after the shoot. Sound good?”

“Thanks, Nina,” He felt better now knowing what was going on. It made keeping a happy face with the other mean models during the shoot but he got through it. He changed back and said goodbye to the others before going to collect Marinette.

“Hey,” he greeted her, “Enjoy the shoot?”

“Yeah. You did great.”

“You ready to go?”

“Yep.” she took his hand and they left the set.

They got in the car and Adrien decided to put up the divider between them and the Gorilla. He didn’t need to listen to this. “Marinette,” he said, “you know if something or someone upset you then you can tell me. I hate seeing you sad.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not,” he squeezed her hand, “I know that what people say can hurt but you and I know that their opinions don’t matter. They’re jealous or petty and not worth the time. So you shouldn’t think or worry about what they said.”

She leaned on his shoulder, “Easier said then done.”

“I know,” he sighed, “I know. But it’ll get better. I know it will.”

They arrived back at Marinette’s house and dropped her off. She handed him the rest of the goodies she had brought before heading inside. He wanted to hang out longer but his father was insistent that he return straight home after the photoshoot today.

At least he would see her at school tomorrow and hopefully things would be better then.

---

Monday morning. Marinette walked into the school and found her locker defaced again. She shoved her things inside and headed up to class. A pleasant surprise waited on her desk.

“Flowers?” Marinette’s spirits lifted when she saw the bouquet on her desk. Did Adrien leave these for her? That was so sweet!

There was a card at the top that she plucked from the blooms. It said: DIE! in ugly messy scrawl.

The card creased in her fingers. Seriously? Who wastes money on a bouquet for a death threat? Still...why did it unsettle her so?

“Hey Marinette,” Alya walked over, “Awe, who sent you flowers?”

“I...I…”

“Is something wrong?” Alya peeked at the card in Marinette’s hand. “This is really not funny.” Alya took the card, “What psycho did this?”

“Good morning girls,” Adrien walked over to give Marinette her kiss on the cheek. “Marinette, what’s wrong?”

Alya came over and showed him the card. He looked back at the flowers on the desk and his frown deepened. “This needs to end.” Adrien spat, “This is too much. To do something like this! It’s not only kinda racist but incredibly hurtful.”

“Racist?” Marinette’s stomach dropped, “How are flowers racist?”

“Well, it is a Japanese custom as far as I know. But you’re half Chinese so trying to intimidate you with a Japanese custom it’s just--whatever, that’s not the point.” Adrien took the flowers off the desk, “Whenever someone dies a bouquet is left on their desk to mourn their absence. If someone leaves a bouquet when someone is alive though it is basically a message saying the sender wishes you were dead.”

“Oh,” The tears started to prick behind her eyes, “That’s just swell, isn’t it? Everything is fine and dandy in my world. Not enough that I’m getting death threats and insults hurled at me every second online and on my locker but now I’m getting threatening flowers on my desk too. Aren’t I special.”

“Hey, don’t think about it,” Adrien tried to hold her but she backed away from him. “Marinette, please, don’t listen to any of this. You’re stronger than a bunch of anonymous cowards.”

“I shouldn’t have to be though.” she sniffed, “Why can’t things be normal?”

“I’m sorry, I wish I could make it stop for good.”

“I know,” Marinette kissed his cheek, “I’m going to get some air.”

“Doodle bug?”

“Alone.” She rushed out of the classroom. She kept moving letting her feet take her wherever they wanted to go so long as it was far from there.

She’s just a normal girl trying to have a normal relationship with a guy she really likes. Why does that have to be so hard? Why does she have to pile on this stress with all the other crap in her life?

Is it not enough that she has to hide most of herself behind locked doors and lie to the people she loves? Is it not enough that the safety of Paris and quite possibly the world depends on her? Is it not enough that she has to smash down all her negative emotions because if Hawkmoth gets ahold of her she could end up handing over her miraculous right to him? Is it not enough that there will never be a time when she can relax and be happy and herself so long as she’s Ladybug?

Is it not enough that she sometimes regrets ever accepting the role of Ladybug?

It was the straw that broke the camels back. Everything was just too much anymore.

“MARINETTE!” She was tackled to the ground.

At first she thought it was Adrien but when she turned around she saw a pair of black cat ears poking out from the blonde head next to hers. “Chat Noir? What are you doing?”

“Akuma was following you. I didn’t want it to get you.”

Her heart lightened. “I appreciate the save but was tackling me really--”

A purple butterfly symbol surrounded her partner’s eyes. “Hello Chat Noir. So good of you to jump in front of my akuma.”

Chapter Text

“Chat Noir!” Marinette grabbed his arm, “Fight it! Don’t listen to him!”

“Marinette…” he tried to look at her but his vision was obscured by the neon glow around his eyes. A voice echoed in his head.

“Chat Noir, you always fight for justice. But what real progress actually happens?” The slithery voice of Hawkmoth twisted around his brain.

“Chat Noir, look right at me,” Marinette held his face in her hands, “You can fight him. Don’t let him overpower you. Please!”

“You are still so young in your power.” Hawkmoth cut through his thoughts again. “I can give you power uninhibited. A chance to change things once and for all. Dispel real justice against those that have slighted you.”

“Like you?” Chat Noir bit back.

“Like Lila Rossi.” Hawkmoth had found a crack in the hero’s armour. “Like the horrible people that harass your dear friend before you.”

Marinette may have said something but Hawkmoth spoke over it.

“They have gone unchecked for far too long. You want them to pay for putting such a dower expression on this young girl’s face. A young girl that has otherwise done nothing wrong. Isn’t that right?”

“It isn’t right…” Chat Noir could make out Marinette’s tear stricken face staring back at him.

How could anyone want to hurt her? Why are these people hurting the girl he likes? Shouldn’t they be happy for him? Happy for them?

“I want her to be happy…”

“Then eliminate the problem.” Hawkmoth said, “You have the power to do so, Chat Blanc.”

“I do.”

“NO!” Marinette’s scream snapped him out of his trance a moment too late. Her horrified and devastated eyes boring into him before the dark magic consumed him and his mind.

Marinette leapt back from Chat Noir. She was frozen on the ground watching as her partner was lost to Hawkmoth. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. “Chat Noir…”

No. There’s no time for tears. She scrambled to her feet and ran away as fast as her feet could take her. She ducked into a secluded alley and collapsed again against the wall. “Ti--Tikki--”

Tikki flew out of the purse. “Marinette, it’s going to be okay.”

“He took the akuma for me.” The guilt was eating her alive, “Now he--he--what am I supposed to do? I can’t fight an akuma without Chat Noir. Now he is the akuma and--why does that idiot keep sacrificing himself for me!” She banged a fist against the wall.

“You’re the only one that can save him from Hawkmoth.” Tikki said, “I know he’s your partner but he needs you or else Hawkmoth will get his miraculous.”

“I know.” Marinette took a deep breath, “Tikki, transform me.”

She leapt to the roof and searched for Chat Noir. “I’m coming for you, Chat Noir.” a dozen screams from down the road drew her attention, “Please don’t do anything stupid before I do.”

When she arrived at the scene she wasn’t prepared for what she saw. Down on the street a lone figure of stark white stood in the center of a crater. He wasn’t moving.

Marinette took a deep breath and jumped down to the street careful to not trip over the large cracks in the pavement. “Chat Noir?” she said quietly.

The white figure turned around. It looked like Chat Noir but he was completely white. Not just his suit but his hair and his skin paled. It was his eyes that unsettled her the most though. Instead of the bright green she was accustomed to they were bright blue. His expression was blank.

“My lady,” his voice was cool and monotone.

“Chat Noir, I am so sorry this has happened to you.” she took a careful step closer. “But please, you need to stop now before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Why shouldn’t they hurt?” he took a step towards her. “Why should any of them be happy when they make others so sad?”

“Life isn’t fair. That is an inescapable truth. But this,” she gestured to split buildings and overturned cars, “This won’t help anything. If you hurt people then what makes you any better than those that you are targeting?”

“If there are no more people then there can be no one to hurt.”

“Chat Noir--”

“My name is Chat Blanc.” he took another step towards her. The ground shook under them. “When they are gone then we can finally be happy. No one can ruin our happiness.”

“I’m not happy Chat Noir,” she shook her head, “I’m not happy seeing my partner like this.”

“It’s not your happiness I was worried about, my lady.” he stretched a hand out to her, “If you do not help me by giving me your miraculous then you will be slotted with the rest.”

“You know I can’t do that Chat Noir.”

“That is what I expected.” A white ball of power started to form around his hand, “White Storm!”

The light shot at Marinette. She dodged out of the way but the blast hit the building behind her cutting a large hole right through it.

“Chat Noir! Stop it!” she rushed him.

“Black Hole!” he aimed at the ground at her feet.

What looked like a big black dot planted itself in the ground swallowing her up. She lashed out her yo-yo and caught it on a street lamp to pull herself out.

Chat Noir had disappeared.

Okay. Take stock. She needed to find out where he could have gone. He hadn’t done anything between where he was akumatized and the street she found him in. What was different? She looked around the street. It looked familiar for some reason.

“Ladybug! Help!” a voice from inside one of the buildings yelled.

“I’m coming!” she leapt in and found a girl pinned down by rubble. She threw it off and got her out. “Are you alright?”

“I am now,” she shuddered, “I was wrapping up a photo-shoot inside when everything started falling apart.”

Photoshoot! That’s why it was familiar. This was the place Adrien had his photoshoot yesterday. Other than that it wasn’t anything special. Maybe a cop tried to stop him and he went on the offensive. There was a police car overturned nearby.

“Get somewhere safe. I’ll fix this.” she assured her. The girl nodded and ran off.

The only other thing she had to go on was what Chat Noir had said. He just wanted them to be happy. But he wasn’t talking about him and Ladybug. It was someone else.

“It’s me.” she whispered to herself, “He took the akuma for me when I was still in civilian form. Marinette’s the one he’s looking for!”

She had to get back to the school! If he was looking for her then that was probably the first place he would go.

Marinette got to the school and a pit of dread settled in her stomach when she saw students fleeing it. She hadn’t managed to beat him here it seems. She rushed inside and saw Chat Noir in the middle of the building with both hands a blaze with white hot destructive power.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette wrapped her yo-yo around him and pulled him away from the cowering group of students. “Stop it! They haven’t done anything.”

“How would you know?” Chat Noir reached to touch her yo-yo but Marinette pulled it back. “You don’t know what they’ve done.”

“It doesn’t matter! You’ve gone too far. You need to stop.”

“No.” Chat Noir leapt to the second floor and slid into the classroom.

Marinette followed after him. Her classmates were still there! Why hadn’t they fled?

“Chat!” Marinette tackled him to the ground and held him for as long as she could. “Everyone out!”

The students started to flee just as Chat Noir broke out of Marinette’s hold. He kicked her hard in the chest sending her flying into the back wall of the classroom. The hit knocked the breath out of her chest. “Chat…” she stood up on shaky legs, “Please, let me help you.”

“Hand over your miraculous.” He held out his hand.

Marinette slowly made her way towards Chat. When she was close enough she leapt at him and crashed them both into the teacher’s desk. She ripped the bell off his suit and smashed it but no akuma flew out. That was one hiding place down.

“I knew you wouldn’t listen.” he muttered before swiping her legs out from under her sending her back to the floor. He loomed over her like a ghost. “You never listen to me.”

“Chat Noir…”

He aimed a blast of power at her. She was able to roll out of the way in time but he was still coming after her. Slow. Calm. Like he knew he didn’t need to worry about what Marinette may do.

Growing desperate Marinette reached for the closest thing and hurled it at him. It was the bouquet of flowers that had gotten left on Marinette’s desk earlier. Chat caught it in one hand and smashed it in his fist. “Really, my lady,” Chat Noir aimed at her again, “Hand me your miraculous. I don’t want to disintegrate you to get them.”

“Stay away from me!” Marinette grabbed something else and threw it at him.

Again he caught it but this time he didn’t destroy it. Marinette was a little thankful for that considering it was her bookbag she had tossed at him. He paused when he looked at the pink bag in his hand giving Marinette her opening. She sprung back to her feet and bound Chat Noir with her yo-yo.

“Black hole,” Chat flicked his finger.

The ground underneath Marinette vanished and she fell through. She barely caught herself on the edge of the hole that had opened up beneath her before pulling herself back out. Chat had gotten away again. That little black hole trick was proving to be a real hindrance. How was it that he could get free so quickly?

It’s Chat. He’s a hero. He’s supposed to be able to get himself out of tight spots like that.

The fight had winded her but there was no time to rest. Chat Noir was still out there. But where? Marinette went to the window to jump out of when she caught sight of Chat Noir lounging by the chimney stacks of her house. The bookbag she had thrown at him was still in his hands.

He’s still in there. Even if he can’t see it himself. The part that wants to protect people.

Whatever Hawkmoth had put in his head it had something to do with Marinette. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage.

“Lucky Charm!” the yo-yo spun into the air. A football dropping into her hands. “Why can it never be something simple?”

She looked around but saw nothing she could use to help her defeat Chat Noir. Maybe if she had help…

Help! That was it. Ladybug versus Chat Noir with unlimited destructive power was near impossible. But what if she had a team of super-powered individuals? Now that felt like fairer odds.

Judging by the football Marinette guessed that Master Fu had to be at the football game today. With her destination set Marinette gazed out the window one last time. Chat Noir wasn’t on her roof anymore but she could very clearly see that he had left her bookbag on her balcony table.

“I’m gonna fix this, Chat Noir.” Marinette said, “I promise.”

She ran out of the school and dashed along the rooftops to the stadium. When she got closer to the stadium she hid in an alley and dropped her transformation. Hopefully it wouldn’t take long to find Fu. There was no telling what Chat Noir may be doing at that very moment.

She was at the entrance to the stadium when a voice sent a shock up her spine.

“Found you,” Chat Noir stood on top of a stadium sign. “I think it’s time you come with me.”

Chapter Text

A string of violent swear words crossed Marinette’s mind as Chat Noir jumped from his high perch and dropped in front of her. She had been this close and he catches her detransformed?

“Chat Noir,” she stood her ground.

“Chat Blanc,” he corrected her, “Come with me, Marinette.”

“Why?”

“So I can protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

“From the bad people. From the horrible creatures that roam this dreadful world that would ever make you cry. I’ll keep you away from their hurtful ways until I’ve dealt with them.”

“Chat,” she shook her head, “I’m not going with you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“Cause what you’re doing isn’t right. I don’t want you to hurt anyone.” she told him. “Please, just stop. Let Ladybug fix all this.”

“My lady can fix many things but she cannot fix this.” Chat Noir stepped closer and Marinette took an instinctive step back. “You are going to come with me, Marinette.”

“No. I’m not going anywhere with you. Not when you’re like this.” She dashed to the right trying to get some distance between them. If she could just get away to transform again--

“I’m doing this for you, Marinette.” Chat Noir caught her easily. His hold was too strong as he vaulted them into the air.

They flew across the stadium. They landed in the middle of the field making the players scatter. With one arm he kept Marinette next to him and with his other he blasted a powerful wave of destruction into the ground creating a huge trench around them.

“There. Now no one will be able to get to you.” Chat Noir let her go, “I’ll be back when I’ve dealt with everyone else.”

“Chat Noir, please don’t do this!” she begged, “I don’t want this. I don’t want you to hurt anyone. Please! You have to listen to me.”

“Marinette,” his gaze softened, “I--”

The neon glow of Hawkmoth’s control lit up around his eyes once more. “Leave him alone!” she yelled. “Chat Noir, fight him! You can break free from this.”

“No!” Chat yelled back clutching his head as Hawkmoth spoke to him. “She isn’t happy! I’m making her cry!”

The glowing mask disappeared but Chat was still Chat Blanc. His eyes met Marinette’s again. As dull and lifeless as when she saw them as Ladybug. “Stay.” He commanded in a flat tone.

He vaulted out of the little island he created in the stadium and vanished from sight.

Marinette ran to the edge of the pillar of earth she was now stranded on. The trenches around her were too deep to see the bottom and the jump across was much too far for her. She couldn’t change into Ladybug either. The stadium cameras were projecting her predicament on the jumbo screens.

“Young miss!” someone called from the other side of the chasm. Master Fu! “Do not worry, we will get you out of there.”

A couple other good samaritans rushed over with a long ladder that they set down across the chasm. Cause this is exactly what Marinette wanted to do. Crawl across a creaking ladder just barely big enough to reach her with a seemingly endless abyss below her.

“Be brave, Marinette,” she murmured to herself as she started to crawl across. If the worst should happen then she was going to transform and she didn’t care who saw. It took about ten years off her life but she got across.

“Thank you,” Marinette tried to calm the shaking of her hands, “You saved me.”

“Come with me, young miss,” Master Fu escorted her over to the player tunnel. “You can wait here for emergency services.”

Once they were out of sight from the others Marinette dropped to the ground again. She was going to need so much therapy after today.

“Marinette,” Master Fu asked, “What happened?”

“An akuma targeted me while I was a civilian and Chat Noir accidentally took it for me instead. I tried to cleanse the akuma but he’s too strong as Chat Blanc. I need help.” she told him.

“I see,” he withdrew the miracle box from a giant rolling cooler he had been dragging around. “Choose an aid to help fight with you. After you have purified the akuma you will return the miraculous to me.”

“Chat Noir knows all my moves as Ladybug. He’s also far too powerful to take on solo. I have an idea but it is going to take a lot of miraculous.” Marinette grabbed the fox, turtle, monkey, and horse miraculous.

“You are positive you need this many?” Master Fu looked at her numerous choices.

“Unfortunately so.” Marinette stuffed the miraculous in her purse, “If he’s not stopped soon then he’s going to hurt a lot of people, destroy the city, and hand over his miraculous to Hawkmoth. I won’t let that happen. I can’t let it happen.”

“You are a strong Ladybug, Marinette. I know you will do whatever it takes to right this wrong.” Master Fu packed the miracle box away. “When you are done I will be here to collect the miraculous.”

“I won’t let you down, master,” Marinette said, “Tikki, transform me!”

It took several trips around town but Marinette found everyone she needed to carry out her plan. It wasn’t a particularly clever plan but with Chat Noir she didn’t have time for nuance. There was too much at stake.

“Alright, is everyone clear on what you need to do?” Marinette asked the team. “Once I get Chat Noir back to the stadium we’ll need to move fast.”

The team nodded and took their places around the ruins of the stadium. Once everyone was in place Marinette took to the roofs. She needed to find Chat Noir again.

She eventually found him sitting on a roof. His gaze sweeping the streets below like he was searching for someone.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette shouted grabbing his attention. “This needs to end now. I won’t let your recklessness hurt anyone else.”

He didn’t say anything. He only stared at her, his hand stretched out with power growing behind it.

There was a chance this could backfire horribly but she was choosing not to think about that part. “Don’t you even care? You hurt the person you were trying to protect!”

His arm started to lower. Time for the final punch. “You hurt Marinette! She tried escaping that pillar of land you placed her on and...the ladder...it just broke.”

“No.” Chat Noir bound past her at the speed of light towards the stadium. It may have been cruel but at least once he was back to normal he wouldn’t remember any of this.

Marinette was barely able to keep up with him as he raced towards the stadium. When they finally made it Marinette was relieved to see the illusion of herself in place. Chat Noir jumped to the illusion without a second thought.

Once he was in place the illusion disappeared in a puff of smoke. Carapace’s green shield surrounded Chat Noir firmly trapping him inside. “Pegasus! King Monkey! Now!”

A portal inside the shield opened and King Monkey leapt out of it wielding a rubber goose that he hit Chat Noir with. The shield dropped and all the heroes converged on him and bound him. He wouldn’t remain powerless forever.

“Lucky Charm!” she waited as her power produced a bag of cookies.

“No!” Chat Noir struggled against the binds. “Let me go! Let me go!”

Marinette knelt down in front of him. “Chat Noir, it is going to be okay.”

“No it won’t!” he bit back, “It won’t be okay! People keep saying it’ll get better but it won’t! It will never get better!”

“Maybe not immediately but in time it will. Whatever it is you’re hurting over.” she opened the bag up and held it out to him, “But in the meantime cookies help with the pain.”

“Cookies?” he stared down at the bag. The fight seemed to leave his body. “Chocolate chip?”

“Sure are.” she fed him one. There were tears streaming down his face. She wiped them away. “Chat Noir, where’s the akuma?”

“Staff.” he muttered. “It is in my staff.”

The neon glow surrounded his eyes once more. He shut his eyes to it. “Quick, get rid of it!”

She grabbed the staff off his back and broke it in two over her knee. “No more evil-doing for you little akuma.” she purified it and watched as the little white butterfly fluttered off into the distance. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she sent the Lucky Charm back to the sky so the ladybugs could fix everything.

Chat Noir’s white vistage melted away into the black clad and green-eyed partner she knew and loved. She nodded to the others and they let him go. She couldn’t help it and tackled him in a hug. She was so happy he was back to normal. This nightmare was finally over.

“Ladybug?” Chat looked down at his partner clinging tightly to him. “What happened? Why is everyone here?”

“You big idiot,” she shook her head, “Don’t you dare scare me like that again!”

“Scare you? What did I…” the pieces started to fit together, “There was an akuma chasing Marinette. I pushed her out of the way and then--was I an akuma?”

“Chat,” Ladybug was using that soft voice she pulled out for akuma victims.

“No. No!” he started shaking, “I couldn’t be!”

“Chat Noir, look at me!” Ladybug grabbed his face and turned it back to her, “It’s not your fault.”

Her earrings started to beep as well as the miraculous of the others.

“Ladybug…”

“I want to stay. I really do.” Ladybug looked heartbroken, “But I gotta go right now.”

“Please, I can’t--”

“I know. You have no idea how much I wish I didn’t need to go.” she hugged him again, “Top of the Eiffel tower, tonight. Okay?”

“Okay.” he let her go. She gave him one more pitying look before taking off with the others following behind.

He wasn’t going to make it to tonight.

---

Marinette had barely made it out of sight before her transformation wore off. She stowed the miraculous in her purse next to Tikki for safekeeping. She’d return them to Master Fu in a minute but right now she needed to breathe.

Fighting Chat Noir was the worst experience of her life. She had been through the ringer these past couple of weeks but this was the cherry on top of her disaster sundae. Then having to leave him all alone because her stupid transformation was wearing off.

She angrily kicked a discarded box in the alleyway. After what he had been through he needed her and she couldn’t stay. What kind of a partner was she?

Solemnly she returned the miraculous to Master Fu. There was something he wanted to say but held off. Perhaps he had noticed how upset she was and didn’t want to add to her distress.

Still, the walk back to the bakery gave her plenty of time to think. Too much time.

She couldn’t forget Chat. She wanted to transform and find him and give him all the love and consolation in the world. He shouldn’t be alone during a time like this.

“Marinette!” her parents breathed out in relief when they saw her come inside, “We were so worried! Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

“Worried? Because of the akuma?” Marinette was too tired to deal with this.

“Yes. It is all over the news.” Her mom pulled up her phone and showed her the news cast. The video showed news cameras and reporters televising the fight between Ladybug and Chat Blanc. Then there was the moment where Chat Blanc had abducted Marinette and left her stranded in the middle of the football stadium.

No wonder her parents were worried.

“I’m fine, mom and dad. Chat Noir saved me from being akumatized and he’s back to normal now so there is nothing to worry about anymore.”

The door to the bakery burst open making everyone inside jump. Adrien was standing in the doorway out of breath. He locked eyes with Marinette behind the counter and ran up to her crushing her in his arms.

“Adrien--what are--” he was shaking so much. “Hey, what’s wrong? Adrien?”

He wouldn’t speak. Or maybe he couldn’t.

“Is it because of the akuma?” Marinette asked.

He squeezed her even tighter. Marinette looked to her parents frightened. This wasn’t like him.

“Adrien,” Her mom rested a hand on his back, “How about you and Marinette head upstairs. I’ll bring you some sweets and brew up a pot of tea. Sound good?”

Adrien nodded. Quickly Marinette ushered him out of the bakery and into the stairwell. They barely made it halfway up the stairs before Adrien broke down completely. He just dropped onto the steps curling into himself and shuddering with sobs.

“Adrien,” Marinette knelt next to him, “Please tell me what’s wrong. You’re worrying me.”

“So--Sorry,” he hiccuped, “I was--I was--”

“Take it slow. Deep breath.” Marinette held him close, “It is going to be alright. Whatever it is we’ll make it better.”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, “I’m so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Marinette asked.

“Couldn’t protect you.” He sniffed. “Followed you...saw the akuma…”

“Protect...oh, Adrien,” Marinette hugged him closer, “That wasn’t something you could control. What happened today wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was.” He muttered in between sobs, “I could have--I should have been better. I should have done more for you.”

“Adrien, look at me,” She held his face in her hands. His big green eyes bloodshot and filled with tears, “What happened today was not your fault. The only person to blame for any of this is Hawkmoth.”

“But I--”

“No! Stop blaming yourself.” she wiped away his tears, “You couldn’t control what happened. Nor does it matter now. We’re here, we’re safe, and we’re together.”

“There’s so much…” he sighed, “So much I want to tell you. So much I have to keep inside. It is crushing me and after today it felt like it flattened me into dust.”

“I know how you feel.” Marinette rested her forehead against his, “I haven’t been able to be just myself in so long that it feels like I’m being suffocated.”

“Really?” he sniffed loudly.

“We’re pretty messed up.” Marinette held his hands, “But maybe when we’re together we can be okay for a little while.”

“We’re okay?” He finally smiled. It was small and broken but it was there. “We’ll be okay?”

Marinette kissed the back of his hand. “We’ll be okay.”

Chapter Text

Adrien had left the worst of his breakdown out on the stairs and now he and Marinette were cuddled on the couch. Marinette’s mom had brought them their promised tea and cookies as well as a blanket fresh out of the dryer. It was the optimal relaxing atmosphere.

“I can’t help but feel that what happened today was my fault too.” Marinette sighed. “If I hadn’t tried to internalize everything and just admitted that I was upset then maybe Chat Noir never would have gotten akumatized protecting me.”

“I thought the only one to blame was Hawkmoth, remember?” Adrien said.

“He is the only one to blame but--I shouldn’t have let all those commenters get to me. I kept shrugging them off and laughing but every time I saw one of those comments...it hurt.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Adrien hugged her closer, “I’ve been getting comments too but not nearly as many as you’ve received I gather. It isn’t fair that we should have to deal with this crap. We’re just teenagers. Why does everyone want a piece of our lives to judge?”

“Cause the people that obsess over stuff like that are people who can’t find enough enjoyment in their own lives so they live vicariously through those they admire and react negatively when they do something they don’t like.”

“Wow. Just off the top of your head?”

“I did some research on mob mentality and celebrity fixation after Alya advised us to stay off social media. It is actually quite fascinating.”

“I love having a smarty pants girlfriend.”

“Do we have a plan moving forward? Is there anything we want to do concerning these haters?” Marinette asked. “I don’t know how well they’ll react if we post something telling them to behave. Telling a large group of people that idolize you that you don’t like how they’re acting cannot end well. They usually go on the defensive and suddenly you’re the jerk for telling them you’re upset at they’re behaviour.”

“Maybe we try a different tactic.” Adrien pulled out his phone and flipped the camera on them. “One...two…” he kissed her cheek catching her off guard.

“What was that for?” Marinette giggled.

“Look,” he showed her the photo. “Do we look cute?”

“Duh”

“Good.” he pulled up his instagram and posted the picture. “Glad my doodle bug is safe after a stressful day. Nothing a good afternoon cuddle can’t cure though. Blessed to have a wonderful and brave girlfriend like @marinettedesigned in my life.”

“You are so corny,” Marinette laughed but the comment did make her heart flutter, “And you think that’s gonna stop people from posting mean comments?”

“I hope that they’ll see this isn’t a casual relationship and that we have real feelings for each other. Then maybe they’ll back off.”

“Either way it is a cute picture of us.”

“You’re in it so of course it is cute.”

“You are such a corny boyfriend!” Marinette rolled her eyes.

It was almost an hour later when Adrien’s phone started blowing up. He was supposed to have been home twenty minutes ago and his father was not happy about it. Reluctantly Adrien left their warm blanket cacoon and headed home.

With Adrien gone Marinette felt the weight of the day fall back on her. And she still had her meet up with Chat Noir later tonight to go to. Comforting one blonde boy to the next. She felt bad getting comforting snuggle time with her boyfriend while her partner was out there possibly having an anxiety attack.

When night finally came Marinette was out the door and zipping across the roofs towards the Eiffel Tower. She scaled the tower to the very top and was relieved when she saw Chat Noir sitting on the edge.

“Hey Chat Noir,” She came to sit next to him.

“Hey,” Chat smiled at her.

“How are you doing?”

“Better than I was this afternoon. I got some emotional support cuddles from my girlfriend after what happened so that helped a lot.”

“Isn’t cuddling just the best medicine?” Marinette chuckled. “But really, are you okay? You had really scared me, Chat.”

“I’m not going to act like I’m perfectly fine cause I’m not.” He stared out over the city. “I watched the news footage.”

“You know shouldn’t have done that. We warn akuma victims not to every time.”

“I know but I couldn’t help it. I needed to see what happened. seeing myself like that...it was horrible. I caused so much damage and pain and I put people I care about in danger.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t just go away. But it wasn’t you, Chat Noir. It was Hawkmoth. What that villain did does not define you. I need you to understand that. None of what happened today was your fault.”

“I know that Hawkmoth is the reason everything went downhill but I gave in to him. I could have fought him off. I could have not let my emotions take over to that point but I did.” his hands clenched into fists, “All I can remember is being angry and upset and just wanting everyone to stop hurting people I care about.”

“Chat…”

“I should have been stronger. I’m a hero. I’m your partner. I can’t afford to be weak like I was today.”

“Kitty, look at me,” Marinette lifted her partner’s chin up, “I want you to stop blaming yourself for everything. I hate seeing you like this. You are one of the strongest people I know. But you’re also human and we humans break down from time to time. There’s no shame in having emotions. It isn’t weakness.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’ve never been akumatized.”

“I almost was.”

“What?” Chat’s eyes looked like they were about ready to pop out of his head.

“I’ve almost been akumatized a couple times now. I was only barely able to keep it at bay.”

“You never told me this.”

“I didn’t want to worry you.” Marinette scratched behind Chat’s ear, “You’re always watching my back and throwing yourself into the line of fire for me so I know that if I were to be akumatized you’d find a way to blame yourself. That’s not what I want. All I want and all I need is you standing by my side.”

“I didn’t stand by your side today.”

“Cause it was my turn to help you. Also, you fought to come back. Before I purified the akuma there were moments when the real you broke through. You were in there and you tried to get out. I’d say that means a lot more than being akumatized in the first place.”

“Are you trying to make me cry again, my lady?”

“I’m only being honest. I don’t know what I did to deserve a great partner like you, kitty.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

“You know I love you, Ladybug.” Chat leaned his cheek against the top of her head. “In a platonic, friendly way of course.”

“Of course,” Marinette said, “I love you too.”

---

The days following the Chat Blanc incident were not fun. Some people were concerned about Chat Noir not being stable enough for super hero duties. The majority of Adrien’s fans were still being gremlins. And Marinette was having a hell of a time playing mediator.

The Chat Noir problem was simple. Marinette as Ladybug got on the news and directly addressed the issue with Chat Noir at her side saying that he was more than fit to defend their city. If they were to judge each other because of Hawkmoth’s terror then what did that say about the citizens of Paris? Chat Noir had to step in calm his partner down when she really started to get heated.

Apparently seeing their super hero duo promising that they will always be there to defend them and save the day put the citizens at ease once more. Also, no reporter wanted to incur the wrath of an angry and defensive Ladybug by suggesting that Chat was anything other than an upstanding hero.

The Chat Blanc incident had added a new level of seriousness to Chat. He still joked and laughed and made his puns but when Ladybug was focusing so was he.

The next patrol they were out on Chat Noir stated his interest into putting more effort into finding out who Hawkmoth is. It surprised Marinette but she didn’t disagree. Hawkmoth had been becoming steadily worse with each akuma he created. Not to mention the Amoks running about thanks to Mayura. She came out onto the front lines more than Hawkmoth so she was really their best bet. Capture Mayura and they could then capture Hawkmoth.

Something a bit less important as stoping a terrorist but felt just as daunting was dealing with the jealous Adrien fans. That front was taking a bit more work. After the picture Adrien posted of Marinette and him snuggling went up there was a good flood of messages from the more balanced fans saying that they were happy for them and how disappointed they were in the toxic side of the fanbase. Then the inevitable hater comments started to filter in but the others were standing up for Adrien and Marinette. The initial hype and hate from the jealous fans had hit its peak and was on the decline.

They still had a ways to go but at least they had a good chunk of the fanbase shutting down the haters.

The best part of all of this though? Now that Adrien and Marinette were publicly dating and most of the drama from fans had abated Adrien could now ask Marinette out on a proper date. Only problem? He wasn’t sure what would make a good first date activity. Sure they had already been dating for almost a month now but this was their first official date. He wanted it to be special.

To be honest, Adrien already had a great date idea. The only problem was that it was the same date idea he had set up for Ladybug before the Glaciator incident. He knew Marinette would like it since he had taken her there as Chat Noir but recreating a romantic picnic that he had done for another girl felt gross. His second thought was to go ice skating but that place brought back memories of his sorta date with Kagami.

Adrien recruited Nino to help him drum up some thoughts on what activities they could do. After all Nino had been dating Alya for months now. Surely he had some fun date ideas.

“I have no ideas.”

“Nino!”

“I’m sorry! I can give you a bunch of traditional date ideas but you’re the one insisting that it needs to be different.” Nino sighed, “I don’t understand why you’re worrying so much about this. Marinette is going to love anything you put together. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Dinner and a movie would work fine.”

“I don’t want our first official date to just be fine. I want it to be great.”

“Great doesn’t have to be extravagant.”

“I’m not looking for something huge just something different. Dinner and movie is a date I will take her out on in the future but for a first date it needs to be something special. Something we’ll remember and won’t just get tangled into the other dates.”

Adrien sighed, dropping his head into his hands. “Ever since we started dating things have been rough on us, but especially Marinette. I want to plan something that shows her how much she means to me. Something that makes up for all I’ve put her through with this relationship.”

“Dude,” Nino flicked the side of his head, “That’s stupid. You haven’t put her through anything that she wasn’t already bracing herself for. Sure the jealous fans got out of control and it caused some pain but you don’t need to apologize for their behaviour. I mean what turned a lot of your crazies around was that simple snapshot of you and Marinette relaxing. All you have to do is have fun with your girlfriend and tell her what it is she means to you.”

“You make it sound like it’s that easy.”

“Cause it is. Alya and I go on low-key dates all the time because all we really need to be happy is being with each other. Planning something nice once in a while is great but the real meat of intimacy is communication.”

“What is with everyone and the mature advice all of the sudden? Last week I watched you try to use your glasses as chopsticks.”

“I can be stupid and deep at the same time. It’s one of the reasons Alya loves me.” Nino boasted. “But seriously, don’t over think this whole date thing. Choose something you’ll both enjoy, maybe something you haven’t tried before, and go from their. So long as you have fun then you’ll remember it. Okay?”

“You’re right.” Adrien nodded, “I will.”

“Okay,” Nino ruffled his friend’s hair. “Let’s look over what we’ve written down again, lover boy.”

Chapter Text

Marinette was sitting at home mindlessly doodling in her notebook when a knock on the front door drew her attention. She went to answer it and was pleasantly surprised to see Adrien. “Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“First,” Adrien pulled a bouquet of pink flowers. “They’re chrysanthemums.”

“They’re beautiful.” Marinette took the bouquet. “Come on in while I put these in some water.”

Adrien stepped inside. “So I heard from Alya that you didn’t have any plans today.”

“Nope.” Marinette put the flowers in a vase, “Pretty bored actually. Is that why you dropped by?”

“It is indeed. But for something a little nicer than a day sitting inside like we usually do.”

“That so?”

“Yes,” He was practically bouncing, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, we have been dating for almost a month now so I think it is high time I ask you on a real first date.”

“Wow, only twenty five days into being boyfriend and girlfriend and you only now ask me on a first date?” Marinette teased. “I’d love to. What did you have in mind?”

“It’s a surprise. Go on and change into something comfortable, that you can move in and with a skirt.”

“Real specific.”

“It has to be.”

“Okay. Be right back.” Marinette ran upstairs and started tearing apart her closet. This was way too sudden! Her first real date with Adrien and she had no outfit prepared! Also what was with those specifications? Where could he possibly be taking her?

Marinette could feel the minutes ticking by before she said screw it and grabbed a knee length maroon skirt and a plain black t-shirt. A pair of black flats and her big warm coat and she was back downstairs. “Will this do?”

“Perfect.” Adrien held out a hand, “We even match.”

“Huh?” Marinette looked over his own outfit. Maroon button up shirt, black slacks and shoes. “I guess we do.”

“We should get going now before we’re late.”

“Late for what?” Adrien pulled her out of the house and into the car waiting out front.

“You’ll see,” They drove a ways before the car finally stopped outside a large building.

“A dance studio?” Marinette looked at Adrien.

“Yep. I signed us up for a one-day dance class. Does that sound fun?”

“Totally.” Now the attire instructions made sense. “I just can’t believe you’d want to hurt your poor toes like that. You know I have two left feet.”

“At Chloe’s party you danced wonderfully.”

“That was a simple box step and it’s a miracle I didn’t step on your toes then.” Marinette laughed. “What did you sign us up for?”

“Tango.”

“Oh, didn’t expect you to choose that.”

“Do you not like it?”

“No! Of course not. It’s just a bit surprising. I thought you were more of a waltz kinda guy.”

“That was my first instinct but Nino said that this would take us out of our comfort zone and it also seemed a lot less stuffy.”

“Well I’m certainly interested.” They walked in. Marinette got a change of shoes for the lesson and they did a couple stretches before their instructor started to explain what they’d be learning today.

“First I am going to get you into your frame so step close.” The instructor put them in front of each other.

“Alright, Adrien, nice strong frame, arm up like this and the other on the small of her back. Marinette, clasp his hand and you are going to place this other hand right here by his shoulder blade like so.” The instructor framed them up. “Okay kids, you’re gonna need to get closer than that. Chest to chest.”

They were pushed even closer together. “Hi there” Adrien chuckled.

“Hi” Marinette blushed.

“Now that you have your frame we’ll start with the steps.” The instructor showed them.

“Dang it,” Marinette chuckled when she stepped forward with the wrong foot. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine, let’s just try this way,” Adrien took a step forward and stepped on her toe.

“Ouch!” Marinette grimaced.

“I am so sorry!” Adrien wanted to bash his head against the wall. Keep in perfect sync with Ladybug while handcuffed to defeat an akuma? No problem. Take two steps without stepping on his girlfriend’s feet in a dance lesson? Fool!

“It’s okay,” Marinette assured him, “I’ll still be able to walk.”

Their lesson continued on until Marinette and Adrien were gliding across the dance floor. Well, it wasn’t exactly gliding but more of an elegant stutter. Still, it made them smile and laugh and Marinette relished in being close to Adrien like this. It felt a lot more intimate then when they cuddled on the couch.

“This is nice,” Marinette said as they tried to keep in time with the music. “I would have never thought to go to a dance lesson for a date.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” Adrien said.

“Are you having fun?” She asked.

“Tons.” he spun her out and then back to his chest. “When we aren’t stepping on each other that is.”

“Who knew out of the two of us you would be the one with two left feet.”

“I am a great dancer, doodle bug. I was just a little nervous.”

“Why were you nervous?” Marinette smirked. “Wouldn’t happen to do with wanting to impress little old me on our first official date, is it? Or maybe you aren’t used to being this close to a girl for so long your brain shorted out.”

“Oh? It’s like that, huh?” Adrien gaped at her with a wide smile. “That is so far off the mark. I wasn’t actually nervous. I was just trying to make you feel better.”

“Uh huh. And the fact that I could feel your heart pounding before we even started dancing meant nothing? That’s just your resting heartbeat? Seems very unhealthy.”

“You are so smug right now, aren’t you?”

“Little bit.” she winked.

He gave her little dip that made her snort. When she came back up Adrien’s face was bright red and his eyes wide.

“Getting winded, sunshine?” Marinette pressed a cool hand against his burning cheek.

“Something like that.” He glanced down at his toes then back up at Marinette.

“I think that we have it for the day.” the instructor stopped the music. “You two progressed beautifully for such a short time. Do you think you’d stop in for more lessons? I’d be happy to add you two to the normal tango class or you can keep attending private lessons.”

“What do you think, Marinette?” Adrien asked.

“It was a lot of fun and I’d certainly like to but do you really want to add dance lessons onto your already busy schedule? I don’t want you burning yourself out for me.”

“I have a lot of stamina and if we keep it to say a lesson a week or so I don’t think it’ll interfere too bad. You also have a crazy agenda, doodle bug.”

“This is true.”

“You don’t need to decide right now.” The instructor told them, “If you change your mind just give us a call.”

“Thank you,” Adrien said.

“You two have a great rest of your day. It was nice to see you again, Adrien. I hope to hear from you soon.” The instructor walked out. Marinette and Adrien got ready to leave and walked back out to the car.

“I have to go home for a Chinese lesson after this so I won’t be able to take you out to lunch but I did have Gorilla pick up some snacks to eat on the drive back.” Adrien pulled out a package of nutella biscuits.

“Heck yeah!” Marinette cracked open a bag. “Anything to drink?”

“May Tea,” he pulled out two bottles from seemingly nowhere. “Green tea and mint for you. Black tea and peach for me.”

“Dating you is the best decision I ever made.” Marinette chugged half her tea in one go. “Dance lessons, nutella, and tea. This is great!”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” He pinched her knee. “Didn’t think store bought snacks would get me so many boyfriend points.”

“It’s the little things, baby.” Marinette chuckled, “Gotta romanticize the little things.”

“Like the good natured heckling my girlfriend gives me during a dance lesson?”

“Yep.”

“Good to know.”

“That reminds me, the instructor said she was happy to see you again. Did you know her before?”

“Vaguely. She was a relatively new instructor back when I was a kid that used to help with the child dance classes.” Adrien shrugged.

“You used to dance?” Marinette had done a lot of research on Adrien before they had started dating but she had never come across this little tidbit of information. It was nice that she was still learning things about him.

“I did ballet until I was eight.”

“Adrien the prima ballerina.” Marinette could just imagine tiny Adrien in his leotard trying to pirouette. “Why’d you stop?”

“Decided it wasn’t for me and took up karate instead.”

“And how long did that last?”

“Five months.”

“Adrien!”

“I was a very indecisive child!”

“Okay, so when did you start piano and fencing?”

“I started fencing when I was eleven after a couple years experimenting with tennis, basketball, and gymnastics. As for piano that started when I was really little. My mom knew how to play but much preferred violin. For years it was my father that taught me how to play. I can remember sitting on his lap at the piano with my hands over his as he played songs. Mom would accompany us on her violin. It was great.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“There was this one song that my mom and father actually wrote together. It was a lullaby they named ‘Adrien’s Song.’ When I had a nightmare or when I was sick they would play it for me to lull me back to sleep.”

“My mom did that too. My dad can’t sing a lick but mom would wrap me in a blanket fresh and warm out of the dryer and sing me this old chinese lullaby that’s been passed down through the generations. Always put me right back to sleep.”

“I like this.”

“This what?”

“Being able to talk about my mom like it isn’t some big tragedy.” Adrien sighed, “It seems any time she’s mentioned nowadays it’s only to be sad. She wouldn’t want that...wherever she is.”

“Oh Adrien,” Marinette pulled him down so he was resting against her shoulder and started to sing. “The moon is watching over you. The moon is bright tonight. Everything is asleep. Everything is still. Fall off to sleep. Fall into dreams. The sun will rise in the morning. The sun will warm your home. Tomorrow you will wake. Tomorrow you will rise. There is no rush. There is no hurry. Fall off to sleep. Fall into dreams. The moon is watching over you.”

“You have a nice voice.”

“I’m glad you speak Chinese so I don’t have to translate.” Marinette brushed some hair out of his face.

They pulled up to the bakery. “I wish we could have stayed out longer but I have a Chinese lesson in like twenty minutes that I cannot be late for or else my father will kill me.”

“It was perfect. Go have fun learning Chinese.” Marinette slid out of the car. “I’ll talk to you later tonight. Oops, almost forgot.” She jumped back in and gave Adrien a kiss on the cheek. “Bye.”

“Marinette,” Adrien caught her hand as she tried to pull away. His eyes searched her face for what she couldn’t tell. Finally he kissed her hand before letting her go. “Bye.”

“Bye. Again.” Marinette held her hand close to her chest.

The car door closed and Adrien watched Marinette fade into the distance as the car headed back to the house.

The date replayed in his head and his heart started to beat faster. The dance lesson had brought some new feelings to light that Adrien hadn’t expected.

Being so close to Marinette like that. Moving together in a dance commonly, if not exclusively, meant for lovers. When he decided to be cheeky and give her a dip near the end of the lesson and she gave that tiny snort with her head thrown back it hit him like a truck. Marinette wasn’t just his cute girlfriend that gave him couch cuddles and stole his hoodie. She wasn’t just his pretty classmate in her polka dot skirts and pastel lip gloss. She was hot!

Whoa! Cool down, Agreste! Do not objectify your girlfriend like that!

While Adrien found Marinette beautiful this was the first time he really found himself attracted to her. Goodness that sounded bad. Not that he wasn’t attracted to her in the first place but attracted in a more physical sort than before. Holding her close with her chest pressed to his and that sweet smell of her perfume radiating off her. He near lost his mind trying to keep his thoughts straight.

Then when he dropped her off and she jumped back in the car for a goodbye kiss he had hoped beyond anything that she was aiming for his lips. He had bit back a disappointed whine when she slid to kiss his cheek like normal. He almost pulled her back into the car for a proper kiss before he thought better of it. If she was still only kissing his cheek and forehead then she must not be completely comfortable with him yet.

Maybe after a couple more dates like today that would change. They were supposed to be taking this slow after all. Nice...and...slow.

That night he had a dream that Marinette and him were on a roof top tangoing like professionals. He blinked and Marinette’s normal clothes had melted away into a red dress as bright as Adrien’s face. He spun her out and back in flat to his chest. Her face drew nearer. He could practically feel her soft lips on his and the overwhelming scent of her perfume. It was...cheesy?

“Wake up!” Plagg wriggled out of his hands. “Kiss your girlfriend, not me.”

Adrien didn’t have the energy to apologize at that moment. His heart was beating fast and all the warmth that had been in his dream felt like it was being sucked out of him. It had felt so real up until his stink cheese cat woke him up. Now he was empty and anxious for something out of his reach.

He grabbed his pillow and muffled his aggravated shrieks. Maybe when he fell back asleep the dream would pick up where he left off.

Chapter Text

Marinette was on the phone with Alya for half an hour gushing about her first date with Adrien. She had kept her cool for the most part during the date but couldn’t help but revert back to her squeeing crush fantasy mentality for a bit. How could she avoid it? She had been fantasizing about this exact scenario for over a year and it was finally real. She was going to be excited about it and no one was allowed to judge her.

Alya listened and asked for every detail. It was after Marinette had finally calmed down a bit that Alya then told her she, Alya, was currently out on a date with Nino.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? I’ve been talking your ear off for the past like forty five minutes.” Marinette felt bad for interrupting them.

“Girl, I was not gonna put you on pause when you were ready to spill all the juicy details about your first date with your new boyfriend. Besides, Nino had to run back to his house and grab more money since he didn’t have enough for lunch and refuses to let me help him pay since I paid last time.”

“Wait, who is watching the kids? I know Nora is out of town this week.”

“Lila.”

Marinette’s smile cracked. “Oh...okay then.”

“Okay, real talk for a second, what is your problem with Lila?” Alya asked. “I get that you think she’s a liar and the fact that she had a thing for Adrien in the past was not ideal when you were crushing on him hardcore but she hasn’t done anything. She backed off Adrien after you he started dating you and she’s really nice. What is up your butt when it comes to her?”

Marinette groaned inward. She knew her attempts at trying to convince people Lila was a liar never worked but it also never stopped being annoying. “I can’t explain it. I get a bad feeling around her and I don’t trust her. Have you never had one of those gut instincts? You barely meet someone and for no reason you just don’t like them immediately.”

“You mean like how every little thing about them annoys you and you know it doesn’t make sense but you are going to be salty the entire time you interact with them?

“Yes! That!”

“I guess I can see that. For the longest time I had the same reaction to Nathaneal.”

“Why Nathaneal?”

“I don’t know! The first day I met him I justed wanted to slap his stupid bangs off his head. I grew out of it though. Maybe the same will happen with you and Lila.”

“Yeah…” Marinette was glad Alya couldn’t see the disgusted face she was making. “Maybe.”

“And I see my boytoy huffing and puffing back up the street. I’ll see you tomorrow for study group.” Alya said.

“See you then.” Marinette hung up.

Having to talk about Lila ruined Marinette’s mood a smidge but hopefully now Alya wouldn’t badger her for not liking Lila anymore.

“I found them!” Tikki popped out of Marinette’s bookbag holding a brand new stack of notecards.

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette took the cards. “I should have started these flash cards earlier but I had zero motivation.”

Marinette put on some music and got to work on her flashcards. It was a big exam they had this week and Marinette was determined to do well on it. She had flashcards, study guides, scheduled out her time for studying solo at home and group studies each day before the exam. Now if Hawkmoth could not send an akuma during her study time that would be perfect. Marinette was used to allnighters but wanted to avoid one as much as she could.

By some miracle Marinette made it to the test without incident. She had been studying all week and now it was all going to pay off...hopefully. She breezed through the test and was one of the first done which made her nervous at first but she brushed it off. She did well. She just needed to keep faith in herself.

The next day everything went wrong. Everyone was filtering into the classroom. Marinette was just about to get her good morning kiss from Adrien when Ms. Bustier called her out into the hall.

“Yes, Ms. Bustier?” Marinette asked.

“Sorry to do this but I am going to have to ask you to open your bookbag, Marinette.” Ms. Bustier said.

“What for?”

“I received an anonymous note in my mailbox claiming that you had stolen the exam answer sheet.”

“What!” Marinette’s eyes bugged out of her skull, “Ms. Bustier, I would never.”

“I know. You are a smart student and an honest one as well but I do have to follow up on this just to be sure. Also, you scored a perfect one hundred percent. If there isn’t an answer sheet in your bag then you can take pride in having the highest score of the class.”

“I got a hundred percent!” Marinette was so happy to hear the news she almost forgot about the accusation of the theft. “You can look in my bag but I didn’t take the answers. I studied. I studied hard. Ask anyone in the classroom. They’ll confirm.”

Ms. Bustier rustled through some papers in Marinette’s bag before pulling out a crumpled ball. She unfurled it and frowned. “Marinette…”

“No,” Marinette snagged the paper and looked on in horror at the answer sheet. “Ms. Bustier, I didn’t take this! I swear! I have no idea how it got in there. Someone must have planted it!”

“Everything okay out here?” Lila’s face appeared in the doorway, “I heard shouting.”

Marinette’s vision tunneled. “You! It was you!”

“Huh? What did I do?” Lila asked innocently.

“You planted the answer sheet in my bag!” Marinette wanted so desperately to maintain her composure but Lila’s mere presence was enough to tick her off.

Marinette wanted to believe that there was good in everybody. Lila had actually been sufferable these past weeks since Marinette and Adrien started dating. She still lied for everything she was worth but she didn’t seem to be acting maliciously. Marinette had even gone so far as to invite the lying devil to the group study sessions as a proverbial olive branch. And this was how she thanked her?

“Marinette, calm down, Lila, please step out here.” Ms. Bustier put herself between the two girls. “Marinette, I understand you are upset but do you have any proof that Lila put the answer sheet in your bag.”

“No.”

“Besides, Lila got the worse grade in the class. If she had stolen the answers wouldn’t she have used them to get a better grade?”

“I did that poorly?”

“I wouldn’t put it past her to flunk on purpose.” Marinette muttered but her comment didn’t go unnoticed.

“Alright, will the both of you please head to the principal’s office so we can get this sorted out. I’ll join you shortly.” Ms. Bustier re-entered the classroom and sighed at the group of students huddled near the door eavesdropping. “Return to your seats, please.”

Adrien gave her a sympathetic look from the doorway.

“I’ll be fine.” Marinette assured him. She blew him a quick kiss then headed to the principal’s office with Lila.

“I swore I'd make your life unbearable, Marinette. Let's see how you get out of this one.” Lila said, an evil grin plastered on her face.

“You are not gonna get to me, Lila.” Marinette squared her shoulders.

“I mean you say that but you did seem very upset with my flowers.”

Marinette stopped. “You’re the one that left that death threat bouquet on my desk?”

“Duh. My mom’s new boyfriend had them delivered to the house but she wasn’t home so I found a better use for them.”

“That’s low. Were you also the one that wrote threatening messages on my locker?”

“No. I just started it.” Lila’s grin grew, “If you are trying to keep something a secret it’s best not to canoodle in the street.”

“You took the picture…” Marinette’s fists started to shake. “I’m not even surprised. I knew you were being too quiet. All that time Adrien and I have been dating you sat in the background hoping the stress from jealous fans would tear us apart.”

“Yeah. But you proved to be annoyingly resistant. It’s no matter. Soon everything will come together and this little pity relationship you have with Adrien will crash and burn.”

“He won’t be fooled by you, Lila. He knows what you truly are.”

“Maybe. But I doubt he’d want a girlfriend that goes so far as to physically hurt someone.”

“What are you--”

Lila smirked before she sent herself rolling down the steps. This girl is crazy.

“Lila!” Marinette was only able to stare in horror as Lila lay at the bottom of the stairs crying. That dramatic fool is lucky she didn’t break her neck doing that.

“What’s going on out here?” Mr. Damocles rushed out of his office.

“Marinette pushed me down the stairs!” Lila sobbed.

“I didn’t--”

“Marinette, in my office!” Mr. Damocles snapped. Some of the students in the other classrooms poked their heads out to see what was happening. “Someone please help Lila to the nurses office.”

Marinette wanted to scream and shout but knew it would only add to the fire. Without any other option Marinette entered the principal’s office and sat down. It was a long time of Marinette’s parents being called in and Marinette trying to explain her side of the story. She hadn’t pushed Lila down the stairs!

Mr. Damocles pulled up the security footage. It wasn’t the best quality but what it did show was Marinette and Lila at the top of the stairs. They were visibly arguing before Lila went tumbling down. Marinette’s arms were outstretched in an attempt that she knew was trying to grab her but looked an awful like she was pushing her.

Could this day get any worse?

Lila limped into the office and sat down. She had a couple scrapes and bruises on her arms and knees but besides that she looked perfectly fine.

“I don't know why Marinette doesn't like me! I've really tried to be her friend, but she keeps calling me a liar, getting the others to gang up against me, and now, she's pushing me down the stairs?” Lila sniffled, “I even have reason to believe she stole a necklace I got from my grandmother.”

“What reason?” Marinette snapped, “What reason would I have to steal your necklace?”

“I know Alya is a very big fan of Rena Rouge and her birthday is coming up so I wouldn’t put it past you to take it. It is a fox pendant after all.”

“I am a designer! I could make her a fox pendant! I could make her an entire Rena Rouge cosplay if I wanted to! So then why would I go to the trouble to steal a necklace from you when I could make one myself?”

“Authenticity?”

“You little--”

“My daughter is not a thief!” Her dad placed a reassuring hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

“I for one don’t see why should we believe any of this. You're accusing her without any proof!” her mom said this time.

“Then you shouldn’t object to a search of your locker!” Lila snapped back at Marinette.

“Enough!” Mr. Damocles stood up. “We are getting to the bottom of this right now.”

Everyone filtered out of the office and went downstairs to the lockers. There were other students around now that made Marinette even more anxious.

“Open your locker, please.” Mr. Damocles said.

Marinette stood in front of her locker with a lump in her throat. She really didn’t want to open it. She knew that Lila somehow stashed the necklace in there. When it was found then no one would believe her no matter what she said.

With a deep breath Marinette opened the locker and the pendant dropped onto the floor.

“My grandma's pendant!” Lila scooped up the necklace and cradled it close. She looked back at Marinette and the others with tear filled eyes. “I so wanted to believe in you, Marinette.”

“I could say the same thing.” Marinette seethed.

It was the sound of Marinette’s mom sobbing that broke her. She couldn’t maintain anymore.

“I have had it!” She yelled barely fighting back tears of her own, “She's making up this whole thing! It wasn't me! I didn't do anything, I swear!”

Her eyes searched the crowd for someone who believed her. Adrien had pushed through to her side. “Marinette,”

“You know Lila's lying, don't you, Adrien?” she asked. Her voice quieter as her rage was replaced with sorrow.

“I know.” He brushed her tears away, “Mr. Damocles, I don’t think--”

“Adrien, I know you want to defend your girlfriend but the facts are irrefutable. Marinette, you have acted violently towards your peer, have violated the school’s code of conduct by stealing from your peers and teacher, as well as cheating on your exam. You are hereby expelled from this school and a formal due process before the school board will be arranged.”

“But--but--” Marinette curled into Adrien.

“Mr. Damocles, this a horrible mistake! Marinette shouldn’t be expelled!” Adrien argued. “This evidence is circumstantial at best.”

“Come on,” Her dad guided her and her mom towards the door, “Let’s get out of this wretched place.”

“Marinette! NO!” Adrien screamed.

A cold feeling washed over Marinette. A voice echoing in her head like a demon. “Princess Justice, I am Scarlet Moth. Since the innocent isn't to be believed anymore, I'm giving you the power to expose the truth. In return, you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous.”

The miraculous…all she had to do was give him the miraculous.

Marinette reached for her earrings.

Then just as quickly the cold feeling was gone replaced by Adrien holding her tightly. “What...what happened?”

“There were a bunch of akumas. But they vanished almost instantly.” Adrien looked like he was about to keel over, “That is the second time this month you have almost been akumatized. I think I am going to puke.”

“Calm down. Please don’t puke.” Marinette hugged him back. “I’m the one that should be freaking out here.”

“I know. I just...Chat Blanc flashback.”

“Marinette,” Her dad said, “We need to go.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Marinette told Adrien.

Adrien kissed her forehead. “Stay safe.”

Marinette went home with her parents bordering her like her own personal body guards. Once she was in the house she ran to shut herself in her room. When she had calmed down enough she checked her phone. There were a few texts from Adrien that made her smile and a buttload of texts and missed calls from Alya. Well she knew who she was gonna have to call back.

“Finally!” Alya answered on the first ring, “I have been trying to get ahold of you since you left.”

“Damage control for the stressed out mind.” Marinette told her, “What’s up?”

“What is up is that I am going to prove your innocence and get you back in class. I know you girl, I know that you didn’t cheat and I know you wouldn’t have pushed Lila down the stairs. As for stealing her necklace that is a little up in the air but only because you have a proclivity for palming people’s phones.”

“I didn’t steal her stupid necklace!”

“And I believe you!”

“So what are you gonna do?”

“Girl, I have already done it. Well, sorta. I tried to get fingerprints off your locker but the janitor had already cleaned it. I interviewed Lila. I looked at the surveillance footage of you allegedly pushing her down the stairs.”

“How have you done all that in the past two hours?”

“I skipped lunch. We don’t have a lot of evidence to support you though. The video is not great which since this is a well funded school doesn’t make sense. There are a lot of high profile peeps attending you’d think they’d want to update the security system.”

“Alya, focus.”

“Sorry. The footage doesn’t look good but Lila was standing very close to the stairs so it could be that she fell on her own. No one saw you steal the necklace but no one saw it being planted either. Same for the exam answers.”

“Peachy.”

“It isn’t the end of the world. I know for a fact that you have been studying your butt off for that test and anyone in our study group would attest to it. Two, I know Lila annoys you but you are not a violent person. And three, you have no motive to steal her necklace outside of said annoyance. If you really wanted a fox pendant you could just make one.”

“That’s what I said!”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head over this. You chill at home and keep under the radar and I’ll keep looking for evidence. Love ya, stay out of trouble.”

“I endeavor to. Love you too and good luck.” Marinette hung up.

Worst day ever!

At least Alya was helping her. It was just so frustrating to be stuck at home unable to do anything. She got comfy and pulled up her laptop to binge some old episodes of Code Lyoko to distract her troubled mind.

Chapter Text

“Adrien,” Plagg said from the bed, “If you keep pacing you’ll carve a rut in the floor.”

“I’m thinking.” Adrien said, “Pacing helps me think.”

“You’re worrying over nothing.”

“Marinette is going to be expelled from school! I don’t think that’s nothing!”

“She won’t be expelled.”

“You don’t know that. Unless I find a way to expose Lila then nothing will change.” Adrien finally stopped pacing and flopped himself on his couch, “I can’t believe I let this happen. Lila had been far too quiet when Marinette and I started dating. She’s probably been planning this for weeks. Marinette as well as half the class almost got akumatized because of the havoc she caused. I need to do something! I need to reel her in somehow.”

Last night he had talked with Marinette for a long time about what happened. She informed him of Lila’s involvement in exposing their relationship and the death threat flowers as well. She was still shaken and upset but informed him about Alya’s investigation. He asked her if there was anything he could do to help. But...

“I don’t think I want you getting involved.” Marinette told him. “We both know how temperamental your dad can be when it comes to influence from your peers. If he thinks you dating me is not good for you then he could keep us from seeing each other. Heck, the man might pull you out of school altogether. I don’t want that.”

“But I can’t sit on the sidelines either! I know Lila is lying about all of this. We just need a way to prove it so she finally stops.” Adrien argued.

“I don’t like it either but the situation has gotten very complicated. I have some time before the hearing with the school board so I need to start on a defense for why I shouldn’t be expelled. Failing that I’m going to have to search for a new school to attend.”

“This sucks.”

“You’re telling me.” Marinette sighed. “I have to go to bed now. Mom and dad are having me help in the bakery while we try to sort this out so I gotta be up bright and early.”

“Okay, I’ll let you get your beauty sleep.” Adrien yawned, “Goodnight, doodle bug. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

The next day at school was horrible. The spot where Marinette should have been empty and mocking him. Everyone was talking about yesterday too. Lila came in wrapped in bandages and wincing at every little thing. She had taken quite a tumble down the stairs but he refused to believe she was in such horrible pain she needed all that dressing. Wouldn’t it have been mainly bruises anyway? Why did she need bandages outside of gaining sympathy points.

A fire lit in his stomach. Adrien knew Marinette wanted him to stay out of it but Lila had gone too far. She hurt Marinette. She set out to hurt his girlfriend. Things have been an uphill battle with their relationship because of Lila. Was she even aware of how much destruction she was responsible for?

He was ending this now.

His phone pinged. Akuma alert.

The news footage started playing. “This is Nadja Chamack, live from the Arc de Triomphe, where Ladybug is battling against a new supervillain.”

“I am Mayura, and I'm about to annihilate Ladybug.” Mayura boasted to the camera with an evil cackle.

Guess confronting Lila was gonna have to wait. Adrien ran into the nearest empty classroom and transformed. He slipped out the window and made his way to the battle.

“Chat Noir to the rescue, milady!” Adrien touched down on the Arc de Triomphe minutes later.

“Ah!” Ladybug gave a pained yell and fell to the ground.

“No!” Adrien rushed to his injured partner. “Are you okay?”

“Don't worry about me. Go after Mayura.” she tried to sit up and winced, “Ow! Chat Noir, I don’t feel so good…”

“There's something wrong, we're supposed to be nearly invincible.” Adrien tried to hold her gently. “I have to find help or--”

“Chat, don’t leave me.” she whimpered.

“You need help! I don’t know. Maybe if we get you to a hospital.”

“No. Please. Just stay here with me.” She urged him closer. “I need to tell you something just in case.”

“Don’t talk like that. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Chat Noir, please, listen,” She cupped his hand, “I've always gone out of my way to hide my true feelings for you, but I just can't do it anymore.”

“What? I don’t...huh?” What was Ladybug talking about?

“After all this time, I've realized that you're always here for me, even when I keep rejecting you. Your feelings haven't changed, and mine are growing stronger every day. I can't pretend anymore.” Ladybug’s face drew closer.

Adrien dropped her onto the floor. “You’re not Ladybug.”

“What? What do you mean--”

“I have a girlfriend.” he stated, “The real Ladybug knows this and would never try to disrupt my happy relationship by confessing.”

“Good to know you can spot the real from the fake.” The real Ladybug landed on the roof, “How are things with your girlfriend going anyway?”

“Great. Hit a few bumps in the road but we’re working through them.”

“That’s great to hear.”

“Hey!” Fakey Ladybug shouted at them, “Don’t act like I’m not here!”

“Is she an akuma?” Adrien asked Ladybug.

“No. Mayura was here. It has to be a sentimonster.”

“Fine.” Mayura emerged from her hiding place. “It would have worked had it not been for Chat Noir not falling for my perfect little Ladybug.”

“You jerks can’t use my crush on Ladybug against me anymore! HAHA!” Adrien whooped. “I got an adorable, talented, hot tamale of a girlfriend now!”

“Did you just call your girlfriend a hot tamale? Have some class, Chat Noir.” Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Sorry. Got caught up in the moment.”

“Clearly.”

“I’ve had enough of this,” Mayura snapped, “Senti-Ladybug, steal their miraculous at any cost! Don’t hold back!”

“Senti-charm!” the Fakey Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the sky. A giant blaster dropped into her hands.

“I’ll show you a real, Lucky Charm!” Ladybug did the same thing and into her waiting hands dropped a...fork.

Adrien snorted.

“Shut up, Chat.” Fakey Ladybug started firing at them. Adrien and Ladybug jumped out of the way to avoid her.

“Got a plan?” Adrien asked.

“Working on it. I need to figure out where the amok is first.” Ladybug said.

“Mayura has an Eiffel Tower keychain in her hand. Possible it could be in there?”

“Seems a good a lead as any. Also look, Mayura looks exhausted. This is our chance to bring her down. And find out who's behind the mask.” They dodged again. Ladybug stopped and picked up a glass pane. “You’re gonna want to cover your ears.”

Adrien covered his ears in time for Ladybug to drag the fork across the glass. Just seeing her do it was setting his hair on end. Mayura dropped the keychain to cover her ears and Ladybug scooped it up.

Adrien waited for her to break it but she didn’t. “What’s wrong?”

Ladybug stared at Fakey Ladybug. “There's nothing monstrous about her. Whoever possesses this controls the sentimonster. She couldn't help but follow orders.” She dropped the keychain into Fakey Ladybug’s hands, “Sentimonster, you're free now. I won't give you orders, but I ask you, help us grab Mayura's miraculous.”

“Thank you, Ladybug. I will help you.” Fakey smiled.

“Yes! New team name! I nominate we call ourselves Chat Noir and his Ladybugs!” Adrien cheered.

“I prefer the Bugettes and Kitty Cat. What do you think?” Ladybug asked Fakey.

“You’re in charge, Ladybug.” Fakey saluted.

“I should have known. I envisioned being double teamed but not like this.” Adrien grumbled.

“CHAT!” Both Ladybugs gaped at him. “Have some class, please! Do you talk to your girlfriend like this?”

“Again, sorry, it just slipped out.”

The trio were about to charge on Mayura when Mayura did the worst and pulled the amok from the charm. The fake Ladybug disappeared. Adrien knew it shouldn’t have been a big deal. She was just a sentimonster but seeing her crumble away like that...it wasn’t right!

“How could you!” Adrien charged. Before he could get to Mayura, Hawkmoth himself dropped in and kicked him away. “I am tired of this abuse!”

There was no time for quick quips. Adrien’s eyes narrowed. All he could see when he looked at Hawkmoth was destruction. Marinette’s cries echoing in his head. All this man had done was hurt people. Today it was going to end.

They attacked and attacked but Hawkmoth stayed just one step ahead. That was until Ladybug got a hold of Mayura. It looked like they had the upper hand at last but then Hawkmoth grabbed Adrien. Adrien powered up his miraculous to buy them time but it wasn’t much. Ladybug was gonna detransform soon and so would Adrien in five minutes.

They had to do something. Adrien’s mind flashed back to the footage he had watched of himself as Chat Blanc. An idea popped into his head but it was crazy. If it worked though it could save them. If it didn’t then he would look very foolish.

“Hey Hawkmoth.” Adrien looked up at his captor. “Y’know you really shouldn’t have akumatized me.”

“And why is that?”

“It gave me ideas.”

“What are you going on about?” Hawkmoth snapped at him.

“Just this.” Adrien smirked, “Black Storm!”

An eruption of black destructive energy shot from his hand and into the sky. The feeling was insane. Like a crack of lightning had been brewing in his gut and zapped it's way through his blood and out his hand. It was far more powerful then anything he had ever produced before. Hawkmoth dropped him to get out of the way of the blast. Adrien tried to get to his feet but the surge of energy had winded him far worse than he had thought. His whole right side buzzed and tingled uncomfortably.

While he was indeed free it seemed that his new power hadn’t worked out exactly as he had hoped. It was big but it was also uncontrollable and had blasted in every which direction. Ladybug dropped Mayura in her rush to cover from the blast. When the storm cleared Mayura and Hawkmoth were gone.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug ran to him. “Are you okay? What was that? How did you do that?”

“I’m fine. That storm took a lot out of me.” He rested back against the ground. “I’m gonna puke.”

“You’re not gonna puke.” Ladybug smoothed out his hair. Her earrings beeped. “Chat Noir, I gotta--”

“Go. I’ll be fine.” Adrien stood up to prove his point.

“We will resume this conversation at patrol.” Ladybug told him. She sent the fork back to the sky to initiate the miraculous cure before zipping off to places unknown.

Adrien dragged himself home and collapsed in his bed.

“Um, Adrien,” Plagg came back to him a couple minutes later after he had some cheese.

“Yeah?” Adrien asked, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“It’s too early for you to be home. You still have like three hours of classes to get back to.”

“Son of a--!”

Adrien tried to talk himself into staying home to rest but the guilt of skipping class won out and he snuck back out. Nino asked where he had gone and Adrien made up some sort of lie about a long phone call.

He really didn’t want to be here now. He was tired not just from the akuma attack but emotionally as well. He had been manipulated and beaten up once again. His girlfriend was facing expulsion for things she didn’t do. Lila was hurting people he cared about. He had to keep all of this to himself because no one would believe him if he said Lila was responsible. He desperately wanted to go to therapy but he was terrified that if he mentioned it to his father then he would blame it all on his friends and pull him out of school. And to top it all off he was wearing junky socks that kept slipping down into his shoes and it was really annoying.

With no one to vent to since he was still in class he went to the next best thing. Months ago he looked up ways to cope with stress and one of the tips was to keep a journal to write out his feelings that way it wasn’t all in his head. It was pretty good at calming him down. He just had to keep it hidden because if anyone ever saw it they would probably figure out he was Chat Noir. He never directly referred to himself as Chat Noir but anyone with two brain cells would be able to put it together. He sat down in a far corner of the library and got to writing.

He started out venting his frustration about the mess with Marinette and Lila and the latest akuma attack. Once that was out of his system he started about other things. Like how he had been able to change his power earlier today.

The new power had shocked him a great deal. He really wasn’t expecting it to work. But now he had a new power! Hopefully. There was really no way he could tell if it was a one time thing. He could find an abandoned building to test it out in, when he got the chance.

Maybe this meant he was getting stronger. Hawkmoth had once said that Chat Noir and Ladybug were still so young in their power. What if this was growth? What if he could prolong his detransformation or keep from de-transforming after using his power altogether? It could change so much!

He’d have to talk it over with Ladybug though. Maybe look into getting her some new powers too!

He put his journal away and went through the rest of his classes before being carted off to his after school photoshoot.

This day really wouldn’t end. He just wanted to go home and nap.

“Just get through this shoot, Adrien.” he told himself, “A couple photos and then your bed awaits.”

When he got to the set though he realized the exact hell he was in for. Lila was here. What did she want?

“Adrien!” Lila waved him over.

“Lila.” Adrien sighed, “Why are you here?”

Giuseppe the photographer cut in, “Do you know each other? Oh my,” he wrapped an arm around Lila’s shoulders, “your papa's new muse is incredible! She's been all around the world, she knows all the celebrities, and she's Italian, just like me!”

Adrien wanted to say that if she was really Italian then why didn’t she have even a hint of an Italian accent, but kept it to himself. There were bigger issues to confront.

“Isn’t this great?” Lila gushed, “You're gonna have to give me tons of tips, because I'm not as experienced as you are.”

“My father’s new muse?” Adrien said, “I wasn’t even aware that you were talking to my father.”

“Oh that, I’ve had a few brief meetings with him since I met him that day we hung out at your house. The last time we talked he said he had to have me as one of his models. How could I say no?”

Father...what has Adrien done? Isn’t he a good child? He does well in school. He eats all his veggies. Did you have to pick Lila out of all people? Why not Juleka? She really wants to be a model! Adrien would rather be modeling with Chloe right now!

Cool down. Deep breath. Bigger issues need addressing.

“Would you mind leaving us alone for a second?” Adrien asked Giuseppe.

“Sure.” Giuseppe and the make-up artist left them.

Adrien stepped in front of where Lila was sitting and stared her down until her smile melted away.

“Something wrong?” Lila asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

“I warned you once already, Lila, but you didn't listen.” Adrien put as much ice into his words as he could, “You hurt my girlfriend, and that's not okay.”

“Me? Hurting Marinette? But she's the one who--”

“I don't know how to prove you lied, Lila, because you're good at it. So you'll just have to come up with another lie, just as convincing. Only this time it's gonna prove Marinette's innocence.” Adrien was seething.

“Why would I do that, Adrien?” Lila challenged.

“Because we're friends, aren't we?”

“I’d like it if we were more than friends.” Lila stood up, getting uncomfortably close to him and running a hand through his hair.

“Friends only.” Adrien smacked her hand away. “Take it or leave it.”

“And why not? I’m pretty, talented and your father obviously approves of me more than he does her. Are you gonna tell me that you actually love that wannabe designer?”

Adrien didn’t answer.

“Disappointing, but fine.” Lila spat, “She’ll be back in school by the end of the week.”

“Good.”

The photographer came back and Adrien put on a happy face for the camera. I’m doing this for Marinette. I’m doing this for Marinette.

Chapter Text

“Sweetie, make sure you’re getting inside the entirety of the mold.” Marinette’s dad told her. After she had finished her Ladybug thing she was back in the bakery. Right now her dad was showing her how to make caneles.

“I am.” Marinette sighed as she finished greasing another mold. “I thought maybe you’d have me mixing stuff instead of this prep work.”

“Prep work is just as essential as mixing.” Her dad said.

It was menial work but it kept her mind free for other things. Mainly that crazy power surge Chat Noir let off during the battle! Holy crap! The last time she had seen him do something like that was when he was Chat Blanc. The power both amazed and terrified her. If Chat Noir was getting stronger that was great! But seeing that much untamed destruction flow from him reminded her too much of when he was akumatized. It was frightening.

She wasn’t sure Chat understood exactly how massive his Black Storm was. It was like a tornado had launched from his hand. She’d talk to him about it during patrol.

After her work was done in the bakery she went up to her room and started on her defense for the school. She was arranging to take a re-test of the exam to prove her grade wasn’t a hoax and with some luck that would help prove her innocence. As for the pushing down the stairs and theft of the necklace that was going to rely more on her reputation and testimonies of her classmates. Adrien and Alya were definitely on her side and Alya was working on getting statements from their classmates to defend her. No one wanted to see Marinette expelled.

The multiple almost akumatization didn’t help matters but that could be more chalked up to emotions in the moment and not definite opinion.

Marinette was feeling really good about this.

The next day when she was called back to the school Marinette was prepared. She brought her defense but was surprised when she arrived at the principal’s office and the only other person there was Lila. Marinette looked to her parents who shrugged. That was comforting.

Marinette sat down. “What is going on?” she asked. “I thought this was my hearing before the school board.”

“Lila asked that we have this meeting. She said it was of great urgence.” Mr. Damocles said.

Oh no. What was Lila going to do now?

“It is of great urgence, Mr. Damocles.” Lila put on her most pitiable face. “I am here to ask that you do not expel Marinette from school.”

“Huh?” Marinette was visibly taken aback.

“I have had some time to think since that horrible day and I realized I was wrong about Marinette.” Lila said, “When we were heading to your office we did get in a little spat about her blaming me for planting the test answers in her bag but I don’t believe she pushed me. I was near the stairs and I think I just fell but Marinette was right there and I was in so much pain that I blamed her.”

“I see,” Mr. Damocles nodded, “And the necklace? It was found in Marinette’s locker.”

“And my locker is just two down from hers. I think I may have accidentally tossed it into hers when I was running late for class one day. Then when I saw it resting on the top shelf the next day my brain automatically assumed she stole it.” Lila looked at Marinette now. “I’m sorry I blamed you for my mistakes.”

“I…” Marinette was shocked. She knew Lila was lying but, why? Why was she helping her come back to school?

“I understand if you wouldn’t want to forgive me,” Lila wiped away a nonexistent tear, “I made life so much more stressful for you and I am truly sorry. You don’t have to forgive me but I just couldn’t live with myself if I let our very own everyday Ladybug be expelled.”

“Lila that is very touching.” Mr. Damocles sniffled, “Marinette, you of course will be allowed to attend classes again tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Marinette looked at Lila, “And Lila I...I forgive you?”

“That’s great!” Lila squealed. “Then everything is better!”

“Marinette, we just need you to sign a few things. Lila, you are free to go now.” Mr. Damocles said.

“Bye. Can’t wait to have you back in class, Marinette!” Lila strutted out of the room.

Marinette had no idea what just happened but she wasn’t expelled anymore so she was going to take it and think about the implications later. After a few documents and a talk with her parents they headed back to the bakery.

She first texted Alya to tell her that she could stop the investigation since Marinette was being allowed back to school. She then texted Adrien to ask if he had any idea why Lila had lied to get her back into the school.

Adrien texted her back almost instantly.

I do know but you can’t be mad at me --Adrien

That was not comforting.

Adrien what did you do??? --Marinette

I made a deal with the devil --Adrien

Sunshine, if you want fresh croissants tomorrow you’re gonna start making sense --Marinette

I made a deal with Lila to get you un-expelled. Please bring croissants! --Adrien

Okay. This was no longer text news. Time to make a call.

“Hey, doodle bug, what’s up?” Adrien answered.

“Adrien, what kind of deal did you make with Lila?”

“I may have promised to act like her close friend in return for your acceptance back into the school. It seems she kept good on that.” Adrien’s half-hearted laugh died in his throat. “Are you mad?”

“Mad? No. Of course not. You scared me. I thought you made some kind of deal that endangered you.”

“Endanger me how?”

“I don’t know. She could have asked anything of you and your dumb, adorable, selfless self would have done it.”

“That’s...true. It could be worse though. She tried to twist it so that I would dump you and date her but I shot that down real quick.”

“She really is the worst. But good to know that you were able to strike a deal without that concession. What made her accept just friendship?”

“Oh, I may have said uh--well I didn’t say anything, she said...and I didn’t deny what she said so--it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you aren’t expelled and we can continue dating and everything will sort itself out.”

“There’s something else you’re not telling me, is there?”

“Okay. Apparently my father decided that Lila was his new muse so she’s now my co-worker on photoshoots.”

“Say what?”

“It’s not great but I can handle this. I’m probably making it sound a lot worse than it is.”

“Adrien, it’s me, if you’re pissed you can say so. Hearing that you’re stuck with her during school and at photoshoots angers me too.”

Adrien sighed, “I am angry. I’m angry at Lila for lying and at our class for believing her and at myself for not doing anything sooner. If I had said something then none of this would have happened.”

“What did I say about blaming yourself for everything?” Marinette wished she was with him, “This isn’t your fault. We both know that Lila is a good manipulator. If we tried to expose her to the class with no proof then it would just create more problems.”

“We could get proof though! We both know she doesn’t actually know Jagged Stone. We could call him and expose her lie right now.”

“Until she comes up with another convoluted lie that gets her out of trouble and gains even more admiration. If we want to expose her it has to be full proof. We need evidence that she can absolutely not lie her way out of.”

“That’s not gonna be easy.”

“I know. We’re gonna have to keep this under the radar. The second she thinks that we’re trying to out her is the moment all our plans go out the door. So for now we’ll lie low and go along with this stupid narrative she’s created. Her lies cannot last forever.”

“How are we gonna amass any proof?”

“Don’t know. We’ll find a way.” Marinette assured him.

“While I have you would it be too much to ask you to come to my next photoshoot? I really don’t want to be alone with Lila.” Adrien asked, sheepishly.

“Of course I will." Marinette chuckled, “You know, this reminds me of...nevermind.”

“What?”

Now was a good a time as any to reveal this tiny secret to her boyfriend. “It’s just, do you remember when your dad got akumatized over that missing book?”

“Yeah. That’s not exactly something you forget.”

“Well, I may have been the one to return it.”

“You stole my book?”

“No! It was Lila that stole the book!” Marinette defended, “I may have also been spying on you two and followed you to the park where I saw Lila throw the book in the trash. I fished it out of the garbage can and I was gonna return it to you to start a conversation. Then your dad pulled you out of school so I acted like I stole it and returned it to him so he would let you come back to class.”

“Really?”

“Yep. You don’t find it weird that I was spying on you?”

“Marinette, you had a big fat crush on me to the point where you almost kissed, what you thought, was a wax statue of me.” Adrien reminded her, “You spying on a conversation I was having with another girl that was obviously interested in me doesn’t seem that far-fetched.”

“You had to bring up the wax museum didn’t you?” Marinette’s face was red hot.

“It’s where our whole relationship started. It was cute and look where it led? We’re dating! Good memories only.”

“Why do I feel like this is going to be part of a really embarrassing wedding toast one day?” Marinette muttered.

“Did you say wedding?”

Crap, did I say that out loud!

“Oops, my dad is calling me back to the bakery. I better go before we burn the baguettes. See you tomorrow! Bye!” Marinette hung up.

“I think that went well.” Marinette looked to Tikki. “Right?”

“Oh Marinette…” Tikki shook her head.

---

Marinette was ready for her first day back at school after almost being expelled. She was a little worried about how the class would react to seeing her. Sure Lila’s lies proved her innocent and she aced the re-test so there was no reason to be worried but Lila’s lies also painted Lila as a humble class hero. Now that Adrien had to act like her friend it was only going to add fuel to the fire.

But like a good girlfriend that wanted to make this easier on her boyfriend for his sacrifice she packed a bag of his favorite goodies. She may have also worn his hoodie to school since he liked how she looked in it. It would also piss Lila off to no end.

She waited out on the steps for him to show up for school and skipped down to greet him when his car pulled up. “Good morning sunshine,” she gave him a good morning kiss, “Sleep well?”

“Good morning, doodle bug,” he kissed her back, “Is that my hoodie?”

“Yes.” She held up the bag, “I also have fresh baked treats.”

“Thanks,” they walked into class together, “Is this because of the Lila thing?”

“Think of it as a thank you for doing what you did. I know you didn’t have to and I appreciate you doing it.”

“Of course I had to. I wasn’t gonna let her get away with getting you expelled.” he opened the bag and pulled out a macaron, “Are these passionfruit?”

“Yepper!”

“I want a giant one of these for the wedding cake.”

“The what?” Marinette’s heart missed a beat.

“Yesterday you were talking about our inevitable embarrassing wedding toasts and I just thought--”

“Oh that?” Marinette forced a laugh, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just meant in a hypothetical wedding. Not that we would actually get married or anything.”

Adrien stared at her with the saddest puppy dog eyes, “Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?”

“I didn’t--that is not--what I meant was--” Marinette was stammering again, “It’s not like you want to marry me...do you want to marry me?”

“Yes--I mean, yeah, I um...” This time it was Adrien that was tripping over his words. “I don’t really have any objections to that idea. Hypothetically speaking?”

“Yeah...hypothetically. We’re only fifteen and barely a month into this relationship we don’t need to be bringing up marriage.”

“Right!”

They sat down at their desks.

Alya leaned over towards them, “Did I hear you two talking about a wedding? Adrien, did something happen this morning that I should know of?”

“Alya!” Marinette flipped the hood up so no one could see her beet red face.

“I call best man!” Nino joined in.

“Stooooooop!” Adrien hid his face behind his book.

“Hi, everyone,” Lila walked into class and Marinette tried not to scowl outright.

“Adrien, your face is redder than a tomato,” Lila sat down on the corner of his desk, “What are they embarrassing you with today?”

“We overheard him and Marinette making wedding plans and they got shy.”

“We weren’t planning anything!” Marinette moaned.

“Oh, that’s adorable!” Lila’s voice had pitched an octave. “I had better be a bridesmaid, Marinette.”

What in the world was she doing? Marinette looked at Lila who was positively dripping with excessive false cheer.

The rest of the class seemed to notice too. Lila looked around questioningly. “Oh, I get it, everyone is a little confused after Marinette and I’s situation a couple days ago. After everything was cleared up it actually brought Marinette and I closer together. So Alya, you might have some competition for that Maid of Honor position.”

“Is that so?” Alya looked between Marinette and Lila hopefully. “That’s great to hear. Also, there is no competition, I called Maid of Honor way before they ever started dating.”

“Alya!” Marinette wanted to crawl in a hole and die for numerous reasons.

“Only one way to decide,” Alix stood on her seat, “A fight to the death for the right to be Marinette’s Maid of Honor at her and Adrien’s wedding!”

“YEAH!” The class cheered.

“Everyone settle down!” Ms. Bustier entered the class, “Alix, you’re meant to be sitting in your seat, not standing on it.”

“How else is she supposed to see the board?” Kim teased.

“How are you supposed to see the board with two black eyes, Kim?” Alix shot back.

“I don’t have two black eyes, shorty.”

“You will!”

“Children, settle,” Ms. Bustier warned them again. “Thank you. Now let’s proceed with the lesson we have a lot to cover.”

Classes went on and in between Marinette became increasingly confused by Lila’s sudden friendliness. She knew it was all an act but why was she so insistent on it now? It only occurred to Marinette as she was packing up her bag for the day that Adrien’s deal didn’t just affect him. Marinette, as Adrien’s supportive girlfriend that now owed her continued enrollment at Dupont to Lila’s humble pleas, had to act as her friend too.

“Hey,” Adrien tapped her shoulder, “Are you okay? You’re really quiet.”

“I have to pretend to be Lila’s friend too, don’t I?”

Adrien looked away, “I mean she’s already sown the seeds.”

“No!” Marinette collapsed back against him, “I don’t wanna act like I like her!”

“I know but there’s not a whole lot we can do about it right now. We haven’t started our investigation yet.” Adrien reminded her.

“I know. It still sucks.” They walked outside to Adrien’s car. Marinette slid in first. At least they could finally have some time alone between school and the photoshoot. As short lived as it would be.

“Adrien!” Lila ran up to the car, “Are you heading to the photoshoot?”

“Yeah.” Adrien turned to her.

“Would you mind if I got a ride with you?”

“Of course not.” Adrien forced a smile and slid into the car beside Marinette. So much for their limited alone time.

“Oh, Marinette,” Lila looked taken aback, “I didn’t know you were here. Is Adrien giving you a lift home?”

“I’m going to the shoot to support him.” Marinette replied flatly.

“Is that allowed? Adrien, maybe you should ask your dad.” Lila put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

“She’s allowed.” Adrien shrugged her off.

“Are you sure, though? I don’t want you to get in trouble--”

“Lila, it’s just us. You don’t have to pretend to be nice.” Marinette snapped.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Lila narrowed her eyes.

“It means I know that Adrien made a deal with you to get me to come back to school.”

“You told her?” Lila asked Adrien.

“Why would I keep information like that from my girlfriend? She’s the whole reason I agreed to it.” Adrien sighed. Marinette felt bad for her sweet boyfriend.

“I thought it would be our little secret.” Again Lila invaded his personal space and touched her finger to his lips.

There is going to be a murder in this car.

Adrien calmly pushed her back into her own seat, “I have no secrets from Marinette.”

“You sure about that?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marinette said.

“You really think he’s completely honest with you? No one is honest all the time. Not even you little miss goodie goodie.” Lila scoffed.

“You know what, Lila!” Marinette was about ready to launch across Adrien and pull those stupid sausage tails off the side of her head.

“Calm down, doodle bug,” Adrien eased her back into her seat, “Don’t let her push your buttons.”

Lila made a retching sound, “You even have nauseatingly adorable nicknames for each other. How juvenile.”

“Jealous much?” Marinette wrapped one of Adrien’s arms around her in triumph.

“Annoying much?” Lila mocked her.

“You are so lucky I am not a violent person.”

“What could you possibly do to me with those little noodle arms?”

“You wanna find out?”

“Hey, look, we’re at the set! Let’s go!” Adrien pushed himself and Marinette out of the nearest door. “Marinette,”

“I know but she makes it so difficult.” Marinette whined. “But I am mature. I am calm. I can handle Lila.”

“That’s my girl,” Adrien smiled, “Now can I have a smile?”

“Mmm,” Marinette didn’t know if she was in the mood for smiling.

“A little smile.” he kissed her cheek, “Just one tiny smile?” He continued to leave face smushing kisses all over her face.

“Quit it, dork!” Marinette laughed.

“There’s that beautiful smile,” Adrien grabbed her hand, “We’ll get through this.”

They got them changed and made up with the outfits they would be modeling today. Adrien looked great and the outfits were amazing. Too bad Lila’s face had to spoil it.

Marinette watched from the sidelines as Adrien and Lila posed. She was really trying to not show how annoyed she was at how shamelessly Lila hung off Adrien for every picture. He was obviously uncomfortable with her touching him so familiarly but hell if she cared.

“Adrien,” the photographer sighed, “Relax, you are so stiff today.”

“Sorry, Giuseppe,” Adrien tried a different pose but even Marinette could tell that he was rigid and his face tight with the same hollow smile.

“C’mon, signore, you are supposed to be happy.” Giuseppe said again. “Think of mama with the spaghetti.”

Marinette got an idea and went to stand a little behind the photographer. Adrien saw her and Marinette blew him a quick kiss. His expression lightened.

“There, that’s a little better,” Giuseppe took another rapid series of photos.

Marinette continued to make funny faces behind the photographer so Adrien’s smile and body language would come more naturally. It seemed as relaxed Adrien got though, Lila became more agitated. Almost like she didn’t like that Marinette was the one making her boyfriend happy and not her. Strange how that works out.

Soon the pairing shoot was over and Lila was shooed to take a rest while they got some solo shots of Adrien. Lila came over to stand next to Marinette.

“You know, you were really distracting,” Lila frowned, “It’s highly unprofessional.”

“It may have escaped your notice,” Marinette kept her eyes on Adrien, “But if it wasn’t for me your pictures with Adrien would have been as awkward and lifeless as posing with a cardboard cutout.”

“It won’t last.” Lila glanced at her, “This little pocket of fantasy you warped yourself into. He is way out of your league.”

“And yet I’m the one dating him and you’re the one that got his ‘friendship’ through a bargain. I think the one out of their depth here is you.”

“Keep testing me, just cause I can’t expel you doesn’t mean I can’t make you miserable in other ways.”

“I know.” Marinette turned to her fully, “But you don’t scare me. You portrayed yourself as my friend in class. That’s a two way street. So maybe before you try to get me akumatized you think of how exactly the class’s everyday Ladybug can make you look.”

“Haha,” Lila openly laughed, “There’s a devious little sneak buried deep under all that cream puff isn’t there?”

“She’s not buried as deep as you think.” Marinette warned.

Lila pulled out her phone and turned on the camera.

“I hope so, friend,” Lila linked their arms together.

Marinette turned her attention to the camera and smiled. Let the games begin.

Chapter Text

“Adrien, it is time for you to wake up.” Nathalie stepped inside Adrien’s room. Adrien looked at the time and sighed. Why was Nathalie waking him up at seven AM on a Sunday?

Adrien pulled the blanket up over his head in hopes that it would somehow deter her.

“Hiding under the covers will not work.” Nathalie said, “If you don’t get up I’ll have Gorilla come in here and do it.”

“Why?” Adrien groaned, “I don’t have school or lessons or a photoshoot this morning.”

“We need to go over your schedule for the week.”

“And this can’t wait until a more reasonable hour?”

“If you went to bed at an appropriate time like you should be you wouldn’t be so tired in the mornings.” Nathalie looked him over and sighed. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes to wake up and come down for breakfast. Don’t go back to sleep.”

Adrien waited a good five minutes after Nathalie had left the room before deciding not to try his luck and got out of bed. Last night Adrien had stayed up till four in the morning having a Dragon Rune tournament online with his friends. Ivan, who was their healer, spent a lot of his time healing their tank, Kim, who wouldn’t stop on his suicide mission of diving headlong into danger. Juleka, their witch, was covering Adrien’s bard character and Marinette’s rogue led them to victory alongside Max’s paladin. A good game and great memories but at the cost of Adrien’s sleep.

Adrien quickly threw on some clothes, splashed some water in his face to wake him up and went to get some breakfast. Nathalie was waiting in the dining room.

“Now that you’re here we can go over your schedule. Tomorrow you have school, then a fencing lesson and at least an hour of piano practice at home. Tuesday you have school, then your measurements are going to be retaken at the house, then you have a Chinese lesson. Wednesday you do have an early fencing lesson but then your afternoon is open until your dinner with Mlle. Dupain-Cheng and your father. Thursday you have--”

“Wait, a second,” Adrien interrupted her, “Did you say dinner?”

“Yes,” Nathalie swiped on her screen, “Wednesday night your father has scheduled a dinner to meet your girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng here at the house. Is that an issue?”

“No. I just didn’t realize that we were having the dinner. I thought maybe father had forgotten.”

“Of course not, he was just biding time to see if the relationship would last long enough for him to invest further interest in it.” Nathalie said, “The dinner will be at eight o’clock sharp. Appropriate wear, please no jeans or tennis shoes, and after dinner is concluded Mlle. Dupain-Cheng will be returned home promptly. You are allowed to escort her back to her house.”

“Since when is there a dress code for dinner?”

“Since your father requested.” Nathalie looked at Adrien with a sly smile and whispered, “Between you and me, I think he is tired of being the only one at meals wearing slacks.”

“Tell father he should wear some jeans then. I don’t think I’ve seen dad in a pair of jeans since I was eight.”

“Tastes change. Now as for the rest of your schedule.” Nathalie prattled on about the rest of Adrien’s schedule before leaving him be to enjoy his morning.

After breakfast he went back upstairs and turned on the TV so it sounded like he was up before crawling back into bed and napping for another two hours at least.

When he woke up and felt more like a human being he pulled up his phone and texted Marinette about their apparent dinner plans this Wednesday.

Good morning, doodle bug! ( ^ 3 ^ ) --Adrien

Adrien, darling, do you realize how early it is? --Marinette

It’s almost 10 --Adrien

And we were up late last night, remember? --Marinette

Should I talk to you later? --Adrien

Nah. I’m awake now. What’s up? --Marinette

My father made plans for you to have dinner at my house this Wednesday --Adrien

Oh...why? --Marinette

He wants to properly meet you and stuff --Adrien

Okey dokey then --Marinette

I also have the afternoon off that day if you wanted to go out and have fun before we spend the night being interrogated over brisket --Adrien

Ideas?? --Marinette

I just got paid for my last photoshoot so how does a small shopping spree sound? --Adrien

I couldn’t spend your money! --Marinette

Not even on top quality fabric? --Adrien

Don’t tempt me --Marinette

Or that new shoe store that opened up that I know you’ve been wanting to visit? --Adrien

Stay away seductor! --Marinette

Toy store with big. FAT. PLUSHIES! --Adrien

How fat of a plushie? --Marinette

The FATTEST of plushies --Adrien

Ok deal --Marinette

WOO! Shopping spree! --Adrien

We are not going overboard! --Marinette

Go completely overboard! Got it! ( > v o ) --Adrien

NO! --Marinette

The week pattered along at a usual rate and suddenly it was Wednesday. Since Marinette had some forewarning of her date this time she had a nice outfit planned and even did her makeup a little more than usual.

When Adrien showed up she rushed out to meet him and took off for their afternoon of window shopping. Despite Marinette’s best efforts to not let Adrien spoil her the second they got to the fabric shop those dreams died. Marinette got an allowance from her household chores and doing random tasks and babysitting and almost every cent went into sewing supplies. So when Adrien whipped out his wallet and said she could get anything she wanted she kinda did.

At first she stuck to the clearance racks and a couple essentials until Adrien dragged her off to the better more expensive fabrics. He’d pull rolls of fabric from the shelves to show her and point out certain materials he knew his father liked to use. Adrien, despite being the son and primary model for one of the biggest names in fashion at the moment, didn’t know a lot about fashion as far as construction went. He definitely knew more than the average person and tried his hardest to connect with Marinette through it with what he did know.

Once he got her started and assured her for the tenth time that yes, she can get as much of that nice fabric as she wanted, she was like a kid in a candy store. Adrien followed behind her as she pulled different rolls from the shelves and felt the material and compared one shade to the next. So many ideas and sudden waves of inspiration radiating off of her with her excitement.

“Ooh, that one is the perfect shade of silver!” Marinette pointed to a roll of star printed fabric high up on the shelf.

“I’ll grab a stool.” Adrien set down the numerous rolls of fabric he had been holding for her.

“Nah, I got it.” Marinette started to scale the shelves like a rock wall.

“Marinette!” Adrien was gonna have a heart attack. “Get down! You’re gonna hurt yourself or fall.”

“I’m fine. I do this all the time.” Marinette’s assurance was anything but.

“Just because you’re super short doesn’t mean you should be climbing shelves.”

“I am not that short!”

“Marinette,” Adrien shrugged, “Come on. I mean...come on.”

“You are such a meanie butt.” Marinette pouted. She reached the roll she wanted and proceeded to try and pull it out from the other rolls around it. She gave a final yank and the roll came free but so did Marinette who started hurtling towards the ground.

Without thinking Adrien immediately dove to catch her. He did and the momentum took him down with her when she landed in his arms. The star studded tulle unfurling and covering them. Nervous laughter bubbling from them as the danger faded away.

“I already knew you had fallen for me, doodle bug, you didn’t have to be so literal about it.” Adrien smirked.

“Oh for goodness sake,” Marinette squished his cheeks in her hands. “You are so cheesy it hurts.”

“You love it. Admit it.”

“I will admit nothing.” Marinette laughed. “But thank you for catching me. That could have ended very painfully.”

“I’ll always catch you.” Adrien pulled the tulle off of them. Marinette’s face became more clear and he could see the uncomfortable blush that now covered her face. Oops. Had he gone too far?

Deviate Agreste! “Ha ha.” he pulled their attention to the fabric surrounding them.

“What?” Marinette asked.

“Well this fabric is covered in stars and you fell so does that make you my fallen star?” he tried for a joke.

“I guess so. You should have made a wish.” Marinette laughed as she started to roll the fabric back up.

I already have my wish. The response waited patiently on his tongue but a nervous fear kept it there. Would that be too much? He didn’t want to freak her out with his cheesy yet sincere sentiments. Especially after his last comment embarrassed her.

They finished picking out fabrics and threads and went to pay. Their arms were loaded up with her purchases but this wasn’t their only stop. They glanced in at a few other street shops and as promised they did go to a story store in search of a fat and fluffy plush toy. They ended up buying a pair of super fluffy swan plushies that way they could each have one.

“Where to now?” Adrien asked as they left the toy store.

“How about we stop somewhere for a drink.” Marinette suggested, “All this shopping is making me thirsty.”

“Great idea, my falling star.”

“Are you going to call me that all day?”

“It’s cute.” Adrien pulled out his phone and searched for nearby cafes. “There’s one just a block over that looks nice. But we must be swift. Who knows if they’ll have room at this hour. Follow me!”

“Adrien, be careful!” Marinette yelled as Adrien Naruto ran across the street.

That’s her dork.

“Come on, Marinette!” Adrien shouted back from the otherside of the street, “Naruto it!”

“You’re so stupid!” Marinette laughed but copied him as best she could and ran across the street, “But I will admit it was kinda fun.”

“I knew I’d get ya eventually! A little more practice and you might just do it right next time.”

“Is that how it is? You better hope that dumb run is fast, Agreste.”

“Ooh, I’m Agreste now?” he laughed before she swung at him with her shopping bag, “You missed!”

“I won’t again.” she swung at him again and again he dodged out of the way. “Get back here!”

“Catch me if you can, doodle bug!” Adrien took off running down the street weaving in and out of pedestrians like the dorkiest snake in the world.

“Adrien!” How was he moving so fast while holding so much? “You are in for it when I get you, sunshine!”

Marinette tried to keep up with her rapidly dashing boyfriend. She whipped around a corner he had rounded and squealed as he caught her and lifted her up in the air. “Got ya!”

“I was the one supposed to be doing the catching.”

“But don’t you like this better?” he pressed a kiss against her cheek.

“Maybe.” her blush was hidden by her already flushed face.

“Didn’t you say I was gonna get it when you finally caught up?” he reminded her.

“Yes I did and yes you are.” She grabbed his head and pulled it down to press a kiss on his forehead. “There.”

“Well if I had known that was gonna happen I would have stopped long ago.” he chuckled but it was Marinette who had the last laugh. A bright pink lip mark was now plastered, unbeknownst to Adrien, on his forehead. Usually Marinette didn’t wear makeup outside of some eye-liner but decided that since it was a date she should use some of the makeup she’d been hoarding.

PING!

“That’s me,” Adrien pulled out his phone and frowned.

“Everything okay?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah, just one second, I need to make a call.” He stepped away for some privacy but Marinette could still hear his conversation.

“Nathalie, you said I had the afternoon off.” Adrien spoke quietly but harshly into the phone. “It’s been two hours. Dinner isn’t for another six.”

She really shouldn’t be eavesdropping. Marinette put a little more distance between them to give Adrien some actual privacy. It wasn’t until this moment she really started to worry about the dinner tonight. Sure she had been nervous but she hadn’t been scared to go. Hearing Adrien like this though bloomed that seed of doubt in her stomach. Should she be more worried? Mr. Agreste was a very intimidating and controlling man.

“This isn’t fair!” Adrien snapped loud enough for Marinette to hear. “I have friends that I want to spend time with. Is it so much to ask for--wait, no, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Don’t tell him!”

Oh no.

Marinette walked back to him. Her happy smiling boyfriend now stared morosely at the ground, his voice barely above a whisper. “I know. I’m sorry, Nathalie. I understand. Yes, I promise. Please don’t tell--oh...okay. Yes. Yes. No. I won’t. Thank you, Nathalie. I’ll be home soon.”

Adrien hung up. He turned back to Marinette and plastered a smile on his face. “Sorry about that. Father wants me back home before dinner so I guess we’re gonna have to cut this date short.”

“Are you alright?”

“Of course. Why?”

“I overheard a bit of your call.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Just usual protective father antics.” Adrien was quick to wave it off.

“You sounded really upset though. I’ve told you that you don’t have to pretend around me. Remember?”

“I’m fine, Marinette.” he took her hand. “I promise.”

Marinette wrapped him in a hug. Even if he wouldn’t admit it she knew he wasn’t fine and she was going to hold him for as long as he would allow. His arms, full of shopping bags wrapped around her bumping against them like a protective barrier from the outside world. He could claim he was fine but he held her too tight for it to be true.

“We don’t need to talk. If you do not want to speak about it to me that is perfectly alright. But if you ever need a quiet moment to settle yourself, you let me know.”

“You’ll be there.” Adrien pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know.”

Soon Adrien’s bodyguard pulled up to their location and drove Marinette home. Adrien helped her take the bags upstairs to her room. He left a kiss on her cheek and went back downstairs to go home.

She just needs to get through dinner. One dinner and then everything will be fine. Be proper. Steer clear of pet names. No PDA no matter how minor--

“Crap!” Marinette forgot to warn Adrien about the lip gloss on his face!

---

“Adrien?” Nathalie raised an eyebrow, “What is that on your face?”

“What?” Adrien swiped at his cheeks. “Did I get it?”

Nathalie shook her head with what looked like the smallest wisp of a smile at the corner of her lips, “Just go wash your face before your father sees.”

“Okay?” Adrien didn’t know what that was about. He got to his bathroom and looked in the mirror. A bright pink lip mark sat on his forehead. Marinette, that sly devil.

It was a long, boring, and tense wait till dinner. Every worst case scenario playing in Adrien’s head as the hours ticked by. What if after tonight his father didn’t approve of Marinette? What if he said Adrien couldn’t see her anymore? Marinette and him had come so far already. He didn’t want to be forced to break up with her. He hadn’t even had a chance to kiss her.

By the time dinner was served Adrien’s anxious thoughts had completely taken over. Then Marinette entered the house. Simply but nicely dressed and a warm smile that brightened the room around her. And in that one moment Adrien’s mind finally stilled.

It’s just dinner. There’s nothing to worry about. He took Marinette’s hand and led her into the dining room and pulled up the chair next to him. The only other place setting being at the other side of the long table far from where they sat. At least Marinette was seated close to him. That gave him a little more courage when his father showed up and sat down.

After a quick and flat greeting the food was brought out and they spent the next twenty minutes in utter silence outside of the clinking of silverware against porcelain.

Adrien studied Marinette next to him and noted the distinct lack of bright pink lip gloss this time. The image of her little mark on his forehead made him smile. She caught his eye and sent him a questioning glance. A small laugh escaped him.

“What?” Marinette whispered.

“I was just thinking,” he whispered back, “You couldn’t have warned me about the little reminder you left on my forehead?”

Marinette tried to hide her guilty smile behind another bite of food.

“You can hide your smile but you can’t hide the overwhelming stench of guilt, my star.”

“Stop with the star comments!” she lightly kicked him under the table.

“Why? It’s cute.” He kicked her back.

Their moment was spoiled by the sound of a throat clearing from the other end of the table. Both of their smiles dropped as they stared at Adrien’s father.

“Yes father?” Adrien spoke first.

“Something amusing you care to share?” Even from a distance Adrien could feel the cool unflinching gaze of this father on them.

“Oh no, nothing that amusing.” Marinette said.

“Hm,” his father steepled his fingers together and rested his chin on the perch it created. “Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, you have been dating my son for about a month now. What are you hoping to get out of this relationship?”

“The only thing I am looking for is the pleasure of Adrien’s company.” Marinette answered calmly.

“And that is not already accomplished through friendship? The two of you have to be dating to be in each others company?”

“No. But the type of interaction that comes with different types of company and their opinions of said person calls for alternative choices in relationships. Adrien and I were happy spending time together as friends for months now but at a certain point opinions of one another and our decision on what our relationship should be changed. To continue to be only friends when we both wanted a more stereotypically romantic relationship would have been rather ridiculous.”

“I see.” His father’s interrogating gaze didn’t waver, “And your aspirations as a designer have nothing whatsoever to do with this sudden change?”

“Of course not.” Marinette looked offended. “I genuinely care about Adrien and want to be with him. Whether he is a model or your son does not change how I feel for him.”

Adrien reached for her hand under the table. Marinette took a deep breath and squeezed his hand back. “If you would ever think that I would use Adrien to further my own agenda then you are horribly mistaken. I would never abuse anyone, especially someone I care deeply about, like that.”

“I have offended you?” A single pale eyebrow rose on his father’s head.

“If that was a serious accusations instead of an honest question then I would be inclined to say yes.”

“Then I suppose it is a good thing that it was an honest question from a concerned father.” Mr. Agreste said. “I have seen one too many instances where my son was unjustly taken advantage of by selfish people. It is both a blessing and a curse that he received his mother’s emotionally driven sense of morality. It can cause him to be blind to people’s manipulative treatment of him.”

“Giving someone the benefit of the doubt is a vice in your opinion?”

“I think that first impressions show a person’s true colors and trying to convince someone differently is a fool’s errand. If you did not trust someone at first then you will never fully trust them later and that can cause more pain.”

“First impressions are important but I don’t believe they are set in stone. When I first met Adrien I unfairly accused him of sticking gum on my seat. If that had been our only interaction then I would not be sitting here today. Communicating with someone and getting to know them tells much more about someone then a first impression ever could.”

“So since that moment that you two met and things ended badly there has been no bad blood between you since? No moments of disagreement or residual anger or resentment?”

“That’s not a fair question. People disagree and get angry all the time with people they get along with. It’s human nature. If the question is that I hold any resentment or suspicion of Adrien because of that one incident then the answer is no because I know the truth behind the event. I trust Adrien and I hardly doubt that he’s been pretending to be one of the sweetest and most empathetic people I’ve ever met this entire time.”

“But you have not answered my question. Have you ever been angry with Adrien after that event?”

Marinette’s mind flashed back to Lila and Adrien’s unwillingness to take any active action against her at first. She had been irritated and maybe a little disappointed but things changed since then. That still left the question Mr. Agreste asked to answer though. If she said no it would be a lie. If she said yes then that would only be one half of the truth and she didn’t know if she would get a chance to explain the second half.

“The only time I can recall being angry at Adrien since then is when he scared the daylights out of me at the wax museum.” A half truth was better then no truth at all.

“Are you talking about when I pretended to be a statue?” Adrien chuckled.

“You let me pour my heart out to you without stopping. It was so embarrassing!” Some of the tension in Marinette’s shoulders released.

“And look where it led!” Adrien pulled their hands up from underneath the table. “I call this a win.”

“What am I gonna do with you?” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Nothing. You’re stuck with me.” Adrien kissed the back of her hand.

Marinette may have been worried about a certain judgemental parental figure watching them but when Adrien smiled at her like that there was little she could worry about.

It wasn’t until another attention grabbing “Ahem,” from the end of the table drew their attention again did they let go of their moment.

Mr. Agreste studied them in silence for a minute before nodding and standing up. “You’ve chosen a good partner, Adrien.”

“Thank you, father.”

His eyes slid to Marinette. “Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, have a pleasant rest of your evening.”

“You as well, Mr. Agreste.”

With that his father left the room and dessert was brought out to the two rigidly sat teenagers. Adrien let out a long sigh. “You brilliant woman. That went much better then I was expecting.”

“Are you saying you doubted me?” Marinette scoffed but there was uncertainty in her eyes.

“Never.” He leaned across the space between them, his eyes darting to her lips. The sweet scent of her perfume pulling him in closer. The sound of his heartbeat pounded in his ears. “Marinette, may I--”

KABOOM!

The pair jumped apart. Then the ground started to shake.

Chapter Text

The ground settled and Marinette looked to Adrien. "What was that?"

Both of their phones went off. Akuma alert. It was right outside the mansion gates.

"We need to go." Adrien grabbed Marinette and made a break for the stairs.The Gorilla ran out of one of the adjacent rooms and grabbed both Adrien and Marinette and slung them over his shoulders before sprinting to Adrien's room. He deposited the kids inside and left to barricade the rest of the house.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah.” Marinette searched for an excuse to get away and transform. “You?”

“Fine. Leave it to Hawkmoth to spoil dessert though.”

“He really does have impeccably annoying timing.”

“Like my stomach,” Adrien groaned and backed towards the bathroom, “Dinner isn’t sitting well so I’m gonna let loose in here. It could take a while so don’t freak out if I don’t come out for a bit.”

“Okay?” Marinette felt bad that her boyfriend was sick but at least it gave her the excuse to transform.

The second the door was closed and locked she ran to the window and transformed before swinging into battle.

Sandboy had made another appearance and his nightmares were terrorizing the city. A particularly haunting one showed a man running from a series of explosions that shook the ground. That was one mystery solved.

A minute later Chat Noir showed up. He seemed agitated if his pacing around the rooftops was any indication.

“Hey, Chat Noir. You didn’t get hit by Sandboy did you?” Marinette asked, concerned.

“No. I doubt he could do anything to me though. My life is already a nightmare!”

“Are you okay?”

“One kiss! That is all I am asking!” Chat Noir yelled at the akuma, “All I want is to get to kiss my girlfriend one time! Is that too much to ask?”

“I don’t think now is the best time to be bemoaning the lack of lip-locking in your relationship.”

“It is when Hawkmoth is the one that ruined it!”

“Shake it off, kitty. You can kiss your girlfriend later.” Marinette charged at the akuma.

Chat Noir trailed close behind her grumbling. He wasn’t the only one in a bad mood tonight. The best thing about having dinner with Adrien’s dad was the food. It was a fine line to walk between being respectful and calling him out on his expectations of Marinette’s intentions. The man may be her favorite designer and she was in love with his son but he was so intimidating. She was super relieved when he finally left.

Then there was the disappointment because she thought Adrien was finally going to kiss her before the akuma spoiled it. She’d have kissed him already if it wasn’t for the fact that she doesn’t want to force him into anything he isn’t ready for. Any time she went in for a kiss or it looked like he was going to he usually swerved to her cheek. It was cute but oh so frustrating!

“Ladybug, watch out!” Chat tackled Marinette who hadn’t been paying attention.

Sandboy’s nightmare dust fluttered down but it looked like it missed them. “Did you get hit?” Chat asked. “You spaced out there.”

Marinette swung her yo-yo. “Powers are still intact. How about you? Did you get hit pushing me out of the way?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

“Then let’s do this.” They chased after Sandboy.

Sandboy’s nightmares flooded the streets. People ran away from giant snakes to clowns on tiny tricycles. Marinette and Chat Noir dodged them and got people out of harm’s way as best they could while trying to keep up with Sandboy.

“I think that’s everyone.” Chat dropped off another person on a neighboring rooftop. “Did you see that nightmare that was just covered in bellybuttons?”

“Ew. Don’t remind me. I think the bellybuttons had teeth.” Marinette shuddered. “But everyone is safe and Sandboy is dead ahead.”

“It’s about time we give this villain a...wake up...call…” Chat looked past Marinette. A look of horror on his face.

“What?” Marinette turned around and saw what he had been staring at. Ahead of them stood a familiar silhouette against the bright night sky.

“No…” Marinette’s hands began to shake. But the nightmare sand had missed them. Hadn’t it?

She looked at Chat Noir and saw he was shaking too but it didn’t seem from fright. His staff was clutched tightly in his fist. A terrifying mix of rage and guilt etched into the lines of his face.

“Is it yours or mine?” Marinette whispered.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m getting rid of it.” Chat Noir charged.

“Chat! Wait!” Marinette swung after him.

The silhouette charged forward too. A glowing light sprouting from its hands until the visage of white became clear. A blast that rivaled Chat Noir’s Black Storm shot from the nightmare. Marinette grabbed Chat and dodged out of the way.

“Don’t run, my lady.” Chat Blanc prowled closer towards them. “It only makes me mad.”

“She’s not your lady!” Chat Noir pushed off the ground and ran at Chat Blanc.

Marinette scrambled to her feet. Chat Noir and Chat Blanc met each other with explosive impact. Chat Noir was on the offensive trying to land a hit on his pale doppelganger that dodged him with an unnatural grace and calm. They didn’t have time for this. Sandboy had disappeared from view.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette threw herself between the two of them. “We need to focus on the akuma. We take out Sandboy and this nightmare will end.”

“Scared to face me, my lady?” Chat Blanc said. “Just like you were last time.”

He held up his hand. A ball of power waiting to blast them into dust.

“Stay away from her!” Chat Noir jumped over Marinette and swung his staff at Chat Blanc. The white cat went sailing down the street with the hit.

“There, you got him, now let’s go!” Marinette tried to pull him away but he wouldn’t budge. “Chat! Come on! We need to lose him while we have the chance.”

“I...I can’t.”

She grabbed him by the ears and forced him to look at her. “He’s not real.”

“He is though.”

Chat Blanc had recovered and was running towards them. Chat Noir looked to her as if seeking permission.

She let go of him. “Together.”

Chat Noir turned towards his enemy. Marinette settled herself into a fighting stance. Chat Blanc fired rapidly at them. They dodged out of the way. Running in opposite directions so he was forced to choose one of them to follow. He chose Ladybug.

She leapt out of the way of his attacks and kept his attention so Chat Noir could leap from behind. Chat Blanc was a step quicker and had blocked Chat Noir’s attack with his staff. The momentum was too much and they both went tumbling to the ground. Chat Noir was able to pin him.

Chat Blanc didn’t struggle. He laid back on the ground. A wide, sadistic, creepy smile stretched across his face. “What are you going to do now?” Chat Blanc mocked Chat Noir. “What can a scaredy cat like you do? You can’t protect anyone. Not even yourself.”

“Shut up!” Chat Noir screamed, “You don’t know anything!”

“You’ll never be rid of me.” Chat Blanc grabbed Chat Noir by the bell. From where he held him Chat Noir’s suit slowly started to bleed white. “I am you.”

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir grabbed Chat Blanc’s face and slammed his head down back into the pavement.

Marinette stood stunned as the nightmare was consumed with black before crumbling into dust. The white around Chat Noir’s suit faded back to black.

Cautiously Marinette approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and she startled backwards. He had the same dead look in his eye as Chat Blanc.

“Chaton?”

He shook his head and the life came back to him. Overwhelming guilt now washing over his entire person.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Chat stood up. “I wasted my power. I’m sorry.”

“Chat. I’m not worried about you using your power. I’m worried about you. Are you okay? That was rather…intense.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go defeat Sandboy before I transform back.”

There was no talking to him like this. Not when there was an easy excuse right there. One he was technically right about.

They leapt after Sandboy and were finally able to corner him. One tube of miraculous toothpaste later and Sandboy was back to normal and the streets of Paris nightmare free.

“I’m about to transform back.” Chat showed his ring with one minute left. “Think you can get him home?”

“Yes.” She grabbed Chat before he could take off and kissed his cheek. He looked at her perplexed. “At least you got one kiss tonight.”

His expression lightened and he bumped his fist against hers. “Have a nice evening, my lady.”

Marinette grabbed the little boy and took him home. She then raced back to the mansion. Hopefully Adrien hadn’t noticed she was gone yet.

She slipped in through the window just as her transformation wore off.

“Marinette!” Adrien came charging into the room. “Oh thank goodness, there you are.”

He scooped her up in a big hug. “I came out of the bathroom and I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Sorry. I was hiding from the akuma.” She lied. “Are you okay? Sandboy didn’t give you a nightmare did he?”

“Nope. Nightmare free.” Adrien was still holding her. “Except for our spoiled dessert.”

“It’s not spoiled yet.” Marinette grabbed his hand and they went back to the dining room. Their dessert dishes still sat waiting for them perfectly intact. “See?”

They sat down and finished their dessert in silence. If Adrien’s dad hadn’t ruined the mood then the akuma certainly had. After they finished their dessert Adrien gave her a ride home and apologized for the less than great night.

“Next time we have dinner let’s leave the parents at home.” Marinette pulled him down for a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

Adrien stared hard at her a moment more before placing a lasting kiss on her forehead. “Sweet dreams, my star.”

She blushed. The new nickname had grown on her.

---

“Adrien?” Plagg crawled into Adrien’s hair as he tried to fall asleep. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about? Me chickening out of kissing Marinette again?” Adrien replied. He had already kicked himself for that enough on the car ride back home after dropping her off.

“No.” Plagg sighed, “I meant earlier. The nightmares…”

Adrien stayed silent.

“Okay. That’s fine.” Plagg padded around on Adrien’s head. “Not a good time. I get it.”

Adrien started fiddling with his ring. “I thought…” he whispered, “I thought it might make me feel better.”

“Did it?” Plagg asked.

“No.”

“You’re not the first one of my kittens that’s had to deal with something like this. It’s a workplace hazard. It happens to Ladybugs too so you don’t need to feel guilty.”

“I know you’re trying to help but I’m still gonna feel guilty. Even if it wasn’t actually me. Even if the nightmare wasn’t real. It happened. I hurt people. I endangered the ones I care about.” Adrien clamped his eyes shut, “There are some things that will never wash away.”

“That is true. But you don’t have to let it consume you.” Plagg yawned, “Now get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“You can be rather sweet when you want to be.” Adrien chuckled.

“I’m a variety of flavors, Adrien.” He pawed at his head a little more. “Now sleep. I’m exhausted and need my beauty rest.”

“Goodnight, Plagg.” Adrien scratched the top of his kwami’s head.

“Goodnight, Adrien.” Plagg drifted off to sleep.

Adrien had a harder time following suit. His thoughts going by too fast to settle. He took a deep breath and forced himself to think of something calming. Something he liked.

Video games. Gel pens. Fencing. Chouquettes. Hamsters. Sci-fi novels. Flower crowns.

Across from him he saw the swan plushie he had bought earlier that day with Marinette and smiled.

What else did he like?

Big blue eyes. A freckled nose. Dark silky hair that always smelled like honey and flowers. A too big hoodie on a small frame. A voice as clear and sweet as a bell. A pair of peony pink lips spread into a warm smile.

He held the swan plush close and closed his eyes. No nightmares followed.

Chapter Text

There are days when you wake up and you have a good feeling. You can’t explain it. The world is bright and you can’t help but feel that it is going to be a good day. Then you get to school and everything good about the world gets flushed down the toilet along with your optimism. This was one of those days!

And you would not guess who was grating on Marinette’s happy mood this day. It was a one-two punch of Chloe and Lila. Take into account that Adrien hadn’t showed up for classes today and Alya had to leave early for a dentist appointment, that left Marinette at the mercy of her two least favorite classmates. And it was about as fun as it sounded.

“Marinette!” Lila approached her with a smile, “There you are. I thought that since Alya isn’t here today you’d like to be my seat buddy today.”

“Sure. Sounds nice, Lila.” Marinette forced a smile and looped her arm through Lila’s as they ascended up the steps to class.

“Why in the world do you want to sit next to me?” Marinette asked through clenched teeth.

“So I can sit behind Adrien.” Lila gritted back.

“Adrien is staying home today. He’s not even gonna be in class.” Marinette told her.

Lila’s grip on her arm got tighter. “Why didn’t you mention that earlier?”

“I thought that since you two are such good friends he would have texted you. It’s not like you two are faking a friendship to make you look better. That would be stupid.” Marinette pinched her back. “Still want to sit next to me?”

“Everyone already heard us so I guess I’ll have to.” Lila grumbled.

“I hate you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” The girls took their seats. “You know, if we’re meant to be friends then you should really give me Adrien’s number.”

“Pfft,” Marinette snorted.

“Yours too.”

“Why? So you can harass me over the phone as well?”

“We need to cover out bases. Real friends swap numbers. You also need to add me on your social media.”

“Do we have to go that far?”

“We both know a majority of interaction is done through social media these days. If we’re not acting like friends online as well as in public then someone is going to think something is up.”

“Fine. The second this is over I’m blocking you.” Marinette took out her phone and added Lila.

“Good.” Lila added Marinette as well. “Be sure to let Adrien know.”

“Let’s get one thing clear right now,” Marinette said, “If you hurt that boy in any shape or form I will end you. He is too good to be victim to your manipulation.”

“Ooh, so scary.” Lila rolled her eyes. “Put on a smile. We’re supposed to be friends.”

“Is it too much for you to act genuinely nice? Even a little?”

“Like you’d be nice to me.” Lila scoffed.

“I would, Lila. That’s the thing. I genuinely would be nice to you if you gave me any reason to be. But you never will.” Marinette opened her notes.

Marinette got about ten seconds of silence before it was interrupted once again.

“Hey, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe slammed a hand down on her desk. “Did you get my Adrikins sick?”

“No. I didn’t get him sick.” Marinette took a deep breath to cool down. “He woke up feeling lethargic and disconnected from the world so is take a day off to recoup. Didn’t he text you?”

“He told me that he was skipping today but didn’t tell me why.” Chloe furiously started typing on her phone. “Why would he tell you all that?”

“Maybe because I’m his girlfriend.”

“I’ve been his friends since we were in diapers! Girlfriend or not I outrank you!”

“Are you texting him?” Marinette asked.

“Yes. I want answers.”

“Nope!” Marinette snatched the phone out of her hands and deleted the message.

“Hey! Get your filthy hands off my phone!” Chloe tried grabbing it.

“Only after you promise not to bother him. He’s not in a place to be dealing with your petty jealousy.” Marinette kept the phone out of reach. “Promise me, Chloe.”

“Give me back my phone!”

“Okay, how about this.” Marinette leaned farther away, “I told Adrien I would call him during lunch. You can tag along and talk to him then. Sound fair?”

“But--”

“Chloe,” Marinette glared at her. “this isn’t about you.”

Chloe stopped clawing for her phone and stood back to think. She nodded solemnly. “Fine. For my Adrien’s sake.”

“Thank you.” Marinette handed her the phone back. “I’m sorry for taking your phone.”

“It’s fine. If your butterfingers dropped it daddy would always buy me a new one.” Chloe huffed and went to sit down.

Marinette looked over at Lila who hadn’t said a word during the entire altercation. “Not that I don’t want you to but would you like to have lunch and talk to Adrien as well?”

“That so sweet of you, Marinette.” Lila talked a touch louder so everyone around them heard her. “Of course I would love to have lunch with you and Chloe.”

“Great.” Marinette smiled back. At least with Chloe around Lila wouldn’t be able to act nasty lest her perfect mask be shattered.

Classes crawled by and soon it was time for lunch. Chloe insisted on going back to her dad’s hotel for lunch since she didn’t want to eat commoner lunch at the school. They got to the hotel and Marinette put off calling Adrien until after they had finished eating. She put the phone on speaker so the others could talk to him.

He picked up after the third ring. “Hello?” his voice sounded groggy.

“Hi, Adrien, how you feeling?” Marinette asked.

“Marinette!” his voice perked up, “I didn’t check to see who was calling me. I’m feeling a bit more alive. How is your day going, my star?”

The two other girls glared at Marinette. Oh if looks could kill.

“My day is going well. Wish you were here.” Marinette sighed. “I’m currently out having lunch with Lila and Chloe. Say hi, girls.”

“Hi Adrikins!” Chloe cooed.

“Hey, Adrien.” Lila said.

“Oh, hi girls, I didn’t realize this was a group call.”

“They were worried about you.” Marinette said.

“Yeah, and Dupain-Cheng wouldn’t let me text you because she thought I would be disturbing you or something like that.” Chloe said. “You’re not getting sick are you? Cause I’ll get the finest doctor over to you right away if you are.”

“I’m not sick, Chlo’,” Adrien said, “I just didn’t have the mental energy for school today. I should be back in tomorrow though.”

“That’s good to hear. Don’t want you to miss our shoot tomorrow.” Lila said sending Marinette a pointed look.

“Yep. Wouldn’t miss it.” there was a long pause, “Hey, Marinette, can you take me off speaker for a second? I need to ask you about something.”

“Sure.” Marinette tried not to show how pleased she was as she turned off speaker and held the phone up to her ear. “What’s up?”

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Why are you having lunch with Chloe and Lila?”

“Long story. I’m fine.” Marinette answered.

“Sorry I can’t be there to help you deal with Lila. But I’m curious as to how Chloe fits into this.”

“There’s no need for you to be. And as for the latter I’ll explain that later.” Marinette looked back at the girls as they feigned interest in their own phones while obviously trying to eavesdrop. “Was that all you wanted to ask me?”

“No. I was wondering if you wanted to go to another dance class this weekend. I really liked it and if you’re up for it then I think we should keep going.”

“I was thinking about that too. You hadn’t mentioned it since the first time and I thought maybe you had decided your schedule was packed enough.”

“I can always make time to dance with my girlfriend.” Adrien said. “I’ll book the lesson and afterwards I promise we’ll have a better post dance lesson snack than car ride nutella biscuits.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Car ride nutella and tea was the best post lesson snack.”

“Would it be too selfish to ask you to drop off my homework after school? I’d really like to see you.”

“Sure thing. Anything else? Get better cookies? Homemade soup?”

“Just the homework and maybe some therapy cuddles if I can keep you in the house long enough.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you after school. I’m gonna put you back on speaker to say bye to the girls.”

“Hey! I barely got to talk to him!” Chloe whined.

“Sorry, Chloe, I’ll talk to you tonight. Okay?” Adrien said.

Chloe muttered in agreement.

“Bye Adrien,” Lila said.

“Bye girls. Bye doodle bug.”

“Bye bye sunshine.” Marinette hung up. A small blush creeping up her neck.

Lila and Chloe were back to glaring at her. “Lunch is just about over. We should get back to school.” Marinette stood up. “You coming?”

“I’ll have the car pull around.” Chloe waved to one of the hotel attendants to do just that.

“I think I’m gonna walk.” Lila said. “Work off that pasta I ate. Little things like that help keep a model figure after all.”

“I agree that it would help maintain a model figure but shouldn’t you be taking bigger steps to gain a model figure first?” Chloe said, a devious smirk on her face.

Marinette turned around so they couldn’t see her giddy smile. Dang Chloe! That was a cheap shot but the look on Lila’s face had been worth it.

After the shock had passed Lila neutralized her face. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. Having a critic like your mother you’re probably used to her preferred model body types. Stick figures with no defined curves, like yourself, are great for some types of fashion. But the Agreste Brand likes to dress those for more realistic bodies like mine.”

And now a dig at Chloe. This dining room was going to turn into a battle arena if someone didn’t step in.

“Excuse you!” Chloe practically had steam coming out of her ears. “What was that about me being a stick figure!”

“Chloe, the car is waiting.” Marinette grabbed Chloe and started pulling her away. “Bye Lila. See you back at the school.”

Chloe was so mad she didn’t even fight Marinette as she dragged her out of the hotel and pulled her into the waiting car. The entire time she kept muttering angrily to herself about Lila and curves and whatnot. The digs at appearance weren’t fair. Marinette may think those things from time to time but she’d never be so catty as to tear down another girl by knocking on her appearance.

“Hey, Chloe?” Marinette ventured. Chloe turned her death stare onto her. “Don’t take what Lila said seriously. You look great.”

“I wasn’t thinking about what that brat said.” Chloe scoffed, “And I know I look great.”

They lapsed into silence.

“Sorry you didn’t get to talk to Adrien longer.” Marinette finally said.

“He’ll call me when he’s better.” Chloe said as she gazed out the car window. “This isn’t the first time he’s missed stuff for this sort of thing.”

“He gets into these moods often?” Marinette asked. She hadn’t known this.

“They were pretty rare to begin with but they’ve been occurring more since he started school. I think it is just the stress of having a bunch of extra-curriculars going on all at once. He needs days to unwind.” Chloe murmured. She looked back at Marinette and sighed. “He ask you to bring his homework over?”

“How did you know?”

“Whenever he got into one of these funks when we were kids he’d find an excuse to call me over to his house to hang out. If he goes the entire day without interacting with someone he goes a little mad.” Chloe chuckled dryly. “He once woke me up at two in the morning spouting off a bunch of nonsense that only comes from being sleep deprived.”

“You mean like those weird topics you get on when it is super late and you end up arguing about something stupid like if burritos would be considered a sandwich?” Marinette laughed quietly.

“I spent half an hour arguing with him about whether or not fish were wet.” Chloe’s shoulders began to shake as she tried to contain her laughter.

“I mean...they aren’t wet.”

“Yes they are! They are literally underwater!”

“But if they’re underwater their entire lives then that’s just existence.”

“I am not having this argument again. Fish are in water, water is wet, ergo fish are wet!”

“Not if you think of how wet is perceived. Yes water is technically wet but a fish is only considered wet after it is taken out of the water and hasn’t dried.”

The atmosphere in the car lightened as the two girls got into a heated debate about whether or not fish are wet. Marinette was laughing the entire time as they pulled up to the school.

After classes were over Marinette got Adrien’s homework for the day and headed over to his house. The gates opened up and she went inside to deliver the homework.

Nathalie was waiting at the door. “Adrien said you would be stopping by with his homework.”

“Yes, I got it right here.” Marinette held the papers.

“Thank you. I’ll take that--”

“Marinette!” Adrien darted out of his room and came tumbling down the stairs. He was wearing only sweatpants and a well loved t-shirt. “You’re here.”

“Yeah. You asked me to drop your homework off you dork.” Marinette giggled as he scooped her up in a hug.

“I have been so bored!” he groaned into her shoulder. “Thankfully you’re here now.” He pulled her towards the stairs.

“Adrien, hold on.” Nathalie cut them off. “You know how your father feels about having unplanned guests in the house.”

“I told you Marinette was coming over.”

“To drop off your homework and to say hello.”

“Please Nathalie!” Adrien begged, “Just an hour.”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“Forty five minutes.”

“Half an hour and you have to keep the doors cracked.”

“Thanks Nathalie!” Adrien pulled on Marinette again and they stepped inside his room. He made sure the doors were cracked as little as possible before grabbing Marinette and collapsing them both onto the bed.

“Hello there,” Marinette giggled as Adrien nuzzled closer to her, “Do you need attention this badly?”

“Duh.” he placed her hand on top of his head so she would play with his hair. “I know that I wouldn’t have been able to pay attention in class today but being cooped up in the house is so boring.”

Marinette ran her fingers through his golden locks. “How are you feeling now? You sound better then you were earlier.”

“I am. When I woke up I just knew that I wasn’t gonna be able to drag myself to school for the life of me.”

“Poor baby.”

“Poor you, how did you end up at lunch with Chloe and Lila?”

“Well Chloe was worried about you since you weren’t in class and I didn’t want her bothering you so I told her she could say hi at lunch. Then because Alya was at the dentist for the first half of the morning Lila sat herself right next to me since we are supposed to act like friends. I ended up inviting her too for reasons I regret.” Marinette smiled just the tiniest bit, “In the end Lila was still a pain but on the ride back to the school Chloe and I kinda got along.”

“Really?”

“It surprised me too. We got into a debate about whether or not fish are wet. It was a whole thing.”

“We had that same argument.” Adrien chuckled.

“I know. We were talking about you when she brought it up.” Marinette sighed.

“Something wrong?”

“It is so weird to think of Chloe as someone other than my years long bully. I know that logically she can’t be horrid all the time but all my experience with her has been negative up until recently.”

“I won’t act like I know why Chloe does some of the things she does but I love her like a sister. Ever since we were kids she’s been there and she means a lot to me.”

“If your feelings are sibling like love then why does she...you know…”

“The flirting?”

“Yeah.”

“I know why but it’s not my place to tell you. Let’s just say that there is zero chance that Chloe will ever be my girlfriend and we both understand that.”

“If she’s not actually looking to date you then why did she get so hostile when we got together?”

“Protective. Chloe is really protective over my relationships with other people. She’s kinda like father in that way but a lot more accepting of them if she thinks that they are sincere connections.”

“I am learning so much about someone I used to hate.”

“Like you said last night, ‘Communicating with someone and getting to know them tells much more about someone then a first impression ever could.’”

“Are you forgetting the many many years where I got to know Chloe and all she ever revealed herself to be was mean?”

“That’s fair. But things are different now. She’s matured. You both have. You can’t erase the past but maybe you can start to look past it.”

“My prince is so wise.” Marinette kissed his forehead.

“Prince?” Adrien looked up at her with those big green eyes brimming with excitement.

“Oh dear,” Marinette poked his nose, “Yes, I called you my prince. Does that amuse you.”

“I’m a prince!” he squeezed her tighter.

“The dorkiest prince I’ve ever met.”

“Why am I a prince?”

“Well you call me, my star, and it reminded me of The Little Prince since he is in space visiting all those planets. You got golden curls just like him too. I don’t know, I thought it was cute.”

“I love The Little Prince. And I love my new pet name. Say it again.”

“Adrien,”

“No. Not Adrien.”

“You are so silly,” Marinette settled herself in his arms, “my prince.”

Before she left Marinette explained the new agreement with Lila about acting like friends online. Adrien wasn’t a fan of it easier but agreed that it would be a tad suspicious since they are supposed to be friends.

On the walk back home Marinette updated Adrien’s contact name in her phone.

My Prince

Just after she saved the change her phone went off with a reminder. “Dang it! I completely forgot!” Marinette took off running in the opposite direction. “He is gonna kill me if I’m late again!”

Chapter Text

“I’m here! I’m here!” Marinette rushed into one of the public library study rooms.

“Marinette,” Fu drew the blinds of the room, “You’re late.”

“Sorry. I was at my boyfriend’s house and lost track of time.” Marinette sat down at the table.

“No matter. Today will be a quick meeting.”

Ever since Master Fu’s cover had been blown their lessons had to be moved to different locations. While it was risky to keep meeting at the same place they had established that one of the quiet study rooms of the public library ideal to this end.

“What was it that you wanted to go over? Potions? Other miraculous? History of the Guardians?” Marinette pulled out her notes.

“No. Today we are addressing something much more important.” Fu sat down across from her. “You have progressed so far in your studies and training to become the next Guardian of the Miraculous. There is still things that I need to teach you but I am proud to say that your training is near complete.”

“Really? I feel like I haven’t spent that much time training at all.” Marinette was surprised by his admission.

“But you have. You take the work of the miraculous very seriously and it shows. I will admit that I was surprised by how fast you progressed in such a short time. I thought maybe you weren’t absorbing the material at the rate you seemed. In the end though you have showed to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of everything pertaining to the miraculous.”

“Not everything. I still can’t use my power without transforming back right away.”

“That is a skill that can only be achieved through experience and patience. It will come.”

“And what about new powers? Not just the power ups that we give the kwamis.”

“You are speaking of Chat Noir’s new power. The Black Storm.”

“Yes. You still haven’t explained how he was able to do that or if I am capable of achieving new powers like that.”

“Marinette, the miraculous are a mystical and mysterious artifact. We may only be scratching the surface of what they are capable of. There are plenty of holders before you and Chat Noir who had widely different powers then the original that they themselves created.”

“Are you saying that Chat Noir created that power by himself? How is that possible?”

“I believe he tapped into something far more powerful than Plagg’s power.” Fu pulled up a video on his phone. It was the battle with Chat Blanc. “Emotion drives people. It can cause great happiness as well as immense pain. I heard your concerns about Chat Noir after he was akumatized. I know he suffers from his experience but it also seems that he has taken that experience and channeled it into something productive.”

“Chat Noir got this new power because of his grief over being akumatized?”

“That is only a theory. But he may have gotten the idea from seeing what unlimited destructive energy looks like.”

“I see.”

“You are a smart girl so I hope I do not need to tell you to not get yourself akumatized in hopes of furthering your own power.”

“Master I would never.”

“I know. I just wanted to be clear.” Fu put his phone away. “In any case I think it is important that you and Chat Noir work together to harness and master this new power and any other powers you may develop.”

“I’ll be sure to let Chat know.”

“Good. The only other thing I wanted to go over today is what will happen when you are formally named the new Guardian of the Miraculous.”

“I’m listening.”

“When I formally relinquish the mantle of guardian to you then the box and miraculous inside will seal itself in protective shell that may only be opened by the new guardian so to keep others from taking them. All you need to do to remove the shell is to place your hand upon it and say this phrase, “Open for I am Ladybug, Guardian of the Miraculous.”

“Open for I am Ladybug, Guardian of the Miraculous. Got it.” Marinette nodded. “And what will happen to you master?”

“Marinette, when you become the new guardian you must understand that it will only be because it has grown too dangerous for me to continue to be the guardian. When you take on the mantle I will need to leave Paris so to protect the identities of you and Chat Noir from Hawkmoth.”

“Will you still remember us?”

“Yes. It used to be that the guardians would lose all memory pertaining to the miraculous after they passed on the title. But I found a loophole.”

“Of course you did.”

“You will be a great guardian one day, Marinette. Of that I am sure. But I hope to shield you from such a fate for a little while longer. You have already taken on such a heavy responsibility in your role as Ladybug. There is no rush to increase your burden with the title of guardian as well.”

“Thank you master.”

“If you do not have any further questions or concerns then I think our meeting today is concluded.”

“I believe I understand all that you’ve told me today.” Marinette stood up. “And I promise I will be on time next time.”

“You said that during our last meeting as well.” Fu opened the door to the room, “After you, Marinette.”

“Goodbye.” Marinette waved before finally heading home.

Thoughts about becoming the new guardian bounced around her head. She had always known that was what she had been training for but hearing Master Fu talk about passing on the guardianship to her made it feel much more real. Was she really ready for such a task? She was still learning everything about herself as Ladybug. Could she even handle being a guardian?

When she got home she expressed her doubts to Tikki. Tikki assured her that Fu knew what he was doing and that Marinette shouldn’t sell herself short. She had been training and studying to become the next guardian for months. The fact that she was practically ready for the responsibility after such a short time said much. Most guardians took years and years to train and half of them were nowhere near as naturally gifted with miraculous as Marinette was. Fu’s faith in her abilities was a testament to how far she’s come since she first became Ladybug.

Fu chose well. Marinette needs to understand that and believe in his judgement. Besides, if at all possible Fu will hold off on officially making her the guardian until she is an adult. That made Marinette feel a little better.

Marinette’s phone pinged with a message. It was Kagami.

Hey, do you want to get juice tomorrow after school? --Kagami

Marinette hadn’t really spoken to Kagami since she started dating Adrien. She knew how Kagami felt about him and couldn’t help but feel kinda bad. That wasn’t fair to either of them. She couldn’t keep avoiding her. She didn’t want to lose Kagami as a friend.

Sounds fun! Our usual place? --Marinette

Kagami texted her back.

Yes. See you there at four? --Kagami

Four it is! --Marinette

Can’t wait :) --Kagami

---

After classes finished the next day Marinette went to meet Kagami. Adrien was taking a page out of Kagami’s book and ditched fencing practice to have a jam session with Kitty Section on the Couffaine houseboat. She got to their usual juice spot and waited for Kagami to show up before ordering.

“Hi Marinette,” Kagami sat down. “It’s been too long since we’ve hung out.”

“It really has.” Marinette relaxed seeing how composed Kagami was.

She had been so paranoid about this hang out all day but seeing Kagami smiling from the start eased her worries. It wasn’t that she was scared of Kagami but rather her confidence and cool demeanor made it hard to tell how she was feeling. If she was upset or angry it would be harder to spot under her blank expression. But she was smiling and laughing so that had to be a good sign.

Things started out fine. The girls ordered their juice and got caught up about what they had been up to since the last time they really talked. It was all really nice but it became apparent the longer they talked that they were tiptoeing around the elephant in the room.

“Kagami, can I ask you something?” Marinette finally ventured.

“Yeah, what is it?” Kagami stirred the ice around in her drink.

“Are you mad that I’m dating Adrien?” she asked.

Kagami let out a deep breath. “I was just about to say something myself.” She shook her head, “No, Marinette, I am not mad that you and Adrien are dating. I’m actually pretty proud of you. I was wondering if you were ever going to get the guts to confess to him.”

“Yeah...it wasn’t a graceful confession.”

“I gathered that much.” Kagami smirked, “Adrien told me a little about your trip to the wax museum.”

“He did?” Marinette cringed.

“Only a bit. But it must have worked out in the end given that you two are still going strong over a month later.”

“It was a very...careful conversation that followed. I had to make sure that he was what I really wanted and I had to make it clear to him that he should only be with me if that’s what he wanted. It was all very awkward and hard to talk about...kinda like this.”

“Marinette,” Kagami laid a hand overtop hers, “I am not upset at you and Adrien for choosing to be together. Am I a bit disappointed that he’s off the market? Sure. But I could never be angry at either of you for following your hearts.”

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. For weeks I’ve been fretting about how you must be feeling and I was avoiding you because I scared how you’d react and I hated it. I hated being so worried about how my relationship with Adrien would affect our friendship. Looking back on it now it was pretty silly. You’re probably one of the most mature people I know.”

“I figured that’s what had been going on. But I asked you out today so that we could clear the air.”

“Have you talked to Adrien at all?”

“Yes. Adrien and I hashed things out fairly quickly.” Kagami snickered, “Once I assured him it was okay to talk about you and your relationship around me he hasn’t shut up about you. Marinette this. Marinette that. Marinette and I did this. I can’t wait to see Marinette. If it wasn’t for the fact that I adore the both of you it would be pretty annoying.”

“He doesn’t really talk about me that much. Does he?”

“The boy is absolutely smitten with you. There’s actually a game going on during fencing practice now because of it.”

“What kind of game?”

“Everytime he says your name everyone within earshot has to yell back ‘Mr. Marinette’ no matter what they are doing. He gets so red in the face and flustered, it’s pretty funny.”

“Kagami! That’s mean!”

“It’s playful teasing. Back before you two started dating every time Adrien and I sparred the others would look at us and say, ‘mommy and daddy are fighting again.’ It was embarrassing and one time Adrien innocently referred to himself as ‘daddy’ without realizing the implications and it was a whole thing.”

Oh Adrien…

“Well, I’m glad that we’re okay.” Marinette said, “I would have hated for Adrien to have come between us.”

“You really think I would let a guy ruin our fun?”

“Never.” Marinette raised her glass. “To not letting boys come between a pair of cool girls.”

“Here here,” Kagami held up her own. The rest of their afternoon went along perfectly before Kagami had to make it back home before her mom realized she wasn’t at fencing practice. The girls parted ways with promises to talk more now that they had cleared everything up between them.

Walking home Marinette couldn’t help but wonder how Adrien’s afternoon had gone.

---

When Adrien showed up at the Couffaine houseboat everything was good. The band was together and tuning their instruments. Rose was subtly turning down Luka’s amps so they didn’t get a ticket for disturbing the peace again. Adrien stood in front of the keyboard playing a mindless little tune.

“That’s really pretty,” Juleka said, “Is it a lullaby?”

“Oh it’s just something I was playing.” Adrien shrugged.

“Play it again.” Rose came up to him now.

“Okay,” he started playing the melody again.

“It sounds familiar…” Rose tapped her chin. “Oh I know! It’s that lullaby Marinette sings. You know the one, Juleka, whenever you were having that panic attack and she sang it to calm you down.”

“Oh it totally is,” Juleka smiled, “I don’t know the lyrics though.”

Adrien nodded. He hadn’t even noticed Marinette’s lullaby was what he had been playing. It was nice to think that she shared it with others when they were feeling bad. He wondered how many others knew that song.

“The moon is watching over you. The moon is bright tonight. Everything is asleep. Everything is still. Fall off to sleep. Fall into dreams.”

The group turned to stare at Luka. Even though the song was in another language he sang it perfectly. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to tuning his guitar unperturbed by the confused people around him.

Marinette had sung that same lullaby to Luka? Often enough that he knew the lyrics? The lyrics that are in Chinese?

He is not jealous. He is not jealous. That green little monster does not exist within him. Marinette can sing whatever she wants to her friends as many times as she wants. Just because she had feelings for Luka and Luka had feelings for her means nothing. Adrien is her boyfriend. He is cool. He is not going to start worrying about her relationships with other guys. Cause that is stupid and He is not insecure about his relationship.

Okay.

He was a tiny, little, itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, wee bit jealous.

And it felt gross.

It is a song that she obviously sings to her friends to make them feel better. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Was it just because he knew that Marinette had struggled to choose between him and Luka? That’s not fair considering the whole reason they had to have that long talk on the Path of Swans was because Adrien wasn’t sure he was ready to move on from Ladybug.

He hadn’t even thought about what Luka thought about all this. Marinette had told Adrien that Luka liked her but always encouraged her to pursue Adrien. But was he really okay with it? He needed to say something.

After their little jam session on the boat Juleka and Rose ran off to Juleka’s room and Ivan left for home. That just left Luka and Adrien to finish packing up their equipment for the day.

“Hey, Luka,” Adrien tapped him on the shoulder, “Is it okay if we talk for a second?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” Luka said.

“So...um…” how was he supposed to bring this up?

“You want to talk about how you’re dating Marinette now, don’t you?” Luka guessed correctly.

Adrien was taken aback by his bluntness. “How did you know that?”

“Because I’ve been meaning to talk to you too.” Luka closed his guitar case and sat down. He motioned for Adrien to sit down too. “I saw how you were acting earlier when I started singing her lullaby and I knew you had some things you wanted to say.”

“Yes, but not what you think. I am perfectly happy that you two are friends. I’m not about to start telling you to back off because I’m dating her now. I’m not like that.”

“I know you aren’t. But since I’m assuming Marinette told you everything before you started dating that you want to make sure that I’m okay with all of it.”

“I know I’m the one that initiated this conversation but can I say I am so glad you’re taking the lead on this.” Adrien breathed out in relief, “Yes. Marinette informed me and I even made a joke saying that I wondered why it was even a competition since you seemed so perfect and understanding.”

“I am far from perfect.” Luka smiled, “Also all I want is what is best for my friends. If you two are your happiest with each other then that’s all that needs to be said.”

“You are so zen about this I love it.”

“I mean I’m zen now but in the beginning was a whole different story.”

“What does that mean? Were you disappointed that we were going out?”

“No. The only thing that’s been bothering me is that I think Marinette has been avoiding me since you two got together. I don’t think she’s aware that she’s doing it since any time we’re together we have all out other friends along too so she just doesn’t notice but that bothers me a little. Cause even if we aren’t dating I would still like to keep her as a friend. You know what I mean?”

“I get it. I had the same problem with Kagami too but we talked and worked it out.” That was another conversation he knew he needed to have but wasn’t too prepared for. “But what were you talking about before? The whole not being so zen thing?”

“Right. What you need to understand that this was a very short lived phase way back before you two had started dating.” Luka looked embarrassed, “I hate to say it but I honestly kinda hated you for a bit.”

“What!” Adrien wasn’t expecting that, “But you were always so nice. Why did you hate me?”

“Because I thought you were being a jerk to Marinette. Here was this amazing, talented, beautiful girl who was head over heels for you and not subtle about it at all and you did nothing.”

“I didn’t know she liked me.”

“And that’s what I didn’t believe. At first I thought that you weren’t aware of her crush but if you watched for five seconds how she acted around you it was obvious. Painfully obvious. I thought there was no way you could actually be that dense to her feelings and that you had to be faking it. That you knew how she felt but weren’t saying anything to mess with her or string her along on some ego trip.”

“I would never do that. Not to Marinette. Not to anyone.”

“I know that now but at first that’s what I thought and it made me so angry. Angry that you had this great girl practically throwing herself at you and all you did was smile and wave. Did I try to stop her? No. I knew how she felt about you and if she was going to be her happiest being with you then I wanted her to have it. But I also let her know how I felt. Whether she chose me or not I was going to let her know that I liked her and wanted to be with her.”

Was that a fair shot? Yeah. Marinette literally had his picture posted everywhere in her room for a while. It was obvious to anyone watching the show that day how Marinette felt but Adrien just waved it off like all the other hints he had been blinded to.

“When did you find out that I was that dense?” Adrien asked.

“Pretty quick. I complained to Juleka about it and she explained to me in earnest exactly how thick you were. I didn’t want to believe it but I also know Juleka isn’t one to lie.”

“So are we good now? You’re not angry that Marinette and I are dating?”

“Are you two happy together?”

“Yes.”

“Are you committed to the relationship?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I am ecstatic for you.”

“You mean that?”

“Yes. But if there is one thing you could do for me, can you get Marinette to talk to me? Like I said before she hasn’t said much to me since you started dating and I want to clear the air with her as well.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“Thanks, man.” Luka patted him on the back. “Do you feel better now.”

“Loads.”

“Good. Come inside, I’ll make you some tea and you can calm down.” Luka walked into the kitchen area.

“I am calm but I will take some tea.” Adrien followed him.

“Dude...you’re shaking.”

“I seem to do that when I have emotional conversations.” Adrien glanced down at his hands and noticed them trembling slightly.

“Did you shake when you told Marinette you wanted to date her?” Luka started filling the kettle with water.

“Yes. So badly.”

“You were probably causing tremors in the ground trying kiss her for the first time, huh?” he chuckled.

“I...um...I haven’t…”

“You haven’t kissed her yet? Adrien, it’s been what? A month?”

“I know! I’ve tried before but I either chicken or something interrupts us.”

“Are you worried you’re not a good kisser?”

“I am a perfectly adequate kisser!” Adrien pouted.

“Put your money where your mouth is then.”

“Luka, you’re a good looking guy and it’s not like the thought hasn’t entered my mind but I’m not gonna kiss you before I’ve ever kissed Marinette.”

“Okay. Good to know.” Luka looked like he was trying not to laugh, “I was talking about manning up and kissing your girlfriend. I wasn’t trying to make you prove you were a good kisser by making out with me.”

“Oh…” Adrien’s face started to turn red hot.

“I mean if you would like to practice on me then that’s cool too--”

“Is the tea done yet!” Adrien shouted over him, “I would like some tea.”

Chapter Text

Rain. Rain. Rain. And surprise! Even more rain!

The forecast for the week was just one giant raincloud.

Marinette stepped into the dry sanctuary of the school and shook out her umbrella. She waited by the door for Adrien to show up. He had an early morning photoshoot and she wanted to give him some pick-me-up treats. Persimmon muffins and a thermos of oolong tea.

When his car pulled up though Lila also got out of the car. And from the looks of it she remembered to ‘forget’ her umbrella so sidled up real close to Adrien to fit under his.

Cool down, Marinette. Sharing an umbrella is not a big deal. Marinette gets that close to Alya and Nino whenever they had to huddle under the same umbrella and it wasn’t weird. Of course the stark difference being that Lila is a demon spawn that is obviously manipulating what she can to steal moments of uncomfortable intimacy.

When they got up to the entrance Marinette fixed her face into a smile. “Good morning, lovely weather isn’t it?”

“The day is looking brighter already.” Adrien gave her a good morning kiss on the cheek. “Whatcha got there?”

“Muffins and tea. I thought it might help wake you up cause I know you didn’t take my advice and go to bed last night when I told you to.”

“You are an angel, my star.” Adrien took the little bag and thermos gratefully.

Lila was standing off to the side with a small scowl on her face.

“Hey, Adrien, give me that back for a second.” Marinette took a muffin out of the bag and held it out to Lila, “You were up early too. Would you like one?”

“What?” Lila looked at Marinette like she was crazy.

“They’re persimmon. My uncle’s personal recipe.” she placed the muffin in Lila’s empty hand. “What kind of friend would I be if I brought Adrien treats and not you?”

“Right,” Lila smirked, “so considerate of you to think of me, friend.”

She sauntered past the both of them munching on the fresh muffin.

“That was nice of you.” Adrien said. “Trying to do some prevention work?”

“A little.” Marinette shrugged, “But I’ve also been thinking about a kill them with kindness approach when it comes to Lila. Because we’re labeled as friends now I can use that to my advantage. I do all this nice stuff for her which makes me look like a great friend and eventually she’ll have to do something nice back. Either out of fear that everyone else will wonder why she doesn’t do favors for me or just plain guilt.”

“Is this a long game in exposing her?”

“I think more than anything I’m hoping that showing her genuine kindness even though she’s horrible will guilt her into changing her ways.”

“You think that will work?”

“I have no idea. But I think it is better to try at least. That way if and when she is exposed for the liar she is that’ll put us on the side of the victim because we were acting as her friend.”

“And what if she tells everyone that we’ve been faking the friendship to avoid her wrath?”

“Well seeing as how she is basically blackmailing us into acting as her friend I think I that can be forgiven. But also she’s been lying this entire time, if she was exposed then what proof would there be that it isn’t just another lie she’s telling?”

“I love it when you’re clever.” Adrien gushed as they walked up to class.

“I’m always clever.” Marinette preened at the praise.

“I know.” He said with a wink that made Marinette’s belly fill with butterflies.

They took their seats as class began.

Throughout the week Marinette made it a point to have one sincere moment of kindness a day when it came to Lila. At first Lila was skeptical and a tad confused by Marinette’s treatment. While in public Marinette had always done the bare minimum to convince everyone else that they were friends. But now? Now she was bringing Lila her favorite pastries from the bakery, letting her copy her notes, and inviting her out for lunch.

Lila wasn’t being outwardly hostile but with every favor or act if goodwill that Marinette did it was met with some passive aggressive nonsense. Some of Marinette’s favorites include, “Thanks for lending me your notes, I would have been finished sooner but it was hard to read your handwriting.” or “I was really craving something fruity but thanks for the eclairs I guess.”

The only time she ever seemed grateful was when Adrien was the one doing the favor. Marinette was trying to take the high road, maintain the charade she was in, but Lila made it so difficult.

During class Marinette was making plans for her and Adrien to have lunch together. Since they hadn’t really had any alone time since they started their ‘kill-Lila-with-kindness’ approach. She may have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for Chloe overhearing their plans and wanting to tag along which somehow got Lila roped in as well. So their quiet lunch date was now a group outing with the two girls Marinette liked the least.

They left the school and it was still pouring down rain. It wasn’t great weather but the cafe they were planning on going to was only a block down the street so they decided to walk. Chloe pulled out her own designer umbrella and refused to let anyone else under it cause she didn’t want to run the risk of getting even slightly wet. Adrien and Marinette had theirs and of course Lila ‘forgot’ hers again.

“Here Lila,” Marinette handed Lila her umbrella, “You can borrow mine.”

“Oh, that’s so kind but it’s not necessary.” Lila tried to hand the umbrella back. Her eyes drifting over to Adrien once again.

“I insist.” Marinette shoved the umbrella at her a little more forcefully then she intended. “Adrien and I can just share his.” Marinette slid over to Adrien and grabbed his hand.

“Yes, you two are adorable. Can we get moving before the streets flood more than they already have?” Chloe huffed with a roll of her eyes.

“We’re coming Chlo,” Adrien assured her. They stepped out into the rain. Chloe took a large lead ahead of them in an effort to get out of the rain quicker.

Adrien leaned closer to Marinette and whispered, “Everything okay? Got a little miffed back there.”

“I’m fine.” Marinette whispered back, well aware of Lila’s jealous stare burning holes into the back of her skull. “Sorry our lunch date got overrun.”

“Well we have another dance lesson this weekend so we’ll make up for it then.” he assured her with a small kiss to the crown of her head.

“AAH!” Marinette and Adrien whipped around and saw Lila sat on the sidewalk. Her one shoe was off and the umbrella was blowing down the street. “Just perfect…”

Adrien went chasing after the umbrella as it went tumbling down the street. Marinette kneeled down to Lila and held out a hand, “Are you okay?”

“Get away from me!” Lila snapped at her. She stood up on own and gathered her shoe from the ground. “Just stop already! Stop it!”

“Stop what?” Marinette tried to get closer so to shield Lila from the pouring rain.

“Your little good girl act. Knock it off already.”

“That’s not--”

“No one is around. You don’t have to pretend like we’re friends.” Lila tried in vain to wipe the wet dirt from her pants.

“Lila, calm down. The cafe is right there, lets get you inside where it’s dry then we’ll worry about everything else.” Marinette tried to usher her towards the building.

“I said stop it! Seriously! What is your problem?” Lila shouted.

“My problem? What do you mean, my problem?” Marinette fumed, “I don’t have a problem! I was trying to help you!”

“Like how you were so generous as to lend me your umbrella?” Lila rolled her eyes, “Please.”

That’s it! If Lila was really going to try and turn Marinette’s kindness around on her then she wasn’t going to play nice anymore.

“Are you seriously going to get mad that I didn’t want you cuddling up next to my boyfriend? I know you have basically blackmailed me and Adrien into being your friends but that doesn’t mean I’m going to roll over and let you drape yourself over him.”

“Possessive much? Just because he’s your boyfriend doesn’t mean you get to control who he is with.”

“I don’t try to control who he hangs out with. And wanting him to be comfortable is not possessive.”

“Then why did you get so butt hurt about us sharing an umbrella?”

“Because he’s not comfortable being touched by you so familiarly. You force yourself on him in ways that he’s too nice to tell you he doesn’t like. He’s a person, Lila. Not the pretty, famous, accessory you treat him like.”

“Excuse you--”

“No! Excuse you! Cause I have been making a genuine effort to be kind and act like your friend this week and you have rebuffed me at every turn. And now? You’ve fallen, I offered you a hand and you took it as a threat somehow. Then when I told you I wasn’t going to stand for your repeated harassment of Adrien you accused me of being possessive. So either take my efforts to heart or get out of our lives.”

“You--you--” Lila was shaking with rage.

“I got it! I got the umbrella!” Adrien came running back. The poor boy was absolutely drenched. “Here you go, Lila.”

“Shut up!” Lila screamed before running off back towards the school.

Adrien watched confused as Lila stomped away. “I’ve missed something.”

“So have I apparently.” They turned around to see Chloe waiting by the cafe door. “Both of you get inside now.”

Marinette and Adrien trudged into the cafe.

“Adrien, I already called someone to drop you off some dry clothes. Go to the bathroom and dry off as best you can.” Chloe instructed. “Don’t worry about food I know what to order for you.”

“Thanks Chlo,” Adrien tried to give her a hug but thought better of it and settled for a quick air kiss.

Marinette sat down at the table with Chloe across from her. The quiet contemplation she exhibited was something Marinette hadn’t seen on her before. It was kinda frightening.

“So...where did you get a change of clothes for him?” Marinette asked, trying to fill the silence between them.

“I always make sure to have a few back up outfits for him at my place. In the off chance that he ruins what he’s wearing or ends up spending the night.” Chloe shrugged.

A few minutes later Chloe’s butler rushed in with Adrien’s change of clothes and a towel. Adrien finally emerged from the bathroom dry and Chloe ordered her butler to have his wet clothes dry cleaned and delivered back to his house.

Chloe stayed unnaturally quiet up until their food was delivered to the table.

“Adrien,” Chloe said, “When exactly were you going to tell me you were being blackmailed by that two-bit, knockoff of a knockoff weiner dog?”

“Blackmail is such a heavy word.” Adrien was trying his best to be nonchalant, “Lila isn’t--”

“I literally heard Marinette say that Lila was blackmailing you two. Don’t lie to me.” Chloe leveled him with a glare. She turned her gaze to Marinette, “You hate liars. Are you gonna tell me the truth?”

“It’s fairly complicated.”

“I bet.” Chloe took a bite of her salad, “What does she have over you?”

Adrien and Marinette explained what all had happened with Lila. All the lies, the manipulation, the arrangement Adrien made to get Marinette unexpelled, all of it. Chloe interjected to ask the occasional question or silently vent her anger before letting them continue.

By the end of their story the fury burning around Chloe was hot enough to roast marshmallows over. Yet she remained silent.

“Chloe, now that you know you can’t say anything. If Lila finds out then she’ll come after you and take all three of us down.” Marinette tried to explain. “We have this handled...for the most part.”

“Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe’s voice was soft but her words were clipped with impatience, “Stop talking. I’m trying to think.”

She took a deep breath. “You two have got to be the dumbest couple I’ve ever seen.”

“Chloe!”

“Adrien,” Chloe shut him up with a single glance, “This girl is taking advantage of you. I’m not gonna stand for it.”

“We appreciate the support but this isn’t your problem. Adrien and I got ourselves into this mess and it’ll be us who gets us out.”

“Cute. But no.” Chloe leaned back in her chair, “If Lila is that good at lying and manipulating then you need me. Someone who knows what she is but that she still considers ignorant.”

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other. That was true. Lila didn’t know Chloe knew the truth now.

“Are you saying you want to be a double agent and spy on Lila?”

“Yeah. No one takes advantage of my Adrikins.” Chloe stood up. “Now let’s get going. Lunch is almost over.”

“But Chloe--” Adrien was cut off by Chloe.

“I’m doing this.” With that she walked out of the cafe.

“This is good, right?” Adrien asked. “I mean we have another ally now.”

“Can we trust Chloe not to blow her own cover? She’s not exactly a great actress.” Marinette sighed.

“I think she’ll be fine. Chloe is always sort of acting in a way.” Adrien’s smile was sad. “Have more faith in her.”

“Okay,” Marinette took his hand, “If you really trust her then I do too.”

“Good.” Adrien kissed her hand.

They stepped back outside. It wasn’t raining anymore at least. The clouds had abated some letting the sunshine through to warm the city. Hopefully they would get back to the school before the break in the storm ended.

Chapter Text

The time following Lila’s tantrum and Chloe’s indoctrination into Adrien and Marinette’s circle of truth were surprisingly uneventful. Chloe acted oblivious to Lila’s lies. Lila was still keeping up the pretense of being friends with Marinette albeit barely. Her outburst in the rain had erased any progress Marinette may have thought she was making.

In a way Marinette was kinda sad for Lila. How damaged do you have to be to bite at someone who is intentionally being nice to you? It wasn’t like Marinette was pretending when she tried to help Lila after she tripped. It was a reflex. And Lila, as usual, had snubbed her. When all of this was over Marinette would be surprised if Lila could claim anyone as a friend still. All the connections she made in class, all of her friends, how many would turn on her when she was exposed? All of them? It would be her own fault of course but still...Marinette had felt what it was like to be turned against by people she thought she trusted. It was horrendous.

As much joy as showing everyone just how terrible Lila was and watching her downfall would bring her there was still a nagging sense of pity deep in her brain. She wasn’t one to enjoy the suffering of others. Even if they deserved it.

On a brighter side Chloe was being nicer. Well, as nice as Chloe could be. When Adrien and Marinette first started dating Chloe had restricted herself from outwardly taunting or bullying Marinette. Since their lunch Chloe had made a begrudging effort to act cordial around her. A forced smile there, a miniscule compliment here, and on rare occasions an awkward friendly pat. As strange as it was for both of them it made Adrien beyond happy so the girls silently agreed it was worth it.

“Hey, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe parked herself in front of Marinette’s locker.

“Hi, Chloe,” Marinette gently nudged her out of the way to get to her locker.

“Okay, so don’t make a big deal out of it but here.” she shoved an envelope into her hands. “It’s an invite to my parent’s anniversary this weekend. I know your parents are already catering the event but I figured that you could use an invitation to attend as a guest and not staff.”

“Oh, thanks Chloe.” Marinette looked at the invitation. “That’s very nice of you.”

“It’s for Adrien’s sake. All of my family’s oldest friends and most important guests will be at this event. It wouldn’t do if my best friend’s girlfriend was a server.”

“Of course,” Marinette slipped the invitation into her bag. “I appreciate the gesture. Even if you need to provide your own context to endure it.”

Chloe nodded. A sad sort of look crossing her features before she turned on her heel and left the room.

On the day of the anniversary party Marinette headed over with her parents to help them set up before the party started. Soon the guests started to arrive and Marinette detached from her parents to mingle. She was standing in the corner talking with Chloe and Adrien when she noticed Kagami and her mom walk in.

“Kagami!” Marinette waved her over, “Hey, I was wondering when you were gonna get here.”

“Hello everyone,” Kagami nodded to them. “No offense to you, Chloe, but I’ve only been here for three minutes and I’m already bored out of my mind.”

“How dare you! This is one of the events of the year!” Chloe huffed.

“Chloe,” Adrien gave her a look, “You tried to pretend to be sick this morning to get out of this. It’s boring.”

Chloe’s shoulders slumped, “Won’t be boring for long.” she muttered.

Adrien frowned before looking at Kagami and Marinette. “Uh, Marinette, Kagami must be thirsty. Why don’t you show her where the refreshments are?”

“Oh, sure,” Marinette took the hint and left with Kagami next to her. She glanced over her shoulder once they walked away and saw Adrien giving Chloe a hug. She didn’t know what was going on but it didn’t feel her place to ask questions.

The girls walked up to the refreshments table and got cups of punch for Adrien and Chloe as well. When they got back to their little corner Chloe was gone.

“Where did she go?” Marinette asked. “We brought drinks.”

“She got called over by her parents. They’re gonna start opening some presents I guess.” Adrien looked over at them with a sigh.

“I say that means this is a good time for us to bail.” Kagami said.

“We can’t just leave.” Adrien’s gaze slid to his bodyguard who was keeping an everwatchful eye on him from a distance. “Our parents would kill us.”

“I also don’t feel that good about ditching Chloe.” Marinette caught Chloe handing her parents a present with a nervous smile. “She didn’t look that good earlier.”

“So what do you two suggest? We suffer through this as a team?” Kagami asked.

Mayor Bourgeois and Audrey were in an argument that was quickly escalating out of control. Chloe stood close off to the side watching them with a unnatural calm.

“I think I have an idea.” Marinette wove her way through crowd to where Chloe was standing. “Chloe, would you be able to replace that shirt easily?”

“Yes. Why?” Chloe raised a brow at her.

“Because you’re not gonna like this.” Marinette ‘accidentally’ dumped her cup of punch all over Chloe’s shirt.

“DUPAIN-CHENG!” Chloe screamed. “You little--”

“What is that awful noise?” Chloe’s mom turned towards the girls. Her lips curled in disgust.

“I am so sorry, Chloe. My hand slipped. I’m such a klutz.” Marinette put on her most apologetic face.

“Oh my poor princess,” Mayor Bourgeois tsked as he approached his daughter. “Are you alright?”

“No! Dupain-Cheng dumped her--” Chloe stopped herself as the realization dawned on her. She immediately switched gears and turned on the crocodile tears.

“This was my favorite blouse!” Chloe sniffled. “And now it’s ruined!”

“Go get changed sweetheart. Take as much time as you need.” her dad sent her off with a kiss to the top of her head.

“Thanks daddy!” Chloe subtly nodded to Marinette before leaving the party.

Marinette made her way back to Adrien and Kagami. Not a minute later Adrien got a text from Chloe saying that she was going to keep herself locked in her suite for the remainder of the party.

“Good thinking, doodle bug.” Adrien relaxed as he put his phone away again. “So how about we work on getting ourselves out of this now?”

“Follow me, lovebirds.” Kagami motioned for them to keep close as they snuck into the kitchen. They trio ducked behind the island as Adrien’s bodyguard tried to follow after them.

A few tense moments later and they heard the kitchen door close again. Marinette peeked up to make sure no one was there. “Okay, where now Kagami?”

“Um…” she scanned the room, “Okay, this might sound stupid but bear with me.”

Kagami pointed at three large boxes resting in the corner.

“That is stupid.” Marinette nodded, “I’m in!”

The three teenagers huddled under the boxes and tried their best to sneak back out. It worked out about as well as they figured having been spotted by Adrien’s bodyguard almost immediately. They threw the boxes in his way and ran for the stairs. They rushed up and up and up until they got to the roof.

“Great idea, Adrien,” Kagami nodded, “Where are we supposed to go now?”

The Gorilla’s thundering footsteps were getting closer.

“Get in!” Adrien grabbed Kagami and Marinette’s hands before pulling them into the large ball pit. They waited under the plastic balls for what felt like forever before they heard the roof door close as the Gorilla left again.

They broke to the surface laughing.

“I gotta say I like being disobedient.” Kagami was grinning from ear to ear, “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun.”

“Seriously? Well then,” Marinette threw a ball at Kagami’s head, “We should keep up the fun.”

“Oh yes we should!” Kagami aimed a ball at Marinette hitting her square in the face.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” Adrien chanted. The girls shared a look before hurling their plastic projectiles at him. “Hey!”

They got into a playful fight before Adrien saw Kagami dive under the balls. Marinette was pulled down shortly after. Both girls popped up once again laughing.

Adrien’s laughter died in his throat as he caught sight of Marinette. Her hair was down. How was it he had known her for this long and never saw her without her hair up? It was really pretty.

She was really pretty.

“See something you like, Agreste?” Kagami chuckled with a knowing smile.

“I um--I--” Adrien blushed before diving deep down into the ball pit himself.

“Kagami! Where are my hair ties?” He heard Marinette ask above.

“Probably sinking to the bottom of the pool.” Kagami said.

He felt the balls shift around him as Marinette burrowed under. He saw a little light nearing him. Marinette got closer to him shining her phone flashlight around the large expanse of white and gold balls.

“Hey there,” Marinette sighed as she pushed some more balls out of her way, “Have you seen my hair ties?”

“No.” he said. Even in the dim light under the balls he was sure she would be able to make out his blushing red face.

“Do you really need them?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“Well, I think your hair looks beautiful down.” he smiled. “But if you really want your hair ties I’ll help you look for them.”

“I um...I guess I can wait till I head home to grab more.” He was able to see a small blush rise on her cheeks.

“Marinette,” he shuffled forward so they were nose to nose. His hand reached out to run his fingers through her hair. She leaned into his touch. “I would very much like to kiss you now.”

She gave a little squeak that made his heart speed up. “I think I would like that too.”

“I found them!” Kagami shouted to them from above. “Lovebirds, surface! Did you drown down there?”

Marinette gave him a disappointed look. “We should go assure her we didn’t get lost down here.” She started climbing back to the surface.

“But--but--!” Adrien bit back a scream of frustration.

“Yo, kid,” Plagg whispered from his shirt pocket, “That’s gotta hurt. You okay?”

“Not now, Plagg.” he hushed back.

He made his way out of the ball pit and saw the two girls sitting at the edge of the pool. Marinette had her hair down still and her ties secured on her wrist for later. At least he still got to see her like this and he knew that if he were to kiss her it would be welcomed.

“That’s a grumpy face,” Kagami giggled at Adrien.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Adrien saw the piano sitting nearby and sat down at it. He started to play a melody almost as old as him. A song that always managed to calm him down as a child.

Marinette and Kagami stood at either side of the piano listening intently.

“Is this your lullaby?” Marinette asked.

“What gave it away?” he smirked.

She sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “The mood was ruined,” she whispered, “Try again another time.”

The sound of the elevator dinging sent the three teenagers under the piano. His bodyguard was back. Clearly he wasn’t giving up his search that easily.

“I got this.” Marinette grabbed a tea candle and using her hair tie as a slingshot sent the candle flying towards the other side of the roof.

While the Gorilla was distracted the trio ran for the elevator and took it down to the main floor and rushed out the doors before anyone could catch them. They were laughing like madmen as they booked it down the street. They ran as far as they could before collapsing onto a bench to rest.

“I think we’re far enough away that no one will be following us.” Adrien said.

“Aren’t you two going to get in trouble for ditching?” Marinette asked.

“Who cares.” Kagami was beaming, “It’s not everyday we can escape from their expectations.”

“So what should we do now?”

“We passed Andre’s ice cream stand on the bridge. Who’s up for some well deserved ice cream?” Adrien pointed behind them.

“Sounds great.” Marinette stood up to follow him. Kagami remained sitting. “Uh, Adrien, how about you go on ahead of us. I need to ask Kagami something.”

“Okay. Don’t be too long.” Adrien left.

Marinette looked back at Kagami. “Aren’t you gonna come get ice cream with us?”

“I don’t think I should.” Kagami regarded her with a fractured smile. “It was fun but I should be getting back to my mom before she freaks out.”

“But you just said--”

“And I feel weird acting as the third wheel to you and Adrien.”

“Kagami,” Marinette pulled her up off the bench, “We want you here with us because you’re our friend. Now stop pouting and come get some ice cream.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Now get a move on, Tsurugi!” Marinette pulled her towards the bridge. Andre handed Adrien a tiered cone with two spoons. Blackberry and peppermint. Their custom flavor.

Kagami got an order of orange and chocolate with walnuts. They sat down by the river to eat their ice cream when Adrien’s phone started ringing.

“Chloe,” Adrien handed the ice cream to Marinette, “Hey, do you need us to come back to the hotel and bust you out?”

“Adrien! My parents!” Chloe sounded out of breath and terrified, “They were--AH!”

“Chloe? Chloe!” Adrien gripped his phone harder, “Chloe? Are you there? What happened? Chloe!”

But the line had gone dead.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette and Kagami looked to him concerned.

“I don’t know. Chloe sounded scared though. I think we should head back to the hotel.”

A crash from down the street stopped them. Abandoning their ice cream they peeked around the corner and saw what looked like a giant balloon floating down the street. It had two faces. One of which shot lasers from its eyes turning whatever it hit into a giant heart before the other face devoured it.

“I think Chloe’s parents got akumatized.” Marinette cursed their rotten luck. “Hawkmoth really never takes a day off does he?”

“The love in this city is delectable.” The masculine face said as it devoured another heart.

The feminine face locked her gaze on the three teenagers with a wicked smile. “Such lovely lovebirds on the horizon.”

“Run!” They took off running.

Marinette needed to get away and transform! But how? She couldn’t just abandon Adrien and Kagami either.

“Come back children!” The akuma rounded the corner after them. “Your love will make a great treat for Heart Hunter!”

As fast as they ran Heart Hunter kept gaining. It was by a miracle their laser eyes hadn’t hit them yet.

“Adrien! Marinette! To your right!” Kagami yelled at them. Coming up was an entrance to the subway.

Adrien and Marinette veered right but Kagami kept running forward. “KAGAMI!” Marinette yelled.

“Keep going!” Kagami yelled back. Heart Hunter shot her with their laser eyes and sucked her up.

“NO!” Adrien had to pull Marinette down the stairs so she didn’t go running off after them.

“Adrien--Kagami, she--”

“I know.” He kept pulling her along. He found a utility closet and shoved her inside. “Stay. You’ll be safe in here.”

“What about you?”

“It’ll be more dangerous if we’re together.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, “I’ll find you after this is over. I promise.” he shut the door and ran.

“Oh Kagami,” Marinette balled her hands into fists to stop them from shaking. “Today was supposed to be fun.”

“We can still salvage it.” Tikki said. “But first you need to defeat the akuma.”

“I know.” Marinette took a deep breath. “Tikki, transform me!”

She ran out of the station and to the surface. She rushed after Heart Hunter. Not a minute later Chat Noir showed up next to her. “Afternoon, milady” He said, “Another day in paradise is it not?”

“It’s just wonderful.” Marinette sighed, “I swear if Hawkmoth ruins another fun outing for me I am going to flip out.”

“I’m almost scared to know what that would look like.” Chat Noir joked. “But that akuma sucked up one of my friends so maybe channel that anger into something productive.”

“I always do.” they saved as many people as they could from Heart Hunter’s rampage. But getting close enough to strike them was proving difficult.

Marinette used her lucky charm and a merry-go-round coin dropped into her palm. Fu.

“Chat Noir, I’ll be back soon. I’m gonna go get us some backup.” She told him. “You stay on Heart Hunter.”

“Got it, Ladybug.” Chat kept following Heart Hunter and Marinette turned to find Master Fu.

As she was leaping from rooftop to rooftop she passed by the hotel and saw Chloe on the roof yelling at her to give her a miraculous. Marinette wished she could but it was just too dangerous an option. Even if it wasn’t her parents that were akumatized.

Marinette landed on the ground near the park. She was about to detransform when she noticed a dark figure on the roof across from her. Mayura was following her.

Marinette took off again hoping to lose Mayura. It took a few sharp turns and hiding behind a stack of chimneys before she was certain she wasn’t being followed. She ran back to the merry-go-round.

“Master Fu I need your help!”

Master Fu gasped upon seeing her. “This costume is very cute miss but is it really fitting in this place?”

Marinette looked down and her blood ran cold as she noticed she had forgotten to detransform. “Crap! Move over!” She pushed her way into the merry-go-round. “I haven't been followed Master, I'm sure of it.”

Fu looked skeptical but nodded as he pulled out the miracle box and held it out to her. “Ladybug if you'd like to have a turn on the merry-go-round please pick your favorite horse. Once the mission is over you will retrieve the Miraculous and return it back to me.”

Marinette hovered over the bee miraculous before reaching for the fox pendant instead. “I’ll be back soon.”

She took off again and frantically knocked on Alya’s window. “Ladybug! This is so--”

“No time for fangirling!” She tossed the miraculous to Alya, “I need Rena now!”

She shut herself in Alya’s closet so she could refuel Tikki while Alya transformed.

After both were powered up again they were back to the air to find Chat Noir. Hopefully that cat hadn’t gotten hit by Heart Hunter while she was gone.

“There you are!” Chat breathed in relief when he saw the girls approach. “Rena, always nice to see you again.”

“You too alley cat.” Rena smirked.

“Focus!” Marinette sent her yo-yo to the sky, “Lucky Charm!”

A rolling pin dropped into her hands.

“Okay...I can figure this out.” she started searching for answers. “I think I got it! Chat Noir, I need your belt and when I say so you need to cataclysm that street lamp. Rena Rouge, you stick to the right and--”

Before Marinette could finish explaining her plan the giant head that was Heart Hunter disappeared and Mayor Bourgeois and his wife went hurtling towards the ground. They leapt into action and caught them before they could hit the ground.

“Uh, okay, correct me if I’m wrong but did Heart Hunter de-akumatize itself?” Chat asked.

“Why would Hawkmoth do that?” Rena looked a little disappointed to have missed out on kicking some akuma butt.

“I don’t know. I’ll be sure to ask Master Fu.” Marinette shrugged before sending the rolling pin back to the sky to right all the damages. “Gotta go, Chat Noir. See you for patrol tonight?”

“As always, Ladybug. Nice working with you again, Rena Rouge. Even if it was short lived.”

“Bye Chat Noir.” They took off in different directions. Once securely hidden in an alley Alya de-transformed and handed the fox pendant back.

Marinette went over a few alleys closer to the park before she de-transformed herself. She was not gonna make that same mistake twice.

She got back to the merry-go-round but immediately felt something was wrong. A mess had been left of the compartment inside and there was no sign of Master Fu anywhere. She tried calling him but it went straight to voicemail. Tikki tried to assure her that Fu was fine but Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling that if something had happened to him that it was her fault.

“You can’t blame yourself for something you don’t know you caused.” Tikki tried to soothe her.

“Who else could have caused it.” Marinette slumped to the ground, “It was me that forgot to de-transform. It was me that risked his discovery. It was me that Kagami sacrificed herself for. It’s me that everyone relies on. Me that everyone looks to save and protect them. I’m supposed to help people, defend the innocent and defeat evil. But look what’s happened? Fu is missing and it could very well be my fault. Chat Noir got akumatized because of my carelessness. What kind of a hero is that?”

“You saved Chat Noir and we don’t know what happened to Fu. Please Marinette, don’t cry.” Tikki pleaded. “I can’t bear it when you cry.”

She heard footsteps nearing her and closed her purse. She had hoped that it was Adrien or Fu or even Kagami or Alya that had foud her. When she looked up she was disheartened her company was a far cry from comforting.

“You look horrible.” Lila scanned Marinette with a revolted frown. “You upset cause someone trashed the merry-go-round? What are you? Six?”

“Leave me alone, Lila.” Marinette stood up and brushed herself off. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Don’t just walk away from me.” Lila cut her off from leaving. Her mask of anger cracking as she looked Marinette in the face. “Are you...are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” the lie felt heavy and bitter on her tongue.

“Sure.” Lila rolled her eyes. “That was believable.”

“What do you want from me, Lila?” Marinette snapped. Her sorrow shifting into rage. “You want the truth for once in your life? Fine by me! The truth is I am not fine! I am not fine at all! I am so tired! So tired of all the responsibilities and having to put up a front all the time!”

She could feel the angry wet tears streaming down her face but she was too miserable to care. “I am tired of never being able to be who I truly am! I am tired of having to lie to people I love! And I am tired of you! I am tired of having to act like your friend! I am tired of your manipulation! I am sick to death of you and I wish you would just drop off the face of the planet but you won’t!”

Marinette had been advancing on Lila until she had her backed against the park fence. “Is this what you wanted Lila? To see me unfiltered? Uncaring? To see what I look like when I finally break? Then congratulations! You’ve seen it! Now crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out of to come torment me and stay there!”

For once Lila was too stunned to speak much less enjoy Marinette’s freak out. Before she could gather her wits Marinette took a deep breath and left the park rubbing the tears from her eyes.

That was a very stupid thing to do. She knew that. As good as it felt to get all of that off her chest she also knew the ramifications of it would come to haunt her. Lila would find a way to use it against her somehow.

At the moment Marinette didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to find Adrien and Kagami and cool down.

As she approached the spot where she had been with them last a movement on the roofs caught her attention. A bright yellow figure was dashing by with incredible speed and something in their arms followed by a dark purple figure.

Was that Chloe and Mayura?

“Tikki?” Marinette muttered solemnly, “Are you refueled?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Duty calls again.” Marinette sighed. She hid in an alley and transformed for the third time that day. Time to see what mess awaited her this time.

Chapter Text

Marinette wasn’t in the utility closet where Adrien left her. He tried calling her but she didn’t answer and he was starting to get worried. He went back to where she and Kagami had last been but didn’t find his girlfriend there. Kagami was there but she hadn’t seen Marinette either.

“I mean Ladybug fixed everything so she has to be safe wherever she is.” Kagami assured him. “How about we split up and try to find her? I’ll got back to the hotel and you can check her house.”

“Good idea.” Adrien started running towards Marinette’s house when he saw a blur of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He was able to make out Mayura running shortly behind the yellow blur before Ladybug went zipping by as well.

“Or I can see what that’s about.” Adrien sighed as he went to transform again.

He caught up to Ladybug. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah.” Ladybug looked pissed. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Do we know what’s going on?” he asked.

“I have some theories. But I’d rather find out what’s going on instead of guessing.”

The duo followed Mayura and Chloe up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug launched herself like a slingshot onto the level of the ones they were chasing. Mayura ducked out of the way of Ladybug just in time and she landed next to Chloe who was powered up as Queen Bee.

“Chloe,” Ladybug looked at her, “What is going on?”

Mayura tried to attack them but Adrien kept her back.

“Well, Hawkmoth came to me with my miraculous and told me to join him after you chose fox girl over me again. Which by the way, it was my parents that had gotten akumatized! Why didn’t you pick me?”

“Chloe! I told you I couldn’t give you the bee miraculous again because everyone knows your identity. Your parents or not it is for your safety!” Ladybug snapped at her. “What I want to know is how you got the miraculous and the miracle box!”

“Right, sorry,” Chloe started again, “Hawkmoth came to me and tried to pull me over to his side. When I saw that he had my miraculous as well as a big box that looked like the tiny boxes you give out I figured he wasn’t supposed to have those so I devised a plan.”

“Girls!” Adrien yelled back at them. Mayura was really starting to wear on him and he wasn’t sure how long he was gonna be able to hold her off by himself. “I could use some assistance!”

“Keep talking I’m listening.” Ladybug said as she went to help Adrien.

“I pretended to go along with what Hawkmoth was saying so he would give me my miraculous back. After I transformed I wrestled this box away from him and ran.” Chloe said. “Last I saw him he was at the Trocadero Gardens with some old turtle guy.”

Adrien and Ladybug exchanged a single word. “Fu.”

Ladybug ran back to Chloe and opened the miracle box as she took some miraculous out. He was half aware of her fusing with another miraculous before closing the box again. She tossed the snake miraculous to Adrien and told him to fuse with it.

“I’ll be right back.” Ladybug took the box from Chloe, “You two keep Mayura busy. Show her no mercy.”

“You can count on us, Ladybug.” Chloe launched herself into the fight. Mayura tried to follow Ladybug but she had disappeared in a gust of wind. Literally. She turned into a wind dragon and disappeared over the skyline.

Though he couldn’t say anything at the moment Adrien was just so proud of Chloe. He knew how stressed she must have been earlier and to have her here fighting with them instead of turning against them filled him with unbridled glee. After this was all over he’d make sure to do something with her to show her how proud he was of his oldest friend.

Just as they were finally starting to wear down Mayura she turned tail and ran. “She has to be heading back to Trocadero Gardens.” Chloe said.

“Then we better make sure to meet her there.” Adrien and Chloe ran after her. It was a good thing he had longer stamina in this suit or else all this fighting and running would have killed him already.

---

This is bad! This is bad! Everything about this is just bad!

Marinette was panicking which never ended well for her. Usually she was able to keep her mind straight and focus on the goal but her mind was too jumbled. She was still trying to process her freak out earlier and now Fu was captured and the safety of the rest of the miraculous rested on her. It was too much.

No. Keep calm. The freak out is a problem for Marinette. Ladybug’s main issue right now is getting the miracle box somewhere safe. She could bring it home but if it was discovered at her house then people would know she was Ladybug. So that was out.

She was passing over the skyline when she got an idea. Not her best but good enough at the moment. She dropped her wind form and landed on Alya’s balcony once again.

Alya looked up startled and confused. “Ladybug? You look different? Did you do a suit upgrade? It looks great!”

“Alya Cesaire, I have a very big favor to ask of you.” she held out the miracle box. “This is the miracle box. It contains all the miraculous. I need you to watch over it and keep it hidden and safe until I return. You cannot open it under any means or tell anyone you had it or let it leave your sight. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“You want me to…” Alya stared at the box in wonder. “You trust me this much?”

“Even more.” Marinette smiled at her. “Can I trust this task to you?”

“I swear, Ladybug. I won’t let anything happen to it.” she held out her hands. “I will not open it. I will not let anyone know I ever had it. I promise.”

“I will be back as soon as possible.” Marinette gently placed the box in Alya’s arms. “Do not make me regret this, Alya.”

With Alya watching over the box Marinette went to rejoin her partners in the fight. Her anxiety over leaving the miracle box with Alya gnawed at her but she had to believe her best friend wouldn’t go against her instructions. She would never be able to forgive her if she did.

Marinette’s phone on her yo-yo started ringing. Chat let her know they were heading to Trocadero Gardens to confront Mayura and Hawkmoth. She picked up the pace.

Next problem was to rescue Fu.

It wasn’t hard to spot where the action was happening. Master Fu was powered up with the turtle miraculous and keeping himself safe inside a shield. He was safe but he wouldn’t be able to hold it forever.

“Don’t tell me I missed all the fun.” Marinette joked as she joined her team. “Chat Noir, what are we up against?”

“Quick assessment tells me that we have Hawkmoth, a winded Mayura, an immovable Master Fu, a sentimonster trying to break through Master Fu’s shield, and whatever akuma person Hawkmoth created while we were battling Mayura earlier.” Chat listed it off.

“Akuma? Where?”

“Over here, Ladybug.” A blur of dark yellow and black spots rushed past them to the top of the building Hawkmoth was standing on. “What’s wrong? Too slow?”

“That voice,” Chat said, “Lila, is that you...again?”

“I am Cheeter!” The cheetah printed villain cackled. “Too quick to be caught by the likes of you and your dumb cat and wanna be heroine!” She was far too at home playing the bad guy next to Hawkmoth.

“Yep that’s Lila.” Marinette sighed. She really shouldn’t be surprised but...no. She wasn’t surprised. She was gonna add this to the internal tally she’d been keeping of how many times Lila had been akumatized. This was the fourth time. Fifth if they were counting when she intentionally mislead Chat Noir away during the Oni-Chan fight.

“Do you think we can maybe get her deported from the city since she seems to be especially susceptible to akumas?” Marinette asked, half serious.

“If we did that we would also have to deport Mr. Ramier, and despite the allergy I don’t entirely mind when he’s akumatized.” Chat Noir shrugged. “But it is nice to dream.”

“Do we have a plan?” Chloe asked.

“Get up there, free Fu, and show these villains what us heroes are capable of.”

The trio launched to the roof. Marinette tackled the giant butterfly creature and lassoed it with her yo-yo. Chat and Chloe were trying to advance on Hawkmoth and Mayura but Cheeter was making it difficult to get close what with her super speed. Even so she couldn’t focus on both so settled for keeping Chloe occupied while Adrien battled with Hawkmoth.

Just as it was looking like everything was going their way everything went wrong.

Marinette was thrown off the sentimonster and landed hard on the ground. Her chin struck the floor first and her brain buzzed with the impact. Chloe was getting worn out trying to keep up with Cheeter’s fast jabs. Chat Noir was struck back like a ball by Hawkmoth and flew off the side of the building.

“How very like you heroes.” Hawkmoth drawled walking closer to where Marinette was struggling to get her feet back under her, “Risking everything and facing impossible odds to save one man.”

“We’re not saving one man. We’re saving all of Paris, the whole world, from the chaos you create.” Marinette fought through the pain in her head and stood, “This ends today, Hawkmoth.”

“Yes. It does.” He pointed at her with his cane.

Chat returned to the roof out of breath but determination in his eyes. “What do we do?”

Marinette took the sword off her back and lowered herself into a fighting stance. “I’ll focus on Hawkmoth. You use your Second Chance to help Chloe immobilize Cheeter.”

“On it. Second Chance!” Chat Noir swiped his miraculous.

He broke to join Chloe while Marinette stood against Hawkmoth. For a moment neither moved. Good and evil facing each other once again.

Marinette made her move. She charged at Hawkmoth swiping at him with her sword which he dodged with grace. It was as if his bout with Chat Noir had done nothing. He was unflabble as ever.

Again and again she advanced on him trying to back him into a corner that he narrowly repeatedly dodged. There had to be a way around him. If she could just get in one good hit!

That’s when her eyes drifted to Mayura. She was knelt on the ground as if she would pass out any second. Master Fu was still being assaulted by the sentimonster. If she could grab her miraculous that would be one less problem and hopefully Hawkmoth would slip up in the confusion.

She ducked under one of his attacks and threw herself fully at Mayura.

“Get away from her!” Hawkmoth grabbed Marinette before she could do more than make a desperate grab for the brooch on her chest.

She wrestled against his hold but he had her arms pinned to her sides. Then his free had touched her earring.

Marinette thrashed harder, kicking her legs back and butting her head back against his face. He pulled off one of her earrings and she could feel her transformation slowly starting to melt away.

“Chat Noir!” she screamed.

“Ladybug!” Chat ran to her and jumped on Hawkmoth’s back. His staff was pressed against his neck pulling him back. “Let her go!”

Hawkmoth made a choking noise as Chat Noir pressed his staff harder against his neck. Hawkmoth let go of Marinette to reach for his neck. Her earring clattering out of his hand. She grabbed it and put it back on.

Chat Noir was thrown off Hawkmoth’s back. He skidded across the roof till he was at the foot of where Chloe stood with an immobilized Cheeter.

“Ladybug, catch!” Chloe tossed what looked like a bracelet to Marinette.

Marinette quickly broke it and purified the akuma that came out. Lila’s transformation melted away.

“No!” Lila stomped her foot. “You stupid heroes!”

“Yeah, we’re the worse.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’ll be right back!” She grabbed a struggling Lila and jumped off the roof.

Now that the akuma was gone the only threat left to deal with was the sentimonster and Hawkmoth. The fusion was taking its toll though and she unfused with Longg and Chat Noir unfused with Sass. Chloe zipped back to the roof and readied herself to fight.

Back to basics. “Lucky Charm!” she threw her yo-yo to the sky and a small key ring dropped into her hands.

She searched for what to do but couldn’t find anything to help. Hawkmoth saw her confusion and began to laugh.

“It seems you’re out of options Ladybug.” Hawkmoth cackled, “Once my sentimonster breaks through the guardian’s shield he will be mine and all your secrets and all your fears will be mine to know. The miracle box will be back in my possession by the end of the day.”

“Ladybug,” Fu drew her attention to him. His old weathered eyes brimming with tears. “Know I am sorry.”

“Master?”

He dropped his arms from protecting his shield and shouted to the sky. “I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the miracle box and name Ladybug the new guardian!”

“Master no!” Marinette tried to stop him but it was too late.

The shield surrounding him shattered and he collapsed back to the ground. In a flash of light his miraculous wore off and Wayzz appeared.

“No!” Hawkmoth bellowed. He stormed at them in a rage. “Where is it? Where have you taken the miracle box?”

“You’re only thinking of asking this now?” Chloe rolled her eyes, “You’re ridiculous Hawkmoth, utterly ridiculous.”

“You’ve lost Hawkmoth,” Chat grinned, “The miracle box is safe under the watch of Ladybug. You’ll never find it again!”

“Yes I will. You will slip up one day, Ladybug. And I will be there to reap the benefits of your incompetence.” With his back against a wall Hawkmoth collected Mayura and the two sped off into streets.

“I’ll get them. You check on Fu.” Chat raced off after them.

Marinette dashed to Fu’s side. “Master?” She shook him, “Master are you alright?”

“Ladybug?” he sat up. “Apologies for frightening you. I could see no other options.”

“Why, master? Why did you make me the guardian? I’m not ready!”

“I am sorry to hand you this burden, Ladybug. It seemed like the safest option. Hawkmoth knows who I am. He captured me once and he could do so again. I will not risk the safety of the miraculous and its holders anymore. Forgive me.” He bowed his head, “But I firmly believe you will make an excellent guardian.”

“But--but--”

Chat came back to the roof shaking his head. “I lost them. How is Master Fu?”

“Chat Noir,” Fu motioned him closer. “I know we did not train much together but I know that as long as you remain the same selfless, loyal, and brave man I met all that time ago you will become an even greater partner.”

“What’s going on? Why are you talking like you’re leaving us?” Chat asked.

“Because he is.” Marinette was trying not to break down again and reached for Chat Noir’s hand.

“You two make an incredible team. Do not lose that.” He smiled at them. “I have faith that you will grow into the best holders this world has ever seen. As long as you stay together.”

“We will, master. We will.”

“Good.” he nodded, “Now can someone get me off this roof?”

“You’re about to transform back. I’ll take him.” Chat helped Fu up. “Good job today, girls.”

The three heroes bumped fists together. “Good job.”

“Oh wait, master, the key ring?” she held up her spotted charm.

“Yes. I almost forgot.” He took out a similar key ring and handed it to her. “Something waits for you, Master Ladybug.”

She sent the spotted key ring into the air as the ladybugs went about repairing the damages.

Chat Noir left with Fu. At the same time Chloe’s transformation wore off. She took the comb out of her hair and held it out to Ladybug.

“I believe this belongs to you.”

“You did an amazing thing today, Chloe.” Marinette took the comb. “Without you the miracle box would have been lost to Hawkmoth. You’re a real hero.”

“I know I’m not always the best at making the right choices but I am trying to be. I want to be worthy of being called a hero. Not just as Queen Bee but as Chloe as well.” she cupped Pollen in her hands, “And I understand if you won’t be able to call on me anymore. I love being Queen Bee but I don’t want to risk the safety of the people I care about.”

“That is already a huge step you’ve taken. Wanting to do better, acknowledging it, and taking action to correct your own wrongs is the beginning of something bigger than you can imagine.” Marinette stepped forward and hugged her, “And who knows, maybe, if we’re in a dire situation like today again, Queen Bee can reign once more.”

“Thank you, Ladybug.”

Marinette’s earrings started to beep more insistently.

“Grab on. I gotta get going.” Marinette grabbed Chloe and set her down on the ground. “You did great! I’m proud of you! Bug out!”

Marinette dropped down into an alley and de-transformed. She took a few minutes to breathe and let Tikki recharge before she went to collect the miracle box from Alya.

“Hey Alya,” Marinette sat down on the balcony edge, “Sorry for forcing this on you out of nowhere but I was in a real tight spot and--”

“Ladybug! I am so sorry! I swear I didn’t do it!” Alya held out what looked like a giant red and black spotted egg. “I was sitting here with the box and suddenly it started glowing and spinning and it became this!”

“No! Alya! It’s okay!” Marinette took the shell, “It was supposed to do that. You’re fine. You didn’t do that.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Alya’s shoulders dropped, “I was freaking out and thinking you were gonna kill me for doing whatever it is that just happened.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t know this was gonna happen when I left it with you.” She tucked the shell under her arm. “But thank you for watching over it. I owe you one. Bug out!”

Marinette quickly went home and stashed the shell of the miracle box in her room. She will deal with that later. Right now she just wanted to power down and find her friends.

She stepped out of her house to find him and saw him running down the street towards the bakery.

“Adrien!” Marinette called out to him.

“Marinette!” Adrien started running faster.

She tackled him in a hug sending them both to the ground. She knew the miraculous cure fixed everything but it never stopped her from being worried about him. They sat up but Marinette wasn’t letting go of him and kept herself firmly planted in his lap.

“I was so worried! You shoved me in a closet and I had no idea where you had gone or if you got hit by Heart Hunter.” She rested her forehead against his.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want the akuma to get you.” His eyes searched her face. “It’s been a long day.”

She drew in a deep breath. All the events of the day weighed on her heavily but sitting here in Adrien’s arms made them feel a little further away. Her head dropped to rest on his shoulder. “That’s an understatement.” she muttered.

“And I know it may be poorly timed but there’s only one thing that I want to do now.” Adrien picked her head back up.

“What’s that?” her heart started to beat faster as his eyes searched her face.

“Just this.”

Then he kissed her. Not a kiss on the cheek or the forehead but a real kiss. It was deeply felt all the way down to her toes and sent zaps of electricity off in her brain. It was passion. Like he had found what he had been meant to be doing all his life. And he wasn’t going to stop.

When he pulled away Marinette was dazed but smiling wider than she ever thought possible. Adrien’s own smile was shy as if he wasn’t sure the act had been welcomed or not.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since our first date.” he whispered, his face turning pink.

Marinette couldn’t speak. The kiss may have actually melted her brain. She had dreamed about actually kissing Adrien for a long time but actually doing it had sent her somewhere almost spiritual.

“Doodle bug? Did I misread something or--”

Marinette cut him off with another deep kiss. She had both her hands in his hair pulling him close. Adrien was caught off guard at first but quickly returned it holding her tighter as they embraced.

This time they were a little out of breath when they broke apart. Marinette couldn’t help it. He was too cute for his own good.

“I guess that’s one way to answer.” Adrien chuckled. “I’m just never going to stop kissing you now. I hope you know that.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” Marinette held onto him a little longer. After such a stressful day everything finally felt peaceful.

“I’m really tired.” She yawned, “Want to come upstairs and take a nap with me?”

“Yes please.” She hadn’t noticed it before but Adrien looked just as tired as she was.

They climbed up to the apartment and settled in on Marinette’s bed. As they started to drift off Adrien gave her lips another tentative peck. Marinette closed her eyes and let her troubles fade away in his embrace. She could get used to this.

Chapter Text

“Sweetheart, are you up here?” a voice asked followed by the sound of a door creaking open.

“Oh, looks like she’s napping.” another voice whispered.

“Also looks like she’s not alone.”

“Awe! They are just adorable aren’t they?”

“Let’s leave them be.” The door clicked shut again.

Adrien had awoken a few minutes before but had yet to open his eyes. He was much too comfortable to leave just yet. Not when he had his petite girlfriend wrapped in his arms in her warm bed. Not when he knew there was harsh world right outside of this pocket of peace. Right now nothing could hurt them. After the stress of the day he didn’t want to let it go so fast.

He would certainly have a lot to jot down in his journal later. Outside of using it to vent his stress he had gotten into the habit of writing down other events. Funny stories Nino told him. Jokes Alya made. Kagami’s teasing when they fenced. The jam sessions he had with Kitty Section. Patrols with Ladybug. And pretty much any moment he spent with Marinette.

His eyes cracked open and peered down at Marinette. Her face relaxed and lips parted slightly as she snored. Adrien gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she stirred turning over in his arms and burying her face in his chest still asleep.

He wondered if Ladybug was this naturally cute when she was asleep.

No! He pushed the thought out of his head. Chastising himself for thinking about it.

Adrien had locked those thoughts up when he started dating Marinette. But every once in a while they would drift in again unannounced. Usually when he was spending time with Marinette. For a split second he would find himself wondering what it would be like to have Ladybug in her spot instead and he would kick himself for thinking it.

He was with Marinette. He is happy with Marinette. Marinette is his girlfriend. He finally kissed her for goodness sake! He should not be thinking about Ladybug during these moments! He had thought that when he started this relationship all his feelings for Ladybug would stay locked away as a nice memory. Yet they kept coming back!

What was even worse was when one of those thoughts would pop into his head and following it would be the worry that he had made some sort of mistake. A small nagging feeling that maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to date Marinette. The guilt it created made him sick.

He liked Marinette. He really did! He was happy in their relationship and very much wanted to keep it going and grow with her personally and romantically. He was proud and happy to be her boyfriend.

Then why did these thoughts keep coming up? Was it just intrusive thoughts? Or was it his heart trying to tell him something? Was he being unfaithful to Marinette by having these thoughts? If he never acted on them it shouldn’t be bad. But thinking them in the first place couldn’t be good either. What if his heart really wasn’t in this and he was unconsciously stringing Marinette along? That’s the one thing she was worried about most when they talked about dating. He didn’t want to hurt her by proving it true. But if these feelings weren’t concrete then what? He should stay in a relationship he wasn’t as invested in for her sake? Halfway is no way to love someone.

“If you keep making that face it’ll stick that way.” Marinette’s sleepy voice pulled him back to reality before his thoughts could snowball further.

“Oh hey, did I wake you?” Adrien asked. He crushed his earlier thoughts way down and focused on Marinette in the present.

“No. You were so lost in your head you didn’t even notice me staring at you.” She smiled sheepishly. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” he traced the curve of her face. “Do you know how long we’ve been napping?”

She shrugged. “No idea. But I can check.” she wiggled away from him as she searched for her phone in the blankets. “Almost two hours.”

“Oh geez.” Adrien scrambled for his own phone. “Father is going to kill me.”

“I figured that since you already ran away from the anniversary party you were already dead.”

“Yeah but that was before a double akuma attack.” Adrien cringed as he saw the many missed calls and text messages on his phone. “I sense that when I get home I will not be allowed out for a long time.”

“But what about our dance lesson this week?”

“I’ll see what I can do but I think we may have to skip. If I know my father the only way I’ll be going anywhere besides school is via a screen.” he flopped back against the bed.

“At least we had fun while it lasted.” Marinette smiled. “Too bad we didn’t get to eat our ice cream though.”

“The real disappointment about today.”

“Kagami!” Marinette gasped. “I didn’t even try texting Kagami after the akuma! She must be worried out of her mind!”

“Oh crap, I didn’t even think about that.”

Marinette texted Kagami to see if she was okay. While she was doing that Adrien hopped out of the bed and started looking for his shoes. He didn’t want to go home but he had already tested his luck all day so he had to get going now before his father blew a gasket.

“Kagami is safe back at home with her mom.” Marinette jumped down from her bed. She looked at the shoes in his hand with a frown. “Awe, are you leaving?”

“I do need to go home some time.”

“Nooooo!” she hugged him. “Stay. I have a warm bed, snacks, and cuddles.”

“You have no idea how much it physically pains me that I have to say no.” Adrien slipped his shoes on and grabbed his coat. “Next time I’m allowed out of the house maybe.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

Marinette walked him to the door.

“I’ll see you at school, barring father doesn’t pull me out again.” He told her.

“Can I just say that I hate that he literally threatens to cut you off from the outside world for the sole fact that you have a social life.” Her face was pulled into a disgusted frown.

“I wanna call it overprotective but truth be told I think he just likes being as dramatic as possible.” Adrien forced a laugh. “Goodbye kiss?”

Marinette nodded enthusiastically causing a real laugh to escape his past his lips. He pulled her in close for a sweet kiss goodbye before taking off towards his house.

As expected when he got back to the mansion his father was waiting at the top of the stairs to berate him for disappearing from the party and not answering his phone. Adrien kept a neutral face as he quietly apologized. He didn’t mention the part about being out with Kagami and Marinette the entire time. His permission to have a social life and a love life hung by a thread. Even if his father knew he had escaped with the girls that didn’t mean he knew he had spent the last recent hours snuggled in bed napping with one. The last thing he needed was for his father to declare Marinette a bad influence and forbid him from seeing her.

As Adrien expected his father did ban him from leaving the house for anything other than school, photoshoots, and fencing lessons. Which meant his dance lesson date with Marinette was off.

Soon it was dark out and Adrien transformed to go on patrol.

If he was hoping patrol would help still his racing mind he was dead wrong. The moment he saw Ladybug all his guilty thoughts and feelings from earlier emerged from the depths of his mind. He tried to shake them off but it was of no use. Confusion consumed him and Ladybug must have taken notice.

They had stopped at the top of the Eiffel Tower for a quick breather. Adrien sat at the edge with his legs dangling over the side and gazed out over the city.

“Such a sour face.” Ladybug hovered over him with a copy of his grimace. “What is going on in that head of yours?”

“Guilt.”

“Because of what happened today with Hawkmoth and Mayura?” She plopped herself down next to him.

“No. Personal guilt having to do with my girlfriend.”

“First fight?”

“No. What is happening is that I--let me start by saying that I really like my girlfriend. Okay? I am so happy with her and I finally got to kiss her too but…” He sighed, “Even though I like her and want to be with her I keep thinking...of...you.”

“Chat…” She laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t understand why!” he exclaimed, “Cause I still admire you and I know I can’t expect my feelings for you to disappear overnight. But why do you keep popping into my head when I’m with her? Why can’t I be faithful to my girlfriend?”

“Oh boy…” Ladybug drew her knees up to her chest. “Chat Noir, these thoughts that you have, what are they exactly? What is their nature?”

“I’ll be sitting with my girlfriend and out of nowhere I’ll wonder what it would be like if you were sitting in her place. And then I’ll start worrying over if I made a mistake in dating her because maybe I was just using her as a rebound or if my feelings aren’t real and I’m faking it to fill some void. Every time it happens I can feel the guilt eating me alive!” He could feel he was two seconds from spiraling out of control.

“Calm down, listen to me.” Ladybug spoke softly, “Do you ever wish that it was me instead of her? Like really wish that it was me that you were dating instead of your girlfriend?”

“No. I’m happy with her. She’s great.” Adrien murmured.

“Are you comfortable being romantic and intimate with her or does it feel like she’s just a friend you can make-out with?”

“I’ve been wanting to kiss her cute face for weeks now.” he chuckled, “I have no problem being romantic with her. I love thinking of dates and presents and pet names for her. When I can’t give her something to show how I feel I’m always telling her that I like her. I think she may actually be getting tired of hearing me call her a cutie pie everyday.”

“One last question.” Ladybug smiled at him, “If I were to confess my sincere, undying, romantic love for you right here and now, would you dump her so you could date me?”

“Is this rhetorical or are you actually confessing your love for me?” He smirked.

She gave him a slight smack to the back of his head. “Just answer the question.”

“I wouldn’t trade what I have with her for anything in the world. Not even you.” Adrien surprised himself by how honest a statement it was.

“Then you don’t need to be so worried.” Ladybug ruffled his hair, “These thoughts aren’t you being unfaithful. Expecting to show absolutely zero interest in any other human being for your entire life because you are with someone else isn’t real. Cause you are going to be attracted to other people throughout your life. I always told you I was in love with someone else but I would be a liar if I said I never once thought about it being you taking me out to the movies instead of him. You can be attracted to someone and have feelings for someone but as long as you’re not acting on them and at the end of the day you are happy with who you are with, I think that’s fine.”

“I can be attracted to other people but still be faithful to my girlfriend.”

“Exactly.”

“How is it you know so much about relationships?”

“I have some really loving parents who have given me a lot of dating and relationship advice. They know I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic and wanted me to understand that real relationships aren’t what they are like in movies. They’re messy and hard and sometimes even boring. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t wonderful too.”

“Sounds like you got some pretty amazing parents.”

“They’re pretty cool when they’re not trying to embarrass me.” She laughed. “In all seriousness I’m gonna give you a saying my parents told me, ‘Love is not just a feeling. Love is a great factor of many things. But the most important thing to remember is that a relationship is two independent people choosing to help make each other the best versions of themselves.’”

“That is some solid advice.”

“Love is nuanced.” She stood up and helped Adrien to his feet. “Even if what you’re feeling right now isn’t comfortably called love, it doesn’t make it any less real or any less complicated and special.”

“I feel comfortable saying that I love you, though, Ladybug.”

“And I love you too, Chat Noir. Platonically, and maybe a little physically.” she teased.

“And that’s perfectly okay. Right?”

“Right.” She stifled a yawn, “I took a nap earlier and I am still dead tired. What do you say to cutting patrol early tonight? I think we earned it after everything that happened today.”

“You go on home, I think I’m gonna stay out a little longer.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I have some things I need to think of on my own.”

“Alright, don’t go overthinking yourself into a tizzy. Have a nice night, Chat.” She gave him a fist bump before leaping off into the night.

Adrien stared long after she had vanished over the skyline. A small, curious smile curled on his face. Love is a nuanced thing.

Chapter Text

It was a solemn day when Marinette saw Master Fu off. It wasn’t long they were able to talk but he assured her that she would be a great Guardian despite her own worries. He gave her the new number to call him on in case of emergencies and instructed her to give a copy to Chat Noir as well.

Marinette waved to him as he boarded the train out of France. She stopped at the locker he had told her about and unlocked it with his key. Inside was his old gramophone and a flashdrive.

She dropped the items off at her house before rushing to make it on time to meet her friends. When she got there everyone from her class were sitting along the Seine eating ice cream or playing music and chatting. Even Chloe had joined. And unfortunately so did Lila.

Marinette hadn’t heard from her since she told her off. She calmly walked past her and got an ice cream from Andre. She passed by everyone and sat down next to Luka. Adrien and Kagami had been barred from coming which was a shame. Not a surprise though considering they had snuck away for hours during the party.

“Hey Marinette,” Luka said when she sat down. “No Adrien today?”

“No. His rebellion the other day cost him social outings for at least a week.” Marinette sighed. “What’s going on with you? We haven’t really talked since…”

“You started dating Adrien.”

“Yeah. He mentioned that you two talked and I want you to know I never meant to avoid you or ignore you. I knew how you felt and I got worried about how that would change our friendship because I treasure you as a friend and--I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Marinette. I was never mad at you. I was more upset that you think I would ever want to stop being your friend because you followed your heart.”

“Make room!” Chloe wedged herself between Marinette and Luka. “Dupain-Cheng, we need to talk.”

“Chloe!” Marinette yelped, “What are you doing? I was talking to Luka.”

“Yeah but what I have to say is more important.”

“I’m gonna get myself some ice cream.” Luka stood up. “Give you two some space.”

“But--” Luka was already gone. Dejected Marinette turned back to Chloe. “What is it?”

“If you haven’t noticed Lila has been glaring at you since the moment you arrived.”

“So? She hates me. That’s nothing new.” She shrugged.

“Yes. But she’s doing it openly, where anyone can see her.”

“And?”

“She’s not hiding the fact that she’s mad at you. Your ‘friend.’”

“Oh…” Marinette risked a glance at where Lila sat. Lila caught her watching and clenched her ice cream so hard she cracked the cone in half.

“What did you do that she is so ticked off that she isn’t doing your fake friend arrangement anymore?” Chloe asked.

“I may have lashed out very harshly the other day.” Marinette poked at her ice cream with her spoon. “I was having a bad day and she came up to antagonize me and things got ugly fast.”

“You emotional idiot!” Chloe seethed, “I am trying to do better and then you go along and screw everything up--” She took a moment to compose herself once more. “Nevermind that. We need to fix this before she gets out of hand.”

“I appreciate the initiative but I think it may be for the best to call off the fake friendship. No matter what we are always at the other’s throat. I can only see this ending badly if we try to persist.”

“Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe put an awkward hand on her shoulder. Marinette gave her a confused look and she dropped it again. “I will begrudgingly admit that you are not as stupid as you dress. You won the title of class president for a reason. But I know manipulation. And I know how fragile a reputation is. One word and even the squeakiest of clean reputations is irredeemable. Which is why you are going to listen to me.”

“You have my attention.”

“Good. I have a foolproof plan that will not only restore the tattering remains of the charade you created with that brat but will also work as great reconnaissance.”

“What is it you had in mind?”

---

“A sleepover?” Adrien’s shocked voice came over her phone speaker. “Chloe wants you to have a sleepover with Lila?”

“Yep.” Marinette wasn’t stoked about the idea but it would do well to get some inside information. Maybe something she left laying about at her house or maybe talk to her mom a bit. Nothing to arise suspicion of course.

“And you think Lila is just going to agree to allow you to go to her house for a whole night?”

“She already did.” Marinette paced around her room. “I asked her during ice cream this afternoon in front of everyone. They all heard me ask so she was forced to accept. She did try to wiggle out of it by wanting to make sure my parents were okay with it. I called them and put them on speaker to ask them as well to which they did. So now we’re both stuck with this whether we like it or not.”

“And you really think this is going to help?”

“I don’t know if I’ll find anything at her house but at the very least it should be convincing enough that our deal to pretend to be friends is still on.”

“You didn’t tell me about this fight you had with Lila before. Why were you so upset in the first place?”

Marinette felt a great weight in her chest. She wanted to tell Adrien everything. Lying to him was the worst feeling in the world. But she couldn’t risk anything. Especially now that she’s the Guardian. There was just too much to worry about without adding secret identities and her own personal dilemmas with her identity and self confidence.

“It was nothing really. A bad day turned worse because of Lila harassing me and I just lost it for a minute.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? Even if it’s just being an open ear to vent to I’ll listen.”

“Thanks, sunshine. I’m fine now but I appreciate the offer.” Marinette stared down at her phone. “I know you’re on lockdown right now but I wouldn’t say no to some therapy cuddles right about now.”

“When I’m allowed out again I’ll be sure to make up for it tenfold.”

“You are racking up a big cuddle debt mister.”

“Well darn,” Adrien sighed dramatically, “Is there interest?”

“Yes. For every hour of cuddles missed you owe an additional three kisses.” Marinette laughed.

“It is steep but if it is the price I must pay then so be it.” Adrien said making her laugh. “In the meantime you can just make-out with my statue at the wax museum.”

“Why would I want to make-out with that?”

“Well you already tried to once if I recall--”

“Adrien!”

“Ha ha!” Adrien laughed, “You’re blushing right now aren’t you, doodle bug?”

“I am not!” Lies.

“Sure…” He drew the word out, “I bet you aren’t.”

“Y’know what? I got some work I need to get started on. So I will talk to you later.”

“Awe, don’t hang up on me for teasing.”

“I’m not. I actually do have some important stuff I need to get done today.” She looked over at her closet, “But I will talk to you later. Okay?”

“Okay.” Adrien conceded. “Don’t overwork yourself, my star.”

“I won’t. And try not to go stir crazy sitting in your house, my prince.”

They said their goodbyes and Marinette hung up.

She wasn’t lying when she said she had work to do but the work presented was not a design or homework. It was something much more important.

Marinette went around her room drawing all the curtains closed and locking all the door and windows. She probably checked to make sure they were locked five times before she finally dug into her closet and pulled out the red and black spotted shell. All the miraculous were locked in there and she was the only one that could get them out.

Now was the time.

She pressed her hand on top of the shell. “Open for I am Ladybug, Guardian of the Miraculous.”

For a moment nothing happened. Then the shell began to glow. It grew in intensity until she was forced to look away or risk being blinded. When she looked back the shell was gone replaced with what looked like a hat box. The clasp at the front had a little lock shaped like a Ladybug on it.

Maybe it was an inherit Guardian ability but she leaned close and pressed the spots on the ladybug lock’s back in a random order. It unlocked and the lid popped open.

Inside the hat box wasn’t the original miracle box like she was expecting. It looked more like a pink and white flower with another smaller pink and white flower on top. Kinda like a cake but it felt like plastic.

This was strange. She turned the knob at the top and the petals of the flowers opened up to reveal the miraculous laying neat and safe in the small compartments. She lifted up on the knob and the lid on top came off to reveal the other main seven compartments for the other miraculous.

She put the lid back down and turned the knob the other way to close the compartments before placing it back in the hatbox. She secured the lock once more and set it inside her closet.

It seemed that the miracle box took on different forms depending on the Guardian in charge of it. An ancient wooden Chinese box for Fu. A pretty flower candy container for Marinette. Seemed fitting enough.

“It became real, didn’t it?” Tikki hovered over Marinette’s shoulder. “Becoming the Guardian. Opening the miracle box for the first time on your own like this.”

“I can handle this...right?”

Tikki rubbed her head against Marinette’s cheek affectionately. “I know you can.”

“I feel like I still don’t know anything.”

“Experience is the best teacher.”

“Right…” But what should she do if her experience ends badly? Lives depend on her. That’s not something that can be forgiven so easily. Learning to be a good Guardian is nothing like learning how to sew. She can’t just go back and try something again if she messes up.

“Master Fu also left you a flashdrive.” Tikki noticed her overthinking and tried to divert her attention. “How about we look at what was on it.”

“Good idea.” Marinette fished the flashdrive out of her bag and plugged it into her computer. A new file opened up. It was the grimoire. All the translations from the book were right at her fingertips. Thank goodness.

“Tikki, I need to ask you something important and it is imperative you answer honestly.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Did Master Fu ever teach Chat Noir any of this? Any at all?”

“That seems more like a question for Chat Noir.”

“I know that Master Fu visited Chat Noir after I pleaded with him to. But I don’t know if they’ve had any interaction after that. Does Chat Noir know anything about this stuff? Did Fu ever mention anything like that to you?”

“No. He never did. Why do you ask?”

“Because Chat is my partner. We share the responsibility of protecting Paris. Just because I am the official Guardian doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be informed. It doesn’t mean that he should know so little about his own powers.”

“The more people that know the greater the risk.”

“It’s a good thing I trust him then.”

“I know he’s trustworthy but if something were to happen--”

“Then it would be nice if my partner knew what to do if I got put out of commission. I will keep the miraculous and guard them with my life as the Guardian. But the knowledge of the grimoire should be shared with the boy who is willing to guard me with his life.”

“How are you going to teach him though? It’s not like he can stop by for study sessions like you did with Fu.”

“That does present a problem. But for right now,” Marinette disconnected the drive, “I say we call it a day. I’m gonna grab some cookies, any special requests?”

“Chocolate chip please!” Tikki wiggled happily at the mention of sweets.

“Got it.” Marinette went downstairs. She stopped on the stairs once she was away from Tikki and touched her earrings. She was going to get this information to Chat one way or another. Her partner was owed that much.

Chapter Text

“You just had to tell everyone we were having a sleepover, didn’t you?” Lila groaned as she let Marinette into her apartment.

Marinette wasn’t thrilled about this either but she was trying to look at it positively. Lila on the other hand was taking this all with a big dose of anger. Joy.

“I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal about this. We take some pictures of us pretending to have fun, I camp out on the couch, and no one is the wiser.” Marinette looked around the apartment. It was about as standard as apartments get. Connected living room and kitchen. A couple stools at the island for a table. A hall that led to the bedrooms.

All over the walls were pictures. Mostly of Lila through stages of her life. A couple of grandparents and extended family sprinkled in but mainly Lila. Like it or not Lila did make a cute baby. Of course most babies made cute babies.

Marinette set her bag down near the couch.

“You don’t actually think you’re staying the night do you?” Lila scoffed at her.

“Did you forget that we told my parents? They aren’t expecting me back until morning. If I return early they’ll know something is up.”

“Just don’t go home then.”

“Where else am I supposed to go? I don’t exactly have money for a hotel room.”

“Not my problem.” Lila started to saunter back to her room.

“Fine, then I suppose I’ll just pop over to Alya’s and let her know about all of this.” Marinette said making Lila stop, “Ooh or better yet, Adrien’s dad isn’t home, I’m sure he could sneak me in for the night if you truly don’t want this getting out.”

Lila took a moment to think before giving up. “After we take our pics stay in the living room and don’t bother me.”

“No problem.” Marinette changed into her pajamas and walked int Lila’s room. It was pretty messy with papers, cups, and other knicknacks scattered across the floor and desk. She had a collection of masks hung on her walls. Oh the irony.

Lila was sitting on her bed in her own pajamas and arranging a scene of snacks and games. Her hair was out of its usual low tied ponytails and instead pulled back and braided down her back.

“What are you staring at?” Lila asked.

“You ever consider cutting your hair?” Marinette sidled up to Lila on the bed. “You have the face shape for it and something like a wavy bob would make your whole look a lot lighter. Be a more playful and easygoing style.”

“Sure. I’m about to take style advice from little miss pigtails.” Lila rolled her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

Was it so much for her to not be terrible for five minutes?

“Did you tell anyone about what happened?” Marinette asked. “My freak out a couple days ago?”

“Is that why you’re here?” Lila smirked, “Scared someone will hear that you aren’t the perfect level headed class president everyone thinks you are? What was it you had screamed at me? You were tired of putting up a front? Tired of lying to everyone? What is it that you have to lie about?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was talking in anger. Over-exaggerated my own problems.”

“You know, being a long time liar such as I am I can spot one pretty well. You may have been talking in anger but you were not exaggerating. When someone is as emotionally charged in such an instance as you were what they are saying is usually truthful.”

“And what makes you think I would ever tell you? So you can blackmail me?”

“I thought we were friends.”

“Only on camera.” Marinette pulled out her phone. “Speaking of,”

“How many people know how much anger you actually hold? Anyone? Does your dear Adrien know how badly you want to go absolutely ape-shit every day?”

“I do not want to go ape-crap every day.” Marinette tapped away on her phone in an effort to look busy.

“Oh you are so cute. So committed to the role you won’t even swear.” Lila covered Marinette’s phone. “Like you said, we’re only friends on camera. The masks can come down. What drives you insane, Marinette?”

“Besides you?”

“I only help. What is the driving force?”

“A secret. Something I can’t tell anyone. Not my parents. Not Alya. Not even Adrien. It stresses me out daily. Like a low level constant pain that I’m always aware of but have begrudgingly gotten used to cause I have no other choice.” Marinette stared her in the eye. “How does it feel, Lila? How does it feel to know that you officially know more about me than the boy I’m in love with or the people that raised me?”

“You haven’t told me the secret.”

“And I never will.”

Lila let go of Marinette’s phone. A satisfied grin on her face.

She had come here in hopes of stealthily interrogating Lila and she was the one revealing all the personal stuff instead. She was supposed to be smarter than this. She can’t let Lila start manipulating her now.

The girls took a couple pictures of them hanging out before darting off to their own corners of the house. Marinette made her nest on the couch before searching for a closet to grab a blanket and pillow from.

It was still too early to go to bed so Marinette stayed up scrolling through social media and playing games on her phone. Eventually even those bored her and she called up Adrien to say goodnight.

“Hey, doodle bug,” Adrien answered, “How are things at Lila’s?”

“Boring. We took a couple photos and then she locked herself in her room. I’m hanging out on the couch until morning.”

“Sounds riveting.”

“I am so bored! I’d go to sleep but it’s not even nine.”

“Sorry to hear that. If I could steal you away to my place I would.”

“Trust me, I would much rather be hanging out with you.” Marinette paced around the living room looking over all the Lila baby pictures, “We could stay up late, eat junk food, play some video games, watch some movies.”

“Cuddle on the couch, makeout during the movie, fall asleep snuggled together.” Adrien listed.

“Stop teasing me with kissy faced sleepovers that aren’t going to happen.” Marinette giggled.

“They could.”

“Your dad won’t let your friends in to hang out for an hour. You really think he’s going to let your girlfriend stay the night? Especially in the same room as you’re insinuating.”

“I can dream, can’t I?”

“It sounds like a lovely dream.” Marinette crossed over to the fridge and looked for something to drink. “Why does she have so much almond milk?”

“What are you doing?” Adrien asked, confused.

“Raiding her fridge. No cheese or yogurt, do you think she’s lactose intolerant?”

“Is that where she keeps her secrets? The fridge?”

“Who knows maybe I’ll get lucky and find a bag of toes she uses in her satanic rituals.” Marinette closed the fridge. “Adrien, can I ask you something?’

“What’s on your mind?”

“Do you think that I am secretly really angry all the time?”

“Where’d this come from?”

“Lila may have gotten to me.”

“Does this have to do with the freak out you mentioned?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t just a bad day that she made worse. I’m really stressed about because of a thing that I can’t tell you about it and I’m having trouble coping with it all. I’ve been struggling to keep up with it for months now actually. I don’t think I realized how much it was bothering me until she pressured me.” Marinette plopped back down on the couch, “In her words, I just want to go ape-shit every day.”

“Whatever it is, no matter what it is, I’ll be here for you. You don’t need to tell me but if you ever do need to let loose and go ballistic then let me know. I’ll go insane right along with you.”

“You really want to join me in that storm?”

“We both have our demons. Maybe they can play together.”

Marinette felt a wave of affection for her boyfriend. “Adrien I...I…”

“Need to go ape-shit?”

“No. I wish I could kiss you over the phone.” She whispered, “I wish you were here to hug me and make it all feel farther away like you always do.”

They talked late into the night before Marinette eventually started to nod off. She yawned a goodnight and hung up.

---

At first the scream annoyed Marinette. She had been woken up in the middle of the night by screams before and it was always an akuma. Did Hawkmoth never sleep?

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and went to the window. No akuma alarm.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The scream was coming from Lila’s room.

Marinette swung off the couch and raced to see what was wrong. She was barely to the hall when the door opened and Lila stumbled out and pounded her fists against the wall.

“Lila!” Marinette tried to grab her but was thrown into the wall herself.

Lila kept screaming. She was knocking pictures off the wall and banging her entire body against the wall.

Her eyes were open. What was wrong? Marinette scrambled back out of her way as she moved down the hall towards the living room. Marinette hit the lights and got in front of Lila again. “Lila! What’s wrong?”

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” she screamed once more.

“LILA!” Marinette grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall. “WAKE UP!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“WAKE UP!” Marinette shook her. Lila was fighting back against her hard but Marinette wasn’t letting go. It was like she was so much stronger in this state. Whatever was happening Marinette had to stop it before she attracted an akuma.

Then just as if nothing ever happened Lila stopped fighting. Marinette let go of her and Lila looked around in confusion. Sweat was pouring off her but it was like she hadn’t even noticed.

“Lila?” Marinette tapped her to see if she was awake now.

Lila stared her in the face for a solid seven seconds before turning around and going back to her room. Marinette looked in and saw the room in a similar state as the hall. Pillows thrown across the room and blankets off the bed. The desk chair had been overturned. And there was Lila now lying fast asleep on her bed once again.

Was it a nightmare? Or was she sleepwalking? Maybe it was all an elaborate hoax to scare Marinette into running away. Though she doubted that considering Lila had been doing more harm to herself than anything else. Of course she did learn how to throw herself down stairs Marinette wouldn’t put it past her to try injuring herself for her own gain.

Regardless of the actual reason it seemed that Lila was fast asleep now. Marinette grabbed the pillows and blankets from the floor and put them back on the bed. She righted the chair before leaving. Once she was out in the hall she grabbed the pictures that had been knocked off the wall and hung them up once again. The only ones with broken glass were the couple Lila had thrown.

Marinette swept it all up and threw it away. A little clean up was better than dealing with an akuma.

She poked her head into Lila’s room once more but she was still sound asleep.

“Okay. That was really weird.” Marinette winced at her now sore arm. “And painful. Girl can really pack a punch when she’s unconscious.”

“Are you alright?” Tikki whispered.

“I’ll be fine. Just another tumble.” Marinette went back to her spot on the couch. “Night, Tikki.”

It took significantly longer for Marinette to fall back asleep after that. She tossed and turned on the couch and did a check on Lila at least twice to make sure she was okay before she finally settled.

She got in a couple more hours of sleep before the creaking of a door and the shuffling of someone entering the room woke her up again. A woman had walked inside with a suitcase next to her and a couple bags in her hands. She was smartly dressed and her hair was pulled back away from her face.

“Oh hello,” the woman smiled, “I didn’t mean to wake you. I didn’t know Lila had anyone over.”

“Issokay” Marinette yawned, “You’re Lila’s mom?”

“Yes.” She set her bag down, “I just got in from a business trip in England. I was going to surprise Lila by bringing breakfast and it seems the surprise is for me.”

“Hm?”

“Oh I just mean that Lila never brings anyone over. She tells me about her friends and her boyfriend all the time but I’ve never gotten the chance to meet anyone. I was starting to worry she was making it all up.”

“Boyfriend?” Marinette had a feeling she knew who this was.

“Yes, a sweet boy named Adrien. I guess she has a job modeling with him now.”

“Right…” Marinette stood up. “Lila is working with Adrien but they aren’t dating.”

“Did they break up?”

“They were never dating. In fact,” Marinette pulled up her phone and showed Mrs. Rossi her background of Adrien kissing her cheek, “He’s dating me.”

“Not again…” Mrs. Rossi sighed.

“Again?” Marinette prodded further.

“Mom?” Lila walked into the kitchen. Her gaze drifted between Marinette and her mom in alarm. “You’re in early.”

“Good morning, darling.” Mrs. Rossi hugged her, “I decided to catch the first train home so I could surprise you with breakfast. Fresh baked croissants and I bought more coffee to make cappuccinos.”

“Thanks, mom. Uh, about Marinette--”

“It’s fine, Lila. It’s not like it’s a school night.” Mrs. Rossi opened the bag containing the croissants. They were from her parent’s bakery. “Lila, grab the jam and butter out of the fridge. You girls enjoy your croissants and I’ll get started on the cappuccinos. Oh Marinette was it, did you want a cappuccino or do you prefer something else?”

“Cappuccino is fine.” Marinette slathered a little strawberry jam on her croissant. “I see you visited my parent’s bakery on your way in.”

“Your parents own the Dupain-Cheng bakery?” Mrs. Rossi beamed, “Oh that is just lovely. Fluffiest croissants in all of Paris.”

“This is all well and good but, mom, you must be tired from your trip. Why don’t you go relax and not worry about the drinks.”

“Don’t worry, darling.” Mrs. Rossi assured her, “I am plenty awake.”

“Y’know, now that we’re all awake I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.” Marinette edged closer to the pair. Lila was watching her carefully waiting to refute anything she said.

“And what is that?”

“Last night I woke up to Lila screaming.” Marinette said, “She came stumbling out of her room banging against the wall and throwing stuff in her sleep. What was up with that?”

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Rossi tsked, “Lila suffers from night terrors occasionally. Especially when she’s stressed. I hope she didn’t scare you too bad.”

“I was more scared for her to be honest. It looked like she was really hurting herself but when I tried to wake her up nothing happened.”

“Waking her from night terrors can be incredibly difficult. Was anything broken?”

“The glass in some picture frames but that’s about it. As hard as she was hitting I was surprised she didn’t punch a hole in the wall.”

“Lila, didn’t you warn Marinette about your night terrors before hand?” Mrs. Rossi asked. “Especially if you two were up all night having fun. She’s supposed to relax before bed or else it puts her at greater risk of having an episode.”

“I think that’s enough, mom.”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, darling.” Mrs. Rossi handed her a cappuccino. “I’m just glad that neither of you got hurt.”

“I woke up with my hands hurting and covered in sweat but everything was still right side up in my room.” Lila muttered to herself. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I righted everything before I went back to bed. I didn’t know what was going on but I didn’t want you to wake up again and trip over something.” Marinette looked at Lila earnestly. Hate her as much as she wanted she wasn’t about to let her hurt herself.

“I need to brush my teeth.” Lila left leaving Marinette alone with her mom again.

Mrs. Rossi watched her leave with a sad smile. “How long have you and Lila been friends?”

“We didn’t really start hanging out until over a month ago.” Marinette answered, “Why?”

“Concerned mother. Lila has always had complications making and keeping friends. I hear from her about all the friends she has but then never see any of them. I have to go strictly off her word and I’ve learned that’s not always reliable.”

“Really?”

“Unless you’re lying about dating this Adrien too I think that proves it.” Mrs. Rossi sat down across from Marinette, “Which is why I was ecstatic to see you here this morning. Gives me a little hope that I’ve been doing something right. If she has a real friend like you around.”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell Mrs. Rossi that this friendship was all a sham but it felt gross to sit here and pretend that it was real. A feeling she was becoming well too accustomed to.

So with all the other times she swallowed the bile of truth and nodded.

“Look at me getting all emotional because she had a friend over for one sleepover.” Mrs. Rossi shook her head, “I fear all the travel has started to fry my brain. You help yourself to breakfast, I’m going to freshen up.”

Mrs. Rossi left back to her own room. This morning certainly hadn’t gone the way Marinette had thought. She could only wonder what Lila’s mom had meant before. She hadn’t seemed surprised when Marinette told her that Lila had lied about dating Adrien. She knew Lila was a liar or at the very least knew that she tended to exaggerate her relationships.

Marinette was forced to stick around for another hour or so to convince Mrs. Rossi of the friendship before leaving. Before she left Mrs. Rossi stopped her at the door and handed Marinette her phone number. “In case of an emergency.” she had said.

Marinette nodded again and left for home. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be an emergency contact for Lila.

Chapter Text

The weeks went by and soon the crisp autumn air was replaced with the first snowfall of the winter.

It had been almost two months since Fu left Paris and made Marinette the Guardian. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Akumas and sentimonsters still ran amok but the only real change was that they were seriously targeting Marinette during battles making things harder on her end. Thank goodness she had Chat Noir or else she would have been taken down weeks ago when the first wave of aggressive akumas hit.

Hawkmoth was not pulling any punches trying to get her miraculous now that she was also the Guardian. As a result Chat had gotten fiercely protective of her, even more so than usual. She understood the risk if she were to get put out of commission but his defence of her while grateful was also worrying. Now when she set everything right and he was brought back he was met with a bone crushing hug rather than a fist bump.

Maybe some of it had to do with her PTSD of Chat Blanc. It hurt seeing her friend and partner continuously pitted against her or taken from her again and again. It reminded her too much of that day. The day she almost wasn’t able to save him.

She shook the thought from her head and buried herself further under the blankets of her bed.

School was out for Christmas break but she still had to get up early to help out in the bakery. Christmas was only days away and the shop was full to bursting with seasonal shoppers. Marinette had jokingly started saying that her family lived in gingerbread house since the smell had permeated every inch of their house upstairs and into their clothes.

Before she fully nodded off she got a goodnight text from Adrien.

That was another thing. For days now her boyfriend had been strangely elusive. They still talked every day and saw one another when they could but there was something he was hiding from her. The only clue she had was that he asked her to keep this Friday evening free. No clue what for but she was excited to see what it is he had been so secretive about.

Friday eventually rolled around and Marinette awoke to a large wrapped box resting on her chaise. She rushed out of bed and went to see what it was. There was a note on top in Adrien’s handwriting.

The temperature may be low
But you give a warming glow
Here lies a gift from me to you
For I’d hate to see you turn blue
Bundle up I’ll see you at seven
For a date straight from heaven

“AWWWW!” Marinette squealed holding the note close to her chest. “Tikki! Look at what he wrote me!”

“Look at what he sent you.” Tikki gestured to the box. “What do you think it is?”

“Let’s open it up and see.” Marinette took the lid off and gasped.

Inside was a swath of poinsetta red. She lifted the dress out of the box and gazed at it for a straight minute without saying anything. This was from Marinette’s own designs albeit with a few alterations.

An off the shoulder red dress with lace cascading from the neckline down the bust and top of the arms. The lace was so delicately woven to look like small snowflakes were falling down it. In the lace she found her name expertly hidden. She looked at the back and noticed the zipper was a small butterfly. The Agreste logo.

Adrien had brought her design to life with a collaboration with his father. This was a Gabriel Agreste collaborative original dress!

Marinette was going to start crying. When had he done this? How had he convinced his dad to do any of this? The material alone must have cost an arm and a leg. Not to even talk about constructing it and the amount of pleading and bargaining he did to get his dad to work on it.

“Marinette, you’re shaking.” Tikki rested on her shoulder.

“He got me this and--and--” Marinette gazed at the wrapped gift that was poking out of her closet. “What I got him doesn’t measure up to even half of this.”

“Your gift is wonderful and he’ll love it.” Tikki assured her.

“Right, you’re right,” Marinette grabbed a hanger and hung up the dress. She grabbed her steamer to iron out any wrinkles before going on with the rest of her day.

After breakfast she called Alya and her best friend was over soon to help her get ready. They spent a full twenty minutes just gushing over the outfit and freaking out over this mystery date Adrien had planned before they started getting ready.

The dress fit perfectly. She also slipped on a warm coat, a pair of low heels and some white wrist gloves to complete the look. She decided to keep her hair down since she knew Adrien liked it. A little make-up to brighten her face and she was ready.

Seven o clock came and a sleigh pulled up in front of the bakery. Adrien jumped out and ran inside.

“Good evening--” he slipped over his wet shoes and landed on the ground with a thud. “Ow.”

“Oh geez, are you okay?” Marinette ran to see him.

“I’m okay.” he stood up and dusted himself off. He was wearing a very sharp suit the same red as Marinette’s dress. “Nothing bruised but my ego.”

“I fear I may be rubbing my clumsiness off on you.” She straightened out his jacket. “You look very handsome. New suit?”

“Yeah. And you look beautiful.” He held her out at arms length so he could take it all in. “Do you like the dress?”

“I love it. I cannot believe you got it made. When were you looking through my design book?”

“It was that night like two weeks ago when we were playing video games and you had to run out and make a delivery for the shop in the middle of it. I may have gotten bored and started poking around. I found your design book and the dress and next thing I knew I was taking a picture of it and sending it to my dad.” Adrien shrugged sheepishly. “I know it isn’t exactly how you designed it but father assured me that the changes he made were for the better and it turned out well so I was hoping you would still like it like that.”

“It is spectacular. Although I don’t know how I feel about being spoiled like this. How much all of this must have cost--”

“It was never about how much it cost. I was only thinking about what I thought would make you the most happy.”

“And the sleigh?”

He grinned in that little mischievous way he occasionally did. “A dash of magic for the night. Shall we be on our way?”

“Wait, one second,” Marinette’s mom ran out from behind the counter with her camera. “You both look so nice. Let me get a picture.”

“Mom…” Marinette groaned, embarrassed.

“Just one, please!” her dad pleaded.

“Okay.” Adrien laced an arm around Marinette as they smiled at the camera. A couple photos later and they were finally free to go.

Marinette took Adrien’s arm as he helped her into the sleigh. Once they were seated they turned around to head to Le Grand Paris hotel for their dinner.

Snow softly drifted upon them as they rode down the street. Marinette stuck out her tongue trying to catch a flake. Adrien laughed before joining her. She would have been happy sitting there riding down the frosty streets laughing and cuddling close as they watched the snow fall. Maybe not all night though since it was supposed to get heavier as the night wore on.

They arrived at the hotel and went inside, cheeks tinted pink from the cold. Upon entering the restaurant they were immediately taken to their table. It was a prime spot right by the windows so one could look out over the city. The room was illuminated by candles burning softly on the tables. From some other corner classical music played adding to the already romantic atmosphere.

They ordered and Marinette’s gaze was lost out the window watching the snow. She always liked this side of winter. It was hypnotizing.

She felt a hand rest on top of hers tearing her from her focus out the window. She gazed back at Adrien who was playing idly with her fingers. He was staring intently at her with a content smile.

“Something on your mind?” she asked.

“I want to remember this moment.” He whispered, “It seems that we rarely ever get a quiet moment like this. No drama. No parents. No scheduling conflicts. It’s just us.”

Marinette held up her drink. “I’ll toast to that.”

Adrien held up his own glass. “To us.”

They clinked their glasses together.

CRASH!

The pair jumped. Marinette’s mind immediately assumed akuma but breathed out in relief when she saw it was just a dropped glass. The waiter apologized before going to clean up the shattered glass.

“Phew,” Adrien sighed, “For a second I thought I jinxed us.”

“Well now you jinxed us saying that!”

“No. It’ll be fine. Wanna know how I know?”

“How do you know?”

“Because I have this.” He pulled out the lucky charm Marinette had given him so long ago.

Her expression softened. She couldn’t believe that he still carried that around. “What a coincidence,” she opened her purse, “I brought my own lucky charm.’

She held up the charm Adrien made for her birthday.

“You carry that with you?” Adrien’s face split into a bewildered but pleased smile.

“Of course.” she tucked the charm back in her clutch. “You made it for me. It’s one of my most prized possessions.”

“If you are trying to make me cry in this restaurant then you are succeeding.”

“Don’t cry you big baby.” Marinette squeezed his hand. “We haven’t even gotten our entrees yet. We still have the rest of the night to shed some tears.”

“Tears of joy only.” he leaned across the table and kissed her. “There is one more surprise I have planned for tonight that I hope you are going to like.”

“The dress, the sleigh ride, the candlelit dinner, what else could you possibly have planned?”

Then the ghosts burst into the dining room. Pale blue figures swooped through the air diving at patrons and staff.

“I would like to make clear that the ghosts were not the surprise.” Adrien said.

Marinette kicked off her shoes so she could run and grabbed Adrien’s hand as they booked it out of the restaurant. Out in the halls was more of the same. Ghosts floated by causing havoc and scaring the daylights out of anyone they passed.

“I told you!” Marinette shook her head as she ran, “You jinxed us!”

“Why can’t we have one normal date!” They crashed into someone else. “Chloe?”

“Adrikins!” Chloe clung to him. “It’s just horrible! Daddy got akumatized!”

“How? What happened?”

“He was arguing with one of the workers about their time off for the holidays and it got really bad. Next thing I know the lackey comes barreling out of the room and daddy is some monster. He’s turning everyone into ghosts!”

“Marinette, go with Chloe. Find some place to lay low and stay safe the both of you!”

“What about you?” Marinette grabbed him before he could run off. “You need to stay safe too!”

“I uh...I need to make a call.”

“Who you gonna call?” Marinette looked at him incredulously.

“Ghost hunter people?” Adrien pulled her hand off him. “I promise I’ll be alright. Stay with Chloe and stay safe, my star.”

With that he took off. She wanted to run after him but at that moment more ghosts flooded the hallway and Marinette had to be tugged out of the way by Chloe. The two girls sped through the building with Chloe leading. “Don’t worry, Dupain-Cheng. Not only do you have a bonafide super heroine with you but I also know this place like the back of my hand.”

They rounded a few more turns before coming to a stairwell. They raced down and Chloe entered a code into a doorlock a couple floors down. She pushed some buckets out of the way and lifted a handle off the floor revealing a ladder down. “It’s a panic room. Get in and stay there.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Marinette shot at her.

“To the roof. I need to light the bee signal!” With that Chloe was racing back up the steps.

“You gotta admire the determination.” Marinette opened her purse. “And just like Hawkmoth to come in and ruin my date yet again! Let’s get this night back on track. Tikki, transform me!”

Marinette bound up the stairs until she got to the roof hatch. Chloe was outside huddling in the cold struggling to get her signal to turn on. “Get inside!” Marinette shouted at her, “Its not safe out here.”

“Ladybug! Good you’re here. I need--”

“Chloe, you know the dangers. Maybe another akuma. Right now I need you to get inside. Okay?”

Chloe looked dejected but nodded. She ran back inside. Hopefully she didn’t go running back to the panic room since Marinette wasn’t there.

Chat Noir showed up a minute later with a trail of ghosts on his tail. “Ladybug! Fancy meeting you here!” he yelled as he ran past her.

She rolled her eyes and went chasing after him. She swung her yo-yo at the ghosts but it passed right through. Typical.

They leapt from the top of the building to one of the neighboring ones in hopes of evading them. To their surprise the ghosts didn’t follow and instead went back into the hotel to haunt the guests. “Looks like out spectral friends are confined to the hotel. That could be good news for us.”

“How?” Chat Noir asked.

“It means that the akuma has got to be inside. We find him, defeat him, and this haunted holiday will be over.”

“Great. Any idea where in the hotel he could be? It’s pretty big.”

“Not a clue.” Marinette sighed, “But it’s safe to say that he’s got to be surrounded by the ghosts he creates. We find the largest group of ghosts and I say we find our akuma.”

“That should be easy.” Char Noir pointed across the street to the large windows of the hotel. One floor in particular glowed with a distinct blue light. “They seem to be having a party in the restaurant.”

“Let’s crash it, shall we?” They jumped back into the fray. They swung over to the building once again and took the elevator up to the restaurant floor.

The scene they entered was straight out of A Christmas Carol. Ghosts floated around the entire room moaning and bemoaning their fate. In the middle of it all was the only solid lifeform. He wore a gold coated suit and a matching top hat. In his hand was a large cane that he swung through the air shooting off bursts of red light. As soon as the blast hit something it would turn into a ghost. Even inanimate objects like tables and chairs started to float off the ground and join the tornado of chaos that was the circling ghosts.

“The akuma has got to be in his cane.” Marinette said. “But with all the ghosts it is going to be impossible to get close enough to grab it without being accosted his minions.”

“So what is the plan?”

“You’re not gonna like it.”

“I’m bait, aren’t I?” Chat frowned.

“Go in there and do what you do best, chaton.” she bumped him inside, “Annoy them!”

“I resent that!” he huffed before the ghosts took notice of him. “Oh hey guys, you haven’t seen a waiter around here have you? I’ve been waiting for a table for ages.”

The ghosts descended upon him and Chat Noir went running as he taunted the ghosts. Marinette inched forward closer and closer to the akuma. His attention solely on Chat Noir.

She almost had the cane.

“Trying to sneak up on old Humbug are you?” The akuma suddenly whirled around striking her with his cane and sending her flying through the air.

She landed right in front of Chat Noir and he tripped over her. “Falling for me again, Chat?”

“You’re hilarious.” he wheezed, “Oh that took the wind out of me.”

“Hawkmoth!” Marinette shot back to her feet in a rage. “If you can hear me in there, let it be known right now I am going to rip you in half for spoiling my date!” Marinette shouted at the akuma.

“Wait, date?” Chat Noir paused as he started to stand, “You’re dating someone?”

“Oh yeah, I guess I never mentioned that to you. I’m dating that boy I told you about before.”

“Since when?”

“Couple months.”

“And you’re now only telling me? I told you about my relationship right away!”

“I’m sorry. It just never came up.”

“Well I hope for his sake that he is treating you the way you deserve, my lady. I will not tolerate anything less than a perfect gentleman for you.”

“That’s sweet but you really don’t need to be worried. He’s the sweetest boyfriend ever. I mean the date he planned out for us tonight was so--”

“HEY!” Humbug snapped at them, “Spoiled rotten youth can’t even stay focused long enough to do their jobs! I’ll take great pleasure turning you into ghosts!”

“Right. We should probably deal with him first. Talk about boyfriends and girlfriends later.” Marinette summoned her Lucky Charm. “And our totally going to help us with this ghost infestation is a...table cloth? Would have preferred a proton pack but work with what I got.”

Marinette gazed around the room for assistance. How was she supposed to use this? Her eyes settled on the candles scattered across the room and a steak knife. She grabbed the knife and cut two holes in the table cloth.

“Chat Noir, we need this place dark!” she told him. “Snuff out those candles!”

“On it!” he leapt into action going around the room and blowing out all the candles until the only light came from the dim forms of the ghosts.

“Where did you go?” Humbug hollered. “Show yourselves! My ghosts, find them!”

“All candles have been neutralized, my lady.” Chat whispered as he found Marinette in the dark. “What’s the plan?”

Marinette threw the table cloth over her head so her eyes were poking out of the holes. “You’re the one with the night vision. Grab me and get me close to Humbug.”

“You got it, Bugaboo.” he snickered, “Get it? Bug-a-BOO. Cause you uh...you look like a...”

“I got the joke. But I do also want to get back to my date so if you could get on with it that would be great, Chat.”

“Right. Sorry.” he grabbed hold of her and used his staff to propel them into the air. The ghosts didn’t pay them much mind since Chat’s black suit let him blend in with the dark and Marinette’s costume convinced them she was one of them long enough for her eyes to adjust and get a fix on Humbug.

“Launch me!” Marinette shouted. Chat chucked her and Marinette went sailing.

She removed the table cloth and clutched it tightly as she connected with the akuma. She wrapped the table cloth around Humbug’s torso pinning his arms to his sides. She heard the clatter of the cane falling from his hands and she kicked it over to where she could see a faint pair of green eyes reflected in the distance.

A sharp crack echoed through the room and a small purple-ish fluttering light drifted up towards the ghosts. “No more evil doing for you!” Marinette captured and purified the akuma releasing a bright white butterfly into the air once more. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she threw the table cloth as well and the ladybugs appeared to right all the damages. The light returned and all the ghosts were replaced with the people they had been before.

Chat Noir strolled up to her with an outstretched fist. “Good job.”

Mayor Bourgeois blinked out of his post-akumatized stupor and gazed around confused. “What happened?”

“Daddy!” Chloe rushed into the room. “You’re back!”

“I think he’s in good hands.” Marinette nodded to Chat. “Which is good since I am about to transform back.”

“Better get going before your date misses you.” Chat said. “I expect to hear more about this new boyfriend of yours next time we’re on patrol, my lady. Don’t think that little revelation is going unchecked.”

“You sure you want to know?” Marinette was a little unsure herself. She knew how Chat Noir had gotten before when she mentioned the other boy. Even if he has a girlfriend now she doesn’t want him to get pouty on her.

“Absolutely. I gotta make sure he’s worthy of you.” He smiled. “Now get going.”

Marinette’s heart swelled with appreciation for her kitty and she ran out of the room. She made it to the stairwell before transforming back. Now she could finally get back to her date.

She was heading back up to the restaurant when the entire stairwell went dark. Please let it not be another akuma. She pulled up her phone flashlight and shined it around. The emergency exit signs were still on at least. She went through the nearest one and found the hall was also dark.

“Marinette!” she heard a voice calling her name, “Marinette! Where are you?”

“Adrien?” she called back. “I’m in the hall. Where are you?”

“Don’t move. I’ll come to you.” He shouted back. A minute later she saw her boyfriend come around the corner shining his own phone around. “Hey, long time no see.”

“What happened to the power?” Marinette asked.

“Looks like the storm that wasn’t supposed to start until midnight came early. Knocked out the power.”

“That’s perfect.” Marinette checked her phone and found that she had no service. “The ride home is gonna be less than pleasant I imagine.”

“I really hope you two dumb-dumbs aren’t thinking about going out in this weather.” The door next to them opened up to reveal Chloe. “It’s a blizzard out there.”

“What are we supposed to do then? Where are we supposed to stay?” Adrien asked.

Chloe gave him a deadpanned look. “Adrikins, sweetie, you’re in a hotel.”

“Oh right.”

“You are so lucky you’re cute.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’ll get the staff to give you two some rooms and some hotel pajamas.”

“Thanks Chlo!” Adrien hugged her. “But uh...can I ask a favor?”

“What?” Adrien leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

She looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. “You uh...are you two at that stage already? I mean it’s your life so I don’t want to impose but you aren’t even sixteen yet Adrien.”

“What does that have to do with what I asked?” Adrien’s face was starting to redden. “What do you think we’ll be doing?”

Chloe pulled him down to whisper in his ear. What was going on that they couldn’t mention in front of Marinette?

Adrien’s face was pure red now and his eyes the size of a startled deer. “Chloe!” he whined, “That’s not--I wasn’t--why would you think that?!”

“It seemed shady!”

“My intentions are purely PG!”

“Seems a little PG-13 if you ask me. Maybe NC-17 if things escalate.”

“It’s not that! Stop!” Adrien covered her mouth. “If it is that much of a hassle then forget what I just said.”

“Calm down, you pure little scoop of vanilla ice cream.” Chloe headed towards the stairwell. “I’ll do it. Be right back.”

Once Chloe was gone Marinette looked at Adrien whose face was still bright red. “What was Chloe talking about? What NC-17 things was she expecting from your request?”

“Please don’t ask.” Adrien murmured under his breath. “What am I saying that makes people think I mean that!”

Something clicked in Marinette’s brain and her own face started to heat up. “Uh...Adrien, I don’t know how to ask this so I’m just gonna go for it. Are you in any way asexual or demisexual? It’s totally cool if you are but I think I know now what she mentioned and your reaction was kinda…”

“No. No I am very interested--I’m mean not very interested--I am interested but not like super into it like in a weird way. More of like a normal teenager way.” he was floundering. Marinette may have found it cute if it wasn’t for how absolutely mortified he looked. “I uh...I um...I think I’m gonna go throw myself down the stairs. That seems good.”

“Get back here.” Marinette grabbed hold of him. “Sorry for embarrassing you. I can understand why you got all flustered but it isn’t something to be necessarily ashamed about. But we are still young and there is no rush for anything like that. Maybe some making out but nothing over that. Okay?”

“Okay.” he finally relaxed. “This really isn’t how I expected this date to go. I had it all planned. A perfect Christmas wonderland romantic date. The dress, the sleigh ride, a candle lit dinner overlooking the city, then we would take a walk down the Path of Swans where I had a sprig of mistletoe tied to one of the trees. We would kiss and everything would have been perfect.”

Adrien sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. “But of course Hawkmoth had to come in and ruin it with ghosts and the storm locked us inside with no heat or power. It’s turned into a disaster.”

“It wasn’t a disaster.” Marinette leaned against the wall next to him. “So things didn’t go according to plan. That doesn’t mean it was terrible. We still got to have half a dinner, the sleigh ride was fun, and you don’t need mistletoe to kiss me.”

“Does that mean we can kiss now?” he asked expectantly.

“I believe it does.” Marinette giggled.

He leaned in close and kissed her gently. “Good.”

“Can I get another?” She asked quietly.

“As many as you want.” He kissed her again.

And again.

And again.

And more and more until she felt his hands wander from a respectable place on her waist to lower on her hips. Her back was more firmly pressed against the wall as Adrien gently pinned her in place. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as their sweet kisses grew longer and deeper.

“Is this…” Adrien pulled away just enough to speak, “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” Marinette answered. His breath tickled her nose. She wove one hand to the back of his neck while the other rested on his waist. “Are you okay with this?”

“Yeah.”

Without the light of their phones shining anymore they were left in the darkness. Nothing to perceive but the other. The faint smell of the cologne he had put on for their date. The soft tickle of hair at the nape of his neck. The sweet yet hungry feel of his lips against her own.

She parted her lips slightly into the kiss. She knew what she wanted to do but part of her was too scared to do it. Why was she freaking out so much? She was French for goodness sake! French kissing is in her blood!

She calmed down and worked up the courage to just do it. He jumped at first and almost bit down on her tongue. Abort! Abort! Bad idea! Abort!

“Sor--Sorry!” she gasped turning her head away in embarrassment. “I didn’t--that was--that was stupid! I’m sorry!” She stammered.

“You uh, caught me by surprise is all.” Adrien said, “Could we maybe try that again?”

“Not gonna bite my tongue if I slip it into your mouth again, are you?” she teased.

“Now that I know it’s coming.” he laughed lightly. He turned her face back to him.

Their lips met again at the same time a bright light was shined at their face. “Break it up, lovebirds.” Chloe was standing a few feet away from them with a flashlight and a bag. “I leave you two alone for five minutes and you’re devouring each others faces in the dark.”

“We were just--”

“Making out in a dark corridor. Are you sure you don’t want those con--”

“We don’t need them!” Adrien shrieked over Chloe. “Please just give us the keys and pajamas.”

“Here you go.” Chloe handed over the bag containing the pajamas. There was also a flashlight, some candles, a box of matches, and a few snacks inside. “You’re in room 648. Have a nice night.”

“Thanks Chloe. Good night.” Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and started pulling her along.

“Oh and Adrien,” Chloe called after him, “Behave yourself!”

Adrien didn’t answer but the sound of Chloe’s laugh echoed down the hall as they left her behind. They eventually found the room and walked in. It was a spacious suite with a small living area and bedroom. Large windows lent a great view of the city.

Marinette started taking out candles and setting them around the room to add some light. She stopped when she entered the bedroom portion of the suite and saw there was only one bed.

“Hey, sunshine,” Marinette said, “Was this favor you asked of Chloe be that there be only one bed in our room? Or that we share a room in the first place instead of each of us getting our own.”

“...maybe.”

Marinette laughed as she set down another candle. “Didn’t think we’d actually get that kissy faced sleepover we were joking about a couple weeks ago. And yet here we are.”

“It doesn’t freak you out, does it?” Adrien emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas. “Cause I can always take the couch if--”

“Shut up and start unpacking the snacks.” Marinette pulled her own pajamas out of the bag. “I’m gonna get changed and then maybe we can pick up where we left off in the hall.”

Even in the dim light of the candles Marinette could see the blush on his cheeks. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his forehead.

They spent the rest of the night eating snacks and talking and telling bad jokes in between short make out sessions. When neither could keep their eyes open any longer they settled into bed. Adrien pulled Marinette flush against him so they were spooning under the warm covers.

“Sweet dream, my star.” Adrien yawned.

“Sweet dream, my prince.” Marinette smiled before drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Marinette woke up the next morning the happiest she had felt in a long time. She was half convinced before she had opened her eyes that it had all been a dream. But when she looked next to her there was Adrien sleeping soundly with his arms around her. She nestled closer into him tucking her head underneath his chin. She wanted to remember this moment.

Adrien stirred and woke up with a large yawn. He stretched greatly like he was some big cat before his eyes came to rest on Marinette. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” She kissed his nose. “Sleep well?”

“Best sleep I’ve gotten in months.” He pulled her close again. “How long do you think we can get away laying in bed before someone comes to ruin it?”

A knock on the door made them both groan. “Not long apparently.” Marinette swung out of bed. She padded over to the door and opened it. “Oh, hi Chloe, didn’t expect to see you here this early.”

“Early? It’s nearly noon.” Chloe rolled her eyes and strode into the room without an invitation. “Adrien, you better have pants on!” She yelled to the suite.

“Why wouldn’t I have pants on?” Adrien grumbled as he came out to greet her. His bed head was sticking out in all directions. “What’s up?”

“It’s almost noon. I thought you two would have been awake by now.” Chloe poked him in the chest, “Just how late were you two up last night?”

“Fairly. We were having fun.”

“Yeah, I bet you were.” Chloe mumbled under her breath.

“Not like that!” Adrien was red in the face again. “Why do you keep assuming that?”

“Cause it’s funny watching you turn colors.” She tried to straighten out his bedhead. “How do you get this to cooperate? I swear your hair has a mind of its own.”

“Uh Chloe,” Adrien gently pushed her back, “Not that I don’t like our chats but what are you doing here?”

“Oh right, your bodyguard is down in the lobby waiting to take you home. He’s been waiting for over an hour.”

“Crap!” Adrien dove for his phone now that the storm had passed. “Oh that’s a lot of calls.”

“You can’t get in trouble for spending the night here. The storm was terrible.” Marinette assured him, “It would have been foolish to try and brave it.”

“Right, you’re right,” Adrien breathed a little easier, “But we should be going. Your parents are probably worried about you too.”

“You’re probably right.” Marinette sighed. “I guess I’ll go get dressed.”

“I’ll leave you to it. You can leave the pajamas in the room and staff will clean them up.”

“Thanks Chlo!” Adrien hugged her. “Tell Gorilla that we’ll be down soon.”

“Got it.” Chloe sauntered back out of the room.

It was still strange to Marinette to see Chloe being so casual and normal. Was this what she was always like when she wasn’t trying to impress everybody? It was like she was a normal teenager or something.

After the pair slipped back into their clothes from last night they went down to the lobby to catch their ride home. It was a quick trip from the hotel to Marinette’s house where they dropped her off. It was a short goodbye with barely a kiss exchanged before Adrien’s bodyguard was honking at him to get back in.

And that was the last she had seen of him in person until winter break was over. They talked and did video calls but between the bakery being swamped with Christmas orders and Adrien’s dad being a self-isolating jerk, they didn’t get the chance. The closest Marinette got was dropping off his Christmas present at the house.

It was a lonely couple of weeks. But the new year had started and Marinette was looking forward to the future. Walking into school after break she greeted her friends and everyone milled about catching up. Alya was talking to her but Marinette was only half listening as she kept a weather eye on the entrance door. Class was going to start any minute, where was Adrien?

“--and then I told Nora that if she was going to bring her girlfriend over she should have at least told me ahead of time so I could have helped mom make more boudin but no! So there we are sitting around a table fighting over the last one when the twins...are you listening?” Alya poked her.

“Sorry, no.” Marinette slumped further in her seat. “Adrien should have been here by now.”

“You sweet little puppy.” Alya pet her head, “I get you haven’t seen him since your romantic hot and heavy date back in December but you need to stop looking so mopey. He’ll show up eventually.”

“There wasn’t anything hot nor heavy about our date.” Marinette felt her face grew warm at the mention of it.

"Being pinned against a wall wasn't at all hot?"

"Okay that was kinda hot. But it was definitely undercut by him almost biting my tongue."

The girls laughed about it quietly amongst themselves. Class soon started and Adrien came running in barely making it in time. He apologized to Ms. Bustier claiming that he had overslept before slipping into his seat. “Oh wait,” he stood up again and came over giving Marinette a quick kiss, “I missed you! Thanks for the mittens!”

Those same mittens squished her cheeks as he had yet to take them off yet. “You’re welcome. I missed you too.” Marinette giggled.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Feel better?” Marinette nodded.

All during class they kept glancing at each other like love sick idiots and had gotten chastized by both the teachers for not paying attention and by their friends for being distracting. It wasn’t like they had been apart for months with no contact, it was at most two weeks with phone calls and video dates. The only reason no one was telling them to knock it off was because they were still in the honeymoon phase and didn’t want to ruin it for them yet. This had been the relationship everyone in class had been betting on months prior. Classes rolled by until it was time for lunch. No one wanted to brave the cold outside so stepped up to the cafeteria for lunch. Adrien and Marinette sat down at a table by themselves. No one wanted to butt into their alone time since it had been so long since they had any. That and no one was willing to brave being that close to their sickening amounts of mushy pet talk.

Well...almost no one.

“Wow, this place is packed today.” Lila approached their table, “Care if I join you?”

“Not at all.” Marinette slid closer to Adrien’s side so Lila couldn’t wedge herself between them. Lila evaluated the position before letting out a small huff and sitting down across from them. Briefly Marinette wondered if she started making out with Adrien right there if she could scare Lila off that way. Tempting, for multiple reasons, but ultimately not a great plan so resigned herself to the meal with Lila.

“Bleh,” Adrien spit out the sandwich he was eating, “That was gross.”

“What did you get?”

“Tuna salad sandwich. I thought I would try something different and I like that fish quiche your parents made but this is just blech.” Adrien pouted as he put the sandwich back down.

“Here, you can split my lunch.” Marinette handed over half of her own sandwich.

“Don’t you need it?”

“Nah, I have some snacks in my bag.” She pulled out a small bag filled with meringues.

“Why can’t I have those instead?”

“Don’t be greedy. I already gave you my sandwich.”

“Can I at least have one?”

“I don’t know. You are a model after all. Should you be having sweets?”

“Marinette you know for a fact I haven’t been following my father’s diet regime since I was thirteen. Now hand over the meringues.”

“No!” Marinette held them out of reach. Adrien grabbed her and tried wrestling them from her. “Leave my meringues alone!”

“Just one!”

“Fine!” Marinette took one out and licked it. “There.”

“I know exactly where that tongue has been so if you think a little spit is gonna stop me from eating this you are wrong.” Adrien crammed the meringue in his mouth. “Victory!”

“You are such a dork.” Marinette chuckled. “It is a good thing you are so cute.”

“A cute dork; isn’t that what everyone strives to date?”

“Are you saying that I am a cute dork?”

“I mean I feel like you are more adorable spazz than cute dork.”

“Well at least I’m adorable.”

“The most adorable.” Adrien kissed her cheek.

“Oh for god’s sake,” Lila muttered just barely catching Marinette’s attention. She had forgotten Lila was there for a minute. Lila had a small scowl on her face as she pushed her pasta around in her bowl. “I would have gotten salad if I’d known I was also going to be among the talking cheesecake.”

Adrien snorted. Both girls looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Sorry, it was just like the perfect analogy. We are both cheesy and sweet so...”

“You heard that?” Lila withdrew more into herself.

“Were we not meant to?” Adrien asked.

“A talking cheesecake huh? Seems about right.” Marinette chuckled too. “Which one of us is the sweet and which one of us is the cheese.”

“Adrien is the cheesy one.” Lila answered without hesitation.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Why am I the cheesy one?” Adrien whined defensively.

“Besides the bad jokes and painful puns?” Marinette smirked.

“Hey! My jokes are not that bad!” His voice pitched up another octave.

“You also literally always have cheese on you.” Lila said. “I asked if he had any gum at our last photoshoot and he pulled out three empty containers of camembert from his bag.”

Adrien opened his mouth to say something but could come up with no defense.

“Sunshine,” Marinette leaned on him, “I have to ask. Why out of all the cheese in the world you chose camembert?”

“I couldn’t say…” Adrien shifted in his seat. “Why is this about me suddenly? Can’t a guy just like cheese?”

“Of course you can, sweetie.” Marinette kissed his cheek. “I think your cheesiness is very cute. But if you try kissing me with cheese breath I will shove about twenty mints into your mouth first.”

“Better you than me. He’d probably aggravate my lactose intolerance.” Lila let out a small, almost genuine laugh.

The tension around the table had all but evaporated. For a brief pocket of time there was no scheming, no facades, no blackmail. It was three teens sitting at a table enjoying their lunch and teasing one another. As quickly as it began Lila seemed to realize that she wasn’t pretending anymore and threw her walls back up, setting her face to a rehearsed smile as she quickly left the table. Marinette almost called for her to stay but she was already out the door before either her or Adrien could react.

“That was strange, right?” Adrien asked after Lila had left.

“Yeah, she seemed almost normal.” Marinette’s mind was drawn back to the sleepover she had endured at Lila’s house and the talk she had with Mrs. Rossi. She had mentioned that Lila had trouble making and keeping friends. “I think we got a glimpse at what Lila is really like. Strip away the lies and deception and there may be a normal person under there.”

“Or she is just that good at pretending.” Adrien shrugged. “That doesn’t change because we were able to joke around with her for five minutes.”

“I know but…” Marinette let out a deep sigh. She looked at Chloe who was having a laugh with Sabrina a couple tables over. “I’ve seen what can happen when you give someone a chance. Send a little love, a little support their way and walls start to crumble. They become more at ease with who they truly are.”

“Marinette,” Adrien gave her a sympathetic smile, “I love that you are willing to give people another chance. It’s one of the things I admire about you. But the fact of the matter is we have given Lila a chance before. Multiple chances! She’s only ever proven to take advantage when we do. What makes you think this time will be any different?”

“I know. Trust me, I know. But--” she drummed her hands on the table, “--I can see something. There’s a crack in her mask. The illusion is faltering. If there is a chance that I can get the mask to shatter before she has time to fix it then shouldn’t I try to? This isn’t about exposing her. I want to...I want to help her if I can. Help her see that she doesn’t need to lie and manipulate to have friends.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think that may be part of why she lies so much. She tells everyone what they want to hear and puts herself on this pedestal with these stories because it is easier to draw people in that way. If you give people what they want then they’ll stick around. It is so easy that way. But showing someone who you truly are and having them reject you for just being yourself can hurt. You literally aren’t good enough for them.”

“So she lies out of pride?’

“She lies out of fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of isolation. Fear of never a having a friend.” Marinette took his hand, “Can you imagine at all what your life would have been like if you didn’t have any friends? If you were still homeschooled and didn’t even have Chloe to talk to growing up? Wouldn’t you do whatever you thought other people would like to make friends?”

“Sounds like hell.”

“I didn’t really have any friends until I was six. I was a really shy kid and all the other kids that would try to talk to me soon stopped trying when I would clam up or even run away cause I was so scared.”

“But you are so outgoing and friendly though. I would have thought mini-Marinette would have ruled the playground as a benevolent princess.”

“The only princess on the playground was Chloe.” Marinette scoffed, “It is so strange to think of now but back then before she met Sabrina we used to hang out a lot at school. Well I say hang out but it was more or less a long game of princess and servant. By doing whatever she said I was making her happy and I thought that was friendship up until I tried inviting her over to my house for a playdate and she turned me down hard. Then Rose found me crying in a corner, gave me a flower to make me feel better, and we ended up having slumber parties every other week.”

“That’s so cute.”

“And you see what I mean. I put myself out there looking for friendship once and got hurt. If it wasn’t for Rose comforting me I don’t know how I may have turned out today. Lila isn’t as easy to quell as a six year old but I think that means she needs more support. How long has she been without a genuine friend if she even ever has had one?”

“You know, I say all the time that you are our school’s everyday Ladybug but I think I need to amend that statement.” He cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand, “Ladybug should strive to be our Marinette. She saves the city all the time and that is amazing. But I don’t know if even the great Ladybug could be as optimistic and forgiving as my Marinette.”

Tears started to pour out from her eyes before she could stop them. Did Adrien really think that highly of her? Obviously he did or he wouldn’t have said it.

“Oh no, don’t cry,” Adrien wiped her tears away with a napkin, “I wasn’t trying to make you cry.”

“You dork.” Marinette hugged him tight. “Thank you.”

He hugged her back. “I mean it. Your optimism is incredible but I also want you to keep a dose of reality in your mind. I don’t want you to try and try with Lila and end up getting hurt because of it again.”

“Don’t get my hopes up. I know.” Marinette assured him. “Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

“Promise me you’ll be careful.” Adrien stressed.

She pulled back and kissed him. “I promise.”

She had to come up with a way to show Lila that her efforts were not a scam first or else it would all be for not. Lila needed a reason to trust her. With all of their interactions thus far that would prove a momentous task in of itself. She was gonna need some back up for this.

Chapter Text

“I love this idea!” Alya squealed as she hopped around the bedroom happily. “I’ve never had a big slumber party before.”

“I can see that.” Marinette chuckled. “I got a text back from Rose and she said that we can use her house for the slumber party.”

“This is gonna be so much fun! Just us girls partying the night away.”

“Well, we haven’t had any real opportunity to hang out just us girls so I thought a big sleepover was due.”

“And can I say it? I love that you and Lila are friends now so that we can have you two in the same room without hissing at each other.”

“Yeah...me too.” Marinette tried to sound peppy. Her optimism from yesterday had waned considerably. The idea to have a big sleepover where a sleep-deprived Lila may be more open seemed good at the time but now she was wondering what drugs she was on to suggest this. A whole night where she was gonna have to interact with Lila.

Maybe Adrien was right. Maybe trying to help Lila be a good person was too ambitious.

No! No pessimism! She can do this! It is one night. One great night of genuine interaction and fun may just be what Lila needs to open her eyes. That or she was going to be doubling down on her illusions and lies the entire time in which case Marinette’s plan was screwed from the start.

“Why didn’t I just plan a grand exposure scheme instead?” Marinette muttered under her breath. “I feel like spite would motivate me better than compassion right now.”

“What was that?” Alya asked.

“Nothing. Thinking out loud.” Marinette took out her phone and sent a text to Lila inviting her to the slumber party. She tried to word it as carefully as possible to let her know that this wasn’t a demand because of their blackmailing arrangement. Several minutes later she got a reply that she would be there. Baby steps, Marinette, baby steps.

The night of the slumber party everyone headed to Rose’s house. You wouldn’t really think much of it but Rose’s family was very well off. They didn’t have an Adrien level mansion but Marinette’s living room could easily fit in just Rose’s pantry. Rose was already in her pink onesie as she greeted everyone that came in.

“I brought cookies.” Marinette held up the box proudly. “Thanks again for letting us have the slumber party here, Rose.”

“It was no problem. I am so excited to have everyone over like this!” Rose took the cookies and led everyone up to her room. It was very true to Rose. Everything was pink and covered in ribbons and plushes and music posters. There was a large pile of cushions and pillows on the ground so everyone could be comfortable. It wasn’t long until everyone was changing into their pajamas as well. Juleka even matched with Rose in her purple onesie.

“I don’t understand why all of you have special pjs.” Alix rolled her eyes, “I put on an old t-shirt a pair of boxers and I am ready for bed.”

“You wear boys boxers to bed?” Alya asked.

“Yeah, they’re really comfy. Why?”

“Surprised is all. I prefer my superhero pajamas though.”

“Surprised you didn’t bring your Ladybug pajamas,” Marinette noted. “They were limited supply so I thought you’d be showing them off whenever you could.”

“I spilled some guacamole on them last night so they’re in the wash.”

“Were you eating nachos in bed again?”

“I get peckish during the night!”

“Oh yeah, there’s nothing better than guacamole at two AM.”

“Except maybe my famous dip.” Lila piped up, holding a plastic container in one hand and a large ziplock bag in the other.

“Ooh! Lila, did you bring snacks too?” Rose asked.

“I thought I would bless you all with my family’s famous white bean dip recipe.” She set the container of dip down in the middle with the rest of the food. “I also made baked pita chips to go with them.”

“That is so cool! Thanks Lila!” The girls began to dig in. Marinette was pleasantly surprised at just how good the dip really was and the pita chips were delicious too. The cynical part of her brain wanted to call this all store-bought but Marinette had gotten fairly good at being able to taste the difference between pre-packaged and from scratch and the dip and chips were definitely homemade.

“This is really good,” Marinette smiled as she went in for another chip. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

“It was nothing really.” Lila raised her chin proudly. “I’m glad you all like it but unfortunately I am forbidden from giving out the secret recipe. It’s a decades-old recipe passed down through my family and my ancestors would never forgive me for giving it out.”

“I hear that,” Alya said, “My mom is super secretive about her recipes. She refuses to even let me in the kitchen when she’s making her famous coconut and sweet potato curry. I gotta wait until I’m a legal adult for her to even think of giving me the recipe.”

“I forgot about your mom’s curry. I need to come over and have some the next time she makes it.” The thought alone made Marinette’s mouth water.

The night continued on simply enough as the girls talked and ate and told dumb jokes. Marinette tried to relax but she kept looking over at Lila. So far she hadn’t really done or said anything that Marinette would call out as lying. Maybe a tad exaggerated but not blatant lies. Lila caught her watching her and narrowed her eyes before launching back into the conversation.

Crap! Did she know what Marinette was doing?

“How about we play some games?” Rose suggested. “Anyone up for truth or dare?”

“Boo!” Alix moaned, “No one ever actually wants to play truth or dare.”

“So then what should we do?”

“We could fall over ourselves trying to play twister.” Juleka held up the game.

“Now that sounds fun!” The other girls agreed.

“I’ll spin,” Mylene offered.

Everyone got into position around the mat as Mylene started calling out instructions. It wasn’t long before everyone was contorted on all fours trying not to stumble and face plant into their neighbor’s butt. Juleka and Rose were on cloud nine having gotten jumbled real close to one another so it almost looked like they were hugging on the mat. Alix was low to the ground spread out like a spider while Alya, Lila, and Marinette tried not to shove knees and elbows into each other. Mylene sat on the sidelines sipping soda and laughing at them.

“Okay, Alix, right arm green,” Mylene called out.

“Are you serious?” Alix shouted from underneath the heap of bodies. “I cannot even see green from this position!”

“Well you’re gonna have to try.” Alya said, “Because if I do not get a chance to uncross my legs I am going to squish you so hurry up!”

“Alya, if you fall I am getting an elbow to the boob so please do not lose your balance.” Marinette pleaded.

“Is my hand on green?” Alix asked.

“That’s yellow. You have to stretch farther.” Rose told her.

“I cannot stretch any farther!”

“Then I guess that means you lose.”

“Well, if I lose then I’m taking all of you down with me!” Alix laughed maniacally as she flailed about sweeping everyone’s arms and legs out from under them. The girls collapsed to the floor roaring with laughter. Marinette tried to disentangle herself from the pile and accidentally elbowed Lila in the gut.

“Watch it!” Lila snapped as she shoved Marinette off. “Just how clumsy are you?”

“Oops! Sorry.” Marinette apologized automatically. The laughter from the group died down a touch as the rest of the party watched them. They locked eyes and soon realized the mistake. Lila and her were supposed to be friends. Friends didn’t snap at each other like that. Especially not over something so little.

But in true Lila fashion, she shrugged it off and put on a wide smile for the others. “Sorry about that everyone. I think hitting the floor knocked my brain loose. Ha ha!”

The other girls relaxed and decided to do something a little less hazardous than Twister and went around telling the funniest storied they had experienced. When it got to Lila’s turn she was like a kid in a candy shop. She wove her tale of hilarious falsehoods so spectacularly that everyone was enthralled. Of course, it couldn’t just be something outrageous but also had to include celebrity cameos and Lila coming out on top as the hero in some capacity.

Marinette kept a passive face through it all but deep inside she wanted to point out every inconsistency in Lila’s story. As good as Lila was with lying when she was putting on a lengthy narrative like this one she had a habit of contradicting her own story. Not that anyone else seemed to notice.

Could this girl really not go one night without lying? One night of genuine human interaction?

“Oh god,” Alya leaned on Marinette trying to catch her breath as she snorted with laughter. “I’m crying! I don’t think anything could top that. How did the dog manage to bury that necklace in the excavation sight without anyone noticing?”

“Only God knows.” Lila shrugged. “And to think it almost got put on display in a museum. Thankfully I was there to point out the logo printed on it. How embarrassing that would have been to put a modern day necklace in the museum for Egyptian antiquities.”

“Pretty embarrassing I bet.” Marinette grumbled to herself. Apparently she wasn’t as quiet as she thought cause at that moment Lila shot her a subtle but still menacing glare.

“What about you, Marinette?” Lila asked. “What’s a hilarious story of yours?”

“Oh um…” Marinette hadn’t thought about it. A lot of her really funny stories everyone already knew or had happened with Chat on patrol. “I don’t think I have a story everyone here hasn’t already heard.”

“Really? Not one?” Alya asked.

“Well,” Marinette thought a little more, “It isn’t hilarious but there was this funny moment at lunch the other day. Adrien and I were sitting down and Lila joined us but then Adrien and I started to get a little mushy--”

“A lot mushy.” Lila groaned. “You two have no decency.”

“We’re in a honeymoon phase!” Marinette defended. “It’s normal. As I was saying, Lila called us out on it by calling us a talking cheesecake and that is when I learned that Adrien apparently carries around multiple tins of cheese for some reason. Like, not just one or two to snack on during a long day but like five in his bag at all times no matter what.”

“Seriously?” Mylene raised an eyebrow.

“I know right?” Lila said, a laughing smile on her face. “I told Marinette that I was afraid he was going to aggravate my lactose intolerance with all that cheese.”

“If his actual horde of cheese doesn’t do it his puns certainly will.” Marinette laughed along with her. “Did you know he has like three sites bookmarked on his phone that are all for jokes and puns?”

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Lila rolled her eyes, “Did he tell you the one about how to tickle a rich girl?”

“Say, ‘Gucci. Gucci. Gucci.” Marinette snickered, “Oh my goodness. I think he regrets it now because since he’s a rich boy I keep trying to tickle him while saying that.”

“Dare you to try and do that to Chloe.”

“No thanks, I prefer life.”

And just like that Lila’s wall were down again. She was laughing and smiling with the rest of them without any hint of a faking. Even more so that Lila then started sharing real funny stories about her time modeling on set. Marinette knew they were true too since she had heard them all from Adrien before.

It was hard to tell since Marinette knew none of the other girls knew about Lila’s deceptions but she liked to think they saw the change too. There was no bragging or big names in her stories now. No events that made her look like a hero. She was telling dumb stories that had actually happened and she looked so much happier telling them than her tall tales.

Unfortunately, it started to get really late and Rose and Mylene were the first to start nodding off. Everyone piled around to go to sleep. Marinette, Alya, Mylene, and Lila were stretched out on the floor while Rose and Juleka took the bed and Alix was huddled in a little ball on one of the chairs. The room grew quiet except for the small sounds of snoring and breathing.

Then Marinette got slapped in the face. She woke with a start and looked around in the dim room to see who had smacked her. Everyone was asleep it seemed. But then who had…

She looked over at Lila who had been sleeping on Marinette’s right side. She was turning and twitching a lot in her sleep. Something Mrs. Rossi had told Marinette sprang to mind. If Lila was stressed or didn’t relax before bed then--

Lila started thrashing more violently and hurled her pillow across the room hitting Alix. Crap! The others started to wake up with the commotion. Marinette caught Lila before she could get up and held her tightly as she tried to break free.

“What’s going on?” Alya turned her phone flashlight on Marinette. “Girl! Let go of her! What are you doing?!”

“Alya, she’s--” Marinette tried to explain but at that same moment Lila whipped her head back and hit Marinette in the face. Dazed, Lila shot out of Marinette’s grasp and was on her feet. Not good!

“Lila! What’s wrong?” Rose and Juleka swung out of bed and tried to approach her.

“Girls! Don’t!” Marinette tried to warn them but it was too late. Lila unwittingly lashed out and knocked Juleka back so she went tumbling back onto the bed.

“Is she having a nightmare?” Mylene was keeping a safe distance at the other end of the room along with Alix.

“I got her!” Marinette stood to her feet and grabbed Lila. She fought tooth and nail to get out of Marinette’s hold but now that she knew about Lila’s episodes she was better prepared. She kept an iron grip on her, pinning her arms by her sides. “Lila, it’s okay! You’re okay! Wake up!”

She kept fighting. “Lila, wake up! I got you!”

Then, just like last time the fight went out of her. Like a puppet whose strings were cut she went sorta limp and Marinette eased them down to sitting. She seemed more aware of her surroundings this time. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Marinette said in a soothing voice. She turned to the others. “She’s okay now. Can someone go grab her a glass of water, preferably with ice cubes?”

“On it.” Alix ran out of the room. Mylene turned on the lights and the others started to slowly gather around Lila.

“What the hell was that?” Alya asked. She was still visibly flustered by what had just happened. They all were of course but her more than the rest.

“Night terror,” Marinette answered. Alix came back with the glass of water and Marinette handed it to Lila, urging her to take a few sips. “Her mom told me she’s supposed to relax before bed to help prevent them. Seeing as how we were partying the night away instead though that didn’t really happen.”

“And the water?” Rose asked.

“Keeps the mind distracted. Colder is better. Shocks the system back to reality.” Marinette explained. “She’s also really sweaty so I figured she needed something to drink.”

“Lila,” They all sat down around her, “Do you need anything else?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Marinette wanted to make sure. “I don’t know if maybe you want to go home or need us to call your mom or something.”

“I’ll be okay.” She slid away from Marinette, pulling her legs tight to her chest. “Sorry for scaring everyone.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Alya patted her on the back. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

“Thank goodness Marinette knew what to do,” Rose said.

“I don’t think I really knew what I was doing.” Marinette shrugged. “I was just trying to keep her from hurting herself. At least there aren’t any broken picture frames this time, right Lila?”

“Yeah…” She looked around at the group. “I think that was enough excitement for one night. If nothing is broken then I am gonna go back to bed.”

At the mention of sleep at least three of the other girls yawned. Everyone settled back down after making sure Lila really was alright and like that the room was quiet again.

“Marinette?” Lila whispered across to Marinette.

“Yeah. Need something?” Marinette turned to face her. Lila had her back turned towards her.

She was quiet for a long time and Marinette suspected she might have been talking in her sleep. Then she spoke again in an even quieter voice than last. “Thanks...for waking me up and stuff.”

“Of course.” Marinette smiled to herself. She waited to see if Lila would say anything else but that seemed to be the end of the conversation. “Goodnight, Lila.”

Marinette closed her eyes as sleep started to take over again. It may have been her imagination but she could have sworn she heard a quiet voice say, “Goodnight, Marinette.”

Chapter Text

The morning after the girl’s sleepover was a tad awkward. The girls had more questions for Lila about what happened last night. She wasn’t up for explaining so Marinette tried her best to tell them instead despite her knowledge being limited. Rose’s parents supplied everyone with breakfast and they all went their separate ways.

Despite the night terror episode the sleepover seemed to be more successful than Marinette had hoped. Not perfect by any means but she liked to believe that Lila maybe would see that honest communication was a lot more fulfilling then blind admiration through lies. Before they had all split up to go back to their houses Marinette could feel the change in the air. Little things like how Lila’s smile was a little softer and not as stretched or how she playfully teased the others about the funny stories they shared last night.

At school, she was still her usual self but Marinette could see that she was pausing before a lie. As if she was thinking through whether to tell it or not. Most of the time she still did but it was progress and by god that was more than she thought she would ever get out of Lila.

The days passed and life was pretty normal as the weather got colder and the blanket of snow covering Paris got thicker. Akumas still haunted the streets and patrols were met with more disdain for being forced into the cold. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad since the suits kept them warm but it couldn’t keep the cold out of their faces. Something Chat became painfully aware of when Ladybug nailed him in the face with a snowball.

“What happened to those cat-like reflexes, kitty?” Marinette laughed as Chat shook the snow out of his hair.

“You want to see cat-like reflexes, my lady?” Chat Noir formed a snowball of his own. “I’ll be more than glad to demonstrate.”

“Wait, I have an idea.” Marinette slid open her yo-yo and pulled up the miraculous curriculum she had been crafting for Chat Noir.

Since becoming the guardian she had mentioned to Chat her intention of teaching him what Fu had taught her. They had no other time together outside of patrols and akuma attacks so they had agreed to take some extra time during patrols for lessons. Chat was excited to learn more and was a model student, soaking up the information with glee.

Marinette had also wanted to start testing new powers and abilities. He hadn’t used it since but Marinette could tell Chat Noir was itching to master his Black Storm ability. Marinette was also eager to try unlocking some new powers of her own. Before doing any of that though she wanted to make sure Chat was caught up with the basic fundamentals of the miraculous.

“Ladybug, if you don’t tell me what it is you’re planning then I’m just gonna throw this.” Chat tossed the snowball up in the air, bored.

“Shush, learning time.” She started making more snowballs. “Think of this as a lesson within a game. I’m going to give you some trivia on the miraculous. For every one you get right you get to throw a snowball at me. But for every one you get wrong, I throw one at you. Sound good?”

“You are going to look like a snowman by the time this is over.” Chat started making more snowballs as well.

“On one hand I’m glad to know you’re retaining what I teach but on the other, I really want to hit you with more snowballs.” She picked up one of the frozen projectiles from her pile. “First question, what is the power of the ox miraculous?”

They continued on with their lesson with snowballs being thrown from both sides. By the end, they both had red noses and cheeks.

“Okay, I think that does it for tonight.” Marinette brushed some more snow out of her hair. “Better stop before either of us gets a cold.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m afraid having a cold will ruin my first Valentine’s day with my girlfriend..”

“Doing anything special or get her a present yet?”

“I got her a little something. I hope she’ll like it. We’ve been friends for years but I always get worried when it comes to giving her presents cause she always has the most thoughtful gifts to give out. It’s pretty daunting trying to get on her level. She also doesn’t like it when I spoil her.”

“I’m sure whatever it is she’ll love it. On the off chance you have second thoughts then cuddly socks and her favorite snacks cannot go amiss. Trust me, girls love warm fuzzy socks and snacks.”

“Replace fuzzy with stinky and you have Plagg.” Chat chuckled, “What about you and your boyfriend? Any special Valentine’s Day plans?”

“A simple date. After the big fiasco of our Christmas date, we decided on something more low key. Chocolates and a movie.”

“Sounds nice. Speaking of the holiday of love, would it be okay if I got you a little Valentine’s day present as well?”

“You had better since I’m already making you chocolate.”

“You’re making me chocolate!” Chat squealed happily.

“Ah crap, I wasn’t supposed to say that.” Marinette smacked her forehead, “Now the surprise is ruined!”

“Doesn’t mean I still wouldn’t love homemade chocolate from my lady.” Chat was grinning ear to ear.

“Good.” Marinette started to sniffle. “I need to get out of this snow before I catch a cold. See you for next patrol.”

“See you!” Chat Noir fist-bumped her and they went their separate ways.

Marinette raced back home to get warm. She was relieved to touch back down in her room and cuddle up under the covers. Tomorrow she was going to be in a tizzy making chocolates for everyone but tonight she could relax. She had told Chat Noir that she was making chocolates for him and Adrien but she had also failed to mention that she was making chocolates for everyone in her class as well as Luka and Kagami. She was even making them specially coloured. Pink tulip-shaped chocolates for Rose, purple skulls for Juleka, blue guitars for Luka, red roses for Kagami, teddy bears for Ivan, game controllers for Max, she was even making yellow coloured bees for Chloe.

After all the chocolates were done and packed away there was only one thing left to do. Marinette grabbed her materials and got to work making a Valentine for Adrien. The last time she had done something like this she had forgotten to sign it. He got so many cards from fans she wondered if he would even remember an unsigned card.

Thankfully this year wouldn’t be a problem. What to write though? After thinking up cute rhymes and long-winded poems she decided to put aside all the theatrics and write from the heart. Something simple and heartfelt.

Dear Adrien, like these chocolates I hope your day is sweet and rich because it is what you deserve. You are so kind and talented and I am thankful that I am able to call you mine this Valentine’s Day. You mean the world to me and I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, my sunshine prince! All my love, Marinette.

She stared at the last line for a long time. All my love. She and Adrien had agreed to take things slow when they first started dating. That meant that Marinette was always catching herself and stopping herself from telling Adrien she loved him. She didn’t want to scare him off with her feelings early on. But now they had been dating for a few months and they had already progressed so far she shouldn’t be scared to tell him she loves him. Still, telling someone you love them for the first time is nerve-wracking.

Maybe she should leave this for another day…

No! She needs to stop hesitating in telling Adrien her feelings! Her hesitation is what almost cost her the wonderful relationship they have now. She needs to stick to her guns and let whatever happens happen. She loves him. She won’t be scared to tell him that. Not on the day dedicated to love.

Valentine’s day came on a school day and so Marinette packed up all the little boxes of chocolates and headed in. Adrien had a morning photoshoot so she’d have to wait to give him his. Upon entering the school she went around handing out the chocolates she had crafted for everyone and accepted some gifts and cards people gave her. Lila’s reaction to the chocolates Marinette handed her was mixed. A mix of appreciation, confusion, and disappointment flashing across her face in all of five seconds. No doubt she had expected Marinette to not get her anything at all so to make her look bad for excluding her. Not so slick Rossi! You are going to get genuine human connection and like it!

Now she just had to wait for Adrien to show up.

---

Adrien was excited to get to school. His first Valentine’s Day with a girlfriend! He was practically bouncing in his seat as he rode towards the school. The gift he had gotten for Marinette clutched tightly in his lap. This morning he had posted a series of photos of them together on his Instagram wishing her a happy Valentine’s Day.

A lot of the comments were nice but every so often he would see those people that were jealous and couldn’t keep it to themselves popping in. The jealousy from fans wasn’t nearly as bad as when they were first outed but it still ran rampant through their comment sections. It was pretty easy to ignore most of the time. Adrien had only had to block one person because their comments were going way too far. Every post, even ones Marinette wasn’t even in, that person was there spouting hate. He wasn’t sure what they were trying to accomplish. It wasn’t like constantly bashing his girlfriend was going to make him break up with her and date the aggressor instead.

No time to worry about that though. He pulled up to the school and shot out of the car. He had just got through the entrance when he noticed the screaming. That was never a good sign. A bunch of students came bursting out of Miss Bustier’s classroom and Adrien sighed. Of course, it would be in his classroom.

“Run dude!” Nino came barrelling down the stairs, “Akuma! Mad jealous akuma!”

“Where’s Marinette?” he grabbed Nino before he could shoot past him.

Nino pointed towards the classroom. At that moment Marinette also came shooting out of the classroom with a green-skinned akuma in a dark red dress and long pink hair that floated around their head on her heels. Crap!

Adrien dashed into the bathroom and transformed. He followed the chaos of noise into the library. Marinette was hiding behind a bookshelf as the akuma crept closer searching for her.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.” the akuma cooed. He noticed that while the rest of them was normally proportioned their hands were larger with long clawed fingers that dragged along the ground. In their wake, the ground turned an inky black that bubbled and steamed like fresh tar. He didn’t want to learn what happened if you touched it.

As quietly as he could Adrien snuck across the bookcases until he found Marinette crammed in a corner. “Psst,” he stretched a hand out to her. “Come with me.”

She took his hand and he pulled her up and into his arms. Urge to flirt so strong. Keep it professional, Agreste. She doesn’t know you’re her boyfriend.

“Hey! That one’s mine!” The akuma yelled. They shot their hand out at them sending projectiles of black goo at their heads.

“My, my, aren’t you a possessive Valentine.” Adrien kept a firm grip on Marinette and dodged out of the way of the goo before escaping out into the hall. He needed to find a safe place to put her.

The akuma chased after them and Adrien was forced to keep running. He made it outside and vaulted him and Marinette to the roofs. “Having a happy Valentine’s Day? Looks like you have an admirer.”

“I wouldn’t call her an admirer,” Marinette said. “I think she’s a jealous fan of my boyfriend. She tracked me down specifically and kept spouting stuff about how I didn’t deserve Adrien and that it should be her he was dating instead. It’s a whole big mess.”

His grip on her got a little tighter. His so-called fans are the ones that almost got Marinette akumatized when they first started dating. It was his so-called fans that got him akumatized into Chat Blanc. Now another self-proclaimed fan was hunting down his girlfriend out of mad jealousy. Being famous was way more trouble than it was worth.

“Not to worry,” Adrien assured her, “Ladybug and I will take care of them. Right now I need to get you someplace that akuma won’t find you.”

That was easier said than done. This akuma was faster than he thought and they were keeping up far too well. If he didn’t do something soon then they were going to overtake them. Where was Ladybug? He could really use some help right about now.

“Chat Noir, look out!” Marinette shouted. Adrien looked back in time to see that the long claws of the akuma were stretching ever closer. He dropped down to the street away from their touch and ran into the subway station. Maybe he could put Marinette on a train--

His focus was diverted when he saw the akuma trailing shortly after them again. Dang. What did it take to shake this lady? He let go of Marinette and shoved her behind him. If he could just keep the akuma at bay until a train showed up then he could put Marinette on it and she’d be out of danger fast. He drew his baton and aimed it at the akuma as they drew nearer to the track.

“Hand her over!” The akuma screamed, “Once she’s gone then there will be nothing between me and my Adrien!”

“You don’t even know him you psycho!” Marinette yelled from behind him.

“I know everything about him! You don’t deserve him!” The akuma shot more tar at them that Adrien deflected. He could hear a train coming. Good.

“Oh please!” Adrien diverted the akuma’s attention back to him. “Adrien Agreste is not that great.”

“Hey!” Marinette and the akuma yelled at the same time. “You take that back!”

“No! Adrien Agreste is a dork and there is nothing you can say to change my mind!” He just needed to keep this akuma’s attention on him until the train doors opened.

“You’ll pay for your words!” The akuma attacked again. They were closing in quick and Adrien had to do some quick maneuvering to keep from being touched. The train finally pulled in and Adrien shoved Marinette inside.

“No!” The akuma tried to dash inside the train as well.

“Leave her alone!” Adrien smacked the akuma straight across the face. The hit sent them flying into the back wall. “You hear me? You stay away from her!”

“You little--” The akuma shot more tar at him.

“Watch out!” Marinette grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back into the train with her. The doors slid closed just in time and the black tar-like goo hit the door instead. Adrien was collapsed against the floor with Marinette lying next to him.

“Are you alright?” She asked as the train took off down the tracks again.

“I should be asking you that.” He helped her up. “That was dangerous. You should have stayed hidden.”

“I wasn’t about to let her get you.” Marinette protested. “Besides, we’re safe now so it all turned out alright.”

“Thank you, Marinette.” He reached out and smoothed out her hair. She had worn it down today which would have been nice if it hadn’t been for it getting all mussed in the chase. Not that a bad hair day could make her look ugly. There was nothing in this world that powerful.

They pulled up to the next station and Adrien got out. “I have to go back and take care of that akuma. You stay hidden. Got it?”

“Will do. Thanks for keeping me safe.” She stood up on her toes and gave his cheek a chaste kiss. “For luck...and for Valentine’s Day.”

“Much obliged, princess.” he gave a little bow and kissed the back of her hand. So maybe he could get away with a little flirting as Chat Noir. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” He ran back out of the subway with a smile on his face. The spot on his cheek where Marinette kissed him warming him to the core and filling him with determination like never before. Such a simple gesture yet it felt like he could topple the world.

The akuma was back on the streets leaving behind a trail of smoking black tar in her wake as she searched in vain for Marinette. Ladybug still hadn’t shown up yet. He may need to do this on his own. First thing was first, target where the akuma may be lying. Probably not the dress. They weren’t wearing shoes. Hair was loose and it didn’t look like they had any jewelry on. No weapon outside of their own hands.

Hands! Inspecting closer he could see a dark black ring around one of the akuma’s long clawed fingers. How in the heck was he supposed to get that off her? Everything she touched turned to bubbling tar!

“Hey, kitty!” Ladybug touched down next to him. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Hope you weren’t in too much trouble without me.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” He grinned. “Do I get my chocolates now?”

“How about we defeat this latest akuma and then you can get chocolate. Besides, do you have my present?”

“Touche. Swap presents at patrol?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Cool. I think the akuma is in her ring but I don’t know how we’ll get it off. Everything she touches turns to tar.”

“That is a problem.” Ladybug nodded. “Time for a lucky charm!”

She swung her yo-yo to the sky. In a flash of light, an oil lamp dropped into her hands. “Why are you never anything obvious?” She muttered to the lamp.

“Wait! I know this!” Adrien took the lamp. “These types of lamps are powered by kerosene.”

“Okay. How does that help us?” Ladybug asked.

“Kerosene dissolves tar. So if we--”

“If we soak a rag in the kerosene then we can safely touch the akuma’s hand without getting hurt by the tar! Chat you are brilliant!” She squeezed his face in her hands and pecked his nose. “Now we just need something to soak it into.”

Ladybug scanned the streets. She ran into a random store and came back out with a shirt which she ripped in two. She dumped the kerosene from the lamp over the new rags and handed one to Adrien. “Think you can keep her distracted?”

“I am the king of distractions, my lady.” Adrien took the damp rag. “Just leave it to me!”

It was easy enough to keep the akuma distracted. All he had to do was keep talking smack about himself. Their anger was getting the better of them making them attack wildly and without aim. From behind he watched Ladybug’s yo-yo ensare the akuma pinning their arms by their sides. Adrien took the opening and jumped down on their one hand with his rag to protect him. Ladybug landed on the other and with a yank tore the ring off their finger.

She crushed it and purified the dark butterfly that came flitting out. The green akuma girl dissolved into a regular teenager. She looked at the heroes confused asking how she had gotten in the street. Adrien was sad to see he recognized the girl. She had been one of his earliest fans back when his father only let him do joint photoshoots instead of solo ones. She had always been a sweet girl if not a little intense. He hated to see what jealousy could do to someone that supported him so ardently.

Ladybug was about to de-transform so she took off while Adrien tended to the victim. After dropping her back off at her own school and her promising that she’ll be better about who she takes her feelings out on in the future Adrien headed back towards his own school. The day was still young and he had a girlfriend to see.

---

Marinette made it back to the school right before her transformation wore off. Thank goodness that was over. She raced back to the classroom and breathed out in relief at the sight of the pristine box of chocolates waiting on her desk. When the akuma struck the chocolates had gotten blasted with tar. She knew her miraculous cure would right it all but the sight of the chocolates she had painstakingly worked to make destroyed like that tore her in two.

She grabbed the box and left to find Adrien. She was going to get these to him now! She was in the entrance hall when she saw him come out of the bathroom.

“Adrien!” She waved him over. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” he kissed her. “I heard you got a nasty akuma chasing you earlier. You alright?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for worrying though.”

“Well before another akuma comes to ruin the rest of our day I want to give you this.” Adrien handed her a pink gift bag. She tossed out the tissue paper and pulled out what was inside. A blu-ray copy of her favorite comfort movie, Aquamarine, a pair of fluffy socks covered in hamsters, a small jar of Nutella, and a card.

“I love it!” Marinette giggled. “And for you,” Marinette handed him the box of chocolates and the card she had made for him.

She reached for the card nestled against the side of the bag and opened it while Adrien inspected the chocolate hearts she had crafted for him.

My dearest star, every day with you is brighter than the last. You fill each day with warmth and laughter and I cherish every moment. I feel so lucky to have you as my Valentine this year. Happy Valentine’s Day! Hugs and kisses, Adrien

Awe! That was so sweet! Warmth, laughter, hugs and kisses...but not love.

Panicked seized her heart as she saw Adrien reaching to open her card. “Wait!” She snatched the card back, “I um, I just realized this was the wrong card.” She said when he looked at her confused. “This is the card I made for Alya. I must have gotten them mixed up. I’m gonna run to my locker and grab yours. Be right back.”

“Oh okay,” Adrien shrugged with an easy smile.

Marinette took the card and ran into the locker room. Quickly she thanked her indecisive self earlier for writing it in pencil. She stared at the three little words she had written. So simple and yet so important and terrifying all at the same time. All my love.

“Why are you changing it?” Tikki asked, “I thought you wanted to tell him.”

“I do but his card didn’t say anything about love and I...I got scared.”

“Are you really going to change it?”

“Yeah…” Marinette erased the words. “All my love was kinda intense anyway. This should do better. Happily yours with lots of kisses, Marinette.”

“I still think you should have left it.”

“Maybe.” She closed the card again. “And I will one day but today is no good I think. The akuma really threw everything off.”

Marinette went back out and handed Adrien the revised card. He read it with a smile and gave her another kiss. The weight of what she had changed, what she had hidden from him, settled like a stone in her stomach. One day she had said. One day she would tell him she loved him. She had said the same thing about confessing to him and that took nearly two years. Even then it happened by accident.

How long would she excuse herself from telling him what she wanted so desperately to? How long could she go without telling him she loved him? And what would happen when she did eventually say it? Would he respond in kind or leave her heart on the floor?

Chapter Text

Today had certainly been an eventful one. After school had ended Adrien and Marinette went to the movies. It was a nice way to unwind after the stress of the akuma. When he got home he pulled out his journal and jotted down the events of the day. He tried to skim over the details of the akuma but his mind would not let it rest. Not when the akuma had targeted Marinette.

His fear for her safety and his guilt over her being endangered because of him once again...it was too much to keep in his head. Sometimes writing it down was just not enough though. He wished he had someone to talk to about this. Plagg was the only one that knew everything but he wasn’t the best for advice. There was Ladybug but she would only ever have half the story.

He set down his pen and flipped through the pages past. When he first started this journal he had written such short entries but since dating Marinette they had grown longer and longer. So many happy memories filling their pages. But also so much pain. His anxiety and fear...nightmares.

Dreams filled with horrors each different but the same. Dreams where Chat Blanc grabbed him and slammed him into the concrete. Dreams where he was Chat Blanc again standing alone in a city barren and dead with red on his hands. The one that hurt the most was when he saw himself, not Chat Blanc, drop Marinette off the Eiffel Tower into a mass of dark butterflies.

He ended up calling her in the dead of night desperate to hear her voice. He couldn’t explain exactly what pained him besides that it was a bad dream he had. She was patient and kind and soothing as she assured him all would be okay and that she would stay up with him as long as he needed.

“Adrien,” Plagg sat down on his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

“I’m thinking I should throw these out after I write them.” Adrien closed the journal and tucked it safely away in his hiding space in the cushions of his couch. “You ready to go meet Ladybug for patrol, buddy?”

Adrien transformed, grabbed his gift for Ladybug, and bound out the window. He met her at their usual meet up spot and saw she was already there waiting for him. “Evening, my lady.” He came up to her with his gift outstretched. “Did you have a happy Valentine’s Day with your boyfriend?”

“Yes. It was lovely.” She handed him the box of chocolates in her hand. “What about you and your girlfriend? Did you two have a nice time?”

“It was great. Could have done without the akuma but I think that’s to be expected.”

“Don’t remind me.” Ladybug sighed. “That was a headache and a half.”

She opened her present and chuckled at the pair of fuzzy black cat socks she pulled out. There was also a rose-scented candle and a gourmet chocolate bar that Adrien had hoped she’d like. “This is great. Thank you, Chat.”

“And thank you for the delicious chocolates.” Adrien smiled at the little paw prints and cat faces gently nestled in the green box she had given him. There was a small card tucked on top. Happy Valentine’s Day to the best partner in the world. Lots of love, Ladybug.

“Aw, I didn’t write you a card.” He frowned, “Now I feel bad.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” She gazed out over the snow-covered city.

“Something’s on your mind. I can tell.” Adrien said as he came to stand next to her, “What’s going through that head of yours?”

“I guess I’m a little upset at myself.” She took the card she had written him, tracing over the words with her thumb, “I wanted to tell my boyfriend that I love him today but I chickened out at the last second. Now I’m kicking myself for not going through with it.”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that this would be the first time you’ve said I love you to him?”

“Yes.” she handed the card back to him, “We agreed to take things slow when we started dating and I figured enough time had passed that I could tell him that I love him and have it reciprocated but I just--ugh!” she flopped back into the powdery snow, “I am so scared that he isn’t gonna feel the same way and that if I tell him I love him it’ll freak him out and I don’t want to do that.”

Adrien sat down next to her. “This guy you are dating would be insane not to love you back and I’m not just saying that because I had a huge crush on you for years. Even if I don’t really know you outside of who you are as Ladybug I know that you are a great person and if there is someone out there worthy enough of your love then you shouldn’t be so scared to tell him how you feel.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” he pulled her up to a sitting position and brushed the snow out of her hair. “If this is how you really feel and you want to tell him then you should.”

“What about you?” She asked.

“What about me?”

“Have you told your girlfriend that you love her yet?” It was a simple enough question but one that made Adrien pause.

“No. We haven’t said that to each other yet.” A strange feeling started to form in his chest, “To be honest, I guess I hadn’t really thought about it before. Being in love with my girlfriend that is. Don’t get me wrong I like her. I definitely like her a lot and I know there is a part of me that loves her as a friend and who she is as a person but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know if that means I am in love with her. I love you but I’m not in love with you. I love her but I don’t know if...god...I sound like a bad boyfriend don’t I?”

“Chat--”

“How can I love someone that I’ve been dating for months but still be unsure that I actually love them the way I should? This far along that should be pretty clear, shouldn’t it?”

“It’s alright.” She rubbed his back, “You said before this is your first serious relationship. It is natural to be confused and a little scared about what your feelings are. You love her but you don’t know if that means you are in love with her. That’s okay.”

“Is it?”

“It is.” She squeezed his hand. “Being a teenager in a first serious relationship is hard but I know we can get through this.”

“Teenage relationships are so much fun, aren’t they?” Adrien rolled his eyes.

Ladybug laughed. “The most fun!”

---

February passed along with the worst of the snow. There would still be storms and cold but Marinette could reasonably start counting down the days to warm weather once again.

She had still not told Adrien that she loved him. Each day she worked up the courage and each day she found another excuse not to say it. Her talk with Chat Noir on Valentine evening had helped but the second she was in front of Adrien again the words got caught in her throat.

Sure she could face down countless akuma with ease but telling the boy she has been in love with for almost three years and has been dating for almost six months that she does, in fact, love him? Nope! A big. Fat. NOPE!

To make matters worse Marinette had the feeling the honeymoon phase was wearing off. Not that it was a particularly bad thing but it didn’t help in her mission to tell Adrien her feelings. Not when was acting so distant all of the sudden. He still kissed her and smiled and joked but there was a wall up now. Not a big one but she could feel its presence between them whether she liked it or not.

It wasn’t just Marinette who had noticed it either. Alya had asked if everything was okay between them after class one day. Marinette assured her everything was fine but Alya was not buying it. Marinette explained about Adrien pulling away recently and her disappointment that the honeymoon phase was ending. Alya hugged her and told her that the honeymoon phase, while nice, was not something Marinette wanted to live in forever. It might be a bit weird now but this was the moment where her and Adrien’s relationship would really gain depth outside of kissy faces and pet names.

To prove it Alya had arranged for her, Marinette, Nino, and Adrien to all go out on a double date. Lunch at this cute new cafe the following Saturday. For the first time in days, Adrien looked excited by the plans. Good.

They all met up at the cafe. The four of them joking and laughing like the good friends they were. Alya leaned more heavily against Nino as she laughed. The look he sent her as she struggled to catch her breath made Marinette’s heartache. The boy was absolutely enthralled with his girlfriend. Alya caught him staring at her with that dopey lovestruck expression.

“Whatcha staring at?” Alya asked, tweaking Nino’s nose.

“The best view in Paris.” He said it almost in a whisper.

“You are such a dope.” Alya’s face caught fire and she gave him a quick kiss. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I love you too,” Nino said with ease wrapping an arm around Alya.

Marinette glanced at Adrien next to her and tried not to sigh. Outside of a kiss hello and holding her hand on the walk over Adrien hadn’t done much interacting with her. He hadn’t said much of anything at all really. Then hearing Alya and Nino--

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Marinette excused herself. Adrien gave her a small wave as she got up from the table.

Marinette stepped into the sanctuary of the bathroom and braced herself against the sink. Why was she acting like this? She needed to stop making such a big deal out of this. Adrien isn’t obligated to shower her with lovey-dovey attention twenty-four seven.

“Hey, Marinette?” Alya entered the bathroom. “Something going on?”

“I’m fine.” Marinette tidied her hair in the mirror. “Just unwanted thoughts plaguing me again.”

“You talking about the honeymoon phase wearing off?” Alya asked.

“Yeah. But more than that Adrien is being downright aloof. I guess I’m scared that maybe the novelty of out relationship has worn off for him.” Marinette mumbled.

“That is crazy talk. We both know Adrien still adores you.”

“Maybe but…” Marinette took a moment to sort through her thoughts, “You see it too, don’t you? How he’s been acting? It’s like he isn’t all here and it is starting to worry me.”

“Well, if Nino has any brains in him he’s out there talking to Adrien about this same thing right now.” Alya tilted Marinette’s chin up, “Now what specifically is it that has you worried?”

---

“Dude,” Nino snapped Adrien’s attention up once the girls had left. “I gotta ask, did you and Marinette get in a fight recently or something?”

“What?” Where had this come from? Adrien wondered. “No. Of course not. Why would you say that?”

“Sorry.” Nino held his hands up in defense, “I only ask because you’ve been acting strange this entire date.”

“Strange?”

“Yeah. Not talking a lot. You’ve barely even looked at Marinette this entire time so…” Nino shrugged. “Are you sure there’s no trouble in paradise?”

“Crap.” Adrien leaned back in his seat. “I am sorry, Nino. No, Marinette and I didn’t get into a fight. The truth of the matter is that I have been kind of out of it lately but it has nothing to do with Marinette.”

“Then what’s going on? You’re clearly worrying her and the rest of us.”

Adrien ran his hands through his hair. His tired mind drifting back to what had been bothering him for days now. “It’s about that time again…” he muttered, “The time my mom first disappeared.”

“Oh…” Nino looked down at his plate, guilty, “I am so sorry, Adrien. I didn’t realize it was that close already.”

“Three years man,” Adrien shook his head as if that would dislodge the depressing reminder from his head. “Never gets easier.”

He had been so caught up in his own funk that he hadn’t even considered how he must appear to others. “Now I feel bad for acting cold towards Marinette. I hadn’t meant to.”

“Do not sweat it. Don’t go feeling guilty for basically mourning the disappearance of your mom.” Nino told him, “If you’re worried about how you may have come across to Marinette though then talk to her. She’ll understand and want to help you. We all want to help you. Okay?”

“Thanks, Nino.” Adrien smiled, “I needed to hear that.”

A minute later the girls came back from the bathroom. Adrien didn’t say anything but he did pull Marinette closer and plant a kiss on her cheek.

They stayed around the table talking for a bit longer after their food was finished before they had to start heading home. Alya and Nino went one way towards their houses and Adrien and Marinette went hand in hand in the other direction. His mood had improved drastically since talking to Nino and he could see it reflected in Marinette’s smile. He knew Nino was right and that he shouldn’t feel guilty about being sad but he still didn’t like that he been unknowingly giving his girlfriend the cold shoulder all this time.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been acting distant lately, doodle bug.” Adrien said. “It is a weird time for me right now and I didn’t mean to indirectly take it out on you.”

“What are you talking about, sunshine?” Marinette asked, her face etched with concern.

Adrien explained about how the anniversary of his mother’s disappearance was coming up and the melancholy mood it had plummeted him into. Marinette’s mouth dropped open and she immediately stopped and wrapped him in a tight hug.

“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry.” She had her face buried in his chest, “I didn’t even think of that. Are you okay?”

He hugged her back even tighter. Taking a moment of peace in her arms. “I’m okay. I’m sorry if you thought I was pushing you away with all of this.”

“Don’t you dare apologize for being sad about your mom!” Marinette chastised him, “If anything I should have noticed it was that time of the year again sooner. But I was too busy pitying myself to see that--goodness I am a crappy girlfriend. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, my star,” He kissed her forehead, “I swear. I am alright. Also, you are the least crappy girlfriend in the world. There are few things that you could do to make you a bad girlfriend and I am pleased to say that I think I know you well enough that you would never do them in the first place.”

“It sucks that you have to go through this.” She touched his face, “I know how hard a time this has to be for you. If there is ever a time when you need to talk or maybe need some silent therapy cuddles then my door is always open.”

“I know.” He covered her hand with his own. “Thank you, my star.”

They stood there in the cold of the street entranced and safe in their personal bubble of support. Not for the first time, Adrien thanked whatever gods may be that he had such a good girlfriend and friends during this time. Who knows how he may have coped without them.

Chapter Text

Three years. Three years this day Emelie Agreste had disappeared from the face of the earth. No evidence. No leads. No suspects. Emelie Agreste had simply vanished without a trace.

Adrien sat outside in the garden staring at the statue of his mom that his father had commissioned as an anniversary present years before. When his mom first disappeared Adrien spent hours sitting by it, talking to it when he was particularly lonely. He missed her so much.

“Adrien,” Adrien looked up to see his father standing above him. “We have guests arriving soon. Go inside and freshen up.”

“Yes, father,” Adrien stood up and made to walk past him back into the house.

“Wait,” His father stretched out an arm blocking his path. “I miss her too, son. One day I know we will all be reunited again.”

Adrien sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I hope so.”

Adrien went up to his room and freshened up as best he could. He was confined to the house today, like he was every year around this time. He knew he wouldn’t get to be with his friends but he did have something to look forward to. The first year Adrien went through this all his friends sent him video messages wishing him well and giving him love during this trying time. It made his day all the better. The next year they did the same thing and again it helped a lot. Adrien really hoped they did it again this year. He would love to hear from them.

“Adrien,” Nathalie walked into his room, “You’re needed downstairs.”

“Coming.” Adrien set down his phone and went downstairs to greet their guests. He didn’t know who would be dropping by today of all days.

The front door opened and Adrien’s jaw dropped as he took in the tall blonde woman before him. Mom? His heart started to hammer with hope and disbelief. Was it really her?

“My, my! Look at how much you’ve grown! Gabriel, isn’t he just the absolute cutest?” The woman squealed in delight and pinched Adrien’s cheeks. “I'm so happy to see you again! I thought it'd be better if we were all together on a day like this! Don't you agree, dear?”

Oh...not his mom. It was his Aunt Amelie, his mom’s twin sister. That seemed like a sick joke. Not that he wasn’t happy to see his aunt but to have a woman that looked exactly like his mom walk in on the day she disappeared...he wasn’t entirely sure how he should feel.

The Gorilla came in with piles of luggage and trailing behind him was someone Adrien hadn’t seen in years. “Felix?” Adrien stared at his cousin. “It’s good to see you again.”

Adrien hadn’t seen Felix since before his dad died. Facing him for the first time Adrien was struck with the reminder of how eerily similar he and Felix were. Now Felix and Adrien had always looked extremely alike as kids. So much to the point that they would play pranks on their parents by not telling them which was which. Growing older their differences became more prominent. Despite having the same blonde hair and green eyes, Felix was a tad taller than Adrien and his skin more pale. His expression was also fixated in this state of perpetual boredom.

Aunt Amelie was talking father’s ear off as they adjourned to the other room leaving Adrien and Felix alone in the foyer. “So…” Adrien wasn’t sure what to say. “How have you been?”

“Fine,” Felix said. “You?”

“Good.” Adrien rocked back on his heels. “Listen, Felix, I’m sorry I didn’t get to be there for your dad’s funeral. My father thought it would be too hard on me, considering...everything that's happened. You've every right to be mad at me.”

“Do you always do what your father says?”

“He’s just very protective,” Adrien answered. Oh if only Felix knew how much Adrien actually got up to that his father wouldn’t approve of. He wasn’t just talking about the Chat Noir thing either. There have been a great number of times Adrien snuck out of the house to go hang out with his friends. Something he had grown less worried about doing the older he got. At thirteen he had been more conflicted but at almost sixteen he knew if he hadn’t been caught yet then the chance he would be was almost zero.

That math was probably wrong but whatever.

“Do you wanna go hang out in my room? We can play basketball or chess like we used to.” Adrien suggested.

“Sure.” Felix trailed after him as they went up to his room. While Adrien grabbed the chess set Felix poked around the room.

“You sure have a lot of pictures of this girl on your phone,” Felix called from the floor below.

“Oh, yeah,” Adrien blushed, “That’s my girlfriend, Marinette. Wait--how did you get into my phone?”

“You still use the same password for everything.” Felix shrugged, “Also, I wasn’t talking about your girlfriend. I was talking about the folder you have in your gallery that is nothing but pictures of this ladybug looking girl.”

“Oh, that.” Adrien’s face burned for an entirely different reason, “That’s Ladybug. She’s one of the heroes that defend Paris. I used to have a small crush on her.”

“Small?”

“Okay, it may have been a big crush! But I’ve moved on.” Adrien grabbed the chessboard and went back downstairs to the main floor of his bedroom.

Felix had opened one of the dresser cabinets and pulled out a hunk of cheese. “Why do you--”

“I get peckish!” Adrien shouted before Felix could finish his question. “I mean um...I keep it there as like a midnight snack.”

“A rind of goat cheese as a midnight snack?”

Adrien was going to kill Plagg for his cheese obsession. Everyone already thought he was weird because of it! He didn’t need everyone he knew thinking he was a cheese obsessed weirdo.

“Yep.” Adrien nodded, “So if you could put it back that would be great.”

Felix put the cheese back and looked around the rest of the room. “So, this is your girlfriend?” He held up a picture Adrien kept next to his bed. It was a simple snapshot of him and Marinette on their Christmas date.

“Yeah. She’s wonderful.” Adrien smiled at the picture, “Do you have anyone special back home?”

“No. Dating is not really something I aim for. I prefer to focus on my studies.”

“That’s fair.” Adrien went to the little minifridge he had set up in one of his cabinets. “Soda?”

“Sure.” Adrien tossed Felix a can. While Adrien was reaching for his own he heard the distinct PSSHHH sound of a fizzing drink and turned around to see Felix drenched all down his front in soda.

“Oops, sorry,” Adrien apologized, “That’s probably my fault for throwing it. Gimme a second.” He grabbed a spare set of clothes from his dresser and handed them to Felix. “You can go clean up in the bathroom.”

“Thanks.” Felix set the now half-empty can of soda down and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him.

“Wow.” Plagg flew out from his hiding place. “Your cousin is a piece of work.”

“Listen, Plagg. Felix lost his dad not so long ago, he's probably not himself.” Not that Felix had always been a sunshine and rainbows kind of guy but he was a lot more subdued and serious than he was when they were younger.

“Well, I don’t entirely trust him.” Plagg sneered, “He shook up the soda can you gave him before he opened it you know. He wanted it to make a mess.”

“I don’t know about all of that.” Adrien shrugged, “All I know is that we’re both going through a hard time and Felix doesn’t have a whole lot of friends back home to help him like I do. So, I am gonna take a page out of Marinette’s book and see if I can help however I can.”

“If you’re sure…” Plagg murmured.

“I am.” Adrien pat his head. “Hey, do you know where Felix put my phone?”

---

“And done!” Alya finished up her video message for Adrien. Right now a bunch of their friends were hanging out on the Couffaine boat. Those that couldn’t make it were attending over video call.

For three years now, every year upon this date Marinette and her friends made heartfelt messages for Adrien to brighten his day and banish the gloom hanging over him. They were going around making all their videos and of course Marinette was saving hers for last. Not that she was nervous and panicking like she did in years past. But because hers usually went on the longest.

“Lila, you’re up!” Alya told her over video chat.

“Oh, I’m not sure what to say.” Lila said, “You all pretty much said everything.”

“Give it to me,” Marinette took the screen. “Hey, Lila,”

“Hi.” She gave Marinette a stretched smile.

“You don’t have to send a video if you don’t want to but I know Adrien would appreciate the sentiment.” Maybe not coming from Lila particularly but she couldn’t let everyone else know that. “This is a hard time for him and he could use any encouragement he can get. Just please be sincere.” She whispered the last part so the others couldn’t hear. “He really needs friends right now. Please. If you decide to do it.”

Lila nodded. She logged off the group chat and a few minutes later a short video was added to the compilation. Marinette decided to watch it before she approved it. To her shock Lila hadn’t done something stupid or vapid that she knew Adrien would have hated.

“Hi, Adrien,” The video Lila said, “Wishing you a happier day today. I know I wasn’t around when all this first happened but…” Something shifted in her demeanor and she started talking more earnestly, “I know what it feels like to have part of your life upheaved around you. It feels like you’re stumbling in an earthquake with no balance.” She perked back up a touch giving the screen another syrupy sweet smile, “It doesn’t last forever though. I hope that you’ll find some even footing. Bye!”

The way she talked Marinette could tell there was a story behind Lila’s words but today was not the day to ask about them. One depressed and angsty teen at a time. Speaking of…

“Okay, Chloe,” Marinette switched back to the group chat, “Your turn.”

One by one the rest of the class went through their well wishes to Adrien until finally, it was Marinette’s turn. Hoo! There was a lot of pressure here. More so this year now that she was his girlfriend. She can do this! Speak from the heart.

She sat down away from the crowd of her friends and stared at the recording screen. “Tikki?” She looked to her kwami, “What should I say?”

“I think you know what to say.” Tikki answered, “If there is ever a day he needs to hear it, it would be today.”

“Yes. You’re right.” Marinette turned back to the screen, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. She hit the record button. “Hello, my prince,” She said, “I don’t know what there is to tell you that everyone already hasn’t. But I do know this. Adrien, I love you. I will always be there when you need me, now and forever.”

She hit stop. The pop-up screen asking her if she wanted to confirm her video or delete it. All she had to do was hit the confirm button…

“Ah! What was I thinking?!” Her hand flew away from the button, “Oh, this is the worst day I could possibly choose to tell him! We gotta start over!”

“No, you don’t!” Tikki grabbed Marinette’s hand and pulled it back with a strength that was surprising from such a small creature. “Don’t you dare chicken out again!”

“But--”

“No! He needs to hear it! He deserves to hear it!” Tikki flew in her face, “There will never be a perfect time to tell him so you had better stop putting it off.”

Dang. Tikki could be scary when she wanted to be. “You’re right.” Marinette took a deep breath and hit confirm. Her video was saved. “He’s gonna know. He will know that I love him.”

“Good.” Tikki hugged Marinette’s cheek, “I’m proud of you!”

With everyone’s messages accumulated Marinette sent them to Adrien. Now it was time for the waiting game. They all gathered around the tablet waiting several long, agonizing minutes for Adrien to reply.

Ping!

They got a message!

“Wait!” Marinette stopped them from hitting play, “I don’t want to know!”

“What are you going on about?” Alya asked.

“I um--I may have--I may have told Adrien something…”

“Oh my god!” Alya launched from her seat, “You finally told him you love him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” She nodded sheepishly. “I’m a little worried about how he may have reacted.”

“Girl, stop being such a spazz and sit down.” Alya forced her back into her seat. “You’re his girlfriend. You are watching the video.”

Alya hit play and a picture of...someone filled the screen. They looked a lot like Adrien but Marinette could tell at first glance that this was not her boyfriend. Something in his face was off. It was like someone took a photo of Adrien and photoshopped it to look not quite right. His nose was a little sharper and the small freckles he usually had on his nose and forehead weren’t there. Maybe something was up with the camera on his phone?

Then the Adrien imposter started to talk and if Marinette was skeptical before she knew that this wasn’t her Adrien now.

“First of all, thanks so much for all your messages, guys, really. Sending me messages on today of all days,” His tone turned harsh, “To remind me how sad I'm supposed to be feeling? Why that's great! Really! Thanks a lot! My father was right. What could I possibly get out of going to school? Hanging out with you people is a total waste of time! And Chloé, you're still the same spoiled brat you ever were, you know that?”

“What the hell is this?” Alya shouted at the screen.

“Oh, and one more thing, Marinette,” The faker said her name with such distaste, “Did you really think I could love a social climber like you? Get real. Don’t bother trying to talk to me again.”

The video ended and everyone stood in quiet shock before all hell broke loose. Everyone was hurt and yelling about how the video must be fake but how could it? It was a video of someone who looked and sounded just like Adrien that was sent to them from his phone so, what was really happening?

Marinette grabbed Luka. “Hey, Luka, can you get them to calm down?”

“On it.” He plugged in his guitar and turned the amp up to full. Marinette covered her ears as Luka ripped out a loud screech that sent everyone for cover as they tried to block out the noise.

The noise ended and Marinette stood up on the stage with Luka. “Thanks.” she high-fived him.

“Listen, everyone,” Marinette told the group, “I know how this looks but I can tell you with the utmost certainty that the person on that video was not Adrien.”

A chorus of objections started up again and Luka held up his guitar pick in a silent threat to shatter their eardrums again. The crowd quieted. “If you all do not calm down we are going to have an akuma on our hands. Now I am just as confused and hurt as the rest of you but I know that who we saw and what we heard was not our friend. We’ve known Adrien for years now. We know this isn’t him. Let me make a call and get to the bottom of this. Okay?”

The class nodded. “Good.” She pulled out her own phone and dialed Adrien’s number. “Everyone be quiet.”

The screen lit up with faker Adrien’s face. “What?” The faker snapped at her.

“Hello to you too.” She spat, “I want to know who you are and why you have Adrien’s phone.”

“What are you talking about? I’m--”

“Listen here you doppleganging freak!” Marinette yelled at the screen, “I know my boyfriend. You are not him. So tell me before I storm down to wherever you are and wring that vile neck of yours. Where is the real Adrien?”

“I am Adrien. Just because you’re mad that I--”

“Oh for the love of--shut up!” Marinette shouted, “If you are really Adrien then tell me something only Adrien would know.”

“I don’t have to--”

“What was our first date?” Marinette asked, “What did Adrien get me for Valentine’s day this year? How did I confess my feelings to Adrien the first time around?”

The faker stared at the screen opening and closing his mouth several times before abruptly ending the call. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Did he hang up on you?” Rose asked.

“Yep. I know for certain that who we saw wasn’t the Adrien we know and love. So, I am gonna go down to the mansion and find out what in the world is actually going on.” Marinette stormed off the boat. “Anyone coming with?”

“You go on.” Alya said, “I think you have enough fury for all of us.”

The others nodded in agreement. With that Marinette set off towards the mansion. The wind was biting and cold as she stomped through the snow-covered streets but she barely felt it. Her anger was keeping her warm enough.

She was halfway to the mansion when she noticed a blur of orange dashing along the rooftops ahead of her. It was heading straight towards the Agreste mansion. Lila! Crap! She had exited from the video call after she recorded her message so she hadn’t heard Marinette’s assurances that it was a fake Adrien that sent the hurtful video.

Marinette ran into the nearest secluded alley and transformed. As fast as she could she swung her way towards the mansion. When she got there, Lila, or more appropriately, Volpina, was standing in the room backing Adrien into a corner.

“Hey! Get away from him!” Marinette kicked Lila away as hard as she could. Without another thought, she grabbed Adrien and swung back out of his room with him over her shoulder. “Don't worry, Adrien, I'll deal with her later. I'll put you out of harm's way first!”

She set him down on top of Chloe’s hotel roof. “You'll be safe here.” She looked at him and she froze. This wasn’t Adrien. She grabbed the doppelganger by mistake!

“Thank you, Ladybug.” The fake Adrien said, “I should tell you now that you’re here. I’ve always been in love with you.”

“Uh-huh,” Marinette pulled her hand away from the faker, “Sure.”

“I mean it. If you would only let me show you.” He started to lean in, backing Marinette against a wall.

“No thanks!” she tried to push him away but he didn’t stop. She dodged out from under him, fire filling her veins, “Okay, which part of the word no, did you not understand?!”

She decked him as hard as she could. Oh, that felt wrong. Faker or not he looked enough like her boyfriend for it to feel wrong. She would make sure to give the real Adrien extra kisses to make up for the guilt in her stomach now.

“You are so gross!” She planted her foot on his chest, “You're not Adrien, he would never be so pushy.”

“Afternoon, my lady.” Chat Noir touched down, “That urchin there is Felix! Adrien's cousin. I just ran into the real Adrien and he told me everything.”

Chat Noir grabbed Felix by his collar and hauled him up. “It is one thing to hurt innocent people you’ve never met but you just tried to assault my partner. Not a very smart move, Felix.” Marinette had only seen Chat Noir this angry once before and that was when he smashed Nightmare Blanc’s face into the concrete months before. If she didn’t step in soon she was worried Felix may end up suffering the same fate.

“Hey--Hey I didn’t--” Felix stammered.

“Chat, we got bigger problems.” Marinette pointed at Volpina bounding towards them. “We’ll deal with him later.”

With reluctance, Chat Noir dragged Felix over to the rooftop door and shoved Felix through and barred the door so he couldn’t get back out. Now with Felix out of the way and Adrien safe they could focus on de-akumatizing Lila...again.

Okay, this wasn’t really her fault this time. She hadn’t done anything wrong outside of being hurt by a very mean message from someone she was finally opening up to and who she was probably, hopefully, seeing as a real friend. The whole class would have been akumatized like her if Marinette hadn’t gotten them in line when she did.

With a can of aerosol and an expertly aimed snowball to the face Volpina went down and Marinette purified the akuma that came out of her necklace. When Lila came back to her Marinette was relieved...for about five seconds. It was then that Marinette was reminded that while Lila may be getting better at not lying all the time she still did have a huge grudge against Ladybug. Maybe Marinette could try working on that with her next. Chat Noir offered to get her home which Marinette was thankful for. She needed to get back and see Adrien.

---

After Adrien dropped Lila off at her house he had to rush as fast as he could back to his own house before anyone realized he was missing. He got in through the window and de-transformed just as father, Aunt Amelie, Nathalie, and Gorilla all walked in.

“Adrien, thank goodness you’re safe.” His aunt said, “Where is Felix?”

Shit! They forgot Felix at the hotel!

“Uh…”

Aunt Amelie’s phone started ringing. “Hello?” She answered. “Oh Felix, thank goodness you’re alright. Where are you? Le Grand Paris hotel? How did you get there? Nevermind, I’ll have someone pick you up right away. Bye.” She turned to father, “Gabriel…”

“I’ll have Adrien’s bodyguard fetch him.” He nodded. He turned back to Adrien. “You are alright?”

“Yes, father.”

“Good.”

Felix arrived back at the house shortly later and it was then that Adrien let everyone know what exactly Felix had done. Deleting all of Adrien’s messages from his friends and impersonating him so to make him look like a jerk and lose their friendships. It soon turned into an argument of Aunt Amelie trying to excuse Felix’s actions because of his father’s death while Adrien’s father countered about how Felix had disrespected this family one too many times now. It was a whole big mess.

The buzz for the front gate sounded silencing everyone in the room.

“Who is at the door, Nathalie?” His father snapped in a cold tone.

“Let me see,” Nathalie crossed to the security screen, “It is Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, sir.”

“Marinette.” Adrien breathed out in relief, finally something good! “Can she come in father? Please?”

His father regarded him and his expectant and hopeful smile before giving him a subtle nod. “Yes, but dinner will be served soon so you mustn’t be too long.”

“Thank you, father!” Adrien opened the door and went out to greet her. The arguing before vanishing with the subject change.

“Hello, Adrien,” Marinette hugged him.

“Hi, doodle bug,” He couldn’t stop smiling now, “What brings you here?”

“I know that today isn’t a happy one and I wanted to come check on you.” Marinette said.

“You’re too sweet,” He kissed her forehead, “Thank you. I’m glad you came.”

“Adrien!” His aunt waved from the doorway, “Who do you have there?”

“I’ll introduce you.” Adrien took Marinette’s hand and led her into the house. “Marinette, this is my Aunt Amelie. Aunt Amelie, this is my girlfriend Marinette.”

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend!” Aunt Amelie squished Marinette’s face in her hands, “Oh she is just the cutest. Her smile reminds me of Emilie.”

“Ahem,” Felix was standing by the dining room, “Dinner is ready.”

“Oh, you must stay for dinner.” Aunt Amelie said, “I want to hear more about this adorable girl that’s stolen my dear nephew’s heart.”

“I don’t know if Uncle--” Felix tried to say but was promptly cut off by Aunt Amelie dragging Marinette and Adrien into the dining room anyway.

“Pish posh, Gabriel can set another plate for his son’s girlfriend.” While Aunt Amelie and father had another less than quiet argument about adding another to the meal Felix watched Marinette and Adrien.

“Oh, right,” Adrien sighed, “Marinette, this is my cousin Felix. Felix, this is--”

“Your girlfriend. I heard.”

“You really wanna have an attitude with me after what you sent me and my friends?” Marinette snapped back at him. “I meant what I said before, don’t think I won’t wring that neck of yours.”

“Sweetheart, calm down,” Adrien whispered to her.

Felix looked Marinette up and down, unbothered by her threat. “So, what is this? You projecting your crush on Ladybug onto this girl that kinda looks like her or something?” Felix said.

“What are you talking about?” Adrien asked.

“I saw your phone. You have an entire folder filled with pictures of Ladybug.”

Son of a bi--

“You do?” Marinette turned to Adrien. She was surprised that was for sure but she was also a little red in the face. Was she mad at him for having them? Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no!

“Not because I have a crush on her!” Adrien said a tad louder than he may have meant. He dropped his voice down to almost a whisper, “I mean, not anymore at least…”

“Wait a second.” Marinette’s brows knit together, “That day we were deciding if we wanted to date each other, the girl you liked that was holding you back from pursuing other relationships was Ladybug?”

“I mean...kinda?” He knew how it must have sounded. To Marinette, Ladybug was someone far off. Almost like a celebrity. What reason would the superheroine of Paris have to form a relationship with a civilian like Adrien? It’s not like she knew that Adrien was actually the other half of the unstoppable duo that saved Paris. She didn’t know about all the late-night talks they had and how easily they bantered when they worked together.

He waited to hear how she would react. Would she be angry? Would she laugh? Would she be upset?

“Huh.” Was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

“Well if this isn’t awkward,” Felix said, breaking their attention away from one another.

“Shut up, Felix,” Adrien muttered.

This was mortifying! Why did Felix have to say this in front of Marinette? Why?!

Aunt Amelie, successfully arguing father down to let Marinette stay, called everyone to sit. A place was laid for Marinette across from Adrien and next to his aunt. Aunt Amelie was having the time of her life talking to Marinette. Asking how she and Adrien met, how long they’d been dating, what she liked to do, what her family was like, etcetera, etcetera. By the time the meal ended Marinette had basically recounted her whole life story.

When Aunt Amelie had heard about Marinette’s dreams of being a fashion designer she started needling father about giving Marinette a job or an internship at his brand. Marinette tried to get a word in about it not being necessary but Aunt Amelie was talking so fast it was near impossible. Adrien may have come to her rescue if he didn’t already know that an internship with his father was something Marinette truly coveted. He was her favorite designer after all. She just never brought up working under him around Adrien since she didn’t want to seem like she was asking for favors. She wanted a great many things but Marinette would never ask Adrien for any of them lest she feel like she was taking advantage of him. If only she knew he would give her anything under the sun without any prompting at all.

The plates were cleared away and Marinette said goodbye to everyone. She hadn’t expected to stay for dinner and needed to be getting home soon. Not missing the chance to have some alone time with her Adrien offered to escort her home and had the car pulled around to take them.

“Thanks for coming by.” Adrien told her after they left the mansion, “I can tell my aunt adored you.”

“She certainly has a lot of energy.” Marinette laughed, “Especially compared to your cousin who is--”

“A prick?”

“Sure. I was going to say something a lot worse though.” Marinette looked like she could bite through her seat belt. “Especially after what he did.”

“I’m so sorry about him. What he did and what he said to all of you...I don’t expect you to forgive him.”

“Good. I don’t want to.” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean--he just--UGH!”

“I know.” Adrien leaned across and kissed the side of her head. “I know, doodle bug.”

“The worst part is he deleted all the wonderful messages everyone made for you. Even Lila managed to say something heartfelt.”

They pulled up to the bakery and Adrien got out with her and walked her to the door.

“It is a real shame you didn’t get to see the videos that our friends sent you. They were so sweet.” Her gaze was lost guiltily to the ground.

“I’m sure.” Adrien tilted her head back up, “Did you send me one?”

“Of course…” Marinette sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Actually,” She took his hands, “I think it is better this way. I can say it to you and not just through a screen like a coward?”

“Say what, my star?”

Her smile perked up and she squeezed his hands. “Adrien, I...I love you. And I’m always going to be here for you when you need me.”

Chapter Text

“BOYS SUCK!” Marinette cried into her pillow.

“They sure do.” Alya rubbed her distressed friend’s back. “Let it out. This is a no-shame zone.”

“I mean, I thought that maybe we were on the same page with our feelings but clearly not!”

“He really just said thanks and bolted?”

“He kissed me, said thanks, then hopped right back in his stupid car.” Marinette clutched her pillow even tighter, “I mean, I know it’s been a stressful day and it’s a really hard time for him right now but I am just so upset!”

“Because he didn’t say it back?”

“I mean, that stings but it’s not what I’m ticked off about. It’s the fact that he left so abruptly. He didn’t explain anything. I told him I loved him and the next second he was gone with barely a word.”

Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself and blew her nose. The picture of Adrien on her dresser staring back at her with that cute smile she loved. “I know I can’t force him to say it back. I would never want to rush him into something he isn’t ready for. But if he isn’t at the same point that I am then I would like him to tell me as much. I don’t want him thinking that I’m clamoring for something he isn’t comfortable with.” She got up and picked up the photo, “It isn’t a bad thing to be on two different levels so long as it is understood. The only certain thing is that uncertainty will complicate matters even worse and lead to things like internal resentment from feeling pressured to return a sentiment not entirely shared between both parties.”

“Where is all this coming from?” Alya asked clearly bewildered by Marinette’s relationship advice jargon.

“I have read a lot of magazines and articles online about how to have a practically perfect relationship. The biggest factor in all of them is communication. Which, since Adrien is now ghosting me, isn’t happening!” She set the photo down a little harsher than she may have meant.

“Do you want me to go slap some sense into him?”

“No. This is something we need to sort out ourselves.” Marinette glanced at her phone. No new messages. “If he ever replies that is.”

---

“I am the world’s worst boyfriend!” Adrien was pacing his room unable to rest. His phone sat on the coffee table with Nino on speaker.

“Come on, Adrien, it isn’t that bad.” Nino tried to assure him.

“She told me she loved me. Marinette loves me and said she would always be there for me and all I had to say in response was thanks! It is so bad!” Adrien dropped onto the couch with his hands covering his face. He couldn’t get the image of her out of his head. That moment after she said ‘I love you’ and all his dumb brain could do was stand there buffering. She was so brave to say it and every second of silence he could see her getting more and more nervous and he just peaced out in sheer panic.

“Okay. It is kinda bad but it’s not like the relationship is over because you panicked and didn’t say it back. You just need to talk to her. Let her know how you feel.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know how I feel. I like Marinette. I care for her so much and want her to be happy with me. But I guess I never thought about being in love with her. What we had was fine and I never saw a point of moving past it.”

“It’s not moving past it. It’s moving forward, dude.”

“But am I ready to move forward? Am I in love with Marinette?”

“That’s something you gotta answer for yourself.”

A horrible creeping thought entered his brain and planted itself at the forefront of his mind. “What if...what if I don’t? What if she ends the relationship because I don’t feel the same way?”

“You’re being ridiculous. Marinette’s cool. She won’t dump you over something like this. What did you say to her this morning?”

Another stab of guilt. “Nothing.”

“What?”

“She texted me but I didn’t know what to say so I’ve been letting it sit until I can sort through this.”

“You’re ghosting her? I get that you’re in a weird headspace but that is not cool. You gotta tell her something! Tell her you need some time to think. Tell her you want to talk about this in-depth later. Something!”

“Right. I should.” Adrien knew that was the smart thing to do but then again when did he ever do the smart thing? Certainly didn’t do it last night!

“How long has it been since she first messaged you?”

“A couple hours.”

“Adrien! Dude!” Nino sounded horrified, “You’ve been letting her stew in her anxiety for hours? What was the message she sent you?”

“It was a simple good morning message like we usually send each other.”

“So there wasn’t even any pressure about what happened last night in it?”

“No.”

“You young fool.”

“You just said it wasn’t anything for me to worry about!”

“Not when you leave something as simple and innocent as a quick good morning text go unanswered because you’re too big a disaster to say anything! You need to clear this up ASAP before Alya comes and breaks down your front door.”

“I will. I promise. In the meantime please try and keep your very scary girlfriend from breaking into my house.”

“I won’t help her but if she’s coming for you then there’s nothing I can do to stop her. Good luck, Adrien. Once you talk it’ll get better.”

“Thanks, Nino. Bye.” Adrien ended the call. He swiped to his contacts and stared at Marinette’s number for a long time. Why was this so hard now? He couldn’t stop shaking. What if she was really mad? He’s seen angry Marinette. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that hurricane.

“Whoa, kid, calm down.” Plagg flew in front of Adrien’s face. “Deep breath.”

“Huh?”

“You’re shaking like a leaf. You need to chill out.”

“Right,” Adrien took several calming breaths. “I feel like I messed everything up, Plagg. I don’t want Marinette to be mad at me. I don’t even know what my feelings are right now. Do I love Marinette?”

“Well…” Plagg did little zigzags in the air, “I have a theory.”

“What?”

“Is it at all possible that you are hesitating so much because you’re still in love with Ladybug?”

“No! No, of course not. Ladybug will always have a place in my heart but I’ve moved past her. We’re friends. I am dating Marinette now.”

“But you’re always calling her doodle bug.”

“And?”

“Doodle bug. Ladybug. You didn’t find it at all strange that the nickname you gave your girlfriend has the word bug in it? As if you were projecting Ladybug onto Marinette subconsciously?”

“No...no…” Adrien muttered to himself. Felix’s words from last night coming back to haunt him. “I’m not doing that. It’s just a coincidence, right? I mean yes Marinette reminds me a lot of Ladybug and I’ve often called her my everyday Ladybug but that doesn’t mean I’m subconsciously pretending Marinette is Ladybug to fulfill my own fantasies. Right? Plagg? Right? It’s gotta be a coincidence or something. Right?”

“Okay, I realize now I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re taking it way farther than I thought you would.”

“But it makes sense! Marinette and Ladybug both have blue eyes. They both have black hair that they wear in pigtails. They both are brave and pretty and smart. What if I really am projecting?”

“Stop it. Stop it right now. Forget what I said and look at the facts. What was it about Ladybug that made you fall in love with her when you met?”

“What I said before. She’s brave, smart, resourceful, fun, compassionate, and I have a lot of respect for her. I feel stronger and braver when she’s fighting by my side.”

“And what is it about Marinette that made you want to start dating her?”

“Her passion. Her creativity. No matter what she’s always kind and patient and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. She makes me laugh and I’m not afraid to be myself around her. She is a hard worker and a loyal friend. When I’m next to her all my problems seem further away and when I can make her smile I feel like my world is a little brighter.”

“And what would you call that?”

Adrien stared down at his phone. Marinette’s contact picture staring back at him.

“Love.” Adrien finally said, “I’m in love with Marinette.”

“Then you should tell her that.”

“Thank you, Plagg!” Adrien hugged his kwami to his chest. “I’m gonna tell Marinette I love her!”

Adrien ran to the door.

“Where are you going?” Plagg yelled after him.

“To see the love of my life!” Adrien yelled back, “And nothing can stop me!”

“You need pants!”

Adrien ran back into his room. “Good point!”

---

“Wait a second!” Marinette slapped a hand on her desk startling Tikki off a spool. “Yesterday Adrien said that he had a crush on Ladybug.”

“What about it?” Tikki righted herself.

“The reason he didn’t want to date me was because he wanted to date me. What is that nonsense?”

“I was wondering how long that was going to take you.”

“That was not how I thought my alter ego as a superhero would impact my romantic relationship.” Marinette tugged on her pigtails. “Having to suddenly cancel or jump out of dates when akumas hit, I’ve already been doing that. The crippling stress and anxiety at having to lie to the person I love to protect them as well as myself, same old song and dance. Finding out my boyfriend was this close to not wanting to date me because he had a big fat crush on my other identity, no. Goodness, if I had known he had a crush on me when I was Ladybug I would have been on that boy months ago!”

“You wouldn’t have had any confliction over Adrien being in love with Ladybug and not Marinette?” Tikki asked.

“What? No. That’s dumb.” Marinette slumped in her chair. “Won’t he feel like a dummy when he finds out we’re the same person.”

“You can’t tell Adrien your secret!” Tikki gasped.

“One: I’m not going to. I won’t tell anyone my secret identity unless I know it is completely safe to do so. Two: I am the guardian now so who could stop me? Fu isn’t here to take you away from me. I run this show!”

“Marinette,” Tikki stared at her unamused.

“Joking. Sorry.” Marinette checked her phone for what felt the millionth time. Still no new messages.

“Maybe his phone is broken,” Tikki said. “The snowstorm outside is also getting intense. Maybe it’s interfering with his signal.”

Marinette put her phone down and scooped up her kwami. “Maybe. But I’m not gonna mope about it. It’s not like my life revolves around my relationship with my boyfriend.”

His radio silence was still disconcerting. Marinette meant what she said when she told Alya that being on different levels was fine so long as it was understood. But what if it wasn’t just Adrien not on the same page as her? What if he never reached that point? What if she told him she was fine and that she’d wait and ended up waiting for nothing? What if Adrien never could love her like she loves him?

That thought hurt more than the silence.

“Sweetie,” Marinette’s mom opened the trapdoor to her room, “Adrien’s here to see you.”

“Oh uh,” Marinette’s palms started to sweat, “Send him up. Thanks, mom.”

Marinette had exactly ten seconds to collect herself before Adrien was standing in her room. She was of course happy to see him but after spending the entire morning fretting and lamenting to Alya, she wasn’t in a good headspace to talk to him in person. Why was he showing up in person in the first place?

Oh god...what if he was here to break things off? He wouldn’t be the type of guy to do that over the phone. What other reason would he have for making a trip out to her house in this horrible weather?

“Hey,” Adrien’s head popped into the room. “We need to talk, don’t we?”

No good thing has ever followed that sentence.

“Yeah, I’d say we do.” Marinette motioned for him to come in. She closed the trapdoor and put on some music so her parents couldn’t eavesdrop. “I’m guessing this has to do with what happened yesterday.”

“Yes. I feel like I should explain myself.” Adrien stared at her with guilt in her eyes.

She could feel everything slipping away from her. She had wanted this for so long and now here they were and he was staring at her with those big, pitying green eyes.

“I understand, Adrien.” Marinette forced the words out. “I don’t blame you if you’re not on the same level emotionally that I am.”

“You’re not upset?” His eyebrows shot up.

That broke something inside her.

“No.” She shook her head, “I am upset. I am very upset with you and I don’t want to be. But I am.”

“Marinette, I am so sorry. I know I should have reacted...not how I did last night. Then not responding to you this morning. That’s not me.”

“I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that I told you I love you and your response was to hightail it out of there. You were gone with barely a word and I had to go to bed thinking that I had ruined everything by telling you how I feel.”

“Marinette…”

“Then you ghost me all morning which did not help my anxiety! Next thing I know my mom is telling me that you are here at the house and that freaks me out even more because I don’t know why else you would come in person if not to--” A tiny sob escaped and Marinette kicked herself for letting it.

“Is it okay to hug you?” Adrien asked, arms outstretched.

Marinette nodded and let him wrap her in a tight, warm embrace. “I’m sorry, doodle bug. I am so extremely sorry for doing that to you.”

“I feel like an idiot getting all worked up like this,” Marinette spoke into his chest. “I wanted to be mature about this.”

“Being mature doesn’t mean not having emotions.” He rubbed her back tenderly, “And when you revealed yours to me last night, I got scared.”

“There you were, my beautiful, kind, supportive girlfriend telling me that you love me and I ran away. You bared your heart to me and it was so sincere and so open that, immature dunce that I am couldn’t handle it and ran back to my house.” Adrien scoffed at his own ignorance, “Ran away and possibly ruined something great.”

“What?” Marinette stared up at him, “You’re not here to break up with me?”

“Break up with you?” Adrien wiped her tears away, “Are you crazy? Is that what you’ve been thinking all this time?”

“What other reason would you have for coming by in person?”

“Because after how horribly I treated you these past twelve hours I knew I had to make it right as soon as possible.” he smiled, “Because I love you, Marinette.”

“Do you really?” Marinette tried to keep calm, “Cause if you’re just saying it to make me feel better without it being your real feelings then that won’t do at all.”

Adrien kissed her slowly. Pouring every drop of love into it so there could be no doubt of his feelings. He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, those beautiful baby blue eyes. “It’s how I really feel, my star. I love you. The only question left is, do you still love this socially inept fool in front of you?”

“Of course I do.” Marinette laughed pulling him down for another kiss, “I love you too, Adrien.”

Chapter Text

WOO! He said it!

Adrien finally told Marinette he loves her. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of him.

It felt like...like he was really seeing his girlfriend for the first time. It wasn’t like with Ladybug where he fell in love with her all at once. With Marinette he had worked on it, got to know her, and fell in love slowly. It felt so much more real. When he pictured a life with Ladybug in his head it had all been rather fantastical. Moonlight rooftop rendezvous, passionate kisses after the intensity of a battle, running away together to a faraway island all by themselves.

With Marinette he imagined early foggy mornings making breakfast together. He imagined cuddling on a couch watching movies late into the night. Since telling her that he loved her his daydreams had begun to drift even further into the future. Them graduating together, getting jobs, moving in together with a little hamster, one day down the line picking out a ring and imagining all the wonderful dresses she was sure to design for their wedding. Three little ones that will grow up in a house full of noise and love and lots of baked goodies.

Okay, maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself but he couldn’t help it. He was truly in love with someone he knew was in love with him and it felt amazing!

After he and Marinette had made up and confessed their love Adrien stayed for lunch before he had to return home. His Aunt Amelie and Felix were still in town and despite how much Adrien didn’t want to be around his cousin he couldn’t just ignore them either. At the mention of Felix, Marinette’s hands balled up. She didn’t understand what could have moved his cousin to be so cruel to people he didn’t even know.

Adrien wished he knew the answer. Felix had changed much since Adrien had last seen him. He figured it had in part to do with his father’s death but even so why had he targeted Adrien? They had always been on good terms when they were younger. What had changed? Those were questions for another day.

The day Adrien saw his extended family off was one of relief. He loved his Aunt Amelie but with her and Felix around he felt more shut into himself than usual. After they left he breathed a little easier. Maybe next time around Felix would be in a better temperament and not try to sabotage all his relationships.

The weekday brought about another after school photoshoot. With his extended family gone and the happiness his newly proclaimed love for Marinette gave him it felt like Adrien was floating on a little cloud. Nothing could ruin his day.

“Hey, Adrien,” Lila followed him out to his car, “Can I bum a ride to the photoshoot with you?”

“Oh sure,” Adrien opened the door for her. He turned back to Marinette. “I’ll text you after my shoot is over.”

“Okay.” Marinette turned to Lila, “Make sure he doesn’t attempt that stoic seductive look again. It really doesn’t work for him.”

“Hey! You said I looked very handsome!” Adrien protested.

“You always look handsome but...well…”

“You’re too bubbly and sunshiney to pull off serious and sexy. Maybe hit puberty and you’ll be able to do it better.” Lila said making Marinette laugh and Adrien pout.

“I have hit puberty!” Adrien’s voice cracked sending both the girls into uncontrollable laughter.

“I know, sunshine,” Marinette kissed his cheek between her giggles. “We’re just teasing. But you are still also very much a teenager. You shouldn’t feel the need to come off as sexy just yet.”

“Maybe you were teasing,” Lila said earning another playful glare from Adrien.

“Behave you two.” Marinette told them. “Oh, before I forget, Lila, Alya and I are going clothes shopping this weekend. Did you want to come?”

“Sounds like fun.” Lila’s face lit up, “There’s this cute boutique near my house I’ve been dying to stop in at for weeks now.”

“Cool. Sounds like a plan.” Marinette turned back to Adrien, “Stop pouting. Can I get a smile?”

Unable to resist her Adrien cracked a smile and gave her another quick kiss. “Talk to you later. I love you.”

“Have fun, I love you too.” Marinette waved after them as the car peeled out from the school curb.

Adrien and Lila rode in silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke up. “So...you and Marinette are saying ‘I love you’ now, huh?”

“Yeah.” A blush crept up his neck.

“So that video I saw a couple days ago where you basically said you hated all of us was really just a fake, right?”

“Yes. It was my cousin, Felix. I am so sorry about that. I heard you got akumatized because of what he did.” Adrien said.

“It was a rather hurtful message.” Lila muttered with disdain. The anger in her face dropping into something sadder. “I thought you had finally reached your limit with me--us--I meant us as in the class as a whole. Not just me.”

“Not at all. I look forward to the messages my friends send my every year on that day. It’s one of the few things that can make me smile.”

“So we’re...friends?” Lila ventured carefully.

“I don’t know what it was that made you want to change Lila. Maybe it was something Marinette said. Maybe it was something someone did. Maybe you just had some kind of personal revelation but I have noticed that you’re doing better. You are acting like a real friend to not only me and Marinette but to everyone else. So yeah, I may still be erring on the side of caution but I would like it if we were friends.”

“I should also say that I am still not entirely convinced that you and Marinette aren’t just being nice to me because of our deal. But yeah...it would be nice.” Lila stared out the window. Something akin to doubt settling over her once smiling face.

“Lila, I’m gonna let you in on something.” Adrien said garnering her attention once more, “I really didn’t want to trust you. I didn’t. I had been tricked by you before and I had reached a limit where I thought that you couldn’t or would refuse to change. It was Marinette who saw something more in you. Marinette who saw someone worth redeeming and I had to go along with it cause she is one of, if not the kindest person I have ever met. It takes a lot to upset her but if she is willing to go out of her way for you then whoever it is, even if they hurt her badly in the past, I have to also believe that redemption is possible.”

“So you don’t actually want to be my friend?” Her hands balled into fists.

“I didn’t say that!” Adrien put a calming hand on her shoulder, “That is not what I meant. I’m saying that Marinette was right. You’ve been acting like a completely different person since she started her kill-em-with-kindness approach. I think you’re acting more like yourself and less like the mask you put up to everyone all the time.”

“It’s a mask that works.” She muttered and turned back towards the window.

“Telling people what they want to hear and calling it friendship isn’t connection. It’s a pretend.” He gripped her shoulder tighter forcing her to look back at him, “And I know it has to leave you feeling hollow inside.”

“How do you know how I feel?”

“Because it’s how I felt for the longest time.” Adrien sighed, “I didn’t always have a charm life full of friends, Lila. Surprisingly enough, that all changed after my mom went missing.”

There was more that Adrien could say but he wasn’t comfortable enough with Lila to voice them. He hadn’t even mentioned this stuff to Marinette. The only one that knew any of it was Chloe.

They pulled up to the photoshoot and any thoughts about the heavy conversation in the car were dropped as they got to work.

---

The weekend came and Marinette, Alya, and Lila were all out at the boutique Lila suggested. Marinette was pleasantly surprised by the selection. It was very bohemian with flowing sleeves and florals and earthy tones. There was even a section in the back that was selling cute lingerie sets. Marinette was very practical when it came to underwear but she was starting to think she could do with something cuter when it came to her undergarments.

“Hey, Marinette,” Lila walked over to her. “Find something you like?”

“Possibly, what about you?”

“I found a few selections.” She stared down at the little basket of clothes she had accumulated. “But uh…”

“Something wrong?” Marinette asked. “Don’t have enough for everything you want? I know how that feels.”

“That’s not it. See, at our last photoshoot I was talking to Adrien and--”

“Oh thank god!” Alya pounced on Marinette with a wide smile, “The fashionista is finally buying some nice lingerie? You are so practical with your undies it hurts.”

“I wasn’t looking for lingerie. I was looking at these cute matching sets.” Marinette held up a pink bralette with strawberries on it. “See?”

“I weep for your future sex life. I really do.”

“Gross.” Marinette pushed her off, “Only fifteen, Alya.”

“Which is why I said future. You and Adrien turn sixteen this year don’t forget that.” Alya bopped her nose.

“We just said ‘I love you’ lets put diddly-doo way off into the future.”

“Diddly-doo?” Lila snorted. “You are so innocent it physically hurts.”

“We are done talking about this you thirsty weirdos!” Marinette put the strawberry set in her basket. “Don’t you two have clothes to look at?”

“Boo. No fun.” Alya stuck her tongue out at them and started to walk off.

“Oh wait, Alya,” Lila handed her a cardigan from her basket, “I think this cardigan would look cute on you. What do you think?”

“Ooh, that is cute!” Alya took the cardigan, “Hey Marinette, isn’t this cute?”

“Yeah, it is very you. You know what it would go great with? That purple maxi dress you got last summer. Maybe like a belt to cinch in your waist to complete the look, it would make a great spring date outfit.”

“You’re right. That reminds me, Nino and I are still waiting on that double date with you and Adrien. You know if he has any free time coming up?”

“I’d have to check the calendar. Lila, do you know if there are any photoshoots coming up?”

“Not unless they want to drag us back in for reshoots.” Lila shrugged, “I know that there is an interview that we’re doing for a magazine but that’s not for like another two weeks.”

“Interview? Adrien never mentioned an interview.” Marinette said.

“Well, it’s Adrien, he’s very booksmart but has the memory of a goldfish.” Lila sighed, “He’s so lucky he’s pretty.”

“I think he’s one of those people that’ll remember something really obscure from five years ago but couldn’t tell you what he had for breakfast that morning.” Marinette nodded. “I think I’m in love with the smartest idiot I have ever met.”

The girls laughed and kept going about browsing before taking their purchases to the cashier. Alya and Lila had persuaded Marinette into buying a lacey bodysuit that they assured her a hundred times would look great on her. Marinette wasn’t sure where she would ever wear it but did agree that it was pretty to look at.

Alya left towards her house leaving Marinette and Lila alone towards the direction of their own homes.

“Oh wait!” Marinette smacked her own forehead, “You were saying something earlier and then Alya came and derailed the conversation. What were you saying back in the store? Something about Adrien?”

“Oh right…” Lila clutched her bag closer to her chest, “I was wondering, has Adrien ever talked to you about feeling weird?”

“Weird how?” Marinette tilted her head. “Like sick or…?”

“No, a hollow kinda weird.”

“Not that I can think of. Why? Did he say something to you?”

“It was a few days ago on our way to a photoshoot. We were talking about stuff and he had mentioned that he knew how I must feel because it’s how he had felt for the longest time. I had never heard him say something like that before so I figured maybe you had.”

“No.” Marinette shook her head, “He’s never mentioned anything like that to me. Do you think he’s okay? Do you want me to talk to him?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Lila rubbed her arms, “It seemed like something he wants to talk about or needs to talk about but I know he doesn’t trust me enough to say anything more on it. I don’t even know if he’d be okay with me saying anything to you but I thought if there was someone who could ask him about it it would be you.”

Now this was a first. Something told Marinette that whatever it was that Lila was talking about it was something having to do with before Marinette knew Adrien. She’d talk to Chloe first and see if she knew anything about any of this.

“I’ll see what I can do.” It was the best promise Marinette could make at the time. “Was there anything else?”

“Well...there was one thing.” Lila was shifting around on her feet a lot. Marinette couldn’t remember her looking so genuinely nervous before. “When Adrien and I were talking on that car ride he had mentioned that he had wanted to pretty much give up on me. That he didn’t really see anything worth redeeming in me but his mind was changed by you. He said that you saw something worthwhile in me. Is that true?”

“I’m not going to act like you were always a picnic, Lila. There were times, especially during the beginning where I wanted to shove you into the Seine. I can’t deny that. We were at each others throats.” Lila smirked a little but not in a conniving way. More in an embarrassed but fond memory sorta way. “But yes,” Marinette continued, “I wanted to believe in you so I did. Adrien warned me to be careful which I was but you surprised me. You surprised me by trusting me. Little by little I think you started to believe that I wanted to see the good in you so you’ve been letting the good out. You’re a pretty cool girl when you’re not trying to get me expelled.”

“Thanks.” Lila chuckled, “And you’re not just saying that because of the deal we made months ago?”

“Lila, if I still hated you, you would know.” Marinette pulled out her phone, “Do you wanna take a photo? We look really cute today, don’t you think?”

Lila smiled wider and nodded. She scooched in closer throwing an arm around Marinette’s shoulder as they smiled at the camera. “Where you gonna post it?” Lila asked.

“Nowhere.” Marinette slid her phone back into her purse. “I just wanted a photo of us. Now let’s get out of cold before we start growing icicles on our noses.”

Chapter Text

After returning home Marinette put her purchases away. The lacey bodysuit Alya and Lila had convinced her to get was wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a back corner of her dresser. Marinette flopped down on her bed. She was automatically tempted to text Adrien but held off. She wanted to talk to Chloe and see what she had to say about what Lila had told her earlier.

It was such an out of nowhere concern Lila had brought to her attention. Adrien? Hollow? He’s always been so optimistic and cheery. Then again she’s seen what he struggles with. She’s seen him curled up crying on her shoulder before. He is normally very happy but that didn’t mean he wasn’t fighting his own demons. Had Marinette failed to realize how deep they really went? If he was feeling this way or had felt this way then why would he mention it to Lila instead of her? She needed some answers.

She pulled out her phone and gave Chloe a call.

“What do you want, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe sighed, “Sabrina is doing my history homework and it is really slow going.”

“Okay, one, do your own homework, Chloe.” Marinette sighed, “Two, I was calling to ask you something about Adrien.”

“Let me guess, he asked you what that birthmark on his thigh looks like didn’t he? I keep telling him it is literally just a tan splotch but he insists it looks like a ladybug. I don’t know if he thinks it is some kind of soulmate thing or--”

“What are you talking about? This isn’t about a birthmark.”

“Oh...then what is lover boy doing that has you all tied up in knots?”

“I know how you feel about Lila but she seemed concerned about him. He said something to her about feeling hollow. Do you have any idea what that could mean.”

“Oh Adrikins…” Chloe sighed, “Yeah. Look, Dupain-Cheng, this is something that goes back a lot longer than you’ve known him. Adrien he--actually it’s not my place to say. If he wants to talk about it to you then he will but don’t push it if he doesn’t bring it up.”

“Chloe, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong with Adrien?”

“Nothing. Not nothing but an old something. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him, I’m the only one that should know about this. I don’t know why he ever mentioned anything to Lila.”

“She made it sound like he was being vague when he said it. Are you sure you can’t tell me what’s going on? I am his girlfriend. I want to make sure he’s doing okay.”

“Trust me. This is something you need to hear from him. I’ll give him a call and check up on him. In the meantime make sure you keep you and Lila’s nose out of this. Got it.”

“I understand.” Marinette sighed into the phone. “Bye.”

Marinette stared up at the ceiling defeated. She had been concerned when Lila had said something but now she was alarmed. What was going on with Adrien? Chloe said it wasn’t anything to really worry about but she had been bothered by Marinette mentioning it. So what was the truth? Was there something actually wrong or was it a phase? What was this mysterious past event that Chloe had mentioned? More importantly, why hadn’t Adrien said anything to her? He knows he can always come to her if something is bothering him.

Then again Chloe did say it went way beyond before Adrien even met Marinette.

The urge to reach out to him about this was strong but Marinette held off. Instead she texted Lila to let her know not to push anything with Adrien regarding this. Chloe would be looking into it for right now.

---

Adrien had just finished his Mandarin lesson when he got the call from Chloe.

“Hey Chlo, what’s up?” He asked as he mindlessly flipped through a magazine on his lap.

“Nothing much. Thought I’d check in on you.” She said but he could tell by her voice that she was calling with ulterior motives. “So...you feeling okay?”

“Okay how?” he asked, suspicious, “If there’s something you want to know, Chloe, just ask me.”

“Are you feeling that way again?” She sighed, “I know that the last time we talked about this we were twelve but you seem kind of off lately.”

“I don’t know why you would think that. I’m fine.” Adrien said. His mind flashed back to his conversation with Lila in the car. Lila was out Marinette today. Adrien glanced back at the picture of his girlfriend on his desk. “Did Marinette ask you to call me?”

“What? Dupain-Cheng? Call me? That’s ridiculous!” Chloe stated in her totally believable voice of indignation, “Why would I ever talk to your little bakery girlfriend when I have much more important things to do with my time?”

“Chloe, you’re a terrible liar.” Adrien grinned but it quickly fell, “You and Marinette have also been getting along better lately so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you can now hold a mature conversation with her. Now please, did she tell you to check on me?”

“Of course not!” Chloe was sticking to her guns.

“Chloe…”

“Fine. She called me. Lila told her something that you apparently told her and now they’re both worried and frankly so am I. Is something going on? You have to tell me if there is.”

“Nothing like that. I was talking to Lila and trying to empathize with her and it brought back some painful memories.” Adrien said. “But I swear that was it. I’m not having those thoughts again. I swear.”

“Then I think you had better let the other girls in your life know. I know it’s hard to talk about and maybe you don’t think it applies anymore since you’re like sixteen now but…” There was a long pause on Chloe’s end as she thought of what to say. “Marinette is the goodiest goodie two-shoes on the face of the planet. If there’s anyone that you can talk to about this stuff it’ll be her. So, y’know, do that.”

“Told you you were warming up to her.” That satisfied dorky grin was back on Adrien’s face and it bled into his voice.

“Only because I don’t need her calling me up every time you get a frowny face.” Chloe protested. No matter how much she was actually progressing she was still reluctant to completely leave the safety blanket of superiority she had held for so long.

After a beat Chloe’s voice turned softer. “She loves you for you. You don’t need to be scared about telling her.”

“I know. Thanks for calling, Chloe. I’ll talk to Marinette about this, I promise.”

“Good. Now I got to get back to my homework. A certain goodie goodie guilted me into giving Sabrina a break.”

“Well you really should be doing your own homework.” Adrien stated.

“Yes! So I’ve heard!” Chloe shouted, “I will do the work. Goodbye.”

“Bye, Chloe.” Adrien hung up.

He really hadn’t met for what he had said in front of Lila to get back to Marinette. Then again maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him. Lila was concerned about him to some extent. At least enough to mention it Marinette.

He pondered over whether to call Marinette now but decided it was better done face to face. Instead he sent her a quick texting thanking her for her concern and an assurance that there is nothing for her to worry over. The rest of the evening before dinner was spent sending texts back and forth with his girlfriend. He asked to hang out the following day just the two of them. He would give her the answers she wanted but it was going to have to wait till tomorrow at least.

Adrien knew that he could have shared this with her earlier and maybe should have but before last week it hadn’t been a concern of his. Like Chloe had said, he hadn’t had any of those sorts of thoughts since he was twelve. Still, that didn’t mean that he should keep such a difficult part of his life from the girl that he loves. All she ever wanted to do was help. He couldn’t begrudge her that.

The next day Marinette came over to his house. He was technically on house arrest but with enough begging to Nathalie she let him have Marinette over for one hour.

“Afternoon, sunshine,” Marinette kissed him as she entered the mansion, “You gonna let me in on what is going on in that big, blonde head of yours now?”

“I am. We’ll talk in my room.” He grabbed her hand as they started climbing the stairs.

“Keep the doors open.” Nathalie said as they got to Adrien’s room.

“I will.” Adrien left the tiniest crack open on his door. “Good thing she didn’t specify how wide it had to be.” Adrien sat down on the couch with Marinette.

Marinette stretched out so her head was resting on his lap. Adrien wound a hand through her hair to play with the soft black tresses. For a minute they stayed that way not saying a word. Adrien didn’t want to have the conversation he knew was coming. He just wanted to lay here with his girlfriend and take an afternoon nap. Alas, it was not to be.

“So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Marinette asked after a spell. “Does it have to do with the nightmares?”

“No. It’s not that.” Adrien assured her, “I know that Lila must have said something to you the other day about me. The whole hollow thing. I want you to know that it really isn’t an issue for me anymore I was just relating to her that I understood her a little better than maybe she thought.”

“Okay. But when were you ever in a position to be able to relate to Lila like that? I only mean that in all the time I’ve known you you’ve never mentioned anything like this before.” Marinette touched his cheek, “Whether it is relevant to how you feel now I want to hear about it.”

Adrien took a deep breath. “Did you know that I had a lot of health problems as a kid?”

“You never told me that.”

“It goes back a long time to before I was even born.” He gently curled a lock of her hair through his fingers, “Mom and father had trouble conceiving and were told it may be impossible for them to have a child. Then when they got pregnant with me it was looked at like a miracle but even then they were worried they may lose me. The months went by and I ended up being born prematurely. I weighed barely above three pounds and stayed in the hospital for a long time before I could come home.”

“That must have been terrifying for them.”

“It was. My parents were really worried for my health and growing up I seemed to attract disease so anytime I went out I got sick like the next day.”

“Is that why they kept you inside all the time?”

“Partially.”

“I always wondered why you never got to go anywhere. I know your dad is overprotective but I never understood why your mom went along with it.”

“She was just as scared for me as father was. Father got worse after mom went missing. But before that mom and him kept me inside for my own good. You see, when I was a kid my parents knew it was important for me to be around other kids. So they scheduled playdates at the house for me to socialize. That’s how I met Chloe. There were tons of other kids that came and went over the years that I never saw again. I didn’t know why until I was around seven, I think. The parents of the kids I was supposed to be friends with were using their kids an excuse to get close to my parents. So my parents took me out of that circle and only ever let me play with Chloe since they knew and were genuine friends with the Bourgeois family.”

“Those people sound like jerks.”

“They were. That’s why my parents kept me so secluded from the world. In their eyes they were protecting me from people who would only use me. They were also keeping me safe from contact diseases. The older I got though my immune system finally toughened up. I wanted to go out and meet new people. I was sure that I could tell those that would use me from those that wouldn't. Father really didn't want me to go to public school and mom was still worried about my health. It wasn't until I turned twelve that it looked like they were going to let me go out more.”

“Then your mom went missing.” Marinette concluded.

“Yep.” He nodded, “And all those dreams got turned to dust. I mourned and waited and debated whether if it was actually safe for me to go out into the world but I knew I couldn't keep hiding at home terrified of the unknown. That's when I ran away to go to school. Father at long last gave in and that's how we got here.”

“How does that relate back to what you told Lila?”

“Cause whenever I was around these kids and their parents they weren’t real. They were putting on this act to get close to me for their own ends. I acted not like myself when they were around too. None of it was ever real. I hated it. I felt hollow. It felt like none of these people were actually interested in me. They were only interested in what I could do for them.”

“Adrien…” Marinette sat up and threw her arms around his neck holding him close. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a bad time in my life. Even after I only went to hanging out with Chloe I still got these thoughts about how sad or confused I was. Chloe had to assure me at least once a day that we were real friends and that she wasn’t going anywhere. I was scared that when I started going to public school that it would happen all over again but you all surprised me. You were genuine with me. You all wanted to be friends with me and not what I could do for you. You can ask Chloe, after my first week at school I couldn’t stop smiling and bouncing around because I finally had real friends. Not that Chloe isn’t a real friend but you get the idea.”

“Is that why you were so adamant about not wanting to take a chance on Lila when I suggested it?”

“I knew what her game was. She was only using me and suddenly I was an unhappy seven year old boy again wondering why all my friends didn’t really like me. It made me so angry and I didn’t want to see you fall into that same trap.” He pulled back to cradle her face in his hands, “It seems I was worried for nothing though. Feels like you can turn anyone around.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I don’t think I could talk Hawkmoth around to stop being a terrorist or get your cousin to not be a raging dickhead.”

“Geez,”

“I do not like Felix. I don’t care if he is your cousin, I do not like him!” Marinette started to seethe.

“Calm down, doodle bug.” Adrien kissed her forehead, “Do you feel better knowing everything?”

“I do. I think I understand you even better now.” She tucked her head under his chin. “Thanks for opening to me.”

“Of course. I love you.” He pulled a blanket off from the back of the couch and wrapped it around them.

Marinette giggled slightly. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.”

“It’s a good thing I’ll never get tired of saying it. I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you even more.” Marinette snuggled closer. Her eyes were fixed on the windows. Gentle flakes of snow falling down to nest on the already blanketed streets below.

He meant for it to be a quick little peck on her temple. But one kiss turned into another and another until he was peppering the side of her faces in kisses. She laughed and squirmed in his lap trying to get away but she was locked in by his arms and the blanket. “You goof! Quit it!”

“What? You saying you don’t like when I kiss you?” He continued on with a wide smile.

“You know what you’re doing!” She freed an arm and tried to push his face back but he was quicker and grabbed her hand. “Adrien!”

“What am I doing?” He blinked those big green eyes at her like the innocent little lamb he pretended to be. “Showering my girlfriend in attention? Is that not what you want?”

“No. But maybe try a different kind of attention.”

“Oh,” he felt his face go a little red, “Do you mean like a proper kiss or…?”

Marinette grinned, her own face going a tad pink before leaning in closer and melding her lips to his. “I meant cuddling but I like your idea better.” She whispered against his lips.

He leaned in again this time kissing her along her jaw and down to her neck. He really hoped he was doing this right. He released Marinette’s hand and she immediately wound it into his hair holding him closer. Okay, this was going better than he expected. He trailed back up to kiss her on the mouth again when the bedroom door banged open.

“I said to keep the doors open, young man.” Nathalie stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“Nathalie!” Adrien was mortified, “Not now!”

“Keep it PG in here, kids.” She warned, “And keep the door open.” She walked away.

Marinette broke down in laughter at Adrien’s beet red face. Adrien rolled his eyes. “How is it when I want people in this house to ignore me, they don’t?”

Chapter Text

Adrien didn’t remember falling asleep. But he did remember what happened after.

He was trapped in another dream. Another nightmare.

He had stepped inside his house and saw a figure standing at the top of the stairs. It wasn’t his father though. It was Marinette in the red dress from Christmas. The splash of crimson like blood against snow in the desolate house. She was turned around staring at the portrait hanging behind her.

He climbed the steps towards her and tapped her on the shoulder. What was she doing here?

When she turned around everything went white. The mansion was in ruins and Marinette’s rosy complexion and dress were as white as paper. Her normally bluebell eyes were pale and cold like ice and framed by a purple butterfly.

No…

Not Marinette.

She grabbed him by the collar but he didn’t try to push her off. “I’m doing this for you, Adrien.” Her voice cut through his brain like a knife and he tried to get her to let go.

“Marinette! Please! You can break free of this!” Adrien begged. She was backing him up towards the edge of the stairs. “Let me help you!”

“Silly kitty,” From her hand his clothes started to bleed the same pure white she wore, “You did this.” She let him go and fell back into an endless black abyss.

Adrien woke with jolt breathing hard and a cold sweat making his clothes stick to him like a second skin. “Adrien.” Plagg flew in front of his face, his bright green eyes the only thing he could make out in the otherwise dark room, “You’re Adrien Agreste. You’re in your room in Paris, France. You have school in the morning. Everyone is safe and there is no akuma. Everyone is safe. You are safe.”

“Everyone is safe,” Adrien repeated the phrase, “Everyone is safe. No akuma. Everyone is safe.”

Plagg switched on the lamp on his desk then came and sat down on Adrien’s knee. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Adrien couldn’t take the feeling of his shirt sticking to him and chucked it off throwing it somewhere in the room. “Another nightmare,” He muttered, “Marinette was some version of Chat Blanc and--”

“Do you want to write it down?” Plagg asked.

“Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Adrien stumbled out of bed and retrieved his notebook from its hiding place. He sat down at his deck and started a new entry. It was always easier to write it down than trying to say it. He glanced a risk at the clock and sighed when he saw how late it was getting. He didn’t have much time before he’d have to be up again for school. He let the dream bleed out of him onto the page and then curled up back in bed.

His alarm went off far too early and he covered his head with the blanket trying to block it out.

“Adrien,” Nathalie’s voice rang out after the alarm had finally stopped, “You need to get up before you’re late for school.”

“I’m up,” he yawned, “I’m up.”

“Did you spend all night doing homework? You left your lamp on and school supplies out.”

School supplies? The notebook! Adrien launched from the bed and made a dive for the desk snatching the notebook away before she could get a closer look at it. How could he forget to put the notebook away?! Well, he was pretty tired last night after the nightmare woke him up. He quickly shoved it into his bookbag and out of sight.

Nathalie stood in the the room watching him perplexed. “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.” She started to leave.

That was close.

“Oh one more thing,” She stepped back into the room and Adrien’s heart started beating harder, “Put your laundry in the hamper.” She gestured to the shirt on the floor.

“Right. Yes, Nathalie.” Adrien nodded quickly, “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

She looked him over once more before finally exiting the room for good. Adrien picked up his shirt and tossed it in with the rest of his laundry before hopping in the shower. After he was dressed and got breakfast he got in the car to head to school. Hopefully the rest of the day would be better than his morning.

---

Marinette had just stepped into the school when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a supply closet locking them both in the darkness. “Adrien, for the last time, there is nothing romantic about making out in a supply closet. I mean I’ll still do it since we have the time but if you want to squeeze in a makeout before class then you need to plan better.”

The light clicked on and Marinette jumped back when she saw Lila. “Wow.” She rolled her eyes, “Does anyone know the sugary sweet power couple of the class have impromptu makeouts in the supply closet?”

“It was one time! Okay, maybe three times but that’s not the point.” Marinette straightened herself, “Why did you drag me in here?”

“I was waiting for you to show up so we could talk somewhere private.” Lila said, “What did you talk to Adrien about?”

“Right. I’m sorry I forgot to text you but things were delicate. Adrien is fine, there is really nothing for you to worry about in regards to him. What he told me though I can’t talk about cause while he says it isn’t anything but bitter memories now it is still a sensitive subject that he wants as few of people knowing as possible.”

“Oh…” Lila nodded. “You can’t tell me anything?”

“The most I can say is that it was about people doing wrong by him for their own selfish agendas. That’s literally all I feel comfortable saying.”

“Vague and ominous.” Lila stared down at the floor, “I know you can’t say a lot but did my name get brought up in regards to it? I just figured with people furthering their own agendas…”

“Yes. But it’s okay. I promise.”

“Ugh!” Lila kicked a foot back against the door.

“Lila, I swear--”

“Stop!” She kept Marinette at bay with a single raise of her hand, “Just stay away from me. This is already hard enough.”

“What is?”

“This! Learning! Adapting! I can’t--AAAAHHHH!” She kicked the door again, harder this time.

“Lila?” Marinette spoke softly, “Is there anything I can do?”

Lila slumped. “No. It’s just...this trying to be a better person shit is agonizing.”

“I thought you were happier trying to better yourself.”

“I am. Kinda. It’s complicated.” Lila twisted her bracelet around her hand nervously, “I should probably enroll again…” She muttered.

“Enroll in what?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Lila took a deep breath and put on her syrupy sweet smile with voice to match, “Now let’s get out of here before people think I dragged you in here for a makeout.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Marinette asked again.

“Yeah. I’m totally fine!” Lila opened the door and sauntered out with her held high. Marinette sighed as she watched her go. That was the first lie Lila had told her in a while.

Halfway through classes the janitor got akumatized. Something about being tired of everyone making such messes that he was through cleaning up after them. If they wanted to live in squalor then that was what he was gonna do. The vacuum on his back sucked up everything in sight then blew it back out like a bullet sending papers, books, and garbage showering down across the school.

Marinette was just able to grab her little purse with Tikki inside out of her bookbag before it got sucked into the vacuum. She made a mad dash for the supply closet Lila had cornered her in before and transformed. Thankfully Chat Noir didn’t take long to join her but she noticed he was moving rather sluggishly.

Marinette tackled him out of the way as a shot of garbage came hurtling at them. They ran to the library to find cover in the maze of bookshelves while they devised a plan. “You okay?” Marinette asked her partner, “Have a wild weekend, kitty?”

“I wish.” He yawned, “I woke up in the middle of the night last night.” He used his baton to look around the corner. “No sign of our trashman over here.”

“All clear this way.” They dashed to another shelf. “Was it another nightmare? Is this something we’re gonna have to talk about at patrol?”

“It was a nightmare but I’m fine now. I swear.” Chat crossed his heart, “I got it worked out last night after I woke up.”

“You know if you ever need me--”

Their conversation was cut short by the akuma knocking the shelves over like dominoes. Marinette and Chat dodged out of the way of the falling books. Time to stop playing around with the trash.

“Lucky Charm!” She tossed her yo-yo to the sky. A pack of gum?

“Well at least our breath will be minty fresh.” Chat Noir joked.

Marinette slid under a table to avoid another blast of garbage and cringed at the pieces of gum stuck underneath. Wait, that was it! “Chat Noir!” She shouted across to him, “I need you to scrape every bit of gum off the bottom of the tables as you can.”

“I will do anything you say, my lady, but this is a new low.” Chat grumbled as he dove under a different table scraping off pieces of gum with his claws.

Marinette unwrapped the gum and shoved as many as she could in her mouth and started chewing as fast as she could. When it was all chewed up she spit it out. This was probably one of her grosser ideas. She called Chat over and she squished the old gum and new gum into one ball. Here goes nothing.

She tossed it at the akuma and naturally he sucked it up. When he tried to blow it back at them it gummed up the hose and started blowing a huge bubble. Now was their chance. Chat popped the giant bubble that had been blown and it exploded back encasing their akuma in a murky rainbow of gum. Marinette snapped the head of the vacuum off and the akuma flew out.

“Bye bye little butterfly.” Marinette opened up a nearby window to let the now purified butterfly go free. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

She walked back over to Chat Noir and the janitor. She held out her fist to her partner. “Good job.”

She didn’t have time to say much else to him before her earrings started beeping. She ran back to the supply closet as the transformation wore off. At least that was over with now.

Seeing all that gum under the tables Marinette took a longer look around the school. It was kind of a mess even for a school full of teenagers. She should talk to the teachers about enforcing a cleaner school initiative so the janitor wasn’t so overworked.

She sat back down in class as the excitement from the akuma died down. “Phew,” Adrien sat down in his seat clutching his bookbag, “It got sucked up in the attack. I was scared for a minute since all my homework is in here.”

“That would have been bad indeed.” Marinette giggled lightly, “Hey, are you still under house arrest or can you come over after school? Mom and dad are experimenting with this new recipe and want taste testers.”

“You have no idea how much it pains me that I have to say no.” Adrien groaned, “I’m on house arrest until Friday at least.”

“Dang it.” Marinette pouted.

“I’ll come taste test,” Alya said, “I never pass up the opportunity for free pastries.”

“Anyone else wanna come over?” Marinette asked the class. Anyone who didn’t already have plans raised their hands. Marinette promised to drop by Adrien’s place later for a delivery after seeing his pouty face.

After school wrapped up she kissed Adrien goodbye and left with her friends towards the bakery. Her parents were glad to have such a big group of volunteers and started parceling out the different samples. She put a few back to keep for Adrien later.

Her classmates filtered out after declaring the sample with orange zest the superior and thanking her parents for letting them weigh in. Marinette sat down in her room and started doing her homework. She wanted to get a little done before she headed out to Adrien’s.

There was a knock on her bedroom door and her mom’s head popped in. “Marinette, your friend, Lila, is here.”

“Oh, send her up,” Marinette pushed her math homework aside, thankful for the break.

Lila climbed up and entered the room. “Hi, I didn’t mean to stop by so late but um…” She held the notebook in her hands tighter to her stomach like a shield. “Can we talk?”

Chapter Text

Lila was clutching the worn notebook in her hands with a grip that turned her knuckles white. What was she so nervous about? Why had she come to Marinette’s house this late without any warning?

“Hi, Lila,” Marinette gestured to the chaise for Lila to sit on. “What’s going on? What did you need to talk about?”

Lila sat down drumming her fingers against the notebook in her lap, “It’s not easy to talk about. There is something going on and I don’t know what to do about it. I guess I came here looking for advice because you...you’re the only one who...”

“I’m the only one who...what?” Marinette asked.

“You’re the only one I can trust right now.” She whispered and Marinette could tell it took a lot for her to admit it. It warmed Marinette that Lila was trusting of her now but it was a delicate line to walk. One slip and Lila would bolt out the door like a frightened deer.

“Okay, what’s going on? What advice do you need?” Marinette inched forward a tad.

“Hypothetically speaking say there was a person that someone hated and wanted to get revenge on but the only way to do so was to betray someone they thought of as a friend.” Lila was staring at her lap, “Should they do it?”

Okay. Definitely not where Marinette could have guessed where this conversation was going. “I have an answer formulating but can you maybe elaborate more?”

“It’s just…” Lila searched for something to say, “This person is really angry at this other person for rightful reasons. They deserve to get shot down a few pegs but the only way to do that would to maybe hurt someone else. What should they do?”

“Seriously, Lila?” Marinette cocked an eyebrow at her, “Why would someone want to hurt their friend to get some petty revenge on someone else?”

“Well yeah but--”

“Lila,” Marinette silenced her gently, “This person is actually you wanting revenge against Ladybug for calling you out in front of Adrien, isn’t it?”

Lila clammed up, her face reddening under Marinette’s unimpressed gaze. “Adrien told you about that, huh?” She twisted a lock of hair around in her fingers.

“Yeah…” Sure. Totally Adrien. Totally not because she’s actually Ladybug and did in fact call Lila out for being a filthy little liar at the time.

Lila pulled her knees up to her chest with a frown. Marinette sighed and came over to sit next to her. “Lila, no matter what your grievance is with Ladybug you shouldn’t hurt others to get at her.”

“But she deserves it!” Lila fumed.

“Why though?”

“Because she humiliated me!”

“Well then maybe you shouldn’t have lied about her! Maybe you shouldn’t have been using a hero of Paris as a pick up line!” Marinette hadn’t meant to snap but this was a sensitive subject for her. She needed to cool down. “You may be right,” Marinette started gently, “Maybe Ladybug had been more harsh than she should have been but that does not excuse your actions. Besides, no one outside of Adrien and I even know about that encounter. It’s not like Ladybug went on TV and told the world that you are a sucky person. So why are you being so defensive about it?”

“I was trying to get close to Adrien and Ladybug had spoiled it.”

“Okay, fine, let us review the evidence of why you wanted to be close to Adrien.” Marinette said, “It was because he was handsome, famous, rich, and well liked by everyone. Did you actually, ever want to legitimately date Adrien because you had any sort of romantic feelings for him?”

“I thought he was handsome,” She shrugged, “But I can’t remember if I ever thought of him romantically. All I had wanted was to get close to...further my own agenda...”

“It’s hard for you to admit. I know. Especially after what I said about Adrien earlier today.” Marinette placed a hand on her back, “But lets look at what that means. Since you didn’t actually have a genuine crush on him it’s not like Ladybug had ruined your chances of being with Adrien either.”

“Technically no but--”

“Lila,” Marinette urged her to look at her, “Do you not realize that your only real beef with Ladybug is one embarrassing moment that you won’t let yourself let go of? Is that one embarrassing moment in front of someone who is now your friend really worth hurting someone you care about now?”

“No.” Lila shook her head, “No it’s not. But I still want to humiliate Ladybug. Make her feel as embarrassed as I did.”

“Ladybug embarrasses herself enough without you having to add anything to the mix. Just look up a Ladybug fail compilation sometime. The girl is a mess.”

“Wait, do you not like Ladybug either?” Lila’s eyes lit up as a slow grin started to spread across her face.

“Honestly?” Marinette let out a slow breath, “Ladybug has inadvertently caused me a lot of unneeded stress and loss of sleep so kinda. Yeah.”

“Oooh now this is interesting!” Lila clapped her hands together and bounced in her seat, “Who knew the ‘Everyday Ladybug’ had a small grudge against the hero of Paris.”

“Oh Lila, Lila, Lila,” Marinette laughed to herself, “You really don’t understand just how much I want to smack the spots off of her sometimes. It seems every time I’m out with Adrien on a date an akuma strikes and suddenly Ladybug has to be there to fight it. I know it is her job and the akuma needs to be stopped but can’t it wait until after I finish my salad? Just once!”

Lila couldn’t believe that Marinette had a secret grudge against Ladybug and the two girls talked for a while more about it. It was weird for Marinette to be talking about herself like this but she wasn’t going to deny the fact that being Ladybug was a burden and inconvenience sometimes. It was and it felt good to complain to someone about it even if her true meaning was hidden behind a guise of general annoyance and not a personal grievance.

Marinette asked what was up with the notebook and Lila mentioned that it was Adrien’s. She had found it lying on the ground after the akuma struck. She was going to go return it to him before she went home for the evening.

“Great! Can you deliver these to him while you’re at it?” Marinette handed her the bag of samples she had saved for Adrien. “I was gonna deliver them but if you’re already heading that way it would help save me the trip.”

“Oh sure,” Lila took the bag, “Do you think he would mind if I snuck a few?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Just make sure to leave him some.” Marinette laughed. She walked Lila back to the front door. “See you at school tomorrow. Have a nice evening, Lila.”

“See you. Have a nice night.” Lila took off back down the steps and out of the apartment building.

“It looks like Lila’s really turning over a new leaf.” Tikki said once Marinette settled back in her room. “You should be proud. You really helped her.”

“I may have helped but Lila’s turn around is all her own. My efforts would have meant nothing if she hadn’t decided to try and better herself. She’s far from perfect yet but she is making a great effort and I’m proud of her for that.”

---

No.

No! This could not be happening. Adrien was catatonic staring at the notebook in Lila’s outstretched hands. She was saying something he was sure but he couldn’t hear it. All he could focus on was his notebook. The notebook he had written everything in. The notebook he had accidentally brought to school. The notebook that he had lost and hadn’t realized until he was home.

It had been returned but not in a way he had hoped it would be.

“Adrien?” Lila waved a hand in front of his face, “You okay, blondie? You completely spaced out on me right there.”

“Lila,” Adrien tried to swallow back the lump in his throat, “Did you look inside that notebook?”

She shuffled her feet unable to meet his gaze. She had.

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to figure out who it may have belonged to.” She held out the notebook more insistently.

He took the notebook from her like it was a poisonous snake. “How much did you read?”

“Enough…”

“Do you know that I’m…”

Lila nodded. She peered up at him through her bangs. “Would it be any consolation if I said that the black leather looks good?”

“It’s not leather...that’s not the point.” Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, “You know.”

“I do.”

“Damn it.” Adrien seethed, “Damn it!” He kicked at the wall and immediately regretted it when his foot started to throb painfully.

“Adrien,” Lila tried to touch him but he scurried away from her as if she had the plague. There was fear and anger in his eyes. She shrunk into herself. “I know that you may not entirely trust me still. I know that. But I trust you. I’m not going to tell anyone. I swear.”

“You’re right,” Adrien said, “I can’t trust you. The amount of times that you have--” He pushed her so they were standing out on the front steps instead of in the doorway. He didn’t need to run the chance of his father or anyone else hearing this. “The amount of times that you have been akumatized and have specifically gone after my partner--”

“I know! I know that it looks bad!”

“Looks bad? It is bad! It is very bad! This is the worst possible news I could have gotten today second to if Hawkmoth had found my notebook instead.”

“I brought goodies too though.” Lila dangled the bag out to him, “Marinette asked me drop them off on my way over here.”

“What were you doing at Marinette’s? Did you tell her?”

“No! I swear I didn’t. After I put together the dots I went over to her house for advice. So I’m taking her advice.” Lila placed the bag of goodies in his free hand, “I’m not going to betray you to get revenge on Ladybug.”

“How noble.” Adrien’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “You’re not going to sell me out to a terrorist. Friend of the year everybody!”

“I know that you’re mad but I did the right thing, damn it!” Lila snapped at him. “You can at least acknowledge that! I am not lying when I say that I haven’t told anyone and you can believe me when I tell you that I will never tell anyone! So stop treating me like crap!”

This took Adrien aback. He needed to stop panicking for a moment and look at this situation more clearly. Lila had returned the notebook. Lila promised that she had not said anything to anyone about its contents. Lila promised that she would not reveal his identity to anyone. That is all very good. On the other hand Lila has lied convincingly in the past and has gone out of her way to get akumatized. Even if she is doing better that doesn’t mean she won’t backslide.

Adrien took a deep breath and addressed Lila more calmly. “I apologize for snapping at you. Thank you for returning my notebook and for promising to not let anyone know about its contents.”

“You’re welcome.” Lila said.

“That being said,” Adrien continued, “It doesn’t change the fact that you are now privy to a secret that no one else besides me should know. A secret that could be detrimental to my safety, your safety, and anyone who knows us.”

“That does present a problem.” Lila agreed, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Adrien stared down at the ring on his hand. “I really don’t.”

Chapter Text

Marinette was feeling pretty great when she walked into school the following morning. She had made a great breakthrough with Lila last night. It hadn’t happened the way she had imagined but then again she shouldn’t have been so surprised. She just hoped that Lila didn’t go around telling everyone that Marinette had a secret grudge against Ladybug. That would not be a good look for the ‘Everyday Ladybug’ to have. If Alya thought Marinette didn’t like her idol then she would strap her into a chair and make her sit through a three hour powerpoint on why Ladybug was the best. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a little but still.

Everything was normal as Marinette put her stuff away in her locker. That was until she caught sight of Lila. The girl was sitting off in the corner nervously twisting her long hair around in her hands.

“Good morning,” Marinette approached her, “Something bugging you?”

“Oh hi,” Lila flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“Cause you look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. Also, I can tell when you’re lying so I know that you’re not fine. Did something happen after you left my house?”

“Sorta…”

“Does it have to do with what we talked about?” Marinette brought her voice down to a whisper. Lila nodded. “Did you do something you think you shouldn’t have?”

“No. I did what I thought was the right thing but it may have made things worse.”

“Why? What happened? Maybe we can fix it.” If it had something to do with Ladybug then Marinette needed to know.

“I don’t think this is something even the infuriatingly perfect Ladybarf could fix.” Lila spat. “I just have to hope it works out.”

That was not ideal. “Well, I’m sure that whatever it is isn’t as bad as all that.” Marinette patted her back, “Are you going to let me in on what’s happened?”

“I can’t.”

“Lila…” Marinette sighed, disappointed.

“I’m being serious. I really can’t. It’s like how you couldn’t tell me anything about Adrien. I can’t tell you anything about this. I know that sucks but I swear there is a good reason.”

“Okay, I believe you.” This was starting to worry Marinette. What could Lila have possibly done in the time between when she left Marinette’s house and now?

“Just like that?” Lila’s voice caught slightly. “You believe me?”

“You may still be skeptical but I do have trust in you, Lila. You’re my friend. I trust my friends.”

The look on Lila’s face could only be described as emotional shock in its purest form. Her mouth had dropped open and their was a glassy shine to her eyes like she was going to start crying any second. The corners of her mouth perked up into a hesitant smile.

“Marinette--” Lila stopped abruptly as she caught sight of something over Marinette’s shoulder. Marinette turned around to see what she was staring at and saw Adrien in the doorway of the locker room watching the girls.

“Hey,” Marinette waved to him, “You look like crap. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“I need to go.” Lila practically ran out of the room with her head ducked low.

Adrien slowly approached Marinette and plopped down in the seat Lila had occupied just moments before. “Geez,” Marinette brushed the hair away from his face, “I was kinda joking before but seeing you up close you look even worse. What happened, my prince? Are you not feeling well?”

“Long night.” he muttered, his voice gravely, “Couldn’t turn my brain off.”

“Poor thing I hate nights like those.” Marinette kissed his forehead, “I know you’re still on house arrest but if you wanted we could spend lunch break taking a nap back at my house. Does that sound nice?”

“That sounds amazing.” Adrien leaned his head on her shoulder. “Is there any way I could tempt you into skipping the rest of afternoon classes and just spending the remainder of our day curled up in bed? I really need some therapy cuddles and sleepy kisses.”

“Do you think that’s a good plan considering you’re still on house arrest? Won’t your dad get mad?”

“I really do not care at this point.” he yawned, “I’d skip the entire day at this point.”

“Everyone is in such a dour mood today. First Lila and now you. Is there something in the model water the both of you are chugging or what?” Marinette tried to lighten the mood but it didn’t really land.

“Adrien,” Marinette tilted his face up to hers, “Are you really okay? Cause if you’re not then I’ll ditch with you and we’ll spend the day in a warm cocoon of blankets, cookies, and cuddles.”

His fave softened and he leaned over to kiss her sweetly. “I love you, my star.”

“I love you too,” Marinette kissed him back. “So what are we doing?”

“Nap time during lunch and see where we go from there.” Adrien stood up and held his hand out for her.

The day leading up to lunch moved sluggishly. Marinette could tell that Adrien wasn’t really there during classes. She felt that there was something more going on then just a night of lost sleep that he wasn’t telling her. She didn’t want to pry though. She trusted Adrien to tell her if something was wrong.

When lunch rolled around they grabbed a quick snack from the bakery then headed up to Marinette’s room for a nap. Her poor tired boyfriend fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. She decided right then that they could miss a few classes. He really needed some rest and she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to have some extended alone time with him.

She texted Alya that they weren’t coming back for afternoon classes and to make sure she dropped any work off at Marinette’s house before nestling in next to Adrien and falling asleep herself. He really was a perfect pillow.

All too soon the alarm she had set went off and she had to wake Adrien up so he could go home. He was still out of it when he woke up but he looked better than he had when he walked into school.

After Marinette saw him off she grabbed the work Alya had left and sighed. If she didn’t want to have a late night she should probably get this done before patrol. She brewed herself a cup of tea and sat down at her desk. Time to get to work.

A few hours and a dinner later Marinette stretched away from her desk. “All my homework is done so now it is time to head out for patrol. You ready to go, Tikki?”

“Absolutely!” Tikki proclaimed.

“Transform me!” After she was transformed Marinette took to the roofs to meet Chat Noir. Her yo-yo started beeping. “Huh, Chat Noir left me a lot of messages. Oops, some of these are from last night.”

Marinette hit the very first message. “LADYBUG! EMERGENCY! Call me back as soon as you can. This absolutely cannot wait!”

“Crap!” Marinette listened to the rest of the messages. Each more desperate and frustratingly vague as the last.

“Chat! Chat Noir!” Ladybug landed at their meet up spot. “Where are you?”

“Ladybug!” Chat launched from the shadows and pulled her behind a chimney.

“Chat, what’s wrong? Was it Hawkmoth? Was someone akumatized? Why are we hiding?” Marinette’s heart was racing. When Chat didn’t answer right away she realized that he was sniffling.

“Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

He looked up at her and his green eyes shone with tears. “I’m compromised.”

It felt like someone had ripped the ground out from underneath her. “What?”

“Someone found out my secret identity.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. They said they wouldn’t tell anyone but I also know that she can flip on a dime and has gotten akumatized multiple times before so I can’t exactly trust her. I was thinking about it all last night and today. I tried to think of something but no matter what solution I come to or loophole I think I’ve found nothing is safe.” He paced the shadows like a caged animal, “The only way she can’t use it against me is if I--I--”

“Give up your miraculous?” Marinette was horrified at the information. “Maybe we can fix it or--”

“There is no fixing it. There’s no shadow of a doubt. If I stay Chat Noir then there will always be a chance that they’ll out my identity and that’ll put everyone I love in danger, including you.” He clasped his hands on her shoulders, “Paris needs Ladybug more then it needs Chat Noir. Well, me as Chat Noir at least.”

“You’re my partner. My friend. No one will ever be able to match up as well as you do with me.”

“A couple akuma attacks and my replacement will be as in sync with you as I am. Maybe even more so.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?”

“I know there isn’t. I’ve made up my mind.” He pulled out the little box his miraculous had come in. “Promise me you’ll pick someone trustworthy and will defend you at all costs.”

“Chat Noir…” Marinette was crying now.

“It was great while it lasted at least.” Chat sighed. “And you finally get to see what you were missing out on for all this time.”

Marinette gave a hysterical bark of laughter. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“They can take my miraculous but never my humor.” Chat Noir took a deep breath as he reached for his ring, “Plagg, I renounce you.”

Marinette watched as her partner melted away and turned into…

“Adrien?” Marinette was gonna start crying again.

Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien. Marinette’s boyfriend was also her partner. The partner she has been gushing to about her relationship has been her boyfriend. How did she not realize that they were the same person? How did he not realize?!

“Surprised?” Adrien looked two seconds from breaking down himself.

“Not as much as I feel like I should be.” This explained a lot. “Oh goodness…”

All this time she had been rejecting the boy she had a crush on. She had been standing in her own way? “I am going to murder someone.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t tell you but let’s just say that if you should open a dictionary to the word ‘irony’ a picture of us will be there. Along with ‘frustrating’ and ‘idiots.’”

“Are you mad?”

“Not at you. Never at you.” Marinette desperately wanted to kiss him and tell him that everything would be okay. But she was still Ladybug in his eyes. She needed to remember that.

“I know this has to be hard for you.” Marinette said, “But you did the right thing. This way no one is going to get hurt. And I swear to you that I will fix this. Would you tell me who it is that figured it out?”

“Lila Rossi. She found a notebook that I had been keeping as a journal to destress and she put the dots together.”

The notebook…

The friend she had to betray. Marinette couldn’t have guessed she meant this!

“What are you gonna do now?” Marinette asked.

“Well, now that her information means nothing I guess I’ll live a normal life. Take my girlfriend out on dates that I don’t suddenly have to cancel or ditch at a moment’s notice. Spend more time with my friends. That kind of stuff.” he handed her the box with the ring in it.

“Don’t you want to say bye to Plagg?” Marinette held the box close.

“Already did. Wasn’t easy. I’m really gonna miss him. He was the only one I could be completely honest with.”

“I understand.” Marinette stared across the rooftops, “Do you uh, need a lift home?”

“Right…” Adrien looked out over the precarious perch, “Would you mind?”

“Not at all.” Marinette grabbed her boyfriend and took off towards the mansion. She landed inside and set him down.

“I guess this is where we say bye.” Adrien held out a fist.

Marinette engulfed him in a hug, unable to hold back anymore. “You will always be the best partner I’ve ever had. Don’t ever forget that.”

He hugged her back even tighter. “I won’t.”

“I love you. As Adrien. As Chat Noir. I love you.” Marinette kissed his cheek. “More then you will ever know.”

“I love you too, Ladybug.” Adrien kissed her cheek in return. “Now, go defend the city and kick some Hawkmoth butt for me.”

“Goodbye.” Marinette flew back out the window before Adrien could see her crying. You’d think she’d have run out of tears by now.

She didn’t feel like patrolling tonight and instead went straight home. She opened the miracle box and Plagg emerged.

“Hi Marinette.” Plagg sniffled like he was trying to pretend he hadn’t been crying.

“Hi Plagg,” Marinette set the box aside. “Need a hug?”

Plagg flew into her waiting arms. “He’s a good kid. He doesn’t deserve this.”

“I know.” Marinette sniffled. It was late but she knew for a fact that Adrien was still up. Adrien...all this time her partner had been Adrien. It made sense in a way. He always seemed to disappear around the same time as her when akumas struck.

Oh no...Chat Blanc. Why he had sacrificed himself and had gotten so upset and defensive over Marinette made so much more sense now. Oh Adrien, what more stress would this world put him through?

“What do we do now?” Tikki was zipping through the air in a tizzy, “Ladybug needs Chat Noir! You can’t defend the city by yourself! Should we call Fu? Oh this is awful!”

“Get down here,” Marinette grabbed Tikki and nestled her in next to Plagg. “A lot has happened tonight. The problem is still gonna be there in the morning. Right now I just...I can’t think straight right now. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything.”

Marinette spent the remainder of her night staring at the ceiling and going over every single interaction between her and Chat Noir until his image blended into Adrien. She thought of Lila and how she knew who Adrien was. She thought of the ring by her bedside and how she was ever meant to give it to someone else.

She wiped the remainder of her tears from her eyes and took a deep breath as one final truth settled over her. “I am so royally screwed.”

Chapter Text

Marinette tried calling Adrien but he didn’t answer. She left a voicemail for him but he didn’t call her back. The most she got out of him that night was a goodnight text. She wondered if he would even bother showing up for school tomorrow. He was in such a bad state today cause he had been up all night worried about what to do about Lila and his miraculous.

It was still strange to think about. Adrien was Chat Noir. In retrospect it was fairly obvious. Then again her focus was never so much Chat Noir as it was the akuma. Even when they talked socially they never could say anything too personal. Still, you would think that she would have recognized her longstanding crush/boyfriend had the same voice as her partner. Nothing to do about it now.

Marinette placed the black cat ring back in the miraculous box with the others. She wasn’t going to give the ring to anyone else. She couldn’t bear the thought of replacing Adrien like that. He was the best match for it and nothing could change that. That being said Tikki was right when she said that Marinette couldn’t defend the city alone. She’d have to call in some temporary replacements until such a time as she can give the ring back.

She placed the small containers holding the fox and turtle miraculous in her purse. The next time an akuma struck she’d hunt down Nino and Alya. They worked well together and their powers would come in the most handy for a variety of different akumas and emergencies. Alya is gonna be over the moon when she finds out she gets to keep her miraculous this time. Even if it is on a temporary basis.

The next day Marinette decided to grab some passionfruit macarons from the bakery to give to Adrien. It wasn’t much but he was bound to be in a foul mood and she wanted to brighten his day however she could.

Adrien was already sitting in class when Marinette got there. It was so strange to see him like this now. She shook off the feeling and set the bag of macarons on his desk.

“Good morning, my prince.” She kissed his forehead, “I brought you your favorite.”

“Good morning, thank you so much!” Adrien smiled as he dug out one of the macarons. He was acting chipper but Marinette could see the real strain behind his smile.

She wanted to say something. Anything. Whatever she could to let him know that everything would be alright. “Hey,” Marinette said, “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” He flashed another model worthy smile. The one meant for cameras and pictures with fans.

“I don’t know.” Marinette shrugged. “I just had this feeling when I woke up this morning that you weren’t doing well today.

She saw the crack in his facade appear as his smile ticked down just a touch. Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed it. She wanted to make him feel better not break down on her in the middle of class for seemingly no reason.

“But I guess I was being silly.” Marinette forced a laugh, “Enjoy the macarons.”

She sat down and tried not to focus on Adrien the entire lesson. When Lila walked in he curled further into himself so much that Marinette wanted to jump up and hug him and never let him go. Lila quickly walked past his desk keeping her head down. Adrien had been quieter than usual that day but Lila had been stone silent and kept to herself off in the corner.

The knowledge was weighing on her something fierce. She couldn’t comfort Adrien and she couldn’t talk things out with Lila. Not without giving away that she knew more than she should. The best she could do is try to be there for them in her own way. She went over to hang out at Lila’s place after school let out. Adrien would be coming over to Marinette’s house for dinner later that evening. It wasn’t much but hopefully it meant something to them.

Marinette was currently sitting on Lila’s bed flipping idly through a magazine and listening to some Italian Pop-Punk band Lila loved. It was different from what Marinette usually listen to but she was slowly getting into it.

“Hey, Marinette,” Lila wheeled her desk chair over to Marinette, “I was thinking about something.”

“Whatcha thinking about?”

“I was planning on going out to the salon this weekend. Did you want to come?” She asked, sheepishly, “I don’t know if you need a trim or anything but I thought it might be nice to go together. It was a thing I used to do all the time with my mom and her friends back in Italy. We’d all go out to the salon and mom and her friends would gossip with the hairdressers. The stylists always loved working on my hair cause it was so long. Since we moved though that little tradition ended cause mom is always out working and even if she wasn’t she doesn’t have her friends and--sorry, I’m talking too much.”

“No. No, I’d love to go to the salon with you.” Marinette assured her, quickly, “It stinks that you can’t go with your mom like you used to but we can make a new start of it. We could invite the other girls out too. We’ll be your gossip crew getting out hair done together like your mom and her friends did.”

“That sounds nice.” Lila twisted a lock of her hair around in her hands.

“Was that all you wanted to ask?” Marinette prodded, gently. She couldn’t ask Lila about Adrien directly but maybe she could get her to open up on her own. “Nothing else you want to talk about?”

“Not really.” Lila looked away. “I mean there is this one thing...it’s my problem though. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well that doesn’t sound good.” Marinette scooted forwarded and clasped Lila’s hand, “If you’re having a problem then maybe I can help. I want to help.”

“It’s not something I can disclose.”

“Oh…Does this have anything to do with the thing you mentioned yesterday? The thing you couldn’t tell me about?”

“It is, unfortunately. I wish I could cause I could use some advice but I really cannot talk about it.”

“I get it. I won’t pry.” Marinette sighed. It was very nice that Lila was keeping Adrien’s secret and Marinette was proud of her but she also wished that she would just tell her. Then she could help and offer advice and reassure her and Adrien that everything would be okay. Having two different identities that are supposed to have limited knowledge was extremely vexing right now.

Marinette texted the girls’ group chat and asked them about going to the salon this weekend. They all rather liked the idea of going out to the salon together and promised to clear time in their schedule to come in. Lila looked so happy to be making plans with everyone. She almost looked giddy as the girls confirmed one by one that they would be coming.

It was getting late so Marinette left. She felt bad since Mrs. Rossi wasn’t home which meant Lila would be dining alone again. She would have invited Lila over for dinner but with Adrien there as well she didn’t think it the best idea to have the two of them in an enclosed space for a prolonged period of time together. Maybe in a week or so when wounds aren’t so fresh and tensions aren’t so high the three of them could hang out again like they had started doing before this mess happened.

At dinner that evening all was going well. Adrien seemed more relaxed then he had been that morning. Marinette could tell that he wasn’t all there yet. Not that she blamed him. He gave up such a huge and important part of his life not even twenty-four hours ago.

Yes. All was going very well. Her parents were being embarrassing in a funny way, the food was delicious, and Adrien was smiling. It was all so nice. Then everyone’s phones pinged with a notification.

---

Adrien was so thankful that Marinette had invited him over for dinner that night. The cheery atmosphere of being surrounded by her family was preferable to spending another quiet dinner alone at the mansion by far. It was far lonelier now without Plagg there.

Adrien hadn’t truly grasped how much he had come to rely on Plagg for companionship when he was home. The first night after he had to renounce Plagg and give Ladybug back his ring had been the hard enough. Waking up without him was somehow even worse. He missed the warm pressure of Plagg nestled in his hair. He even missed his stinky morning cheese breath and snide and sarcastic comments.

Without his ring he felt naked. All day he kept reaching to fidget with it and sighed when he remembered it wasn’t there. Maybe he could get a new ring to fidget with. It wouldn’t be much but it could at least help stop the mini panic attacks he kept having every time he looked down and saw his ring missing. He kept having to remind himself it was safe with Ladybug. He didn’t think about how she probably gave the ring out to someone else already. She needed a partner to help defend Paris and it couldn’t be him so she would have had to find replacements ASAP.

Earlier that day Lila had approached Adrien, tried to talk to him. Adrien couldn’t even look directly at her. He knew that what she had done was the right thing and that Adrien’s choice was not inherently her fault but he couldn’t help the anger that bubbled inside him when he saw her. If she just hadn’t found his journal. If it had been literally anyone besides Lila then he would probably still be Chat Noir. He wanted to trust Lila. Marinette did so it stood to reason that he should too. But he couldn’t bring himself to trust her with his biggest secret. It was too big a leap of faith on someone who had routinely screwed him over in one way or another.

At the end of the day Adrien’s anger would fizzle out just as quickly as it would come. He wanted to blame Lila for all this. It would be so easy to put all this heartache and pain on someone else but it was his fault the journal was ever found in the first place. He was the one that had kept it instead of destroying the entries. He was the one that was stupid enough to bring it to school and then lose it. He even knew that if anyone had read his journal, even if it was Marinette or Nino, he would have given up his miraculous then too. It was a necessary precaution and sacrifice for the safety of all.

For tonight though all those problems were a little further away. He was in his girlfriend’s home with her family and eating a nice meal. Nothing could ruin it. Then his phone went off.

Everyone’s phones went off.

Simultaneously everyone reached to see what was going on. An akuma alert. It was close too. Adrien tensed and his mind flooded with excuses to escape before he remembered that he didn’t need to. He couldn’t do anything.

“Oh I just remembered that I...I forgot to shovel the snow off my balcony! That’s right! Can’t let it get worse or else it might get too heavy and cave in and break through my ceiling. I’ll be right back!” Marinette stood to attention and bolted for the stairs to her room.

Her parents tried to stop her, say something but she was already gone. That was...weird. Why would she need to shovel her balcony at this time of night with an akuma on the loose?

“I’ll uh...I’ll go see if she needs help.” Adrien excused himself and followed after her.

---

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT!” Marinette muttered as she bound across the rooftops. There just had to be an akuma during dinner! Why couldn’t Hawkmoth have waited until after Adrien had left at least?

Marinette jumped onto the balcony to Alya’s room and thrust open the door. Nino and Alya were sitting on her bed making out and jumped apart at the intrusion. “Ladybug!” Alya stumbled to stand.

“Sorry to break up your fun, lovebirds, but I need help.” She handed them the miraculous. “Chat Noir is currently out of commission and I need help.”

“It’s not another Chat Blanc situation is it?” Nino asked, worried.

“No, no, he um...he broke his leg?” Marinette said. “So he’s not going to be around for a while until it heals. In the meantime I can’t defend Paris on my own so I am giving you two your miraculous to keep for the foreseeable future.”

“Are you serious?!” Alya was jumping up and down with excitement. “This is fantastic! I mean not the part about Chat Noir breaking his leg of course--but we get to keep our miraculous! This is gonna be so--”

“Alya, I know you’re excited but there’s an akuma currently turning buildings into giant molds of jello so I need you to Rouge up and get out there.” Marinette gestured to the buildings that now swayed in the breeze as fruity, brightly colored dessert.

“Right sorry!” Alya and Nino put their miraculous on. “Let’s go save Paris!”

---

Adrien climbed onto Marinette’s bed and pushed at the trapdoor but it wouldn’t budge. Did she push something on top of it? He pushed again and again but it wasn’t moving. “Marinette!” He called through the door, “Marinette, can you hear me? Can you let me up? Marinette!”

No reply.

He pushed on the door again and he felt the cold air enter as he got it open a crack. He kept pushing until the weight gave way and the door opened. He popped his head up and saw that he had knocked the table over.

“Marinette?” His gaze swept the balcony but Marinette wasn’t there. Where on Earth could she have disappeared to?

---

“Carapace you go right. Rena you go left. When I give the signal cast the blizzard illusion. Carapace, you’re gonna throw me the floss and then we jump Jello Junkie! Got it?” Marinette went over the plan with them.

“Got it!” Rena Rouge and Carapace gave her the thumbs up.

“Okay, we split in three...two...one...GO!” They all took off in opposite directions.

---

Adrien came back downstairs and was about to ask Marinette’s parents where they think she may have gone when he got a glimpse of the TV. Marinette’s parents were watching the akuma fight. Adrien felt his stomach twist into knots. He didn’t want to see another Chat Noir but he also needed to know that his Lady was doing well.

He approached the screen and saw blurs of orange, green, and red circling the akuma but no black. Had Ladybug not given anyone his miraculous? But why?

It was so strange seeing Ladybug out there fighting another akuma without him. He supposed this was something he was gonna have to get used to eventually.

He watched with bated breath as the akuma was subdued and the damages reversed with the Lucky Charm. Adrien went to the window then and watched as the ladybugs of her cure zipped through the air fixing all the damage.

Not a minute after the broadcast celebrating the defeat of the akuma ended had Marinette came rushing back downstairs and apologizing profusely. With all the commotion dinner had gone cold anyway. Adrien got a text saying that his bodyguard was outside to bring him back home.

Adrien tried to ask Marinette where she had been since he knew she wasn’t on her balcony but never got the question out before he was being shoved out the door and into his car with a goodbye kiss and an “I love you” muttered.

Something was going on with Marinette, Adrien knew that much. But what exactly he couldn’t quite say. It felt like something important was nagging at him right there at the edge of his thoughts but he couldn’t quite pull it forward.

Marinette

Akuma

Marinette

Akuma

Marinette and an akuma.

Marinette got taken by the akuma?

No. That wasn’t it. The akuma hadn’t come towards the house.

Had he somehow had missed her? He couldn’t understand how with such a small space.

Marinette

Akuma

Marinette and an akuma.

Marinette fighting akuma? Ladybug did have backup. No. That was Rena Rouge and Carapace fighting. Neither of them could have been her.

Why couldn’t he figure this out?!

Marinette. Akuma. Marinette. Akuma. Marinette. Akuma. Marinette. Akuma. Marinette. Akuma. Ladybug. Akuma. Marinette. Ladybug. Marinette. Ladybug. Akuma. Mari--

Adrien whipped out his phone and brought up a picture of Ladybug.

Ladybug...Ladybug...Doodle bug…Doodle bug!

“HOLY FU--!”

Chapter Text

Brrp! Brrp!

Nino’s head lifted just enough to be able to glance at the clock on his bedside table. Next to it his phone was alight and vibrating. It was almost two in the morning. Who was calling him?

Brrp! Brrp!

He had established a rule early on with Alya that any news or theory rambling about superheroes was to be wrapped up by midnight so they could get a decent night’s sleep. So either she was ignoring the rule as she sometimes forgot or someone else was calling him.

Brrp! Brrp!

He could just ignore it. It would be sensible considering the hour. Then again if there was an emergency he couldn’t ignore it either. He felt the weight of the miraculous on his wrist and sighed as he reached for his phone. He did have a responsibility now.

He didn’t have his glasses on so he couldn’t make out the name on the blindingly bright screen but swiped to answer. Before he could even say ‘Hello’ the person on the other end was shouting at him.

“NINO! I’M IN LOVE WITH MARINETTE!”

Oh for the love of decent waking hours…

“Adrien?” Nino yawned, “What the hell?”

“I AM IN LOVE WITH MARINETTE!”

“Uh yeah, I thought that was already established, dude.” Nino said, “Did you forget or something?”

“No! I just realized that I--I was--I’ve been in love with her for a long time! Like a really long time!”

“Again, we been knew. Mind telling me why you needed to call me in the middle of the night for this?”

“You don’t understand. I realized I’ve been in love with her even before we started dating! I didn’t know it until now though!” Adrien sounded elated yet there was something panicky about the way he said it.

“Okay? Is that a problem?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why are you calling me? I love you too dude, but this doesn’t seem like emergency revelation news that you couldn’t have just told me at school.”

“Sorry. I know it’s late. I was having dinner with Marinette’s family this evening and after I left I started thinking about some stuff and the only solution was that Marinette has been the girl I have been in love with all along. I am baffled I didn’t notice it before. I mean she was right under my nose for years and I didn’t see it! How could I not see it?”

“Because you’re oblivious. You didn’t know that Marinette had a crush on you until she straight up confessed to you at the wax museum.”

“I feel ridiculous. She was right! We are infuriating idiots!” Adrien was exasperated that was for sure. Nino was still wondering why he was so shocked by this.

“We all thought so at least, now you know how the entire class felt for over two years.”

“Trust me, I don’t think you guys could be more shocked then me.”

“Okay.” Nino yawned again, “Not to sound like I’m trying to dismiss this revelation of yours but we do have class in the morning, bro. I’m going back to bed and I think that maybe you should too.”

“Yes. Sorry again for calling you so suddenly. Usually I would have talked about this to Pla...to, Plato, but he’s uh...not here.”

“Plato the philosopher?”

“Yes. I mean no. Plato is um, is this stray cat that wanders around near my house. It’s nice to offload on him sometimes.”

“Well, glad to be your substitute cat for the evening I guess. We can talk about this more tomorrow if you want. Goodnight, Adrien.”

“Thanks. Sorry for waking you. Night Nino.”

---

“Good morning, Marinette!” Alya rushed her best friend with a huge smile. Alya hadn’t been able to stop smiling since last night.

Not only had she gotten to be Rena Rouge again but she was also keeping her miraculous this time! The fox pendant was safely tucked under her shirt where it wouldn’t be noticed. After the Lila/Volpina incident no one was sporting that type of necklace anymore out of the sour affiliation.

Alya had stayed up late into the night catching up with Trixx and theorizing to herself about how Chat Noir had broken his leg and if she would be able to pick him out in civilian form because of it. She knows that she decided to stop trying to figure out their identities for the sake of safety but it was still fun to put the clues together.

“Hi there,” Marinette laughed as Alya squeezed her, “I’m guessing you got some good shots of the akuma fight last night. I saw that Rena Rouge and Carapace were out helping.”

“Oh yeah, totally,” Alya froze up a little, “My computer crashed as I was trying to upload them to the Ladyblog though and it ended up deleting everything I had. Such a shame.”

“That is a shame. I know how big a Rena Rouge fan you are.” Marinette smiled.

“You have no idea.” Alya looked behind her to find Nino. He was currently being dragged off to the boy’s bathroom by Adrien. “Poor Nino, apparently Adrien called him late last night and he had trouble getting back to sleep after.”

“That does suck. Do you know what Adrien called him about?” Marinette asked.

“He didn’t say. I thought you would know.”

“I don’t know anything. He seemed a little down yesterday but when he left my house last night after dinner he seemed fine. Do you think something is wrong? Should I talk to him?”

“It might be nothing. Adrien can be just as spazzed out and panicky as you when he wants to be. Whatever it is I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“I hope so,” Marinette got this sad look about her that made Alya’s heart bleed. Marinette was always so worried about others but never more so when it came to Adrien. She was certainly a girl in love and wanted to make her boyfriend happy.

The girls gathered in the locker room to talk more about this group trip to the salon that Marinette and Lila had started planning yesterday. All the girls agreed they were long overdue for some pampering.

Alya was really happy to see Marinette and Lila finally getting along after such a long feud. The two had gotten really close lately to the point Alya was almost jealous. Lila herself had even been acting different. She seemed more at ease and a lot more open about herself. For as much as Lila liked talking about her adventures and grand stories she never really said much about herself. That all changed when she and Marinette started hanging out.

When the girls walked into class Alya noted that Adrien was particularly sunshiney today. Whatever he had talked about with Nino it clearly wasn’t bad. The boy was practically glowing with happiness and when Marinette stopped to give him a good morning kiss his smile could have blinded the entire class. Alya always knew that Adrien was the type of boyfriend to adore his girlfriend but this was on another level. He looked at her in a way that made Alya feel guilty for witnessing it. Like it was this highly personal and intimate moment not mean to be witnessed by human eyes. It was a wonder that orchestra music and angels singing didn’t start when he saw her.

The only one that seemed oblivious to Adrien’s worshipper level of love was Marinette herself who sat on the corner of his desk talking to him as if it was any other day. The casualty was almost more startling than the cartoon hearts bubbling above Adrien’s head.

Alya leaned over to Nino who was also having a hard time tearing his eyes away from the scene before them. “What is going on with him?” Alya whispered, “Tell me the truth, is he high or something?”

“He’s high but drugs have nothing to do with it.” Nino whispered back, “He called me last night screaming about how he realized he’s been in love with Marinette for years and didn’t truly realize it until now. I honestly didn’t know that those two could get even worse. They were pretty mushy before but I may literally have to slap him back to reality if he doesn’t get ahold of himself soon.”

“Let him adore his girlfriend. If he starts building an altar then you can slap him.” Alya gently guided Marinette away from Adrien and Nino more or less twisted Adrien’s head around so he was focusing on the lesson.

Truthfully Alya was having a hard time focusing on the lesson as well but for unrelated adoring her romantic partner reasons. Before Ladybug left she had told Alya and Nino that they would be going out on patrol the next night so she could explain the situation with their miraculous more in depth. Alya was counting down the minutes until it got to be the time she would be heading out. She still couldn’t believe she was given a miraculous to keep! Even if it is only until Chat Noir’s leg is better. That reminded her, she needs to get a statement from Ladybug about Chat Noir’s status to post on the Ladyblog so no one freaked out by Chat Noir’s mysterious disappearance.

The hours dragged by and Alya went straight home so she could finish her homework as quickly as possible. She didn’t want anything hindering her before patrol. As the time to go drew nearer Alya made sure to lock her door and let her family know that she was going to be working very intently and to not bother her.

The moment she thought she was safe she went to the window and transformed before pouncing into the night. Ladybug was already waiting at the meet-up spot and Nino--Carapace, was not far behind Alya.

Ladybug turned to them with a smile. “Hi guys, thanks for coming out. I know that all of this was rather sudden and I didn’t get a chance to fully explain things last night but I am here to answer any questions you have.”

“Okay, you said that we could keep our miraculous. Does this mean we get to keep them after Chat Noir is healed from his broken leg or are you going to take them back?” Carapace asked.

“As it is right now I will have to ask for the miraculous back once Chat Noir is able to return. It is nothing against you two or your skills as heroes but it is dangerous to have so many miraculous out in circulation at one time.”

“How long is Chat Noir going to be laid up?” Alya asked this time, “Also, can I get a statement for the Ladyblog so the people understand where Chat Noir is?”

“I’m not sure exactly how long Chat Noir is going to be out of commission. As long as it takes I suppose.” Ladybug sighed. Alya could see how much not having her usual partner around was bothering the spotted heroine. It was so natural to see Ladybug and Chat Noir together that Alya didn’t fully realize until now what it must be like to be without him. It got her thinking about the Chat Blanc incident again. Everyone hated seeing one of their heroes under the influence of Hawkmoth but Alya remembered Ladybug’s face as she was fighting him. She was heartbroken same as she was now.

Ladybug agreed to record the statement about Chat Noir for the Ladyblog after they wrapped up patrol. Now this was where the night got interesting! Fighting akumas could be fun and Alya loved using her powers but it was also nice to just take to the rooftops and run without having to worry about immediate danger. Alya was disappointed by how fast the time flew by and she had to return home.

After getting Ladybug’s statement Alya went about uploading it to the Ladyblog. Not long after she posted the video comments came flooding in expressing their sympathies and well wishes to Chat Noir, wherever he may be. Alya hoped that Chat Noir saw this and realized how much everyone cared about his wellbeing. Poor guy deserved it after breaking his freaking leg.

---

Lila was scrolling through images of new hairstyles when a notification popped up on her phone. Alya updated the Ladyblog. Lila’s blood boiled at seeing the video of Ladybug but kept the hatred from making her exit out. The caption for the video said: Where is Chat Noir? Ladybug Answers.

Lila had been pretty sure that Adrien had given up being Chat Noir but watching the video confirmed it. Lila was pretty good at spotting lies and Ladybug was spewing them. Chat Noir hadn’t broken his leg.

Then a spasm of guilt twisted in her gut. No...Chat Noir had not broken his leg. He had given up his powers to keep himself and others safe because Lila knew who he was. Even with her promise not to tell anyone it didn’t keep him from giving up his responsibility to protect Paris.

“It’s not my fault,” she muttered to herself, “If that blonde dope hadn’t brought that stupid journal to school and then was so careless as to have lost it.”

Lila repeated it again and again.

It wasn’t her fault.

She did the right thing.

It’s not her fault! It’s not!

If Adrien couldn’t trust her then that was his problem. Not hers. She had literally done the right thing! She could have used the information to get everything she wanted! She could have forced Adrien to break up with Marinette. She could have blackmailed him into betraying Ladybug. She could finally get her revenge! And if Adrien had refused she could have gotten herself akumatized and told Hawkmoth and then he would give her everything she wanted. She had the means literally at her fingertips! She could have had everything!

But then Marinette’s voice creeped into her mind. That nagging soft voice telling her that she was better than blackmail, better than her lies. She remembered their conversation and how Marinette had put Lila’s hatred for Ladybug into a new perspective. Learning that Marinette hated Ladybug too had made Lila feel a lot better. She didn’t feel as alone. Everyone else practically worshipped that bug but Marinette didn’t. It was relieving to hear.

Lila put down her phone and took a deep breath. She really needed to call her old therapist and re-enroll in sessions. The thought of going to a therapist made Lila want to vomit. What could that quack tell her about herself that she didn’t already know? What could it help? Really?

Deep breath. “Therapy isn’t the worst thing,” Lila reminded herself, “If we go back then we can stop lying to mom. It’s supposed to help. It will help.”

This whole mess with Adrien and her plans to go back to therapy reminded Lila of the journal she had been assigned to keep at one point. She had probably written three entries before calling it stupid and pointless and chucking it out. When she went back her therapist would probably recommend the exercise again. She might as well get a head start on it.

She fished around in her drawers before pulling out a pretty unused notebook that she had bought forever ago but had nothing to write in it. She marked the date and started writing.

Dear Journal, I am really looking forward to my salon day with my friends this weekend.

A small smile crept back onto Lila’s face as she stared down at that first sentence. “My friends,” she whispered happily.

The weekend could not come fast enough. Lila couldn’t remember being this excited to hang out with others since she didn’t know when. The girls had gathered outside of Lila’s house and walked to the salon together arms linked and giggling all the way. When they stepped inside the salon Lila felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. It felt like she was a little kid out with her mom again.

“So,” one of the stylists draped a cape around Lila. “What are we doing today?”

“A big cut,” Lila clenched the armrests of the chair tighter, “I was thinking chin length.”

“That is a big cut. Are you sure?” The stylist asked.

“I’m sure,” Lila nodded.

“Okay then, any particular style you had in mind?” Lila picked up her phone and showed the chin length bob she had in mind.

Marinette was in the chair next to Lila’s. She had been planning on getting a cut since her hair was getting longer than she was used to but the girls had convinced her to grow it out more. So she was getting a trim and a blowout.

When Lila voiced her decision to cut most of her hair off Marinette turned to stare at her. “You’re cutting off that much?” She asked, incredulous, “I thought you loved having long hair.”

“I do but someone told me that I would look really great with short hair too.” Lila said. The recognition of Marinette’s own words to Lila from so long ago registered in her mind. “I want a change. A symbolic wiping of the slate, you know?”

“Good for you.” Marinette smiled. Proud.

The stylist went about tying back Lila’s hair to cut off. She knew that she wanted to do this but she was also so nervous. She had been growing out her hair for so long now. It was just hair though. Why were her hands shaking?

“Hey,” Marinette had stood up and took one of Lila’s shaking hands in her own, “You got this.”

The other girls paused what they were doing and came over to stand around Lila with encouraging smiles. Lila squeezed Marinette’s hand back and nodded to the stylist to go on. With a few snips the weight on Lila’s head and shoulders lifted. The girls around her cheered.

After some more trimming and styling Lila was done. She couldn’t stop playing with her newly shortened hair after it was done. She felt so much lighter and not just because of the trim. When everyone was done the girls all gathered around to get a picture. Squishing their faces in together so they could all fit in the tiny screen. Smiles wide and looking salon fresh. She could get used to this.

Chapter Text

Adrien felt like he was in some sort of fever dream. It was just another boring day at home scrolling through social media when a new post popped up on Marinette’s feed. It was a picture of her and the girls crowded together at a salon with Lila in the center with remarkably shorter hair. Marinette’s face was squished cheek to cheek with Lila’s.

Ladybug was cozying up to Lila. Adrien’s girlfriend, Ladybug, was acting like Lila’s best friend.

After the initial shock of Adrien realizing that the love of his life has been his crime fighting partner all these years Adrien started having other thoughts. Marinette is Ladybug and so Marinette knows that Adrien is Chat Noir and that Lila is the one that was a threat to his identity. She has known all that and yet days after Adrien gave up his miraculous she was out here having a salon day with Lila. In some way it just felt wrong.

Was Marinette being extra friendly to Lila in hopes that Lila wouldn’t turn on Adrien? Was their whole feud truly water under the bridge? Was this all some long con that Marinette was secretly planning in hopes of outing Lila and getting rid of her once and for all? He had no idea! It wasn’t like he could ask her.

How would that go over? ‘Oh hi Marinette, I figured out you’re Ladybug. It doesn’t matter how but I was wondering why you’ve been acting so friendly towards Lila since I know that you know she’s the reason I had to give up Plagg and the one thing that gave me freedom and some form of agency over my life? Just curious.’ Yeah! That totally wouldn’t raise any alarms in her wonderfully cautious mind. Then if Marinette truly is being nice to Lila because they’re friends now Adrien would come out of it looking like a jerk. Because how dare Marinette and Lila mature to be able to put their differences and bad blood behind them and proceed forward with a healthy and happy friendship.

“AGH!” Adrien collapsed on his bed. He reached for the swan plushie he and Marinette had bought forever ago and squeezed it to his chest. “What am I supposed to do, Gilbert?” Adrien stared at the plushie. “I don’t know how to feel about any of this.”

Adrien sighed. God he missed having Plagg to talk to. Even if the stinky kwami didn’t have good advice he still had advice. Here Adrien was just trapped with his thoughts.

There was no one for Adrien to talk to about any of this. The only person there would be who had all sides of the story would be Marinette. He couldn’t very well talk to her seeing as how he wasn’t supposed to know her identity.

He had been so happy when he figured it out. So much had made sense afterwards too. He wanted to pick her up and spin her around and never let her go. Then he remembered that Ladybug had been so cautious about their secret identities. If Adrien told her that he knew who she was then the amazingly selfless and cautious guardian would do something frustratingly noble like renounce her own miraculous. Adrien couldn’t let that happen. So he sat in silence admiring his girlfriend and partner even more in secret.

Well...now that Adrien thought about it, there is one other person he could talk to. He couldn’t say everything but Lila does have more of the story than anyone else…

“No! What am I thinking? I can’t talk to Lila about my problems concerning Lila! That would be insane, wouldn’t it?” Adrien started pacing around his room, plushie under his arm. “Then again if I have a problem with Lila then I should be talking to her and hashing things out. After all, it does truly seem like she’s turned over a new leaf. If anything I should be buttering Lila up too since it’s my identity that she knows. Oh god, I’ve been just trying to avoid her ever since it happened. Granted she’s been trying to avoid me too but at least she tried to come up to me that one time. Maybe I shouldn’t have brushed her off. It is her history of being akumatized and generally a really sucky person that I don’t trust her in the first place. I can’t ignore that either. Gilbert, stop just staring at me and give me some advice!”

Adrien dropped the swan plush onto the couch. “Oh my god, I’m talking to myself, I’ve gone insane. I’ve started going mad without Plagg. I would have thought it’d be the other way around.”

This is so frustrating!

“Adrien, there’s been some changes to your schedule--” Nathalie paused inside the door and took in the teenager with crazy eyes before her. “Is this a normal teenager breakdown or do you need to get outside for a few hours?”

“I don’t know!” Adrien dropped onto the couch, “I don’t know anything anymore, Nathalie! My life is a mess and I am dying!”

“Ok normal teenager breakdown.” Nathalie nodded, all business, “I have some changes to your schedule to go over with you if you can snap out of your existential crisis for five minutes.”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Adrien sat up, “What’s going on?”

“The weather isn’t looking too good this week so we’re moving the photoshoot up to tomorrow morning. So make sure to go to bed early tonight so you’re well rested.”

“Is Lila gonna be there?”

“Yes.” Nathalie said, “I know that you don’t particularly like doing photoshoots with her but she is your father’s muse at the moment so play nicely. She’s also going to be coming back to the house after the photoshoot for a meeting with your father. He wants to also have a meeting with you.”

“Yes, cause fathers normally schedule formal meetings with their sons when they want to talk to them.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “Why doesn’t he just talk to me now? He can’t be that busy all the time.”

“You know how your father is. This is more of a business meeting to talk about your work with modelling more than any kind of heart-to-heart if you’re worried about that.”

“So he doesn’t even want to talk to me about me. He wants to go over my modelling contract? Since when do I ever have a say with that?”

Nathalie sighed and sat down next to Adrien, “I know that your father can be...hard to talk to, but he does see that you are growing. You turn sixteen soon so he’s looking into giving you more say in the types of photoshoots you do.”

“You mean I’ll actually be allowed to choose what photoshoots I want to do? Seriously?”

“Yes. He’s still barring you from doing anything mature like underwear but you can veto some photoshoots if you’d like. You’ll still be obligated to do certain campaigns but photoshoots for catalogue and the like you don’t have to agree to if you don’t want to.”

“That sounds great.” Adrien didn’t think he’d ever get that much power over his modelling contract. “This was father’s idea?”

“Uh, yes,” Nathalie stood up, abruptly, “That being said you cannot ignore all of the ones that are made optional. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes Nathalie, thank you,” Adrien relaxed a bit. At least there was some good to come out of this.

Nathalie left soon after and Adrien took a deep breath to center himself again. He made up his mind. He’ll talk to Lila. He was gonna have to do it sooner or later.

At the photoshoot the next day Adrien realized he did not have a plan. What was he supposed to say to her? He really should have thought this through more. They got through the entire photoshoot and were waiting on their ride back to the mansion when Adrien decided he needed to say something now before it was too late.

“Hey,” Adrien said, turning towards Lila, “You mind if we talk?”

“You want to talk to me now?” Lila said.

“Considering what happened I think that may be excusable?”

“Point made,” Lila turned to him, “So what is it you wanted to say?”

“I hate that I can’t be Chat Noir now. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It sucks that I had to give up my miraculous and even though I know you did the right thing and my decision was my own I can’t help the fact that I get mad when I see you. It makes it doubly strange when I see you acting so friendly with Marinette. I know I can’t tell you to stop being friends with her and I could never ask that of Marinette either but it doesn’t sit right with me.”

“I see…”

“But that’s my problem to deal with because this friendship you have with Marinette means a lot to you, I know it does. The heart of the matter is this, we can’t avoid each other. We work together and because of school and Marinette we can’t exactly pretend like the other doesn’t exist. We’re too tied into each others lives to keep on like we have been.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

“I want us to come to an understanding. Our situation is complicated but there’s nothing to change it now. We don’t have to go out of our way to spend time together but when we do, whether for friends, work, or school, we’ll be decent human beings that can be relaxed around one another. Sound fair?” He held out a hand.

“Sounds very fair,” Lila shook his hand, “Thanks for saying something. I wasn’t sure how mad you were at me so I thought it best to keep my distance.”

They fell into silence once more as the car pulled up. They slid into the backseat. Even with their new understanding the air between them was thick and tense.

“Oh by the way,” Adrien said, “Your haircut looks nice.”

She smiled and Adrien couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks.”

---

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Adrien had given up his miraculous and Marinette recruited Alya and Nino to be her replacement partners. The trio had certainly gotten into their own groove fighting akumas over that time. They worked well and always won but it didn’t stop Marinette from wishing that she had her kitty back.

Adrien himself had been acting fine so far as Marinette could tell. When Marinette saw him sporting a new ring after the first week she worried that he may be going through some sort of withdrawal from his miraculous. But if anything he looked more relaxed after getting the ring. When Marinette asked about it he shrugged and said he felt like making a change. Even offered to buy her one too so they could match. Marinette’s brain immediately got swept away into wedding daydreams after that. She was useless the rest of the day and almost handed in a worksheet signed “Marinette Agreste.” Alya spotted the discrepancy and nabbed it to correct the last name but not before Adrien had gotten a clear as day view of it. Marinette would have been pretty embarrassed about that normally but knowing that Adrien was also Chat Noir only made it worse.

For years she’s been the object of affection for Chat Noir and she had always brushed off his advances and flirtatious comments. Kept telling him that she just didn’t see him that way. Then she started dating Adrien and Chat Noir had his new girlfriend and everything was fine. He had finally moved on. Then it just had to turn out that his new girlfriend had been Marinette the entire time and she had unintentionally fallen in love with the guy she kept on rebuffing! If Marinette was squirming under the knowledge just by herself she could only imagine how Adrien would react when Marinette revealed herself to him. That idiot was going to lord this over her forever. The teasing would be ceaseless and merciless. She could practically see it now. “Aw Bugaboo, I knew you’d fall for me.” or “You should have signed your homework as Mrs. Chat Noir instead.”, “You fell in love with me! You owe me ten euros now!”

Oh god, Marinette almost forgot about that bet. That was so unfair! He’s a rich boy model living in a mansion and he’s making cash bets? He doesn’t need the money! Well that was a bet they made when they were thirteen so hopefully he’s forgotten about it by now. If he did remember he’d probably ask to transfer his euros owed into kisses or cookies or something else Marinette would be much happier to give him.

As much as she rolled her eyes and quietly dreaded the inevitable teasing to come from Adrien when he found out her identity she wasn’t scared of it. Within these three weeks of being separated from her partner and yet not, Marinette found herself wanting to tell Adrien the truth more and more. She wanted to tell him who she was and consequences be damned. He’d never betray her. He literally got akumatized protecting her. She knew she didn’t need to worry about him hurting her. The only thing that kept her back did relate to the Chat Blanc incident.

Chat Noir had always been protective of Ladybug. Adrien had proven to be protective of Marinette. Putting two and two together in the heat of battle may one day prove to be fatal. If Adrien got akumatized again because of some threat towards Marinette she wasn’t sure how they would cope. She had just barely been able to pull Adrien back when he got turned into Chat Blanc the one time. Then came the mess when they were fighting the Nightmare version of Chat Blanc. It was obvious Adrien still held a lot of rage and grief about the whole event. What would he be like if it happened again?

She didn’t want to give him another reason to be worried about her. He protected Ladybug because she was his friend and partner. He protected Marientte cause she was his girlfriend. Put the two together and Marinette was scared he may actually let himself die for her if it came down to it. She failed him once when she let him be akumatized the first time. If something worse were to happen because of her…

The two of them sat in the school library studying quietly. Adrien was focused and silent as he scribbled down notes. Every so often he would look up and give her a smile before returning to his work. So mundane. So normal.

“Hey, I was thinking about something,” Adrien said suddenly, breaking the silence between them.

“Yeah?” Marinette asked, thankful for the distraction from her tumultuous thoughts.

“Since we didn’t do it last year can we do a couple costume for Halloween this year?”

“Sure, Halloween isn’t for many months but it’s never too early to start throwing around ideas. What did you have in mind?” Marinette flipped to an empty page in her notebook to jot down ideas.

“Well, we’re a dynamic duo wouldn’t you agree?” Adrien asked.

“I do indeed,”

“So what if we went as Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

Marinette fumbled with her pen. “I--I was--What?” Was this idiot seriously suggesting they go as themselves for Halloween? Why would he think that was a good idea? “Like you as...and me as…” Marinette felt weird even trying to say it.

“Well I was thinking a gender reversal sorta thing. Everyone already heard me voice Chat Noir in that movie so I was thinking I would make a good Mister Bug this time around. You would also make a very attractive Lady Noire”

“You voiced--!” Marinette stopped herself from screaming. She forgot about the movie. This beautiful moron voiced himself in a major motion movie! How did Marinette not make that connection before now?!

“Something wrong, doodle bug?” Adrien smiled at her. He looked suspiciously like the cat that swallowed the canary. Does he...no. He couldn’t possibly know her identity. He would have said something if he did.

“No. Nothing at all.” Marinette plastered a wide smile on her face, “Let’s keep brainstorming though. There are going to be so many couples going as Ladybug and Chat Noir so maybe we should try something a little more original. Maybe something that doesn’t involve skin tight black leather and cat ears.”

Marinette glanced at him and noticed his face reddening. Oh now this was interesting. “Unless of course that was your plan from the start.” Marinette shrugged, trying desperately to act nonchalant, “Seems kinda self-masturbatory, don’t ya think? Your girlfriend dressing up as you--I mean--as a character you played.”

“And it’s not a bit of an ego trip for you to go out with a guy dressed as Ladybug considering that you’re, you know, our everyday Ladybug?” Adrien rebutted, face still aglow with red but that cheeky grin was back.

“Well wasn’t it you that said that Ladybug could stand to be more like me? If I wanted to be so self indulgent I would just have you go as myself.”

“Touche,” Adrien nodded, “So how about Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask?”

“Weeb!”

“Excuse you, I would make a very sexy Sailor Moon thank you very much!”

Marinette started laughing again and at that point they got kicked out of the library for being disruptive. Marinette grabbed his face and gave him a quick kiss. “You would make a very nice Sailor Moon, my prince.”

Chapter Text

“I do not doubt that you wouldn’t look great in a miniskirt Adrien my issue is that if Halloween is as cold as it was last year then you are going to be freezing your butt off.” Marinette explained as they left the school.

“And that would be my problem to deal with.” Adrien said, “Besides, wouldn’t you give me your cape if I got cold?”

“Yes I would but I don’t think a cape is going to help keep your legs warm walking around the city. At the very least you’re gonna need to wear fleshed colored leggings.”

“Do I even want to know what is going on?” Lila was waiting by Adrien’s car. They had a photoshoot after school.

“Adrien is trying to convince me that he wouldn’t be cold wearing a miniskirt in October.” Marinette rolled her eyes, “Either adapt the costume or we are going as something else for Halloween. Got it?”

“I made a perfectly good suggestion the first time.”

“We’re not going as Mister Bug and Lady Noire.” Marinette gave him a quick kiss, “Think over what you want to do. I gotta get home.”

“Okay. Love you, doodle bug.”

“Love you too.” Marinette turned to Lila, “Have a nice evening, Lila.”

“You too.” Lila waved before she slid into the car. Adrien slid in after her.

“So,” Lila put up the divider between the backseat and driver, “Are you having fun messing with your girlfriend?”

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir Halloween couple costumes? Are you trying to expose your former secret identity?”

“That’s not what I was doing. I was just messing with her.”

“How is whatever you were doing, messing with her?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Adrien chuckled.

“Is it because she doesn’t like Ladybug?” Lila asked.

“What?” Adrien turned to her, brow furrowed. “She doesn’t like Ladybug?”

“Crap, I thought you knew,” Lila covered her face, “She asked me not to tell anyone but I figured that you of all people would have known. We were talking that night I gave you your notebook and she mentioned that she’s not the biggest fan of Ladybug. She kinda hates her sometimes.”

Marinette hates Ladybug? Was this some form of self-hatred? Did Marinette actually resent being Ladybug? But that doesn’t make any sense. Marinette has never shied away from being a hero. Except for their first akuma. She was scared and wanted to quit until Adrien talked her out of it. Was it at all possible that she still felt that way even after all these years?

“Adrien, hey,” Lila flicked the side of his head, “Will you please stop spacing, you’re freaking me out. You can’t let Marinette that I told you that. She feels weird about other people knowing since everyone else kisses that dumb bug’s butt so much.”

“Sorry, yeah, I promise I won’t tell her.”

They came to the studio where they’d be doing their photoshoot. It was going by perfectly fine until a mini-earthquake shook the ground and all the equipment went falling to the ground. Everyone’s phones went off with akuma alerts. It looked like a giant plant monster was attacking the city. Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge were shown in the live footage soon after attacking it before the plant monster swiped the cameraman and the footage ended. It looked like this was gonna take a while so everyone got comfy to wait it out as was protocol with large akumas.

Lila stood at the far end of the studio tapping away on her phone.

“Whatcha doing?” Adrien asked.

“Trying to text Marinette to see if she’s okay but she’s not responding. Did she text you?” Lila asked.

“Oh no, I didn’t try to.” Adrien knew exactly where his girlfriend was and she was far from keeping out of danger. He didn’t like to think about it too much.

“Why not? She’s your girlfriend.” Lila stuffed her phone back in her pocket. “She had better be safe or I am going to kill her. Oh no, what if Alya dragged her off to film the akuma? I’m gonna call her.”

“I’m sure that wherever they are they are fine and keeping out of danger.” Adrien tried to assure her. It was rather nice to see how concerned Lila was for Marinette.

“You’re probably…” Lila squinted at him, “You don’t believe that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m skilled liar, Adrien. I can tell when someone is telling me one. You know something.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh really?” Lila crossed her arms, “You don’t try to call your girlfriend when an akuma strikes, you dissuade me from trying, and now you’re lying to me about Marinette and Alya’s safety. Why?”

“I really do not know what you’re talking about. I simply believe that Marinette is smart enough to not go charging into danger. I can bet that she is at home hunkered down and safe but forgot her phone in her room. She is in no real danger.”

“And you’re a really bad liar. What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on.”

“Obviously something is or you wouldn’t be lying to me. Now tell me what it is you are trying to hide.”

“Nothing! I swear! Marinette is more than capable of defending herself. Trust me.”

“I know that but against an akuma she’d have to…” Lila trailed off. She slumped against the wall, fingers steepled together as she thought.

Good. At least she stopped asking about Marinette.

“Holy shit. Holy shit!” Lila’s head snapped up to attention, “Marinette is Ladybug!”

“How did you--NO! No she’s not!” Adrien shouted over her.

“Oh my god, she is totally Ladybug!”

“No she isn’t!”

“And you know she’s Ladybug!”

“No I don’t!”

“She’s doesn’t even change her hairstyle! She is so obviously Marinette! How did I not see that before?”

“SHUT UP!” Adrien clamped his hands over her mouth, “You need stop talking right now!”

Lila pushed his hands off her and took a deep breath. “Okay,” Lila said, substantially quieter this time, “You can either keep lying to me or just admit that your girlfriend is Ladybug and you know that she’s Ladybug.”

“Oh my god this is a nightmare. Please tell me that this is a nightmare. This cannot be happening.” Adrien paced the floor pinching his arm but the room remained. Not a nightmare. This was all too painfully real. “I cannot believe this is happening. Why out of everyone in this city it is you who can see through our disguises?”

“Well to be fair I read your notebook and I was only guessing about Marinette after I saw how you were acting.” Lila ran her hands through her hair, “Thinking it through more there have been a lot of clues. Ladybug and Marinette were the only two people that didn’t trust me at all. I knew why Ladybug didn’t but I never fully understood why Marinette seemed to be able to see through my lies. That makes a lot more sense now.”

“Lila I know that you hate Ladybug but you cannot expose her.” Adrien grasped her by the shoulders and pinned her firmly against the wall. “You would be putting the entire city, possibly the world in danger if you do.”

His voice was low and his stare made Lila forget to breathe. It was in that instant Lila understood how Chat Blanc had come to be. “If you hurt my lady I will make your life a living hell. That is a promise.”

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone.” Lila nodded. She balled her hands into fists to try and stop the shaking. “I like Marinette. She’s my friend. I don’t want to hurt her and I’m kind of offended that you think I would.” Lila’s voice started to rise from the shaky whisper until she was staring back at him with the same hard glare. “Just because you don’t really believe in me doesn’t mean that others don’t. If Marinette can forgive me and want to be my friend after everything I have done to her as both Marinette and Ladybug then I should be able to do the same.”

Adrien’s grip on her eased and his face softened. He took a step back so he wasn’t overpowering her with his proximity as much. Everything was crashing in on him. Marinette was out there putting her life on the line and here Adrien was revealing her biggest secret! He screwed up. He screwed up again! He even scared Lila. That’s not who he is. He doesn’t get mad like that. Fat wet tears started to fall down his face.

“I’m sorry…” He whispered, “I just--I--I’ve already screwed up so much. It was my recklessness that exposed my identity and it was me that got Marinette’s cover blown as well now. I can’t disappoint her again. I can’t fail her again. I love her so much. So much that it hurts. I want to be able to protect her. That’s what I’m supposed to do. That’s my whole role as her partner. I am supposed to protect her but I can’t do that anymore! I have no way to protect her now! What good am I if I can’t be there for her when she needs me?”

“Oh sweetie,” Lila pulled a tissue out of her purse and handed it to him, “Looks like I’m not the only one who needs therapy. Is this what you’ve been holding in all this time?”

Adrien blew his nose and nodded.

“Listen, I can’t claim to fully understand how much this must be hurting you. But you also need to see that Marinette is fine. She’s doing just fine whether you have your powers or not.”

“But--”

“She has people protecting her as Ladybug. Two of them even. You’re going to worry regardless but you can’t take that worry out on yourself. You want to be there for her? Then be there for her. Be the caring and obnoxiously doting boyfriend you have always been. I can bet you anything that after fighting an akuma all she wants is time to unwind with someone who loves her.”

“When did you get so wise?”

“Side effect of being around Marinette for too long I suppose.” Lila shrugged. “You can still hate me if you need to but you cannot hate yourself. Understand?”

“I don’t think I hate you. At least, I don’t hate you as a person. I hate that you are the common thread that weaves through everything that’s gone wrong these past couple months. It’s so easy to blame you and that’s not fair. Is it?”

“You needed someone to take the blame for all the missteps and mistakes you’ve made. I know what that feels like too. It was never my fault. It was always the teacher, the classmate, my mom, my dad, Ladybug, whoever was there when the fallout of my own mistakes happened. The thing is, as much as you tell yourself that it isn’t your fault you have to accept part of the blame. Even if it was something small and stupid that you probably didn’t even mean to do you still have to own up to it. You don’t want to because you want to believe that you are a better person then that but you can’t run from it forever. You have to sit down and accept that you messed up. The only way to move on is to fix it however you can.”

“I lie and manipulate because it gets me what I want. I get to control that narrative. I can be perfect. I can be so perfect that no one can criticize me. Not teachers, not my peers, not even my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Grade A narcissist and all around jerk.” Lila sighed, “Your piece of shit dad reminds me a lot about him actually.”

“My father isn’t--”

“Your dad has a stick up his butt the size of the Eiffel Tower. He’s also really controlling to a point that even I think is messed up. I’ve seen helicopter parents and I’ve seen overly critical parents but your dad? There’s something wrong with him.”

“He’s a recluse and he’s changed a bit since mom went missing but--”

“Adrien, do you want to know the real reason your father hired me? It’s not because I’m his new muse. He hired me because I was willing to spy on you and report back to him. In exchange he promised me fame and pretty much anything else I wanted.”

“Are you serious? Why would he do that?”

“Cause he’s a dick that wants to micromanage every aspect of your life. I know it can be hard to see it from the inside but he’s abusive, Adrien. I should know.”

“The narcissist and all around jerk?”

“Piece of shit. The gaslighting, the criticism, the fights he would get into with mom and I. One night everything blew up. Dad threw a punch at mom, I threw a vase at dad, mom grabbed me and we ran out of there. A long trial later and an even longer stay with my grandparents before I moved back in with mom and we started hopping all over the map for her work. Settled back down in Italy for a while before I screwed things up and then we moved here.”

“Oh my god, are you--”

“If you ask me if I am okay I am going to punch you, Agreste. It happened when I was nine. It’s an old scar.”

“Still, couldn’t have been pleasant to go through that.”

“Wasn’t. Ended up coping in a bad way.”

“The lying?”

“I was already so used to lying convincingly to dad. He was so much easier to deal with if I told him what he wanted to hear. Soon realized it was easier to deal with everyone when you pretended like you were perfect. Tell them what they want to hear, ostracize the ones that point out your flaws, and bing-bang-boom you’re the most perfect girl in the world and those that hate you are just jealous.”

Adrien went over to the snack table and grabbed a bottle of water and a biscotti. He sat down next to Lila and handed her the food. “Sounds like life sucks.”

“About as much as it can.” Lila took the biscotti and broke it in half, offering part to Adrien. “Which is why I’m going back to therapy. I stopped going almost a year ago cause I thought it was stupid and wasn’t actually helping me. Took some time but I’m ready to try it again. From the sound of things it seems like maybe you should look into enrolling yourself too.”

“I’ve thought about before but I don’t think my father would ever let me.”

“Duh, if you start going to therapy then you’ll be able to spot his toxic ass behaviour better and he won’t like that. If you want to start then you’re gonna have to find a way to work around him.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Adrien bit into the biscotti. All the tension started to melt away. Adrien knew Lila better now and he was glad for it. There was still the issue that Lila knows that Marinette is Ladybug. He believed that Lila wasn’t going to rat her out but now two people knew and that was dangerous. Adrien counted himself an exception since he was Ladybug’s partner but Lila was a magnet for akumas.

“You’re still worrying about the Marinette thing, aren’t you?” Lila asked. “It doesn’t matter how much I promise I won’t tell anyone, the fact that I know is still a danger.”

“Yeah.”

“I can promise to do my best to not get akumatized but that doesn’t really count for much, does it?”

“Afraid not.”

Lila sighed deeply. A look of resignation settling over her face. “I know how to fix it. It’s not gonna be pretty but it’ll work.”

“What do you need to do?”

“Be exactly what I'm expected to be.” She paused, a smile growing on her face. “Wait, if I know about Marinette now does that mean that we can work together to mess with her?”

“Oh my god we totally can!”

Chapter Text

Something.

Was.

Wrong.

Marinette could not be sure when it started or why but something was very wrong in her friend group. One day everyone is happy and normal, making jokes and impatiently waiting for spring break the next they’re all congregating whispering and giggling like they have a dirty little secret. At the center of it all was Lila. A couple months ago Marinette would have been worried but now she was just confused.

“What are you troublemakers whispering about?” Marinette asked as she approached the girls during lunch.

“Lila has a secret crush and she won’t tell us who.” Alya explained.

“Please tell us!” Rose begged, “We promise to not tease you or tell anyone.”

“Yeah come on! Tell us!” Alix leaned closer, “You can trust us.”

“It’s nothing really.” Lila tried to brush it aside, “A lot of people have a crush on them.”

“Darn you and your use of gender neutral pronouns. Give us a hint at least!” Alix whined, “Or wait, was that the hint? Are they nonbinary? Who do we know that uses they/them pronouns? Oh shoot! Is it me? Cause I’m good with all pronouns. I gotta say Lila, you’re pretty cool but I’m looking for something platonic.”

“It’s not you, Alix.” Lila said.

“Well why not? I’m a total catch!”

“You just said you weren’t looking for anything romantic!”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not offended.”

“Girls, can we not have this discussion again?” Mylene said, “If Lila doesn’t want to tell us who she has a crush on that’s her business.”

“Thank you, Mylene.” Lila said, relieved, “You don’t need to worry. Even if I did tell you there’d be no chance of me getting together with her.”

“Her?” Rose said, excitedly, “So it is a girl!”

“Darn it,” Lila sighed, “Yes, and that’s all you’re getting out of me.”

“Come on! Just tell us!” the girls pleaded but Lila kept her lips sealed.

There were a few things about this that struck Marinette as interesting. One, Lila liked girls. Marinette can say she didn’t see that coming. Lila struck her as very hetero but that may have just been because of her old obsession with Adrien. Two, Lila had a crush on someone in general. In all the time that Marinette has known Lila and been her friend she’s never seen her show genuine interest in someone romantically. Not even a comment about a celebrity being hot in a magazine so this was fairly surprising. Third, Lila was being very secretive about who it is that she likes. In almost any other circumstance Lila would have only been more than glad to tell everyone about her crush in hopes of getting the girls help her confess like they had done numerous times for Marinette. And finally, Lila didn’t think there was even the slightest chance that she and her crush could be together. Was it because her crush was already dating someone? Were they not interested in girls as well? Was it some celebrity?

These questions followed Marinette after lunch. She asked Adrien if maybe Lila had mentioned anything to him about having a crush but he said he didn’t know anything about it. He did seem unusually happy that Lila had a crush on someone. Maybe that was due to him not having to worry about her trying to come onto him. Granted it had been months since she tried anything like that but Marinette knew it was something Adrien quietly dreaded.

Lila invited herself over to Marinette’s house after school. The girls were sitting in Marinette’s room scrolling through social media. Every once in a while Lila would emit these little dreamy sighs complete with smitten smiles as she stared at her phone. She must be looking at pictures of her crush. Marinette wanted to respect her privacy but the curiosity was too great. Marinette inched herself closer to Lila trying to peer over her shoulder.

“Can I help you?” Lila asked when Marinette got close enough to see the screen.

“Oh sorry, I was just curious as to what was making you all happy hazy over here. I thought maybe it had something to do with your secret crush. Sorry for snooping.”

“Actually,” Lila said, “You were right. I was looking at pictures of my crush. You’re gonna think I’m ridiculous though. Especially considering how you feel about her. I know that you’re not her biggest fan at times.”

“Is it Chloe? Not that I think Chloe is a terrible person, she has been doing better. But I think that you could do better.”

“God no. Definitely not Chloe.” Lila sighed, “Just promise you won’t make fun of me.”

“I promise. Who is it?”

“It might be...Ladybug?”

She might as well have told Marinette that she was in love with pigeon. That would have made more sense. Marinette sat silent for far longer than would have been considered normal. Lila sat across from her nervously tapping her fingers on her knee.

“Marinette?” Lila waved a hand in front of her face. “Earth to Marinette? Did you have a stroke?”

“No. No. Just digesting,” Marinette took a deep breath. This had to be a joke. Lila had to be pulling her leg. Lila hated Ladybug. Hated her! There was no way that she would just up and suddenly have a crush on her. Definitely not.

“I know how it must sound coming from me. The very open Ladybug hater saying she has a crush on her seemingly out of nowhere. It surprised me too.” Lila opened her phone and Marinette glance the Ladybug background with little hearts around her head. “But I’ve been thinking about why I hate Ladybug so much and I had a revelation a few nights ago. The reason that I was so harsh against Ladybug wasn’t because she ruined my chances with Adrien. It was because I was upset that she seemed to hate me on sight. This hero and protector who also happens to be very cute hated me from our first interaction and soiled any ideas of me ever being with her.”

Marinette’s palms felt sweaty. She was prepared for a lot of answers but Lila had thoroughly bamboozled her. All this time, for three years Lila had unknowingly been harboring a crush on Marinette’s hero persona disguised as a grudge. Acts of malevolence actually incited due to misplaced feelings and crushed hopes. Marinette wasn’t sure how to feel about all this.

“Ok…” Marinette finally said.

“It makes me wish that I could talk to Ladybug and explain myself but I know that she would never want to see me after everything I’ve done. Which is why it hurts so much that I had to realize that I had feelings for her. Oh well, such is life I suppose.” Lila frowned as she turned off her phone. “You must be so disappointed in me. Having feelings for someone that I know you don’t like.”

“Oh no! Don’t feel guilty for liking her!” Marinette tried to assure her. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. If you have feelings for her then I fully support you. It must have taken a lot of guts to admit that.”

“Thanks. It feels good to get it off my chest.” Lila smiled, “I’m glad I can confide this stuff in you.”

“Yeah. Totally.” Marinette nodded along.”So if you did see Ladybug what would you say to her?”

“I don’t know. I’d apologize for causing her trouble and tell her how I feel. There are rumors that she’s dating someone already but at least I could let my feelings be known. And who knows, if those rumors turn out to just be rumors something might actually happen. I mean I doubt it considering how much she seems to hate me but I can dream.”

“Right. Well, good luck with all that.” Marinette patted her shoulder. “Anyone else know about your crush?”

“No. So please don’t tell anyone!”

“I won’t! Promise.” Marinette would rather keep their friends away from this revelation. Knowing Alya she’d try to create a plan to get Lila and Ladybug alone together so Lila could confess. The girls would all go along with it too. No. Marinette would take this tidbit of information to her grave.

After Lila left Marinette sat down and just stared at the wall for several minutes. Tikki sat on Marinette’s shoulder doing the same.

“Well…” Tikki said quietly, “At least she doesn’t hate you anymore.”

“Is it bad that I almost prefer that she did? I mean, I don’t even know what to do with this information! Lila has a crush on me! What do I do?”

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do. If she ends up flagging you down as Ladybug and confesses you’re just gonna have to respectfully turn her down. She may feel slighted but she also understands that it’s a longshot anyway so maybe she won’t be so hurt she gets akumatized.”

“I hope you’re right. I’d hate to have her get akumatized because of me...again.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will turn out fine.”

---

“And then she just sat there staring at me with eyes so big I thought they were gonna bug out of her head!” Lila howled with laughter over the phone, “Oh my god, you should have seen her face! That cutesy background you sent me to use really was the cherry on top.”

“I cannot believe you actually went through with it!” Adrien was also laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. “Oh I wish I could have seen her face!”

“Oh wait! I did take a picture on the sly while her brain was rebooting. I’ll send it to you.” Lila quickly sent the picture to Adrien. A new chorus of laughter erupted from him as he looked at the face of his stunned girlfriend.

“Her face is so red! How long was she just sitting there processing it?” Adrien wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Forty three seconds. I counted. I was trying so hard not to laugh and keep a straight face. I think we can milk this until I put my other plan into affect. You in?”

“She is going to murder us when she finds out we were screwing with her but yes. Might as well have fun while we can.” Adrien’s laughter slowly subsided, “So, when do you think you’re going to put your plan to work?”

“I’m gonna have to do it this weekend since that’s the only time I know mom’s gonna be back home.” The humor died out of Lila as well. Sobering reality settling in again.

“You know you don’t need to do this.” Adrien told her. “We can think of something else.”

“I do though. Trust me when I say that this is going to be the best for all of us.”

“Still doesn’t mean it feels right to me.”

“It is nice to hear you say that. It won’t last forever, hopefully.”

“And there’s nothing I can do to assist?” Adrien asked. “Do you want me there too?”

“Thanks for offering but the fewer people present the quicker it’ll be over. Marinette should be enough so long as she doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything.”

“I don’t think she will. She’s very honest in that regard.”

“I’ve noticed.” Lila’s voice lifted a little. A small spark of affection. “I need to get going. I’ll call you after it’s done.”

“Alright. Good luck.” Adrien hung up. Messing with Marinette had been fun but the reality of what was about to happen weighed on Adrien. Marinette was no doubt going to be torn by Lila’s decision. Adrien wished he could let her know what was going on but Lila was adamant that Marinette’s reaction and statements had to be genuine.

There was almost certainly going to be an akuma because of this if Lila was right. Adrien comforted himself with the knowledge that Marinette would have Rena Rouge and Carapace if that ends up happening but the guilt wouldn’t leave.

None of this was Lila’s fault. It wasn’t Adrien’s. It wasn’t Marinette’s. It was all Hawkmoth. The real root to all their misery for the past three years. Innocent people being brainwashed and used by a terrorist to push his own evil agenda. If they could just hunt him down then they could finally put a stop to this. Unfortunately he hadn’t made another appearance since the day Marinette became the new guardian.

Poor Marinette. Adrien had known she was stressed before with everything she has on her plate before he ever knew she was Ladybug. Class president, fashion designer, graphic designer, seamstress, baker, super hero, and now guardianship all while trying to keep her school work straight, have time to hang out with her friends, do chores, be in a committed relationship as well as getting enough sleep. He was honestly baffled she was keeping it together so well. If Adrien had even a quarter of her responsibilities he’d probably implode.

Maybe he should talk to her about lightening her load. If she kept up at this pace then she was gonna burn out. He really didn’t want to see that happen to his girlfriend.

Adrien twisted the replacement ring he had gotten around his finger. The ring helped stop the anxiety attacks he had every time he looked down and didn’t see his miraculous but it didn’t replace Plagg’s companionship. That was a stinky cheese hole that could never be filled.

One day. Hopefully one day soon if Lila’s plan worked.

---

Before bed Marinette got a text from Lila asking her if she wanted to come over to Lila’s house over the weekend.

Sure, Marinette typed back, What for?

I’ve been wanting to make a nice dinner for once. I don’t know if you know this about me but I really love to cook. I haven’t had much motivation to do anything really nice since it’s usually only me. But if you would come over we could cook up one of my family recipes and have dinner together. Maybe even turn it into a sleepover. --Lila

Sounds great! I look forward to it! When should I come over? --Marinette

Around five. I’ll go grocery shopping before hand and then we can get cooking when you arrive. BTW do you have any kind of food allergies? --Lila

None. Whatever you choose should be fine. Can’t wait! --Marinette

Awesome! I’ll let you know more at school tomorrow. Night! --Lila

Sweet dreams! --Marinette

Chapter Text

It was a relatively warm day when Marientte went over to Lila’s to help her cook one of her old family recipes. Lila was pretty excited all weekend but Marinette could tell that there was a performative nature to her cheerfulness. It wasn’t like whenever Lila was lying or putting on airs it felt more like she was trying to keep her chin up for whatever reason.

Goodness if Marinette tried bringing it up to her though. The moment she said anything to Lila about maybe not doing as well as she was showing Lila shut her down fast. Insisting that she was fine. She just couldn’t wait for this weekend! Marinette decided to shrug it off. She needed to stop having such a dower or suspicious outlook when it came to Lila.

Although Marinette did prefer overthinking Lila’s mental state then she did thinking about the knowledge that her former enemy had a crush on her! Also it looked like she told Adrien as he kept making comments about it and encouraging Lila to confess! Adrien should know better seeing as he as Chat Noir knows that Ladybug is already dating someone. Sure he doesn’t know that it is Marinette but still! Was it some sick joke? Was he messing with Lila for his own amusement while unintentionally playing a long winded joke on Marinette? It seemed so!

It is Adrien after all. There’s always been a bit of a reckless little shit inside him. He was just able to keep it better hidden under his designer clothes and innocent smiles than when he was leaping around the city in cat ears and skin tight black armor.

After school let out Marinette packed a small overnight bag for Lila’s and went over to her house. Lila was already in the kitchen setting out everything they were going to need to cook dinner. She was wearing an old striped apron with numerous old stains on the front and a headband too keep her bangs out of her face. “Hey Marinette,” She tossed her another apron, “Set your bag in the living room then you can help me get this started.”

“Looks like you go a lot of stuff there. What are we making?” Marinette threw her bag on the couch and slipped the apron on over her head.

“One of my favorites. It’s my great great great nonna’s lasagna recipe. It is a lot of work so two sets of hands are better than one.” Lila opened a little wooden box on the counter. Inside were numerous handwritten recipe cards. Lila filed through them before pulling out the one she was looking for.

“Sounds delicious. Just point me towards what I need to do.” Marinette gave a little salute.

For the next half hour or so the girls toiled with their prep work. Lila was no nonsense when it came to cooking as Marientte soon realized. She took it very seriously but was not mean about it and seemed to rather enjoy teaching Marinette what to do. With most everything done and an hour and a half to kill while the meat and sauce mixture simmered on the stove the girls sat down to relax.

“This is fun.” Marinette said, “How come you never mentioned that you could cook earlier?”

“Never thought of it I guess.” Lila shrugged. “When I was living with my grandparents my nonna always dragged me into the kitchen to help her with meals. She taught me everything I know and when I moved back in with my mom she gave me the box of family recipes.”

“I didn’t know you lived with your grandparents.”

“I guess I only told Adrien that story.” Lila twiddled her thumbs around, “My parents were going through a messy divorce and instead of subjecting me to all that drama I went to stay with my grandparents for about two years while everything settled. After mom was stable again I went back to live with her.”

“Sorry to hear that. How old were you?”

“Nine.”

“If it’s not too nosy, do you mind me asking why they split up?”

“Dad was a jerk. Mom finally had enough.” Lila clasped her hands together tightly, “There was barely a night when they weren’t screaming at each other.”

“Lila, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No. It’s okay. It’s nice to have someone to talk to about it.” Lila assured her, “That kind of experience does things to a kid. I talked to a child psychiatrist for a bit while the trial was going on. It wasn’t until I started living with mom again that she decided to enroll me in therapy again.”

“You’re in therapy?”

“I’m supposed to be. I may or may not have cancelled my sessions sometime last year cause I didn’t like going. Thought it was stupid. But with everything going on in my life recently, trying to make better decisions, I decided to re-enroll.”

“That’s great!” Marinette smiled, a weight felt like it had been lifted from her. There was a part of her that always believed Lila needed therapy. Back when she was thirteen it had been more or less in response to Marinette thinking Lila was an unhinged, lying megalomaniac. But as Marinette got to know her more she started thinking about it more seriously. Therapy could help her more than Marinette alone ever could.

“I’m really proud of you, Lila.” Marinette wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “That is a big step you are taking and I think it will only be helpful to you. Not just for whatever issues you may be going through but it might even help with your sleeping disorder.”

“Thanks. That would be nice.” Lila took a deep breath, “Now all I have to do is tell my mom that I have been lying about being in therapy all this time.”

“Is she going to be mad?”

“Mad?” Lila scoffed, “She’s going to be apoplectic! My mom is a very level headed woman. It takes a lot to get her mad. There are two things that really get to her though, any mention of my dad and my habit of lying my ass off. So when I tell her I’ve been lying to her all this time? Promise me you will try to find my body.”

“I promise. But I think that if you explain the situation clearly and calmly and let her know what you’re planning then you can avoid a screaming match.”

“Probably.” Lila sighed, a wave of resignation and sadness washing over her in an instant, “But I can guarantee you that’s not how it’s gonna go down.”

“Hey,” Marinette gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, “Do you want me here when you tell her?”

“Yes please.” Lila gave her a watery smile. “And I know she’s probably going to ask you if you knew anything, don’t try to lie about it. Don’t sugarcoat it. Just tell her all the crappy things I did. It’ll be for the best if we get it all out in the open right off the bat.”

“Also,” Lila said, her voice wavering, “No matter what happens after just know that I do like you. You’re the first real friend I’ve had in years. Please don’t give up on me.”

Marinette hugged Lila. Crushing her to her chest. “I know Lila. I know. I haven’t given up on you yet. I’m not about to now.”

Lila hugged her back. The walls she had built around herself crumbling down into dust for a few blessed minutes and she silently wept into Marinette’s shoulder.

The timer for the sauce went off and the girls jumped. Lila took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to turn on the waterworks like that. It all just came rushing out.”

“Don’t apologize.” Marinette stood up with her. “It felt like you needed it. Now hows about we finish that lasagna?”

The girls went back to the kitchen as they assembled the lasagna and slid it into the oven. Marinette excused herself to the bathroom while Lila started rinsing down the dishes. Marinette was washing her hands when she heard a door slam from the other room.

“Lila Domitilla Rossi!” Mrs. Rossi’s voice resonated throughout the apartment. “I would like to know exactly why when I called Doctor Fouche’s office I was told you haven’t attended a session in months.”

Crap! Marinette pressed closer to the door. For a superhero she found herself hesitating to enter the lion’s den that was once the living room of the Rossi residence. She could faintly hear Lila’s voice on the other side.“Okay, I know this looks bad but I swear it really isn’t. I was planning on going back.”

“And when exactly were you going to inform me about any of this?”

“When are you ever home?!” Lila snapped back at her.

“That’s not fair, Lila. I have been trying to be home more often but my job--”

“Yes, yes, your precious job--”

“I’m not the one who dropped out of therapy and then lied about it for months! You know why you need to attend your sessions! You agreed with me when I talked to you about starting therapy but I can see that was another lie.”

“Yeah, cause you wouldn’t get off my back about it!”

Marinette quietly cracked the door open to see what she could. She couldn’t see Lila but she could see her mom and she looked as livid as she sounded.

“This isn’t something you can shrug off, Lila.” Mrs. Rossi pinched the bridge of her nose, “This is the exact reason we had to move in the first place.”

“That school--”

“It was a good school that I was forced into pulling you from so you wouldn’t have an expulsion on your record”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“You tried to frame one of your classmates for theft and when that failed stuck a switchblade in her bookbag to set off the metal detector to get her expelled. They could have sued us! But I promised that you would be starting therapy to deal with these issues and would look into enrolling you into a different school to avoid further tensions.”

“I never--”

“Stop lying!” her mom snapped, her voice choked with emotion. She looked like she was gonna start crying. Her voice dropped down to almost a whisper and Marinette had to strain to hear what she said. “Lila, you promised me. You promised that you were going to make an effort. You were going to go to therapy and address these issues. You were going to be more conscientious about your choices. What else have you been doing?”

“Are you going to cut me off again if I try to tell you?”

“Lila...”

She couldn’t keep hiding in here. It wasn’t right. Marinette opened the door the rest of the way and stepped into the living room. Mrs. Rossi composed herself as best she could in front of Marinette.

“Oh, Marinette, I didn’t know you were over.” Mrs. Rossi wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “I am sorry you had to hear any of that.”

Marinette looked to Lila. Her head was bowed so Marinette couldn’t see her face but she could tell she was having a hard time keeping herself together. Marinette went to sit next to her. She took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lila squeezed back tighter.

Mrs. Rossi inspected the two girls. Her rage quieting down a bit. Good. Marinette didn’t want to see Lila’s mom turn into an akuma.

“Marinette, is there anything you want to tell me? Anything Lila may have done at school that she won’t tell me?”

“I um…” Marinette remembered what Lila had told her. “There is. Quite a bit actually.”

“I see. Lila? Would care to let me know or should I hear it from her?” Mrs. Rossi asked.

“I’m gonna go.” Lila shakily got to her feet and shuffled down the hall slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Mrs. Rossi sat down and buried her head in her hands. “I hate to pull you into our problems, Marinette. You are such a sweet girl and I had hoped that with you around that Lila...I guess a good influence can only counterbalance a bad one so much.”

“Whatever Lila has done is none of your fault.” Marinette said. “Lila isn’t perfect and there have been numerous times where I’ve wanted to push her into the Seine but her choices are her own and she's been doing a lot better.”

“I take it then that you’ve known about Lila’s nature for some time?” Mrs. Rossi asked.

“Lila had been harassing and blackmailing me and my boyfriend for months. We tried to speak up before but were met with resistance. I wasn’t ready to give up though and there has definitely been a change in her. She’s being friendly and genuine and I think that as misguided as she is that there is hope for her. I need you to know that when she said she was going to start therapy again she was telling the truth. She told me so.”

“Why did you never say anything to me?”

“Cause I believe that there is something worth saving in her. I wanted to say something to you but I was worried you might not believe me or react harshly. It’s not like you’re around a whole lot either and I didn’t want to strain things between you and her further.”

“Things between Lila and I have been less than great since the divorce. It took her so long to realise that what I was doing was for the best and that the way her dad treated her was wrong. Even still she struggles and I feel like I am to blame because I should be around more to help her. I am sorry for everything she has done. I have a feeling what you’ve told me is only the start of what she’s done.”

“I mean she also framed me for theft and claimed I pushed her down the stairs to get me expelled. The only reason it was rescinded was because my boyfriend struck a bargain with her that we would go along with her lies and act like her friend in return for convincing the school I didn’t actually do any of what she said.”

“I told the school! I told them that she may try something like this but I see they didn't take me seriously. Or they did and she's been blocking their calls like she tried to do in Italy. That girl is going to drive me to an early grave I swear.”

“What’s going to happen now?”

“Something I wasn’t hoping I was gonna have to do.” Mrs. Rossi stood up. “Lila, you can come out now. I know you’ve been eavesdropping.”

Lila came back into the living room. Marinette was honestly surprised she hadn’t been akumatized. Maybe Hawkmoth was in the shower or something.

“Lila, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Lila remained silent. Her gaze lost to the floor.

Mrs. Rossi sighed once again. “I told you before what would happen if you didn’t cooperate this time. I’m done being lenient. You’re going to live with your grandparents for a while.”

“Mom!”

“And I’m enrolling you in homeschooling as well as finding another therapist. I don’t want to be the bad guy here, darling, but you are giving me no other option.”

“Can she really not stay?” Marinette asked. Before she may have been happy. Lila was going to be leaving. Karma had finally come to bite her in the ass. But Marinette wasn’t happy. Not in the least. She just felt sad.

“I’m afraid not. Lila knew that if she didn’t cooperate this time around then she would be sent away.” Mrs. Rossi turned to her daughter, “Lila, darling, I know that this is hard and I have not been perfect but I think it would be for the best if you got out of the city and took some time to work on yourself. From what Marinette told me you’ve been doing a lot better but I think that being here is only causing you more stress. Especially with akumas flying around.”

“I mean...maybe?” Lila shrugged.

“Lila,” Marinette put a hand on her shoulder in a gesture she hoped was comforting, “I know that you’ve been making an effort but I have to agree with your mom. Some time away may just be what you need and in a few months maybe you’ll be able to come back better than ever.”

Lila looked between Marinette and her mom before pushing them away from her and stomping back to her room. The door slammed shut once more. Mrs. Rossi was shaking slightly.

She looked back at Marinette, unshed tears in her eyes. “Don’t take it personally. She’s just in a bad place right now.”

“I know.” Marinette stared back at the door to Lila’s room. “I um...I'm gonna try to talk to her.”

“Don’t bother. She’s going to need a few minutes to calm down.”

“Is it okay if I stay? Lila and I were supposed to have a sleepover and we spent all this time making this lasagna for dinner.”

“That’s what smells so heavenly.” Mrs. Rossi looked close to tears again. “I haven’t had my great great nonna’s lasagna in forever. It was always Lila’s favorite. I could never cook it though. I’m a terrible chef.”

“Well she did a great job. It was mostly her doing the cooking. I helped but she was the real chef behind it.”

Mrs. Rossi set the table for dinner. A few minutes later the timer went off and Marinette removed it from the oven. It smelled absolutely divine and looked positively scrumptious. Marinette knocked gently on Lila’s door and asked her if she was coming out to dinner. She said she’d be out soon which relieved Marinette. At least she wasn’t avoiding her.

Marinette sat down and a minute later Lila came out of her room and shuffled into the kitchen. There was an awkward air as she sat down. It soon dissipated as the three women dug in. A lot had happened tonight and it would take some time for Marinette to fully process all of it but at the very least some good had come of it. Lila was going to be getting the help she wanted and needed. Marinette was sad that she would be going but a few months away may be the best thing for her right now.

The girls fell asleep that night with bellies full of delicious lasagna and a new sense of peace. For the first time since Marinette started sleeping over Lila didn’t have any night terrors. Marinette chose to think of that as a sign that the right thing had been done.

---

"Mission accomplished," Lila sighed into the phone, "Mom is sending me to live with my grandparents out in the country just like I knew she would."

"I appreciate what you're sacrificing by doing this but it doesn't seem fair." Adrien said, "To go so far as to move away…"

"I'm not the biggest fan of this either but it will be for the best if I'm not around for a while. Mom and Marinette were right about the city not being the best place to put one's self back together. Not with Hawkmoth terrorizing everyone at least."

There was a gentle knock on Lila’s door. “Hey, Lila, the lasagna’s ready. Are you going to come out to eat with us?” Marinette’s soft voice asked.

“One second,” Lila whispered into the phone. “Yeah,” Lila answered louder, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay. Don’t wait too long or else it’ll go cold.” Marinette’s steps retreated back towards the kitchen.

“Marinette and mom are waiting on me for dinner. I got to go.”

“Okay. Thanks again for doing this. It means a lot.”

“That bug better give you your ring back after this.” Lila said. “And you had better take it back when she does.”

“I hope and I will. Night Lila, enjoy your dinner.”

“Goodnight Adrien.” Lila hung up. She stood up off her bed and made her way out to the kitchen. She sat down next to Marinette and her mom. A little happier and a little sadder. Why does doing the right thing have to be so bittersweet?

Chapter Text

At school it was announced that Lila would be leaving. Everyone sighed and lamented and asked why it was that she was leaving. She didn’t tell them the whole truth. All anyone outside of Adrien and Marinette knew was that she was going to be moving out to the country with her grandparents for a few months to de-stress from all the commotion of city life.

The days slowed down to a crawl between when Lila was told she was leaving and when she was supposed to leave. It gave her the time to inform her grandparents that she would be returning to stay with them and to get her set up with a new therapist and enrolled in online schooling for the rest of the school year. The plan so far was for her to stay through the summer and hopefully she would return in the autumn. If things went well she would even be allowed to come back and visit over summer vacation.

The day before Lila was going to drive out to her grandparent’s house she and Marinette were in her room going through her packing checklist. Clothes, toiletries, and chargers all neatly packed away and ready to go.

The girls sat back on the bed looking at the room. It was a strange sight to say the least. Dresser drawers and closet empty but the shelves still held her knicknacks. Bed still made.

“It’s not a room you’re leaving forever.” Marinette reminded her, “It’s going to be waiting for you to return in a couple months, just in time to start lycee.”

“Doesn’t make it less strange.” Lila muttered.

“Hey, come on,” Marinette pulled Lila off the bed, “Let’s get out of here. Get some fresh air. Might as well enjoy our spring break while we can. All the snow’s melted in the park.”

“Okay,” Lila grabbed a cardigan and pulled it on, “I could use some air.”

The girls walked outside to the park and Lila was surprised by what awaited them. The entire class was there holding a farewell poster.

“What--” Lila looked at them bewildered. “What is this?”

“It’s a farewell party,” Alya said, “We wanted to send you off with a bang. Remind you what you have to look forward to returning home.”

“And Chloe is here because…?” Lila pointed her out.

“Because she wanted to say her goodbye too. Right?” The class turned a critical eye towards Chloe who stood at the far end of the banner with a resigned expression.

“Yeah…” Chloe sighed, “That’s it.”

“Ignore her, she’s in a bad mood cause her forehead is breaking out something bad.” Adrien said.

“Adrien!” Chloe shouted at him. “I am not!”

“Why else are you wearing a cap if not to cover your pimply forehead?” Adrien shot back with a smirk.

“You little--”

“Blonde and blonder,” Marinette snapped at them, “Care to have this sibling rivalry moment another time? We’re trying to say a heartfelt farewell to our friend.”

“Sorry.”

“I swear those two,” Marinette muttered under her breath. “Anyway, Lila,” She took her arm and pulled her towards the class, “It was fairly quick but we have food and everyone has a little something to say. So relax and enjoy yourself.”

Marinette let her go and went to go stand with Adrien and Chloe. One by one their classmates came up to Lila saying their goodbyes. Some of them had little presents and reminders for her to take with her. Promises to keep in contact and laughter from reminiscing rang throughout the park.

“We did a good thing, didn’t we?” Marinette asked.

“Yes, like you said, it’ll be good for her to get out of the city.” Adrien assured her. “And who knows what good things may happen now that she’s leaving.”

“Yeah…” Marinette was hit with the jolting reality of what this meant. No Lila means no danger which means that Marinette can give Adrien his ring back! She can finally have her partner back!

“What has you so giddy all of the sudden?” Adrien asked.

“Nothing,” she burrowed closer into him, “Just a happy thought.”

After most of the food was gone and the class had said their goodbyes everyone started to head home, including Adrien. He said his goodbyes to Lila and gave Marinette a kiss on her cheek before departing. Then it was just the two of them again. Marinette walked Lila back to her house.

“I guess this is it.” Marinette heaved a large sigh, “I um...I…”

Marinette engulfed her in a tight hug. Lila stood ramrod straight for a moment before hugging her back. A small sniffle escaped that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Marinette admitted, “I really am.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Lila answered, “A lot has happened since September, hasn’t it?”

“It certainly has,” Marinette chuckled, “Going from hated rivals to friends crying over leaving the other. If someone had told me that this was going to happen back then I would have tied them up in a straightjacket and sent them off to the loony bin.”

“I’m glad you never gave up on me. It’s been a long time since I met someone who was willing to stick by me, the real me.”

“And I’d do it all over again.”

“You’re too forgiving, have I told you that?”

“Your mom did. And maybe I am but look where that can get me? It gave me a new friend, one I’m going to miss so much. But this is a good thing. It’ll be good for you to get out of the city and relax with your grandparents. Cook with your nonna again.”

“I have missed them terribly. They hate the city so they never come up to visit and mom is usually so busy with work that we never have the time to go see them. I can’t wait to spend some time with them.”

“Not too much time.” Marinette said, “I still expect you to keep our weekly video calls.”

“No worries.” Lila leaned back against the door to the apartment building and looked out over the street. “Since this may be the last time we get to talk in person for a while I should probably confess something.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t actually have a crush on Ladybug. I just told you that to screw with you.” Lila grinned, deviously.

“Oh really?” Marinette had to physically hold back her relief. “Why?”

“Come on, what better way to mess with you then to say I had a crush on you? It was hilarious watching you squirm.” Lila barked with laughter.

“Me? But you said--” Marinette started stammering.

“Marinette,” Lila smirked at her, “I know. You don’t even change your hairstyle. Maybe switch it up to at least a ponytail instead of pigtails if you’re gonna go running around the city as a bug themed heroine.”

“But how--why did you--” Marinette was flummoxed. Lila had figured out her identity? How? Maybe it was time for Marinette to rethink the design of her costume. She’s been rocking the same all over red and black spotted print since she was thirteen. A change would be for the better.

“Don’t worry, your secret and Chat Noir’s goes with me, remember?” Lila assured her. “It’ll be alright.”

“I know I just--I cannot believe you pretended to have a crush on me! That is such a dirty joke!” Marinette playfully slapped her arm.

“It was too good. I had to.” Lila laughed. She looked back at the door. “I should get inside. I promised mom that we would have a quiet night in before I move out tomorrow morning.”

“I get it. Have a nice night with your mom.” The girls embraced one last time. “Bye Lila. I’ll talk to you once you get settled.”

“Goodbye Marinette. Keep Paris safe for me. I don’t want to return to a land of ruins this autumn.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

Lila stepped back and opened the door to her building. In less than twenty four hours Lila would be in the countryside far away from Hawkmoth’s grasp. It was all for the best. That’s what everyone kept saying and Marinette knew it to be true. It didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to someone who had fought so hard to become a better person. It felt like a cruel joke. Right when Lila was truly learning to trust herself and be open she was being carted off far away. Everyone can say that it is for the best but Marinette will still miss her new friend these many months to come.

---

Eleven forty five PM. That’s what the clock said.

Lila had departed Paris early in the morning and had posted to her Instagram that she was back with her grandparents that afternoon. The danger of Lila’s knowledge was gone. So Adrien sat waiting...and waiting...and waiting in his room. The window was cracked open for easy access as he prayed for Ladybug to show up. Waiting for his girlfriend to appear with a little box with a ring inside.

For weeks he’s been helplessly watching her from the sidelines. He just wanted to get back to her. Let her know that he loved every part of her.

The minutes continued to tick by. Adrien’s nerves mounting with every silent moment that passed.

He picked up his swan plushie and squeezed it. What if she didn’t come tonight? It was supposed to rain, was that what was keeping her? What if she wasn’t going to return his ring to him now that she knew his identity? How would she react if he told her he knew her identity? Doubts and worries started to plague him until he was up on his feet pacing around his room.

Should he just go to bed? Like he’d be able to sleep now. Should he call Marinette? And tell her what? That he figured out her identity and would like his miraculous back? That sure wouldn’t raise any alarm bells. Just as he was about to close the window he spotted a speck of red coming closer to his house.

She did come.

Ladybug landed on top of his windowsill with all the poise a queen. “Hi,” she waved to him, “Is it okay if I come in?”

“More than okay.” He said.

She jumped down and landed on the floor. For a moment neither spoke. What was there to say in a situation like this?

“I know that Lila left this morning,” Ladybug said. “She was the one that knew who you were and since she was kinda akuma-prone you gave up your miraculous…”

“I’m aware,” Adrien tried not to laugh.

“Right. Of course you knew. Duh!” She pulled her yoyo off her belt and opened it. From the shimmering void inside she pulled out a circular box and held it out to him. “What I mean to say is that since she’s gone it’s safe for you again and I would very much love to have my partner back with me.”

Adrien reached towards the box. Yet he still hesitated. Why was he hesitating? This was what he had been waiting for. What he wanted more than anything. His freedom was literally waiting right in her hands.

“Something wrong?” She asked, concern etched on her beautiful face.

“You trust me to have this even though you know my identity?” He asked, unable to overcome the years of paranoia about their secret identities even now.

“Adrien, look at me,” She tilted his head up to look at her, “I trust you more than anyone in this world. And to prove it to you I have another surprise.”

Ladybug took a deep breath and let her transformation drop. There stood his girlfriend in purple pajama pants and a Cowboy Bebop t-shirt she had stolen from Adrien months ago. “Surprise.”

Adrien immediately scooped her up in his arms and spun her around. He set her down just to give her a deep kiss that made her laugh.

“I’ll take that to mean you’re happy it’s me.” She chuckled kissing him again.

“Of course I am.” He brushed the hair from her face, “Although I should mention that I may have already figured out who you were before you came here tonight.”

“WHAT? HOW?!” Marinette almost screamed and Adrien shushed her. “Sorry I just--how did you figure it out? Did Lila tell you cause apparently she figured it out too. Is my disguise really that bad?”

“No, doodle bug,” Adrien pet her head, soothing her worries, “Remember that night we were having dinner at your house and you said you needed to shovel your balcony in the middle of the meal?”

“The table was knocked over…” Marinette groaned, “I guess that was a pretty stupid excuse, huh?”

“To be fair I didn’t figure it out immediately. It took until I was home for me to put the pieces together.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then if you knew all this time?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. You were already so on edge with Lila and getting used to not having me as your partner that I didn’t want to add more to your plate. Which by the way, we need to talk about exactly how many responsibilities you have. I cannot even fathom how you are balancing so many things at once and not having mental meltdowns every ten minutes.”

“For your information my meltdowns are every fifteen minutes.” Marinette joked. “I could do with some lightening of my load but that’s a whole lot of decisions for another day. It is very sweet of you to worry about me though. I’ve just been--hold on. Wait. One. Second.”

Marinette turned on him, eyes narrowed. “You were screwing with me too! At school! The Ladybug and Chat Noir couple costume you absolute ass!”

Adrien started laughing hysterically. “I was wondering when you were gonna bring that up.”

“You colossal jerk! I cannot believe you did that! Were you also conspiring with Lila about that whole crush on Ladybug thing too?”

“It may have been my idea.”

“You little--” Marinette swatted at him. “You are so lucky I love you!”

“I love you too, my lady.” Adrien wrapped her in another hug. “It’s kinda weird to say that out of costume. Weird in a good way.”

“That reminds me. Are you gonna take this back or not?” Marinette put the box in his hands. “I think you’ve been without this little cheese hog long enough.”

“I think so too.” Adrien took a deep breath and opened the box. A light shown around the ring and Plagg emerged.

“Adrien!” Plagg dove into his chest.

“Hey buddy,” Adrien hugged him close, “I’ve missed you, stink breath.”

“I’ve missed you too, pretty boy.” Plagg smiled.

“Awe,” The little kwami on Marinette’s shoulder said. “Plagg, you big softie.”

“You get this one, sugar cube.” Plagg pointed at her. “Just this one.”

“I don’t think you two have formally met yet.” Marinette took her kwami from her shoulder, “Other than that time we swapped miraculous I mean.”

“We haven’t,” Adrien said, “Nice to see you again...Tikki?”

“Yep! Nice to see you too!” Tikki said, “Marinette was so nervous coming over here I thought she was gonna roll off the roof.”

“Thank you, Tikki.” Marinette shushed her kwami. “Ignore her. I’m cool as a cucumber all the time.”

“I’ve known you for too long, bugaboo. You can’t lie to me now.” Adrien replaced the ring back on his finger. For the first time in weeks he breathed easier feeling it’s familiar weight. Like a part of him had finally come home.

“Now that you’re reunited, what do you say to a quick run on the rooftops?” Marinette transformed back into Ladybug. “We’re overdue for a race aren’t we, kitty?”

“I say we are.” Adrien transformed. The power and energy renewing him like never before.

“First one to the top of the Eiffel Tower wins!” With that she vaulted out the door.

“Cheater!” Adrien called as he went chasing after her. He took in a deep breath of the early spring air. There was a light misting of rain. The lights of the city flashing by him as he followed his red dotted girlfriend. She got to the top of the Eiffel Tower first. Adrien excused it to his being rusty.

“Uh huh sure,” She rolled her eyes, “Just admit that I’m faster than you, chaton.”

“Never.” He leapt at her and she jumped off the tower. Oh he was going to catch her if it was the last thing he did.

When he finally caught up to her he grabbed her from behind and whirled her around in a circle. “Chat!” She laughed, “Put me down.”

“Give me a reason to.” He said, keeping her aloft.

“I can’t kiss you from up here.”

“A very good reason indeed.” He lowered her back down. He was ready for her to break free and run again but to his surprise and pleasure she didn’t. She invited him warmly as his lips met hers. You would think after making out with her for months that he wouldn’t be so over the moon about one little kiss but it meant everything to him. There were no more walls. It was finally just the two of them exactly as they were. Also, he couldn’t lie and say that finally kissing her as Ladybug wasn’t a dream come true.

The light mist of rain they had been enduring before was now a full on downpour drenching the two teenagers. Instead of deterring them it only seemed to heighten the experience more. A real kiss in the rain.

He kissed her deeper and she responded at once, looping her arms around his neck. He was having a hard time keeping himself up right and pressed her back into the pillar of a chimney for balance. She giggled into his mouth. The rain slipping between their lips and pattering on their heads. He could have stayed there forever kissing her. Years of pent up emotion and love finally culminating into this one moment. She was his and he was hers in every possible way. It was intoxicating.

“Kitty,” Marinette gasped, pushing Adrien back just enough to be able to speak, “As much as I am loving this maybe we should go someplace that isn’t pouring down rain.”

“Can’t have my lady getting sick. Yours or mine?” He asked.

“Mine’s closer.”

“Yours it is.” They took off again back to Marinette’s house. They detransformed and landed on Marinette’s bed. Plagg and Tikki took off to recharge and give the teenagers privacy.

Marinette took no time in pulling Adrien back to her for another kiss. Her hands carding through his damp hair. Adrien in turn pulled her into his lap. Gasping as he tried to get impossibly closer than they already were. She tugged lightly on his hair baring his neck to her as she started pressing kisses along his jaw and down his throat.

Adrien was trying his best to keep quiet but his girlfriend’s devilish little mouth was making it hard to do so. A possessiveness he had only felt a few times in regards to Marinette was bubbling up inside of him. He was hers and she was his in every possible way, and he wanted everyone to know it. Most importantly, he wanted her to know it.

She was so soft and warm in his hands. Her mouth though was hot against his skin. He couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed her face, crashing their lips together once more. He had her pressed back into the mattress, leaning on her just enough that they were close but not so much that he was crushing her. He pulled away just enough to catch his breath. Marinette breathing hard under him.

“Sorry,” He whispered, “Got a little caught up in the moment.”

“Don’t be.” Marinette giggled, her face flushed and lips swollen. Her hair had come loose from her pigtails and fanned out around her head. She was so beautifully disheveled.

“So hows about you come back down here and do it again.” She winked at him and his stomach flipped. There was that devilish side again.

“I can do that.” Adrien kissed her again when the sound of Marinette’s phone going off broke through their hormonal haze. It was past midnight. Who was calling her this late?

“It’s Alya,” Marinette sighed, “Let me take this then we can get back to it.”

“You can take it. I’m gonna keep at it.” Adrien grinned as he started pressing kisses to her neck.

“Silly kitty,” Marinette shook her head but hit answer anyways, “Hey Alya, is there a reason you’re calling me at this hour?”

“GIRL!” Alya’s voice was so loud Adrien could hear it without it even being on speaker. “YOU ARE NOT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT I JUST WITNESSED! I GOT A PICTURE OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR KISSING IN THE RAIN! THEY’RE TOTALLY AN ITEM! I FREAKING CALLED IT!”

Adrien snorted. Marinette smacked the top of his head.

“That’s very nice Alya.” Marinette said.

“How are you not more hyped about this? Not only is Chat Noir back from his broken leg but he and Ladybug are officially a thing!”

“It’s not that I’m not happy but I--” Marinette’s voice broke off into a whine as Adrien sucked hard on her neck.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine!” Marinette glared at Adrien. He smirked back at her in that feline way of his that made it obvious that he would do it again without hesitation. “It is really late though so--”

“Girl! Please! I need someone to talk to and I can’t call Nino cause we have this rule that I can’t call him about hero stuff after midnight. You need to see the photos I got!”

“Alya really--”

“Gimme that,” Adrien took the phone out of her hands, “Hey Alya. I know you are really excited about this but you are kinda interrupting our own makeout session so if you could call back in the morning that would be great. Bye bye!” Adrien hung up and turned the phone off so there wouldn’t be anymore interruptions.

“Adrien!” Marinette gaped at him, “It is midnight! What is Alya gonna think about us being alone like this so late?”

“That we are dating? And dating sometimes includes having late night makeout sessions with your boyfriend unbeknownst to your parents.”

“Still!”

“So sorry, doodle bug.” Adrien sighed, brushing a finger against her cheek. “I just want you all to myself right now.”

“Don’t give me those big kitten eyes. Ugh, fine.” Marinette looped her arms back around his neck, “You need to make it up to me though.”

He smiled again. Resting his forehead against hers. “With pleasure, my lady.”

Chapter Text

As morning broke through the curtains of Marinette’s windows she started to stir. Not yet awake but aware enough to not be deep in sleep. Spring break was here and that meant no school to worry about. She cuddled closer under the covers of her bed. Her pillow didn’t feel quite the same though.

She cracked an eye open and was surprised for a moment to see Adrien there. Right, last night they came back to her house to makeout then ended up cuddling afterwards. Adrien said he was gonna leave but it looked as if he nodded off before he could pull himself away. As much as Marinette knew that she should be worried about someone discovering them she couldn’t find it in her to care at that moment. She nestled in closer to him and closed her eyes again. Desperate to steal just a few more minutes of quiet peace with the boy she loved.

After all this time she finally had her partner back and she was in love with him and he in love with her. Nothing could spoil it.

A few more minutes slipped by before Adrien started to stir underneath her. She felt him gently playing with her hair while she pretended to be asleep. Just a few more minutes.

“My star,” Adrien whispered in that low, groggy morning voice, “I need to go.”

“No,” Marinette held him closer. “Stay. It’s warm here.”

“I would stay if I could but I need to get back to my own house before anyone realizes I’m missing.”

Marinette finally sat up with a yawn. Gazing at her boyfriend with his wild bedhead in the soft light of the morning filled her with happiness. What she wouldn’t give to wake up to this every day.

“I’ll let you go on one condition,” Marinette said.

“And what is that?”

“You promise more makeout/cuddle time tonight. Maybe your house this time.”

“I think I can do that.” He leaned in to kiss her but backed away.

“What?” she asked.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to repulse you with my morning breath.”

“Silly kitty,” Marinette rolled her eyes and pulled him in close for a quick kiss. “You think after all this time I care about a little morning breath?”

He kissed her again and it took Plagg retching in the background for them to pull away for good this time. “Guess that’s my cue.” Adrien sighed, “I’ll see you tonight, say eleven at my place? I’ll leave the window unlocked for you.”

“I’ll be there.” Marinette already couldn’t wait for tonight.

Adrien transformed and leapt off across the rooftops back to his own house. Was it stupid that she missed him already?

Marinette went downstairs to grab some breakfast. While break did give Marinette more free time it also meant that her parents were going to make her come help in the bakery. At least they were gracious enough to let her have the first day of break to herself before throwing her into work. She had just barely taken a sip of juice when the front door flung open.

“MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!” Alya burst into the room practically foaming at the mouth. “YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!”

“Oh god. Alya no! I’m still so young!” Marinette leapt over the couch to get to safety, holding a pillow up as a possible projectile. “Alya, listen to me!”

“YOU NAUGHTY MINX!” Alya bound after her, the coffee table the only thing keeping distance between them. “You owe me an explanation about what that was last night!”

“I mean I feel like it’s self explanatory.” Marinette shrugged.

“It was past midnight! What were you two naughty kids getting up to?”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t try and pull that crap on me!” Alya jumped over the coffee table tackling Marinette onto the couch, “Adrien said you were making out! What happened?”

“We just made out! I swear!” Marinette pushed her off, “Now stop yelling before my parents hear you!”

“So you did sneak him in!”

“Sorta. That’s not what matters. Why are you so hung up on this for? We are dating after all.”

“I feel like your quickie makeouts in the school storage closet and literally meeting up in the dead of night are two very different scenarios. Now spill.”

“It was nothing really. We were talking earlier and I mentioned wanting him to come over to my place and then he was here and we were making out and then you called and then we went back to making out. We eventually fell asleep and then a few hours later Adrien went home.”

“He spent the night?”

“It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve spent the night together. The only difference was that he had to sneak out.”

“And when exactly did he sneak out this morning?”

“About ten minutes before you burst in.”

“Minx.” Alya smirked.

“You and Nino have done much worse. Remember the ‘study date’ Nino’s brother walked in on.”

“I’d rather not.” Alya sighed, “But on something even more amazing than the fact that you’re becoming a saucy little rebel. Look at this!” Alya shoved her phone in Marinette’s face.

A picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing in the rain. Marinette hadn’t realized how exposed they really were on that roof. Marinette’s face grew hot as she saw that Alya had gotten a short video of Chat Noir pushing her against a chimney as well. It was already posted on the Ladyblog too. Marinette scrolled to the comments. It was insane in the chat. People were speculating if this meant they were officially an item or if it was more casual. Others cheered and whooped about winning bets. Some that had crushes on either side of the duo mourned that their chance was now blown. No one was angry though. Not like when Marinette and Adrien had been outed. It put Marinette at ease.

“That is really something.” Marinette handed the phone back with a small smile, “How many people at school were betting about this?”

“Everyone. That includes you. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.” Alya pulled up a note on her phone, “I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget.”

“Son of a--fine.” Marinette grumbled as she went to grab her wallet. Leave it to her to have to pay her best friend because she fell in love with her own boyfriend.

“By the way,” Alya said as Marinette returned with her money, “You might want to do a little cover up before you head out. Seems Adrien made his mark on you.”

“Made his mark?” Marinette’s brow knit together. Alya pointed to her neck and Marinette’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. He did not! She rushed to the bathroom and sighed at the image. It wasn’t one little hickey either. That damn cat had marked her in quite a few places. Marinette pulled at the collar of her t-shirt and saw that he had even gotten some on her collarbone and by her shoulder.

It really occurred to her how intense things may have gotten last night. She hadn’t been paying attention all that much to his neck when he left but Marinette was sure that Adrien was sporting some matching hickeys as well. Hopefully he had a way to cover those up or else his dad was gonna kill him.

“Didn’t know Adrien had it in him.” Alya laughed when Marinette reemerged from the bathroom. “Have you two discussed any...you know...committed plans?”

“Alya, it was a single heated makeout. He’s not gonna propose.”

“Not what I was talking about.”

“Then what did you mean?” Marinette pondered her friend’s smirking face before the realization dawned on her. She grabbed a pillow and chucked it at Alya. “Get your mind out of the gutter! It is way too soon for anything like that!”

“Okay! Calm down. I was just curious.” Alya held her hands up in defeat, “I want to make sure my best friend is safe and informed.”

“Trust me, mom and dad already sat me down for that talk shortly after I started dating Adrien. Things may be heating up between us but I think we are still a long ways off from anything like that.”

“I respect that.” Alya sat back and looked back at her phone. “Do you think these two are having sex?” Alya showed her the photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir again.

“ALYA!”

“What? They could have been secretly dating all this time. There’s a chance that they’re doing the devil’s tango too.”

“I just don’t feel comfortable discussing the sex life of superheroes.” Marinette muttered. Translation: Please stop talking about my non-existent sex life I beg you this is the most embarrassing conversation in the world!

Alya finally moved on from her teasing to rave and theorize just how long Ladybug and Chat Noir had been going out, if they knew each others identities or were only dating as heroes, if it was serious or casual. She had all but pulled up a powerpoint presentation on Marinette’s couch. It was slightly weird hearing her best friend theorize about her relationship but also made Marinette smile. If only she knew.

Marinette glanced down at the necklace around Alya’s neck. The charm was hidden underneath her shirt as it always was but Marinette knew what it meant. With Adrien back as Chat Noir, Marinette had a decision to make. Keep Alya and Nino as heroes or have them return the miraculous.

It would be such a shame to make them give back the miraculous at this point. They’ve proven that they are good teammates dozens of times over and they all work well together. Times are changing and Marinette is really starting to understand that as the new Guardian she doesn’t have to abide by the same rules Fu made her stick to. It’s a new era. Plus with two more people that meant that they could split up nightly patrols. Maybe she should make a schedule.

Now that Adrien is back as Chat Noir she should also do a refresher course on his miraculous knowledge. It would probably help to give Nino and Alya some lessons as well in case things go sideways. The good news was that now that Marinette and Adrien know each others identities they don’t have to meet up as Ladybug and Chat Noir to discuss miraculous related affairs.

Once Alya had worn herself out Marinette saw her out. Afterwards she went up to her too and changed into a shirt with a high neck to cover the bruises on her throat. She was gonna have to have a conversation with Adrien tonight about hickeys. She didn’t mind them but her parents would not appreciate the bruises are their little girl’s neck.

Marinette lazed about in her room enjoying her day off from school and work. When night came she zipped over to Adrien’s house. He was babbling out apologies for giving her so many hickeys but Marinette shushed him and told him they would just have to be more careful. It was nearly two in the morning when Marinette was able to pull herself away from Adrien and return home. Today had been her one day off and tomorrow she would be expected to help in the bakery. Adrien was sad to see her go but they had patrol tomorrow night so they could have more kissy face cuddles after that.

As expected when Marinette went on patrol the following night Rena Rouge and Carapace were ecstatic to hear that they were keeping their miraculous permanently. Chat Noir was also pleased to be able to work with his teammates more. Marinette handed out a schedule for everyone on which nights they had patrol. They would be rotating. Chat Noir and Ladybug. Rena Rouge and Carapace. Ladybug and Rena Rouge. Chat Noir and Carapace. Ladybug and Carapace. Rena Rouge and Chat Noir. Then on the seventh day it would be all four of them.

The plan was put in motion and Marinette was pretty impressed with how well their first week as a team of four was going. The only small hiccup was the public uproar over the knowledge that Ladybug and Chat Noir were dating. Why is it people get so hung up on other people’s love lives? Marinette had made sure to make an official statement about her relationship to Chat Noir. Stating that they are indeed dating but that their personal relationship would in no way hinder their responsibilities as heroes.

Didn’t stop them from flirting during akumas and using their powers to go on late night makeouts and dates around the city. Adrien absolutely loved it.

Marinette also used the break from school to think over an idea she had been harboring for a while. Lila would be returning to Paris at some point and once she returned so did the knowledge of Adrien and Marinette’s identities. Years of paranoia over her identity had scared Marinette into never wanting to trust anyone with such a big secret. But she trusted Adrien. She did also trust Lila. Adrien’s trust of Lila was still so-so but that was to be expected. He wasn’t as close to her as Marinette and Lila had gotten.

It seemed so unfair that secret identities even had to be a thing to worry about. There were a plethora of heroes in the states and they didn’t have secret identities! Everyone knew who they were yet nothing bad was happening to them. It probably helped that there were a lot more heroes over there to help.

That was it!

At the next patrol with all four of them together Marinette gave them her idea. “I want to expand those that carry miraculous to create a new order of superheroes in Paris. Not just us four but a whole team that can help defend our city.”

Her three teammates looked at her perplexed and shocked.

“Not that I’m saying this is a bad idea or anything,” said Rena Rouge, “But wasn’t it you who said that having multiple miraculous in circulation was dangerous? We figured that four was a lot but still manageable considering the threat of Hawkmoth is still prevalent.”

“Yes, I did say that but listen,” Marinette continued, “There are other superheroes, many other superheroes in the world. Not just us. For three years it has been just Chat Noir and I defending Paris save for the few times we had to call in reinforcements. It works but we are not stopping anything. For three years we have been putting a band-aid over a much larger wound. It may help but it does not stop the bleeding. That’s what more superheroes would do.”

“You think having more heroes around would put a stop to Hawkmoth?” Chat Noir asked, “I think I understand what you are getting at but stopping Hawkmoth is more than just firepower. He rarely comes out from under his rock and he’s evaded capture every time. If more heroes show up then he’s never going to surface again.”

“I know. Waiting around for Hawkmoth to reappear will help nothing as of right now. Just the appearance of Rena and Carapace probably has him hiding even deeper than he was before. Our only other option seems to be this, we have to go back to figuring out Hawkmoth’s identity.”

“But all the evidence for Hawkmoth’s identity is very loose. His profile could fit a number of people.” Rena said, “I have devoted a lot of time to learning as much about the miraculous as a civilian as I can. A lot of it centers around figuring out who Hawkmoth is and I have gotten no closer.”

“I mean we did have one lead…” Chat Noir muttered, sharing a knowing glance with Marinette. “Didn’t pan out though.”

“Yeah, about that,” Marinette said, her hands fidgeting at her sides, “I have been pouring over the grimoire a lot these past couple weeks and I think that we need to put that suspect on back on the table.”

“My lady,” Chat Noir said, “I know why you think it is him but it can’t be. He was akumatized. How could Hawkmoth akumatize himself?”

“There is a possibility. If he renounced his miraculous after creating an akuma and let it affect him then is a chance. I know the odds of it being him are slim but he is the best lead we have.”

“Who are we talking about?” Carapace spoke up.

“Um…” Marinette glanced at Chat and swallowed her words, “I’ll have to get back to you on that. It is nothing against you two but it is a bit of sensitive subject. Anyway, while figuring out who Hawkmoth may be is a concern I want to get back to this league of heroes I was talking about before.”

“Right, continue,” Carapace said.

“My idea is that with more heroes we can be more like the heroes in America. We can be superheroes without secret identities. That way the weight of the world doesn’t have to feel like it is being pushed onto the shoulders of a couple of teenagers.

“No secret identities?” Chat gaped at her. “Are you serious? After three years of constant vigilance you want to give up the secret identity portion of our lives now?”

“Not right now.” Marinette assured him, “Announcing to everyone that a bunch of teenagers are the ones protecting them may not go over well for many reasons. We do not need overprotective parents breathing down our necks about going out and risking our lives and safety to fight crime. It doesn’t matter how talented we are, we will still be seen as children. The only reason the public seems okay with it now is because of the anonymity we have. No one is absolutely sure of our ages and that works to out benefit. They have to judge us based on our skills as heroes and not our age. Which is why I propose that for right now our team of four remains until we become adults and then we will disperse the other miraculous to a deserving few that we can be sure will protect the city.”

“I mean,” Rena shrugged, “It works great in America. Superheroes lead ordinary lives even with their civilian and hero personas intermixed. It can work.”

“I concur with Rena,” Carapace said, “It seems almost unfair that every other hero gets to live their lives normally without this extra weight and paranoia that we carry.”

“If our identities are released though that could make trouble for our loved ones.” Chat pointed out. Marinette could tell just from looking in his eyes that he was reliving some Chat Blanc memories.

“Which is why we will wait till we are older and have more heroes.” Marinette placed a hand on his shoulder, “More heroes would help deter crime and if someone did target one of our loved ones we’d have an entire army of heroes backing them up to save them from whatever peril they are in.”

“But is it okay to put those we care about that don’t have powers in danger for the sake of no secret identities? Even if there will be those defend them and crime may deter those of weaker constitutions it will not stop everyone. Those that are determined will still fight us and may inflict lasting damage on those we care about that cannot be undone.”

“Which is why we are discussing this. All your points are valid and that is something we are going to have to discuss further. We are not making any concrete decisions right now. Everything is still up for consideration and debate. It is just an idea I have been thinking about that I knew I would have to bring up to all of you.”

The rooftop they had been meeting on grew silent. Marinette sighed. “I think that is enough talk for tonight. Everyone go home and get some rest. Chat, can you stay back and talk?”

“I think we should.” He nodded.

They waved goodbye to Rena and Carapace. Marinette and Chat bound back to her house and sat down on the bed across from one another.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked immediately upon dropping her transformation. “Things got a little dodgy back there.”

“I’m fine.” Adrien said, “Don’t take what I said to mean that I think it is a bad idea. It’s a good idea but it can also be dangerous. What if in a couple years we reveal our identities and someone kidnaps your parents or plants a bomb under a school full of our friends? What do we do then?”

“We do as we always do. There is a certain level of danger to those we love but the threat is present right now despite our identities being known or not. Someone could still do those things but at least with our expanded presence the threat would most likely be minimized.”

“I just…” Adrien buried his head in his hands, “I don’t know if I can go through something like that again.”

“Adrien, my prince, look at me.” Marinette tilted his face up, “I understand your worries. I understand where this pain comes from. All you want to do it protect everyone but here’s the hard truth. You can’t. You cannot keep everyone perfectly safe all the time without putting them in a bubble. You know that more than anyone. Sleep on this, give it a chance, that’s all I’m asking.”

“Have I ever told you you’re the best thing in my life?” He cracked a smile.

“Maybe once or twice.” She hugged him. “We are going to be alright. Everything will be alright.”

Adrien hugged her back, burying his face in her neck. Several minutes passed where they sat there holding one another. Fears and worries about the future easing away until they were both breathing easier. They laid back to relax and talk of more happy things. They were not heroes right now afterall.

“I almost forgot to mention,” Adrien said, “I finally got a chance to start therapy. Had to jump through a bunch of hoops to work it around father but I’m going. I’ve only attended two sessions so far but it feels good to talk to someone.”

“That’s amazing, Adrien!” Marinette smiled, “And you say it is going well? What kind of stuff do you talk about? Oh wait, is that too nosy? Sorry!”

“No, no, it’s fine. It is going well. I mainly talk about life at home. Mom’s disappearance. Father. My relationships with my friends and loved ones. My therapist is really nice and has given me some tools to help spot toxic social behaviour in my relationships since that’s one of the things I struggle most with.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Really throws into light what a piece of human garbage my father is when I lay out his treatment towards me in one big spiel. A lot of what I accepted as normal, my therapist pointed out, isn’t. So far the word, gaslighting, has come up a number of times and also abandonment issues but that’s a whole other thing.”

“But it is helping?”

“So much.”

“Then that’s all that matters. And think of it, in a few years you’ll be independent and won’t have to live under your dad’s roof anymore.”

“Maybe we could get an apartment together.” Adrien played with a lock of her hair, “That way we don’t need to sneak around in the dead of night anymore.”

“We can have houseplants.”

“And watch movies.”

“Fall asleep together every night.”

“And adopt a hamster?”

“We can adopt all the hamsters!” Adrien squished a kiss to her cheek.

“Don’t forget my cheese drawer!” Plagg popped up.

“If Plagg gets a cheese drawer then I want a personal cookie jar!” Tikki interjected.

“Little gluttons,” Marinette teased, poking Tikki’s belly. The couple and their kwamis laughed as they planned out the layout of their future apartment together. A bright goal waiting for them just over the horizon. Their own little home of laughter and love.

Now all they had to do was survive to see it.

Chapter Text

It was the last day of spring break. Marinette and Adrien were cuddled together as morning broke. He’d have to leave soon to get back to his own house. Marinette was reluctant to say goodbye as she always was when they spent the night at each others houses.

“Nooooooo!” Marinette groaned as Adrien opened the hatch leading to her balcony, “Come back!”

“Doodle bug,” Adrien sighed, “I gotta go home.”

“No!” Marinette held him tighter, “Cuddles!”

“We cuddled all night!”

“I was asleep then!”

“Marinette, my star, my precious, beautiful, and amazing girlfriend,” Adrien squished her cheeks, “Let me go home.”

“Never!” Marinette pouted, “Today is our last day of spring break. Lets spend it having a movie marathon in bed.”

“As always you tempt me but if father finds out I’ve disappeared then I’ll get in trouble. If I get in trouble then that means that I won’t get to see you as much. Which means no dates. Do you want that?”

“No…” Marinete sighed, she finally released his arm, “I know you need to go. I just wish you could stay.”

“We still have the whole rest of the day to do something. How about you swing by the house this afternoon and we’ll go on a date. We can go to that arcade you’ve been talking about for months and you can obliterate me in every single game. How does that sound?”

“It’s a date!” Marinette kissed him, “I’ll swing by around three, does that work?”

“Sounds perfect,” Adrien grabbed Plagg and transformed, “I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

He jumped off the balcony and made the short trek back to his house. He leapt in through the window and de-transformed. Plagg went to get some cheese while Adrien headed to the bathroom to freshen up. His stomach let out a loud growl reminding him that he should probably get to breakfast before Natalie came looking for him.

To Adrien’s surprise his father was also at the table for breakfast. Not totally uncommon but enough to give Adrien pause before he took his seat.

“Good morning, father,” Adrien said as he dropped a few berries in his yogurt.

“I’m glad you’re here,” his father said, “I have news pertaining to your Aunt Amelie and cousin.”

“Oh…” Adrien tried not to grimace at the thought of Felix. “What’s going on?”

“They are going to be moving to Paris.”

Adrien froze, spoon of yogurt halfway to his mouth. “Huh?” Surely he had misheard his father.

“My same reaction,” his father sighed, “Apparently your aunt believe it best if she is closer to us. With her husband dying not too long ago and your mother still missing she thinks it would do well for all of us if we were in the same country. So while their new flat is being renovated and decorated they will be staying with us for a few weeks.”

“Great.” Adrien muttered. There was nothing he wanted more than to be in the same house as Felix for weeks on end. Before Adrien may have really liked having Felix around but after his last visit the relationship had soured. Even when they do leave they won’t be going back to England. They’ll still be in Paris and no doubt trying to cause Adrien trouble.

“When are they arriving?” Adrien asked. He wanted to know how much peace he could enjoy before Felix showed up.

“This afternoon.” At that Adrien actually choked on his juice.

“So soon?” He rasped after his coughing fit.

“Yes. Amelie never was one for giving a lot of notice with these things.” Adrien didn’t miss the fact that father looked as displeased with the arrangement as him.

“Do I have to be here?” Adrien asked, his father sent him a questioning look, “I only mean that it’s the last day of break before school starts and I had kinda promised Marinette we could go on a date this afternoon.”

“Fine,” his father nodded, “Be back in time for dinner though.”

“Thank you father,” Adrien felt relieved. At least a few hours of his day had been salvaged.

Around one o clock Aunt Amelie and Felix arrived. They exchanged pleasantries and Amelie made a big ado about being closer to her favorite nephew. Adrien laughed it off saying he was her only nephew. Nevertheless she was thrilled to be staying in Paris. Felix on the other hand…

Felix had the presence of a dark storm cloud rolling in across a bright blue sky. He didn’t say more than what was necessary and thoroughly avoided even so much as looking at Adrien. Maybe Adrien could get through these next few weeks if Felix ignored him as much as he was now.

“So tell me,” Aunt Amelie grabbed Adrien and sat him down, “What has been going on since we were here last? How is that lovely girlfriend of yours? What was her name again?”

“Marinette. She’s fine. Nothing much has really changed,” Not any changes he could admit to at least.

“You’ll have to bring her by the house again. I didn’t get nearly enough time to talk to her last time. School going well?”

“School’s fine,” A new worry shot into Adrien’s mind at the mention of school, “Since you guys moved here does that mean that you’ve enrolled Felix somewhere?”

Please don’t say Dupont. Please don’t say Dupont. Please don’t say Dupont!

“Oh no, Felix is going to be homeschooled. I asked him if he would like attending your school but he said that homeschooling suited him better and who was I to argue with him?”

Dodged a bullet there. Having Felix at his school would have been akin to a sheep wandering into a den of lions. No one in Bustier’s class liked Felix after the hurtful message he sent to the group chat. If he had shown up at the school there may have been actual blood. Adrien wondered briefly if that was the reason Felix decided to do homeschooling instead.

He let himself indulge in the fantasy of the class just pelting Felix with tomatoes like he was a bad actor in a medieval play. He shook the thought off. He’s been listening to Chloe’s revenge ideas too much again.

Oh no. He was gonna have to tell Chloe that Felix had moved to Paris. She was gonna be pissed.

The afternoon crept by at a snail's pace. He just wanted to get out of there. Felix kept glaring at him whenever Adrien happened to catch his eye. Again he was struck with the question of why Felix had grown to hate Adrien so. It just didn't seem to make any sense. He decided to spare himself the icy stare of Felix and wait in his room until three o clock rolled around. When it finally got closer to three Adrien left his room to wait for Marinette in the main lobby of the house. Upon leaving he heard voices speaking below.

“What are you doing here?” Felix’s voice rang clearly in the silent hall.

“That’s supposed to be my line. Why are you in Paris?” Marinette voice followed and Adrien instantly understood what was happening. He slammed his door closed and slid down the stair banister.

“My mom moved us out here. I’m not too thrilled about it either, pigtails.” Felix said.

“Oh what joy,” Marinette practically spat.

“Doodle bug!” Adrien physically shoved Felix out of the way. He could feel the cold glare of his cousin’s eyes but all he cared about at that moment was getting Marinette away from him. “So happy you could make it. Let’s get going.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the house as fast as he could. Marinette was stumbling to keep up as they raced back across the lawn and out the gate.

“Adrien, slow down!” Marinette planted her feet in the ground forcing him to stop. “You almost tore my arm off back there.”

“Sorry,” Adrien sighed, “I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.”

“Yeah. I can see why. Please tell me your jerk of a cousin is not actually moving to Paris like he said.”

“Unfortunately he is. My aunt thought that it would be a good idea for the family to be closer. They’re gonna be living at the mansion temporarily until their new house is ready to move into which apparently is gonna be a few weeks.”

“Well this sucks. Are you gonna be okay with having him in the house for that long? We all know what happened last time he was around.”

“I’ll be fine. It looks like he’s intent on ignoring me this time so there shouldn’t be too much of a problem there. To be safe I think we should limit spending the night to your house for the time being. Even with the locked doors I don’t trust him not to come barging in.”

“I guess it could be a lot worse.”

“He’s not our problem right now. Today is our last day of vacation and I intend to enjoy it.” Adrien laced his fingers with hers.

Marinette smiled, their troubles a little further away as they started the walk to the arcade.

As predicted Marinette completely pulverized him at every single game they played. Adrien had always admired how many passions she had and how she was able to be so insanely good at all of them. But her borderline magical ability to be this good at every single video game was insane. It wasn’t just beat-em-ups she was good at like Mecha Strike or Street Fighter. Racing games, shooting games, timing games, even freaking crane machines! How was she so good at crane machines? No one is good at crane machines! And yet Adrien went home with a giant yellow and purple striped hat on his head and a Ladybug plushie in his arms.

“So I can cuddle you even when you’re not there!” Adrien gushed when Marinette won it for him.

“Dork,” Marinette held up her matching Chat Noir plush and made it kiss the Ladybug plush. “Mwa!”

“And you call me the dork.” Adrien laughed.

They said goodbye at the bakery and Marinette rushed in to show her parents the prizes she had gotten. Adrien lingered at the window watching the happy family of three smile and laugh. He looked down the street where his own house sat. He imagined the life Marinette and him talked about the other night. The little apartment they were going to share and live in together. House plants in every corner, take-out containers on the dinner table, friends coming over in the afternoons, early mornings spent sleeping in, warmth and laughter and joy. He kept that picture in his head as he marched home, adjusting the big polyester hat on his head proudly as he re-entered the mansion.

Dinner was easier than Adrien intended. Aunt Amelie talked enough for everyone filling the air that would have otherwise been silent. Felix had excused himself early and Adrien shortly followed suit. He went to bed clutching his Ladybug plush close to his chest and wishing it was his real girlfriend in his arms. He couldn’t go over to her house though. They had school tomorrow and would be needing their rest which wouldn’t come if they spent all night staying up watching movies and making out like had become their routine over spring break.

It was such a relief that Adrien was back at school though. It was a few blessed hours out of the house and away from the prying eyes and ears of his family. Didn’t stop him from complaining about to Nino though. From Nino it spread to Alya and so on and so forth so by the time lunch rolled around everyone knew that Felix was back in Paris permanently.

As expected Chloe did not take this information well at all. He had forgotten to let her know yesterday and so she ended up hearing about it through the grapevine. She came up to him practically foaming at the mouth.

“This had better be some prank!” She shouted, “There is no way that urchin is staying here!”

“No one is happy about it, Chloe.” Adrien said, “But I can’t exactly do anything about it. I can’t force my aunt to move back to England.”

“There has to be something we can do! He cannot be here!” Chloe’s voiced cracked. It was subtle but it didn’t slip past Adrien.

“Chlo…” Adrien tried to comfort her but she shoved him off. In a strange move she instead grabbed Marinette and started pulling her towards the car waiting to take Chloe home.

“Chloe! Where are you taking me?” Marinette asked as she was pulled away.

“We need to talk, Dupain-Cheng.”

“About what?!” Marinette was cut off as she was shoved inside the car. Chloe got in behind her and the car pulled away from the school.

“What just happened?” Nino asked, just as dumbfounded as Adrien.

“Chloe abducted my girlfriend.”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

Adrien let out a long breath. “Marinette? Yes. Chloe? I have no idea.”

---

“Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me?” Marinette asked Chloe as they made their way back to her suite. “Does this have something to do with Felix?”

“Yes.” Chloe turned to her, fire in her eyes, “We need to get rid of him.”

“Okay, I know no one is thrilled about him being in Paris but we can’t very well seal him in a box and ship him back to England.”

“We can try!” Chloe stomped her foot. They made it into her suite. Chloe was pacing the length of her room nervously pulling at her hair. Something Marinette only saw her do when she was extremely agitated. “We have to do something! That cockroach cannot be allowed to remain here! You think that video message was bad? That worm is capable of much worse things.”

“Chloe, slow down,” Marinette grabbed her and forced her to sit on the couch, “I get that you’re mad. Everyone is. He’s a sucky person that tried to hurt Adrien but this is going a little overboard don’t you think? I mean, what exactly do you think Felix is gonna do?”

“You do not understand. Felix is not just another jerk looking to hurt people. That’s not his M.O. His goal in life is to destroy people. He wrecks their relationships. Think Lila but twenty times worse.”

“Lila turned around though.”

“By some miracle, yes. But Felix is not like Lila. He’s worse.”

“You seem to have a personal grudge against him.” Marinette observed, “Did he do something like this to you? Is that why you hate him so vehemently?”

“He--He--” Chloe’s hands were shaking in her lap. There was a glaze over her eyes like she was fighting off tears. Whatever Felix had done to her in the past it was still a point of great pain to her now.

“It doesn’t matter.” Marinette laid her hands over Chloe’s shaking ones. “If you say he is really that bad then I believe you. What do you think we should do? Cause as much as I would love to lock him in a box and send it to Antarctica we don’t realistically have that option. So what should we do? What are you thinking?”

Chloe took a deep breath and that righteous anger from before was burning bright again in her eyes. “Right,” she stood up and began pacing again but this time it wasn’t manic like before. “Since getting rid of him is more of a long term goal we need to devise a way to keep him from hurting anyone now.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“I can guarantee you his first target will most likely be Adrien since his plans to ruin him last time fell through. The first thing we need to do is make it easier to tell Adrien and Felix apart. Felix has always had a nasty habit of making himself look like Adrien so he could get him in trouble. We need to take that tactic away from him.”

“That should be easy enough. We could do something as small as painting Adrien’s nails to help differentiate them.”

“You’re thinking too small. Nail polish is easy to recreate. We need something more permanent.”

“Like a haircut!”

“Yes! Now you’re thinking!” Chloe wrung her hands, “You can hold Felix down and I’ll shave his head!”

“Too far!” Marinette tried not to laugh at the image of a bald Felix, “I meant Adrien gets a haircut. Something shorter that his cousin can’t easily copy. Maybe even dye it if we can.”

“That can work too I guess.” Chloe grumbled. “Call him and get him to come over here. I’ll call my stylist and have him meet us for an emergency session.”

“Wait, you want to cut his hair today? We haven’t even discussed any of this with him!” Marinette protested.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be on our side. Now shush.” Chloe pulled out her phone and dialed the number for her hair stylist.

“Okay, guess this is happening.” Marinette called up Adrien and told him to come to Chloe’s suite. She’d explain why when he got there.

After a brief explanation about the girls’ concerns Adrien was all in. He loved the idea of getting a new look. He was long overdue for one anyway. He’s been rocking the same haircut since he was thirteen afterall. Marinette was pleasantly surprised how quickly he agreed.

She would also be lying if she said she wasn’t desperate to change up Adrien’s look. It wasn’t that it was a bad look but it was distinctly very young. He had grown out of it.

The girls took up either of Adrien’s hands to paint his nails while Chloe’s hair stylist worked their magic on Adrien. They talked briefly about dying it and Adrien made a joke about dying it pink but they had to scrap the idea. As much as he wanted to dye his hair he knew that his father would throw a fit about it. He was probably going to be angry about the haircut too. Adding bright pink hair to the mix probably would be overkill.

The end result was very nice. His mop of blonde locks had been snipped away leaving the sides closely shaved with some length on top to style and play with. His nails were painted black and Marinette had even added some doodles to his arms when she got tired of waiting for his nails to dry.

“How do you like it?” Marinette asked.

Adrien kept running his hand across his much shorter hair with a dopey smile. “I love it! What do you think?”

“You look very handsome,” Marinette kissed him. “As nice as you look are you sure that Felix won’t try and copy this?”

“He won’t. He has his own signature look and he won’t compromise it just to copy me. Not to this degree at least.” He waved his painted nails and arms covered in little doodles. “This was a good idea. Thanks girls.”

“Now let’s just hope your dad doesn’t throw a tantrum.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “You remember what happened when you came home with those clip in highlights when we were ten?”

“I think he was more offended by how fake they looked and not so much that I had clip on purple highlights in my hair.” Adrien shrugged. He looked at the time and sighed. “Gotta face the music sometime though. If I’m not home soon he’ll throw a whole different tantrum.”

“We’ll let you go then.” The girls said goodbye. Adrien walked Marinette back to her house before departing for his own home.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Marinette asked Tikki, “I mean, why would Felix even want to destroy Adrien’s life? Adrien is the sweetest least problematic guy in the world.”

“Some people just want to cause trouble.” Tikki sighed, “But I’m sure Adrien will be fine. Felix may be a bad seed but Adrien is a superhero. He can deal with anything that might get thrown his way.”

“True. But what about Chloe? She was really shaken by the news that Felix was back.” Marinette remembered her shaking hands, the panic in her eyes, “He did something to her that traumatized her pretty bad. If he can do something like that to Chloe then who knows what else he’s capable of.”

“We’ll be careful. We won’t let him hurt anyone else.” Tikki assured her.

“Yeah…” Marinette wasn’t fully convinced. Lila had been a challenge to handle but at least Marinette knew what her motives were. She was able to find the chink in her armor and tear it down to reveal the real Lila inside. The nicer one that wanted friends and healthy relationships. Marinette knew next to nothing about Felix outside of what he had done to hurt others. If she was gonna help keep Adrien safe she was gonna need to do some research on the dark cloud that was Felix Graham de Vanily.

Chapter Text

This shouldn’t have been a surprise to Adrien. It really shouldn’t have been. Currently he was standing in the front hall of his house while his father and aunt yelled at each other over Adrien’s appearance. His father disapproved of Adrien’s new look while his aunt thought it was a wonderful change. All the while Adrien stood there and waited for them to conclude their screaming match. He was glad for Aunt Amelie’s support of the changes to his appearance but he felt that this was too much fuss over a haircut and some painted nails.

Adrien had gone home fully expecting to be berated by his father in some way over it and had braced himself for the long boring lecture. Then Aunt Amelie came into the room during the middle of said lecture and grabbed his cheeks and ruffled his hair and complimented how nice he looked. Next thing he knew they were fighting.

It was nice someone in this house was in Adrien’s corner. Even if it was for something trivial. The yelling went on for a few more minutes before Natalie interjected and came to a compromise. Adrien would wash the doodles off his arms and would remove the nail polish for photoshoots but could paint them again when he wasn’t working if that’s what he chose. There was nothing to be done about his hair and father eventually conceded that it did not look terrible to excused it.

Adrien took a deep breath and climbed the steps to his room. Thank goodness he had a therapy session today.

He entered his room and scowled. “Felix,” Adrien sighed, “What are you doing in my room?”

“I got bored in mine.” Felix shrugged, “Geez, what happened to you?”

“Like you didn’t hear the screaming match outside. I got a haircut. What of it?” Adrien ignored him and went into the bathroom to scrub the doodles off his arms.

“Just so unlike you,” Felix said, “Your girlfriend’s idea? Trying to look pretty for her?”

“You know it really isn’t any of your business.”

“So defensive. Is that where you ran off to in such a hurry?”

“Again, none of your business.” Adrien turned to him, “I’m gonna ask you again, what are you doing in here? I thought you were ignoring me.”

“And I told you, I’m bored. So it is either hang out with you or listen to mom plan some boring dinner party she wants to host.”

“Can you get out? I have stuff I need to do.”

“Like what?”

“School stuff. Now go!” Adrien shoved him out the door and locked it. This was gonna be a long couple of weeks.

---

“Come on girls! We are supposed to be super sleuths when it comes to digging up information on boys and you are telling me we have nothing?” Marinette addressed her group of friends at school the following day.

Marinette had contacted the girl group chat last night asking them to help find information about Felix Graham de Vanily. Afterall, six minds are better than one. Yet when Marinette came in the next day to see what they had found the list was frustratingly short.

She didn’t dare ask Chloe for any information. Felix was like a trigger for her and Marinette wasn’t going to risk her spiraling by asking questions she may not be ready to answer.

“I don’t know what to tell you.” Alya shrugged, “The guy doesn’t have any social media presence that I could find and I dredged that pool with a fine toothed comb.”

“The most I could find was an article about him receiving some school award pertaining to entomology.” Mylene said. “He also has a subscription to National Geographic.”

“Rose? Juleka? Alix?” Marientte turned to them, “Got anything?”

“I found his dad’s obituary.” Rose said. “I don’t know how helpful that is though.”

“Let’s respect the dead and not touch that.” Marinette said. “Anything else?”

The girls shook their heads. “Well thanks for looking into this anyway.” Marinette sighed and started pulling materials from her locker. She really shouldn’t have been surprised that Felix wouldn’t have much of a social media presence to spy on. If she wanted information she was gonna have to talk to Adrien. Though she wasn’t sure how much information he would have since he hadn’t spoken or saw Felix for years before now. He didn’t seem to know much about his cousin’s personality.

Marinette was pulled from her thoughts when a pair of hands covered her eyes. “Guess who.”

“Hmmm,” Marinette pretended to contemplate it for a moment, “Sounds an awful lot like a less hot Chat Noir.”

“Less hot?!” Adrien spun her around, “Excuse you but I am way hotter than Chat Noir!”

“I don’t know, he’s got that black leather and cat ear thing going on. What do you got? Skinny jeans and a t-shirt?” Marinette bit back a smile.

“I could get a leather jacket! Besides, Chat Noir’s costume isn’t even real leather. It’s synthetic black armor that just looks like leather!”

“Sunshine,” Marinette whispered, “You do know that you are Chat Noir right? I’m still calling you hot.”

“I know that.” Adrien said, eyes glancing around them quickly as his ears tinted pink, “I just think that Adrien deserves some of that hot guy love too. Is that so much to ask?”

“You look sexy as hell, Agreste!” Kim walked past giving Adrien’s butt a hard smack.

“Thank you! You also look hot today, Kim!” Adrien said. He winced and glanced behind him, “That actually really stung. I was not prepared for that at all.”

“That is not the hardest you have ever been hit. I have literally hit you harder while joking around on patrols.”

“Yeah but I got armor on then.” Adrien pouted, “It really stings, doodle bug.”

“Aw, my poor kitty,” Before Adrien could react Marinette kissed her palm then smacked him on the butt right where Kim had moments earlier. “There, a kiss to make it better.”

“Marinette!” Adrien’s face flushed.

Marinette chuckled and kissed his cheek before taking his hand and pulling them to class. Kim must have spread word of Adrien wanting more attention because everyone stopped to call him hot before sitting down. By the time class had started his face was pure red and he was trying to hide behind his textbook.

School was pretty uneventful outside of everyone, especially the guys, referring to Adrien exclusively as ‘hot stuff’ the entire day. Adrien walked Marinette over to her house. “Before I go, my aunt is hosting a dinner party this weekend and she really wants you to come. If you’d rather not I totally understand and I’ll let her know you can’t make it.”

“Oh no, I can come. I won’t leave you to fend for yourself.” Marinette assured him, “Your aunt seems really nice too so I don’t feel beleaguered to come if she’s hosting it. I assume it’ll be more than just your family dining, right?”

“Yes. It’s more of a business dinner party with all of her new coworkers and stuff. I guess she has got this really good job as a botanist in a exclusive lab or something. I’m not sure, I was only half awake when she was telling me about it this morning.”

“Yeah, I can make it. How formal are we talking?”

“Cocktail at least.”

“Good to know.” Marinette nodded. She couldn’t say that spending her evening in a room full of science people she doesn’t know and Adrien’s family that she doesn’t like sounded like the best way to spend her Saturday night but she wasn’t gonna let him suffer alone. Also, a dinner would be a good opportunity to stealthily interrogate Felix.

She kissed Adrien goodbye and went up to her room to start planning. Felix didn’t strike her as an idiot so if she wanted to weed information out of him without him catching on she’d have to be careful. One slip up or awkward question and he’d clam up. She’d need some expert advice.

“Hey Lila,” Marinette called her over facetime, “You busy? I need some sneaky Lila expertise.”

“Ooh!” Lila clapped her hands, “You’ve never asked me for this kind of advice. I am trying to go straight and narrow but I’ll make an exception for you. What do you need?”

Marinette explained the situation. At first Lila was fuming because of Felix. He was the reason she had gotten akumatized last time he was in Paris. Then that old wicked grin that Marinette used to loathe spread across her face. They stayed up late talking and strategizing as Lila unloaded her plethora of manipulation knowledge onto Marinette.

Marinette wondered briefly if this was healthy for Lila, letting her indulge in these urges once more but Lila assured her it was fine. She could afford a night of depravity without sinking back into her old ways. Besides, this was for something very important!

At school the next day Marinette mentioned her ulterior motives for agreeing to the dinner to Adrien. He wasn’t upset or anything like Marinette feared which was good. He even promised to help out as much as he could in getting Felix to spill the beans.

Finally the night of the dinner was upon them. Marinette changed into a little black dress and heels for the night. She decided to let her hair loose but kept it pinned away from her face with a pearl pin. She grabbed a matching clutch and went out to the car waiting for her to take her over to Adrien’s.

The usually desolate mansion was buzzing with life tonight as many of Amelie’s co-workers milled in the main lobby of the mansion. Marinette nodded politely as she weaved through them looking for Adrien.

“Oh there she is!” Adrien’s aunt scurried over to where Marinette was with a beaming smile. “I was so pleased when Adrien said that you would be joining us this evening. I love this dress of yours. Is it one you designed?”

“No. I did a few alterations to make it fit better but it’s not my own.”

“Well it looks fabulous. Come, you’re probably looking for that cute devil of a boyfriend of yours, aren’t you.” Amelie tugged on her arm and Marinette got swept away by the older woman. She really did have all the energy of a bunny on crack. Marinette had only been in her presence for two minutes and she felt like she needed to sit down. Or maybe that was just her feet not liking the heels she put on.

They eventually found Adrien who was keeping to a corner by the stairs. His eyes lit up when he saw Marinette. “Beautiful as always, my star.” He kissed her forehead.

“Thanks,” Marinette took in his nice suit, “You look very handsome this evening as well, my prince.”

“Awe!” Amelie sighed. Marinette had forgotten she was still there and her cheeks went pink. “If you two aren’t a young power couple then I don’t know what.”

“Thanks Aunt Amelie,” Adrien was also blushing.

“Emelie would really love her too. You chose such a sweet girlfriend.” Amelie’s smile waned a bit. The mention of her lost sister popping the giddy bubble she had been encased in moments earlier. Just as quickly her smile picked back up with its usual excessive cheer. “I won’t take up too much of your time. Enjoy the dinner!”

She scurried off again. Marinette looked to Adrien expecting some kind of heartache at the mention of his mom but he was smiling. Wistful. Marinette laced her hand with his. She could have a little fun before she hunted down Felix and started her interrogation. Adrien walked her around and they made pleasant small talk with the other dinner guests. Meanwhile Marinette kept her eyes peeled for Felix, scared that the little demon would pop out of the floor at any moment.

Dinner was called and everyone filtered into the dining room. Little place cards marked where everyone sat. She found her card and frowned a bit when she noticed that Adrien wasn’t next to her. He was placed across from her so it wasn’t too bad. On her left though…

“Evening, Dupain-Cheng,” Felix nodded to her.

“Good evening,” Marinette faked a smile. “How are you?”

Felix quirked an eyebrow up at her. “Fine. You?”

“I’m well.” God this was awkward. How did Lila do this kind of stuff?

Felix pulled her chair out for her and they sat down. Amelie made a small speech to her new co-workers and then dinner was served. Everyone around the table made idle chatter as the night went on. She took a deep breath and glanced at Felix then back at Adrien. It was now or never.

“So, Felix,” Marinette said, “Adrien told me that you are going to do homeschooling instead of attending with us.”

“I am,” Felix said, his gaze down on his plate. “Is there a reason you’re interested.”

“Just making conversation. My friend, Lila, is currently doing homeschool too.” Marinette shrugged, “Is there a reason you prefer homeschooling?”

“Easier. I don’t have to go out and mingle with people I don’t want to.”

“Is there a list of people you don’t want to mingle with?” Marinette laughed but it sounded fake even to her.

“Yes. It’s alphabetized.” He smirked and Marinette felt like punching the dumb grin off his face. “Did you want to see it?”

“Sure. Mind telling me who some of those people are? I imagine I have to be one of them.”

“Why the sudden interest?” he asked, turning to her fully, “Scared that I don’t like you? Is this some point of pride that you need everyone to like you or something?”

“Of course not. I just figured that I probably wasn’t one of your favorite people seeing as how we’ve never gotten on in the few interactions we’ve had.”

“Well our introduction was you threatening to kill me.”

“After you impersonated my boyfriend and told me that I was a social-climbing gold-digger, mind you.”

“Fair point.”

“Do you do anything when you’re not terrorizing your cousin’s friends?”

“I like bugs.”

“And?”

“I like reading.”

“You are really giving me nothing to work with here.” Marinette grumbled. “What about friends? Do you miss them?”

“Oh yes,” Felix rolled his eyes, “Cry about it every day before I go to bed.”

“You don’t have to be sarcastic about it. It’s alright to admit that you miss your friends.”

“It’s also alright to drop the subject. I don’t see how my personal life is any concern of yours.”

“You really are something, de Vanily, tell me, do all the girls fawn over that cold shoulder approach or do they go running in terror once they get a glimpse at your personality?” Marinette couldn’t help the barb that fled her tongue. Felix was tarting to tick her off.

“I don’t know, do all the boys fall at your feet when you strut around in homemade mediocre sundresses?” Felix’s lip curled. There was a thump and Felix flinched, sending a dangerous glare at Adrien who must have kicked him under the table. Marinette snorted and took a sip of her drink.

Marinette tried to engage him in conversation again but he had shut down after Adrien kicked him. Marinette sighed in defeat, this really wasn’t her forte. She knew just as much about him now at the end of the dinner as she had when she arrived. It felt like such a waste.

The night wound down eventually and everyone started to filter from the mansion. Unfortunately some of the more inebriated guests were being driven home by the Gorilla which meant Marinette didn’t have her ride home. She glanced down at her heels with a sigh. The reason she had worn heels instead of flats was because she was sure she wouldn’t have to do a lot of walking. Now she would have to walk home in them which was a nightmare in of itself with her balance issues. She supposed she could transform once she was far enough away from the manor. That would save her poor feet some pain.

“Hey, Adrien,” Marinette said, “I think I’m gonna head out too.”

“Okay, I’ll walk you back.” Adrien said, he pulled her closer, “And if we happen to get a little delayed on the way…”

“You are incorrigible.” Marinette laughed. “I’ll just go say my goodbyes to our hosts and then we’ll be on our way.”

Marinette approached Amelie, Gabriel, and Felix. “I am heading out, thank you for having me this evening.”

“We were more than happy to have you!” Amelie clasped her hands together, “Is someone coming to pick you up?”

“No. I live not too far so it wouldn’t make sense for my parents to come pick me up this late in the evening.”

“Oh my poor dear, are you walking home?” Amelie asked, “Well that won’t do, someone pull the car around for her!”

“Adrien’s bodyguard is currently driving your intoxicated co-workers home, Amelie.” Gabriel reminded her tersely.

“Tsk tsk,” She shook her head, “I certainly don’t want you wandering the streets alone at this hour. Oh I know! Felix, why don’t you be a courteous gentleman and escort the young lady home?”

“Oh that’s really not necessary!” Marinette said quickly, “Adrien already said he’d walk me home.”

“Is it much safer for Adrien to walk you back?” Felix asked. There was something about his tone that made Marinette tense. “He is well known around here so any common mugger would be able to clock him as one of the richest teenagers in Paris. Do we really want to endanger him like that?”

“I can take care of myself just fine, Felix.” Adrien said.

“I have no doubt of that but miss Dupain-Cheng should be escorted home quickly. You have a habit of dawdling when you walk with her. Being out in the dark streets for that long isn’t safe in the slightest.” Felix said, his passive expression breaking into a sly smile, “I on the other hand will not be kept in by her company and I am certainly lesser known than you so no one should target me. I am more than willing to escort her home.”

“That’s all well and good Felix but need I remind you that she is my girlfriend. I’d rather be the one taking her home.” There was a certain possessiveness to Adrien’s words that Marinette felt a small thrill at. It was kinda hot.

“I think it would be prudent for Felix to escort her home.” Gabriel said. Adrien opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by a harsh glare from his father. “You do have a tendency to slow and linger in the company of miss Dupain-Cheng. For the sake of everyone’s safety I will have to advise you let your cousin take her home.”

“But father!” Adrien said a tad louder than he had meant.

“Don’t worry, Adrien,” Felix slid next to Marinette with that same calculating gleam he got during dinner. “I’ll be a gentleman and make sure your precious girlfriend returns home unscathed.”

Marinette could tell he wanted to protest further but she subtly shook her head. It just wasn’t worth it. Resigning himself to the situation Adrien gave her a quick kiss goodbye and watched as she departed his house with Felix.

After they got out of the gated grounds of the mansion Marinette dropped any pretenses of politeness and marched ahead of Felix. It wasn’t easy in her heels but so far her anger was keeping her balanced. Felix did not so much as blink an eye as he matched her pace.

“You should probably slow down.” he said, nonchalantly.

“Why would I do that? I want to get away from you.” She snapped at him.

“Because I believe that you’re going to--”

“AH!” Marinette’s foot slipped and her ankle rolled. She started falling but was caught from hitting the ground by Felix grabbing her arm and pulling her upright.

“As I was saying,” Felix rolled his eyes, “You’re like a newborn giraffe in those heels. If you didn’t slow down you were going to fall and hurt yourself like you almost just did.”

“Well I’m fine now!” She took another step and winced at the pain in her ankle. Her stumble hadn’t left her completely unscathed. She swore under her breath as she inspected her ankle in the light of the streetlamp. A minor injury but one she would have to endure for the remainder of the walk home. Of course none of this would have happened if it had just been Adrien walking her home instead.

“Yeah,” Felix rolled his eyes, “You look it.”

Marinette started limping down the street but the pain in her ankle got her stumbling once more and this time when she tripped she fell hard. “Owie,” She hissed and kicked off her heels.

Felix watched her with muted disinterest. “As much fun as it is to watch you flail around we do need to be going. Come on,” He held out a hand for her. Marinette glared at it and Felix sighed, “Just take it you stubborn idiot. I’m not a complete jerk.”

“Could have fooled me.” Marinette muttered. At the expense of her dignity she took his hand and didn’t fuss when he looped her arm over his shoulders so he was supporting her. “If walking me back is such a chore then why did you volunteer? I know you didn’t really mean any of what you said back at the mansion about Adrien getting mugged.”

“No but I had my own reasons for wanting to get you alone.”

“Even with a sore ankle and wearing a dress I can and will kick your ass.”

“Good to know.” he nodded, “I just wanted some answers. Like why you were trying to interrogate me all throughout dinner. Didn’t think I would notice your painful attempts at being nonchalant?”

“I will admit interrogation isn’t my strong suit.”

“If there’s something you wanna know you can just ask me.”

“Simple as that?”

“Simple as that.”

“Okay. Why do you want to ruin Adrien’s life?”

“Who said I want to ruin Adrien’s life?”

“You did, when you sent that hurtful video to all of his friends in an effort to destroy all of his relationships.”

“You think that was trying to ruin his life?” Felix scoffed, “You think I was going to tear down his entire life with one video to his so called friends? Let’s think about this logically, if they gave up on him because of one bad day then could they really be called friends?”

“So what? That was some kind of sick test of yours?”

“No. Not entirely at least.” Felix shrugged, “Think of it more as data collecting.”

“Are you kidding me? One of our friends got akumatized because of your stupid video!” Marinette pinched his arm, hard.

“No need to resort to physical violence, Dupain-Cheng.” He swatted her hand away. “I will admit that you did surprise me. You saw through me so easily. I have to know, what was it about my Adrien disguise that gave me away?”

“It’s called that even though you two look alike I know my boyfriend. I can’t be so easily fooled into not recognizing the love of my life.”

“The love of your life.” Felix sighed, “Cute. You do know that this teenage romance of yours probably won’t last past lycee, right? It’ll be all fun and games now but people change as they get older. Soon you two will not be able to stand each other. You’ll look across at this person you thought you knew, you thought you loved, and see a stranger. It’s only inevitable.”

Normally that little spiel would have lit a defensive fire under Marinette’s ass but there was something about the way he said it that gave her pause. He sounded so bitter about it. Like he was recounting a bad memory. Maybe there was something of a heart underneath that shell. Let’s see if we can poke it!

“Geez, who broke your heart?” Marinette said.

Felix stumbled a step. It was small and could have been missed but it read to her loud and clear.

“Oops, did I strike a nerve?” Marinette cooed. She could see the tips of Felix’s ears burning bright red though his face remained impassive. “Contrary to your belief I am indeed incredibly clever. I learned a lot about reading people and playing my hand right from a very good friend.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Felix said, terse.

“The way you spoke a moment ago though,” Marinette continued pressing on the exposed nerve, “You got so passionate. Someone you cared about left you, is that it? You had a friend, maybe even a significant other and you two fought or drifted apart and you’ve been carrying around that burden all this time. Probably what went wrong. Decided it was easier to blame it on them instead of yourself. You know that is not a very healthy thing to do.”

“You should rethink those lessons on reading people that your friend gave you.” Felix muttered darkly, “You clearly do not know anything. Not anything about me or what I think”

“Oh don’t I?” Marinette stopped walking which forced Felix to as well. He was staring ahead, forcing himself not to meet her gaze as she addressed him. “I think that I know quite a bit, probably more than you’d like me to, and that scares you. So come on, you told me if I wanted to know something all I had to do was ask. Tell me, who was it that spit in your salad and made you such a grump?”

“Everyone.”

“Well that’s a short list.”

“It’s not like I expect you to understand. Not even my friends could understand.” They made it back to Marinette’s house. They paused at the door as Marinette fished out her keys from her clutch.

“Well Felix,” Marinette turned back to him, “I have to say that this was a pretty terrible night, made no better by your company. Thanks for being honest with me though. I now understand just how big a raging jerk you are.”

“Of course.” He flashed her that same fake smile she had made earlier, “And since I am such a horrible person then I suppose I don’t need to bother with the facades. You can tell Adrien and all his little friends that I am not here playing games. Those idiots I called friends, their idyllic boring lives, I’ll see them razed to the ground. That’s a promise.”
With that he turned on his heel and started marching back towards the manor.

Wow. That was a lot. Marinette limped up to her room and wrapped an ice pack around her sore ankle. The night had been bust up until the end there. What had Felix been talking about? The people he used to call his friends. She assumed he meant Adrien but who was the other? Chloe? Adrien mentioned they used to hang out when they were kids. Were there more kids? More former friends that he now hated? And if in fact it was just the three of them that Felix was referring to then what had happened?

How could a trio of friends go downhill like that? What happened that made Felix this level of resentful and spiteful towards them? Why would he want to ruin their lives?

Marinette had just washed her makeup off when her phone started ringing. It was Adrien. “Hey sunshine,” She answered with a small sigh.

“Hey doodle bug, did you make it back home alright?” Adrien asked. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t take you back. Did Felix do anything? Did he say something mean?”

“I’m fine. Hurt my ankle taking a bad step but otherwise I’m good. As for Felix, he was unpleasant as I expected but we had an interesting conversation on the way back.”

“That so? What did he say?”

“Yeah, before I get to that can you answer something for me? Felix had mentioned that there were people he used to call friends. Do you have any idea who he meant by that?”

“If it’s anyone recent then I have no idea. Before Felix’s family moved to England permanently he, Chloe and I all used to hang out a lot as kids. Then Felix moved away. The last time he visited after the move, well, things went sour fast. That was the last time I saw him before he showed up again on the anniversary of mom’s disappearance.”

“Alright. So what happened on that last visit? Why did things go wrong then?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Adrien, you know you can trust me.”

“I know I can but it’s not my story to tell. I know you want to help, my lady, but this is the one thing I cannot tell you. If you really want to know then you’ll to ask the other person that was there. It’s her story.”

Marinette sighed, already knowing the answer. “I don’t think Chloe is going to share that with me. Felix is such a big trigger for her. I don’t want to open up any old wounds.”

“That’s probably for the best. The most I can tell you is that it caused her a lot of grief and it is something she is still struggling with today. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for keeping your friend’s business private. Whatever happened I can tell it hurt her a lot.” Marinette was really curious as to what could have possibly happened but kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t her place to pry no matter how badly she wanted to know. “Is she going to be okay now that he’s here.”

“I don’t know.” Adrien sounded so...defeated. “I hope so. I don’t want to see her get hurt like that again.”

Chapter Text

It was once again the best time of the year! Adrien’s birthday!

Marinette seemed even happier about the day then the actual birthday boy. But how could she not? This was the first time that she got to celebrate with him as his girlfriend. It was the day her boyfriend and her partner in crimefighting was born. It was cause for celebration.

This year Adrien got permission to throw a great big party with all his friends at Chloe’s hotel. It’s not every day that you turn sixteen afterall. Oh gosh, sixteen. It felt like just yesterday he and Marinette were just clumsy little thirteen year olds getting into their groove as heroes. Now Adrien was turning sixteen and Marinette wouldn’t be too far behind.

Chloe was in charge of setting things up at the hotel while Marinette took care of keeping the birthday boy from flying out of his skin. This was the first time he was having a big blowout party like this and needless to say, he was excited. Marinette had to suggest taking him out to do a few laps around Paris just to burn off some energy and the party wasn’t even until the next day.

“Pause! Time out!” Marinette shouted. The skidded to a stop on top of a skyscraper. She was hunched over taking deep breath. Any other day she had incredible stamina but all this running and leaping around was starting to wear her out.

“Hm? Oh sorry!” Chat came running back to her, “Was I going too fast?”

“How do you still have this much energy? It’s insane! I know you are excited, chaton, but you need to slow down before you hurt yourself.” Marinette flopped back on the ground.

“Sorry, bugaboo,” He sat down next to her, “I just can’t wait for tomorrow. I can’t believe father is letting me have such a big party and it’s not even at the house. We also get to have a classwide sleepover so the party can last late in the night. It’s gonna be great!”

“Well, considering how many big parties you’ve missed out maybe he’s feeling guilty.” Marinette shrugged.

“Maybe. I have a session with my therapist today so I can ask them what they think about father’s sudden generosity. I’m hoping it means something good. So far my therapist doesn’t look to be the biggest fan of him based on what I’ve told them.”

“Sweetie,” Marinette cocked an eyebrow at him, “No one likes your dad. I appreciate his work as a designer but the man himself is a gaslighting, narcissistic, dumpster fire of a person. How he was able to raise someone as sweet and kind as you is a miracle.”

“Bold of you to assume my father had any role in raising me.”

“...I can’t...I can’t even say you’re being dramatic. He’s such a jerk!”

“Yep,”

“But therapy is helping, right?”

“Yeah. It’s helping a lot.” He checked the time and sighed, “Speaking of which, it is later than I thought. My session is in a few minutes, I need to get going.”

“Okay,” She leaned over to kiss him, “I will see you tomorrow at the party.”

“See you then. Love you, my lady.”

“Love you too, chaton.” Marinette watched him take off before heading home herself.

She was really happy that Adrien was getting help. The admiration borderline adoration Marinette had found for Gabriel Agreste had started waning after she actually met him when she was thirteen. Since then he had only become worse and worse to the point that Marinette was having a hard time appreciating his work as a designer since she knew what a trash person he really was. How could she support and love something when it came from someone who hurt others?

He had gotten a bit better about letting Adrien out to see his friends and do stuff but he could flip on a dime and put Adrien on house arrest the next second. It was a tough line to walk. Adrien himself had also started resenting his father more and more as the years went by. He was still clinging onto some hope that things between them could be better but it was flimsy at best. Any hope for him started slipping away once Adrien started therapy and was better able to see the abusive tendencies his dad exhibited that were blatantly obvious to others. Marinette didn’t blame him for not noticing though. He hadn’t known any different and it is hard to tell what may be abuse when you’re looking at it from the inside. Still, it would only be for a few more years until Adrien was able to move out and get away from Gabriel.

She wondered briefly if she shouldn’t just kidnap him back to her house one night and never let him go home. Something told her he wouldn’t be opposed to it, especially if he got to sleep in the same bed as her like they had gotten into a habit of doing.

She thought warmly of the birthday party the next day and how her and Adrien would probably share a room to sleep over in again. It didn’t matter how many times she fell asleep next to him, seeing his face first thing in the morning always made her day better.

His birthday would be great. Nothing could ruin it!

---

“I AM NOT LETTING THAT URCHIN IN MY HOUSE!” Chloe screamed.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice, Chloe.” Marinette sighed, “Trust me, no one is happy about this. Especially not Adrien but what else could we expect? It is his cousin after all.”

“No! I refuse!” Chloe seethed, “I don’t care if he’s Adrien’s cousin, I don’t care if his aunt strong armed him into inviting him, we are not letting Felix Graham de Vomitbag step foot in here!”

“Don’t worry, Chloe,” Sabrina tried to calm her down, “We’ll keep him away from you. You won’t even have to interact with him.”

“He shouldn’t be here in the first place!” Chloe stamped her foot and ran off, hopefully to cool down before the party started.

Marinette didn’t blame her for being mad. Adrien was pretty pissed too about having to invite Felix. His aunt had said that it would be a good chance for Felix to make some new friends and whatnot. Apparently she didn’t take into account that everyone at this party hated Felix with a burning passion. Adrien called Marinette that morning to tell her the dreaded news and to let Chloe know in advance what was coming. He would have told her himself but he already has his hands full instilling in Felix that he had to be nice to the class.

Marinette made one last loop around the the main ballroom of the hotel that they had reserved for Adrien’s party. Everything was set up and soon guests would start arriving. Hopefully the last minute addition of Felix wouldn’t ruin the night. She couldn’t see anyone from class trying to instigate something with him but didn’t put it past Felix to try and push their buttons. Hopefully everything would be kept to passive aggressive comments and they could get through this night without any bloodshed.

The time of the party began and guests started filing in, chatting amongst themselves whilst waiting for Adrien to arrive. When he did he was greeted with lots of cheer and the class basically dogpiled on him to give him birthday wishes. The image was only soured by the dark cloud that was Felix that lurked in the background behind Adrien.

Most of the class glared at the doppelganger before scooping Adrien up and carrying him away to have fun. There were games, food, music, dancing and teenagers acting like laughing idiots. It was a lot of fun. Felix stood off to the sidelines the entire time watching the festivities from a safe distance. Marinette only approached him once with a slice of birthday cake.

“Here,” She held it out to him, “You haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

“And what makes you think that I want any of that crap?” He sneered at the frosted confection in front of him.

“Excuse you, but this was made by my family’s bakery. It is delicious and your mopey, grumpy butt is gonna have some.” She shoved the cake into his hands. “Now eat.”

“I don’t want--”

Marinette stabbed a piece and shoved the fork into Felix’s mouth. He stood ramrod straight trying to comprehend what she had just done. “Stop being such a grouch and enjoy the dang cake.”

Felix swallowed the bite that he had been force fed and stared down at the remainder on his plate. “It’s not bad,” he muttered but it was enough for Marinette.

“Good.” She nodded, “Have a nice rest of your evening.”

“You expect me to enjoy myself in a room of people that I know hate me?”

“And whose fault is it that they hate you?” Marinette asked. “If you don’t want them to hate you anymore then maybe you should go talk to them. Apologize for what you did and move on from there. You’ll see that this is a very forgiving group of people.”

“And did you forget what I told you that night after dinner?”

“You mean how you are going to ruin everyone’s lives? No, I remember. Still don’t know why you want to ruin their lives but I figure that it’s something petty that you’ve been holding onto. Probably something as small as a misunderstanding that you refuse to let go of because if you do then that means you’ll have to actually atone for your horrible behaviour and we can’t have that. Can we? Nope. Much better to let it stew and fuel your terrible choices and ostracize yourself from having any real meaningful relationships.”

“God,” Felix spat, “You sound just like her.”

“Like who?” Marinette asked. Felix’s ears went pink and a noticeable shock rocked through him. Perhaps he had said more than he had meant to.

“No one. Someone from a long time ago. Go away.” Felix dropped the slice of cake in the trash and walked off.

Well that went well. But now Marinette had another piece of the puzzle that was Felix. There was a girl involved in some capacity.

She walked back towards the crowd and was pulled onto the dance floor as her and Adrien’s song came on. She let the interaction with Felix fade away as she swayed with Adrien. “So,” She whispered, not wanting to break the peace they were in, “Is it the birthday you always dreamed of?”

“It’s great, my star,” He whispered back, “It’s positively perfect.”

“Just wait until you get to open your presents.”

“Did you get me something?” He asked.

“I got you a little something but I can’t give it to in front of everyone.”

“Oh really?” He grinned in that sly way that made Marinette’s heart miss a beat. It was the flirt in him coming out. “How debauched is this gift, my lady?” She pinched the back of his neck. “Ow! What was that for?”

“To get your mind out of the gutter.” She rubbed the spot to ease it again. “It’s nothing like what you’re thinking you hormonal dork. It’s just something personal that everyone else doesn’t need to see.”

“Awe,” He smiled but she could see a twinge of disappointment in his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Were you hoping for a steamy birthday make-out session?”

“I mean…” he trailed off, his face turning red.

“Don’t worry, kitty,” She pulled him closer so she was speaking right into his ear, “We still have all night for that.”

His grip on her got a little tighter. “You’re so easy to fluster.” Marinette chuckled and left a small kiss just below his ear. “Happy birthday, Adrien. I love you.”

“Thanks Marinette. I love you too.”

The song ended and everyone went back to partying as the track changed to something fast and bouncy. Soon enough the party began to wind down and everyone left the ballroom for the luxury suite that Chloe had booked for everyone to hang out in. There were other rooms reserved for everyone to sleep in following the sleepover portion of party. Chloe winked at Adrien and Marinette signaling to them that they would have their own room just like they did during their Christmas date.

Everyone changed into their pajamas and congregated in the suite to hang out in before bed. The only dower part was that Felix was still there. It was easy enough for everyone to ignore him during the high energy of the party downstairs but now that they were all in one significantly smaller room his presence was more well felt. Chloe herself seemed especially agitated by his presence. This was not good.

“How about we play a game!” Marinette suggested loudly, trying to break the tension in the room, “Anyone have any suggestions?”

“We could always go old school and play spin the bottle.” Kim suggested earning him many sideways glances. “What?”

“How about truth or dare?” Rose said. She was met with pretty much the same response.

“How about we combine the two?” Max said, “Everyone writes down a truth and a dare on slips of paper and puts it in a bowl or a hat. Someone spins a bottle and whoever the bottle lands on has to pull one of the slips from the bowl and do whatever it says.”

“How is that any better than just playing regular truth or dare?” Alix asked.

“At least with this version you can’t purposefully target people with humiliating questions or dares. There’s an edge of fairness to it.” Mylene said. “I think it sounds like fun.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Nino said. “Adrien, you’re the birthday boy, spin the bottle truth or dare sound like fun?”

“Sure. I’ll go grab some pens and paper.” He stood up and went to find supplies. Everyone started writing down one truth and one dare on their pieces of paper and collected them all in Nino’s cap.

Everyone sat down in a circle. Felix was sat between Ivan and Kim, a position he didn’t seem to enjoy but he didn’t try to retreat either. Maybe this was his way of trying to interact with everyone.

Adrien spun first to see who would pull first. The bottle spun and spun and landed on Juleka. She pulled a truth telling her to admit who in the group she would choose to marry. To no one’s surprise she immediately said Rose. People awed and Juleka spun. It landed on Max who drew a dare to stay in a handstand until the next dare was drawn. Max glared at Kim whose handwriting he recognized but complied. Thankfully Kim was nice enough to hold his legs so he didn’t fall.

The game went on for several minutes and things were going pretty well. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. No one even seemed to mind Felix being there. They all leaned in close when the bottle landed on him and he was forced to pull something.

“What’s it say?” Nathaneal asked.

“When was the last time you pooped your pants?” Felix read the card with a small sneer, “Who was the immature dunce that put something like this in?”

“Just answer the question, mister silk pajamas.” Alix threw a cheese curl at his head.

Felix sighed and threw the paper away. “The last time I pooped my pants was when I was a baby in diapers.”

“Oh now that can’t be true,” All eyes turned to Chloe who was wearing a satisfied grin, “Cause didn’t Marinette ream you out for impersonating Adrien that one time? When Dupain-Cheng gets angry she can be shit inducing.”

Felix glared back at Chloe, his eyes quickly flitting to Marinette for a moment. “No. I didn’t.” He ground the words out through clenched teeth, “I’m not scared of her in the least.”

“Sure,” The whole group rolled their eyes and laughed it off. He spun the bottle and it landed on Ivan who had to get a makeover from one of the girls. Mylene took him over and started doing his makeup and the game continued on.

Marinette looked over at Chloe during this time while everyone was distracted. On the surface she was keeping it together but Marinette was able to spot the subtle shaking of her hands at her side.

---

“Hey,” Marinette tapped Adrien’s hand.

“Yeah?” He said, tearing his gaze away from Ivan’s beautification process.

“Is Chloe okay?” She whispered.

Adrien looked at Chloe and noticed her hands were balled tight on her lap. Oh no. He knew it was only a matter of time until Felix started really getting to her. Adrien scooted his way across the floor towards Chloe. “You alright?” Adrien asked her. “If Felix is--”

“I’m fine.” Chloe said.

“But--”

“I said I’m fine.” She shoved him back to his spot. “Don’t worry about me and enjoy your party.”

He exchanged a disappointed look with Marinette. Chloe wasn’t going to own up to how much Felix was really bothering her.

Ivan came back to the group looking oh so fabulous and spun the bottle to indicate who would go first. It landed on Marinette and she pulled a slip from the hat. Adrien couldn’t help looking over her shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the dare written on it.

“Spin the bottle and kiss whoever it lands on.” Marinette sighed. “Really guys?”

“Check out, Adrien.” Alya laughed, “You know there’s every chance it’ll land on you, right?”

“It just says a kiss, it doesn’t say what kind of kiss.” Marinette assured him, “Don’t get jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.” Adrien pouted.

Marinette spun the bottle again. He watched with bated breath as it spun and spun and spun before it finally stopped. It wasn’t pointing at him though. It was pointed at a different blonde.

“Oh this ought to be interesting.” Alix smiled knowingly, “Go on, Marinette. Lay a big fat wet one on her!”

“You all are such children.” Marinette scoffed. When her gaze settled on Chloe though her playful smile quickly disappeared. Adrien looked to see what was wrong and Chloe had gone completely still. Crap…

“Uh, Chloe…” Adrien started to say before he was cut off by Marinette.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to Chloe. I’ll just spin again.” Marinette assured her with that gentle smile of hers. Adrien breathed out in relief.

“Now why would she want you to do that?” Felix piped in as Marinette was reaching for the bottle. “Surely this must be a dream come true.

“Shut up.” Chloe growled at him.

“What?” Felix asked, his sly smile growing.

“You know what! Shut it!”

“Oh what? Do your friends not know?”

“Know what?” Mylene asked.

“That Chloe’s a lesbian.”

Adrien lunged at his cousin but it was too late. The information was already out there. The boys rolled on the ground in a struggle to come out on top. Adrien managed to pin Felix down. Adrien’s face was distorted with rage as he glared daggers at his cousin.

“Chloe! Wait!” Sabrina went racing after Chloe who fled the scene.

“You asshole!” Adrien screamed at Felix. “You complete and utter asshole! How could you do that to her?!”

“Why’s it my fault that she never told her so called friends?” Felix spat.

“You just outed her without her consent!” Juleka was screaming at him. Rose stood at her side just as livid. “You do not get to out someone like that! You do not! Do you have any idea what you just did? How devastating that can be? It wasn’t your news to share you shithead!”

“Let me at him!” Alix was practically foaming at the mouth. “Kim! Let go of me! I’m gonna kill him!”

Felix managed to break out of Adrien’s pin and fled the room under the hateful gazes of the class. There was a few moments of tense silence as the collective agreement that the party was now officially over. With the mood ruined the boys went about cleaning the room up.

“We should go check on Chloe.” Rose said. Juleka followed her as did Adrien and Marinette.

They got to Chloe’s room and saw Sabrina in the hall gently knocking on the door and pleading with Chloe to let her in. “Not opening up?” Adrien sighed.

“She hasn’t even told me to go away. She’s just silent.” Sabrina brushed the tears from he eyes. “She’s really hurting and I can’t help her.”

“Sabrina,” Rose said, “Did you know?”

Sabrina nodded and looked over at Adrien who also nodded. “She’s been talking about coming out to everyone but she had yet to build up the courage. This is even worse than last time.”

“Last time?” Marinette looked to Adrien, “What does that mean? This happened before?”

“At the hands of the same person too.” Adrien balled his hands into fists. “We were twelve and the four of us, Chloe, Sabrina, Felix and I, were all at some event. Chloe told Sabrina and I that she thought she was gay. We said we would keep her secret but Felix must have overheard us cause then he mentioned it to her parents before he left.”

“Her dad took it well and supported Chloe but her mom…” Sabrina hiccuped, “She wanted to send Chloe away. The two started fighting about it a lot. The whole incident almost led to them getting divorced. They ended up just separating instead. Her mom basically just doesn’t acknowledge that Chloe’s gay now and I don’t know if that’s better or worse. She’s not being outwardly malicious or trying to send her away but she keeps acting like Chloe’s straight. It’s been really hard on her.”

“Poor Chloe,” The girls all looked at the locked door. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“You girls head back.” Adrien said, “I’ll get through to Chloe.” He pulled a keycard out of his pocket.

“Take care of her.” Sabrina said before departing with Rose and Juleka.

“Adrien?” Marinette looks at him. “Was this what you were talking about? The incident? The secret?”

He nodded. “You see now why it wasn’t for me to share.”

“I’m guessing you’re gonna be staying here tonight then?”

“Looks it.”

Marinette nodded. She gave him a quick kiss and followed the other girls back to the party.

With a deep breath Adrien unlocked the door and went into Chloe’s room. He gazed around the dark room and heard quiet sniffling coming from the bedroom. Chloe was bundled under the covers of her bed crying. Adrien sat down on the bed and rubbed Chloe’s back.

“I’m sorry, Chlo,” He told her, “I’m so sorry. The second Felix started talking I should have punched him. I should have stopped him from coming to the party in the first place.”

“It’s not your fault your cousin is a dick.” Chloe muttered, her voice hoarse from crying. There was a long stretch of silence. “I’m sorry for ruining your birthday.”

“You didn’t ruin anything.” Adrien pulled her closer in a hug. She buried her face in his chest as new sobs overtook her. “None of this was your fault. And you don’t need to be scared of our classmates knowing. You didn’t get to see it cause you left but everyone defended you and chewed out Felix for what he did. It’ll all be alright.”

“That doesn’t make this any better now.” She sniffled.

“Maybe not. But it is what it is.” He sighed. It broke his heart to see his oldest friend like this. “There’s no taking it back now.”

“I know that you probably want to go have kissy face with Dupain-Cheng but can you--can you--”

“I already told Marinette that I’m staying here. It’s okay.” He shushed her, “Take some deep breaths. Let it all out. I got you, Chlo. You’re gonna be just fine.”

Adrien stayed up until Chloe’s labored breathing gave way to soft snores. He opened his phone and quickly texted Marinette.

She’s asleep. What’s the news on your front? --Adrien

Her response came through a minute later.

Everyone is pissed at Felix. Alix is this close to hunting him down and roasting him over and open fire. --Marinette

He needs to pay for this --Adrien

Oh don’t worry. We are well ahead of you on that front. --Marinette

Oh really? --Adrien

Yep. Just one quick question, how deep of a sleeper is Felix? --Marinette

Chapter Text

The clock read eight AM. Chloe was still fast asleep next to Adrien when he got the text.

We’re ready. Bring her up. --Marinette

“Hey, Chlo,” Adrien shook her shoulder, “Chloe, wake up.”

“Ugh, nooooo,” Chloe buried her head under the pillows. “Too early.”

“Come on, you’re gonna want to see this.” Adrien urged.

Chloe huffed and pulled herself from bed and lamely followed Adrien out of her suite. “Where are we going?” She yawned, “I don’t want to see people.”

“I know, and you can go back to your room in a minute but trust me, you’re gonna love this.” They took the elevator up to the roof. Chloe frowned when she noticed the rest of the class was already there waiting. Adrien gently pulled her out of the elevator and lead her through the crowd to the edge of the pool. It was just barely warm enough to open it again but still freezing. No one in their right mind would go swimming in it, especially first thing in the morning.

They made it to the side of the pool and Chloe’s mouth dropped open. Laying in the center of the pool on top of a mattress was Felix still fast asleep. “How did…?” she pointed at him.

“He is a really deep sleeper,” Marinette grinned and for a second Chloe caught a glimpse of just how diabolical Dupain-Cheng could get. She held up an air horn and handed it to Chloe. “Would you like to do the honors?”

Chloe’s face brightened immediately. She grabbed the air horn and aimed it directly at Felix.

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Felix jolted awake at the sudden noise and flailed off the mattress and into the pool. He floundered back to the surface, grasping desperately to the mattress for support as he tried to reconcile where he was. The class laughed and laughed. Sabrina was laughing so hard she looked like she couldn’t breathe.

“You little--!” Felix pulled himself out of the pool, “Of all the underhanded--”

“Do not talk to me about underhanded, cockroach.” Chloe spat, approaching Felix with blind fury, “This is tame compared to what you did.”

“All I did was state a fact.” Felix fumed. “How is it my fault you failed to share it with anyone?”

Chloe pushed him back into the pool. The class erupted into laughter again. Chloe turned towards Adrien who was leaning on Marinette to keep himself from falling.

“Thanks,” Chloe whispered as she passed them, “That made me feel better.”

“Oh that’s only step one of our revenge plot.” Marinette said. “Keep an eye out for when he leaves the hotel. You’re not going to want to miss it.”

Adrien and the rest went back inside giggling to themselves. Adrien snuck his way into his cousin’s hotel room. A trail of water and wet clothes led towards the bathroom. Adrien quickly grabbed every scrap of clothing in the room and handed it off to Chloe’s butler. They would be dry cleaned and sent back to the mansion promptly. But in the mean time they needed to give Felix a change of clothes.

That’s where the girls came in. Adrien dropped off Felix’s new ensemble and left to find everyone else. They were standing down in the lobby waiting for the upcoming show. Chloe was squeezed between the other girls. She was curled into herself, trying to make herself small which was very un-Chloe of her. Adrien joined them and pulled out his phone to record.

After several long minutes Adrien’s ride pulled up outside ready to take him and Felix home. If Felix didn’t show up soon he was gonna have to walk home in his new outfit and Adrien was sure he wouldn’t want that.

The elevator doors opened and Felix emerged. “Oh my god,” Chloe mumbled. Her smile was so wide it looked like her face would split in two.

In lieu of his usual business casual designer fashion Felix was instead garbed in hot pink booty shorts, a princess t-shirt written in glitter that was at least two sizes too small for him, and a pair of camo crocs. He was red in the face and glared hard at the students as he quickly rushed past them to get to the car outside. The class cat-called and whistled, drawing even more attention from the guests milling about the lobby.

Chloe was hunched over holding her stomach and laughing. She was laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes. Then, like the flip of a switch, her laughter started morphing into large heaving sobs. Tears rolled down her face for an entirely new reason. The eyes that had been following Felix now turned to Chloe. The smiles and laughter of the class cutting off as they took in their weeping peer.

She dropped down to her knees as she wailed. Juleka and Rose knelt down with her and gathered her in their arms. Squeezing her tight. Then Sabrina, then Adrien, then Marinette, and the whole rest of the class until everyone was crouched on the floor of the hotel lobby in a group hug around their crying classmate. Their friend.

“It’s okay now, Chloe.” Sabrina whispered, “We have you. We’re not gonna let some dick like Felix hurt you like that again.”

“You don’t need to be scared of us.” Rose said, “We accept you just as you are.”

“We love you, Chloe.” Mylene said, “We love you.”

“I...I…” Chloe sniffled. “Thanks.”

Juleka handed her a handkerchief to blow her nose. They pulled her up off the floor. Sabrina was the only one that went up with her back to her room. The rest of the class milled about for a few more minutes before wishing Adrien a happy birthday one last time and heading home.

“Don’t you need to be heading home too?” Marinette was the last one standing in the lobby with Adrien.

“Not for a while.” Adrien said, “Felix already left in the car and I technically don’t have anywhere to be, so can we go back to your place to hang out for a bit?”

“Sure, sunshine,” Marinette laced her hand with his. “Is Chloe gonna be okay?”

“She will be. I think that break down earlier was cathartic for her. It may just be the optimist in me but I think things for her can only go up from here.” Adrien and her walked down the streets towards the bakery.

“I hope so. She deserves it after what Felix did.” Marinette stared down at the ground.

“Something’s on your mind.”

“Ever since I was a little kid Chloe bullied me. She was this spoiled brat that wanted to make me miserable. It wasn’t until I became Ladybug that I even entertained the thought of her being anything else. I never even contemplated that she carried any emotional baggage. Why would the demon have her own demons?” Marinette sighed, “That sounds kind of self-centered, doesn’t it?”

“No. You just only ever saw what she wanted you to see. She’s opened up a lot more since I started coming to school though. It’s nice.” Adrien smiled softly.

“She can be nice.” Marinette agreed. They got to her house and she pulled him upstairs.

“I almost forgot. I didn’t get the chance to give it to you last night so here,” Marinette handed him a present wrapped in green wrapping paper. Inside was a little wooden box with a glass window, almost like a picture frame. Inside the box was the picture Alya had gotten of Chat Noir and Ladybug kissing in the rain but when he tilted it the picture switched to a picture of him and Marinette as civilians. Surrounding the picture were a bunch of dried pink flowers.

“They’re the chrysanthemums that you brought me when we went on our first official date.” Marinette said. “I didn’t want to throw them out after they started dying so I decided to preserve them in this shadow box.”

“I love it.” He turned to Marinette, “I really, really love it. Thank you so much!” He hugged her.

“I’m glad you do. I know that it would not make a lot of sense to everyone else that I got you a picture of heroes making out but, y’know…”

“Granted, it is a great picture of us.”

“We look like we’re posing for the cover of a romance novel.”

“We would make a killer romance novel.”

“Sure we would.” Marinette laughed, “You know, there was a second part to this present that I promised you.”

Adrien smirked and pulled her closer. “Yes there was. Can I get my makeout now?”

“Yes you can.” They started kissing.

“Blech! Can’t you two keep your lips to yourselves for five minutes?” Plagg retched, “You’re seriously making the cheese in my tummy churn.”

“Leave them alone, Plagg.” Tikki tugged on Plagg’s tail. “Don’t worry about him you two. I’ll keep him occupied.”

“Race you to the fridge!” Plagg zipped away.

“No! You are not eating all of Marinette’s family’s cheese!” Tikki took off after him.

Marinette giggled while Adrien groaned. “Stop with the sour face.” She kissed his neck, “Now where were we?”

RING! RING! RING!

“Oh come on!” Adrien shouted. He pulled out his phone and grimaced. “Ah crap,”

“Nathalie?” Marinette guessed.

“Worse. It’s father.” This really was not good. His dad only ever called him when he was in a huge amount of trouble. Would it be worth it to just let it go to voicemail and continue on with his afternoon makeout session? The call timed out before Adrien could make a decision.

“Do you need to go home?” Marinette asked.

“I mean he probably isn’t happy because of what we did with Felix, obviously, but I don’t think--”

RING! RING! RING!

“Nope! He’s gonna kill me.” Adrien sighed. He reluctantly hit answer. “Hello father.”

“Come home. Now.” His father’s voice was so cold Adrien felt a shiver go up his spine.

“Yes, father.” Adrien’s dread at the lecture/punishment he would receive when he got home began to mount. “I’ll be home as soon as possible.”

“Good.” He hung up. He really was pissed.

“Marinette…”

“Go home, kitty,” Marinette said, “I’ll talk to you later.”

Adrien collected his present and fished Plagg out of the fridge. “If you don’t hear from me in twelve hours search the basement for my body.”

“You’ll be fine.” She gave him a quick kiss, “I’ll come by tonight. Okay?”

“See you, doodle bug. Love you.”

“Love you too, sunshine.”

Adrien left and unfortunately he couldn’t even drag his feet going home. When his house came into view he stopped dead on the sidewalk.His heart was hammering hard in his chest. He’s gotten lectured before. He’s been punished before. He’s done stupid stuff he knew he would get in trouble for but he always managed to go back to the manor without any trouble. This time though, when he gazed up at the gate and the cold white stone of his house, fear started to flow through his veins. A terrible thought that once he went in he may never see the outside again.

Then he felt Plagg bumping around in his bag and Adrien remembered to breathe. He had Plagg and he had Marinette. As long as he had those two he could never be truly trapped.

Adrien clutched his bag tighter and entered the house. Adrien’s father was waiting at the top of the stairs for him. Seriously, what was with this man and the top of the stairs? Was this some intimidation tactic? That was his therapist’s theory at least. His father was physically imposing himself far above Adrien. Adrien had to remember that it didn’t matter where he placed himself. He was still just a man standing in a room and talking. Nothing more.

“Why did you not return home with your cousin?” His father asked.

“Hello to you too.” Adrien waved, “Aren’t you going to wish me a happy birthday? I know it was yesterday but since I didn’t see you--”

“Adrien,” His father snapped, “Stop being impertinent and answer the question.”

“I would have gone home with Felix but he took off in the car without me. Also, I didn’t have any plans for today so I figured I could spend it how I saw fit.” Adrien shrugged, “Now, is that all?”

“Hardly.” His father sneered, “Would you care to explain why it was that your cousin returned home in an outlandish outfit?”

“If Felix is changing up his style I hardly see how that is my fault.”

“Adrien,” his father warned.

“What? He did a real dick thing to Chloe so a little revenge was in order. Making him go home in an embarrassing outfit is tame compared to what he really deserved.”

“And pushing him into a pool?”

“Also not nearly what he deserved.” Adrien gritted. His hand balled into a fist. He had come this close to punching Felix last night. He was never a naturally violent person, especially as a civilian, but in that moment all he saw was red. Of course, giving Felix a black eye would only make this situation now, worse. But god would it have been satisfying and oh so worth it.

“This is not like you.” His father said and Adrien had to bite his tongue from laughing out loud. “You have become a very insolent child these past few months. I figured it was a rebellious patch but you seem incapable or unwilling to outgrow it.”

“I’m sorry,” Adrien took a step closer, “What have I done outside of this morning has been insolent? All I do is whatever you ask of me! I hardly call that inappropriate or rebellious behaviour, father.”

“Watch your tone.”

“Or what? Are you going to ground me? Put me on house arrest? Forbid me from going to school? I am not a child anymore! I am sixteen years old! You cannot just lock me in my room and make me play piano when I don’t conform to what you want. I have my own life! Why can’t you see that?”

“Enough!”

“No!” Adrien shouted. The single word echoed lousy in the grand empty hall. “You are going to listen to me!” Adrien stomped up the stairs. He got to the top step with his father and realized that he was practically eye level with him. Adrien knew he had hit a growth spurt but he hadn’t thought he had shot up that tall.

The proximity seemed to throw his father off. It was as if he was truly seeing Adrien for the first time. He wasn’t the scared thirteen year old that sat in the dining room obediently getting lessons from Nathalie about French History. He was nearly an adult that could look his father in the eye without craning his neck up.

“I. Have. A. Life.” Adrien enunciated each word, “I make my own decisions and sometimes you are not going to like those decisions. You need to accept the fact that I am my own person. I have my own thoughts, feelings, wants, needs, and dreams. So yeah, I helped my friends pull a mean prank on Felix because he did something unforgivable to Chloe. I don’t feel sorry about it and I certainly will not apologize to him for it. And yes, I decided to spend my day with my girlfriend instead of coming straight home. Ground me if you like, I don’t care.”

Adrien shoved past him towards his room and slammed the door shut behind him with much satisfaction. Once he was safely in his room his knees started to shake and he had to brace himself against the wall as the adrenaline left his body.

“Holy crap kid!” Plagg zipped out of his bag, “That was awesome! You finally stood up to your old man!”

“Yeah it felt good.” Adrien tried to nod. “Felt so good that I think I’m gonna go throw up.”

“Yeah…” Plagg squinted, “You’re looking kinda pale.”

“Oh god,” Adrien collapsed onto his bed, “I am never going to see the outside world again now. Not after I told him off like that. I’m surprised he didn’t start spewing fire after I walked away.”

“Or maybe this will finally be the push he needs to accept that you are your own person and that he shouldn’t be trying to micromanage every aspect of your life?” Plagg said.

Adrien turned his head to look at him. “You should do stand up with a joke that good you little cheese gremlin.”

“Okay, so it is unlikely but it could be worse. He could have actually started breathing fire.”

“Give Hawkmoth five minutes, I’m sure I’ll be dealing with a fire-breathing dragon father if he is that angry with me.”

“Do you need to call your therapist?” Plagg asked, “It sounds like you need to call your therapist.”

“Yeah, alright,” Adrien sat up and took a deep breath, “Just give me a minute to calm down.”

It was no surprise to Adrien that his father didn’t attend dinner that evening. Felix had decided to take dinner in his room so it was just Adrien and his aunt sitting in the dining room. She had given Adrien a lecture about his treatment of Felix as well but it was much shorter and once Adrien explained why he had done what he did she didn’t look as mad. Disappointed maybe but she wasn’t angry at him.

Marinette came by after dinner and Adrien told her all about what happened when he got home. She held him and kissed his forehead and told him it would all be alright. She was so proud of him for taking a stand and not just letting his father walk all over him and order him around like a puppet.

It felt good in the moment but Adrien was suffering the consequences now. He was sure his father was going to put him on house arrest again because of it. It would be indefinitely this time if he just didn’t decide to keep him locked in the house forever.

He held Marinette a little tighter. A part of him fearing that if he let her go she’d slip through his fingers. He didn’t want to focus on that though. What had she done after he left her house?

“I was mainly trying to figure out plans for our superhero league. I’m focusing on general rules and protocols for it.” Marinette pulled up some notes on her phone, “Obviously we wouldn’t need everyone hopping to attention in the case of an akuma. That’s just too many people, especially when we work so well with just the two of us. I was thinking that we could keep akumas to our duo and only call in backup if things get harrier.”

“Sounds like you got it all figured out.” Adrien pulled her against his chest.

“Hardly.” Marinette huffed, “This is a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.”

“Well don’t worry yourself into knots about it.” Adrien rubbed her shoulders. She was so small in his arms. Just as he noticed how much taller he was when standing with his father he too noticed how short Marinette was compared to him. She had always been a rather petite girl but she looked so tiny sitting between his legs.

“Now how about we put the phone away,” Adrien plucked the phone out of her hands and set it aside. “You’ve been working very hard but it is cuddle time. Also, I still have not received my happy birthday makeout session.”

“Oh how horrible,” Marinette turned in his arms so she was kneeling in front of him, “What a terrible girlfriend I have been. Leaving my boyfriend without any of his cuddles or kisses. However should I make up for it?”

“Kiss me now and don’t stop till the sun rises.” He pulled her closer so she was flush against him. “Maybe give me a few hickeys that’ll piss off my father even more.”

“Makeout and piss off your dad? Sounds like a win-win to me.” Marinette giggled before crashing her lips to his. She made sure to leave plenty of little bruises all along his neck, jaw, and upper chest. She didn’t leave the embrace unscathed either. By the time both were satisfied and lips were sore she had several love bites peppering her skin.

They laid side by side on Adrien’s bed. Adrien ran a finger gently over the dark hickies on her neck with a small smile. “How is it I can leave a mark that is supposed to show pain yet I am so thoroughly pleased with it? It feels like a paradox.”

“I hope this doesn’t discourage you from doing it in the future.” Marinette snuggled closer to him, “I rather like it. It’s going to be annoying covering these up so my parents don’t blow a fuse but other than that I love them.”

“And I love you.” He rubbed his nose along hers. “Can you stay tonight? I really don’t want to be alone.”

“Twist my arm why don’t you.” Marinette yawned. “Just give me a second.” She pulled off her socks and reached under her shirt to take off her bra and deposit it next to the bed. “Ah, that feels so much better.”

“Comfy?” Adrien snorted as she burrowed under the covers and wrapped his arm around her.

“Very.” She closed her eyes. “Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

“Sweet dreams, my star.” Adrien kissed her forehead before pulling the covers up further and closing his eyes as well. His worries about what tomorrow may have in store for him slipped away. Right now he was holding his girlfriend as he fell asleep and that’s all that mattered.

Chapter Text

“How are we gonna wake them up? Marinette sleeps like the dead!”

“Don’t worry, sugar cube. I have artfully mastered the wake up call.”

Adrien was only faintly aware of the voices near his ear as he struggled to pull himself out of the comfortable cocoon of sleep he was wrapped in. He was quickly falling back under the heavy spell when something pulled up on his eyelid.

“Wakey wakey Adrien!”

“Geez! Plagg!” Adrien swatted him away. “What was that for?”

“Hm?” Marinette stirred, “Whassgoinon?” she slurred as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“Morning Marinette!” Tikki nuzzled her head against Marinette’s cheek. “Sorry to disturb you but it’s time for us to go.”

“Awe, come on,” Marinette flopped back against Adrien’s side, “Ten more minutes.”

“How about thirty more minutes?” Adrien agreed as he pulled the covers back up around them, “Since when are you two such sticklers for getting out early? The doors are locked, no one is gonna come in.”

“That’s the thing though. It’s not early at all!” Tikki said.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The room fell silent at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Crap! Marinette sprung into action, calling for Tikki to transform her as she leapt out of bed. “Bye, sunshine. I’ll text you later.” she gave him a quick kiss before leaping out the window.

“Well there went a relaxing morning of cuddles.” Adrien pouted.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Ugh,” Adrien rolled out of bed and unlocked the door, “What? It’s my day off.”

He swung the door open to reveal Felix on the other side. Wonderful. Hadn’t his prank the other day thoroughly warded his evil little cousin away? What was he even doing here knocking on Adrien’s door at this hour?

Felix’s gaze roved Adrien up and down before a smirk crossed his lips. “Mom told me to come by and apologize for what happened at your birthday party.”

“I’m not the one you need to be apologizing to.” Adrien turned back into the room and started picking out something to wear. “Although I highly doubt an insincere apology is something Chloe wants to hear from you.”

“Probably.” Felix entered the room and sat down on the corner of Adrien’s bed. “You still haven’t unpacked your overnight bag from the party? What kind of a heathen are you?”

“I’ll get around to it.” Adrien waved him off, “If it bothers you that much then you unpack it. I’m gonna get a shower.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before he slammed the door to his bathroom shut and started the hot water. It was way too early to be dealing with Felix. He took extra time soaking under the hot water before deciding that he couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever. He threw on his clothes, a simple v-neck shirt and jeans before heading downstairs. Adrien wasn’t at all surprised to see that his overnight bag remained untouched when he came out. What would have been surprising was if Felix actually did it.

The smell of breakfast wafted from the kitchen up the stairs so the entire lobby of the mansion smelled like savory fresh omelettes. His stomach growled just thinking about it.

He had just sat down to eat when his father stormed into the room with Felix trailing behind him with a wicked grin. Oh no. What had he done now?

“Wow,” Adrien sighed, “This angry this early. What have I done to make you this pissed this time? Or is this just leftover anger from yesterday?”

“You are grounded, Adrien. You are not going back to school and you are never seeing any of those delinquents you call friends again.” his father ground out through clenched teeth. Huh. Adrien has seen his father angry plenty of times before but he’s never seen him so angry that his face gets that red. Was this the result of letting him stew in his anger overnight?

“For like what?” Adrien asked, unperturbed, “Two weeks? Three? We gonna just round it off at a month?”

“Forever.”

Any other time Adrien would have been able to shrug it off as his father being overdramatic but there was something so deadly serious about him in this moment that gave Adrien pause. Was he truly thinking of not letting Adrien go back to school?

“All of this because of one prank on Felix?” Adrien stood up, “What do you care? You don’t even like Felix!”

“This is not because of what you did to your cousin but it is a contributing factor.” his father snapped his fingers and Felix produced a bra from behind his back. Marinette’s bra. But how did--

She took it off before they went to bed! She must have forgotten to grab it in her mad dash to leave this morning.

“Oh fuck me…” Adrien muttered. A hand flew to his collar as he tried in vain to cover the dark hickies he had forgotten now graced his skin.

“Looks like Marinette already did.” Felix snorted, twirling the bra around on his finger with that cocky smile. “I see why you like her so much now.”

“That’s it!” Adrien pounced to tackle Felix but his cousin was prepared and dodged out of the way. “Get back here you little shit!”

He chased him around the dining room table all while his father tried to call for order. Adrien didn’t care anymore though. Screw appearances. Screw being the bigger person! He was going to knock Felix’s teeth out!

Felix made it to the door and dashed out of the room into the lobby. “Get back here!” Adrien roared. This time when he leapt at Felix he caught him and the two went tumbling to the floor. Felix kicked out of his grasp and slipped on the cold marble floor as he tried to pull himself back to standing.

Adrien grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him back. “Get off me you psycho!” Felix shouted, trying to free himself from Adrien’s iron grip.

“Not after you said that about my girlfriend!” Adrien had him pinned and raised a fist. “I should have done this when you outed Chloe!”

Before Adrien could punch him the Gorilla pulled the boys apart. He had lifted Adrien off the ground by the back of his shirt like a kitten. He kicked and swung trying to get free. “No!” He shouted, still foaming at the mouth, “Let me go! I’m gonna kill him!”

“What is going on out here?” Aunt Amelie rushed down the steps.

“Adrien! Enough of this!” his father’s voice boomed. “Control yourself!”

“No! He deserves--”

“Silence!” his father yelled and Adrien stopped struggling. Stopped talking. Stopped breathing altogether. His father’s cold gaze pierced through to his very soul.

“Where is she now?” he demanded, “How did you sneak her in?”

Adrien remained silent. Unknowing how to answer. The Gorilla set him down but kept a hand on his shoulder to keep him from launching himself at Felix again.

“I asked you a question.” his father inched closer, lip curling in a snarl, “I demand an answer.”

“And what makes you think I’m going to tell you anything?” Adrien murmured. His anger at Felix had not dissipated. If anything it had just changed targets.

His father’s gaze grew even more stern. He was seconds away from losing his own composure. “No school.” he grit in a way that betrayed his true rage, “No friends. And you will stop any and all affiliation with Marinette Dupain-Cheng at once.”

“No.”

“You are in no position to--”

“No!” Adrien screamed in his face, “No! You do not get to do this! You cannot do this to me! We went over this yesterday! You cannot just lock me away from the rest of the world when I piss you off!

“I am your father!” his loosely held composure started to slip, his voice raising, “I know what is best for you!”

“NO YOU DON’T!” Adrien’s face contorted into one of pure rage and hurt, “YOU HAVE NEVER DONE WHAT WAS BEST FOR ME! NEVER!”

Tears started to stream down his face as years of pent up hurt spilled forth once and for all. “You kept me locked away, afraid of what the world might do to me but the world isn’t what is hurting me! It’s you! I was so sheltered that it wreaked havoc on my social skills! I still have trouble reading social cues from people!

“I have made excuses for you long enough. This was a problem long before mom ever disappeared. She was overprotective too but at least she made concessions! She let me out of the house. She let me have some friends. You are trying to cut me off from everything and that is madness! Mom wouldn’t want this! She’d hate this! She’d hate you!”

“You have no idea what you are talking about.” Gabriel almost loomed over his son despite being the same height. “Everything I have done is to bring you mother back. To help us! To get us back to the way things used to be.”

“Things will never be the way they used to be! And I don’t want them to be. I am not twelve years old anymore! Too much has happened. Too much has changed. Even if mom were to come back today it wouldn’t change anything now.” Adrien ran his hands through his hair in an effort to keep calm, “I would still be here yelling at you. I would still be telling you that you are not a father, you are a dictator.”

“Adrien--”

“No! I am done listening to you! I am done letting himself suffer under your toxic ‘parenting.’ I am leaving. I am leaving and I am never coming back.” Adrien pushed himself out of the Gorilla’s grip and sprinted up the steps.

“ADRIEN!” Gabriel’s voice bellowed.

Adrien ran into his room and locked the door. He didn’t have much time.

“Hey kid, maybe you want to--”

“Plagg, transform me!” Adrien said. His blood was up and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him now. He grabbed the overnight bag he hadn’t unpacked as well as the shadow box Marinette made him.

There was a pounding on his door. He didn’t have much time. He grabbed the swan plush from his bed as well as the Marinette’s lucky charm before jumping from the window and out into Paris.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god! Where should he go? Marinette’s will be the first place they search. Same with Nino and Chloe. He needs someplace they won’t think to look immediately. Where’s someplace his father doesn’t know about?

The boat! Luka!

Adrien skidded to a halt and changed direction towards the Seine. It took a bit of searching but he eventually found where the Couffaine houseboat was docked. He dropped into an alley and let his transformation drop.

“Adrien!” Plagg was tired from the sudden transformation but didn’t let it hinder him. “Kid, breathe! Calm down.”

“I couldn’t--” Adrien shook his head, “I couldn’t stay there, Plagg. I just couldn’t.”

“I know but you need to calm down before you start hyperventilating.” Plagg grabbed Adrien by the tip of his nose. “Take a few deep breaths. Calm down. You’re out of the house. You’re safe.”

Adrien took a few shaky breaths to center himself. “I’m okay,” Adrien mumbled, not convinced in the slightest of his own affirmation, “I’m okay.”

“Adrien…” Plagg frowned, “You are not okay.”

“I’m better now than I was back there.” he took another deep breath. “Come on. We need to get out of the streets.” Plagg sighed and floated into Adrien’s bag. He adjusted all the possessions in his arms and made a dash for the boat.

Juleka was sitting out on the deck painting her nails when she saw Adrien and wavered him aboard. “Hey,” she smiled, “Sleepover with Luka?”

“Ah no, um…” Adrien wasn’t sure how to explain why he was there.

“Hey man,” Luka walked up from below deck, “What brings you here?”

“This may sound strange but can I hide here for a bit?” Adrien asked. Immediately the siblings standing in front of him looked concerned.

“Are you okay?” Luka asked, “You don’t look well. You’re not even wearing shoes.”

“It’s a bit of a long story.”

“Get down below,” Luka took his bag and led Adrien below deck. They settled in Luka’s room. Luka left for a minute and came back with a cup of warm tea.

“Adrien, you gotta tell me what happened. Why are you hiding?” Both Juleka and Luka sat on either side of Adrien.

“I kinda ran away from home.” He explained, “I got into a fight with my father after he told me that I was never going to be allowed to go to school or see any of my friends again. I couldn’t take it anymore and I snapped. Grabbed a few things and bolted. I couldn’t go to Marinette’s or Nino’s cause I know that’s the first place my father would look for me so I came here. I don’t mean to impose but I just--”

“Stop.” Luka put a reassuring arm around him, “It’s okay. You can hide out here for as long as you want. Hell, you can even move in. We certainly aren’t gonna mind.”

“I just couldn’t stay there.” Adrien gripped his mug tighter, “I couldn’t stay there another second.”

Ms. Couffaine had also joined the group. Juleka quickly explained the situation to her and the woman deemed right then and there that they would hide him forever if that’s what he needed. They were a very ride or die kind of family. So close knit.

“Do you have any kind of phone on you?” Their mom asked him.

“No. I left it at home.”

“Good.” She nodded, “Don’t need them tracking you.”

“Is there anyone you need to call?” Luka asked, “You can use my phone to call whoever you need.”

“I should let my friends know before my father comes to break down their doors.”

“Already on it.” Juleka was on the class group chat. “They know not to contact your phone and won’t let anyone know where you are.”

“Here,” Luka handed his phone to Adrien, Marinette’s contact was already pulled up, “I’m guessing you’ll want to talk to her specifically.”

“Thank you guys. Seriously, this means so much. Thank you.” Adrien took Luka’s phone and locked himself in the bathroom for privacy.

“Hey Luka, is Adrien there?” Marinette’s voice came over on the other end. She sounded so worried and it broke Adrien’s heart. “Goodness, I am so worried! I know that things were bad but I didn’t think they were running away from home bad. Please just tell me he’s okay! Does he need anything? Socks? A toothbrush? I don’t know what to do!”

“Marinette, my love, I’m alright.” Adrien wanted to reach through the phone and squeeze her. “Thanks for being so worried about me but you’ll be happy to know I have my own toothbrush.”

“Adrien!” She gasped, “My prince, how are you? Are you okay? What happened? Juleka just said that you ran away from home and were hiding out on the boat. Do you want me to come by? I can be there in two minutes!”

“Calm down, I’m alright. I’m perfectly safe. I would love to see you but considering that I expect the man hunt to start any second it may not be a good idea for you or anyone else to come see me yet. I don’t need father tracking me down via following my friends.”

“This is so messed up.” Marinette muttered, “What happened? I know that you got into a little fight yesterday but--oh no! Was it about the hickies? I knew I shouldn’t have left so many.”

“Do not dare try to apologize for that.” Adrien smiled for the first time since he went down to breakfast, “He was pissed because of a lot of reasons but the blowing point was the bra you left behind that Felix found. He showed father, combine that with the hickies, well, he drew some conclusions and went off the deep end.”

“Ew.” Marinette retched, “Felix touched my bra? I am never gonna want that back again. Such a shame too cause it was really cute.”

“I almost punched him over that. I would have gone through with it too if it wasn’t for the fact that the Gorilla pulled me off him at the last second.” Adrien tried to laugh, to joke it off but then he heard Marinette’s soft sob over the phone. “Marinette, my star, listen to me. Everything is alright. Everything is going to be alright. I am safe at Luka’s.”

“Can I please see you?” She whispered, “I really need to see you.”

“Does tonight at the top of the Eiffel Tower sound good?”

“Can’t be any sooner?”

“Not without arousing suspicion with the Couffaines.” Adrien sighed, “Trust me. There is nothing else I want more than to be with you but it’s just too risky right now. I promise that I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay.” Marinette sniffled, “Stay safe out there, Adrien. I love you. I love you so much, my prince.”

“I love you too, my star. I’ll see you tonight.” He reluctantly hung up the phone and pressed his head against the cool wood of the bathroom door. Could this day get any worse?

Chapter Text

Marinette was scared. She was really scared. Adrien had run away from home, his father was hunting him, she had lost her favorite bra and it wasn’t even noon yet.

How did they end up like this? This morning she had been cuddled under the covers with Adrien, safe and warm and happy. Now her boyfriend was hiding out on a boat and she couldn’t even see him until tonight.

She couldn’t even imagine what Adrien was going through right now. She knew that things between him and Gabriel had been tense as of late, especially so after their fight last night, but for it to be so bad to make him runaway? Sure, she could see why his father would be angry thinking that his son had snuck in his girlfriend. Marinette’s parents would be mad too, especially if they thought that they had gotten up to something during the night. Not angry enough to forbid her from school and friends though. Then again, her parents weren’t the human excrement that Gabriel Agreste was.

When her parents were angry she got grounded. She wasn’t allowed to go out with her friends to the movies or got her design book taken away. When Adrien’s dad was angry he tried to cut Adrien off from all of society. Everyone in class knew that it was messed up despite how normal Adrien treated it. Finally Adrien had started recognizing how bad it was that his father acted like this. This latest threat was just the tipping point.

What was to be done now? Adrien couldn’t go back home. Could he go to the police? There’s no way to charge Gabriel with a crime though. He’s emotionally abusive but that’s hardly grounds to get Adrien out of his custody. Plus, the investigation would take forever. Even if it all did work out what would happen to Adrien? Where would he go? His only relatives are his aunt and cousin. Well he also has a grandfather on his mom’s side but he’s in his early nineties so that’s not really an option.

This was a lot to take in first thing in the morning.

A pounding on the apartment door made her jump. Her dad got up to answer it while Marinette cowered on the couch.

“Hello,” her dad opened the door, “Can I help you?”

“Is your daughter home?” Marinette recognized Nathalie’s voice and curled further into herself.

“What do you need to see my daughter for?” Her dad asked, getting defensive.

“I need to see if she knows where Adrien is.”

“Adrien is missing?” Her dad asked.

“Yes. He ran away from home this morning and we are trying to find him. So if I could please talk to Miss Dupain-Cheng it would be greatly appreciated.” Nathalie said.

“Marinette,” her dad turned around, “Do you want to talk to her?”

“No.” Marinette answered.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Nathalie narrowed her eyes at Marinette, “I understand that you want to protect Adrien but this goes far beyond your childish games of hide and seek. Adrien is to return home at once, this is not up for discussion. Now please, if you know where he is you must tell me.”

“I don’t know where he is and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.” Marinette kept her anger in check but the venom in her voice didn’t go unnoticed.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng--”

“She said she doesn’t know where he is.” Her dad stepped in front of Nathalie, “Now I would politely ask you to leave my home.”

“It is dangerous for him out there.” Nathalie sighed, “If you know anything, please let us know so we can bring him home safe and sound.”

With that she turned and left. Both of Marinette’s parents looked at her now.

“Is that true?” her mom asked, “Did Adrien run away?”

Marinette nodded.

“Do you know where he is?”

Marinette nodded. “He can’t go back, mama, it’s not good for him there. It’s bad for him there.”

“Marinette,” her dad sat down next to her, “Is Adrien not safe at home?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Marinette swallowed back the lump in her throat. “I know that you guys want to help and do what’s best for Adrien just as much as I do but this is something that’s very delicate right now and I don’t know what Adrien wants to do from here. So please just trust me that Adrien is safe right now and if we need your help we will let you know. That’s all I can say.”

“This doesn’t seem safe, Marinette. If something is wrong--”

“A lot of things are wrong, mama,” Marinette sniffled, “But nothing we can do right now is going to help him. Please, I am begging you, trust me. I will let you know the moment we need you if things somehow get worse.”

“I don’t like this,” her dad shook his head. He met his daughter’s pleading eyes and kissed her brow. “But I know that I cannot force you. You promise though, that if things get worse--”

“You will be the first to know! Thank you!” Marinette hugged her parents close, “Thank you!”

She hated having to keep this from her parents but everything was such a mess right now and no matter how well intentioned they may be any interference could only make things worse. So for right now she had to keep them at a distance with this.

Time moved at a crawl for the rest of the day. Every so often the group chat would get updated with someone stating that Nathalie had appeared at their house looking for Adrien. Chloe reported that a full search of the hotel was going on which was going to take a couple hours. They had also hit up the school in case Adrien had snuck in there. More and more Marinette was glad that Adrien was with the Luka and Juleka. There was no way that their mom was going to let anyone looking for Adrien on her boat if they showed up. Still, all Marinette wanted was for night to fall so she could finally see him again.

The moment she was sure her parents wouldn’t be coming to check on her for the rest of the night she was out of her room and bounding for the Eiffel Tower. Adrien had yet to show up. His absence was only making her more worried and she took to pacing to burn off her nervous energy. Goodness, why couldn’t he just be here already!

“Good evening, my lady, how--” the second she saw him Marinette launched into her boyfriend’s arms. He stumbled back a touch but caught her and squeezed her tight. “It’s okay, Marinette,” he whispered, “I’m okay. We’re both okay.”

“I should be saying that to you.” She sniffed loudly, “I have been so worried all day! I am so sorry that all of this happened. How are you? Are you sure you’re alright? What happened?”

“I’m okay, I promise.” He kissed the top of her head, “Please calm down, you’re gonna end up falling off it you don’t stop shaking.”

“Sorry.” She took a deep breath. The pair of them sat down. “I need to know what happened to cause all of this. Spare no detail.”

Adrien rehashed his morning when he went down to breakfast to his phone call with Marinette after he ran away. It was upsetting to think that all of this had happened and not even twenty four hours had passed. Marinette was just thankful that there had been no akuma. With how upset Adrien had been and how livid his father must have been the circumstances were perfect. She didn’t want to think about how tiring that would have been. She couldn’t handle having Adrien as an akuma again and she was sure that Adrien would have been in no state to fight his father. Then again, it might have been cathartic to beat up on his dad in the name of justice so possible upside.

Okay that sounds bad. Taking out his feelings in a violent way, even if it was technically for the greater good, was not healthy.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” Adrien sighed, “I can’t hide out at Luka’s forever. Eventually I am gonna need to leave and the second I do my father is going to catch me. I know that so long as I have Plagg I can keep escaping but what if something happens? I cannot go back now...I just can’t.”

“I don’t know what to say to make you feel better,” Marinette admitted, “I wish I could make this all go away for you. I wish I could make your dad a better person. I wish you never had to suffer under his upbringing for so long. I wish--”

“Marinette,” Adrien said, “I don’t want you to start blaming yourself for something that started way before I ever even met you. I know how you can get. None of this is your fault.”

“But if I had just remembered to grab my stupid bra and not have left all those stupid hickies then--”

“Stop,” he squished her face, “Falling out with my father was bound to happen sooner or later. It is not your fault. This was inevitable.”

“I certainly didn’t help matters though,” she muttered, “I just want to help.”

“And that’s what I love about you, my lady. If you want to help me then how about we start with you holding me while we look out over the city? That sounds perfect right now.”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I can do that.”

Adrien laid down in her lap and she idly played with his hair as they looked over the twinkling lights of the city. She did not envy what tomorrow may bring but it had to be better than today.

It was a bitter parting when the night grew late and Marinette had to return home. It seemed cruel that she had to continue on like life was normal while Adrien was on the run. It was the most she could do for him at the moment though.

School was tough. Everyone was on edge about Adrien and it was hard to ignore the blatantly empty seat at the front of the classroom. It was as if that empty chair was mocking her. Nathalie had turned up at the school and an announcement was posted that anyone with any information as to where Adrien is should come forward.

The manhunt for Adrien Agreste was in full swing. Gabriel had entire hired search parties looking for his son. When Marinette went on patrol as Ladybug she was flagged down by said search parties asking for her assistance. Of course, being the non-biased hero she is she couldn’t say no and ended up having to make her own announcement that she and Chat Noir were helping find the missing model at all costs.

On the bright side, Marinette got a good laugh at Chat Noir telling the news that he would not stop until Adrien was found. She could have died holding in all the laughter seeing his shit-eating grin brought her.

Adrien himself seemed to be doing fine, at least that’s what he told her. Marinette wasn’t sure how fine he could be having run away from home but it is what it is. He was enjoying his time on the Couffaine boat, even if he couldn’t come on deck. Apparently Luka and him were talking about ways to fix that so he could be less recognizable. She wasn’t sure what the two had planned but it was sure to be interesting.

Late one night Marinette was sitting in her room doing some homework when she heard a knocking on her balcony door. “Come in,” she called out without taking her eyes off her work.

“Evening, doodle bug,” a pair of black gloved hands rested on her shoulders and a kiss was pressed to the top of her head, “Hope you don’t mind that I came to visit. I really missed you.”

“I missed you too, my prince.” she slid her homework away and turned around to greet him. When she saw him though he was not the golden sunshine boy she knew but a head of cotton candy with black cat ears on top. “Wow,”

“Do you like it?” Adrien ruffled his newly pink hair, “Luka and Juleka did it for me.”

“You actually dyed it pink! This is amazing!” she leapt at him and delved her hands into his soft hair, “It looks great!”

“Are you just saying that because it’s your favorite color?” He smiled as she played with his hair.

“It does look great, my prince. It being my favorite color is just a bonus. This was you and Luka’s grand idea to make you less noticeable? Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it kind of stands out.”

“I know. The original plan was to dye it like black or brown but then I remembered when we cut my hair in Chloe’s suite and I had to insist on pink. This may be the first and last time I ever dye my hair and I wanted to have fun with it.”

“Really brings the whole ensemble you got together. The leather, the cat ears, the pink hair, you look like the main character of a magical girl anime.”

“Finally! I have achieved my ultimate goal in life!” He whooped with joy before Marinette slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Parents are still awake, kitty.” she whispered, “How about we take this outside?”

Marinette transformed and followed Adrien out into the night. She missed this. Patrols without him were so boring. She wondered how long this all would last. Adrien couldn’t hide forever and either way something needed to be done about his father.

Marinette stopped when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Down below, on the pavement, she could swear she saw something. She pulled up her yo-yo and zoomed in to get a better look at the street. There was a shadow moving in the streetlight. Normally that wouldn’t be anything strange but there was no one else there. It was a shadow without a body.

“What do you see?” Chat peered at the screen. “Okay, that’s not normal. Is it possible that it’s just some weird trick of the light or a prank someone is pulling?”

“I don’t see how it could be either.” they shared a look before putting their conversation aside and leaping down to see what was going on. When they got to street level the shadow had disappeared. Then, again, Marinette caught a dark shadow moving out of the corner of her eye. They went running after it. Each time losing it when it went down a dark alley only to see it again when they reached light.

A shadow without a body. This had to be an akuma. But if it was, why wasn’t it attacking anything? Unless they were following it straight into a trap. Chat got the same idea and they slowed down. It was at that moment Marinette realized that they had followed the shadow in a circle back to the alley they had first spotted it.

"Where did it go?" Chat asked.

“I don’t know,” Marinette looked around but there was nothing. “Are we going crazy?”

“I hope not, I really cannot deal with that right now. Life is already too weird without adding our own insanity to the mix.” Marinette sighed, she pulled up her yo-yo again to check the time.

"Behind you!" Chat grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the wall. Out of the shadows of the wall a hand had emerged trying to grab her earrings. Chat swung at the hand with his baton but it passed right through. Realizing it had been spotted the shadow akuma sunk back into the shadows and disappeared

"Good to know we're not crazy but bad that there's an akuma." Marinette muttered as they scanned the dark walls around them. It would be too easy to spot in the light so chances are it would stick to the alley where it could sneak up on them.

"Any ideas, my lady?" Chat asked.

"Working on it,"

"Duck!" Chat swung above her head, another pair of hands had manifested. "I think we should get out of its turf."

They ran out of the alley into the street light and stared back into the shadows trying to catch a glimpse of any movement. Marinette used the flashlight on her yo-yo to shine into the alley. Where had it gone?

"Ah!" Chat collapsed to the ground. The akuma had hidden in his own shadow and was now clambering on top of Chat trying to grab his ring.

Marinette lashed her yo-yo at the hand reaching for Chat's ring and this time it grabbed hold. She pulled hard and tugged the akuma off Chat and arched it through the air into the concrete. It was solid in light!

As if it picked up on her realization the akuma jumped up and ran back for the shadows. "It’s vulnerable in the light, keep your flashlight on.”

They followed it back into the alley, shining their lights around so to be able to spot it when it reappeared. “I didn’t see anything that could be holding the akuma,” Marinette said, “What about you?”

“Nothing, maybe it’s a sentimonster?”

“If it is then we are screwed if we can’t find the amok either.” They searched all through the night for the shadow that had attacked them but it had vanished into thin air. Was it possible that Hawkmoth recalled it? Marientte didn’t see why he would considering that it had succeeded in keeping them on their toes. So where was it?

As dawn neared Marientte was exhausted and so was Adrien. They had stayed up all night looking for the akuma and had come up with nothing. If it was still out there it would be severely limited in the day time. It was a small hope but one they would have to rely on until they could get some rest. If worst came to worst Alya and Nino could suit up and fight it.

---

Adrien’s internal battery was about ready to die. He was used to late nights but this had been literally from dusk till dawn. Good thing he didn’t have school to go to so he could just curl up in bed and get some shut eye. It bothered him to no end that the akuma had disappeared without a trace last night but Marinette had said it would need to wait for later. They were only human after all and they still needed sleep. Marinette more than him considering she had to get up and go to school this morning. She was going to be grouchy all day and Adrien did not blame her one bit.

Adrien landed in an alley a street over from the houseboat to detransform. “Ugh,” Plagg whined, “We were transformed far too long. I need cheese and a long cat nap.”

“I’m with you on that.” Adrien yawned, “Hopefully no one is awake yet--”

A shadowy hand reached from the dark of the alley and grabbed Adrien. Covering his mouth so that he couldn’t call for Plagg and slammed his back into the brick wall. The last thing he saw was Plagg’s horrified green eyes before he melted into the shadows with the akuma.

Chapter Text

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Nooooo,” Marinette grumbled, slamming a hand down on her alarm, “Too soon,”

Tikki yawned next to her. “Marinette, you gotta get to school.”

“Mmph!” she pulled the covers up over head. Chasing that akuma all last night had worn her out. She knew that she was going to only get a little sleep before school started but it went by too fast. Adrien probably got to sleep in. Lucky jerk.

Her alarm went off again and with a groan she turned it off. “Fine,” she slumped out of bed, “I’m going, but I’m not gonna be happy about it.”

She put on some comfy clothes, grabbed some tea and set off for school. The second she sat down in her seat she plopped her head on the desk and tried to get another few fleeting moments of sleep.

“Wow, you look like crap.” Alya sat down next to her, interrupting her power nap, “How late were you up last night?”

“All of it.” she yawned, “I got like three hours of sleep. Alya, I’m dying.”

“If you’re that tired how come you didn’t stay home?”

“Because I hate myself.” Marinette burrowed her head into her arms, “Wake me when class starts or don’t. I really don’t care at this point.”

She slogged through the first class with as much energy as a dying sloth. Her tea wasn’t waking her up either. Maybe she could steal an energy drink off of Nino. She felt something tap her leg and looked down. Plagg? What was he doing here?

Wait. Why wasn’t he with Adrien? Marinette felt a jolt of energy as she opened her bag and stuffed Plagg inside before bolting from the classroom with little in the way of an excuse. She ran to the bathroom and made sure it was empty before locking herself in a stall and opening her bag.

“Plagg, what is it? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“The shadow got him! I didn’t know what to do! You got to find him!”

“Slow down, explain,”

Plagg took a deep breath and settled himself in Marinette’s hands. “We were heading back to the boat and stopped in an alley to detransform. His shadow came to life and grabbed him. Next thing I know he’s disappeared and I’m all alone. I tried to find him but I had no idea where he had gone so I came to find you.”

The shadow. Damn! How could she be so stupid? It had attached itself to one of their shadows! No wonder they couldn’t find it. It had been hiding out waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Now Adrien was missing for real.

Oh god…

Adrien got kidnapped by Hawkmoth and he didn’t have Plagg to power up his miraculous. There was no way for him to fight or escape. Even worse, Hawkmoth now knows what his secret identity is. The only upside was that with Plagg with her it meant that Hawkmoth couldn’t use the miraculous.

He still had Adrien though! This is bad! This is so bad! What was she supposed to do? How was she going to find him? He could be hiding Adrien anywhere by now. What if he’s doing something horrible to him? What if he’s torturing him? What if he’s akumatized him? No, he wouldn’t risk letting Adrien out of his sight even as an akuma. Would Hawkmoth even bother keeping him around now that he had Adrien’s miraculous? What if...what if he had…

“Marinette?” Alya knocked on the bathroom stall door, “Are you okay?”

Marinette couldn’t even move. Worst case scenarios ran rampant through her mind. Each worse than the last. Flashes of Adrien sprawled out on a floor bloody and beaten. His face unnaturally still and eyes unblinking as the last bit of warmth seeped from his body.

NO! This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t lose him! She just couldn’t! She had to find Hawkmoth. She had to find Adrien. She had to--

“Marinette!” Alya grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard, “Snap out of it! What’s wrong with you? You’re shaking and you’re breathing really hard, what’s going on? Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“I--I--” Her voice cracked on a sob, “I don’t know what to do, Alya! I can’t help him--I can’t--”

“Hey, hey now, deep breath, try to chill out,” Alya shushed her, “It is okay. Everything will be okay. Calm down and when you’re ready tell me what is going on. Don’t try to brush me off either because I crawled under the door on this dirty bathroom floor for you.”

Marinette took several deep breaths and tried to still the shaking in her limbs. Images of Adrien lying dead or in pain wouldn’t leave her though. What if she was already too late? She had promised she would always be there for him and now where was she? Having a panic attack on a toilet. She needed to get it together. Adrien needs her. She needs to be able to act rationally.

“Sorry,” Marinette muttered, “I just--I am really worried about Adrien. I haven’t heard from him at all today and I’m starting to think of worst case scenarios.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Alya rubbed her back, “He’s probably just not contacting you cause he knows you’re in school right now. If it makes you feel better we’ll go over to the houseboat after school and see him. How does that sound?”

That wasn’t going to work. She had to get out and start looking for him.

“I think what I need to do right now is go home.” Marinette said.

“Good idea, go home, get some sleep, I’ll come get you after school.”

“Great.” Marinette let Alya walk her out but the moment Alya went back inside the school Marinette ducked into an alley to transform. Plagg was to stay in her room safe with the other miraculous while she searched for Adrien. She didn’t need to run the chance of Plagg getting caught by Hawkmoth too.

“Don’t worry, my prince,” Marinette looked out over the vast expanse of Paris with its thousands of hiding places, “I will find you.”

---

Adrien woke up groggy and sore. He had such a strange dream of being dragged into darkness by a pair of disembodied hands. It had to have been the stress. He had stayed up way too late last night. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes but his arms wouldn’t move. What in the…

He tried to move his arms again but found they were bound behind his back. Panic seized him as last night came flooding back to him. The akuma. The akuma got him. He strained his eyes to see anything in the darkness of the room. Without his Chat Noir night vision it was impossible to make out anything among the shadows. He struggled to sit up and call for Plagg but there was a gag tied around his mouth. He stretched his fingers and his heart froze. Plagg...his ring...they were both gone.

No. No this wasn’t happening! This is just a bad dream. He’s having a stress dream because of last night. He’s safe in his bad back on the houseboat. He’s going to wake up and call Marinette and everything is going to be fine. He tried to shake himself awake but the binds and gag remained. He dug his fingernails deep into his palms hoping the pain would break him out of this nightmare.

His breathing came hard and tears started to leak from his eyes as he accepted the horrible truth. The akuma got him and now so did Hawkmoth.

The mechanical whirring some machine sounded near him and he stretched towards it. A sliver of light lit the darkness of the room. A pair of elevator doors opened and Adrien squinted to see as a shadowy figure stepped out of the blinding fluorescent light.

The spots cleared from his eyes as another light came on, illuminating the figure before Adrien. Hawkmoth. He was holding Adrien’s miraculous.

“To think,” Hawkmoth said, twisting the ring around in the light, “One of the most powerful miraculous in creation had been in the hands of a teenager right under my nose all these years.”

It was a lucky thing for Hawkmoth that Adrien was gagged so he couldn’t hear the very colorful insults he was hurling at him.

“Now, now,” Hawkmoth slipped the ring into his pocket and tipped Adrien’s head up with the end of his cane, “No need to be so hostile.”

Hostile? Oh he hadn’t seen hostile yet!

Hawkmoth sighed and stepped back. “Apologies for the harsh treatment. I could not be sure how you would respond when you woke up so I had to take precautions. You understand, don’t you? You’ve been asleep for an awfully long time. It is nearly evening now. I guess that was bound to happen with how late you had stayed up last night.”

When Adrien didn’t respond Hawkmoth rolled his eyes. “I do not wish to see you bound like this, Adrien." Hearing Hawkmoth say his name sent a strange ripple of fear down his spine, “I’ll take that gag out if you promise not to do anything foolish.”

Adrien nodded. Hawkmoth moved to pull the gag down and the moment his mouth was free Adrien bit at his hand, sinking his teeth as hard and deep into his flesh as he could. “AGH!” Hawkmoth tore his hand out of Adrien’s mouth, “Insolent brat!

Adrien had pushed himself onto his feet and rammed his entire body at Hawkmoth like a charging boar. His hands were still bound but his legs were free. He kicked at him until Hawkmoth regained his footing and kicked Adrien square in the chest, hurling him back to the floor gasping for breath. “I warned you not to do anything foolish. Can you not follow a single simple order, Adrien? Really. It is unbecoming of a young man.”

“I feel like I’m owed at least that considering all the other shit you’ve got up on me.” Adrien wheezed. He sucked in another sharp breath and rolled forward so he was sitting on his knees. Without his suit he could feel the pain more clearly than other times he got hit. The pain in his chest blossomed with buzzing and heat that ached with each breath.

“I applaud your efforts to not be recognized though I would have gone with something less flamboyant that flamingo pink hair dye.”

“Coming from the man in the gaudy purple suit and latex mask? Your head looks like an egg in that ridiculous get up. At least with my hero costume I kept it sleek and simple. Maybe my father can design you something that doesn’t look so tacky.”

“Tacky? Why you little--” Hawkmoth took a deep breath, “I will not stoop to your childish insults.”

“Why not? Is it because you know my costume is better than yours? My shoes even had subtle little toe beans! It was adorable. What do you have? Giant lapels? A boring ass suit and what are those on your feet? Loafers? You’re going to take over Paris and fight superheroes in a pair of slacks and loafers? Not exactly the stuff of nightmares, Hawkmoth. The more I look at you the more I’m finding wrong with this whole ensemble you’ve created. Maybe it’s because my father is a fashion designer or because my girlfriend is also one but this is just sad.”

“Are you quite done?”

“No. I mean, are you wearing socks with those loafers? Are your socks latex like your gloves? Oh god, are you just wearing a full latex suit underneath the purple suit? I’m just saying this doesn’t seem very practical in combat and I have to wonder why you went with this. I know your whole thing is that you feed off of other people’s negative feelings to do your dirty work while you hide in the shadows like a coward but still. You had to know that you’d have to come out in public to fight once in a while and you chose this? This is what you’re battling in? Maybe take some tips from your assistant, Mayura. Now there’s a lady who knows how to style a supervillain outfit! Sleek, chic, but still practical. Heels probably weren’t a great choice I’ll have to knock points off for that but the little fascinator she has was a nice aesthetic touch. Why don’t you have something cool like that, Hawkmoth? Why you gotta be boring, butterfly man?”

Adrien wasn’t sure where he was going with this but seeing how annoyed Hawkmoth was getting with Adrien’s roast of his costume was bringing him some joy.

“You may want to be acting nicer,” Hawkmoth said, “Lest you have forgotten already that I know who you are now and because of that I also have a good idea about who your precious Ladybug is too.”

Adrien’s spark of joy snuffed out immediately.

“As Chat Noir you have a very public romantic relationship with your partner, Ladybug. As Adrien Agreste you have an equally publicly known relationship. You do not strike me as the fine upstanding young man that would cheat on his girlfriend so it only leaves one option.” Hawkmoth explained, a sinister sly smile growing on his face, “Ladybug is miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“No!” Adrien shook his head, “That’s not--”

“Isn’t it?” Hawkmoth scoffed, “The evidence is saying quite the contrary. It makes sense. She is a rather clever and outspoken girl even as a civilian. Now that I know who Ladybug is all I have to do is wait for the perfect moment to strike at her as well.”

From the darkness of the corners the shadowy figure Adrien had fought the night before stepped out. “Do you like it? A rather brilliant idea of mine if I do say so myself.” Hawkmoth gestured to the akuma, “Someone who can move in shadow, undetected and unseen. Originally they were created to hunt you down but when they caught onto your scent how strange was it that the trail kept leading back to Chat Noir? I had a hard time believing it myself until I saw you drop your transformation.”

“Who did you akumatize?” Had Hawkmoth gotten his hooks into his father? Who else would be so desperate to find Adrien after he ran away?

“Can you not recognize your own aunt? She was very worried when you ran away. It took almost no convincing.”

“You akumatized my aunt? How low can you get!” He fought against the binds on his arms. He needed his hands free so he could wrap them around Hawkmoth’s neck! He had akumatized his aunt, kidnapped Adrien, taken his miraculous, and threatened Marinette’s safety. He was going to go down hard.

Hawkmoth knelt down so he was eye level with Adrien. There was something almost sad and almost familiar in the way he looked at Adrien. It creeped him out. “Do not worry,” he said, “She will thank me when all this is over. You will too. I just need that wish first.”

Wish? Wait. The miraculous. Marinette taught him about this. If the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous are combined then it can grant the wearer a wish. Any wish but at a great price. “No.” Adrien pleaded, “Whatever it is that you want the price is not worth it.”

“You do not--”

“No!” Adrien screamed in his face, “Listen to me you terroristic psycho! I have studied the miraculous and I can tell you that whatever you want the price is not worth it. You do know what the wish will do, right? It isn’t like candles on a birthday cake. You will get what you want but at great expense. Is that something you are willing to bargain?”

Hawkmoth grabbed Adrien’s face, crushing his jaw in his hands. “To bring her back? Without hesitation.”

“Her?” Adrien asked, “Her who?” More of the pieces started to fit together. “Listen to me, Hawkmoth, if your goal is to bring someone back to life then that’s even worse. The price will be another life. Not just someone random either. It could be someone else you care for or even your own life in this case! You cannot do it! The miraculous were not meant to be used like this.”

“My beloved is not dead. She lies in a magic induced coma from using the damaged peacock miraculous for too long. I know of the price and it will not take anything from me. This I am sure.”

“You can’t be sure though. You don’t know what the wish will do. None of us do. But if your wife or whatever is in a coma from using a damaged miraculous then I can help. Ladybug is the guardian and knows all about what the miraculous can do. We can help. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“So naive.” Hawkmoth stood once more, “Then again, you always have been an emotional child.” With that Hawkmoth walked back to the elevator and disappeared leaving Adrien alone with the shadowy akuma of his aunt watching over him.

It will be fine. Marinette will find him. She will. She has to.

Chapter Text

Find him.

Find him.

Find him!

Marinette wasn’t sure how long she had been searching for Adrien. How many dark and forgotten corner of this city had she squeezed herself into and searched until she had inspected every single speck of dirt? She had no clue. All she knew was that every single attempt, every new place she thought to search resulted in failure. But she wouldn’t stop. She would not stop until she found him.

After another failed hiding spot she took to the roofs to survey her progress and find a new place to check.

“Hey LB,” Rena and Carapace popped up over the side of the roof, “We thought we saw you running around earlier. What’s up? Is there an akuma?”

“Yes. Sorta. I mean, there was an akuma but I don’t know where it is now. That’s not why I’m out here right now. I mean I guess it is.” Marinette started pacing, she felt that if she stopped moving for even a second her fatigue would catch up to her and knock her out. “The akuma took someone and I’m trying to find them.”

“Why didn’t you get us? Who did the akuma take?” Rena asked.

“Adrien Agreste,” Marinette swallowed back the tears that threatened to break free and focused on what was important. Adrien was missing and now that her backup was here they could cover more ground.

“Adrien?!” Rena and Carapace exclaimed at the same time. “Why would the akuma take Adrien?”

“Uh…” How was she supposed to answer that without giving away the fact that Adrien was taken because he was Chat Noir?

“We know exactly why an akuma would take Adrien,” Carapace spat, “His dad has been hunting him down ever since he ran away from home. Hawkmoth probably akumatized him. We should check the Agreste mansion and see if a Gabriel akuma imprisoned him there.”

“That…huh…” why hadn’t she thought of that? There was a chance that the akuma hadn’t been hunting them personally. It could have been trying to track Adrien and the second he dropped his transformation it was able to finally find him. “Yeah, um, let’s go do that.”

“Ladybug,” Rena grabbed her arm, “Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Marinette nodded, “Just worried about Adrien is all. Let’s go find him.”

Rena and Carapace shared a concerned look but followed her towards the Agreste mansion.

From the outside the mansion looked fairly normal. No bars or metal plates over the windows and doors like what happened when it went on lockdown. They weren’t going to storm it just yet. They had to act in a civil capacity before they broke in. They jumped the gate to the interior grounds and knocked on the door. Adrien’s bodyguard answered a moment later.

“Hello,” Marinette said, “Sorry for the intrusion but we had a few more questions about Adrien’s disappearance if we could have a few minutes of Mr. Agreste’s time.”

The Gorilla nodded and let them inside. They stood in the front hall for a few minutes before Gabriel Agreste emerged from his office. Well there went that theory. “Hello heroes,” he said, “You wanted to speak to me?”

“Yes,” Rena stepped forward, “We just needed to ask you a few more questions about when Adrien ran away.”

“Do you have any leads on where he could be?” Gabriel asked.

“We’re working on it,” Rena looked back at the other two heroes, “I’ll question Mr. Agreste if you and Carapace want to question the others.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Gabriel said.

“Excuse me?” Marinette turned to him.

“My assistant Nathalie is ill and not fit for questions. As for my nephew and sister-in-law they have both moved out of the mansion to their newly renovated flat.”

“I see…” Marinette nodded, “I think I’ll just go check his room over for clues again. Carapace, would you mind questioning the bodyguard again?”

“Sure thing, LB,” Carapace went over to the Gorilla whilst Rena disappeared with Gabriel.

Well this had been bust. Gabriel wasn’t the akuma and everything was far too normal and calm around here for Adrien to be locked up somewhere. She walked up to his room and closed the door behind her. Everything was as it was the last time they had been here. Everything still settled exactly as Adrien left it when he ran away. Marinette went to his desk and picked up the photo of the two of them Adrien had printed forever ago. The one Lila had taken and spread online when they first started dating. Marinette in her sweats and Adrien with his barely tamed bedhead.

“I should print out that picture and get it framed.” she had laughed so hard when he showed her he had actually done it. “You look positively adorable in it. All cuddly and warm in your sweater and Pusheen house slippers.”

Everything was so much simpler in the beginning. They were just a boy and a girl treading the waters of this new relationship. They were nervous and excited and blushing messes that couldn’t stop smiling and giggling after having their first kiss. She held the picture close to her chest and dropped to her knees. Where was he? Where could the akuma have taken him? If he wasn’t taken back home then he had to still be missing somewhere else.

She set the photo back in place and went to the window and leapt out. She had to find him. She couldn’t waste any more time. She needed to find him. She made a promise.

---

Alya sighed as she finished running through questions with Gabriel. That theory hadn’t panned out as they hoped but at least they could cross Adrien’s dad off the list of suspects that took him. She grabbed Carapace from the other room and went up to Adrien’s room to regroup with Ladybug. When they got up there though she was nowhere to be found. Where had she gone without telling them?

She pulled up her communicator and dialed Ladybug. It rang and rang and rang before being sent to voicemail. Okay. This wasn’t good. It wasn’t like Ladybug to ghost them like this. They had to find her. They jumped out into Paris and kept their eyes peeled for a speck of red leaping across the roofs.

“Do you think the akuma might have got her too?” Carapace asked.

“I don’t think so.” Alya shook her head, “Something’s wrong with her today. I know she’s worried about Adrien but did you see her earlier? She looked like she was about ready to collapse. How long do you think she had been searching before we found her?”

“I don’t know. She looked worse than Marinette did at school this morning though and she was pretty dogged down.”

“Tell me about it,” Alya sighed, “It’s probably a good thing she doesn’t know that Adrien was kidnapped by an akuma or else she would go insane.”

Now all they had to do was find Ladybug again. They scanned over the city but she was impossible to spot. For someone with such a bright costume she was impossible to see. It started getting late and Alya almost gave up, hoping that Ladybug had left to get some rest. “Babe,” Carapace waved her over, “I found her.”

“Where?” she looked at where he was pointing and saw Ladybug pushing a manhole cover back in place. “Was she in the sewers this entire time?”

“I guess,” he shrugged. The two of them followed after her not wanting to lose her again.

“Ladybug!” Alya dropped down in front of her, “What is up with you? Where have you been? You left us high and dry at the Agreste place and haven’t been answering your communicator.”

“Oh Al--Rena, I just…” Ladybug swayed on her feet.

“Watch it,” Rena caught her, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Ladybug shrugged her off. She still wasn’t balanced though and had to grab hold of a streetlamp to keep herself up right, “Just a little tired. I’ll be fine.”

“Not to upset you or anything Ladybug but you do not look fine. You can barely stand.”

“You’re worrying over nothing,” her assurances were hollow, “I just need some coffee or an energy drink then I’ll be right as rain.”

“You cannot seriously believe that,” Alya rolled her eyes, “Look at yourself. You are in no condition to be running around Paris, especially as it is getting so late. You should go home and get some rest.”

“No.” Ladybug shook her head, “I can’t. Not until I find Adrien.”

“We’re worried about Adrien too but none of us are good to him if we’re burnt out.” Carapace said. “You should listen to, Rena. We’ll do a quick sweep tonight to put your mind at ease and after we’re all rested we can keep searching in the morning.”

“No. No, you don’t understand.” Ladybug tugged on her pigtails, “I have to find him. I have to! I promised I would! I promised and now he’s gone and I can’t find him and I cannot lose him! So I am not going to slow down. I am not taking a moment of rest until my boyfriend is back with me safe and sound!”

“Boyfriend?” Alya’s eyebrows shot high up on her head, “But Chat Noir is…”

It was like a switch got flipped in her head and everything became a million times more clear. Alya had been wondering all day why Chat Noir wasn’t out with them and now she knew why. Alya looked at Ladybug...no, not just Ladybug. Those big blue eyes brimming with tears she was just barely keeping in. She seemed to gauge the new recognition in Alya’s gaze and dropped her gaze to the ground.

“Come here,” Alya hugged her best friend, “It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

“No it’s not,” Marinette sobbed into Alya’s shoulder, “Adrien’s out there somewhere without the power to get out and I can’t find him. I’m so useless!”

“No you’re not,” Alya squeezed her tighter, “You are a liar though. You said you were gonna go home and get some sleep. Did you? Or did you just ditch school to find Adrien?”

“You already know the answer,” she hiccuped between sobs, “I just--I just--I need to find him. Hawkmoth has him somewhere and I don’t know where.”

“We will find him.” Alya promised, “We will but you are going to kill yourself if you do not slow down and get some rest.”

“But--”

“No buts! We could all do with some rest. Come on back to my house, I’m going to make sure you go to sleep.”

Nino came over and wrapped Marinette in a hug from behind so she was sandwiched between the two of them. It was hard to tell how long they stood there while Marinette let out all her grief. Eventually she cried herself out and slumped against Alya as the adrenaline finally wore off and the exhaustion set in. The girls went back to Alya’s place and Alya made her eat some leftovers before forcing her into the bed. Poor thing was so tired that she passed out almost on the spot.

Alya made a quick call to Marinette’s parents to tell them Marinette was sleeping over with her. They were concerned when she never showed up at home or let them know where she was earlier. Alya climbed into bed next to her with a small sigh. Learning Marinette was Ladybug and that Adrien was Chat Noir was shocking to say the least. So much about them made a lot more sense now. She had a million questions but now was not the time to ask them. Adrien had been kidnapped by an akuma and Hawkmoth had his miraculous. According to Marinette, Plagg, the kwami that came with Adrien’s ring wasn’t with him so there was a small victory in that. At least Hawkmoth couldn’t use it.

She slid into bed next to Marinette and took in her peaceful face. This poor girl really has been putting everyone ahead of herself all these years, hasn’t she? Just her and Adrien against the world. “You two really were made for each other.” Alya whispered before settling down to get a few good hours of sleep before the busy day they were in for tomorrow.

---

Alya had probably managed about two hours of sleep before she was kicked awake. The air left her lungs as she toppled out of the bed and hard onto the floor. Geez, what was Marinette’s problem?

She looked back at the bed and saw that Marinette’s entire top half of her body was missing. Her legs flailed wildly as she tried to pull herself out of the darkness that was trying to swallow her whole. “Marinette!” Alya grabbed her legs and pulled but the shadow was strong. No! She was not going to let this monster take her friend!

She braced her feet against the edge of the bed and heaved as hard as she could. Slowly Marinette started to emerge. It wasn’t enough though. She started getting sucked back in and Alya’s grip was slipping. Marinette’s hands had gotten free though and pulled at the covers of the bed looking for any sort of purchase. Alya quickly changed positions and grabbed Marinette’s hands instead and pulled.

Her friend’s head popped out of the shadow for a moment as she gasped out one word. “LIGHT!”

Light? Her eyes darted to the light switch before her head got pulled back into the shadows. Scared to let go but trusting that Marinette knew what she was talking about Alya let go and hit the lights. Instead of a massive shadow trying to absorb Marinette there was instead a single shadow the size of a person holding her down. It’s face was blank but even still Alya could tell it was glaring at her for depriving it of its power. It shoved Marinette off and leapt out the window into the infinite shadows of the night.

“Oh my god, are you okay? What was that thing? Was that the akuma that took Adrien? How did it get in here?” Alya knelt down next to her.

Marinette ignored her questions and glared at the window. “It knows where Adrien is. We can’t let it get away.”

“Marinette, wait--” it was too late. She had already transformed and was out the window chasing after the akuma. Damn it! Alya transformed too and raced after her. It was the middle of the night. If this akuma had power in shadows then Marinette might as well be walking into this fight bound and gagged ready for consumption. She knew she was Ladybug but she she was still too weak to be out here running around and fighting like this.

Alya was able to spot her easily. For someone running on a two hour nap and rage she was moving surprisingly fast. She followed the akuma into a dark alley and Alya had to fight the urge to scream at her for being so blindingly stupid.

“Girl,” Alya grabbed her arm, “You need to get out of here. The akuma could be anywhere.”

“I know,” Marinette wrenched her arm away from Alya and walked further into the darkness of the alley. “Just have a light ready.”

She stood there for several long seconds, eyes scanning the dark walls and ear listening for even the tiniest sound. Suddenly her head turned sharply to the left. “Now!”

Alya shone the light from her flute and the shadow akuma came into view. Marinette grabbed it by the throat and shoved it back against the wall. “Keep your light on it. It’s only solid when it can’t blend in with the other shadows.” Marinette pulled it off the wall and slammed it hard into the ground, hard enough that even Alya had to wince. Had she cracked the concrete with that body slam?

“Where is Adrien?” she growled, her voice sent a shiver of fear down Alya’s spine, “I know you can hear me in there, Hawkmoth. If you do not return him to me I will hunt you down and beat you so hard you will wish for something as pleasant and merciful as death.”

“Um,” Alya cleared her throat, “I know you’re really angry but maybe you should take a deep breath and try to calm down a touch.”

“This bastard kidnapped the love of my life and just tried to take me as well. I am not going to calm down and I am done being the bigger person. He is going to pay for taking him!” Marinette snapped.

The akuma started to speak but when it did it was in Hawkmoth’s voice. “If you want Adrien back and for the rest of your loved ones to remain safe then you had better hand over those earrings, miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette’s grip on the akuma tightened. “I’m guessing that means you’re not going to do the smart thing and give me back my boyfriend then, aren’t you?”

“I will for your miraculous, wouldn’t you say that’s a fair trade? The safety of all those you love in exchange for a simple piece of jewelry.”

“I know your threats are not idle but neither are mine.” Marinette dug her nails down hard into the akuma, so hard Alya could see the purple magic of the butterfly miraculous breaking through like blood. “I will find you in whatever hole you are hiding in. I will save Adrien and I will rip the miraculous from you one way or another. And if you hurt anyone under my protection, especially those I love, I promise that your judgement will come from a higher power than any court on this earthly plane.”

“If you haven’t been able to find me yet, what makes you think you can now?” Hawkmoth’s cold laugh echoed out to her. The akuma reared back and kicked her off so hard she went flying down the alley past Alya.

The akuma ran and dissolved back into the shadows. Marinette was back on her feet and running into the thick of it before Alya grabbed her and pulled the earrings off her head.

“What…?” Marinette’s transformation dropped instantly and she looked back at Alya confused. Her breathing was hard and there was a level of panic and bloodlust in her eyes that honestly scared Alya. “Give me back my earrings! I need to--”

“Stop it!” Alya screamed at her, her voice pleading, “Please, for the love of god, you need to stop for a minute and breathe.”

“The akuma--”

“Is gone. Probably off to slither back to Hawkmoth now. As for you, we are going back home and you are going to bed.”

“Alya!”

“No! I am invoking my right as your best friend to keep you from falling off the deep end.” Alya stuffed the earrings in her pocket for safe keeping, “Do you even see what is happening? He is trying to tire you out so you slip up and he can get your miraculous. I know you want to save Adrien. I do. But you are going to end up getting yourself killed if you do not take some time to recuperate. You are not making good decisions and you are starting to scare me.”

Alya rested her hands on Marinette’s shaking shoulders, “This Marinette, this is not the Marinette I know and love. You can get angry but you have never resorted to go so far as to threaten to kill someone and mean that. So we are going to go back home, sleep with the lights on, and after you have had some rest and are thinking rationally again, then I will give you your earrings back. Okay?”

The fight drained out of Marinette and she nodded. “Good.” Alya picked her up and bound back across the rooftops to her room. As promised she kept the lights on and stood watch over Marinette until she was sure she was deep in her sleep.

After the events of this day though sleep did not come as easily to Alya. The akuma had been in her room. It tried to take Marinette and almost succeeded. Hawkmoth knew who Ladybug was and if history was correct, then he would not hesitate to exploit that. This whole ordeal was turning Marinette into someone Alya didn’t recognize. If Hawkmoth came for anyone else Marinette held dear then she was sure that no force in heaven or hell would be able to stop her from tearing that butterfly’s wings from his body.

Chapter Text

After Hawkmoth had left Adrien got to work getting the bonds off his arms. He looped his arms under his legs so they were in front of him. Duct tape. A lot of it. Should be easy enough. He tried to wiggle his hands out but it was too thick and too tight. Right. Different tactic then. He found the end and tried to grab it with his teeth. If he could just get a bit of these layers off he could probably break through it.

It took a few failed attempts but he caught the corner of the tape and pulled it up a bit to be able to bite it better. After unraveling it from his arms a bit the bonds got less tight and was able to rip through the rest. Finally he was free. Now all he had to do was find a way out of Hawkmoth’s lair.

He started walking towards the elevator but in that moment the room was flooded with blood red light. The panels on the wall slid away to reveal numerous guns and artillery hiding behind, all of which were aimed directly at him. He quickly backed away and the panels slid back up. Alright, elevator was a no go. How about the giant window? When he walked towards it the guns popped out again. So no window either.

Of course Hawkmoth wasn’t stupid enough to leave him alone without any kind of security measures. He tried a couple more times to try and get to the elevator but the moment he got too close the guns would come back from behind the walls and train on him with pointed laser. A silent warning that he would be down before he was even able to push a button.

With nowhere to go he sat back down. His stomach rumbled loudly. Right, he hadn’t had anything to eat yet today. He was also parched. He would kill for some of Tom’s quiche and a large mug of warm tea. Maybe some macarons as a sweet after dinner treat. His stomach gave another loud grumble.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he sighed as he laid back against the cold hard floor, “Thinking about it is only going to make it worse.”

He wondered how everything was going in the world above. The Couffaines were probably worried about where he had gone since he hadn’t had the chance to get back to the boat. No doubt Marinette was informed about him being missing. If not by the Couffaines then by Plagg. He really hoped that she wasn’t doing anything insane because he got captured. Marinette was a passionate person in all aspects of her life and her relationships were no different. He’s seen how she gets when someone she cares about is hurt or threatened. She can be terrifying. She also doesn’t how to slow down. Last night when they were chasing that akuma only proved it.

Oh god, had that only been last night? Or maybe it was two nights. Or three. Who knows! There wasn’t exactly any way to keep track of time in this place. The only thing he was sure of was that he had been here long enough to grow very hungry.

The elevator doors opened and out stepped Hawkmoth holding a plate. “Ah, I see you got free from your bonds. Faster than I thought you would have.”

Adrien sat up, crouched and ready to pounce when Hawkmoth held up his free hand, “I wouldn’t try that if I were you. Or have you already forgotten about the security measures I have installed?”

The guns re-emerged. Adrien sat back down.

“Smart choice,” Hawkmoth set the plate down in front of him, “You must be hungry. Eat.”

He glanced down at the plate and wave of unease rolled through him. This...this was his favorite breakfast. But how could Hawkmoth have known that?

Adrien turned his back on the food. He was not dumb enough to eat anything a supervillain handed him. No matter how delicious it smelled.

“Stop being stubborn and eat the food,” Hawkmoth sighed, “Believe it or not but I do not want to starve you or hurt you if I can.”

“Oh really?” Adrien barked with laughter, “Could have fooled me! You’ve only tried to kill me for the past three years with your akumas. I actually did die in some of those scenarios. If it hadn’t been for Ladybug curing everything with her powers I would be dead.”

“I know, but that was before,” Hawkmoth said, “Before I knew who you were.”

“What does my civilian identity have to do with anything? Please tell me you are not secretly a fanboy of mine. I can handle a lot but Hawkmoth being a fan of me is a level of creepy I don’t think I can recover from.”

“No, that’s not it.” Hawkmoth took a deep breath, “I will tell you everything you need to know after you eat. You have my word.”

“Everything I need to know? What are you talking about?” Adrien looked over his shoulder at him.

“Eat your breakfast and find out.”

His stomach gave another painfully loud gurgle as the scent of the food wafted up to him. “Whatever,” Adrien grabbed the plate. Not like this situation could get much worse. At least he would get some information out of Hawkmoth after this.

He scarfed down the food in a matter of seconds. His desperation for food and information turning him into a bit of animal as he devoured the meal. Once he was done he set the plate aside and turned to Hawkmoth. “There, now what information do you have?”

“We’ll need to take a trip for that.” Hawkmoth motioned for him to follow as he walked back towards the elevator, “I promise no harm will come to you but not so much if you try anything.” He brandished his cane to emphasize his point.

Adrien may not be bound but he was still powerless in a lair controlled by his enemy. No way out of this unless he plays his game. With hesitant steps Adrien walked towards the elevator with Hawkmoth. He was paranoid that the walls with the guns would open again as he got in and shoot him.

Side by side they rode down the elevator in silence. When they stopped and the door opened Adrien had to take a second to assess the new room they were in. It was huge. Much larger than the part of the lair Hawkmoth had been keeping him prisoner. There was a narrow walkway that led across the massive expanse of the room towards what looked like a garden. How was Hawkmoth keeping plantlife alive down here? Especially something as big as trees and bushes?

Hawkmoth nudged him with his cane and Adrien stepped out of the elevator and down the walkway. In the middle of the garden was some box like machine. A generator? It was hard to tell what exactly it was supposed to be.

“Where are we?” Adrien asked.

“You wanted information. This is it, the reason why I need your miraculous. Why I need that wish.” Hawkmoth laid a hand reverently on the machine. His expression softened into something so deeply sad that Adrien almost felt sorry for him for a moment before he remembered who he was dealing with and shoved the pity out of his head.

“Are you telling me your comatose wife is in here?” Adrien pointed to the machine. “She’s not in like a hospital or something? You just stuffed her in some machine? Did you even try taking her to a doctor? What if this coma she’s in isn’t even magical? What if it is medical?”

“It is not and there is nothing no doctor can do for her.” Hawkmoth said, “We went to countless doctors, tried everything we could to nurse her back to health through normal means, it all did nothing. By the time we realized that it was the miraculous that was causing her descent into illness it was too late. She slipped into her coma and has not roused since. Not so much as a twitch.”

“Again, if you would let me go I could talk to Ladybug and we could help you find a way to bring her out of her coma that won’t hurt others or end someone’s life with a selfish wish.” Adrien stressed, “It isn’t too late.”

“It is though,” Hawkmoth turned to Adrien, “I have already given up so much in this endeavor. I have let her sit here for over three years now and have gotten no closer to finding a different remedy. I will not let her lie here longer than I have to when victory is so close within my reach.”

“You aren’t listening though!” Adrien wanted to tear his hair out, “If you make this wish to bring her back then someone else’s life is taken in exchange. I have a feeling you won’t care if it is your own but what if it is someone else? Is there no one else that you care for? No one else that you would be devastated to have taken away from you like your wife was? What about Mayura? I don’t know what the relationship is but it has to be something since you trust her enough to work as villains together.”

“No one else will be hurt. I will not allow it. My family will be complete again and everything then can be as it once was.” Hawkmoth ran his hand down the panel of the machine to a row of buttons. “Once you see inside here you will agree with me, Adrien. You’ll want to bring her back too.”

He pressed a button and the white panels of the machine slide away to reveal a layer of glass beneath it. What kind of Snow White glass coffin crap was this?

Adrien stepped closer and looked at the woman Hawkmoth loved enough to terrorize an entire city for. The reason so many people had suffered. The reason Adrien had been kidnapped in the first place.

.

.

.

.

No.

No. This...this couldn’t be right.

He stumbled away from the machine.

No.

No!

“Look at her,” Hawkmoth grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him back towards the machine.

“Let me go!” Adrien shouted, trying to tear Hawkmoth’s iron grip off him.

“No! Look!” he shoved him forward so he was forced to stare headlong at the woman behind the glass.

“Mom…” Adrien whispered in horror. “Is that really my mom?”

“It is,”

“Why do you have her? What did you do to her?”

“It’s awful, isn’t it? Such a beautiful and lively woman stuck in a box like this? Unable to wake up. Unable to be with those that love her. Unable to be with us.” Hawkmoth laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Us…” Adrien felt the contents of his breakfast start to rise up his throat. “Father?”

The gloved hand holding him flashed away to reveal a normal human hand with a silver wedding band on his finger. Adrien turned back to look into the face of Hawkmoth. Father. His father.

His own damn father!

“Do you see now?” Gabriel grasped his shoulders with both hands, “Do you understand why I need that wish? It is not just for me, it is for us! It will make everything right again, son. We will be a family again.”

“I do. I understand,” Adrien nodded, “I know what I need to do now.”

Gabriel smiled with relief. “I knew you would see it my way. I have wanted to tell you for so long but this is not the kind of news one can bring up during dinner.”

“And a kidnapping was better?”

“It was not how I wanted to break this to you but considering you had run away I had little choice. Especially after I learned your little secret. All the signs were there but I ignored them. I wanted to believe anything else.”

“I get the feeling.” Adrien said, “You think I like knowing that my father is the supervillain that has been terrorizing Paris for the past three years?”

“For a noble cause though. Now all we need is your kwami and Ladybug’s miraculous and then all of this can be forgotten. All will be well.”

“Yes, yes it will.” Adrien smiled, “Thank you for this opportunity.”

Gabriel started to smile back before all of the air got knocked out of his lungs. He doubled over in pain and Adrien tore the brooch off his shirt.

“Adrien--” Gabriel wheezed before Adrien swung his leg out and delivered a hard kick to his side that sent him crashing to the floor.

“Thank you for giving me the excuse I needed to beat the shit out of you with no remorse.” Adrien affixed the brooch to his shirt. A little purple kwami with butterfly wings emerged and greeted Adrien with a relieved smile.

“You must be Nooroo,” Adrien greeted the kwami, “Plagg and Tikki told me all about you.”

“Thank you!” Nooroo hugged his cheek, “Thank you, Adrien!”

“Hush now little buddy, everything is alright now.” Adrien assured the kwami. “You won’t ever have to serve that villain ever again.”

“Give that back!” Gabriel had pulled himself back to his feet, “You do not--”

“Nooroo, transform me,” Adrien commanded and let the familiar feel of power and magic wash over him. Gabriel took a step back as Adrien twirled the cane in his hands experimentally.

“Adrien, son, please, you must listen--”

“I have done nothing but listen to you for years.” Adrien advanced on him. “The moments you ever deemed me worthy to actually talk to you never mentioned anything like this. You hid this from me for three years! How could you even do something like this? How could you hide this from me? Do you really think that this constitutes terrorizing an entire city for years? You think this is what mom would have wanted? You think she would want all this pain and destruction you caused?”

“All I have ever done is for your mother. There were hardships but she would be on my side.” Gabriel insisted, “She will see what I have done, what lengths I went to, and how hard I fought and be grateful. All will be forgiven. By her and by you. If you would stop acting like a child and do as I say then this years long nightmare will finally be over. If you just help me--”

“NO!” Adrien screamed, “How can you look at me right now and think that I would ever help you?”

A rage like Adrien had never felt had been boiling under his skin the moment he realized it was his mother in that machine. It had taken everything in him not to tackle Gabriel right then and there when he realized he was Hawkmoth.

Gabriel tried to say something but Adrien yelled over him. “I will never help you! I will never be on your side! Never! Do you want to know why? It isn’t just because you terrorized Paris. It’s not even because you inadvertently killed me dozens of times over the years. The fact that you are a piece of shit parent is so low on the list it is actually baffling. Oh no, this,” Adrien pointed at his mother, “This is unforgivable.”

“I did what was right--”

“YOU LET ME BELIEVE MY MOTHER WAS DEAD FOR THREE YEARS!” Adrien’s voice cracked with the intensity of the scream. Tears poured from his eyes and his face. “I MOURNED! You saw me, you heard me cry myself to sleep for months after she disappeared and you did nothing. You let me go through all that pain for no reason!

“This is not love! This is not how you love someone. This is not something you do to your family. This is madness! Pure madness!”

“It is mad,” Gabriel agreed, “It is insane the lengths I have had to go to. I never envisioned it would take this long. I should have told you from the start, then you would have agreed with me. You would have helped me instead of constantly fighting back against me. All this time as a “hero” has skewed your priorities. Your mind warped by those children you call friends, and especially that damn bug.”

“You really are deluded,” Adrien scoffed, “You are right, my friends did change me, but they did not brainwash me. They let me make my own decisions and gave me the courage to be myself without fear of rebuke. Especially Marinette, my wonderful lady...I have felt more love these past few months with her than I have in the three years since I got stuck with you.”

A pure white butterfly settled on his shoulder. Adrien carefully moved it to his hand. “This ends today. Now you can either cooperate and tell me how to get out of here or I can tie you up here on the bridge while I find a way out.”

Gabriel remained silent. Maybe that was for the best. Adrien may have punched him again if he had tried to say anything.

He gazed down at the butterfly in his palm. Time to get a message to Marinette.

Chapter Text

“How long has she been asleep?”

“Pushing twelve hours.”

“Seriously?”

“Girl needed to sleep. You saw how bad things got yesterday.”

“Should we wake her up?”

“I’m waiting for her to wake up on her own.”

“How long do you think that’ll take?”

“No clue.”

“Hmm,” Marinette grumbled at the voices at the edge of her consciousness. She lifted her head up and peeked her eyes open. “Alya?”

“Hey there sleepy head,” Alya knelt down next to her, “Feeling better?”

Marinette nodded. “What time is it?”

“About a quarter to three,”

“It’s that late?!” Marinette bolted up right. She noticed that Nino was also in the room and gave her a shy wave. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

“Cause you needed to rest.” Alya grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed. “Will you calm down? I know you’re freaked but we are not having any repeats of yesterday. Besides, you can’t really go anywhere without these, can you?” Alya held up Marinette’s earrings.

“Right, right,” Marinette took a deep breath. The sleep had done her a world of good. It didn’t stop her from feeling guilty about it while Adrien was who knows where. At least now she would be better situated to look for him. “Hey Nino, what brings you here?”

“Wanted to come check on you after yesterday. Also Alya texted me and said that we were all supposed to go over to Chloe’s for a hero team meeting.” Nino sat down on her other side, “Yesterday was a lot. I mean, not only with Adrien missing but also learning that you two are--”

“That’s not what is important right now, Nino.” Alya cut him off with a small shake of her head. “But best be sure that once we find him I am owed a very long explanation. I have so many questions about all of this.”

“I figured you would.” Marinette took her earrings back and sighed with relief at the familiar feeling of their place on her head.

Tikki popped out of the miraculous and asked Marinette if she was alright. “I’ll be better when I’ve had something to eat.” The three of them moved to the kitchen and poked around at the leftovers in the fridge while Alya recounted to Nino what happened last night after they went to bed.

“It was scary cool!” Alya gushed, “She had the akuma pinned down and was gripping it so hard the akumatization was breaking! Do not get me wrong, it was terrifying but it was awesome. Thinking back on it now it was kinda hot but in the moment it was the scariest I have ever seen her.”

“Thank you, Alya, for reminding me how unhinged I became.” Marinette muttered through a mouthful of leftover curry.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to make you upset but it was something to behold. I am so glad you are on our side. If you ever decided to become a villain we would be screwed.”

"Hawkmoth had better hope I don’t lose my morals or else he is screwed." Marinette said. Last night had been the closest she ever wanted to get to being the bad guy. At least it was a righteous anger that fueled her. That was the only thing she could say in her defense about it.

After finishing their food they went over to Chloe’s suite and explained the situation. Since Nino and Alya already knew the truth they might as well bring her into the fold as well. Didn’t make much difference now that Hawkmoth knew their identities. There wasn't much to protect anymore.

Chloe of course was just as manic as Marinette when she learned that Adrien had been abducted by Hawkmoth. Now they needed a plan of attack.

"The main problem with getting Adrien back lies in the fact that we do not know where he is being held." Marinette explained to the group, "I spent most of yesterday searching for potential hiding spots and coming up empty. I think it is safe to assume that Hawkmoth is not working out of some abandoned location like a warehouse.

"Our other problem is that Hawkmoth has an akuma that can blend into shadows. They could be lurking anywhere there is darkness.”

“Is that why we have all the lights on in the middle of the day?” Chloe asked, gesturing to the dozens of lights they had turned on in her room.

“Yes. So until we apprehend the akuma we need to stay within the light as much as possible. That also presents a problem since it can stick to our own shadows so we need to be on constant alert."

"Well that is terrifying." Chloe said. "How are we sure that this akuma isn’t listening in on us right now?"

"We can't,"

"So how are we supposed to plan without Hawkmoth knowing?" Nino asked.

"I--" Marinette came to a dead stop. She hadn’t thought about that. There was no sure fire way to make sure Hawkmoth wouldn't listen in on their plans until the akuma was captured.

"I don't know." She answered weakly. She realized that she had started this meeting with little direction. She had no plan. No leads. Not even a way to make sure there wasn't an akuma hiding under the couch.

She made a promise. She promised to protect Paris. She promised to rescue Adrien. How could she uphold either of those promises right now? For three years Paris has been at the mercy of Hawkmoth. Three years and in that time they had made minimal progress in apprehending him. Now Adrien was also at his mercy and has been for over twenty-four hours and she had no plan on how to get him back. She couldn’t even think of a way to strategies without Hawkmoth overhearing.

Hawkmoth was right. The thought sickened her to her stomach. If she hasn't been able to find him in the course of three years then what hope was there now?

"Uh, Marinette?" Alya said, "So what's our plan?"

The tears started falling then. She didn’t feel them coming until they started rolling down her face. "I...I don't have a plan. I don't know what to do."

She squeezed her arms tight to her chest. "I don't know what to do! Adrien is missing and I can’t think of anything to do for him! I just don't know anymore!"

"Girl, calm down, it’s okay." Alya stood to console her, "We'll figure it out. We just need to--"

"To what, Alya? What are we supposed to do? There is every chance that the akuma is hiding in Chloe’s closet right now for goodness sake! So whatever we come up with Hawkmoth will hear about and then it doesn't matter!"

“Marinette, look at me,” Alya tilted her head up, “I get it. I do. You’re worried about Adrien. You feel powerless to help him. A lot of stuff has gone wrong and it is a lot to deal with. You are only one person and putting all this responsibility on you is not fair, especially because you are still just a kid. But you wanna know something else? We’re kids too.”

Alya gestured for Chloe and Nino to come over. “We never asked for everything we have gone through. We never wanted to get possessed by Hawkmoth and be forced to hurt the people we care about but it happened. But look at us now? We’re still here. We are here with you. You are not going through this alone. No matter what, you will have us to support you and help you.

“And do you wanna know why we are standing behind you? It’s not just because you are Ladybug but because you are The Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You have never backed down from a fight or stood idly by in the face of injustice and you are not going to give into fear now. Yeah, the situation is dire and there’s no easy way out but that just means we need to put our heads together to get out of this mess. Now, take a deep breath, clear your head, and focus on what we can do rather than what we can’t.”

Marinette hugged Alya close. Nino came over and wrapped around Marinette too. Chloe stood off to the side before Alya grabbed her and brought her into the hug as well.

Marinette let her fears abate and her mind still. Don’t focus on what you can’t do and focus on what you can. What can she do?

That’s when it hit her. She broke free from the hug and pulled out her phone. She pulled up the group chat and sent out a message.

Hawkmoth may be able to hear us but his akuma can’t see our messages. This way we can strategize safely. --Marinette

There phones went off as they went to check the message. Alya’s face broke into a proud grin and she sent a message back.

I knew you’d figure something out! --Alya

The four teens took a seat on the couch as they began planning. Their biggest problem at the moment was the akuma. They needed to get rid of it first. Best way to do that would be to draw it out. They would need to submerge themselves in darkness so it believed it had the upper hand. The akuma liked to strike at night so they would wait until nightfall before setting their trap. Any earlier and Hawkmoth may realize what they are planning.

Now that we have a plan on how to deal with the akuma, what are we gonna do about Hawkmoth? --Alya

Do we have any leads on who he could be? --Nino

I’ve been racking my brain for years trying to figure that out but haven’t gotten anywhere really --Marinette

Anyone you suspected in the past may be of use to us now. Anyone coming to mind? --Alya

The only real suspect I had was Gabriel Agreste but that turned out to be a dead end --Marinette

It is totally Adrien’s dad --Chloe

We just established that it wasn’t --Marinette

I’m with Chloe on this. His dad only makes too much sense --Nino

But he was akumatized! He couldn’t akumatize himself! --Marinette

Are we sure about that? --Alya

What do you mean? --Marinette

I mean are we sure Hawkmoth couldn’t have akumatized himself to throw off the scent? --Alya

You are the one who has been studying the miraculous all this time. Does your big book of magic say anything like that? --Nino

Maybe? Adrien discovered new powers he hadn’t thought possible before. It is possible Hawkmoth could have too. --Marinette

So what you’re saying is that there is every reason to believe that Gabriel akumatized himself and is actually Hawkmoth and abducted his own son --Chloe

It does make a lot of sense. Who wouldn’t want to get Adrien back more than his trash father? --Nino

He also has motive for wanting the miraculous given that his wife is missing. He may want to use them to bring her back. --Alya

He would definitely have the money and resources to build himself a secret lair in his own house if need be. --Chloe

Not to mention he spends all his time there so he can pop off to his lair to be evil and shit whenever he wants --Nino

So what? We storm the Agreste mansion and tear it apart in the hopes of finding Adrien? --Marinette

Sounds like a good plan to me! --Chloe

Me too! --Nino

I concur --Alya

Alright then. After we capture and cleanse the akuma we’ll launch an attack on the Agreste mansion. --Marinette

I have been waiting for this day for years! --Nino

They put their phones away with their plan now in place. They were gonna hang out in Chloe’s room until nightfall and then go and try to lure out the akuma.

“Hey, Marinette, can we talk?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah sure,” Marinette followed her into the other room, “Something on your mind?”

Chloe kept her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze lost to a point off in the distance. “Do you think he’s okay? I mean, do you think Hawkmoth would hurt him?”

Marinette could see the real meaning behind her words. Did she think that Gabriel would hurt Adrien? “I want to believe he wouldn’t.” Marinette answered, “But at this point I can’t be sure. That’s probably not what you wanted to hear, huh?”

“Not really but I don’t think I was expecting to hear anything else.” Chloe sighed. “Adrien is my oldest friend. Sabrina may be my best friend but Adrien is the one who I grew up with. He’s been with me through everything. No matter how bratty I was or whatever mean pranks I pulled he never wavered from my side. He’s already gone through so much. Much more than any kid deserves really. What with his health problems as a kid and then his mom disappearing...I don’t want to see him go through anymore pain.”

“None of us do. We are going to get him back, Chloe. I promise. You are not going to lose him so long as we work together. This room is full of people who love him. Who want to see him safe and sound again. I may have freaked out earlier and doubted myself but Alya reminded me that it isn’t just me fighting for him. It is all of us. Together we will bring him home. I promise.”

Chloe cracked a smile. “I’m only gonna say this once, Dupain-Cheng, but,” she placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re Ladybug. Paris and Adrien couldn’t ask for a better protector.”

“Chloe…” Marinette felt like she was gonna start crying again.

“Don’t get mushy on me now, Dupain-Cheng. Keep it together. We still have a mission to do.” Chloe stepped back, her nose stuck high up in the air. “I don’t need you messing up cause you’re blubbering.”

“Thanks Chloe,” Marinette laughed it off. “I’ll be sure to keep my blubbering to a minimum.”

A loud thump from the other side of the room caught their attention. Nino and Alya heard it too and came over to investigate. It was coming from inside Chloe’s closet. Could it be the akuma? Without saying another word the teens transformed and converged on the closet. Marinette held up her hand with a countdown of three.

Three...two...one. Now! They flung the door open, lights from their communicators shining brightly in the otherwise dark room. What they saw wasn’t an akuma of darkness and shadow though.

“AAAAAAHHHH!” Adrien’s Aunt Amelie was sprawled on the ground looking confused and scared.

“Adrien’s aunt?” Chloe said. “How did you get in here?”

“I...I don’t know,” Carapace helped her to her feet, “Last I remember I was in my house. I was worrying about Adrien and then suddenly I was here. What happened?”

“I think I do,” Rena pointed to a pure white butterfly that fluttered past them out of the closet and into the daylight.

“Amelie was the akuma,” Marinette muttered under her breath. They were right about one thing. Hawkmoth had been listening in this entire time. It was a good thing they switched to texting to strategize then.

“Bee, can you get a car to take Mrs. de Vanily home?” Marinette asked, “I need to think through something.”

“Sure,” Chloe took Amelie out of the room. Once she was gone the others powered down.

“Well that takes care of the akuma problem. We don’t need to go hunting for it anymore.” Nino said. “That’s gotta be good.”

“I guess but there’s something bothering me about it.” Marinette paced up and down the room. “The akuma flew away already cleansed. Something only me and Hawkmoth can do. This was a useful akuma too. So why would Hawkmoth recall and cleanse the akuma himself?”

“Is it some kind of trick?” Alya asked.

“I don’t know. But something about it doesn’t feel right. Something else is going on.”

Chloe came back a few minutes later. Amelie was safe and on her way home.

“So…” Nino rocked back on his heels, “Since the akuma has been dealt with does this mean we can bump the assault on the mansion up on the itinerary.”

“I’m still trying to figure out why Hawkmoth would recall an akuma like that.” Marinette said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

At that moment Marinette felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. The others jumped back and Marinette felt a strange warmth envelope her. It felt like she was standing in a ray of sunshine.

“Marinette?” she heard a voice in her head. Not just any voice. That was Adrien! “Can you hear me? I’m not so sure how this is supposed to work.”

“Adrien?” her mouth dropped open and she motioned for the others to calm down. “Is that really you?”

“It’s me doodle bug,” the voice in her head answered.

“Thank god!" she felt like crying again, "What happened? Where are you? How am I hearing you right now?” Marinette spit out questions at a rapid pace.

“That’s a bit of a long story. To summarize, I got abducted by Hawkmoth, beat the crap out of him, stole his miraculous, and now here I am. Hence how you are hearing me in your head.”

“Alright. Well, where are you? I’m with Nino, Alya, and Chloe right now. Just tell me where you are and we’ll come get you.”

“I believe I am in my basement.” Adrien answered, “So just head over to the mansion and see if you can find some secret entrance.”

“The mansion?” Marinette’s stomach curled up in a knot. “Where’s Hawkmoth?”

“Tied up and being very unhelpful.” There was a moment of pause, “Oh I’m sorry!” Adrien’s voice came back but it sounded further away, “Are you offended by that? Sorry to break it to you but I have a lot more to be angry about here!”

“Adrien, darling, what is going on?” Marinette asked. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine. My father is being a jerk though. So please just get over here as fast as you can so I never have to see this bastard again.”

“Your father?” the others looked just as distraught as Marinette felt. Their theory had been right.

“Yeah, turns out daddy dearest has been the terrorist we’ve been chasing for years.” The hatred in Adrien's voice sent a chill down her spine.

“Adrien, I am so sorry,” Marinette started to say.

“Don’t worry about that right now, doodle bug. I’m saving the emotional breakdown and exhaustion for after I’ve been rescued." Adrien chuckled but she could tell that he was being serious with that statement. "You four make your way over, I’ll be waiting.”

“Alright, we’ll be over in no time. Just hold on a little longer. We’re coming.”

“Glad to hear it. Hope you didn’t go too crazy without me around.”

If only he knew. “I’m glad you’re safe, my prince. I love you and I’ll be there soon.”

“I love you too, my star. See you soon.”

The connection died and Marinette faced her friends. Her energy and strength returning tenfold now that she knew Adrien was okay. “Power up everyone. It’s time to storm the castle.”

Chapter Text

It was strange how fast everything went once they got to the mansion.

The team burst into the mansion and quickly apprehended a weak Nathalie. After they told her they knew that Gabriel was Hawkmoth and had Adrien she stopped fighting. A deep sadness overcame her in that moment. Her eyes staring up at the team of heroes and resigned herself.

She hung her head low and spoke softly. “I never wanted it to go this far. From the start I only wanted to help Gabriel but in the years since he hatched this idea he’s become...unhinged. I thought maybe it was desperation or impatience but it has gone far beyond that.”

“I’m not here to listen to a sob story,” Marinette told her, “I am here to get Adrien. Gabriel can take his motives to the court but I don’t think it’ll do much considering he’s the most hated man in Paris. Now tell me, where is Adrien and how do I get to him?”

Nathalie sighed, “Aren’t you supposed to be the compassionate one?”

“You think I have an empathy for the man that kidnapped his own son and terrorized a city for three years? Back when I first started I may have wanted to do this with a softer heart but having my life and the lives of my loved ones threatened a million times kind of hardened it. So stop stalling and tell me where I need to go cause otherwise I am going to start dismantling this entire mansion until I get to my boyfriend.”

“The painting in the studio. There are a series of secret buttons hidden in it that you need to press. It’ll open a spot in the floor that will lead you down to the lair. Adrien is there.”

“Was that so hard?”

Carapace and Rena kept a watchful on Nathalie while Queen Bee and Marinette moved towards the studio.

“Wait,” Nathalie called out to them. The girls paused to hear what she had to say. “Adrien is to lose a father today. That much I know. But please, if there is anything you can do to bring back Emelie, do it. Adrien deserves that much.”

“I will, I promise,” Marinette took a deep breath and went back to the painting. With Nathalie’s assistance she found the buttons and pushed them opening a passageway like Nathalie said.

“I’m going down with you,” Bee said, “Adrien could probably use both of us.”

“What about us?” Carapace asked. “He’s my best friend after all.”

“We all can’t go down. Someone needs to watch Nathalie and be ready in case things go sideways down there.” Marinette told them. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring him back in no time.”

Marinette looked to Queen Bee and nodded. The stepped onto the platform that began lowering them down into the basement. Marinette wondered briefly about how Gabriel was able to get all this built without raising suspicion.

Deeper and deeper into the ground they went. It felt like forever before the elevator stopped. The doors opened and before them laid a cavernous room with a long narrow walkway. At the end of the walkway was a lush garden and two figures leaning against the railings.

Marinette didn’t wait. She took off in a dead sprint down the walkway until the figures became more discernible. Gabriel Agreste was tied up and bound to the railing of the walkway. Adrien stood across from him with a little purple kwami resting on his shoulder.

“Hey, I see you found me.” he smiled, “I hope I didn’t give you too much of a scare--”

Marinette tackled him in a hug. Her face buried in his chest. Adrien’s arms closed around her and held her tight. Tired and relieved sobs wracked them both as they took a minute to breathe each other in. It had only been two days but it felt like an eternity. Marinette detached herself long enough to let Chloe in and gave herself a moment to compose herself.

Once she was sure the tears had stopped she turned to Gabriel. “Now, to deal with you--”

“You children have no idea what you are--”

He was quickly shut up by Chloe decking him hard in the face. Normally Marinette would have said something against her abusing someone that cannot fight back but seeing as how it was Hawkmoth she decided to let it slide.

“Shut the hell up, old man,” Chloe hauled him to his feet, “You hurt my Adrikins! Now walk. Don’t bother trying anything either, you’ll be paralyzed before you can blink.” She held her spinning top to his back.

She turned her head back to look at Adrien and Marinette. “I’ll get him upstairs with the others. Adrien, I am glad you are safe and you can bet your ass that we are going to have a long conversation after this. But I will let your partner take care of you right now. After she’s done though I am never letting you out of my sight again.”

“Thanks Chlo,” Adrien kissed her forehead, “Always looking out for me.”

“And you’re never getting rid of me,” Chloe smiled warmly. She gave Gabriel’s legs a kick and escorted him out of the lair.

Now alone Marinette really looked at Adrien. He had cried into her shoulder when she first showed up but she could tell that there was still a lot more lingering under the surface that he was keeping at bay for the time being.

Marinette touched his face. His cheek was kind of scratchy from a patch of stubble trying to grow.

She didn’t know why but that reminder really solidified just how long they had been doing this. When they met they were thirteen. Baby faced and barely old enough to be called teenagers. Now they were only two years from being legal adults. Had they really been fighting Hawkmoth for that long? It simultaneously felt much longer and much shorter than that. She could remember the day she received her miraculous and met Chat Noir like it was yesterday but in her bones it felt like a lifetime ago. They were not the children they were when they started. They had seen too much, gone through too much to ever be the lighthearted and naive kids they once were. This day too would turn into a memory that came to their minds fresh and detailed yet far away.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?” Marinette whispered, her voice catching as she let herself relax in his presence.

“Physically? I’m fine. Emotionally and mentally?” he let out a long, shaky breath, “About ready crack.”

He turned away from her and approached the large machine resting in the center of the garden. Marinette had taken note of it when she came in but hadn’t thought much of it in the moment. She stood next to Adrien and peered down through the glass of the machine. A woman that looked exactly like Adrien’s aunt laid motionless in the box. There was so much of Adrien in her face.

“This isn’t how I wanted to introduce you to my mom,” Adrien murmured, his head bowed low. Tears fell and landed on the glass of the case.

“Adrien…” Marinette was almost afraid to touch him. She placed a hand on his back and watched as he tensed then unraveled further as he cried. She couldn’t do anything but hold him and let his tears run their course.

“Father, he--he wanted to use the wish from our miraculous to bring her back.” Adrien stammered out through his tears, “I hate that he did it but...but can I really fault him? Can I hate him for wanting to bring her back?”

He turned his tear stained face back to Marinette. “My lady, I know the price is steep but there has to be a way. There has to be! Isn’t there? You’re the guardian--you--you are the one that is supposed to know all about this stuff. Isn’t there some safe way to use the wish?”

“Adrien, sweetheart,” Marinette hugged him, “I can’t promise that. I want to. You have no idea how much I want to but I can’t. I can check the Grimoire and message Fu wherever he is but I don’t know think the wish is the way to save her.

He nodded. “I figured but I had to ask.”

“Come here,” Marinette laced her hand with his, “Let’s get you out of here. We’ll come back for her. We’ll get this all sorted. I promise. We’ll figure something out.”

The kwami that had been hovering around Adrien came back and settled on his shoulder. “Hello Guardian,” the kwami greeted her, “I would like to thank you and the other heroes for finally freeing me.”

“Oh you must be Nooroo,” Marinette scooped up the kwami in her hands, “Glad to have you safe again. First, do you know where the peacock miraculous is?”

“And mine?” Adrien asked.

“Of course, they’re hidden in the safe.” Nooroo took off from her hands and flew towards the elevator. “Come now, not a moment to lose.”

With a small tug on his hand the Marinette and Adrien walked away from the lair and into the elevator. There was an unnerving calm that floated around them as they made their way back up to the main floor of the house. When they stepped out into the studio Nino was the first to tackle him in another hug followed shortly by Rena. All of whom were relieved to see him safe and sound and vowing to never let him out of their sight again.

They collected the miraculous from the safe. “Oh, there is one more thing,” Rena spoke up, “I know you told us to stay and watch Nathalie but I figured Carapace had her covered so I took some initiative and I kinda--”

“ADRIEN!” A little spot of black rushed out from behind Rena and smacked Adrien right in the face with a hug. “You’re okay! Thank the holy cheeses you’re okay! You do not scare me like that again! I’m far too old for such scares!”

“Nice to see you too, Plagg,” Adrien laughed, pulling the kwami off his face. “And I promise I will try my best not to get kidnapped in the future. I trust Marinette took good care of you while I was detained and you didn’t cause her too much trouble.”

“Trouble? Me? I would never.”

“Not to break up this cute scene but I did alert the authorities that we had captured Hawkmoth and Mayura and they’ll be here any second so now might be a good time to power up.” Queen Bee told them. She still had her spinner jabbed hard into Gabriel’s neck.

Adrien quickly transformed and from that point on the day dragged on. Everyone was safe, the bad guys were in cuffs and the missing miraculous were in good hands once again. The rest of the afternoon was filled with long statements given to police and even longer arrangements being made to get Emelie Agreste out of the basement. Once all that could be done that day was over the house was locked down by police. News reporters swarmed the house but the heroes refused to give any official word on the circumstances outside that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste and had been apprehended.

There wasn’t much for the heroes to do after that point. The fate of the villains of Paris were in the hands of the Paris legal system now. Marinette gave everyone a half hour cool down to recharge and talk to family before they were to meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower. They have a lot to discuss going forward from this point.

---

The sun was setting over the skyline by the time everyone made it to the Tower. They all sat down without speaking a word to each other. Down below the city was celebrating as news of Hawkmoth’s defeat spread. The five heroes sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower though looked past it as a strange sense of calm settled over them.

It was over. No matter what happened to Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sanceour after this point neither of them could cause harm with the miraculous again. After three long years of fighting, Hawkmoth was no more. They could breathe.

Nino was the first to break the silence. “So,” he looked down the line where Adrien sat, “How are you taking in all this, bud?”

Adrien let out a long breath. “Bad. Pretty damn bad, Nino.”

“Right, sorry.”

“It’s not your fault that his father is actually the worst human being alive.” Chloe said.

“Three years…” Adrien shook his head, “He was doing all of that right under my nose for three years and I had no idea. I mean, Marinette tried to tell me. She suspected him but the moment there looked to be any doubt I…”

“It’s okay sunshine,” Marinette rubbed his back, “He’s your father. It makes sense that you didn’t want to believe it. If it were any of us I’m sure we would have done the same.”

“What now?” Alya said, “What are you gonna do?”

“Well now that my father is in jail I’m going to have to come forward as Adrien. No more hiding out on the Couffaine boat.” he pulled on his cat ears, “I am not looking forward to the press backlash. I am not going to know a moment’s rest once I come forward.”

“You know we’d never let anything bad happen to you.” Marinette grabbed his hands.

“Where do you think you’ll end up?” Nino asked.

“Considering my mom is in a coma I’ll probably end up with Aunt Amelie and Felix. My aunt is my godmother after all and their flat has a spare bedroom. I can’t say for certain how long I’ll be staying with them but at least I won’t have to leave the city.”

“Yeah, but more time with Felix?” Chloe wrinkled her nose.

“I can deal with Felix. He’s nothing compared to everything else I now have to deal with.”

They fell into silence again. A million questions stretched between them. What were they to do now? With no Hawkmoth what became of them? Would Marinette take the miraculous back? Would they retire from hero duties for good once all the dust settled? They all knew each other’s identities now. The choking hold of secrecy no longer strangled them as it had in the past.

For the first time in three years they had no obligation. They were given miraculous to defeat Hawkmoth. Would Fu come back for them? Would Marinette need to return them to China? Would she even be considered the Guardian anymore?

These were all questions that she would look into another day. For right now she just wanted everyone to relax. She encouraged the others to go and enjoy the festivities with Paris. Go be adored by the public but try not to talk to the press too much. Not until Marinette had the chance to draft a solid statement about Hawkmoth.

The other three heroes nodded and zipped off to join the crowds below. Marinette and Adrien stayed on the Tower a while longer.

“It’s getting pretty late,” she told him, “You wanna go back to my house and get some rest? I think we could do with a long therapeutic cuddle session.”

“Sounds perfect,”

They went back to her house and de-transformed in the alley. Walking into the house Marinette’s parents crushed the pair of them in hugs.

“Oh Adrien we have been so worried about you!” her mom cried, “What with you running away from home and then what they’ve been saying on the news. Are you alright? Do you need anything? Do you need us to call anyone for you?”

“I’m fine,” Adrien hugged her back even tighter, “Thanks Mrs. Cheng.”

“Sabine, please,” she didn’t let go until he did. “You look tired. Are you hungry? Let me whip you up something to eat. Anything at all.”

“I’m starving actually.” Adrien laid a hand over his stomach, “You wouldn’t happen to have any leftover quiche laying around would you? I haven’t been able to think of anything else all day.”

“I don’t but I’ll get started right now. It’ll take a bit so help yourself to whatever else we have lying around.” her mom touched his face. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I’ll help you, mom,” Marinette grabbed an apron, “Adrien, you wanna learn how to make quiche?”

“You can have him in a minute. Adrien, son, can I talk to you a moment?”

“Oh sure Mr. Dupain.”

“Call me Tom,” he took Adrien aside. Marinette could still hear them as she helped her mom cook.

“Is everything alright? You can be honest with me, son.” her dad said in a soft voice, “I know that news of your father must have been a shock. If there is anything we can do just name it. You’re family as far as we are concerned so if you need anything at all let us know. We’re here for you.”

“I--I--I appreciate that, sir,” Adrien’s voice came out shaky, “Could you call the Couffaines for me? I was staying with them when I ran away from home and I haven’t been back in a couple days. They must be worried.”

“Of course, we’ll sort it all out,” her dad said. “Anything else?”

“Uh...well, is it alright if I sleep over with Marinette tonight? I promise it’s not anything crude I just--”

“I understand. It’s been a long day and it’s not like I could stop you two even if I said no.” Marinette glanced over her shoulder to see her dad pick Adrien up off his feet and hug him. “You’re always welcome here. Now, let’s go see if we can help the girls make some dinner.”

After dinner was made the four of them sat around the small table and talked long into the evening. Luka stopped by with a bag full of Adrien’s things as well as a clean set of clothes. He wasn’t sure what all he needed or wanted so he just brought whatever he could carry. As the night grew later Marinette’s parents shooed them off to bed.

Adrien’s belly was full and he had a clean pair of pajamas on as he nestled into bed next to Marinette. The moment they laid down Adrien grabbed hold of her. They laid there for the longest time not saying a word. The stress of the past several days, the past three years, ebbed out of them as they soaked in the peace of one another.

Marinette didn’t want to break the quiet bubble but there was something she needed to say before they fell asleep. “Adrien,” she whispered, “I know you’ve been asked it a million times today but how are you holding up?”

He sighed, his eyes closed. “Not good but better. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay, we don’t have to talk about it now.” she kissed his nose, “I’m glad you’re here. I’m happy you’re safe.”

“I love you,” his eyes peeked open to look at her. Their faces were a breath away from one another, “I really do love you, Marinette. I’m so lucky to have you and I want you to know that. I love you more than anything.”

“I love you too,” a single tear escaped and traveled down her nose. Adrien leaned closer and kissed it away. “I am lucky to have you. Not just as my boyfriend but as my best friend and my partner. And I know that things are going to get complicated and hard but you’re not going to go through this alone. For better or worse, I’m here with you. I’ll always be here for you.”

He didn’t answer but held her tighter. She left one last kiss on his forehead before they both drifted off to sleep.

END