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Marinette didn’t stop to think, she just acted. Plagg was there, giving her the ring. She would have to make do with what was available. Slipping the ring on her finger felt so easy. She said the transformation phrase and seconds later she was running, attacking the monstrous doll.
She had no other option but to stop it as best she could, distract it. Until… At the back of her mind, in spite of her best attempts to stifle it, was worry. Where was Chat Noir? Or the person who was Chat, because now she had his Miraculous and was doing his job. She could only hope that since Plagg had found her, Tikki had found Chat. And he’d appear soon.
The idea of switching roles with him had never really crossed her mind. Now it was forced on them. It would be tricky but they would have to do their best. This sentimonster was no laughing matter. But they would need to find the quickest way to defeat it. While getting used to their new powers.
It was a good thing she was acting on instinct and her body just went through the motions while her mind was otherwise occupied. How could this happen now? Just as she was getting somewhat comfortable with that photoshoot after to an extent getting over the shock of having Adrien there with her girlfriends and most importantly, seeing him in that outfit.
Marinette had been completely thrown off balance when he’d appeared from behind that dressing screen. She really couldn’t believe he had that effect on her. Well, it wasn’t so hard to believe, he was really that good-looking. Especially in those clothes… But to feel so flustered by him even after all this time was disconcerting. She really needed to pull herself together. What chance did she have of being his friend and maybe more if she let herself be so overwhelmed by him?
She shook her head, trying to concentrate. This was not the time to be distracted by her teenage feelings. She had a job to do, while hoping that Chat would be there soon. And suddenly, there he was.
“So you get to play the easy part today, m’lady Noir.”
Maybe she heard his words. Maybe she understood them too. But at first she could just stare at her partner. Because this was him, right? That mop of blond hair couldn’t be mistaken. Although it lacked the black cat ears she was used to seeing on it. They were on her head now. The eyes were still green. But were not longer cat-like. This gave her pause. His eyes were really green. She hadn’t really thought about it before but it was a possibility that they could have changed because of his transformation. It was now clear the colour was not affected by it. For a brief moment she wondered what her own eyes looked like now, but there was no way to find out.
So, hair - check. Eyes - check. And this is where the similarities ended. Because he was no longer Chat. Now he was in a ladybug suit. But not like her own.There were black patches and the ladybug pattern accentuated different parts of his body. Ok, this was not good. Why was she thinking about his body? She tried to pry her eyes away but to no avail. They were glued to his suddenly appealing form. How had she gone so long without really noticing (or allowing herself to notice) how fit he was? Or was it the suit that made him look like that? Not that he didn’t totally rock the black catsuit (where had that treacherous thought come from???) but this one was hot.
Marinette was sure her mouth was gaping. This was not happening. No. There was only one guy she considered hot. Hadn’t she been thinking about him just now? No way was Chat in the same league as Adrien! So why was she having difficulty breathing? Her mind was playing tricks on her. She couldn’t really feel like this.
She’d never thought she would be grateful to a villain for attacking them but it surely worked to jolt her out of her shock. And wrong, wrong thoughts. But the thing was, Chat was no longer Chat but he’d still pushed her out of the way of the doll’s transforming bean of light. Because this was what he did. Protect her. And also what she did for him and had to do now more than ever because he had the crucial role.
As they fell to the ground, rolling and jumping to their feet with practised ease, she felt as if she was having an out of body experience. This was nothing new. They did this all the time. There was nothing intimate about it and absolutely no reason for her to feel all hot and bothered all of a sudden. Why were her hands suddenly itching to grab him and pull him closer? To bring his body flush with hers? To hold onto him, even when there was no need to?
What was happening to her? Now was not the time for raging hormones to rear their head! And with Chat of all people!
She had to almost physically pull her thoughts away from this dangerous territory and focus on the task at hand. She could do this! She was a superhero! And Chat, no, Mr. Bug, yeah, that sounded just about right, would not derail her.
She took a small second to steady herself, taking a deep breath and giving herself a mental slap before jumping right back into the battle. Work first, solving her confused heart/body/mind later.
***
So this had been a real ordeal. Trying not to get distracted by her partner’s suddenly irresistible looks. Getting annoyed by his overconfidence at first and then troubled by his indecision. Figuring out how to defeat the villain, capture not only an akuma but an amok too. It had all been too much.
She’d tried to be fair with Chat, er, Mr. Bug. She remembered all too clearly how confused and overwhelmed she’d been the first time she’d turned into Ladybug. All the decisions she had to take, the responsibility weighing on her shoulders. He had the advantage of being used to acting in heated situations, even as Chat. But still it must have been a bit too much for him. She’d really wanted to be understanding and supportive.
But she’d ended up snapping at him on a number of occasions. Was this because of his rashness (she was used to this by now, surely)? Or because she was a bit irked that she wasn’t the one in control this time? She’d somehow been dragged into a “Watch me, I can use your power better than you” competition, which had ended badly, no surprise there, with both of them having wasted their powers and still having no clue what to do.
Fortunately, they’d managed to come to their senses and putting their heads together had finally come up with a plan. Yes, she’d been distracted by said head being so close to hers, finding herself gazing into his eyes more often than she was comfortable admitting, but still. He’s also been so sweet, saying he couldn’t do this without her.
Also, she’d been taken by surprise, again, by the swell of emotion she felt as she watched him cleanse first the akuma, then the amok and then doing “Miraculous Mr. Bug” to bring everything back to normal. His unbridled joy at doing something so simple had moved her beyond belief. He had looked so adorable. Just happy. She was used to his confident and cocky attitude but seeing him like this had melted her heart.
Now it was over, villain defeated, order restored. As they ran from rooftop to rooftop, Marinette could take stock of all the different emotions she’d felt. And there was no use denying it. She’d been completely smitten with her partner. When she’d first seen him with her Miraculous and after that as well. This was shocking and unbelievable in itself, but especially so when coming hot on the heels of her strong reaction to Adrien this afternoon. How was it possible that she felt like that for two different guys?
It felt as if her mind screeched to a stop. A lurking suspicion chose this moment to made itself known. Made her look at him again. The hair. The eyes. Oh God, even the body, there was no way around it. Too similar. Causing practically the same reaction in her. Was she finally going crazy or was this a plausible explanation for how she felt?
Marinette stopped dead in her tracks and the sudden motion made her partner turn around in surprise. Her tongue felt like glued to her mouth with nervousness, but she somehow managed to force herself to say, in a fairly normal voice,
“Mr. Bug, wait. How exactly did you end up without your Miraculous?” A simple question. But if he answered honestly, it would help her get closer to the truth.
“Ah, funny you should ask that. I was actually doing this photoshoot with my friends. And I had to put on some jewelry and take off my ring…” he trailed off, probably taking in her shocked expression.
She couldn’t breath. Couldn’t blink or open her mouth. But somehow…
“Adrien?” It sounded more like a gasp coming out of her mouth, not like saying his name. But he heard it.
“How… '' he started but couldn’t finish. But his reaction what all she needed. And she could practically see the cogs turning in his head. He would figure it out very soon.
After all, this was why they’d both ended up by the car, they’d been trying to get to their Miraculouses.
It all made perfect sense now that she put two and two together. She’d been so stubborn, whenever Alya brought her attention to the fact that Chat and Adrien looked very much alike. No kidding. They were the same person.
Oh God, another realisation came crashing down on her. The guy she’d rejected again and again was the same guy she’d rejected him for. Could this get any more ridiculous?
The only consolation was that she wasn’t going crazy after all, being that attracted to two different guys in the same day. Also, surprisingly, she wasn’t freaking out.
She could feel it click in his mind as well, if his dazed expression was anything to go by.
“Marinette?” he sounded hesitant but also sure.
“Um… hi,” she waved lamely at him.
They were both saved by the bell, almost. Their Miraculouses beeped, signalling the imminent end of Lady Noire and Mr. Bug. Well, at least giving him back his ring and getting her earrings wouldn’t be any trouble now.
Before she knew what was happening, Chat… Mr. Bug...ADRIEN was by her side, taking her hand in his and motioning for her to follow him down the roof and into a back alley. Just as their feet hit the ground, their transformations wore off. First his, leaving her staring at Adrien in that breath-taking outfit, for about a minute. Then hers.
“You see what happens when you take your Miraculouses off? You end up with the wrong one and then you find your identities as well. Unbelievable!”
Plagg’s words brought her out of her trance-like state. Adrien seemed to be coming to just now as well. Marinette looked at Tikki, hovering near her head, but Tikki was looking at their hands. Right, they were still holding hands for some reason.
“I think there will be time for this later, Plagg. Maybe we should give them a minute or two now?” Tikki told her kwami partner.
“What? And get separated from them again? No way…” Plagg started protesting.
“No. They still have the Miraculouses on, so we won’t go far. Just to give them some privacy.” Tikki said, dragging him away and sneaking a glance at Marinette, who smiled gratefully.
“So, Bugaboy?” Adrien’s voice startled her and she turned to him. He was smiling. His voice sounded teasing but there was also this tenderness in it that made her go weak at the knees.
“Um.. so, I was maybe trying your flirty personality on for size.” This didn’t sound so bad for something she’d just come up with.
To her delight, he laughed.
“And how was it?”
“Surprisingly nice,” she couldn’t resist saying. And since admitting this much hadn’t killed her, she thought, “In for a penny, in for a pound” and said,
“It was harder to resist flirting with you in that suit.” She was trying to sound seductive, if this was possible. But she found it really hard to keep eye contact while saying this, so maybe she ruined the effect.
As she looked away, she heard a soft, surprised chuckle.
“Was this a compliment, m’lady?”. His tone was so gentle it drew her out of her shyness, her gaze returning to his. Which was full of adoration. Oh, wow. She’d never expected he would look at her like that as Marinette.
“Maybe,” she mumbled, feeling her cheeks go warm.
He squeezed her hand then, drawing her attention to the fact that their fingers were still intertwined. No one made a move to disengage their hand, though.
“I guess there are some things we need to discuss,” he said, the hope evident in his voice disarming her on the spot. “But first. I’m sorry. For acting like a fool, instead of taking this seriously. Once again. And this time it was worse, because it was all down to me.”
The need to hug him, to tell him everything was alright, was so strong all of a sudden. She’d resisted allowing her warm feelings for her partner to seep into her consciousness until now. No more.
Before she could question her actions, she was in front of him. Freeing one hand from his with some regret, she brought it up to cradle his cheek, the other mirroring the move.
“You did great. I’m sorry I was such a jerk. I should have been more supportive. This was stressful for you, you needed me. Remember the first time I became Ladybug? You were there for me. So, don’t be sorry. I am.”
He was going to say something, but she shushed him.
“Also, it’s a good thing you’re not Mr. Bug right now or I’d just go ahead and kiss you.”
His eyes widened at that. Marinette clapped one hand over her mouth. And she’d been doing so well! Now she was back to saying things without thinking and making a fool of herself, she scolded herself mentally.
“I wouldn’t exactly mind if you did that, you know.”
His words, accompanied by a shy smile, put an end to her internal panicking. Her hand returned to his cheek on its own volition. And when had his arms wrapped around her, she hadn’t noticed at all!
It was easy to believe they were Ladybug and Chat Noir at this moment. And Ladybug had already kissed Chat once, so she could totally do it again.
With a surprising burst of courage, she closed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes and by a stroke of luck ended up kissing his lips. It was short and sweet and everything she’d dreamed it would be. Not bad for a second kiss, given that their first had been while he was trying to kill her.
When she pulled back, he was gazing at her lovingly.
“We’re a team. No matter how stupid we act sometimes, together we can beat anything. I truly believe that. Do you remember what you told me, “You and me against the world”?
He nodded.
“Well, we should never forget that. Together against them, not against each other.”
He didn’t say a thing, just pulled her in for a tight hug. They stood like that for some time. Just revelling in the fact that they were finally this close.Then he took her hand again and they walked away to find Tikki and Plagg.
“So, you like the Mr. Bug suit?” his teasing voice could be heard, as they rounded a corner. Her response was lost in his laughter.