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Chapter Text

"Oh, Marinette honey, please go in the ballroom so mommy and daddy can work." Mrs. Dupain-Cheng said as she stuck more macaroons on a display tower. She wiped her hands on her apron before offering her hand for the little girl to take.

"But I wanna stay with you guys," she said in a pout, taking her mother's hand anyways.

Her mother simply twirled her around until she was dizzy and in a fit of giggles. "My sweet darling, you look so pretty tonight, it'd be a waste if you stay here with us though. Don't you agree dear?" Marinette held onto her mother's legs for support until she regained her balance, tugging at the traditional red Chinese dress she was wearing, she thought the golden flower designs on it were pretty too.

"Most certainly so, dearie! We couldn't find a babysitter on such a short notice, but Mr. and Mrs. Agreste has kindly invited you to join his son's birthday party instead. You don't want to wish him happy birthday?" He was kneading the dough for the croissants to be made, sprinkling more flour on it. Their effective strategy of reverse psychology was working on her as she hummed out loud thinking over it, easily winning her over. They simply wanted their only daughter to make more friends her age and have fun.

"Okay, I'll go then!" As every little kid who changed their mind so often, she gave a toothy grin in return displaying her sharp fangs.

Her mother got on one knee to her daughter's level, smoothing out her hair and pigtails, "Remember your manners and be safe, everyone has different things to say about vampires, but don't let them get to you." She kissed her forehead, "Now go give dad a hug before he misses you too much and changes his mind," winking at the bouncing child. Marinette happily complied, rushing into her father's arms to hug him tight.

"Oh no – I have flour on my hands and now I can't hug you back!" He dramatically complained as his hands were in the air. He then looked at his wife as if the greatest idea ever hit him, "I guess she's going to have to stay here flou-rever!"

"But then I can't tell him happy birthday – oh noooooo!" She joins in on his theatric acts by running back to her mother with flailing arms who watched it all unfold with amusing eyes.

Her dad gave out a hearty laugh, "Make lots of friends that are great at making puns! Those are the kind of people you need, someone to make you laugh Mari-honey!" She caught the running girl and led her to the ballroom doors for her to go, stopping her one last time.

"Marinette, what is the one thing you cannot do?" She asked, because it was very important that all half-vampires know. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng herself was a pure blooded vampire, but the person she fell in love with was human. When a mixed vampire is born, the vampiric traits lay dormant inside their DNA thanks to their human traits, allowing them to pass off as humans except for their fangs that inherently get passed down.

"Don't drink human blood, I know mommy." Marinette replied before finally taking off, yelling in the air, "Bye-bye!" Depending on their vampire heritage, drinking human blood may trigger their vampiric traits, giving them a chance of awakening their full DNA.

She waved her hand, wistfully sighing after her daughter was fully gone. "I want more children. She'd never be lonely then."

"You remember how hard it was trying to conceive, Marinette is our daughter. She'll grow up strong just like her mother." He gently reminded her. Although vampires and humans could procreate, the process was much more difficult.

"I really love you."

Marinette stood at the grand staircase before the ballroom, taking in the grandeur of the bright golden room. The crystalized chandelier in the middle of the room was huge and radiated light that reached every corner of the room. "Woooow," she said in amazement because the whole scene was straight of a Disney movie to her. Despite it being a birthday party for a young boy, there were barely any children around and more adults. She saw kids around her age near the gift table and headed towards them, eager to play with them.

She dodged grownups and servers alike until finally reaching the pair of girls, practically jumping into their conversation, "Hi! Do you guys want to be friends?" Being the straightforward and honest girl she was, Marinette simply blurted out the first words that came to her mind.

The two girls jumped back startled by her appearance, the blonde girl being the first to speak, "Hey, watch it! Who are you anyways?"

"I'm Marinette, what do you guys wanna play?" She asked excitedly, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"My name's Sabrina and this is Chloe. What kind of present did you get Adrien?" Sabrina introduced themselves to her because she knew Chloe was getting irritated.

"Huh, who's he? Isn't wishing him happy birthday good enough?"

Chloe, who couldn't believe what she was hearing, exploded into an animated character. "You don't even know who the birthday boy is?! Who invited you anyways? Adrien's going to be my future-husband of course! So no, wishing him happy birthday is NOT good enough!" She complained, insulted at the inadequacy of this girl.

Marinette gave a full grin, languidly shrugging her shoulders. "Well… I wish you good luck with that then. My parents are catering for the party tonight and they said I was invited."

She scrutinized the foreign girl before her, having never seen anyone dress in such a way and didn't like the ribbon pigtails, preferring designer dresses and high ponytails instead. Now, Chloe was at an age where she expected everything to go her way and because of her rich lifestyle, was very entitled and opinionated. So when she smiled and Chloe saw her fangs, her mouth relentlessly opened for words to escape without disregard for anyone's feelings. "You're only here because you and your family are servants. You also have fangs just like them… you're a monster."

Marinette replied back shocked and angry, "We're not servants and I'm not a monster! You can't treat people like that."

"What are you talking about? People aren't monsters. But you are, one day you'll crave blood and just eat someone." She shot back facing her. Despite the music playing in the background, their conversation was enough for bystanders to hear them.

"I've never had blood before and I'll never eat someone… I'm not a monster." She defended herself, but her words were wavering at the end and they came out weaker than she wanted it to. Chloe stepped back as Marinette came closer and seeing the action made her flinch, retracting a few steps back to give the blonde her room.

"Monster! Don't come near me." Chloe didn't understand the effect of words that could have on people, but she liked the feeling of triumph over her, so she said whatever to keep that feeling longer. Although vampires and humans got along generally well, vampires were the minority race and few people still actually believe in the myths about them.

"I-I'm… I'm n-not…" Marinette remembered what her mother told her – she shouldn't mind others opinion about vampires, but her words were already trembling and she couldn't blink back the tears. They were the same age, roughly the same height, and both had blue eyes. How were they any different from each other? She didn't understand.

Chloe turned her back towards the girl getting ready to leave, "Let's go Sabrina. Proper ladies don't play silly games, especially with monsters." Sabrina stayed back a few more moments, looking back between them with uncertainty in her eyes. She really felt for the girl having a few vampires in her own family, but when Chloe called her name again she quickly followed suit. Better to be on the winning side than the losers, she thinks.

"…but I'm not a monster." She whispered when it was just herself there, wondering if anyone would even believe her. Just like that the ballroom didn't seem as magical anymore and the people around her felt so suffocating. The bright chandelier would allow anyone to easily see her fangs and she didn't want to meet them fearing they might be like Chloe.

She sniffled once before running back up the grand staircase and through her blurry vision bumped into another person. He caught her by the hand to help maintain her balance and when she finally looks up to meet his eyes the first few tears finally slips, his concerned face the first thing she sees. Marinette opens her mouth, but quickly closes it instead using her hand to cover as she speaks, "I-I'm sorry. Thank you for your help." She stuttered out softly and quickly, looking away as she moved past them and out of the doors.

Adrien's eyes followed her figure until she was out of his sight, finally speaking, "She was crying… do you think she's alright mom? How can I make her feel better?" Her eyes were clear like the skies he loved so much yet her voice sounded like the soft rumblings of a rainy day.

"That depends sweetie, do you think you can make her smile again?" She asks, because she knows how compassionate and caring her little boy was and she didn't want him to be disappointed when he can't help her. He'll learn in life that not everything can be fixed and as his mother she wasn't ready for him to face that quite yet.

"She was covering half her face… so I want to see her smile," he said wishfully, imagining the brief corners of her lip lifting. "And if she's my guest, that's all the more reason I should take care of her."

"Is that the only reason?"

Adrien thought back to when he saw her tears fall, cascading down her lovely face, speaking sincerely from his heart this time, "It's just… she looks like me I guess. She made the same face as I did when I couldn't make any friends either." He tried his best explaining how he felt to his mother without making her worried, but she only smiled knowing him all too well.

She ruffled his hair, encouraging him with her voice, "If you run now, you might be able to catch up with her." She bent down to receive his kiss before he took off in search of her, effectively ditching his own birthday party. Her little son was already so kind that she believed they would be good friends.

Marinette didn't know where she was going, but she heard footsteps fall behind her even after running to an empty hallway. Finding the farthest room to hide in she locked the door with her back against it, sliding down slowly until her bottom hit the floor. The room was dark save for the moonlight streaming in by the window and she drew her knees close to her chest trying to calm her anxious heart. For just a few moments, she'll stay here until she can collect herself again and return to her parents.

Adrien arrived at the empty hallway before losing sight of her and wondered if he was already too late. There was nowhere to go at the end of the corridor so maybe, if he was lucky she was actually in one of the rooms.

"Excuse me? We bumped into each other earlier… I was wondering if you were okay." He spoke clearly to the empty surroundings, not even knowing if she was there. There were many rooms with open doors as he walked down the hallway and he stopped at the only one with a closed door.

Adrien wished he knew her name so it would make talking easier because all the polite names he knew sounded too… formal. He wanted to get her attention, but not by calling her miss or girl or kid. He wanted to call her something that would make her trust him. Taking inspiration from all the books he read and art museums he's been to, Adrien gently knocked on the door trying to reach the lonely soul on the other side. "My Lady, are you in there? I know we've just met… but I thought we could be friends." He held his breath in anticipation waiting for her response. Those were words that the knights from his books would say to the fair maidens they respected, he hoped that was okay to call her that.

Marinette briefly remembered the boy from before, whose eyes were green like the pistachio macaroons from her family's bakery, and she wonders if just like the sweets, he would also be familiar and comforting. She could feel the vibrations from his knocks and even heard him say 'My Lady', something she's never been called before.

"I…I don't think we can be friends." They were so incredibly close that she could see his shadow peek out from beneath her side of the door through the slither of light. Marinette felt like she didn't deserve to stand in the light, staying in the dark where monsters like her belong. He wouldn't want her as a friend.

"Why not?" Even though he could hear her fine, Adrien still pressed his ear and body to the door where he thought she was most likely sitting, mirroring her position as he also sat down to face her.

Her lips quivered as she spoke in a small voice, "…because I'm a monster." No matter how hard she tried telling Chloe otherwise, she could never forget the look in her eyes or how ashamed she felt of her own race.

"Can we still be friends?"

Now it was her who started questioning him, "Why would you want that?" The confusion could be heard in her voice and for a moment she didn't think about the self-doubt inside her, but the boy on the other side of the door.

"I want us to be friends, and if you want that too, isn't that good enough?" She heard him shuffle as he stood on his feet, knocking on the door to the syllables of his next question, "Do you want to be my friend?"

Marinette also stood up facing the door, fingers hesitantly touching the handle. She did want to be his friend, more than anything she ever hoped for tonight. Slowly twisting the lock until they both heard the audible click, she pulled the handle back letting the light shine through the dark room.

They blushed upon meeting each other's gaze, both suddenly feeling shy. He could see that she was still nervous around him, so like the heroes in the books he read so much about, Adrien placed an arm behind his back and bowed to her. "My Lady, it's a pleasure to meet you." They would also take the fair maidens hand and kiss it, but he wasn't so bold enough to do that. Like her, he was also lacking in friends—though he was more shy in nature, using the books he loved as a reference to act around people.

Following his act, she slightly lifted up her dress and naturally curtsied, "The pleasure is all mine, kind sir." It felt like a pretend game they were playing, one where they could be anything they wanted beyond the monsters and trophies people made them out to be.

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, "My name is –"

"Charming. Don't care – Charming suits you," She quickly cut him off. To anyone else it might sound rude to disregard a person's name, yet when Adrien saw the light in her eyes return and her rosy lips form an actual smile, his cheeks heated even more at the nickname.

"No monster can smile that pretty." He blurted out loud, catching them both off guard.

He really was different from Chloe she realized, smiling wider than before as she let out a giggle, "Where can we find real monsters to slay then, Charming?"

Adrien offered his hand for her to take, "Follow me, my Lady, I know exactly where to go." And this time without hesitation, she slipped her hand into his as he led her into an adventure.

Their quest starts in the high gardens where they fought various creatures – hacking dragons, slashing ogres, stabbing chimeras, all the mystical beasts they could think of – while of course in reality they were actually destroying immobile garden sculptures with branches, but that was what their imagination was for. They were the heroes of this story, saving villages one at a time and fist bumping each other after every victory. And despite not knowing each other's name, the mystery made them all the more natural around each other, because tonight they were simply 'Charming' and 'My Lady'.

They were under an apple tree where Adrien jumped down with the red fruit in his hand. "My Lady, you certainly are the fairest of them all. Please, take this ripe apple as my token of love." Maybe he was acting too much into his role, but he simply loved the heroes they've become, always striving his best to be honorable and loyal. He was down on one knee as he offered the apple to her like a ring, his 'sword' by her feet.

Marinette graciously took the apple, holding it close to her chest, "You must be careful, Charming. What if the Evil Queen poisoned it?" She was cautious, always the one to be the devil's advocate. It simply added more challenges to their pretend game.

He stood back up taking the apple from her, "You're right! Never fear though, I won't let anyone have you." Adrien looked straight into her shimmering eyes as he promised her and for a heartbeat, they weren't playing pretend. "I will taste it for you," with those final words he took a bite into the apple. If Marinette was the cautious one, then Adrien was definitely the dramatic one. He started to stumble back until he fell on his back, eyes fluttering closed as the delicious red apple roll out of his hand.

"CHARMING! No – Nooo!" She rushed to his side, faking tears as she laid her head on his chest. "Please wakeup… how can you be under a sleeping curse?" She sat back up, determination set in her eyes as she watched him slumber, "I will save you. There's only one thing that can. The most powerful magic of them all – True Love." Adrien, who was not really asleep, tried hard not to jerk up as he heard her words. What did she mean by that? His heart was really racing now, full of jitter and excitement that would burst at any rate.

Marinette cupped his face, speaking softly, sincerely to him, "I'll break you under any curse you're in. Because we're friends." With that said she lowered her head where her lips met his in a sweet, endearing peck of a kiss. It may not have even lasted more than a few seconds, but the magic engraved itself into their hearts writing the memories of their adventure worth a lifetime.

Adrien opened his eyes to the view of clear skies he loved so much, delicately framed by her dark lashes, still hovering over him that he could feel her warmth radiating. Bright red he was, fumbling over the right words to say, "T-True Love's kiss. You saved me…My Lady – no – Princess. It suits you." The tip of his ears were turning scarlet and she was still so intimately close, so close that her fangs gleamed in the moonlight and her hair tickled his cheeks.

Marinette moved to allow him to sit back up and he breathed a sigh of relief, he was starting to become overwhelmed whenever she was around – in a good sense that children didn't exactly know what they were feeling just yet. "Charming, you're awake! Good does prevail."

"All thanks to you of course Princess." He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, eyeing the leaves in her dark hair. His hand was twitching to reach out and pick them, except it was her hand that was already reaching towards his own, boldly running her fingers through his golden locks to get them.

"Don't be silly. You and I – we're a team. As long as we're together the Evil Queen will never win." They may not have known each other long, but Marinette can tell he was the type of person to downplay his accomplishments though she doesn't understand why, he deserved every adoration there was to give. And she would dote on him.

"Yeah… you really are the fairest of them all." Until his mother, Adrien didn't think there could be anyone else that could hold a flame to her, yet here she was before his very eyes with the same dreamy smile. He got up and brushed the dirt off himself, "And a princess such as yourself, certainly deserves a bouquet full of flowers." She tilted her head with curious eyes as she watched him run towards the rose bushes, grabbing a handful by the stem to yank out from its root, however only to return with one rose in hand.

He held it out to her while hiding his other hand behind his back, "… I didn't know there were so many thorns on roses. This one had the least amount of thorns. Sorry it's only one. You should still be careful though." He frowned when she didn't respond, her face appearing blank all of a sudden.

Marinette doesn't know why, but the sweetest aroma she's ever smelled before just drifted in the air. The scent was so intoxicatingly sweet that she couldn't even think of comparing it to any of the baked goods back at home, and they practically made all sorts of desserts. Her eyes traveled to Adrien who held the rose out to her, lingering on his face as she reached out for the injured hand behind his back, cradling it delicately between her own. "Charming… you're bleeding."

His hand was full of cuts and tiny puncture wounds, the color of roses and apples seeping out from them. "I didn't mean to pull that hard. I just really wanted at least one rose." He explained to her but she was no longer looking at him, but at his injured hand.

She was tempted. Tempted to try blood that has always been a taboo for her simply because her mother said so. Marinette thought she was immune to blood. She's had her fair share of blood experiences before: when her dad accidently cuts himself while cooking; when she goes shopping with her mom for specialty blood drinks for vampire consumption; when it was her turn to get blood drawn for checkups. So why is it any different now? She was so sure—

Monster… Chloe's words echoed back to her.

"Are you okay? Do you need blood?" Adrien asked, concerned for her. He didn't know that she was half-vampire or the effect he was having on her. Staring intently at his injured hand, he thought her to be a full vampire, acting weird all of sudden at the sight blood. Was she not feeling well because she was running low on energy? He didn't really know all that much about vampires and he felt foolish for not having the knowledge that could make her feel better.

His voice pulled her out of her trance, jerking back as she scooted away from him, "N-No," when he approached again her she held her hand up for him to stop, "Don't come any closer!"

Monster… The voice continues to ring in her head.

Confusion and hurt flashed through his forest green eyes as he respected her wishes. "I don't understand. Please tell me what's wrong."

"I'm afraid the Evil Queen is enacting her final curse upon us…" Marinette said, wishing with all her heart that for just a while longer, they could keep playing their pretend game. She's panicking on the inside because these weren't her thoughts, she doesn't want his blood.

And though Adrien was concerned, he still stayed in character for her, "And what is that, my Princess?"

"The curse of reality – where monsters like me don't deserve you." She stood on wobbly legs, getting ready to run far from him. The smell was enticing her really, such that her fangs felt sharper than before whenever she ran her tongue over them, but she didn't want to hurt him.

She would never hurt him.

"That's not true! Whatever it is – we'll face it together! Because we're a team," Adrien argued back, desperately wanting to close the distance between them to shake her by the shoulders so she'd believe him – or maybe hug her tightly because it looks like she'll disappear if he doesn't do something.

One day you'll crave blood…

"Because we're friends," She replied, sincerely and wholeheartedly, giving him one last smile. "Thank you." With that final parting she took off running that was incredibly too fast for him to keep up, eventually losing sight of her.

and just eat someone.

Marinette didn't listen to her mother before when she told her not to mind people's opinion, but this time she will.

She will not drink human blood.

Marinette ran back to her parent's arms with tears in her eyes as she hysterically retold her night, not making sense to them as she was panting heavily out of breath while trying to talk. If there were a few things they did understand – it was that she wanted blood for the very first time and this shocked them greatly. The birthday party was already over and only cleaning was left to be done for them. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng left first with Marinette (tired from crying and running) asleep in her arms while her husband stayed back to finish cleaning. She knew exactly what happened to her sweet daughter and didn't expect for it to be so soon, not for years to come at least. Finding the blood of someone intoxicating was akin to falling in love for vampires. Just like how falling in love with is for humans – the gradual familiarity of their lover's voice, their warm sparks of touch, the small habits they notice – vampires falling in love will also find their blood especially different from the rest, regardless if they were vampire or human. Her daughter was too young to even realize what being in love means, yet she found someone close enough to truly love that wasn't romantic in a sense. Who was this special boy, she wonders.

Adrien also ran back to his parents after searching everywhere for her, his hair wild and clothes dirty. And though they tease him for missing his own birthday party and returning back a lost boy, they ask if he had fun. Of course he gushes about how amazing the girl was for making their adventures so fun, but he hurriedly drags them to the entrance to try and find her. Every person he bid goodbye to was another stab of disappointment he felt for not being able to see her again. They didn't know each other's name either. Adrien's mother was his superhero though, offering to help him find her with a reassuring smile that made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

A few short weeks after his birthday – his mother disappears.

Chapter Text

Years later…

"I'm Chat Noir. What should I call you, my Lady?" He didn't call her that just because it was the prefix to her given kwami– No, they were going to be crime-fighting partners in order to protect Paris and for the second time in his life, he used that endearment again so she could trust him.

And maybe, it was also because her eyes were so randomly true and blue.

.

.

Their bodies were tied together by her yo-yo hanging them upside down, swinging them back and forth in the air as they smiled sheepishly at one another. He could feel her warm breath on his lips as his eyes flickered down to her mouth. "I didn't know you had fangs," he murmured surprised.

She looked at him funny, "Didn't your kwami tell you I was a vampire?"

He shook his head. "I was supposed to know?"

"You have to start paying more close attention to these hero tutorials." Her bell-like laughter reached his ears as he studied her face and he tells himself that it was the blood rushing to his head coloring his cheeks, really...

Yeah, he was definitely paying close attention now.

.

.

Marinette wringed her hands together nervously as she stared at them in her lap. "I'm anxious, Tikki. I literally trust my life to Chat Noir and that scares me. I could fall off a building and I know he'll be there to catch me."

"What are you so afraid of, Marinette?" She asked in her motherly concern, landing softly in her open hands.

"I… What if I hurt him? One day, he'll get hurt because of me. I know him – he'll throw his body in front of danger if it means protecting me at any cost. And when that happens, there might be blood. His blood." Her rosy lips curved downwards forming a small frown, "But I'm a vampire. I can tell that his scent is also changing around me whenever he's injured lately. It was just so faintly at first when we met, and now…"

Tikki flew in front of her face to lift her chin up with both hands. "You're also still human. The relationship between Ladybug and Chat Noir is very precious and intricate, you see. Every pair has its ups and downs, but they always come out stronger than before." With her timeless experience of being the guardian of every Ladybug, she knew a thing or two when it came to comforting them.

Marinette cracked a smile, "More magical forces that are beyond me, you mean. I get it. I just can't stop thinking about what will happen… I don't want to repeat my childhood fear again. I would never forgive myself if I hurt him."

"Your greatest weapon is not your yo-yo, Marinette, but hope. You must have faith in yourself."

.

.

"That's not fair kitty, you can't keep doing this to me!" Ladybug raised her voice, almost shouting at him. They were worn out, tired from just defeating an akuma, but this needed to be done. She couldn't stand it anymore. "I can't let you keep jumping in front of me whenever I'm going to get hit—I can handle myself – I don't want you hurt anymore because of me. Don't just throw your life away so carelessly!"

Their miraculous beeped just a few heartbeats apart from each other.

"Carelessly? I would gladly give up my life if it means protecting the one I love. There is nothing careless about that! I've thought it through every single time and no matter what, I reach the same conclusion: I would rather die today than live tomorrow without you." He huffed out tirelessly, however the fire in his eyes still burned passionately with love for her. Chat Noir has always openly confessed his feelings for her. Because what if, one day, he never sees her again? Will it be because he didn't make it back from an akuma attack (he's sure as hell wouldn't let it be her) or because when they finally complete their mission, they'll return to their civilian lives and never keep in touch again? Life is short and twice already has some fate taken from him. Not her though.

They stood farther apart from each other than she liked. The city of Paris illuminated beneath their feet while the stars shined above their heads, quietly witnessing their built-up feelings unfold. As if reading her mind, he closed the distance between them.

Don't come any closer…

"So you think it's okay for me to go through living tomorrow without you too? Don't you think that it doesn't go through my every thought that – yes, I can't live without you either?" Ladybug challenged back, jabbing her finger to his chest to prove his very existence in front of her.

Chat Noir grabbed her hand and instead guided it to where his heart was thumping wildly just beneath her heated touch. "My Lady, you also have to understand the roles we were given. I am the shield that protects Paris – your shield, while you – you are the sword that pierces through the darkness. You have to be the last one standing or we'll lose hope. I won't let anyone harm you."

Again, their miraculous beeped.

"At the cost of your own life? I would never ask you to do that. I don't think you understand; I wouldn't know what do (what can I even do?); I wouldn't be able to comprehend or process my thoughts; nothing would make sense to me without you. What I'm trying to say is—I just can't… I can't lose you." She rambled on, fumbling with her fears until finally, she tells him the truth. Fingers slightly curled over his heart she looked up with wide eyes, so beautifully blue and confused. Why hasn't she noticed before that she came up to his chin?

I have no self-control—

"Are you finally admitting your undying love for me?" He leaned his forehead against hers and although his voice was soft and teasing, she could see the soul in his eyes quietly reaching out for her. And ever so gently, so delicately did he place his hands on her waist.

The final beep came from hers first.

"…I have to go, Chat Noir." Ladybug whispered, regretfully stepping out of his warm embrace and closer to the direction of her house. He reached out for her hand, "I won't tell a soul." Stay, he's asking.

"I know." Slipping out of his hold until just their fingertips briefly linger she throws back a tender smile, "Good night, my kitty." When she turns back to face him there is only the notable distance she created between them. Back where they started, but for the better she thinks.

Chat Noir closes his eyes and with every grace of a cat bows to her. "I will wait for you, until the heavens fall and I am no longer breathing – I will wait for you. Good Night and sweet dreams, my Lady." He was stubborn, so stubborn with his promising words and loving looks that she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

No – I don't wanna love you…

.

.

"Silly kitty, call me Ladybug." She rationalizes that it was just a coincidence he nicknames her 'my Lady' given her kwami, however endearing and familiar it may be, because her auto-response was to call him 'Charming.' Ten minutes into his company though, she should have known to call him jester instead with his horrible puns not getting any better.

Not a second later after her last thought, she also rationalizes that his horrible puns make her laugh.

Present…

"I'm going to be late – again! It's only the third day of school too," she whined while looking around for socks. Marinette hurriedly hopped into them one foot at a time, grabbing her backpack as she yelled out "Tikki, where are you? It's time to go or Alya will kill me!" The red kwami flew out from under her bed covers yawning loudly, blinking her large eyes at Marinette.

"I'm still tired from last night's akuma attack. Can I bring cookies?" She said, floating down into the open purse.

Marinette chuckled in response, "We can bring all the cookies. Right now I have to run as fast as I can." She closed her purse with a click, throwing her shoes on as she ran downstairs to kiss her parents goodbye after grabbing a handful of baked goods on the way out. Alya texted her saying she was waiting outside of school so Marinette picked up her pace, enjoying the sunny morning as the late August breeze kept her cool.

She saw her best friend in the distant at the entrance, waving her hand excitedly. "Hey Alya, I'm here! I made it on time!" Alya was just looking at her watch and getting ready to leave before she showed up, tapping her foot impatiently. Like Marinette, Alya also had vampire lineage, except she was pureblooded from both of her parents.

"Good morning to you too. Luckily for us, we almost have 10 minutes to spare before class starts." She calculated the time left, greeting the dark haired girl with a smile. They walked to class as they talked about their weekends, Alya gushing about how Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day again, and Marinette agreeing with her. If she could tell her best friend everything there was to herself… it'd make things a lot easier. There's that dark whisper in the back of her mind though, telling her how she can't even show her real self to the person she couldn't live without.

"Did you hear Marinette? Apparently there's a new student."

She didn't get to answer back as they reached the classroom, spotting a blonde near her seat. What was that person doing?

"I do now." She replied, marching up to the student. His back was to her and he appeared to be crouched at her seat. She couldn't see past his broad shoulders at what he was doing, but with any indication of the snickering coming from Chloe and Sabrina, she could take a good guess.

Hand on one hip, she spoke in an accusatory tone, "What are you doing?" Her voice startled him as he suddenly stood up, taller than she thought and perhaps, somewhat cute in the way he reacted when she saw the tips of his ears turn faintly red.

When their eyes met, she had an odd thought of relating his green eyes to pistachio macaroons topped with chocolate chips. And maybe she was having the same effect on him too, because he couldn't stop staring either, wondering why the girl in front of him held skies in her eyes bluer than any sunny day he remembers.

"I…" why do you look so familiar? Her heart almost stopped beating.

She wanted to ask him, but her mouth couldn't form the words to properly reach him. Aside from the curiosity in her eyes there was a slight panic. Was this really him? Since that birthday party when she was a little girl, Marinette never once craved for blood or acted that way around anyone ever again. In fact, she could only think of one person that could possibly have this effect on her at this moment, but there was no way that this was him.

There was a haughty laughter getting louder as Chloe and her sidekick approached the scene, going up the steps until she was just above them, literally looking down on them. Alya glared at her, "What do you want Chloe? Or should I ask – what did you do?" That was enough to snap Marinette out of her daze, finally able to look past him and towards her seat where there appeared to be gum stuck to her seat.

"Oh relax, why don't you? Just a harmless little prank. You're going to scare my childhood friend away." Chloe said, touching his shoulder as she leaned in forward with a smirk. He stiffened at her touch, but didn't move away as he stood uncomfortably.

Marinette scoffed, more to herself than them really, as she looked the other way. "I should have known." Anyone related to Chloe never did her any good, she would know from experience.

Alya would have hissed back at her if she could. She bared her teeth, "Bite me. Don't be so immature as to pull pranks."

"You're the one with actual fangs though– Ms. Vampire. I'd watch it if I were you." She countered back, practically sang the distinct fact between them.

"Is that a threat?" Marinette turned her attention towards her. She was getting annoyed, more than annoyed – she was irritated – no, she was steadily getting livid. Maybe when she was a little girl, she'd be crying right now, but growing up she learned that not everyone was bad, it was just Chloe. She would never stand to let her mistreat them when Chloe knew absolutely nothing about them at all.

"That's enough!" Ms. Bustier said. Their conversation was cut to an end as the teacher ushered them into their seats yet the tension still remained in the air.

Marinette was waiting for Alya to go in first before she sat down, but a hand gently touched her shoulder stopping her. She looked back at him again, feeling the familiarity of his touch despite her anger.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering… have we met before? At a birthday party by any chance." Adrien asked, because instead of trying to explain the misunderstanding between them, he really wanted to know the connection they shared. Of course he has a strong feeling that maybe, just maybe she was the princess he met as a child but it's been years and a lot has happened.

"I think," her brows furrowed, "you've mistaken me for someone else. You're friends with herafter all." Marinette shifted her eyes to Chloe before back to his, speaking her honest opinion softly as to not offend him. She sidestepped him and scooted more towards Alya to avoid the gum when she sat down, throwing a napkin over it in disdain.

"Are you sure?" He asked once more, looking directly into her eyes. The adventures he had with a brave princess years ago was a distant memory and just a bit scattered, but he could never forget the lovely eyes she held. And right now, there was a different kind of familiarity to it that seemed closer to the present than the past.

"Adrien Agreste, please go back to your seat already."

With subtle reluctance he slid into his new seat, staring down at his desk as a small frown formed onto his face. Seems like his first day of school wasn't going off on a great start despite all the books he's read on how easy it was to make friends. No one seemed to like Chloe either for some reason, and assumed he was very much like her. But in the books, friends appeared when heroes needed them the most…

A tan hand came into his vision as he connected it to the DJ (he assumed by his headphones) sitting next to him and his green eyes stared up mildly surprised. Adrien grabbed his hand to shake, displaying the first genuine smile all morning.

"You look like you could use a friend. I'm Nino."

"Is it that obvious? Call me Adrien."

When she came home for lunch to eat with her parents, Marinette asked them a curious question she had over quiche. "Have I ever been to a birthday party with a person named Adrien Agreste?" She remembers all the birthday parties she's been to recently and none did she ever encounter someone quite like him. Every party Marinette had gone she received permission from her parents to go.

Her dad hummed out loud as the words sunk in, stroking his mustache in the process. "The name does ring a bell. Why does the name sound so familiar dearie?" He asked his lovely wife who was just taking a sip out of her red drink.

She elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin afterwards, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, I remember! Years ago when we catered for Mr. and Mrs. Agreste's birthday party for their son. His name was Adrien Agreste. You were really cute that night Marinette!" Sabine gushed, reminiscing about Marinette as a little girl in a red dress again. "It's unfortunate we don't cater for them anymore," she added as an afterthought.

Marinette didn't know whether to grimace or smile, "That night all those years ago? I couldn't stop crying after it ended." She could still remember the fragrance of roses mixed in with his sweet scent, warm and intoxicating.

Tom made a gasp recalling those night's events. "Mari-honey, my sweet little girl I thought you were growing up too quiche that night! You found your first love and I missed it! What kind of father am I?!" He exaggerated, getting ready to cry fake tears as he stuffed his face with food. Although there was truth to what he said, Tom knew Marinette would sometimes get upset. Even just the mere thought of hurting someone close—her vey first friend in this case, she would never forgive herself.

Marinette let out a giggle, "I don't think that's even a proper pun." She says, but joins in on his dramatics anyways, "Oh no – what if I never find my true love again! How will I ever introduce you to him now?!" She covered her face in mock despair, smiling behind her hands.

He spluttered out loud, "TRUE LOVE! When did it become true love?! Are you telling me it's flou-rever then?!" She meant to say 'first love', but the words slipped out without her even thinking about it.

"Daaaaaaaaad!" Her mom only laughs louder.

Back at school waiting for Chemistry Class to begin, Marinette leaned into her hand as she stared at Adrien directly in front of her. He laughed at something Nino said, excitedly chatting over comic books. He looked friendly the way he was – smiling and genuinely happy, but looks can be deceiving she thinks. Chloe must have told him what had happened that night, about a monster crashing his party, they were childhood friends after all. Besides, what birthday boy would ditch his own party for some random stranger the entire night?

Alya nudged her, "Earth to Marinette! I need you to go get the tubes and beakers so we can setup."

She jumped up, "Huh? Right, right! Sorry, I'll go get it." In front of the class was a cart full of glassware she reached to get, nesting them safely in her arms on her way back.

Chloe eyed Adrien from her seat, taking her perfume out from her purse as she uncapped it. "Adrikins! You simply must smell my new perfume, I made sure it was 100% rose extract when I bought it. I remember you telling me it was your favorite scent." She sprayed the perfume excessively until the whole class could smell it, blowing air kisses so the scent could carry over to him.

Unfortunately for Marinette who was walking by, she got sprayed in the face and therefore blocked her kisses from reaching Adrien. She coughed inexplicitly, her sense of smell being overloaded by the perfume as she also covered her eyes from being sprayed on. The glassware in her arms fell to the ground creating a shattering noise throughout the room.

Chloe glared at her. "Why are you always such a klutz! Stop blocking my view from Adrien. Move monster."

"Like I would take orders from the Evil Queen," she responded hotly. They were always enemies since they met; Chloe only reserved that nickname for her and likewise, Marinette would respond in the same manner befitting for the villain.

Marinette mentally kicked herself for dropping them, more worried about the damage she could cause if anyone got hurt than Chloe's demands. She rolled her eyes, bending down to reach for the larger shards when a pair of shoes came into her view.

"Will all due respect your royal highness, it wasn't the lady's fault." Adrien politely defended, shielding Marinette from Chloe's wrath. She shot him a look of disbelief.

"I don't need your help."

"It's dangerous to try and pick them up. You could hurt yourself." Though he said that, he was also bent down helping her pick up the pieces, watching her movements from the corner of his eyes. "I also wanted to apologize for before. I was really trying to get the gum off your seat." His voice was low such that she could only hear him despite all the curious attention on them.

Adrien went for the piece that Marinette just grabbed, jerking back in surprise when their touches grazed, the glass still in her hand. She saw him wince when they stood back up, her eyes glazed over with concern. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Like pricking his finger on a spindle there was a small orb of red oozing from the wound. "Don't worry about such a small cut. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" She shook her head and he did that genuine smile thing again, "That makes the pain all the more worth it then."

"That doesn't mean it's okay," she frowns because for a moment he sounded very Chat Noir-like, "we need to take you to the nurse. We need to disinfect it and then –"

This time when Marinette drops the glass again they break into a million shards.

"Marinette?" She stared at him with wide eyes, breath baited and really, really looked at him for the first time. Although her thoughts were blurring together into memories she doesn't think make sense, one fact still remained unchanged.

So undeniably sweet and rosy, and familiar…

"Charming." Of course there could only be one person that would ditch his birthday party for a stranger and even befriend the Evil Queen herself: Charming. He wouldn't hesitate to save the monster Chloe made her out to be that night, wouldn't hesitate to still be friends with her even if she was a monster, and wouldn't hesitate to shield her from the Evil Queen, because he was Charming.

Her first love – her true love. Her heart says that, but that doesn't make sense either. It's been years and when she's around Chat Noir she swears he's—

"Princess?"

Chapter Text

"She wasn't them either mother. What if I can't find her?" Adrien's eyes were downcast, disappointment laced in his voice after bidding a few of the last guests farewell. It's only been a little over an hour since she ran away and yet it was like there were never any traces of her at all, was it all just in his head? Was he so lonely that he used his imagination to fabricate her?

His father had always said he had an overly active mind.

Mrs. Agreste gathered him in her arms, covering him in warmth only a mother could provide. "My sweet little kitten, I promise you that your world is not over. If you two are meant to meet again, then it will happen." She combs her fingers through his wild hair, flattening and making it neat again before hugging him tightly. "You just have to wait for the right person to come along." Even though he was so young, she was already giving him advice on love. Her boy was growing up so quickly tonight…

"But she's my true love." He argued. Adrien didn't understand why he has to wait to meet again: he wanted to see her now. To him – she was already the right person. The scarlet rose he struggled to pluck for her was still in his hand though it lost almost half of its petals from chasing after her.

If he really had to wait a long time for his princess… then he will.

"First loves are always the hardest to forget, aren't they? The only way to get over your old love is to quickly get a new one." Came a deep voice, offering the small amount of comfort he could by touching the young Charming's shoulder.

"Gabriel! She's his first friend, he's still upset over losing her." She scolded her husband, giving him the look that said 'try again'. He immediately cleared his throat, coughing apologetically into his hand.

"Adrien – son – what I meant to say is, that while you want wait to for her, you shouldn't let her stop your world from moving forward. If you meet someone else that's also special or fall in love with again… don't hesitate from what's in front of you." Gabriel carefully explained, hoping he would understand because despite his age Adrien was exceptionally intelligent. He let out relieved sigh when his wife gave him the approval, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose out of nervous habit.

He then saw who the incoming guests were, standing taller. "Speaking of which, this is the Bourgeois family. Mr. Bourgeois is running for mayor and also has a daughter your age. Why don't you go try talking to her?" Adrien's father suggested and his mother encouragingly pushed him towards the young, blonde girl as they talked with her parents.

The girl in front of him had her hands clasped, blushing and smilingly cheerfully. "Hi Adrien, my name is Chloe! I hope you like my birthday gift, it's the biggest one with the gold wrapping." She said, betting that hers would also be the best.

Adrien looked to his father and then back down at the rose in his hand, gripping it tightly before finally meeting her eyes that weren't the color of the clear skies, but the deep sea. "Hi Chloe… do you want to be friends?" He finally said, offering the rose to her.

Overexcited she lets out a high-pitch squeal, taking the rose and sniffing it. "I thought you'd never ask! I'll treasure it forever; I love it Adrikins!"

"…Adrikins?"

.

.

"So, Bugaboo," He wriggled his eyebrows, eliciting her musical laughter. His ears perked in delight at her sweet voice floating in the ar.

"So, Kitty-cat," She mimics his name-calling, swinging her yo-yo around casually. They were on the rooftop of a quaint restaurant with the remnants of music reaching them, providing a nice resting spot for them.

He leaned forward on his metal staff closer to her, sweeping his gaze across her freckles that peaked from just underneath her red mask. "Tell me about yourself," Chat Noir boldly said.

Ladybug suddenly stops mid-swing, the magical weapon making a sharp fall on his head. She looks at him quizzically, "You think that's a good idea? Our identities are supposed to be a secret even to each other." As if her partner never felt the impact of her yo-yo, he only continues to stare at her with dreamy eyes, the charming smile still on his lips. She rubs his head apologetically, feeling him lean into her hand.

Softly grinning, he certainly does have cat tendencies.

"Then, don't tell me your identity." His baton disappears to his belt and he's doing his infamous bow to her, offering his hand with the sincerest smile. "Tell me you'll dance with me." She curiously tilts her head but curtsies anyways with an imaginary dress in mind, slipping her hand in his and follows his captivating movements.

He puts one hand on her waist, speaking earnestly, "Don't tell me your address." They began moving to the tempo of violins and pianos. "Tell me all the places you want to go to instead."

He spins her, "Don't tell me your number." When she's back in his arms lovely as ever he speaks again, "Tell me your favorite year, month, day…"

She was like a red hurricane that suddenly appeared one day with her miraculous, consuming his thoughts and heart that he was a dreamer chasing after her.

Moving his hand to the curve of her back, he dips her. "Tell me anything about you so I know you're not a dream made up by some lonely kid." He whispers the last part with a touch of bitterness, bringing her back up so their eyes meet. She's leaning into him without knowing it, linking her arms around his neck when their dance ends with his breath ghosting over her soft lips.

And if she was a hurricane, he was like a star, with his blonde halo and bright eyes surrounded by night that was his miraculous. In the arms of her partner who had the most destructive power, she felt the safest.

She takes a breath of his air.

"I've always wanted to go to Shanghai…"

.

.

Adrien removed the lid to his trashcan to reveal a small cat-like creature, devouring camembert at the speed of light. "Hey Plagg, did you know Ladybug was a vampire?"

His kwami took a huge gulp of air after swallowing the last bit mercilessly, laying on his back as he patted his small, pudgy tummy. "Of course I knew. You weren't a vampire last time I checked, so that means it must be her this time." Plagg lazily flew up to Adrien's shoulder landing on his stomach, swishing his tail back and forth over his holder's cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? What if she ran out of energy from lack of blood or has nowhere to get blood?! Wait, why would I be a vampire?" Adrien questioned, looking sideways at his kwami. He swatted the tail that then tried tickling his nose, prodding him to answer with a poke.

The kwami of destruction only flips to his back and gives a yawn baring his own tiny fangs. "Oh, right. I forgot. You transformed before I even got to tell you how to use your powers. I thought you wanted to figure the rest out too." He drawls out languidly, closing his emerald eyes sleepily like all cats do.

Adrien snatched Plagg from his shoulder, shaking him wide awake in his hand. "No, no! Tell me everything you know about her. Please." There was only a tad of desperation in his plea, though that was an understatement.

Just what kind of girl was Ladybug that made her so… irresistible?

"Okay, okay, I get it! In every generation of Ladybug and Chat Noir, there is always one human and one vampire. This is to ensure coexistence between the two kinds. It wasn't until the last generation of miraculous that things finally started changing between vampires and humans though." Plagg explained, ears drooping in sleepiness again. Adrien sighs before cradling Plagg in his hands before heading to bed, the gluttony already snoring.

Before Adrien could sleep, he went to bed with a sudden realization that night. "Oh god… I have a type," he mutters with his hands over his warm face.

Present...

They stared at each other in silence letting the years of separation sink in. She clearly remembers him, the recognition was in her eyes, but did she want to be friends again?

"Princess," Adrien looks at her the way he did when she opened the door that night, "I found you," he said surprised. She feels mesmerized – enchanted – at the way his lips curve into a gentle, familiar smile that made him every bit Charming as much as he was her first friend.

"I found you." Softer, he said again, taking a step closer to her. There's that heart-stopping smile again.

And as much as she is scared and confused, there was that twinge of excitement. Of happiness. Of being reunited again. She can't stop thinking the word again without relating it to Adrien, because he was Charming – still is Charming – and he's right in front of her.

"You found me." She whispers, finally returning his smile with a shy one of her own.

For the past few minutes Chloe kept turning her head back and forth from Adrien to Marinette, staring at them with confusion, and then frustration of not knowing what was going on, and then anger. In all of her years she's known Adrien, he has never given her that look. Much less to any person except when he's staring at pictures of his mother.

Just what kind of relationship does Marinette have with Adrien?

Fed up with everything, she spoke up reminding the two that they were still in the middle of the classroom. "Will someone please tell me what's going on? How do you two know each other?" She demanded, asking the questions that was also on everybody's mind.

Adrien felt the pressure on him from all the attention clearly on them waiting for an answer. He ran a hand through his hair like his mother used to do to him trying to calm his nerves. "We used to know each other when we were little." Truthfully, he didn't want to explain it to them at all. What him and his Princess – Marinette – shared that night, was a secret that only belonged to the two of them created by their child-like imagination that had made it so magical. Telling it to anyone else would only ruin it. What would he tell Chloe though? The answer obviously wasn't good enough for her and she was still impatiently waiting for an explanation.

"What do you mean by that? Did this monster threaten to drink your blood before?" She interrogated, crossing her arms and trying her hardest not to burn holes through Marinette's head. "I know you're too nice Adrikins, but you don't have to cover for her. Or maybe you knew her from one of your food drives for monsters? She certainly would be those type of people." She all but spat out the derogatory accusations.

A second after her sentence ended a paper ball was thrown at her head immediately followed by erasers and pencils alike, the first ammo being thrown by none other than a furious Alya. She started booing from her seat when others also offended on Marinette's behalf, vampires and humans alike, joined in. The brunette vampiress simply gave a supporting wink to Marinette, giving her a thumbs up.

Marinette made sure to give Chloe a mischievous smirk so she could perfectly see her fangs once the noise died down and in a gleeful voice sang, "Now wouldn't you like to know, Evil Queen? Maybe I will sink my fangs into him." With those parting words, she grabbed Adrien's hand and sprinted out of the classroom.

Heart beating faster than ever, Adrien took one last look at Chloe's enraged face before following (more like dragged by her) Marinette.

The classroom easily burst into a mess of chaos afterwards:

"I'M ROOTING FOR YOU MARINETTE!"

"What if they're childhood sweethearts? Oh, how romantic!"

"Aww… does that mean Marinette has a boyfriend now?"

"Chloe totally deserved that for what she said."

"Madame is going to freak when she learns they're skipping."

"… what about the rest of the broken glass on the floor?"

Despite all the ruckus happening around her, Chloe had to think. Where could they have possibly met when they were little? Trying to remember back to her earliest memory of Marinette… it was at Adrien's birthday party all those years ago that they were actually in the same place. She didn't even know who the birthday boy was and yet they were together all night. That had to be the case, because Chloe never once saw Adrien that entire night until it was practically over despite looking for him. She did see Marinette running out crying that night though, but what if, she had bumped into Adrien afterwards?

Wouldn't that mean it was her fault that they met? Her impervious actions back then as a child had practically pushed the little monster into his arms.

Chloe bit her porcelain lips in anger, breathing her name out like fire, "Marinette…"

"Where are we going?" Adrien finally asks after leaving the school. Their hands are still linked as she guides him to the destination she had in mind and only glances back at him to answer with a secretive smile.

"On an adventure of course!" Marinette lightly replied.

Just a few blocks from their school was a local bookshop they entered where the bell dinged and somewhere between the books a meow could be heard and the smell of cinnamon in the air. She took him up on a narrow, spiral metal staircase that led to more bookcases before settling down between the Fantasy and Fiction genres on two plush bean bags in the shape of cats.

They spoke nothing the entire way and now they faced each other if only slightly. Adrien opened his mouth to speak but she promptly held up a hand signaling him to stop, "Wait! Before we start anything, give me your hand." He silently watches as she carefully rummages through her purse pulling out a red Band-Aid with polka dots on it.

How cute, she's a Ladybug fan… Me too.

He looks down at his injured hand where his finger was dry with blood however still slightly bleeding, and without much thought plopped it into his mouth to lick the remnants off. They said saliva was good for disinfection, right?

And Marinette... well she couldn't help but stare fixatedly at his harmless action where she wonders dangerously, what would his blood taste like? Adrien catches her wide eyes and warm cheeks, stopping himself immediately. "S-sorry, that was inappropriate of me to do. I'll go to the restroom and clean it. Be right back!" He said, fleeing the scene before he could embarrass himself any further. Last time this happened, she ran away from him. He would never want to make her feel uncomfortable around him for any reason.

When he sits back down she grabs the injured hand without asking this time and carefully places the Band-Aid over it. Though he caught her off surprise with his open wound the first time, Marinette has considerable control over her natural instincts than she did as a child, thanks to her duties as Ladybug and a certain partner. Now that there weren't any roses in the air, there was something oddly different about him.

He smelled like Chat Noir. Maybe their scents were supposed to be similar: Charming was her first friend and love, but Chat Noir – God, he was something else entirely.

"T-thank you," he stutters. The only girl who has ever bandaged him this meticulously and gently was Ladybug. The cut wasn't even so bad that it required her close attention, but it was nice… maybe he was enjoying it a bit too much.

After all, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng with sky-blue eyes and the prettiest of smiles, and more importantly, his Princess.

"So… Adrien Agreste, huh? I never would have guessed the son of Gabriel Agreste would be my Charming." Marinette said with a genuine wonder, a twist in her smile.

"Are you disappointed, dear Princess?"

"No, no. I don't think you could ever disappoint me." She shakes her head, blushing slightly so.

"I'm happy to hear you say that." There's that smile thing again! Those chocolate chips she once used to describe his irises were actually flecks of gold immersed by green, so green that it reminds her of Chat Noir when he looks back at her while leading her around in the dark. And she's thinking about him again.

That stupid tom cat of hers has certainly been on her mind more often than not lately.

"This entire time we both knew Chloe and I'm quite surprised we haven't met each other sooner." Adrien said, actually feeling more disappointed now that he said it out loud.

Marinette tries not to show too much of the distaste on her face for his sake at the mention of her enemy, "If anyone asks, I wouldn't exactly say I know her per se. We have too much differences between us that I just can't understand." Sure she was still bitter at Chloe for when they were kids, but growing up hasn't changed the truly horrible person she was and Marinette refuses to standby the injustices since becoming Ladybug.

"Chloe's difficult, that much I can relate… but she truly does have her moments." He offers in her small defense. In all the years he has known her, the moments were very far and spread indeed, however it was still there.

"I can only imagine what having her as your only friend for the last few years must have been like," she said sympathetically. True to being her father's daughter, Marinette starts her impression of Chloe with a near, high-snobbish voice and exaggerated facial features:

'Oh, a spider! Save me, Adrikins!'

'My dress is made of the purest silk from Tralalalaleeday.'

It started with a smirk, and then a chuckle afterward, until finally he was blown-out laughing along with her at the end of everything. He didn't want to laugh for making fun of Chloe, but Marinette was too funny and what she said was just so true of her.

"If I remember correctly, you told her that you would 'sink my fangs into him'?" He teased, loving the way she easily reddened.

"I only said that to annoy her!" She defends embarrassingly. "Besides, I would never do that to you. I'm only half-vampire. I'm still human." Marinette ended in a pout, arms crossed.

She would never hurt him.

He softly smiles, "Sorry Princess, I didn't mean it to be bad in any way." By now they were fully facing each other with their knees occasionally brushing together. Adrien was rubbing her head apologetically before he could register his action, much like when Ladybug would do to him. They were oddly comfortable around each other and it felt like the natural thing for him to do.

"I never knew you were mixed. I thought you were pureblooded this entire time." Ladybug was also a vampire, though he doesn't know if she was mixed or pure either.

"Nope. Alya's the pureblooded vampire. So is Nino I guess if you don't count the quarter human he is." She said making the 'p' sound pop. It may be hard to tell the difference between them, but they are there.

He bites the bottom of his lip, hesitantly asking "If you're not a vampire… then why did you run away from me?" It's the question he used to ask himself every night before his mother disappeared, before he finally decided to move on.

She hugged her knees close resting her chin on top of them. "Because I was afraid." Shimmering blue peaked up through her dark lashes, mesmerizing and worrying him all at once. "I know I'm human, and I know I don't want to be a vampire. But there are times when something inside me is just telling me to take a bite and I can't control it. You were my first friend: I could never hurt you. So I ran, I'm sorry." Marinette could tell him how whenever Chat Noir was around, it was even worse, because the urge was stronger to just bite, and suck the crimson life force that ran through his veins, to be that much closer to him.

Of course, she would never tell a soul about how she really feels. These monstrous thoughts that were a part of her… no one should know about it.

Adrien could feel his own heart breaking listening to how afraid she was of herself, wanting nothing more than to see her beautiful smile again. He looked around to all the stories that surrounded them, a brilliant idea taking form inside his head. Like a gallant knight comforting a damsel in distress, he took his outer white layer off to place it around her shoulders leaving him in his basic black tee, offering a sense of protection around her. He knelt in front of her with his hands on her shoulders, softly speaking "You really are a kind Princess… I would have done anything you ask of me too, but you wouldn't have wanted that. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Because who was he kidding? He wouldn't have the heart to deny her anything.

She watched him as he zipped back and forth between the isles as if he knew the place like the back of his mind with a few books in his arms, eventually running down the staircase and then back up again with the same books tied together in a silky red bow. He sat across from her again on the plush bean bag, panting slightly but still smiling widely. "For you, Princess. I never got to give you the rose back then, but I hope these will make do for now when I give you real flowers next time." She graciously took the books from him across her lap, undoing the ribbon and going through each novel. Every title she read made her rosy lips curve upwards, growing bigger by the second:

Roses by Thomas

Lily by Winnie

Daisy by Jeremy

Lilacs by Samantha

"I knew it… No monster can smile that pretty."

For the nth time that day, she couldn't help but say Charming.

Chapter Text

"But mom, dad, it was for true love!" Marinette cried indignantly. So she was suspended for dropping beakers (and then forgetting to clean it up), skipping class to who knows god where, forcing another student to skip with her (not that he minded), and then never showing back up again at school worrying teachers – coming close to contacting authorities – but it was only a 2-day suspension!

"I still want you to have an education though sweetie," Her mother said frowning. Marinette was on her lounge chair with both her parents at her side. Shoulders hunched, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She just didn't think of the consequences when grabbing his hand, it was like she had to hide him from everyone before they took him from her. Selfish and irrational as it sounded even to herself, this was Charming she was talking about again.

She sighed in defeat knowing she was right. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Her dad swung a sympathetic arm around her shoulders giving her comfort, "In those 2 day's absence I hope you greatly reflect on your actions and do all of the packets they gave you."

"I will… I think I'll get a head start on it now then." She gave a weak smile as her parents stood up getting ready to leave. They shared a worried look as they started the stairs.

"Well…Was it everything you hoped for Mari-honey?" They asked sincerely, curiosity in their tone.

At last she returned a real smile, "Yeah, everything and more."

When they've fully left below feeling better about leaving their daughter alone she took a deep breath and instead plucked a burgundy book from the pile of 'flowers' Adrien had given her with the same warmth of familiarity she's always felt for him.

"I want everything found out about this girl Natalie." Gabriel said as he looked Adrien in the eyes. Normally he would be eating alone for breakfast, but today was an exception after a certain phone call from school. They sprouted a ludicrous tale of Adrien misbehaving – skipping with a girl nonetheless – impossible, he said.

Adrien was better than that and more.

"Father that's not necessary. I made the decision to leave school and asked if she could take me to the nearest bookstore." He said calmly and politely as his father had taught him when entering a business meeting. Though deep down his gut was a bundle of nerves, jittery a slow burn, knotting itself over and over again at the thought of Marinette at his father's mercy. Sweet, innocent Marinette in the claws of his over-protect father (Whether his father actually cared about him or as an invaluable asset to the Agreste brand, he's afraid to know the truth). Whatever secrets she held… whatever future she wanted – his father could easily shatter it all with the power and money he wielded.

"You've been in school for less than 2 weeks and you're already skipping. The school had the audacity to tell me that you would've been suspended, had I not stepped in. Do you know how that would look on your reputation? You are the face of the company and my son. Tell me Adrien: is this what you wanted when I let you go to public school?" Gabriel crossed his fingers gracefully over the other atop the black dining table, Nathalie standing solemnly at his side with her eyes still trained on her tablet. His movements were elegant and poised, fixed with his ever cold and calculating eyes behind framed-black glasses trained on Adrien's bright eyes.

"I wanted more than what we had."

"I would have built a school for you, if you have just asked."

"It's not the same. There are things you can't buy with money."

"I didn't raise you to be ungrateful, Adrien. You have more than what anyone could ask for, you're disappointing me even more today." Gabriel's lips set in a firm, thin line with a wrinkle between his brows as he stared down sternly at him across the table.

Underneath the table, Adrien clenched his fist, disbelief in his eyes that his father could twist his words into making him believe that maybe he was being ungrateful. Plagg with his sixth sense, could feel the distress radiating off his miraculous holder having already scurried down to Adrien's lap waiting for scraps of cheese to fall before the strictest human he's ever met entered the room. In a rare act of sympathy, the small cat of destruction nuzzled his head against the clenched fist until it finally gave in and unfurled at the soft affection, jumping into the warm palm he continued by wrapping his tail around the ring that linked him to Adrien.

He spoke in a low voice, eyes raw and heavy with guilt. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful father, I'm sorry. I'm truly thankful for what you've done for me and what I have – I just," he hesitated before speaking again, "I wanted more than this." What this was he couldn't really explain because in his palm was his greatest secret ever granting him freedom above all and only when he's in his mask could he meet Ladybug. But yet, he wanted to go to school and laugh with Nino; wanted to make more friends because Alya seemed so nice and Nino was in love with her; wanted to give the girl who held his heart as a child the rose he promised her; wanted so desperately for his father to love him the way his mother did.

More than anything did he want for Ladybug to trust him with her identity. If even just her first name he would be happy with, to feel her name roll of his tongue and in return hear her say his name on her pretty lips – maybe that was all he needed. If he was being even more greedy with his wishing, he'd want a certain Princess to be behind that mask because his heart has only ever felt so right whenever he was around her (or was it them?) – but he can hope, hope, hope, until the superhero days are over and once again he finds himself alone and the love of his life just a ghost of his happier days – that maybe she will tell him one day.

"Very well, you may go to school now. I gave Natalie your schedule for the next few days should you decide not to skip them. I expect you will make the right choice."

"My friend, though. You'll leave her alone?"

"You have my word." The way Adrien's shoulders sagged in relief did not go unnoticeable by Gabriel, squinting his eyes closely at the brief movements.

Adrien didn't really know what just happened… did he just reach an understanding with his father somehow? His father didn't delve deeper into what this was, but still… Adrien stood up to leave carefully concealing Plagg in his hand as he went to school for the day, feeling lonelier than usual knowing his Princess wasn't there. A bitter reminder of the power his father held in just a few words. Shutting the door quietly behind him, Adrien brought Plagg to his chest in a swift hug before concealing him in the inside of his shirt. "Thank you, Plagg." He softly whispered.

The large mansion then became void and still with just Gabriel Agreste and his assistant, both never leaving their positions.

"What did you find out?"

"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she's the same age as him. Her family owns a bakery and she's his classmate."

"Is that all? Adrien couldn't be ruined over someone like this. She's hardly anything out of the ordinary."

"…her parents were the caterers at Adrien's birthday party once. Sabine Cheng is a pureblood vampire while her father, Tom Dupain, is human. The birthday party was in the time period you forbid everyone to mention."

At long last after a stretch of silence, he acknowledged her existence by turning his icy blue eyes on her, "Now that's interesting…"

Adrien tapped his foot relentlessly waiting for free hour to begin, glancing back and forth at the clock and then the door. The teacher signaled with a wave of her hand for break time and he hurriedly stood up with one strap already over his shoulder.

"Wanna grab lunch with me and Alya?"

He tore his gaze away from the minute hand ticking to Nino that was quickly becoming his closest friend, "Oh – um… sorry, I have to go straight home because I'm still in trouble with my dad."

"Bummer man, I'm sorry to hear that. How about next time, yeah?" He offered as his girlfriend Alya joined their table.

"Yet Marinette is the only one serving suspension. Sure is nice to have connections I bet." She sarcastically said with crossed arms. The last bit of their conversation was easily picked up by her and annoyed that she was here without her best friend while he ran free from the same consequence, she may have just been a wee bit miffed about the situation.

Adrien blushed embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away in guilt. "I was thinking of visiting her actually. I owe her an apology for everything." The sincere puppy-look on his face was enough to make Alya falter in her glare. Was this the Charming effect Marinette was telling her about?

"Do you know where she lives then?" She's only asking because she feels sympathy for him.

"I was going to ask Chloe if she knew actually…"

Is he out his mind she thinks, raising a perfectly arched brow.

Adrien saw wrong answer written all over her face and threw his hands up as a sign of resignation. "Sorry, I don't really have that many friends to ask. If I had to count them on one hand, I guess it'd be Marinette, Nino, and Chloe. Does my driver and family assistant also count?"

The vampire journalist stared incredulously at the sheepish model who said it so innocently as if it was normal for him. She exhaled audibly and softened her glare, "No. They don't count. But, you can count on me as a friend too." Alya reached into her bag for a pen, uncapping it and scribbling the address onto his hand.

So maybe Marinette was right about the Charming Effect.

"Well, good luck with whatever you're doing then. Tell Marinette we said hi." Storing the pen away again, she took Nino's hand this time and waved Adrien off as she left the classroom with the other vampire in tow. Not a second after disappearing though did Nino pop his head back in the class with a dreamy smile, "Isn't she a wonderful gf?" His body was suddenly yanked away before Adrien could answer with a distinct 'I told you to stop saying embarrassing things like that in public!' though it sounded every bit loving as Nino's declaration.

Shaking his head amusingly he slung the other strap over his shoulder before making a beeline for the door, trying not to grin too widely at the ink on his skin. He just made himself a new friend.

"Adrikins, come have lunch with me!" His foot was one step away from out of the entrance before he turned his green eyes away and on the mayor's daughter. "Now that the freaks have scattered we can go eat at my favorite restaurant that I'm just dying –

"—Chloe they're not monsters. They're my friends. And your classmates too, why do you treat them like that?" He cut in, finally asking. There wasn't a single person in school that had anything nice to say about Chloe and that was confusing to him, she was always so nice to him as a child, albeit self-absorbed and spoiled as every rich kid gets.

So, what happened to her?

At that she looked at him surprised, blinking once slowly, and then twice out of daze for being interrupted by her childhood crush who was always polite nonetheless (staying silent through all her tantrums growing up). "I thought you of all people would understand."

She was still standing a good distance from where her seat was and though they were talking across the classroom it was an empty audience. For a moment, he gave her the same sad, distant-smile and far-off look in his eyes that made her feel like he was only partially there again taking her back to their younger days. It was brief, but it meant that no, he doesn't understand me.

"What happened to your mother… and mine… you shouldn't let her stop your world from moving forward just because you're angry. I don't want to stay stuck in the past anymore, and neither should you. Your butler is a vampire, but I know you would never call him a monster." He spared a glance at the clock, biting his bottom lip anxiously.

"Well, he's different! He would never— "

"—I'm really sorry Chloe, but I have to go now. Think about what I said though, alright?"

As much as he would love to continue this conversation with Chloe because god knows it became apparent to him there were issues that needed to be addressed, she isn't going to change so easily over one heartfelt conversation and its already been 15 minutes since break started.

Rushing down an empty hallway into a different classroom, Adrien took the small kwami out of his shirt pocket. "Isn't the way to the car in the opposite direction, Adrien?"

"Yes, but we're not going by car. It'll take too long to reach her place with this traffic and then we'd lose even more time. We'd be there in a flash as Chat Noir."

"I dunno… that doesn't sound like a good –

"Transform me!"

"That rings up to $35.50. Would you like me to wrap that up for you?" The petite bakery girl asked. She deposited the money in the till before carefully tying the ribbon into a pretty bow over the box of creampuffs. Handing the giftbox back to the customer, she beamed a smile at her handy work. "Thank you! I hope your family enjoys them!" The customer replied politely back, slipping a tip into the jar before leaving with a wave.

"Another great sale Marinette! Your parents would be proud, you handle customers really well." Tikki said flying up from her hiding spot from beneath the counter, twirling in the air as she threw her hands up over Marinette's face in an affectionate hug. The store was now empty considering it was almost the end of lunch hour.

She giggled in return, leaning into her embrace. "Thanks. At least my parents still trust me to run the store by myself while they go on their lunch date."

"Do you think Adrien misses you at school?"

"W-What? N-No way! Why would he miss me at this very instant? I mean – where did that question even come from?!" She spluttered with wild hand gestures and then repeatedly wiped her hands on her work apron despite it being clean. The question was so randomly asked that it caught her completely off guard. Whenever Tikki wanted to tease her, it started with a certain chat and ended up on being completely noir by the end of it.

As in – Tikki would start listing almost every moment they have ever shared while she counters it with the truth:

"You fall into each other's arms a lot."

"Because we catch each other from falling!"

"How many times do you guys hold hands again?"

"If you mean by me dragging him into battle or him leading me in the dark, then yes, hand holding is needed for that."

"He calls you bugaboo. All the previous Chat Noirs that has love names for Ladybug has always won her heart."

"What kind of logic is that?!"

"You're in love with him!"

Their argument always came down to this one line before Marinette would threaten to take away all cookies if she kept poking. She would fervently deny that she was in love with him.

Out of habit, she started muttering the denial under her breath as she turned her eyes towards Tikki. "I am not in love with Chat—

"—NOOOOIRRR!" She yells the last part because instead of coming face to face with her kwami – oh, no – it was instead with one of Paris' beloved superhero staring smug at her. And then she squeaked. Loudly. Backing up a few steps only for her back to hit the wall she placed a hand on her beating heart willing it to steady, the likely culprit to the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, please calm down. I didn't mean to surprise you!" Chat Noir didn't know whether to rush over the counter to comfort her because the panicked look in her eyes was starting to concern him. Quite frankly, no civilian has ever reacted to him like that. He was used to hugs, autographs, pictures, and gift baskets from adoring fans to grateful victims of akuma-related crimes.

She looked at him as if he had exposed her biggest secret.

"S-Sorry! You just really caught me off guard." Her eyes darted around to see that Tikki has already disappeared before settling them on the apologetic Chat Noir in front of her. She took even steps towards him until her hips hit the smooth wood and the only thing separating them was a cherry oak counter. Tucking a loose strand nervously behind her ear, she licked her lips and opened her mouth, "Um… Hello, Chat Noir. How may I help you today?"

At first, she thought he had discovered her identity, but his reaction didn't make sense to her, and then thought the worst that there was an akuma attack, but there was no chaos that ensued. Until finally, it actually wasn't all that unnatural for Chat Noir to be in her bakery. It was only a matter of time, really. See, Chat Noir was famous for being in the public eye far more than Ladybug because he frequently visited pastry shops all over Paris in his free time. Shop owners adored him for the work he did for Paris and in return, they'd give him free goods much to his insistence on his strict diet. He always had a sweet tooth. She just didn't think he would one day come into her family's shop with her behind the counter too. Was her luck finally running out?

Like a cat he was stalking his prey, his vivid green eyes followed that delicate little movement she did, right down to the flick of her tongue over those soft lips that momentarily distracted him from speaking anything intellectual. Because she was Mari – pretty – nette. "Uhh…. I'm Chat Noir."

"Yes… I know that."

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Gone was that smug grin he walked in earlier with because he forgot to detransform before coming in and for once in his life, he didn't need to be Chat Noir! He needed to be Adrien! He was so used to strolling in as the suave and confident Chat Noir, shy and polite Adrien would just become an afterthought.

So, how was he, Chat Noir, going to apologize for the mistakes that Adrien did?

She was staring at him confusedly now with her beautiful blue eyes, no doubt wondering why he was stating the obvious. His lips settled into a smirk, trying bashfully so to further avoid making a fool out of himself by being the suave and confident Chat Noir he was. "Right. Just wanted to introduce myself to the lovely Princess behind the counter."

"Oh – well, thank you." She said politely. The small hue of pink dusting her freckles did make him feel better about his previous slipups. It really was a cute reaction. He smiled at that.

"As I was on my daily hunt for sweets today, I happened to have ran into a car. Or maybe it ran into me?"

"You what?! Are you okay?" She interjected before he could continue. What was this dumb cat thinking? Was this the sort of trouble he gets into when she wasn't watching him as Ladybug?

He couldn't tell if her concern for him was that of a curious citizen, or dare he say, even more. It did sound an awful lot familiar to Ladybug getting ready to chaste him. A chuckle fell from his lips, "I'm standing right here, aren't I?"

She huffed, "Well, never mind you then, what about the passengers in the car? Are they okay?"

"Yup, completely safe and sound." He leaned his elbows onto the counter, chin in hand with that smug smirk back in place. "There was this interesting kid in there though, told me about the best bakery he knew in Paris. He said he would give me the directions on one condition."

"And what condition is that?" she asked curiously, tilting her head very cutely Chat Noir thinks. So very much like when his Lady would tilt her head trying to figure out what her lucky charm would do.

"Well," he starts softly, "there was this really pretty Princess who lives here I heard. She was supposed to be at school today but instead she's suffering the consequences for two people's actions. The kid ended up scot-free because of who he was while she takes an extra day of suspension for him. He couldn't even come here to properly apologize for himself. Foolish kid, isn't he?" He openly mocks his civilian form, how little power he had as Adrien.

Marinette's heart was racing at the meanings behind his words. Never would she imagine Chat Noir calling her Princess… something as simple as her childhood nickname being said by her partner. And because she doesn't have feelings for him at all, she wants to hear him say her name again. Not as delusional as that sounds though in her head.

So then why, why does she instead feel disappointed to know that Chat Noir and Adrien have met each other?

"I think he's quite Charming, actually." She sincerely replied.

"You think so?"

"You don't?"

He held a calculating gaze, as if he knew something that she didn't. "I think he should be the one standing right here, apologizing to you." She was leaning in closer to hear every word of his, mirroring his position with her upper body resting on the counter.

"You think so?"

"You don't?" He threw the words back at her, enjoying the witty word play they were having. Her eyes also danced with mirth, the corner of her lip going up to reveal a faint dimple. "Well, you're standing right here. Aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, Purrincess." This time he stood perfectly straight, offering his hand out to her with a genuine smile. She needlessly slipped her hand into his, "Marinette. My name's Marinette." Thinking they were going to shake hands, she was rather pleasantly surprised when he lowered his head instead to give a chaste kiss to the back her hand.

Chat Noir took a full step back, bowing ever so gracefully that she's reminded of the last time he did it to her many nights ago underneath the stars and moon. "Princess Marinette, per request on the condition I promised him, I sincerely and deeply apologize on behalf of this foolish kid's actions. He never meant for you to face the consequences alone… I'm sorry you had to."

She was moved by the way he looked at her, the guilt in his eyes as if he was the one she had dragged out of classroom and got in trouble with that day. But… that was just, well, preposterous, wasn't it? Because Adrien and Chat Noir were two completely different people. And then here was Paris' greatest superhero, Chat Noir, bowing to her as Marinette. Not Ladybug, who always held the limelight in Chat Noir's life, a widely-known fact that anyone could see in just the way he looks at her. But as Marinette, who had just received the same look and bow as Ladybug has plenty of times before. Flustered and shocked as she shyly met his gaze, she brought her hands up delicately over her mouth in a small gasp of oh.

"Please don't apologize!" she then waved her hands embarrassingly, "What I did was completely impulsive and irresponsible of me… but I don't regret it. It was nice seeing him again. Some people are worth a few reckless decisions for, you know?" The smile on her face was absolutely breath-taking, he decided, not a trace of remorse or sadness in it as she said it. The kind of smile made of light and hope that would make him unknowingly fall for Marinette Dupain-Cheng, if only a little more than he already secretly has.

"Oh – do I know a thing or two about reckless decisions…" he muttered in agreement, but no doubt because of their close proximity did she hear him anyways. There was only one other brilliant girl dressed in red and black that could smile the way Marinette did – and he would protect her at all cost.

She had to bite her tongue in response, resisting the urge to start a lecture on his safety and well-being before they'd get into an argument with her assumingly knowing everything about his life. It simply wouldn't do to blow her cover, no matter how passionate she felt for his life. "Maybe you should be apologizing to someone else today, then?"

"Ah… but I don't regret it," he said, once again using her words with nothing but honesty and confidence, "she's always worth it. Every time." It was a no-brainer that he was obviously referring to Ladybug and she's heard it plenty of times before in their arguments, but to hear it for the first time as Marinette stunned her into silence. Was he always this vocal to everyone about his affections for her?

A sharp beep from his Miraculous cut into the air as he turned solemnly to her at the prospect of leaving, "I do regret that our meeting has to come to an end, though."

"Yes, you were enjoyable to have as my company. Thank you for stopping by, Chat Noir." She blinked surprised, where did the time go all of a sudden? Her parents should be on their way back by now.

He took her hand again and brushed his lips against the soft skin, "The pleasure was all mine, Princess. May we meet again on the behalf of this Charming fool of yours." Stepping back with a salute that made her giggle, he parted from her with his heart feeling lighter.

"Wait!" she shouted before he went through the door, "Don't you want any sweets?" Wasn't that his whole reason for coming here?

He looked back to give her a flirtatious wink, replying "I've already gotten my reward." With that he disappeared into the outside world leaving Marinette behind, who had to remind herself that she was not in love with him.

Chapter Text

On a night like this where superheroes were making their rounds on rooftops and hitting pavements chasing bad dreams away, Chloe Bourgeois sat atop the highest floor in the penthouse of the grandest hotel in all the city, staring at the brown teddy bear on her bed while she brushed her hair out. Her mother had given her that bear after working with a designer for kid toys claiming that ‘vintage was so in’ at that time with a huge red bow tied neatly around its neck curtsied of her butler, Jean Duparc. She turned back to face the vanity mirror setting the brush down to finish up the post-shower routine by running her hands through the rest of her golden tresses with a coconut infused serum.

Since she was 8 years old he’s been employed under the meticulous eye of her father to be her caretaker and head butler of the Grande Bourgeois Hotel. He was a diligent man, obedient to a fault, and like a silent watchdog who’s been by her side for over 9 years despite being only 29 himself; has seen every temper tantrum she threw, carried all her bags for every needless shopping spree she did, spent an endless amount of research on the female anatomy and bought all the feminine products she needed as she went through her first stages of adolescence without a hint of embarrassment, and lastly, was probably the only vampire she liked in her life. A self-centered girl like herself has never stopped to wonder about the lives of the people around her, until one day when she needed her butler to drive her to the Chanel store she overheard her father talking in the lobby:

“Looks like your fangs are starting to show again, Jean. It’s about time you went to the dentist.”

It was laughable, really, that after everything her father still chose to hire him despite her feelings and her poor father’s broken heart. It was unheard of, but not that uncommon for vampires to grind their fangs down until they were perfectly squared, though a somewhat painful and annoying maintenance to keep up. Whether he was trying to blend in with society more or because her father made him do it to hide it from her - she didn’t know.

She reached for her Esmé Gigi creme next to put underneath her eyes, applying rose tint moisturizer on her lips next, and finally patting her face down with rosehip seed oil.

Chloe Bourgeois would not be thinking so deeply about this late at night if not for her childhood friend and only confidant she told the secret to: Adrien. His compassion and chivalry towards anyone and everyone always bothered her because not everyone deserved it. He expected her to change to be more like him – charitable and weak-minding – but that wasn’t who she was. He could toss away years of friendship for over a girl like Marinette if he that’s what he wanted – no, how he acted, anyways, but she was so over it.

She left the vanity to reach her queen bed taking the teddy bear in one hand and pressed the servant button on the wall next to it, lighting up and chiming 3 times like a doorbell to ring for Jean. The young heiress sat atop her bed against the plush pillows with the bear in her lap mindlessly picking at the bow. Adrien had sent her a bouquet of red roses once for her birthday when he was in Milan, she was so happy for it that she kept the satin ribbon tying the roses together and though she tried, the bow only came out lopsided on her brown bear.

The door to the penthouse floor was opened quietly, followed by light footsteps that echoed on marble when walked in a spacious room until it stopped at the room with the only current resident behind the closed door. Jean Duparc raised his white hand glove in a fist and, ever so gently, knocked thrice:

Tap, tap, tap

“Come in,” she granted.

“How may I help you, mademoiselle Bourgeois?” He stood tall and rooted at his spot by the door to keep a respectful distance, making eye contact once before averting his eyes to the floor.

She tossed him her teddy bear and with an almost unnatural reflex he caught the toy gracefully, despite her terrible aim that would’ve landed it in the trashcan and settled the bear in a sitting position on his open right hand. He looked up with a curious gaze, waiting for her orders.

“Get rid of it, I don’t care how – burn it, throw it away in dumpster, or donate it. I’m tired of staring at it,” she said with an air of haughtiness and a dash of spite.

He hesitated momentarily before speaking, “Mademoiselle, but your mother gave you this. You’ve had it with you since you were a little girl, monsieur Agreste had also given you the accessary around its neck. I implore you to reconsider, please.” The worn, but well-loved teddy bear had been through every ‘tragedy’ that Chloe deemed horrendous in her life yet was also the first person to find out all her secrets to. Above all else, it gave her the comfort she needed when her father was running the hotel or the city too busy to raise his daughter, and eventually, replaced the warmth of her mother’s arms who would no longer hold her. Jean made sure to stitch every tear neatly when she tugged too hard, washed very carefully whenever she got food on it, and preserved its everlasting floral smell by rubbing fresh roses on it.

She folded her arms over chest as if she was hugging herself, scoffing slightly, “Yeah, well, she left me and dad for a vampire,” she frowned saying the next words, “and so did Adrien. It’s as good as dead to me. I’m simply moving on. Getting rid of anything that doesn’t spark joy in my life anymore.”

“Mr. Cuddly would be deeply sad if you did that though.” He couldn’t offer any response to her as he couldn’t relate to her troubles, so he simply raised the bear’s stubby arm in a slight wave to try and convince her.

She bunched a fist full of bed sheets, narrowing her icy eyes at him, and all but yelled “It’s just a bear! Made by a dumb toy maker who couldn’t keep his hands off a married woman. Given to me by a dumb mother who left everything for a vampire. And a dumb childhood friend who also ditched me for a vampire. No matter how many times I kept trying to destroy or get rid of it, you always give it back to me as if nothing ever happened! Get rid of it, Jack, no, Jerry, Jacque – whoever you are, I don’t care.”

They both knew she knew his name, but whenever she was angry or liked to play games on him, she would do this to irk him. Except, he never got angry nor annoyed. Jean simply felt sorry for the girl who sat all alone before him, if not guilty when he couldn’t help it.

“If I may be so bold, I cannot grant your request, mademoiselle Bourgeois. Whenever you need Mr. Cuddly again, he will be here for you.”

She got up from her bed and took angry strides towards him, mouth curled in anger getting ready to do what she does best: “Ridiculous! This is utterly ridiculous! And you know what? I don’t need you in my life either: You’re. Fired.” She spoke every word as if daggers were being thrown and snatched the teddy bear from his hand letting out a dry laugh, “You think you can just tell me what to do just because you’re my babysitter? You think I don’t know about you, too?” She paused as her intense blue eyes stared darkly into his, “You’re just a dumb vampire servant who thought you could fool me in what you really are.” She raised her perfectly manicured hand and tossed the bear over his shoulder into the darkness.

Chloe took one step towards him. He took one step back, and then she pounced. Leaning forward she spoke one, ugly, harsh word:

“Monster.”

The door slammed hard in his face leaving him alone in the dark before he could even register what happened. Walking numbly, he suddenly felt he lost all purpose in life and wasn’t sure how to feel. The despondent vampire simply picked up the bear strewn in a potted plant nearby and quietly left the penthouse floor of the grandest hotel in all the city.

When the strides of daily life have settled, and Chloe Bourgeois thinks too deeply on a night like this, she knows that it’s because of Adrien. He expects her to be more like him, but she knew exactly who she was.

She was made of fire and poison with the temper of a dragon and an infamous reputation to carry. For God’s sake, she was called The Evil Queen behind hushed whispers and brave insults.

And she can’t help it. She knows now that Adrien will never understand her, and that she just drove away her closest family member. With that sudden thought the anger washes away as her knees fold close to her chest and all she’s left with is this memory that feels all too real and painful:

“My foolish daughter; what you’re feeling right now is called remorse. It’s the worst feeling in the world for girls like us. It makes you want to change.”