Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1
(Marinette)

“I've told you for the last time, Alya. I don’t have time to make all of us girls new outfits for the trip. Plus, I have *ahem* other things to attend to,” I admitted, hinting at my alter ego.

My alter ego, who was none other than the city’s savior: Ladybug. Alya, my best friend, already knows this, but she’s the only one who does. My identity is supposed to remain a secret to prevent my most prominent and menacing threat, Hawkmoth, from defeating me. If he were to find out who I was under my mask, he would most likely go so far as to track me down to find my miraculous. If it were to get into the wrong hands, who knows what would become of Paris?

“But if you and the girls had asked me earlier, I could’ve made something worthwhile. Oh well.” I replied smugly, shrugging.

“But M, we all need to match completely! Imagine how good that could be for your brand. Think about it. The designer is promoting friendship and appreciation between two countries and having a WHOLE line for it! People will love it.” My best friend convinced, making child gestures with her arms.

I’ve always dreamed of being a fashion designer. I do have a website, but it’s only to showcase my designs. I hope that one day I can design enough pieces, and that they’ll start selling. And then I can have my own fashion brand. A real one that's not just a website. But that dream can be achieved later.

On a different note, it was French-American Friendship Week soon. My high school class has a New York trip planned. We leave in two weeks. The mayor, Mme. Bustier was previously the teacher of my class for two years. She’d had this (school-funded) trip plan for years, and my class of fifteen was supposed to be the class she was going to take. However, she forgot a teensy tiny little detail.

The year she had planned it was this year, and, well, we’re not her students any longer. We don’t even go to François Dupont anymore. But alas, with the trip already planned and some eager Americans awaiting us, we were going to go anyway. Despite everyone attending different universités at this point, it was too late to cancel now. This morning, an alumni meeting (for my class only) was held to inform us of the details of the trip.

When I got hold of this information just moments ago, I knew that I was going to make us all matching outfits for the trip. The detail that no one knows, though, is that I’ve been wanting to design us all matching outfits for quite some time. That being said, I started making sundresses about a week ago. However, I’m better than just a few mere sundresses, so I’m taking it upon myself to design some pajama sets as well.

“You know what, you’re pushy today,” I said, but she did not enjoy my criticism. “Look, I can’t make 6 outfits in one week. There’s school, studying time, time  for dinner, and stuff like that, packing and…well, you know, the secret fifth option too.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Are you sure you’re going to be able to go with us on the trip?” Alya asked as we were walking, catching my wrist when I tripped over the air to prevent me from falling on my face.

“I think so. We’ll see how it ends up, but I’ll find out if you’re worried.” I reassured.

I’ve been doing this whole ‘Ladybug’ thing alone for a year and a half now. Recently, there have been more supervillains than ever, which leaves me with less time for myself. Less time to focus on further ambitions. Luckily, I’m a responsible young adult who knows how to manage her time. I have gotten stronger, but—on the contrary, so has Hawkmoth…

We said our goodbyes and parted so we could go back to our respective dorms to get ready to study with the guys. Alya and I always studied with Nino, her boyfriend, and Adrien, whom I’ve been in love with since I first met him in high school. Before grabbing my books, I changed out of my usual attire and changed into a pink tank top with some grey sweatpants and headed off to the coffee shop on campus closest to our dorms.

When I got to the shop, everyone was already there waiting for me. I went up to the front to order my usual milk tea and sat down at our table once it was ready. Adrien smiled at me, and every time he did that, I got lost in it.

“So, uh, who’s all going on the trip next week?” Nino asked the three of us, breaking me from my train of thought.
“I’m not sure if I can go. My father needs me for more shoots. This new line has got him all worked up, and there are too many things for him to focus on.” Adrien responded sadly.

“Man, that's rough. When are you gonna find real time for school as a model?” Nino was livid.

He hated Monsieur Agreste. He was always overworking Adrien, and Nino was not having it. Honestly, neither was I. He’s used to always being locked up in his stupid house (mansion rather) and wasn’t ever allowed out. Now that he’s at un université, he’s not alone at home anymore (he and Nino have their own apartment), but his father is still persistent.

All he’s ever wanted is slowly being stripped from him. Like taking candy from a baby. I regret, nowadays, how I used to be so fond of Monsieur Agreste. He’s still the most amazing fashion designer in the world, and no one's denying it, but how could he hurt his son in this way? Now I was livid too.

“Adrien, why don’t you tell him that you don’t want to do this?” I asked him.

“Well, he’s…clear about what he wants and how fortunate I am.”

“Manipulative,” Nino says, covering it with a cough.

Alya side-eyed him, silently telling him to cut it out.

“If I say I want to quit, he’ll just turn it on me. Tell me I’m ungrateful and push me back into modeling…” He trailed off, “But, you know him.”

What? I wasn’t aware that his dad was THAT horrible.

“But shouldn’t you like…get help?” Alya said to him.

“No? I mean, he’s not THAT bad. I’ve learned to deal with it over time, you know.” He admitted.

He keeps breaking my heart for him even more every time he says something. I put my hand over his, in a reassuring gesture. Heat rises quickly to my face. Some things never change.

“You’ve got to talk to him, Adrien.”

“I’ve tried, but I can’t. I don’t know why. He’s my father, and  I love him. It's just all so…frustrating.”

And it was for everyone. No one wanted to witness one of their best friends be hurt like that.

“We’ll come to the house with you, dude. Help convince your dad to let you come with us.” Adrien’s best friend offered, elbowing him.

“I don’t know…My father's a difficult man to convince.”

“Let’s just give it a try. The worst he could say is-“

 

“No.” Gabriel Agreste, the giant fashion designer standing before four eager young adults, simply stated.

“But Sir! He’s never been out of Paris before for a real trip. Don’t you have an assistant or someone you can call to get a new model just for this line? Just for this short number of shoots?” Alya pleaded.

“Nathalie is very busy at the moment, as am I. You’re all wasting my time. My final answer is no, and it’s not going to change. Adrien, see to it that your friends make it back to your campus safely.” The world-famous fashion designer had the last word(s) and that was that. 

Chapter Text

(Marinette)

Once we left the Agreste mansion, the four of us went over to Nino and Adrien’s apartment to devise a plan.

“Dude, you can’t let your dad tell you whether you can leave or not. You’re a legal adult now.” Nino said to his best friend.

“I would seriously consider leaving if he didn’t need anyone to model for him. But if I were to leave, he would notice, and then when I got back from New York, he’d pull some strings to pull me out of school.”

“Can he even do that, though? He is aware that this isn’t high school anymore, right?” Alya asked him.

“Yeah. He knows.” Adrien responded.

And at that very moment, I got an idea, and I was wondering why no one had thought of it before.

“Wait, how about we just call your father’s assistant. We could just ask her kindly or something to hire someone else just for this one gig. I see no harm in there being anyone else to be the ‘face' of this specific line.” I explained.

Adrien said he didn’t think it would work but that it was certainly worth a try. He got out his phone and typed in Nathalie’s number. We all jumped a little when she picked up. He put her on speaker phone.

“Adrien? What's the matter? You usually don’t call me at school.” She said in a worried tone.

“No, I’m alright, Nathalie. I do have a favor to ask, though. Would it be possible to…convince my father to hire someone else to model for the new line?” He asked hopefully into the phone.

She sighed at his request.

Uh oh.

“I figured you would ask about that. Your father is a very difficult man to convince, Adrien. You know that,” We all let out a quiet groan in unison. “However, he’s been thinking about letting you find interest in something else. Something he can use for his own benefit, too, of course. It would take some convincing, but maybe I can persuade him to let you off the hook for now. We could make him think you’re still searching for an interest that would benefit you both. I hope I’m making sense to you.” She explained.

Wow. She was great.

“Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you, Nathalie. I appreciate your help.”

“Well, that is my job. I’ll get back to you when I have a clear answer. Good evening, Adrien.” And then she hung up.

Here's to hoping.

I went back to my dorm alone. Not that I even had a roommate to come back with me yet, but being alone was not my favorite thing ever. The college overestimated freshman enrollment, so some doubles ended up empty, hence why I don’t have a roommate, and neither does Alya. If that were not the case, we would probably be sharing a dorm. When I got back, I sat down at my desk and began cutting fabric and recalling measurements so I could start sewing the pajamas.

Soon after I had patterns sketched and a mess on my desk, I decided to call it a night and head to bed. I was asleep almost immediately, and it was the earliest I’ve been to bed in a while.

.0^0.

“Marinette, Marinette! Wake up!” My Kwami whisper-yelled in my ear, attempting to wake me from my oh-so-amazing slumber.
I had not had a real sleep in ages.

“Aughhhh Tikkiiiii. I haven’t gotten any real sleep since like, ever.” I groaned, pulling the covers that had slipped down in the middle of the night over my head.

A Kwami is some extraterrestrial being that comes with the miraculous. I’m not sure why, but I never questioned it. Honestly, I’m not even sure if my description is accurate. I should probably know, granted it's been nearly two years, but I never really took the time to think about it.

“No! Marinette! Hawkmoth has akumatized another person!”

“Ughh. What time is it?” I asked groggily, sitting up on my bed.
I looked at the alarm clock that said 2:43 AM. Wait? 2:43 AM?!

“Ughhhhhh. What is he even doing up this early? Tikki, Spots on!” I called out.

Once I was transformed, I was no longer fatigued. The miraculous enhances physical strength and durability by… actually, I'm not sure, but I know it’s a lot. It was freaking awesome. I opened my window and ripped the screen open. My magic ladybugs would repair any damage done at the end of the battle, so I didn’t worry about it. I beheld the miraculous of creation, so everything was easy peasy lemon squeezy to fix.

Except recently, it wasn’t. The powers of the miraculous are supposed to prevent any damage whatsoever from being inflicted on me. Up until about three months ago, however, I would come back from battle after battle with bruises, scratches, and scars. Literal battle scars. Hawkmoth had grown his abilities so much that he was overpowering the original magic of the miraculous, which no one knew was even possible. Probably not even Hawkmoth himself. Yet here we are. Thankfully, tonight, I’m fairly certain Hawky was too exhausted to make a decent attempt to defeat me, but the challenge still existed.

I de-transformed in an alleyway. Probably not smart for a young girl in Paris to be roaming around super early in the morning, but what choice did I have? I sprinted back to my dorm room, miraculously making it in time to get just enough sleep to make it throughout my one class for today.

‘Just enough’ are the key words here. My attention span is about three minutes, and being tired on top of that was not doing it for me. It was a Tuesday, which meant I still had two weeks until the trip. I had talked to Master Fu over the phone before I fell asleep the first time, asking whether I could go or not. He, thankfully, said I was permitted to go and he would find a way to protect the city while I was away.

Master Fu was the holder of every Miraculous in the Miracle Box. He’s taught me everything I need to know about being a superhero and maintaining my superhero position. Or in this case— super-heroine position.

.0^0.

Today was never going to end. It was a slow, painful death. Untillllllll I was asked out by Adrien. Let me backtrack. I was so busy trying not to fall asleep while walking that I, unsurprisingly, ran into him. I apologized and then he asked me randomly and totally out of the blue if I wanted to stay with him for a while tomorrow at the café, to which my response was, “Ohmygoodnessabsoloutl—Uhm yeah sure. Coffee sounds nice.”

I spent the rest of my day focused on everything but school, which I admittedly do need to focus on, and instead thought of Adrien’s gorgeous smile. And the fact that, you know, I was asked out.

I texted Alya that night for some totally casual, not at all important advice, because let’s be real, ‘keeping it cool’ is not something I’m good at.

Marinette: CODE RED. CODE FREAKING RED.

Marinette: RESPOND.

Marinette: BITCH I’M GONNA COME HUNT YOU DOWN

Alya: Oh my goodness, language.

Alya: Anyways, what's up

Marinette: says you.

Marinette: Anyways

Marinette: Adrien just asked me out…

Alya: WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT?!

Marinette: YES AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A DATE OR NOT.

Alya: It’s Adrien, OF COURSE IT'S A DATE

Alya: Wait, he asked you this now? It’s like ten o’clock

Marinette: No, it was hours ago, but I’VE BEEN FREAKING OUT OVER IT ALL DAY

Alya: Like, good-freak out or bad-freak out?

Alya: Wait, why is this a code red?

Marinette: Uhm, have you met me? I’m a babbling mess 😭

Alya: Yes, I have, actually

Alya: You’re funny, creative, beautiful, a cutie patootie, clever, the most amazing person to talk to, so yes, I have met you, and clearly Adrien has too.

Marinette: Damn.

Alya: I know. What can I say?

Marinette: That still doesn't solve my nervousness issue

Alya: It’s not nerves, babe, it's Love.

Alya: If he asked you out, then he obviously likes a cute babbler

Marinette: Ha ha so funny 😒

Alya: Hey, wait, FaceTime me

I called Alya and was hoping that she would help calm my nerves, or something. I explained to her what happened in great detail, because she made me, and her only reaction was dropping her jaw. Honestly same.

“I never knew the blondie had it in him,” Alya said, seemingly very amused.

“Yeah, well, now that you called me, you’re going to help me pick out an outfit,” I demanded.

“I’m sure he’ll like whatever you decide to wear.”

“You just don’t want to help me.”

“Hey, you’re the fashion expert. And you're also the one who knows what Adrien likes.” She remarked.

“Ew, don’t say it like that. And I actually don’t know what he likes, believe it or not.”

“Well, at least we know he likes you.” She shrugged.

“Ok, you’re not being very helpful. I scolded.

“I’m calling you for moral support. I’m not helping you because I want you to learn that I will not always be here to sort out your ‘Adrien issues’. I’m also one hundred percent sure he’ll love you in any outfit.”

“Ok, hanging up byeeee,” I said, giving her an exaggerated open-and-closed-finger wave.

I set my phone back on my bed and sighed. I thought for a moment, and honestly, she was right. If he really does like me, it does not matter what I wear. I was making this a bigger deal than it needed to be.  After all, this could honestly be just a friendly catching up. I didn’t need to worry so much.

Chapter Text

(Marinette)

This morning, I woke up to Tikki yelling something in my ear that I didn’t comprehend until I fully gained consciousness.

“MARINETTE! C’mon, you have to get ready!” The little voice called.

“Nooo Tikki. It’s ok, go back to sleep. I don’t have any classes today. Go back to sleep…” I trailed off in a groan.

“But I keep telling you! You have to get to the cafe!”

I shot straight up. I mayyyy have forgotten that I had a date with Adrien. Well, to be fair, it was probably not a date. We were just staying at the cafe a little longer than usual. Which was totally normal.

Totally.

Tikki helped me pick out an outfit once I was fully awake and ready, because she was nicer than Alya, and then I rushed out of my dorm. As soon as I closed the door behind me, Alya called me.

“Ohhh Mariiiiii! Are you on the way?” Alya asked in a sing-songy tone.

“Yes, yes, I'm coming. Are you all already there?”

“I think you already know the answer to that,” she said, until her voice hushed into a whisper, “someone keeps asking about you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Alrighty then, I’ll tell him you’ll be here soon, then.”

“Okie Dokie. Love you, bye.”

“Mwah. Toodles.”

I arrived at the cafe shortly after our phone call, and when I went in to greet everyone, I noticed that my drink was already on the table. Which was a first. I looked to Alya to confirm who it was, but she just shook her head.

“Don’t look at her,” Nino said, which made me turn to the only obvious choice.
“D-did you order for me?” I asked with all the love I could possibly muster.

He looked me in the eyes and flashed me his casual Adrien Agreste smile, which gave me a tiny, happy heartache.

“Oh, yeah. I decided I would save you the trouble. I think I remembered everything, so I hope that's right.”

I picked up the cup of milk tea and swirled the cup before taking a sip. It was, in fact, the right order.

I smiled at Adrien.

He smiled at me.

“Wow, you're so observant.” Alya snickered.

Adrien didn't seem to notice her comment. I picked up my coffee and took a sip while everyone else started various conversations.

At some point, Nino and Alya got into a semi-heated argument about…whatever they usually argue about. I think it was about a scene in a movie, considering that they had to get out their phones for evidence. The two gradually shifted away, which left me and Adrien somewhat alone.

“You look really pretty today, Mari,” Adrien said quieter, now just for me.

I smiled, but I shook my head. I’m now noticing how smiley I am today.

“You don’t have to say that,” I whispered.

“I know.” He smiled. Again. Like it was nothing.

Then we both turned to the couple who had finally stopped arguing, to see them pushing in their chairs and grabbing their trash. Seeing as Alya (and I’m sure Nino, at this point) knew about our little cafe date, I guess she decided to leave us alone a little earlier than I had planned on.

“Ok, lovebirds, we’re heading out. I can’t stand to watch this travesty unfold any longer.” Nino announced, saluting us before walking out the door.

I looked to Alya with wide eyes.

“You're leaving now?” I squeaked.

“Yes, now. You two will be fine. Too-da-loo.” She answered, waving.

She walked out the door and walked over to where Nino was waiting for her. I turned back to Adrien, who was already looking at me, but he was laughing.

“I think they left us on purpose.”

“Heh…w-what makes you think that?”

“Because Alya just winked at me.” He teased.

I sighed heavily and shook my head. They didn't even try to be discreet. Sometimes I didn't mind their antics, but today was not one of those days.

“She's not very subtle,” I muttered. He laughed.

We sat in silence for a moment, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just us.

“We should just…be, more often,” Adrien said after a moment.

I nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we should let Alya drag us into her various schemes more often.” He admitted.

“No, no, NO way! She is very passionate. Trust me, you don't want that.” I laughed.

“Well, we’re in the midst of one right now, aren’t we?”

“No, we had this planned. If it went Alya’s way, it would not end well.”

“Well, I suppose you know her better than I do. It is nice to see her, though. I’m glad we all get to hang out in the mornings.” He added.

I looked at him, confused.

“I thought she spent a lot of time at the apartment?”

“Oh-uhm, no. If they want to hang out, I force them to go to Alya’s dorm.” He laughed.

“Yeah…maybe it’s good we don’t share a dorm.”

We both laughed for a moment.

After another second of silence, Adrien broke it again,

“Do you want to go on a walk?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” I agreed.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. It was just a suggestion.” He clarified nervously.

“No, no. I want to.”

We got up and threw our trash away, then headed out the door. We were met with the warm air, as it was April, and it sure did smell like spring. Which doesn’t make much sense, but it’s not like it matters.

We walked along the Seine for a bit for fun and talked the whole way along. It was unusually quiet for Paris, but it was peaceful for once, which was always a blessing when moments like that happened.

“This is a very, very strange question, but you’re going to have to go along with it,” Adrien said, breaking the silent spell.
“Uhm–okay,” I complied, confused.

“If you could have any pet in the whole world, no restrictions, no other variables, what would you pick?”

“Wow, you weren’t joking. That is super random,” I laughed.

“I never joke.” He said, seriously.

I gave him a quick side eye because that was not true, but I decided to mostly ignore the comment.

“Uhmmmm, probably a hamster,” I replied simply.

He looked at me in disbelief.

“Mari, hypothetically speaking, you could pick any animal. Like a tiger or, like, I don't know, an elephant.”

“Yeah, I know. A hamster. That’s what I would pick.”

“Does that mean a hamster is your favorite animal?”

“Was that your subtle way of asking me that question?”

“Mmmmmm…maybe.” He said, looking up.

“Interesting. So, then what about you?”

“Like what pet would I choose?”

“Mhm.”

“Cat.”

“And you’re shaming me for picking a hamster?! Cat is like the most basic answer.” I scoffed in disbelief. How dare he be such a hypocrite.

“Hey! Cats are awesome. I should buy you a cat, and then you'll see.”

“Uhm, no, I’m good, I don’t need a cat. If I did, I would buy it myself.” I crossed my arms.

“No, I wouldn’t let you buy one. I would be the one buying you the cat because I would get to name it.”

“Well, then, what would you name it?”

“Like the cat I would buy for you or my own cat?” He asked.

“Mmm, both.”

“Ok, well, if I had to get you a cat, it would be a white cat named Purrincess, and then if I got a cat, I would name it Chouquette.”

“Interesting. Any reasoning behind those names?”

“Well, I would name my cat Chouquette because it reminds me of someone sweet that I know. Pawsibly someone named Marinette.”

I rolled my eyes but also smiled (AGAIN.) because he was ridiculous, but I liked ridiculous.

But he also made a cat pun so…

“You did not just make a cat pun.” I groaned, holding my head in my hands.

“Oh, but I did.”

Sigh.

“Why would you name my cat that?” I asked.

“No reason.”

“No, I wanna know.”

“So what would you name your hamster?”

“You’re deflecting.”

“Y’know, I think it should be something like doodle, or something with ‘Mr.’ because that's something you would name a pet.”

“Adrien.”

“Mari.”

“Whyyyyyy.”

“Noooo, tell me what you're gonna name your hamster.”

“I'll tell you if you give me your reasoning,” I gave in.

“Alright.”

“Okay. Don’t laugh.”

“I won’t. Swear it.”

“Ok, ok, ready?”

“Yup.”

“If I got a hamster, I would name it-”

 

.0^0.

 

When we got to the apartment, Adrien took my purse and hung it on the coat rack. Which, in my opinion, was not something you see every day in a college apartment, but you know. To check if anyone was there, he called out,

“Honey, I’m home.”

Which earned him a giggle from me. But, alas, there was no response.

“Is that how you and Nino greet each other?” I joked.

“Something like that,” He said, grinning.

I took a look around, and though I've been here many a time, I never noticed how clean it was.

“Your apartment is really clean,” I commented.

“Thanks. I’ve always lived with everything super clean, so that’s just how it goes, I guess.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. It's so nice, but my dorm is always a mess. To be fair, I don't have much room for extra fabric scraps and all of that.”

“Oh, yeah. That reminds me, I forgot to ask, did you make that dress?” He asked, pointing to what I was wearing.

“Yeah, but it’s a pretty old design,” I stated nervously.

“It’s amazing. I’m sure my father would like your designs. He did seem to like your hat that you made a couple of years ago.” He winked

I made a face that was probably not so pretty. I hated that hat.

“Oh, I forgot about that. I’m surprised he liked it, that thing is…not my best. Well, it was at the time, but you know.” I rambled.

“I still think it would still look good. I did model it after all, so it must’ve been good.”

He struck a ‘model’ pose, which made me laugh.

“Wow. Still rocking it.” I said, and then immediately cringed at my choice of words.

“What can I say? It's the model in me.”

I rolled my eyes again.

Adrien moved over towards the couch and patted beside him for me to sit.

"You've got to stop saying that."

“Mmmmnope,” He denied, “Oh, do you have any new designs?”

“Well, I do, but they're in my sketchbook.”

“Aww. Oh, well. At least I got to see one today.” He grinned. Which is something he did a lot
.
It was quiet for a second, but then we both heard my phone buzz. I checked it and it was Alya. I opened my phone, and Adrien turned away, which was sweet, but I didn’t really care what embarrassing conversation he could've found while reading through my texts with Alya from today, which were easy to see from the section of the visible screen of texts.

Alya: ALERT ALERT.

Marinette: Yes?

Alya: I’m actually the last person who wants to interrupt whatever freaky things you two are doing, but we have an issue

Marinette: We’re literally just sitting here talking.

Alya: Don't fret, I know you two would never. You sweet, innocent souls

Marinette: WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, ALYA

Alya: Can Adrien see your phone?

Marinette:...
Marinette: No…why?

Alya: Because Paris is in some dire need of some luck
Alya: Iykwim

Marinette: HAHAHhaha.

Alya: M, I wish I was joking

Marinette: UGHHH Damn it. What do I say??

Alya: Just say you forgot a tampon or something

Marinette: I NEED HELPPPP

Alya: Why don't you ever appreciate my humor

Marinette: ALYAAA

Alya: Just say I need you for something

I turned off my phone and told Adrien that I had to go, but that I had the best time ever. He walked me out and told me to text him once I got back to my dorm. I would just have to tell him I took a detour, because, right now, Paris needed Ladybug.

I found an alleyway to transform in, and was off.

Chapter Text

(Chat Noir)

Ladybug was amazing. She was also super lucky. Being the only savior of Paris for a year (maybe longer), though, seems pretty challenging. The villains sent by Hawkmoth have visibly gotten stronger every day, and Ladybug is clearly struggling. Everyone’s noticed, but doing a job hers alone? No one was going to mention it… She was doing her best, but she would appear drastically beaten after every single battle.

No one knew how long she would last by herself. Which, after the last Akuma attack, she had shattered some bones, but they only inflicted some insignificant damage, and with proper magic and enchantments and whatnot, she’d be healed immediately. Doesn’t sound too safe, but what can ya do..? Apparently, the miraculous worked that way.

About her being super lucky, though, I finally understood. She got to jump from building to building carefree and without worry. Well, without worry, meaning without the fear of falling or getting hurt. The fear of an akuma, however, was always present for her. Or so I’ve heard. The only reason I know this is because I, for reasons unknown (seriously, I have no idea why), have been chosen as Ladybug's partner. I’ve been told all I should know about her. For now, at least.

The polka-dotted, latex-clad heroine was spinning her yo-yo defensively as usual. I watched as it deflected every blast shot at her and thought there was no way in hell I was going to be able to defend myself that easily. To be fair, though, she’s had months upon months of practice. Ladybug, already being on high alert, glanced quickly behind her when I landed on the roof of the building she was fighting on.

“You’ve gotta be kidding.” I heard her whisper under her breath.

Great first impression.

Once the villain Ladybug was fighting diverted their attention away from her after spotting their target (presumably Chloe, as usual), she focused all her attention on me.

“I’ve had enough of these goons.” She whispered through gritted teeth.

“No, no, I'm not one of their—victims…I’m Chat Noir. I’ve been sent to help you from now on.” I explained.

She stared at me dumbly for a moment. Then her expression turned from confusion to irritation.

“You were sent to help me?” She asked.

“Uhm, yeah. Not to be rude or anything, but you’ve been…very obviously doing this solo. The person who gave me my miraculous just thought you needed some help. So, help is here.” I said, gesturing with a thumb to myself.

“Excuse me? You think I’m struggling? I’ve won every battle thrown my way for over a year. Alone. Sorry, but I don’t need your help.” She remarked.

“No, I-I never said that I was the one who thought that. It just looked a little tiring, y’know? That's all, truly.” I put my hand up defensively, backing away.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shot through the air.

“Ladybug! Help!” A girl cried out.

I recognized the voice and realized my suspicions were confirmed. It was Chloe.

“Oh, for the love,” Ladybug cursed, “Stay here. I’m gonna go help that girl, and then when I come back, you have more explaining to do, so don’t. Move.” She instructed me harshly. I nodded.

I ducked down into the alley quickly to recharge my (Kwami?) so that I wouldn’t de-transform in front of all of Paris.

“Claws in,” I said, and the floating creature came out of the ring I acquired this morning.

“Well, that went well.” The creature said with heavy sarcasm.

“Look, I wasn’t sure what to tell her. I could’ve been warned, though. The girl’s got an attitude to her.”

“Yeah, well, better for you to get used to that. That’s why you weren’t warned. But you did kind of jump right into it. Not much time for us to explain anything to ya, kid.”

“Yeah…sorry about that. What’s your name anyway?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t earlier.

He responded with Plagg and then confirmed that he, in fact, was a Kwami. I learned that this Kwami was so picky that the only food he would accept was any kind of fromage. Of course. Now I would be forced to go around smelling like it.

Great.

Just great.

 

.0^0.

 

(Ladybug)

I couldn’t believe it. Master Fu had truly given up all hope for me. Paris saw me as a failure, and now I have to be face-to-face (literally) with help.
After saving Chloe, and pulling a surprise attack on “Soapinator” (I swear I’ve heard that name before, but maybe we’ve battled this villain twice?) And defeated them, I found somewhere to de-transform.

“Spots off,” I repeated for the millionth time.

“Wow! That one was really easy to defeat!” Tikki pitched after coming out of my earrings.

“I know, right? I’d say I did pretty good. But I mean, can you believe it? Master Fu sent help. A physical person. I mean, I’m not doing that bad, am I?” I asked my Kwami in desperation.

“No. No one's saying you’re doing badly, but…Hawkmoth is sending out stronger and more capable supervillains who are close to getting the job done. Efficiently too. You always come back hurt after battles, and maybe it’s time.” She explains to me.

I threw her a macaron and thought for a second.

“Wait. Did—did you know about this?” I questioned.

The creature paused on her munching and wouldn’t meet my eyes. Reality set in, and I scoffed in disbelief.

“Tikki, spots on,” I said again, not wanting to interact with her any longer.

I came back to the exact rooftop to find the boy dressed as a black cat still there. I was shocked he listened to me, but glad he did. We had to talk. He was sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out on the city. I didn’t blame him. The view of Paris was a view to die for. Not to mention the setting sun, making the spectacle all the more beautiful.

I looked at the boy again and noticed his hair. He had his back to me since he was technically at the front of the building, only he was at the top of it, obviously. His hair was a lighter shade of blonde. Kind of like a honey undertone. It was also pretty fluffy, and my mind immediately wondered if the miraculous allowed him real cat-like abilities. I wondered if he would start purring, but I immediately shook the thought from my mind.

No no.

I cannot think like that.

Stern.

I needed to be stern and not think about his hair for goodness' sake. I walked closer to him, but he must’ve heard my footsteps or sensed my presence, because he turned to face me. I took a few more steps and went to sit beside him, but kept my distance. He didn’t look like a threat, but you never know.
“Chat Noir was it?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah. I assume you want to know something more than what I told you.” He responded.

“Uhm yeah…I need to know who sent you.”

“Oh. Right. Well, I got pulled into an alleyway by a man. He said his name was Fu. I seriously thought I was being kidnapped, but he just wanted to give me a miraculous. I was wondering though…do you know why he chose me?”

“Well, I don’t know anything about your civilian self, silly. You haven’t told me. But…sadly, you can’t.” I told him.

“Oh. Sorry. I forgot I can’t share anything about that. I was only explained all this a few hours ago.” He apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. The whole secret identity thing is rough. Constantly having to lie to your friends and family all the time is exhausting.”

“I didn’t even think about that. I'm sorry you’ve had to do this alone for so long.” I was going to remark on his comment, but he was just being sympathetic, and I really did not appreciate my attitude earlier.

“I-It’s been alright, but…I really have been struggling recently. I’m sorry for the way I acted towards you earlier. I’ve always just been getting through the whole hero thing unscathed, and the thought of failing and letting the city down—just failing period, scared me. And I took it out on you, so I’m sorry about that.” I admitted, fidgeting all the while.

“It’s alright. I get it. I also didn’t mean to intrude either. I just couldn’t bear to watch you get hurt after every battle, after all you do for everyone, which is why I accepted the miraculous. I may need some practice, but I’m willing to help.” He said, determined.

“Thank you, Chat Noir. If you’d be alright with it, I think I’d like you to take the role as my equal. My partner in crime. I’m gonna need all the help I can get, and for now, I think you’re all I’ve got. Do you accept?” I asked genuinely, extending my hand for him to shake.

He stared at my hand in shock for a moment, like he couldn’t believe what was happening. But then his expression softened.

“Thank you, Ladybug…you don’t know how much this means to me.” He said, and I smiled sweetly at him in response.

Within a moment, though, that soft expression from my now partner turned into one of mischief. With my hand still extended, he took it in his, but instead of shaking it, he kissed my knuckles and said,

“Till next time, M’lady.”

Then he got out his baton and promptly fled, leaving me with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. I was flabbergasted.

 

.0^0.

 

I got back to my dorm and flopped on my bed. I sat up and was left to sit alone with my thoughts. After a moment of silence, I started to cry. I couldn’t help it. Tikki quickly came to comfort me.

“What is it, Marinette?” She asked me.

“I’m clearly not cut out for this anymore. I mean, you and Master Fu have lost all faith, and have you seen the tabloid recently? I mean, I know those sources aren’t reliable, but for once they’re not wrong. Every headline is either “‘Is Hawkmoth close to defeating the superheroine?’ Or like “‘Ladybug can’t escape her battle scars: What’s next for the female hero?’ Something like that. Maybe they’re right. If it takes me four hours to fight a villain that should’ve taken five minutes to fight, then maybe I’m not capable. He’s overpowering the magic of the miraculous, which shouldn’t even be possible. Am I just…not strong enough anymore?” I choked out each word between sobs.

“No, no. You are strong enough! You’ve been doing this for a long time, Marinette. Just because Hawkmoth is getting stronger doesn't mean you’re getting any weaker. No one gets by in life unscathed, which is why we're here to help. You are perfectly capable of the job you were specifically chosen for, but sometimes it gets tiring. Also, fighting villains is no easy task. And, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. Before today, there was no one else in the whole city who could physically fight the villain, anyway. Four hours or 5 minutes, you always overcome any obstacle thrown your way. You are perfectly capable, Marinette! Sometimes, though, a little help can be nice.” The Kwami explained with her words of wisdom.
“Thank you, Tikki. What would I do without you?” I told her as she snuggled up to my cheek.

After a moment of silence, Tikki retired to her pillow to sleep, and I did the same after changing into my pajamas and brushing my teeth. Tikki’s wise words always reassured me, but not tonight.

 

I was a failure.

To everyone, apparently.

But, even then, I can’t hold that against, Chat Noir. Or Master Fu. Or anyone, for that matter.

I’m the only one who’s to blame.

Maybe Master Fu is right to send me assistance. No matter how much I don’t want to admit it, I need help.

Chapter Text

Like the best, best friend she was, Alya was the one to wake me up this morning by calling me.

“We’re all going to grab a drink over at our usual place. Hurry up and get ready so that you can go with us and be back by eleven.” I gave her a sloppy thumbs up, even though she couldn't see me.

“Ok, I'll be there soon,” I said, and hung up. It probably came out more like “okey eyeeell betheresoon.” But, oh well.

I grabbed my purse and rushed out the door. I got ready as fast as I could. I was only in such a rush because it’s nice to see everyone to start the day, you know?

I walked into the door of the shop once I got there, and I heard Alya and Nino tag-team a joke about my punctuality, as per usual. Or rather, my lack of punctuality. I rolled my eyes and strode over to my usual seat. My tea was waiting for me.

We started some random conversation, and it shifted naturally with minor topic changes here and there. Someone brought up the topic of superheroes, which automatically shifted to the new hero, a.k.a., my new accomplice: Chat Noir.

“Do you think he works for Hawkmoth?” Nino asked to the table.

“No way. Did you see how Ladybug talked to him? I know she totally trusts him. Don’t you think so, Marinette? Or do you have any other opinions?” My best friend asked me, trying not to make it obvious that she was making me talk about how my new partner and I were going to work out.

“I mean, he seems pretty cool, but I’m sure Ladybug will want time to see if she can really trust him,” I answered.

“Well, he is pretty cute.” Alya joked, elbowing her boyfriend. He let out a painfully fake laugh, which resulted in Adrien and me snickering at their antics.

“I suggest a subject change for Nino’s sake. Did you guys see the email that Mme. Bustier sent out?” Adrien questioned. We all shook our heads, and he proceeded to explain, “She put a huge postponement on the trip to New York. She said that there were a bunch of riots and high crime and whatnot. It will be a couple of years before our whole class can go. It will end up being more of a reunion.”

We were shocked. A couple of years? The crime in Paris was probably much worse. This trip was supposed to be…well, not like a reunion, at least.

“Man. Total bummer. I bet the four of us could go sometime before it gets rescheduled. A couple of years is a long time to wait for a trip like that. I know it’s not her fault, but it was supposed to be more of a ‘goodbye’ than a reunion.” Alya quipped.

We all thought up what we would do during the time between now and the trip, but no one could think of anything.

Soon, it was getting dangerously close to 11:00, and I had to leave so that I could make it to class on time. My first class today was art, and for once, I was dreading it. I had too much on my mind.

The most important thing occupying my thoughts was: obviously Chat Noir. I had only met him last night, and the whole of Paris already knows. I just needed time to know if I could trust him for sure.

On the way to my dorm, I made the executive decision that I was going to visit Master Fu as soon as I could. But tonight was not the night.

 

.0^0.

 

After my last class, I went back to my dorm to continue working on my designs as per usual. Around midnight, I left campus and went to sit on the roof of Palais de Chaillot. I was waiting for Chat Noir.

I told him to meet with me tonight at midnight on my usual rooftop. I had to discuss with him what he was really doing. Who he really was. I didn’t know if he was truly working with me or if he was some sort of inside spy for Hawkmoth.

Until I went to master Fu tomorrow, Chat Noir himself was the only way for me to tell. Despite what everyone might think, I won’t trust him for a while.
Soon, I found myself lost in thought, staring out at the dazzling city. Like usual, though, the silence and solitude were slightly unsettling.

Being Ladybug is not an easy task. Ever since I was granted powers, I’ve been fighting Hawkmoth. I started from the get-go. Now, the what-used-to-be comfort in silence is a nightmare. Literally.

Suddenly, I heard soft padding that broke me from my train of thought. Soft padding like a cat…

“You’re laaaate,” I crooned, turning to face him.

“Fashionably late, you mean.” He winked.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I’ll end up enjoying his antics.

“Ha ha. No funny business, we need to get this sorted out,” I asserted.

“Like–What specifically..?”

“I just-You have to understand. It’s nothing against you–well, it sort of is actually– but…” I trailed off. I wish people could just read minds. Sometimes. “Look. We just met yesterday. The tabloid is already going crazy and…I-I just…” I trailed off.

“Don’t worry. I got it. You don’t have to trust me yet. I don’t blame you. I mean, I’m sure you think I’m working for Hawkmoth, but…”

“N-no way! I didn't think that at all.” I said naturally and not at all forced.

He just laughed.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to lie. I just don’t want you to hate me.”

“What?! No, I-i don’t hate you. I just. Augh. I don’t know how to explain. Look, until I have any confirmation, I can’t trust you. Just– when you do something like this, for this long, alone, you always have to take extra precautions.”

“Well, that’s–reassuring.” He laughed. Again.

“Yeah… well, uh. Anyways, I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. It was rude of me.”

“No worries, Ladybug. I get it. Well, I don’t, but you know what I mean,” he reassured. But then he dared to test his limits. “But… Is that the only reason you don't trust me?”

I facepalmed.

“Truthfully, no. You want the rest of my answer?”

He nodded.

“You’re a rookie, you’re clumsy, and unpredictable,” I stated blatantly.

“That’s fair. But I will sincerely try to earn your trust. Chat’s honor.” He promised.

My shoulders relaxed a bit, as they were previously quite tense, apparently, and I sat down on the roof.  Once he realized my guard was lowered, He came to sit beside me.

“You don’t need to like me. You just need to know I’ll be here.”

I turned to face him with somewhat wide eyes. I hadn’t been expecting that. I think my face softened, and I knew he knew that I was trying to think of what to say again. We were quiet, waiting for me to think. The moon overhead was bright, at full glow.

“I’ve fought alone, in every way, for nearly two years. Anything that goes wrong in the city is blamed on me.” I admitted in a whisper.

“Not now, now that I’m around.”
I’m pretty sure my face turned from utter astonishment to sincerity, to amusement. I had a smirk plastered on my face. I wonder if he knew I was about to make him agree to something.

“If you really want to earn my trust, we’ll meet here, except on Friday. Every Friday at exactly Midnight. Once a week. Twice if needed. If that’s the case, we’ll patrol on Saturday. Deal?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, see you then, then.”

Chat Noir gave a playful salute and was off on his baton.

 

.0^0.

 

Tikki flew out of my earrings once I got to my dorm and perched on my desk.

“Marinette, I know you don’t know him yet, but you do know that Master Fu sent him. I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know Tikki. So many things. It’s not just that. I’m not sure but…I just need to know.”

“Ok, Marinette. Don’t think about it too much. Just wait until tomorrow to continue your worrying. Tonight you need to sleep. You haven’t done that in a while.”

“Thank you, Tikki. You always know how to help.”

Chapter Text

(Marinette)

Early Thursday morning, I rushed off campus to go find Mater Fu. He was probably where he usually was, but just in case he wasn’t, I had already prepared to not come back on campus until late.

If Alya called to ask me where I was, I would make up some random excuse like I used to have to do. I didn’t want her to know that I still didn’t fully trust Chat Noir, despite what I told him, and it only being two days

I didn’t want to lie to her…and I wanted her not to think that I thought of myself as…well, not a winner, that's for sure.

I know that if I told her that, I'd get a stern talking to for at least an hour and a half.

It only takes me about 10 minutes to walk over from campus to where Fu was, so transportation was easy enough. I got to the door and knocked to make sure he was there.

“Come in.” I heard him say.

I opened the door and threw my bag down on the floor. Tikki flew out and went to sit in front of the low table. When I sat, it seemed to me like Master Fu already knew why I was here. I was sure Tikki had done some strange kwami magic to communicate, but I had no idea how any of that worked, so I didn’t think anymore of it.

“I sent him, you know.” He confirmed. I nodded.

“He told me. I just …why does he have a miraculous? I’m not doubting your judgment, but I need to know if I can trust him. I need to know if I can truly rely on him.” I admitted. He looked at me curiously for a second.

“You’ve been fighting alone for quite some time now. I decided it was time to send help. You’re still perfectly capable, but Hawkmoth is a full-grown adult with no limitations, and to my surprise, he’s a lot smarter now. You can’t do it alone anymore. I chose him because he needs this. He needs you. His home life is difficult, but I know he’s worthy. I’ve met him a few times. I know his heart. You will grow to trust him quickly.” Master Fu explained.

I didn’t feel bad, per se, considering that it wasn’t rude or unlikely for me not to feel like I had to trust Chat Noir, but I was also a little disappointed in my attitude towards him. He can’t help it, and I knew that, but I had good reason for my feelings.

“You make Hawkmoth sound like an idiot.” I laughed.

“Truthfully, I’m surprised he made it this far.” He said, smiling.

“How long is it going to take me? He doesn’t know what he’s doing. I can help him, but what am I going to do during a battle? What is he going to do during a battle? I can just let him fail and get hurt, but we’d have to defeat the villain. And if he ends up getting caught, I wouldn’t be able to help him if I’m out saving other people. I just don’t know what to do.”

I knew I was stressing too much, but I couldn’t let a villain win, let alone have Chat Noir potentially die. If there were a threat, would he be able to defend himself? Would he even be a compatible partner? I had too many thoughts running through my mind all at once. The fate of Paris was no longer just in my hands, but even with half of the weight off my shoulders, at what cost do I now only have to bear half the load?

“Why, though,” I started, “Why him?” I asked, my head down, ashamed of my doubtful spirit.

Master Fu thought for a moment. I knew he had an answer, but by his lack of response, I knew that he wasn’t going to tell me.

“I think if you took time to figure that out, he’ll have gained your trust. What you do know already is that your miraculous are supposed to be like the yin and yang. If I didn’t think you two were going to balance each other out, do you think I would’ve picked him?”

I pondered his answer for a minute and decided to apply that. If he had worthy qualities, maybe I’d see in time that he’s truly trustworthy. That he would always be there, like he said.

I stood up and said my goodbyes and thank you’s, and headed back out of the door. The sun shone on me as soon as I stepped out, and I realized that I had only been out for about thirty minutes. I checked my phone, and my suspicions were confirmed. It was half past seven and I was severely disappointed.
I wasn’t planning on coming back on campus until later tonight, so I decided to head to the Karl Lagerfeld store nearby. Well, it wasn’t that nearby, the walk was about an hour, but it wasted time and gave me some space to clear my head. I had arrived promptly.

When I opened the glass door, the bell overhead chimed, signaling that someone new had entered the store. The lady at the front welcomed me in. I looked around at the dresses that were on display. Everything was black and white, and I figured it must’ve been a new line that I didn’t know about. While the designs were stunning, they didn’t suit my fancy as per usual. Still, it was nice to have some inspiration.

Soon enough, I left the marble-clad store and went over to the Square Taras-Chevtchenko. The walk over there was about half an hour, but that gave me time to think about what I wanted to sketch. I only had a pencil and my sketchbook, obviously, but no color resource, so I was going to have to draw black and white dresses like the ones in the store.

I started sketching a black base. I added pleats and puffy sleeves, but that felt too elegant, or overdone. No sleeves, but the pleats I kept. I got rid of the sleeves altogether and added a grand, white collar at the top of the dress. I erased some of the shaded-in pencil markings in two of the pleats to make those parts white. To top it all off, I added a white bow in the middle, because I knew it needed something else.

I sketched a few more designs, and by the time I was done, it was three PM. I was hungry, and my butt hurt from sitting on a singular metal bench for so long.
Mind cleared, and feeling refreshed (besides the lack of food), I decided to head back to campus. I didn’t know my way around this part of the city, so I had no idea where any source of food was. I was just going to have to either wait however long it takes me to get home, and walk for an hour and a half on an empty stomach, or I could walk in circles until I found food. I chose the first option.

Eventually, I walked home from the Square Taras-Chevtchenko without having anything to eat for a million hours, and swore my stomach was going to erupt like a volcano from all the noise it was making. As I was getting closer to the université, I spotted a somewhat familiar black silhouette hopping across the rooftops. It was Chat Noir. I would get him to come over and bring me to some food, but I’m not transformed, and he doesn’t know me as a civilian.

To my surprise, he stopped on one of the roofs. I had no idea what he was doing or why he was out, but my stomach was making the decisions for me, and not my brain, so I didn’t bother to think about the trouble that he could be out causing.

He turned around and looked in my direction, and when he saw me, he smiled. Then he jumped off the roof to come talk to me. He did not know me, so I was concerned for my well-being and safety. Thankfully, he meant no harm.

“You look pretty distressed. What’s the matter?” He asked me, like we had conversations regularly.

“You’re lucky that I’m not psychotic and that I’m desperate. If you don’t take me to get food right this instant, I’m going to end up throwing up all over you. I am desperate for food of any kind.” I blabbered.

"Uhm, wow. Good to know… Sketching session making you think too much?” He asked.

I looked at him for a second, because how did he know I was sketching? I asked him that, and he pointed to the sketchbook I was clutching in reply. Yeah, my brain was definitely not the one making the decisions. He told me to wait where I was and bounded off.

I waited patiently where I was and trusted that I wasn't about to get mauled by my new partner. This was sketchy–whyyyy was he being so nice to me?

He came back two minutes later with a bag of steaming chouquettes from my parents' bakery and handed them to me. I accepted like a rabid animal. I immediately shoved one in my mouth, but it was so HOT because I did not think to blow on it. I was so hungry, but it was still heavenly even though my taste buds are now burned off.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do that, I just needed to be brought to food, you know,” I said in between chouquettes. “Wow, these are the best things I’ve eaten all day. And the only thing I’ve eaten all day.”

“That's ironic, considering your parents are bakers.” He joked.

“Wh-? How did you know that?” I asked. Seriously, how did he know?

His eyes widened, like he wasn’t supposed to know that (because he wasn’t), and then he found a response. His hesitation made me suspicious, and I was now (only slightly but also not so slightly) freaking out, because HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT?!

“You, uh, told me when I brought you that.” He replied quickly.

My eyes narrowed. I never told him that, let alone did I tell him my name. His excuses were almost just as bad as mine were. And I’m the worst liar I know.

“You cannot lie to save your life. Did anyone ever tell you that?” I quipped.

“Only the people who caught me.” He replied deviously, smirking.

I was not gonna stop thinking about how this stranger (he was still a stranger in my opinion) knew who I was. Well, knew things about me that he shouldn't, I guess, but STILL. His voice and demeanor were all too familiar somehow. What the hell, I really was hungry.

I asked him to take me back to campus, assuming he knew where the school was. We arrived in no time. I checked my phone, and it was around five, and I was thankful for the Chat Noir distraction. I did not want to go back to my dorm, so it was nice to waste a little time. I thanked him for bringing me back.

“With you and your sketchbook still intact, I expect a five-star Yelp review. Not to mention the free food. “ He teased.

“You offering free transportation now?” I questioned, mostly joking.

“V.I.P only,” He shrugged. “Chao Chao.”

He took out his baton and then left. I took a second to rethink everything that I had done today, and it felt like a fever dream now. I thought about what Master Fu had said earlier this morning. He [Chat Noir] didn’t think things through as I did, and was totally reckless no matter what. Maybe he was right. It’s only a matter of time.

We already balanced each other out, which was apparent in all of our interactions. That was good, right?

I added a few more touches to my sundresses and pajama sets and decided I was done for the day. I got ready for bed, texted Alya a quick goodnight, and bid Tikki goodnight as well.

Before zipping over to her usual spot on my bed, I thought I heard her bumble something about getting Chat Noir and me to meet up simultaneously. But I knew Tikki, and she would tell me if that was the plan she and Master Fu had come up with.

After all, it was about me.

I know she’d tell me.

Wouldn't she?

Chapter Text

(Chat Noir)

Something felt different. I was glad to spend some time with Marinette outside of the coffee shop, since that was most of the time we got to spend together these days.

It’s just…She shouldn’t have trusted me so easily. I approached her as Chat Noir, not as Adrien, by accident, and she didn’t even ask who I was, or look…I don’t know, concerned. I was all over the news; however, Marinette seems like the type of person to stay away from the drama. Actually, I knew she was that type of person.

I should’ve just let it go. Let it be, and left it alone. But I couldn’t. I jumped across another rooftop of a building closer to the Seine, the usually bustling city quieter than normal. I didn’t like the quiet. There was a hole in my heart where her laughter had just been.

It was Marinette’s.

Though it wasn’t much, light conversation and chouquettes and whatnot, it was enough to keep my mind wandering back to her. Something about her was different, too. Trusting people blindly, her genuine, raw emotions on display. She was open and honest.
She trusted me.

It was all new to me, but it stuck more than it should’ve. Because it shouldn’t’ve at all. I knew her already, so why was this any different? Well, I was interacting with her as a whole different person, but she wasn’t the one caught off guard. She didn’t seem to notice.

Huh.

What a weird day. But despite that strange impossibility, I was glad someone had gained my trust. Even if it wasn’t the person I was hoping for. And all the while, I was hoping Mari had gotten something real to eat.

(Meanwhile, Marinette)

Alya and I were curled up on my bed watching some cheesy romance on my laptop that we downloaded from a risky website. Why did we decide to do that, you might ask?

Excellent question.

Pretty sure all my information is now leaked to every software there ever was, but it’s worth it. Well, actually it wasn’t because this movie sucked, but you know, whatever.

“This braciola is amazing. Did your parents send it?” Alya asked, in the middle of some steamy make-out scene that was making us both want to gag.

“Yeah, but my grandpa made it. He pretty much only bakes bread nowadays, so he’s the one who cooks us real food most of the time.” I explained.

“Well, it’s heavenly,” She said before she turned back to the screen and gagged, “Augh, this is just awful. Who decided that this needed to make the final cut? How far down her throat do you think his tongue is, ugh.”

I turned back to the screen, too, and immediately made a face. It was probably not a pretty one.

“I’d say…pretty far. Her jaw is like all the way open. Do you see tha- Oh! Oh, God, that’s- that’s a lot of spit.”

“Okaaaaaayyyy and we’re done with that one,” Alya said, reaching over me to pause the movie.

“Well, now we have to vow to never find a movie on an illegal website ever again,” I suggested.

It was silent for a beat. We stared at each other for a moment, and then exploded into fits of laughter. Yeah, we knew that wasn’t happening.
“Anyways, you wanna tell me where you were this morning?” Alya interrogated.

 

“Oh yeah, sorry. I went to the Lagerfeld store to get some outfit inspo, and my phone was turned off. I’ll show you some of my sketches if you want.” I said deceivingly.

While that was true, I never told her the whole truth.

“Uh-huh. I’m sure. Well, I saw your location like a million miles away, and you didn’t tell me. You could’ve at least called. What gives?” She said sternly.
“I went to see him,” I said, looking down.

“Huh?”

“Master Fu. I went to see Master Fu. I had to talk to him about Chat Noir.”

“Wh-but why?” She asked.

“I was just randomly assigned a partner all of a sudden that I’m supposed to trust blindly, but…I didn’t.” I explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked.

“I-i don’t…I don't know.”

“Ok–But now you..?” She urged, growing more attentive.

“Well, ok. So…I may have seen him this evening.” I admitted.

“You-you saw him? Aren’t we rushing things a bit?”

I realized what she was saying, and if I had water in my mouth, I would do a spit-take. Maybe I should start explaining things better. I definitely was not seeing him.

“Oh, no, no. That’s not–that’s not what I meant. I meant I saw him, you know, with my eyes. But not as Ladybug.” I told her.

“Hold on, you’re gonna have to explain this better. I’m a little lost.”

“I did actually go sketching in the park after I saw Master Fu. I didn’t want to get back to campus at seven in the morning, so I decided that's what I was going to do. I was an hour away, though, so I didn’t know where any food was. This,” I said, gesturing to the bowl in my lap, “is basically the first thing I’ve eaten all day. Anyways, Chat Noir showed up and grabbed me something to eat. He just approached me like it was nothing. I don’t understand.” I explained, fidgeting with the corner of my blanket.

“I think he’s just a really nice person. You’re ‘I’m hungry face’ is a little off-putting, no offense. I wouldn’t think about it too much. He really does seem like a good person, M. Someone you can trust. Do you think he’s the right one?” She asked genuinely.

“I think he’s trying. Truly. Hawkmoth has been really quiet recently, though, so as a battle partner, I’m not so sure. But he did take me back to campus after feeding me.”

“He just took you back to campus after feeding you? You just let him carry you across campus? Also, what’d he feed you?” Alya prodded, gaining interest quickly.

“Chouquettes from the bakery,” I stated blatantly.

“Like your parents' bakery?” She asked. I nodded. “M, that bakery is all the way across Paris. He went all the way across Paris for you. He might be a stranger, but you don’t think that’s hot at all?” She asked, flabbergasted.

“Well, hold on, I never said that. But he wasn’t pushy or annoying or rude. I didn’t know him at first, and well, I still don’t, not that well at least, but it might be easier to trust him than I thought.” I admitted, looking at the screen of my laptop, that was still open.

“Looks like you might be starting to.” She told me, looking at the screen as well. It turned off, and all we could see were each other's faces. We made eye contact from the screen, and I smiled. She was right.

“Yeah. Maybe I am.” I whispered.

 

.0^0.

 

(Adrien)

I woke up to a text this morning from Alya on our group chat. She explained that she and Mari weren’t coming to the coffee shop today, which made more sense once I saw that she sent the message at around two in the morning. I knew that Marinette was not a morning person, and Alya was probably not going to attempt to wake her up just to have her come to the café.

I exited the group chat and clicked on Nino’s contact.

A: We still on for this morning?

*...*

N: Yeah. Did u check the gc?

A: Yup
A: Did Alya say why she wasn’t coming?

*...*

N: Yeah, she’s texting me rn. She slept in Marinette’s dorm last night since they were up so late.

A: Why didn’t she send that to the gc?

N: She didn’t want me to worry if I didn’t find her in her dorm.

A: Why would u be at her dorm this early in the morning?

N: I walk over to her dorm so we can walk tg to the coffee shop. Where have u been dude? Why do u think I leave way before u do?

A: Idk I js always assumed u just wanted to get there before me
A: btw that is sickeningly sweet

N: ur js jealous 😎

A: bro
A: 😑

N: Why r u texting me? I’m obviously awake

A: oh right

I mentally facepalmed myself and got out of bed. I felt that strange, quiet feeling again. Not just the quiet of the morning, though. I could still hear the birds chirping and the pigeons cooing outside. Something just felt…wrong. Not like ‘trouble’ wrong, but—I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

I pushed Nino’s door open, and as soon as I walked in, he told me that he had the best idea ever. I asked what it was, and he said that he had come up with it right this moment.

“We should bring the girls breakfast.” He suggested proudly.

That was it?

“That’s your grand idea?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Ok, ok. It’s not the best one I’ve ever had, but the girls’ll be happy.”

“I mean, ok. I don’t see why not.” I agreed. I was then dragged out of the front door.

 

(Marinette)

I woke up, exhausted, and stretched out as much as I could. I never share a bed with people, so cramming into half my teensy weensy bed all night was not fun, but I loved Alya and enjoyed her company, and well, she was my best friend, so I wasn’t complaining. But I totally hit her in the face on purpose while I was stretching.

“Girl, I have never seen anyone stretch any wider. And that was totally on purpose.” She teased.

“Good morning to you, too.” I joked, booping her on the nose. She rolled her eyes.

“I’m surprised you’re up this early. I texted the guys last night that we weren’t coming to the shop this morning. I assumed you wouldn’t be awake for another two hours at least.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m not built to share a tiny college bed. It’s ok, I’m glad we got to catch up last night. We usually don’t get to talk for long.” I said, getting up to walk over to my bathroom.

“Where ya going?” Alya asked, rolling over to lie on her stomach. Her eyes were closed, but I knew she wasn’t sleeping.
“I’m going to shower. I feel disgusting. I slept in my makeup last night, so that’s probably why.”

I grabbed a towel from the cabinet next to my mirror. I set it on the stool, but I didn’t start the water yet. Getting in the shower on an, once again, empty stomach always made me feel like I was going to pass out, and I was going to pass on that.

“Hey, but it held up pretty well,” Alya said, sitting up now.

“So did my hair, which is really shocking. It’s just a little frizzy.”

I took out my hair ties and found a brush from my drawer. I ran it through my hair, and I felt a little less disgusting. Just as I put my brush down, Alya and I turned to face each other after we heard a knock on the door. And I voice I knew all too well said,

“Knock Knock.”

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.

Chapter Text

(Marinette)

Adrien and Nino walked into the room carrying breakfast. I didn’t care that Nino was in here, since I’d known him for so long and he was mostly here for Alya anyway, but Adrien? Oh goodness. I turned to Alya, my eyes shooting daggers. She held her hands up in defense, her eyes saying, “I didn’t do it.”

“I swear I didn’t-“ She paused. The guys seemed to catch our quick interaction.

“Relax, ladies. You said you couldn’t come to the café, so the café came to you.”

“Aww, you guys are so cute. Bringing us breakfast.” Alya teased.

“Yeah, but you love it.” I heard Nino say before their conversation faded into the background.

“Ugh, they’re so cute it's grossing me out.” I joked, attempting to hide my discomfort.

It’s not that he was making me uncomfortable (that's impossible); it was the fact that he was here while I looked like I had just gotten out of bed. Well…to be fair, I had.

While Alya and Nino were sitting on my desk and desk chair, having their own private conversation, Adrien and I went to sit on my very unmade bed to eat breakfast. It was too early to sit on the floor.

“Yeah, but you know them. Anyway, sorry to disturb both of you. I’m surprised you’re up.”

“Oh, uhm, yeah. It’s sort of hard to share that tiny college bed. Also, I’m sorry I look like such a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” I forced. Oh god, this was so embarrassing.

“It's alright. I think you look cute.” He admitted. What. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“N-no, it’s ok. Sorry, my brain isn’t fully awake yet, so you know how that goes.” I explained, mid yawn, stifling a nervous laugh, trying to keep my cool.

He snickered, like he knew exactly what I was talking about. Actually, he probably did. We’ve been doing this coffee thing for a while now. I usually don’t ever skip our group coffee ‘dates’, but sometimes my ‘non-morning-person-ness’ is a little too much to wake up early.

“Don’t worry. I know.” He laughed.

Just as we were about to finally engage in a conversation other than “sorry” and “oops”, Alya and Nino’s conversations were suddenly not so background and private.

“Dude, when have I ever forced you to sleep in my tiny bed? Besides, you insisted.” Alya said, shrugging at her boyfriend and rolling her eyes like this conversation had been brought up many a time.

I sighed heavily, and Adrien facepalmed.

“Really?” I asked, deadpan.

“What?! You guys are so dramatic. We’ve been dating for years. With a bed like this, you’re forced to get extra cozy.”

Nino nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Forced proximity equals voluntary intimacy. Everyone knows that.”

He says as if everyone does, in fact, know that.

“Yeah, see. One day it’s breakfast on a bed, and the next it's-“ Alya started, before I cut her off. By choking on my tea.

Adrien did a spit-take, and while he was making sure I was not dying, I watched Alya and Nino share a high-five (so immature). But as Adrien was reaching for a napkin for me, he tugged on the blanket I was not aware we were sharing, by accident, and it startled me… so I spilled my tea in turn. Which was also an accident.

God, what a disaster we were.

“Sorry, sorry!” We both screeched at the same time.

I threw the blanket off me, forgetting the food in my lap, to go and get towels, only for it to get all over my already messy floor. I thought Nino was going to have multiple heart attacks between fits of laughter, and Alya just looked like she couldn’t believe her eyes. Adrien was hiding his very visible smile behind his hand, which was covering his mouth.

Oh dear God.

I squatted down to clean my mess, and Adrien came down to help me. But what I did not register was the fact that he had taken his hoodie off. Unfortunately for me, but also very fortunate, he was wearing a plain white shirt underneath.

Yes, great.

“Is it hot in here?” Alya joked (Adrien didn’t get it), and I knew her face was smug.

“Please stop!” I asked in a voice a couple of octaves too high.

To my knowledge, no one said anything else (good). We got the mess cleaned, and soon the guys left. Thank goodness.

When I got my room finally picked up once and for all with the help of Alya, she flopped on my bed and just laughed.

“A debrief, shall we?” She asked smugly.

“Nooooo,” I said, following suit and flopping down on my bed, covering my face with my hands.

“Ok, well…At least the playing house was cute,” She squealed, and I groaned.

“Alya, it was not. And you are so inappropriate. We were not playing house.”

Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me.

“Uhm, objection. He brought you breakfast, you shared a blanket, and you got him to strip in your room. Sounds pretty domestic to me.” She shrugged.

“It was his SWEATSHIRT, jerk!” I groaned, throwing a pillow at her face, which she dodged with her hands up defensively.

After she was done teasing me for the day, she gathered her things and left. Once she was gone, Tikki flew out of my purse and started giggling. I rolled my eyes. Tikki, too, huh.

“Alya is never going to let you live that down, y’know.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I know,” I said before going to my bathroom. Before I shut the door, though, I asked Tikki, “D-do you think Alya was right? About…the whole Adrien thing?”

She was silent for a beat, which made me admittedly a little worried, but by the expression on her face, I realized she was just thinking of how she should word what she was going to say. She’s eternal, so she knows what happens throughout my entire life. I was assuming she was trying to avoid the spoilers.

“I mean, she wasn’t wrong. If he has any feelings for you, he doesn’t know it yet. But, would someone who didn’t like you like that, even if it was just a little, act how he has?” She questioned, but it seemed rhetorical to me.

I thanked Tikki for her wise words of advice, and then I hopped in the shower. Though I didn’t have anything to do, or have any classes to go to, or be prepared for for a while, I still just felt disgusting.

I hopped out of the shower, gleefully skipping to pick up my phone because now I didn’t feel like death so much. Well, besides my piles of embarrassment, like the dirty laundry that was previously on my floor. You know, before it took a whole four people to clean it up.

There were four text notification banners on my home screen when I picked up my phone. They were from the group chat, and my golly, might I admit that I was scared to open it.

[Shared Grevin-Museum-trauma squad]:

Alya: Awww Adrien u could’ve started singing, and animals would’ve come to talk to u

Adrien: What can I say? It's the model in me 🤷

Nino: My god, if u say that ONE MORE TIME

Marinette: WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS

Alya: Such a party pooper M.

Marinette: No I'm js not willing to discuss the incident. Or my hair... *sobs*

Alya: u looked like a whole Pinterest board this morning. I don't even wanna hear it
Alya: u were glowing as per usual

Adrien: I second that

Marinette: Adrien.

Adrien: Mari.

Nino: does that mean I’m the only one without a Pinterest account??

Marinette: Yes.

Alya: Yes.

Adrien: Yes.

Marinette: brb while I go JUMP IN THE SIENE.

Alya: Adrien tell her she's being overdramatic

Adrien: Mari would u like to calm down??

Marinette: not a chance

Yeah, that's enough group chatting for today. I set my phone down beside me and went over to my desk to (ding! Ding! Ding! You guessed it!) finish my designs. They were so close to being finished.

 

.0^0.

 

Soon enough, it was midnight, and I was headed off to patrol. It was a pretty standard night in Paris, so we didn’t have to patrol for very long, but it was nice to see Chat Noir again. He really was nice, but alas, it’s not my fault I was so skeptical.

Time went on, though, and little by little I learned he was someone I really could trust. He was by my side for every fight, through every part of it. Sacrificing himself when he didn't need to. Sacrificing himself when he did (which was truthfully always a little startling, but he never doubts my ability to bring him back).

 

.0^0.

 

May:

“Whoa. Someone needed to ‘let off some steam.’ Did you see the way she tried to shoot her wild fire lasers at me?”

“Uhm, yeah, I saw. I had to jump in front of you last minute to stop you from turning into a roasted cat.”

“You are the pro, M’lady.”

“Uh-huh.”

 

.0^0.

 

June:

“You realize they could've KILLED YOU?! WHY would you jump into the jaws of a hungry shark?!”

“It was a villain! It. Could. Not. Have. Killed. me. “

“Unlike you, Chat Noir, I’ve had my fair share of near-death experiences. The villains CAN and WILL do all they can to hurt us now. Why are you so incompetent? I’ve told you that at least 5 times.”

“I WAS SAVING YOU! YOU were the one not paying attention this time! You’re not alone anymore, bug. I do all of this to help you.”

“Well, stop helping. I don't need it.”

“Ouch.”

“...”

 

.0^0.

 

July:

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone on this rooftop?”

“Well, hello to you too, I suppose.”

“Hmm, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, I wouldn't want my answer to offend you.”

“I can take anything, M’lady.”

“Well then, I’m staying out of trouble.”

“Does that mean I’m trouble?”

“Ha. You have to ask?”

Chapter Text

(Adrien)

Something about the scintillating essence of Paris was calling me out of my cozy apartment. It was around midnight, but instead of settling in bed to fall asleep after the gruesome day of school (it wasn’t), I felt like patrolling the city.

Not that anything was necessarily wrong, I just felt inclined to for some reason. Perhaps it was the luminescence of the city that I felt so drawn—no, obligated to. Or maybe it was something else…

I called out my transformation quietly, careful not to disturb Nino from the room across mine, and I was off. I made a couple of rounds across the main areas of the city, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Strange. After a while, I decided to head to the customary ‘patrol rooftop’. As I started approaching closer, I noticed a familiar figure sitting adjacent to where I usually sat. It was Ladybug. Almost as if she knew I was there, she said,

“Well, well, look what The Cat dragged in.”

“Ha, Ha, very funny M’lady.” I said unenthusiastically, crossing my arms.

If she heard the nickname, she didn’t say anything about it. I advanced to sit beside her, mimicking her position by dangling my legs over the roof as well.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” I asked.

“Yeah. It just felt like—like something was making me come out here. Like an invisible string, or, I don’t know, some random force. It was really weird.” She admitted.

I turned to her, my eyebrows knotting together in confusion. She had felt the same exertion I had. I couldn’t think of a reason why we had had the same idea, but I decided to brush it off. I guessed that she’d done this a lot, though. Probably a lot of sleepless nights that come with the job.

Much to my regret and astonishment, my lack of sleep was because of Marinette, not because I was so worried about my duties to the city.

I wasn’t going to tell Ladybug that, obviously, because I’m afraid it would break her trust to tell her that. Not that I didn’t care about my ‘job’, it’s just that my brain has been occupied with something else.

Or I should say Someone Else.

Neither of us said anything for a beat. I usually enjoy the silence, but something was really uncomfortable about it this time. Granted, there was still the gentle flow of the seine, and some various traffic and chatter, but I felt inclined to say something. She beat me to it.

“I come up here a lot, you know. I thought I liked the solitude. The constant quiet. But after a while, it just got…lonely. But the good thing is, I’m not alone anymore. Thanks to you.” She admitted, rather flushed.

It had been about three months since the ‘breakfast in bed’ incident, which included three months of akuma attacks that came one after the other. Incident numero uno has kept me thinking ever since then, so I’ve been out fighting the battles we’re faced with as soon as possible. To take my mind off things. Through that, I guess I’ve proven to Ladybug that she can trust me. Not to mention that we’ve had a while to talk between akumatizations and such.

“I-i’m glad you finally trust me.” I conceded, grinning.

“I never didn’t trust you, per se. But you became my partner so unexpectedly, without warning. I was confused. But you proved to me in no time the person you can be. And now I have someone I can confide in.” She turned to me and smiled softly, nervously. And it punched me in the gut.

She fiddled with her yo-yo after she spoke, and she didn’t say a word. Like it was difficult for her to open up. Her facade was broken, and I could see right through her. She was really just some girl who was fatefully chosen to sacrifice her life and her time to the city. I’d seen her be audacious and vigorous.

But that mask had wilted away into the glow of the moonlight. Now, she was simply a human being. A girl had no choice but to help others. It was ironic. I knew she was a kind person under her suit mask. She had to be. But it didn’t take away from the fact that she had no other option but to fill the shoes of ‘Paris’ Guardian Angel’, which left her without any sleep, naturally.

“Y’know, you’re not what I thought you’d be,” I told her, bumping her with my shoulder.

“What's that supposed to mean?” She scoffed jokingly.

“Well, when I first met you, I thought you were stubborn and ran on nothing but sleepless nights, which is still kind of true, but now I’m realizing that you’re not the facade you hide behind. You’re not as confident as you claim. You're softer and quieter. That’s not a bad thing; I just think that you’re afraid of vulnerability. Afraid to fail.” I explained wholeheartedly.

Ladybug looked a little offended at first, and then her expression changed from exasperation to compassionate acknowledgment. I realized that my speculation was right when she opened her mouth to say something, and nothing came out. I knew she was glad that someone finally understood. She finally had someone in the same situation as her.

“So…You’re not intimidated by me anymore?” She asked rather glumly.

“No, I’m still pretty terrified of you.” I grinned. She nodded and made a happy ‘I thought so’ face, looking pleased with herself once again.
“That’s all you got out of that?’ I asked her, somewhat disappointed.

“No, no. It’s not that. I’m just thinking. No one's ever been able to read me before, and the fact that someone I can’t even know all of can, scares me.” Her gaze dropped to the city, “ but also, I’m glad there's someone who does. Still, it just-”

She paused. For a long time. I knew she was trying, but as I suspected, she would never open up. Not right now anyways. After the silence was becoming unbearable, I heard her breath hitch.

“Shoot, I didn’t mean to-“ I started before she cut me off.

“No, it's alright. I'm alright. Sorry, I…” she trailed off.

She was attempting to blink back tears and was shaking her head slightly. I turned to face her fully; her whole person endeavored to turn away from me. She gripped her yo-yo tightly and grew insanely tense.

“Ladybug..?” I warned.

“It’s ok. It’s alright. I’m Alright. I’m fine.” She said, which made me unsure whether she was convincing me or herself.

“You don’t have to be,” I replied honestly, and she let her guard down to turn to me for a split second. I was hopeful until she started again,

“You’re right,” Another pause. “I need to be.”

And then she took out her yo-yo and was off. And for the second time in three months, she surprised me more than I thought she could.

When I got back to the apartment, I did not sleep. I decided I would tell Nino what happened in the morning. And, though it wasn’t necessarily my fault, I would never forgive myself for making Ladybug cry. She may have been tough, but I soon realized that there was much, much more to her than she was letting on…

 

.0^0.

 

“Did she call you or text you at all this morning?” I asked Alya after a while.

Marinette was always late. Always. It never failed, and it was no secret. But if she wasn't going to show up, she usually told us, or at least Alya.

“Goodness, why are you so anxious? You know she’s always late.”

“Well, she usually tells you if she’s going to be extra late.”

“Look, I’m sure she’s fine, but if you're so worried, why don't you call her?” Nino suggested.

“Well-”

“Yeah, good idea. Hold on, I’m gonna go get another coffee. Nino, will you help me carry this trash?” Alya said, gesturing to…actually, there was no trash on the table.

“Oh, yeah. We’ll be right back.”

And then she winked at me.

I sighed a very deep sigh.

But then I gave up, and I did call Marinette. The phone rang 3 times before she picked up.

“Adrien? Is everything alright?” She wondered, sounding worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just–wondering if you’re on your way.”

Yikes.

“Uhm…I’m–yeah? Why do you ask?”

“Oh! Uhm, Alya was just worried.” I replied coolly. Or so I thought.

“Is she, like, occupied? Can she not call me? No offense.”

“She’s got her hands full at the moment.”

“Ah. Well, uhm, I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright. Bye.”

And then she laughed and hung up.

I turned to look behind me, and of course, Alya and Nino were staring at me, snickering.

When are they not?

Chapter Text

(Marinette)

 

“I told you it would take time. And now, look, in that short span, you two have already defeated countless villains. A hundred at least.” Master Fu said, pleased, while pouring tea into a cup in front of me.

“Yeah, and that’s a hundred too many. We’ve fought every one he's thrown at us, but we've never been close to defeating him.”

He sipped his own tea politely and waited for a moment until he spoke again.

“Marinette. These things take time. If I didn’t know you could do it, I would have never chosen you.”

“Which is why you sent a whole person to come and help me do something I was supposedly already supposed to do?” I countered rudely.

I took a breath before speaking again. I needed to get a hold of myself.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t worry. I know it’s still difficult to accept, I imagine. Truthfully, I didn't know if sending help was the proper decision. Tikki actually helped me in making it.” He smiled at the Kwami by my side.

She attempted to smile back while munching on a cookie, which made me laugh. Oh, Tikki. I should’ve known.

“I do realize that you think I don’t believe you can do it. But also, you know, I only did this to help you. Like I said, he is a villain, and a powerful one at that. I, or anyone else, wasn’t expecting you to defeat him immediately. Whoever thinks you’re not doing your job should try it themselves. See if they can do it.”

.0^0.

 

I left Master Fu’s place and thought about what he said. He was right. But to be fair, he was always right. I was glad to be Paris’s superhero. I can't imagine myself doing anything else, anyway. Maybe I just needed to be in that mindset.

I fled to the usual rooftop. Just for fun. The view of the city from there, no matter what time of day it was, was always beautiful. It wasn’t an escape right now. Just a place to be.

But then I heard soft padding behind me.

He always knew I was here.

“You know you really do have cat paws,” I said, not bothering to turn around.

“Thank you?” He laughed, crouching to sit beside me.

“No, I’m serious. You walk like a cat.” I giggled.

“How observant of you, M’lady. So, how long have you been waiting for your knight and shining armour to show up?”

“Tch. Some knight.” I snickered.

“What?! I'm chivalrous and I’ll sacrifice myself for you any day. That’s some knight behavior, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Sure. You’re more ‘stray cat’ vibes. Sorry.”

“You just don't know what you're talking about. Stray’s happen to be very skilled and mysterious,” he said sarcastically while crossing his arms, “Besides, if I stopped coming around, you know you’d miss me.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

His eyes lit up, and his ears perked. Like I said.

“Maybe?! Why, that’s practically a yes.”

“Just don’t think about it,” I replied quickly, attempting to hide the smile that was undoubtedly spreading across my face.

“Too late. I knew you cared, Bug.” He boasted, booping my nose.

“Sureee.” I snickered.

“You deny it, but I know how you really feel about me.” He admitted, narrowing his eyes.

Wha-

“A-and how’s that..?” I asked in a whisper.

“You tolerate me.” He gestured proudly.

“OH! Yeah, well, heh…Maybe if you were less annoying, I’d even like you.”

And then it hit me. He was always annoying, don’t get me wrong. Maybe he didn’t have to do anything to get me to like him.

Maybe I already did.

No. No way. Not like that anyway.

“Me-ouch! I can’t believe you don’t like me yet. Now I’m down to eight lives. Straight to the heart.” He pouted, making an exaggerated frowny face.

“Don’t be silly…You’re down to about five.” I rolled my eyes.

“Only for you, Bugaboo.”

“Hey, there's a rhyme.” I joked.

“What can I say? I’m a poet. They say poets are pretty romantic.” He said, his face inching closer to mine.

Way too close. It took me a moment to register what was going to happen–or at least what I thought was going to happen. I snapped back into reality and pushed his face back with my finger on his nose.

“Well, not all poets are romantic, you know. Especially not those wearing leather with cat ears.” I joked.

“How rude! Are you meaning to tell me that my rhymes won't sweep you off your feet in no time?” He shook his head.

“Pfft. As if. Your poetry is more like debauchery.”

He sighed. A long, dreamy sigh.

“Oh, M’lady. I’d let you take my pride any day. You’re totally ruthless, you know that?”

“You’ll be fine.”

“As long as it’s you taking my pride. If I get to hear you truly laugh, then it’s worth it.”

Woah. Maybe he was a poet.

“Right. See you, Chaton.” I said hurriedly and zipped away.

 

.0^0.

 

“What the HELL is wrong with me? I cannot like him, Tikki.” I said, flopping on my bed face-first.

“Why not?” She asked innocently.

“Because. If he becomes a weakness–well, that’s just not good. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad-” I said before Tikki interrupted me.

“Goodness, Marinette! You need to give yourself a break. You can like whoever you want to like.” She giggled.

“Oh, I wish it were that simple. Also–I think I’m delusional because I thought he was going to kiss me and then I pushed him away, but he wasn’t going to kiss me and-”

“Take a breath! It’s ok! You don’t have to think about it right now.” Tikki reassured me.

Then, like most nights, I did some designing and went to bed.

However, I did not sleep for a while. Actually, I was up until about two in the morning. Ughhhh, why was love so hard?

Love.

Maybe I was being dramatic.

Chapter Text

(Adrien, 3 weeks earlier)

 

“I’m just saying, you could’ve chosen anything.” Nino sighed, picking up our drinks from the counter.

I rolled my eyes and took my drink from Nino’s extended hand. We made our way through the café and sat at our usual table in the back. The girls weren’t with us because they only joined us in the mornings or for emergencies. This was basically a daily thing for Nino and me, though.

“I didn’t really choose it. It’s just kind of what showed up when I transformed for the first time.” I said, shrugging.

“Nope. That’s not what Plagg said. Seriously, the bell is ridiculous. Respectfully.”

I gasped dramatically and made a staged offended face. Honestly, though, he wasn’t wrong, but I liked ridiculous. I didn’t actually think (or get to think, rather) about choosing my costume; it really did kind of show up the way, but it does conform to whatever we truly want, so…I guess that’s a little embarrassing for me. To be fair, I didn’t really care.

“Also, no offense, Ladybug’s suit is great and all, but it’s, dare I say, bland,” Nino said before sipping his drink.

“I like it,” I stated blatantly.

“You only like it because it’s tight.” He smirked.

“Mature.”

“You didn’t deny it.”

And I didn't.

 

.0^0.

 

We left the café soon after we’d finished our very…productive conversation and were headed back to campus.

“Noooooo, let’s not go back to campus. I’d rather lick the bottom of your shoe.” Nino complained.

“Ew, why my shoe?” I flinched back.

“You go out more than I do. Probably scarier stuff on it.” He shrugged.

“I- That is not true. You’re out way more. Lick your own shoe, man.” I told him.

“Ok, ok enough about licking shoes.. I say we find something to do before we head back. Going back to campus right now sounds like a death wish. Maybe we could go around and find a record store near here.” Nino suggested.

I agreed with him. School was so slow these days, plus I needed some new music anyway. We walked around for a while, considering we were near a lot of interesting places we could always go into to waste time. We finally reached a record store that was around twenty minutes away from the Cafe.

The selection of music was insanely wide. Seriously, think of anything, any album, artist, they’d have it. They had vinyls and CDs. I had a record player and a few records gifted to me by my father, but I never really used them. His music taste is also odious.

Even the albums I had bought for myself over the years, I never really listened to on the record player.

I had lost Nino in the store at some point. I knew as soon as we entered that I wouldn’t see him for a while.

I listened to music enough, but I really had already acquired most of the albums that I cared to listen to. Which is not a lot, truthfully.

There were some (ok, so maybe like six) CDs that I saw, however, that piqued my interest. So, on a whim, I bought them all.

About ten minutes later, Nino walked out of the door to where I was waiting outside for him. I grabbed the bag of music he was holding and looked through it. Our music taste was very different, but he knew what he liked, and so did I.

“Hey, hey now. You can’t just grab my bag. Let’s see what you’ve got, mister.” He said accusingly, while ripping my bag of CDs from my hands.

I did not even get a chance to explain before he started rummaging through the bag, his expression growing more and more confused with each item he looked at.

“Uh…dude. Is there something you wanna tell me..?” He said, only half joking.

“No, no. Those aren’t for me.” I told him. He looked at me weirdly for a moment.

“Then—who are they for?”

Yeah, so, at that point, I didn’t think about what I was doing. But I did in fact buy six different CDs for Marinette. When I didn’t respond, Nino’s face twisted into a smirk.

“Ohhhhh, The Little Lady, huh?”

I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know, I saw them and thought of her. If you say anything more, I might actually make you lick the bottom of my shoe.” I threatened. He held up his hands in defense, and that was that.

We walked back astoundingly slow in the comfortable silence. Neither of us was willing to rush back to the school, but the walk back was like thirty minutes, so we weren’t gonna be back anytime soon with the pace we were going.

“Ok, so after this, I’ll drop it, but how are you planning to give those to her? Like, are you just going to tell her ‘Hey, I was thinking of you like I always am, so I bought you six CDs’ or what?” Nino asked, breaking the silence.

And that was an amazing question.

“Ok, so that is not true, but, uhm—I don’t… really know. I guess I’ll just improv.” Yeah, I knew it wasn’t a good idea as soon as I said it.

“Yeah, ok, one, don’t do that. Two, do you, like—like Marinette?” He questioned.

“I mean, not like—well, we’re always together now. I don’t know, I’ve definitely enjoyed getting to know her better,” I admitted truthfully.

“So Ladybug is still…like? The main one?”

“Ok, so, don't say it like that. But no, she’s the only one. I’m not just building up a list of side chicks.” I joked.

“Well, that’s reassuring. Also, don’t say ‘side chick.’” Nino laughed. “Look, I’m just here for moral support and outstanding advice so…”

“I don’t need moral support. I’m literally just giving her a tiny little gift.” I said, trying mostly to convince myself that.

“Sure, man.”

We kept walking through Paris in a feeble attempt to make it back to our dorms, passing by metros and various other shops. Conversations ebbing and flowing.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, thoughts of Marinette lingered there. Which happened a lot now, apparently. I didn’t really know if she actually listened to these people, but I knew seeing her smile would be worth it nonetheless.

 

.0^0.

 

(Marinette, the same day)

 

I was working on the embroidery for one of my sundresses when suddenly I got a knock on my door. I was not expecting any company, therefore I did not look so adorable. I was in my usual tank and sweats. Also, I threw my hair up in a messy bun this morning, because it was wash day, but at the same time, I do not have time for that. The mop-top was not so cutie-pootie.

I opened the door to my dorm only for Adrien to be standing right outside of it.

Perfect. Just absolutely perfect.

Over the past couple of weeks, Adrien and I have spent more and more time together after realizing that we spent most of our high school days barely speaking to each other. Because of this, however, the more time I spend getting to really know him, and not just the version of Adrien that my brain made up, no, the real version of him, the more I fall in love with him every day. That being said, my current state was not one to write home about.

“Oh! Uhm, hi. I was not expecting people today, so if you comment on my appearance, I am shutting the door politely in your face.” I said truthfully, earning me a grin.

“Well, hello to you too,” He said, leaning against the doorframe (sensually) and making me wonder why he was even here. “I was at the record store with Nino earlier, and if I do recall, you told me that music helps you focus on your sketching.” He rambled.

“Uh huh.” I nodded, confirming his statement.

“So I saw a couple of albums that I just assumed you would listen to.” He said, handing me a bag full of CDs.

“Uhm, you bought these for me just…randomly?” I asked, accepting the bag.

“Yeah. I saw them and was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m sure Mari would like these,’ so I bought them. And now they’re yours.” He stated, grinning extensively.
“Yes, I understand that, but Adrien, there are five CDs in here.”

“Yes? And? Do you recognize any of these people?” He asked, not paying attention to my tone.

I let out a hefty sigh as he gave me a ‘well, do you?’ look. I started pulling CDs from the bag to inspect them more closely. I had no idea how he’d done it, but I listened to every one of these albums all the time.

And he made an Ariana Grande reference, hehe.

“Adrien. Why did you buy me these?” I said, sighing.

“Do you not like them?” He questioned, tone serious and disappointed.

“What? No, that’s not it. I’m just saying that this is so unnecessary.” I reassured him.

“But do you know of them?”

“Like the artists? Yeah, uhm, quite well actually. I do not remember talking about any music artists, though, so I’m curious as to how you acquired the knowledge regarding the type of music I listen to.” I stated matter-of-factly.

“Wait, so I guessed right?!” He assumed, face lighting up.

“You guessed these?!” I yelled questioningly.

“I guess I just know you too well.” He smirked.

“Adrien.”

“Mari.”

“How did you know?” I interrogated him seriously.

“I swear I just guessed.” He confirmed enthusiastically.

“There is no way you guessed, like, almost all of my favorite albums. Let alone these five. I love Alya, but I’m fairly certain she barely knows my top three. What’s your secret, blondie?”

He smiled and shook his head like he was disappointed in me. He just kept acting like he didn’t just hear me ask a question and continued to lean against the doorframe.

“I’m telling you, I am an amazing guesser. You have a certain vibe to you that I guess I have memorized by now. Like a pattern I could draw from memory.” He explained truthfully.

My heart skipped a beat at his statement. He may not have meant anything romantic by it, but it still made all my emotional organs start screaming. I smiled thoughtfully at him and mustered all my courage to squeeze his hand. He smiled back at me, a real Adrien Agreste, non-model smile, which in turn had my stomach dropping.

He was always so damn handsome.

Ok Marinette! Ha…ha. Now is not the time to be a fan girl. You’re an adult. Be mature.

“Well, thank you for these. I’ve been meaning to buy some CDs for a while now.” I said lovingly.

“I’m glad you like them. By the way, what is your favorite album? Just out of curiosity.” He asked.

“Born Pink,” I responded immediately and without question

“Good to know. Anyways, how are you?” He questioned.

I just laughed. The fact that Mr. Gentleman Agreste didn’t open with that line just had me giggling. He was always so sweet and kind and was always worrying about the well-being of others. Also, not to mention that whenever we hang out, he asks that immediately.

“I’m doing pretty good. How are you?” I asked, jokingly polite, might I add.

“Better now that I’m with you.” He joked, booping my nose.

“That is so demeaning.” I crossed my arms. He just laughed.

“I’m kidding, Mari. Anyways, would you want to accompany me to dinner?”

“Uhm…like—a date?” I wondered out loud.

WAIT NO. MARINETTE NO. TAKE IT BACK.

"I-" I started a statement to save myself, but he cut me off immediately by saying,

“Only if you want it to be.”

“I-You have no shame, do you?”

“No shame in the truth. So, will you?”

I obviously said yes.

Chapter Text

Adrien went back to his apartment for a couple of minutes to drop something off. I took this time to obviously freak the freak out because WHAT THE HECK?!

So I did what I did best.

Texted Alya, of course.

Marinette: ALYA
Marinette: ALYA
Marinette: ALYAAAAA
Marinette: ANSWER ME
Marinette: HOE.
Marinette: ALYA WHERE ARE U.
Marinette: I’LL NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING AGAINNN ALYA COME OVER ASAP.

Ok, perfect!!!! WHY IS SHE NOT ANSWERING?!

“Tikki! What do I do?!” I screeched desperately.

Tikki emerged from the drawer she was nested in while I was…having a chat with Adrien.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” She asked curiously.

‘I cannot do this. An actual DATE?! Tikki, I haven’t been on a date…like ever. I cannot do this! I don’t know what to wear, how to…go on a date?? I DON’T KNOW!!!” I shouted in a desperate attempt for help.

But Tikki was not human. She has not and won’t ever go on a date, because Kwami’s don’t fall in love. I don’t believe that for a second because I can’t imagine a world in which I couldn’t fall in love. That sounds awful.

“Don’t worry, Marinette. It’s just Adrien. Besides, you’re the fashion designer. You know what you should wear! But if you’re that nervous, I can help you.” Tikki reassured me.

She was amazing.

“I-i don’t know. I don’t know why I’m so freaked out. I mean, it’s just Adrien. But also….ITS ADRIEN!! Ughh, I wish Alya would answer her freaking phone.”

It was silent for a moment. Neither Tikki nor I said anything. We both knew I was a total wreck. Even if Tikki was too nice to say it.

Then there was a knock at the door.

OH MY GOODNESS, ALYA!

I raced to the door as fast as possible. Thank goodness.

Wait a darn minute.

Alya doesn’t knock.

Well, she doesn’t knock unless she does, you know?

Sigh.

I opened the door and, surprise, surprise, it was Adrien.

He was wearing a smart-casual outfit, and I was the teensiest bit grateful he was ready because I do not know what to wear.

But also, he was ready. I was not.

I tend to find myself in these sorts of predicaments more times than I can count.

“I’m not ready yet,” I stated immediately with my sneaky double meaning.

“I know.” He said before striding in like he owned my dorm.

Ugh! How dare he! (Just kidding. It was kinda hot).

“Uhm—what are you doing?”

“Well, I’m waiting for you to get ready.” He replied innocently.

I sighed. Heavily.

“Couldn’t you have picked me up at six like a normal person?” I rolled my eyes.

“Mmmm. I could’ve.”

“I don’t even have an outfit picked out yet.”

"That’s alright. We’ve got time.”

I rolled my eyes again.

“Will you help me?’ I pleaded.

“Yeah, with what?”

“With an outfit.” I hesitated.

His face lit up and he gasped dramatically.

“You mean I get to see your closet?!”

“Ok, Barbie. What are you so interested in my closet for?” I giggled.

“Well, you have impeccable fashion taste, and you design a lot of your clothes. I always like seeing your designs.” He admitted.

“Alrighty then. You do it.” I told him, opening my closet door.

His jaw literally dropped, and I was a little worried for the sentence that was about to come out of his mouth. Thankfully, it was a standard question.

“How do you have a whole closet in here?”

“Ohhhh. Well, they overestimated freshman application or something, so I scored the jackpot and I’m living alone in a double. I moved this wardrobe thingy in here for most of my clothes. A lot of them are living in the bakery still, but they weren’t important enough to where I needed to wear them.” I explained
thoroughly.

“Makes sense. Do you like living in the dorms?”

“Mmm, depends on what day you catch me on. How did you score living in an apartment with Nino? I thought that was like… forbidden for freshmen.”

“Uh, well, my father didn’t want me staying in the dorms, but I didn’t want to be all alone, so I decided Nino should come with me.” He muttered hesitantly.

I hissed through my teeth at his own mentioning of Mr. Agreste and silently cursed myself. That was the obvious answer.

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t worry. I don’t mind it.” He said, smiling. I think that was a lie, but I wasn’t going to push it.

“Ah! Ok! Outfit, go!”

“Oh, uhm, give me like…I don’t know. Go get ready, I’ll pick out an outfit.”

I was then shooed into my bathroom with the door hurriedly shut behind me.

The audacity!

I was having an internal freak out because I was getting ready for dinner while Adrien was picking out my outfit, which made my life feel…in order, I don’t know. Can’t explain it. But it all felt oddly domestic, which was an idea I don't feel ready to warm up to.

Not to mention, I don’t think that's what this is about anyway. I think it’s just a dinner date. I always overthink things.

“Oh Mariiiii. I have acquired an ensemble of garments for someone such as yourself whilst the two of us are trotting about the city.” He said for some reason.

“How long did it take you to come up with that?” I giggled from my respective spot in the bathroom.

“Next question.” He loudly stated. Loud enough for me to hear from the bathroom at least, “Are you ready?”

“Almost. It takes a bit longer for me, you know.”

“I know. No rush.”

After a moment or two of finishing up my makeup and whatnot, I stepped out of the bathroom and hesitantly turned to Adrien. I was a bit worried about what he picked out. Just because his father is the most famous fashion designer ever doesn’t mean his fashion sense is good.

Well, based on the clothes I’ve seen him wear (I see him every day), he can dress himself very well. But I also don’t trust my judgment when it comes to him. Plus, Nino could just be really amazing at helping Adrien pick out an outfit for the day.

“Ready to see?!” He asked eagerly.

“You sound confident.”

“I am. I’ve been through countless photo shoots. I know what looks good.”

That line felt like there was more he was letting on…

Here I go again, overthinking things.

“Let's see it.” I urged.

He held up what he had picked out, and I hate to admit it, he really does know what looks good. It was one of the red sundresses I made last summer for a birthday party or a picnic, or something. I’m not really sure.

He picked some accessories to go with it (I do not wanna think about where he could’ve looked to find those) that I haven’t seen in ages, but went perfectly with the dress.

“Wow. And here I was doubting you.”

He sighed and shook his head, ‘I can’t believe you have no faith in me. Do you like it?”

“Yes, but is it not a little much?”

“Nope. Don’t worry. Here ya go.” He handed me the dress, and I retreated back into the bathroom.

I slipped on the little red dress just to recall that there was a zipper at the back. How did I not see it immediately? Great question.

Once I had it all the way on, my suspicions were confirmed. Great. Just great. For as often as I sew things and zip things up, you’d think I could maneuver my hands to zip up my own dress.

Well, dear friends, that is not the case.

I have not yet unlocked the ability to experience sensuality, and I’m not ready for that anyway. While that may be a little extreme, someone else zipping up my dress falls in that category. At least for me.

I walked out of the bathroom, trying not to blush, or you know, run away, and sheepishly asked Adrien to zip up my dress. I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse that this dress doesn't require a bra, because I think I’d be a little embarrassed with it showing, but also, I’m not wearing a bra…so…

AH. NO. I cannot be thinking like this. I swear my mind isn't in the gutter, my nerves are just really nervy tonight.

“Thanks!” I said a couple of octaves too high.

I walked briefly past him to grab my cutie little clutch and told him I was ready to go.

As soon as we got off campus, it occurred to me that I didn't even know where we were going.

“Wait a second, where are we going?” I asked finally.

“It’s a surprise.” He shrugged.

“It’s not somewhere fancy, is it?”

“Not necessarily.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”

He did his signature Adrien Agreste wink, and I rolled my eyes. Figures. Eventually, I decided to turn off my phone because wherever we were going, it was probably not appropriate to have my phone ring or something.

Also, I didn’t want to be distracted by it.

It was very easy for me to get distracted...

Chapter Text

(Adrien)

Mari and I walked off campus and took a quiet stroll for a few moments. It didn’t matter where we were; the city was always beautiful.

I’ve come to realize over the past couple of weeks and months that, even though Mari is a little scatterbrained and all over the place (in the best way, don’t take it wrong), she’s pretty quiet. It’s not like she’s uncomfortably quiet; I just think she spends a lot of time in her thoughts.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna tell me where we’re going?” She asked curiously, batting her eyelashes at me.

I laughed and said, “You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”

“Ughhhh, but I’m impatient and not good with surprises.” She groaned.

“I know. That’s why I’m keeping you guessing.”

She huffed and rolled her eyes at my response.

“Don’t make me do the opposite of guessing.” She threatened.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“The silent treatment.” She said deadpan.

I gasped dramatically in my usual fashion and clutched my hand over my heart.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

She giggled and replied,” Yeah, you’re right, I wouldn’t. That always works, though.

“Who have you tried it on that works?’ I joked.

“Uhm…you know.”

“Because I know it wasn’t Alya.”

“No, I would never dare to try that on Alya. She’s my favorite person on this earth, but she scares the hell out of me sometimes.” She shivered.

“Yeah, that tracks. I think Nino feels the same way. He’d do anything for that woman while also trembling every time she walked into a room.”

Even without the two here, they always ended up in conversation. That’s just how they are.

“Though I can’t really blame either of you. She’s determined to a point of level-headed insanity, which is surprisingly terrifying.” I admitted.

“Ohh, level-headed insanity. That’s a good one. I swear she’s gonna rule the world or something. Ooh, that sounds a little scary,” She hissed through her teeth. I just laughed. “Honestly, though, and this is super random, I’m surprised her and Nino aren't married yet.”

 

“Aren’t we all. Neither of them seems like they’d want to get married early, or even at all, but at this point, who's to say they’re not?”

 

“Oh my goodness, what if they got secretly eloped and didn’t tell anyone?!” She gasped.

“Wait…that is entirely possible. I’m gonna ask him.”

I took out my phone to text him, so Mari and I stopped at a nearby park. There was a park swing there, so that’s where we decided to sit while cracking our case.

 

Adrien: hey random question

 

He responded almost immediately, which meant he wasn’t with Alya. Perfect timing, hehe. I am such an amazing schemer.

Nino: shoot

 

Adrien: u and alya didn't get secretly eloped and not invite me or Mari right

 

Nino: uhm
Nino: no..?

 

Adrien: alrighty just checking

 

Nino: no no
Nino: come back

 

Adrien: I never left

 

Nino: where the hell did that even come from

 

Adrien: uhm
Adrien: yk

 

Nino: ok well
Nino: no
Nino: we did not in fact

 

Adrien: I'm sure

 

Nino: Yeah ok
Nino: oh
Nino: also
Nino: call Alya

 

Adrien: no way
Adrien: I am not asking her that
Adrien: WAIT
Adrien: HA
Adrien: I KNEW IT

 

Nino: no
Nino: shes trying to call u but u wont answer

 

Adrien: oh oops
Adrien: my phone is on dnd

 

I went over to the call app and looked up at Mari, who was doubled over laughing.

“Why do you guys text like that?”

“Not sure. Also, I’m a little worried about what's going to happen.”

“I would consult you, but I have no idea what she’s going to say. I’m equally as worried.”

Well, that’s reassuring. But I didn’t have much of a choice, so I called her anyway.

“Uhm, hello?” I said once she picked up.

“Oh my goodness, you FINALLY answered. Have you seen Mari anywhere? She texted me to come over to her dorm a.s.a.p, and when I got there and went in, she wasn't even there. Plus, she's not answering her phone. And her location isn't even on, which is very out of character!” She rambled.

“Oh, yeah, she’s with me,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Oh! I see. What–what are you two up to then?” She asked suspiciously.

“Well, we're on the way to dinner right now.”

“Uh-huh. Can I speak to Marinette, please?” She asked, sort of jokingly, but also a little intimidating.

I handed the phone over to her, and her face looked sort of terrified.

“Hey… Alya!”

I couldn’t really hear what she was saying to her, but based on Mari’s reaction, it sounded and looked like she was being scolded by her mother or something. They said their goodbyes, and Marinette hung up the phone for me. We were silent for a moment until she said,

“Exhibit A.”

“Exhibit A?”

“You know. Of her level-headed insanity. I get treated like she's my mother.” She joked.

“Could be worse. She treats Nino like her husband.” I replied, and she had a good laugh at that.

Then she sighed and said, “They make it look so easy.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Love. Dating? All of that. To be fair, they started dating in high school, so I guess it was easier then. Maybe not, I wouldn’t know.” She admitted.

Before I could think about it, I said, “Have you ever been on a date before?”

Oof. Mental facepalm.

“Uhm…Have you?” She shot back.

I immediately thought about whatever the two of us did in the cafe that day. The only ever ‘date’ I’ve really been on was with her.

“Depends on what you’d consider a date.”

“Hmm. Why do you ask?”

“You just seem a little nervous,” I told her, which was a mistake, apparently.

“Ha! Me? Nervous? I’m not nervous. Not at all. Heh, w-what makes you say that?”

I just laughed.

“Oh, no reason. “ I joked.

“Ughhh, I know, ok, just don’t talk about it. I’ve always been a nervous wreck, and I also, uhm, have never in fact been on a date before.” She admitted.

“Well, I would’ve never known.”

“Then why’d you ask?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Alya told me you were freaking out about something.”

“Pfft. Bold of you to assume it was about you.” She said, knowingly lying through her teeth.

I just rolled my eyes.

“I already know it was. You’re a really terrible liar.” I told her.

“Uh-huh. I’m sure. Hey, didn’t this surprise of yours include food?” She wondered out loud.

“I know you’re just trying to change the subject.”

“I know you didn’t answer my question.” She snapped.

“Ok. Maybe if you let me push you, I’ll tell you.” I dealt, standing up to go behind the swing.

“You wouldn’t dare.” She said, smiling.

“Oh, but I would.”

She squealed as I started rearing the swing back, and she just completely lost it. She was laughing so hard that the rest of the people in the park turned to look at us. We really were being harmless; people are just nosy.

Her laughter literally gave the park life, though. It’s like how people say certain things are contagious. Maybe that's why laughter falls into that category. At least Mari’s was.

“Ahh! Stop! You can’t have me all dizzy before we start walking again.” She said between giggles.

“Someone has the gigglebug,” I said as I pulled the swing to a stop.

“That caught me off guard! I wasn’t ready.”

I helped her to her feet, and we both casually began walking again before we started up a conversation again.

“You know what I was just thinking about?” She wondered.

“What were you just thinking about?”

She side-eyed me before saying, “Do you think the stars look brighter in like parks or something, or on really tall buildings. I like stargazing, but I never really think about how bright the stars could be. Because in a more secluded area, there’s probably less light, which means less light pollution. But ALSO, on a tall building, you’re closer to them, so maybe they could be brighter there? And it’s not like there are lights up there unless it's the Eiffel Tower or something. You know?”

Somewhere amidst her rant, I grabbed her hand. She didn’t seem to notice, and I wasn’t going to bring it up, because if I did, she would probably pull away out of nervousness or something. I was just curious to see if she’d notice. She didn’t.

“Why don’t we find out after dinner?” I asked. I was genuinely up for it, and it’s not like either of us had anything better to do anyway.

“Really? Are you sure you don’t have any plans or anything?”

“Yup. Nino is staying with Alya tonight anyway, so I don’t think he’ll worry about me.”
“Alrighty then. That sounds fun!” She confirmed.

“What made you think about that?”

“Hmm. Not sure. You know how it is sometimes.” She spoke as if I did in fact know.

“Do you have any other random questions that feel worth asking?” I inquired.

Her face lit up. Apparently, she had been thinking about this for quite some time.

“Yes, actually.”

“Ok, I’m ready.”

“No, you’re not. You cannot pick a wrong answer, Blondie. It’s a crime.” She threatened. And I can’t lie, I was a little threatened.

“Ok, well, I’ll try my best.”

“Alright. What’s the worst pastry?” She asked smugly.

Oh. Man. This was serious.

“Oh. Wow, you weren’t kidding. Well, I can’t offend the baker's daughter.”

“No, you really can’t. Not a good idea. Better choose wisely.”

I really did think long and hard about this. Chouquettes were obviously the best, no doubt about it. But the worst? Was there even one that could be given that title?

“Do I have to pick?”

“Yup.” She responded immediately.

She also didn’t seem to notice we were still holding hands. But I did, don’t be fooled.

“Hmmmm. All pastries are amazing, don't get me wrong-” I started until she cut me off,

“Okayyy, don’t butter me up, Agreste.” She joked. And OH MY GOODNESS. MADE A PUN. FOR ONCE.
“GASP! Marinette Dupain-Cheng makes a pun for the first time ever!” I dramatically announced to no one but us.

“You think you’re so smart. I know you’re deflecting.”

I sighed in defeat and admitted it. I was then redirected back to the question, and then revealed that it was pain au raisin. She sighed a sigh of relief, and I honestly did too.

“Well, because you expect chocolate and you bite it and it’s not. Like, how disappointing is that?” I explained.

“You know I never really liked those either. They’re boring, and I hate raisins. Eugh. And, admittedly, I don’t like croissants that much. I don’t hate them, but when you grow up in a bakery and that's what’s easiest to make and get access to, they become so tiring.”

“I understand that. I like croissants, but I’m sure they get boring after a while. The raisin pastries are disgusting.” I added.

After a couple more conversations and arguing over which is best, we made it to the restaurant. I chose a place called Assanabel Paris in the Alésia area. I didn’t come over here often, and I decided to experience a ‘new’ part (to me) of the city with her, because why not? I didn’t really know why I even asked her to dinner, but it was nice to spend time with her, so why not spend time with her over dinner?

The city was different over here. It was quieter and the light was more dim and golden than glowly and white from the moon. It was a little more sheltered and small, so you could hear the faint whispers of jazz music and clinking forks to plates from outside. It was peaceful and beautiful.

I could tell Mari liked it too because her eyes were twinkling as they do when she’s super in awe, which happens enough for me to notice.

We walked into the restaurant, and I had to check in with the lady at the front. She looked to be a couple of years older than us. She sat us at our table and told us our waiter would be with us soon.

Mari scoffed and said, “You said this place wouldn’t be fancy.”

“I actually never said that.”

“Uhm, yes, you did.”

“No, I said ‘not necessarily.’ It’s different.” I corrected innocently.

“Which implies that it so is.” She remarked jokingly.

“Hmm. What do you think you’re getting?”

“We don't even have the menu yet,” she huffed. “Do you know what you’re getting?”

“Touché.”

A waitress came by with our menus, and I watched as Mari flipped straight through it until she got to the very back. She read through her options and sighed heavily before looking up at me with her pretty blue eyes.

“Not impressed with the cocktail options?” I asked, amused. I didn't know if that was actually what she was looking for.

“No, I wasn't going to order a cocktail. I don’t drink, you know that,” she lowered her voice, “I was gonna order off the dessert menu first.”

Which obviously, by her saying that, made me laugh.

“Why’d you whisper? ” I teased before leaning in to match what she did previously, “Do you need me to ask her for it?”

She just rolled her eyes at me.

“I’m a big girl, I can ask for the dessert menu. I just thought it was, like, against the rules.”

“I don’t see any rules anywhere,” I shrugged, “but if you’re that worried, I'll order dessert first too.”

“No, it’s alright. I want you to get what you want,” she hesitated, “I just don’t exactly know what's acceptable where, you know?”

“Well, truthfully, I’m very indecisive when it comes to food, and I've never been here before, so I was just gonna get what you were getting,” I admitted.

A smirk grew on her face. She picked up a menu and set it up on the table as if to give us a conference wall.
“I have a remarkable idea,” She leaned in closer and whispered, “but only if you're up for it.”

“Always,” I confirmed.

“Alrighty. What if we order the most recherché, obscure items on each part of the menu? Even if we hate it, we tell the waiter how absolutely palatable it was, but more atrocious every time. If we end up hating everything, we go eat some cheap fast food.” She explained in great detail.

Honestly, I’m speechless at this point, because that’s the most amazing idea I've ever heard. I agree without a thought, and we both wait in excruciating misery for the waitress to come back.

There wasn’t much conversation after that for a couple of minutes. Just uncontrollable giggles and laughter.

We both agreed to take turns ordering so that we wouldn't laugh so hard and scare her away, or something.

We also ended up deciding to screw up the order in which we were ordering food. When we asked for the dessert first, she said,

“First? Like before your entrees?”

We both confirmed, and she gave us a very disapproving look, which was quite disappointing. But alas, we ordered a disgusting-sounding dessert called ‘Sweet cheese cream roll’, which…yeah, is pretty appalling. Oh, and not to mention it’s supposed to have sweet onion sauce drizzled on it…

I was not convinced, but Mari said that on the right dessert, it can taste like a sweet caramel or honey, but since neither of us actually knows what said dessert is, I guess we’ll just have to find out.

“What do you think it is?” She asked, sounding utterly disturbed.

“I have no clue,” I said, just as terrified. “ My guess is some sort of fancy cheese topped with some sort of cream topping, eugh. I guess they can call that dessert. It’s their restaurant.”

“Maybe it’s some sort of cheese pastry. Ew. Sometimes, some desserts need to be left as just sweet.” She winced.

I silently agreed.
The waitress came back surprisingly quickly with our ‘dessert’, and to our surprise, it was cheesecake. We both gave each other a knowing look that said, ‘we’re both stupid.’ Truthfully, it didn’t look that disgusting. We both went to try it, but soon realized that there was only one fork. She must’ve forgotten the second one. I called her back over, and she looked a little surprised when I told her we needed a second one.

“Oh. I apologize, I must’ve misunderstood. I’ll go grab another.”

Misunderstood?

I turned to Mari, whose cheeks were slightly flushed.

Ohhhh. Misunderstood.

She thought we were on a date. Well, I guess we kind of are, but is it not normal to want two forks anyway?

Truthfully, I wouldn’t have minded sharing a fork, but I’m not sure about Marinette.

We tried the dessert, and it was disgusting, sure enough. Since I ordered, Mari was going to give the review to the waitress to tell the chef. She couldn’t take her seriously, though, because she would not stop laughing while trying to speak.

This continued for every dish, as promised, and I seriously thought we were going to get kicked out. I didn’t really care, though. The waitress already did not want to be there, but I think our antics made her day so much worse. It’s not like we were disturbing anyone; people just despise fun, I guess.

There were only a couple of edible bites of each meal, which was honestly shocking to me, but we paid and dashed out of that restaurant. After a productive little stroll around the area, we spotted a karaoke bar. I told her we should drop a banger and leave, and that’s exactly what we did.

We stepped into the bar and sang THE worst rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On’. Despite our atrocity, every drunken soul in the bar gave us a standing ovation. It was truthfully the best moment of my life, and hers too, I think. We held hands and gave a dramatic bow. As soon as we finished our bow, we dipped.

We ran out of there, hand and hand, and we were doubled over laughing.

“Why did they clap?” Marinette asked between laughs.

“I have no idea. That was terrible.”

We both just stood for a moment to catch our breath.

“Wanna go get some real food?” I asked her after we could both breathe functionally. She nodded profusely, and we were on the way to a fast food chain on Avenue du Général Leclerc.

We ate super quickly and decided to find a spot to find the answer to Marinette’s star-gazing question. I told her we should stop by a Monoprix and she agreed. I went to the home section to find a blanket or two, but I had lost her long before I got there, like I assumed I would. I figured something had caught her attention.

I was just about to call her when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around only to find Marinette, who…was not wearing her dress from earlier. She was wearing red pajamas.
Uhm…what?

“Mar-” I started before a bag was rapidly thrown at me.

“Don’t be sad, I got you some too.”

I just stared at her in confusion. A little bit of shock and joy were mixed in my expression–but mostly confusion.

“You do realize how insane this is, right?” I wondered while looking in the bag, “Also, how the hell do you know my size? Wait, when did you change, what?!”

“I really just guessed, but you know I design a lot of clothes daily and know about measurements and stuff. That was just an educated guess.” She explained proudly. "Also, I changed in the bathroom once I checked out.”

“Do you really want me to walk out of the store like this? Oh my goodness, is this what you were doing this whole time?” I sighed.

“Yes and yes. We’ve already embarrassed ourselves enough tonight, so why not take it a step further? Now, chop chop,” she ushered, shoving me forward, “ Off you go. I’m teaching you that chaos is fun. I’ll be right here.” She smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes.

That made me want to roll my eyes, but also kiss her (which was impulsive, because where did that come from??), so I complied.

Marinette had bought me some matching green pajamas to go with her red ones, and I wanted to complain, but I really couldn’t. I wasn’t quite sure how to explain these if someone ever finds them in my closet, but truthfully, I don’t even care.

I stepped out of the bathroom and went to find Mari. Once she caught sight of me, her eyes turned into hearts. I swear, I could see it.

“EEK. Perfect. Now let's go check out these blankets.” She said a little too excitedly.

“What sparked the pajama idea?” I asked curiously.

She gave me a little smirk but told me not to worry about it. I wasn’t gonna question her any further.

Honestly, I couldn’t even be mad when the man at the checkout stared both of us down disapprovingly. I couldn't be mad when strangers eyed us down sidewalks as we walked with a strange haul of blankets and matching pajamas. And I especially couldn’t be mad when the two of us had to ask, verbatim, where the best stargazing spot was to unsuspecting bypassers.

Everyone had to put up with our mildly questionable antics the entire night, and we were having THE best time, not caring.

We ended up finding out that, unsurprisingly, the Eiffel Tower was not the best place to stargaze. We ended up sort of laying out a blanket on Le Deuxième Étage, which wasn’t that practical. There was definitely space, but enough space to lie down? Not so much. Plus, we spent the whole time giggling about how stupid we probably looked up there.

It was around midnight, which meant that most of the tourists were gone, so we weren't that ridiculous looking. It was pretty bright up there due to the lights, so while we could still see the stars, it was much more of a challenge. The view of the city from there, though from the railing, was still gorgeous. I had been to the Eiffel Tower an ok amount, I guess. We live here, so we see it every day. It’s nothing new.

But it was different tonight.

We both agreed to find our second location, and we ended up at Parc André Citroën. There was slightly less light pollution there. I wish we could’ve gone to a less popular park, but they were all so far away. We were both content with this one anyway..

We laid one of our blankets on the grass, and Mari had to make sure it was perfect before we lay on it. We picked a spot away from the lights and the bustle of the city. For once, it was just us.

I flopped down dramatically and patted beside me for her to follow suit. I thought she was going to roll her eyes or something, but she copied my previous motions instead.

She sighed a long sigh once we were both situated and gasped when she seemed to recognize a constellation. Of course, neither of us were big astrology nerds, so at some point we both ended up making new names for each one. They may not have even been constellations, but it didn't matter to us.

“Ohh, I see this one, like every night,” She pointed out with her finger, “It's called…running hamster. Because it’s always running in my view at night.” She explained confidently.

“That makes so much sense. That one is called, uhm, sweet cream cheese roll after that maniacal dessert. It’s so awful that it ended up in the history books.” I directed, pointing to a different set of stars.

She giggled and then started fake gagging. “Eugh. Don’t get me started. That was the most un-heavenly cheesecake ever. I can’t believe I lied to her face like that. It was most definitely not an exquisite combination of rare flavors.”

I just laughed. It was silent for a few minutes, and I was convinced she had fallen asleep. I turned to the side and found, to my surprise, that she was not asleep.

Her eyes were wide and pretty like usual, and she appeared to be quite invested in the sky. But she must’ve noticed I was staring because she mimicked my position and positioned her voice at a whisper.

“What?” She asked quietly.

“Nothing.” I denied while looking down at her empty hand. “Just observing.”

“Me or the stars?” She wondered out loud, noticing where my gaze had gone.

“Hmm. Whatever you want to believe.” I grabbed her hand, and she gasped lightly but didn't pull back.

“You’ve said that twice today.”

“I know,” I confirmed.

We stayed like that for a while. Both of our gazes were fixed on the stars again at some point, continuing to choose out-of-pocket names for them.

Soon, we decided to go back to the apartment and watch a movie, only after Mari offered up her dorm. I suggested my place would be better. She responded with,

“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d say that. Your apartment is so much better than the stuffy dorms. I just had to offer up my place first to make sure you were up for it.” Which obviously made me laugh.

We decided to take a cab ride back, which was only about fifteen minutes, but I could tell Mari was already exhausted. Truthfully, so was I. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I thought she was going to sleep there, too. She still didn’t, and now I was convinced that she was going to be awake longer than me.

We dragged ourselves out of the cab and made it inside the apartment safely. After subtle bickering, it was agreed upon that we were watching Enchanted because, duh. We both started at opposite sides of the couch. And then, in true movie fashion, we ended up shoulder to shoulder.

We were about halfway through the movie when I heard Marinette’s breathing slow. I wasn’t far behind her, and the lull of her steady breathing and the sound of the TV fading into the background ended up putting me to sleep.

I have no memory of anything after that.

Chapter Text

(Alya)

After calling Marinette for probably the fifteenth time, I frantically ran over to her dorm room. When I got there, I was knocking vigorously.

“Marinetteeeeee, sweetie, I’m gonna need you to answer your DAMN PHONE!” I yelled as I continued to knock. She didn’t answer me.

“If you don’t open the door, I'm gonna steal your key and walk in uninvited.”

Still no answer…I decided to just walk in because she was really worrying me, but when I went in, she wasn't even there.

Why would she tell me to come over as soon as possible if she wasn’t here?

This had to be some sort of joke. Not to mention that her door was unlocked. It's never unlocked. She’s always a little paranoid, in true Marinette fashion, so besides herself and her parents, I'm the only one with a key to her dorm. I think she even spoke to the school director, so that not even the RA has one, but I could be wrong.

“Oh! Maybe her parents know where she is.” I said to myself before realizing that it wouldn’t be a good idea to worry them. And I know Mari loves her parents, but truthfully, I don’t think she updates them a lot, so that’s not plausible.

I had the bright idea that maybe there was an Akuma alert that I had missed, and she was out fighting a villain, but when I checked the news, as well as the ‘Akuma alert’ app, there was no evidence of one.

Perfect.

In a desperate attempt, I called Nino. I’m not actually sure why, but I was stressed, so I went to my last resort.

However, in hindsight, there was one person I should’ve called first, and it’s kind of insane how they weren’t even plan A.

The phone didn’t even get a chance to ring before Nino picked up the phone.

“H-”

“HAVE YOU SEEN MARINETTE ANYWHERE?!” I yelled in a panic, not even caring that I cut him off.

“No, why?”

“She won’t answer my calls, and she needed me to get to her apartment as soon as possible, but she wasn't answering the door, and it’s unlocked, and she's not even in there, and I don't-"

“Whoa. Take a breath. I’ll call her. Maybe she’s mad at you.” He threw out nonchalantly.

“Yeah, as if. Trust me, if she were mad at me, I would know.”

“Huh. Well, who have you called so-“ he paused for a moment and didn’t continue.

“Wait-why’d you stop talking?”

“Sorry, Adrien texted me.”

“Ugh. So you haven’t seen her?”

“Why is he asking me if we got secretly eloped?”

“NINO!”

“Ok, sorry! No, I haven't seen her.”

“Ugh, well, th-WAIT! What exactly did Adrien say..?” I urged before I hung up the phone.

Nino shared his screen with me, and sure enough, Marinette was with Adrien.

Oh my goodness, it was so obvious.

“That explains so much,” I said out loud, dumbly.

Nino ended the screen share and confessed, “Wait, I think I missed something.”

I facepalmed and explained to him that us secretly eloping is a Marinette idea, not to mention that Adrien brought up Marinette.

Just in case, however, I told Nino to tell Adrien to call me. I hung up with him and waited for a call. I only had to wait a minute or two before his contact name appeared on my screen.

“Uhm, hello?” He greeted me once I answered.

“Oh my goodness, you FINALLY answered! Have you seen Marinette anywhere? She texted me to come over to her dorm a.s.a.p, and when I got there and went in, she wasn’t even there. Plus, she's not answering her phone. And her location isn’t even on, which is very out of character!” I rambled.

Eagerly, I waited for his reply to see if my guess was correct. And, of course, it was.

“Oh, yeah, she’s with me.” He stated nonchalantly.

AHA!

I had to pretend to be shocked, though, so I forced, “Oh! I see”, but Marinette never told me they were going to be hanging out, which was odd, “W-what are you two up to then?” I asked suspiciously.

“Well, we’re on the way to dinner right now.”

Oh.

Oh my goodness.

They’re on a date.

I have to pretend to be cool, though, because I can’t blow Marinette's cover. Or the one she thinks she has. To be fair, he’s not the brightest crayon in the box.
They’re perfect for each other.

I have to be intimidating so that Adrien doesn’t doubt my authority, “Uh-huh. Can I speak to Marinette, please?”

He didn’t answer, but a couple of seconds later, I heard Marinette's voice over the speaker.

“Hey…Alya!” She answered nervously.

“Hey, M! Would you like to tell me why you texted me to come over to your place as soon as possible and DIDN'T ANSWER MY CALLS? OR THINK TO TELL ME YOU LEFT YOUR DORM?!”

I may be going too hard on her, but I didn’t care. She brought this on herself. You know, because having me think the worst is totally the best idea.

“Yeah, I know, I-” she started before I cut her off with more scolding,

“And you left your door unlocked?! You never do that! You turned your phone off, so your location stopped working! You made me think you were taken or something-”

“ALYA! I know! I totally forgot that I turned my phone off, and I didn't tell you not to come. I’m sorry.” She stated genuinely.

Good.

Now I just need reassurance that it won't happen again.

“You should be. Anyways, what was so urgent?”

“Oh! Uhm, I’ll text you about it later.” She promised.

I made her swear that she would text me and that she would never give me another jumpscare. She said she’d do the best she could.

Well, I wasn’t getting a straight yes anyway, so I had to take that answer.

“Alright, well, have fun! Love you! TURN YOUR PHONE ON.”

“Love you too.” I think that was forced on her part, but she means it deep down.

I called Nino to tell him that everything was fine and dandy (sort of) and that I would be over soon.

 

.0^0.

 

Around 1:30 AM, Nino and I headed over to the apartment. Adrien was so unsuspecting, so Nino and I have been hanging out really late and going over to the apartment to sleep. Adrien's never actually questioned how I always show up. I think he just never puts thought into it. He’s not usually at the apartment anyway and is usually asleep by now.

I texted M once while Nino was unlocking the door. I was scolding her through text because the little liar never told me that she was home safe. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry long.

Just as Nino opened the door, a phone on the coffee table lit up the moment my text was delivered.

The TV was playing Enchanted, and it was about 15 minutes into the movie.

I know this because the four of us owned this movie. It’s something we’ve all seen together at least 100 times. That’s important because there was only one explanation for all the clues.

Nino and I had both come to the same conclusion at the same time and slowly turned to each other, smirking.

We tiptoed over to the couch, and Lo and Behold, Adrien and Marinette were sleeping.

Very close, actually.

So close that she was on top of him, sound asleep. To add on to things, they were wearing matching pajamas.

Matching Pajamas.

Yes.

Nino was barely whispering when he said, “We’re seeing the same thing, right?”

I just nodded.

“Damn. That was fast.”

“SSHH! They're gonna hear you!” I implied, not being any quieter.

“Good! They owe us an explanation.”

“Maybe they decided tonight was the night to confess their feelings.”

“That would explain why Marinette texted you so urgently. Didn’t you say that she’d tell you about why she texted you?” He concluded.

He was so right.

That would explain why she didn’t just tell me.

“You’re right. Hurry, take a picture and add it to the album before they move!” I hissed.

We have a whole photo album dedicated to them. They’re really touchy, and they don’t really know it, so we’re documenting them being flirty and showing the album to them at their wedding. These are years of photos. It's called “Adrienette”. Clever, huh?

We’re the best wing men ever documented.

Chapter Text

(Mari)

Oh.

If Alya wasn’t mother lecturing me before, she is now. Well, truthfully, it isn’t really ‘lecturing', but more like teasing.

Which, coming from Alya, is much worse.

She was doubled over cackling and laughing in between words. While I couldn’t really figure out what she was saying, I knew it was appropriate to roll my eyes.

“Matching pajamas, M” She snickered.

“UGHHH! Because why not?! You and Nino are so boring, you just don’t get the hype. And, it wasn’t actually a date. That’s just what we called it. It was like a platonic outing, ok?” I explained, even though I shouldn’t have to.

“I’m sorry, but explain this to me again. A dinner date where you both were completely idiotic together, a karaoke bar, ANOTHER dinner date, you know– in THE SAME NIGHT, grocery shopping, stargazing, and a movie. Very platonic.”

“Ok? We didn’t really eat the first time, and the second time it wasn’t even real food. And we weren’t grocery shopping. We were shopping for blankets.”

She pat me on the head innocently before grabbing her purse to leave, “Yeah, blankets to go stargazing with, You two are so cute it’s disgusting and cliche. When are you gonna open your eyes, Marinette?”

“But-”

“Byeee.” She said before shutting the door behind her.

I didn't have to wait long after she left before receiving a call from her.

I answered it but tapped the accept button angrily so the universe would know that my best friend was a brat.

A brat that I loved very much, of course.

“You didn’t text me last night.” She taunted with her sing-song tone and hung up.

I just huffed angrily.

 

.0^0.

 

As I was sitting on the roof, dangling my feet off the edge in true ‘me’ fashion, I heard footsteps padding from behind me.

“You’re lateeee.” I sang.

“Yeah, yeah. So, how have things been with you lately?” Chat Noir said, crouching to sit beside me.

“Uhm, ya’know. Same old. You?” I stated bluntly.

Things have been a little strange, at least for me, since the almost kiss. After the almost date, but not date with Adrien especially, which was only yesterday, has made it weirder. The reason being, I don’t know if I like Adrien or Chat more.

Theyre both amazing people and I know that what I said before is sort of an insane statement, but it’s true. I spend the most time with Adrien and I’ve loved him since i’ve met him, but…I don’t know. Recently I’ve liked him, or like-liked him a little less and Chat has sort of dethroned him in that sense.

I’m internally conflicted, but I can’t like Chat Noir–which is why I agreed to go on the date with Adrien.

Which was NOT a date.

And I can’t come to terms with myself because I dont like Adrien anymore. That can’t be a thing. But I don’t know why it can’t.

“Anything, uh, new with you?” I managed to spit out.

“Same here.” He replied dryly.

We sat in silence for a moment.

“Hey so, about-” Chat started before I cut him off.

“No.”

“Ok.”

More silence.

We were both quickly slipping into an uncomfortable presence that shouldnt exist. It shouldn’t be this way. So I decided to speak up.

“Ok, no, you’re right. We need to talk.”

“Ok…”

“I- did…did you—you know, mean, what you were about to do?” I sputtered out.

“Uhm, I-I don’t know.”

“Ok. Uhm, look. There’s…” Ugh! Why couldn’t I just spit it out? I sighed and finally decided I was just going to say it, “I know that we haven’t known each other for that long but, there’s something in me that, like, won’t stop thinking about you or…y-yeah.”

He just nodded.

“But you like someone else don’t you?” He whispered.

“I don’t know. I’m still in love with him but when I think about–I don’t know, Us, as cliche as that sounds, I just don’t care. I want something with you but, I just can’t. What if something goes wrong or, ugh, it just can’t work.”

“Y-you don’t know what you’re talking about, Ladybug. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand, that was a irrational decision.” He couldnt face me.

“No, I do know what I’m saying. Did—you not mean anything by…you know.”

“It’s not that. It’s not you it’s just that we can’t be anything if you’re in love with someone else. I love you Ladybug, but I also have someone else. I don’t know—what I feel for her but if we both have feelings for other people to some extent, it can’t work. We can’t work.” He explained.

I could feel that he was going to say more though, so I didn’t pick up where he left off.

He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, and he was beginning to stand up. His back was turned to me but I could still hear him, “ I did mean something by it. I know you think you feel—something for me, but that was your first mistake. And mine. I don’t want your feelings to be based off my rash decisions, especially when they don’t mean anything to you unless it means something to me.”

“But that’s not true! You don’t know anything, Chat Noir. And what if I was influenced by your actions? Wouldn’t that prove something? Just because I like you doesn’t mean I can’t love you. You’re still being rash.”

“So are you. You love him. Not me.”

“No, I- Chat!” I tried to shout, but he was already gone by then.

I heard a buzz come from my yo-yo and when I opened it, it signaled that I had a message from Chat Noir.

“I can handle the next akumatization.” It read.

Perfect.