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Marinette was screwed, to put it lightly.
Screwed. Cornered. Trapped. Fucked.
Normally, she wasn’t the type of person to use such profanity, but in the moment the word “ fucked ” seemed like the perfect (if not only ) label for her predicament. After all, it wasn’t every day that her boyfriend shoved her behind a hedge for her own personal safety—as if she couldn’t take care of herself—while he ran off to do who knows what during an akuma attack , of all things. What did her skinny model of a boyfriend plan to do against a seven-foot tall akumatized poundkeeper, anyways?
She recalled a few weeks ago when Adrien had mentioned that he’d never been much of a dog person.
Marinette emerged from the hedge with the intent on finding him, knowing well enough that the boy who’d buried his face within her neck just the night before during what he classified as a “scary movie” could very well get himself hurt in the swarm of barking canines. He couldn’t have run that far—he’d only ushered her into the plethora of leaves and sticks less than thirty seconds prior to him dashing off in what she knew he had wanted her to think was a heroic feat.
It was, but also reckless , something she rarely (if ever) considered Adrien as. Handsome, sure. Charming, most definitely. But… Reckless?
Perhaps she was beginning to see her boyfriend in a new light.
The sound of jaws snapping at her heels caused Marinette to emit a squeak of surprise loud enough to catch the attention of the other dogs roaming the area. Lips tightened in a thin line, she turned, surveying the scene with an intense determination burning at the pit of her stomach. She needed to get away; to transform, to zip off into the air and find her dorky ( amazing ) boyfriend before he managed to get himself torn to bits three days before their five month anniversary.
(They weren’t the type of couple that celebrated each month, but Marinette kept track anyways.)
Surrounded by a pack of ferocious looking dogs—including one prissy little Chihuahua—hadn’t been Marinette’s initial plans for that particular Tuesday afternoon. No, she’d only expected to go to school, maybe share a good lunch with her friends, and give her boyfriend a kiss goodbye before heading home and working on some spring designs until bedtime rolled around.
Technically, if she and Chat Noir purified the Poundkeeper’s akuma before three, the rest of her day could resume as planned.
But, of course, her elusive black partner was nowhere to be seen.
Probably straying as far as he can from these dogs, Marinette scoffed in thought, backing up the stairs that led to the entrance of the school as the Chihuahua nipped at her feet. She almost considered giving a kick, but even during akuma attacks she’d never tolerate animal abuse.
(Even if the little animal wore a diamond collar and sparkly white fangs.)
If she were in any other location, Marinette would have transformed in the blink of an eye before flinging herself through the air at the mercy of her magical yo-yo in pursuit of Hawk Moth’s latest villain. Unfortunately, she was dead center in the front of the school, where hundreds of other students huddled in fear of the approaching onslaught of vicious dogs.
For a brief second, Marinette considered reaching into her purse and calling for Tikki to transform without any regards for her identity. The people of Paris, especially her schoolmates, mattered more to her than the safety of her face—even if it meant revealing herself to the entirety of the school, the city for all she cared.
She didn’t have time to consider her dilemma.
One moment she was cornered by a circle of frothing canines and the next, she was flying, soaring through the air in the arms of another. Her stomach dropped at the sudden ascent and before she could catch her breath she was on her feet again, eyes wide and hair an unruly mess from the buffeting wind.
A brief look around confirmed that she was on her terrace and that yes, Chat Noir had just scooped her up and brought her to safety with record-breaking speed. She’d never seen her partner vault himself (or her, for that matter) out of danger so quickly.
He stood there, clawed hands on his hips and a concerned expression across his features, something akin to a disappointed parent preparing to scold his child after it disobeyed the rules. Marinette’s brows furrowed in curiosity. Chat Noir had no business looking at her like that.
“Mari,” Chat began, his voice uncharacteristically sweet as he laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting (perhaps even protective ) squeeze. “Be careful. You almost got yourself hurt. You would have missed our special date Friday if you ended up in the hospital because of those stupid dogs.”
Special- special date ?
What the fuck?
“Stay here,” He told her before she had a chance to properly respond with more than a few sputters, gentle arms wrapping her in a brief embrace before something unthinkable, something completely, utterly inconceivable happened; something so unbelievable that Marinette swore she’d hit her head and passed out cold from a severe concussion.
Chat Noir kissed her.
And then he was gone.
Sure, it was nothing more than a little peck, but damn if those lips didn’t feel familiar. The same wonderful softness, the same way he titled his head so he could kiss her just right after months of practice—the same kind of quick hello-goodbye kisses Adrien gave her in the mornings and after school. The same kind of kisses she’d become accustomed to after five months of dating her boyfriend, Adrien Agreste. The same Adrien Agreste whom she had a date with Friday. The same Adrien Agreste who had insisted she stay safe within the hedge before he ran off to…
To transform.
Oh my god, Marinette mused, half in shock, half dazed. I’m dating Chat Noir.
That means…
That means Chat Noir is…
“Adrien?”
Her mind fumbled for an adequate answer as her fingers brushed over her freshly-kissed lips, feeling somewhat in awe and numb as she confirmed the fact in her head over and over again.
Adrien is Chat Noir. Chat Noir is Adrien. I’m Ladybug. I’m dating Adrien. Which, in turn, means that Ladybug is dating Chat Noir.
She definitely had a new plan in mind as she opened her purse and allowed Tikki to flit out excitedly.
Marinette needed to transform, capture the akuma, and purify it all while trying to forget for twenty minutes that her boyfriend is also her partner, her black cat, her Chat Noir. Her Adrien .
Marinette needed to do all that and keep her head screwed on correctly. She’d be no use against Hawk Moth if she couldn’t concentrate on the matter at hand—the akuma, not the fact that her and Adrien could have been together years ago provided she didn’t shove his masked face away every time he attempted to kiss her.
The akuma was what was important. She needed to focus on the akuma.
Focus! She hissed at herself as she transformed and zipped towards the school. The akuma is more important than your boyfriend’s butt covered in spandex!
Marinette groaned at the redness that filled her freckled cheeks.
This battle was going to be a lot more difficult than she’d initially anticipated.
Still, her and Adrien ( Chat! ) needed to have a serious talk afterwards.