Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette opened her eyes to a blur of white flashing on her screen and blindly reached out for it, groaning as she felt her entire body ache from her superhero duties. She just wanted some sleep! Couldn't a girl get one good night’s rest? Even if that good night’s rest was just 3 hours before school started?

She was always on high alert these days, sleep escaping her often simply due to how stressed she was from how brutal Hawkmoth was being - that meant waking up to even the quietest beeps from her phone in case of an akuma alert.

She jolted up as her heart hammered, electricity accelerating through her entire body as she read the notification over and over again. She felt light-headed, her stomach squeezed and pulled as she realised what this one message meant - and how it would affect the rest of her night.

pinkcroissantluvslb just posted

Her fingers rapidly smacked buttons on her phone (even if getting to where she wanted to go simply took one click) and soon she was staring at the glorious post Adrien had posted. A picture of her. Not that he knew that, but still.

It started a few months ago; Adrien told Marinette, Alya and Nino about his spam account after he had been dared to share a secret during their precious annual sleepover. Of course they were excited about this, it meant the four of them could send memes to each other and their sweet sunshine boy could experience the wonderful internet world. Or, really, the horrors, but that was just part of the experience.

They quickly recognised Adrien as Public Enemy No.1.

Only to them, of course.

Soon, all of them were losing sleep from how often Adrien would post and how late into the night he would post. At first it was funny, and they would tease him, but then it escalated into being terrified about what “ungodly shit” (Nino’s words) would spew out of his mouth that they would be forced to witness at night.

What he posted/said wasn’t really an issue. It was simply due to how much, how intensely, he would pine and yearn without a single second-thought that Alya described as bizarre - “I mean, you wouldn’t be able to get this out of me and I’m actually in a relationship.”

Nino wasn’t too impressed with her lack of spam posts about him.

Marinette was probably the only one who loved it.

She was surprised at first and freaked out quite a bit at realising this was another way to learn more about Adrien. She thought maybe he would post pictures of his day, talk about his busy schedule - she was willing to see anything. What she didn’t expect was nonstop posts about his admiration for Ladybug. Infatuation was probably a more suitable term.

She remembers the first post she had seen, a photo of Ladybug captured by Alya with a caption filled with keyboard smashes and heart emojis. Her heart had literally jumped and she thought she would die right there and then. Thankfully she didn’t, because now she got to see Adrien post about Ladybug all the time.

It was sweet, the way he seemed to be such a big fanboy of her.

It definitely boosted her ego too.

She had slowly started to accept that Ladybug was just as much her, as was her identity as Civilian Marinette, prior to this. Seeing her long-time crush praise Ladybug, hearing him compare Marinette to her other persona often, listening to him ramble about how he had saved him before and how she had “smelt so good, like vanilla? Cookies? Just- Imagine the sweetest smell you have ever smelt in your entire life and then multiply by ten thousand” simply added to the ego boost.

Marinette burst out laughing in disbelief as she read the caption to the new post.

Attached was a picture of Ladybug standing atop the Eiffel Tower, a smirk on her face as she looked over the crowd below – a fan-favourite, she thought, if the trending tag of #lbkilledme on Twitter said anything. It was another wonderful photo by Alya who had upgraded her camera kit because “the fans of the LadyBlog have spoken. They want real photos, not something that looks like it was taken on a Nintendo DS.”

Marinette had to admit it was a flattering photo, but she appreciated it so much more thanks to Adrien’s thoughts on it.

pinkcroissantluvslb: i would let ladybug drop me from the eiffel tower and thank her. i would probably beg her to drop me from the eiffel tower actually. i would pay her to throw me and then stomp on me ohmYGOF YEAH IW ODUL PAY HER TO SOTMP ON ME PLSPLSPLSPLS

She shook her head and giggled. Adrien was kinda weird, but in a really cute way.

It was 5:18am and he was making posts about his superhero crush. Instead of sleeping. No one really knew why he was always staying up so late, but they didn’t want to ask him anymore about the spam account out of fear for their lives.

She reckoned she should try going back to sleep, but Marinette knew she would spend the rest of the night staring at the post and waiting for the slew of posts to follow.

Chapter Text

nino.mp3:
Adrien, for my sake, pls stop

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i have done nothing wrong.

nino.mp3:
DONTL IE TO ME

alya.césaire:
?
what did he do now

nino.mp3:
exist

pinkcroissantluvslb:
*sniffles*

nino.mp3:
I- you did not just. i.
we r all suffering. we have suffered, day and night, have gone hours without seeing our family, have lost loved ones along the way

pinkcroissantluvslb:
wut

nino.mp3:
IM NTO FINISHED
have gone days without sunlight, without love. we r cold. We have suffered. We are suffering.

alya.césaire:
…

nino.mp3:
You, Adrien, are incessant, feral, and a hopeless romantic. I want you to count how many hours of your day you have spent thinking of Ladybug

pinkcroissantluvslb:
since the beginning of time itself
i live and breathe her
i’m her ride or die

nino.mp3:
dude, she doesn’t even know who u are

pinkcroissantluvslb:
yes, she does!!
i’m famous :>

nino.mp3:
oh. my. god.

alya.césaire:
alright, alright, pack it in boys
nino just mute him!!

nino.mp3:
…
No

alya.césaire:
WHY

pinkcroissantluvslb:
WHY

nino.mp3:
…bc homies
…bc i like seeing ur happiness
…bro

pinkcroissantluvslb:
nino
*sniffle*

nino.mp3:
nvm.

alya.césaire:
@nino.mp3 ur just as much of a drama queen as adrien

meowrinette:
a perfect enemies to lovers arc

pinkcroissantluvslb:
MEOWRI!!!!

meowrinette:

hi user pinkcroissant

nino.mp3:
@alya.césaire don’t compare me to Him.
hi mari

alya.césaire:
hi mar-bear

pinkcroissantluvslb:
it’s pinkcroissantLUVSLB actually.

nino.mp3:
i’m just. I’m just gonna ask
What does that even mean
Why pink croissant

alya.césaire:
why do u switch between caps n lowercase

pinkcroissantluvslb:
well since you asked
i shall explain the very refined technique used to create this name
actually
i will show u

nino.mp3:
bro
just tell us

meowrinette:

peace.

Let the man show us.

alya.césaire:
not you too.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
ok i can’t find the post
but
basically
luvslb is explanatory

nino.mp3:
.
yeah.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
SHUSH!!
but the first part, pink croissants, is from my stripper name

alya.césaire:
sorry what.
nino has tears in his eyes

nino.mp3:
I can’t.

meowrinette:
LET THE MAN TELL US!!!!

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i was searching for user ideas
smth inconspicucuosuc

alya.césaire:
inconspicuous


nino.mp3:
almost there, bud


pinkcroissantluvslb:
yes, thank you.
so i was looking at inspo stuff
and i saw someone said that the colour of your underwear + the last thing you ate is your stripper name
thus, pinkcroissantluvslb
not that i ate lb
i ate a croissant.

meowrinette:
A.

nino.mp3:
Ok.

alya.césaire:
i am envisioning the article that advances my career
‘Fashion Model and Heartthrob Adrien Agreste Wears Pink Boxers: A Faux-Pas or Do We Need it in Faux Fur?’

pinkcroissantluvslb:
U WOULDN’T!!!


alya.césaire:
no, i wouldn’t


nino.mp3:
black pizza

meowrinette:
did you burn your dinner???

nino.mp3:
No.
My stripper name.
Black Pizza


pinkcroissantluvslb:
urs sounds lame


nino.mp3:
.
BC PINK CROISSANT ISn-
ok. Okay.
Goodnight.

meowrinette:
nino's too old for this
i think it's a cute username @pinkcroissantluvslb

pinkcroissantluvslb:
thank you marinette, u have a refined taste
meowrinette is literally perfect
purrrfect

alya.césaire:
side eye. SIDE EYE.
...yeah ok goodnight


pinkcroissantluvslb:
:(

Chapter Text

 +9 notifications from pinkcroissantluvslb & nino.mp3

pinkcroissantluvslb: in my next life i hope i’m born as a welcome rug that lb walks on and wipes mud on the moment she comes home
4 hours ago

pinkcroissantluvslb: I SHOULDVE BOUGHT U FLOWERSSSSS AND HELD UR HANDDDDD SHOULDVE GIVE U ALL MY HOURSS WHEN I HAD THE CHANCEEE TAKE U TO EVERY PARTY CUZ ALL U WANTED TO DO WAS DANCEEEE NOW MY BABYS DANCINGGGG BUT SHES DANCING WITH ANOTHER MANNNN (chat noir)
3 hours ago

• @nino.mp3 replied: she. doesn’t. know. You. YOU ARENT WITH HER

pinkcroissantluvslb: Ladybug (adjective) : the art of having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics as good as it is possible to be.

pinkcroiossantluvslb: and what if. i cried. What if. I died. What if. the only way to save me would be for ladybug to say hi.

pinkcroissantluvslb: SHES SO COOL SHES JUST SO COOL LOOK AT HER oh my heart.

pinkcroissantluvslb: mdkdnjfnkw weeping noises mdwjnfweojfnewo mewing noises mmmoemownfmewooom meeowoowwwwwmwmww

pinkcroissantluvslb: my…. friend told me if i didn’t stop meowing in my caption he would kill me. too bad i can’t read bc all i see is red and black. MEOW

• @nino.mp3 replied: tell ur friend to hmu.

pinkcroissantluvslb: mommy

Marinette isn’t sure what to make of that last one, doesn’t know how else to react except screech and blush, but she can feel the anticipation of seeing Adrien in person build up all over again. Just like it does every single day.

They had different classes that day, so throughout her first few classes Marinette stayed in a permanent state of nervousness with her leg bouncing up and down as the only source of relief to get that energy out. Not that it helped much, her classmates certainly didn’t appreciate it either, but her mind constantly flashed sparkling images of gold and green and she couldn’t resist doodling some of those thoughts.

Her crush on Adrien had gotten easier though; she could actually talk to him and not feel her entire body sweat like she had just run a marathon around the world (though the way her heart pounded still at seeing his face and remembering him simply existing said otherwise). It had gotten easier to view him as a person, and move beyond seeing him as a celebrity whom she harboured a celebrity crush for. At least, that’s what she likes to think of it as when she thinks back to the first few years. Sure, she hadn’t met him knowing he was really a huge celebrity or cared for him all that much with their first interaction, but the way she learned about him and grew fonder over him did derive from what the magazines told her about him - half of it at least.

She wasn’t sure when exactly things had changed. She just knows one day she looked at him and saw serenity in him, instead of chaos.

As Marinette stepped into the cafeteria, she caught eye of her lovely trio of best friends. She couldn’t help but smile at Alya’s bawdy laughter – who was slapping Nino’s arm with each laugh, (who did not look impressed) – and Adrien’s sheepish smile.

“What’s with all the noise?” She asked as she sat down with the group, nudging Alya who was now dabbing tears out of her eyes.

“Nothing, nothing. Just sunshine boy being everything but normal. Nino was showing me today’s captions,” Alya replied, giggling every once in-between each word.

“Hey! You asked to follow it, you knew what you were getting into!” Adrien said, a look of fake-annoyance on his face. He seemed to be attempting a pout, but Marinette couldn’t help but think he looked like a grouchy kitten instead.

“No dude, we didn’t. We thought when you said you had a spam account it would be like, ‘Hi! Today I ate a croissant. I then went to work, and now I am sleepy. Goodnight, I love you all.’ – not whatever this monstrosity is,” Nino said exasperatedly.

Marinette attempted to hide her laughter behind her hand. Adrien, who was sat beside her at the round table, groaned and looked at her with the roundest eyes she had ever seen before. God, he was so cute and sweet. Maybe she needed a spam account dedicated to him.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled, waving her hand in apology, “It’s true though! I’m not sure any of us quite knew what we were getting into. I think it’s funny and sweet though. In a weird way.”

“'Funny and sweet?'” Nino asked, ridicule all over his face as he quoted with his hands, “You’re joking right.”

Adrien laughed, “Yeah, Nino, take that. It’s sweet.”

Nino took down his cap and held it in both hands in front of him, a deadpan look in his eyes as directed at Adrien, “Respectfully, you need to be put in a cage.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “I’m simply an avid fanboy.”

“I don’t know,” Alya replied, she leaned forward as she placed her head on her hand, “I would say rabid. Then again, I’ve seen worse in some of the comments on the LadyBlog. Nothing too bad, but enough that it makes you stop for a second and think ‘huh. Maybe I am one of the good ones.’”

“Well if Alya’s considering herself one of the good ones, then I think you’re safe Adrien,” Marinette said. Adrien smiled, shaking his head at his friends antics.

“You’re all mean to me,” he said as he attempted to pull the ugliest crying face he could make.

“Stop being pretty when you’re trying to look ugly and then maybe I’ll feel some sympathy for you, Mr. Model,” Nino scoffed, a smile on his face as Adrien softly bonked his head into his shoulder.

“You know, you should sign up for a certain 15-second video app; you’ll find more Ladybug fans on there who are probably just as feral as you,” Alya said, perking up as though suggesting creating an army of such fans would be moral in the first place.

Adrien turned bright red.

The three were stunned silent, confused. They looked at one another before Nino coughed and eyed him up and down.

“What? What happened?” He asked.

Adrien scratched his neck, avoiding their looks. Marinette thought he might burst into a star if he grew any redder, or maybe he would turn into a strawberry.

She would take good care of him if he turned into a strawberry.

Marinette glanced at him before speaking up in an attempt to diffuse the situation – if there’s one thing she hated when embarrassed, it was the expectancy in having to give a reason behind it, “You know, I think Maman and Papa mentioned how they haven’t seen you guys in a while. You should come over soon? Maybe after school today?”

Alya looked as though she were about to reply, quickly catching onto Marinette’s thought process – Nino still had that same bewildered look on his face.

“Wait but what happened, Adri- Oof,” Nino gasped for air as Alya jabbed him in the chest, “Hey! What was that for?”

Adrien sighed and looked at Nino with shame in his eyes.

“I… did at first. Download it, I mean. Um. It was fine, I was seeing Ladybug related stuff which was cool – some people are really talented,” he mumbled, looking at each of them briefly, “but then... I saw.. something… so I deleted it.”

Nino looked at him curiously and placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Softly, he asked, “What did you see?”

Adrien mustered up all the courage he could, somehow turning into the brightest shade of red Marinette had ever seen.

He puffed out his chest and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly caved into himself and cried. “It’s too embarrassing to say!” he whined, face in his hands. Nino sighed, patting him on the back and Alya leaned over to ruffle his head.

After a few moments of silence, Marinette gazed at him and spoke as she reached out a hand towards him, “It’s okay, you don’t have to s-“

“It was a Ladybug thirst edit!”

Marinette repulsed in shock and silence flooded the cafeteria at the sudden outburst. Adrien looked around him and slowly slithered down his seat as multiple faces looked at him and started to giggle or whisper to one another.

A choking noise disrupted the quiet and all heads turned to Alya who was turning violet from the way she tried to stifle her laughter. One look at Adrien shattered any hope of being subtle and soon she was bursting into laughter, once again smacking Nino and clutching onto her stomach as tears filled her eyes.

As the cafeteria started to become louder, she quietened down and wiped tears from her eyes whilst Nino shook his head and looked at his friend with softness in his eyes. He patted Adrien on the head.

“This is why we didn’t know what we would be getting ourselves into,” Nino sighed, amusement in his eyes.

Alya chuckled, the last few tears swiped away now. She cooed, “Adrien, you’re too cute.”

Adrien sulked dejectedly.

Nino looked across to Marinette and chuckled, “Hey, earth to Marinette, you okay there?”

Marinette felt like she was rebuffering. She felt like her soul had ascended. They say death is a sweet release, but if this was what death felt like then she would chase after immortality for the rest of her life. Truthfully, she had no idea how to handle the thought that Adrien was seeing stuff like that about Ladybug (her!). What do you do when your crush considers some part of you potentially attractive? 

She coughed, feeling her cheeks get hot, “Yeah, I’m fine. Did not know those were a thing.”

“You and me both,” Adrien replied.

She hummed, turning to face the blushing boy. She tilted her head, “Was it any good?”

Adrien chokes and Nino attempts to call an ambulance.

It’s the end of the day when Adrien catches up to Marinette, she jumped in shock at his hand on her shoulder but relaxed almost instantaneously at realising it was just him. Serenity. She can’t help but admire how pretty his eyes look in the sunlight, how lovely the shimmering green look against the clear blue sky above him.

Her heart swelled with content.

“I just wanted to say thank you, for earlier at lunch,” Adrien said, a shy smile on his face, “You tried to divert the conversation to save me. I just thought... it was very sweet. Thank you.”

Marinette gaped, a light blush on her cheeks, “Oh. Yeah of course, no worries.”

Adrien chuckled and Marinette thought she might collapse from the soothing sound and how light-headed she felt, but it’s fine, she’s fine, this is normal crush-ee/crush antics.

Chapter Text

nino.mp3:
GUYS
HAHAAAAAA

pinkcroissantluvslb:
NINO NO

nino.mp3:
hehehehe
*sinister look*


pinkcroissantluvslb:
ok how are you allowed to do that but i cant?


nino.mp3:
bc im better


pinkcroissantluvslb:
im smarter


nino.mp3:
im slicker


pinkcroissantluvslb:
gross


nino.mp3:
Shut up


pinkcroissantluvslb:
u shut up


alya.césaire:
will u both shut up
what is going on @nino.mp3

nino.mp3:
i have been sent Adri-Lore

pinkcroissantluvslb:
NI-NO


alya.césaire:
i feel like i’m gonna regret asking this
and what does that mean?

meowrinette:
And is this Adri-Lore in the room with us?

nino.mp3:
I mean this nicely but shut up @meowrinette
and what I mean, my love, is
hm
@pinkcroissantluvslb, permission to speak of this (bro-code 4ever)


pinkcroissantluvslb:
say you like my username


nino.mp3:
I’ve always loved your username
Why, Adrien, I love you
I always have
How could you not see that?

alya.césaire:
how are you gonna call me my love and then whip that out?

pinkcroissantluvslb:
nino *sniffle*
ok yeah, as my hubby/bro you can

nino.mp3:
for that sniffle I want a divorce
but okay.
Adrien here has sent me a lovely video from his past
One that might make one wonder – just when did he become Public Enemy No.1

alya.césaire:
I’ve been ignored.

meowrinette:
it’s okay alya, we were already married before you got with nino

alya.césaire:
mari :( <3

nino.mp3:
HEY
NO STEALING
Everyone here is married to me now.
Anyway.
THE VIDEO
I PRESENT
ADRIEN AGRESTE AS LADY GAGAAAAAAA

meowrinette:
sorry. What.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
kill me now

Marinette opens the video as curiosity floods her entire being, completely confused on what Nino’s talking about.

It’s Adrien in his room, setting up his phone on his desk – except he’s much younger, probably around the age of when they first met; he has the same bright green eyes she remembers meeting in the rain. She smiles softly as she thinks back on this version of him and appreciates how she’s been able to watch him grow now – they got to grow together. Sorta.

Marinette chuckles at the effort put into the scene; she can see in the background there’s a disco ball right above and flashing strobe lights. Adrien looks nervous and waves at the camera. Or, what looks like him waving around the camera – really he seems to be getting mad at something in the air and flails his arms about in what looks like him shooing something away. Maybe this is normal?

Except it’s not, because he starts a button on his remote and suddenly comes to life.

“This video is dedicated to Ladybug. I love you. This is my way of serenading you,” Video-Adrien says, seriousness in his eyes and cheeks burnt red as the beat starts. With a bow, he takes his place.

The Adrien she knew of at this time was reserved, sweet and soft. Whoever she was watching now was sassy, electrifying and funny. More like who he is now.

She can hear Gaga’s LoveGame in the background, but she’s not focused on the music. It’s the way he’s strutting and seemingly posing at the same time; she can’t help but laugh as she watches the clunky way he’s moving around the room, the attempts at looking seductive, the tripping over feet. It’s all so messy but it’s perfect.

Especially when he attempts to sing along but it comes out in wheezes considering the amount of power he’s putting into popping his hip.

He stops and seems to be hyping himself up, head bouncing to the music still. It’s then that he decides it would be perfect to do a flip.

It does not work out well.

He quickly gets up and rubs his head before continuing.

It takes everything in Marinette to not choke on her laughter or reach out to make sure he’s okay.

He's still going, busting out moves left, right and centre like his life depends on it, but then a panicked look flashes across his face as he whips his head towards the door and suddenly, he’s running towards the phone and ending the video – not without smacking into his desk.

She cringes at the loud collision and is then forced to look at a blurry screen of his face.

She can’t help but watch it for a second time with an amused smile on her face.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
where are you guys
it’s like a 2 minute video, you’ve all disappeared for like 8 minutes

nino.mp3:
too busy watching history be made
you might be related to her!
Miss Gaga has some French in her after all

alya.césaire:
i’m sorry, i’m just recovering from the stitches
i think that might be my favourite video
ugh i can’t breathe

meowrinette:
mine too
you should’ve asked your dad to let you dance instead of model adrien

pinkcroissantluvslb:
well that’s the thing
the video just. Ends. because natalie walked in

nino.mp3:
THAT’S WHY YOU COLLIDIED INTO THE DESK??


alya.césaire:
AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
AHAHAHAHAHSHSJAHDJSKHD A
ICNREABTRE

pinkcroissantluvslb:
:<
yes.
LAUGH ALL U WANT
my dad freaked out

meowrinette:
why??

pinkcroissantluvslb:
something about reputation
idk, i can’t remember because of how mortifying it was to be told off for that
he made sure natalie deleted the vid but i guess i had it backed up

alya.césaire:
AAAAAAAAAJAJAJAJAJNDNAJDNA
DNHJANDJFN

meowrinette:
alya!!!

nino.mp3:
she’s just rewatching the video still
she’ll actually reread the messages and feel guilty for laughing in like 10 mins
it was a funny video dude, who knew you had it in you
when I’m playing hits at clubs as a famous dj, I expect you to be on the floor


pinkcroissantluvslb:
Ha Ha Very Funny!


nino.mp3:
<3
just don’t attempt a flip

pinkcroissantluvslb:
WE DON’T TALK ABOUT THE FLIP.

alya.césaire:
DAHAHAAAAAAAA
IT’S THE WAY HE DEDICATES IT TO LB TOO
AHHSWHDKJWHFJ
Never change
I
AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

pinkcroissantluvslb:
how else was 15-year-old me supposed to win the heart of the world’s greatest heroine?
through dance. i heard about it from some older models on set
so i became suave

nino.mp3:
yeah i think they meant like tango or salsa
not. Whatever that is
also with LoveGame???

pinkcroissantluvslb:
I KNOW THAT NOW!!!!
and i didn't understand the lyrics, my english wasn't that great :(

alya.césaire:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

meowrinette:
she’s gone. she’s never coming back again.

03:21
pinkcroissantluvslb just posted

A picture of Ladybug posing for a magazine is tonight’s photo, a smile on her lips.

Marinette thinks back to the dedication and the sheer effort in the video and can’t help but laugh all over again. Adrien’s funny, he always has been, but he’s also sweet. It seems as though his fanboy crush was worse then, and she feels closer to him considering her own crush at the time.

She thinks that if she had known about his crush on Ladybug at the time, she probably would have gone after it.

Or maybe she wouldn’t. After all, superheroes couldn’t really find time for love, could they?

pinkcroissantluvslb: my friends may laugh but my lb would never. shoutout to 15yo adrien for showing his love through the power of dance

• @meowrinette replied: i think she would have loved it <3

Chapter Text

The soft glow of Adrien’s phone was the only light emitting into the darkness of his room; night had come once again and he was left with the sound of his thoughts and Plagg’s soft snoring coming from his bed. Adrien lay across his sofa, occasionally looking from his phone to admire the beauty of Paris sparkling ahead of him.

He sighed, setting his phone down before shutting his eyes. He desperately willed for sleep to finally take all control from him and allow him to exist in blissful ignorance, but he knew sleep was a rare gift now. He grunted with frustration before sitting up and looking out his window once more.

It wasn’t just the akuma attacks keeping him up.

The stress of being a superhero wasn’t new to him – he’d been doing this for a few years after all. Now, it seemed to be almost anything that even slightly stressed him out could keep him up. Small assignment due in tomorrow that might take an hour? Time to stay up all night.

He rubbed his eyes, growing more and more frustrated before glancing at Plagg whose snores had increased in volume (which really did not seem possible at all. How could someone so small produce such noises? Then again, Marinette’s snores could easily beat Plagg’s any day. Annual sleepovers were truly wonderful for learning more about your friends.)

He smiled softly to himself before picking his phone up once more.

After a few minutes of typing out more posts, many of which Nino was not impressed by, Adrien thought about when he first started the account. He remembered it being the day Ladybug had graciously saved him, how he felt exhilarated at being caught by her and the incredible amount of pride he had felt for her because he knewshe could save him.

His Lady never failed to impress him.

Adrien also vividly remembered their eyes meeting, and how he felt his heart leap out from his chest from being so close to her. She was a gorgeous blur of blue and red, and he wanted to drown in everything that was her since.

“What are you doing?” Plagg had asked him, little ears quirked with curiosity as he floated over to his holder and nestled into his hair.

Adrien scrunched his nose, and tried to batt him away, “Nothing! Stop being so nosy Plagg, don’t you remember what happened last time you went snooping?”

Plagg shuddered, his eyes widened as the light faded from his eyes. He said solemnly, “Nothing will make me forget. Not even the merging of the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous would be capable of making me forget.”

“…Yeah. Well. That was your fault!”

Plagg hummed, neon green eyes peered over blond locks, “‘pinkcroissantluvslb’. I don’t want to know anymore. I’m okay, thanks.” He nestled further as he got cosy, before light snores escaped from him.

Adrien spluttered before rolling his eyes, “I didn’t even want to tell you?”

They sat quietly for a while after that, before Plagg sleepily murmured, “Yes. You do.”

A gleeful shout started from Adrien as he jostled about, “I’m so glad you said that because I actually did really want to tell you. Okay so-“

And so unravelled the birthing of pinkcroissantluvslb. The name was self-explanatory, really it was something of a joke but it was also true (only him and Plagg and maybe Nino knew that). He had told Plagg about how he just couldn’t help but admire Ladybug for everything that she stood for, for her remarkable skills and the way she held herself. He was aware she also had flaws, sure, but didn’t everyone?

Why did flaws ever have to be a reason for not loving someone so much?

Adrien scoffed as he thought about the question. Try asking Father about that, he thought to himself bitterly.

Truthfully, the account was also a way to have something to do when it was night. To have somewhere to talk freely about someone he was interested in, to interact with his friends who he knew loved him so very much even if he irked them at times with his ridiculous posting hours. It was a place where he could think about someone who was important to him and gave him a glimmer of hope for a bright future.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were symbols of hope for the people of Paris.

He was a person of Paris.

In the quietest parts of night, when all was said and done and they fled to their homes as exhaustion wracked their bodies, Adrien couldn’t help but question where he really fit into all this. He could only ever be a protector for her, but not for the world.

Adrien glanced at the time on his phone, eyes now straining to focus. He figured sleep would come much easier now, so he wrapped up the night with one last post before joining Plagg and curling around the little ball of softness, grateful to match his breathing with someone else.

pinkcroissantluvslb: i admire ladybug because she works hard. she knows the pressures that come with being a superhero, and yet she continues with ferocity in her EYEBALLS and inspires everyone everyday with her stride in saving paris. without her, we wouldn’t even be able to consider a future in which paris is safe. she deserves all the love in the world, so yes i will continue posting about her nonstop NINO!!!!!! @nino.mp3

4 hours ago

• @meowrinette commented: The same could be said about Chat Noir!! He is just as important and holds the same role as her – when I think of safety, I think of him. I mean, his eyeballs are green for a reason. He is literally a walking green flag. Everyone should absolutely show him more love.

Chapter Text

After Marinette threw her body into class, smashing everything and everyone that came across her path, she diligently made her way to her seat with no shame in the world over the chaos she had caused – after all, her whole class was used to her morning antics. Even Chloe had given up and was simply filing her nails.

All had felt normal, except for the vibrant green eyes peering at her every step.

Marinette felt her body cover with goosebumps as she realised who was watching her, her eyes flitted away from Adrien’s upon remembering that whilst she could sometimes be a normal person around him, today clearly was not one of those days. Especially with the way he would not stop looking at her.

The blond boy had turned his whole body around to stare at her. She was literally in her seat, and he would not stop.

A cough rang through the room, grasping the attention of every classmate who had been curiously watching and whispering among themselves about what was going on. Except for Adrien, who continued to squint his eyes at Marinette and lean towards her.

“Adrien, could I ask that you kindly stop ogling Marinette and please face me?”

Adrien’s eyes widened before turning around and profusely apologising to Miss Bustier.

Marinette could only blink at the strange interaction, before being nudged by Alya with a smirk. Alya raised an eyebrow at Marinette and eagerly winked a few times, which only prompted Miss Bustier to interrupt Strange Interaction No. 2.

“Alya, is there something in your eye? Do you need to go to the nurse?” Miss Bustier asked, eyeing the girl with concern.

Marinette slapped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggle, which earned an eye twitch from Alya.

“No Miss Bustier, I’m alright.”

Miss Bustier sighed as she placed her hands on her hips, she gazed at her students before smiling, “You all look exhausted, and a little frazzled honestly. Perhaps we should take today’s class outside?”

Heads perked up and cheers erupted as the students started making their way out the class.

Marinette was sat with Alya in the park, surrounded by her classmates who were either progressing with the worksheets they had to complete or goofing of (which Kim and Alix were absolutely not doing.)

As Marinette wrote down an answer, she noticed a speck of yellow from the corner of her eye. She turned and let her mouth drop with horror.

Even Nino shrieked.

There, Adrien Agreste was attempting to crawl towards her on all fours… sneakily? Expertly? He wasn’t even on the standard all fours like a normal person, no, instead he had planted both feet on the floor and both hands firmly held him up.

Did he know how to do a regular crawl? Truthfully, he looked like the horrible product of a Twister game gone wrong.

“DUDE! Why are you being such a freak?” Nino cried, flabbergasted, and attempted to cover Adrien’s body with his own to save his model reputation.

Alya looked up from her sheet before looking straight back down and continuing, “It’s the blond I’m telling you. It messes with his brain.”

Nino was inches away from Adrien’s face as he tried to cover up the impeding scandal, he had crouched down to his level and tried reasoning with him.

However, he made the fatal mistake of making eye contact with Adrien.

Within seconds, Adrien changed course and crawled at full speed towards Nino with no intent of stopping. Nino screamed and tried running away but immediately tripped and started to crawl backwards before giving up.

He scrunched his eyes as accepted his fate and he flailed his foot at Adrien, trying desperately to get him to leave, “MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH HIM MAKES IT WORSE, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH IT MAKES IT WORSE! MARINETTE, DO SOMETHING PLEASE!”

Marinette perked up as she started tutting at Adrien, “C’mere boy! Come on, come this way!”

Adrien whipped his head around before scuttling over and settling next to her.

Nino exhaled with relief swearing that he started seeing a light in the distance. He made his way over and promptly sat next to Adrien before bonking him on the head with all his might.

“Ow! What was that for?” Adrien cried, rubbing the sore spot.

Nino stared at him as his mouth flapped open and shut, “Wh-What do you mean?!  You literally just turned into some demon-crab thing and now you expect everyone to be normal about it?”

Adrien tilted his head, “Hm?”

Nino blinked multiple times before spluttering. He mimicked the head tilt violently, almost snapping his head in the process, “’Hm?’ HM?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!”

“Oh! I wanted to talk to Marinette so I was just making my way over,” Adrien replied, smiling innocently at Marinette. Marinette eyed him curiously as she felt herself blush lightly, cursing herself slightly considering she had just watched him turn into Crabdrien.

Darn his cute smile.

“So. You thought. You would crawl - and not even in a normal way – you would crawl to her?” Nino asked, gripping Adrien’s shoulders as he tried to convert some of his common sense into the model.

“Yes.”

Nino gasped and clutched his chest before collapsing onto the grass and staring up into the sky. In a dazed state, he muttered, “He thinks it’s normal to do that. That… It’s over. Let Hawkmoth take me.”

Alya looked up, eyeing the two with a bored expression, “Obviously. The boy is chronically online at this point; he rarely leaves the house, so he never touches grass or speaks to people. Really, this was his way of trying to establish a connection with nature and people,” she glanced at Adrien and gave him a thumbs up, “Good job, Sunshine.”

“Oh- Oh yeah, side with Crabdrien right. That makes sense, absolutely!” Nino huffed. He sat up and crossed his arms, “Am I the only sane one here?”

Marinette shook her head as she sighed. She turned to Adrien, “What did you wanna ask me about?”

Nino had moved to be with Alya and rested his head on her shoulder as he fake-weeped about Adrien’s weirdness and ‘how they would never be able to fix him’ whilst Alya petted his head and kept writing.

Adrien glanced at them before pulling his phone out, “It was what you said last night, about Chat Noir?”

Marinette looked at the post he pulled up, skimming over her comment before humming.

“Well, I was just wondering why you said it? It just seemed slightly unprompted,” Adrien said, before spluttering, “Not that it was unwarranted! Just- I guess I was surprised.”

She replied, “Because you said we wouldn’t be able to consider a future in which Paris is safe without Ladybug, which really isn’t true because Chat Noir does just as much work as her. Sure, she restores things back to normal and cleanses the akuma-“

“Which is the most important thing”, he interrupted.

“Perhaps, but there’s a reason there’s two superheroes active together, right? Chat Noir has saved multiple citizens when Ladybug wasn’t able to reach him, he has saved her multiple times when she couldn’t save herself. He’s been a catalyst for a lot of their successful fights. He provides a sense of security too! I think Paris is much safer with him,” She said, smiling to herself as she reflected on the feline superhero.

It wasn't that she didn't see Ladybug as being unworthy of praise, Marinette had become more confident in her superhero form over the years - she was vital of course, but so was Chat Noir. She had come to love him as her other half, and at some point had become confused and blurred the lines between romantic and platonic love, but had ultimately decided that it didn't matter - loving him was dangerous. She knew that; she had seen the devastating effects and didn't like to think of it too often. However, loving him as her partner was safe - in order to work as a team they had to be close and understand one another on a different level to the rest of the world. The bond they had now was not one she wished to change anytime soon.

Adrien watched her, feeling a pang in his chest as he tucked away the memory of how sincerely she had said those words. He mulled the words over in silence, simply listening to the breeze rustling the leaves around them, the chatter of their classmates on the sunny day, the soft breathing of the girl next to him. He looked at Marinette and took in the softness of her features, the pink that always accompanied her cheeks and lips and the sparkle that shone in her eyes and smile.

He suddenly felt so weak.

Marinette glanced at him, before looking away and leaning back. “Besides I’m not the only person who thinks that, I mean he has a pretty big fanbase. Who else do you think inspired my username ‘meowrinette’?” She giggled before winking at him.

Adrien blushed before coughing. He looked away as he nodded, “I didn’t know that.”

She hummed, “Yeah, maybe don’t tell Alya or she’ll never stop talking about it. I didn’t put too much thought into it… I like cats, cats are cute, he is kinda cute I suppose, so it made sense.”

Adrien blushed harder; it was always so strange for him to hear compliments about his alter-ego from other people. He appreciated them nonetheless but always felt slightly awkward, almost as if he were intruding on a private thought. Even so, he could feel how deeply her words had affected him; he felt so weak and nervous, his breath shook and his hands felt too warm. 

He was a sucker for compliments at the end of the day, no matter how awkward he felt about them. 

“Cute... Cute is not a word I would associate with Chat Noir though. He gives me real bad-boy vibes,” Adrien stated, puffing his chest out in an attempt to deflate the nerves he felt in his stomach.

Marinette laughed.

Adrien pouted. He leaned towards her, scrutinizing her, “What’s so funny?”

She giggled and shook her head, “I wouldn’t say that… He has that mysterious look going on with all the leather and messy hair, I’ll give him that, but Chat is kinda lame in a sweet way.”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘dork’,” Alya butted in. Adrien flushed red again as he looked away, reassessing how he should act around Paris to re-establish the bad boy image he strived for. As he pondered, he concluded that it was futile anyway – he was a superhero… being a bad boy was never going to be successful.

“Anyway~” Alya sung, “did you guys even finish that worksheet? Class is almost over.”

Marinette and Adrien nodded. The three turned to look at Nino who was busy lounging across the grass and creating a daisy chain. He looked up and studied each face individually.

“What?” He asked, continuing with his chain before promptly clutching it to his chest, “you can’t have this. I worked really hard on this.  Don’t let Mr. Agreste see.”

“I said, did you finish the worksheet? The one Miss Bustier gave us?” Alya repeated.

He stared at her for a few seconds, “So… you don’t want my daisy chain? Because it was for you but now, I don’t want to give it to you since you don’t want it.”

“Nino!”

meowrinette just posted

@meowrinette: class in the park! featuring: a lovely clear sky and nino getting told off for not doing the work since he was busy creating nature’s finest jewellery

• @nino.mp3 replied: this is literally just a pic of me being told off, where is the sky in this. we are literally indoors for this.
• @adrienagreste replied: haha! love it
• @pinkcroissantluvslb replied: SUCK IT NINO AHAHAHAHDHJDN
  • @nino mp3 replied: dude.

Chapter Text

nino.mp3:
@pinkcroissantluvslb NOT YOU PRETENDING TO BE ALL ‘haw haw I’m perfect Adrien Agreste’ BEFORE LAUGHING AT ME ON MARI’S POST!!!!!!!!!!

pinkcroissantluvslb:
idk what ur talking about *cute face*

nino.mp3:
…what. Why did. Don’t.
don’t even lie!!!!
Busy giggling in a nice boy way on your public account at my misery but then on your spam you’re just being a little piece of ploppy poo!

alya.césaire:
nino, babe, you should’ve just said shit at that point

nino.mp3:
it felt like too much

pinkcroissantluvslb:
u think i’m a nice boy *cute face*

nino.mp3:
WHY R U DOING THAT AGAIN
AND WHY IS THAT WHAT UR FOCUSING ON

meowrinette:
u r the loveliest boy

nino.mp3:
do NOT give into his weird cute faces oh my god.

alya.césaire:
girl this is low, even for you….

pinkcroissantluvslb:
NO she’s right!
I am the loveliest boy
say it nino.
and thank you marinette *blushy face*

nino.mp3:
I’m going crazy.
WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT W THE **8*%8

pinkcroissantluvslb:
*smirky face*

nino.mp3:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJKBDJKABSDKBSBFKJ

pinkcroissantluvslb:
suck it nino

nino.mp3:
Dude.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
*stick tongue out face*

alya.césaire:
nino is crying.
i feel like nino always has tears in his eyes when we talk on here.

meowrinette:
rip @nino.mp3.
i’ll become a dj for him
maybe steal his girl
adopt his identity
idk tho

nino.mp3:
My IBS symptoms are acting up from the way you guys stress me out.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i’ll rub ur tummy to make u feel better

nino.mp3:
No
Leave me ALONE!!!

pinkcroissantluvslb:
*frowny face*
anyway i responded on this account w my honest feelings about your telling off bc I have everyone blocked on here. so.
no one will ever know it was me
muwhahaha… muwehehehe.. mweheeeheee

nino.mp3:
I literally could not care about that anymore
Im about to expose you for all the stress you put me through

pinkcroissantluvslb:
NO

meowrinette:
NO

alya.césaire:
calling the police on nino right now

pinkcroissantluvslb:
@nino.mp3 do it and no more sleepover
(im lying bc this sleepover is my world but i have no other threats to pull so can we pretend guys)

meowrinette:
NINO THE SLEPEOVERSDWNJF

alya.césaire:
apologise! @nino.mp3

nino.mp3:
OKAY okay.
no exposing secrets…
Yet.
mewheuhwm… mweheehaa.. mewehehuheh…

pinkcroissantluvslb:
it's only cute when i do it

nino.mp3:
Adrien.

alya.césaire:
now that that’s cleared up!
are we still good for doing the Annual Sleepover?

nino.mp3:
Adrien Agreste.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
*cute curious face*

meowrinette:
yes!!! i’m so excited
i’m prepped to bring tons of macarons and croissants
and pain du chocolats at nino’s request

nino.mp3:
ADRIEN ÉMILE GABRIEL DONATIEN ATHANASE AGRESTE
also thank u mari
You r okay sometimes when u aren’t feeding into the Feral One’s delusions

meowrinette:
i love you too nino

nino.mp3:
Mhm.
ADRIENF JKDSN FJKLEWN FKNE ADINRIENWN
DNKANDE ADRIENENENNAKNS

pinkcroissantluvslb:
mama come get me im scared
she dead tho

alya.césaire:
oh my god.

meowrinette:
i-

nino.mp3:
is.
Are you really pulling the lonely infant-child move on me.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
just pointing it out!

nino.mp3:
I give up

pinkcroissantluvslb:
anyway yeah, i spoke to natalie and she said yes so we can go ahead with it
i was thinking we could do it around the same time
so winter holidays, right after we break up for them

alya.césaire:
sounds good!
i’ll make sure nino brings his good face masks

nino.mp3:
bro why u giving my good stuff away like that

alya.césaire:
what’s yours is mine, right?

nino.mp3:
…Yes honey.

meowrinette:
yes honey

whoops! sorry just. Instant reaction

alya.césaire:
boo not funny

meowrinette:
i love you mwah mwah

alya.césaire:
mhmmm.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
YAY!!!
i’ve already chosen my outfit

alya.césaire:
for what?
are we going somewhere?

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i mean we can
but no
i meant my pyjamas
to sleep in

nino.mp3:
of course you have

meowrinette:

preparation is an admirable trait.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
exactly what mari said, mhm, thank you

nino.mp3:
wait Mr. Agreste isn’t judging us on our PJ style is he
CRAP
I was just gonna wing it too

meowrinette:
OMG i have to start working on a cute set NOW
ADRIEN WHY DID YOU JUST MENTION THIS

alya.césaire:
ME TOO MARI ME TOO ONGRMGM

nino.mp3:
NOGHNGRNME TO ME TOO GIMME A CUTE BABYDOLL THING

alya.césaire:
AHDIHEFNOWE. OHFEKM

meowrinette:
BHDOWDNJFNMOEMF KSODME

nino.mp3:
JFIONFREN,DNKLENMELMF

pinkcroissantluvslb:
GUYS
NO
NO NO NO
HE’S NOT JUDGING YOUR STYLE WHAT
WHY WOULD
NO

nino.mp3:
Why didn’t you say that earlier then???

pinkcroissantluvslb:
you guys jumped to your own conclusions!!
*frustrated cutie face*

nino.mp3:
Nah actually maybe u shouldn’t talk um
why are u still doing that. Do you know what an emoji is.

pinkcroissantluvslb:
my keyboard won’t let me switch over to the emojis so i’m making my own custom ones that should roughly give you an idea of the emotion i want to portray

alya.césaire:
that’s like… the most normal thing you’ve said all day

nino.mp3:
Yeah but also
WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST EXPLAI N THAT EARLIER?????
LIKE WHEN I KEPT ASKING NONSTOP EARLIER

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i mentioned the pjs thing bc i got some custom ones done!
i really like them
i was just excited to tell you guys about them

nino.mp3:
alya. @alya.césaire he’s ignorning me again

alya.césaire:
i know babe. he’s in his rebellious era
he’ll talk to us soon
go nap and rest your frail heart

nino.mp3:
Okay.
okay i’mg gonna nap now.

alya.césaire:
okay.
now.
what’s this about custom PJs

meowrinette:
let us see!!

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i don’t knowwww
it should be a surprise for when you guys are here

meowrinette:
aww come on!
you cant tease us like that
LETS SEE!!!!!

alya.césaire:
yeah it’ll still be special when we see it in person too
plus nino’s not here to bother us now so it’ll be a surprise for him

pinkcroissantluvslb:
i mean he’s still in the chat…
but okay! since you guys really wanna see
i took a picture of me in it earlier so

meowrinette:
i’m so excited ogmrfognore

pinkcroissantluvslb:

decked out and ready to sleep in style *cool face*

meowrinette:
omg…

alya.césaire:
adrien…
it actually kinda suits you
you look cute in it
i think.

nino.mp3:
i’m back from the dead bc I heard a photo is being sent

meowrinette:
@pinkcroissantluvslb you do look cute!
you really do love ladybug pfft

nino.mp3:
What the
Wh-

pinkcroissantluvslb:
!!!!!!
i’m so glad you guys like it

nino.mp3:
w
I
WHY IS NO ONE POINTING OUT HES FLOATING IN THE ABYSS
ADRIEN WHY ARE YOU FLOATING IN A WHITE VOID

alya.césaire:
i think you being a model definitely helps make it look nicer
like i would buy it!

nino.mp3:
HELLO????
HE’S LITERALLY FLOATING
AND WHAT IS WITH THAT UGLY BLACK BORDER AROUND THE PICTURE WHAT
LIKE THAT IS A SPECIFIC DESIGN CHOICE HE MADE.

meowrinette:
oh for sure alya
i really think it looks amazing on you adrien

nino.mp3:
NFJKLNELFNJLEWN
HES LITERALLY WEARING SHOES IN IT TOO
WHO WEARS SHOES IN A ONESIE THING

alya.césaire:
mm the shoes do take away from it a little
but i guess that’s why its better to admire it in person

pinkcroissantluvslb:
no free feet pics for u.

nino.mp3:
THE SHOES ARE ALL YOU CARE ABOUT AND TAKE AWAY FROM WHAT I SAID???

Chapter Text

Marinette sighed as she tapped her pen against her chin a few times before slumping forward on her desk, the nightlamp across from her blared into her eyes which led her to sleepily glare at the clock beside her.

02:36 AM.

She snuggled down into her arms further, hiding away from her room and homework under the pretence that she was simply going to blink for a long time and not nap at all.

All Tikki could see was a bundle of pink blanket and two pigtails poking out from the chair her holder had been sitting at previously.

Marinette’s mind started to wonder as she idly thought about Adrien. Pretty, sweet Adrien. A little funky, but absolutely sweet. And pretty. A little strange, sure, but still sweet and pretty. Makes questionable decisions and movements at times, but still, the sweetest piece of cake ever with the prettiest googly eyes.

She jostled as she felt a little snore escape from her.

Marinette groaned as she reflected on the night, cursing Hawk Moth for being the absolute cause of her fatigue – the only thing she could appreciate was seeing her kitty cat after so long; the attacks seemed to be less frequent and so time spent with Chat Noir seemed to become like distant memories too.

At least, they would if Chat Noir didn’t visit Marinette on her balcony and beg for passionfruit macaroons or beg Ladybug to spend more time with him and give her a tour of Paris as if she hadn’t lived there her whole life….

They quickly found Ladybug definitely knew about a lot more places in Paris than Chat Noir.

“And this, my Lady, is the Eiffel Tower.”

“… you’re joking, right?”

A little laughter bubbled out of Marinette as she stretched up before glancing at her phone. For once, there were no posts about her alter-ego from Adrien tonight. She felt her cheeks heat up and her body tense at remembering calling him ‘the loveliest boy’ in their group chat a few days ago (without any thought!) that Alya had bashed her endlessly for. In a good way.

Maybe it was too much.

She fanned herself quickly before grabbing her pen and tightening the blanket around her, desperate to get over with this silly piece of Maths homework. However, she quickly felt her eyes sliding shut after spending far too much time admiring the way her and Adrien looked together in one photo Alya had forced them to take.

Nino was also in it, but that’s irrelevant.

Lovely, sweet, pretty Adrien…

“u r the loveliest boy”

“you do look cute!!”

“I really think it looks amazing on you adrien”

A little “eep” suddenly erupted from the swaddle of pink blankets with dark pigtails.

Marinette scrunched her eyes as she willed the thoughts out of her head.

“Who else do you think inspired my username ‘meowrinette’?”

The pink blanket went flying into the air and landed on a very grumpy, sleepy Tikki. Marinette rocked side to side as she squawked, suddenly remembering the awful things she had said to Adrien concerning her feline friend.

“I like cats, cats are cute, he is kinda cute I suppose…

“…Chat is kinda lame in a sweet way.”

She slapped her hands against her bright pink cheeks as she stared into her computer home screen’s eyes. The man she had betrayed!

“No! No, this is fine… Oh god, what if Adrien thinks I like like Chat? Or worse – he knows about the spam account I thought of starting for him? Oh god… It’s just not like that! I admire him. I made that clear... right?” She whispered to herself, desperately trying to contain her freakout so that Tikki could continue sleeping peacefully.

She leaned back and crossed her arms as she assessed the situation, “It’s really not like that though…  Adrien asked for clarification about what I meant before anyway. If he thought of it like that, then he would ask me about it. Absolutely! For sure. I’m so tired.”

Marinette slumped forward once again and nestled into her arms, contemplating on if she did perhaps slightly ruin her chances with Adrien even though she had so obviously been trying to show her interest in him. Who else would call someone ‘the loveliest boy’ if they weren’t even a little interested in them?

pinkcroissantluvslb just posted

She blindly grabbed her phone as her heart raced.

pinkcroissantluvslb: i hope she sleeps well tonight

Marinette felt a pang in her chest as she skimmed over the article title, alongside the seemingly devastating photo accompanying the post. An awful picture of her, limp, in Chat Noir’s arms, her face lacking colour and her hands hanging by her sides.

She didn’t want to think too much about Hawk Moth’s attacks tonight. Less attacks somehow meant increased force in his carnage. They never wanted to acknowledge that.

She scrolled into the comments before she could catch whatever horrified expression Chat Noir held.

• @meowrinette replied: i saw her hopping around earlier!! i think she’s made a speedy recovery

Deciding it would be best to check in with him, Marinette decided it would be best to message him. Or call him? Perhaps that was too much. Was messaging as sincere?

“Hey Adrien, hope you’re doing okay. I noticed it’s super late – a little past 3am actually, but I’m sure you can see that since you also… have a phone… Hm… Anyway! You should really head to sleep soon!” The voicenote she left in their DMs glared at her with all its bumps and loudness and this was too much but it was important. Today’s post seemed a bit heavier.

Seen.

Before she could yell, a little pale blue heart appeared next to her message and soon after a reply.

“Hey Marinette! Yeah, yeah I’m doing okay. You know me, always posting late. Anyway, you’re such a hypocrite - how can you tell me to sleep when you’re up yourself?”

Her lips pressed into a huge smile as she listened to the softness of his voice, melting at the way he said her name.

“Listen, I’m only up because I’m doing that maths homework Miss Bustier set for us yesterday. What’s your excuse?”

A chuckle erupted from the start of his message, “Marinette. She set that a week ago. Always the procrastinator, hm?”

That “hm” definitely did too much to her for what it was. It was just a hm!

“There’s no way she set that a week ago! Three days max. Oh, I’m too sleepy I don’t know anymore.”

He hummed, “Then you should go to sleep!”

“I will once I find out why you’re still talking to me. Go to sleep Adrien. If it’s about Ladybug, I promise she’s okay. I saw her earlier, and you know her ladybugs reverse all damages.”

“How did she look? When she- When I saw that picture I thought the worst immediately… I… don’t know how I can go to sleep after seeing that, really.”

03:14 AM.

“She was… dancing in the air, as she always does. She seemed very eager to be elsewhere, but she didn’t look the way- the way she did in the article. I promise, she’s okay.”

His voice seemed slightly rougher, “You’re probably right. Thank you, Mari. Sorry. I know it probably seems silly to get worked up over a celebrity but she’s really important. It would be difficult to not feel like this over someone who’s only ever protected yo- protected all of Paris with nothing in return from those people.”

Marinette frowned, “That’s not true. I think the people of Paris do do things for her. I mean, you actively show your love for her, Alya has her blog set up which shows thousands of peoples support and love for her. In their own way, in a safe way, they’re helping her – I like to think they give Ladybug courage. It must be a tough job… and at times she must feel like giving up simply due to the pressure of her job, but I think they keep her going.”

A brief pause interrupted the atmosphere and Marinette held her breath. It wasn’t often that she disagreed with Adrien, and she worried she had overstepped, but she couldn’t stand for any accusations on the citizens behalf.

“No, no, you’re right, I’m sorry. I don’t actually even mean Parisians in general, really I mean… something else, but I can’t explain that. Right now, anyway. I’m sorry, Marinette. I’m 100% positive they do give her courage. I know they do.”

“Good… now go to sleep.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No. I refuse.”

“Why? Adrien, please, I beg, sleep.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t? Why not? Please, pretty please?”

“I want to, I do, I promise. I just can’t… It’s- dumb, but I can’t.”

Marinette nibbled on her lip as she thought about how to approach this. She so desperately wanted to help Adrien with whatever was going on, it was something Nino, Alya and Marinette had discussed once when realising he was up late consistently – something was disrupting his sleep and so obviously stressing him out.

“Please tell me, Adrien. I’m here for you. The others don’t have to know, I promise – but I just want to be there for you. We’re all there for each other, right? So, please.”

Marinette looked out the window as she picked out the little icicles starting to form around it. She slowly crept to her chaise and grabbed a new blanket to wrap around her upon realising that Tikki had apparently stolen her previous once. On her return, a new voicenote had appeared.

“Okay. If I say this though, it just all has to come out because I’m afraid I’ll leave parts out or ignore it again. And I can unsend this in one go I guess… though you might be a little sad about that so maybe not- I’m waffling, anyway. I just. I feel alone, a lot of the time. I can’t sleep, because I feel alone. And perhaps that doesn’t make sense. The one time people are mostly alone is when they’re sleeping, but it’s so much worse when I’m here in this big… big clear room with full access to the city below. Seeing all the lights, seeing the few cars passing by… I feel empty inside. Those lights are guides for people going to places, those cars have end destinations - and I am just here. Again. In this room, all alone. Like I am the whole day, unless I have school. School which is… constantly threatened- constantly being threatened to no longer exist as an option for me to even try and blend in as a normal person. My father is so… restricting. I feel as if I have no control of myself. I think I abided by that a lot more when I was younger because I loved him- love him… but I just. I can’t do it Marinette. I’m so alone here. What good is sleep if everything is the same anyway? Oh god, and I’m so so stressed all the time. I feel like it’s never-ending! I just can’t take this.”

Marinette’s heart ached as she listened to the message a few times, she hadn’t realised just how much Adrien had had to endure for so long. 

A new note.

“I’m sorry. That was a lot at once and really dumb, like I said. Sorry.”

She furrowed her eyebrows as she watched the long message disappear.

“Adrien… truthfully, I don’t know what to say. I like to imagine I can help people in whatever way possible, and I try to always find a solution. Your situation is so difficult, which is why I think I’m at a loss for words. If anything, it makes me want to help you more and yet I don’t know how. Did you find any peace in speaking to someone about it?” Marinette winced as she sent the message, wracking her brain for any solution. 

Gabriel Agreste was a different kind of foe. He couldn’t be cleansed with her Ladybug magic, no lucky charm could help her, and he certainly couldn’t have a heart to heart. The man had built an ice dome around that mansion, protecting not only himself but supposedly his son too - it was obvious to anyone how much Gabriel wanted to keep Adrien to himself. 

Marinette often tried to see the good in people who were deemed bad. She couldn’t deny how Gabriel was most likely affected by the death of his wife; Adrien often spoke about how he was more open and responsive prior to her passing. His defence mechanisms of guarding his heart and physically hiding away his son could only be described as just that - a defence mechanism. 

What else was a man supposed to do when he unexpectedly lost one of the greatest loves of his life? How does someone move on so easily and simply accept what fate has come up with? 

And yet, in her chest, she couldn’t see any good. Marinette wanted to be angry at him, to not be rational and consider all sides to justify his reasonings. For once, she couldn’t bring herself to even pretend to act as though Gabriel deserved to act this way. 

Adrien had lost one of the greatest loves of his life too. He seemed to be losing another now. 

Rational wasn’t what he needed at all. Not when Gabriel had full control over the situation. 

“I did. Thank you, Marinette. I’m sorry for keeping you up so late. I’ll let you go now.”

Marinette panicked as she quickly started a voice note, disturbed at the thought of leaving him alone now. Maybe she didn’t know how to solve every problem he had, but she could at least be there, right?

“Wait! Before you go, just hear me out please. This doesn’t solve everything straight away, but I want to be there for you, Adrien. This really only helps one thing I suppose but… What if we called until you fell asleep?”

She asked, eyes wincing with anticipation and fear of rejection. She wasn’t even sure if part of that rejection was because she’d feel embarrassed about the boy she likes not wanting to talk to her all night, or if part of it would be knowing she couldn’t help him at all. Failure was her greatest fear. She continued, “I just… what if it helps a little with the loneliness? At least you know I’ll be there. And- and we could call every night! I really wouldn’t mind that… I mean, there might be days in which you wanna be alone and that’s totally fine of course- Ah. I really want you to know you have the option though. I mean it, Adrien, I want to be there for you at all times.”

03:58AM
incoming call from adrien🍤

“…Good morning, Marinette.”

Marinette stirred with a sweet smile on her face as she began to stretch, basking in the warm sunlight flooding through her windows. The most perfect sound was coming from phone.

“Marinette~ Are you awake yet? You’re gonna be late for school.”

Marinette’s eyes shot open. She sat up and sent Tikki (poor Tikki who had found a soft spot on Marinette's shoulder) flying into the air. A loud “Eep!” came from the bundle of pink blankets and pigtails once more as she realised who was crooning at her so nicely in the morning.

“Adrien! Hi! I’m awake now, yes, I’m gonna- go get ready now. Thanks for, um, waking me up,” She giggled awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head, randomly throwing the blanket (in Tikki’s direction) before grabbing all her work to shove into her backpack.

“No worries! I’ll see you soon. Uh, but first I wanna say thank you. You really helped me out last night, Mari,” Adrien replied, the sound of a car door slamming shut followed swiftly.

“Eek!” Marinette yelled as she realised she hadn’t ended the call. 

‘Stay alert! Do nothing embarrassing until he hangs up! Sleepy brain, work!’

She coughed, “Of course! No problem at all, Adrien, that's what friends are for. I’m glad you were able to sleep well.”

Adrien hummed, “For sure. I also woke up early though! I didn’t realise calling you would also mean getting my own personal alarm.”

Marinette stopped in her tracks, her hairbrush dangled loosely from her hair as she crept closer towards her phone.

“What do you mean?” She asked quietly.

“I forgot how much you snore.”

Silence ensued before being interrupted by stifled laughter on Adrien’s end. 

Marinette turned bright red as she dived for her phone.

“Adrien Agreste, you’re so evil!” She yelled into the microphone, quickly ending the call as Adrien’s laugh poured out and swept her away.