Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Adrinette April 2024

Day #2: Truth or Dare

Everyone from Miss Bustier's class, plus a few more friends who weren't were all gathered at the Kubdel residence to celebrate Alix's birthday.

Everyone had brought something to contribute to the party; some food, music, a game, and of course a gift for the birthday girl.

After some mingling while playing a few rounds of a video game, Alix decided that it was time for a different non-technology game.

"We're going to play Truth or Dare now," the birthday girl announced when everyone was sitting on the floor of her living room in a circle. Everyone but Alix herself. She was sitting in an office spinney chair in the middle of the circle. "And to make things a bit more fun, I'm establishing some new rules. Number one; I'm the asker for all the truths and dares. And Number two; if you refuse to answer the question truthfully or do the dare," she paused as she reached down to the floor and pulled up a ridiculously colorful hat with unicorn ears and a horn. "You have to wear Rose's unicorn hat and we take your picture. And you can't take it off until either the game is over or another person refuses and then they have to put it on." Everyone giggled and groaned, thinking the penalty was funny while at the same time, dreading having to do it themselves. None of them wanted to have their picture taken with that hat on.

Instead of just going from person to person in one direction of the circle, Alix had written everyone's names down on scraps of paper and put them in her cap so she could pull them out at random one at a time, spin her chair to them, then asked them.

A while into the game and more than half the group had had a turn, doing and/or admitting to something embarrassing. But not too embarrassing. They were all friends.

After Zoe told them an embarrassing truth about herself and after everyone finished laughing—including Zoe—Alix reached into her cap again. "Next up is…" she pulled another piece of paper out and unfolded it. "Adrien," she announced. Everyone chuckled and looked toward the blonde former model. Adrien stared at the birthday girl in anxious anticipation. He had never played this game before and heard it could be intimidating, but could also be very fun if you play with the right people. "Okay, Adrien. Truth or Dare?"

Feeling brave, Adrien replied, "Dare." Everyone hollered in praise to him.

"Alright, lets see," Alix sat back, scratching her chin. She'd already planned out a few truth questions and dares before the party to be prepared, but she wanted to make sure she was picking the right ones for each person. Then she glanced at her good friend Marinette. The bluenette sweetheart was sitting only two people down from him—with only Alya and Nino between them. She hated that Marinette couldn't be more forward with Adrien. So maybe, she could do it for her. "I dare you to…kiss Marinette," she said almost diabolically.

Everyone in the circle gasped, then they were clapping and cheering. All but Adrien and Marinette.

"Kiss Marinette?" Adrien repeated, a bit taken aback.

"Yeah. On the lips, for at least three seconds," Alix clarified.

Nino and Alya immediately scooched backward to give both their best friends room to move closer together so they could do the dare.

Adrien turned his head to stare at Marinette. She was staring at the carpet in front of her with wide eyes and bright red cheeks. She turned her head and glanced back at him, but she quickly looked down again when she saw his eyes on her.

She was nervous. It was clear for him to see now.

Adrien thought for an extra second before giving his reply. "I'm sorry, but I won't do it," he said to Alix.

The whole circle went quiet. A few people gasped but they were mostly silent as they stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.

Marinette also raised her head and stared at him again.

Adrien glanced back at her briefly, but that was all he needed to see the hurt in her eyes.

"Wait…for real?" Alix asked him, not totally believing it.

"Yes. Give me the hat," Adrien said as calmly as imaginable. Alix wordlessly tossed him and hat and he put it on his head. "Take as many pictures as you want," he said with a shrug.

Alya, with an angry pout, was the first to pull out her phone and took a picture. A few others did the same—upset pouts and all.

"Dude, not cool," Nino whispered to him as he scooched back into the circle.

"Yeah. What the heck?" Rose whispered on the other side of him.

They could all see the disheartened look on Marinette's face and were all very sad for her.

Adrien glanced at Marinette again and she was receiving comfort from Alya and Mylene. She was holding her own arms and was still looking down at the carpet.

"Okay, lets keep going," Alix called out, getting them all to focus back on the game.

When it was Marinette's turn, she thoughtlessly picked dare. She didn't care. Noticing her crestfallen mood, Alix decided to go easy on her and simply dared her to go back into the kitchen and bring them some snacks. Marinette of course got up and brought back the box of pastries she got from her family's bakery. Then she walked around the circle and offered everyone whatever they wanted from the box.

When she got to Adrien, she tried to at least make normal eye contact with him but she couldn't do it without getting misty eyed, so she averted her eyes as he took a mini-quiche. After that exchange, everyone in the circle was giving Adrien the stink eye or at least a disappointed frown.

They all had thought that Adrien was into Marinette now. Why would he refuse to kiss her?

For the rest of the game, everyone else who was left to go were all determined to do whatever Alix asked of them. Not exactly so that they didn't have to wear the hat, but so Adrien couldn't take it off until the game was over. They all thought that it was the least he deserved, as well as the pictures they took, which they planned on sharing online soon.

They thought that they were going to be the cutest couple in school. But if Adrien wouldn't even kiss Marinette on a dare, how could they be a couple period?

He just rejected her and broke her heart.

~*MDC+AA*~

When the game was over, everyone got up and were going to go up to the roof of Alix's building where they had a DJ table and dance floor set up.

Finally, Adrien was allowed to take off the unicorn hat and give it back to Rose. However, when she took it back, she 'huffed' and turned her nose up before walking away from him.

Adrien sighed, knowing fully well why everyone suddenly thought that he was the biggest jerk in the world. And after seeing Marinette's face after he refused the dare, he indeed felt like the biggest jerk in the world. But he had a reason. He just needed the chance to explain.

Adrien was the last person up to the roof. No one looked at him when he walked out. Nino was at the DJ table, still setting himself up. Everyone else was scattered around and talking. But off on the other side of the roof was Marinette and most of the other girls.

He couldn't hear what they were saying but Marinette still looked sad and Alya was holding both her shoulders and talking to her.

"…birthday. You can't just leave," he heard Alya say as he walked closer to their group. Marinette wanted to leave?

As soon as the girls saw him approached, they all crossed their arms and frowned at him.

Marinette turned her head to him and forced herself to smile. "Adrien," she said shakily. He could tell she was trying to hold in her sadness. Maybe some tears. "I'm…I don't feel so good so I think I'm gonna go home," she said quickly before stepping away from her girl friends and passed him.

But before she got too far, Adrien stopped her with a firm but not tight grasp at her arm. "Marinette, please. Let me explain," he tried to tell her.

"Explain what?" she replied, stopping in her tracks and facing him. He could see the glaze-over in her eyes and heard the raw emotion in her throat when she talked. She sounded mad and sad at the same time. The girls plus everyone else on the roof all looked over, each of them tempted to step in and back Marinette up but they let them be for the moment. Marinette knew that they were all on her side. "I thought…I don't know what I thought but I at least thought that if you-"

Adrien cut her off by stepping closer, grasping the sides of her head, and pulling her in and kissing her full on the lips.

Everyone gasped again. Confused but also happy. But mostly confused.

Now Adrien was fine with kissing Marinette?

Adrien pulled away after seven seconds.

Seven beautiful, heavenly seconds.

"I did want to kiss you," he said, his face still close to Marinette's.

Marinette's eyes were wide again. With joy but also confusion. "You-you just-" she stuttered. Did Adrien really just kiss her? In front of everyone? "But…then-"

"Then why didn't you just kiss her earlier when I dared you?" Alix asked him from across the roof. Everyone else nodded and made noises in agreement.

"It was because you dared me to, Alix," Adrien replied. They were all still confused so he continued. "I did want to kiss Marinette. I have for a while now, but if I had kissed her because of a dare, it wouldn't have meant anything. And that's not what either of us would have wanted. I kissed her just now because I wanted to, and for no other reason." And with that, it made sense to them all. Including Marinette. What a sweet sentiment. He wasn't a jerk after all. "I don't need someone to dare me to kiss Marinette," Adrien said, turning his eyes back to Marinette. "Still, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings before and made you think that I-"

This time, Marinette cut him off by wrapping her arms around Adrien's shoulders and pressing her lips to his. Adrien quickly kissed her back as all their friends cheered and whistled.

"I don't need to be dared to kiss you either," Marinette told him after pulling away.

She kissed him because she wanted to, and she wasn't afraid to anymore, now that she knew how he felt.

Nino didn't normally start parties with slow songs but the mood on the roof called for it. He played the song that he knew the two love birds were closely familiar with and watched them hold each other close.

Everyone else stepped off to the side, giving them a minute to have the floor to themselves before the other couples joined in as well. But before they did, everyone who had taken pictures of Adrien in that hat took out their phones and deleted them.

Chapter Text

The hottest new trend sweeping the globe was the new animated movie starring two new super heroes; Ladybug and Chat Noir. The movie was amazing, but mainly because the fictional duo were so likeable and cool. Audiences everywhere loved them. But no country loved them more than France, with the heroes being French and the movie taking place in Paris.

Famous pop star Clara Nightengale was recruited to write a song that was featured in the movie.

With the movie such a success, as will as her song, the creators decided the next thing to do was film a proper music video. In Paris, of course.

Clara Nightengale and her team were in the Grand Palais hotel holding auditions for their cast. She already had her Chat Noir in a dressing room getting changed into his costume. She couldn’t wait to reveal who he was to everyone waiting.

But she still needed her Ladybug and lots of extras. Luckily, lines for both were out the door.

~*MDC+AA*~

Doing this music video hadn’t been his idea, but his father had said that it would be great for promoting the new Gabriel stores opening in Korea and China. Father had also designed the costumes for the video, including Clara’s of course. She had told him that she admires him in his ads, so she was very on board when his father suggested that he play Chat Noir in her video. Plus, he sort of looked like Chat Noir.

But honestly, Adrien was excited.

He loved the movie and Clara’s song. Chat Noir was one of the coolest super heroes he’d ever seen, so he felt deeply honored to portray him. Even if it was just a music video. He didn’t have to do much besides dance and smile.

His only big concern was who they were going to cast as Ladybug.

~*MDC+AA*~

When Marinette and her closest girl friends heard about Clara Nightengale’s music video and the open auditions, they were ecstatic. They all loved Clara, her song for the movie, and the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie itself.

All six of them were waiting anxiously in the line for extras. The line for the Ladybug auditioners was to their right. Clara Nightengale was on the big stage in front of them, giving them all a warm welcome.

Marinette, her friends, and everyone else cheered with excitement.

“And now, meet our rising star-” Clara pointed to one of the trailers off to the side of the stage. “Adrien as Chat Noir!”

Adrien exited his trailer and walked toward the stage.

Marinette froze for a second.

Adrien was playing Chat Noir in the video?

Her good friend and deepest crush of all time?!

Adrien spotted her and her friends and waved. She smiled and waved back at him. He made a very handsome Chat Noir. Although he wasn’t wearing the mask, that just meant she could see his gorgeous face more clearly.

“Oh my gosh! Adrien is Chat Noir!” Mylene cried excitedly as she waved at him.

“Awesome,” Juleka uttered softly.

Suddenly, Alya gasped. “Marinette, IDEA!” she cried, turning back to Marinette. “You should be his Ladybug!” she exclaimed, shaking her best friend’s shoulders.

“Uh…what?” Marinette replied, startled.

“If you audition as Ladybug and they pick you, you could star in the video with him!” 

Marinette heard her other friends gasp and squeal in excitement behind her. “It’ll be so romantic!” Rose shrieked.

Marinette looked back at all of them, not sure how to respond. Her? Play Ladybug in the video? Alongside Adrien as Chat Noir?

It sounded wonderful. She was always trying to spend more time with him.

But, then again…

She’d be too nervous playing the second lead beside Adrien. Just being an extra beside her girl friends was fun and a lot less pressure.

“I…I can’t,” she finally said. “We came here to audition together. I want to have fun being an extra with you guys.” Sure she was also scared of making a fool of herself in front of Adrien and ruining the video, but that was another important one.

“Well, alright,” Alya sighed.

“That’s sweet of you Marinette, but I still think it’d be worth a try,” Alix retorted.

Marinette faced forward in line and watched the Ladybug auditions with them.

~*MDC+AA*~

Almost two hours and over sixty people later, Clara still hadn’t picked a Ladybug.

None of them had the grace that Clara was looking for. She wanted her video’s Ladybug to be just as pure of heart. Plus, they needed to have good chemistry with Adrien.

Clara and her team needed some time to talk about what to do, so they let Adrien take a quick break.

Adrien walked down to one of the refreshment tables at the base of the stage and grabbed a bottle of juice. As he took a sip, he turned around, looking back to the line of people auditioning for extras. Among the faces, the blonde model made out the faces of his classmates.

Mylene, Juleka, Rose, Alix, Alya, and…

Marinette was there too.

Adrien smiled, glad to see her the most. They were friends but he had always felt a special connection to the bluenette with pigtails. He didn’t see her like he saw his other female friends.

Putting his juice down, Adrien made his way over to the line.

“Hey guys,” he greeted the girls. There he stood on the other side of the red velvet rope.

“Hi Adrien!” the girls all said back.

Alya nudged her bestie closer to the red rope. She and the others girls stepped back a little too, letting Marinette have the boy’s attention more. “Hi…Adrien,” she finally said.

“Hey Marinette. I’m so glad you came today.”

“You…you are?” she stuttered. He was glad to see her specifically?

“Of course. Having you in this video with me will make this ten times more fun. So I hope you get casted.”

Alya stepped up again and clasped both Marinette’s shoulders from behind. “Of course she will. Who could say no to this face?” For emphasis, she gripped under Marinette’s chin and squeezed her cheeks teasingly. The other girls and Adrien giggled as she rolled her eyes and batted her friends hand down.

“Nobody, that’s who,” Adrien replied. Marinette definitely deserved to be in the video.

Feeling a bit more comfortable in the conversation, Marinette decided to actually speak more than just two words. “Well, they already made the right decision of casting you as Chat Noir,” she said clearly.

“You think so?” Adrien replied, flattered.

“Absolutely,” she said, quickly glancing him up and down. “That costume looks amazing.” Getting to see it up closer, she noticed the find craftsmanship and seamlessness. And it looked even more amazing on him.

“Really?” Adrien then decided to strike a pose he remembered Chat Noir doing in the movie. “Am I the cat’s meow?”

“Meow,” Marinette replied, making a grabby-claw hand gesture at him.

Adrien blushed as the other girls giggled.

Back over by the stage, Clara was at a loss. Nobody was sure what to do about filling the role of Ladybug. Thomas suggested they could ask people from the other line of auditioners if they wanted to try out for Ladybug.

Clara glanced over at the line and quickly noticed Adrien was standing over there talking to some girls who were laughing. Adrien was laughing too. Then he was talking directly to one of the girls.

The girl had dark bluenette hair in twin pigtails. Much like Ladybug.

She smiled a sassy but sweet smile at Adrien before reaching up the flicking the bell at his neck. And he smirked back at her.

The chemistry…just like Ladybug and Chat Noir.

However, there was just one final thing she needed to check for before she made any decisions.

Clara went over to the refreshments table and grabbed a plate of chouquettes. Then she made her way over to the line, as if about to offer them to the people still waiting to audition.

Everyone else in line gasped in excitement as they saw Clara coming closer. All but Marinette.

Her focus was locked on Adrien as they talked, but right behind him, she noticed the pop star just in time to watch her fall onto the floor, spilling the small pastries everywhere.

Marinette quickly lifted the red rope, leaned under, and went over to Clara. Reaching around her waist, she helped lift her up. When Clara was sitting on her knees, she turned to her savoir and smiled.

This girl passed her test with flying colors!

“Ah, there you are. Here’s a hug,” the pop star said before quickly hugging her. “because you are Ladybug!”

Marinette was shocked. “Wait-what?” she said before quickly realizing that the Clara Nightengale was talking to her. “Oh, wow,” she silently gushed before being pulled by her hand and up to her feet by Clara. Then she started dancing and twirling her around.

“You did what Ladybug would have. Just the same. Your heart is pure like hers. What’s your name?” she asked as she dipped her.

“Uh…Ma…Marinette,” she answered nervously.

Clara lifted her back up and spun herself around one more time before kneeling before her on one knee. “Marinette, say it’s so, will you please play Ladybug in my video?”

“Me? Play Ladybug?” Marinette uttered, still shocked. Clara was picking her to be Ladybug? “Why me?” She hadn’t even auditioned yet.

Clara jumped back up to her feet and danced around her some more. “You look just like her, you could be twins. The bluenette tresses and confident grins,” she quickly caressed one of her pigtails, making Marinette blush. “I want someone like Ladybug, kind, noble, and true. And it’s clear to see that that person is you.” Marinette smiled from the kind words. “And of course, you and Adrien.” At that, Clara grabbed her arm as well as Adrien’s and pulled them closer until they were facing each other. “You complement one another. Just like Ladybug and Chat Noir, you were made for each other!”

Hearing this, Marinette’s face became even more red. She as Ladybug? That was crazy! She was nothing like Ladybug at all, even if she did sort of look like her. Ladybug was confident, brave, and graceful. She was clumsy, shy, and meek. And her and Adrien-?!

“Come on, Marinette.” Hearing Adrien’s reassuringly sweet voice brought her focus back to him. “I think you’d make a terrific Ladybug. And-” Adrien reached out and grasped both her hands in his. “I meant it when I said I’d be glad to work with you in this video,” he told her sincerely, looking her deep in the eyes.

Marinette’s heart was still racing. Adrien wanted to work with her. Not just as him the lead and her an extra. But side by side. As equals.

As nervous and scared as she still was, there was something oddly reassuring in the way Adrien looked at her and the feel of her hands in his. After all, just a minute ago, she was talking—flirting even—with him without freaking out.

Marinette’s eyes looked back at her friends as they all gave her encouraging smiles and nods.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she finally said. Everyone cheered. “I just have one condition,” she turned back to Clara. “You see, I came here to audition with my friends to be extras,” she explained, gesturing to her five friends behind the red rope.

Clara took one look at them and smiled. “Say no more, Marinette. Your request has been heard. Your friends will be casted, you have my word.”

Marinette’s friends all cheered again as Clara gestured for them all to follow her over to the make-up chairs on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, Adrien and a PA directed Marinette to a trailer so she could change into the Ladybug costume.

The music video’s production went on without a hitch. Everyone worked hard while having a fun time. By the end of production, Marinette felt closer to Adrien then ever before.

Who knows if the two of them were made to play Ladybug and Chat Noir. What mattered more was that Marinette and Adrien were made for each other; suits or none.

Chapter Text

Adrinette April 2024

Day #14: Identity Reveal

Sitting alone in his room, Adrien turned off the tv. He’d just watched a reporter interviewing the new holder of the black cat miraculous.

And Scarabella. The new holder of the ladybug miraculous.

He remembered Scarabella from a while back. Ladybug entrusted her with her miraculous for a day for whatever reason because apparently, she knew her identity. But now, it looked like she was here to stay.

What happened to his lady? He had quit so he could pursue a relationship with Marinette. Ladybug had told him several times that the reason she never accepted his advances was because she was in love with someone else. Maybe she was doing the same thing.

And while he wasn’t completely in love with Ladybug anymore, he still felt down.

He didn’t even get to say goodbye.

~*MDC+AA*~

As Marinette sat at her computer, having just watched the interview with Paris’s new super heroes, turned her computer off. She smiled, glad that Alya was doing such an amazing job.

But who was this Kitty Noire?

She seemed like an excellent heroine, but where was her Chat Noir?

Her smile quickly fell into an uneasy frown. She gave up her miraculous to pursue a relationship with Adrien. Had he given his miraculous to a friend? Or did Plagg choose her just like Tikki apparently chose Alya—not that she was surprised.

She’d been in love with Adrien for so long, then for the past few weeks, she’d finally fallen for her feline partner, but they couldn’t be together. She was ready to try to stop focusing on any boys but now Adrien had expressed that he was indeed interested in dating her, and now that she wasn’t Ladybug anymore, she could.

But still. Even if she was fully committed to dating Adrien, Chat was her partner and dear friend for so long. She was worried about why he had quit too and if he was okay.

Marinette hugged her legs up to her chest.

She didn’t even get to say goodbye. 

~*MDC+AA*~

When Chloe got akumatized in the cafeteria into Sole Destroyer, everyone was worried. But they knew what to do. The Resistance had a plan. Unfortunately, when everyone tried activating the alarm on their Alliance rings to warn the rest of the school to evacuate, it didn’t work. They couldn’t hear Kitty Section’s music playing on the speakers. But Ivan, Mylene, and Kim still did their job of ushering people out of the cafeteria, but Sole Destroyer still got a few of them. Touching them with her shoes and turning them into singing stilettos.

Alya and Zoe managed to get away though. Finding empty rooms so they could transform. Zoe hid in the locker room and Alya in a bathroom stale. However, they were both completely unaware of Monarch following them. Using several miraculouses to duplicate himself, make himself invisible, and use the power of subjugation to paralyze them, catching them completely off guard.

But not their kwamis.

As soon as Tikki and Plagg saw that their new holders were paralyzed and something invisible was removing their miraculouses, they flew away. They wished they didn’t have to abandon them but it was the only right thing to do.

Even if Monarch got their miraculouses, they were useless without their kwamis. If they were far enough away, he couldn’t transform and use their powers. Or the wish.

Plagg flew fast over the city, away from the school. And as he was flying, he saw a red dot also flying away from the school just as fast. Plagg followed her until she came to a stop.

They were miles from the school and very high up in the air. They were safe.

“Sugar Cube!” he yelled to her. Tikki turned and saw her equal.

“Plagg! Did Monarch just-?”

“I think so. He must have used Orikko’s power to make himself invisible.”

“And duplicated himself so he could hit both our holders at the same time.” As well as teleportation to get into the locked bathroom stale.

“Oh, this is bad,” Plagg paced the open air in a short line, worrying. “How did he find out who our new holders were so quickly? It’s barely been two days!”

“I don’t know,” Tikki said. They and their new holders had been so careful. How could this have happened? “As long as we stay far enough away from him, he can’t use our powers.”

“So how are we supposed to get them back?”

They couldn’t just hide from everyone forever.

Tikki wished it didn’t have to come to this. They were so persistent in not allowing them to reveal themselves to each other. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

“We need help,” Tikki said. Plagg nodded.

~*MDC+AA*~

Since they were no longer Ladybug and Chat Noir, when someone was akumatized, the smartest thing for Marinette and Adrien to do was to run. And hide.

For some reason, they picked the school’s basement.

No one else was down there hiding too. They made their way over to the Resistance’s work area in the far corner. Marinette was curious and wanted to check something. Sure enough, when she looked down at the desk, her suspicions had been correct.

“Someone unplugged the transponder,” she said to Adrien. The blonde former model went over and saw the wires had indeed been pulled from the box.

“That’s why the warning alarm didn’t go off,” Adrien concluded.   

“But who would do that?” She knew Alya and Nino were the very last people out of the basement before they went to lunch. There was no way either of them would have done it.

After concluding that Monarch was no longer in the school, Tikki and Plagg deemed it safe to go back inside and look for their former holders. They flew through walls and ceilings, avoiding being spotted by anyone still around, until finally, they found them in the basement. Together and alone.

The two kwamis flew down from the ceiling, right up to their backs.

“Marinette!” Tikki shouted.

“Adrien!” Plagg shouted at the same time.

Startled, the couple turned around with mild shrieks.

“Tikki?” Marinette said.

“Plagg?” Adrien said at the same time.

Marinette quickly glanced at Adrien. “I mean…AH! Bug-mice!” she screamed in pretend terror.

What were Tikki and Plagg doing here?! Showing themselves to Adrien like this!

“Marinette, I know this goes against everything we talked about but this in serious,” Tikki said to her.

As shocked as Adrien was for Plagg coming to find him—with Tikki and while he was with Marinette—his surprised shifted toward Marinette herself. “Wait? What you talked about-?” he asked, glancing at the bluenette beside him. Only for Plagg to start ranting in his face.

“We need your help! Both of your successors have been paralyzed by Monarch and he stole our miraculouses!”

“WHAT?!” both human teens shouted. Monarch had their miraculouses?! “Wait…” they both looked at each other with wide eyes.

Both their successors?

Their miraculouses?

“It…it can’t be,” Adrien uttered.

“Kitty?” Marinette whispered.

“Milady?” Adrien whispered back.

Marinette raised her hands up to her mouth. “Oh my god.”

“Yes, yes. Ladybug, meet Chat Noir. Chat Noir, meet Ladybug,” Plagg said, annoyed and impatient. “Now can we please get back on track here?!”

“Take it easy, Plagg. This is a lot to absorb. They need a minute,” Tikki hushed him. The two floated there quietly and watched them.

Marinette was speechless. Her face felt hot, her heart was racing, and everything around her felt slower. Except for Adrien. “All this time…from the very beginning…” she managed to utter.

“Since Stoneheart,” Adrien said, still looking at her, just as stunned. Then he grinned. “Milady…has been my princess all along.” It was almost too amazing to be true.

But Marinette’s mind was still racing with past events to be as thrilled as he was at the moment. “And…Glaciator…when Chat Noir-” She lowered her hands to her chest.

Adrien frowned, thinking back. Those times he got closer to her as Chat Noir, confided in him about her love troubles, not knowing he’d been Adrien the whole time. “The first time, you told Chat Noir you had your heart broken by the boy you loved. The second time, you were trying to write out your confession-” Adrien stopped when another teeny fact occurred to him. “Wait a minute. Am I Buttercup?” Marinette nodded, bashfully looking away. Adrien chuckled lightly before continuing. “Then the third time…”

“The night Chat Noir took me out to get ice cream from Andre’s-”

“Right. I couldn’t believe that you had been in love with me for so long.” Andre had just stated it plain and simple to them both; Marinette was supposed to be in love with Adrien Agreste. Then Marinette confirmed it. It was definitely news to him. “And after Chat Noir told you that we couldn’t be together, Plagg convinced me that if you loved me as Adrien once, you could love me again,” he said hopefully. Adrien took both of Marinette’s hands and held them in his. “I mean, when you loved me before, I only saw you as a friend. It was one-sided. But now it’s not. That’s why I was so quick to confess to you. If you knew I loved you back, maybe you’d give your old feelings for me another chance.”

Marinette stared at him for a bit, taking in everything he just said. That night she had kissed Chat Noir, they both stated that they were no longer in love with their other selves. But were instead in love with them.

The other thems? It was messy and confusing.

Finally, Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien’s shoulders and hugged him. “I only decided to give you another chance because I had given up my miraculous and let Tikki choose someone else,” she said sadly, close to his ear.

“So did I,” Adrien replied, hugging her back. After a minute, they pulled away. “But what now?” he asked before turning his head back to the kwamis. “You guys just revealed yourselves to us at the same time. Now we know. You always told us that we could never know,” he said to them, a bit mad.

“Well, you guys are technically not our holders anymore, so…” Plagg said slowly. Adrien grunted at his sass.

“But we can be again,” Marinette said, bringing Adrien’s attention back to her. This time, Marinette took his hands and held them. “Adrien, I know we’re not supposed to know our identities as partners but…that was before.”

“Before?”

Marinette smiled up at him. “Before we really knew each other. Before we became so close. As friends, and now more,” she said sweetly, reaching up to caress his check. While she had always been nervous talking to Adrien, knowing that this was her kitty made it easier. Adrien smiled and leaned into her touch. “I was in love with Adrien and pushed Chat Noir away. You were in love with Ladybug and only saw Marinette as a friend. But then we changed. We fell for each other all over again. I finally fell for my loyal, charming, and goofy partner.”

“And I for my amazing, sweet, and talented friend,” he replied tenderly, placing his hand on top of hers on his face.

“We love each other for who we both are, completely. Both sides of ourselves.”

The two gazed at each other, finally seeing each other completely for who they were. No secrets. No masks. Just them.

A few moments later, Adrien recalled their pressing issue. “Even if we can get the miraculouses back, they can’t go back to Scarabella and Kitty Noire. Monarch knows who they are,” he said seriously.

“But he still doesn’t know who we are,” Marinette added. If he did, he would have come after them sooner. She turned to the kwamis. “Tikki? Plagg?” Before they proceeded, they had to know if their little friends were okay with this too. If not, they’ll allow them to find two new holders.

Tikki smiled. “You’re still the guardian. We thought keeping your identities a secret from each other would help protect the secret and yourselves. But it was a cage that made you feel isolated. A cage that you wanted to break out of.”

“We never wanted either of you to feel that way about being our holders,” Plagg added. Especially since he knew how much Adrien hated feeling trapped.

Adrien smiled at his kwami in understanding. “Well, a cage is less lonely if you have someone in it with you,” he said before wrapping his arm around Marinette’s shoulder and pulling her close. Marinette blushed hard again but smiled and melted into his side.

Marinette agreed. Alya already knew and it wasn’t just helpful with akuma fights but for her mental well-being as well. Did Adrien ever tell his best friend? Nino, most likely? She’ll ask him later.   

Sure, the responsibility of being a miraculous holder was great, but the burden could feel easier to carry with another carrying it with you.

“We can support each other. Confide in each other. Be the other’s shoulder to lean on when the other needs it,” she added, wrapping her arm around his waist, returning the side-hug.

Adrien looked down at Marinette and she looked up at him. “I miss being Chat Noir. But I can’t do it without my lady right beside me. I don’t want to do it without you.”

“Either we do this together, or not at all,” she said, determined.

After they got their miraculouses back from Monarch, they were going to be Ladybug and Chat Noir again. Together.

They could do this. They just needed to be smart, careful, and acquire a little help from the Resistance.

Chapter Text

Adrinette April 2024

Day #16: What If…

At the pool, after changing into his trunks and swim cap, Adrien waited for Marinette to come out of the changing stale. When she finally came down in her suit, cap, and goggles, they made their way to the ladder.

Adrien climbed down the ladder first, most of his lower half in the water as he stood on the last bar, and reached a hand up for Marinette to take. "Need a hand?" he asked her. He wanted to show Marinette how much of a gentleman he could be.

Marinette looked down at him with wide, nervous eyes. He could tell that she was nervous but he was hoping that he could make her feel comfortable and safe with him, hence, him offering his hand. But when she slowly started reaching for it, she quickly took it back and screamed.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, concerned. And he just got more so when she suddenly ran from the pool edge and back towards the stairs. "What's wrong?!" he tried to shout to her as he climbed out of the pool. He dashed towards the stairs too, intending to follow her, but she stopped a few steps up and turned back to him.

"Leave me alone!" she cried like she was mad. "I need to be by myself and stop pretending to be so nice to me!" And with that, she ran the rest of the way up the stairs.

Adrien just stood there, confused. Pretending? He wasn't pretending. Why would she even think that?

Inside the pool, Kim and Ondine swam over. While Ondine made her way to the ladder and climbed out, Kim laughed before swimming closer to the edge. "Woah, Adrien. That must have been some prank you pulled to make Marinette freak out like that. What did you do to her?" the tall jock chuckled.

"It's not funny, Kim. Can't you see Marinette's not okay?" Ondine said to him after she was out of the water, standing next to Adrien.

"Oh come on, she always reacts like that when someone pranks her," Kim replied.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" she asked him. Adrien had the same thought. He and Ondine could clearly see that Marinette was upset, why couldn't Kim?

"Right. You guys wouldn't know," Kim said as he swam over to the ladder and climbed up as well. After getting out of the water, he stood with them on the walkway. "Let me explain. You'll see, it's hilarious. It was last year, when Marinette and I were in the eighth grade." As Kim talked, he walked over to a pillar close to the ladder with a life-preserver hanging on it. On the other side of the pillar were some benches. Adrien and Ondine followed, listening closely. "One day during school, Marinette came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go to the pool with her that day after class. I of course said yes, 'cause, you know, I love to swim," he said as he grabbed a small towel from the bench and started casually drying himself off a bit. "Then Chloe stopped me at the stairs and told me she knew about Marinette and me going to the pool." A rock suddenly formed in Adrien's stomach at the mention of his childhood friend. He already hated where this was going. "I thought we were just going to swim, but Chloe told me that Marinette was going to declares that she had feeling for me," Kim said casually. Adrien was stunned. Marinette used to have feelings for Kim just last year?! He had no idea. Then again, he never suspected that she had feelings for him during this current year. "I wasn't sure what to do about that. That's when Chloe recommended the funniest practical joke I could pull on Marinette."

Neither Adrien and Ondine liked the sound of that. "A practical joke?" they both asked.

"Yeah," Kim continued, still not sensing anything wrong. "So, anyway. After we swam around for a while, we were just sitting on the diving platform together, then Marinette told me that she'd like to be more than friends." The way Kim said it so casually, like Marinette feelings weren't serious, made Adrien clench a fist. "And that's when I did it."

"Did what?" Adrien couldn't help but ask even though he was sure the answer would just make him angrier.

Kim draped his towel over the back of his neck. "I got down on one knee, said a super corny line about my feelings, then I offered her a tiny gift box." Kim smiled bigger as he remembered the 'super funny' event. "She stood up and took the box from me," Kim paused to chuckle a bit. "And then…" he chuckled some more. "she opened it and-" he laughed a bit louder. "there were a bunch of spiders inside!" He yelled before cracking up, holding his gut as he laughed.

Adrien and Ondine just stood there with wide, petrified eyes. Clearly, they didn't see the punch line in that joke.

Adrien's shock and horror quickly scorched up to a burning rage.

"You did what?!" Adrien grunted.

Kim was still laughing but calmed down enough to respond. "What? Spiders are hilarious. That's what Chloe said and she was right." Both of Adrien's fists were clenched so tight, he was sure his nails were going to penetrate the skin of his palms and draw blood. "But what was even funnier was when Marinette was screaming, she accidently stepped off the diving platform and fell right into the pool!" Kim started laughing again and Adrien saw red.

~*MDC+AA*~

Despite almost being akumatized, Marinette smiled. Because she was able to recall why she felt the way she felt about love confessions and why she was always so nervous around Adrien. How could she have forgotten the details of that day, especially if they were still affecting her today?

There she sat on the floor of her changing stale, proud of herself and oddly refreshed.

Now that she realized what had been wrong, she didn't feel so afraid anymore.

Adrien was nothing like Kim in that way. Sure, Adrien's social skills were still a bit off sometimes but that wasn't an issue. He'd never take any sort of advice from Chloe. True, they used to be friends—that had been why she wanted to steer clear of him when they first met—but things were different now. He knew Chloe couldn't be trusted these days and he'd never hurt her on purpose.

Now, Kim didn't necessarily mean to hurt her either but he still couldn't seem to understand how pranks can still hurt people's feelings if you're not careful. Adrien could tell when a joke was too far and always made sure the person was okay.

All this time, Marinette had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Adrien to do the same thing to her; prank her, say 'gotcha' and laugh at her misery. But she knew Adrien now.

He wasn't like Kim. And he wasn't like Chloe either.

Marinette sprang to her feet, opened the door, and dashed down the stairs, longing to find Adrien and explain everything to him. What she found when she was close to the bottom was Adrien, Kim, and Ondine standing over by a close pillar. She stopped on the stairs as she heard Ondine's enraged outburst.

"You did that to Marinette?" Ondine said, completely appalled. Neither of them were looking at her, so Marinette decided to hang back and listen. Had Kim told them what had happened?

"Yeah. Hilarious, right?" Kim chuckled again, then it turned into a sigh. "Chloe's the prettiest girl in the world and the funniest too," he said, glancing off to the side, thinking about the other girl.

Ondine huffed in outrage. They just started going out but he was still thinking about another girl?! And a bully at that. "How could you say that in front of me!? And do such awful things to Marinette. Your behavior is cruel and unacceptable," she scolded him.

Kim frowned and rolled his eyes. "Come on, it was just a-"

The fist that collided with Kim's face cut off his sentence.

The force of the blow and the shock of how unexpected it was threw the taller boy back and sent him falling to the floor.

Both Marinette and Ondine's hands covered their mouths.

There Adrien stood over Kim; face red with anger and panting like he'd just ran a mile.

"Are Marinette's feelings a joke?!" the blonde former model screamed at the boy on the ground. Kim turned over and clutched at his face. His left eye hurt the most. "Is humiliating her and scarring her for life a joke?!" he screamed again. Kim sat there in shock. Did Adrien seriously just punch him? What'd he do? "Chloe has done nothing but be awful and cruel to Marinette and everyone else in our school. She saw an opportunity to hurt her again and you were too blind to see it and did exactly what she wanted." Adrien lowered his voice a bit but still kept the angry tone. "Chloe lied. She wanted you to prank Marinette because she knew Marinette wouldn't be laughing. Just you were, and her. At Marinette. How could you still listen to her and pine after her when you know how awful she really is?" That's when something in Adrien's brain clicked. And how could he still be friends with her and support her when he knows how awful she really is? After quickly giving himself a mental scold that he'll remember to finish later, he continued with Kim. "And while you supposedly like Ondine?" If he had to spell it out for him, then so be it. Whatever it took to get the message across.

"I-I do like Ondine," Kim said weakly, glancing at his swim partner. Hoping that she'd object to Adrien hitting him and all the yelling at him, but she just stood there with her arms crossed and looked down at him with similar angry frown.

She didn't like this but she still thought he sort of deserved it. So she just stood there.

Ignoring Kim's short response, Adrien continued. "Marinette liked you, you had her heart and what did you do with it? You threw it away for a laugh. Marinette is the sweetest, bravest, smartest, most amazing girl I've ever met. She's never done anything to intentionally hurt anyone, is always helping others, and selflessly does so much for everyone. Anyone to earn her love should be honored." Adrien paused for a second. He'd never said this out loud to anyone other than Marinette. Even then, he hadn't been this specific. "I know I am. And…I know I love her and would never do anything to hurt her!" he exclaimed passionately. Kim and Ondine's eyes widened. But Marinette's were wider. "She and I are trying to start a relationship but she's been having a hard time expressing how she feels. And now I see why. The last time she tried, her crush humiliated her and broke her heart," he said with a sneer as he looked down at Kim. He might be being a bit harsh by this point but he didn't care. He thought he deserved it and he was angry enough to dish it out. "You're a jerk, Kim. A jerk who doesn't think before he acts and doesn't care in the least who he hurts."

Everything was quiet after that. So Marinette, after processing what Adrien just said on top of everything else she realized while in the changing stale, she walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

When she started moving again, Ondine finally noticed her in her peripherals before turning around. She watched her when she reached the bottom and walked around the railing.

"Adrien," the young swimmer nudged Adrien's arm. Adrien turned around and saw Marinette standing there.

Suddenly, all his anger melted away to relief. She wasn't locked away somewhere, alone and upset. She was holding her arms but she was smiling.

Marinette walked over to him and hugged him around his shoulders without hesitation. "I love you too," she whispered in his ear.

Adrien blushed. Hearing her finally able to say those words to him crystal clear felt better than he had dreamt they would. He smiled and embraced her back. When they pulled back, just enough to look at each other, Adrien leaned in and planted a kiss to her forehead.

"Marinette," Kim said. They turned back to see that the boy had gotten back onto his feet. Adrien protectively retightened his hold on Marinette just a bit. "I…I'm sorry," he said in a crushed tone.

At last, the boy finally saw the wrong he'd done and felt bad.

"Apology accepted," Marinette replied kindly. Kim wasn't a bad guy. He was still her friend, even after the incident and before this day. Still, she appreciated the remorseful apology. Maybe now they could all put this behind them for real.

Ondine walked over to Kim's side. "You guys can stay and swim. Kim and I are going to leave," she said to the couple. Then she turned to her 'boyfriend.' "We have some talking to do," she said in a tighter voice.

Marinette and Adrien just got there. They hadn't even gotten to swim yet. They deserved to still have their date. She and Kim on the other hand had been there for a while already, so she thought it best to move their important conversation elsewhere, as to not disturb them or the rest of the patrons of the pool.

Kim walked away with her without complaint. Leaving Adrien and Marinette to themselves to salvage what they could of their date.

Just like earlier, Adrien climbed down the ladder first, most of his lower half in the water as he stood on the last bar, and reached a hand up for Marinette to take.

Marinette hesitated again, but it was only for a split second this time before she smiled and took his hand.

Marinette stepped onto the first bar, then the next, slowly entering the water. Adrien swam back a bit to give her some room but held onto her hand. When she was on the last bar, she kicked a bit off it to swim out but ended up colliding into Adrien's bare chest.

One of Marinette's arms instinctively wrapped itself around his shoulder while Adrien wrapped an arm around her middle, holding her close as they both treaded water. Marinette blushed redder than ever, being this close to the love of her life, and with no shirt on.

"Don't worry, I got you," he said in a tender voice. Marinette looked up at his face and into his emerald eyes, and without a trace of fear or doubt, she believed him, and smiled back.

Chapter Text

Adrinette April 2024

Day #20: Best Friends 

"Agreste, Adrien," Miss Bustier called out, standing behind her desk with her tablet in her hands.

The blonde boy was staring straight ahead at the teacher, ready and eager to begin his first official day of school. But when she called his name—backwards—out of nowhere, he wasn't sure why. She hadn't asked him a question and he didn't think he did anything wrong.

Adrien wasn't too familiar with classroom basics. What was he supposed to do again?

"You say 'present'" his new seatmate, Nino, whispered to him.

Oh right. This was rollcall. He was supposed to reply so the teacher could mark him as present for the day.

Adrien jumped up from his seat. "Uh, present!" he shouted, sticking his arm straight up above him.

Everyone started to chuckle around him. Miss Bustier even gave him an amused smile. Adrien rubbed the back of his head bashfully as he sat back down. He probably didn't need to say it that loud. He was a little embarrassed but he didn't mind making his fellow classmates laugh. They were laughing with him, not at him.

Seated again, Adrien turned back to Nino. He smiled back at him and offered him a reassuring fist pump. Everything was cool. He'll get the hang of school basics eventually.

"Bourgeois, Chloe." Miss Bustier continued.

"Present," his old friend replied from behind him.

"Bruel, Ivan."

"Present."

Adrien listened closely to the names Miss Bustier listed off. These were his classmates for the rest of the school year so it was important for him to know their names. Hopefully, he could make friends with all of them. He also turned around so he could see who replied to each name so he could see which body belonged to each name.

After Ivan, the larger boy behind Chloe, Miss Bustier called for 'Cesaire, Alya' and the girl in the front row on the other side of the room spoke up.

Not the girl who now hated him for something he didn't do, the girl sitting next to her, closer to the window.

After her was another girl; 'Couffaine, Juleka.' The tall girl wearing a black and purple dress in the back stood up and mumbled something before sitting back down. She must be shy and had trouble speaking up. But at least she stood up so Miss Bustier could clearly see that she was indeed present and accounted for.

"Dupain-Cheng, Marinette."

"Present."

To see who this classmate was, Adrien only had to turn his head a bit to the right.

It was her. The girl who now hated him for something he didn't do. Sitting right across the aisle from him. Her arm was raised and she was facing the teacher.

Marinette. Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Adrien wasn't sure why but finally knowing her name had him more intrigued by her.

Instead of paying attention to the rest of the classes names and looking to see who they were, Adrien found himself continuing to stare at the girl across the aisle.

Adrien still felt not so great for not being able to get the gum off her seat in time, and even less after hearing her voice angrily tell him off after thinking that it was all his fault. And Chloe's.

Based on what Chloe was saying earlier and what he knew about her—having known her most of his life—this probably wasn't the first time she'd pulled a mean prank on Marinette. There was also Nino's reaction to when he introduced himself and his hesitation to shake his hand when he discovered that he was friends with the spoiled girl.

'So, you're friends with Chloe.' That's what they both had said. Like it was all the information they needed to stay as far away from him as possible.

Chloe said it was to command respect to herself but that was silly. Being mean to people couldn't make anyone respect you. If someone had put gum on his seat, he'd call them a bully.

Maybe that's who Chloe really was. A bully.

He had been trying to take it off—but to her, it looked like he was putting it on—then Chloe and Sabrina started laughing at her. That was all the proof she had needed.

Even after he told her he was just trying to take it off, she didn't believe him.

He was friends with Chloe. Her bully. That's was all she needed to know to not trust him.

She had every right to be mad at him.

After Marinette had scolded him and they both sat down, Nino had asked him why he didn't just tell her directly that it was just Chloe and he had nothing to do with it.

She's been Adrien's only friend for so long. His best friend? Maybe.

That was when Nino finally introduced himself, offered him his hand to shake, and also offered him some friendly advice to make some new friends.

Maybe he was right. Adrien wanted friends who were nice. Nino seemed nice.

Sure, he still knew that he was friends with Chloe but he just saw for himself that he wasn't like her. He didn't 'command respect' like Chloe did. He needed nice friends.

Adrien wondered if Marinette was nice too. True, she hadn't been so nice to him so far but he totally understood why. Maybe if he told her properly what had happened, they could start over, and he could see how nice she really was.

Adrien was still staring at Marinette as he thought about everything.

She was smiling as she faced the board. She had a nice smile. That was a good sign.

From the corner of her eye, she must have finally noticed that he was staring at her. She turned her head a bit to him and threw a mild sneer at him before looking away again with a huff.

Yup. Still hated him.

Adrien decided to finally stop staring at her and faced the board. Miss Bustier was finally done with rollcall so he needed to pay attention. But every once in a while, when he could, he found himself briefly glancing back at her again.

He wanted to make things right. Make her understand that while Chloe was his friend, he didn't put the gum on her seat and he'd never do that to her himself or anyone else ever.

He'd tell her later, maybe at lunch or right before they all left for the day.

He wanted them to be friends.

Maybe even best friends.

Chapter Text

Adrinette April 2024

Day #22: First Kiss

"No. I'm sure that mom would have just wanted me to be happy!"

Just as he said this, the car came to a stop at an intersection. With tears in his eyes, Adrien turned back to his window. Glancing down, he noticed that his door was unlocked.

Adrien quickly glanced up to see his bodyguard's eyes staring at him through the rearview mirror. All he did was nod.

With the car still halted and after taking a steadying breath, Adrien opened his door, slammed it closed and ran for it.

If his father got out too and was yelling out to him, Adrien ignored it. His heart was beating too loud in his ears anyway.

It had all been a joke. His father suddenly being sweeter to him; letting him call him 'dad,' making him breakfast, coming to school functions, letting him quit modeling, letting him see his friends more. In the end, he was all still only about whatever he wanted him to do and be. He could never let Adrien be what he wanted. Then again, he hardly knew exactly what he wanted.

The only thing he did know was that he wanted to see Marinette.

When he couldn't run anymore, Adrien stopped and leaned against the wall of a building in an alley. He wasn't sure where he was but he was sure that he was far enough away from his father. Was there really such a thing? They could still catch up to him. He was too out of breath to keep running and he needed to get to Marinette's house as quickly as possible.

"Plagg, Claws Out!"

Once he was transformed, Adrien leapt up onto the closest rooftop to get his bearings.

~*MDC+AA*~

About a minute later, when Chat Noir was close enough to the Dupain-Cheng's Boulangerie Patisserie, he jumped back down to street level and detransformed. Back in his civilian attire, Adrien ran the short distance left between him and his true love.

Knowing that the bakery was closed, Adrien ran to the side door. It was open so he entered and closed it behind him before running up the stairs until he reached the door he knew lead to the apartment. When he finally reached the door, Adrien took a minute to catch his breath again before knocking.

The door opened to both of Marinette's loving parents on the other side. "Adrien," Sabine greeted him warmly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien greeted back, trying to put on a friendly face despite how upset he still was. "May I come in?"

Sensing that something was off with the sweet boy, the two parents let him enter. "Of course, dear," Sabine said. Tom closed the door behind him.

"Is Marinette still here?" He prayed that she hadn't left for the school's party at the Eiffel Tower yet.

"Yes, she's up in her room getting ready for the party," Tom replied.

Adrien quietly sighed in relief and glanced up at the door in the ceiling that lead to her room longingly and with sad eyes.

"Adrien, are you alright?" Sabine asked him. He was breathing hard, either out of breath from running or from nerves. Or both. And his eyes looked misty and full of pain.

He looked like he was on the brink of an emotional break down.

Adrien's breath shuttered a bit. He shook his head slightly. "No. I-" he paused. As wonderful as Marinette's parents were, they weren't the one he was desperate to talk to about what was going on. "I just need to see Marinette. Please," he insisted as politely as possible, his voice cracking.

Sabine and Tom shared a concerned look before deciding that it was best to allow what he was asking—provided that Marinette was descent in her room.

Sabine walked up the stairs and knocked on the trapdoor. "Marinette!" she called up.

"Yeah mom?" Marinette sweet voice called back.

"You have a guest. Can we send him up?"

"Sure!" With that, Sabine stepped back and gestured for him to go up.

"Thank you," he thanked them both before climbing the stairs.

When Adrien pushed the trapdoor open and climbed up, the first thing that caught his attention was Marinette standing by her mirror.

She said she had been making a new dress for herself for the party, and it was adorable. A white dress with small pink designs along the top helm and other various spots. And her bluenette hair was up in a perfect single bun.

Marinette turned around and faced him. "Adrien. Are you ready to go to the-" she paused upon seeing him. He was smiling but there was obvious sadness underneath it and his eyes were brimming with tears. "Adrien?" she asked, concerned.

"You…You l-look beautiful, Marinette," he stuttered. He never stuttered. And his words sounded choked up. Then his lip started to tremble.

"Adrien, what's wrong?" She took a few cautious steps closer to him.

Finally, the dam broke. Adrien let out a sob before closing the gap between them. "Oh Marinette!" he cried as he wrapped his arms around her. "Everything's wrong! I'm wrong, my future's wrong, my father's wrong!" he cried into her shoulder.

Her dress exposed her shoulders so it was mostly skin he was crying into. Her skin was soft and warm. Comforting.

Marinette immediately wrapped her arms around him. "Shhh. It's okay," she whispered. One of her hands rubbed his back up and down while the other gently stroked the back of his hair. As she let him cry, Tom and Sabine pocked their heads up through the trapdoor only to discreetly close it, giving them some privacy. The teens stood there for a minute or two until Adrien calmed down a bit. Marinette pulling away just enough so she could direct them over to her chaise so they could sit down. "What happened? Why are you sad?" she asked him, still holding onto his hands as they sat side by side.

Adrien quickly wiped his eyes with the inside of his wrist and sniffled. He wasn't able to tell Marinette the whole truth before. I didn't know how he could. But now he had to.

"I-I should've told you sooner, but up until the last minute, I thought I'd find a solution. I tried everything, I swear," he said to her, almost pleadingly. "My father told me that I'd be leaving Paris to attend high school in London. I'm supposed to leave tonight. We were on our way to the airport but I couldn't do it. So when the car stopped, I jumped out and ran here."

Marinette's heart broke a little. "London?" she whispered, her own eyes glazing over a bit.

Adrien was supposed to leave? Why didn't he tell her?

"I didn't want to go!" he quickly reassured her. "I tried telling my father a hundred times that I wanted to stay here. To go to high school with you and all of our friends but he wouldn't listen." Adrien's eyes drifted off from her as they filled with fury. "He never listens!" he growled angrily. Adrien stood up abruptly and started pacing the middle of her bedroom floor. "I can't believe I was dumb enough to think that he had actually changed! He doesn't care about me at all. All he cares about is himself and whatever he wants!" he shouted, swinging his arms wildly. He suddenly felt an alarming need to destroy something. "He just wants to control me and do whatever he wants me to do instead of just letting me live my own life!" Adrien tightly gripped his head with both his hands and closed his eyes, letting more tears squeeze out. "I can't take it anymore!"

Marinette bolted up from her chaise and went up to her distraught boyfriend. She gripped his wrists and got him to lower them. "Adrien, look at me," she said but his eyes remained shut tight. "Look at me!" she said a bit louder, cupping the sides of his face. Finally, he opened his eyes, meeting her comforting bluebell stare. "Breath, okay," she told him.

Adrien listened. He followed her lead as she took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout," he apologized sincerely.

"You're angry. You have every right to be," she told him tenderly. She was angry too. For him and at Gabriel. "But you are not dumb for believing that your father was becoming better. He's your father and you want to love him." He just made it very hard to with everything he's done.

Adrien sniffled again, then reached up and placed his hands over hers still on his cheeks.

"I just can't stand being controlled anymore," he uttered, his tone sad again. He lowered their hands while still grasping hers in his. "I don't just want to talk about what I want and then it just gets ignored. I want the freedom to make my own choices and then actually do what I want."

He had talked about his desires to his father and even Nathalie, but they've always just told him what to do instead, like what he had to say didn't matter. He had told them to Marinette as well and she had tried to help him however she could, but his father usually got in the way then too.

"Well, what do you want, Adrien?" she asked him.

She was asking him what he wanted. Adrien could start sobbing all over again, but with joy. He loved her so much. And he was tired of waiting for the right moment to show her exactly how much he did.

This was that moment.

"I want to kiss you."

Marinette blushed again and she looked almost frightened, but then she smiled. She was tired of waiting too. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned in. Adrien did the same until their lips met in a tender lock as more fireworks exploded in the skies of the city just outside her window.

When they pulled away, still grasping hands, their eyes fluttered open.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," Marinette giggled, still close to his face. "I love you, Adrien." She was so proud she could say that so clearly now.

"I love you too, Marinette. With all my heart," Adrien replied, just as passionately before pulling her to him in a loving embrace. As he caressed the back of her head, Adrien's lips narrowed with determination. "I swear to you, Marinette. I won't let my father control me anymore," he swore. He couldn't make it happen before but he wasn't going to let it happen again. Adrien pulled back to look at her properly. "I don't know how but I'm staying in Paris no matter what."

Marinette nodded with a just as determined look. Then, after a moment of thought, she smiled. "Sounds like we're gonna need a little help," she said.

His father, Nathalie, and/or his bodyguard would most likely come looking for Adrien there. So the two left the bakery, hopped on Marinette moped, and rode to the Eiffel Tower together. For the party and to recruit the support from their dearest friends.

No matter what the future held, at least Adrien and Marinette finally got to share their very first kiss. And no one could take that away.

Chapter Text

A drinette April 2024

Day #29: Safe

Adrien was glad that they were able to thwart Hawkmoth's attempt to claim the Prodigious, and that the magical gem was now in the trusting hands of their new friend and ally, Renren.

And now that Cash was on his way to prison and Ladybug was on her way back to Paris—he had to pretend to fly back too so it was a good thing they agreed to fly in opposite directions so she wouldn't see him land right back in Shanghai. It was better she didn't know that he was already there—he was back on his previous and also very important mission; finding Marinette.

When he went to visit her uncle's restaurant just to say hi to Cheng Shifu again, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Marinette had come to Shanghai to celebrate his sixtieth birthday with him and learn more about her Chinese heritage.

His father was too busy to do anything like sight-seeing with him, but maybe he could do more of that with Marinette. It'd be nice having a friend with him so they could enjoy their visit in the city together.

Unfortunately, Marinette had gone out and hadn't come back for hours. He enjoyed helping Cheng Shifu cook while they waited for her but she was still MIA. She wasn't answering her phone either.

Worried, Cheng Shifu called the police while Adrien left to try and find her himself. As Chat Noir.

He knew Marinette was smart and could take care of herself, but this was a very different environment for her. She didn't know this city and she didn't speak Chinese. Maybe she lost her phone, or it broke, or the battery died. Without it, she couldn't navigate through the city or use her translator app. It would also explain why she wasn't picking up when her uncle tried to call.

Or someone could have stolen it.

Someone could have robbed her. Even mugged her.

Was she hurt? Bleeding in some dark alley with no one around to even see that she needed help.

Adrien had to calm himself down. There was no reason to think the worst like that.

Renren assured him that she had found her earlier and brought her to safety. He believed her, but he really needed to see her for himself to know for sure. She still needed to be guided back to her uncle's place.

When Astro Chat landed and transformed back into his civilian self, he wasn't far from Cheng Shifu's Thousand Delights restaurant. After a bit of walking, he finally reached the front of the building. And sure enough, walking toward him were two girls.

One he briefly recognized as the girl who now held the Prodigious. The other was Marinette.

She really did make sure that Marinette was okay. Even walked her home.

Marinette was surprised to see Adrien at the restaurant when she and Fei arrived. After Ladybug pretended to fly back to Paris, she landed not far from the ruins of Fei's father's old kung fu school. She walked to the front and found Fei, who had retrieved the rest of her belongings from Cash's pawn shop, including her phone. The only thing still missing among her things was her kwangatama necklace. Fei was sure that she accidently dropped it sometime after she stole it from her and apologized many times—for stealing it and then loosing it.

Marinette assured her that it was alright. It might have been a birthday gift from Tikki and meant a lot to her, but it wasn't as irreplaceable as Tikki herself, or her miraculous.

Then Fei offered to guide her back to her uncle's restaurant, during which time, Marinette talked her into staying for dinner. She was sure her uncle wouldn't mind, especially after she told him how she helped her. But decided it best to leave out the part about being the reason she got lost in the first place.

Fei agreed by the time they reached the front of the restaurant. And when they did, they were met with a familiar blonde model walking from the opposite direction.

Marinette was surprised. The main reason she went out was to look for Adrien—heck, he was the main reason she decided to come to Shanghai. And here he was, walking passed her uncle's restaurant.

"Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed when he saw her.

"Hi Adri-!" she started to say, only to be surprised again and cut off when the boy came running at her, then crashed into her to wrap his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried," he said, hugging her tight.

Still in shock from his sudden appearance and then the sudden embrace, she stuttered, "You were worried…about me?"

Adrien pulled back but kept his grip on her arms. "Of course. I came here earlier to visit your uncle Cheng, then he told me that you were visiting for his birthday, but you had gone out. We both waited for you but you were gone for so long and you weren't picking up your phone so he called the police while I went out looking for you," he explained.

Marinette was stunned. Adrien came to the restaurant? If she had stayed put, she would have gotten to see Adrien anyway. But then again, if she hadn't, she wouldn't have met Fei. And she likely wouldn't have been around when she needed to to stop Hawkmoth. Instead of focusing on that, Marinette chose to focus on the fact that Adrien had been concerned about her.

"You were…looking at me? I mean, for me?" she stuttered then smiled nervously.

"Absolutely," he replied. Then his face shifted into a concerned frown. "I was afraid something might have happened to you," he added while quickly looking her over just to make triple sure that she wasn't hurt. Once he was done, his eyes shifted to the girl standing behind her. "And uh, who's this?" he asked. Chat Noir already knew her as the guardian who now held the Prodigious but Adrien wasn't supposed to know her at all. How did Marinette end up with her anyway?

"I'm Fei," she introduced herself with a smile, giving a slight bow. "I helped Marinette find her way back."

"She's my new friend," Marinette added.

Adrien smiled. He didn't know this girl well but if Marinette liked her, that was good enough for him. "Then it's an honor to meet you. And thank you for bringing Marinette back to her family safe and sound," he said, bowing back. "I'm Adrien."

"An honor to meet you as well," Fei bowed again. Then she looked back and forth between the two quickly. "Are you Marinette's boyfriend?" She didn't mean to assume anything. They just had a unique vibe between them. They obviously meant a great deal to each other.

Both French teen's eyes widened. "Ah…" they uttered awkwardly, glanced at each other before looking back at her, then replied with, "No. We're just friends," at the same time.

After the three went inside, both the Gorilla and Cheng Shifu were happy to see them walking through the door. And after Marinette introduced Fei to her uncle, the Shifu invited her to stay for dinner along with Adrien.

Cheng Shifu's birthday dinner was wonderful. Another good surprise, the three boys who Marinette thought were chasing her earlier came by to return her missing necklace. They were also the same fans of Adrien's who stopped him for some selfies earlier that day.

All was well in Shanghai. Despite the unexpected appearance of Hawkmoth, Adrien had a better time than he had thought he would. Sure, his father was too busy to tour with him, but he had Marinette, Cheng Shifu, and Fei to enjoy the city with.

And in doing so, he could keep an eye on Marinette so she wouldn't get robbed and/or lost again. And if she did, he'd protect or find her. With or without his powers.

He'd keep her safe. No matter what city they were in together.

Chapter Text

Marichat May

Day #3: Protective Marinette

Adrien wasn't having a good day so far. Ms. Mendeleiev had reprimanding Nathaniel for falling asleep in science class, again. Then after he tripped and dropped his sketchbook, Chloe decided to be cruel by picking it up and mocking his drawings to the whole class.

Which happened to illustrate that he fantasized about being a superhero and saving Marinette.

Because apparently, he had a huge crush on her.

This did not sit right with the young model. Then again, he could clearly see why Nathaneil would. Marinette was sweet, funny, charming, kind, tenacious, and wonderful.

Oh, he almost forgot beautiful. How could he forget that?

It was hard not to love Marinette. But that was the problem. He felt the same about her.

Marinette had been there too. She'd heard Chloe and saw the drawings. She knew about Nathaniel's feelings now. What was she going to do? Did she like him back? Would they start dating soon?

And why wouldn't they? They've both known each other for years, they're both artists, and Nathaniel's a nice guy. Why wouldn't she be interested in dating him?

In the library, looking through a shelf of books, Adrien could overhear Sabrina arguing with Chloe about always doing all the work for her when they got partnered up for school projects. And there Marinette was, sitting in the middle. The three of them had been put into a group together for the science project, and it would seem that Marinette was finally able to convince Sabrina to stand up to Chloe instead of letting her walk all over her.

Adrien smiled. Good for her. Marinette had a way of performing miracles.

But a second later, Chloe's frustrated rants turned into terrified screams. Adrien glanced around the shelf again and saw a huge pile of berets raining down on Chloe as she tried to guard her head—well, her hair mainly.

When the hat shower finally stopped, a mysterious figure in a black and white suit, orange hair, and a dark purple beret jumped from out of nowhere and landed on the table in front of them.

Shoot. Another akuma.

"Boo!" the boy yelled at Chloe, making her scream before running out of the library. Sabrina, also scared, followed after her. The villain laughed, then quickly looked down at the bluenette still standing there. "Marinette," he said, tendering looking down at her with a smile.

"Who-who are you?" she asked, a bit timid. She'd faced down plenty of akumas before but she wasn't Ladybug at the moment.

"It's me, Marinette," he said. "Or, I'm Evillustrator now. But I'm still Nathaniel." Marinette's and Adrien's eyes widened at the same time. He must have attracted an akuma after being sent to the principal's office for sleeping in class. He was humiliated by Chloe and just wanted to be Marinette's hero, just like in his comic. "I can draw anything for you, and it'll become real. Watch," he explained excitedly before starting to draw something on a tablet attached to his right arm with a pencil in his left. Seconds later, a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers popped into thin air, which he quickly grabbed. Then he jumped down from the table and onto the floor, kneeing down before Marinette. "For you, mon chéri," he said, presenting her with the flowers.

Adrien gripped the side of the shelf hard and grit his teeth even harder. Nathaneil was akumatized and was using his new powers to woo Marinette.

Not on Chat Noir's watch.

Seeing that everyone else in the library had vacated after hearing that an akuma was present, Adrien, hidden well enough from Marinette and the Evillustrator from behind the shelf, transformed.

Chat Noir sprang up and landed on top of the shelf, his baton drawn into a staff.

"I wouldn't accept those, little lady. This guy looks kind of sketchy," he said to them.

Marinette rolled her eyes with a light smile on her lips. Chat was corny, a bit ridiculous, and had the worst timing for jokes, but she couldn't deny that he was funny. Sometimes she wished he'd be more serious when they fought together but at the same time, she wouldn't change him for anything. He was still a great partner and an amazing guy.

And handsome. How could she forget that?

"Chat Noir," Evillustrator growled, standing and putting the bouquet down on the table. "You will not ruin this for me." Pencil in hand, he started drawing something. Moments later, a giant spinning saw blade appeared in front of him and shot straight out at the feline hero.

Chat jumped away but the blade boomeranged back and followed after him. Chat ran from it as it kept behind him.

As Marinette watched her partner evade the saw blade all over the library, so did the Evillustrator. With him distracted, she thought this was her chance to sneak away so she could transform, but she barely got three steps away before her arm was grabbed.

"Wait, Marinette. Please don't go," the Evillustrator said desperately but not harshly. "I just want us to be together. I promise not to hurt you. Why would I? You're beautiful and sweet and perfect and I would never hurt a bluenette hair on your head," he ranted sincerely, moving his hand from her arm to caress her hand.

"Wow…that's, agh," Marinette stuttered, trying to find the words for such a bold confession. "very…um, flattering. Agh…thank you." Her eyes spotted the bouquet left on the table and grabbed it. She inhaled the fragrance of them and smiled. Evillustrator smiled back, happy that he was wooing her.

Marinette didn't actually feel that way about Nathaneil—even before that day—but she thought it best to at least sort act like she was interested. She hated having to lie to him just to spare his feelings, but at least she wasn't straight out swooning and confessing her non-existent love for him. That would be too much and would only hurt him more when this was over.

Plus, he was doing this for her. If she broke his heart now, he could use his powers for far worse.

She had to stay on his good side. For now.

Finally, Chat was able to strike at the saw blade and it disintegrated into sketch lines. When he turned his focus back to the akuma, he saw Marinette smiling while holding the flowers he drew for her. He growled in rage.

"Well, I'll give you this…you definitely have a way of illustrating your point," he said, jumping toward him again to strike him down.

But Evillustrator was quicker and drew a clear, solid wall between them. Chat's staff bounced right off of it without even a scratch. Chat landed on the ground with a hard thud.

"Here you go, kitty. A little ball and chain to play with," the villain chuckled, drawing an actual heavy metal ball attached to a chain, which attached to a pair of metal cuffs, which appeared around both his wrists. Chat tried pulling them apart but it was no use. The wall vanished and Evillustrator approached him menacingly. "Sadly, those who get in my way, get erased," he said darkly.

He was able to do something else on his tablet but before he could, his path was blocked but his beloved.

"Stop!" Marinette cried, running up to stand between the two boys. "Please don't hurt him! I don't want to see anyone get hurt," she pleaded to him.

Maybe this wasn't the sanest idea but Nathaneil had promised that he'd never hurt her so she was fairly sure he wouldn't, even if she stood between him and his target.

Evillustrator lowered his pencil. "Marinette," he said. As much as he didn't like that she was protecting the pesky fleabag, Marinette's kind heart was one of the things he loved most about her. Still, he didn't want her to see him as a bad person for hurting anyone else. "I-I don't want to upset you but-"

Suddenly, a glowing purple butterfly mask appeared over his eyes. And only a voice he could hear spoke in his face. "I still need his miraculous, Evillustrator," Hawkmoth said to him. "But if you don't want your beloved to see you like this, I'll allow you to let him go, for now. But as soon as you woo your lady and she is not around, you are to take his and Ladybug's miraculouses by whatever means. Or you'll see for yourself how much she truly loves you after you're powers are gone," he threatened him.

Hawkmoth didn't like allowing his champion to let his enemies go but it was the only thing he could think of to make sure he kept his loyalty. If he didn't feel like he needed the powers he granted him anymore, he could reject the akuma and he'd loss his opportunity to defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Understood, Hawkmoth," the boy replied and the glowing mask vanished. Evillustrator needed to get his and Ladybug's miraculouses for Hawkmoth or he'd remove his powers. And he needed them to keep impressing Marinette and protect her from threats like Chloe. But she couldn't see him being violent with the heroes or she might reject him all together. He wasn't the bad guy. But it might look like that to her. So the only smart thing to do was to face Chat Noir and Ladybug another time, he just had to make sure that Marinette wasn't around to see him fighting them. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. With that, Evillustrator was sketching on his tablet again. Seconds later, the floor under Chat Noir opened up into a hole just big enough for him and his heavy ball to fit through and send him crashing down to the first floor of the school. Then the floor reappeared, resealing his easy way back up. Away from the prying eyes of the black cat, he grasped Marinette's arm and jumped up to the balcony of the library. "Now that we have a minute alone…It's my birthday today and I'd by honored if you came to celebrate it with me, just the two of us," he said to Marinette before quickly drawing something else.

Seconds later, a small paper card appeared, he grabbed it in his hand and presented it to her, down on one knee again.

Marinette took the card. "Wow…that's me," she said, impressed with the drawing of her. In her head, as quick as she could, Marinette thought of how she could play this. She still needed him to keep trying to woo her, to keep him distracted, but Ladybug couldn't there at the same time as Marinette. But Chat Noir could. "You know what…I'd love to go," she replied.

"Great! I'm so happy!" Evillustrator hopped back up to his feet with joy before turning to leave. "I'll see you tonight. Left bank of the Seine by Notre Dame, at sunset," he instructed her.

And with that, he used his tablet to erase the glass from one of the skylight windows high above their heads, then he drew himself a cool looking jetpack which appeared on his back. Then he rocketed up and out, through the window.

~*MDC+CN*~

After being dropped from the second floor of the school—made worse by the heavy ball he was chained to—Chat was not happy. He was annoyed but also very worried about Marinette being alone with that guy. Finally, he cataclysmed the cuffs and was free from that dead weight, then he made a mad dash from the stairs to get back into the library.

Unfortunately, he arrived just in time to see the Evillustrator take off from the library balcony and soar out one of the skylights on a jetpack.

However, Marinette was standing right there, still on the library balcony.

"Marinette!" he exclaimed before jumping up to her. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?!" he asked her while frantically looking her over.

"No, no. I'm just fine," she reassured him calmly. "He invited me to spend his birthday with him."

Chat's face went from relaxed to agitated. "Well he can forget that. Ladybug and I will have him deakumatized by then," he said. There was no that that guy was taking his princess out for a night of romance. Akuma or not.

"I actually think the date would be the perfect way to deakumatized him."

Chat looked at her with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I said yes to the date because I thought I could keep him distracted. Then you and Ladybug could surprise him," she explained. If Ladybug couldn't be around for the planning part, she had to do her best to help without giving away that she's done this with him dozens of times.

Chat's eyes narrowed again, not liking this idea. "You want to be bait? No way! It's too dangerous," he dismissed fiercely. Then again, it did make a lot of sense. She was willing to do this to help. But he didn't want to potentially put her in harms way. He was on the fence. "I need to talk to Ladybug. She'll help us figure this out," he said, taking his baton and turning on his cat-phone. He put it up to his ear and waited but he only got her voicemail. "Crud, she's not answering. Where is she?" he said, hanging up.

Marinette bit her lip. "Maybe she's busy with something and can't transform?" she innocently suggested. Then she looked at him with more determination. "If she can't help us, we're going to have to handle this ourselves."

Chat glanced at her, seeing the confident look in her eyes. She even had the courage to protect him by putting herself between him and the akuma.

She could do this. It was a good plan and he'd be there to keep her safe.

"Well…" he said, putting his baton behind his back. Then he leaned in a bit while raising his arm to lean against the bookshelf beside them with a charming smirk on his lips. "It looks like you'll get to be my Ladybug for the evening."

Marinette couldn't help the blush that came over her checks as she looked away bashfully.

When they had the details sorted, Chat tried calling Ladybug on his cat-phone again, she didn't pick up, but that was fine. He left her a voice mail, explaining their plan and to met with them when she could.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #7: Cheek Kiss

(Sequel to Day #3: Protective Marinette) 

Just as Evillustrator had instructed her to, Marinette arrived on the left bank of the Seine by Notre Dame right at sunset.

There, Evillustrator had a river boat prepared, decorated with fairy lights, lanterns, some greenery, and even a mini-Eiffel Tower in the middle of the deck.

Evillustrator welcomed her warmly and showed her around the boat. During which, Marinette discovered that he couldn't draw properly in the dark. So when the moon got covered up by some clouds, he had to squat down to the light of one of the lanterns so he could draw a big brighter moon balancing on the top of his mini-Eiffel Tower so he could see again.

Useful information for later.

They set sail, gliding down the Seine at a peaceful pace. The two sat on a bench just in front of the boat's cabin. Marinette sat silently, taking in the beauty of the Parisian night while Evillustrator sat to her left, drawing musical notes on his tablet that actually played a song as they flew off the screen.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir was following them from the bank. As quietly and stealthily as the animal his miraculous represented.

Soon the boat was approaching a bridge. Chat took the chance to get even closer by climbing up onto the middle. He kept his body low as he watched most of the boat pass under—all while trying to keep his jealousy calm at seeing the two sitting together in such a setting.

When the stern of the boat was right under him, just behind the bench, he jumped onto the roof of the cabin quietly, then hid behind it.

"It's so beautiful," he heard Marinette say as he pocked his head up over the top of the cabin.

"I'm glad you like it, Marinette," Evillustrator replied to her sweetly, pausing in drawing music to face her. "All I want to do is make you happy. And protect you and…" he paused, glancing down at her hand on the bench. Then he reached down and grasped it tenderly. Marinette gasped in surprise but didn't resist. Chat on the other hand, was gripping his staff three times tighter than necessary. "for us to be together." He raised their joined hands higher up to his face. "I love you, Marinette," he whispered passionately before kissing the top of her hand.

For Chat Noir, that was the last straw.

Despite that he was acting too soon and in a fit of jealous rage, he pounced.

Chat sprang out from behind the cabin, staff in hand, swinging down. Evillustrator didn't have time to draw anything to defend himself but both he and Marinette at least saw him in time to move.

While Evillustrator leapt away from the bench, further down the deck, Marinette went off to the starboard side, all the way over to the railing.

"Sorry to cut in but…I'm not," Chat snarled out, slowly walking down the deck, eyes narrowed.

Evillustrator stood, the mini-Effeil Tower to his back. "How dare you interrupt our special night!" he grunted, already starting to draw something.

"Marinette is too good to be dating an akuma. Why don't you reject that nasty butterfly than she might reconsider," he replied. Although he really didn't want her to, it was just as likely she would once he was back to normal.

Evillustrator paused for second, considering that maybe this wasn't the right way to get Marinette to love him. But then he remembered Hawkmoth's words from earlier and sneered. "I-I need these powers! All I want is for Marinette to love me! To be her hero!" he yelled before finishing his drawing.

What he drew came to lift; a giant boxing glove. Which sprang out toward Chat to knock him off his feet. But Chat leapt and struck it with his staff, making it shatter into sketch lines that disappeared.

"She already has one," Chat replied fiercely, then he charged at him before he could draw anything else.

As the two started to fight, Marinette quietly crept back along the side of the boat until she reached the cabin and went inside. Now with some privacy, she let Tikki fly out of her purse.

"What was Chat thinking? Jumping in like that. I told him I'd get the pencil from him first," the bluenette designer ranted. They'd gone over the plan at least three times before she left for the date. Why'd he screw this up?

"It seems to me that he was jealous," Tikki suggested. She could hear it in his tone; both back in the library and just a minute ago.

Marinette's eyes widened again, a bit bewildered. He did jump in right after another boy kissed her hand. He was flirting with her back in the library.

Did…did Chat actually like her?

She blushed again, thinking about her feline partner that way, until she felt the boat rock a little too harshly.

Right. Akuma to fight and then capture. "I'll worry about that later," she said, snapping out of her lovey-dovey thoughts. "Tikki, Spots On!"

Instead of springing out and helping her partner right away, Ladybug decided to use the element of surprise since she still had it.

Quietly, she activated her Lucky Charm, which gave her a large red fabric sheet with black polka-dots. She glanced out the viewing window of the cabin to still see the two boys fighting.

After seeing the sheet in her hands light up, then the extra bright moon on top of the mini-Eiffel Tower, she knew what to do.

With Chat distracting Evillustrator, Ladybug easily jumped in, sheet unfolded, and landed right on the glowing moon. The sheet covered over in completely, sending the boat into darkness. Too dark for the Evillustrator to draw properly.

With Chat's night vision, it was easy for him to pin the other boy to the deck, grab the pencil and snap it in half, releasing the akuma.

Ladybug caught the akuma in her yoyo then let it go, pure white and cleansed from evil. Then after retrieving the sheet, she threw it up into the air and called 'Miraculous Ladybug!' Setting everything back to normal.

Everything that Evillustrator had drawn disappeared, which included the boat they were on. But the reset took the three of them and safely deposited them on the bank of the Seine, near one of the bridges. After that, Evillustrator turned back into Nathaneil, then Ladybug and Chat Noir pounded fists.

Hearing her earrings chirp with warning, Ladybug quickly threw her yoyo into the distance and sprang away. Only to swing back around, out of their view, on the same back, on the opposite side of the bridge's base. Hidden around a corner, she detransformed.

"Wait, where's Marinette?" she heard Chat Noir ask. She smiled at his concern before running toward them.

"Nathaneil! Chat Noir!" she yelled.

The two boys turned and sighed with relief and smiles when they saw her. "Marinette!" they both yelled.

When she was close enough, Chat resisted the powerful urge to hug her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over for injuries of any kind. She was still on the boat, wasn't she? He assumed she hid when they started fighting. Shouldn't she have appeared next to them when the miraculous cure placed them there?

"I'm fine. I was hiding in the boat's cabin when Ladybug found me. Then she brought me to the bank before going back," she explained.

Chat Noir and Nathaneil nodded in understanding. "Good," Chat replied.

"Marinette," Nathaneil spoke up. The bluenette stepped closer to the red-headed artist while Chat took a step back, letting the two talk. "I'm…I'm sorry," he said, shame in his voice. "I don't really remember anything but-" he paused. "I must have done some pretty bad things." He at least knew he had been akumatized so he must have.

"You didn't. You were just trying to impress me. And I really appreciated the thought but-" Marinette told him, then paused to take his hands. "Nathaneil, you're a terrific friend and an amazing artist," she paused again, choosing her words carefully. "but…I just don't feel that way about you." Chat snapped his head over to them. Marinette was actually turning him down? "I hope we can still be friends and I hope you're not too upset."

Nathaneil was quiet for a couple of seconds, collecting his thought before replying. "I am upset. But I understand," he finally said. "It's not about what I did as an akuma or what I didn't do. You just don't love me, and I can't make you. I see that now," he said sadly but still offered her a friendly smile.

Marinette smiled back at him. "So…we're okay?"

Nathaneil nodded. "We're okay." Marinette pulled him in for a hug, he hugged her back.

Chat grinned. "Well then, how about I take you home?" he said to Marinette when their hug ended. He sort of wanted a small talk with her too before the night was over.

"My house is literally right over there," she replied, pointing to the street above the bank. They could still see Notre Dame on the over side of the river so her house was close as well. "But Nathaneil lives a bit further away," she added.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged, grinning. "Alright then," Nathaneil said. And with that, Chat let the red-headed boy climb onto his back and Chat jumped away with him.

Meanwhile, Marinette walked the short distance back to her family's bakery, let herself into her apartment, greeted her parents, went up to her room, and then went up to her balcony.

The Parisian night was just as beautiful as it was when she had been gazing at it from Evillustrator's boat. The moon had come out from behind the clouds, lightly illuminating the city below.

A few minutes later, a voice spoke to her from behind. "Hey there, princess."

Marinette turned around with a light gasp. But she smiled, glad to see him again. "Chat Noir. What are you doing back here?" she asked him.

"Just checking in since I couldn't escort you home," he replied, leaping from her chimney to stand next to her at her railing. Marinette continued to smile at him before glancing back out at the city. "You okay?" he asked, tilting his head curiously at her. The far-off look in her eyes told him that she was thinking about something.

"Yes," she replied. Then she sighed before crossing her arms on the railing and leaning on them. "I mean, I never liked Nathaneil like that and I still don't. I just felt bad for having to turn him down."

Chat nodded. "I see that. But if you don't mind me asking…" Chat rubbed the back of his head, hoping he wasn't being too nosy by asking this. But he had to know. "Why did you turn him down? Why not give him a chance?"

Marinette was quiet for a moment. "Because…well," she hesitated. Chat stared at her, anxiously awaiting her answer. "I'm sort of crushing on someone else."

Chat's face fell. "Really?" He was still sort of surprised that that someone wasn't Nathaneil but it made sense to him now. It would be hard to date someone while your heart was with someone different. "That's…that's nice," he said, a bit saddened.

Her heart was already taken. Whoever she was crushing on was a lucky person.

As Chat looked down at the street below with a crestfallen frown, Marinette stared at him and sighed, then she grinned. Looks like she needed to get straight to the point.

Slowly, Marinette leaned toward him and planted a lingering smooch on his right cheek.

Chat's eyes widened. When she pulled back, he turned to her and stared.

She just kissed him on the cheek. And it wasn't in a friendly way to say hello.

So…the person she was crushing on…was him?

"Good night, mon chaton," she said sweetly before walking over to her skylight.

As he watched her, Chat finally snapped back to his senses just as she was climbing through.

"Sweet dreams, ma princesse," he said to her with a charming purr just before she closed the trapdoor. He gave her a two fingered salute before jumping back toward her chimney and over.

~*MDC+CN*~

The next day at school while Adrien was at his locker, he overheard Alya interviewing Marinette as she was putting books into her locker. She knew about what had happened yesterday with Nathaneil being akumatized and wanted to hear all about it for her Ladyblog.

Marinette answered her questions honestly about what happened and what she witnessed during the battle. Then she went into more detail about how awesome he—Chat Noir—was.

She blushed and smiled while singing his praises.

Adrien blushed and smiled as well while touching the cheek she had kissed just the night before.

He was never washing it again.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #10: Sleepover

Tonight was a very special night. Because her feline crush could only hang out with her at night—as his days were too busy with his civilian life duties—and her parents were gone and wouldn't be back until the next day, Marinette had invited Chat Noir to a sleepover.

He had come over and spent time with her before many times. But with her parents away, they didn't have to be careful about making noise and they could go anywhere else in the apartment.

Plus, he was intending to spend the night. It wouldn't be a sleepover if he didn't. He assured her that he would not be missed at his home. He can sneak back in early the next morning and his family will never know.

Was this a date? Sort of. They didn't know if it was a good idea to go out in public together yet, so it was safer for them to just stay in. The other times he'd come over to hang out were different. This time, they were totally alone. But there was no pressure. For once, Marinette wasn't freaking out over controlling everything or potentially making a fool of herself. It was just her and her chaton enjoying a quiet evening in her apartment.

But was she nervous? Not really. Anxious and a little giddy? Very much.

Marinette was in her pajamas, getting some things set up in the kitchen. It was around dinner time. She'd ordered a pizza that had just arrived, which meant that her guest would be arriving any moment. She told him he could use the door but he was always unpredictable.

So of course, he did exactly what she least expected him to do and actually knocked on the front door.

Marinette went over to the door while quickly straightening her clothes and hair before opening the door. There her kitty was, standing in the doorway, a single pink rose in his hand.

"Evening, princess," Chat kindly greeted her.

"Chat Noir actually using the door? What universe have I entered?" Marinette joked.

"Ha ha, very funny. Not exactly 'me' funny, but you'll get there eventually."

"Oh, the horror," she teased, making them both laugh. Chat handed her the flower and she took it, flattered. "Thank you," she said before letting him enter then closed the door.

"So, what has my princess planned for this enchanting night?" he asked, looking around the living room for hints.

"I wouldn't call it enchanting. More like, fun and relaxing."

Chat smirked. "Even better."

This was their first official stay in date. Nothing too romantic or serious. Just nice and chill, but still special to them.

Marinette glanced over to the pizza box on the counter. "Are you hungry? We should probably eat the pizza while it's still sort of hot." They'd settled of toppings beforehand so she ordered accordingly.

"Absolutely. I am starving," Chat said. The two sat at the kitchen counter and grabbed a slice.

Marinette had offered to make dinner for him but when she had listed pizza as a possible option, Chat insisted on it. His father had him on a strict model diet so he never got to eat take-out at home. Pizza was like a rare delicacy to him. Plus, it meant less work for her, going through the trouble of cooking for him. However, she still wanted to, hence her idea for dessert.

When she was about halfway through her first slice, Marinette put it down on her plate. "So Chat," Marinette said, wiping her hands and mouth with a napkin. Chat turned to her and listened but continued to eat. "You asked if I had a plan for tonight and I do." This wasn't an over complicated plan, scheduled and thought out to the last minute. It was just things for them to do together and could be rearranged if they wanted to. Just fun and relaxing. "After we eat, I know you'll want dessert. So you're going to help me make some chocolate chip cookies."

Chat's eyes widened with joy. He quickly swallowed to exclaim, "A baking lesson? Sweet! Literally." Marinette rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.

With the house to their selves, they could stand in the kitchen together and she could finally show him how to bake some of his favorite treats. Chocolate chip cookies were a good thing to start with.

"Right. Then, while they're in the oven, I thought we could play a few rounds of UMS3. Then when they're done, if you don't want to play anymore, we could watch a movie or something while we eat them," Marinette explained. It was a very basic plan and she was proud of it.

Chat took a napkin and wiped his mouth too. "That sounded purrfect," he said, earning a playful shove from his princess.

~*MDC+CN*~

After the two had their fill of pizza and put away the leftovers, they stood in the kitchen, ready to make some cookies. Marinette had already laid out all of the ingredients and baking utensils they would need.

As Marinette read off from the directions card, Chat grabbed the measuring tool, measured the ingredient, and added it to the bowl. There were more then a couple of spills and other mishaps—all of which they laughed off and continued—but soon enough, they had their dough made.

Once they were spread out onto a cookie sheet and in the oven, they quickly cleaned up the kitchen before settling onto the couch to play UMS3.

As usual, Marinette kicked his butt eight ways to Sunday, six rounds in a row. Halfway through their seventh round, the timer for the oven went off. This distracted Marinette long enough for Chat to strike her mech down, finally winning a battle for himself.

While Chat did a little victory dance, Marinette went to turn the oven off and take the cookies out. They smelled so good, Chat wanted to have one right away, but Marinette warned him that they were still too hot. She scraped them off the sheet and moved them to a cooling rack. To kill time while they cooled, they playing one more round of the game.

Which, to neither of their surprises, Marinette won.

Chat moaned as he chewed his first bite of one of the cookies. Marinette poured them both glasses of milk before having one too.

"Cheers," they both said happily, clanking their glasses together before drinking.

Marinette's plan had been spot-on. While enjoying their dessert, the two decided not to continue with the video games. It was getting later so they decided to unwind by watching a movie.

The cookies were great but Chat was hungry for more. So he humbly asked Marinette to make some popcorn. Marinette plated some of the cookies while the popcorn popped in the microwave. Meanwhile, Chat browsed through the family's collection of DVDs.

In no time, they were together on the couch, watching a fun and actiony movie with a plate of cookies and a big bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

Chat was slumped back against the back of the couch while Marinette was leaning against his side, his arm around her shoulders, snug against him.

Marinette paid attention to the movie but every once in a while, she got distracted by the presence of her viewing partner. The feel of his muscles, the warmth of his body, even the smell of him.

The later it got, Marinette's mind wondered to another pressing matter.

This was a sleepover. Hence, Chat was supposed to spend the night and go home tomorrow morning. But where he was going to sleep was the real question.

Back when they were planning this, she had suggested the couch or her chaise as potential spots and he had said that he would be fine with either.

What she hadn't mention was that she was seriously considering a third option.

When the credits for the movie began to roll, Marinette immediately turned it off. Chat yawned and stretched his limbs a bit.

"Well that was great," he said, sitting up. He glanced at the clock. "But it's pretty late. We should hit the hay, huh princess?" Chat turned to face her but she was staring down at her tightly clenched hands in her lap. She only did that when she was nervous. "Marinette?" he asked her.

Finally, she turned to look at him. "Chat…I," she started to say. Chat stared at her, patiently waiting for her to talk to him. "I think we should go to sleep too."

Chat was a bit confused but replied like everything was normal. "Alright. So where am I sleeping? And can you read me a bedtime story or sing me a lullaby? No. I'll meow you a lullaby," he joked but really wanted to do either.

Marinette giggled. "I'd like that," she replied. Then she bit her lip for a second before speaking again. "But…I actually wanted to ask you if-" she said but decided to word what she wanted to say differently. "I don't think you'll be very comfortable on the couch or my chaise."

"I've been on this couch all night. It's very comfortable. I'll be just fine."

"Well, my bed is…even more comfortable," she said, blushing.

Chat's eyes widened a bit. Her bed? "Marinette, what are you asking me?"

"Chat," she said after taking a deep breath, then she took his hands into hers. "Would you like to sleep in my bed…with me…tonight?"

The feline hero was speechless. Sleep in the same bed with Marinette? Getting to fall asleep while holding his princess? He couldn't imagine a better end to their sleepover.

As touched as he was by her desire to do this and asking him if he wanted to too, he couldn't help his mischievous side from showing.

"Just sleep?" he asked, leaning his face in closer to her face, a shit-eating smirk on his lips.

Marinette playfully pushed his face back. "Yes just sleep! Get your mind out of the gutter, alley cat," she scolded him while failing to contain her own amusement. Her cheeks were even pinker now.

Chat chuckled with her. "What about cuddling?" he asked.

Marinette faced him again and smiled. "Sure. Why not?"

~*MDC+CN*~

After brushing their teeth, locking the door, and turning off all the lights, Marinette and Chat Noir climbed up onto her bed.

Marinette was on the left side, her back to her corkboard, while Chat was on the right side, where the railing was. They got under the covers, heads on a pillow, and both laid on their sides, facing one another.

"This is nice," Chat hummed, smiling at her. Her bed was so cozy and her scent was everywhere. He was surrounded by her and just wanted to stay forever.

"So, are you going to meow me a lullaby?" she asked teasingly. She was indeed curious if he could actually sing.

"I've got a better idea," he said before pulling his arms out from under the covers. "Come here." He opened his arms to her.

Eager to feel his muscles and warmth again, Marinette scooched over, toward her kitty, until she was right against him. She tucked her head under his chin, against his chest. And he wrapped his arm around her, hand caressing her back. After his other hand pulled the covers back over them both, that hand found her arm underneath and held her fully.

Just as she was ready to close her eyes and let sleep take her, Marinette heard the unmistakable sound of purring right under her ear.

"This feels more like you purring me a lullaby, chaton," she whispered, melting into his chest as her eyes fluttered shut. In no time, she was dreaming.

Marinette had no idea how she was ever going to be able to get to sleep without this sort of comfort again. Chat needed to sleep over more often—even when her parents were home. They just had to be quiet enough.

Chat placed a sweet kiss on top of her head and continued to hold her gently but protectively as he too dozed off. Truth be told, he'd wanted this from the moment Marinette had asked him to sleep over. All he could think about was her snuggled against him while they slept in her cozy, pink bed.

It was a dream come true. He just hoped that when he woke up the next morning that this hadn't been a dream.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #20: Dancing

Their first unofficial date had not started out so well. Chat whisking her off to the Ile aux Cygnes to find Andre the ice cream man, only for him to tell them that they weren't meant for each other.

Chat Noir was supposed to be in love with Ladybug. Marinette was supposed to be in love with Adrien Agreste.

And they were. Just not anymore.

They thought the night was ruined until they assured each other that they were the ones who decides who they loved. And they picked each other.

Then they kissed.

Andre was right about one thing though. Love wasn't something to be joked about. And they weren't. They genuinely loved each other dearly. And they were going to continuing loving each other without anyone telling them otherwise.

Unfortunately, Andre didn't appreciate them being with 'the wrong person' and was akumatized into Glaciator yet again. The night ended with Chat protecting Marinette then him meeting up with Ladybug to save the day.

Because that date hadn't been what they had anticipated, just before bringing her back home that night, Chat had asked her out for a do-over first date. Marinette had bashfully excepted.

~*MDC+CN*~

The following weekend, Marinette waited anxiously on her balcony, wearing a pink summer dress to help her stay cool—plus, she did not want to wear her pajamas out in public again. Especially on a date.

Soon enough, she spotted a very small black figure hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the distance. Moments later, Chat Noir was landing on her balcony right in front of her.

"Good evening, princess," he said with a charming bow, following quickly by him grasping her hand and kissing it.

"Good evening, chaton," Marinette said, already blushing bright pink.

Once he released her hand, he reached for something behind him. "Here, I brought you this," he said, bringing out a pink rose and presenting it to her.

"Another rose? How sweet," she said, taking it happily. Just like before.

"Well, I know you prefer pink so I made sure it was pink this time," he explained. Last week, it had been a red one. It was the only color on the rooftop close by that he was standing on just before he went over to her.

Marinette smiled. She would have loved another red one but the pink was still very thoughtful. "Thank you," she said, sniffing it before putting it behind her ear. "So…what are we doing tonight?"

"I was actually sort of hoping we could try the Ile aux Cygnes again," Chat said, rubbing the back of his neck. He thought it was a good idea to truly redeem their 'outing' from last week by going back but making sure it went better. He just wasn't sure if Marinette would agree. "It seemed like a great spot for a date."

Marinette frowned and looked away for a second. "But what if Andre is there again?" she asked. She was thinking along the same lines as him but if Andre was there again, everything that went wrong last week would mostly likely repeat itself.

Chat Noir smiled confidently. "I took a look using that app your friend created that finds his location. He's nowhere near there tonight." He had triple checked just before coming over. Andre was far from the Ile aux Cygnes.

Marinette sighed with a bit of relief. "Then, that sounds prefect," she said, her smile returning.

Good. That at least meant Glaciator wasn't going to crash their date again. But any other akuma still might. They could only cross their fingers.

And with that, Chat took out his baton and held it at the ready to extend it and send them out of there.

"Shall we?" he said, holding out his hand to her.

"We shall," she replied, gladly taking his hand.

Chat pulled her closer to him before reaching around to grasp her waist. With her secure against him, he pushed the button on his baton.

"WEEEEEEE!" they both hollered, shooting straight up into the sky.

By the time they arrived at the small island in the Seine, the sun was setting more, making it a bit darker. But the island was lit by many lanterns and fairy lights.

Chat landed on the beach, Marinette in his arms. He let her down gently onto her feet then they proceeded to walk toward the booths, hand in hand.

As they walked by the venders in booths, they got a few looks. Some remembered seeing them there the weekend before. Those who had not were just surprised to see Paris's feline hero out with a civilian.

Marinette tried not to pay them any mind. It wasn't like this wasn't the first time she'd been out in public with Chat Noir. She'd road the bus with him and gone to the movies with him. People had stared then but this was different than that. Last time, they were just going as friends—it wasn't that obvious to everyone else but the two of them knew that it was just as friends.

But now they both knew that it was indeed a date. Plus, they were holding hands. Now it was obvious to everyone else.

"Smoothie?" Chat asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. They were just about to pass a smoothie booth.

"I love smoothies," Marinette quickly said, somewhat awkwardly.

Drinks in hand, the two walked on. Beyond the booths was a spacious floor with more fairy lights hung above for dancing. And there were small tables as well.

They sat at an empty table, across from one another, and drank their smoothies for a few minutes of timid silence.

Not exactly awkward but sort of close.

It wasn't how Marinette wanted this to go. Yes, she was nervous but she didn't want to be. Her finally loving Chat Noir back and finally getting to go on a proper date with him was supposed to be different.

She hated how nervous and awkward she acted around Adrien. And fawning over him was going nowhere except in bringing down her confidence and faith in love.

She was always confidence and cool around Chat Noir before. Before she realized she loved him and while she was Ladybug. But Chat Noir had moved passed his love for Ladybug, for pretty much the same reason she moved passed Adrien.

It was going nowhere and just made them act in the worst ways. The one-sided love was too much to bare.

But this was going somewhere. Chat liked her, took her out, and was taking her out again. He brought her flowers, smiled at her like he meant it, flirted with her like he meant it. He made her feel desired.

And she liked him back, and she wasn't hiding it this time.

Halfway finished with her smoothie, Marinette bravely decided to break the ice.

Chat stopped slurping his smoothie and conversed, just as witty as he always was.

They continued to talk, occasionally laughing, as they finished their smoothies. Chat graciously took both their empty cups to the close by garbage can. As he was throwing them away, he glanced up at the dance floor.

A slow dance was playing and several couples were out, swaying with their partners.

When Chat returned to the table, he didn't sit down. Instead, he stood before his date and once again, offered her his hand.

"Care to dance, princess?" he asked her.

Marinette blushed again, looking up at him then down at his hand. "Okay," she uttered before taking his hand.

Chat lead her over to the dance floor. They got a few more looks from other couples but they paid them no mind—for real this time.

Without any nervous hesitation, Marinette reached up and placed both her hands on Chat's shoulders. Chat, without missing a beat, gently grasped her hips with both of his.

They swayed and stepped lightly to the gentle music, staring adoringly at each other without saying anything. That was broken a few minutes later when a burning question came out of Chat Noir's mouth.

"Marinette, can I ask you something?" he asked as they continued to dance.

"Sure," she replied.

"You're a fan of mine, right?"

"Of course."

"But…why are you so cool around me?" Marinette looked puzzled for a moment before Chat continued. "Everywhere I go, my fans scream and ask for selfies and autographs. But not you. I remember the first time we met and you were surprising calm even then. How?"

A brief strike of panic shot through Marinette. How was she so calm and not a screaming fan-girl around him? Simple; she's secretly Ladybug and already knows him the best while he's in this form. Yeah, she wasn't going to answer with that.

Luckily, she had a different answer that wasn't that far from the truth. Especially about how she felt.

"I…I was a bit star-struck that day we met," she said. Okay, that bit was a lie. That day he showed up at her doorstep just before her date with the Evillustrator, she pretended to swoon with his every word big time. But damn, remembering that conversation; he was so dashing when he spoke and reflexing his muscles—stop Marinette! Not the time. "But after seeing you more, like that day we went to the movies together and you helped me with my…uhh…love confession," she stuttered, embarrassed that she had subjected him to that. Little did she know, that sparked Chat's memory and he quietly realized that 'Buttercup' must have been him; Adrien. "I realized that you're just a normal guy, who wears a mask and happens to have super powers. A very sweet, funny, caring guy who makes me feel…safe," she smiled, gazing at him. Chat returned her smile and adoring gaze. "I told you before, I'm fine with the mask. And I'd love whoever's underneath it."

This was what he loved most about Marinette. She saw him for who he really was. He felt more himself as Chat Noir, and even though Marinette couldn't see his entire face with his mask on, she still saw the real him when he wore it.

She saw, and loved him anyway.

Chat reached one hand up and caressed the side of her head, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek. "You're amazing, Marinette," he whispered.

He leaned forward. She leaned forward. Both their eyes fluttering shut just before their lips met in a tender kiss. Marinette's hands trailed up from his shoulders to clasp together at the back of his neck.

If anyone was staring at them or taking pictures, they didn't notice. Nor did they care.

This was their moment. The rest of the world faded away so they could savor it.

They pulled back, only to continue holding each other much closer. Marinette rested her head between his collar bone and shoulder, almost on his chest. Chat used both his hands to pull her hips flush against his, while he buried his face in her shoulder and into her hair.

As the night drew on, they held each other under the fairy lights. Some might not call it dancing exactly, but it was their dance.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #21: Catnap

Another day in Paris, another akuma defeated and purified by Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Marinette was pooped.

The akuma took almost all day to battle. She had to use her lucy charm twice, which meant she had to stop in the middle of the fight to hide, detransform, feed Tikki, retransform, then jump back in. The akuma was fast, strong, and very stubborn.

As soon as she jumped through her skylight and landed on her bed, her transformation timed out. Marinette yawned. She needed a nap. Just a quick one. But she didn't like to sleep on her bed during the day and in her street clothes. So she tiredly climbed down her stairs to her room's main floor, removed her shoes and purse, then collapsed onto her chaise.

After making herself comfortable, Marinette closed her eyes.

To her, it only felt like a few short minutes before she heard a soft thud—the same sound her bed makes when she landed on in hard from jumped down through her skylight.

She hadn't been completely asleep but she still groggily opened her eyes and, sure enough, Chat Noir was up on her bed, staring down at her.

"Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty," he said, grinning his charming grin.

"Chat?" Marinette sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "Am I dreaming?"

"That depends…" Chat jumped over her railing and landed on his feet, right in front of her. "You dream about me often?" he asked, his face leaned down closer to hers.

Marinette smirked and rolled her eyes. "In your dreams maybe, silly kitty," she replied, playfully pushing his chest back up. "So what's up?" she asked. What was he doing here after a day like they had had?

"I just finished an epic battle with Ladybug against a pretty nasty akuma," he explained before a mighty yawn escaped his mouth. "And I am exhausted," he uttered at the tail end of it. Then he noticed that she had indeed been napping just before he arrived. "You're tired too?" he asked curiously.

Marinette snapped out of her sleepy haze and was more awake now. She couldn't tell him that she was tired out from the same reason as he was. "Uh, yeah," she uttered, thinking fast for an excuse. "I didn't sleep so good last night and…it's been a long day. Very busy," she said with a nervous chuckled, then gave her arms a strength for extra emphasis.

Chat nodded at her, buying the excuse. "Anyway, I'm too tired to run all the way home. So, if you don't mind, I thought I'd take a quick cat-nap here," he explained. To really sell himself, Chat got down on a knee in front of her, clasped his hands together, and looked at her with his biggest pleading eyes. "Pretty please," he pouted.

Marinette playfully rolled her eyes again. He didn't need to beg this much. Truth be told, she won't mind hosting his nap at all. He had really saved her spots today during the battle. Even if he didn't know it, she wanted to show him a bit of gratitude.

"Oh, okay," she sighed. "For saving Paris today, you've earned it." Chat grinned, feeling victorious. He got up and sat next to her on her chaise. "Wait," Marinette said before getting up. She grabbed a pillow from her chaise, put it on the floor, then sat down with her knees on the cushion. "Lay here," she instructed, patting her lap.

Chat stared wide eyed at her for a second before smiling, touched and grateful, before getting up. He laid down on the rug in the middle of her floor on his back and lowered his head until it was on her thighs.

Chat looked up at her upside-down face, smiling down at him.

"This is nice," he hummed, smiling up at her. As much as he wanted to enjoy the view, his eye lids were getting heavier by the second. So he closed his eyes and started to let his mind go. But moments later, he felt a hand in his hair, gently scratching his scalp. He opened his eyes again, still seeing his princess's sweet smile. "Marinette-" he started to say.

"Shhhh," she quietly hushed him, continuing her head scratches. Chat couldn't help but melt under her touch. Nor could he stop the feline purr from rumbling in his throat. "Close your eyes," she whispered.

Way too tired and far too soothed to say anything else, Chat's eyes fluttered shut and they stayed shut for the next half hour. All the while, Marinette stroked his soft blonde hair and listened to his adorable purring.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #24: Ice Cream

On the bridge by the Port des Arts, Andre Glacier, the sweetheart matchmaker, was still on his knees, crying over the ice cream the sad bluenette girl had dropped.

"How could I have failed," the ice cream maker wept. "That poor girl. She has love in her heart but it is so uncertain." All he wanted to do was help her find her love, but his ice cream wasn't powerful enough.

In that moment, a dark butterfly flew down to him and fazed into his scooper.

"Glaciator," a sinister voice spoke in his face. "I am Hawkmoth. You think your ice cream isn't powerful enough to help that girl find her love, but I can give you the power to help her even more. All I ask in return are Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculouses," the super villain said, showing his new pawn images of the magical jewels.

"For love, no price is too great," Andre said, allowing the dark miasma to envelop him and transform him into a giant snow man made of ice cream.

~*MDC+CN*~

Apparently, Marinette had more in common with Chat Noir than she had first thought. She had been upset by Adrien not showing up to meet them at Andre's cart for ice cream. Not that it was a date but she was still excited about potentially getting to share a cone with him.

And by going out anyway, she didn't transform to go meet up with Chat Noir and he was apparently really excited for her to show up.

She felt even worse about herself. She hurt Andre's feelings by insisting his ice cream couldn't find her love and she had also hurt her partner by standing him up.

Still, letting the boy in the black super suit know that she was also gloomy from longing for the one she loved, he saw an opportunity to cheer her up.

She let him scoop her up into his arm, closed her eyes upon his instruction, and he jumped away from her balcony.

When they landed, he put her down but told her to keep her eyes shut a little longer. She waited, until finally, he said she could open them.

They were on another rooftop. Judging by the view of Notre Dame, they weren't that far from her home. The roof was set up with roses, pillows for comfort, candles and mini lanterns for gentle lighting. Marinette smiled so big. It was so beautiful.

But when she turned and saw Chat slumped on one of the railings, leaning on his elbows, she frowned.

"I'm so sorry," she said. He did all this for her.

"Why? It's not your fault," he replied.

"No. Yeah. I mean…what I mean is," she stuttered. It technically was her fault but he couldn't know that. "I'm very sorry for you. 'Cause you prepared all this and then she didn't show." She really felt bad for hurting his feelings like that. He truly loved her, did all this for her, and she didn't even give him a chance to show her.

"She told me she might not make it but I had my fingers crossed. I really wanted her to come," Chat sulked before turning back to her. He noticed Marinette admiring the roses below the candles on the railings with a sweet smile. Which made him smile. "But you're here now. And it brought a smile to your face at least, so it wasn't a total loss," he said, walking back over to her.

Chat removed one of the roses from the railing and put it behind her ear.

Marinette hummed. "I do feel a bit better."

"And seeing that smile has made me feel better," he added. Chat gestured to the middle of the roof where he had laid out some pillows, then the two sat down, side by side, looking out at Notre Dame. Chat looked back at her curiously for a minute. She was upset from not getting to see her love too. So who was she in love with? And why wouldn't they accept her love with open arms? "So, I was down because Ladybug stood me up, you know that. But what about you? Who'd be stupid enough to break your heart?"

"He's not stupid!" Marinette said, a bit ticked off. But she quickly calmed down and continued. "And he didn't break my heart. I'm the one who can't tell him how I really feel and…" she paused. Why was she opening up to Chat like this? Then again, she didn't plan on giving his name. So where was the harm in telling him a few details? He wouldn't know who she's talking about. "lately, I've been feeling like it'll never work out between us. Because I can barely see him and when we are together, I can barely talk to him," she said sadly, facing forward, clutching one of the pillows to her chest.

"Why can't you talk to him?" he asked curiously.

"I guess…I'm afraid he'll reject me. I mean, we're friends but if I tell him I'm in love with him, he'll not only not say it back but then we couldn't be friends anyone."

Chat nodded in understanding. "That does sound pretty scary." Her reasons and fears were sound but at the same time, he was a firm believer in that important things like love should never be kept bottled up. "But you know, I openly flirt with Ladybug but I doubt she really knows that I'm truly in love with her." She always assumed that he was just fooling around and didn't actually mean any of the sweet things he said to her. But he did. "I was actually planning on telling her tonight but she didn't show up." He wanted it to be crystal clear to her, no matter how she responded. Chat sighed. "It's hard to stay in love with someone who doesn't love you back," he lamented.

He still loved his lady. Or at least, he wanted to still love her. But it was getting harder and harder to stay hopeful with all the rejection in his pursuit of her.

"Tell me about it," Marinette agreed. She wasn't even openly pursuing Adrien but her fears of destroying her fantasy of a romance with him were too great to try to make it a reality.

Another minute of silence later and Chat had another question.

"Hey, what did you mean by 'you barely see him'? This boy you're in love with?" he asked. Did they go to different schools? Because he was sure she didn't have feelings for anyone at their school.

"Well, I don't get to see him much outside of school." Okay, so they did go to the same school. Maybe a different class then. He was sure it wasn't anyone in their class. "Mostly because of his dad."

That bit piqued his interest even further. "His dad?" he asked curiously, turning to stare at the side of her face.

"Yeah. He's really strict and overprotective so he doesn't let him go out and see his friends much," Marinette continued. Chat's eyes widened. This boy's dad sounded a lot like his own. But that couldn't be. She couldn't talking about…could she? "Like tonight. He was supposed to meet up with me and a few of your other friends so we could all get ice cream from Andre but he didn't show because his dad wouldn't let him go." It could be. There was no denying it. She was talking about him; Adrien. She was sad because he didn't show up to get ice cream with her and their friends. Marinette smiled ruefully. "But even if he did, what was I expecting to happen? He and I would approach Andre together, he'd serve us both a cone with flavors of our love that we'd share and we'd suddenly become a couple?" she laughed but there was no humor. "Ridiculous!" she said, tossing the pillow away in a huff.

Marinette drew her bent legs up to her chest and hugged her knees before burying her face in them with a miserable grunt.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir started at her in shock.

She was in love with him? Adrien Agreste. But by the sound of her tone, that was starting to be less true. And it was all his fault.

He was upset for Ladybug standing him up, yet he knew there was a strong possibility she would. But he made his romantic set up and waited for her anyway. True, Adrien hadn't been allowed to go get ice cream with his friends but he could have detransformed when he was out and gone to Andre's cart anyway.

Then he could have at least spared Marinette the same pain as him. He would have loved to get ice cream with her.

Wait, ice cream with her as in—

Before he could finish that thought, he saw a giant stubby hand, made of ice cream coming straight at them.

"Marinette, watch out!" Chat yelled, quickly grabbing Marinette and leaping away before the appendage could reach them.

Chat landed on another rooftop.

"Marinette, me dear! You're looking so sad and surly. But Glaciator will make it all better, don't you worry!" the frozen giant called out.

"Andre?" Marinette thought aloud.

"The sweethearts ice cream guy?" Chat asked.

"I'm Glaciator! The matchmaker! The ice cream akuma!" Glaciator sang, walking closer to them, every step a booming thud.

As the giant continued to look for them, Chat jumped down to street level. He wanted to bring Marinette home, it was literally right across the park from them. But Glaciator was walking by that building. Plus, it would be the first place the villain would look for her.

Chat ran over to a bunch of bushes and set Marinette down.

"Stay here. I'll take care of-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a humungous ice cream foot stomped on the ground behind him. Chat turned, he and Marinette looked up at him in horror.

"Marinette! There you are!" Glaciator said with glee. "Don't be afraid, as promised, I will find your love."

The ice cream behemoth reached down to grab the girl but Chat drew his staff and batted it away.

"Keep your sticky studs off of her!" he yelled, taking a fighting stance in front of her.

A glowing butterfly mask appeared over Glaciator's face. "It's Chat Noir!" Hawkmoth said to him. "Take his miraculous, now!" he said, then the mask disappeared.

"Chat Noir!" Glaciator cried out, ready to engage in battle. But his chocolate chip eyes glanced from him to the girl behind him. "…and Marinette," he uttered, softer and a bit surprised. She looked scared, and she was clutching onto the feline hero's arm. And then he noticed the rose in her hair. Then he looked back at Chat Noir, taking thorough note of his features. "Peach like his lips," he said, staring at his lips. Then at his eyes. "Mint like his eyes." Suddenly, his chocolate chip frown turned upward into a smile. "My ice cream did work! Your love has materialized!" he cried happily.

Chat dropped his stance in confusion.

"Um…what's he talking about?" Chat asked, glancing back at Marinette.

The bluenette was in shock as she looked up and Glaciator, along with Chat, as the ice cream man explain.

"The ice cream I served her earlier. She did not eat it but you match it to a tee! I did not fail. He is your love, Marinette. By my ice cream, it was meant to be!" he shouted to the heavens, throwing his arms up. "Knowing this now, it makes my heart soar!" When he lowered them, the glowing mask reappeared on his face. "Hawkmoth, I don't need these powers anymore."

And with that, the dark miasma enveloped him once again and started to shrink him down.

His desire for Marinette to find her love that matched his ice cream was fulfilled. He didn't need Hawkmoth at all.

When he was human-sized again, the miasma vanished, revealing Andre Glacier, back to his old self. A black butterfly flew out of the scooper in his hand, then quickly turned white on its own.

Chat put his baton behind his back before he and Marinette ran over to him.

"Are you alright, Andre?" Marinette asked him.

Andre looked up at both their concerned faces and smiled. "Just fine, thank you," he replied. Then he stood up straight, remembering he'd left his cart unattended back on the bridge. "Oh! I must return to my cart!" he exclaimed.

"I could give you a lift," Chat generously offered.

But Andre raised a hand, stopping him in his traces. "Absolutely not. I will not pull you away from your lady," he said, gesturing to Marinette beside him. Andre placed one hand on both of their shoulders. "Feel free to stop by my cart, you two. I'll be proud to serve you," he said to them both, excited.

Marinette blushed. "Okay…maybe," she uttered, glancing off to the side. She couldn't look at either of them at the moment.

After giving a hardy laugh, Andre turned and started walking away, back to his cart, while singing his signature song.

When the two youths were left alone in the park, Chat glanced at Marinette. Her head was tilted down, looking at the ground with big, terrified eyes. Her face was flushed so red, it looked like she was having a heat stroke, and her hands were in tight fists and folded up clasping her chest.

Chat was concerned about how she was taking what just happened. He was certainly having trouble processing it all as well. "So…" he spoke up. But Marinette quickly snapped her head up.

"I'm going home! Good night!" she quickly hollered to him before speed walking awkwardly in the direction of her family's bakery.

As he watched her walk away, Chat stayed put and thought.

Was the ice cream supposed to represent him as Adrien, or as Chat Noir?

Honestly, he thought. He hoped it was the former.

She wasn't so sure about her feelings for Adrien anymore. But maybe Chat Noir could sweep her off her feet, more than just literally in the near future.

Chat grinned to himself as he extended his staff and launched himself into the sky, heading for home.

Maybe next time he shows up on her balcony to whisk her away for another romantic surprise, it'll be to Andre's cart for some of his magical ice cream that they could share.

Chapter Text

Marichat May 2024

Day #29: Angelic / Demonic

Through the purple, feline eyes of Claw Noir, Paris in another universe was…odd.

Everything was brighter, people didn't look depressed and/or terrified all the time, people knew about miraculous super heroes and practically worshiped the ground they walked on, and no Supreme.

Some of that he didn't mind, some he found annoying and dumb. Especially how bright the day time was. He couldn't wait for night to fall so he and the Cockroach could continue their search for Betterfly.

After losing the goody two-shoes thief and their current-dimension counterparts the night before, he and Shadybug had gotten into another argument after he tried to take her earrings off of her. They calmed down after their intense emotions attracted a kamiko to them—which he destroyed—but then, not sure what else to do, the Cockroach insisted they split up and explore the city.

She was off somewhere—he didn't care where—getting a feel for the city, just like he was. Anything might come in handy for later. They might as well explore and get to know how this places works if they'll be there awhile anyway. She also insisted they both keep a low profile, until they were ready to face to heroes again. They planned to meet up again after sun down and pick up where they left off.

Low profile wasn't Claw's thing. He loved being direct, loud, and reckless. Sneaking around was fun sometimes but bored him easily. He would just love to terrorize some unsuspecting citizens. But that would quickly bring in the heroes and he didn't want to face them alone.

"If you draw those heroes to yourself by acting like an idiot, I'm not gonna swoop in and bail you out. I'll just sit back and watch with a bucket of popcorn as you get your ass kicked!" she had said to him just before fleeing, followed by a quick "later loser!" And then she was gone.

Good riddance, he thought. Exploring this different Paris will be a lot more fun without her nagging in his ear. Even if he had to lay low.

As he leapt around the city, just enjoying the different but still familiar scenery, he made it to Notre Dame. Still a sight, even in the obnoxious daylight.

Then he recalled that just across the Seine was the high school his father insisted he attend. But he had refused. Who needs friends and teachers all up in your business?

However, there was one thing about the school he did like.

It was right next door to a certain cute little bakery where a certain cute little lady worker.

Claw spotted the bakery from the cathedral's roof. He pulled out his baton and turned on its scope mode. On his tiny screen, he could see through the windows.

And sure enough, she was there. The baker girl.

Same bluenette hair in pigtails but her bangs were a lot shorter. He thought that the dark pink bangs in his baker girl's face were cool but now he could see her whole face a lot more clearly. Her clothes were different but sort of similar too. No thorny vine patterns on her black jacket, no scarf around her neck, no fishnet fingerless gloves. And no dark eye make-up.

It was a slightly cheerier look. Not like his world's baker girl's darker, edgier look, much like his own.

Still…she was cute.

And he was hungry.

~*MDC+CN*~

Marinette didn't have a problem with working the counter in her parent's bakery. She loved helping out and serving their customers.

Just not while she had two doppelganger villains from another dimension on the loose in the city!

After she and Chat Noir, plus Betterfly, lost them the night before, they tried searching for them but came up short. They were most likely hiding or getting the lay of their new environment before they fought again. They didn't want to be found.

So, after hours of searching into the wee hours of the morning, Betterfly insisted that she and Chat return to their homes and get some rest. He'll continue to search for the villains and take shelter where he can find it while keeping a low profile.

Marinette had gotten a good night's sleep, but then her parents had informed her that they had a very important delivery to make across town so they needed her to man the counter for about three hours. She didn't have school that day or anything else going on so she didn't have a good excuse to say she couldn't and they should just close the shop while they're gone. Hence, she was stuck there until they came back and relieve her of duty.

Standing behind the counter with her back to the front door, Marinette was snapped out of her worrying when she heard the bell chime, signaling to her that someone had just entered the bakery.

She spun around to greet them. "Bon-" she started to say but gasped when she saw the person standing in the empty bakery with her.

Claw Noir. The villain holder of the black cat miraculous from another dimension.

"Bonjour, petite dame," he said, grinning cockily as he walked in like he owned the place.

"You…you're…" Marinette stuttered.

"Claw Noir," he said, stopping at the counter. Only the register was between them. It wasn't nearly enough for Marinette. And it was only worse when he reached for her hand and raised it up to his lips. "enchanté," he whispered before kissing her knuckles. Marinette quickly wrenched her hand back to herself. If she had it her way, he'd be kissing her knuckled with a lot more force. "And just to clear some things up for you, I'm like your Chat Noir, but from another dimension. And I'm not a goody two-shoes hero," he explained. Screw his 'low profile' just this once. Who was this one girl going to tell? He could always make her keep her mouth shut if he had to. Threats went a long way.

"So…you're a villain?"

"Duh," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

She wasn't Ladybug at the moment. She wasn't supposed to know anything about him or the others. And she didn't have her suit or yoyo to defend herself with.

Marinette watched him carefully as he started walking around the bakery, looking at everything in the display cases. He touched a few things but put them back roughly where he'd found them.

"What…um, what are you doing here?"

"Here in this dimension or here in your bakery?" he asked, inspecting one of the empty display boxes closely. "The first one; to capture an enemy of the one I serve back in my dimension after he fled here like a wuss. The second one; I'm hungry," he explained simply before carelessly dropping the box back on the side counter. "And I was curious about something," he added, facing her again.

"About what?" she asked curiously.

Claw smirked at her. "I've been to this bakery in my dimension a few times before and I wanted to see if the food was just as good," he said, walking back over to the glass cases on the opposite side of the store front where all the baked goods were displayed and stared at them.

Marinette let him stare at the pastries for a minute. "Are you…uh…going to hurt me?" she asked hesitantly.

This guy was not her Chat Noir who'd never hurt an innocent soul. Heck, he even felt guilty for accidently cataclysming Monarch's arm by accident. After fighting him the night before, he was violent and dangerous. Besides that, he was unpredictable to her.

Claw turned back to her, staring at her with his lips in a firm line, puzzled by her asking him such a question so directly.

He walked toward her again, but leaned in over the register a bit more so he could look closer at her face. Marinette leaned back a bit but refused to take a step back from him. A part of her knew it wouldn't be a good idea to antagonize him, but another part with her hero pride also wanted to show him that she had a spine.

He didn't say anything at first. He stared at her for a bit and Marinette didn't move a muscle.

Finally, he grinned again and replied. "Nah. You're too cute and innocent looking to lay a claw on." Marinette breathed a mental sigh of relief but was puzzled at the same time by his reasoning. "You're almost as cute as the other you. The girl who works in this same bakery back in my dimension." Marinette's mind was racing, thinking about the other her—who she assumed was also Shadybug—that Claw Noir was referring to. "Her sense of style was a lot darker and cooler but…you look nice," he said sassily, looking her up and down. Marinette took little offence to the comment. His tastes were just different. "And you're bangs are shorter. I can actually see those pretty blue eyes," Claw reached up and quickly grazed the tips on her short bangs with his fingers. At this, Marinette couldn't help but step back slightly. Claw leaned back again and just smirked, finding her timidness adorable. "It's funny. I never even went into that bakery and talked to her, like I am with you right now."

"Why not?"

Claw shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't transformed every time I went over. I stayed outside and watched from the window while my…friend went in and bought my pastries for me," he explained. His bodyguard wasn't exactly his friend but he didn't want anyone thinking that he—Claw Noir—needed one. Even this girl.

Marinette was still baffled by the idea that this Claw Noir apparently had a thing for her—or, the other her back in his dimension but at the same time, didn't get along with her while she was his partner Shadybug—but tried to push that aside so she could focus on the bigger issue.

He was still in her family's patisserie.

Marinette took a deep breath and calmed her fear.

Now she just had to get him to leave.

"If you're hungry, I'll give you whatever you want from our inventory. Just please don't do any damage to anything," she said in a level but sort of pleading voice.

Claw crossed his arms and stared at her again. Then smiled.

"Okay. Since you asked so nicely," he said before glancing at the display case again. "Do you have any chouquettes?"

After being told what he liked the most, Marinette grabbed some boxes and filled them generously.

A full box of macaroons, several chocolate chip cookies, a few pain au chocolat, some croissants, and a bag full of chouquettes.

Overall, it was a big order. More than her family usually allowed for 'on the house.' She just prayed her parents understood why there wouldn't be money in the register for all these pastries.

"There," Marinette said, exacerbated as she walked around the register and handed him a big bag with all the pastry boxes inside. "That's a little of everything you like."

Claw Noir took the bag, ignoring her words, as he reached in and found the smaller bag with the chouquettes. Placing the big bag on the side counter, he took out the chouquette bag and popped one in his mouth. "Mmmm," he hummed as he chewed. "Okay, I'll admit it. These are good," he said before swallowing and then eating another one.

Annoyed, Marinette forgot her plan of being cautious. "Good. So can you please leave now?" she said impatiently.

Claw stared back at her again and swallowed. "Trying to get rid of me, are you?" he said teasingly before eating another one. "Maybe I don't want to leave yet," he said as he chewed. "Maybe I like it here," he said after swallowing. Then he glanced out a window and saw a billboard with Ladybug and Chat Noir's faces. "Miraculous holders are treated like celebrities here," he said before leaning back against the side counter and popping another chouquette in his mouth.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are because they're heroes. Monarch, the holder of the butterfly miraculous, is a villain. The public loathes and fears him," Marinette told him.

Claw swallowed again and chuckled. "Even better." Claw placed the chouquette bag beside the bigger bag on the counter and stood up. "They can do whatever they want without hiding their presence." The miraculous were supposed to be a secret to average people back in his dimension. When he and the Cockroach hunted for Betterfly, they had to be discrete. He hated discrete. Holders in this dimension still hid their faces with masks but everyone knew they were out there; the good and bad ones. The thought of citizens knowing his name, afraid to even speak it too loudly. It excited him. Sure, stealing was illegal but he could take what he wanted while avoiding the itty-bitty authorities. As Claw looked around the shop again, his eyes fell back on Marinette. She froze under his intense gaze. "Yeah, I could stay here a while," he leered. Maybe not forever, but if he was stuck there for more than a week or so, he certainly wouldn't complain. Claw kept his eyes on her as he stepped closer to her. Marinette stepped back but Claw just took another. And another, until she felt her butt hit the front counter where the register was. Claw grinned bigger as he stepped closer, placing both his hands on the counter behind her, trapping her with his arms a both her sides. "I could come back and see you every day and you'd give me more pastries," he hissed, leaning in closer. Then one of his hands moved to her arm.

Panic and fear coursing through her, Marinette started to struggle.

"Stop! Let go of me!" she cried, blindly pushing on his chest with one hand while her other hand tried to wrench his hand off her arm.

She was able to get his arm off, but when pushing him away wasn't working, her arm reeled back on its own then swung forward, striking the creep in the face with the palm of her hand.

When Marinette finally opened her eyes, she saw Claw's face turned to the right and his cheek was a bright red. At least he backed off a bit.

Realizing what she had just done, Marinette fearfully took her hand back and just stared in horror. She wasn't sure whether to apologize, beg for mercy, or just run.

Surprisingly, Claw's shocked face slowly morphed into an amused smile as he touched him burning cheek. Then he chuckled.

This girl, he thought to himself. Not as innocent and helpless after all. "You're feisty," he said out loud, turning his head back to her. "I like that." Again, Claw tried to move closer to her again but Marinette didn't feel anymore reservations about slapping him again. Fully aware of what she was doing this time, Marinette reeled her arm back again but it was quickly grabbed. "Sorry. No seconds for you," Claw said, his voice more harsh than amused.

As he continued to hold her wrist up, Marinette tried to struggled. "Let go! I-" she demanded but was cut off when Claw slammed his other hand down on the counter behind her, snapping her into silence and her attention back on him.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Wha-?"

"What's your name?"

Even back in his dimension, he never bothered asking his bodyguard to get the baker girl's name when he went in to buy him pastries. Maybe he liked the added mystery of not even knowing her name since he barely knew her at all, except from the image of her through the car window.

But now he did know her. Or, another her. And now he was even more curious about her. The mystery wasn't enough for him anymore. He needed to know more.

"Uh, Marinette," she replied, still timid.

Claw hummed. What a pretty name. "I hope you remember this day, Marinette. I know I will," he smirked. "I hope that from now on, every time you think about your hunky cat boy hero, you also think of me." She must be a big fan of the heroes since she spoke highly of them earlier. She might even have a crush on his counterpart. "When I go back to my dimension and revisit my baker girl…I'll think of you too. Maybe I'll actually go in and talk to her. See if she's just as intriguing as you are." Yet another reason that he had to go back eventually. To see her again and actually talk to her. And yet, this Marinette was a pro to want to stay a bit longer if he could. Whatever dimension he was in, at least he knew she'd be there. Claw finally released Marinette's wrist and, before she could strike him again, he took several big steps backwards until he was back by the side counter and collecting his bag of baked goods. He made his way to the door but stopped and turned back to her. "If my useless partner and I are still here around this time tomorrow, maybe I'll come back for more," he said over his shoulder. Marinette couldn't help but shutter in fear. He noticed and chuckled. "Until tomorrow, my little chouquette," he said to her, then blew a kiss to her with two fingers. "Au revoir."

And finally, he opened the door and walked out. Marinette watched through the window as he jumped up to the rooftops and disappeared from sight.

Marinette shuttered out a shaky breath as she leaned back against the counter, letting out more heavy breaths, trying to calm herself down.

This guy wasn't like her Chat Noir at all. He was like him if he were possessed by some demon. Not exactly like when he was Chat Blanc but the fear she felt around them both were similar enough.

He was evil. And the eyes he had for her made her skin crawl.

When she had her wits back, Marinette decided that Claw Noir couldn't come back to the shop.

She never wanted to encounter him while she wasn't transformed again.

Ladybug needed to go out and hunt him and Shadybug down, right now. After texting her parents that she needed to close the shop early because she wasn't feeling well, she locked everything up, transformed, and left from off her balcony.

She needed to get him back in his own dimension fast. Like, yesterday fast!

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #7: Jealousy

Adrien sat in his room, at his desk, watching a video recently uploaded to the Ladyblog, taken in the aftermath of the akuma battle he'd just returned home from.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir said, pounding their fists together.

But before Ladybug could take her hand back, Chat grasped it and pulled her closer to him.

"Astounding once again, milady," he said to her in a flirty tone. Then he covered her hand with his other hand. "We really are the purrfect pair," he purred, leaning in close with his signature smirk.

Ladybug sneered and quickly pushed him away.

"Chat!" she exclaimed. "I thought you said you'd cut that out. You know I have a boyfriend, who I love with all my heart," she said. Then she crossed her arms and glanced away. "I thought you respected that," she grunted.

"Yeah, Chat Noir. How dare you," an unseen bystander said from somewhere behind the camera.

"Jeeze, Chat Noir. Not cool," said another, also disappointed.

"She and Adrien Agreste are the cutest couple in Paris!" a third exclaimed in outrage.

"I…I-" Chat stuttered, looking back and forth from the camera, to the other bystanders, and to Ladybug. "I'm sorry," he said to no one specifically before turning back to a ticked off Ladybug. "Really. Ladybug, I'm sorry. I-" he paused. "Old habits die hard, I guess?" he shrugged with an awkward smile. "I promise, it'll never happen again," he said more sincerely.

Then, without another word, both superheroes left the scene in opposite directions.

When the video ended, Adrien scrolled down and looked at some of the comments;

Chat Noir is a dog.

How dare he hit on Adrien Agreste's girlfriend.

I know they're partners. I used to ship them. But she's with Adrien. They're in love, so I respect that and ship them now. If he really loved her, Chat Noir would too.

Adrien bonked his forehead onto his desktop a few times.

He hadn't meant to be so flirty with her. He just got so caught up in the moment in her presence that he forgot that he wasn't her boyfriend at the moment. He was her partner.

She was dating Adrien, not Chat.

It wasn't right for Chat to flirt with her as intensely as he used to anymore because now she was dating someone else. It also wasn't much better before that because she was never interested in Chat Noir anyway.

It wasn't right. Not in her eyes or the public's.

Adrien glanced back up at the comments and another caught his eye;

Man, Adrien is going to be so pissed when he sees this video. I hope he doesn't get akumatized.

Seeing that comment made Adrien sit up straight. If this person thought of that as a possibility, then Ladybug of might as well.

That was when he also remembered that she was supposed to come over that day.

No doubt, she'd know that he'd seen the video and must be furious. She might be worried that he really will attract an akuma.

He wasn't mad so he knew there was no danger of that actually happening, but nobody else did. If Adrien didn't appear to be even a little bothered from seeing another hitting on his girlfriend so shamelessly, someone—mainly Ladybug herself—will think something is up.

When they started seeing each other, Ladybug had promised him that she'd reveal her civilian identity to him, but not until after Hawkmoth was defeated. It was just safer for them. And Adrien had promised to himself that he'd in turn, reveal himself to her after their arch nemesis was no longer a threat. So it wouldn't be safe for her to figure it out before then.

Well, if he had to play the jealous boyfriend to make sure she didn't find out his identity, then so be it.

~*LB+AA*~

Ladybug was welcome in the mansion. His father—while his son had been skeptical at first—was surprisingly very supportive and enthusiastic when his son had told him that he and the spotted heroine had started a relationship.

He thought it'd be great for his image; Adrien Agreste, Paris's beloved teen model, dating Paris's beloved heroine, Ladybug.

And he was glad that his son was happy with her anyway.

So Ladybug was allowed through the front door when she came over. Although, she did still secretly enter through Adrien's bedroom window every now and then.

Nathalie was there to open the door when Ladybug came over. The spotted heroine entered the home.

"Adrien's in the dinning room. I've laid out some snacks," Nathalie informed her after closing the door behind her.

"Thank you," she replied politely. Then she frowned, glancing in the direction of the door to the dining room. "Um, is he-" she asked timidly.

After seeing the video and reading the comments, she was afraid that Adrien would be angry. And not just with Chat Noir, but her too.

"He's…upset," the older woman replied. Ladybug bit her lip in worry. "But not with you," she added. Which was a bit reassuring. But the heroine still felt bad.

It didn't look like she was okay with his flirting in the video but that didn't mean it still wouldn't upset him. This was just one time. One time that had been caught on video and was now on the internet for everyone to see. So he could very well assume that this wasn't the only time. Afterall, they worked together and saw each other every time there was an akums—which was often but not very. If he thought that Chat was like that with her constantly, he might assume that she was okay with it and might actually leave him for her partner.

If Adrien wasn't angry with her, good. But then it was most definitely Chat Noir he was angry with. Which could definitely attract an akuma, compelling him to attack her partner in a jealous rage.

She was planning on coming over anyway, but even if she wasn't, she would have still come over to make sure he was okay and reassure him that Chat wasn't going to take her away from him.

Ladybug walked past Nathalie to the doors of the dinning room and poked her head in. The first thing to catch her eye were all of their favorite snacks on the table. Her eyes needed a few extra second to locate her boyfriend.

He was sitting in one of the comfy chairs on the other side of the table, staring at the unlit fireplace.

Cautiously, Ladybug scooched inside, closing the door behind her, walked around the table, and approached the chairs.

"Adrien," she greeted him sweetly.

The blonde model didn't move his head. "Hey," he replied, his voice glum.

Ladybug nervously fussed with her hands for a second. "So…you saw the video?"

"Yup," he said, no change in his position or tone. "Chat was laying it on a bit thick, wasn't he?" he snapped, sounding a bit more gruff.

Yup, definitely upset.

"Yeah," she replied. "Listen, I know you're mad-"

"Mad?" Adrien interrupted her before finally turning his head to her. "I'm furious!" he raised his voice without full-on shouting. Then he stood up. "I don't care if he's your partner. He has no right to just-!" Adrien cut himself off, clenching one of his fists and glanced down.

"Adrien, please," Ladybug stepped closer to him, placing both her hands on his shoulders. "Breath," she asked. Adrien raised his head, meeting her kind gaze and let her guide him through three or four deep breaths. "I'm sorry," she said when he looked calmer.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong. I saw you push him away and remind him that you're spoken for," Adrien said, placing his hands on top of hers, still on his shoulders. His gaze was loving but still sad. "He's the one who can't take a hint," he added, a bit gruff again.

"He knows. I think he just…wasn't thinking," she explained. "He's used to flirting and joking around with me, it's just who he is. He doesn't mean it. And remember, he did apologize. He realized that he went too far and made me uncomfortable."

"That's true," Adrien nodded. "But still I…feel sort of jealous sometimes," he admitted. "I mean, you guys fight side by side, watch each other's backs, care for one another, face villains together," he listed off.

He wasn't planning on dragging this discussion out much but touching on this felt like the appropriate thing to do, to make it convincing. And he had to admit, he was impressed with his own acting so far. He hated having to lie to her, but he knew it came with protecting his identity.

"Yes, but that's just our job. We have to be in sync with each other to prevail against Hawkmoth's akumas. But that's it. It's not like we do much else together. We don't go to the movies, or have picnics, or go for romantic walks along the Seine at sunset," she listed off, giving him a loving grin at the end, making him grin back. Those were the things they did together. "He's just my partner in battle. You don't have to be jealous that it's not you out there with me." True, she was a teenager just like him under her costume, but she was chosen for this. This was hers and Chat's to carry, not Adrien's.

Adrien nodded. "I understand," he said softly.

"And if it'll make you feel better, I could talk to Chat Noir again about his flirting habits."

"It couldn't hurt," he shrugged. This whole incident was a good reminder for him to be more careful with his flirting with her while in costume. But she needed to remind 'Chat Noir' to his masked face anyway.

Ladybug's hands went up from his shoulders to his face, cupping both his cheeks. "I love you, and only you," she said tenderly. "I need you to know that."

"I do," Adrien smiled reassuringly. "And I want you to know that I love you too."

Ladybug smiled back, leaned forward, and kisses him. It was brief but it was sweet and exactly what they both needed.

Adrien had nothing to be jealous of.

Mainly because it didn't make much sense to be jealous of himself.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #8: Biggest Fan

With all his might, Adrien threw his weight against his closet door. After finally hearing the latch click into place, he got off of it and stepped back. He waited with baited breath for a second, and when the door remained shut, he sighed with relief.

His relief was short lived, however, when he looked up and saw the tall stack of magazines on top of the long cabinet by his bed.

All of which had Ladybug on the covers.

She was coming over any minute and he couldn't let her see any of his merch of her. He didn't want her thinking he was some crazy obsessed fanboy. Truthfully, he sort of was, but he liked and respected her for who she was on the inside at the same time.

But that would be harder for her to understand if she saw his room full of merch with her face on it, and/or anything red and covered in black polka-dots.

Sure, having one or two magazines in his room with her on the cover would be considered normal. But more than ten was not.

Adrien ran over to his bed, and just as he grabbed the stack of magazines, he heard the familiar sound of a familiar yoyo zing just outside his window.

Adrien quickly lifted his comforter and stuck them underneath, flattening them out a bit so they didn't look like one big obvious lump. The moment he was putting the blanket back and flattening it down, the beautiful spotted heroine herself pounced through his open window and landed gracefully on his bedroom floor.

"Hi Adrien," she greeted him cheerfully.

Adrien snapped towards her, plastering on a normal but happy face. Not that he wasn't genuinely happy to see her. "Uh, hi! Hi Ladybug," he stuttered. "You're uh…early," he added while trying to nonchalantly finish fixing his covers before stepping away from his bed and over to his couch.

"I am?" she asked. She glanced around until her eyes landed on a clock. "Didn't you say noon?"

Adrien's turned his head and saw the time too. It was just about noon. "Did I?" he said nervously. "You know what, never mind. You hungry? Thirsty? Wanna play UMS3 maybe?" he suggested, talking fast, hoping to make her forget that awkward greeting.

Ladybug paused for a second before answering his questions separately. "No. A little. And, sure," she shrugged with a grin.

"Okay then." Adrien walked around the couch and took her by the hand. He lead her over to the couch and sat her down. "You sit right here," he said as she sat down. "and I'll be right back with some juice for us," he told her before walking toward the door. Adrien nervously glanced at the lumpy spot on his bed and then at his closet. "Don't move!" he said a bit louder as he opened his door.

"I won't!" she called back, a bit confused by his behavior.

And with that, Adrien left the room, made his way down stairs and into the kitchen. He grabbed a pitcher of orange juice from out of the fridge and two glasses from the cabinet, and put them on a tray.

Very carefully, Adrien walked back up to his room. He walked through the open door and saw that his lady was right where she'd been when he left; on the couch.

Adrien silently sighed with relief. He didn't assume she'd snoop around his room while he wasn't there. He was just nervous of her accidently finding any of his secret merch stash.

That would be embarrassing.

Feeling more at ease, Adrien walked back over to the coach and sat beside her. He put the tray down on the coffee table and poured them both glasses of juice. They both took their glasses and clinked them together before drinking.

After quenching their thirst, they put their glasses down and picked up their gaming controllers.

Three rounds later, Ladybug was the victor of each one.

She cheered for herself while Adrien groaned in defeat. He didn't mind losing to her but it was still a bit disheartening.

"How do you always beat me?" he whined teasingly as he dropped his controller onto the table.

"Maybe I'm just lucky," she said to him with a teasing smirk.

Adrien smirked back at her. At the same time, he reached forward for his half full glass of juice. He raised it to his lips but tipped it too much—misjudging how much was still in it and also was paying more attention to his lady—causing a fair amount to spill down his chin and onto his shirt.

He and Ladybug both gasped is surprise.

Adrien quickly put the glass back down and turned to Ladybug. "I guess that'd make me the unlucky one," he joked, only a bit embarrassed.

"Oh no," she said, looking down at the wet spot on his shirt.

"It's fine. It's just juice," he reassured her. His shirt was black so it wasn't like it'd be easy to see anymore after it got washed.

"I'll get you a towel," she said, bolting up from the couch and over toward his bathroom. She didn't know where exactly he kept his towels but the bathroom was the most obvious place to look first. But next to his bathroom door, she spotted another door. A closet? Maybe that was where he kept things like towels. "Are they in here?" she asked, her hand reaching for the closet handle.

Adrien stood up from the couch and turned around, preparing to go and get another shirt to change into. But when he spotted Ladybug standing in front of his closet and about to open it…

"Wait! Don't open-!" he exclaimed, running over to stop her.

But it was too late.

By the time he reached her, the door was open and out of it came an avalanche of red and black spotted do-dads.

The force was so powerful, it knocked them both off their feet. They landed on their behinds as they were buried up to their chests.

There they sat on the floor, in a pile of trinkets, clothing, and whatnots in front of his closet.

Adrien was mortified.

Ladybug herself was literally buried in all his merch with her face and/or signature colors on them. Merch he'd spent the last hour gathering from around his room and shoving into his closet which almost didn't all fit.

Surprised, Ladybug looked around all the stuff she was half buried in. There were ceramic mugs and plastic cups, baseball caps as well as headbands with ladybug antennas, t-shirts, pants, socks, pencils and pens, all red with black polka-dots and/or with her face on them. Then there were also plush dolls and other figurines that looked like her.

She even spotted a big rolled up piece of poster paper next to her. Curiously, she grabbed it and unrolled it to see that, sure enough, there was an image of her in a fighting stance.

Ladybug's face turned pink as she rolled the poster back up, turned were she sat, and handed it back to Adrien before standing up and walking out of the pile, careful not to step on anything.

"Ladybug, I…" Adrien stuttered, clumsily standing as well. "God, this is so embarrassing," he moaned miserably, rubbing both hands over his face. "You weren't supposed to see any of this."

"Why not? Why are you embarrassed?" she asked as she leaned down and picked up a plush doll.

"Well…I mean," Adrien glanced down at the rolled-up poster still in his hands. This felt awkward to have to explain but he kind of didn't have a choice anymore. "I really like you but… I mean, I am a big fan of yours. Who isn't? But I also like you as a person. And when we started hanging out, I felt like the luckiest guy in Paris," he said that last part while looking at her with a fawned smile. Ladybug smiled back but then his smile dropped again. "I just didn't want you to see my room decked out with posters and merch with your face everywhere. I didn't want to weird you out and have you think I was just another crazed fan."

Adrien put the poster down on top of the pile, looking down at it. He loved each and every one of them but he was still secretly ashamed that he had so much.

"Adrien," Ladybug said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Adrien turned back to her. "I'm not weirded out. I'm flattered," she said honestly, smiling at him. She didn't mind that he liked collecting her merch. She still knew him as the boy she secretly loved that still treated her like an actual person and not just an icon. And she was not much different. "We're actually in the same boat." Adrien looked at her, puzzled. She hadn't been planning on ever sharing this with him, but if it made him feel better, than why not? "I have pictures of you from all of your ads plastered all over my bedroom," she confessed, glancing off to the side in mild embarrassment, her cheeks pink again, while still clutching the cute plushie of herself to her chest.

Adrien's eyes widened. "You do?" he said, not sure if he believed her.

She was a devoted fan of his? Even if they were already close and hung out? So much so that she had his pictures all over her bedroom walls at her home?

With this information, by Adrien's way of thinking earlier, he should be weirded out.

And yet, he was not. He was felt oddly flattered and proud.

"Yeah," Ladybug nodded, looking at him again. "So…I guess we're each other's biggest fans."

Adrien smiled back. "I guess so," he shrugged. Ladybug handed him back the plushie and he placed it on top of the pile with care. "You wanna keep playing? I can clean this up later," he said, gesturing back to the tv with there game still on, awaiting for them to start another round.

"Sure," Ladybug agreed. "But first…" she smirked before leaning down and dug through the pile for a second. It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. She stood up, holding up a white T-shirt with the words 'I 3 Ladybug' written in big red and black letters, and the heart was red with black polka-dots. "Don't you need a new shirt to change into?"

Adrien grinned and rolled his eyes playfully at her. Then he gladly took the shirt and went into his bathroom. When he came out, he was wearing the fan shirt.

He joined his lady back on the couch and they resumed their fun gaming afternoon.

Being fans of each other didn't mean they still couldn't be friends. Or even more.

They were glad to have the other as one of their biggest fans.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #12: Sparks

In the park after school, Adrien and Nino were just hanging out in the park. They sat side by side on a bench, both with soda cans in their hands. And once again, Adrien was asking Nino for love advice.

The tips he had given him before that he'd been trying out on Ladybug weren't exactly working like he'd hoped.

Be mysterious, like he's wearing a mask. That was easy enough while he was Chat Noir.

Show confidence, make jokes, and stay cool. He had done all of that and she wasn't showing much interest in him romantically. They had definitely passed the butting-heads stage and were good friends at least. They still teased each other but it was more playful than genuinely mean.

But he wanted more than that. He was falling in love with her and he wanted her to fall for him. Ergo, he needed more advice.

And while Nino was more than happy to help his best bud out when he needed it, his curiosity was too far peaked to ignore anymore.

"Okay, now I gotta ask, dude," the DJ said.

Adrien lowered his soda. "Ask what?" he asked.

"The only reason why you'd be asking for all this love advise would be because you need it for a certain someone," Nino said. He had to know. Maybe he could help him even more if he knew who. "So…who is it?"

Adrien was so glad he'd stopped drinking his soda because he was positive that he would have spat it out and choked a bit if he had.

Instead, he was silent for a minute, biting his lip and putting his can down on the bench beside him.

"You promise not to laugh?" Adrien asked, turning his head to look at him.

"I would never laugh about love, dude," Nino reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Feeling a bit better, Adrien took a steady breath. "It's…" he started to say but stopped to look around, checking for anyone who might overhear. Luckily, the park was basically empty except for them. The only people he saw were a few just passing by on the side walk outside the park. Then he said a bit quieter, "…Ladybug."

Nino's mouth hung open for a second or two. "Ladyb-!" he exclaimed in surprise but Adrien hushed him with a hand over his mouth. Someone on the sidewalk would definitely hear if he spoke that loudly. When Adrien removed his hand, Nino apologized quietly. "Sorry. Ladybug!" he whisper/shouted. "You got it bad for the super heroine of Paris?"

"Yes," Adrien admitted than sighed. "You probably think it's ridiculous," he said, leaning back against the bench, staring up at the leaves of the tree they were sitting under. "I mean, half the city must be in love with her. And why wouldn't they? She's strong, brave, charming, smart, kind-hearted, and beautiful. So beautiful," he sighed dreamily, imagining her face as he started passed the branches and into the clear blue sky. It was almost as blue as her eyes. But as the image disappeared, he sighed dejectedly. "I'd probably seem like just another obsessive fan boy if I tried to talk to her," he lamented.

Nino frowned and pat his shoulder again. "No, man. From how you just described her, it sounds like you like her more than for just her being a bad-ass heroine," he tried to reassure him. Adrien looked back at him, a bit comforted by his words, and smiled. Nino smiled back. But he was still puzzled. "But it is a bit odd, given that you've never even talked to her," he added. Adrien sat up straight. "Have you talked to her?" Ladybug didn't interact with many civilians as far as he knew but it wouldn't be totally unheard of if they'd at least spoken once somehow.

"Uh…" Adrien hesitated. He'd more than just spoken with her but Nino couldn't know the details about that part of him. "No. She doesn't know me at all," he said quickly. There. That part wasn't a total lie.

She only knew him as Chat Noir. Not as Adrien. He was a nobody to her. His only way to her was through Chat Noir after all.

Nino shrugged, accepting that despite that his bud had never even talked to her before, he was respectfully interested in her. Then the two stood up and walked over to a recycling bin a few yards away to throw out their empty cans. "Well, if you really feel that way, then you definitely need to talk to her." As the DJ spoke, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to the top of a building that overlooked the park and, by some miraculous coincidence, it was none other than the spotted heroine herself. She was just standing there, looking around at the view. It didn't look like she was busy or in the middle of some sort of danger. And her feline partner wasn't in sight either. Excited as his brain hatched a brilliant idea, Nino glanced at Adrien who was lazily gazing down at his wrist watch, checking the time. "Who knows? If you play it just right, she might end up liking you back," Nino continued on with a knowing grin.

"You think?" Adrien looked back up to his best friend. "But…how would I do that?" he asked. How could Adrien possibly get close enough to Ladybug to even try?

"First, turn around and look up," Nino said, gesturing up to the building behind him with his head. Adrien raised a brow but did as he said. The blonde turned around then turned his gaze to the sky. At first he didn't see anything, until eventually, his eyes finally landed on what he must have been talking about. Adrien's heart fluttered at the sight of his lady, standing up there, proud and strong. Graceful and radiant as ever. As he stared, Nino's grin only grew. "Second…LADYBUG!"

Adrien jumped at the sudden shout. He turned back to Nino, who was waving his arms like crazy while continuing to call her name.

"Nino! What are you doing?!" Adrien grabbed at his arms and tried to hush him. If she was transformed, she might be busy. He didn't want to bother her, especially since they didn't have an emergency.

"Setting you up dude," Nino replied in a normal tone before continuing to try to get the heroine's attention. "Ladybug! Down here!"

Adrien blushed as he looked back up at her. He could see that she had definitely heard Nino and was looking down at them.

~*LB+AA*~

Ladybug was out for a simple patrol. She was mostly just out to clear her head after finishing her homework early and just wanted to get some fresh air. And she was growing to love getting fresh air while running along rooftops as Ladybug more than just walking down the street as Marinette.

When she reached the corner of a building next to a small park, she stopped. Just to admire the view for a moment.

"LADYBUG!"

When she heard someone call her name, her first instinct was that someone was in trouble. An akuma or a normal problem.

She looked down to the street level until she spotted two young men in the park. One was waving their arms to and fro wildly.

It only took her a second to recognize them. It was Nino and Adrien.

She blushed and bit her lip at the sight of her crush. But she quickly snapped out of it to focus. Nino was the one waving and shouting her name. Something might be wrong and they needed her help.

Without wasting anymore time, Ladybug jumped down from the building and landed right in front of them.

"Is everything okay?" she asked them.

"Ladybug! Wow, I can't believe we're meeting you this close and in person," Nino gushed a bit.

Adrien, meanwhile, was just embarrassed. "Uh, I'm so sorry, Ladybug. Nothing's wrong," he quickly said to her.

Ladybug's stance relaxed a bit. "Oh. You don't have an emergency or anything?"

"No," Nino replied. "Sorry for alarming you. It's just-" he said, pushing Adrien further in front of him, closer to her. "My friend here is a really big admirer of yours and he really wanted to meet you." Nino then grabbed Adrien's wrist and raised it up toward her, offering Adrien's hand out to shake.

"Nino!" Adrien grunted quietly to his friend, turning around to glare at him.

Nino released his wrist and whispered, "Come on dude. Now's your chance. Introduce yourself," he encouraged, giving him a gentle nudge in the back.

Adrien turned back to Ladybug, who was staring at him. She had this almost bashful look, mixed with a bit or curiosity.

Adorable.

Well, here she was. Right in front of him. This hadn't been how he imaged trying to talk with her for the first time as himself would be like. But it was happening. So he might as well try.

And this time, he was going to do things a bit differently.

Nervously, he raised his hand up and extended it out for her to take. "Um…Hi. I'm Adrien," he said with a friendly smile.

Ladybug glanced down at the offered hand for a second before looked back up at his kind and gorgeous face before smiling back. Then she took his hand and shook it. "Hello, Adrien. Nice to meet you."

As they squeezed each other's hands, both felt a warm, tingling sensation spark through them. And when they looked back up into each other's eyes, there were even more sparks.

Nino watched with a proud smile as the two shook hands and gazed at each other with something possibly more than just a pleasant greeting. And now that he'd set his bro up, the best thing was to see where he took it. Thus, he had to make himself scares.

"Oh! I just remembered. I have to…um…call my…dentist," Nino stuttered. He needed a quick excuse. "I should probably do that before I forget. So I'll just step away and make that call. Right now." And with that, Nino pulled his phone out of his pocket, pretended to push a button, raised it up to his ear, and turned away—but not before throwing Adrien a quick wink.

Nino stepped away. After he was a fair distance away on the other side of the park, Adrien and Ladybug released their hands, bashfully looking away from the other.

"So…" Ladybug started to say. "You're a fan?" she asked, a bit less nervous now.

Adrien was her friend outside of the suit but she was still nervous around him more often than not. But now that she was in the suit in front of him, she felt a tad more confident. And it was also a big confidence boost that he admired her so.

"Well, yeah," Adrien replied. "I mean, what you do is amazing." He wasn't going to use Nino's original advice. It hadn't worked when he was Chat Noir, so he'll try a different technique as Adrien. "But I'm actually more curious about the girl underneath the mask."

Ladybug looked at him curiously again. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean, you showed up in Paris to fight Hawkmoth's akumas just a few weeks ago. So, I'm guessing before that, you were just a normal girl with a normal life," he explained. He'd been the same, which was exactly how he'd known that. "I bet that normal girl must be pretty special to be able to become a super hero."

Adrien's gentle smile when he said that made the heroine's heart melt.

"Wow," she uttered. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before. You're very sweet, Adrien," she said, making Adrien blush. "Um…I should probably go," she said after a minute. She needed to get back to her room before her parents noticed her absence. Adrien frowned in disappointment that she had to leave, but he understood. "But if you even need me, just call out," she told him.

"What if it's just to talk again?" he asked, somewhat serious. The rest, he was just plain charming.

Ladybug grinned and stepped a bit closer to him. "If I'm not busy, I don't see why not," she shrugged with a matching playful grin to his. She hesitated for a second, nervous again, before deciding to go for it. She leaned in, her lips aiming for his cheek. Adrien, seeing this and responding fast, turned his head and kissed her cheek as she kissed his. Then they both copied the act with the other's opposite cheeks. When Ladybug leaned back, both their freshly kissed cheeks were on fire. "Au revoir," she quickly said before grabbing her yoyo and flinging herself up and out of there.

Adrien watched her disappear over the roof of a building, both his hands lightly touching the spots on both his cheeks with a dopey grin.

Nino's original advise might not have been that helpful, but he at least helped him a great deal by calling her over to them when he saw her, then left them alone to talk.

Finally. What hadn't happened the first night he met her as Chat Noir had happened the first day he met her as Adrien;

The sparks were flying between them.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #14: Upside Down Kiss

Ladybug's earrings chimed in her ear extra loud and more frequent. She knew what it meant; she was about to transform back.

She'd used her lucky charm. She hadn't meant to.

All she had been planning to do was watch Adrien's photo shoot. His father wasn't allowing him to have any friends join him that day so she couldn't go as Marinette and watch from the sidelines. So instead, she had gone as Ladybug and watched from a neighboring rooftop.

And it was a good thing that she was there and already transformed when disaster struck.

The generator that powered all the lights and equipment overheated and burst into flames. The fire spread fast all over the shoot site, causing everyone to run away in a panic.

Instead of waiting for the fire department, Ladybug decided to use her lucky charm, hoping that it would give her something to help right then and there.

Living up to its name, it gave her a fire extinguisher.

Ladybug jumped in and sprayed down the generator first. Then she saw that more of the fire had spread and had surrounded Adrien. She jumped to him, told him to stay low, and sprayed all around them. When the fires were out, she calmly brought him to his evacuated crew just outside the park.

Sadly, because this wasn't caused by an akuma, she couldn't throw the extinguisher up into the air and call on her miraculous cure to repair all the damage. But at least no one was hurt.

The crew understood and were just grateful to her for saving them.

And no one was more grateful than Adrien.

Ladybug had swooped in and saved him from burning. She had saved him other times but this was different. There was no akuma after him so the danger was over with much quicker than before. He felt a great desire to thank her properly. For this time and the last couple.

He wished that he could interact with her more when he wasn't Chat Noir. Especially since she didn't seem to like Chat Noir. At least, not in the way he wished she did.

He wanted to thank her, shower her in praise, and show her just how much he admired her. But by the time he got close to her again, her miraculous was timing out. So she ran off down a nearby alley.

Adrien refused to give up his chance of getting to calmly talk to her as himself. So, while everyone else was distracted with the clean-up, Adrien ran after her, down the same alley.

~*LB+AA*~

Her earrings chimed again, really loud. Fortunately, after turning several corners down several different alleys, she was confident that she was far enough away from prying eyes to let her spots fall.

Marinette stood there with Tikki resting in her hand. She pulled a pink macaroon from her purse and let her eat.

When she was about half done with it, they both startled, hearing a familiar voice call out for her.

"Ladybug!" It was Adrien! He was looking for her?! Marinette immediately hid behind a nearby trash can. "Where are you?" he said out loud. He sounded close. "I…I just wanted to thank you for saving me and the others," he continued. Marinette's panic at being discovered melted away to flattery. He was just trying to thank her. The few times she had interacted with him while she was transformed had been brief and rushed, with her protecting him from akumas and all. But now that the danger was over, he still wanted to see her. He hadn't seen Marinette as anything more than a friend. But maybe he'd feel differently when calmly face to face with Ladybug. When Tikki assured her that she was energized enough, her holder whispered her transformation words. Adrien continued searching through the alleyways. "Are you still here?" he called out again. He knew she was most likely detransformed, but he wasn't out to try to see her without her mask. He figured if he was close enough, she'd say something and he'd stop and/or close his eyes straight away. But so far, he hadn't gotten any hint that she was near. He must have missed her. "What am I doing? She's probably long gone," he lamented.

Right behind him, against the wall of a building, Ladybug repelled down from her yoyo string.

"Or maybe she's not."

Adrien jumped, startled but smiled upon turning around and seeing the spotted heroine behind him, dangling upside down.

"Ladybug!" he said excitedly, approaching her. Her head was about level with his own. "I…wow," he said, at loss for words. He had never been before when around her as Chat Noir. But he wasn't Chat Noir at the moment. He had to be careful. "Um, thank you." Good start.

"It's what I do," she said casually, like it was no big deal. But it was, to him.

"I'm not just talking about today. Those other times you saved me," he told her. "I don't think I thanked you for those either."

"There's no need. Besides, with your knack for getting into trouble, I'm sure you'll get to say it enough in the future," she said, teasingly. Somehow, she wasn't sure how, but wearing the mask didn't just give her more confidence to fight villains, but to also speak to Adrien with more confidence.

Adrien grinned at her playful remark. He liked this a lot. He could play this game with her. "Well, with your knack for saving my life, you must know where I am a lot," he replied cockily. He raised a playfully suspicious eyebrow at her. "Have you been stalking me, my lady?" He was extra careful not to say milady. Then she'd definitely know who he also was. My lady was different enough and just as appropriate for her.

Ladybug smirked. "Well, someone's got to protect that handsome face of yours," she flirted, only to quickly pinch her lips shut and look away. Had she really just said that out loud? And to Adrien's face?! Adrien blushed and his smirk dropped in flattered shocked. She thought he was handsome? "I mean…I-I was in the neighborhood. That's all," she said in a nervously fast tone.

When she dared to look back at him again, Adrien had a sweet little grin on his handsome face. "Well I'm glad that you were," he said, gazing at her adoringly. "You are…" Amazing? Incredible? Beautiful? They were all true but also not good enough in his opinion. "Wonderful," he settled on. Close enough.

Ladybug bashfully glanced away again for a second. "That's sweet of you to say," she said, looking back at him. "And you're welcome."

"I just…" Adrien sighed, at a loss for words again. This was his big chance and he was hesitating. He wished he could just do it but it felt wrong to without asking her first if it was okay. "I'd love to show you how grateful I am. And how much I admire and adore you."

Ladybug's heart beat picked up. "Show me how?"

Adrien hesitated again but stepped a bit closer to her, staring at her lips. Her mouth was at the same level as his.

"May I…kiss you?" he asked.

Ladybug gasped breathily but quickly pulled herself together to reply. "Okay," she said calmly but eagerly.

Heart lit with joy, Adrien reached up and caressed her cheek as he leaned in.

His eyes fluttered shut, and so did Ladybug's, as their lips met. Gentle as first but then Adrien tilted his head and kissed her a bit deeper. And she returned how deep she kissed him.

It was surprisingly easier without their noses bumping the others. Instead, his nose was pressed along side her chin, and he could feel her nose on his chin. It was odd and different. But it worked. It felt right.

Adrien smiled against her lips.

He hoped every kiss he had from that day on was with him or the other person—Ladybug—hanging upside down.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #20: Protect

Adrien tried. When the akuma showed up at the shopping plaza when he was out with his friends, he tried to get away so he could transform and fight them. Ladybug should arrive any second and Chat Noir needed to be there to help her when she did. Sadly, some of his friends and a few other shoppers refused to run. Choosing instead to stop and film or take pictures with their phones.

He tried to get them out of the area before anything bad happened. But he wasn't quick enough.

It all happened so fast. One second, Adrien was ushering some kids to go hide in one of the stores, the next, he heard a loud THWAK-BAM! Right above him.

He looked up and had a split second to see a billboard from the roof tip and fall over.

Coming closer and closer down toward him.

Adrien meant to run. But instead, before he could command his legs to move, he felt himself being shoved hard, sending him far away, just before the BANG-SMASH! Of it crashing to the ground.

Laying the floor, Adrien looked back to the spot he'd just been a moments ago. Where there was now a giant pile of broken billboard pieces, big and small.

That could have been him who had gotten smashed.

But who pushed him out of the way?

As he stood up and dusted himself off, he looked around. All the civilians in the area had finally vacated the premises.

Among the rubble, Adrien spotted something round and red.

With black spots.

Adrien's stomach dropped. He leaned down and snatched the object up.

It was a yoyo.

He'd held this yoyo before. It wasn't a fake replica like the one he had as part of his Ladybug merch collection.

This was the real thing.

"Ladybug," he uttered. She was nearby. He looked around but didn't see her. "Ladybug!?" he shouted. If she didn't have her yoyo, then something must be wrong. Then his eyes turned back to the remains of the fallen sign. Whoever pushed him out of the way…if they weren't around for him to see…then they must be…then she must be… "Ladybug!"

Panic setting in, Adrien dashed to the pile, grabbed a piece and heaved it away. Then he grabbed another, and another, moving piece after piece.

She had to be okay.

Their suits protected them from any major harm when they were transformed. And even if she was hurt a bit, she could just use her miraculous cure to fix everything. It had worked when he fought Weredad. He had beaten the fudge out of him. He was in a lot of pain and could baring stand by the time it was over, but he was alive. And he felt instantly better right after she reset everything. Sure, the akuma was still out there but they couldn't wait until after. She couldn't fight if she was injured.

She had to be okay. He just had to dig her out.

Finally, Adrien uncovered something red. By the shape, he guessed that it was a foot. He dug more, continuing to call her name, hoping she'd reply and tell him that she was alright.

But the more of her body that he uncovered and no matter how loudly he shouted for her, she didn't move and she didn't reply.

A foot became a leg, then another leg, then a back, then an arm. Then finally, the back of a head of bluenette hair.

Pushing the last bits of debris away, Adrien gently but quickly pulled her up and turned her over. There he sat, holding Ladybug in his arms. He cradled her face as he checked her for any visible injuries. Finding none, he was relieved, but she was still unconscious.

Her eyes were closed and her face relaxed.

"Ladybug?" he uttered while lightly shaking her. She still didn't move. "Ladybug, wake up," he tried again, shaking her a bit harder. Still no response. Adrien's eyes began to fill with tears. Her suit was supposed to protect her. He was supposed to protect her. But he couldn't since he hadn't transformed fast enough. She had protected him. Now look at her. Guilt weighed heavily in his heart. "Please," he whispered.

After what she just did for him, he needed her to be okay. If not, he'd never forgive himself.

Suddenly, he saw her eyebrows scrunch together and she coughed.

Adrien sighed with intense relief.

Her eyes fluttered open and stared up at her savior. Her vision was a bit blurry but she'd recognize that head of blonde hair and green eyes anywhere. "Adrien?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah, it's me," he said, smiling while holding back happy tears. "Are you okay?" It was sort of a dumb question but he'd like to know how bad she was hurt.

"Everything…hurts," she uttered before grunting in pain as she moved her arm. "Can you help me stand?"

"I don't think you should," he told her. Movement would probably only make it worse. Adrien turned around and spotted her weapon. "You're yoyo," he said, reaching back to pick it up again and hand it to her. "You need to summon your lucky charm. Then you can reset everything and heal yourself."

"But the akuma-"

"You can't defeat the akuma like this," he told her, urging her to take it.

"You're right," Ladybug nodded and took her yoyo. "Lucky Charm!" she said softer than she normally did. She also didn't throw it up into the air. It still activated, making a red and black spotted metal crutch appear on the ground next to her.

"Huh," Adrien shrugged. "Exactly what you need." Even her powers were encouraging her to use her cure earlier than usual because of her injuries.

"Now can you help me stand up? I can use this but I'm gonna need you to keep me up right so I can throw it," she explained. She couldn't use it to support her weight just before she threw it. So he had to keep her from falling over.

"Of course," he said. Very carefully, he slung her arm over his shoulder and started helping her stand, slowly. Ladybug grit her teeth as she moved her limbs, trying to get her feet under her. Leaning on both Adrien and the crutch helped. "I'm…I'm sorry," he said when they were about halfway there.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked.

"I should have gotten away faster. Then you wouldn't have needed to push me away and gotten hurt," he lamented, blaming himself.

"That thing would have killed you. The only reason I'm even alive is because of my suit," she explained. Sure, her body was screaming at her but she was still in one piece. And it was only temporary. When she was finally on her feet, leaning on Adrien mostly, she lifted the crutch up above her head. And with more strain, she threw it up and yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The magical ladybugs spread over the sky, then to all around the plaza, instantly restoring all the damage to everything, including the billboard.

The ladybugs surrounded them and were gone in a blink. And when they were, Ladybug didn't feel any more pain.

"Feeling better?" Adrien asked her as she removed her arm from around his shoulder.

"Much," she replied, moving and stretching out her limbs to test how they felt. They felt great.

When she was done, Ladybug picked her yoyo back up and secured it around her waist. She still had an akuma to defeat. But before she could head out, Adrien sprang forward and wrapped his arms around her.

Ladybug just stood there for a moment and just let him hug her closely.

"I know you were just protecting me and it's your job," he said before pulling back to look at her but kept his hands on her shoulders. "But please…never scare me like that again," he added, his voice emotional.

Ladybug simply gave him a sad smile. She was touched by his concern but she couldn't make that promise. And Adrien knew she couldn't, but he still wanted her to know how much she meant to him.

But he meant a lot to her too.

Sure it had caused her a great deal of pain but if it meant protecting Adrien from getting killed, she'd endure a hundred more falling billboards.

And it also meant a great deal to her if he was there to dig her out again.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #27: Hold Me

Snug in his bed, Adrien laid down and stared up at the ceiling. He'd had a long day with many things to do and not a lot of time to relax and/or enjoy himself. Which also meant no time for friends.

Not with Nino or any of his other good friends from school. And also not Ladybug.

No down time even in the confinement of his large room meant she couldn't just swing in and spend even a few minutes with him.

A whole day away from his lady was too long.

He was sad he'd hadn't gotten to see his beloved Ladybug that day. Oh well. He'll see her tomorrow.

As Adrien closed his eyes, he grinned thinking about her.

If he was lucky, maybe he'll see her in his dreams.

~*LB+AA*~

She knew it was late, and she knew that he had been busy all day and was most likely exhausted and had gone to bed by now, but Ladybug really wanted to see Adrien.

A whole day away from her prince was too long.

So she swung on her yoyo from building to building until she made it to his mansion. And as always since they started hanging out together in the privacy of his room, his window was open. But the lights were off.

The heroine swung in, landing on the floor quietly. She looked around, squinting in the dark, looking for her beloved.

Finally, after her eyes adjusted to the dark with the low bit of light around the room and from the distant city light coming in from the wall of windows, she located his bed and could make out a lump under the covers.

"Adrien?" she whispered. If he wasn't asleep yet, he would hear her.

Getting no reply, Ladybug tip-toed over to the bed to see for herself. Adrien's bed was big enough for two but he was laying on the left side. There was a long cabinet/shelf along that side of his bed but there was a gap close to the head of the bed. Ladybug walked between the gap, stood right next to the bed and, sure enough, his eyes were closed.

He was laying on his back but his head was turned slightly toward her.

Ladybug silently sighed with disappointment. It would be rude to wake him up even to just say hi before going home. She should just go. But she couldn't take her eyes off his face.

Ladybug grinned dreamily as she gazed down at him. He looked so peaceful.

Adrien's body wasn't that close to the edge of the bed so there was a bit of room. So, feeling giddy and unable to resist, Ladybug carefully sat down on the side of the bed.

She turned to him and watched as his chest gently rose and fell with his every breath through his nose. Good, she thought. He wasn't a snorer.

Still unable to resist and being gentle as a feather, Ladybug reached a hand out the touched his forehead with the backs of her fingers. Seeing that he was still sound asleep, she trailed her hand down the side of his face, along his cheek, then down to the bottom of his chin.

He was just so beautiful.

However, when her thumb accidently grazed the side of his neck, Adrien's breathing turned into a light gasp. Then he began to stir.

Ladybug quickly took her hand back. She hadn't meant to wake him. She was such a clumsy fool! She shouldn't have been touching his face and watching him while he was sleeping like a total creep-a-saurous!

Should she get off the bed and make a run for the window? Get out of there before he even knew she was there at all? Frozen in her freak-out mode, she continued to sit there as Adrien's eyes fluttered open.

When he looked up, his vision still hazy from sleep and the darkness of his room, Adrien could just make out the shape of a person sitting on the side of his bed. He should be terrified. But after making out the pig tails, red suit with spots, and big blue eyes staring done at him, he had no reason to fear. It was his lady.

"Lady…bug?" he uttered quietly.

"Adrien…" she whispered back. Okay, she woke him up but he wasn't freaking out. Ladybug mentally sighed with relief.

Suddenly, a dreamy grin spread across his lips. "It's you," he whispered before sitting up and wrapping his arms around her. Ladybug just sat there, frozen again in his embrace.

His wish came true. He wanted to see Ladybug in his dreams that night, and there she was.

He dreamed about her often but this one was the most vivid yet.

"Uh…A-Adrien-?" Ladybug stuttered, but he pulled back just enough to put a finger on her lips.

"Shhh. I missed you so much today," he sweetly hushed her. Ladybug was dazed for a moment, her eyes lost in his adoring gaze, the warmth of his hug, and his sweet words. Then, she was suddenly snapped back to what was going on when Adrien took her and rolled both their bodies over and pulled her down onto the bed. Now Ladybug was laying on her back on Adrien's bed. Her head hadn't quite made it to the pillow on the opposite side but she was close. With Adrien hovering over her. "Mmm. You're so beautiful," he hummed as he brought a hand up and caressed her cheek.

Ladybug's heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she thought she might pass out or go into cardiac arrest.

Adrien freaking Agreste was on top of her!

She wanted to say something. Ask why he was suddenly being so bold with her.

They hadn't even kissed properly yet. Other than sweet little pecks on their cheeks—as greetings but also to show a bit of affection every once in a while. But that was it.

They'd only ever kissed in his dreams.

Every time Adrien found himself in a dream with her, he kissed her. Sometimes it was innocent and quick. Other times, things got a bit more heated.

But only a bit.

He loved her so much, all he wanted to do was hold her close and lavish her with affection. Plant kiss after kiss on her, especially her beautifully plump lips.

If they weren't ready to kiss in real life, then he could at least indulge in his fantasy while asleep.

So, thinking that this was another one of his dreams, Adrien leaned down just enough and caught Ladybug's lips with his own.

Still paralyzed with shock, Ladybug just laid where she was, allowing Adrien to solidly lock lips with her.

But in no time at all, as it continued, her shock and confusion melted away to acceptance and bliss.

Adrien was kissing her.

And moments later, she was kissing him back.

Ladybug brought a hand up to the back of his head and carded her fingers through his golden locks. Caressing his head and holding him down to her, closer.

The sensation of her fingers lightly tugging at his hair added extra sparks to Adrien's senses. However, the fact that he could actually feel the fingers in his hair snapped his eyes open.

Adrien pulled back, hovering over Ladybug with wide eyes. Ladybug looked back up at him in confusion. "Adrien?" she asked. Why did he suddenly look so startled?

Uncertain if he was asleep or not, Adrien brought one of his hands up to his ear and pulled on it hard.

Feeling the expected pain, he got his answer.

"Oh my God," he said slowly, his expression even more horrified. "Are you…am I…is this-?" he stammered. "I'm awake?" he eventually got out.

"Yes," Ladybug replied, finally understanding what was going on.

"I'm…not dreaming?"

"I don't think so."

Like a shot had fired, Adrien scrambled to get off of the heroine and sat up on the bed.

"Oh my-!" he hollered before covering his mouth; both because he remembered how late it was and didn't want to wake his father and Nathalie, and simply because he was mortified.

He'd just pinned Ladybug to his bed and kissed her! FOR REAL!

Ladybug sat up too and scooted over to sit closer to him. "Adrien, calm down," she said, trying to calm him down.

"I just-!" Adrien whisper/shouted after uncovering his mouth "Ladybug, I-I am so sorry!" he said to her. "I didn't know…I mean…I thought I was dreaming. Not that I have those kinds of dreams about you. I mean, I do but not all the time! But I mean-!"

"Adrien!" Ladybug whisper/shouted, using her hand to cover his mouth again, silencing his frazzled babbling. "It's okay," she said to him reassuringly. "I get it. I really do." Adrien's body visibly relaxed after hearing her and taking a few deep breaths through his nose. When she was somewhat confident that he was done freaking out, she removed her hand.

She smiled at him and Adrien sighed, glancing down at the bed. "That was not how I wanted our first kiss to go," he lamented.

"Well then," Ladybug said, caressing his cheek and then turned his face back up to look at her gentle smile. "How about we try again."

Adrien's face went from crestfallen, to shocked, to dopily in love.

They both leaned forward and their lips met again. Adrien's arms wound around Ladybug's back. Ladybug's hands found their way back up into his hair.

When they were done, satisfied with their first kiss do-over, Adrien refused to let Ladybug leave. Nor did she want to leave either. So she agreed to stay for a bit longer.

Adrien laid back down on his bed on his back, his head on his pillow, while Ladybug laid next to him, snug against his side, using his shoulder as a pillow.

They hadn't meant to fall asleep, but they did. Feeling her in his arms, Adrien's unconscious mind instinctively told his body to turn onto his side and hold her closer. Ladybug's body moved closer too, burying her face in his chest, draping one of her arms over his side, and tangled her legs with his.

Kissing Ladybug had been one of the things Adrien always wanted to do, which was why he dreamed about it so much. The only thing he dreamed about more though, was getting to hold her in him arms.

And when he wakes up in the light of morning, he'll see for sure that none of it was a dream.

Chapter Text

Ladrien June 2024

Day #29: Makeout

Being confined to his room all day and not being able to go out or have anybody over used to bother the heck out of Adrien.

Doing his homework alone, playing video games alone, playing foosball alone. His afternoons were always lonely and depressing.

That all changed when he started dating the beautiful and amazing Ladybug.

The city adored them as a couple and Adrien's father loved the extra publicity that came with his son dating Paris's beloved heroine.

However, being a famous couple in the limelight left them with little privacy when they went out together. Constant fans and reporters taking pictures, asking annoying questions, and following them wherever they went. It was bothersome. Adrien savored the time he got to spend outside and with his beloved lady, but with the spotlight constantly on them, it was hard to truly enjoy some times.

Hence, the famous couple had developed their own little system of having private dates in Adrien's room.

Being his girlfriend, Ladybug was of course allowed through the front door of the mansion. But their private dates were theirs. So, Adrien always left a window in his room open for her to enter so they could hang out. No cameras, no nosey people, no pressure.

Having her in his room with him made it feel a lot less lonely.

Especially when he had her in his lap and kissing him senseless.

They had just been watching a movie, cuddled close on his couch, his arm around her shoulders, when they both suddenly decided to turn their heads back toward one another, away from the screen. Then they both leaned in.

As they kissed, moving their mouths in sync against each others, Ladybug swung her leg over Adrien's lap and sat on his thighs.

Adrien's hands held her close, caressing along her back while Ladybug's wound around his neck and her fingers reached up and sank into his golden blonde hair.

Out of nowhere, Ladybug giggled into their kiss, making Adrien smirk. He pulled back just enough to free his mouth to speak. "What?" he asked, amused and curious.

"Nothing, I…" she replied, glancing off before looking back into his eyes. "I'm just happy," she said simply. When it was just the two of them together, how could she not be?

"Happy that you're here with me?"

"And happy to be here with you alone," she added. "We can never kiss like this in public."

Sure, they had kissed for a few cameras before—Gabriel insisted that it was good to throw the press a bone occasionally—but they preferred letting their kissing be about them.

"Oh, the press and the public would have a field day if they got a picture of us like this," Adrien chuckled. They'd been on the covers of several magazines together already but a picture of Ladybug in his lap, kissing or not, would go global in seconds. "Then my father would have my head," he added. As pleased and supportive of their relationship as Gabriel was, he would definitely not approve of his son acting like some ill-mannered, randy teenager.

Hence, they always had to be on their best behavior during public dates. Not for each other, but more for the rest of the world watching them.

Which was why they savored their alone dates in his room. They could be themselves around each other and not worry about anything else around them.

Ladybug shook her head. "Nuh-uh," she uttered before caressing the back of his head and pulled it against her chest. "Your head is staying right here. With me," she cooed. Adrien sighed in bliss as she stroked his hair while feeling the coolness of her suit against his cheek.

After holding his head for another minute, Ladybug kissed the top of his soft hair, then pulled back to kiss his forehead. Then trailed down to kiss his temple, then his check, then his neck.

Adrien bit his lips as she planted several additional, sucking kisses on his neck. He turned his head away, giving her plenty of room.

During which time, his eyes fluttered open and he glanced at his TV screen which was still playing the movie. He must have forgotten to pause it before they started their smooch marathon. "We're missing a lot of the movie," he uttered breathily. He didn't really care about the movie, they both have already seen it before.

"Don't care. I said your head wasn't going anywhere and neither is mind," Ladybug hummed before cradling his head in her hands again and kissing his lips, long and gentle.

"Adrien?" a voice from just outside his bedroom door called, along with the sound of knocking.

"Eep!" both teens yipped in fright, snapping away from their kiss. They stared at the door for a moment in dread.

Nathalie always knocked before entering his room. Adrien was never allowed to lock his door—it would be suspicious anyway if he tried to—so he and Nathalie had developed a system; she would knock, wait ten seconds, then go in.

Now they had seven.

Thinking fast, Ladybug bolted off of his lap. Adrien had already closed the window she had entered through earlier. It would take too long to open it again and swing out of sight. Plus, she didn't want to leave yet. The bathroom was a good place to hide but it was too close to the door where Nathalie was seconds away from coming in through. So, as Adrien stood up and straightened out his hair and ruffled clothes, Ladybug leapt up onto his balcony.

Adrien watched as she squatted down on his second floor, as low as she could so she wouldn't be seen easily. He sighed in relief but quickly schooled his expression just before Nathalie opened the door.

"Hi Nathalie," Adrien greeted her kindly, his voice a bit nervous but he cried to speak normal. They both stood behind the couch. Nathalie was facing the window, her back to the balcony, while Adrien was facing toward the balcony, trying to resist the urge to glance up to check on his lady hiding up there. "What's-uh…what's up?"

Nathalie glanced up from her tablet to the movie playing on the TV behind him. "Did you finish your homework already?" she asked. He must have if he was vegging. He wasn't supposed to be if he hadn't.

"Of course," he replied. He always finished his homework before Ladybug arrived to hang out.

Satisfied with his answer, Nathalie glanced back down at her tablet. "Well, I just came up here to let you know that your photoshoot tomorrow is being pushed back an hour, so you won't have to leave school early," she said.

"Oh, good," Adrien replied. With the older woman not looking at him, Adrien allowed himself a glance up to his lady. When she saw him staring at her, she made a gesture not to look at her and focus on Nathalie.

Adrien quickly snapped his eyes back to his father's assistant as she started talking again.

"And your Chinese tutor needed to reschedule. They will be coming on Friday instead."

"Alright. That's fine," Adrien nodded. Then he briefly glanced back up at Ladybug again but looked back at Nathalie before she could do any more gestures that he shouldn't. It was fine. He was paying attention and remembering the small changes in his schedule.

"Also, your father is working late again so he won't be joining you for dinner tonight."

Adrien's mood saddened a bit. "Oh, okay. No problem," he said, his eyes falling off to the side.

Up on the second floor, Ladybug frowned, sad that Adrien was sad because his father was once again too busy to even share a meal with his own son every now and then.

After Nathalie leaves the room, she'll give him a hug.

Hearing his, Nathalie raised her head back up and stared at her young charge with pity in her eyes. She hated having to tell him when Gabriel cancelled because she knew how sad it made his son. She stepped a bit closer and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I tried telling him-"

"It's fine, Nathalie. Really," Adrien politely cut her off, raising his head back up to meet her gaze and tried to offer her a smile. He was still not happy about it but he was used to it.

It wasn't like he'd be totally alone for the rest of the evening anyway. Again, he had to fight his reflex to look back up to the balcony.

When Ladybug was near him, it was hard to stay upset.

Nathalie smiled back. "Alright then. Dinner will be ready in an hour," she said to him before turning around and making her way toward the door. Adrien silently sighed in relief that they hadn't been caught. "Oh, one last thing, Adrien," Nathalie said as she stood in front of the door, her hand on the handle. "So you won't be dinning alone, perhaps you could ask if Ladybug can stay and join you."

Both Ladybug and Adrien frozen, their eyes widening nervously.

Nathalie smirked back at Adrien then gave his balcony a quick glance with her eyes. Adrien, unable to resist this time, did so too, seeing his lady still squatty with a frightened look.

When he looked back at Nathalie again, she winked at him before finally opening the door and left, closing it behind her.

Adrien was still frozen in place but Ladybug jumped down from the balcony and landed right next to him, staring at the door with him for another minute.

How did she know?

"So…" Adrien finally said. "You wanna stay for dinner?" he asked his spotted girlfriend.

Ladybug looked back at him and smiled. "Oh, why not?" she replied happily. It was still early so she had time before she was expected back at her home for dinner with her parents.

"Great," Adrien smiled back. "You know, we've got an hour. Wanna finish the rest of the movie?"

"The movie is over," Ladybug replied after glancing to the scene behind him. Adrien looked back too and saw a black screen with credits rolling.

"Oh yeah," he said then turned back, his grin transforming from casual to mischievous. "Guess we'll have to do something else."

Ladybug matched his smirk before stepping closer and grabbing ahold of his shirt collar, then pulling him in for another intense kiss.

Adrien tilted his head and kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her back as her hands went sinking back into his hair.

They didn't even care anymore if Nathalie knew about their private dates in his room. She wasn't going to tell. She understood what privacy and togetherness meant to the two of them.

How else were they supposed to make-out in peace?

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #5: Sunset

The Eiffel Tower was always a sight to behold. And even more so at sunset. Which was why it was one of Ladybug and Chat Noir's favorite places and times to meet up and talk.

And after the day they had had, they needed it.

They sat on the edge of one of the buildings overlooking the tower. Ladybug sat a good three feet away from her partner to his left. She didn't know why she decided to sit so far from him. Maybe she was still frazzled from what had happened earlier.

The fantasy.

Ladybug had been shaken and sad after they snapped out of it but Chat was livid. He was so angry, he had fought Darker Owl a lot rougher, hit him harder, he was yelling, and then he almost cataclysmed him directly. Luckily, he stopped himself at the last second and instead used it to destroy his mask only, releasing the akuma.

It had been very upsetting for both of them. Not because of what they experienced, but that it was taken away from them.

The fantasy. It wasn't just his. It was hers too.

"How did Monarch give Mr. Damocles the power of jubilation without giving him a miraculous?" Chat asked.

"I don't know. I don't get it," Ladybug replied, just as stumped.

As much as they tried to focus on the matter of Monarch and his new methods on akumatizing people, they were both thinking about their fantasy.

"Ladybug," Chat started to say. "That power of jubilation. It's suppose to show us our deepest desires, isn't it?"

Ladybug gulped. "Yes."

"But that was…" Chat paused, disappointment in his voice. "that wasn't real, right?"

Ladybug turned to him. "Of course not," she said, trying to sound precise and unbothered. "I mean, the wedding, the…babies," her voice faltered. Chat finally turned to her and saw her lips trembling and her eyes misting over. "Totally…not…"

Seeing the sad and sympathetic look in her kitty's eyes was too much and Ladybug's eyes over flowed with tears.

"Hey," Chat said, immediately getting up and crawling over to her. For their own safety, he carefully moved them off the ledge and sat down on the building's roof, facing away from the tower. Chat held her as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. "Milady?"

"Oh Chat!" she cried. "I-It was just a dream but-" she pulled back just enough to look up at his face. "I…I wanted it to be real so much!" she admitted. She tried to deny it because she'd been denying it for so long already, but after they shared a deepest heart's desire, how was she supposed to deny that?

Chat looked at her with shock. "You did?" he asked. Then his eyes softened. "But…you don't-"

"Yes I do," she quickly corrected him. "I know I've told you a thousand times that I didn't but-" She paused. She was no longer denying it so she might as well be honest. "You've always been there for me. Stayed by my side, even if I tried pushing you away. And when I lost the miraculous…you were there to pick me up and give me hope again," she explained before giving him a watery smile.

Chat returned the smile for a moment but it quickly dropped when he remembered something. "What about the other boy?" he asked. She'd told him awhile ago that the main reason she couldn't return his affect was because she was in love with someone else.

Ladybug glanced away for a second. "I think he's better off just being my friend," she told him, looking him in the eye again. Adrien hadn't showed any interest in her in that way so far and after everything she and Chat had been through, it was clear what her heart wanted. "He never saw me that why anyway," she lamented.

Chat frowned. How could anyone not see her the way he sees her? But on the other hand, he was glad that she was over him. Whoever he was. "Then he's a fool," he said. Ladybug looked back up at him. Careful of his claws, Chat wiped away a few tears from under her eyes. "Milady, are you sure?" he asked hopefully.

Ladybug smiled at him. "Completely sure," she answered confidently. "I love you, Chat Noir."

Chat smiled, on the brink of tears now too, but happy ones. "I love you too, Ladybug."

With them both calm, the pair moved back to the edge of the building and swung their legs over the side. But this time, they sat close enough where Ladybug could rest her head on Chat's shoulder while his arm was wrapped around her, holding her close.

Maybe they'll get their fantasy back someday, for reals this time. But for now, they were just going to enjoy the sunset together.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #9: Totally Not a Date

Chat's gift—his sweet serenade to her while he played the piano—lead them to chase each other across the rooftops. Then jump into the sky together until they were practically on the clouds.

"You save the world every day with your mask. But the girl behind it, saved my heart," he had said. Then they were dancing.

Both had love-struck grins on their faces, stepping across the clouds together with intimate grace.

In her head, Ladybug knew that this was a bad idea, having let her partner's little gesture go this far, but caught in the moment, all she could do was smile and dance along with him.

Chat wanted this night to be perfect. He was finally brave enough to officially open his heart out to his lady. Their partnership had started a bit rocky with the teasing and attitude, but they had definitely moved passed that and into a solid friendship. She sang with him, pranced with him across the rooftops in a flirty game of chase, and now they were dancing together under a starry Parisian sky.

She felt the same. He was sure of it.

However…

When their feet finally stopped moving, Chat seized the moment and leaned in, his eyes fluttering shut. But instead of feeling the lips of his dream girl, he felt nothing. Chat opened his eyes to see that Ladybug had leaned away and then stepped back, out of his arms.

"Chat…no," she lightly shook her head.

Chat's face fell. And just like that, the clouds once beneath their feet where once again the roof of a city building. "No?" he uttered, completely baffled. "But-"

"I can't. We can't."

"Why not?"

Ladybug took a breath. "Chat, weren't superheroes. We were chosen to fight and defeat Hawkmoth," she said, sounding so sure of her words.

Chat frowned. "And that's it?"

"It's important."

"So is our happiness," he insisted. "Milady, we were chosen together. We came together for a reason."

"Yes. To defeat Hawkmoth. It's the only reason we came together in the first place," she told him. Chat's frown deepened. It didn't feel good but Ladybug knew she had to say it. "We can't get distracted. We need to be professional and stay focused on defeating him. That's what's really important."

Chat understood the importance of their arch-nemesis's defeat just at well as his partner did, but that didn't mean he also agreed with her about putting that above their hearts. "I know it is. And I will devote myself to defeating Hawkmoth to keep Paris and everyone I care about safe from him. And so we don't have to put ourselves in harm's way fighting him eventually," he promised her. He stepped closer to her and placed a strong hand on her shoulder. "I will protect you with everything I have because I want to see a world where we don't have to fight anymore. Where we can just be together."

"But we can't just be together!" Ladybug snapped, removing his hand from her shoulder. "After we defeat Hawkmoth, that's it. Our miraculouses will no longer be needed so we'll just lose each other anyway."

And that's when it fully became clear to him. "So that's it? You won't kiss me because you're afraid of losing me anyway," he said. Ladybug glanced away, unable to answer him. Which was all the answer he needed. "That's the whole reason I never wanted to get close to anyone after my mom died. And yet…I've fallen for you," he confessed, tenderly. Ladybug's lips pinched together tight, as well as her eyes. "All I can think about is being able to go on dates with you, no akumas, no danger. Just you and me in the world, not a couple of superheroes, but just a couple."

"How?" she snapped again, but more emotional than angry. "How could we be just a couple? You don't even know who I really am, and I don't know who you are," she said, her voice on the brink of a sob.

"Yes I do," Chat insisted. "I see you." Carefully, Chat took one of her hands in his. "I see an amazing girl who was filled with so much uncertainty transform into a confident, sassy, strong lady. And she never hesitates to help those in need," he said, offering her a reassuring smile. "And me…" he frowned, thinking about himself. "I was closed off, shielded myself from anyone who could hurt me. I wanted to protect my heart. But you…unlocked me." He took her other hand, now holding them both. "From the first night I met you, the night I became Chat Noir, I've transformed as well, into a guy who's curious and wild, and can freely be himself without fear," he said, his smile returning.

Ladybug looked down at their joined hands. This was wrong, but everything Chat was saying felt so right.

"Chat, you're annoying and insane but you're also amazing and I care about you a lot…but-"

"I love you," Chat said suddenly cutting her off. Ladybug finally looked back up at him with a start. "If that wasn't obvious already," he added with a light chuckle. "And I get the feeling that you love me too."

That was the whole reason why he thought it was time to tell her. But she was choosing to hide it.

"Chat…"

"If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me, I'll go. And the next time we need to fight an akuma, I will be totally professional. No small talk, no jokes, no friendly banter. And then, after we defeat Hawkmoth, we never have to see each other again because like you said, 'it's the only reason we came together in the first place.' So when we're done, we're done," he said and he hated every word. But he still meant it. Ladybug pulled her hands back and turned around. Chat stayed where he was, staring at her back, giving her the bit of space she needed to think. "If that's what you really want," he added.

If she still refused to admit that she loved him back and insist he hide his own feelings from that night on, then he would. For her. But she had to tell him to his face.

Seconds felt like hours as Ladybug just stood there, Chat patient, right behind her.

Ladybug had been hiding who she really was for so long. But after she became Ladybug, she was able to unlock the best in herself. Marinette became her best self and Ladybug became the hero that Paris needed.

And the partner Chat Noir needed.

Chat was a complete dork but he was always there for her. As confident as she had become, half of that came from having him beside her every step of the way.

She might harbor some feelings for Adrien too but he hadn't been showing any interest in her beyond being good friends. Chat on the other hand…loved her.

And did she love him back?

Her heart hurt too much to take hiding anything else anymore.

Finally, Ladybug turned around, stepped forward, and without a word, grasped the sides of Chat's head and pulled him in, kissing him.

Chat was shocked for a moment but quickly and happily kissed her back, reaching up and caressing her waist.

When she pulled away, she whispered, "I do love you." Chat grinned, over the moon that she actually said it herself. "I didn't want to fall for you but I did."

Chat continued to hold her. "We're still going to defeat Hawkmoth, together," he said, reassuring and determined. Since that had been her whole reason for having doubts of them beings together, he thought she'd appreciate it.

Ladybug nodded. "Stronger together."

"And then after we do, we can still see each other."

Ladybug frowned. "But if there's no need for Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore…"

Would the mysterious man who gave them their jewels take them back? How where they supposed to see each other if that happened?

Chat frowned too. He didn't like that idea either. "I want to defeat Hawkmoth as badly as you do, but I don't want to lose you afterwards," he said to her, caressing her cheek.

Ladybug leaned into his touch then covered his hand with her own. "I don't either," she replied. Which left only one simple solution. "Then, we'll reveal ourselves," she said.

Chat's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"How else are we supposed to continue to see each other after our miraculouses are no longer needed? Plus, it's too dangerous for us to know each other's identities while Hawkmoth is still a threat. But after he's gone, so is the threat," she explained.

"So, after we defeat Hawkmoth, I can show you who I am?" he asked, anxious excitement building in his stomach.

Ladybug grinned and nodded. "And I'll show you who I am."

Chat laughed with joy before lunging in for another kiss. Ladybug kissed him back, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. Then, while not breaking the kiss, Chat gripped her body tighter to himself, then picked her up and spun them around in a circle or two.

When he finally put her back down, they pulled apart, just enough to look at each other.

"I'm sure your even more beautiful without your mask on," he said, gazing lovingly at her eyes and the mask surrounding it.

"Silly kitty," she giggled before kissing him again.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #10: Panic

Ladybug landed on the roof of an old, abandon theater. She'd gotten a message from Chat Noir to met him there for something important. She just wasn't sure what. She assumed there was another akuma and they had to do their 'thing' again.

"Alright, kitty. Let's do this quick. I've got a big day tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep," she said to herself, quickly rolling her shoulder, ready for whatever job that awaited her.

But as she looked around the tiny cupola of the building's roof, there was no one around.

"Chat Noir?" she called out "Hello?" There was no reply.

It was quiet. A little too quiet.

Ladybug walked over to one of the stone pillars and saw fresh scratch marks. This worried her. And it only got worse when she looked down to the floor and saw his baton. The green glow of the paw print symbol on it catching her eye.

"Oh, no," she gasped, picking it up. Ladybug stood up and stared at the magical device.

Chat had been there. But he wouldn't just leave this behind. Why would he?

Unless…

Ladybug's heart pounded harder in her chest, so much so she could hear it in her ears. Her breath was short and labored. Her eyes stung with bitter tears.

An akuma!

"I didn't make it in time. They took him! He's gone!" she cried, clutching the baton to her chest. The akuma must have captured him, might be taking him to Hawkmoth right now, and it was all her fault for not getting there faster. "Kitty!" she yelled out helplessly, her lip starting to tremble.

What had she done? Her kitty was…

Suddenly, the baton flew right out of her clenched hands. Up it went. Ladybug watched it ascend above her head to the old wooden beams of the cupola's roof, and be caught right in Chat Noir's waiting hand.

Ladybug's face dropped as she stared up at him with wide eyes.

"So, you do care about me," Chat said cheekily, grinning down at her. He jumped down from the beam and landed on the floor just a few feet from her. Then he chuckled. "Ha! You should have seen your-" he laughed but quickly stopped when he finally noticed his partner's body language.

Ladybug's hands were both clenched tight at her sides, her whole body was rigid but there was a slight trembling from head to toe, and her head was tilted downward so he couldn't see her eyes, let alone much of her face.

Chat wasn't sure what to do. He knew his pranks annoyed her but he didn't think this one would make her that angry. Should he make a run for it before she chased him down and strangled him with her yoyo string?

Moments later, she finally raised her head then immediately dashed toward him. He was expecting a kick to his shin or shove to the chest while she angrily berated him for being so childish.

And he got the shove to the chest. What he didn't expect were the tears.

"I hate you!" she hollered after shoving him and he stumbled back a bit. "I thought you were taken or worse!" she yelled at him angrily and he could see the tears in her eyes. As she stared at him and he stared back at her, taken very aback, she eventually broken down. She came at him again, standing very close to his front while weakly striking his chest with her fists. Meanwhile, Chat just stood there and let her. "You're such a jerk," she cried softly.

When the punching stopped and she just cried, her shoulders shook as more tears fell down her cheeks.

In reply, Chat wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in closer. "Milady," he uttered into her hair, tucking her head under his chin. "I'm sorry. I was just fooling around, but it was dumb. I didn't mean to upset you," he apologized.

He should have known pretending to be captured was a stupid practical joke. He was so sure she'd just be angry and annoyed. But upset and scared? That caught him completely off guard.

He expected her to panic a bit and be worried about him. That was what he had been going for.

They had teased each other a lot. She pretended she didn't actually care what happened to him, so he wanted to prove that under all the quips, she ready did. Make her worry about him a bit.

But he took it too far. He didn't expect her to be this bother by it. He should have known better. He frightened her and made her cry.

He might be a jerk after all.

As upset as she was with him, having his arms wrapped around her was comforting.

She'd thought for a minute that she had lost him.

"I-I can't do this without you," she uttered, her cheek smooshed against his chest.

She couldn't defeat akumas without him. She couldn't stop Hawkmoth without him. She couldn't be Ladybug without him beside her.

"Neither can I," he replied. After a brief contemplation, Chat came to the conclusion that if he had been the one to think, even for just a minute, that his lady had been captured because he wasn't there to protect her, he'd be devastated. He couldn't be Chat Noir without her beside him. Nor did he want to. "I'm sorry. I won't joke like that again," he promised.

He'll still keep up his regular joking with her, but no more pranks that involve him being in danger.

True, it was sweet to see that she cared so much about him based on that panic, but he would never intentionally cause that in her ever again.

She didn't deserve that kind of scare. And the fact that he caused it just made it worse. He only wanted to be the source of her joy and strength.

And her love.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #16: Amnesia

As per usual, Ladybug arrived at her and Chat's regular meeting spot on top of the Montparnasse Tower to start their evening patrol. Chat was there already, sitting with his legs dangling off the side of the roof.

"Evening, kitty," she said cheerfully, sitting beside him.

She didn't notice until she sat beside him but her partner looked a bit down. His shoulders were slumped, his head was tilted downward, and his lips were a glum frown.

When she sat to his right, Chat turned to her and turned his lips up into a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Evening, milady," he said to her, trying to sound cheery as well.

But Ladybug wasn't fooled. "Something wrong?" she asked him.

"No." Chat looked away. "I mean, sort of," he said. There was no point in hiding it. "It's just…" he sighed.

"Just what?" she asked, concerned.

"I was scared today," he confessed. Ladybug was puzzled. Scared of what? Her Chat didn't scare easily. "When Grand Master Su-Han tried to make you give up our miraculouses and guardianship of the Miracle Box, I was prepared to give mine up, but only if you agreed that it was for the best. But as soon as he said that you giving up guardianship meant you'd lose all your memories like Master Fu did." Chat's fist clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut. "I-I couldn't let that happen."

Ladybug nodded in understanding. "I know. You didn't want me to forget you." She remembered. She hadn't wanted to fight the celestial guardian and neither had Chat. But as soon as it dawned on them that she'd forget everything, he retaliated.

"No I didn't. But it's more than that. You wouldn't just forget me and everything to do with the miraculous, but everything else too. Master Fu didn't remember anything about himself. Which means, you probably wouldn't even remember your life before you became Ladybug. You're family, your friends. I don't want you to lose all that. I know it's precious to you," Chat explained, his voice full of sorrow.

Ladybug looked off as the full realization dawned on her.

Her parents, her friends, the bakery, her love of fashion. Her entire personality. Her life.

Now she was extra relieved that Chat had jumped in when he did. To think, she was actually considering giving in to Su-Han's stupid ancient rules, just because she was doubting herself.

Ladybug glanced back at Chat, who still looked upset by this new fear of his. "It is," she said before placing her hand on top of Chat's fist clenched between them. Chat turned his head and looked at her in surprise. "And you're just as precious to me too, Chat," she said to him sweetly.

Chat smiled, meaning it a bit more, but frowned again as he continued. "Just…the thought of you ever giving up guardianship and forgetting all about me, it's…" he paused, searching for the best word. "upsetting."

Eventually, Chat's fist relaxed under Ladybug's hand as the two stared off at the view of Paris.

"If I did…would you be there for me?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

Chat turned to her again. "What?"

"If Hawkmoth ever got to me, like Master Fu, and I had no choice but to give up my memories along with the box, would you be there to help me?" she said, turning to look at him too.

That was precisely what he was afraid of. But he could see that she was afraid too, so he needed to reassure her to make them both feel a bit better.

"I…I hope that that never happens but…if it did, of course I would," he promised. Then another thought occurred to him. "Wait, but does that mean I'd also see who you really are?"

When Master Fu gave up his guardianship, he'd been transformed with the turtle miraculous. But as soon as he uttered those words, there was a beam of white light, he passed out then detransformed.

Would the same thing happen to Ladybug?

Ladybug thought for an extra moment before replying. "Even if I did it while I was transformed, I think so," she said. "Which is why I'm going to promise you right now that if I ever had to give it up, I wouldn't do it without you there. After I detransform, I'll need you to be there to help me when I don't remember anything," she added.

Chat's eyes widened. "Really? You'd trust me to do that?" It made perfect sense but it was still great to hear her ask that of him. She wanted…no, needed him to be there for her.

"Of course," she said, smiling.

Chat smiled back. "In that case, I'll reintroduce myself to you as Chat Noir, then I'll detransform so you'll also know me as the guy I am under this mask," he promised with a lot less fear.

Ladybug smiled bigger before wrapping her arms around him. Chat hugged her back.

They both still dreaded that day if it ever came, but the reassurance that Chat was going to be there to help his lady pick up her forgotten self made it a bit less scary.

He'll be there for her, just like Marianne was for Master Fu.

He'll make her remember him. Maybe not who he was to her, but how he made her feel. No amnesia could ever erase that.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #18: Reunion

Ladybug wasn't exactly sure how or why Hawkmoth—aka Gabriel Agreste—suddenly stopped his attack on Paris.

He had her miraculous and was about to take Chat Noir's. She picked herself up again and tried to help him but Hawkmoth had knocked her away and she lost consciousness for a minute. When she came too, she was transformed again and the mysterious man in the trench coat—aka the man she saved from getting hit by a bus—was helping her back to her feet.

Chat Noir looked scratched up a bit but not too bad. And he was hugging Gabriel Agreste.

She was so confused. What had he done to get him to surrender the butterfly miraculous?

After she handed the broach back to the trench coat man, magically repaired all the damage to the city, and seen Gabriel taken in by the police, she met up with Chat Noir. He said he needed to be alone for a minute to feed Plagg and re-transform. To heal a bit and fix his suit.

Ladybug was waiting for him on one of their favorite rooftop spots. She had so many questions for him after hugging him tight. Was he okay? How did he get Hawkmoth to stop so quickly? Why did he hug him?

Chat wanted to tell her everything. About his father being Hawkmoth and that was why he had stopped as soon as he saw half his face after slicing off half his mask. But that would entail telling her who he was. He could barely fathom the fact that his own father had been their enemy all along. Would she think less of him after knowing he was related to their arch nemesis?

Plus, now that he was no longer a threat to them or Paris, they could finally do what they had promised that night they had danced in the clouds and shared their first kiss; reveal themselves.

He needed some time to think and process everything that just happened with his father before he could take in anymore earth-shattering revelations.

Hence, while he'd been feeding Plagg, he came up with a plan.

The Winter Ball was just a few weeks away. That would give him time to process and move passed this—hopefully. So, he proposed to his lady that they wear costumes and masks to the ball similar to their super suits. Then, when they meet, just to confirm it's really them—there might be more than a few other people who admire them wearing similar suits and gowns—they'll exchange code phrases.

Chat will say a specific sentence, then Ladybug must reply with another specific sentence. Then they'll know for sure that they are them. Then they will reveal themselves.

~*LB+CN*~

Finally, the night of the ball arrived.

Snow was falling, the perfect amount to set the mood of the festivities.

The last few weeks had been hard for Adrien. Facing the aftermath of his father's crimes against Paris were ugly and messy. But, he was making it through, one day at a time. He still had Nathalie and his friends to help him stay solid. However, he hadn't had any contact with Ladybug since the day of his father's unmasking.

He knew that they had both agreed, since they were no longer needed, that they'd both take a break from being superheroes. Which unfortunately meant no patrols, no sparring sessions, no rooftops dates, and no late night meet-cutes. And worse of all…no kisses.

At least until the ball.

Adrien had had a suit made special. As he had promised, it was black with a few green accents, cat ears, a golden bell pinned in the middle of his green bow tie, and a black mask.

Now in a better state of mind, Adrien was excited for the ball.

Finally, he was going to be reunited with his lady.

~*LB+CN*~

When the night of the ball finally arrived, Marinette was ecstatic. The last couple of weeks had been crazy. She and Chat Noir had completed their mission in defeating Hawkmoth, but the price was steep. She couldn't begin to image the struggle Adrien was going through after finding out his father had been the villain. She and their other friends had tried to be there for him as much as possible and he was doing better, but she still worried about him.

But now it was time to push aside those worries because this was the night she had been waiting for. A night of fun and romance—she hoped.

As agreed, she'd designed and made her gown with ladybug in mind. A red dress with small black polka dots and a swirly design all around the top helm that went off her shoulders, her hair up in a swirly bun, red flat shoes, a white pearl necklace, she even included cute little transparent insect wings hanging from her shoulders. And of course, a red mask with black spots—a bit like her regular mask but fancier.

After so many weeks, she missed her kitty dearly. She wasn't entirely sure why he insisted they wait until the ball to reveal themselves. She chalked it up for the dramatics of the formal ball. It wasn't exactly a bad idea, she just wished they hadn't needed to wait so long.

But now the wait was over. She was going to see him again and see his real face.

Finally, she was going to be reunited with her kitty.

~*LB+CN*~

Arriving at the ball, dressed in his superhero persona inspired attire, Chat Noir spotted at least a few ladies dressed in red with black polka dots.

Great, he thought with a sigh. This was going to be a process of elimination.

"Good evening," the blonde dressed in black said charmingly to a young lady dressed in red.

"Good evening," she replied with a kind smile.

"What a lovely dress. Are you a ladybug or a watermelon?"

The girl's smile fell in confusion. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Chat Noir sighed. Not her. "Sorry. Never mind," he said quickly before walking away.

Chat approached another girl in a red dress with black spots. Her back was to him so he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled.

"Bonjour. Great suit. You are a big Chat Noir fan?" she asked, admiring his choice of attire.

Chat smirked. "You could say that," he shrugged. "What a lovely dress. Are you a ladybug or a watermelon?"

The girl looked at him with a raised eye brow. "Uh…I'm Ladybug," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Why would anyone think of watermelons for a winter ball? "Half the people here are wearing gowns in her honor," she gestured out to the rest of the room where he could see several more ladies in similar gowns.

Chat sighed again. "Tell me about it," he said miserably. This was going to take a while.

More than twelve girls in red later, Chat grew more and more discouraged. None of them had said the code phrase Ladybug had picked for herself. They had all just looked at him like he was insane.

Ha, Chat smiled while laughing in his head. Insane. That was what Ladybug had called him the night they had met.

And he was. Absolutely crazy…about her.

He just wanted to see her again. Hear her voice, stare into her beautiful bluebell eyes, and hold her in his arms.

As he daydreamed about his lady, Chat found himself passing multiple ladies in red without asking them his code phrase, then stopped at the bottom of the main staircase of the ballroom. He wasn't sure how long he'd been loitering near one of the bottom pillars, but what snapped him out of his thoughts was when others close to the staircase all gasped and looked up at the top of the stairs in awe.

Curious, Chat looked up as well, and his heart stopped.

There, standing tall and proud at the top of the stairs, right in the center, was a young lady with bluenette hair and wearing a Ladybug-themed dress. The best he'd seen all night.

But he knew. Something in his gut told him—or maybe he just thought the mask she was wearing made her look more familiar—that it was her.

As she stood at the top of the staircase, ready to enter the ball, Ladybug stopped as she noticed a bunch of people staring at her. She smiled awkwardly, having not meant to draw this much attention on herself. But she at least hoped it meant that they liked her dress. She'd worked very hard on it after all.

Her eyes wondered the crowd near the bottom of the stairs, until they stopped at the young gent standing the closest by one of the pillars. His black suit was handsome…and he wore cat ears in his golden blonde hair.

And his gorgeous emerald green eyes were staring right at her like she was the moon.

She couldn't know for sure. On her way in, she'd passed at least two or three other gents wearing Chat Noir-themed suits—even a few women in Chat Noir-themed dresses. She of course had stopped to talk to them but they never said the code phrase, so she walked on.

This one could just be another one of them. But something in the way he stared at her told her that it was him. And that he knew that it was her too.

Not breaking eye contact, Ladybug lifted her gown a bit so she could walk down the stairs without tripping on it. She did not need her clumsiness ruining this moment.

Chat watched, absolutely entranced as she descended the staircase. He stepped away from the pillar and closer to the center, right there as she made it to the last step.

When she made it to the floor level with him, they continued to stare at each other. She looked in awe of him, seeing him up closer than before. And now that he was closer, Chat could see her familiar features a lot more clearly.

Yes. This must be her. But, just to be sure…

"Wh-What a lovely dress. Are you a ladybug or a watermelon?" he said for the umpteenth time that evening.

Instead of an odd look, the girl gave him a smile. Then she said, "Well I'm not a watermelon, you fleabag."

Chat smiled back misty eyed. That was it.

"Milady?"

"Kitty."

The two came closer, enveloping each other in a hug.

"I missed you so much," Chat uttered into her neck.

"I missed you too," Ladybug said into his shoulder.

Finally, they were together again.

"You look…ravishing," Chat said to her after pulling away; back to his normal, cocky and suave self.

Ladybug curtsied to him. "Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself," she replied, admiring his formal attire as well.

Chat grinned at the compliment. Then he remembered the main reason they were there. "I'd ask you to dance but, I'd like to take you outside first. I heard the courtyard is vacant and covered in a beautiful blanket of snow," he said, gesturing to a door that lead to said courtyard just a bit across the room.

"Oh," she replied, not sure at first. "Oh," she uttered when she realized what he meant. "Y-You want to do that now? You don't wanna wait until after the ball?" she said somewhat nervously. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

Chat took both her hands in his. "I don't want to wait another minute," he said to her tenderly, looking into her eyes again.

Ladybug blushed, not so nervous anymore.

"Why? Afraid I'll run off at the first stroke of midnight?" she joked.

Chat chuckled. "And run to your carriage before it turns back into a pumpkin."

"A pumpkin carriage? Don't you mean a watermelon carriage."

Chat snorted so loud, he covered his face in embarrassment.

~*LB+CN*~

The courtyard was indeed covered by a thin layer of freshly fallen powder.

The two walked out together, arm in arm, admiring the falling snow as they made their way to the lamppost and trees in the center. They stopped under the lamppost and faced each other, not sure how to proceed.

"So…how do we do this?" Ladybug asked, a bit awkward. This part hadn't been part of their discussion from weeks ago.

Chat pondered for a moment. "We could just…take off our masks at the same time," he suggested. Since they weren't transformed, it was the only thing that made sense.

Ladybug nodded her head. "Y-Yes. Yeah, l-lets do that," she stuttered.

Chat saw her hands shake a bit as they began to reach up for her mask. So he gently grasped them in his before she could.

"Ladybug," he said to her with gentle concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I-I'm just…" she said but cut herself off while glancing down. "…nervous." She hated that she was but she couldn't help it. Yes, she was anxious and eager to show Chat who she was and see his face too but…there was still some lingering doubt that he'd still love her afterwards. Under this mask, she was just plain, scared, Marinette.

Ladybug doesn't exist without you. Tikki's words echoed in her mind whenever her doubts came back.

Ladybug was great because Marinette was great.

"Hey," Chat snapped her focus back to him as he tilted her chin back up to look at him. "Don't be nervous. It's just you and I," he said sweetly, smiling at her.

Warmed by his words and remembering Tikki's made her smile back, not so nervous anymore. "You and I," she repeated.

"On the count of three?" he asked, beginning to reach up for his mask.

Ladybug nodded and, with not so shaky hands, reached for hers too.

"…1…" she whispered, pinching the corners of her mask.

"…2…" he whispered, pinching the corners of his.

"…3," they both said together, and removed them at the same time.

Both gasped as the masks fell carelessly from their hands.

"Marinette?" he uttered, recognizing his sweet classmate and friend instantly. She had been his amazing lady this whole time? It was too good to be true.

"Adrien?" she whispered in shock. How could she be so lucky? The boy she was in love with and the boy she sort of liked…had been the same boy all along?

Adrien's face went from surprised to tearfully overjoyed as he reached up and cupped her maskless cheek.

"I was right," he whispered. "You are even more beautiful without your mask."

Tears came to Marinette's eyes as she covered his hand with hers and leaned into his touch.

Just like that night, he took her hand and waist and lead her in a dance. They couldn't hear any music this far from the ballroom, but they didn't care. They just leaned against each other and swayed around in slow circles. Just happy to be reunited and able to stand together again, but without their masks.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #22: Shhh

Ladybug really thought that she and Chat Noir had this akuma in the bag.

Her lucky charm had given her a make-up kit so she could paint her eye lids so it looked like they were open when they were actually closed. That way when Psycomedian tried to use his powers on her to change her mood, it didn't actually work on her. And while her eyes were closed, Chat was watching from a rooftop to let her know when to move. All so she could get close enough to him and take his big red nose—where they were so sure the akuma was.

It had worked. When the akumatized clown saw her standing in the middle of the road with her yoyo ready and her 'eyes wide open,' he jumped out and stared at her with his happy mask.

Unaffected, Ladybug still doubled over, kneeling on the ground as she pretended to laugh uncontrollably, her head down. Thinking that he'd subdued her, Psycomedian calmly walked over to her and was about to take her earrings when Chat Noir yelled out "Now Ladybug!"

The spotted heroine sprang up immediately, surprising the clown as she redirected his arm and then plucked his nose right off his face. She backflipped away from him before tossing the nose to her partner up above. Chat Noir cataclysmed it then threw it back to her. But when she crushed it in her hand, no butterfly flew out.

Psycomedian laughed at their mistake. Taken off guard, Ladybug didn't think to look away when he changed his mask to an angry face. And right after he retrieved another red nose from his fanny pack, put it on and honked it, Ladybug shouted and attacked him with blind fury.

She threw a garbage can, which he dodged, then she got closer and just started throwing punches and kicks.

Chat was concerned. He'd never seen his lady that angry. It was reckless, fighting him like that. He had to help her.

Chat jumped down from the roof and tried to get between them, but all that accomplished was his lady's pointless rage being directed at him.

"Milady, stop! I'm not your enemy!" he said while dodging her punches and kicks.

"You're in my way!" she screamed angrily before gripped his arm and threw him over her shoulder, launching him into the side of a parked car.

Chat landed on the ground. "Ow," he grunted as he picked himself up again. "It might have been a bad idea to get her angry," he said to Psycomedian just across the street.

"My thoughts exactly," the villain agreed. Ladybug turned back toward him, intent on attacking him again. "Your temper is powerful, Ladybug. So let's put that fire out with some tears."

Psycomedian's mask changed to a sad face as Ladybug stared daggers at him. One honk of his nose and her angry snarl quickly fell to a trembling lip and misty eyes.

"Wahhhh!" Ladybug cried. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she crumpled to the ground, on her knees.

Much better, both Psycomedian and Shadowmoth thought as the villain calmly approached her. Now totally helpless and sad, taking her earrings off her would be a piece of cake.

If her partner hadn't come swooping in to save her.

Chat Noir swung his baton, knocking the creepy clown away from his distressed lady.

"How dare you make my lady cry!" he snapped at him, standing protectively in front of her.

Psycomedian changed his mask back to the sad face and honked his nose, but Chat covered his eyes in time. Chat couldn't fight this guy like this, and his lady wasn't in any condition to help him. Plus, they both used their powers so they didn't have long before they detransformed.

Chat put his baton away, turned around, quickly scooped up his partner into his arms, and jumped clear over the closest building.

They needed to regroup and recharge.

~*LB+CN*~

Chat didn't stop running or jumping until he reached the empty zoo. He turned around and didn't see the akuma or anyone else.

"Okay. I don't think he's following us," he said to himself before turning his attention down to the crying girl in his arms. He was carrying her bridal-style as she cried into his shoulder. As much as he thought it was sweet how she clung to him, she couldn't stay like that all day. "Aww, don't cry, LB," he tried to sooth her, rubbing at her arm.

"He was going to take my miraculous! And you saved me kitty!" she cried before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him. "Even after I threw you into a car!" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, milady. I forgive you," he said, rubbing her back. But she continued to sob loudly. Even though he knew she wasn't actually sad, hearing her cry this much hurt his heart. "Shhh, it's okay," he whispered, still trying to calm her down.

"No, it's not okay!" she hollered. "I attacked you and tried to hit you. I'm the worse partner ever!" she sobbed even harder.

"No you're not. I know you couldn't control your emotions—kinda like right now," he reassured her, muttered that last part. Then he heard his ring and her earrings chime. They only had three minutes left. "We're about to detransform. We need to find someplace safe," he said, starting to walk around, looking for a suitable place for them to recharge. "Maybe once you detransform, Psycomedian's spell will be broken."

"And what if it doesn't?" Ladybug cried, rubbing at her eyes. All her tears had washed off that make-up on her eye lids. "I can't help you fight that villain like this! I'm a useless, blubbering mess!"

"Milady, stop that," he lightly but strongly told her, drawing her teary, red eyes up to look at him. "You might not be able to stop crying right now but you can still help me. We just need to come up with a plan," he assured her. He wasn't sure how yet but he was confident that after she used her lucky charm, it would point them in the right direction. It usually did. Then his eyes landed on a manhole cover. "But first, we need to detransform and feed our kwamis."

After removing the manhole cover, Chat jumped down into the sewer, his lady still in his arms. He ran for a bit, looking for one of those Y-shaped split tunnels. Those were perfect for when they had to detransform quickly during a battle.

Finally, he found one, and with barely two minutes left.

"Here, this should be fine," he said, standing on one of the sides. Chat tried to lower Ladybug down and back onto her feet but she wouldn't release her arms from around his neck. "Milady, I have to put you down now," he said patiently.

"No! Please don't leave me, kitty!" she cried, holding on even tighter.

Again, Chat thought it was cute and a bit flattering that she wanted him close, but this wasn't the time.

"I'm not. I won't go far, I promise. I'll just be on the other side of that wall," he said, pointing to the concrete wall behind her. Both their miraculouses chimed again. One minute left. "Remember, we can't see each other's identities," he said a bit more urgently.

Ladybug sniffled before looking at him teary-eyed and reluctantly nodded her head.

Finally, she loosened her hold and he was able to unwind her arms from around him and put her down on the ground. Chat ran around to the other side. Second later, a green light spread from his feet to his head, turning him back into Adrien Agreste. From around the corner, he could see a pink light briefly flash.

Adrien handed Plagg a piece of camembert from his shirt. "Feeling any better, milady?" he spoke sweetly with his hand on wall separating them. He was startled but not exactly surprised by the sudden and very loud sobbing wail of his lady. Nope. Still affected.

"It's so dark and lonely down here!" Marinette cried where her partner had left her; on the floor of the tunnel, her back against the middle wall, and her kwami in her cupped hand. "Tikki, are you almost done?" she asked the little creature.

"This macaroon is so good! You really out-did yourself!" Tikki cried before taking another bite, tears falling from her huge eyes as she chewed.

Adrien sighed. Not only did detransforming not cure her but apparently her kwami was affected too.

"Maybe she'll calm down when she transforms again?" he asked Plagg.

Plagg just shrugged.

Sure enough, after both their kwamis were done eating, they both called on their transformations again. But afterwards, Chat Noir could still hear crying from the other side of the wall.

Knowing that it was safe to, Chat turned the corner and his lady was still sitting them, newly transformed, sobbing with her face in her hands.

"Milady?"

Ladybug's head snapped up and stared at him as fresh tears came pouring from her eyes. "Kitty!" she cried before bolting up from the floor and colliding with his chest. "Oh Chat, it didn't work! I can't stop crying!" she sobbed into his chest.

Chat wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back again. "Shhh, it's okay. We'll figure something out." He knew the gesture and reassuring words wouldn't actually make her stop crying because of the akuma's spell but he still felt like he should. He pushed her back by her shoulders a bit, just enough to look at her. "Let's just get topside, find Psycomedian, then when you use your lucky charm again, we'll be able to defeat him no problem. Then you'll purify the akuma, and reset everything. I'm sure you'll feel much better after that," he explained. That he was positive of. If anything could reversion this mood-spell, it was her miraculous cure.

More tears fell from Ladybug's eyes, which she quickly tried to wipe away from under one of her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Why can't I be optimistic like you?"

"You can be, just not right now. The spell on your emotions has you too sad to think about anything else," Chat replied. Ladybug had her moments of doubt but overall, she was very optimistic. But then Chat frowned, reaching up and wiped another tear away from under her opposite eye. "Still…I hate seeing you cry like this," he said, saddened now too.

Ladybug sniffled. "You're so sweet, kitty," she said, her crying much softer as she leaned her head into his chest again.

Chat held her close, tucking her head under his chin and continued to rub her back.

Hearing her broken sobs broke his heart into millions of pieces. But he wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with her in her time of sorrow—akuma spell or not. He just hoped she never genuinely cried like this in the future.

But if she did and came to him, he'd still comfort her just like this.

Chapter Text

Ladynoir July 2024

Day #31: Partners

Chat Noir was confused by the presence of the three miraculous holders from another dimension; a superhero version of Monarch, aka Betterfly. An evil ladybug miraculous holder named Shadybug. And then there was his own miraculous's evil holder, Claw Noir.

However this happened, they had to stop these guys from destroying their Paris.

Shadybug used her powers to create a giant missal launcher. She fired it at Betterfly, who was on the ground, and Ladybug jumped in front of him and was able to use her yoyo to redirect it. It bounced off her spinning yoyo shield and went up.

As it flew upward, Chat kicked it back downward, back in the direction of Shadybug.

Unfortunately, this girl had more control of her creations. With a wave of her hand, the missal and the launcher both disappeared and were replaced with a motorcycle helmet, which she held in her hand, before it could touch her.

Chat hung from the top of one of the tower's arches, looking around while trying to think of another way to attack. Shadybug was swinging the helmet around on the end of her yoyo like a wrecking ball, trying to hit Betterfly. Then his eyes fell on the other fight going on below him;

Claw Noir was fighting Ladybug.

"What's the matter, Cockroach? No more lucky charms?" the evil black cat boy taunted as he swung his staff at her. She only used her powers once to make a traffic cone, which he was able to quickly swipe and destroy. Why hadn't she made something new that was actually useful? Ladybug didn't reply. She just blocked his blows. A brief look of realization crossed Claw Noir's eyes. "Oh, I see. You can't use your powers more than once. Ha!" he gloated. If these posers couldn't even use their powers more than once before being forced to transform back, there was no way they could beat them.

"You shouldn't be doing that either. There'll be a horrible price to pay if you keep-" Ladybug tried to tell him but he kicked her back, cutting her off.

"Blah, blah, blah. Spare me your lies!" he snapped. This girl was obviously just trying to get into his head by making stuff up and pretending like she actually cared about them. He extended his staff and struck her in the chest, pushing her back more. Ladybug fell to the ground. She reached for her yoyo but Claw stepped on it, trapping it under his foot as he stood over her. He looked down at her and smirked. "I kinda need my Cockroach, for now, so I can't squash her," he said, throwing a quickly glance back at his evil partner as she continued to fight Betterfly. When his gaze went back to Ladybug, his grin wasn't just cocky…it was sinister. "You on the other hand…" he said, raising his hand with the black power of destruction bubbling out. "Squashing you like a bug should be just as satisfying," he chuckled.

Ladybug's eyes widened in fright.

This guy was similar to her partner enough to be startling but so different in all the wrong ways that just made him terrifying.

Then, from above, her actual partner jumped down and kicked him back, away from her.

With her yoyo free again, Ladybug picked herself up and stood in a defensive position beside Chat.

"Don't. You. Dare," Chat Noir snarled, glaring his counterpart down. He had heard everything this guy had just said to his lady and he was not amused in the least. "The only squashing that'll happen is me squashing you if you ever threaten milady again!" he yelled.

As Claw Noir stood there, ready to attack again, upon hearing this, he paused. "Milady?" he repeated with a disgusted face. "Bluh! Is that what you call her?" he asked, glancing between the two of them. After another few seconds, it dawned on the guy. "Oh God, don't tell me…you two actually…" Claw paused, covering his mouth with his fist for a second like he just puked in his mouth. "…like each other?"

Chat and Ladybug glanced at each other. "We're partners. Of course we're friends," Ladybug replied. Chat might be one of the bestest friends she's ever had—the other being Alya.

"Really? I'm partners with this fleabag and I can barely stand him," Shadybug chimed in from across the area before resuming her attacks on Betterfly.

"That's probably because there's so much hate and bitterness in your hearts. There's no room for love," Ladybug said.

Claw Noir's face suddenly went blank. "Excuse me?" he uttered.

No love in his heart?

Underneath Claw Noir was a scared Adrien Agreste who missed his mother and just wanted the power to bring her back. The Supreme promised him a great reward if he returned the butterfly miraculous from the traitor.

He was doing all this for his mother. He loved his mother.

"Take it back," he snarled in a low voice. How dare this do-gooder bug say such a thing! She didn't know him at all.

Ladybug looked confused for a moment. "Wha-?"

"I SAID TAKE IT BACK!" Claw screamed before charging at her again. He shoved Chat away and struck at Ladybug.

The spotted heroine jumped back before he could hit her. But he just kept coming at her, his swings more vicious and brutal.

"You miserable, putrid, pompous-!" he hollered at her with each swing. Until he was stopped as another baton crossed his.

"And I said leave her alone!" Chat yelled, holding him there before pushing him back further. Chat spun his staff around then took a fighting stance. "I love a good cat-fight," he grunted.

He'd rather fight this guy himself then watch him get too close to his lady. Of course he knew she could handle herself, he was just being protective. He did not like the looks of this guy and he did not want him near her.

"You want a cat-fight, you got it," Claw growled back, changing his baton staff into nunchucks and started swinging them.

The two black cats clashed weapons repeatedly. Under different circumstances, Chat would be intrigued by this guy's weapon modification—nunchucks were awesome—but at the moment, he was just angry.

No one threatened his lady like that. Especially with his power.

The chain of Claw's nun-chuck met Chat's staff as the two pushed against each other, facing off close.

"Nice bell. You look like a cutesy-wutesy wittle pet," Claw taunted, glancing at the ridiculous golden ornament at his throat. He much preferred his spiked ball.

"At least I don't look like a crazed, wild animal," Chat growled back.

Claw chuckled. "I'll take that as a complement," he replied. He moved, swinging his weapon again but Chat blocked, making both their weapons press together. "Why so angry, pussy cat? Are you really that protective of your polka-dotted, bug-eyed-"

Chat grunted, putting more pressure on his staff until Claw was forced to kneel on one knee. "Finish that sentence and I'll make you eat those nunchucks," the blonde cat sneered through grit teeth.

Claw was a bit taken aback by this other holder's strength for a second before his amusement in his rage came back.

"See? That's exactly what I mean," he said before jumping back a bit from him to talk more. Claw turned his nunchucks back into a staff so he could lean his arms on it. "You're partners," he rolled his eyes, glancing back from him to Ladybug, who was still not far away. "Friends, even. Fine, whatever," he said in a bored tone. "But that rage…" he added slower, sounding interested again as he stared at him with a grin. "It speaks to me like there's something more."

Before Chat could respond in any way, out of the corner of her eyes, Ladybug saw Shadybug still fighting with Betterfly. And as swung her yoyo with the helmet on it, it suddenly came off, sending it flying right at her kitty!

Ladybug acted quickly, running to Chat and caught the helmet just as it was inches from hitting him in the head.

Chat gasped but then sighed in relief and admiration.

"Thanks, milady," he said to her. Then he grabbed her opposite hand in his. "I always knew you were a great catch," he joked before kissing her hand. Ladybug grinned before rolling her eyes and playfully shoving him away. Shadybug came over, standing beside her partner. With a snap of her fingers, the helmet still in Ladybug's hand disappeared. The two good miraculous holders turned and stared at their evil counterparts. Feeling less angry now and proud of his capacity for love, Chat spoke up. "And just so you know," he said to them, slinging an arm around Ladybug's shoulder. "I'd do anything for milady because I love her more than anything," he announced proudly at them before turning a tender gaze down to his lady.

Ladybug couldn't help the small smile on her lips as she blushed and glanced away. "Chat…" she muttered bashfully.

Why were his flirtings and declarations of love suddenly affecting her so much?

Shadybug and Claw Noir looked at them both with wide eyes.

"No way," Shadybug uttered in shock. The black cat of this world was in love with this world's ladybug holder?! Shadybug snorted and doubled over laughing. "Ha! That…is the most…ridiculous thing…I've ever heard!" she gasped out in between thunderous, uncontrollable laughs.

Since she and Claw hated each other, it was crazy—hilarious even—to think that any versions of them would ever have any other feelings for each other besides unadulterated loathing.

Meanwhile, Claw just stood there the whole time, still in shock. Then he looked sick. "Okay, now I think I really will barf up a hairball," he moaned, holding his hand up to his mouth again. His body trembled for a second like a disgusted shiver went up his spine. After it was over, he snapped back to his normal self. "But not right now," he said, taking a fighting stance again. "Since you're so in love with your bug, I think I'll squash her and break your pathetic heart at the same time," he grunted with evil glee.

"Not if I squash her first," Shadybug chimed in next to him, drawing her yoyo, ready to fight too.

Chat Noir looked mad again, but Ladybug placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, making him look down at her. Sharing a reassuring smile with her calmed him down before they both took fighting stances with their weapons drawn.

"Just try it," Ladybug said confidently as she and her partner were ready to take them on together.

These guys were powerful but they obviously couldn't function properly as a team. And that was where the heroes had the advantage.

They were a team. They watched each other's backs, cared for one another, and made each other stronger.

Like actual partners should.