In the Home of Chat - AddedOC (2024)

Chapter 1: It's Over

Chapter Text

Sirens blaring in her ears, the flashing lights set the scene as more of a nightmarish fever dream than reality. Gabriel Agreste laying at her feet, the pendant that housed the butterfly kwami was in her hand and everyone in the city was watching. Her breath was coming in short bursts and the ringing in her ears covered up everything but the steady beep of her earrings. She didn’t have any time left, Chat could handle the press and Mr. Agreste. She needed to get the Miraculous to Master Fu and find Adrien.

Adrien.

Was he one of the countless others watching a screen or was he in the crowd seeing it all first hand? The dust filled ruins of the Champs-Élysées was slowly filling with far too many bystanders for her to pick him out even if she tried. She couldn’t try though, she had no time.

Chat was on his knees behind the unconscious fashion icon, his head bowed in a way that Ladybug had never before seen. His eyes seemed dead, hollow, as they looked up at her through messy golden bangs. He looked like a husk of a man, a shell of his former more energetic self. She had no time to ponder on the sight of her best friend and most trusted partner either.

She. Had. To. Go.

A tear slid from her cheek as she whipped her yoyo from her hip and began to spin it by her side. Then, she was flying. The reporters slew of questions were all drowned out by the sound of the wind in her ears. She had to hurry, had to be as efficient as possible if she wanted to make it to Master Fu’s home before the remaining two spots on her earrings went out, slipping away along with her transformation. She put all of her thoughts on her efforts to avoid the questions in the back of her mind, questions that brought the tears along with them, questions that were best left unasked when she wasn’t close to Adrien anymore, questions that would leave her frozen with fear for her best friend, her partner, and the boy who had her heart. All three of them would have to be ignored if she wanted to finish her task. Yet, Adrien still managed to take over her thoughts...

How was he going to react to his father being the number one super villain of Paris for all of these years?

Would he hate Chat and herself now for taking him down?

Chat had come so close to touching Hawkmoths flesh with his cataclysm back there.

Adrien, when would he know about what happened?

Would he show up if there was a trial?

She stumbled on a roof, her mind too far into her unanswered questions for her to pay attention to her surroundings. She missed when she attempted to keep herself aloft with her yoyo, and found herself falling towards the damp concrete below. Twisting her body mid fall allowed her to land safely, with only a small, sharp pain shooting up her right leg as punishment for giving in to her fearful thoughts. She winced and grabbed her thigh in an attempt to soothe the pain. She rubbed it in slow circles as a blinding pink light filled the area around her. Then her transformation dropped, leaving her as plain simple Marinette, alone in the alley but for her kwami Tikki, who was laying pitifully on her shoulder. Still wincing from the pain, she removed her hand from it’s spot on her leg in order to scoop the tiny red god into her palm so she could get a better look at her.

“Are you okay Tikki?” She asked around large puffs of air she exhaled to draw her focus off of her leg.

“I’ll be fine Marinette,” Tikki responded as she turned her eyes on her miraculous holder, “we need to get Nooroo to Master Fu.” She finished her statement as she shifted her attention pointedly to the winged pendant in Marinette's hand.

“Right.” Marinette gritted her teeth and practically dragged her injured leg behind her as she weaved her way through the alleyway crowded with boxes, a faint beeping sound growing louder and louder with each step that she took. She tried to ignore it, her focus on finishing what Needed to be done, but it was all encompassing and grew in volume to the point that her vision began to fade until all she saw was white...

“No!” She screamed as she sat upright in her bed, memories of the same dream that had plagued her for years filling her mind as beads of sweat dripped from her forehead down to her chin. She took a moment to return to reality as a long drawn out breath escaped her lips, then glared at the device making the offending noises. Her phone alarm was going non stop, endlessly beeping, and forcing a headache into her temples at each sound. She groaned and reached over to her nightstand to shut it off before laying back on her bed and releasing a long exhale once again. Her eyes were locked onto the painted white ceiling above her head as she thought over her dream. It was really more of a memory, the day they finally stopped Hawkmoth had been stressful and hectic and so packed with emotions that her brain still had a hard time processing it all. Sometimes she dreamed of the fight, sometimes of what happened after, but it was always of that day.

“Marinette?” She turned her head to see Tikki rubbing her eyes as the small god sat on the pillow beside her. She must have been thrashing in her sleep again, the small kwami would often nuzzle her cheek during the night if her dreams became too much.

“I’m fine,” she waved away Tikkis concerns with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes before slipping her blanket down to her knees and sitting up once again. “It was just a dream.” she added, more to herself than her tiny partner, as she turned to hang her legs off of the side of the bed. A long yawn escaped her lips as she stretched and looked around her small bedroom. It was packed full of cloth and boxes of thread, yarn, and needles. All things that were needed for her classes at ESMOD, the fashion university that she had struggled for two years to finally join. Two mannequins sat in the corner by her door that lead to the rest of her apartment. Moving out of her parents house had been a stressful endeavor, but the sight of the boxes that still needed to be unpacked filled her with a new sense of pride. She had made it on her own. She was living by herself for the first time in her life and attending a school she had gotten into on her own merits. Her days would be spent in classes and at her part time job that she had managed to get on her own merit. Finally, she was moving forward with her life.

She moved from her bed and to the suitcase by her closet that held the clothes she had planned out for her first week of school. Alya had offered her the piece of advice to prepare the suitcase before she moved out so she wouldn’t be rummaging through boxes for a week in search of what to wear. Her best friend of many years had taken on a whole new level of motherly advice after her marriage, and subsequent move in with Nino. Though she greatly appreciated the advice, she wanted to finally be on her own, making her own decisions, and mistakes, along the way. With that thought in mind she began to dress for the first day of school, a warm pair of light pea green wool leggings and a black pencil skirt was combined with a button up blouse to match the leggings and a pair of black, leather, babydoll pumps. Her usual pigtails, that had been a part of her aesthetic for years, was replaced with a long high ponytail that showed off just how much her hair had grown since her days in collège. With a light touch of makeup here and there, she was ready to face her first day with confidence.

“You’re looking absolutely ready to run your own fashion line!” Tikki exclaimed as she caught up to Marinette in the bathroom where she was finishing up brushing her teeth.

“To be honest with you Tikki, I am excited.” Marinette smiles brightly at her old friend as she wiped her mouth on a waiting washcloth. “This is the first step to my five year plan. Just you wait, pretty soon there will be a little shop right by the Seine. Marinettes Boutique.” She let out a dreamy sigh as she leaned against the wall by her bathroom sink. Her mind was years ahead of them now, dancing through a shop full of clothes that she made herself and customers who adored them. Tikki has seen her go through these same emotions for years over many things. In her teens it had been over a certain blonde boy who had infatuated her for a long time, but slowly she grew away from infatuations of love and moved on to focusing on her future beyond just marriage and kids. It was a long and complicated road for her, and she was nowhere near the end of it. Still, Tikki was proud of the young woman her chosen had become: Strong willed and a brilliant young woman who looked ahead to her promising future, rather than focusing on a past she found so painful.

“You’re going to do great Marinette!” She cheered as she followed the energetic young woman through the apartment. The young designer snatched her phone from her bedroom before returning to her kitchen/dining area/living room combination and sliding onto a barstool she had received as a housewarming gift from her parents. Tikki watched as she typed furiously on the screen before reaching over to snatch two cookies out of the waiting cookie jar and handing one over to Tikki. For only being a university student officially for a day, the two of them had already settled into an easy morning routine. It was simple, given it was their usual morning activities with just a bit more freedom granted to both of them, due to not having to worry about Marinette’s parents checking in on her during that time. Yes, Marinette getting her own place was a good thing for both of them.

Adrien groaned as he rolled over in the bed, sunlight streamed through the large windows surrounding his bedroom. Across the bed, on a pillow used by no other human being, slept his Kwami, Plagg, snoring loudly on his back. The tiny god, resembling a black cat, was completely relaxed from their outing the night before, and the wheel of camembert he had received from a completely tired Adrien afterwards. The young man sat up and rubbed his sleep filled eyes, before reaching for a pair of wire rimmed glasses that were waiting for him on his bedside table. Once they were firmly on his nose, he searched in his sheets for his phone and powered it up. The time flashed and a notification of about forty missed calls from his personal assistant, he groaned once again at the sight. Fall was a hectic time for the Agreste fashion line, now his company. It formerly went by his father's first name, but after the battle that nearly killed them both, and had seen him sending his father off to the hospital (eventually jail too), he had decided that it would be best to move the company’s focus away from the man that created it. Now it simply went by their last name. It was a simple change, but one that opened the company back up to the public, without the amount of scrutiny that would have come with it being named after a terrorist. He knew he had to get on approving designs that had been submitted for the fall fashion contest, but the ache in his gut told him it could wait another hour or so. He was hungry, he was always hungry first thing in the morning after a patrol night, but before he could eat, he had to freshen up for the hectic day ahead of him.

He slipped out of the bed, careful not to disturb the still dozing Plagg, and made his way to the adjoining bathroom by his closet door. The light in his bathroom was harsh, he found himself cupping his hand over his glasses to shield his eyes for a moment before they adjusted to the light. Only then did he move further into the checkerboard styled room. His feet slapped against the porcelain tiles as he made his way to his large vanity and mirror. The thick black granite sink made a dull hum as the faucet was turned on and his glasses clinked lightly on the countertop as they were placed beside it. He cupped his hands and gathered a fair amount of water into them before bringing it up to splash across his cheeks. The chill of the liquid on his overly warm cheeks had his mind instantly snapping into alertness. The memories of the night before flowed back to him, causing him to let out a long drawn out and defeated sigh. He had been on patrol when a woman’s scream had him racing towards the Eiffel Tower. Once he had rescued her from her attacker, and safely returned her to her path home, she had asked him something that was both heartbreaking for him, and something that filled his heart with hope.

“Have you heard from Ladybug lately?”

Surely that had to mean that the red and black spotted heroine was out there somewhere? The people of Paris had to have seen her lately, right? Back in the moment, another round of cold water on his cheeks was done and he decided upon his answer; Ladybug was still out there somewhere, but there was a reason she hadn’t shown up for her duty in just over four years. He could remember the countless nights he spent searching for her, calling her from his baton phone as he leapt from building to building and even using Plagg during the day to feel for her kwamis presence. Years had gone by like that with no luck, and gradually school and work got in the way of his search for his partner more and more, until one day he couldn’t look for her at all. It had been nearly a year now since he had searched for her, yet now she was suddenly back in the forefront of his mind. All due to that one simple question. He sighed as the image of her bluebell eyes hovered in his mind and he waved his hands before himself as if he could wipe the mirage from the very air in front of his face. She was a ghost, coming back to haunt him after being virtually gone from his mind finally. His cruel Lady who had left him that last day by the back entrance of the hospital, bleeding heavily from his abdomen…

“I am so sorry Chaton, it’s all my fault, I-” Ladybug had broken into sobs that rocked her entire body as she laid him gently against the wall of the hospital. The cold breeze was blocked by her body as she crumbled onto him momentarily. He tried to resist crying out in pain as her weight rested on his gunshot wound, but the soft grunt was enough to get her shooting straight up once again. He had never seen her this upset, even months before when they had teamed up to take down his father once and for all. She seemed more stressed and distracted than saddened by the reveal of who Hawkmoth really was. Months of playing at being glorified police officers had ended them up here, a gunshot wound in the right side of his abdomen and Ladybug standing before his hunched figure with tears cascading down her cheeks in rivers. Even with his own nearly blinding pain, he wanted to reach out and wipe those tears away.

“I wasn’t p-paying attention my-my lady. I should’ve kept an eye on the robber.” He managed to form the words around painful grunts and gasps that only intensified the flame like feeling licking up his side. She shook her head at his words and wiped at her face furiously to rid herself of the tears that had, at this point, stained her cheeks a soft blush-red.

“Wait right there Chaton, don’t move! I’ll go grab a nurse, you’re going to be fine, just fine.” He knew that at this point she couldn’t really hear him. Her mind was running a mile a minute, going over all the possible outcomes that his injury could cause. Before he could give her a witty, pun laced answer, she dashed through the double glass doors of the building and slipped out of his sight. He laid against the cold stone wall for a few minutes longer before nurses and doctors were rushing out with a gurney, ready to deliver one of the city’s heroes into the operating room without a second thought.

For a split second he thought he saw Ladybug’s iconic blue black pigtails while he was being pushed down the wide hallway, but then a baby pink hood was placed over the pigtails that had caught his attention, they pushed him around a corner, and she was gone.

Ladybug had never appeared to help him protect Paris ever again after that night...

He stepped into the shower as the memory replayed in his mind on a loop. He freed himself of his clothes as he attempted to hold on to that last image of the hair: that had to be Ladybug in her civilian persona, but her face was not coming to his mind at all. It was a fuzzy image where only her bluebell eyes stood out along with her ever constant pigtails. The warm water hitting his back and shoulders did little to pull him from his thoughts, and he lathered himself with body wash on autopilot rather than really paying attention to what he was doing. As he rinsed his body, he blinked away the memory along with the sting of tears brought on by both his thoughts and the drips of body wash which had gotten into his eyes. Paying a bit more attention to what he was doing now, he grabbed his shampoo out of the shower caddy and popped open the bottle, inhaling the scent of almonds and vanilla, before squirting out a sizeable portion into his hand. Her smeared it onto his sweat and water dampened tresses before massaging the gel like liquid in. Bubbles ran down his arms as he continued to massage his scalp with the shampoo and he soon fell into the mind numbing task with a fervor that was new to his morning. A low rumble worked its way from his chest to his throat as he hit a particularly ( purr-ticularly) good spot near the back of his left ear, he simply scratched and rubbed at that spot for a while, filling the bathroom with very inhuman purring as he did so. His mind was slowly numbing from the attention he was giving his scalp and his purring grew louder and louder as his fingers worked between his skin and lather filled hair.

“What are you doing in here kid!?” Plaggs nasally voice filled his ears, causing him to jump and cease his menstraitions on his head. He glared at the tiny floating black cat that hovered just on the other side of his glass shower wall and blinked a few times before turning his head up to rinse the soapy bubbles from his face. Plagg chuckled as he held up a chunk of camembert before his chest before tossing it up and swallowing it whole, as he had done many many times before over the years.

“P-Plagg!” Adrien sputtered as he hurriedly rinsed his hair so he could snatch a towel and get his naked body covered.

“It’s not like I don’t know your demensions kid, I am a part of you when you’re in the mask and suit after all.” The small god of destruction sniggered at his furiously blushing chosen and watched as the blonde stumble out of the room in search of clothes. It only took a few seconds once Adrien entered bedroom before he was back, snatching his glasses off of the counter by the sink and putting them on. He shot Plagg one last glare that had the kwami cackling, before rushing out of the room once more.

“Hey kid, don’t be mad, I was worried when I heard you making those weird noises. I thought you were drowning or something.” He informed the blonde who huffed in return as he shoved his suit pants on angrily. The room fell into silence as Adrien finished getting ready for the day and Plagg pulled more cheese from his hiding spots around the room, an old cat gains habits that are hard to break after all.

“I don’t have time to deal with your sarcasm this morning!” Adrien was the one who broke the silence as he laced up his black leather wingtips with quick and anger filled motions.

“What’s the matter?” Plagg asked as he lounged in the air casually, “upset because your assistant is getting too clingy?”

“Ugh,” with a defeated breath, Adrien lifted his phone from the foot of the bed where it rested and tapped the screen to bring it to life. Three more missed calls, Abigail was growing anxious about something. He grumbled under his breath before pulling up his contacts and scrolling down to her number. With a pointed look at his kwami and a finger to his lips, he clicked the icon to call her office phone and held his own up to his ear.

Alya coughed after depositing her breakfast into the porcelain bowl of her toilet. Her body still attempted to go through the motions of heaving up anything, but to no avail, she had nothing left to give in her. With one last spit into the soupy substance below her, she reached around the side of the toilet to press down the handle and flush the evidence of her sickness away, watching as it began to be replaced by fresh water once again. With careful movements, she heaved her tired body up onto the seat and glanced down at the drawer in the counter by her. She knew that this habit of losing her breakfast every day could only mean one thing, but the box that rested in that drawer carried with it a burden that she didn’t believe she was ready to carry just yet.

“Hey babe, you okay in there?” She jerked her head up to the door as a fresh wave of cold sick rolled up through her body. Nino, her husband of nearly a year, and the one who kept her going late at night when she wanted nothing more than to give up on a story and curl up in their bed for the foreseeable future, was worried about the recent developments in her daily routine. She knew that his worries would only grow the longer she waited to utilize what she had bought only the day before, but just thinking of testing made her body freeze in fear and her blood run cold. She wasn’t ready.

“I’m fine now,” she called out after taking a moment to catch her breath, “I- I gotta get ready. I’m needed in the office this morning.” She stood as she finished her explanation to her husband and reached for the orange toothbrush waiting for her by the sink. She scrubbed away the foul taste in her mouth before pulling her long ombre brown and pink hair into a tight bun.

“You’ve been feeling sick all week now,” the dark skinned amber eyed man had not waited any longer to open the door and make his way into the bathroom. He joined her at the sink and placed his hand against her forehead to feel for a temperature that she knew would not be there. He frowned at his findings, knowing his wife would not stay home, even if he asked her to, without a good reason to. He watched as she reached into her makeup case to retrieve the pallet for her face and felt himself frowning at the sight. She hummed a bit as she applied some deep browns to her eyelids before catching a glimpse of the look on his face in the mirror.

“Look, today is important, I’m cleaning up that Chat Noir piece which is front page stuff.” She shrugged as she explained her plans to a still frowning Nino, “I promise that after today I will take it easy for a bit and even go out on that date we have been planning forever.” She leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to apply her lipstick.

“I just want you to take better care of yourself love, you’ve been so stressed over this story and it seems to me like it’s affecting you physically.” He moved to wrap his arms around her waist as he spoke, and accentuated his words with a sweet lingering kiss on her temple.

“It's just temporary babe.” She assured him as she turned in his arms to drape her own over his shoulders. She gave him a sweet as honey smile as she leaned in close to him, “I promise, you’ll see.” she gave him a playful wink before brushing her lips against his own in a chaste kiss. He groaned dramatically as she tried to pull away and held her a bit tighter against himself.

“How long do you have to work today anyways?” he asked in a voice almost high pitched enough to be a wine as she giggled in his arms.

“Well, at least until after lunch, I promised to eat with Mari on her first day of University.” She answered as she continued her giggling fit, his fingers brushed along her most ticklish spots, not helping her situation at all .

“oh, yeah, today’s her first day isn’t it?” He asked as he finally ceased his attack on her sides. She snorted as his fingers stilled and rested her forehead against his chest.

“Yes, that’s today. You can come if you want,” She teased, knowing full well what his answer would be before the words even left his lips.

“Yeah, fuck that. I love you, and I love Mari, but when the two of you together it gets a bit trying. I’m not looking to swim in a sea of estrogen today.” They both laughed joyously at his words as she slapped his chest playfully. After that moment they settled into their peaceful morning rituals. Nino styled his short afro carefully in the mirror of the bathroom while Alya laid out a few outfits on the foot of their bed to pick from. He threw on a loose fitting polo shirt and a pair of deep green trousers. While she chose an easy to manage classic orange sun dress that Marinette herself had made her for her birthday. They both moved on to their kitchen, where they smiled fondly at one another over their cups of coffee. Alya packed her laptop into her tote bag along with some handwritten notes on what she wanted to add to the story before sending it off for final edits. Nino gave her a swift kiss on the forehead before moving to their living room to go over the latest mix for the club that he may as well be a co-owner of at this point, while Alya prepared him a quick lunch he could reheat when he got hungry later. With a lovingly called goodbye to one another, Alya was out of their apartment and well on her way to work.

Work was . . . hectic. They were the biggest paper in Paris and extremely busy with negotiations between a high influence fashion company to merge the news with fashion into one two page article. Alya could only guess at who would end up with that article, she certainly wasn’t interested in the position. However, there were many young ladies in the office that had a silly crush on the rumored “god-like hottie” who ran the company. Her position on covering the more politically charged and well named “Hero watch” was all she truly cared about, and the article that she had nearly completed for her page had her practically skipping past the gaggle of women whispering about the fashion company CEO. Their excitement brought memories of her best friend in their youth to her mind.

With her thoughts now firmly on her promised lunch with Marinette, she slid into the computer chair before her desk and spun herself in a short half circle as a wide smile played across her lips. She had all but forgotten the sickness she had suffered through earlier in the morning as thoughts of a nice lunch at the hotel her mother had worked as a chef at for years filled her mind. She pondered what she would order as she pulled her laptop from her bag and set it up in the center of her desk, realigning the photo of Nino, Marinette, and herself on her wedding day idly as she did so.

“You seem awfully chipper today.” she turned to see the deeply tanned and brunette pigtailed young teen who had called out to her.

“Manon!” she exclaimed as she relaxed further into her chair, “you aren’t skipping out on a school day to hang out with little ‘ole me are you?” The question was followed with a playful wink that brought a smile to the young girls lips big enough to show off the still prevalent large front teeth that had made her so adorable ever since she was a very young child. Manon had begun to show an interest in writing the year before, and had even won a coveted spot as an intern in Alyas office over the summer.

“You still have another week with me Uni.” Manon gave her a playful wink as she called her by a nickname she had somehow given herself way back when she was the same age as her intern was now. Alya could feel the smile spreading across her cheeks at the memory that the name brought with it. With a drawn out, clearly only for dramatic effect, yawn, Alya turned to boot up her laptop. Then waved for Manon to pull up a chair so they could go over what she had written together. She had heard the rumors of the other interns jealousy over Manon’s relationship to her, but she also knew that this girl learned best one on one. She loved at least thinking she was helping Alya out with her work.

“Chat Noir still? I thought you were done with this story already.” Manon raised her brow at Alya as the reporter pulled up the document that was still being worked on.

“Remember what I told you last week, many drafts make a great story.” Alya smirked as she was reminded of the same mantra she had been taught when she was an intern. They shared a smile between themselves as she rummaged in her bag for her notes. “Now, see here how I hint at his past accomplishments that were his and his alone, I went back and actually scrolled through the entirety of my old Ladyblog to find each and every instance where he had to save the day alone, or do the majority of the heavy lifting to allow Ladybug to get near enough to cleanse the akuma, I even looked through my side blogs for instances of them just saving the day without akumas and found everything he had done alone. Now what I have to do is narrow these notes down to a few that really show off his heroism,” she explained as she pointed at her shorthand covered papers. “Then I need to pick the best ones out of that list that show off not only his skill, but his humanity, to really show all of Paris that he’s just a normal human, albeit with a cool suit.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” They both turned to a very male sounding voice and Alya felt her eyes widen at the familiar face she was met with. Emerald green eyes and a kind smile was the first two features her brain locked onto, the next was the short ponytail of soft blonde hair that was pulled back to keep his hair out of his face. “He also has that cataclysm thing, right?” He asked as he reached up to scratch at the spot just below his low ponytail.

“Adrien, I’ll be damned.” She quirked her eyebrow at the sight of him, causing him to shove his hands nervously into the pockets of his military styled black jacket. “I was sure you had died when you didn’t show up at the wedding, I know Nino had thought you must have at least been comatose, since you know, you two were inseparable to the point that we had some concerns.” He chuckled at her words and brought one hand out of its pocket to rub at his neck slowly.

“You would be surprised how much time you lose when you’re both a CEO and a medical student.” He explained shyly as his eyes locked onto a plant by her desk. She followed his line of sight as she ignored her interns obvious starstruck look and returned her eyes to his face as his words sank into her mind.

“Wait, boy, you’re telling me you run your own company already?” She asked as she sat a bit straighter in her chair, she knew he was well off due to the money his heinous father had saved up through the years, but she never thought he would use that money to build a company of his own.

“Uh, y-yeah. I remade father’s old fashion company. It was a part of my mom’s dream too so it just felt wrong to let it turn to ash. Not to mention the hundreds of people who would’ve been out of a job if I didn’t do something about it.” He shrugged as he spoke, seeming more like a meek little boy explaining why he did something wrong than a CEO of a major fashion line that reigned over the Parisian fashion scene.

So, he hadn’t made it from scratch…

“I can see where you’re coming from.” She offered after the awkward silence had stretched on a bit too long, “I don’t remember seeing Gabriels billboards around town though.”

“Ah, that’s because there aren’t any.” He seemed a bit more open as he spoke this time, pulling his hands from his pockets to rest one on the desk he stood beside casually, “I renamed the company, its just Agreste Fashion now.” He gave her a short shrug as he spoke, showing her once again that he was relaxing into the conversation. Which was all well and good, but there were other things more important on her mind than an old school friend she hadn’t spoken to in ages.

“Marinette is going to start her own company as well you know,” Alya’s attention was drawn to Manon, who seemed to have snapped out of her previous state at hearing how someone got her old babysitters dream just handed to them on a silver platter. Her arms were crossed before her chest and her cheeks puffed out like a furious little chipmunk. Usually joy filled her eyes, but now they were narrowed and filled with a cold anger that made itself known without her having to speak a single word.

“I can’t wait to work with her when she does, Mari always had the best designs, in my opinion, even back in the day.” His words seemed only to help fan the flame of her anger. Manon was strongly loyal to Marinette and believed in her dreams almost more than she believed in her own. Alya felt that this fact said something important about just how kind and true her best friend really was. She also felt that she should get this blonde male to move on as soon as possible before her intern blew a fuse.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to think of a clever scheme to get rid of him without being rude.

A soft piano song echoed out from his pocket and he gave them both an apologetic smile as he shoved his hand into it to retrieve his phone. One look at his face told her he was not very happy about whoever was on the other end of the line. His lips pulled into a thin line and his brows had knitted nearly together and his eyes narrowed at whatever he saw on the screen. He glanced up at Alya once again as the song continued to play and chuckled in an odd, nervous manner before motioning to the device that had offended him so.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” He stated before looking down at the phone once again and swiping his thumb across the screen. “Hello, yes, hi Abigail.” Adrien turned his back to them as he spoke with a tired sigh that worked its way into his tone. “No, I want to look through them all myself. It’s important to me that I see each and every candidates work.” Alya noticed him scratching below his small ponytail once again as he spoke and raised her brow when his shoulders slumped and a huff dripping with agitation rolled forth from him. “Look, just put all of them on my desk. I finished my meeting already and can be there in fifteen. Good. See you then.” He hung up on this “Abigail” with another huff before turning back to Alya once again. “Sorry, I have some business to attend to. Send Nino my love okay?” He asked, reminding her of a puppy dog with the way his eyes grew wide and hopeful for her reaction.

“I can’t promise that, he’s a taken man and that wife of his is a force to be reckoned with.” She smiled at the polite joke as he, in turn, let out a short chuckle.

“I’m sure it will be okay.” He seemed to gain his sense of time when his eyes traveled up to the large clock at the back of the office. His friendly smile slipped a bit as he returned his gaze to his now dark and lifeless phone, “I’ll see you around Alya.” He added before turning and leaving the two women sitting at the desk. He hadn’t waited for her reply, so he was either in a serious rush or he had lost a bit of the politeness he was known for when they went to school together.

“He was rude.” Manon huffed, looking over much of the conversation in her need to validate her past babysitters journey to become a famous designer herself.

“Probably stressed, come on.” Alya hummed as she turned back to her laptop, “let’s get to work on this so I can go to lunch on time today.” Without another word on the subject of Adrien or his strange actions, they dived headfirst into the story that she planned on turning in by lunch that day.

The bell that rang through the halls of her new school sounded akin to those of Notre Dame. Chiming the next class in a cheery tone that made her lips pull into a smile and her steps to take on a skip to their pace. Marinette has never been happier to be in an institution of learning than she was after her previous class. Her first two had been on the basics of fashion theory and the history of art, but she was finally headed to the class that would allow her to physically create something with the knowledge that the last two had given her. So, even when she bumped into the back of the tall brunette male, the smile still didn’t leave her cheeks, even as they both bent down in unison to retrieve her scattered school supplies that now littered the floor around them.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I’m just so excited.” She explained without looking up at him. She just felt so right being in this school that it was hard for her to even feel like she was supposed to be embarrassed. The brunette for his part, gave her a soft chuckle as he scooped up her large portfolio-like-sketch pad and held it out to her.

“It’s fine,” He assured her around a warm smile of his own, “ it must be your first day huh?” She looked up into his warm brown eyes and he made a motion to emphasize the smile still prevalent on her face, “I remember being the same way last year. It’s exciting isn’t it?”

“Oh,” she took a moment to try to get the large goofy smile under control. It was a fruitless effort, “is it that obvious?” she asked as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear shyly. He finished gathering her scattered pens and tucked them into her waiting hands before resting his own gently on her shoulders. His warm smile caused small wrinkles to spread out from the corners of his eyes as he studied her face with a open interest.

“It’s totally fine, refreshing even. After you’re here a while, everyone gets so competitive that it’s a little disheartening.” He waved his hands about as he spoke in a very active manner that caused her to giggle and hide the lower half of her face behind her large sketch pad. His cheeks took on a light dusting of pink as his right hand reached up to rub at the side of his neck slowly. He looked like a teddy bear, sweet, approachable, and with a pair of eyes that drew you in and made you feel safer than you had before you looked into them. She found herself leaning towards him without pondering her actions and smiling even broader with each chuckle that fell from his lips. If everyone at ESMOD was like this young man, she could see her school life going VERY smoothly.

“What class do you have next?” He asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts of that smile and back into the present. She blinked away her ideas of a not so far away future and studied his face as she searched her mind for an answer to his question. Distractions had made her mind a blank slate, but he was looking at her expectantly and she knew that the answer should have been a simple one to tell.

“Oh, uh, um…” she stumbled over her own words as she struggled to get something out, “next is uh, um…” Finally giving up on her mental olympics, she felt a moment of relief when a thought surfaced from the mire that had become her mind, “I have Intro to Pattern Cutting next.” She mumbled the words as she read them off from the sticker on her book.

“Hey, me too. I skipped it my first year to catch up on some academic courses.” His energetic explanation sent a fresh set of giggles falling from her lips as she hugged her supplies to her chest and met his gaze. He took her reaction in stride and gave her a playful wink as a lopsided smirk played on his lips. He bowed slightly to her and offered her his bent elbow as he stood to his full height. Her eyes widened slightly as his locked onto them, full of something she couldn’t quite place.

“Can I walk you to your class, my lady?”

Her heart stopped for a moment at his words. Words that she hadn’t heard in years, words that she forced herself not to seek out for the sheer shame of how long she had avoided the one who used them so casually with her. She took a moment to study the man before her with a bit more care. His hair was fluffy like Chats, but it fell in a odd angle about his head compared to the black clad superheroes. His warm brown eyes looked the same shape, but nowhere near the same intensity of the emerald green hues that would burn their way into her soul whenever he glanced her way. The smirk was similar, but something about it she couldn’t quite place was just off about it. No, it had to be a coincidence that he used those words, a simple coincidence that he had no clue he was tearing her apart on the inside.

“S-s, um, uh, sure.” she finally managed to speak after she paused for just a bit too long, this time from a different kind of distraction, and his brows raised in confusion. Flashing him as sweet of a smile as she could manage, she placed her hand on the bend of his elbow and nodded to tell him she was ready to go. He had a skip to his step as they weaved themselves through the crowd of bodies in the hallway. The air about him becoming infectious as they continued through the campus,so infectious in fact, that they were both laughing at nothing until the time they stepped into the room.

It felt like the sound of a pin drop could equate to a canon going off, the room fell into complete silence as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the pair who stood awkwardly just inside the doorway. Her companions warm smile fell into a thin line as he looked around at all the paired groups scattered about the room at random workstations. She could see the stress causing beads of sweat to pop up along his forehead as he took in the sight. Her heart went out to his turmoil, clearly he was worried that the obviously partnered class would leave him working alone for the year, she decided to set his mind at ease.

“Hey, how about we partner up this semester?” She asked with her head tilted slightly to the side as she glanced up at his face. She could see him snap out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice and glanced down at her as his lopsided smirk returned to his lips. The light that was in his eyes before was slowly returning to them the longer that they held each other's stares. She liked seeing him that way far more than how he looked just a moment before...

“You don’t even know my name.” He chuckled as he leaned in to whisper the words in her ear.

“You don’t know mine either.” She giggled as she pulled back to get a good look at his face once again. He scrunched up his nose as he took a moment to ponder their situation before looking around the room once again at all the strange faces.

“I’m Michal.” After a long silence he finally introduced himself to her. Her hand slipped into his offered one, he kissed the back of it lightly as a shy smile pulled her lips up towards her eyes.

“Marinette, nice to meet you Michal.” She replied with a playful wink. His own smile pulled his teeth apart slightly as they shook hands firmly.

“Marinette, pleasure to meet you, partner.” His words had memories pulling at the back of her mind once again, memories of a blonde with blazing green eyes who could handle a fight better than she could most of the time, yet was still humble enough to claim she was the real hero between them.

“Y-yeah.” She forced herself to reply to him. She had to turn away from him in order to discreetly blink away the tears stinging the corners of her eyes, Chat was better off without her. He had moved on by now certainly, and probably had a new partner who helped him from the sidelines, plus a string of lovers behind him that made her years at his side barely a blimp on his emotional radar.

They moved as a pair to the nearest empty workstation they could find and settled into their seats just as the professor strode into the room with a phone placed firmly against her ear and a no nonsense frown upon her liver spotted face. She hung the phone up without looking at her quiet as the grave students and began going into a practiced monologue on the importance of a proper pattern cut and how one little miss-measurement could throw the entire project off. Marinette attempted to listen, but her eyes were constantly drawn to the notebook of the young man beside her. He was sketching out casual dresses with soft pok-a-dots along the bottom of the skirt and the rim of the neckline. It was a beautiful design, with a sheer covering to the skirt and soft pearl like lace around the shoulders that accentuated the dots that lined it on the other side. Three large buttons lead down from midway up the chest to the skirt that forced your eye to notice how it flared out around the models legs. He was talented, and the way his brow furrowed and his tongue jutted out from between his teeth showed that he loved what he did enough to give it his full concentration. She wondered if she looks like that when she was immersed in her own work as she rested her cheek on her fist idly. A smile played on her lips as she watched him work, her mind drifting away from the monotone voice of their professor and zoning in on the sound of his pencil led scratching lightly against the paper as he worked.

That sound could make everything else simply fall away….

Chapter one: End

Chapter 2: Catching up,

Chapter Text

“There you are!” Alya called out as she approached the small round table that Marinette was sitting at. The future designer had her head bent forward and her hand constantly moving as she added bits and pieces here and there along an intricate design she was sketching out, in a much smaller sketchbook than she used for school. Her head shot up at the sound of her best friends voice and a wide smile crept across her lips when they made eye contact. Alya could tell just by looking at her that she had had a good first day at university, she was practically glowing from the excitement that her eyes flashed with as she gave the reporter a once over.

“Hey Alya, love the dress.” Marinette gave her a smirk as Alya slid into the chair directly across from her. The bespeckled woman chuckled as she adjusted her glasses and motioned to her friends three piece ensemble.

“I could say the same for you girl, check you out. Rocking the colors of Paris’ resident superhero for some added confidence?” Alya wiggled her eyebrows at Marinette who looked down at her green and black outfit as a swift chill washed through her body from her head down to her toes. Her lighthearted smile slipped into a small frown as her hand clenched tightly to her drawing pencil. How had she not even thought about wearing Chat Noirs colors that morning? She had been riding her high of the first day back at school long enough for that fact to completely slip her mind.

“Yeah, I guess so…” Alya gave her a heartwarming smile as the young design student returned her attention to the sketchbook before herself. Marinette didn’t look up at her best friend as she used her thick fringe to hide the fact that she was blinking away the tears that were suddenly stinging the edges of her eyes. She thought she was moving on when the thought of Chat earlier that day didn’t have her breaking apart on the inside. However, if the amount of pain that was washing through her heart was anything to go on, she was clearly using the excitement of her first day at school to suppress it.

“Is that homework?” Alya’s voice brought her out of her thoughts nearly as quickly as it had shocked her into them.

“Huh,”Marinette began as she shook her head to clear it, “o-oh, um. Not really, it’s just something that a friend inspired me to do today.” She mumbled as she added a bit of piping to a jacket she had drawn on a model.

“Don’t you tell me another girl’s swooping in to take my place.” Alya joked as she waved over a server who was walking past a table a few feet away from them. Marinette barely even looked up at her friend before answering her.

“No one could ever replace you Alya, but no it’s not a girl. It’s a boy actually.” She knew what would come next and braced herself for the onslaught of questions from the reporter. When none came she looked up slowly to see Alya nodding her head towards the approaching server. They waited politely as the young woman read out the specials, then placed their orders before smiling as she walked away from them.

“A boy?” Alya raised her eyebrows once they were alone, Marinette sighed and scooted down in her chair a bit as she nodded in return. She should have known that the reporter in her wouldn’t let that small comment slide. The smile on Alya’s lips was enough to tell her that she was in for an interview and a half on the new male in her life.

“Look, it’s not a big deal okay. He’s just partnering with me for one class, and he’s nice and a really good designer.” She looked down at the design that remained half finished before her as she spoke, “He spent all last class designing this beautiful dress and, I don’t know, it inspired me to make a suit to match.” She frowned at the black three piece suit she had drawn and studied the piping around the shoulders. Her eyes wandered from the image to her best friends face and she groaned at the intense smile that she found there. The questions were many, and intense; going from his full name, which she did not know, to his favorite color, which she was pretty sure was red but she didn’t really know if she was right. She spent so long answering Alya’s questions that their orders came and were eaten long before the reporter was finished.

“You know, back in the day there was another boy who ‘inspired’ you.” Marinette hid her face in her hands as she shook her head quickly. It had been so long since she moved on from her childhood crush, but Alya never once missed an opportunity to bring up how crazy she was over him. “Speaking of which, I ran into Adrien today at the office.”

“What?” Marinette’s head shot up so quickly that it hurt her neck a bit. She may no longer have a wild crush on him, but she did still know a bit about the former model and new star of the fashion scene.

“Yeah, he had a meeting with the higher ups and I dunno, I guess he wanted to pop by to say hello. Did you know he Is running his dad’s old company now?” Alya seemed oblivious to the amazed look in Marinette’s eyes as she spoke.

“Of course I know that!” She exclaimed, “Alya, come on I live for fashion and Agreste Fashion built itself back up to the number one fashion company in all of Paris!” Her eyes were sparkling in such a way as she spoke that Alya felt as if she was looking back through time to when they were just fourteen.

“You still keep up with him?” Alya asked slyly. The question didn’t seem to affect Marinette in quite the same way that it use to however, as she simply shrugged and took a sip of her tea.

“I keep up with lots of fashion companies, all the best ones, to see how I should go about starting my own once I’m out of school.” She explained afterwards. As she spoke she packed away her sketchbook and pencils without glancing up once. The girls finished off their drinks as they checked the time on their phones. Marinette had to get back to school before her next class began and Alya had to finish up the final edits on her article before the day was over. They each pitched in for a tip to the server before paying and leaving the small cafe.

....................................................................................................................

Their walk started off normal enough. The two old friends laughed about silly things that they had done in the past and simply reminisced about things that would matter to no one else. The day was beautiful and the sights of Paris around them in such a lovely light made the girls feel as if they were walking on clouds. Thoughts of Andre’s famous ice cream and jokes about what they would pick for their own flavors passed between them as they waited at a red light and watched the cars pass by them quickly. They were so in their own little bubble that they could feel a sudden pop in their minds when the screaming began. Alya reached out for Marinette’s hand as the design student whipped her body around quickly to search for the sound.

A man wearing dark clothes from his hoodie down to his boots was running at them, in one hand he held a woman’s purse but the other was hidden in the deep pocket on the front of his hoodie. Alya froze at the sight, but Marinette seemed to be awoken by it. She moved quickly to push her friend out of his way, landing beside the reporter as her head jerked back to where they had been standing, and where the man was running into the oncoming traffic. Before Alya could stop her, she leapt upwards and ran behind the man, sliding across car hoods and dodging bikes as she made her way to the other side of the street.

The rush of adrenaline coursing through her helped speed her pace enough to get within ten feet of him before she rounded a corner into a dark alleyway. She could hear Tikki faintly asking her what she was doing but chose to ignore the Kwami’s words. She had spent years hearing about how she was Ladybug no matter if she wore a mask or not, and something was so... off, about this man that it had her feeling like she was facing down an akuma once again. Muscle memory kicked in as she slid into the alley after him and leapt quickly over a dumpster before running across it’s closed lid. With a carefully timed jump, she flung herself from a ladder hanging from a fire escape and arched her body through the air to land with her legs wrapped around the man’s neck.

Their bodies landed with a squishy thud as his stomach disturbed a smelly puddle below them. She managed to pin his shoulders down with her own body as she struggled to pry the purse’s strap from his fingers. He shifted from side to side below her, eventually finding enough leverage to throw her small frame off of him, but not enough force to cause her to loosen her grip on the strap. The momentum of her being thrown from his shoulders flipped him around to where they were facing one another. His hand that had previously been hiding in his pocket slid out then, and a flash of silver brought her attention to the handgun that he held in it. Her eyes widened as she stared down the barrel before her gaze slowly drifted up to his face.

She had been shot before, both of them had, but they were always in their suits which sped the healing process due to the magic of the miraculous and their kwamis. Staring at the slightly trembling gun now made her blood freeze in her veins. She had nothing between her and certain death if his finger so much as twitched in the slightest amount. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, telling her that he was either deranged or drugged to the point that he wouldn’t think twice about blowing a hole between her eyes.

“There he is officer!” Both of the ones in the alley jerked their heads towards the opening of it to see Alya pointing directly at them with two large police officers standing right behind her. The man seemed frozen in fear, giving Marinette time to wrench the gun from his hand and slam the butt end of it into his cheek to knock him out. She stood, after struggling for a moment to wring the bag strap from his fingers and made her way to the mouth of the alley.

“Please get this back to its owner.” She said as she handed the purse to the first officer, she turned to the second one and all too eagerly passed the gun to him. A short conversation between the four later and the girls were back on the way to Marinette’s school with a new darker aura hanging around them. Alya had questioned her on how she caught up with the man, to which she replied that she had been taking karate off and on since she was very young. The reporter made a face that told her she didn’t quite believe the explanation, but thankfully she finally let something slide.

Marinette kept her head down as they walked, thinking over what had happened just a few moments before. It was all so fast, she had no time to think and had depended on instincts that she had suppressed for years. So, why was she suddenly eager to chase down an armed robber instead of staying with her friend to make sure she was alright? She had ignored crimes before with little to no effort over the years, blending into crowds as she watched her old partner and best friend taking down the bad guys all alone. Maybe it was the fact that he was nowhere in sight, or maybe it was simply the rush of chemicals that she had been riding high on all day. Either way, the thought of her actions had her stomach swirling with a mix of fear and excitement that would have no outlet to be released in until she got home. It had her thoughts circling wildly in her head as she said her farewells to her best friend and slowly moved towards the main campus building of her school. Her hands were still shaking, so she gripped the strap of her messenger bag firmly to hide that fact from everyone around her.

“Mari, hey!” she turned in time to see Michal rushing past a large group of people and directly at her with a large smile filling his face.

“Hi, did you have a good lunch hour?” She asked as he came to a stop before her and scratched behind his ear. The smile was still there, and seemed to be even wider than before she spoke.

“Actually, yeah. Went out to drink with a few friends from last year. Jealous?” He asked this as he nudged her shoulder playfully with his arm. Her eyebrows shot up, and then down as confusion set in. Why would she be jealous of him hanging out with some friends? They literally met a few hours before. The way he was acting seemed so out of left field that she felt herself shying away from his touch.

“Not, really.” She said as she took a step back and adjusted the strap of her bag, “I had a nice meal with an old school friend myself.” She added as she watched a group of students pass by them.

“Is the old friend a boy?” His sudden lack of laughter behind his words had her narrowing her eyes.

“No, not that it matters anyway.” She mumbled as she backed away from him and into a throng of students leading into the building, she ran once he was out of sight, slipping between bodies and cutting down side hallways in order to escape him.

Once she was fully alone however, it dawned on her how oddly she was acting. He was just being friendly, possibly trying to get to know her as a person, and she just treated him like he had some terrible disease or something. She groaned as she hid her head in her hands and shook it from side to side, she was the weird one. He should’ve been running away from her.

“It’s not all that bad. You can just tell him you’re sorry in the morning right?” Tikki asked as she watched Marinette pacing around her small apartment. The blackish blue haired young woman groaned as she flipped down on her surprisingly soft loveseat. She had avoided Michal the rest of the school day, mainly out of embarrassment that came from her running away for no reason the first time. She just couldn’t face him after the initial disaster of their meeting after lunch.

“I feel like a jerk.” Marinette stated as she reached for the remote to her small t.v. and turning it on to the news channel. It was a habit of hers, keeping her eyes on the news to watch out for her old partner in her own small way. He was there, of course he was, there had been a break in at the bank that the mayor himself used and Paris’ favorite black cat had swooped in to stop it before any real damage could be done. She found herself smiling at a still image of his face, complete with his signature smirk and acid green eyes. He was a true hero, kind and patient, and even extending that out to the ones he fought against daily. She remembered the day that she found out he had been shot in a hostage situation and how even then he was still the pillar of good for the city…

It was the day before Alya’s wedding and she had been elbow deep in white lace as she struggled to resize her best friend’s dress in time for the big event. Her t.v. had been on so Tikki could dance to a music video that was playing for a special event going on somewhere across Paris. She remembered the room going eerily quiet and her kwami’s soft gasp. She zoned in on the small t.v. as her own eyes widened in shock.

Chat, her Chat, was struggling against a gunman just inside of the glass front doors of the building that the hostages were being held in. She watched in complete silence as he swung out with his baton to strike the man in the jaw. In that moment a loud bang filled her apartment and she watched him crumple. She screamed and rushed to the small screen that let her see what was happening. She held the side of it so hard that her knuckles were turning white as her eyes locked onto the pixels that made up his body. SWAT had moved in at the sound of the gun going off, and she couldn’t see what happened to chat for a heartstopping moment before a flash of black and silver on the side of the screen told her he had gotten away to take care of his wounds.

Marinette was halfway across the city and running along rooftops before she came to her senses and stopped short of a jump that would show all of Paris her, as Ladybug once again. The strength it took for her to turn back was the same as a dagger in her heart, ripping it in two pieces while keeping it painfully in her chest. She was crying so hard by the time she forced her body to turn back towards her home that the world around her was blurred and shifted with every blink of her eyes. Chat was long gone, she knew that he would be somewhere in the back of her mind, but still she had let her emotions take over. It was the one thing she swore to herself she would not do when she decided to let go of that part of her life. It was for his well being as well as her own and yet one simple attack by regular humans going wrong had her donning her spots once again. She couldn’t do this to herself or to him. Not after all the time she had spent hiding, no, coming back after that would be cruel.

She had called multiple hospitals that night to check on her old partner, all of them laughed her off with the thought that she was just another Chat Noir fangirl who wanted to find out where he was. Their tones told her that he wasn’t at any of them however and she spent the rest of the night, and most of the wedding the next day, worrying about the safety of one of her best friends.

“Marinette?” Tikki’s voice pulled her from her reverie, and back into the present. The news was still covering Chat, and had managed to stop him for an interview. She smiled as she noted that wasn’t very hard since he stopped using his cataclysm at every given opportunity.

“Mr. Noir, you work alone during your heroic feats, would you ever make room for a partner in your team?” One of the newer reporters asked as he held a channel 7 microphone up to Chat’s face.

“I have a partner, she’s always with me in my heart and if she ever decides to return to Paris I will welcome her back with open arms.” She frowned at his response, Chat was obviously one of the many who picked up on Alya’s theory that Ladybug moved from Paris when she retired. It was possibly the only way that he could deal with her absence.

She sighed as she aimed the remote at the t.v. and cut the power off. Her eyes trailed over to her kwami who was hovering near her, slightly in front of her shoulder. Her large blue eyes were fixed on Marinette’s face as she looked for any reaction to what they had just seen, no matter how slight.

“His hair’s gotten longer.” Marinette cracked a small smile as she watched Tikki roll her eyes at her words. She knew that showing up at this point would just bring more questions than she had answers to, it was just easier for her to stay out of her mask. As Marinette the only questions she had to answer were what she was asked in school.

“He misses you.” Tikki murmured as she settled on her chosen’s shoulder.

“I abandoned him Tikki.” She grunted as she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, “If I showed back up as Ladybug now he would have questions, and anger that I would not be able to say was unwarranted.”

“If you just explain to him why you left..” Tikki began.

“Oh yeah, that’ll work. Hi Chat, I know I have been gone for years but it was because I felt like you were starting to take all the hits for me and against akumas that was fine because my lucky charm could clear the damage. But, actual humans with weapons and no magical brainwashing badguy to pull the strings scared me to the point that I had to go to therapy for three years just to sleep normally again.” She dragged out her sentences just to drive home the point that she thought it would not go well at all.

“Chat would understand.” Tikki urged as Marinette pushed herself off of the couch and headed towards her small bathroom.

“I doubt it.” Was her reply as she closed the door. Tikki sighed as she fazed through the wood to see the young design student preparing her toothbrush.

“What are you so afraid of?” Tikki asked as she crossed her arms before her chest, “I know that that boy would move heaven and earth for you. He’s helped you as both Ladybug and Marinette without fail over and over again.”

“And what if he does welcome me back?” Marinette slammed her toothbrush against the counter before her as she shouted the question. “He would end up in the same exact position he was in before, with one eye on the bad guys and one on my back and no time between to move out of the way. I have seen him take hit after hit for me that he would have been able to avoid otherwise and I cannot hold that guit anymore Tikki, I can’t.” She could feel warm tears slip down her cheeks as her voice began to break. “He’s better off alone.” she sniffed and rubbed her nose with her wrist before focusing on brushing her teeth, the conversation was over. Tikki knew that she wouldn’t listen to any facts other than the ones that grew from her own thoughts. They had many talks like this over the years and her chosen’s fears always seemed to come out on top whenever they ended.

The night carried on much like any other, Marinette got ready for bed while Tikki waited in front of the now turned off tv. She was busy eating a cookie when her chosen walked into the living room with a towel wrapped around her body and another tightly wrapped around her hair. She gave the kwami a small awkward smile as she moved her hands over the towel on her hair, squeezing in in hopes of the dark blue black tresses drying faster than if she let them dry by themselves. She sat on the edge of the couch as Tikki finished her cookie and waited until the centuries old god being looked up from her meal before she spoke.

“I don’t want to get his hopes up.” She began finally, “I can’t go back to being the Ladybug everyone remembers, and I can’t be the Ladybug he wants. Chat, he… he was always the stronger of us. He even managed to hold off so many akuma clones on his own the first time I gave Alya Trixx’s miraculous.” Tikki was sitting on her knee now, looking up at her with large blue eyes that had always assured her it would be okay. Everything didn’t end up okay though, a childhood friend lost his father due to a plotting evil alter ego, she lost her will to join a trusted partner after her existence in their daily battles began to feel like a distraction, and now when she was trying so hard to get her life back on track after years of hiding away from the world in an attempt to forget it all and give herself some peace… well, now the guilt of leaving him behind to face the bad guys alone was punching her in the gut and making her feel as if she may as well shot him herself.

“Marinette-” Tikki began, only to be cut off when her chosen held her hand up and lowered her head.

“I know, I know that I said never again. Then I transformed just to run away before I could be of help to anyone.” Marinette took a moment to collect her thoughts as she glanced up at the framed picture of her, Alya, and Nino at their wedding, the one that she had placed on a shelf just off to the right of her tv and surrounded by brightly colored silk flowers that pulled people’s attention to it. She could see the fear hiding behind her fake smile, even in the small image, That day would forever be a bittersweet memory with the knowledge that Chat was somewhere suffering alone while she played the part of a simple civilian. “There are so many things I will never be able to take back, moments when i could have helped but didn’t, and... even if Chat doesn’t hold a grudge against me for them, I do. I don’t deserve to be Ladybug anymore, it wouldn’t be fair to me or to Chat.”

“Marinette, I understand your fears. But, I have watched you all these years, you’ve done so much good for everyone, you stopped Hawkmoth after all. I think, if you put your heart into it you can do anything. That includes being Ladybug once again. However,” Tikki flew up to pat her cheek in a comforting manner as she continued, “I also know full well that everyone needs to go about things at their own pace. You are a wonderful person Marinette, you just need to take your time and figure out what you want. You and Chat, both of you gave your childhood to defend the city with all your heart and soul. No one should fault you for taking some time to be yourself after that.”

“I blame myself though Tikki.” Marinette cupped one hand around Tikki’s head as she spoke softly. Her eyes were downcast and her lips were formed into a small frown. “I was scared when I ran away from the mask, and I am still scared now but, but now it’s more than that. I feel like I don’t deserve to be Ladybug again.” She sighed deeply as her eyes slid closed. “I’m sorry Tikki.” She felt the gentle pressure of her kwami nuzzling her cheek and leaned into it. In the end, Tikki was the only one she could ever confide her feelings to. No one else in her life would ever know how heavily her past weighed on her, no one else would be privy to her moments of weakness that reduced her to a shadow of her former self until she simply hid from everyone, even herself.

“Let’s go to bed, you’ll feel a bit better in the morning.” Tikki offered, she knew there was nothing she could say to change Marinette’s mind, but she was determined to try to make her feel better about herself nonetheless. Sometimes a good night's sleep could make the darkest thoughts fade, not go away completely, but fade. All she could hope after the years spent with Marinette as simply Marinette was the weight of the past lifting even the slightest bit from the girls shoulders.

“Yeah, sleep sounds good right now.” Marinette agreed with a small and forced smile.

The early morning sunlight filtered in through thin pea green curtains that adorned large gothic windows around Adrien’s office. He had been awake all night, and it showed in the thick bags under his eyes. The run in with Alya, which looking back he really should have seen coming, had his mind running in circles around Nino, and Marinette. Nino had always been the one he considered his first best friend since escaping the cage of homeschooling, and Marinette had been one of the first friends he made all by himself. He had missed the wedding, which he was supposed to be the best man during, and he had missed the party that Alya threw for Marinette when she was accepted into ESMOD. He had missed the hang outs with their old group and slowly had grown out of even trying to make it to them. All of this was due to his nightlife as Chat Noir.

He still remembered being shot the day before Nino and Alya’s wedding; he was on his way to the bar to meet his best friend for his stag night when the sound of shouting and gunshots had pulled him to a side street. A glass fronted building gave him a clear view of the hostage situation going on inside. He had jumped into action, finding somewhere hidden to transform and rushing into the fray. The police were more than happy to send him in instead of them, and at first it seemed that the ones who held their hostages at gunpoint would listen to what he had to say and lay down their arms. Then there was a scuffle, he was in a fight with the one nearest the doors while the second one screamed at him not to come closer or he would blow a woman’s head off. He didn’t remember hearing the gun going off by his hip, but the pain had him doubling over and even returned as he thought over the past. It caused him to hunch over his desk and his breaths to come out heavy and strained as his hand moved to cover the area that had long since healed.

Plagg, sitting in a small chair that Adrien had ordered just for him that rested on the former models desk, silently watched his chosen as waves of phantom pain washed through him. Adrien knew that it was all in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t resist giving in to it. Neither of the two could stop his thoughts circling around to that day. Plagg had been weak due to a rise in crime and a shortage of camembert, so his healing had been at its lowest and at the same time the suit had been as good as a piece of paper on Adriens skin. The bullet was felt by Plagg before the scorching hot pain registered in Adrien’s mind. The kwami blamed himself for these lingering psychological effects that remained in his chosen. It was something he could never forgive himself for, he just could never bring himself to say no to the blonde when it came to transforming. It had been and still remained the boys way of escaping his suffocating life.

“You okay kid?” he asked after a long moment of silence only broken by the blonde’s soft grunts of pain. Adrien took a moment to shoot Plagg a sarcastic smile before pushing himself back into a proper sitting position.

“Yeah,” he muttered after the kwami was staring a bit too long for his liking, “It’s just memories getting the best of me. Again.” He added with a shallow sigh. His eyes flicked to the glowing computer screens before him and then down to his desk while Plagg silently watched, waiting for him to say anything at all to continue the conversation. When it became clear to him that the blonde was simply going to dive back into his work without talking about what was really bugging him caused Plagg’s fur to stand on end in frustration. He found himself growling in a low feline way as he watched his chosen begin to type out a note on a new design he had been shown, the anger at his utter dismissal lately was boiling inside Plagg’s small body until he just couldn’t take it anymore.

“WHY ARE YOU JUST IGNORING IT!?” He demanded when it became far too much. Adrien jumped at his kwami’s sudden shouting and held his hands before himself in a defensive manner as his wide emerald eyes landed on the small creature.

“Wha- where did that come from all of a sudden?” Adrien asked as he narrowed his eyes. The initial shock of Plagg’s outburst was wearing off and now there was only pure confusion swirling around his thoughts. His gaze flicked back to the screen momentarily before lingering on Plagg’s scowling features.

“Where did it- ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELF!?” Plagg flew up to get in Adrien’s face as his voice raised once again. The blonde sat back sharply against his chair as the kwami swooped in close to his eyes. His brows were arched upwards and pressed nearly together as he settled his gaze on Plagg’s face once again. “Listen, kid, you got to understand that it’s alright to hurt sometimes. You don’t have to be made of steel and you don’t have to brush off your pain like it’s no big deal!” When his chosen remained silent he continued, “look, I know it hurts, and I’m not just talking about your old wound. She had her reasons for leaving and I know you are trying to keep her up on that pedestal you so happily put her on back then, but what if you clinging to her so hard is what’s keeping her away?” Adrien, who had been staring at him in confusion with his mouth slightly agape, snapped it shut and stood quickly from his seat as his fists clenched at his sides.

“I didn’t ask you to bring her up Plagg, my wounds have nothing to do with her at all.” He muttered as he moved across the room to look out of one of his many office windows. His eyes fell on the streets of paris below him, it was still early in the morning for most people and the fine drizzle of rain helped with the nearly abandoned streets. A shadow fell over his eyes as he tilted his head forward to rest it against the cooled glass. “I wasn’t enough to keep her around. After my father… after everything we went through together all those years ago… she didn’t even say goodbye to me.” His eyelids fluttered shut as his deep sigh left a cloud of fog across the glass of the window. “She wasn’t even there when I was shot, probably halfway across the world by now. Relaxing with whoever the guy was who had her heart back then, it certainly wasn’t me.”

“Yeah, kid, I know. She wasn’t there, for years, she still isn’t…” Plagg flew from his place on the desk to bury himself in Adriens long blonde tresses, just as he use to do when the young man was but a young boy, back before his world crumbled around him only for him to build it right back up again. He wished that he could find the girl and talk some sense into her, or even get Tikki to do it for him. He hated seeing his kitten broken like this, no matter how successful he became, or how popular his product was, or even how far he distanced himself from his father, Adrien would never feel whole again without at least an explanation from the girl who left him at the hospital, never to be seen again. “If she was smart, she would have at least said goodbye to you.” He grumbled as he thought angrily about the girl who left his kitten behind.

“She is smart.” Adrien snapped quickly, mostly out of habit. They had similar conversations all the time and the blonde was always quick to defend his lady. He may have been attempting to move on with his life, but she would always hold a place in his heart. It made Plagg wonder if that was why he never really put his all into any of the dates he had went on since school. The poor kid would never find love this way, or even happiness for that matter.

“Yeah yeah, you win kid.” Plagg sighed softly as he nuzzled against Adrien’s head. As long as he still had fight enough in him to defend Ladybug, then Plagg guessed he would be alright in the end.

“Mister Agreste.” Adrien turned to look at the slim blonde woman standing in the doorway to his office, she reminded him of Natalie in many ways, but mainly due to her stern expression and half rim spectacles. She held folders in her right arm and her tablet in her left. Adrien could only assume that the folders were more of the same hopefuls submissions for his upcoming intern period. That was one of the few things Adrien kept when he erased his father’s influence in the company. Once a year he held a contest for any up and coming designer who wanted their chance to become an intern in a living breathing fashion company. He could only allow three interns to join for a six month period at a time, but over the years he had seen the select few who won the coveted position go on to become quite successful in their endeavors. It was one of a rare few things his father started that was truly good through and through, something Adrien could not bring himself to cease when he thought of how much one of his own friends had struggled and fought for the position before his father was found to be the most vile supervillain in all of Paris.

“Abigail,” Adrien straightened his shoulders as Plagg used his ponytail as a ladder to his shirt to avoid her sharp grey eyes, “it appears you have something for me?” He motioned to his desk which held similar stacks of folders that she had been delivering all morning. She moved swiftly to place the ones in her possession near his keyboard and held her tablet up to look over his schedule. He watched her eyes scan over the callender displayed on her screen and felt his heart sink, judging only by the amount of squares that were blue reflected in her glasses, he knew that he would have no free time during the day anytime soon.

“...at ESMOD, and that would bring you to dinner with Madame Bourgeois and her fiancė around six.” His head snapped around to her from idly staring out of the window in thought. She said ESMOD. ESMOD was the school that Marinette was celebrating getting accepted into, right?

“Hold on, Abigail, what am I to do at ESMOD?” He asked, only to awkwardly scratch at the base of his neck, just under his ponytail, when she shot him a very annoyed glare over her glasses. She sighed and seemed to be fighting the urge to roll her eyes at his question before clearing her throat and looking down at her tablet once again.

“Today at four pm you are going to be apart of a seminar for the first year students, you are scheduled to give an informative speech on starting off in the fashion industry. Don’t worry sir your speech is already written and edited for you. I can have a copy sent up for your final thoughts before you leave for lunch.” He almost felt like laughing when she went right into treating him like he was still a twenty year old who didn’t understand how to properly prepare for a runway show. Almost.

“Thank you Abigail, that will be all.” He grunted as he slid into his chair, she turned to leave but stopped short when he called out, “Wait, send me a copy of my schedule as well, then you can take an early day after lunch. Thank you for all of your hard work.” She stiffened without turning to face him, then he watched her stance soften as her shoulders fell.

“Yes sir, thank you Mister Agreste.” That was all she said before she continued on her way out of the room. Adrien puffed out his cheeks before letting out a steady stream of air as he slid down a bit in his seat. With Abigail gone, he could relax once again. He always had to act so stiffly around the woman, if he ever slipped she would show her age by treating him like he was her son who misbehaved in school.

“I know you are too nice to fire her for insubordination, but geez, she treats you more like her kid than her boss.” Plagg echoed his thoughts, causing him to laugh so suddenly that the kwami flew a bit away from him before turning to study him as if he had a strange disease. “What?” he asked in an annoyed whine.

“No, it’s nothing. I thought of something that was funny is all.” He breathed heavily as he came down from his sudden burst of laughter. He ignored Plagg’s odd stare as he began going through the folders on his desk, pulling a few out here and there and putting them into a careful stack on his right while the others were clumsily stacked together on his left.

“I want camembert !” Plagg complained near Adrien’s usual lunch time. The blonde sighed and pushed himself lightly from the desk before tapping the tips of his fingers along the edge of it as he thought.

“Well,” he let out a puff of air with an audible popping sound as he slid his fingers from the desktop to rest on his chair arms, “if we leave now I may have just enough time to fix something simple before i have to go look over the new line.” He reached up to scratch at his ponytail as he spoke. “If we go by the chat eau…” plagg perked up immediately when he mentioned his nickname for his superhero personas home. It wasn’t as grand as the apartment that he lived in as Adrien, but it was a decent size and was the resting place of a large fridge fully stocked with Plagg’s favorite cheese.

“I could go Chateau…” he practically purred the words as he hovered near Adrien’s face. The blonde couldn’t help it, he began to laugh once again at the sight of his kwami drooling at the thought of eating camembert in the privacy of their home, being able to savor it always got Plagg more excited than the thought of eating it in the first place.

Chat strode into the apartment building that the Chateau rested at the top of, the doorman gave him a wide smile and a two fingered salute which he returned eagerly. Everyone in the building knew that the superhero of Paris lived just above them, and they were always overjoyed to see him coming home be it day or night. There was even a medical student, one who attended the same university as Adrien, living on the third floor. He was always the first one the other residents called on when Chat Noir stumbled into the front lobby of the building clutching at a new wound. He had planned this living arrangement carefully, even before Hawkmoth was unmasked. Back then, it was supposed to be a home for him and Ladybug once it was safe for them to really truly know one another in and out of the mask. Now it was nothing more than a place to rest off his wounds, restock Plagg with his smelly cheese, and plan his search of the city for the woman who had eluded him for years.

The thought was laughable, trading a happily ever after for a large empty space, and all against his will. It brought a sad smile to his lips as he stepped into the elevator and slid his key card in the slot above the buttons that sat in two columns on a steel panel. A green light, hidden by the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights previously, flashed three times before staying a solid red color. This was the only way up to the penthouse where he lived as Chat. It would have been perfect. He still had Ladybugs keycard, complete with an image of a Ladybug whose spots were tiny cats paw prints sitting on a leaf overlooking the Eiffel Tower. His own card displayed a large cats paw, lime green with black and red ladybugs as its toes. A white silhouette of the famous tower took up the majority of his card, resting on a solid black background. It was cheesy, couples key cards to a secret hideaway home that they could share, a long lost hope that now was long broken, while her card rested in a jar beside his front door.

The ride up to the Chateau was quick, yet felt stretched out as his mind went back to the silly plans of his youth. It seemed so long ago now but he could still feel the burning pain in his chest whenever they found their way into his mind once again. When the double doors opened to reveal a single white door five feet from them he already felt as if an elephant had taken up residence in his chest. He released his transformation a few steps into the short hallway, and leaned against the wall as he closed his eyes. Adrien had not felt her loss this strongly in a long time, the dampness of his cheeks didn’t even distract his mind from the plans he had memorized years before.

“You okay kid? I- I shouldn’t have brought her up. Sorry.” Plagg was hovering near the left side of his face, Adrien naturally opened his left eye to glance at him as he spoke. He pulled his lips upwards in the same smile he used to flash to the cameras, the one that didn’t quite make it to his eyes.

“I’ll be fine.” He said to break the silence that had fallen between them after the worried kwamis words died away, “Let’s get inside so we can eat.” Adrien moved past him and pulled out his keys, on one loop of his keychain there rested two identical keys which he used one of to open to door. Once they were inside, Plagg fazed through the closest fridge to gorge himself on camembert. Adrien chuckled at his eagerness before moving to his own fridge and looking through it for something to eat, one salad and lemon flavored water later he was sitting at the table in the breakfast nook and watching the news intently. It was a habit he had picked up over the years, if he was at home he was on the lookout for any sign of trouble. He could remember when he used the news as another way to look out for a certain red and black clad superheroine, but that was so long ago and no sign of her ever popped up.
“So, what’s the plan?” Plagg asked around half a wheel of cheese as Adrien flipped from one channel to another when the weather report came on. He took a moment to listen in on the report, only turning to his kwami when it was apparent there was no crime involved in the story the reporter was telling.

“We finish up lunch, go by the office to go over my speech one more time, then straight to ESMOD to talk to the students.” He rested his cheek on his palm and played with his meal idly as he named off their list of plans.

“Didn’t that designer girl you knew get in there? You planning to say hello?” Plagg inquired as he reached for another wheel of cheese. Adrien shrugged at his line of questioning and rested his fork on the table beside his plate.

“If I see her sure, but there is a large class this year and the dean is one hell of a hardass at these things.” Plagg narrowed his eyes as the blonde spoke, noting a gentle smile making its way to the former models eyes.

He hid his frown by chewing on a large chunk of cheese, Adrien still didn’t know, after all this time. He never asked or allowed Plagg to tell him what he witnessed during the Dark Owl akuma attack so many years ago. Plagg doubted he remembered that night at all amongst the jumbled mess of memories that they shared while fighting to save Paris from the onslaught of Alina’s in their youth. Maybe it was for the best, he had gotten better at ignoring the feelings that she left him with.

“Maybe you shouldn’t. Even if the chance arises I mean.” Plagg’s eyes grew larger as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say it, but now the blonde was looking at him with a mix of confusion and shock swirling in the depths of his emerald eyes.

“The dean isn’t that bad about time Plagg.” Adrien snorted as he turned back to the food before him.

“That’s not what I meant kiddo. I just think it would be for the best if you didn’t try to get buddy buddy with her again. You haven’t spoken to her in years and-”

“So what? We are still friends. You don’t have to talk to someone everyday to consider them a good friend.” Adrien had his eyes on Plagg once again, they were narrowed now, guarded. The kwami could tell that he was ready to jump to Marinette’s defense just as quickly as he had jumped to defend Ladybug. The irony would have made him laugh if the situation wasn’t one that put his kitten through so much pain.

“I don’t like her, she isn’t a great person.” He mumbled as he looked away from Adrien, who was staring at him with the same look on his face that he had whenever he reads something bad about his company online.

“Mari is one of the best people I know, sure you’re not thinking about Lila?” He asked as he sat back a bit in his chair.

“Don’t change the subject. And no, i meant the designer girl.” Plagg huffed angrily, wishing he could tell Adrien why he truly disliked the woman. If he told him, there was still a possibility that he would either chase her to the ends of the earth, or fall into an even deeper depression when he realized that she left him as both Chat and Adrien at nearly the same time. He couldn’t bring himself to tear open the old wounds that deeply, not now, not after Adrien had gotten so much better in her absence.

“Mari is a great person, and a good friend.” Adrien deadpanned without looking at Plagg, probably expecting him to say that he won the argument in his passive way once again. Plagg however, remained silent as the grave and stared down his chosen without so much as blinking.

Chapter 3: Good Friends

Chapter Text

The school day had seemed to drag by and go all too quickly at the same time. Marinette had heard stories of the seminars that happened annually and had grown too excited to stay still. Even her mind was moving a thousand miles an hour as she furiously sketched in her portfolio. The seminar was held once a year. The dean invites major fashion icons to talk at it, she couldn’t even begin to speculate on how much information she would be able to gain from the three hour long event. Her excitement was not just her own, she could see it in the eyes of her classmates as they all waited for the inevitable hour to fall upon them. It was like she was back at her first day of school, bubbly and unable to contain the bright smile that spread across her cheeks. Each class that passed went by all too slowly for her liking, as her mind was only focused on figuring out which of the celebrities of the fashion world would be invited to it that day.

“Marinette, yo, earth to Marinette.” A hand before her face, waving back and forth in an attempt to catch her attention, brought her mind back to the present and had her squeaking in surprise as she jumped in her seat. Michal stood before her, an unsure smile upon his lips as he held out a cup of cocoa from her favorite shop out to her. She took it with a smile and pressed the rim of the cup to her lips, wincing as the hot liquid scorched the tip of her tongue before humming in satisfaction as the rich sweetness of the drink filled her mouth.

“Thanks Michal.” She said as she saluted him with the cup, he chuckled and grabbed his own cup of coffee from the desk behind him to answer her salute with one of his own.

“You seemed to have your head in the clouds, didn’t even notice me come back with your order. I thought something was up but you were smiling…” He explained before cutting himself off with a drink from his own cup. She smiled apologetically as she held her own warm cup in both hands. The warmth felt good on her palms, especially when compared to the chilling weather outside the classroom.

“I was thinking about the seminar today, I am excited to see who they got this year to talk to us.” She explained as she rested her hands and cup on the table before her slowly, “I heard that last year they had Nadia Chouphăn. She’s the second top designer in all of Paris, I wonder who could possibly be talking to us this year.”

“Oh yeah, Nadia, she talked to us about the importance of relaxing into the art during the sketch phase. She said that it’s easy to stress yourself out over your art so you really should have a page or even an entire notebook dedicated to ‘scribbling out the stress’ as she put it.” She chuckled as he copied the woman’s high pitched Italian voice when quoting her. Michal smirked as he watched her and took another sip from his coffee cup.

“Are you guys talking about the seminar, I hear that the head of Agreste is coming this year.” Marinette glanced up at a cute blonde girl, one from her first class. Her bright blue eyes and high ponytail reminded her a lot of a certain blonde who use to torture her in her early years of school, but her sweet smile brought memories of Alya to her mind.

“Oh yeah, I wonder what he’s going to talk about.” Michal murmured as he rubbed his chin between his thumb and fingers, “I’m Michal by the way, this is Marinette.” he added as he moved his hand from his chin to rest it on Marinette’s shoulder. She jumped a bit at the contact, but seeing the warm smile on his face had her relaxing and turning her attention back onto the girl.

“I’m Therisa.” She flashed Marinette another bright smile after introducing herself, “I think we actually share a class together, you’re a first year too right?”

“Yeah, I am.” Marinette held her hand out in offer to shake the girls, she gave her the best friendly smile she could as Therisa accepted her offer eagerly. Michal was quiet during all of this, but his hand did not leave her shoulder even as it moved along with her arm during the quick handshake. She glanced up to see him taking another drink from his cup as he glanced around the room at the other students. Murmurs of conversation reached their ears, the excitement for the event planned for the day sending a buzz of energy through everyone. Marinette could feel it in herself too, perhaps more so upon hearing that one of her old best friends would be talking to them. She had not seen Adrien in a few years. Giddiness did not describe how she felt knowing she would get to see how he had handled himself in the absence of his cruel father but it was as close to it as she could describe. Would he talk about the business side or the creative side of running a company she wondered as she ran her thumb across the band around her cup of cocoa.

“I hope that we get close to the podium, I have been a fan of Adrien Agreste since I was like twelve.” Therisa gushed, her eyes practically sparkled as she spoke. Marinette felt a small chuckle escaping her lips before she could stop it. Of course a fair number of the girls attending this university would be fans of his from his modeling years, herself included, she wondered if she ever looked so awestruck by him back then. If she judged solely on how much Alya teased her about it, she would have to say yes.

“I don’t think he will be signing autographed photos from magazines or anything like that.” Michal shrugged as he spoke, “I am pretty sure it will be like last year where they just talk to you guys and then go wherever they go afterwards. We certainly didn’t get a chance to really get close to our speakers.” His words made her heart sink a little, true she should have expected something like that but in the back of her mind she had hoped to at the very least exchange a quick greeting with Adrien once again. Of course they wouldn’t stick around after speaking though, the fashion industry was an ever evolving career, and that left little time for anyone to waste when they were apart of it. She sank down a bit in her chair, pulling Michal’s attention to her slightly subdued posture.

“Well, I know that.” Therisa huffed, oblivious to Marinette’s change in mood, “I just want to get a good look at him is all. He isn’t really public much anymore and personally I want to see how much he’s changed over the years.”

Marinette wanted to join in on their conversation, but the same second she opened her lips to speak a loud ringing echoed throughout the room. She jumped in her seat and grabbed the back of her chair, preparing to push herself to her feet as her eyes searched for the source of the sound. The others did not look as shocked as she felt over the shrill noise, and that realization had her cheeks warming exponentially.

“Akuma alert drill.” Therisa rolled her eyes as she spoke. Michal seemed to copy her sentiment with a deep and annoyance filled sigh.

“Akuma alert? Wait didn’t uh… wasn’t the threat defeated years ago?” Marinette stumbled over her words, only adding to the warmth in her cheeks as she looked between the two who had been holding a friendly conversation moments before.

“Yeah, Ladybug was amazing back then.” Michal nearly purred his words.

“No way, Chat Noir was the bad ass during that fight. He nearly cataclysm-ed Hawkmoth like woosh!” Therisa countered, complete with a quick arm movement to act out Chat’s signature move.

“Ladybug was like, the leader of that team. She was the one that could really stop them!” Michal was quick to jump to Marinette’s old alter ego’s defense.

“If Ladybug is so great then where is she now huh? Not defending Paris.” Therisa countered as she crossed her arms. Marinette squirmed in her seat as she listened to them having the same arguments that she use to have to listen to as a teen, albeit slightly different as they weren’t comparing the two heroes strengths.

“Have you seen an akuma lately? Besides even the Ladyblog said that she left to protect another country.” Michal snorted as Therisa rolled her eyes. Marinette groaned softly as she slid further down in her seat, now they were bringing up Alya’s blog, just when would she be able to escape her past?

“What do you think Marinette? Chat Noir is the better superhero right? I mean he is still around after all.” Therisa was looking dead at her as she spoke, causing Marinette to feel like she was being interrogated about her past. She was more than willing to jump to Chat’s defense, though the way that Michal was looking at her told her he expected her to join him in defending her own honor.

“I think, I think they worked well as a team. Neither of them were more important than the other, but Chat is doing better on his own now that the akuma’s aren’t a threat anymore.” Marinette went with the only option she felt that she had. It was the same option she had used many times in her youth, although back then there were far fewer Chat supporters. She had to admit, at least to herself, that it felt nice to see him finally having the amount of support she always thought he deserved.

“So you’re saying that if the akumas came back then Ladybug would be the more important one right?” Michal prodded.

“No, no that’s not what I meant. They worked well together, we shouldn’t be pitting them against each other like they aren’t partners.” Marinette stammered quickly. Her eyes flicked to the crowd of students slowly making her way out of the classroom as she quickly formed a plan to escape the conversation, “Shouldn’t we be going?” She motioned towards the crowd as she spoke, breathing a sigh of relief as the other two nodded in answer of her question. They moved as a small group towards the front of the classroom, Marinette lagging slightly behind the two who were still arguing over which hero was the best, her mind was on Chat now and her body felt heavier and heavier with each step that she took. Chat was probably busy patrolling the majority of the city alone at that moment. She use to take half the city, the half where her old school and her parents bakery rested in, but since her retirement he had taken up her post as well.

The class was herded out of their room and down the hallway to the commons area of the wing they were currently in. She found herself near the wall, off to one side with Michal standing almost uncomfortably close to her. She did not protest their closeness however, with the amount of people packed into the small room she could understand it. His hand brushed against hers and she pulled her hand away quickly, covering up the action by tucking a stray hair behind her ear as he glanced her way with slight confusion in his eyes. She smiled shyly as she turned away from him, unsure how to tell him that contact like that made her nervous. She had never pursued any form of intimate relationship, not since the night she left Chat after seeing him being carted to the nearest operating room as he bled out. She had decided that night that he was better off without her, and that she was better off without anyone at all.

“Are you okay?” He asked her as the professors began giving the students instructions on what to do if akumas ever came back.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I mean I’m o-okay.” she mumbled quickly as she felt her face warming once again. Of course he would notice she was acting weird and question her. They were being forced together by the sheer amount of bodies around them and she was acting as if the slightest contact from him was dangerous. She tried to laugh it off but found herself looking away from him awkwardly as the moment stretched on. She hoped that she wasn’t setting up the basis for their friendship in this way, if he was going to be her partner for a full semester then she really needed to be able to be relaxed around him. Marinette knew this but, she just couldn’t help pulling away from him as his hand made contact with her, it was an odd chilling sensation that left her more confused than anything else.

“You sure?” he asked as he tilted his head to get a better look at her face. She just nodded and gave him a small smile in return, her words failing her as a strange sense of foreboding filled her mind causing cold shivers to run down her spine. She looked up at the professor in the front of the group, he was standing on a coffee table and speaking to them about what to do in an emergency situation, not just akuma related ones, but his exact words just weren’t registering in her mind as she stared blankly ahead. Her hope was that Michal would take her hint and not press her for further information on her current state of mind, for she couldn’t honestly get her jumbled thoughts in order well enough to begin to explain it to him.

When they were finally allowed to leave the common room, Marinette knew in her heart she would be late to the seminar. Everyone was moving so slowly out of the room that she doubted any of the ones who were forced to the back of the line, much like she was, were not going to be getting a place close to the podium. She kept her eyes on her phone’s screen as she walked across the courtyard, hoping that by paying attention to the time she could somehow slow it down in some way. She had grown used to being late to practically everything during the first year of her retirement, but she thought she was getting better about being on time. Days like this one made her realize that there was nothing she could do about being late to something she was excited about if fate didn’t deem it to be. She sighed, letting out a puff of steam that soon faded away to nothing before her eyes, and glanced up at the building she was currently headed towards. Students lined the stone steps leading up to the front doors, some even standing in the grassy areas that were perfectly landscaped on either side of them, all moving in like a slow tide in hopes of getting a seat in the conference room. She held no hope of that for herself. The knowledge that her year was the largest class to date told her that there would be quite a few of their numbers standing in the back of the room and craning their necks in hopes of catching sight of this year’s speakers. She knew that she would be apart of those numbers and silently grieved her position. Marinette had not seen Therisa since the akuma Alert Drill, she hoped that the girl who seemed to be in the running for Chat Noir’s number one fangirl managed to get a good spot. Afterall, she seemed so excited to see Adrien even if she couldn’t speak to him herself, it warmed Marinette’s heart to see someone so fiercely adamant about her adoration for both of Marinette’s old friends.

She made it to the bottom step in time to hear the dean’s voice calling out an alert for all first year students to get a place in the conference room or risk missing out on this year’s seminar. Her pulse sped at the sound and she found herself taking two steps at a time only to be stopped by a wall of bodies that were not moving for her or anyone else. She puffed out her cheeks in irritation, by the looks of it she would be one of the one’s left out of the room entirely. The students were moving again, allowing her to take one step closer to the door. She couldn’t even see past the mass of bodies before her. She longed for the warmth of her long finished drink, her palms would certainly not be stinging with the bite of the cold wind drifting across the courtyard if she had her cup to hold between them.

Her hands were shaking with cold as she pushed them into the pockets of her faux fur lined jacket. The foresight that it took to wear it was not her own, in fact she nearly rushed out of her apartment that morning without thinking about the weather before Tikki stopped her at the door and demanded she cover herself properly for the day. Tikki truly cared for her still, in a motherly way that made her feel the warmth of her home at the slightest touch from the kwami. It caused a small smile to spread across her lips as she ran her finger over Tikki’s head and felt her nuzzle into the touch.

The crowd was moving again, agonizingly slowly for Marinette who was sure that she would not have the slightest chance of even getting into the seminar at all at this point. There was just so many students ahead of her and she doubted the capacity of the room. Those thoughts were just causing her lips to pull into a firm frown when the sea of bodies surged forward quickly. Her brows raised at the sudden change in energy around her and she looked down to her pocket quickly to see Tikki poking her head out of it enough to give her a small shrug in answer to her silent question. Even without being Ladybug, luck seemed to still be on her side for the most part.

She managed to work her way inside the room, finding a spot near the back wall was a bit harder yet she trusted that the stroke of luck had not yet run its course. She found herself positioned under a portrait of the universities first dean, a clear line of sight to the podium allowing her to see the speakers even if she couldn’t hear them that well. Her classmates half whispered conversations drowned out the sounds coming from the sound system located on the raised platform that the guest speakers were currently sitting on. She saw a flash of honey blonde hair and felt a faint fluttering in her heart as Adrien’s face filled her mind. She tilted her head to get a better view just as a large built young man stepped into her line of sight and she felt her lips fall into a frown of disappointment.

“Oh man he is so cute!” A girl nearby her nearly squealed as she pointed to the podium. Marinette didn’t have to question what brought on that reaction, Adrien had always been popular on looks alone, even if no one ever got to really know him as the kind hearted boy she was lucky enough to be friends with, they still admired him from afar for his natural good looks.

“I put in my bid for the internship this year.” Another girl commented as she crossed her arms before her chest. A cocky half smile played across the girls dark lips, who clearly thought that she would get the position without even trying.

“I put mine in too, I guess we are competing huh?” There was a third girl, a meek looking mousy haired girl who was just slightly taller than Marinette and who seemed to want to join in their conversation. Marinette felt her heart go out to the girl who reminded her a lot of Juleka, an old classmate that she had not seen in a few years.

“Psh, I have it in the bag, there is no competition.” The second girl bragged loudly, causing many to turn their attention on the group beside Marinette. Marinette decided that she did not like the second girl very much, She pulled her lips into a tight line as she studied them as well. The murmurs increased around her, making it difficult for her to make out anything any one single person was saying. She squeezed herself closer to the wall as she studied the people standing around her. The room felt all too full and she her breaths felt shallow as the sheer amount of bodies left the air thin.

“How can you be so sure you’ll get a spot?” The first girl asked as she stepped between the second and third girls to block them from each other.

“Obviously because my designs are amazing and I modeled them for my submission. Can you imagine, a couple years from now I will be a designer and model and you two will be… well like working in a shop or something.” The second girl laughed after that, covering her mouth with one hand while the other rested on her hip. It reminded Marinette of Chloe, who used to always put others around her down and inflate her own ego. Fueled by the memories of the blonde, Marinette stepped up to rest her on the third girl’s shoulder.

“I am sure that confidence is a must, especially in this industry,” Marinette began, pulling the attention of all three girls to her as she spoke. She took a moment to take in a calming breath before continuing, “however, a poor attitude towards those who you may end up working beside or even for in the future will not help you get your foot in the door. It is a good thing to believe in yourself, but do you really think it is a good idea to put down those around you?” The three seemed shocked by her words for a moment before the one who had been bragging smirked and cocked out one hip as her arms crossed before her chest.

“And you are?” she asked as she moved one arm to motion towards Marinette as a whole. Marinette felt her cheeks warm as she watched the girl scrutinizing her in such a way, the motion bringing her back to her teen years when Chloe and her friends would look at the raven haired girl in much the same way. Marinette would not give in to this girl just as she had not given into Chloe all those times before.

“I am Marinette, and like you and everyone else in this room I am striving to be a fashion designer. Unlike you however, I do not go around putting others down to make myself look good. If you think you have to do so then I am sure that Adr- Mr. Agreste would not want you anywhere near his business.” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest as well as she spoke, and stared hard into the girl’s golden brown eyes without so much as blinking. Everyone around them did not look away as the two stared one another down, neither of them wanting to be the one to back down from the silent battle of wills.

“You have a lot to learn if you think there is any room to be ‘nice’ in the fashion industry.” The girl said after their staring contest stretched on to an uncomfortable amount of time, “You aren’t going to get anywhere important if you think you can just praise everyone. Critics will eat you alive and you will be tossed out by the likes of Adrien Agreste.” She moved in close to Marinette as she spoke, sneering as she stared down the Marinette with her hands on her hips. Marinette did not back away from her aggressive move, instead straightening her shoulders and attempted to make herself look even taller than she was.

“I seriously doubt that,” she sighed as she spoke, making it clear that the girls words were an outcry of a child at best to her, “If you think that having a nasty attitude will help you get on top you are going to be disappointed, especially when that attitude leaks into your designs.” A low chorus of students ‘oooo’-ing followed her words, Marinette felt her lips twitch towards a smile at the sound before she forced them back into a thin line. She wasn’t the kind of girl to relish in another person’s pain, even if that person was being stuck up or mean to someone else.

There was some sort of argument going on in the back of the room, from where Adrien sat beside the dean of students he couldn’t see who was having the argument but he could see the crowd of students turning to watch it as it continued on. The dean was shifting beside him, attempting to figure out what was going on in the back of the room without allowing the students to see him just yet. Adrien was interested in what was going on as well, albeit for a different reason.

“I wouldn’t be openly telling people what you think Adrien would want! Talk about nastiness leaking into your designs? I bet yours look like you took a dump in a sketchbook.” A shrill girls voice echoed through the room as she shouted at whoever she was having the argument with. It came shortly after a collective “oooo” from the back of the room so he could only assume the girl was on the losing side of the fight. A murmur filled the room shortly after the outburst and a few people nearby him began asking others what was going on in the back. He leaned forward, resting his cheek on his fist as he tried to cover up for the fact that he was listening in to their hushed conversations. From what he could gather, one girl who a few noted for being generally soft spoken during their first day had been in the middle of being put down rudely by another when someone stepped in to defend the first and tell the second off. He smiled at the thought. Marinette used to be like that when they were in school together and he was glad to see that even in a place like this someone was willing to stand up for others no matter what.

The first speaker, a dark skinned bald man who wore a large hoop of gold in one ear, stood and moved to the podium before them. The action blocked Adrien’s view of what was going on and brought the blonde back to the present. He coughed into his hand and shifted so he was sitting a bit straighter in his chair as he locked his eyes on the back of the man’s soft purple shirt. His speech on the importance of looking forward in fashion was speaking and in a voice so monotone that Adrien felt his eye’s drooping as he attempted to follow the man’s words. The argument that had caught his attention seemed to stop as soon as the man stood, but he wouldn’t have minded if it had continued, at least then he would have something for his mind to cling onto that wasn’t slowly putting him to sleep.

“...With that said however, I would like to introduce you to someone who has been in this industry practically since the day he was born. This man has overcome a downfall that I would not wish on anyone, and has often helped my own designers with his wonderful intern program. Ladies and Gentlemen, and those who aren’t apart of either of those restraining genders, may I introduce, Adrien Agreste of the Agreste Fashion.”

Adrien jerked his head upwards at the sound of his name. The man was looking at him with a bright smile and the students were all clapping wildly, some even cheering, as he pushed himself up from his seat and gave them a small wave in return. Praise wasn’t something he was used to after all the years he had spent on the other side of the camera, the sounds of the students excitement in seeing him brought with them memories of the past, when no one really saw past his face, past the false persona his father so carefully crafted for him.

“I would like to say good afternoon to each of you.” He began as he stepped up to the podium, his fingers wrapped around its wooden edges as he leaned forward to get closer to the small microphone. “As I look over each of your faces today, I think back to my own start. I wasn’t always the CEO of my own company you see. It took hard work, a bit of luck, and trust in wonderful creators much like yourselves.” He paused to take a breath and scanned over the crowd before him. A few cheerful girls shouted their love for him as he did this, but he had grown used to ignoring such exclamations while he was still a model under his father’s thumb. “This industry cannot survive without creativity. I have been lucky enough over the years to see the flow of creativity from designers of all creeds and styles. Any one of you could go on to be the top of our industry in a few short years and I am excited to see that happen.” his eyes scanned over the back of the crowd, and stopped short when a flash of blue black hair captured his attention. It was long raven hair that was pulled up in a high ponytail yet still left fringe to fall around the eyes of the woman it belonged to, framing them perfectly as if she were painted by a classical artist with an expert eye for beauty. Marinette was smiling gently as she watched him. The smile made him feel lighter just by seeing it upon her lips. He felt his own lips pull into a small smile as his tongue darted out to run across his bottom lip. “Many of you here may think that you don’t truly have what it takes to make it in the industry, you may not feel you are hard enough or cutthroat enough to make it as far as I, and others who have come today to share their wisdom with you, have. What I have to say to that is this: just breathe. Let your imagination carry your hand across the page or your needle through the fabric. This industry doesn’t have to be for only those who wish to walk on others. You will find, when you head out to pursue your dreams, that many in the fashion scene are exceptionally willing to open up themselves to you and to teach you what you cannot learn in class. You will make friends and acquaintances who will be behind you along your journey just as you will eventually be behind others as well. Every mentor you can think of was once a student. One day some of you may be in my shoes, standing here as I am and speaking to a class who will be just as excited to hear your wisdom.”

“I Love You Adrien!” He raised a brow as a shrill cry reached his ear from the left, a blonde who was carrying a portfolio lined with images from his modeling years was practically bouncing in place as his eyes met hers. His smile turned awkward as he turned away from the fans gaze to find Marinette’s face once again. The feeling that he was lucky to have a friend in the crowd he could use as his anchor filled his soul, and he felt himself smile when he saw the raven haired woman laughing with her hand covering her lips. Her eyes met his for a moment before she looked away from him with a light dusting of pink covering her lips.

“I hope that each of you will reach your full potential.” He was off script now, not that Abigail could stop him he supposed, “I would like to tell you a story of when I was younger. I had a friend in school who was the sweetest girl you could ever ask to meet, she is also the best designer I have ever met.” There it was, he had caught Marinette’s eye once again, and even had her mouth forming into a small “o” as her own eyes widened more than he thought possible. He leaned away from the microphone as a soft chuckle slipped from his lips, “She was always willing to stand up for others, and always willing to share her creations with everyone. I know that, given she doesn’t change herself to fit a form that many think they have to take in the industry, she will go farther than I could ever dream of.” She was staring at her feet pointedly now, her arms crossed and her eyes hidden by her fringe. He pursed his lips as he realized he may have went too far by mentioning her in such a way. As he moved his gaze to look over the others in the room, he noticed a girl beside her almost looking proud and speaking with two others, though her lips moved quickly and he couldn’t make out what she was saying to them. The scene brought a nagging feeling to the back of his mind but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what memory was causing it.

“Er…” He coughed into his hand to clear his throat as he shifted his attention to the microphone rather than the eyes watching his every movement, “I know that many of the faces I see today have put in their submissions to the six month intern program at Agreste Fashion.” His eyes scanned the small slip of paper he had been given by Abigail just in case he needed notes on his next dialogue, “It is a free to join competition that I hope each and every one of you put in a submission for. The amount of talent in this room alone is astounding. I wish I could have each of you for those six months but I am afraid my company’s headquarters just isn’t equipped for that many interns.” a low chuckle reverberated through the crowd and he smiled in return. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try though, each of you should always put your best work forward and never stop trying.” Finished, he introduced the next speaker and backed away from the podium to allow the elder woman a clear line to the microphone.

The woman spoke in an excited cantor that was surprising for her age. A long speech on the importance of color theory while designing was cleverly told to the students before her as she jumped about in a frenzy that she should not have had with her old age. Adrien watched her with a small smile on his lips, she seemed to be the kind of woman that would make a good grandmother, energetic and kind. As he moved to take his seat once again, he felt a soft vibration on the side of his leg that told him someone was attempting to get a hold of him on the phone he reserved for his alter ego. He stopped just short of his rump touching the cushioned seat and turned his head towards the dean as an uneasy furrow crossed his brow.

“I am afraid I have a pressing matter I need to attend to.” He informed the older man as he shifted his weight back into a standing position, “Thank you for allowing me to speak with them today.” He added as he fished his phone from his pocket and looked down at the screen. The mayor. Of course she wouldn’t let him off the hook for even one day. With a short farewell to the dean, he made his way out of a door that rested to the right of the small raised stage they had been sitting on and pressed his thumb over the glowing green icon to answer her call.

“Mayor Raincomprix,” he sighed into the receiver as he leaned against a nearby wall. The redhead was an old classmate of his, but she would never know it was Adrien Agreste, her best friend’s old crush, that she was ordering around as Chat Noir.

“Chat, you were supposed to be at City Hall an hour ago to go over plans for increasing safety in the city with Chief Decoprux. Where are you!?” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation.

“Would you believe me if I said I was tied up with work?” He asked as he looked up towards the arched ceiling above him. He was outside the building, on a small walkway area that was covered by a lime green arch.

“You work for me. For Paris. Need I constantly remind you of that Mr. Noir?” Venom dripped from her words, if he was in his mask then he knew they would have made his ears flatten against his hair. “You need to get your leather clad tail down here now before I decide that you will have to clean up your own messes from now on.” He sighed softly and let his eyes slip closed as she threatened him. She did not know that when Adrien Agreste offered to pay for any cleanup needed if and when Chat Noir had to use his cataclysm during his duties, that it did not give her any power to take that away from Chat. It would be hard for him to explain to her just why that threat held no weight however, so with a dramatic grunt on his part, he conceded in letting her get her way once again.

“I’m on my way.” With the sound of his conformation still ringing in his ears, he hung up the phone and looked around quickly for an out of the way place to transform.

He had found the perfect nook, and was halfway across the grounds on his way to it, when he spotted her once again. Marinette. She was walking with her head down and her phone held out before herself. She had left the seminar early it seemed. He found himself moving towards her when he spotted a brunette young man rushing right at the raven haired girl. He stopped short when he watched the other male wrap her in a large bear hug from behind and lift her off the ground.

“Mari.” Adrien winced at the sound of the other male calling her by the nickname she had went by when they were younger. He felt as if he were intruding on a private moment between the two.

“Michal, what’s the problem? I just got your text…”

Adrien had already turned his back on them but could not bring himself to continue towards his chosen spot when he heard her question. That guy had called her out of the seminar? Were they together? He hadn’t been part of the old group for a long while but he was sure he would have been told by either Alya or Nino if Marinette suddenly had a new man in her life, right?

“Kid, the mayor?” Plagg poked his head out of Adrien’s shirt pocket to remind him just why he should ignore the scene playing out before him. Adrien felt his heart sink with the weight of everything piling onto him as he forced his legs to carry him to the spot he had chosen. He didn’t pay attention to his kwamis muttered grumbles about what they had seen. He was far to busy thinking of how he should have tried harder to stay in the loop with the only group of friends he had ever considered true to him.

“Plagg, transform me.” He muttered under his breath the second he was in the shadows of the small nook situated between two buildings. A bright green light surrounded him as his clothes morphed into the black leather like suit that Chat Noir was known for. He opened his eyes just as the mask materialized around them and felt his faux cat ears twitch towards the sound of the conversation he never really meant to eavesdrop on.

“...tonight? I um, I don’t know. I mean we do have a lot of homework…” Marinette’s voice seemed meek and unsure to him, filling his mind with memories of her talking to him in the same way back when they were still kids. He felt his ears flatten as he thought of all the times he avoided hanging out with the group in school because she seemed scared of him. Was she scared of this guy as well?

“It’s just coffee Mari, besides I can walk you home and help you out with homework afterwards.” The guy seemed desperate, even if Chat couldn’t see his face at that point he could imagine the large pleading eyes he must be flashing towards her at that moment.

“I don’t really like coffee…” She was still speaking in her soft uncomfortable tones that let him know the other guy wasn’t exactly making her feel safe in that moment.

‘You don’t have to drink coffee. Come on Mari, I just want to hang out. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.” Chat frowned as his brows pulled close together, does the guy not know what ‘no’ means?

“Fine, one hour, then I have to go home.” They walked past his hiding spot as Mari said this, giving him a perfect view of her uncomfortable frown and downcast eyes as the other guy hung his arm around her shoulder eagerly. Chat’s fists clenched at his sides as they moved out of his line of sight. What he had witnessed definitely left a sour taste in the back of his mouth, but he would have to put any thoughts on that on the back burner of his mind for now. He had to do his duty to the city first, then he could investigate what was going on with his friend.

The Parisian horizon at night was lovely, a thick velvet dark blue skyline offset by the bright twinkling lights across the city with the Eiffel Tower at its centerpiece could bring thoughts of love and happiness to anyone’s mind. Chat could understand why his home was known as the City of Love to the rest of the world as he perched on the roof of the small apartment building. He was soaking in the sights around him as he silently waited for the two he had been following all night to come up on their inevitable stop. He knew where Marinette lived after his alter ego, Adrien, helped her move in. The memory of the frosting fight the four of them had gotten into that night after Marinette presented them with a large cake as a thank you gift brought a small smile to his lips. It had been one of the last times the four of them were together, and something he needed desperately back then as he was still processing the fact that it was his own father attacking Paris and attempting to get his and Ladybug’s Miraculous. It was his contact with his friends that truly pulled him through that dark time in his life. Without Nino insisting he continue to go out with them and Alya as well as Marinette insisted that they wanted him around still, he would have fallen into a deep depression that would be so complete even Plagg would not have been able to reach him.

“I told you it would be fun, you needed to relax.” Chat’s ears perked as the voice of the male who had been pestering Mari reached his ears. He leaned over the edge of the building to see the brunet with his arm over Marinette’s shoulder once again. They were walking close together as they made their way down the sidewalk towards her building, but only he seemed comfortable in the situation. She was withdrawn, her head pointed down as she hugged her arms to herself while she walked.

‘I’m not sure your friends were happy to see me there.” She mumbled the words. Chat doubted that her current companion could hear her, but thanks to his magically gifted cat ears, he could. She was unhappy about the night’s events. He could relate. After meeting with the Mayor, who he preferred without the long ponytail that reminded him of his childhood friend, he had returned to Agreste Fashion and had dealt with Abigail’s near breakdown about the lack of a particular fabric. He had to bribe Plagg with two weeks worth of camembert cheese, which was much more than one would think, even to transform for this side job he had given himself.

“They were! They just don’t show it well..” The guy at her side chuckled as he scratched at the base of his neck. She shrugged in return and let out a soft sigh of displeasure.

“Oh, this is my place. Thanks for walking me home Michal.” Marinette moved away from him as she spoke and the look on the man’s face when she turned her back to him made Chat’s blood run cold. It was a boiling anger in his deep brown eyes, and it really caused Adrien to fear for his friend’s wellbeing. He was so taken by the man’s expression that he almost didn’t notice what he was doing with his hands. Almost.

He was holding one hand at his side while the other was stuffed into the pocket of his jeans. The hand held at his side was balled into a fist for a moment after Marinette headed inside without him, but to Chat’s short lived confusion, soon he was holding out one finger, then another and another, each digit being pulled from the fist after the same amount of time that it would take someone to make it up a flight of stairs. Chat wanted to growl as he came to the realization that this Michal was counting to see which floor Marinette lived on. He knew that the stairs in her building were lined with windows, he even knew that the building didn’t have an elevator. The memory of Nino complaining about that fact as he and Adrien hauled a couch up to her new home filled his mind as he thought over these facts. Marinette had not invited him in, meaning that she wasn’t quite ready to show the guy where she lived. The fact that he was standing on the sidewalk counting each floor she passed in the windows as she made her way up the stairs was creepy to say the least. He felt useless as he watched Michal’s lips pull into a sideways smirk before the brunet male turned and made his way back down the sidewalk towards the direction they had just come from.

Once he was out of sight Chat let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something bad was going to happen to Marinette. Poor, sweet, always-ready-to-help Marinette. He could feel his hands shaking with emotions he could not pinpoint in that moment.

Maybe that was why he scaled the other side of the building and knocked lightly on the window leading into her living room. He talked himself out of simply leaving four times in the short six minutes it took for her drapes to open and her eyes to lock onto his own. She wasn’t in the clothes he had seen her in last. Instead she was wearing a loose grey shirt with a pair of cat ears stitched above her right breast, a pair of light pink sweatpants with the word Star running down the right leg, and the cutest pair of bunny slippers Chat had ever seen.

“Chat Noir?” Her confusion laced voice pulled him from the study of her clothes and back up to her face. He noticed now, how little makeup she wore, her freckles clear and sprinkled over her nose and cheekbones only caused her bluebell eyes to sparkle more than he thought possible. Her hair was down, hanging about her shoulders in much longer locks than she had had the last time he saw her, and her lips did not hold the baby pink hues that he saw earlier that day. They reminded him of a fine rosé wine at their current state. It was harder than he would like to admit, to pull his eyes away from her lips and return her confused stare with what he hoped to be a friendly smile. They were friends after all. Yes, friends… nothing more. Just good friends.

“H-hey Princess, just checking in on you.” He chuckled around his words, a nervous tick that he always followed up with scratching the area below his ponytail, and that moment was no exception.

“What, you were just patrolling and thought ‘geez I should check in on Marinette ?” She asked, emphasizing her name like he didn’t already know it. However, just as she had done in her teenage years, she opened the window wide enough for him to slip through and stepped aside. They had grown used to his visiting her long before Hawkmoth was defeated. Marinette was acting on pavlovian instincts at this point, he knew this even as he followed his own and scampered inside. Though even as Chat, he had not seen her in years, it was all so natural that neither of them could stop themselves from going through the motions.

Her home was warm, small, and quaint, with an air that simply sang with the word Marinette . Just placing his feet down on her floor was so relaxing that he felt his once tensed with emotion muscles loosen instantly. She was halfway across the room now, pulling a pair of mugs down from her cabinet that he recognized from their youth. Memories of drinking cocoa out of the thick black mug on top of the bakery with her sitting beside him and simply talking about her day warmed him better than the drink ever could. She shot him a gentle smile as she sat the mugs on her tiny island that separated her living room and kitchen. That smile brought with it memories of nights that she was the one to lifts his spirits when even Nino couldn’t.

“Do you still like marshmallows in your cocoa?” She asked, breaking into his thoughts and causing him to jump slightly at the sound.

“Yeah.” He replied after taking a moment to focus on what her question was. She chuckled at his response and pulled a bag of tiny marshmallows from another cabinet to lay them out beside the mugs. He moved to sit on one of her two barstools as she worked. She was humming softly to herself as she boiled a small pot of milk on her stove.

“Should I ask if you want your cocoa with your marshmallows?” She teased, turning to look at him over her shoulder as she asked the question only to look quickly away when their eyes met. He chuckled awkwardly as he scratched below his ponytail and allowed his eyes to drift down to the well used mug resting on the islands wooden top.

“I wasn’t that bad.” He insisted as he looked up at her back, watching her hair sway gently as she worked. He rested his cheek against his palm as she giggled softly and shook her head at his words.

“Right, not bad at all. Mama thought I had a serious problem due to your totally reasonable amount of marshmallows.” Her voice was softer than before, a bit more withdrawn like she was thinking of something else entirely. His lips slipped into a soft frown as her gentle humming ceased along with her slow stirring of the milk. “I’m sorry, Chat.” She murmured after a few silent seconds.

“What, why would you be sorry Princess?” He asked, genuinely confused by her words and showing it through his brows that pulled together to form a dip in his mask just above the bridge of his nose. She sighed and turned to face him as she lifted one hand to motion around herself aimlessly.

“Everything.” she said after taking a moment to inhale a deep and shaking breath, “I’m just… sorry for everything.” She hugged her arms to herself as she spoke and looked at her mug like it personally offended her. He bit his lip as his eyes narrowed at her response. How could she make him feel even more confused than before?

“You don’t have to apologize for anything.” He looked away from her downcast eyes as he spoke, and found his attention caught by a picture frame surrounded by colorful faux flowers. He was just scanning over the smiling faces of his three best friends when her voice brought his attention back to her saddened face.

“I do though,” she was twirling a few strands of hair around her fingers as she spoke. Her eyes didn’t leave her mug and her lips were pulled into a thin line, “I wish that…” she shook her head as if to clear her jumbled thoughts. A second later she held a smile on her lips that he could tell she wasn’t putting her heart into. “Nevermind, long week, sorry.” She quickly said as she waved her hands absently before herself, “Ready for cocoa?”

He wanted to ask her what was bothering her so much-she seemed so happy during the seminar earlier that same day, but he felt trapped. As Chat he shouldn’t know that she was acting differently than she had just hours before, he knew that but still his body betrayed his mind.

“Are you okay?” The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Silence followed for an agonizingly long moment as many emotions crossed over her face so quickly he couldn’t decipher what any one of them meant.

“I’m fine.” The smile that didn’t reach her eyes was back on her lips, her words forced and her voice pitched in a way that broke his heart. He decided then that he would be back. He would visit her as Chat until she became comfortable enough to open up to him once again.

Chapter 4: Nagging Feelings

Chapter Text

Marinette woke up in a haze, Chat had visited her last night and she had ended up staying awake far later than she intended just to finish up her homework that was due at the end of the week. Between Michal’s insistence of her joining him on an outing with his old friends and her own old friend taking up a couple of hours reminiscing over cocoa, she was exhausted. Chat looked as uncomfortable as she felt during most of their conversation, leaving her confused and worried about his well being. Tikki had stayed hidden in her purse the entire time that Chat was in her apartment, zipping out to question her about him when he climbed out of her window shortly before midnight. Between Tikki’s worry filled questions and the papers she had due for her classes, Marinette barely got even a hint of sleep that night.

She prepared for the day in a haze, still caught up on what had happened the night before. Her musings almost causing her to miss the rose tucked into her door’s marker as she exited her apartment. A simple ribbon of red was tied around the rose with her name written on it in black felt tip pen. She saw it when she turned to make sure that her door was locked tight for the day. Thoughts that maybe Chat left it for her brought a small smile to her lips before a cursory glance down the hall showed her each and every door sported a rose for whoever lived beyond them. The realization killing any chance in her mind that Chat left it for her, and sent her lips slipping into a small frown as she plucked the flower from her door. It was a simple gift, but the reason behind it was hidden to her. She glanced down either side of the hall once again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the one who left the roses on the doors, when she had no such luck she let out a slow and slightly annoyed sigh before tucking the rose into her purse beside a dozing Tikki.

She still had the rose on her mind as she stepped into the courtyard of ESMOD that morning. Her sluggish behavior was mirrored by many of her fellow students who washed past her like a wave breaking on a rock at the edge of the sea. The thought brought images of sea foam green skirts and deep grey tops to her mind, she couldn’t wait to sit down in her first class so she could sketch the images out for later. The idea of the outfit put a slight skip in her step as she approached the main building of the university.

“Morning Mari!” She nearly jumped out of her skin when an arm wrapped around her shoulder, she had been so distracted by her ideas for a new outfit that she had not noticed Michal’s approach at all.

“Morning.” she replied after taking a moment to yawn, “did you sleep well?” she asked halfway through another yawn. He smiled and draped his arm over her shoulder as he tended to do and turned her towards her first class, how he knew to turn her that way she couldn’t discern.

“Better than you did it seems.” He gave her a warm smile as they headed towards the door of the wing where her class resided.

“Long night, a lot of homework kept me awake.” Marinette couldn’t tell him she was up so late due to a certain hero deciding to pay her a visit, and he didn’t question her lie one bit. In fact his smile seemed wider as she spoke and he was studying her face carefully as if he was afraid he would never see her again. “This is my class.” she said in a hushed and anxious voice when his stare became too much for her.

She didn’t wait for him to answer her, instead she pulled her bag closer to herself and turned quickly to enter her classroom door. Maria, a kind girl who both looked and acted like her old friend Rose, was standing near it when she walked in. She gave the blonde a small smile as she moved to walk past her and to her sear, only to stop short when Maria grabbed ahold of her upper arm.

“Are you okay?” The question took Marinette by surprise and had her raising her eyebrows towards her hairline as her eyes opened wider than ever.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Marinette began, then stopped when she saw where Maria was looking. Marinette turned her head towards the door to see Michal standing there scowling at her. His face melded into a bright smile the second he saw her looking, then he was gone.

“He looked really angry.” Maria explained softly. “It’s not really like you not to say goodbye to your boyfriend either.

“My boy-” Marinette let out a soft chuckle as she shook her head, “no no, Michal is just a good friend of mine, that’s all. I don’t have time for boys.”

“Oh, I just assumed… I mean you two are always together lately.” Maria gave her a small shrug. Marinette answered her with a smile and a shrug of her own before she moved to her seat.

In the following weeks Marinette found herself growing paranoid. Her walks home had become later in the night due to the fashion club that she had joined running so late. Michal had offered to wait and walk her home every day but she had refused him, not wanting anyone else to get the wrong idea and assume their friendship was something more. The sun was just starting to set when she found herself walking out of the school every day, and by the time she got to her apartment once again night had settled in like a warm blanket. She wasn’t worried about it being night, she had spent many nights on the rooftops of the buildings she now walked past in her youth. No, what was making her skin crawl on those walks home was the distinct feeling that someone was watching her the entire way.

Marinette was surprised then, when at the end of the fourth week she found none other than the city’s black clad superhero sitting on her fire escape after coming home. He was hunched and curled in on himself, appearing to have fallen asleep on the cold metal stairs that he was perched on. She slowly made her way to the window that she was spying him through. Her brows furrowed as she pulled it open and leaned her head out into the crisp night air.

“Chat?” she called, watching the male jump at the sound of her voice. He turned to look at her as he blinked the sleep away from his eyes. “What are you doing out there?” she asked as she leaned out slightly to look around and make sure no one was watching from below them.

“Mmh?” Chat turned to face her quickly at the sound of her voice and gave her a small sleepy smile. “Hey there Princess, sorry to intrude.” He murmured as he crawled through her open window only to fall flat on his face on her couch.

“Chat Noir, what’s wrong?!” Marinette exclaimed as she rushed to his side, he only groaned and rolled his head so he could breathe better. There was sweat dampening his face and running over his mask. Marinette reached out to slowly wipe away the wetness on his skin as her face fell into a frown. “What happened?” She asked softly.

“Long day.” Chat’s voice wafted on the breeze that brushed past his lips and over her face. She could smell a faint trace of vomit that lingered on him. He was clearly sick, Marinette confirmed this by resting her palm on his forehead and feeling the burning heat that rested under his skin.

“You have a fever Chat, you’ve been working too hard.” She informed him as she stood and turned to make her way to her small bathroom. She was stopped by a gloved hand on her wrist and turned her head to look down at him with a small frown upon her lips. “I need to get some medicine to get your fever down.” She told him while tugging lightly on his hand to get him to release her. His arm fell heavily beside the couch as she ran unhindered to the bathroom.

“He looks like he’s about to collapse.” Tikki said as she flew out of Marinette’s shirt pocket. Marinette nodded solemnly as she opened the mirror above her sink to reveal her medicine cabinet. She didn’t reply to the hovering kwami right away as she sorted through the pill bottles before her. Only when she found the right one and had it in her hand did she turn to look Tikki in the eye.

“His kwami-” Marinette began.

“Plagg.” Tikki said his name quickly as she crossed her tiny arms.

“Okay, Plagg. He may be sick to. I need you to go to Master Fu and see if he has any medicine that we could possibly give him without Chat knowing, maybe slip it into the pocket of his suit.” She leaned against the sinks counter as she rested her fingers against her chin in thought.

“Medicine won’t help if Plagg is sick, Master Fu would have to realign his spiritual essence. Like he did for me back when you were thirteen.” Tikki tilted her head to one side as she spoke and Marinette let out a slow sigh.

“The medicine will knock Chat out, it certainly knocks me out, do you think Master Fu could perform the spell or whatever he does while Plagg is still holding Chat’s transformation?” Marinette asked as her brows furrowed in concern.

“He should be able to.”

“Then hurry and bring him here, tell him to ring my bell and I’ll let him in. Everyone else always knocks so that will let me know it’s him.” With that Tikki was phasing through her bathroom wall and Marinette was heading the other way, back out into her hallway where she could see Chat’s unruly hair over her couch’s arm. “And here I said I didn’t have any time for boys.” She mumbled to herself as she shook her head. Chat couldn’t be put in the same box as she put the other boys in her life, he was her friend and partner. Someone she cared about deeply and wanted to see safe no matter what. Someone who not many years ago she was ready to share her deepest secret with.

He seemed to be asleep when she positioned herself beside him once again, but his right eye snapped open at the sound of the pill bottles top popping off. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she shook two pills out onto her palm and held them out to him. His mask raised around where his eyebrow would be and she let out a soft huff of annoyance as he made no move to take her offer.

“Come on Chat, you need to take this to get your fever down. I don’t need a sick cat in my apartment all weekend.” She teased as she held them closer to his face. He grunted and turned to hide his face in the pillow in response to this and she let out another angry huff. “Chat…” she hoped that a sterner tone would make him listen.

“I don’t wanna.” was his muffled reply.

“Chat Noir you take this medicine or I am taking you to the hospital.” She was beyond annoyed at this point, couldn’t he see that she wanted to help him get better? Why was he being so stubborn, he came to her didn’t he?

“I don’t want to!” He turned to look at her as he shouted the words and she sucked in a quick breath.

“You are going to take these pills one way or another.” She warned him as she crossed her arms before herself. He grunted as his eyes found the floor rather than lingering on her face.

“Why should I? Those are your basic brand of Fever reducer, lined with Codeine to help with distribution of the drug.” he began as he sucked in a shaky breath. “Codeine has many side effects such as drowsiness, lightheadedness, dizziness, slow heartbeat, sedation, shortness of breath, unusual thoughts or behavior, nausea, vomiting, flushing, vision changes… the list goes on and on.” Marinette sat there in shock as she listened to his words. It seemed Chat had picked up quite a bit of knowledge on different drugs and their uses and side effects while they were apart. “I will take that and go to sleep, then you will leave.” He said as his eyes glazed over. “Just like she did.” his voice was soft at this point and made muffled due to him hiding his face in the pillow once again.

“Chat…” she rested her hand on his shoulder and watched as he turned his face enough to stare at her with one eye. “Chat, I just want to help you get better. I’m not going anywhere I promise.” She said softly before letting a small smile cross her lips. “Well, I may go to bed but that just means I’ll be down the hall. I’m here for you okay.” He seemed to think over her words as his eye moved to look at the couch cushion below him for a moment before looking back up at her.

“Promise?” He asked softly.

“Promise.” She nodded as she spoke. Her soft word seemed to put him at ease. He pushed himself into a slouched sitting position and held out his hand as he looked down at the pill bottle on the table. She placed the pills in his palm and pushed herself into a standing position, intent on getting him a glass of water to wash them down with. When she was halfway across the room she turned to inform him of her intentions only to see him swallowing the pills dry.

“I was getting you water.” She muttered as she crossed her arms and gave him a stern look.

“No need, I’m putting you out enough as is.” He replied as he laid back down on her couch and let out a soft moan as his hands covered his stomach. She shook her head slowly and made her way back to his side. Without a word she pulled the blanket from where it was draped over the back of her couch and laid it over him gently before sitting on the edge of her small coffee table.

“Do you often have guys sleeping over on your couch?” Chat asked with a sleepy smirk.

“No, just a stray cat or two.” she replied cheekily as she watched him struggling to hold his eyes open. “Why don’t you get some sleep, never know when you have to go save some damsel in distress.” She added as she patted his head just as gently as she had covered him up.

“You remember that?” his voice was heavy with sleepiness as he asked the question.

“Of course.” she chuckled lightly as she removed her fingers from his surprisingly soft hair. “How could i forget the first time the great Chat Noir came to my rescue?” he only hummed in response, his eyes remaining closed as his breathing evened out. She watched him as he drifted off to sleep, a sad smile replacing the smirk she had when she knew he was watching. “I’m sorry Chat.” she murmured as her shoulders slumped. The ‘she’ he was referring to had to be Ladybug, which meant that her trying to distance herself from him for his own good only hurt him deep down inside.

The doorbell was louder than Marinette expected it to be, it caused her to jump and cast a worried glance at the slumbering Chat before rushing to her door. She didn’t have a chance to open the door before Tikki was flying around her face in a rush. She closed her eyes and waved her hands, trying to get her kwami to settle down.

“What’s wrong Tikki?” She asked as she finally grabbed the small creature firmly to stop her.

“I was so worried about you!” Tikki whispered quickly. “I was halfway to Master Fu’s and suddenly I had this feeling in the back of my mind like you were in danger. You don’t know how scared I was, if you were hurt and Chat was too sick to help and I wasn’t there and-”

“Tikki calm down, don’t wake Chat. I’m fine.” Marinette said quickly and as quietly as she could before turning to open the door. Master Fu was still just as she remembered him, the familiar sight brought a wave a nostalgia rushing through her and caused a small smile to play on her lips.

“Good evening Ladybug.” He said as he returned her smile, “I wish we would have met again under happier circumstances.”

“Tikki told you what’s going on?” Marinette asked as she entwined her fingers hopefully before her chest.

“Yes, no need to worry.” He said as he held up on hand. “I will do what I can without giving away who you are to him. Though I expect an explanation someday soon as to why you are withholding it from him.” As his eyes met hers, Marinette felt her cheeks warming with embarrassment.

“O-of course Master. Soon, promise.” She assured him as he made his way inside. She took her time closing the door so that she could calm her nerves before turning to see him setting up a plate of incense on her coffee table. She shifted uncomfortably where she stood by the door and, as if he could sense her unease, Master Fu glanced her way with a reassuring smile.

“Go prepare to sleep.” He told her, “I will let myself out and Tikki can lock the door. There is a chance that Chat Noir will detransform during the process and if he isn’t aware of who you are I doubt he would want you knowing who he is.” Marinette rubbed her neck shyly as he spoke and nodded to his suggestion. Before walking slowly across the room towards her hallway.

“Chat…” She stopped beside him to gather her thoughts. “He’s going to be alright, right?” she asked in a small whisper.

“He will be fine. Go get some sleep.” She didn’t wait for him to tell her again, instead she made her way quickly to her room and prepared for bed, all the while listening to the muffled sound of Master Fu’s soft chanting with a worried frown creasing her brow.

Adrien groaned as his eyes fluttered open. His neck was hanging at an odd angle and was beginning to feel sore. Plagg snoring into his ear didn’t help at all, neither did the fact that his surroundings were hidden in the blur he could see through his eyes. He grunted as he grabbed Plagg by the tail and held him close to his face so he could make out his kwami’s features. The small black cat creature looked so peaceful that Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. He had been warned by Plagg when he first found out the kwami was feeling sick, if he transformed with him in that state then he too would get the illness. But then he had a nagging suspicion that whoever the guy was who counted Marinette’s floor would return and wanted to check in on her. He should have just gone as Adrien, wanting to reconnect after years of little to no contact would have been a good enough reason. He didn’t and ended up so sick that even with the increased eyesight that being Chat Noir gave him, he found it hard to fight against the swaying surroundings he passed through.

“Plagg…” He complained as the kwami snored into his face, filling his nose with the smell of camembert cheese. “Ugh, well you seem to be feeling better.” He grunted as he moved to sit up.

It was then that he realized he was laid across a couch.

I never left Marinette’s house last night. I detransformed in my sleep. What if she saw me? Not good. The thoughts rushed through his mind as he dropped Plagg to grip his hair tightly in his hands. His eyes flicked to her hallway as he swallowed a lump that had grown in his throat.

“Plagg, Plagg wake up.” He hissed as he lifted the black cat kwami close to his face. Plagg opened one eye to look him over before closing it once again. “Come on it’s important.” Adrien poked at Plagg with his free hand as a deep frown formed on his face. Plagg only grumbled and rolled over. “Fine.” He huffed as he held the hand brandishing his ring close to his face. He called for his transformation and smirked as Plagg complained all the way into his ring. Once transformed he breathed a sigh of relief and stood to study his surroundings once more with his now enhanced eyesight. He made his way quietly through the apartment, smiling at the same pictures that he had seen a hundred times before as he walked down the hall and as silently as he could, he opened her bedroom door.

It was dark in her bedroom, but with his nightvision Chat could still make everything out as clear as day. She was still sleeping, curled on her bed with her hand resting on her phone as it sat plugged into a charger on her nightstand. Her bedroom was decorated much like the one she had at her parents house, though there was no ladder up to her bed now as it simply rested in the corner beside a pair of french doors that lead out to a small balcony covered in flowers. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that he felt like his fears for her safety the night before were reasonless and rash.

“Sweet dreams, Princess.” He said around a smile as he backed away and shut her door just as cautiously as he had opened it. It didn’t take him long to write her a thank you note and leave it beside her coffee maker. He then left her apartment the same way he came in, taking the extra time to make sure the window was securely shut behind him as well.

Adrien grumbled as he stepped into his office, his head throbbing after taking away the transformation and his eyes burning from the lack of visual aid. His assistant rushed up to him the moment he was through the front doors and handed him folder after folder of submitted designs from contest hopefuls. After a quick glance through them he noticed that he still did not see Marinette among those participating and felt his already annoying headache increase. Why didn’t she enter? She had talent, even the horrible prick that was his father said so when they were younger. Was she worried that she would be called out for knowing him personally? He shifted to hold the folders at his side as his eyes settled on Abigail once again.

“Do you know if my two o’clock is here?” He asked as he straightened his shoulders. He had to focus on work and put thoughts of his friend to the back of his mind for now, especially with who it was he was meant to see on that particular day.

“Geez Adrien, you act like we don’t already know each other or something.” Adrien turned at the sound of the low gravelly voice and gave its owner a warm welcoming smile.

“Hello Luka, been a long time.” He said as he offered the rocker a hand to shake. Luka Couffaine returned his smile with a playful smirk as he took his offered hand and shook it vigorously, the many chans on his wrist clattering together as he did so.

“I’m glad to see this place didn’t burn down while I was away.” Luka teased as they let go. Adrien chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, just below his ponytail. The memory of his half joking comment on his company the last time he saw Luka replaying in his mind all the while.

“The day’s not over yet.” Adrien replied with another soft chuckle as he motioned for Luka to follow him towards his personal elevator. The men walked across the lobby and stepped inside the metallic and mirror lined box before anyone else could stop and ask Adrien for advice on the latest line. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as his black and blue haired friend leaned against the back wall.

“It is good to be back in Paris again.” Luka broke the silence as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Touring is the worst, I can’t wait to see mom and Juleka again.”

“What about Rose?” Adrien asked, it was no secret Juleka and Rose came out as officially dating after they graduated and now lived together in the city. He was pretty sure that Luka’s mom parked her houseboat as close to their apartment as possible, she always did like Rose.

“Yeah, Rose comes with Juleka nowadays. Have you seen Mari lately?” Luka’s innocent question had Adrien swallowing back a lump in his throat.

“Ah, uh… no I can’t say I have, I heard she started going to ESMOD though so I doubt she really has a lot of time on her hands now.” Adrien quickly said. It wasn’t really a lie, he hadn’t seen her but Chat had. He could get by with that couldn’t he?

“Didn’t you talk at ESMOD recently? You didn’t go see her after? I always try to make time to hang with the old group whenever I’m in town.” Luka was more prying than Alya at this point and with the mirrored space around them Adrien had nowhere to look without seeing the rocker’s eyes on him.

“I didn’t, I am pretty busy with all this and medical school.” He grumbled, the excitement of seeing Luka again gone as he scratched away at the back of his neck. He shifted uncomfortably and covered it up by acting as if he was making sure they were headed to the right floor, all the while the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end as he felt Luka’s eyes on him.

The doors finally opened once again, much to Adrien’s relief, showing them a view of his office beyond another pair of doors made nearly entirely of glass. He stepped out quickly, not waiting for Luka to follow before throwing open the glass doors ahead of him and making his way over to his desk. The folders in his hand were thrown half heartedly on the same stack as the others when he took his seat. Luka took a bit longer to glance around the room itself, this was when Adrien noticed that the rocker still had his signature red guitar slung across his back. He wondered if the other man ever went anywhere without it as he booted up his computer and secretly slipped Plagg a piece of cheese.

It wasn’t long before Luka took a seat in one of the chairs across the desk from him, resting his instrument in the other one with more care than he showed his own body when he flopped down into the seat. They discussed the design of Luka’s outfits for his next show for close to two hours before settling on something the rocker wanted and Adrien could realistically have ready in a months time. After business was concluded Adrien got to hear a few new songs Luka was working on that had yet to even be recorded before the rocker announced he was running late for a dinner with his mother. The blonde was just beginning to relax once again around his old friend when Luka turned to him at the elevator and gave him a bright smile.

“See you around man, I’ll ask Rose to set up a lunch for all of us so we can both hang with Mari, Alya, and the others again.” He said as he gave Adrien a small wave farewell.

“Oh ah… yeah um. Sure.” Adrien stammered as he felt his face flush, Luka wanted to get the old group back together, as in the group of friends who got together every year during the music festival after his father finally allowed him to go the first time. It was a nice thought, a lunch with old friends, but none of them just spent the night on an old friends couch while half delusional with sickness and possibly gave away the secret that they were a superhero to said old friend.

Adrien on the other hand, had.

“Saturday sound good?” Luka asked, oblivious to Adriens plight.

“What? Oh, yeah, uh huh.” Adrien looked up at Luka quickly, his friends words shocking him out of his thoughts of the night before. He still worried over what Marinette had seen, and hoped that she wasn’t upset with him for hiding it for so long if she had. He would have to talk to her later, as Chat of course just to be safe, about what happened at her place the night before.

“See you then.” With that Adrien was finally alone. He slumped back into his chair and let out a long exhale that finished with a groan as he pressed the balls of his hands against his eyes, he had three days to talk to her as Chat before Luka wanted them all together for lunch. Three days. Not a lot of time to work with but he’s done more in less.

“You okay kid?” Plagg asked from where he sat in his own tiny chair on the desk.

“No.” Adrien breathed, “but I will be.”

Chapter 5: Roommates

Chapter Text

Marinette leaned back on her barstool as she stared at the message that was displayed on her phone’s screen. Alya had something important to talk to her about and was on her way over. Sweat dotted her brow as she read and reread the message once again. What could be so important that Alya skipped out on work and wanted Marinette to skip half a day of school?

Did she find out that Chat slept over here yesterday? Does she know that he visits me? How much does she know… does she know I’m…

A short series of knocks on her door yanked her from her thoughts. Tikki was hiding in her bedroom, and had been hiding for a good fifteen minutes now. Alya didn’t know, no one knew that Marinette was once the spotted hero at Chat’s side. Marinette worried that her sharp friend had somehow put two and two together and figured out her long held secret. The thoughts swirled around her mind as she made her way to the door and slowly opened it. She expected Alya to be bouncing off the walls like she always was when she found out something important, she was a reporter after all, but the Alya she met face to face was anything but.

Deep bags hung under her eyes and her glasses hungf awkwardly across her nose. Her hair was up in the usual bun but it hung sloppily at the nape of her neck her clothes looked like she had slept in them but the look on her face told Marinette that she had not slept a wink all night.

“Alya…” Marinette began only to snap her mouth shut when the other woman held up one shaking hand.

“I need a drink.” Alya said then fell into thought, “no, not alcohol, coffee… no. Can I have a glass of water?” Marinette nodded quickly to her request and moved to allow her best friend inside. She made her way to the sink and pulled a cup from her drainer before filling it with water.

“Is everything okay?” She asked worriedly as she turned to hand the cup over to Alya who had taken a seat at the bar. Alya drank nearly all of its contents and placed the cup on the counter before reaching into her purse and pulling out a plastic bag with what appeared to be a large amount of tissues inside of it.

“I just found out this morning, i had my suspicions but I didn’t… I haven’t told Nino yet.” Alya explained slowly as she pulled the tissues out of the bag and began to unwrap them. Marinette’s brow furrowed, why was her best friend so terrified over what was hidden in them?

"Did something happen?" She asked as she studied Alya's face. the reporter chuckled half heartedly as she finished unwrapping the white and pink stick and held it up to show the small digital screen on it. Two blue lines, one crossed over the other, and one vertical line stood out from the off white background. No words lingered between them as Marinette stared wide eyed at the pregnancy test. Her eyes found Alyas for only a second before locking onto the test once again. The nervous way that Alya wouldn't meet her eyes and shifted in her chair caused Marinette's heart to sink. Being pregnant and married to the man she had been in love with for years should be a good thing shouldn't it?

"Alya... this is..." Marinette began.

"I'm not ready to be a mom." Alya said quickly, "I... I'm not where I wanted to be, Im not..."

"You will be." Marinette reached out to wrap her hands around Alyas shaking ones, "no one is every totally ready to be a parent but I know you Alya, you're smart and kind and the best baby sitter that I have ever seen."

"I am twenty fucking two years old Mari!" Alya exclaimed, "I have literally just started on my career path and now I will have a baby to boot."

"You have Nino, and me, and I have no strange obsessions to stop me from being the best babysitter you could ask for." Marinette insisted.

"You have school."

"Easy, I'll switch to night classes." Marinette wasn't going to allow her best friend to wallow in this grief that should not even exist. Alya let out a long slow breath and straightened her glasses with her still quivering fingers. She opened her mouth as if to speak but just then a loud thump on Marinette’s window had them both turning to look towards the fire escape and the dark figure that was standing there.

Marinette’s eyes felt as if they could pop out of her skull at any moment, Alya had stiffened beside her, no longer the quivering terrified woman she was when she showed up but the terrifying reporter that she had built up a reputation of being. the sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears as she watched Alya push away from the counter and fully turn her body towards the window.

"OH MY NEIGHBOR MUST HAVE COME HOME LATE ALYA," She nearly screamed, "NO NEED TO WORRY, HE TAKES THE FIRE ESCAPE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!" Alya was looking at her oddly now, she had a phony smile plastered across her face as she watched the shape freeze and slowly move towards the steps of her fire escape from the corner of her eye.it was strange to see him slinking away, wouldn't his staff be quicker?

“I think I should ask if you’re okay.” Alya said around a sigh. Marinette chuckled nervously as her best friend wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “Are you sure that living alone isn’t making you a bit nutty?” She scoffed at Alya’s question and shook her head slowly as she crossed her arms.

“I am an adult,” she stated before giving Alya a broad smile, “but see, that proves it. You are so ready for this I promise.”

Marinette sighed as she stepped out of the office, the school administrator told her that it would take up to a month to switch her courses over to night classes. She straightened her shoulders and adjusted her bag on her shoulder as a large smile graced her lips, that would give her at least eight months to get used to the change of classes before the new baby was born, she hoped, so everything should be just fine.

The chiming of her phone from her purse caught her attention as she stepped into the crowded hallway that led to her classroom. She carefully pulled it out from under Tikki who was dozing comfortably beside a half eaten cookie. She took a moment to smile at her sleeping kwami before looking at the notification that took up the majority of her lock screen.

New message from LC:

Hey Mari, lunch Saturdaywith the group. I’m back in town and can’t wait to see your new designs.

She smiled a bit wider as she opened the message, knowing even before she loaded up the app that there would be a new group message made along with it. She glanced over the list of names for the group message before opening the one between just her and Luka.

Mari Party:

OMG is that THE Luka Couffaine?! Brb, gotta go sell this phone to buy a house.

LC:

HAHAHA you haven’t sent that everytime I texted you ever.

Mari Party:

Just waiting for the day you say the same about me.

LC:

Psssssh. When you get famous I will be in rags bc the fangirls rip your clothes off of me.

Mari Party:

Not the point, fangirls rip clothes off of you anyway.

LC:

Not just to get the clothes tho.

Mari Party:

Whatever. Anyway what time saturday?

LC:

I was thinking noon, you don’t have classes right?

Mari Party:

On SATURDAY??

LC:

No… Today. I am with Juleka rn and was jw if you wanted to get some lunch?

Mari Party:

Is Rose cooking?

LC:

No?

Mari Party:

Are YOU cooking???

LC:

So you are suicidal now?

Mari Party:

No I’m not and that is why I asked you lol. I don’t want to die.

LC:

Offensive. I am an artist Mari.

Mari Party:

Ok pretty boy. Calm down. Anyway I have class so I can’t come.

Marinette was smiling down at her phone as memories of her friends ran through her mind. She had seen them all achieve their goals, giving her hope that she would follow in their footsteps one day and become a designer to a star like Luka one day. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the presence of someone behind her looking over her shoulder.

“Who is LC?” She jumped at the sound of Michal’s voice and stuffed her phone into her pocket as she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

“You scared me!” She accused as she placed one hand over her heart. He was frowning down at her with his eyebrows knitted together as she took a moment to calm herself before she answered him. “LC is a friend from my childhood, more like a brother of a friend who became a friend of mine. No big deal.”

“It’s a guy?” Michal narrowed his eyes as he studied her face. She gave him a small smile and nodded at his words. “Is he close to you?”

“Not really.” She mumbled as she clutched the strap of her purse, “I only get to see him once or twice a year, he travels a lot.” She glanced up at the way his eyes remained narrowed and his brows pulled together over them before swallowing a lump that was growing in her throat.

“Oh.” An awkward silence hung between them for a moment before he rubbed his shoulder and shifted from foot to foot. “I um, I was actually here to ask you about why you were switching your classes.” Marinette took a step back at his words, her eyes widening slightly as she tilted her head.

“How did you… they haven’t even set up my paperwork yet.” She said before she could stop herself.

“I uh, I work in the faculty office to help out.” He explained quickly, “I heard that you were thinking of switching to night classes and it worried me, do you need to switch because of a job or…”

“No, no it’s not that at all.” She shook her head quickly as she spoke before looking down at the space on the floor between them and letting out a long sigh. “I have a friend who is going through a hard time and I can help her out during the day if I switch.”

“Are you sure you need to?” He asked as he took a step towards her, causing her to take a step back.

“Of course, she’s my best friend and I will do anything I can to help her out.” Marinette was confident as she crossed her arms over her chest, but it was all lost on her when she saw the swirling anger that lingered behind his eyes and the way his teeth were gritted together as if he was holding back from screaming at her. The look vanished to be replaced by a bright smile when he noticed where her eyes were focused, sending a wave of panic she couldn’t understand rushing through her. “Well, I gotta…” Marinette motioned to her classrooms direction as the look on Michal’s face darkened. Without waiting to see if he would respond she turned and rushed down the hallway, passing her classroom without hesitation and making her way into the restroom at the end of the hall. She checked each stall as she passed by them before locking herself in the last one and sitting down.

“What’s wrong?” Tikki was hovering by Marinette’s head shortly after asking the question. She shifted in the air as her chosen looked up slowly and shook her head. She waited for Tikki to land on her knee before letting out a long sigh and running her fingers through her fringe.

“I just, there was something odd about the way he was looking at me and… I don’t know.” Marinette held her head in her hands as her eyes squeezed tightly shut. “I should apologize right?”

“Marinette, you have to listen to yourself and your feelings, if you feel strange about something it’s not always your fault.” Tikki reassured her.

“I overreacted too much when I was younger and I-”

“You don’t want to make the same mistakes, I know.” Tikki cut her off before she could finish what she was saying. “The Akuma’s are gone now Marinette, you don’t have to overthink yourself like you did before. Start trusting yourself like you did when you were Ladybug.” Marinette jumped when she said this, and looked around quickly as if expecting a horde of people to rush her. Tikki shook her head at the sight before moving to her shoulder. “What do you want to do now?” she asked in the voice that Marinette knew as her worried tones.

“Honestly…” She sighed as she turned to look at Tikki from the corner of her eye, “I wanna go home and stop thinking for a day.”

“Is that Chat Noir drinking an iced coffee?” Chat’s faux ear twitched towards the sound of the woman’s voice as he took a sip from the plastic cup. He slumped his shoulders before leaning back against the chimney and glanced up at the sky while the swirling clouds darkened it. For being nearly noon it felt more like dusk to him, even his night vision was kicking in causing everything to take on a green hue.

He let out a huff and watched as his breath fogged before his eyes. It had been a long day at the company but he still wanted to run a patrol of the city just in case. It was a habit that was ingrained in him from years of doing so with and without Ladybug, something he couldn’t simply stop on a whim. Not that he minded, in fact he enjoyed the patrols now that he had grown used to doing them alone. They were a good source of exercise and allowed him a few stolen moments to himself, without nagging assistants or designers who either couldn’t follow his wishes or were too egotistical to listen to his advice.

“You’re the one who left them! How!? Why!?” He jumped at the sound of Marinette’s voice and turned his head towards the sound. She sounded scared and annoyed at the same time, something he had heard a few times in the many years he had known her.

“Princess?” he asked under his breath as he moved to a crouching position on the roof tiles. It didn’t take long for him to find her, in the alleyway behind her building struggling with someone wearing a thick hoodie that hid their features from him.

“Come on Mari, don’t you understand? I need you! We’re partners aren’t we?” the man’s voice made Chat’s skin crawl.

“No!” Marinette screamed as she yanked her hand from his grasp, “I knew that you were being strange yesterday but to go so far as to follow me home?”

“You’ll understand, you just have to come with me.” the man said as he snatch ahold of her elbow and yanked her towards him. Chat was on the ground in a second and pulling him away from her. The man was carelessly tossed behind him as he focused on steadying Marinette so she wouldn’t hit any of the large metal dumpsters that sat in the shadows of the alley.

“Chat?” He turned fully to her when she called out his name and gave her a reassuring smile, he opened his lips to tell her it would all be okay since he was there only to be cut off by her exclaiming “Chat watch out!” as she leapt towards him, knocking into his side and pushing him towards the wall of her building just as a piece of wood connected with the side of her head. Marinette crumpled as the sound of the impact echoed in the small space. Chat was torn in that moment between rushing to her side and checking to see if she was okay or tearing the other man’s face off in rage. How could anyone hurt Marinette?

The sounds of the man running away barely registered in his ears as the soft groans of Marinette’s pain filled the air. Chat was by her side in a moment, one of his hands rested on her shoulder as he moved her hair away from her eyes carefully. She hissed in pain as her fringe was pulled away from the wound above her temple. He pulled his hand away quickly as he winced at the sight of her pain.

“Come on, I’ll get you patched up.” he murmured as he scooped her into his arms. “Just keep your eyes closed for a bit, but don’t go to sleep okay.” she grumbled against his chest as he shifted to grab his staff. “This is the quickest way, sorry.” he added in a soothing tone as he extended the staff.

“Chat?” he heard her ask under her breath before she was clutching onto him for dear life as they sped through the air and over the rooftops of Paris.

“Don’t open your eyes yet Princess, I still haven’t gotten there.” Chat breathed against her ear as he cradled her to his chest. His heart was beating a million miles an hour as he looked down at the small trail of blood cutting its way down her left cheek. He hadn’t had a chance to so much as think of his friends for the last four years and now suddenly one of the ones he considered his closest was bleeding out against his chest and whimpering pitifully as the rain pounded against them.

It was ironic really, they had become friends in the rain, he had even said goodbye to her and the others in the rain. It was the same day that Paris discovered that none other than his own father was the one wreaking havoc on their beloved city. Her cheeks had been red then too, flushed with tears as she watched the others hugging him tightly and letting him know that he was not his father. Marinette had watched the scene in silence, crying tears that blended in with the thick drops of water falling on them from the ever darkening sky. The scene had been lit with flashes of red and blue, police lights. He could still remember the way they bounced off her eyes, causing them to seem like they housed so much more than just sympathy for his pain.

Another whimper caused him to glance down once again. Her eyes were still closed tightly just as he had instructed her to before leaping at the dark haired masked male who had her pinned in that alley. He didn’t know who that man was, but he had already vowed that he would see his downfall.The blood was clotting now but still ran in thin pink streams across her face where the water mingled with it and carried it towards the ground. He felt a growl rolling from his chest at the sight of it, he wouldn’t just see the man’s downfall, he would kill him with his bare hands if given the chance.

“It hurts…” she moaned as she turned to press her forehead against his chest. That bastard had hit her hard on the head with something resembling a small bat, he got there just in time to see her crumble. Luckily she had not passed out from the force or pain. A strike like that could’ve caused serious damage to her brain and skull. Her eyes were open when he landed, giving him hope that her probability of a concussion was minimum at best. Her eyes had not closed until he told her to close them. All good signs, she wasn’t confused or disoriented. In fact that blow barely seemed to affect her other than splitting her perfect skin. That was a crime in its own right, no one harmed his princess and got away with it.

“Shhh,” he urged as he held her closer to himself, “we’re almost there. Then I can look at that for you alright Princess?”

“We’re almost where?” she croaked.

“My apartment. The Chateau”

“What! Chat no! You can’t take me to your apartment what if I-”

“Find out who I am,” he cut her off as he passed under the glowing orange light of a street lamp, “I don’t really see how that is a problem at this point, but don’t worry alright? I keep my two lives separate still.” she stilled at the realization that he not only had his own place, but two of his own places. One for in the mask and one for out of it. He couldn’t help the small smirk that played over his lips as her own formed into a small circle. Well, that was one way for a civilian to find out that Paris’ superhero was loaded.

“O-oh.” She finally managed to force out of her parted lips. He had to force the chuckles to stay down as he watched her glance quickly back up at his face as shock settled on her features, her eyebrows were drawn nearly into a single solid line as her lips pressed into a thin line. She was studying his face, more than likely attempting to see past the inky black mask around his eyes, the sheer concentration on her features was making her look absurdly cute. It was becoming harder and harder for Chat not to stop and laugh loudly into the dark night sky over just how cute she still looked after all these years.

The rain had began to let up as he crossed the deserted street, making a beeline to the modern looking building with large windows surrounding it on every side. His second apartment building. He had been walking in silence for nearly ten minutes by that time, her head resting lightly against his shoulder as her arms folded over her small stomach. She was breathing normally, which was good, but he knew that it wouldn’t be long now before he had to wake her up and run a quick diagnostic on the extent of her injuries before he could allow her to sleep for the remainder of the night. Crossing the threshold to the building had him being met with a quick curt “Mr. Noir.” from the sleepy eyed doorman at the front desk. It was helpful that he was loved by most of Paris still, even after the disappearance of his lady. It brought with it a sort of respect that allowed him to take an apartment out in his alter egos name, one that came with the perk of privacy. His doorman didn’t look twice at him as he walked through the wide front hall of the building, neither did the elderly Mrs. Choupãn who was making her way down to check her mail as she always did, was it four pm already? He chuckled at the thought as the steel doors of the elevator cut him off from the scene playing out before him.

“Mm, whatzit.” He smiled down fondly at the small woman shifting in his arms.

“Almost there now.” His breath fanned over her hair causing her fringe to shift with it as he spoke. She simply grumbled and shifted to cuddle further into his leather clad chest after that, grumbling under her breath about how wet leather felt odd against her skin. Another wave of chuckles threatened him, but he managed to swallow them down before the vibrations of his chest could rouse her from her slumber once again. Careful not to jolt her during his action, he reached over to the buttons lining the wall beside the double doors, slowly sliding his keycard into its slot before returning his hand to her shoulder to steady her before she fell. The elevator dinged loudly before a low hum surrounded them, they were on their way up to his penthouse apartment now.

Chat had purchased the three apartments that made up the upper floor of the place, tore down walls here and there and added a few as well, making a large open concept home that the elevator opened up to the front door of. The walls were painted plain white in the main rooms and a light olive green in his bedroom and the two guest rooms the apartment housed. Three kitchens worth of stainless steel appliances made up one large kitchen that was open to him as soon as he strode through the front door, all he had to do was turn right and there would be a fridge for Cheese, Wines, and everything else he could need. The cheese fridge was full of only camembert, his kwamis favorite food and the one thing he seemed to be constantly running out of. To the right of the three large appliances, at a slight angle, rested his deep grey marble countertops and built in stove top. He barely used it, but the fact that right below it was three large stoves that seemed ready to cook a full five course meal made him smile at the thought that maybe someday he would find time to put them to use. Sitting on the left of the large stove when he was looking directly at it was an industrial sized dishwasher and more marble countertop, covered in appliances that had not seen a single day of use since their purchase.

To the left of the front door was the dining area, well what should have been a dining area but had somehow become just a large oak table covered in maps of the city. Many buildings had been crossed out in thick red marker on these maps, remnants of his futile attempts at finding Ladybug after her sudden retirement. The last time he had gone over those maps was barely six months ago, the anniversary of the day they first met, the day he finally accepted she wouldn’t return to him. The tick papers were covered in layers of dust now, he thought idly that he should clean them up before his princess awoke from her slumber as he carried her past them. She didn’t need to think he was a crazy person after all, he wasn’t like that anymore.

He moved them past the sight quickly and around the tastefully designed column that hid a load bearing post to step into his living room area. It was adorned with a red carpet that offset the plain white walls, with dark inky black leather couches set in a half circle before the flat screen tv resting atop its plush surface. He moved her to the middle most couch, laying her down gently, as he took a seat on the glass topped oval coffee table that sat before it. The lights from the city were pouring in from the floor to ceiling windows along the outer wall, bathing Marinette in gold and pale blue tones that made her seem as if she could be leaving the mortal coil at any moment. Partially due to the feeling boiling in his gut at the sight and partially due to his need to get a good look at her head, he reached behind himself for the square flat black device that waited on the table. With the simple tap of a few buttons on the tablets screen the room was bathed in harsh white light reminiscent of a hospital.

“Princess.” He urged as he returned the device to where he had retrieved it from, “Princess, come on. Lets wake up so doctor Chat can get a good look at you hmm?” He shook her shoulder as he spoke in a soft, sing song voice. He had seen Alya coax her awake in much the same way back when they were still teenagers and their lives hadn’t been turned upside down over and over again.

“Mmmm, five more minutes, classes are late today,” was her softly yawned response.

“I know, it’s really early but if I don’t look at it now I may be too late if you have a concussion.” He prodded as he shook her shoulder once again.

“I don’t even know any russians.” She huffed in her still mostly asleep state. The laughter that her response pulled from him had her shooting straight up on the couch, wide eyed and in a defensive position.

Huh, she must have taken karate or something.

“Chat?” She questioned as she blinked slowly to clear her blurry vision, “What are you doing at my house, I was outside, with..” her eyes widened as she brought her hands up to cover her gaping mouth. Her eyes flashing between Chat and her reflection behind him.

“Yeah, that guy hit you pretty hard there, you said that was outside your building? Does he know where you live, like your apartment number?” He asked her as he reached forward to gently move her fringe away from her head wound.

“N-no, but he knows the floor.” she winced as his clawed hand pulled some matted hair from the gash in her skin, “he, he left a rose addressed to me at every door on it.” she added as he studied the wound.

“How romantic.” he practically spat the words.

“I would classify it as psycho creepy myself.” she shrugged as he sat back, studying her face to see if she was being serious or not. After a few moments she cracked a smile and he followed her lead in shrugging at the information, a happy patient was well, a happy patient. If she was up for cracking jokes at what happened, who was he to refuse her. “Still,” she sighed, bringing him out of his thoughts, “I think I should look into moving as soon as possible.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze as she spoke. Choosing to watch the city from the window instead, or what she could see beyond the glare of the lights in the room.

“I think that’s a good idea on your part.” he agreed wholeheartedly with her decision, the guy knew where she lived, he could easily harass her and possibly really hurt her the next time. Just the thought of her returning to anywhere that the creep knew about had Chats protective instincts flaring up.

“A good idea, yeah.” She reached for her phone only to frown at the cracked screen she was presented with when she pulled it from her jacket pocket, “Must’ve hit the wall at an odd angle.” she murmured as she pressed the home button to cut on the device.

“What are you doing?” He asked as he finished the task of pulling the thin hairs of her fringe from the clotted blood along her hairline.

“I thought about calling Alya but,” she shrugged and gave a soft sigh as she waved her phone around nonchalantly in one hand, “It’s already nearly five and well, she’s pregnant and possibly not in the mood to deal with a homeless friend right now.”

“Alya, the Ladyblogger?” They both winced at the question but neither took notice of the others distress, “She’s pregnant?” he choked on the saliva that had suddenly gathered in the back of his throat, why hadn’t she or Nino gotten ahold of him? He heard they had gotten married, hell he had the invitation hanging on the fridge in his civilian apartment but hadn’t been able to attend due to his injuries that he acquired during what he thought of as his second job. In return for his absence he had bought them the four most expensive things on their registry.

“Mmm, she told me yesterday. They want it to be a surprise but she couldn’t keep it in around me.” She flashed him a smile so sweet that he could feel his heart melting at the very sight of it. Speaking of sights, his eyes flicked back to the cut and he could feel his pupils thinning to slits in anger.

“Do you know the guy who did this to you?” he asked in a hushed tone. She nodded slowly before wincing and holding her pounding skull in both hands as he stood and made his way to the kitchen to grab a cloth and run it under warm water. With the cloth damp and not too hot he made his way back to where he had been sitting before and shooed her hands away from her face.

“His name is Michal, h-he takes a few classes with me and we partnered up on a few assignments. I guess he got tired of me turning him down.” She sighed as Chat went to work on cleaning away all the traces of blood from her skin that he could. The cut wasn’t bad, it was long but not too deep, which was good because it curled up into her hairline in a way that would make stitches impossible without shaving it. The way it was now, all he needed was to apply a plaster, maybe some gauze around her head to hold it in place, and she should be good to go in a week and a half tops. It was simple.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be his partner anymore princess.” Chat chuckled and held his hands up in surrender at her annoyed glare.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” She murmured as she followed his silent instructions to hold the rag up to her cut. When he was pleased with how she was holding it he slipped out of the room and down what appeared to be a hallway just off from the kitchen. His absence gave her time to really look around the space and, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting but a modern upscale penthouse just didn’t scream Chat Noir to her. All the whites greys and reds didn’t help her imagine him in this space either, to her Chat Noir would always be surrounded in Blacks and greens, not these soft colors that were assaulting her eyes now. She slipped from the couch into a wobbly standing position before patting down her pockets carefully in search of her nearest and dearest friend. Tikki nuzzled into her hand as soon as it brushed against her head and Marinette let out a soft relieved sigh. Her eyes drifted around the apartment as she turned in a slow circle, the place was spotless save for a pile of dust covered papers on his dining room table. She moved to get a better look at them and noticed the red X’s crossing out most of the buildings around the city on the map. Her brow furrowed as she wondered what they could mean.

“I see you’re well enough to walk.” she turned to see Chat holding up a basket full to the brim with first aid supplies and her heart sank. Without Ladybugs lucky charm all his injuries would have to be tended to manually, it made sense that he would keep first aid supplies stocked in his home.

“I didn’t mean to pry.” she said softly as she turned away from the maps, “You were gone for a while.”

“I was gathering what I needed.” He strode to her side confidently and cupped her elbow with one hand to turn her back towards the couches, “let’s get you sat down so I can bandage you up.” She nodded meekly as he lead her to where she had awoken and urged her to sit down. Once that was done he brushed her hair back and began to apply a stinging liquid around her injured area, “Alcohol to clean the wound.” he said when she hissed and locked her eyes on his face. His skills in bandaging her were quick and precise, she could only chalk it up to the fact that he had to have done this to himself many times before.

“You are good at this.” she mumbled as she studied her reflection in his large windows, reaching up to touch the bandage encasing her forehead as she did so. He chuckled as he put away the remnants of his tools and gave her a small shrug in return.

“I was thinking,” his voice pulled her attention from the window and to his downcast eyes, “You can’t stay there but I doubt you really have the money saved up to leave on a whim right? What if you stayed here until you saved up for a new apartment. I could use someone to look after the place and you could use a place to stay.”

“Are you asking me to move in with you Chat Noir?” Marinette couldn’t help the wary smile that played on her lips as she asked the question.

“Well, I mean I wouldn’t be here the majority of the time..” He wouldn't look at her as he mumbled the words, she felt her smile become something more genuine at the sight of him. His cheeks had grown red from embarrassment and his mumbled words told her he was concerned she was taking it the wrong way.

“So you want me as a house sitter then? Are there any house rules I need to follow?” She chuckled around her words, causing him to look up with what looked to her like hope in his eyes.

“N-not really, other than don’t look in my room if I’m sleeping here. I can’t hold the transformation all night.” he gave her a half smirk and suddenly she was fourteen again, standing on her balcony as the black clad boy attempted to cheer both of them from their heartache. She found herself wondering if this man still trusted her like he had back then, maybe that was why he was offering her a place to stay. Even if he didn’t know who she really was, or use to be, he seemed to need her in that moment.

“It could be good, I can keep your place clean and even go out to shop for your supplies if you ever need more.” she mused as she looked around, was she really going to live in a place like this virtually alone? “Michal wouldn’t know where I was either, which is good for me.” A thought struck her in that moment. “Oh, my stuff! Would I be able to move my belongings here? It’s not much but I do need quite a few of my things for school.”

“I can easily get them for you, either by calling some movers or just going to your place myself.” He answered with a shrug. It all seemed so easy, a bit fast, and too good to be true. Could she really stay in Chats hideout without anything happening that could give one or both of them away? She would have to be careful about talking to Tikki and would have to avoid his room like it was the plague if she wanted to really stay there. Her eyes met his and his warm smile filled her mind. Chat was a good guy, and even if she couldn’t bring herself to done the old suit and help him fight she could still help him as her civilian self. He looked lonely, lonelier than she had ever seen him look when they were partners. This Chat, the one standing before her now, needed a friend. That fact was what spurred her on, what made her nod in approval to his suggestion and follow him as he lead her to a bedroom close to the front of the apartment.

The room he gave her was larger than her old one, roughly the same size as her living room and dining area combined, and housed a single king sized bed, a wardrobe, a vanity, and a door that she discovered lead to and ensuite. The bathroom was slightly smaller than the bedroom, sporting a full size tub as well as a waterfall shower. It also held a large mirror with a double sink directly under it beside another door that she discovered lead to a small room that housed a single toilet. In any other apartment this would be considered the master bed and bath, but if she were to take Chats shy explanation seriously this was only one of three guest rooms his apartment housed.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” He asked as she slipped her jacket off and placed it at the foot of the large bed. She glanced at him over her shoulder and shook her head lightly in answer to his question.

“I think I will just shower and turn in for the night. I will have to call an Uber in the morning and take that to school but it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.” she mumbled after a moment of silence between them.

“Oh, um, right. Well I will be in the apartment so all you have to do is press and hold the button by your door if you need me. Its and intercom system I set up a few months ago when I was bored out of my mind. It makes it easier to keep up with my kwa-” his eyes reached hers at this point and he coughed into his fist quickly, “My uh, friend, cat, thing uh, nevermind that. Goodnight Princess” he turned to leave.

“Why are you calling me that?” she asked as she studied his tensed back, “You can call me Marinette, or even Mari okay?” she asked when he didn’t continue on his way out of the door.

“Sorry. I just, I’m use to calling you Princess I guess.” she watched him scratch the back of his neck as he spoke and felt herself frown, was one nickname really that big of a deal?

“I guess, it’s okay. But just in the apartment okay?” she mumbled as she looked down at her feet. He turned to flash her a large smile and nodded once in return.

“It’s a deal, Princess.” With that he was gone, leaving her alone to ponder what she was going to do next.

Chapter 6: A Request

Chapter Text

The first few days staying at Chat’s apartment were quiet. Chat left before she woke up on the first morning, a note explaining he had day work to attend to, and apologizing for having nothing really edible in the fridge, was left on the kitchen counter for her. She wouldn’t have even seen it if Tikki had not been exploring the large living space while she prepared for the day. Marinette felt a sense of relief wash through her when she realized that he was holding true to his word, she would be alone in the apartment for the most part.

Along with the note he left her a keycard that was black with a cats paw design on it as well as a silver key. She found herself looking down at them every so often during the first three days alone and giggling at the thought that they fit the name of his home perfectly. He would always have a thing for puns it seemed, now that they were older she was used to them and even allowed herself to enjoy a few if he wasn’t around to see her do so. She spent those three quiet days learning her way around the apartment, avoiding the room with the roughly scrawled “Chat only” taped to the door. It was quite large, larger than her apartment and her parents bakery put together.

It was on the fourth day that she discovered the other Kwami. She woke up late at night, just before midnight, and stumbled into the kitchen. She was swallowing continuously in order to rid herself of a dry throat as she made her way to the overly large sink for a glass of water. There was an odd sharp smell of old cheese, followed by a quick flash of a deeper black than the shadows around her that caught her eye as she stumbled her way into the kitchen. She paused in her journey, turning towards the odd sight, and felt her dry throat growing a lump of unease within it.

A small black cat with eyes that faintly glowed green in the darkness, was hovering in midair holding up a slice of camembert cheese. That was where the odd smell came from. She knew right away that it was Chat’s kwami, Tikki had spoken of him so often yet Marinette still had a bit of trouble remembering his name.

“You like cheese?” She asked, the question rolling from her lips even as her mind still struggled over what to do with the knowledge that he was there. What would happen if he saw Tikki? Would he tell Chat who she was? She didn’t have long to ponder the questions in her mind because after the words left her lips he swallowed the lump of cheese while staring her in the eye, then he spoke.

“No, I don’t like cheese at all.” His voice was gravely yet nasally at the same time, something that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end in response.

“But you just ate-” Marinette began.

“I didn’t eat anything.” He insisted, “Maybe you need to get your eyes checked girl.” She didn’t know why exactly, but the way he pointedly said girl caused her to step back as a rush of hot anger ran through her. It lasted only a moment before the kwami was turning from her and lazily making his way down the hall. She watched him go with a dumbfounded, open mouthed expression.

“Marinette?” She looked down to see Tikki peeking out from behind her, a concerned frown on her face as she studied her miraculous holder. “Don’t take Plagg the wrong way-” right, Marinette thought, his name is Plagg. “-He’s not usually so grumpy, I’m sure he’s just stressed, after all Chat Noir has to take on the full load of being the hero of Paris now.” Marinette frowned, she knew that Tikki was trying to make her feel better but her words were just making it worse.

She shuffled the rest of the way to the sink and made herself a glass of water, which she downed before making her way back to her room. The short interaction with Plagg left a sickening feeling of guilt in her chest. The feeling wasn’t new to her certainly, she had often fought with it over the years as she watched Chat struggling with the criminals and disasters on his own.

The silence of her room held a weight to it as she crawled into her bed that night. It pressed into her when she pulled the duvet over her body, causing her heart to sink deeper into her chest as she closed her eyes. She felt so weak. Chat was the strong one between them. He was the one who continued on serving the citizens of Paris when she buckled under the pressure.

There had been moments, in the past, when she was ready to take back her decision and rejoin Chat. Whenever he was injured publicly or whenever Alya brought up things he was struggling through on his own. There was a drug ring he took down just the year before that Alya praised highly, it was the last time that she had the internal struggle.

And now she was having it again.

“Marinette?” She buried herself deeper into the thick blankets as Tikki called out for her. She often ignored her kwamis call when she was feeling particularly low. Tikki knew this and responded to her silence by nuzzling into her cheek gently. “He’s okay now Marinette, you know that.” She assured as she rested against the dark locks of Marinette's hair.

“He hasn’t forgiven me. He can’t have.” Marinette mumbles after a moment in which Tikki thought she drifted off to sleep. The words lingered in the air, hovering around them like some taboo had been breached. The only sound filling their room was the soft ticking of the clock on the bedside table.

“Marinette…” Tikki murmured long after it was too late to respond. Marinette simply slid down further on her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut tightly against the urge to cry. Plagg hadn’t forgiven her clearly, so what right did she have to hope that Chat Noir had?

“And if you look to your left you will see… more tiny clothes!” Alya exclaimed in her best salesman voice as they walked down the aisle. Marinette gave her best friend a gentle smile but couldn’t force herself to laugh. After the long night of self pity she thought she could take her mind off of things by joining Alya and Nino on a shopping trip, unknowing that her friends would be wearing their matching jackets that Marinette made for them, jackets that were styled to resemble their alter egos from the past. The memories of the days that she helped Chat came back to her in full force, almost mockingly in how they flashed through her mind.

“Look babe,” Nino slid into Marinette's line of sight holding up a deep green onesie with a wide smile on his face. “It says ‘Get me a bottle in da crib.’ Our little DJ would look great in this.”

“Oh yeah, what about this then?” Alya held up another onesie, this one proclaiming ‘unicorns exist’ on a soft pink background.

“Come on babe, our boy won’t like pink.”

“Excuse me! We are having a girl.”

“Look, Mom said it was totally going to be a boy.”

“And I say it’s going to be a girl, is your mom carrying this baby? No!”

Marinette tuned out their argument as she turned to run her hand over the tulle of a small skirt. Alya told her Nino was practically jumping from wall to wall in excitement when she told him they were having a baby, and that he was extremely hands on with many of the preparations they were going through. She remembered the two of them giggling as Alya described him talking to the prenatal doctor about everything he researched online the night before their first appointment. They were looking more and more like parents now; when she first told Marinette about it Alya looked like a scared child, unsure of what to do next, and now she looked more like a woman who has been through it too many times to count. Their child was a lucky one, even if it was still just the size of a jelly bean.

“Marinette?” She felt a sharp but quick pain in the back of her neck as she looked up quickly to see a mousy haired woman with large spectacles staring at her over the rack of tiny dresses. “Marinette Dupain Cheng? It’s been ages.” She gave the young woman a small nod and a smile.

“Oh, hey Sabrina.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she shifted from foot to foot. “How… how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good, busy,” Sabrina waved her hand in a distracted manner as she spoke. “My papa is retired now since the whole incident with.. Well.”

“Yeah.” Marinette allowed her hand to shift from her ear to rest alongside her neck. Shortly after officer Roger drove away with Hawkmoth, Gabriel, in tow he was shot in the back of his shoulder by the designer. Marinette spent many worry filled nights stressing over what would have happened if the man got to his gun faster that day. More than just Adrien were affected by that day, a truth that Marinette and Chat Noir had to live with for years.

“It was good to see you.” Sabrina gave her a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, in fact, as she studied the girl closer, Marinette noticed just how tired and out of focus her eyes were.

“Yeah, Sabrina is everything okay?” She questioned.

“Oh, yeah um, Mayoral things, you know.” Marinette didn’t even crack a smile as the other woman chuckled idly. “Just dealing with a lot of things. Youngest Mayor in Paris, and they certainly let me know it.”

“I bet, I’ve seen a few of your speeches though. You’re doing a good job.” Marinette assured her as she shrugged.

“Well, it certainly helps that Paris isn’t being destroyed every other day now.”

“Oh yeah…” she certainly didn’t want to stay on the topics of akumas, especially with Alya so nearby. Though Sabrina didn’t seem to really be interested in continuing the conversation either. “What I’m, what are you doing in the infants section anyway?” She winced at her poor topic change but the red head across from her barely seemed to notice.

“Well, Max and I are thinking of adopting. We tried for a couple years but unfortunately no luck.” Sabrina sighed after speaking and shook her head. A moment passed as Marinette struggled to think of something to say. However she never got a chance to speak as a shrill ringing filled her ears.

“Sorry, it’s the office.” Sabrina said as she pulled a phone from her purse. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Yeah.” Marinette said with a small wave as the other woman turned and walked away from her, the phone already pressed to her ear.

“Ready to look at cribs?” She smiled as Alya laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her best friend a small nod. It was nice spending the day with both of them, she knew that Nino wasn’t exactly excited about hanging out with his wife and her bestie from school. It was an overwhelming experience for him and usually he would find any excuse not to do exactly what he was doing with them. However, his excitement for the baby overtook everything. Nino had always been a very hands on person, he would put his all into projects even if they failed and he never backed down from the challenge. Marinette knew that he would be the same towards his child, another reason it was the luckiest baby she knew.

Their shopping adventure took them to a few other stores where she stood back as the couple argued over feeding and what kind of car seat would best fit their child. It was odd, she was so used to the two of them still acting like lovesick teens around each other. It felt like one day they were just the dating couple everyone else turned to in school, then the next they were married and starting a family. Marinette hadn’t even thought about starting her own family since she was sixteen, she was a part time superhero then and never saw herself giving up that life. After that it was a blur of helping her parents and many attempts at getting in to art school, there hadn’t even been any time for her to allow a boy into her thoughts.

“I am an intellectual.” Alya insisted as they looked over mobiles for cribs. “I say we go with the one that plays Mozart so our baby can appreciate the classics.”

“I am a part time DJ and I say the baby will be so used to my music that the classic stuff will keep it up all night.” Nino shot back with a proud smirk.

“What do you think Mari?” She jumped a bit when she was addressed and let out a soft awkward giggle.

“Well, what about a quiet one, you two could get a radio for the baby’s room and switch out the genres between classic and club and the baby can have a little of both?” She didn’t know when she became so non confrontational about everything but physical fighting, her body certainly seemed always ready to throw a punch and put someone in their place, her mind however did not.

“Not helpful Mari, you were supposed to agree with me.” Alya complained in the same playful manner she always did. She gave Marinette a warm smile before turning back to study the mobiles.

The store they were in was located in the same area of Paris as Chat’s apartment building. She could see the modern shape of it along the skyline when she turned to gaze out the window and found herself wondering if he was at home, or if he was in his other home far away from their part of the city. His other home, as far as she knew, could be a manor in the hills or even something like the mansions located to the west side of the city. She was so into thinking over his living condition that she didn’t notice her friends moving further into the store as they continued their conversation.

When she finally turned around she found herself alone at the front of the store, the expecting couple nowhere in sight and strangers filling the aisles everywhere she turned. She swallowed a lump growing in her throat as she reached into her pocket for her phone. The cracked screen made it hard for her to unlock it, but on her third try it gave in and allowed her to gain access to her contacts. She scrolled through the list until she found Alya’s number and placed the phone against her ear. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth as she listened to it ring, no tone cut through the store so she figured the reporter finally had her phone on silent. It made sense, it was a big day for her and her husband.

With a sigh she cut the call short and slipped her phone back into her purse. She was close to the Chateau anyway, may as well get back so she could call the dean about her class transfer and get something to eat. The food she’d bought a few days before hadn’t even been touched so she doubted Chat was coming or going from the penthouse lately.

Chat let out a soft groan as he laid back against the leather couch and closed his eyes. Civilian criminals were such a pain lately that he found himself wishing for just one akuma, and not even because he wanted to see Ladybug again, he did, but it would just be nice to fight someone who wouldn’t try suing him for a change. His phone rested on the coffee table, the call on speaker and the Mayor rambling on about the group of robbers claiming he used ‘excessive force’ in their capture.

“Did I shoot them?” He questioned her, “I’m pretty sure that I didn’t but I may be confused by the medicine I have to take due to being shot, by them.”

“We have to keep the peace Chat Noir.” The sigh that followed the Mayor’s words could be described as tired, but Chat was too annoyed by the fact she was attempting to reprimand him again to care.

“Look, I can’t stroll into court without that judge asking me to remove my mask again.” He grumbled out as he leaned forward. “What he doesn’t seem to realize is my mask is magic and practically a part of my skin.”

“Are you telling me you’re Chat Noir all the time?” Her question caused a slight smirk to tug at the corner of his lips.

“As far as you know.” He answered her. His faux ears twitched towards the door as the sounds of the elevator reached them. Someone was coming up from the first floor. He sighed and ran a gloved hand down his face.

“Look, I will make it go away only because Agreste is going to give me his endorsement in the next election. He likes you, for whatever reason.”

“It’s because I am Pawsitively amazing, how many times do I have to tell you?” He asked, his smirk taking over his features for a moment before it fell once again. The sound of the elevator was drawing too close for comfort. The possibility that it could be Marinette riding up on it was increasing with every second and the Mayor was still nowhere near finished talking to him.

“You are certainly up on your own ego.” He wanted to chuckle, but was too busy listening for the damned elevator. “One of these days he is going to get tired of paying to clean up your mess.”

“I doubt it.” He snorted as he reached for his phone.

“I can hear your claws clanking on the screen Noir, you better not be thinking of hanging up on me.”

“Who? Me? Never.” He scoffed, already unlocking the phone to do just that. He could hear Marinette at the door now. The jingling of her keys caused his ears to perk up.

“I swear if you so much as tap that phone screen I’ll-” he clicked end on the call just as the door to the Chateau opened behind him.

“Chat?” He turned to smile at Marinette over the back of the couch.

“Well, good afternoon Princess, have fun today?” He asked as he watched her cross over to the kitchen.

“Why do you ask?” She countered as she pulled a smoothie from their shared fridge and took a careful sniff. He was quiet as she took a sip from it and leaned against the counter. “I went shopping with my friend, Alya, and her husband. Didn’t know that being the Godmother meant I had to be the moderator in their arguments.”

“If you’re a moderator then technically it’s a debate.” Chat pointed out with a smirk.

“You may be Paris’ Hero but I can still kick your ass.” She grumbled, crossing her arms.

“You aren’t a good moderator.” He pouted and moved as she sat down on the couch beside him. The smoothie sat on the table by his phone, the two of them simply enjoyed the silence for a moment, then she broke it with a heavy sigh.

“I can’t even start to imagine how they will be after she has it.”

“The baby?”

“Yeah.” She leaned further into the letter as she let a small sigh escape her nose. “It’s just, one minute we’re kids and the next they’re having one and it’s weird to think about.”

“We haven’t been kids for a while though.” He stretched and allowed his arms to hang over the back of the couch.

“Well, unlike you Mr. Hero, they were allowed to be kids.” He paused and glanced at her from the corner of his eye when she said this. A few seconds passed where he fought against himself over if she was referring to the akumas he fought or his life under his father’s thumb. Of course, logically, it would be the former option. There was no way she could know that he was Adrien under the mask. No one knew, the one person he would ever willingly tell disappeared the night she left him at the hospital.

“I mean…” He began. “I was out clawing up akumas and being a purrfect fighting machine so…” She snorted as he shrugged and he felt a smile drift across his face. “You liked my pun.”

“I would give it a seven.” She admitted after a short pause.

“Out of ten?” He asked, then smirked as he glanced out the window, “I am pretty meow volous at puns.”

“Out of fifty.” As she deadpanned the words he gasped and grabbed at his chest, flinging himself dramatically across his coffee table.

“You’ve wounded me worse than any akuma!” He exclaimed.

“Well now you’re just being dramatic.” Marinette rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

“Cold Princess, real cold.”

“If I was warm you’d have me covered in marshmallows.”

“Kinky.” She opened her mouth to retaliate, her face already morphing into a bright red hue. Her hand went up, one finger pointing accusingly at him as bubbles of laughter drifted up his chest.

“I have a test to study for.” She grumbled, ducking her head as he allowed the chuckles to fall from his lips.

“How convenient.” he called out as she headed down the hall.

‘Don’t Test Me Chat Noir!” He went from merely chuckling to laughing heartily as she called back to him. He wanted to ask if that was a promise, but something in him told him he had already taken the teasing too far. He pulled himself back onto the couch and let out a weary sigh. Three days he’d been patrolling the streets around her apartment, keeping an eye out for any sign of her attacker but none had revealed themselves.

The guy practically vanished into thin air. He looked first for the hoodie, then the scent, and nothing turned up. All that was left behind was the weird board that looked like it was almost a bat, and that left him with little to nothing at all. On top of his fruitless searching, he was dealing with the Mayor and Abigail and the company. Luka’s designs were running late and they hadn’t even settled on a solid fabric. He wanted to have them ready by the group lunch but that was impossible in the moment.

He groaned as he pressed his palms against his eyes. The stress of everything was causing his muscles to stay tensed and he was harboring a headache right behind his eyes that Plagg didn’t seem in too much of a hurry to help cure. He would have to let something go, it would be easy to tell Luka the fall line was more pressing in the moment, that they had to push his designs back a bit while they finish it up for the Fashion Show in September. It was the easiest thing for him to knock off his list.

Alya paced around the apartment as she typed furiously on her phone. The satisfaction of winning an argument was dampened by two things, it was with her best friend and it was over messenger. After Marinette ditched them during their shopping trip she found herself so full of worry that she dragged Nino all the way to her apartment. The nice older lady who now lived there let them know that it had been nearly a week since “that sweet girl” moved out, and that the apartments changed tennents very quickly.

Needless to say, Alya was now not only worried, but enraged. The text conversation was so vague on Marinette’s end that all the warning lights were flaring to life in her head, sirens and screams to boot. All she could think was that Marinette had gotten into some sort of trouble, kept it to herself, and was now living in hiding somewhere. Not at her parents bakery, Alya had already checked.

She slammed her fingers against the screen as she demanded for the other girl to call her immediately once again only to get shot down by her, once again. She grunted as she flopped down on her couch and threatened to sic Chat Noir on her if she didn’t tell her something about what was going on.

Mari-

I don’t think Chat would bother coming after a simple civilian. I haven’t broken any laws and I am safe. I’m as safe as I can possibly be. Just can’t explain why right now. Trust me, okay?

She growled as she read over the message again and again, ready to throw her phone across the room and go out looking for the ditz herself. She had to still be in the city, there was no way that she would stop going to the school of her dreams, and she had accompanied them earlier today. If only Alya hadn’t been so preoccupied with Nino at the time then she wouldn’t have slipped away and she could have easily been cornered and made to talk.

“We can always talk to her tomorrow babe.” Nino offered as he slid onto the couch next to her. She sighed and leaned to rest her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as his fingers lightly danced through her hair.

“At Luka’s thing? You going?” She asked through a sigh.

“Yeah, I figure it’ll be kinda cool to hang with the old classmates again.” She smiled as he said this and nuzzled in closer to his side. His hand slid down to rest on her shoulder as she did this and he turned his head to lay a gentle kiss on her temple. “I’m sure she’s fine though, Marinette is a big girl now, she can take care of herself.”

“She may be all grown up but she’s no former hero.” Alya pointed out as she flicked him on his nose. “If I had Trixx still then I would be out there looking for her right now.” She grunted as she allowed her frown to deepen. “I would at least get ahold of Chat and tell him to look out for her. She is way too trusting, always has been, and she always wants to help others before she helps herself. Ladybug should’ve given her a miraculous, but I think she didn’t because Mari is just too giving, it’s a weakness.”

“You are way too worried about her, I’ve known Marinette most of my life and, trust me, that girl is tough as nails.” Nino urged as he rubbed her shoulder slowly. “Just let her make her own choices for a bit and see how far she gets with them, okay?”

“I am worried about her, why wouldn’t she even tell us she was moving? She didn’t even tell her mom or dad, its weird. Marinette usually doesn’t hide stuff like that from us.”

He knew she was right. When they attempted to find her at her parents bakery they didn’t seem like they even knew she was missing. Tom and Sabine talked about how proud they were of her living in her own apartment while attending the school she worked so hard to get in to without even a hint of worry between them. Sabine even went so far as to thank Alya for sticking with Marinette even when her own career was taking off. They congratulated the couple when told they were expecting a baby, something Marinette would have already told them if she were still in contact with them, and offered to cater should Alya hold a baby shower or gender reveal.

They passed the time in silence as Alya drifted off to a restless sleep against his arm. He carried her to bed before climbing the fire escape next to their living room window and taking a seat on the roof of their apartment building. His phone was in his hand and his knee jumped as he thought over his plans. A year had already passed without a word between them and he couldn’t even be sure that his old childhood friend even remembered him. Adrien hadn’t even gone to their wedding, though he did send them gifts. Unfortunately Nino couldn’t even be sure it was Adrien who sent them. Would it even still be his number?

“Won’t know until I try.” Nino sighed, his breath coming out in a thin fog as he glanced down at his phone screen. He unlocked it and opened his contacts, there at the top of the list was the one name he hadn’t even thought about getting in contact with for months. Though, if Luka’s words were to be believed, he would meet with at noon the next day. One tap later and the phone was ringing, and ringing. It went on and on, Nino growing more and more anxious about his plan, until finally he heard the voice he’d almost forgotten he missed.

“You’ve reached the personal number of Adrien Agreste. If you have business questions please call my office. If you have the wrong number I apologize. If you have a personal message for me leave your name, number, and message after the tone.” It was a lot colder than the voicemails they used to make, where they held full conversations between each other by changing their outgoing messages, sometimes two or three times a day. Proof that those times were far behind them. Adrien was a businessman now. Nino may not be the director he dreamed of being just yet, but he knew that eventually his own voicemail message would be just as cold and impersonal as his old friends.

“Yo dude, er, sir, erm… Adrien. Yeah, Adrien, it’s Nino.” He sighed and grabbed his hair with one hand as he lowered his head. “It’s um, it’s been a while man. Hear you’re a big shot now in the fashion industry, not that you weren’t before but…” he stood and began to pace the roof as he spoke, unable to stay still as the words flowed from his lips. “Look I know we aren’t exactly close at all anymore, we haven’t seen each other in years and… Alya’s pregnant. I’m going to be a dad man.” He winced at his own words, what was he even thinking? He had to get to the point. “Yeah, so um, yeah. She uh… she’s worried about Mari, Marinette, remember Marinette? She’s still pretty close with us but… something er… something’s going on with her. I uh, I know we are all meeting up tomorrow. Hope you can make it dude, but…” Nino groaned as he took a seat beside their buildings wifi box.

“Look, I uh, I need a favor man. Not Money! We’re um… we’re good on that. No. I need you to do me a solid and talk to Marinette, see if she’ll tell you what’s happening. Alya’s stressin’ because she hasn’t said anything but, dog, she’s not in that apartment she was living in anymore and we don’t know where she went.” his knee was bouncing again as he began to ramble off his request quickly. “I just need you to talk to her man, see if she will open up to you, she always liked you. I doubt it’s a crush anymore but- I didn’t say that. Ignore that part. Oh man Alya is going to murder me now.” He facepalmed as he yanked the phone away from his ear and quickly hit the end call button. “Real great, reach out to your old best friend and turn into a dunce,” he grumbled to himself as he shoved the phone in his pocket.

.................................................................

“...I just need you to talk to her man, see if she will open up to you, she always liked you. I doubt it’s a crush anymore but- I didn’t say that. Ignore that part. Oh man Alya is going to murder me now.” Adrien lowered the phone from his ear and glanced at the door to his bedroom. Beyond that was the hall that would lead him to the very girl that had his old best friend so stressed. He reached up to wipe away the dampness on his cheek and took in a shaky breath.

“No problem man.” He said to the empty room.

Chapter 7: Petty Arguments

Chapter Text

The cluster of friends gathering at the restaurant filled two full tables, Ivan and Mylène brought their two children and smiled from the end of the first table as the young boy and girl played nearby. To their left sat Marinette, slumped over her drink and twirling her straw around the ice in the glass as she avoided the glare of Alya who was seated directly in front of her. She would glance up every few seconds to see the other woman glaring at her as if she had personally offended her by going home when they left her alone in a store the day before. Marinette supposed she could have tried harder to find them, but she also wasn’t lying to Chat when she told him she had to study for an upcoming test.

“Hey, you’re all here, cool.” Marinette, like everyone else, looked up when Luka spoke. Seeing him standing there with Rose and Juleka standing behind him was so reminiscent of the years they spent playing in the band on their mother’s houseboat that she could feel a slight pang of nostalgia pulling at her chest.

“Not everyone.” Nino, who had been sitting in silence and sipping at his drink, spoke up without so much as turning to look at Luka. There was a collective silence as the group looked at Nino, each one not ready to cross the line he set with his words.

“Am I late?” The question hung in the air as Nino slowly turned in his seat. The look on the DJ’s face when he spotted the tall blonde standing behind Luka was a mix of happiness and anger. Marinette could tell even at a glance that he still hadn’t forgiven his old best friend for missing one of the most important days in his life.

Nino stood, his eyes hard as he pushed in his chair, and placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder. Silence lay between the group, heavy with implications of just how far apart the two old friends had grown. Just when Marinette was preparing to break the tension, Nino licked his lips and spoke.

“Yeah man, you’re late, by oh… Three or four years give or take.” His words were firm but Marinette could see a hint of a smile on his lips as he said them.

“Traffic is terrible man.” Adrien chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he spoke. His chuckled died away, overrun by the silence around him as Nino continued to stare, then a soft ‘pfft’ reached their ears followed by Nino’s own chuckling.

“Where were you coming from? Atlantis?” He asked after calming himself down. Adrien smiled a small smile and gave him a shrug.

“Something like that.” he murmured as he glanced around at the seats remaining. One beside Marinette hadn’t been claimed yet and she rested her hand on it to indicate there was a spot for him, but a second later Juleka slid into it.

“Hello again Marinette.” The dark haired woman murmured under her breath as she rested her hands on the table.

“Hey Juleka, how’ve you been?” Marinette gave her a warm smile as she leaned forward to rest her hands on the table as well.

“It’s going pretty well, we are working through a mountain of paperwork to adopt.” Rose answered for Juleka as she stepped up and rested her hands on her wife's shoulders.

“Adopting?” Marinette’s brows raised as she asked the question. Rose gave her a wide smile as Juleka nodded.

“We’re all settled, and that’s what’s next right? I mean we could…” Juleka’s words faded away into an illegible murmur as she spoke. Marinette smiled at the thought that at least that hadn’t changed about her old classmate.

“Luka is going to help us paint the nursery, I was thinking yellow would be a good color because we don’t know if it’ll be a boy or a girl.” Rose spoke up yet again, the smile still on her lips as she spoke excitedly about their plans.

“Green would be nice.” Marinette said before she could catch herself. “I- I mean green is a unisex color as well and if you use a pastel pallet then it would be very nice for nursery walls.

“Of course she would go with green, that girl is obsessed with our resident superhero after all. Surprised she didn’t say to put little black paw prints around the border.” Marinette fought against the heat in her cheeks as all her friends eyes turned to her.

“I’m not obsessed with him, he’s our hero right? Everyone would like green, right?” Without meaning to, she turned her attention on Adrien for help. He held her gaze for a second before looking away and scratching his neck.

“Green is a good color.” Luka came to her rescue instead, sitting down on the opposite side of Alya from Nino as he did so. “I had my hair green for about a year, when I was opening for Jagged Stone.”

“That must’ve been fun.” Ivan said as he draped his arm across the back of Mylène’s chair.

“Personally I like the Zombie Skull Crushers, but… well…” Mylène smiled as she glanced up at her husband who chuckled and scratched his chin. The group did a collective ‘awe’, which left the couple pink in the cheeks, before everyone settled in at the table. Adrien ended up in front of Marinette but still couldn’t seem to look her directly in the eye as the conversations around them continued. Marinette toyed with her food when it was brought out, and one glance over the table told her Adrien was doing the same. He seemed nervous and out of place amongst the crowd of old classmates laughing over old times.

“It’s Chateau Canon.” She jumped at the sound of Adrien’s voice. She had zoned out staring down at his drink as her brain filled with questions about her roommate. Anytime she thought of the past he would always pop up. The smirk, the smile, the quick witted puns, they were always there, waiting to be pulled forth by some memory of long ago.

“What?” She asked, realizing that she was now staring at Adrien himself rather than his wineglass.

“My drink, Chateau Canon. It’s a Bordeaux Red blend. Goes great with heavy meat.” He motioned to his wine as he spoke and toyed with his uneaten steak with his other hand.

“I guess I’ll have to try it sometime.” Marinette gave him a small smile before glancing down at her own meal. A simple chicken stir fry on a bed of salad that she had moved around to the point it looked nothing like it was meant to.

“Do you want to?” He asked as he leaned back in his chair and prepared to flag down one of the wait staff.

“No! No, no… I didn’t mean now, I was just…” Adrien looked back at her with one eyebrow raised in confusion as her words died away. “I just, I was making conversation. I haven’t seen you in a while and…” She sighed and ended her thought there, accenting it with a shrug.

“Are you sure? It’s no problem.” Adrien said before turning to the server who had come up behind him, “Can we have a bottle of the Chateau Canon for the table?” he asked the young man who simply smiled and nodded at him.

“None for me, thanks.” Alya spoke up then, pulling everyone’s attention to her, “I’m, well no better way to put it, I’m expecting.” There were a few cheers and good luck wishes thrown her way, until a very sharp cough cut everyone off.

“I’ll take her glass, I don’t mind.” Chloe Bourgeois stood just behind Adrien. Her long honey colored locks tied up behind her neck in an elegant bun and her body draped in a dress that would make her late mother beg her for fashion advice. She gave the group a warm smile before stepping around the table and accepting a seat that Nino pulled over for her, sitting herself down right beside Marinette.

“Hey Chloe.” Adrien gave her a small wave before lowering his hand, which he had been awkwardly holding up during his short conversation with Marinette.

“Adrien, it’s been too long.” The blonde said in an almost dismissive tone before turning to give Marinette a large grin. “Oh my goodness, look at you!” She exclaimed then, reaching to run her fingers down Marinette’s ponytail, “this hair, long hair looks fabulous on you. And this dress, it is utterly ridiculously beautiful! Who are you wearing?” Taken aback by her words Marinette could only blink for a moment before smoothing down her skirt.

“Oh, erm, no one. I mean, I made it myself.” She murmured as she toyed with her food once again.

“That is absolutely-” Chloe gave a small gasp before grabbing onto Marinette’s wrist, “You have to design me a gown for my summer retreat, it will blow minds.” All eyes were on them as Chloe gushed on and on about Marinette’s dress. It was such a change from their school years that it had them all in silent shock.

“I… I guess I could…” Marinette said slowly, unsure of where this would lead.

“Great, give me your cell and I’ll give you my personal number so you can reach me on the details.” Chloe held her hand out expectantly as she spoke. Marinette felt as if she were struggling through a pool of sand as she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, all the while expecting to see the other side of Chole to come out, or anything to change in the other woman’s demeanor.

It barely brushed Chloe’s manicured nails before the loud ringtone of Jagged Stone’s last single filled the room. Marinette pulled the phone back quickly and glanced over the number flashing across her screen.

“Sorry,” She said as she stood, she didn’t recognize the number on her phone and thoughts of who it could be, particularly thoughts of a blonde in a mask, filled her mind, “I have to take this, excuse me.” She moved away from the group and quickly through the dining room as she swiped to answer the call.

“Hello?” She said as soon as she was outside.

“Is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” a woman’s voice asked from the other end.

“Yes, this is she.” She said slowly, leaning against the wall to protect herself from a sudden gust of cold wind blowing past her.

“I am a nurse here at Hospital Saint-Louis Ap-Hp, your grandfather, Mr. Lou, was admitted here an hour ago due to complications with his heart. You are his emergency contact.” Marinette’s blood ran cold as the woman’s words sank in.

“I’m on my way right now.” She assured the nurse, already turning to head down the street.

“Just ask for Louise when you check in.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Marinette!” She was already tucking her phone into her purse when, once again, Chloe’s voice filled her ears. “Are you taking off without saying goodbye?”

“Sorry Chloe, family emergency.” Marinette said, not even turning fully to look at the other woman.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe jogged until she was walking beside Marinette, then fell into step with her.

“It’s my grandfather, he- he had a heart attack.”

“Which hospital?”

“What?” She finally turned to see Chloe staring at her with a serious look in her eye.

“Don’t mess around, this is important, tell me the hospital.” Chloe had her phone out and was texting someone furiously as she spoke.

“Saint-Louis Ap-Hp.” Chloe nodded at her words and finished what she was typing before grabbing on to Marinette’s arm. “Hey!” Marinette exclaimed as the blonde pulled her towards the parking lot.

“Come on, I’m giving you a ride. It’ll be a lot faster than walking there. What were you thinking? Walking in an emergency? Ridiculous.”

Adrien glanced behind himself as Chloe took off towards the door a minute after Marinette went through it. Back when they were in school she wouldn’t have cared much about what was happening to anyone other than herself, it surprised him to see how far she had come in the few short years since he’d seen her last. Certainly far enough to be invited to this lunch in the first place. The thought that she had grown dramatically even in the short time she was Queen Bee didn’t cease the itching feeling that something terrible would happen if he left her alone with Marinette.

He knew he had to think of something quickly, everyone around him had settled into their idle chatter and he knew it would look odd if he just left. Luka deserved better than that after getting everyone together again, Nino deserved better after the years they spent apart. They all deserved the dinner with old friends that had been planned just for them.

Being so tied up in his own thoughts, it took him far too long to realize that Plagg was pulling on his shirt to get his attention. He looked down to see the black kwami hanging halfway out of his jacket pocket with a bundle of his shirt between his paws. He raised his brows as Plagg motioned to the hallway just past their table furiously. Looking up to see none other than the turtle kwami ducking in and out of a decorative plant and looking at Nino nervously before turning his eyes on him.

The green kwami waved, then motioned to the sign stating the bathrooms were down that hall. It vanished into the plant once again just as Plagg ducked back into his pocket.

A cold sweat popped up along Adrien’s brow. Something was wrong, why else would Master Fu send his kwami out to find him? He hadn’t seen the short old man in years, or any sign of his magical companion that he would loan to the team from time to time. If he needed an excuse to leave the little reunion then he had it.

“Bathroom.” He mumbled as he stood, making his way quickly to the hall and noting how strange it felt when the green kwami ducked into the collar of his shirt as he passed it by. The bathroom was empty, but he still slid into the last stall in the back just in case someone else walked in. He pulled his collar to give the green kwami room to escape as Plagg flew out of his pocket to rest on his knee.

“Finally, I thought you’d never notice us.” Plagg complained in his usual way, chewing on a camembert chunk with an air of superiority about him. Adrien paid little attention to this as he looked to the floating kwami in front of him.

“Chat Noir, I am Wayzz.” Adrien bowed his head as the turtle kwami, Wayzz, did the same. “I came as fast as I could to find you.”

“Did something happen to Master Fu?” Adrien asked as he leaned back on the toilet seat, already preparing for the worst. If the master died of old age without Ladybug around then it would be up to him to guard all the miraculous in their stead, wouldn’t it?

“He suffered a heart attack during a break in.” Wayzz was straightforward in his delivery of the bad news. “He fought off the attackers for a long time, unfortunately the heart attack set in and they made off with many of his belongings, including the miraculous box.”

“They took what?” Adrien was taken aback, he thought that he would have to take charge of them but this, it was so much worse than he expected.

“The miraculous box, it houses both the Kwami’s and their corresponding miraculous within it. If someone finds a way to open the box, if they discover how to use the great power stored within-“

“Ladybugs-“ Adrien cut him off.

“Ladybug never returned her miraculous to Master. Her earrings as well as Tikki are safe from the robbers.” Wayzz returned the favor. The kwami looked irritated for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “I have Masters miraculous with me. Other than Ladybug and yourself, it’s the only one that is safe.”

“What happened to Master Fu?” Adrien asked as he ran a hand down the side of his face.

“Luckily a customer came in shortly after the attackers left, Master has been sent to a facility to heal.”

“What uh, facility, was he taken to?” Adrien asked around a worried frown.

“Hospital Saint-Louis Ap-Hp I believe.” Ways lowered his head in thought as he spoke. Adrien nodded and held his hand out to accept the bracelet he was offered. He pushed it deep within his pocket and opened his jacket for both kwami’s to hide inside.

“I’m sorry to run out on the meet up.” He said directly to Luka as he approached their table, “an emergency popped up at the office and I have to be there to decide what to do about it.”

“Oh, I hope it’s not the new designs. My concert-“ Luka stopped short as Adrien rested a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re concert will be perfect I promise you that.” Adrien said firmly before looking to the rest of the table. “Sorry to cut out early everyone, I’ll pay the bill at the front. Order whatever you want.”

“I hope that your emergency isn’t…” He caught the first half of Juleka’s words but knowing how she always talked he nodded his thanks anyway.

“We need to try a get together again when everyone is free, seeing you all again is delightful.” Rose spoke up then.

“We saw each other last week- owch.” Ivan replied to Rose, and was nudged roughly in his ribs by his wife who tilted her head towards Adrien. “Oh, yeah we should do this again when we can get a sitter.”

“I don’t think our sitter would be available.” Alya chuckled, “I mean if she even still is our sitter, girl’s been acting weird lately.”

“Is your sitter okay? We could hook you up with ours.” Mylène offered in her usual sweet as honey way.

“Oh no, I just mean that I am about to wring my besties neck if she doesn’t talk to me.” Alya was chuckling again, but anyone who knew her as well as Marinette or Nino could see the malice on her face. She was still beyond angry at her best friend for keeping secrets.

Adrien stepped away from the table and was surprised to see Nino standing and making his way over to him. The other man sighed through his nose as they fell into a silence that surrounded the short walk to the front door.

“Thanks for coming, I wish that Marinette hadn’t taken off.” Nino sighed as they exited the building.

“I do too.” Adrien nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I promise I’ll talk to her, I just don’t know how much it will help. I’ve talked to her less than I’ve talked to you these days.”

“Yeah we all sorta pulled apart.”

“Yeah.” they were quiet for a beat, Adrien leading Nino towards his waiting car and praying that the other male didn’t notice the whispering of the kwami’s in his pockets. Nino looking off into the distance ahead of them with a stern expression that his old best friend wasn’t aware he could have.

“Missed our wedding.” The simple statement stopped Adrien in his tracks. He could feel the icy hot wave of guilt rushing through him as he stared at Nino’s back.

“Something came up.” Adrien began, then when Nino turned to look at him over the shoulder he added, “I was in surgery, it was a thing I couldn’t avoid. Dude you know I wouldn’t have missed your day if I could help it but it was unavoidable.”

“Unavoidable?” Nino’s eyes narrowed, it hurt to see him so untrusting after the many years that they were friends.

“Appendicitis.” Adrien said quickly, “It wasn’t pretty.”

“Dude.” Nino’s eyes widened at the word, “I had no idea man.” Adrien shrugged and let out a soft sigh.

“I felt terrible man, came to a few hours after your ceremony ended and it was worse than a gunshot wound to the stomach. I wish I could’ve been there for you, I really do.” the two looked at one another before nodding and sharing a smile just like they used to. Nino walked him the rest of the way to the car and they waved their goodbyes to one another as he watched Nino return to the building. He sighed and set back in his seat as the doors shut behind his friend.

Wayzz and Plagg flew out of his coat as he pulled onto the main street. There was quiet in the car as he sped along, following the flow of traffic and grinding his teeth as the urge to just change into Chat and take to the rooftops invaded his mind. He hissed under his breath when stopped by a sudden red light, and slammed his hands against the steering wheel.

“You have to calm down Chat Noir,” Wayzz urged in a gentle tone. Adrien turned to look at him before letting a soft ‘tsch’ escape him and turning back to the traffic.

“The miraculous’ aren’t safe and Master Fu is stuck in a hospital room alone and vulnerable.” Adrien said around an angry snort. “Ladybug isn’t around anymore so if someone decides to pull off being the next Gabriel and attempts to bring back akumas we are all fucked.” He glanced between the kwamis as he spoke, “I can’t destroy akumas, I can barely use cataclysm more than twice without Plagg being so worn out that I transform back in half the time as the old days.”

“I told him to just ignore the mayor and use his power as much as he needed to build up tolerance, but ‘Paris needs to stay in one piece Plagg’ was his response every time.” Plagg grumbled around a chunk of camembert. Adrien simply shrugged as he turned into the parking lot of the hospital. The engine was turned off and the three of them sat in silence for a moment as he stared up at the large building with growing unease.

“I know this place.” When Wayzz turned towards him he continued, “the hospital, that wall over there, it’s… it’s where she left me for the last time.”

“Are you gonna be okay kid?” Plagg asked as he looked up at Adrien with wide eyes.

“I’ll…” Adrien took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I’ll be okay, this is about Master Fu, not about me.”

“He goes by Mr. Lou around civilians Chat Noir, remember that.” Wayzz warned him as he opened his door and placed one foot on the pavement below him.

“Right, okay, asking for Mr….”

“Lee Lou.” Wayzz nodded.

“Lee Lou, got it.” Adrien shrugged and opened his jacket for the kwami’s to fly into his waiting pocket. Once everyone was where they needed to be he stepped out of the car and took in another deep calming breath. He could still see her standing over him as he bled out against the wall that now set clean of any evidence he was even there, could still hear her tearful goodbye to him as she disappeared into the hospital never to be seen again. It was overwhelming, and for a moment he let himself be taken away by the emotions it left inside him. A quick pinch to the side of his stomach, Plagg biting him to catch his attention, pulled him back into reality and got him moving towards the Hospital doors.

Marinette sat beside the man sleeping in the hospital bed. Her leg thumped nervously as she shot glances at his bare wrist. He didn’t have the turtle bracelet when he was admitted to the hospital, and the civilian who called in his heart attack told the police that his place looked ransacked when he discovered him.

“Marinette…” She jumped at the sound of her name and leaned forward so he could easily see her without having to adjust his position on the bed.

“Master, where’s your miraculous?” She asked in a hushed tone, she didn’t know when Chloe would come back from the cafeteria and didn’t want to risk the blonde overhearing them.

“Chat Noir should have it by now, it’s safe.” His response just put her more on edge and the strange sensation that she was being watched overcame her.

“What, erm, what happened exactly?” She asked nervously.

“Some poor souls came in looking for anything I had that would be of value to them, I fought them off then-” He vaguely motioned to his chest. Her face warmed with sudden anger as she stood from her chair.

“You listen here! A heart attack isn’t something you just brush off. It’s WORSE than that time you had stomach issues and you’re here acting like you chipped a nail.” She was so in the moment, reprimanding him, that she didn’t notice the door opening or Chloe and Adrien stepping into the room.

“Marinette?” She turned quickly to the door, her eyes still wide and her lips still forming an angry scowl. Her face softened immediately as her eyes darted between the two blondes.

“Look who I found downstairs!” Chloe smiled as she motioned to Adrien, “Come to find out your grandpa is his old chinese teacher.” Marinette’s mouth slowly closed as she turned to look down at Master Fu. He gave her a small shrug before turning and speaking to Adrien in chinese. Adrien replied something back that once again Marinette couldn’t understand, the exchange left her feeling very removed from the situation.

“You never told me he was a student of yours.” Marinette looked back at Master Fu as she spoke and he gave her another shrug in response.

“Never told me he had a granddaughter.” Adrien commented as he narrowed his eyes at the man.

“It is healthy to keep personal and business relationships separate I believe.” Master Fu spoke up then.

“Well, this is awkward.” Chloe drew the attention in the room to herself, “Well since Grandpa Dupain-Cheng seems alright now I’m gonna take off. You have my number Marinette, I’m serious about that dress so call me as soon as you can alright.”

“Yeah, no problem Chloe.” Marinette nodded to the woman as she watched her go, then felt her shoulders relax slightly. With Chloe gone, she only needed to wait for Adrien to leave so she could figure out what happened to Wayzz and Master Fu’s miraculous.

“I’m glad you’re alright Mr… Lou.” Marinette’s eyes widened when Adrien moved to sit beside Master Fu as he spoke. “Your associate told me you were in the hospital and I rushed right over to give you my support. They said your home was ransacked?”

“Yes, they took my precious gramophone.” Fu sighed around his words. “Anything else would have been replaceable but…” He glanced at Marinette who had her eyes locked on him as she slowly tilted her head first to one side then the other, telling him that she didn’t want her identity given to a civilian, especially since she was retired. “But it was an heirloom, something that can never be replaced.”

“I’m sure that the robbers will be caught Ma- Grandpa, we just need to hope nothing is… damaged.” Marinette looked down at her lap as she spoke, unsure of what she should do.

“I’m sure that everything is fine Marinette, I have my… ways of insuring my property is returned to me.” Fu glanced towards Adrien after he spoke and let loose a long sigh, “Though I must say, if the team of Ladybug and Chat Noir was still around I think that my property wouldn’t be in such danger.”

“I’m sure the police could help just as well Grandpa, I know you’re a big fan but-”

“Marinette’s right, I mean Chat Noir is still around and I’m sure he would be willing to help you find your heirloom, but Ladybug abandoned Paris a long time ago.” Adrien cut her off, leaving her to stare at him, in shock at his words.

“I wouldn’t say she abandoned Paris, it didn’t need her anymore.” Marinette snapped back once she pulled herself together, “Chat Noir is doing perfectly well, no he’s doing better on his own than with her around. Not to mention there hasn’t been an akuma attack in years, no need for Ladybug when there’s nothing for her to do.”

“What else would you call it but abandonment? She was a symbol to so many people and she just decided one day that she didn’t want to help anymore. I call that Abandoning Paris.” Adrien crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her as he spoke. She could feel her lips curling into a snarl at the confident gleam in his eyes.

“Well maybe if she wasn’t used as the symbol and was able to share the spotlight with her much stronger partner then the pressure wouldn’t have built up, ever think of that?” Marinette crossed her own arms and looked away from him pointedly. “Not much she could do to help in a straight fight and she knew it.”

“She still had her yoyo and her fighting skills. I didn’t see her being the one beaten up every fight!”

“Well maybe that’s because HE was the one actually fighting!”

“Stop!” Marinette and Adrien turned to Master Fu, who was now sitting up in bed and looking ready to hit both of them on the back of the head. “What good is bickering over this subject doing for either of you, or me for that matter?”

“I think I should go, I’ll see you tomorrow though.” She pointedly said this to Master Fu as she stood to leave.

“Then go.” Adrien snapped, situating himself in his own seat and looking as if he planned to stay the night if needed.

“I am.” She sneered.

“Then go.” He repeated.

“I’m going.”

“Good.”

“Bye.” She practically growled as she reached the doorway.

“Bye then.” Was the response she got back. With a huff she slammed the door shut behind herself and stomped off down the hallway.

……….

“You didn’t have to go that far Chat Noir. She said nothing bad about you.” Master Fu said once the door was shut behind her. Adrien sighed heavily and leaned forward to cup his forehead in his hands while the kwamis flew out of their hiding spots.

“What’s the deal with the gramophone?” Adrien said without looking up at him, “You mentioned it specifically but she was here so I can only assume it has something to do with the miraculous.”

“You would assume correctly Chat Noir, it’s very important that box be returned to me.” Fu frowned around his words. “If they discover the secrets of it and another Hawkmoth attacks, or worse more people are given miraculous’ with malicious intents then-”

“Ladybug would feel wanted again if that happened, maybe she’d show up at least once.” Adrien grumbled.

“She has her reasons Chat Noir, maybe not reasons we can understand right now, but reasons nonetheless. She will return if she feels the need too.”

“I need her to! What happens if they do figure out what they have? What am I supposed to do, hand your bracelet over to someone and tell them to build a shield around the akumas?” Adrien ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he spoke. “Is there any other way to cure akumas, Queen Bee-”

“Unfortunately no, though she is versatile I can assure you Queen Bee would be as useful in cleansing akumas as you are. Only the Ladybug miraculous can cleanse them.” Fu said sadly.

“She can’t do anything if she isn’t around to cleanse them!” Adrien looked up from his hands with a deep frown creasing his brow.

“Patience Chat Noir, she will return when she’s ready.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that before.”

Chapter 8: That's Friendship

Chapter Text

Marinette sighed as she stepped into the elevator. Above her, on the top floor, rested her temporary home. The key card she used to get up to it felt heavier in her hand as she swiped it to pick their floor. The image of Chat laying on the ground, shot and bleeding out, was still fresh in her mind as she leaned against the far wall. Another heavy exhale left her as she rested her head against the cool metal.

She pouted her lips as she struggled to think. It wouldn’t be weird for her to make him something as a thank you would it? He could think it was as a thank you at least. She just wanted to do something nice for him that could make up for, well, everything.

“If you sigh again I will pinch you.” Tikki called out from inside her purse. Marinette groaned and slid down to sit at the bottom of the elevator.

“It’s just frustrating, I know so little about him!” She grabbed her bangs as she grumbled the words.

“Adrien?” Tikki asked.

“No! What? No, Chat, I want to do something nice for Chat but I don’t even know what he likes. Well, puns but that’s not helpful.” She lowered her arms to cross them over her knees. “We are basically like roommates right? He does have that fridge of cheese…”

“I wouldn’t mess with that fridge, pretty sure it’s just for Plagg.” Tikki nodded as she poked her head out to look at Marinette. “Why don’t you do what you do best? I’m sure you can think of something.”

“You’re right…” Marinette tapped her chin in thought, “I could easily, I mean I do have the extra black from my skirt and it could easily be moulded… but the ears would be a handful.”

“Marinette?”

“Hang on.” She pulled out her phone as she held up a finger to Tikki and began scrolling through the ladyblog for any closeups of Chat. She was still scrolling through the blog as they reached their floor, and even as she slid the key in the lock. She did pause, to make sure that Tikki was safely inside her purse and the door was properly unlocked, then immediately began her search again as she walked through the apartment. She went straight to her room and shut the door behind her, tossing her phone on the desk near her bed as she passed it and heading right to the box of fabrics that Chat had retrieved from her apartment.

“What are you planning?” Tikki asked from the desk where she settled down near the phone.

“Something that will maybe make life a bit easier for Chat. Like you said, what I’m best at.” She smiled as she braided her long hair to keep it out of her eyes. “May want to grab some cookies Tikki, this is going to take a while.”

Hours passed as she worked; measuring, marking, and cutting thick swaths of black fabric that was then folded and pinned. She didn’t leave the small desk for the entire project. Letting loose fabric pile up around her as she carefully hand stitched her project together. Slowly, making sure each stitch was both even and hidden in the design of the pieces she created. Tikki checked in on her now and then, but knew well that when Marinette was working on something she was single minded. She wouldn’t stop until she was either finished with the task or too exhausted to go on.

Exhaustion won out eventually, Marinette’s head began to nod as her eyelids drooped. Seconds later her forehead thumped against her desk and her eyes closed fully. Tikki moved to wake her, but stopped in order to hide quickly as her door knob turned. Peeking out, Tikki watched as Chat peeked inside and froze when he didn’t see her in her bed. His eyes roamed over the room and a small smile crossed his lips when they landed on her asleep at her desk.

“School must be rough.” Chat chuckled as he moved towards her bed. Tikki ducked behind a pillow as he gathered the blanket up and carried it to her. Gently he placed it over her shoulders before prying the needle and half sewn triangle of fabric out of her fingers. He moved the sharp objects away from her and rested a hand on her head, running his fingers through her bangs before moving them away. “Goodnight Princess.” He murmured, then simply left the room, closing the door behind him as he went.

Marinette awoke with a start, her body felt stiff and a line of tread hung from the side of her face where it had been pressed into her cheek by the desk. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn as she stretched, dropping her thick blanket to the floor in the process. She jumped and looked quickly to her bed where Tikki peeked out from behind a pillow.

“Did I fall asleep?” She asked as she rubbed the side of her face.

“Yes, halfway through an ear I believe.” She nodded at Tikki’s words and yawned as she tapped the screen of her phone. A few seconds later she was speeding around the room, gathering up clean clothes and throwing them on in quick succession.

“What’s wrong?” Tikki asked as she watched Marinette pull her braid out to run a brush through her hair as she slipped her feet into a pair of deep green flats.

“I am so late, Schools on the other side of…” Marinette hissed as she stubbed her toe, “I need to hurry, today is my final day class before my transfer goes into effect.” She tied her hair up into a high ponytail as she looked around the room frantically. “Okay I could always just order an uber and be there twenty minutes after I should be.” She took in a deep breath and grabbed her purse, then her phone. Tikki flew into the purse as Marinette fumbled with the phone app.

“Princess? You’re awake?” She froze at the sound of Chat’s voice her eyes went wide as she looked down at Tikki.

“He’s here?” She mouthed.

“Since last night.” Tikki respond in the same fashion. Marinette winced at the thought as she pointed towards the blanket still on the floor. When Tikki nodded to the unasked question Marinette sighed and ran her hand down her face.

“Princess?”

“Yeah! Yeah Chat, I’m awake.” She said as she opened her door. “I’m running extremely late but I’m up.”

“You need to be somewhere?” He asked as he took a step back to let her out of the room. She walked to the sink and ran a glass of water as she waited for the uber app to refresh.

“Yeah.” Marinette took a sip from the glass as she pondered her phone. “I’m late for school, if I leave now I will still be late so I have to try to hurry up at least a bit.”

“How are you getting there? Isn’t your school across town?” He asked. When she shot him a suspicious look he threw his hands up in the air defensively, “I know things okay? I patrol a lot.”

“I’m ordering an uber if you must know Mr. Hero.” She said as she glanced down at her phone once again.

“Oh, then yeah you’re gonna be late no matter what.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. Once again he raised his hands defensively.

“I’m just saying, I have a quicker way around the city if you’re interested.” She raised her brow as he brought his staff out and twirled it in his hands.

“You aren’t honestly suggesting…”

“I mean, I have time before my day job and you need a lift, I’m the best lift in the city if I do say so myself.”

“And you do.” She snorted a bit around her words.

“Of course I do.” She chuckled then, shaking her head and leaving him standing there dumbfounded.

“Do you offer to take a lot of girls across the city Chat?” She asked, wiping at her eye as she tucked her phone into her purse.

“Only the ones I let live with me.” He said around a small smirk.

“So, I’m not the first girl you let stay here?” One of her brows raised as she sized him up. His hand shot back to scratch below his ponytail as he gave her a small smile.

“Nah, you’re the first person who’s been allowed in here Princess.” He said with a small shrug. Her brows raised as a faint heat spread to her cheeks.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“I just mean, I figured with you being… well, you, that you would have a lot of girls in your life.” She shrugged as she uncrossed her arms. “It’s surprising I guess.”

“You think so little of me huh?” He asked as he leaned against his couch.

“No, I mean I just figured since you were so popular with the ladies and a hero and-” She stopped mid thought as her phone chimed to alert her she had only fifteen minutes before her first class. His brows raised as he leaned forward slightly.

“What was that about?” He asked with a small grin.

“That… was warning me that I am officially late no matter what.” She sighed, “I doubt even you could get across town in fifteen minutes.”

“I could do it in ten.”

Marinette couldn’t believe how different it felt to ride piggyback while Chat hopped from rooftop to rooftop. She could only equate it to being on a rollercoaster rather than driving a car. The loss of control was what had her stomach dropping every time they soared over an alleyway or road, it had to be. She clung onto him like her life depended on it, and quite a few times it felt like it did. She could feel him chuckling every time her arms tightened around his shoulders and it only made her feel worse.

“You can open your eyes now.” She heard him say as they came to a stop. Her eyes fought against her brain as she forced them to open. It was bright, for a moment she couldn’t see anything. Then, her vision cleared and the sign for ESMOD stood before her. “I’ll let you off here, no need for weird questions right?” He said as she slipped off of his back.

“Thank you Chat.” She straightened out her jacket as she shifted from foot to foot. He smiled and reached out to pat her on the head.

“You only have a few more minutes, better get to class.” With that he was gone, using his staff to propel himself up to the rooftops and away from her.

When he was out of sight she released a small breath and turned towards the gate. Her feet shuffled as she made her way into the campus. Her head dropped as she passed by a group of guys standing around Michal, though the sight of his blackened eye made a small smile spread across her cheeks. She’d forgotten that he returned to school that day. It had been a calm week that set her at ease after the attack. Between Chat, and Luka, and Adrien, and Master Fu she managed to have so much more to worry about than Michal.

However, she could feel the heat of his glare on her back. It was like a physical shove when he looked up. It made her feel small, like she was the one who did something wrong when all she did was walk home that night. Her hand tightened around her purse strap as she ground her teeth together. It wasn’t fair.

“Marinette!” She jumped at the sound of her name and turned to see Therisa making her way towards her. “Come on, you need to come sit with me.” She said as she grabbed Marinette by her wrist.

“Wha-” Marinette stumbled the first couple of steps but soon fell in line with the blonde. “What’s going on?” Therisa didn’t respond to her questions, instead she simply continued to pull Marinette away from Michal’s group and towards their class. She was led all the way to her seat before she heard a word out of the other girl.

“So I hear you and Michal got into a fight the other day.” Therisa propped her feet up on the desk as she spoke. “Heard some goon that you’re tight with knocked him out and then the two of you took off leaving him in a ditch.”

“What? But that’s not what-“

“But considering it’s coming from Michal’s group of weirdos I don’t believe any of it.” Therisa cut her off midway through defending herself. “That guy isn’t good news. Honestly, I only spoke to you two the other day because it looked like he was marking you as his next conquest.”

“Next conquest?” Marinette asked. Therisa sighed and laid her head against the back of her chair.

“It was two years ago, my older sister had this huge crush on Michal and it seemed like he liked her too, walked her to her place after school and everything. It all seemed great.” Therisa shook her head slowly as she spoke, her voice going low and causing Marinette to lean towards her with each word, “She was even talking him up to our folks. But then… well, weird stuff started to happen and she got scared. A few weeks later she stopped contacting us. The police went to check on her and said everything was fine but… I dunno I never really liked the way that guy looks at people like you.”

“People like me?”

“You know, small and cute with dark hair.” A shrug followed her words. “The guys obsessed with Ladybug, you know the old hero, I mean he even got my sister to dye her hair. She even wore it in pigtails for him.”

“Thats…”

“Creepy? Yeah I know. If he got under your skin then he’d have you cutting your hair and wearing pigtails too.” Marinette shook her head quickly in response to this and gently laid her hand on her purse as she felt Tikki moving about inside it. The two tensed together as he walked into the room. Marinette ducked her head as his eyes hovered over her and tilted it to look at Therisa who was scowling towards him.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked, pulling the girl’s attention to her and watching as the scowl faded away.

“What do you mean?” Therisa asked.

“Well… today is my last day technically. I switched over to night classes due to something that happened, outside of whatever he was trying to do.” Marinette explained as she pulled out her books, “I won’t be in class with you anymore so I was just wondering if you were going to be okay.”

“Of course I will be okay, I’m too tall and blonde for him to even register on his radar. What happened by the way?” Therisa sat up and leaned towards her as she asked the question. Marinette sucked in her bottom lip and bit down as she thought carefully over her response.

“Well, it’s true that there was a fight, but I don’t remember much of it because I got hit in the head.” Marinette began around a sigh, “Chat Noir actually rescued me from it. He was patrolling nearby and heard us.”

“So wait,THE Chat Noir, hero of Paris, just happened to be around and helped you?” Therisa leaned even closer as she asked the question.

“Uh, y-yeah. I mean I could’ve been anyone. He helps out everyone in Paris who needs it right?” Marinette looked down at her books as she spoke quickly.

“I know that feeling.” Therisa leaned back once again in her seat, and away from Marinette as she let out a long breath. “Last year during that attack at the hotel, that big one the former mayor runs still, I was there and Chat Noir pulled me out of the building before the gunmen started. Told me to run and I did.”

“Were you scared?”

“I was, until our hero got me out of there.” Marinette and Therisa shared a smile as they settled in for the lesson. During the class Marinette thought more over her gift for Chat, and in order to distract herself from the cold looks coming from Michal’s table, she decided to sketch out some additions to her original plan that would make it more comfortable for her temporary roommate than the leather-esque costume he was in so much lately.

She went through her next few classes in this state, sketching out her plans and ignoring as her phone vibrated over and over again in her purse. By the time her lunch hour rolled around she had twelve missed calls and three voicemails from a blonde she would’ve never expected to call her at all.

“Hey, I was just calling to check in on you. This is Chloe by the way.” The first voicemail was short and awkward, much like Marinette’s growing feelings for the woman.

“Just wondering if you needed a ride to the hospital, grandpa Cheng needs someone to check in on him.” The second was a bit more confusing for her, but she supposed it was Chloe’s way of being nice. It was just such a stark contrast to Marinette’s memories that it was hard for her to believe.

“Call me when you can, I was just told you’re in University, good on you girl.” Marinette pressed her lips tightly together at the sound of the last voicemail. She could feel her lips pulling upwards as a warm feeling spread through her chest. A weight years in the making lifted from her shoulders as she realized that being Queen Bee had truly changed Chloe for the better.

“What are you smiling about?” She jumped when she registered the voice right by her ear, and turned to see Michal standing right behind her with his hands in his pockets. She stumbled back a bit and placed her hand on her chest to calm herself.

“What are you doing here?” The demand came out cold and hard as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m a student here?” He chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. “Students are allowed on campus you know-”

“You know what I mean Michal.”

“-And I wanted to check in on my old partner, you’ve been avoiding me for a while. Plus you haven’t been going home, it could make someone worry.”

“I moved.” She stood firm, still glaring at him as her hand tightened around her purse strap.

“Moved? Why” He took a step closer to her and she took a step back. “Are you alright to get home?”

“It’s close. I don’t need your help.” She quickly interjected before he could offer it. She was lying to him, the guilty feeling crawling up the back of her throat made her want to vomit before being quickly pushed down by her own willpower. Lying to him would be okay as long as she could get away, she just had to avoid him the rest of the day and she would be fine.

“Then hey! Why don’t we walk home together today, my place is pretty close.” he took another step towards her as she took yet another one back.

“No thank you, I’m busy today.”

“But it’s your last day in our class and-”

“HEY! THE LADY SAID NO.” They both turned and Marinette let out a sigh of relief at the sight of familiar blonde locks.

“Excuse me but we were in a conversation here.” Michal said as he turned fully towards the speaker.

“Her, talking to you? HA! Ridiculous.”

“Chloe.” Marinette breathed as she took a step towards the other woman.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I came to pick you up. Your grandfather asked me to.” Chloe confidently strode over and locked her arm through Marinette’s.

“We were making plans to go home together.” Michal tried once again. Marinette didn’t feel the tightness in her muscles this time however, no one could stand up to Chloe for long. Chloe began to laugh and wave her hand towards him in a shooing motion.

“No no, see you were making plans and my good friend here was politely rejecting you. However I am not so polite. Little boy, you should stay away from Mari Cakes here, otherwise I’m afraid you will find yourself in hot water with my other friend over there.” She motioned to a man standing by her car who looked even larger than Adrien’s old body guard. “So, take your pathetic attempts elsewhere okay? Okay.” Chloe flicked her hair as she pulled Marinette towards her car, not even giving Michal time to respond.

“Chloe, what are you-”

“Oh, miss Chloe.” Marinette froze as the large man spoke. To say that a voice is usually tied to the look of a person would be an apt statement, however his voice was so off from his form that it took her a moment to even realize it was him who was speaking. It was light and airy, even lighter than her own voice, which even to her own ears still sounded like a young child.

“Jacque, this is Marinette, she’s going to school here.” Chloe introduced her without missing a beat. “Her designs are amazing.”

“Oh, hello miss Marinette.” Jacque gave her a bright smile as he leaned forward to give her a large smile. “I adore fashion, that’s how I met miss Chloe here. She is simply fantastic at picking out clothes.” He held his hand out to her like an elizabethan lady waiting for a lord to kiss it. Marinette couldn’t help a small chuckle escaping her as she took it in her own and gave it a firm shake.

“It’s very nice to meet you.” She said around her smile. He gave her a small wink as he released her hand and stood up straight.

“Shall we go ladies?” He asked, opening the backdoor for them as he did so. Chloe slid inside, pulling Marinette in behind her.

Once the door was closed, Jacque jogged around the front of the car and took his place behind the wheel, giving them another warm smile through the mirror before shutting his own door.

“Jacque makes the best croquettes in the world.” Chloe said once the engine purred to life. “You should come by one day and have some. Oh, his cheesecake is to die for. He learned how to make it in America.”

“That, sound’s awesome Chloe… but, why did you come out here to get me?” Marinette leaned back in her seat and toyed with the hem of her shirt as she asked the question.

“Like I said, your grandfather sent me.” Chloe flipped her hair once again. “I brought him some lunch since I figured you were busy and he said he had something really important to tell you. I figured I have the time so… I came to get you.”

“Wow, Chloe, that’s… really nice of you.”

“Well, ya know, I try.” Chloe gave her a warm smile as she reached around to pat her shoulder. “So, who was that guy anyway? Didn’t seem like you were thrilled to talk to him.”

“That’s because I wasn’t… he um, he attacked me a few weeks ago-“

“He did what! Jacque! Turn the car around now! I may not have my powers but I can still teach that boy a lesson or twelve about attacking my friends!”

“Friends?” Marinette mumbled in genuine confusion before shaking her head. “No, wait Chloe, I- he’s already been taught a lesson. I just want to put it all behind me now. No need for you to get involved and risk him suing you… or worse…” Chloe froze, halfway out of the seat where she leaned towards the front of the car, and turned a skeptical brow to Marinette.

“You think I’m scared of him suing me ‘or worse’?” The air quotes were not lost on Marinette as Chloe rolled her eyes. “Mari, I am Queen Bee. With or without the suit. Ladybug told me so herself.”

“I think as a friend I don’t want you to go through that. He’s… not okay. I don’t want to call someone crazy but…”

“He’s a few sprinkles short of a cupcake?” Chloe sat back and pulled her phone from her purse as she asked the question.

“Well… yeah, you could say that.”

Chapter 9: Close Call

Chapter Text

The hospital room was dead silent when Marinette entered it, left on her own by Chloe who had to take an important call retaining to her magazine. She sat down beside the hospital bed and let out a long tired breath as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

The sounds of the monitors in the room beeping steadily to the rhythm of Master Fu’s heart put her into a half sleep, her head resting on one shoulder as her eyes drifted closed. There was nothing she could do until he woke up after all, she could afford to take a small nap.

The sounds that brought her out of her dozing state also urged her to remain as still as possible. Two voices, one very familiar to her and the other too soft to make out, we’re discussing Master Fu while he remained asleep.

“It’s not like him to just have a heart attack, and the place was in shambles.” Plagg was both angry and loud as his voice boomed through the room.

“Shh, what happens if someone comes in here, or you wake her up?!” The second voice, Chat she assumed, hissed and shortly afterwards she could hear Plagg call out in surprise.

“Chat Noir, I don’t think you need to worry. She looked quite tired when she came in so I simply let her sleep.” She almost smiled at Master Fu’s comment, realizing he was awake the whole time she’d been there, but opted to simply shift her body into a more comfortable position on the chair.

“She probably stayed up late working on a design again.” Chat sighed after his words.

“Are we being a peeping Tom Chat?”

“Uh, well, um, no. I mean it’s not like I’m looking in her window or anything.”

“You sound nervous Chat.” It was Marinette’s own thought that left Master Fu’s lips.

“Why would he be nervous, it’s not like he has to watch her through a window anyway.” Plagg piped up.

“Plagg!”

“Chat…”

“Well, he isn’t wrong I mean, she um… she kinda lives at my apartment.”

“She knows who you are then?”

“No um, not… not that apartment, she moved into the Chataeu.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“A couple weeks.” Chat replied

“A month.” Plagg retorted.

“It hasn’t been a month.” Chat snapped at him.

“You’re right, more like two months now.” Plagg quipped back.

“Six weeks tops.”

“Enough.” She could hear the frustration in Master Fu’s voice as he called out for their bickering to stop. “If It were anyone else I would ask you to step down from your duties for the safety of your identity.” He continued. “Since it’s Marinette, I think you’ll be safe even if she discovers it.”

“I’m careful, her best friend writes the Hero Watch article for the newspaper and-“

“I am fully aware, but I assure you she won’t reveal you to anyone.” Master Fu cut Chat off before he could continue.

“Because she’s you’re granddaughter.” Chat sighed.

“She’s trustworthy, I would even go so far as to say I’d trust her with her own miraculous.” She tensed only a bit at those words, fearing that Master Fu would give away who she was, but felt relieved when he went no further with the thought.

“I need to go, we just popped in to check on you.” She heard Chats chair squeak against the tile as he stood from it.

“Careful, That new blonde friend of hers is still roaming the halls somewhere.” Master Fu warned.

“Yeah, I better just go out the window. Plagg, Claws out!” There was a flash of light, then she could feel Chat’s claw gently patting her head before the sound of the window opening prompted her to crack her eyes open slightly.

“He’s gone.” She opened them a bit wider at Master Fu’s words and sat up a bit straighter in her chair. “How much did you hear?”

“I woke up to Plagg being loud.” She scratched her cheek as a yawn escaped her.

“And you didn’t even take a peek at your old partner?” Marinette shook her head gently.

“It wouldn’t be right, after all these years. If he wants me to know then he’ll tell me.” Just then the door opened and Chloe strode into the room, practically dragging Adrien in by the ear.

“Get this Lou, he didn’t want to ‘bother’ you in here.” Chloe scoffed before releasing the other blonde and stepping around the bed to give Marinette a bag of bagels. “They’re from Jacque. He thought you’d be hungry.” The smile and offering were still something very new for Marinette, coming from someone like Chloe.

“Ah, thank you.” She mumbled as she took the bag, wiping her eyes as another yawn escaped her.

“She had a bit of a nap while you were away.” Master Fu explained when a confused look crossed Chloe’s face.

“I’ve been a bit too distracted to sleep lately.” She replies with a shrug, “midterms are coming up a lot quicker than I expected.”

“I don’t see why you don’t just put in to work at Agreste.” Chloe scoffed.

“I need to perfect my craft a bit more, plus I need to take business courses so I can run my own boutique one day.” Marinette insisted as she reached into the bag to pull out an individually wrapped bagel.

“Why run something as small as a boutique. You could be working for a major company and showing your skills to the world!”

“Not everyone’s looking to be world renowned Chloe.” Adrien interrupted them, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. “It’s nice to see you awake Mr. Lou. I’m sure your granddaughter here is taking good care of you.”

“Trying to,” Marinette smiled slightly as she spoke.

“I’m helping him out too, so Mari has more time to help me.” Chloe chuckled as she spoke, “I still need your rsvp by the way Adrikins, yours too.” She pointed to Marinette then, “don’t think I’m letting the one who designed my dress miss out on the festivities.”

“I don’t know…” Marinette started, “I don’t think I’d even have a ride or-“

“I’ll give you a ride.” Chloe and Adrien offered at the same time, then looked at one another defensively.

“I think she’d rather get a ride from me, the one she is designing a dress for and knows their way to the cabin.” Chloe draped an arm around her shoulder as she spoke.

“Do you know where she lives to pick her up?” Adrien countered.

“Do you?”

“I helped her move in.” He crossed his arms and raised a brow. “It’s what friends do for friends.”

“Well I chased off a creep for her at her school, because we’re tight like that.” Chloe smirked, leaning her head towards Marinette’s.

“Just- just give me a few days okay.” Marinette said as she stepped away from Chloe. “I have a uh… a roommate that may be able to give me a lift.”

“Ooo, shot down pretty boy.” Chloe chuckled as she patted Adrien lightly on the shoulder.

“You were too.” Adrien pointed out as his brows furrowed over his nose. Marinette gulped at the sight, knowing that he would know she moved into a single bedroom apartment, thus wouldn’t have a roommate.

“I gotta go.” Marinette mumbled, glancing towards Master Fu who she still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to, “I’ll see you later grandpa.” She called out as she stepped past them, stopping short of the door when she felt Adriens hand on her arm. His face was an odd mix of concern and hopefulness that caused her eyebrows to furrow as his had before.

“Be safe on your way home okay?” He urged after a long silent moment.

“Sure thing.” She smiled as she pulled her keys from her purse, jiggling them so he could see the familiar charm hanging there. “I’ve got luck on my side after all.” He smiled and let her go, stepping back to stand next to Chloe as she closed the door behind herself.

Michal groaned as he laid back on the bed, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes as he let out his frustration loudly. Around him lay a mismatch of oddities, all from different points of time. A phonograph in the corner sat beside a half made sculpture of Ladybugs face. Before them rested a box of photos, newer ones scattered on the top of the box revealed Marinette smiling nervously while standing beside a bride and groom.

“Michal, you’re behind on rent.” He rolled onto his side just as a long haired brunette woman stepped into his room. Other than the thick mask of makeup on her face, she looked well enough put together to pass for someone other than what she was, a cheap land lady who smoked far too much and had a hatred years long for the missing hero of Paris, his personal obsession.

“Awe come on Rossi, just give me time to sell some stuff. My cousin brought me a boat load just yesterday.” He motioned to the junk in the room and watched here eye it all greedily.

“Give me the old record player and I’ll wait another week before kicking your sorry ass out on the street.” She said, motioning to the corner.

“I think it’s a phonograph.” Michal pointed out as he sat up a bit more on the bed.

“Who cares what it’s called, it’ll look good in my lounge.” The landlady tossed her hair over one shoulder as she scoffed.

“Well, I’m sure there is a difference.” Michal grumbled as he stood and waded towards the Phonograph. His landlady followed behind him, stopping short at his box of pictures as staring down at the one resting on top.

“You got a poor taste in girls.” She commented dryly as she lifted the wedding photo to study it. “She looks twelve tops.”

“She’s a few years older than me actually.” He shrugged around the heavy decor in his hand as he stepped up to her. “May have been twelve there, I dunno. She gave it to me. That’s my girlfriend your looking at Rossi.” She sighed at his words and shook her head.

“Not everyone can bag someone who actually has a future I guess.” She said around a shrug of her own as she tossed the picture back towards the box.

“Hey! Watch out!” Michal dove towards the picture, releasing the phonograph with one hand as he attempted to snatch the image away from a bowl of old soup it was falling towards. Just by letting go with one hand, he threw the balance of the phonograph off, feeling it slipping away from him and throwing himself off balance. There was a crash, and a cold wet feeling that covered his side shortly afterwards. It was all drowned out by her shrill screaming.

“You broke it you idiot!” She pushed past him to grab at the pieces of the phonograph, holding them between her shaking fingers as her eyes locked onto a black and red box hidden within it.

“What’s that?” Michal asked as he peeked over her shoulder.

“None of your business. I’ll take it as payment for the broken record player. You have a week to give me the rent money.” She snapped as she snatched the box from the remains of the antique. “Get this place cleaned up, its horrible. No wonder your twelve year old doesn’t want to come here.”

“She’s not twelve!”

“Keep telling yourself that, anyone in pigtails is far too young.” She shook her head and snickered at her own words.

“She doesn’t have-“ He was cut off by her finger as her phone began to ring. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen for a split second before tapping on it and placing the phone to her ear.

“Oh Hi, yes I’m alright. How are you?” She paused, nodding her head as Michal grumbled at the finger she still held up to him. “Dinner? Oh, I don’t know. It’s just so sudden… uh huh. Hmm..” she smiled as she turned towards Michal fully. “Well if you really need me to- I wouldn’t want your sales to fall after you worked so hard.” He opened his mouth to speak and she held up her finger once again. “Of course! Should we meet at the company then?” Another nod. “Oh, you are bad. Okay the manor then. See you there.” She smiled as she tapped her phone screen once again and placed it in her pocket before retrieving the box.

“What poor fool was that?” Michal scoffed when she turned towards the door.

“Adrien Agreste, he’s been mad for me since school but I dunno… his dad is the big bad from back in the day after all.” She smiled at him over her shoulder as she spoke. “Later, bring me my money!”

“Yeah, later Lila.” He practically spat her name as he watched the door close slowly behind her.

Adrien sneezed and rubbed his nose slowly as he sat behind the desk in his office. He leaned back and relaxed against the leather chair and allowed a low sigh to escape him. Going to see Master Fu was supposed to be a one on one affair, Marinette sleeping nearby had put him on edge and made it hard for him to ask about the miraculous box. He wanted to see if there was any way to track it down, if maybe Plagg or Wayzz could sense the other kwami’s in it if only he did something to increase their senses.

He sat forward as he thought of the turtle kwami, he couldn’t remember if there was something special about him compared to the others. There must be considering the Master picked him as his own. Unless he was chosen by another Master much like Adrien and Ladybug were chosen by him.

“Mr. Agreste? That ‘Potential Model’ is back in the lobby again.” He sighed as he let his hand slide down his face. So many young women were coming in lately, many wanting to be models rather than designers and his patience with them wore thin against his nerves.

“Tell her that we aren’t looking for models at this time.” He sighed, resting his fingers on either side of his nose as he did so.

“Yo, I told her I wasn’t here for that.” Adrien jumped at the sound of the voice, locking eyes with the other male who stood just outside the elevator.

“Nino!” He exclaimed, rushing from his chair to embrace the other man. “You should’ve called, I would’ve moved some things around the schedule.”

“Tough part of being an adult man, can’t just surprise your buddies anymore.” Nino chuckled as they pulled away from one another.

“Well,” Adrien tapped his chin in thought for a moment before turning to his secretary, “I’m taking an early lunch, move my meetings around a bit will you?” With the grumbling of Abigail behind him, he placed an arm over Nino’s shoulder and led him to the elevator.

“Dog are you sure that’s chill?” Nino asked as the elevator shut behind them.

“I barely take time off for myself. A couple hours aren’t going to destroy the place. They all know what they’re doing.” Adrien motioned in a wide arch with his free hand as he mentioned his staff.

“If you’re sure man.” Nino sighed as he reached up to run his fingers through his short Afro. His face changed in that moment to one of complete worry as he stared off to the one corner of the mirrored box that didn’t show his face to him.

“Hey, are you okay Nino?” Adrien asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Dog,” Nino sighed as he shook his head slowly. “I’m, I feel like I’m being pulled three different ways dude. Alya is obsessed with Mari’s welfare and she’s pregnant and she wants me to figure out where the hell her best friend is living and gah.” He shook his head once again as he squatted down, resting his elbows on his knees. “I just need to relax man, between the baby stress and Alya trying to focus on her friends rather than herself I’m at my wits end.”

“Sounds like it man.” Adrien leaned against the mirrored wall as he spoke. Shaking his head slowly, he gave Nino a gentle smile, “why don’t we go grab a bite? I know this place nearby… L'Abeille, it’s great.” Nino’s back stiffened at his words, only relaxing when he released a slow breath.

“Nah man, nah, I know a place that’s better. Trust me.” He turned to Adrien, his grin widening as their eyes met.

……….

Alya rolled over in bed, groaning as she swiped at her phone lazily. The loud ringtone giving her a headache behind her eyes as she attempted to shut it up.

“Hello.” She growled as she placed it against her ear.

“Alya?” Her eyes widened at Kim’s voice, how long had it been since they last talked she wondered as she struggled to sit up in the bed.

“Kim?” She rubbed her eyes as she searched for her glasses. “Why the hell are you calling me this late?” She asked, after placing them on her nose and seeing that it was nearly midnight.

“Well, you see…” behind him she could faintly hear the pump of music and more clearly the sound of two men bickering. “Well, I own an arcade, you knew that, anyway Nino likes to come here to destress sometimes but it’s usually alone-“

“Kim, get to the point.” She snapped, far too annoyed to care at that moment.

“Right, you need to come get him and make him leave.”

“What is he doing at an arcade at midnight? Kim you better not have him at a club.”

“No! No, we aren’t clubbing I swear. Please come get him out of here. They’re kinda scaring my regulars.”

“They?” She clenched her fist as she hissed the word through her teeth.

“Uh, yeah. Adrien’s with him.”

……….

“It’s a point man!” Nino shouted, waving his arms in the air as he did so. “It went in! Admit defeat Agreste!”

“It bounced off the edge!” Adrien returned in an equally loud voice, “you don’t get to claim victory for this match. We’re still all tied up!”

“Bullshit!” Nino slammed his paddle down on the air hockey table as he exclaimed.

“Kim!” Kim jumped when Adrien turned to call out to him. “Come tell him it’s not a point if it bounces off the goal, not an in, not a point.”

“Man I hope Alya shows up soon.” Kim grumbled from his spot behind the counter. A kid no older than ten was cowering before him as he tried to pick out a prize for his hundred tickets. Around the feet of the two arguing men rested thousands of the same tickets, won during their hours in the store.

“WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!?”

“Hi Kim.”

Standing before the open doors of the arcade stood two women: one taller, pregnant, and obviously pissed beyond words. The other was slightly shorter than her companion, with damp deep blue hair and a worried look paining her features as she held her arms out, ready to catch her friend if she needed to.

“Alya, Mari, Hey…” Kim left the kid at the counter as he leaned over it to rush to the girls side.

“What were you thinking!” Alya hissed as she threw up a finger to menacingly point at his chin.

“I was thinking I needed help?” Kim asked her with a small shrug.

“Alya…” Marinette placed a soothing hand on her friend's shoulder, “calm down, getting angry is bad for the baby.”

“You don’t tell me to calm down.” Alya turned her finger on Marinette as she growled the words, “you have been major stress to me young lady.”

“We’re the same age.”

“Not the point!” Alya shot Marinette an angry glare before turning back to Kim, “Why are you open this late in the first place!?”

“It’s a 24 hour arcade, I get a lot of college age customers late at night.” Kim defended.

“That child isn’t in college.” Alya snarled at Kim as she pointed to the ten year old at the counter.

“He’s a kid from the neighborhood.”

“I’LL TELL YOUR MOTHER IF YOU DON’T GO HOME THIS INSTANT!” Alya’s voice boomed over the sound of techno music that filled the room. Everything stopped. Adrien and Nino, the college kids near the zombie games, the small child at the counter, Kim, Marinette, they all froze in place and stared at Alya, standing with her legs slightly parted and her fists on her hips.

“Alya.” Nino stepped away from the table as he looked around himself slowly. When his eyes met those of his wife once more he took a moment to swallow slowly. “What, what are you doing out and about? That can’t be good for you babe.”

“Can’t be good for me?” Alya’s eyes widened as she spoke, “Wanna know what isn’t good for me? WAKING UP AT MIDNIGHT TO FIND OUT MY HUSBAND IS IN AN ARCADE SCARING CHILDREN INSTEAD OF AT HOME WITH HIS PREGNANT WIFE!”

“Mid-” Nino glanced at the windows behind Alya and paled at what he saw. “When did that happen?”

“WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN!?” Alya turned red as she shouted the words, behind her Marinette was furiously motioning for him to stop talking. “BOY I KNOW YOU DIDN’T JUST SAY WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN!”

“No, I didn’t. I said I can’t believe how beautiful my wife looks under the uh…” He glanced up for a moment, “Fluorescent lights. And- and that’s she’s just so smart and kind and the love of my life and I’m lucky to have her in my life and… and Icecream! Who wants icecream? Let’s go get you some of your favorite icecream and go home and eat it while watching those old clips from your blog, which is the best blog to this day that I’ve ever read and…”

“Is it usually like this?” Kim whispered to Marinette as Nino continued on in the same way.

“I’d say this is actually pretty tame,” Marinette nodded as she spoke, “you should’ve seen how it went down when he spilled red wine on her wedding dress.”

Kim hissed through his teeth and widened his eyes at her words, they both then covered their mouths and giggled softly at the implications of them. Across the room, Adrien leaned against the air hockey table and ground his teeth as he watched them. His appointments that were missed pushed to the back of his mind as Kim’s hand found a resting place on Marinette’s shoulder. He could feel Plagg squirming inside his coat as his hand clenched the edge of the table tightly.

“I can give you all a ride home, after icecream of course.” He said then, pushing himself away from the table and making his way over to the group. “Sorry for the problems we caused you Kim, Alya.” He added, holding a hand out for Kim to shake and feeling his lips twitch upwards when it meant the taller man had to release Marinette’s shoulder to do so.

“It’s cool man, just… maybe chill here a little less next time, or don’t start a competition alright?” Kim smiled as he shook Adrien’s hand.

“Who said we were going to get icecream?” Alya demanded as she crossed her arms.

“Erm…. What about something salty?” Nino asked in a small voice.

“Boy if you don’t get your ass in that car right now.” Alya growled, motioning out the window at her small orange car waiting at the curb.

“What brings you here?” Adrien asked Marinette as Nino sulked past them, waving at Adrien the way a dying man would wave goodbye.

“Alya needed someone to drive.” She answered with a small shrug. “Luckily for her I was in the shower and not in bed quiet yet.”

“It’s pretty late not to be asleep.” Adrien stepped closer to her as Alya stomped behind him on her way out the door.

“You’re one to talk.” Marinette chuckled as she shook her head slowly, “I was up late working on a project.”

“Oh, for school?” He asked, stepping up to the door and holding it open for her.

“Uh… yeah, school. A project for school. Which I am attending.” He tilted his head at her fumbled words, one eyebrow arching up in confusion. She giggled, like she used to when they were kids and she felt awkward in the conversation. His confusion only grew when she ducked her head after this and fell into silence.

“Well, I’m sure it’s a great design and I bet it’s coming together wonderfully, but sleep is a good thing for any student pr- Mari.”

“I’d get a lot more sleep if I didn’t have to worry about where that dumb cat is.” Marinette grumbled under her breath.

“You have a cat?” He asked, hiding his smirk by looking away and pretending to look for his keys.

“I have a.. Oh, um, yeah. I just got him recently and he doesn’t like sticking around much.” She stopped in her tracks after saying this, causing him to stop in his as well and turn towards her. “Alya left without me.” It almost sounded pitiful to his ears, the small whine that followed her statement.

“I could-” He began.

“I’ll just Uber.” She said at the same moment.

“Why waste money, I can give you a lift.” He offered quickly. Her eyes widened slightly and she reached for her purse strap just as she always had when she was upset, he found himself wondering just when he memorized all her little nuances while he watched her.

“Um, I don’t know.. I- I’m not really sure if I should waste your time.” She said, a distant look in her eyes telling him she was deep in thought.

“It wouldn’t be a waste of time, we’re friends right?” He asked.“But you have to get some sleep big company ceo.” She nudged his arm as she spoke.

“Same to you miss student.” He retorted.

“It’s a nice night.”

“You’re hair is wet and it’s late, you’ll get sick.”

“I have a good immune system?”

“Marinette.” He frowned as he said her name, “This isn’t going anywhere, just get in the car and let me give you a ride home. Stop being stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn, you’re being stubborn.”

“Mari…”

“Look,” She sighed as she ran her fingers through her fringe, “I… Idon’tliveatmyapartmentanymore.” she finished her sentence quickly, merging her words into an intelligible sound.

“I caught none of that.” Adrien blinked slowly as he spoke, she sighed and dropped her shoulders. Her eyes found the starry night sky before looking down at the sidewalk.

“I don’t live at the apartment you helped me move into anymore.” Her words were slow and soft as she spoke, it was the reason that he leaned in closer to her.

“You don’t.” He said after a long moment contemplating if he should tell her he already knew. “Well… you could always give me directions, you’d have to tell an Uber your new address anyway.” She opened her mouth to respond only to shut it once again and scratch at the side of her neck as she looked away from him.

“It’s… I…” She pressed her lips together tightly as her brows furrowed.

“Look, I’m not going to let you walk home this time of night Mari. After-” He stopped himself, nearly saying something that would give away what he knew, “After all it’s dangerous for you to be by yourself, late at night.”

“I can call an Uber though.” She urged once again.

“You’re Uber has arrived Marinette.” Adrien motioned towards his car as he spoke, a frown crossing his lips shortly after.

“Fine. But you don’t get to judge me.” She said threateningly. Adrien felt himself relax as she made her way to his car. He rushed to get to the door before her and held it open. She paused, taken aback by his actions.

“I’m going for a five star review.” He joked, punctuating it with a wink.

“Oh my god.” She breathed, hands going up to rest against her cheeks.

“What?”

“You’re a nerd.”

Chapter 10: The Morning After

Chapter Text

“You can just drop me off here.” Marinette said as they neared the apartment building. Adrien’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as his eyes darted up to the darkened building beside them.

“You live here?” He asked, wondering why she would want to stop two doors down from the Chateau.

“Uh, yeah… thanks for the lift Adrien.” He frowned as he slowly pulled over and watched her slip out of the car. She gave him a smile and a wave before shutting the door and turning to the building that he knew she absolutely did not live in. She entered the door and he waited a moment before groaning in defeat and pulling away when it became clear she was waiting for him to leave so she could go to her actual home.

“Two can play at that game.” He grumbled as he pulled the car to a stop just around the corner from their building. He called forth his transformation and slipped out of the car. In the dead of night no one noticed him rocketing himself to the roof of the building, the skylight he had installed when renovating came in handy as he dropped through it straight into his bedroom.

It was nearly twenty minutes later that he heard the keys in the front doors lock. He sat up in the bed he rarely slept in and cocked his head to one side to listen in on the rest of the apartment. Marinette’s shuffling steps filled the air, he heard her toss her keys in the glass bowl by the kitchen counter that she’d gotten into the habit of using to store them. The fridge was opened, then closed shortly afterwards. She said something that he couldn’t quite hear and then was shuffling once again. He could hear the leather of his couch bow under her weight as she settled in on it, and the sound of the t.v. turning on. She was watching the news by the sound of it, a dull man speaking about troubles in the underground and trains not leaving on schedule filled the otherwise silent apartment.

An hour went by without her so much as calling out to see if he was awake, he sat there wondering why she wouldn’t check in on her roommate when it hit him that she wasn’t used to him being there in the first place. He stood from the bed and made his way quietly to the door. Cracking it open showed him the faint light of the t.v. down the hallway and helped him hear a bit better what was going on in the living room.

“Yeah, I made it home safe and sound. Adrien drove me. Sorry I didn’t call sooner but I figured you had your hands full.” He leaned against the doorway as he listened to her speaking, presumably to Alya. His assumption was confirmed when she went on to say, “I know, I know. I had to tell him where I lived though because he was my ride. Yeah, yeah I’ll talk to my roommate about you coming by one day. They’re usually out but they are letting me live here for practically nothing. It wouldn’t be right not to ask them before inviting someone over.” He smiled at that, the thought that she would want his approval even if he wasn’t always around left a warm feeling in his chest.

“Yeah, you go get some sleep. I’ll be up a bit longer to get on track for class.” Shortly after she said her goodbyes he could hear her phone clink against the glass top of his end table. He stepped out into the hall, using his carpet to silence his footfalls as he headed towards the source of the light.

She was sitting on the couch, legs tucked under her and a bottle of cheap wine in one hand. He figured she must’ve bought it while she was out one day, he knew he wouldn’t stock an off the shelf wine in the Chateau. Her hair was down, let loose of the ponytail that had become her trademark, and she was half covered in a blanket he usually left draped over the back of the couch.

“Hello.” He called out to her, waving his hand slightly as he spoke. She jolted at the sound of his voice, nearly dropping the wine bottle as she startled.

“Chat!” Her eyes locked on him and he gave her a small smile. “What are you- have you been here all night?” She was clearly distressed at the thought that he’d been around, the idea caused his smile to slip into a frown.

“No, but I was in the neighborhood so I thought I would just stay here tonight.” He pushed himself from the wall he was leaning against and moved across the room to sit next to her on the couch. “What is the princess doing up so late?”

“Mm… Just getting used to being up late.” She answered and took another sip from the bottle, “Had to help a friend clear out an arcade.” She chuckled at her own words and he found himself joining her.

“You cleared an arcade?” He asked as she turned the bottle over in her hands.

“Huh? No… no I was just the driver.”

“Sounds terrifying.” He leaned back, letting the couch take his full weight as he spoke.

“She can be scarier than any akuma.” Marinette smiled mischievously as she spoke. He raised his eyebrows, but in the end had to agree with her. Alya was terrifying when she was angry.

“I’m glad your friend isn’t an akuma then, twice the terror.” She giggled at his words and shook her head slowly.

“No, not an akuma, just a pregnant reporter.”

“Ah, we’re talking about Alya then.” He was thankful she seemed to drunk to notice him wincing slightly at the thought of their last discussion on her.

“She’s the best. Always has been. I love her.” Marinette slurred.

“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled as she nodded fervently at his words. “How drunk are you princess.”

“Seven?” She said, sitting up slightly to look him in the eye, “Wait no, that’s not an answer.” He chuckled once again as she scrunched up her nose. She was acting so differently than normal, more like a confused child than anything, it made him feel like he had to make sure she was safe.

“Alright, night time. Bedtime for the princess.” He said as he stood and scooped up her small frame.

“Noooo.” She whined weakly, butting the bottom of the bottle against his arm weakly in a vague attempt of escape. He shrugged off the hits, which he barely felt anyway, and carried her down the hallway into her room. Once there, he stopped and raised a brow at the sight that waited on her bed. A dark black hoodie with green piping and a faux silk mask rested there along with multiple pages of designs that she’d been working hard on over the past few weeks. She scrambled out of his arms as he gawked at the sight and rushed to gather everything up, while struggling just to remain upright.

“You weren’t supposed to see…” She grumbled as she moved to shove her creation into a drawer nearby.

“Wasn’t-” He began.

“It was a surprise and you ruined it.” She complained.

“Well, I certainly am surprised.” He ran his fingers through his bangs, pulling them up and out of his face as he spoke. “What’s all this about?”

“I can’t tell you ‘til it’s done.” Marinette replied in a matter of fact way, giving him a look that told him he really should’ve known that fact.

“Well, that’s not fair.”

“Didn’t say it was fair, said it was a surprise.” She pouted, crossing her arms as she stuck out her bottom lip. She looked like she would tip over at the slightest breeze, the way she swayed slightly from side to side.

“Okay, time for bed.” He didn’t wait for her to argue with him anymore. Instead he swiftly steered her towards her bed and tucked her into it. Her complaints of not being in pajamas were shushed as he tucked an extra pillow under her head. “You’re tired, and drunk, get some sleep and we can talk tomorrow alright?” He urged as she shifted under the thick duvet.

“You won’t be here in the morning. You never are.” She grumbled, pulling the duvet up closer to her eyes. He took a step back as his eyes widened, a faint memory pulling at the corners of his mind. His lips parted to speak, only to close once more as he turned to her doorway. Her soft breathing reached his ears, slow and even, telling him that she was already deep into sleep. Chat sighed, lowering his head before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind himself.

She told everyone she was working on something for school, but the whole time she’d been sketching and sewing something for him. A surprise, for him, Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste. It was the first time someone had made something for him with their own hands. The first time someone had put so much work into a surprise just because they wanted to. The very thought sent a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest. His lips pulled up into a sloppy smile that he reached up to touch awkwardly as he walked.

“I thought you were going to get her for lying to you.” Plagg said as Adrien released his transformation. Adrien fell into his bed and let out a soft groan in response to his words.

“She’s been making me a present, me Chat a present.” He turned his head to the side when he felt he couldn’t breathe anymore. Plagg rolled his eyes and swooped down to search for cheese around the room. Adrien watched him with one eye for a while before rolling both his eyes and his body over. Laying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling as he thought over what happened just minutes before.

“She’s worried I’ll run off again.” He said. Plagg paused in his search to stare at Adrien with a deep frown on his lips.

“You didn’t run off to begin with, you have a job.” Plagg snarled. Adrien sighed and shook his head. The Kwami just didn’t understand, he knew how lonely it was to be stuck in an empty home.

“I should try to be here more often.” He said.

“She’ll figure out your identity.”

“She doesn’t even want to, if she did she wouldn’t be making me a disguise to wear while you’re off eating cheese.” Adrien rethorted. Plagg placed a hand on his chest, dramatically scoffing at the thought of Adrien saying such a thing.

“I do not just eat cheese.” He exclaimed. “I also nap.” Adrien chuckled as he sat up, his head turning towards the wall nearest to Marinette’s bedroom. He let out a soft sigh as a smile slipped across his lips once again.

“Ugh, this is too cheesy, even for me.” Plagg groaned as he ducked into the drawer designated for his camembert.

The smell of burning cheese brought Marinette into consciousness. She blinked and sat up quickly. Too quickly, the room swam around her as a sharp pain shot through her head. She groaned and grabbed at her temples as her eyes squeezed shut against the bright light streaming in through her windows. A metallic crashing sound caused her to jump and wince at the pain that the quick action brought on. She slipped out of the bed and carefully made her way across the room to her door, cracking it open just in time to hear a man hiss in pain. Her eyes widened as she jerked around, grabbing a heavy book from her table by the door before slipping quietly as she could out of the room.

The burned cheese smell worsened as she made her way towards the front of the apartment. It burned her eyes, causing her to blink rapidly as she held the book upwards, close to her face. Each step brought her closer to the odd sounds and weird smell, her nerves jumped like livewire when another crash echoed through the apartment. She leapt into the living room, turning quickly to the kitchen with the book raised, ready to attack whoever broke in. She screamed, the man at the stove screamed even louder and quickly turned to her, spatula at the ready.

“Chat!” He was there, covered in flour, half melted butter, and shredded cheese. The shock on his face matched what she felt. Her grip on the book lessened and it tumbled to the floor.

“Princess.” he breathed, quickly putting down the spatula. “I thought you wouldn’t be up for another hour.” His words almost sounded accusatory. She raised her brow at his words and felt her lips fighting to pull upwards into a smile.

“I thought you went to day work.” She picked up the book and placed it on the counter as she moved to stand next to him, looking down at the disturbing sight that waited on the stove. “Wow Chat, you… can’t cook.” She said flatly.

“Yeah. But, I do have the day off and a passion to learn.” He smirked as he tilted his head towards her. She rolled her eyes and nudged him with her hip as she reached for the spatula. With quite a bit of effort, she scraped the mess into the trash bin and pointed it to the fridge not full of cheese.

“Grab me a couple eggs and I’ll make us breakfast.” He gave her a quick salute and rushed to follow her order. Then, marveled at the pan she used to scramble them in. She asked him for many ingredients that he jumped to get at her request. He watched happily as she turned the eggs into a large omelet which she then sliced in half. The halves were placed on two plates and she moved on to making toast with a square of butter on each serving. She put their plates on the table that he’d finally emptied of maps and grabbed them a couple mugs from the cabinets above the stove. She pulled a small pot out and filled it with milk to warm as she searched the small pantry for a bag of marshmallows.

“Chat, your apartment is so big but your food supply is so puny.” She complained loudly as she stuck her head into the small space. “All you have in here is energy bars.”

“They help during long patrols.” He said, sitting down in front of his plate. “What are you looking for anyway?”

“Marshmallows.” She said without moving out of the pantry.

“For?”

“Hot chocolate.” He chuckled at her words and stood from the table.

“My diet doesn’t really allow marshmallows.” Chat stepped up to her and urged her out. “What are they for anyway?” She gave him a bright smile and motioned to the warming milk.

“So, diet boy, explain drinking a cup full of them at my place.” She nudged him with her elbow as she spoke, jabbing into his side. He winced playfully and gave her a small shrug.

“Marinette days are my cheat days.” He chuckled and moved to stir the milk before it could burn around the sides of the pan.

“Well, I live here now so technically every day is Marinette day.” She said with a small shrug. His smirk slipped into a frown for a split second. His brows pulled together and his head dipped down before shooting up quickly as a large grin spread across his face, lights dancing in his eyes.

“That is a very good point. I’ll be back.” He said, turning to head towards the door. He paused, looking back at Marinette with a sudden grave seriousness on his face. “I will be back, okay.”

“Okay.” Her brows pulled together in concern as their eyes met. “Are you okay Chat?”

“Absolutely, and I’ll be back with marshmallows before you know it.” He gave her a sideways smile and added, “I promise.”

“And I’ll be here.” She was confused but still returned his smile. Her brows still pulled together in concern and confusion. He nodded and left without another word. Once the door was shut she let out a slow breath and felt her shoulders relax. She turned the milk down even more so that it wouldn’t burn before Chat returned. Tikki emerged from marinette's pants pocket as she stirred the warm liquid, and sat on her shoulder as she watched her work.

“Was he acting weird to you?” Marinette asked, stepping away from the stove to lean against the countertop.

“A bit, he seemed worried about you Marinette.” Tikki patted her cheek as she spoke and Marinette shrugged in response.

“I mean, I guess so but I dunno why…” She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked towards the ceiling. “I mean I am in the safest place in the city, and it’s not like he doesn’t know where I am when I get out of here. I would bet anything he found a way to track me down if he needs to.”

“You’ve been his friend since you were children Marinette, of course he’d be worried about you.” Tikki insisted, “Chat cares about all his friends.”

“I know, and I guess, but it’s weird. He’s usually not here when I wake up and I thought someone else broke in.”

“Maybe he wanted to spend his off day somewhere that no one would find him.” Tikki offered. Marinette shrugged, and a moment later Tikki zipped into her pocket once more. She pushed herself from the counter just as Chat opened the front door with a wide grin and a brown paper bag in his hand.

“Will these do?” He asked, placing the bag on the counter. She opened it and peeked inside only to back away a second later, staring at him in shock.

“Chat, these are gourmet.” She said flatly.

“That was the closest store to here.” He threw his hands up in a defensive pose. “It’s not a big deal, trust me.”

“It is a big deal, these are expensive Chat, the regular ones would’ve been fine.” She rolled her eyes as she turned the stove up once more. “Honestly Chat.” She sighed as she stirred the milk slowly.

“It’ll be fine.” Chat leaned on the countertop nearby as he watched her stir the milk. “I’ll let you get the groceries from now on alright?” She raised her brows at him and he gave her a lazy smile.

“Can I cut back on the weird cheese or…” She began.

“Oh no, the cheese will always be on the list.” He chuckled. “Sorry, it’s a necessity.”

“Oh, there’s a list.” She added the powdered cocoa to the milk and stirred it once again. She turned to pour the hot cocoa into the mugs. She chuckled a bit. “It’s almost like we’re real roommates.”

“Right,” He chuckled as his fingers scraped the nape of his neck just below his ponytail, “heh, roommates. Right.”

“You sure you’re okay Chat?” She asked.

“Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Purrfectly fine.” He said as he sat down once again at the table. She placed the hot cocoa with the most marshmallows in front of him and took her place across the table from him. He was already digging into his meal like a man who hadn’t eaten for a week. The sight made her want to chuckle just as much as it made her want to cry.

“I didn’t mean to wake up this early.” She noted absentmindedly as she looked at the time on the clock above his head, 11:15 in the morning. “I’m trying to get on a nightly schedule so I can really pay attention in class.”

“Oh yeah, you start night classes soon.” He remarked, after swallowing a mouthful of omelet.

“Already started them, last week actually. It is so hard to stay awake though.” She squeezed her lips at one corner of her mouth as she pushed her own food around her plate.

“Doesn’t really help that you’re distracted these days. Master Fu told me about a party you were going to next weekend.” He tilted his head and stared her down, waiting for the response she would normally have to one of Chloe’s plans, what he received however, wasn’t what he expected.

“Ma- my grandpa told you that huh? Guess Chloe told him when I was talking to the nurses…” She looked down at her food as she nudged a pepper chunk with her fork. “It’s no big deal, just an old school friend inviting me to stay at her vacation home. She wants me to make a dress for her.”

“I don’t think you and Chloe were very good friends back in the day.”

“You make us sound old Chat.” She chuckled as she looked up at him before shaking her head slowly and staring out the window. “But yeah, we weren’t. Couldn’t stand each other really. She’s changed though, a lot. Honestly, it’s surprising still.” He chuckled and leaned towards her a bit more.

“So, what changed?”

“We both did I guess, we aren’t kids bickering over everything anymore.” Marinette shrugged as she squeezed her lips in the corner of her mouth once again. “Everything’s changed since back then. I mean for one the akuma drills are just dumb now.”

“I agree, I’ve been telling the mayor for two years to get rid of them. She won’t listen. ‘You wouldn’t understand Chat Noir, you’ve never been akumatized.’” As he mimicked Sabrina’s voice he made a dramatic show of throwing his hands up wildly in the air. She giggled at this and shook her head.

“Well, It is hard to understand until it happens to you.” She offered with a shrug, finally taking a bite of the food she so mercilessly destroyed on her plate.

“I get that, but no one has to worry about them anymore. The bastard was put in jail.” The way his voice dropped when Hawkmoth was brought up caused her eyebrows to press together. Chat really truly hated the man who brought villain after villain for them to fight, perhaps even more than she did.

“You did a great job on that.” She said, her lips pulling into a soft smile. He nodded, slowing in his eating as they fell into silence. Forks clinked against plates and mugs clanged against the wood of the table, periodically breaking the silence. Marinette glanced up a few minutes into it and snorted at the sight of marshmallow fluff lining Chat’s upper lip. He stared at her, eyes slightly widened in confusion and she motioned to her own upper lip. He touched the fluff before ducking his head quickly and wiping it away on his napkin.

“Why’d you shave it? I was digging the mustache.” Marinette chuckled as he shot her a playful glare.

“Well maybe I should just grow out a nice thick one.” He retorted, pretending to run his fingers along one.

“Oh yeah, I’d be beating the ladies off with a stick of you did that.” She jested, leaning forward on her elbows as she did so.

“Maybe I’ll just have to tell them this cat’s already got a woman in his life.” His grin was half playful half content. The sight of it brought back memories of long nights and late patrols. She felt her own smile slip slightly as she leaned back. His mask shifted as his brows raised. At that moment her phone began to ring in her bedroom.

“I have to check that, may be Mamon or Papa needing help.” She said, standing quickly and rushing into her room without waiting for him to respond. She saw that it was simply her alarm and let out a soft sigh. It worried her, Chat looking at her the same way he used to look at Ladybug. She ran her fingers through her hair as she closed her eyes, since when had she started thinking of Ladybug as a separate person to herself. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and glanced towards her closed door. She hadn’t realized just how detached she’d made herself over the years. He kept the city safe while she just stagnated on her own. Chat had worked so hard ever since day one and it wasn’t fair to him, her disappearing.

“I’m gonna tell him.” She mumbled under her breath as she stood quickly from the bed.

“Marinette.” Tikki hissed, zipping into her view. “You can’t. Not right now, after all this time, why would you?”

“But I-” She sighed and ducked her head, shaking it from side to side as a low groan escaped her. “Dammit, you’re right.” Her words were soft, but the dramatic way she fell onto the bed gave Tikki all she needed to know. “Life is pain.” Tikki sighed and drifted down to pat her gently on the head.

Chapter 11: A Spark

Chapter Text

The clicking of computer keys filled the room. Dim lights from the monitors casting odd shadows across the walls around them. The smell of mechanics near burning and old coffee invaded the senses. Behind the monitors sat four men, varying in height and shape. Each of them were typing furiously while taking inventory of their stock. The one overseeing it all stood by the door, a notepad in his hand and a frown on his lips. The door slammed open and before anyone even turned to investigate the sound a brunette stumbled through it.

“Michal, where were you?” The one with the notepad asked without even looking up.

“Dealing with my landlady, she’s a massive bitch.” Michal spat before turning and pulling a hand cart full of boxes into the room. “This is the last of it from my apartment. Why do I have to be your personal storage bin Nickov?” His brother chuckled and tucked the notepad under one arm as he searched through the boxes.

“Where’s the phonograph?” He asked a moment later, causing Michal to stiffen visibly.

“Rossi took it as payment then it kinda broke.” Nickov slammed his fist into the wall near Michal’s head and locked cold eyes on his brother.

“That Phonograph was going to bank us ten thousand. It was an antique and I had a buyer the very day we filched it.” He growled. “You just screwed me out of the one reason to hit up that old man. Now the cops are all looking for our little operation and I have a buyer who will literally gut me if I don’t get it to him.” He slammed Michal into the wall before turning away from him and running his fingers through his hair.

“How could one deal closing be so bad?” Michal asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, covering up the fact that he was putting pressure on a hurt rib.

“The buyer wishes to remain anonymous to everyone but me. But you have no idea how fucked he could make living for us. He’s one bad dude, worse than we could ever be, and he wanted that phonograph. The one you destroyed.” He shook his head to clear it and let out a calming breath. “It’s okay, it’s fine, yeah, you broke it but you still have the box right?”

“What?” Michal raised his brows in surprise at the mention of the hidden box.

“The box, the red and black one.” Nickov narrowed his eyes at Michal.

“You knew about the box?” Michal shifted from foot to foot as he asked the question, his tone rising out of fear.

“The box was the whole reason for the-” Nickov growled as he ran his fingers through his hair once again. “The buyer wanted the phonograph for the box. That’s the whole fucking reason!” The tapping stopped, the other four turning to look at them as Nickov slammed his fist against the wall once again. “Just give me the box and everything’s fine.” He said after a long tense moment of silence, “all we need is the box.”

“She took it instead of the broken phonograph.” Michal could see his brothers patience reaching a breaking point with each word out of his mouth, and began inching towards the door. Nickov turned quickly to glare him into stillness before letting out a slow but forceful breath from his nostrils.

“Get it back from her or I am turning your ass in to the buyer. You can kiss your little dreams of dress design bye bye after that.” As Nickov spoke he shifted his jacket enough for Michal to see the gun tucked into his belt. “You would beg for this if you knew little brother. Get that box back for me, don’t come back until you do.” Michal nodded quickly as he scrambled out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him as Nickov glanced at the men at the computers.

“Get back to work, we can still scrounge up some change.” He snapped. They jumped into action, the room filled with the sounds of fingers on keyboards once again.

Chat, true to his word, spent his day in the apartment. He lazed about on the couch, eating snacks that Marinette made and watching the news only when there was a commercial break on the cartoon channel. Marinette spent half the day in the living room with Chat, and the other half in her room hand stitching the lining on his jacket so he wouldn’t hear her sewing machine and grow suspicious, or worse curious about what she was doing. She talked to him about his night job, his daily life being a taboo she had no desire to broach just yet, and shared cups of hot chocolate with him as they mindlessly watched t.v.

Marinette was grateful that he seemed to realize his jokes about having a woman struck a chord that should have been left alone. He didn’t mention it and she didn’t intend to bring it up either. They were just settling into a nice show about woodland creatures when he mentioned something that would change their night.

“I have the new Ultimate Mecha Strike Seven.” She was halfway through a hearty laugh, which stopped on a dime at the mention of the game. Her eyes turned to him and she saw his still locked on the television screen. His face was a cool blank mask, but she noticed the movement of his fingers twitching in his lap. A small smile crossed her lips.

“Are you challenging me pretty boy?” She asked, sitting up a bit straighter on the couch.

“Wouldn’t be much of a challenge.” He chuckled, “I have the highest APM of anyone I’ve battled online.”

“That's those online scrubs. You haven’t seen what I can do. Marinette style!” She punched the air as she made her own sound effects like she was fighting in a movie. He chuckled, shaking his head as he stood and moved to the cabinets under the t.v.

“We shall see Princess, we shall see.” He held up two controllers in one hand and the game case in the other. “Willing to make a wager on it?”

“Don’t be so quick to lose more than just the match.” Marinette snatched a controller from him and plopped down on the couch happily. He scoffed as he sat beside her and pressed the button on his remote to switch the channel.

“Five matches, each of us picking a different mecha each match. First to three wins takes all.” He said, suddenly serious. She felt her playful smirk slip as she studied his profile.

“Alright, what would you get if you win then?” She asked, straightening up in her seat and holding the controller tighter between her fingers.

“Homemade macaroons whenever I want.” He said with a sideways smile.

“Alright, deal.” She turned to study the character select screen as she spoke. “If I win you have to take me to a party that’s out of town.”

“How far out of town?”

“A beach side cabin party.” Chat turned to stare at her for a long time in silence, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking by the blank look on his face.

“Deal.” He selected his character quickly after that, locking her out of her usual pick. She grumbled under her breath, but chose one of the new characters from the list and soon they were both leaning forward in their seats, deep in concentration as they focused on their attacks. Marinette brought him down to half health, he gained his ultra and took her down to a quarter of hers. His smirk turned into a grin as her character was thrown out of its attack animation. She ground her teeth together as her fingers danced over the buttons, pulling herself free of his attack and slamming her character into his.

“Boo yah!” She exclaimed as his health dwindled down to nearly zero.

“It’s not over yet Princess.” He smirked as his character twisted around and slammed their shield into the ground, sending her flying back as wave after wave of attacks ate away at her health bar. She frowned as she attempted to get herself out of it, each second passing by eating away at her bar until a large KO appeared on the screen.

“Woo! Better watch it Princess, I may need some macaroons after this.” He practically purred as he leaned towards her. She placed her hand on his face and shoved him away as her frown turned into a competitive grin.

“It’s not over yet kitty cat, we still have four matches to go.” She warned him.

“Oh, you’re on!”

The next three battles were an intense head to head: Marinette tricked him into a corner on the first and used her ultimate to utterly destroy him. He retaliated in the second by making it impossible for her to get in more than five hits during the entire match. He did a celebration dance after that, standing and being sure to give her a smirk that annoyed her to the very bone as he did his best impersonation of a football player who just scored. She silenced his chuckles in the third match, when she used her special ability to send all of his attacks back at him with some added force. By the end of them they were tied and more focused than ever on the game.

“Last match.” He said through his clenched teeth as he studied the character select screen.

“Winner take all.” She responded as she swiftly moved to her original choice, the one he stole from her at the beginning.

“I prefer passionfruit macarons, just so you know.” He said as he chose the black cat mecha. She grumbled about where he could shove his macarons as the intro to the battle played.

“So the party, you excited to go?” He asked as he dodged her first series of attacks, only to counter with his own that she dodged as well.

“It’s practically a job.” She shrugged, her shoulder rubbing against his in the process and causing his entire arm to feel warm. He winced when he noticed his health bar dropping and pulled away from her touch so he could focus on her attacks.

“Still, parties are fun.” He said as he sent a catdukon at her, taking her health down by a quarter.

“Yeah, not really my scene though.” He froze when he felt her first leg drape across his knee. It was followed by the other that crossed over the first. Just the weight of her on his lap was distracting enough for her to drop him to half his health. He grumbled as he shifted, not exactly willing to push her off of him but trying to focus on the screen rather than the fact that he could feel her body heat through his suit.

She was smirking, he could clearly see it on her face even out of his periphery just due to the fact she was now laying sideways on the couch with the controller held casually over her stomach. He could see that she was building up for her ultimate attack, one that would easily take him out if he didn’t do something quickly. Chat leaned over her body, a grin playing on his face as he brought it close to hers, so close that when he released his held in breath her fringe danced.

“If you wanted to seduce me, you didn’t have to try so hard.” He whispered the words, punctuating them with a cheshire grin as her face morphed into the color of a tomato. She placed one hand on his face to shove him away from her. That was all he needed. With only one hand on the controller she couldn’t perform the combos needed to avoid his attacks. His fingers danced over the buttons as he initiated one after another, finishing with his ultimate that sent her character flying off of the screen.

KO

“Chat Noir style, boo yah!” He exclaimed as he pumped his fists in the air. “That’s what you get for playing dirty Princess.” He looked back at her, his grin cutting a path from one ear to the other.

“Fine, you win.” She pulled her legs off of his and stood to stretch. Her back arched as her arms reached to the ceiling. “I’ll put passionfruit on the list I guess.” She mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“I’ll give you a ride to the party.” He said as he tossed his controller on the table in front of him. “Wouldn’t want you having to get a ride from a stranger, that could be dangerous.” She lowered her hands to her sides as she gave him a soft smile.

“Thanks, Chat.”

There could be one thing said about Chloe’s parties. They were as large as ever. The Cabin by the beach ended up being a large manor, the get together for friends and schoolmates stretched out along the shore. Standing at the end of the drive, Marinette could easily see everything going on. Chloe on the balcony, oddly chatting with a pair of celebrities Marinette had never seen face to face before, her classmates huddled together in a group on the sand as they studied the other party guests.

Chat dropped her off at the end of a winding lane leading to the party. A discussion about the importance of keeping it a secret that they lived together ended in that decision, and he promptly turned the car around and headed back to Paris after she’d stepped away from it. Alone, and on the other side of the gate, Marinette wished he stayed. She twisted her fingers around themselves as she shifted from foot to foot. They hadn’t noticed her yet, she could just go, call Chat and get a ride home. Simple.

“Hey, Marinette.” She felt her skin break out in goosebumps when her name was called. Turning behind her revealed Adrien casually walking up the drive from the line of cars parked a bit away from the gate. He smiled and gave her a small salute when their eyes met. She snorted, hiding her lips behind one hand as she returned the gesture.

“Hey nerd, thought you’d be here already.” She jested, poking him in the side with her elbow when he stepped up beside her.

“Work was hectic.” He shrugged as he pushed in the call button on a speaker box Marinette hadn’t noticed before.

“How dare you bring my Mari here!” Marinette jumped at the sound of Chole screaming through the mic, and looked up to see her pointing threateningly at Adrien. He placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She scrunched her nose as the smell of old cheese wafted into it. He must’ve been working so hard that he hadn't noticed he needed to reapply his deodorant.

“I don’t think she’s your Mari.” He said into the mic.

“Okay, you two need to stop.” She pushed away from him and stepped closer to the speaker box. “Can you let us in Chloe?”

“I can let you in, he’s another story.” She chuckled at the reply and stepped through the gate as it opened. She figured it was controlled from inside because it began to shut as soon as she was on the other side. It was funny, watching his face contort with confusion and a small bit of anger for a moment before a grin broke out across his lips. Marinette watched as he took a few steps back and ran for the gate, lunging into the air just before he reached it and scaling the iron bars like they were nothing.

Adrien dusted himself off dramatically and reached through the gate to press the call button once again. “Can’t keep me out that easily Chlo.” He said around a chuckle. Marinette rolled her eyes as he stepped up beside her once again. “Shall we?” He asked, motioning to their friends.

“Just because you can free jump, doesn’t mean you’re not a nerd.” She joked, following along behind him as they made their way across the wooden bridge leading to the beach. He simply shrugged at her words before waving to the others who all called out to them. She stepped past him and exchanged a quick hug with Alix. She still could remember the last time they spoke, when the up and coming x-games hopeful swore off of parties entirely while drunk and puking into a dumpster. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised to see the girl there.

“How’d you get Adrien out here?” Alix asked, Marinette chuckled and shook her head quickly.

“I… didn’t.” Marinette glanced at Adrien as he exchanged a short greeting with Max a few feet from them.

“You two came here together so I just assumed.” She shrugged and shook her head at Alix’s comment. Patting the shorter girl on the shoulder before looking around at the others.

“We came separately, just happened to get here at the same time.” She explained. “I had my roommate give me a lift.” Alix blinked, tilting her head as her eyes widened.

“Roommate? What do you live with Alya?” She asked.

“No… Uh…” Marinette stumbles over her thoughts, clinging on to explanations that slipped through her fingers before she could utter them. Too many years had gone by since she spewed excuses every other day. “Alya lives with Nino of course. They are married.”

“Oh right.” Alix smacked her forehead and chuckled softly. “It feels like just yesterday they were talking about going to different countries altogether to study and now they’re married.”

“A love to stand the test of time.” Marinette giggled.

“Kinda like Juleka and Rose.”

“Yup.” Marinette smiled around her reply.

“Everyone!” She turned to look up at the balcony hanging off the second story of Chloe’s mansion. The blonde hung halfway over the railing as she called down to all her guests standing about the beach. “Can everyone come inside please. I have an announcement.” Her face was grim, a drastic change from the cheery persona she bore lately.

“I hope it’s nothing major. We all know Chloé can be a real drama queen.” Alix sighed as they made their way to the mansion, falling in line with everyone else.

………….

The turnout for Chloe’s party was large, many of the guests were the very same people they’d gone to school with. It surprised her, as she stood in the main room of the beachside mansion, surrounded by all of her old school friends and more, that Chloe would even remember the others who she moved on from after graduation.

“Everyone, if I can have your attention.” She turned her head along with everyone else in the room to see Chloe standing at the top of the wide staircase. Chloe had gained a few inches in height since she last saw her, her thin figure still wrapped in the trendiest clothes money could buy and a wide brimmed hat rested on her head in the usual colors of black white and yellow that she had become known for in the fashion world. “I know this is scary, but as long as we remain away from the massive population and keep our spirits up then we should be fine.” Marinette nodded, impressed by Chloe’s leadership and speech. Yes, each of them have been on either side of akumatization many times, so not stating the fact of what they should expect wouldn’t gain her any trust from the masses.

“We all know this.” Alix piped up from where she sat on a long couch, her legs spread and her arms resting on her knees. “But come on, say what everyone’s thinking why don’tcha. Ladybug isn’t here anymore. She probably died or something and she’s the only one who can get rid of the Akumas.” She threw her hands up in a surrendering manner as quite a few people shot her angry looks. “Chat Noir is great.” Her eyes found each and every person in the room before she continued. “But, we all know that Ladybug is the end game. What if there isn’t any way to stop them and we get overrun. The return of Hawkmoth… Agreste, your dad’s supposed to be in prison still, right?”

Adrien, who had been standing near the front door talking quickly into his phone, looked up as she called out his name. His face was paled with dread as he met Alex’s eyes and he swallowed hard, his bright green hues locking into Marinette before he slowly lowered his phone and looked at the screen like it could explode at any moment.

“Father… is still there.” He said slowly, his gaze still locked on to his phone as he spoke. Marinettes blood ran cold, if it wasn’t the same Hawkmoth that they fought against before then there was no telling what they wanted, or what kind of Akumas they would create.

A silence fell over them after he said this, and he tucked the phone into his back pocket during the few moments that everyone considered his words. With a frustrated sigh, he ran his hands through his hair until they rested atop his head. He was clearly distressed over the turn of events as his eyes darted to every exit in the room even as a low murmur of voices filled the air.

Marinette was the only one watching him now, worry leading her to bite down on her bottom lip as she struggled for something to say. Quite a few voices were blaming the elder Agreste, theorizing that he had someone under him he trained to follow in his footsteps. A couple conversations cast blame on Ladybug for leaving, or inquired as to why she left. One such conversation between Alex and Kim told her that Alex truly thought something happened to the bug themed superhero, and that Chat Noir covered it up.

She glanced at them for only a second when Alix suggested that Chat himself got rid of the partner who turned down his advances so many times. Only a second, then when she turned back to look at Adrien he was gone. For a moment she simply stared at the empty place he once was dumbfounded by how quickly he left, then she twisted her head from side to side, studying Chloe’s houseguests for the tale tell sign of his long blonde locks.

“This is your sign.” Tikki whispered in her ear just as her phone began to ring. She backed away from the others, towards an alcove near the kitchen, as she pulled the phone from her purse and chanced a glance at the number calling her. It was Chats Phone, she had yet to save his number but she recognized the last four digits that he had proudly told her stood for the word “Meow”. She took a second to make sure the others were paying her no mind before pressing the green symbol to answer his call.

“Ch-” She caught herself before calling out his name and eyed the people around her once again. “What, why are you calling me now?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“Well hello to you too Princess, what a nice way to answer my call.” The sound of the nickname brought a pink stain to her cheeks as she ground her teeth together.

“Not outside the apartment remember?” She mumbled into the phone as she lowered her head to hide her blushing face from everyone around her.

“Who says I’m outside the apartment?”

“What are you doing!” She held the phone closer to herself as she whisper shouted into it, “There are akumas again!”

“And, no Ladybug around to stop them.” His tone was flat and emotionless, “What use am I in this situation.”

Chapter 12: Return

Chapter Text

One hour earlier

Chloe chuckled as the models around her blabbered on to one another about their careers. Although she did run her mother's newspaper, she didn’t quite feel as connected to their world as she once did. Growing up changed everything she guessed idly to herself as she took a sip from her champagne glass. Distant voices down the hall caught her attention during a lull in conversation. She raised a brow curiously and made her way into her father's old office, now a sitting room since she’d remodeled the vacation home for her own needs.

There a tv sat, turned on the news to fill the room with sound as people came and went from it. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched the aging reporter speaking frantically to the camera.

“-unlike we’ve seen in years. Many believe this isn’t an accidental explosion. People of Paris, pay heed. There is an akuma sighting near the Louver. No- wait. Viewers we are getting a report from our field agent.”

“Thank you Nadja.” A much younger blonde smiled sadly at the camera mere seconds after the screen transitioned. She visibly shook, her microphone quaking in her hands. “Boy this takes me back to my younger days eh.” The jest caused Chloe's lips to pull into a tight line. “R-right sorry… a mere five minutes ago this classic monument of Parisian art was ransacked by a very large woman demanding to see the manager of the establishment next door. This woman shown here,” an image popped up of a woman with pale green skin and bright orange hair wearing the gaudiest thing Chloe had ever seen, “reportedly devoured half of the Egyptian exhibit and is currently using what she’d eaten to-“ the reporter cringed- “to hurl onto anyone who passes close enough. The poor victims are turned to stone minutes after the concoction touches their skin.”

Chloe clenched her jaw as quick flashes of color darted about behind the reporter. Her fingers tensed, not quite closing into fists but lingering on the possibility. Her eyes darted from side to side as she tried to take in everything. Laughter from the beach drifted into the room. Her head jerked towards the open window and her jaw fell slack. She took in a deep breath and released it slowly. She had to keep them safe. Her party her responsibility.

“Jacque.” She called into the room behind her. “We need to get the guests inside and go full lockdown.”

“Something the matter?” He asked, hanging his large frame from the door. Chloe was already gone.

.............................................................................................

“Full lockdown is full lockdown.” Chloe sighed as she rested her fingers against her forehead. Standing in front of her but a few steps down the staircase were both Marinette and Alix. Each looked as worried as she felt and each tried desperately to get her to let them go.

“You can’t just keep us here.” Alix growled.

“Chloe I have to go make sure grandpa’s safe. He’s so close to the museum.” Marinette insisted.

“Full lockdown. No one in or out.” Chloe reiterated once again.

“Miss Chloe, there’s something you should see.” All three girls followed Jacque through the upper hall, back to the sitting room with the TV still on the news.

“-that’s right! Chat Noir has joined the fray! Behind me we can clearly see Paris’ very own superhero casting aside the role of friendly officer and showing us what made him a hero in the first place!” The reporter wasn’t even vaguely concerned anymore. She grinned from ear to ear as she directed the camera man to follow the darting shapes of Chat Noir and the akuma as they leapt from one rooftop to the other, locked in all out battle.

“This is ridiculous.” Chloe sighed, resting her fingers against her forehead. “Even if he managed to defeat the Akuma- going on years of no practice- how is he supposed to cleanse it?” She huffed as her arms crossed over her chest. “Utterly ridiculous.”

“I give him props. He’s still limber.” Alix replied. Chloe snapped her head about to glare at the girl.

“Limberness wasn’t all they had back then. They had grace. They had style. They had teamwork. They had-“

“Ladybug.” Alix cut her off sullenly.

“Listen we all know she’s gonna show back up, right Mar-“ she cut herself short. Marinette wasn’t where she’d been only seconds before. Her eyes met Alix’s and the shorter girl gave her a dismissive shrug.

.............................................................................................

Marinette slipped into the musty dust filled attic and immediately sneezed. Her eyes bleary, she wiped her tingling nose on the back of her hand and searched about the room. Moving carefully past long sealed boxes and strange shapes covered in sheets, she locked her eyes on the window at the very end of the long room. It was shorter than her, in the areas that she could walk, and she crouched in a hunchbacked crawl along the floor. Once she made it to the back wall she paused to sneeze once again. Her fingers already working the clasps on her small purse.

“Marinette…” Tikki floated up to hover in front of her face.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. It’s just dusty up here.” Marinette wiped her nose again and reached up to shove against the underside of the window. A loud creak resounded through the room as the pane slid up and out, giving her only the smallest escape route. She shared a look with her Kwami before carefully placing one foot up on a wooden crate. She pushed herself upwards, grasping the windows frame on either side firmly, then jumped.

Halfway through she ran into an issue.

Her hips.

She grumbled under her breath about not being as lean as she’d been as a teen. Pulling and wiggling while ignoring the painful pinch on her hips. Finally she felt it lessen. Turning over quickly, she hooked her knees on the window and shared a nod with Tikki. Calling for her transformation, she closed her eyes against the bright pink flash that lit up all around her.

The second she felt the yoyo at her hip she grasped it and turned her eyes on a treetop nearby. The yoyo flew through the air, wrapping around the treetop with ease that did not match the years she’d gone without using it. She smiled and allowed herself to fall from the window. Her body arched through the air, swinging towards the trees quickly.

Too quickly.

She couldn’t swerve her body about in time and met a limb face to face. Her grip on the yoyo string lessened and she felt herself falling. She flailed, grasping at anything she could as her back struck another limb. Then her legs, her right arm. Each blow was painful enough, but hitting the ground took her breath from her.

“Okay. Rough start.” She croaked once she could breathe again. Carefully, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled through the trees. The cars parked in the field were all locked, so she had to drag herself to the large highway and stumble along beside the pavement. Cars went past her, going away from Paris, in hordes, but very few were headed the way she needed. Her body still sore from the fall, she assumed it was Tikkis revenge for not using her as often as she should, slowly made its way towards the lights of the city in the distance.

“Ladybug?” She paused. She hadn’t heard the car stop, and as she turned to see who called she felt her cheeks warming. Luka and Rose hung out of the windows, each looking at her quizzically. She could see their mother in the back, beside Rose, as Juleka sat behind the steering wheel.

“Citizens hello.” She raised her hand, waving it vaguely before bringing it to her eyebrow in a salute, then letting it go into the vague wave once again. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself.

“What are you doing here?” Rose asked, her eyes wide and her lips forming a thin frown.

“I erm heard of an akuma attack in Paris and decided to rush right over but… but ran into some complications.” She said quickly, not giving herself time to back out of her lie.

“Rushing over, along the road from Britain.” Luka deadpanned.

“Yes. Yes exactly.” She nodded quickly.

“Do you need a lift or you know a…” she felt a small sympathetic smile spread across her lips as Juleka spoke up only to stumble into mumbling once more.

“I would hate to put you in danger. So many people are leaving Paris it has to be an evacuation, correct?” Luka’s lips formed a thin line. Rose looked away. Juleka turned her face back towards the road ahead.

“Chat Noir can use your help. Hop in.” It was their mother who spoke up. “We don’t leave our own marooned when we have their dingy.”

Ladybug took in a deep breath and slid into the back seat beside Rose. Juleka surprised her whit how quickly she turned the car, speeding up to hop over the median departing the two strips of highway and turned them back towards Paris. She glanced out of the window, only to catch the eye of Luka through the side mirror, and gave him a nervous grin.

“So… after Hawkmoth you moved to Britain?” Rose asked, breaking the silence in the car.

“My family is from there.” She lied quickly, “there was really no reason for me to stay since my powers were mainly used for akuma related cases. So I went… home.”

“Oh.” The car fell into an awkward silence once again. Even without looking, Ladybug could feel Luka’s eyes on her. Her body was tense, the thought that any moment they would put two and two together and see her pigtails weren’t the short puffs they once were. They would know they matched the length of Marinette's hair now, they would know that she was-

The car flew to the side, all screeching tires and screams that jolted her from her thoughts. She’d grabbed ahold of Rose to keep the small woman from flying around the vehicle as the chaos unfolded. Her chest hurt from the small body slamming into it and she hissed from the pain.

“Stay in the car!” She ordered as she pushed Rose towards her mother in law. Seconds later she was climbing out of the window after discovering the door would not open for her. She climbed onto the roof and pulled her yoyo from her side, twirling it quickly to protect everyone from the vile missile that flew towards them. It splattered on either side of the car, leaving lumps of stone surrounding them.

“When I jump, just go. Head out of France.” She ordered, bracing her body and leaping into the air a moment later. The sound of the tires screeching once again, as they fought to find purchase on the pavement, rang through her head as she faced down the green skinned woman.

“Ladybug.” The akuma spat, a purple hue over their face. “I wondered when you would show your face again.”

“If you wanted me around again you could’ve sent me a card Hawkmoth.” She cocked a hip to the side as she rested her hand on it, focusing on appearing confident. “An Akuma is no way to speak to a lady.”

The Akuma laughed heartily, holding its sides as it threw its head back to face the sky. “Oh you pathetic excuse for a hero. You have no idea who you’re up against but I know you. Oh yes I know you too well.” Ladybug cocked one eyebrow, confused by the reaction.

She parted her lips to quipp back at the stranger when suddenly she went flying sideways to land in a mound of trash. Between her and the Akuma, Chat skidded to a stop, his back tensed and his tail flicking an inch away from her face.

“Hey! What’s you’re-“ she began to snap, only to stop short when she saw that the spot she stood in a second before now lay pied with a thick stone.

“If you can’t pay attention then stay out of the way til it’s over.” Chat snapped at her as he batted away another vile missile without so much as looking at her.

“I came back to help you know.”

“Pretty late for you to help.” He dodged another attack and extended his staff to swipe at the akuma. “The akamitized object is her broach. I’ll bust it then cataclysm the Akuma. You can just go back to where you came from.” Her heart sank. Chat wouldn’t even glance her way as he fought.

She pulled herself to her feet, stumbling as she held onto her throbbing ribcage. She eyed the Akuma up and down. The broach would be the obvious item but in the past the Akumas hid in areas that took a bit of thought and careful searching to find. Chat dodged another attack that forced the akumas mouth to open wide and Ladybug stared into it, thinking perhaps a false tooth could be the corrupted item.

The Akuma growled as he swatted at its head with his staff once more. It turned then and opened its mouth wide once again. A strong pull of wind sucked in half a building and forced it deep inside of the Akuma. Ladybug felt like vomiting when she saw this. Chat, unaffected, took this time to activate his cataclysm and swipe at the broach under the akumas double chin. It crumbled into dust and released the blackened butterfly from its hold. She gasped when Chat leapt up to snatch it from the air, opening his hand to reveal the butterfly crumbling away as well.

“Go home.” He said flatly as he turned to look at her for the first time. Her brows pulled together as a sickening feeling settled in her stomach. Marinette had only done what she could to help him, yet she found herself useless to him. Just as useless as she’d said she was for years.

“Chat-“

“Go home LadyBug.” He said calmly, dusting off his hands as he twisted about to see to the confused woman on the ground. Tears pricked Ladybugs eyes as she stood, pulled out her yoyo, and flung it up to wrap about the nearest chimney.

“I wanted to help you Chat. I’m sorry for being in your way.” With that she pulled on the string and sent herself flying upwards.

Marinette groaned as she stumbled into the living room of Chats apartment. Her ribs still ached and her heart felt like it was made of stone, but she did it. She managed to summon a lucky charm long enough to use it to cleanse the akumas destruction. Her body felt like a wet, limp noodle as she made her way to lay down on the couch. No matter what, she was still more useful than not. The thought was all she could focus on as she made her way to the apartment. Now, laying on the couch, she let the emotions roll through her. Tears poured from her eyes as she covered her face with her hands.

The door creaked open behind her but she didn’t remove her hands from her eyes.

“Princess?” The sounds of his voice brought on a fresh set of tears, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from whimpering. She could hear him shuffle across the floor. His footsteps coming nearer. She thought he would simply walk past her and go to his room to recover.

A small surprised squeak escaped her when she felt the weight of him land on her stomach and legs. She wiped her eyes and glanced down to see his blonde tousled hair resting just below her chest.

“Chat-“

“Can I just rest here for a moment. I just had a terrible day.” He whimpered, wrapping an arm around her middle. She felt her lips pull into a small smile as she rested a hand in his hair, scratching his scalp brought on a low soft purring that radiated throughout his body.

“Are you alright?” She asked after a peaceful few minutes.

“Now I am, now that I know you’re safe.” He replied without moving. She leaned her head back to rest on the couch arm as she continued to scratch his head. “Thank you Princess.” He mumbled.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you, for being here. After a fight, you just being here with me is all I need to re-energize.” He lifted his head, holding her hand against it still by grabbing her wrist with his free one.

“What are friends for?” She asked, being sure to scratch behind his faux ear as she did so. His warm smile slipped for only a second before returning to its sweet curve.

“You’re the best.” He buried his face in her stomach, wrapping both arms around her and giving her a gentle squeeze.

“You’re heavy.” She chuckled as his head shot up to look her in the eye, she could see how offended he was by the very thought she would say something like that.

“How dare.” His fingers lightly danced over her sides and she struggled to get away as laughter erupted from her chest. She rolled from the couch to land on the floor. Only her legs, trapped under his body, remained on the cushions. His eyes widened as he raised his hands to the couch arm. She could tell by the redness on either side of his lips that he’d wanted to avoid grabbing her in an awkward spot. And the thought made her laugh a bit louder.

“Oh, hang on.” She wiggled out from under him, taking a few steps to her room before stopping short.

Pretty late for you to help.

Go home Ladybug.

Marinette bit her bottom lip and shook her head slowly. He didn’t mean that towards her, not really, she knew that but-

But the words still stung. She still could feel the anger dripping off every syllable. He didn’t want Ladybug around anymore. But then why would he declare her his one and only partner not even two months prior?

She looked back at him, now sitting at one end of the couch and running his fingers through his long blonde hair. His gaze met hers and he gave her a content smile.

“What am I hanging on for?” He asked.

“Oh!” The question shocked her from her thoughts and sent her rushing into her bedroom. She shut the door as an odd thought crossed her mind. When did she start thinking of the space as her own?

She moved across the room, opening up a large drawer in her desk to reveal the finished cat eared Hoodie. Atop it sat a headband with faux ears as well as a mask. She smiled as she looked over the items. If he didn’t want to wear the hoodie he could still have his ears at least.

She ran her fingers over the soft fabric and gave it a small pat before lifting it into her arms. With a steadying breath she turned to the bedroom door. Her feet shuffled as she made her way back into the livingroom and dropped the full bundle down on his lap. His eyes widened as he gingerly lifted each object to inspect. They sparkled when they landed on the mask and small tube of spirit gum settled on the top of his knees.

“You…” he stopped, covering his mouth with one hand as he lifted the mask slowly with the other. She could see light dancing along tears forming at the corners of his eyes and immediately began to fidget.

“I just thought that you would get tired of being in your suit all the time you’re here and your kwa- cat thing erm, wouldn’t wanna be…” she trailed off, unsure what to say lest he catch on that she knew too much. “Anyway I made it because I figured cotton was comfier than leather or spandex or-“

“This is the single best thing anyone’s ever done for me.” He cut off her rambling. Looking up at her with watery eyes and a smile that could melt an iceberg. He stood, taking a second to carefully place his gifts on the coffee table before him, then rushed to her far too quickly for her to react. The hug was tight and warm but not crushing. His arms quivered as they wrapped around her and he buried his face in her shoulder.

“Chat?” She questioned softly, her arms going up to wrap around his shoulders. A sniffle reached her ears and she gently patted him. “Are you okay?” His head popped up then, eyes locking with hers, and his bright bubbly smile lit his face like a warm candle glow.

“I’m terrific. Fangtastic. Clawsome. I’m just purrfect right now. Can’t you see I’m pawsitively purring!” Not even a second after the words left his lips she caught the sound of soft purring rumbling from his chest. She snorted, covering her mouth with her hand as she stepped back from him.

“The purring is on point.” Another snort escaped her as he turned a fine shade of pink.

Chapter 13: Kidnapping

Chapter Text

Marinette sat at the table on the far side of the coffee shop. A cooling latte rested against the palm of one hand while a thick textbook was lazily flipped through with the other. A soft smile danced across her lips when she came upon a detailed image of a hood, complete with hidden stitch tips and a list of materials that would hold the shape best. She thought back to Chat and his reactions to her gifts. After he’d stopped purring, which took a full five minutes of him covering his face and declaring that puns had turned on him, he’d hugged her once again and instantly rushed to his room to change.

She wasn’t prepared for casual Chat. Low slung sweatpants that just hinted at his cut muscles every time he lifted his arms, and an obvious lack of a shirt under the hoodie had her constantly reminding herself not to look at the strip of skin revealed anytime he stretched. He’d applied the mask perfectly as well, a feat even she couldn’t do by herself. She’d admitted this to him over a mug of cocoa, both of them relaxing on the couch as Plagg went ignored while devouring wheel after wheel of cheese in the kitchen.

“It’s just something I picked up in my youth.” He’d answered when she asked him about his skills with costume makeup.

She snorted at the thought of a younger Chat playing with makeup in his teens. Imagining how that had to look before he got a handle on it. The latte pressed against her lips and she took a long sip from its contents as she flipped another page. The last few days had been peaceful, the akuma already becoming a distant memory in the mind of the Parisians around her. She felt anxious at the peacefulness, her body tense and her fingers twitchy anytime she allowed her mind to drift onto the topic.

Whoever it was behind the akuma knew of Ladybug from before, not that big of a surprise but she couldn’t stop the feeling that it was something more. Just the way the akuma spoke with vile hatred dripping from every word made it feel much more intimate than just someone who happened to see them when they fought in the past.

She flipped another page, the smile on her lips gone now as her eyes darkened with worry. There was a soft buzz around her in the shop. People having their own conversations, living their own lives as she sat by silently. Pretending to read at this point.

“What am I missing?” She grumbled under her breath as she bit down on her thumbnail. She had to find some way to help Chat stop this new Hawkmoth before they could get a foothold in their crimes.

“Marinette?” She looked up quickly at the sound of her name, the page she’d flipped settling with a soft shifting that sounded far too loud to her at that moment. Michal, his face bruised and his hair swept back in a style that did nothing to hide the cut along his temple. Someone took their anger out on him it seemed.

She couldn’t say she blamed them.

Her eyes landed on the collar of his shirt next, the cloth dipping down from the weight of a pair of glasses hanging from it. Her brows furrowed at the sight of them, images of Max with blonde dreads dancing through her mind. His hand clamped over them and her eyes shot back up to his face, concern laced his features.

“Thought that was you.” His eyes bounced from her to the other customers to the door and back to her face. She knew who he was looking for, Chat.

“He’s never far away.” She warned him, her voice far more confident than her mind. “Doesn’t really give up until he catches the bad guy.”

“Psh, bad guy, I’m no bad guy.” Michal took a step towards her and she shot up out of her seat, her chair slamming into the wall behind her loudly. Conversations stopped as people turned towards the source of the sound. Michal took in the look on her face and his shocked features morphed into confidence. “What’s wrong? Tomcat not around to play?” He sneered.

“Yo Mari, ready to go?” Her eyes shifted to Kim as he stepped up behind Michal. The door at their backs hadn’t even stopped closing yet and he’d already figured out something was wrong.

“Absolutely.” She dashed past Michal, dodging his snatching fingers while attempting to catch another glimpse of the glasses. Maybe she was mistaken, she certainly hoped she was mistaken.

Kim wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to himself. He smelled like metal and sweat, obviously just out of the gym. His muscles tensed around her and she couldn’t help feeling more secure inside his grasp.

“This punk bothering you?” He asked, eyes locked onto Michal.

“I was just-”

“Absolutely.” Marinette cut the brunette off before he could try to talk his way out of the situation. “Mind getting out of here. I’ve lost my appetite.” She grumbled, draping an arm around his waist as she shot Michal a glare. Kim walked her past him, bee lining to the table she’d just fled and snatching up her book and purse in one swift motion. He tucked them under his free arm and walked her past Michal again, this time to the door. Each time they passed him, Kim made sure that the brunette couldn’t reach any part of her by putting his massive body between them.

“Marine-“ was the last she heard from Michal before Kim pulled the door flush against the frame. He frowned at it as if it were the door's fault that he’d miss out on his coffee before turning to look at her.

“Kim?”

“Hey Mari, wanna maybe go somewhere less crowded than that?” Kim asked as he turned to face her, a thumb going up to indicate the coffee shop behind him. Marinette felt her shoulders relax as an easy smile crossed his face. She nodded and he grabbed her upper arm to gently turn her towards the street. A red and yellow sporty convertible waited by the curb and he began walking to it at a brisk pace. She had to run to catch up to him.

“This is your car?” She questioned as he slid into the driver's seat. He turned and shot her a cocky grin.

“Nah, I’m stealing it.” He teased.

“Very funny.” She slipped into the passenger seat and immediately buckled herself in. Kim did everything fast since he was a child, she doubted his driving was any different. “Where did you have in mind?” She asked as the rumbling engine radiated throughout her body. Kim shot her a lopsided grin.

“Well, the arcade is closed right now but it does have a coffee machine.” She shook her head, chuckling at his suggestion.

“I hear that place is the best.” His grin only grew as he pulled the car away from the curb. She relaxed back into the seat as they blended with the traffic around them. He turned the radio on and a soft rock melody filled her ears, dancing under the rushing wind around them.

His arcade wasn’t open yet, so as she stepped inside it gave off an eerie haunted feeling. LED lights lining the carpets were the only source of light in the whole of the front room. They casted large shadows onto the ceiling from the many standing game machines and the tables for pool and air hockey into a darkness only hinting at their shape.

Kim slipped in behind her, his hand searching along the wall as he shut the door behind himself. Lights flickered for a moment then blazed to life as he turned to face her once again. He gave her a toothy grin and motioned to the door behind the far counter.

“Ladies first.”

“What a gentleman.” He chuckled at her comment and followed her behind the counter. She waited a moment for him to unlock the door to his office and then followed him inside.

It was... cramped. A small room full of filing cabinets and papers with an even smaller desk in one corner next to a printer and a coffee maker. She ended up sitting halfway on the printer while Kim crammed his large frame into a tiny chair that squeaked dangerously when he sat down.

They chatted for a while, sipping bottom dollar coffee and munching on cookies he found in his drawer that he swore weren’t too stale. Marinette forgot how kind and thoughtful Kim could be when he wasn’t running an arcade or just running on a treadmill. Either way the fact that he’d swooped in to rescue her made her remember all the times he slipped on the monkey king crown and fought to save her and many others.

Kim droned on about running his arcade and how he didn’t even imagine he would own his own business in school. Marinette nodded along to his words and told him how she’d spent a few years helping her parents and aging up for university after they’d graduated. He never brought up the heroes that were once a staple of their lives, and she inwardly thanked him for it. He did however, scowl when the recent news was brought up.

“Everyone’s saying that Agreste managed to book it outta jail or something. But I was there- er in the crowd. Ladybug definitely took… whatever it was that made him Hawkmoth. No doubt it’s someone else.” He sat his coffee cup down on a stack of papers, a brown ring forming at its base.

“If someone new decided to make bad guys then how will Chat Noir stop them?” She asked, resting her elbow on a filing cabinet as she let out a soft sigh.

“Well, there was a blurry photo of someone in red swooping in that day. Obviously Ladybugs back.” Kim nodded as he rubbed his chin between his fingers. “Figured she’d come back, kinda obvious that she would help protect us all from Akumas again.”

“Chat didn’t let her cleanse it though.” Marinette pointed out. “He used cataclysm on it. Seemed to work pretty well.”

“What- no Ladybug cleansed it like she used to. Didn’t she?” His eyes narrowed as she lowered her cup, mere centimeters away from taking a sip. Kim narrowed his eyes as she placed her cup beside his. For a moment she thought he’d ask how she knew that Chat destroyed the Akuma. But then he perked up once again. “You must’ve had a better news show huh? Being at Chloe’s party and all.”

“Oh, yeah.” Marinette nodded. “Chloe um, Chloe has the best of the best.” She shrugged, bringing one hand up in a dismissive manner.

“She always did.” Kim grumbled as he turned to his small desk and began going through papers. “Who was that guy anyway? Ex boyfriend?”

“He would say so. But no. Just someone who’s… trouble.” She grumbled, slipping down and stretching as much as she can to rid herself of her aching tight muscles.

“Need me to go ape on him?” She laughed at his offer, the suddenness of it sending her bending in half and holding her stomach. She waved her hands before herself quickly as his eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t mind me. It just surprised me.” She said quickly. “We haven’t even hung out since graduation really. But it feels like you’re still the same as back then.”

“I hope not.” He shook his head slowly as he spoke. She gave him a small smile as she noticed the small frown stretching across his face.

“You were always a sweet guy Kim. Do you remember when-“ she cut herself short. Bringing up any of his heroics as a teen would be pointless. Either he wouldn’t remember or she shouldn’t. She rubbed the back of her head as her eyes locked into the door.

“Need some air?” Kim asked just as she said “I should probably go home.” They chuckled and he pushed himself from his chair. She didn’t wait for him before stepping out into the arcade itself.

“I can give you a ride,” he offered, holding her purse out for her to take as he followed her to the front door.

“That’s okay Kim, I need to walk off the caffeine anyway so I’m not wired.” She took her purse and paused long enough to make sure Tikki was there before looking about for her book. “Oh, my-“

“Book, right I left it in the car.” Kim finished for her. He rushed out ahead of her to retrieve the book so she could accept it as soon as she was on the sidewalk. She thanked him and gave him a small wave farewell as she turned to make her way home.

She’d just turned the corner when a pair of firm hands landed on her shoulders. She attempted to call out, but the breath was knocked from her lungs as the world spun around her. Forming itself into a tunnel-like void that she was pulled into.

..................................................................................................

Chat sighed as he leaned back onto his arms. His duty to look over the city had become a bit overwhelming in just a few days. With the threat of akumas returning and knowing that his father wasn’t the one to blame, his stress was increasing by the hour. He groaned as he scratched angrily at his hair. The people walking around the base of the tower below him chattered happily as he berated himself for his last fight. What did he do? His partner comes back after years of him searching and he snaps? It was such a childish reaction that, once he’d calmed down after his interaction with Marinette, he’d stayed up all night going over how he could’ve handled it better.

He saw the ladybugs; he knew that she fixed everything that he left destroyed in his and the akumas wake. She was back in Paris if she hadn’t simply left once again after the fight. No, that wasn’t Ladybug. Akumas were back and so she would naturally return. He sighed as he shook his head. She may not fight with him after what he did but he was sure she wouldn’t leave Paris in ruins either. Maybe it was for the best.

The sound of his staff ringing sent a jolt of shock down his spine. How long had it been since that happened last? He pressed the hidden switch and watched as the small screen popped up displaying a number he recognized. Marinette. She’d saved his staff phone number from when he called her while on his way back to Paris. He tapped the screen and placed the phone to his ear.

“Hey Princess I-“ he stopped short. The sound of water dripping and echoing against dense stone filled his ear, Marinette’s soft short breaths carried on the back of it. His lips pressed tightly together as murmuring voices grew closer and closer.

“She definitely passed out when I pulled her through. Trust me there’s no way those two will find out she’s here.” The voice was male, soft, and familiar.

“You’re such a pain in my ass. So what? You have you’re twelve-year-old now so what are you gonna do?”

“SHE ISN’T TWELVE!” Chat bit down on his thumb, the sharp pain dancing down to his wrist as his much sharper teeth sank into the material. He didn’t want to make a sound and draw their attention to Marinette. What he did want to do was go directly where they where and take her back forcibly.

Beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeep beep beep beep.

His eyes widened. The sound of tapping buttons covering up whatever the man said back to his female counterpart. Three short beeps, three long ones, followed by three more short ones. Morse code for SOS. Marinette was asking him for help. He closed his eyes to listen, imagining the code as the beeps continued:

- …. . -.-- …. .- …- -- . ..- -. -.. . .-. --. .-. --- ..- -. -..

They have me underground.

…. . ..- … . -.. .- .--. --- .-. - .- .-..

He used a portal

- .-. .- -.-. -.- .-.. --- -.-. .- - .. --- -. --- -.

Track location on

Just as the last beep filled his ears the call cut short. He could only hope it was her doing as he quickly typed on his screen, bringing up a gps view of the city with her phone number in the search bar. An icon popped up in a seedy part of the city before his gps shifted to show his location with an arrow pointing towards hers. He stood, turned to the west, and launched himself off the tower.

The wind bit into his cheeks as he bounced from rooftop to rooftop. The world around him blurring into the small arrow, pointing him to his destination. He slipped on an especially damp set of shingles and caught himself on the lip of the roof before he tumbled over the side. The smell of old fish and oil fought for dominance over the overlaying scent of rot that invaded his nose. He covered his face with one hand, sliding it down until he could see over the leathery gloved digits. Somehow, even in the middle of the day, the place appeared dark and foreboding. Tall manufacturing style warehouses crowded together as if huddling tight against the chill that ran down his spine.

The icon that was her gps location sat just a few buildings away from him. It appeared to bounce slightly on the screen, as if telling him to hurry to her rescue. He slid his staff into its holster and dropped himself onto a lower roof, rolling to silence his landing and pausing at the roofs ledge. He held his breath, listening for anything at all. Nothing. The area was silent, deafeningly so. Not even a rat scurried through any of the nearby buildings.

He leaned forward, turning his faux ears towards the building her GPS signal emitted from. Sounds of wind blowing through hollow rooms and the faintest trickling of water reached them. It was enough. There was dripping water in the background of her call. She had to be there, at least for a moment.

The portal message worried him though.

He knew of only two people who ever used portals, Bunnix or Pegasus. Either miraculouses were formidable. One time traveled while one bent space itself. And if his new foes knew they could combine them he may never get her back again.

His feet made only the softest shuffling sounds as he approached the building. He paused when he reached the chained off main doors, listening for anything inside. Only the same trickling and faint whooshing sounds filled his ears.

He whispered under his breath “cataclysm” and grasped the chains in such a way that they would only make the minimal sound possible. Wincing when the large lock slipped off of them and slammed against the ground loudly enough for his sensitive ears to ring.

Shuffling from under him made him pause. Then the icon on his gps shifted. He wouldn’t have even noticed if it hadn’t been accompanied by a sharp beeping alerting him to the change. She was whisked across the city so quickly that he had no doubt it was the horse miraculous being used.

He cursed to himself as he turned to leave, a scowl dancing across his lips while he studied the icon on the gps tracker. Why would anyone want to kidnap Marinette?

“Hey there kitty kitty.” He paused, eyes growing wide as the soft snakelike hiss reached his ears. “Funny seeing you in this neighborhood.” She emerged from the darkness, all greens and blacks with just a hint of brown peeking out behind her head. He widened his stance and extended his staff, ready to face the woman who by now was mere feet away from him.

“Well well well. I was always warned women were snakes but this takes the cake.” He slammed his staff forward, just missing her by a few inches.

Dammit. How many times did she go back?

“Oh come now pussy cat, aren’t you supposed to give me a bit of a challenge?”

Marinette groaned as she was slammed into the ancient sarcophagus. The musty smell of olden artifacts caused her to sneeze as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. They had to be under the Louver. It was the only place she could think that would be so dark and so full of crates and boxes and items from the past.

Her captor stepped out of the portal beside her and quickly closed it down. His hands gripped her upper arms tightly as he forced her to her feet. She was half led half dragged to a door that he paused to pick at the lock of. She could hear the beeping from his glasses, signaling that he was near de-transforming.

“Why don’t you just use the portal again if you aren’t planning on staying?” She snapped, her mind already working through how to keep him distracted long enough for Chat to track them down.

“What’s the rush?” His response was followed by the distinct click of the lock opening for him. “Boss has your stray distracted and we both know you can’t get away from me with this.” He tapped the glasses and pushed the door open at the same moment. Before she could snarkily reply “these” she was being shoved through the door and up a thin flight of stairs.

Her arms hurt from the strain of the bonds on her wrists and the way they were angled behind her back. She stumbled on a few steps causing the sharp edges to bite into her calves. Her head pounded as the stress of not being able to help Chat filled her mind. All the while she strained to make out what his transformation looked like. If she could remember what he saw himself as when using the miraculous she could help find him when he inevitably tried acting as a friend to Ladybug.

Their steps echoed off the polished tile floors of the museum proper. Making soft squeaks whenever Marinette stumbles forward. He stayed behind her, and pushed against her shoulder to keep her moving anytime she attempted to get a look at him over her shoulder. They neared the main lobby area, where glowing green signs indicated what each hallway led to. She paused and pushed back against his hand when he attempted to push her yet again.

“Move.” He growled as his fingers dug into her shoulder.

“I have to use the bathroom.” She stated, standing her ground against him.

“You can use it when we get where we’re going.” His insistence held a small hint of sympathy behind the annoyance lacing his voice.

“I can’t.”

“Try.”

“I will literally pee myself if I wait another minute.” She motioned to the restrooms with her head. “You can stand outside the door if you want. Hell, you can come in the stall.” It was a gamble, she knew that, but she also held onto hope that the idea would unnerve him.

“You have five minutes.” He shoved her harder towards the bathrooms and she stumbled forward.

“I’ll only need three.” She muttered to herself as she slipped into the room, leaving him waiting for her outside. Opening the stall was difficult with her hands behind her back, locking it behind herself even moreso. She slipped out of her shoes, being sure that they faced the door and could be seen beyond the tiny gap between the floor and the stall door. It would buy her a couple seconds if he decided to come looking for her.

“Tikki.” She whispered, smiling when the worried kwami flew up close to her face to check for any wounds or bruises. She whispered softly for Tikki to transform her and bit her bottom lip harshly as the bright flash filled the room.

Say he didn’t see that.

She repeated the small prayer to herself as she lifted herself up to the top of the stall wall, now unbound as the bindings on her wrist melted away with the transformation. She pushed on a vent found in the ceiling and moved it to one side. With a well placed leap she found herself in the small confined air duct system. The vent was carefully replaced and finally, finally she let out a slow steadying breath.

“Okay, where are you.” She whispered under her breath as she maneuvered her yoyo to her hand, a difficult task in the small space. She opened it and tapped on the screen quickly, pulling up an overview of the city and a faint cats claw design blinking over one of the buildings. She worked her way slowly through the vent, pausing anytime she made too loud of a noise, her target was a fan that was located in front of a ventilation shaft leading outside the museum.

Chapter 14: Never Forgive

Chapter Text

Chat dodged out of the way of the woman’s attack, or he thought he had as he was suddenly flung against the far wall of the warehouse. He hissed through his teeth and turned his sharp glare on her. She was unfazed, standing in the center of the warehouse and idly checking her nails as she waited for him to attack once again. Her bracelet flashed, drawing his attention to her wrist. A sly smirk danced its way across his lips.

“You know going back in time so much is going to turn you old before you know it.” He quipped as he pushed himself to his feet. A sharp pain crossed his abdomen, the only outward tell he showed was a slight twitch at the edge of his eyes.

“How would you know pussy?” She sneered at him as she drew out her harp.

“Oh I know all about your little charm bracelet, especially it’s weakness.”

“Ha! I can go back to the begining of this poor excuse for a fight anytime I want. You haven’t once said anything about a weakness before.” She rolled her eyes as she spoke, prepping her fingers against the harp strings.

“Of course not, those were all other Chats. Didn’t you know you can’t really go back in time? Nah it takes you to parallel demensions that are only slightly behind when you left.” He tutted softly, shaking his head. “Too bad your body keeps aging by the same rate of your jumps. If you keep going back you’re going to be a weak old woman, so easy to swipe a trinket from then.”

“Bullshit.” He shrugged as she spat the word.

“Don’t believe me then.” He twisted his staff around his hands, pointing it at her in a defensive stance. “Let’s dance old lady.”

………………………………………………………….

Ladybug had pressed herself as close as she could to the open doorway of the warehouse without drawing notice to herself. When she overheard Chats ridiculous attempt at deception she mouthed “what the fuck” to herself before furrowing her brow in thought. He’d laid the seeds to confuse the woman, she could work with this.

“Watch out!” She screamed as she rushed inside, her yoyo swinging at her hip. She rushed past the mystery woman and flung the yoyo around Chat. As he landed with a thud she brought her knee down on his side to hold him in place. “Filthy cat.” She spat before turning to beam at the woman like they were best friends. “Are you okay? I warned you not to face him alone. He’s tricky.”

“What?” She looked baffled, who wouldn’t? By all appearances Ladybug had just attacked her long time partner for no reason.

“Come on- Viper.” She pulled the yoyo, seemingly tightening it, and stood to stride confidently to the other woman’s side. “These heroes are crazy, you know that as well as I do. What if he took your miraculous? Let me see.” She didn’t give the other woman time to think before she had her by the arm and was bringing her wrist close to her face.

“Fuck you Ladybug.” Chat spat from behind her. She had to give him credit, she couldn’t tell if he meant it or not. Before she could smirk at the thought she grabbed the woman’s cheeks and turned her face towards her.

“How many times did you go back?!” She exclaimed, pretending to run her fingers over crows feet as she did so. “Viper what if you turned yourself to dust?! Didn’t Hawkmoth ever tell you not to do that!” Though the woman seemed surprised and confused at first her face hardened as the word Hawkmoth left her lips.

“As if I’d ever work under someone ever again.” Before Ladybug could get ahold on her wrist she pulled away, a portal opening behind her as she did so. Ladybug locked eyes with the sunglasses of the horse miraculous user before the portal closed quickly behind them.

“No!” She shouted as she ran to the place the woman once was. “Dammit!”

“Can you untie me now?” Chats voice drifted through her ears. She turned to glare at him, letting out a small huff of air.

“It’s not even tight and you know it.” She grumbled, crossing her arms. Chat sat up then, letting the wire fall about his waist and scratching the back of his neck.

“Never know, you could’ve been telling the truth back there.”

“I was just going off your bluff. Honestly what happened to back when-“

“You left.” He pushed himself to his feet and stepped away from her yoyo. “You left for eight years.” He emphasized as he approached her. She winced as he drew near but felt the air shift as he brushed past her. When she next opened her eyes she stood alone in the warehouse, her yoyo laying on the hard floor, discarded just as much as she was.

She scooped up the yoyo, fixing it around herself as slow shallow breaths drifted from her nose. Her chin angled upward as she let a deeper breath fall from her lips.

He was never going to forgive her.

She gained the new experience of her hands being yanked violently behind her as her transformation fell. Bound once more, Marinette stepped from the alley and made her way quickly across the street to the abandoned looking arcade. The doors were push to open, she was thankful for that as she shoved her way inside and stood in the darkness amongst the pale glow of the neon floor lights.

“Kim?” She called in a shaky voice, clearing her throat she tried once more. “Kim?”

“Mari?” His tell tale head of mismatched hair emerged from behind the prize counter, a box of small toys were placed on it moments later. “Marinette are you okay?” He was by her side before his question even registered in her mind. Tears welled in her eyes for only a few seconds before she blinked them away.

“I’m- im fine. I. I’m okay. I just need you to help me.” She allowed him to step behind her and felt him pulling on her bindings. Though he wasn’t rough exactly, the sudden jerks of her arms caused her shoulders to burn.

“These are pretty tight. What happened?” He asked as he released his grip on her bindings.

“I was kidnapped.” She offered with a painful shrug. He scoffed at her words but she went on. “No it’s true. Some guy in weird sunglasses pushed me through a.. well a portal I guess, and kidnapped me.” She noticed him visibly freeze. He’d worked with Pegasus so much in the past that she was positive he knew what she was talking about.

She waited until he had cut her bindings and sat her once again in the tiny crowded office before she continued her story, telling him everything about her attacker and about escaping, only leaving out the part where she used her own Miraculous to do so.

“So you dived out of a window when you noticed a crowd and blended into it until you got away.” He mumbled softly as she finished. She nodded quickly and let out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry that I had to put you through all this, it was the only place I could think to go. What if I led the psycho home?”

“Okay. Okay. You hang tight.” Kim pulled out his cellphone as he spoke, scrolling through his contacts and standing up. “Let me make a call and we’ll get you home safe and sound.”

She felt her knee thumping as she waited for Kim to return. Time passed so achingly slowly but far too quickly all at once. She felt like an hour became a day as she waited for him to come back, and was just about to stand up and walk out of the office when the door swung open, hitting the edge of Kim’s desk as it did so. She jumped and leaned away from the intruder before she could even fully take in who they were. Bright emerald pools sat below wavy honey blonde locks, soft cheekbones pulled into a slight frown. Adrien studied her for a few heartbeats before carefully moving forward. He took one of her wrists in his hands and turned it over slowly to study the burn marks the bonds left behind.

“I figured he wouldn’t scream as much as Alya.” Kim explained from the doorway. “Plus I mean, he did take you home last time.”

“I’m still on the fence about calling Alya.” Adrien stated softly as he ran his fingers over her wounds. “How did this happen?” Marinette signed, repeating her story back to him. She was kidnapped, there was a guy with sunglasses and a portal, he took her to somewhere abandoned then to a place nearby where she jumped from a window when he was distracted. She didn’t mention anything about her miraculous or contacting Chat Noir, she really didn’t need any prying questions after all.

“Maybe we should call Alya.” Kim suggested when she was finished. “It’s the second time I heard it and I’m feeling like she might’ve hit her head.” With that suggestion, Adrien pulled out a pen light from his vest pocket and swiped it infront of her eyes.

“Ow! What-“ she protested.

“Med student.” He reminded her as his fingers curled around her chin and urged her to face him once again. “Look straight at Kim please.” She did as she was told, though she huffed and puffed the entire time he waved the light in her eyes. “No concussion.” He explained moments later, “though if you rolled like you said it would’ve minimized the probability of one greatly. How does your head feel?”

“My head feels fine.” She insisted. “It’s my shoulders that are killing me.”

“Hmm, not surprising. They’ve been under strain for hours that we know of.” Adrien said, pressing his hand to his lips as he stared her down.

“What are you doing?” She asked after the silence became too much.

“I’m looking for any sign of shock to your system. It could be deadlier than any other symptom of trauma.”

“I’m not in shock, I wouldn’t hurt if I was.” She pointed out as she tilted her head slightly.

“That’s true…” Adrien sighed and leaned away from her, returning his pen light to its pocket as he let out a gentle sigh. “In my unprofessional opinion I say you need to file a report on the kidnapping then go straight to bed.” He paused after saying it, almost like he was gauging her response.

“I can’t go to the police.” She said evenly. “One word about portals and they’ll lock me in the nearest asylum.” His lips pressed into a thin line before he turned to speak to Kim.

“I’ll take her home, try to talk to her about filing a report on the way alright?”

“Don’t push her though.” Kim nodded as he spoke. “I’m pretty sure taking a day to get her mind in order after something like that would do more good than harm.”

“I agree with Kim.” Marinette mumbled softly as she drew her knee up to hug it to her chest. She wouldn’t meet Adriens eyes as the neon lights from behind him flicked from one color to the next. She knew without looking that he was frowning with concern. His knees straightened as he stood, his hands drifting up and out of her line of vision. The back of his jacket held a small spot where the cloth had been pinched and was now unraveling, not large enough to notice or point out to him but large enough for her to train her eyes on as the blonde spoke to Kim.

Ringing began in her ears, loud and commanding of her attention, drowning out their words and filling her head with a low buzzing of an angry beehive. She wanted to be home, drinking hot cocoa with Chat or laying in the fluffy comforter from her bed on the couch as she allowed hours of mindless tv to dull the events of the day. She wanted to have avoided her attacker and ran into the open before he had a chance to do anything to her. She wanted to feel safe and secure again.

“-Arinette. Marinette.” She jolted when Adrien shook her shoulder, thrown out of her thoughts so quickly her heart pounded in her ears and her body pulled itself into a defensive position. She whipped her head to stare him down, noticing shock across his features as he pulled his hand back. They were in his car, she didn’t remember going to his car. It idled on the side of the street next to the very building she told him she was living in before. “Are you okay?” He asked in a soft gentle tone.

“Yeah.” She said, feeling her tensed muscles relaxing as she let out a slow breath. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She ran her fingers down her face and allowed her shoulders to slump. The building was dark and foreboding, it did not call to her like Chat’s building did. She couldn’t feel any sense of assurance or safety coming from the blank windows and tightly closed doors of it.

“Mari-“

“Can you um, take me to a friends house?” She interrupted him, turning away from the building. “I just don’t want to be alone tonight.” He stared at her for a long time before letting out a slow sigh. His hands gripped the wheel as his eyes locked onto the windshield.

“Why don’t you stay with me tonight and I can keep an eye on you.” He suggested without looking at her.

“What?”

“Marinette, you’re scared to be alone and you may be going through stress that could affect your physical state. I’d rather be nearby so I can help you if you need it. If you don’t want to be alone for the night why not be with me?” His eyes bore into her as she turned hers away. She pulled her knee up to her chest once more but rested her chin on it this time. What would Chat think if she didn’t come home for one night? Why should she care, they were both adults after all.

“My friend lives closer by.” She mumbled. Adrien's eyes widened slightly for only a second before his lips formed a thin line.

“I have to go to my place anyway.” He countered.

“Why would you want me to stay with you?” Her brows pulled together over eyes that were just beginning to brim with tears. The shock of the day was passing and her body was finally taking in everything her brain was attempting to hold back.

“Because you are one of my best friends, and… Med student,” he motioned to himself, “remember?”

“Okay.” She sighed through her nose before wiping her eyes on the back of her hands. “Okay. Just for tonight. I have to be home tomorrow to get ready for school.”

Chapter 15: So... This is Awkward

Chapter Text

Marinette stood in the doorway of Adriens downtown apartment. It was smaller than she thought it would be. A one bedroom with a kitchen that opened into a simple living room and an office beside the bathroom. Adrien shifted from foot to foot in front of her, his body almost seemed to vibrate with anxiousness. She opened her mouth to speak only to close it once again as her hand gripped the strap of her purse.

“I never really get guests.” He mumbled as he moved a pile of medical textbooks from his small couch. His eyes found her wrist and she turned her body to avoid him studying the burns across them.

“Wasn’t what I was expecting.” She answered. A picture on the wall of their class on their last school trip caught the light just right where half the top row was obscured in white.

“After growing up in a big cold house I kinda just wanted something cozy to go to.” He stepped up beside her, his lips forming a thin smile as he studied the picture. “I still remember Max dumping that bowl of chips on Kim’s head.” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

“What about Nino drinking that concoction Alix made and throwing up all over Ms. Bustier.” Marinette joined him in his remenencing. Adrien chuckled and ran his fingers over his lips to hide his smile.

“Yeah, I still don’t understand how it went in pink and came out green.” He said with a contented sigh.

“Nino looked greener.”

“No doubt about that.” His hand came up, forming a fist that hovered between them. She froze, her eyes on the fist and her mind going in circles. His movements were so natural as if he’d done this with her a million times yet even when they were close friends they hardly ever touched. His fist faltered, dropping by a few inches when the time between them stretched on. By the time she looked up to meet his eye he’d dropped it to his side once again.

She stepped away from him and the photo, slowly making her way into the kitchen of the apartment and sliding onto a barstool. After a few silent minutes Adrien joined her, sitting at the other end of the kitchen counter. She could hear a clock ticking from one of the rooms further in the apartment, each click echoing in her brain.

“Can I ask you a few questions?” She jerked her head up as he broke the strange hypnosis the clock had put her in.

“I… guess.” She ran her hand up her arm, stopping to rest it on her shoulder.

“It’s about what happened today.” He emphasized.

“I figured.” She didn’t mean for her words to come out harshly, but the way his eyes widened and his lips fell caused a sick guilty feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach.

“Okay.” He cleared his throat and straightened in his seat. “Do you know who your kidnapper was?”

“I mean, he looked like someone dressed up for Halloween. But, if you’re asking if I have any thoughts on who it could be I have someone in mind.” She placed her hands on the countertop and clasped her fingers together.

“Who do you think it was?”

“Just some guy?” She offered. “I mean, we were partners in one class and he started acting weird.” The way he clenched his fists on the countertop seemed too aggressive for him simply hearing about a classmate. She could feel warmth blooming in her chest at the thought. Even after all the years apart he still was protective of his childhood friends. “He told everyone we were dating when we weren’t and kept trying to go everywhere with me. He followed me home once.” She scratched her cheek. “Michal. That’s his name.”

“Sounds like he had a serious crush. Dangerously serious.” Adrien's voice was low and flat, nothing like she’d ever heard from him before.

“Yeah well I didn’t feel the same.” She grumbled as she crossed her arms and rested her head on them. “I mean, I guess I know how it feels both ways now.” Her brows knitted together in thought. “I do feel for him in a way.”

“You feel for your kidnapper?” Adrien's voice shot up in shock.

“Not like that. I just understand him. If I were his age when I got a crush on- anyway I was bad enough as a teen. If I had the freedom of adulthood who knows what would’ve happened.”

“You’ve lost me.” His lips formed a thin line as his forehead gained quite a few confused wrinkles.

“Yeah I did.” She mumbled before pushing herself upright. “I mean we’ve all had a crush or two right? But what I don’t understand is the way he went about it. Or why.” She sighed as her shoulders slumped. “Or where he figured out how to use portals like that. I mean it’s something out of a science fiction show.”

“No one person ever acts the same when they have a crush. When Nino had one on you he-“ Adrien paused, his fingers covering his lips as if he’d wanted to stuff his words back where they came from. Marinette took a second to soak in them, Nino had a crush on her? There was no way he’d have a crush on her when he had someone as amazing as Alya at his side. Unless it was before he and Alya got a chance to talk in that zoo cage all those years ago.

“I never even noticed.” She admitted as she ran her finger across the countertop.

“I know, I never understood that.” She tilted her head at his words and he waved his hand idly as he continued. “I mean the dude was a total wreck around you for the first three months I knew him. Staring at you all the time, not being able to form a straight sentence around you, heck he even kept a picture of you two together in his locker.” As he held up fingers to count off each act he’d witnessed Marinette grew paler and paler. Each thing that she didn’t notice Nino doing to her, Adrien didn’t notice her doing to him for years. A snort escaped her as she held back a chuckle. She clasped her hand over her mouth as her eyes shut tightly.

“Sorry.” She said once she got herself under control. “I didn’t mean to laugh it’s just, man I was dense back then huh?” She asked as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“I wasn’t going to say tha-“

“But you were denser than I was.” She interrupted him.

“What?” He straightened in his seat, his eyebrows pulling together and his lips forming a thin line under his nose.

“Everything you just said Nino did, I did them too.” His eyes grew wide at her words as his brows shot up towards his hairline.

“You liked Nino too?” His mouth opened, forming an O before tilting up into a sloppy smile. “I told him back then if he just asked you out in the first place.”

“It was you.”

“Excuse me?” Marinette sighed, leaning back and looking anywhere that wasn’t his face. When she finally grew out of her infatuation for the blonde she looked back on their childhood and just how cringey and creepy she’d acted around and about him in general, she promised herself she wouldn’t tell him about any of it.

Breaking Promises to herself again.

“I had a big crush on you for years. Since Nino eventually got with Alya instead I think I win, and had the denser crush.”

“You had a crush on me?” His voice raised in pitch, she chuckled at the sound. Now that it was out in the open she may as well tell him.

“I was borderline obsessed with you for years. Pretty much the whole time we were in school.” She sucked in a deep breath and held it, this was harder than she could ever imagine it would be. “I tried to ask you out a lot, I made you homemade presents and even sent you a silly Valentine’s Day card that Alya helped me find.” Her hands cupped her forehead as shame washed over her. “I even wrote a stupid poem in it but I forgot to sign it.”

“A… Poem…” she couldn’t bring herself to look up at him as he murmured the words. What if he was thinking of a way to avoid her now like she’d been doing to Michal? Adrien was a friend, one that had grown close with her as of late and she didn’t want to lose that friendship.

“You don’t have to worry though.” She sat upright as she waved her hands between them quickly. “I’m not like that anymore I- I got over it after we graduated and everyone split up.”

“I- oh.” Adrien's lips, which had been angled so slightly upwards before, pulled into the smallest of frowns and marinette rushed to continue so he wouldn’t misunderstand.

“I mean we all had our own things to do and at some point you gotta let go of your childish fantasies. I had no time to even think about boys while I was helping out Mamon and Papa with the shop. Then I got into ESMOD and I had no time for boys beyond a hello in the classroom. It’s not like I could hold on to some silly fantasy so I let it go. You don’t have to worry about it, honestly I only see you as a friend now. A very nice friend.” She smiled awkwardly as he stared at a spot on his countertop. His face slowly raised as he met her eye. She could see his lips parting just to close again then that model brand smile was draped across them.

“You’ll always be one of my best friends Marinette.” He began.

“And that’s all I want Adrien.” She cut in. “I mean clearly, I can actually hold a conversation now. I was just- so cringey back then it’s embarrassing.” He stared at her for a long time before dropping his head just enough so that his eyes were covered by his fringe.

“Yeah. Friendship is good.” He said finally.

“Absolutely. It’s the best.” She gave him a warm smile. “A lot better than anything else. I don’t have time for anything else anyway.”

Adrien stood from his stool and made his way towards the hall of his apartment. Marinette nibbled at her bottom lip until she saw him step into a room and out of her sight. She stood then and made her way back to that photo. The group, all smiling and staring at the camera. Kim holding a peace sign just behind Ivan’s head, Nino still looking like he just wanted to lie down after the drink. Marinette staring to one side with a dreamy look in her eye as Adrien was caught halfway through a laugh with his arm resting on Nino's shoulder. Just staring at the picture made her remember how embarrassing she was on that trip. Shortly after the photo was taken Alya had talked her into confessing to Adrien. She was so close to following through on the confession but then an Akuma attack happened. She had to fight beside Chat and Viperion in order to stop poor Juleka from destroying their hotel. Afterwards she was far too tired to think let alone act on her feelings. Refleckta really was one of the villains that took the most out of her. It was just always hard to figure out how to stop her again once the akuma figured out a new way to hide inside her form.

“I was so stupid back then.” She murmured to Tikki who had her head just barely peeking from her purse. Tikki simply nodded, the action stabbing into Marinette's pride.

“I figured you were tired but I only had my clothes here so-“ she turned to face him, Adrien was holding up a pair of flannel pajamas and awkwardly looking away from her. “-I wanted to give you something to wear so I could get your clothes washed. You’re probably tired of smelling like wherever you were taken.” She raised her shirt collar slightly to smell it, she couldn’t tell if she stank or not but if he mentioned it then-

Her cheeks burned.

“Could I borrow your shower?” She asked. He nodded and she rushed past him, grabbing the offered pajamas on the way and opening first his office, then his bathroom with a slew of awkward babbling falling from her lips. Once alone in the bathroom she slid down the door and covered her face in her hands.

Adrien leaned back on the couch. He could hear the faintest sound of the shower even without being transformed. He groaned softly as his right hand rested over his eyes. His heart was still beating wildly in his chest as her words echoed through his mind. Marinette had a crush on him. The thought still felt foreign in his head. How? When did it start? Why him? What did he do to make her see him that way back then? He remembered when they first met she hated him, stupid bubblegum, but then he met her outside the school the next day and offered her his umbrella. She thanked him and smiled and they were friends from that moment on.

Marinette had always treated him with the same fierce loyalty as she had her other friends. Even when she and Luka were sort of a couple she still stood up for him just as much as she had everyone else.

He frowned. Who was it that pointed out to him that she was growing closer to Luka? The guy was great, nice and soft spoken. He did treat Marinette like she was a special person to him back then. Adrien could still remember thinking it was good she had Luka to distract her from her crush on Chat.

He sat up straight and looked down the hallway beside him. She told chat she loved him back then, her own dad was Akumatized because he turned her down. He tried to remember if she ever said it again. Nothing, other than the confusing and awkward dinner Marinette hadn’t attempted to even try to get with Chat again. She’d even asked if they could be friends instead.

He covered his lips to hide his frown. Why did she even confess to Chat? Did her crush on him come from that? Maybe she associated him with his alter ego subconsciously and developed her crush on him due to that fact.

“Why am I even thinking about this.” He groaned. “She’s already over it.” The sound of the shower stopped, startling him as the silence of his apartment settled around his ears. Adrien stood and made his way to his coffee pot, quickly pouring himself a cup of plain black and downing it. He closed his eyes and snarled his nose at the taste of the cold coffee.

“Um,” he turned, his fingers loosened their grip on his cup for a split second before he gripped it tightly once again. Marinette stood at the end of his hall, a pile of clothes in her arms. Included in the pile was very obviously a pair of red and brown fleece pajama bottoms, “they kept falling off.” She explained, tugging at the collar of her top that fell to the midway point of her thighs. He gulped, turned back to the counter, and placed his cup slowly down on the counter. Marinette was tiny. How could he forget.

“Ah, sorry about that. I don’t have any with drawstrings.” He could hear the floorboards creaking slightly as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Just don’t turn around. You’ll be fine. Stare at the coffee.

“It’s just one night. I um, kept a couple things but here’s my clothes.” She was behind him now, he could hear her soft breathing. His hands gripped the edges of the counter as his teeth clenched.

“Just set them on a stool, I’ll go get you some-“ he didn’t even finish his thought before he scrambled away from her. Once in his room he released the breath that caught in his throat. “It’s okay,” he whispered to himself, “It’s just a friend who happens to be a girl who just admitted that she used to have feelings for you, who is staying with you overnight. No big deal.” He sat down on his bed and ran his hands over his face.

“How do you know she’s not like that every night?” Plagg sighed as he floated out of his pocket. “Stop letting this get to you kid.”

“You’re right.” Adrien clenched his knees between his fingers. “No big deal.”

“What are you doing then?” Plagg asked as Adrien stood and made his way to his closet.

“Finding a larger shirt. Where’s that one that came close to my knees? The one I wore to that thing Uh, Dammit. The orange one Abigail bought me.” He pushed around clothes as he rambled off his thoughts.

“I have no idea kid.” Plagg rested on his shoulder as his searching became frantic. Adrien grunted as he shifted shirts around. Letting out a soft “ah” as he pulled out a tailored long fitting orange dress shirt. He held it up and frowned at the sight.

“Maybe something not this color.” He muttered.

“What?”

“I just mean with Marinette's skin tone it doesn’t really pop you know?” Adrien rested his fingers on his chin after he spoke.

“She isn’t going to a party downtown, she's going to sleep.” His Kwami grumbled.

“Okay, okay. One night won’t kill her.” Adrien sighed as he stepped away from his closet, a frown dancing across his lips.

Marinette was sitting in the corner of his couch. Her knees pressed firmly together and her hands resting on them when he stepped into the room. She looked odd, stiff and awkward as she stared ahead at the blank tv on his wall.

“Uh,” he began, “I brought you a shirt that may cover you a bit better.” She didn’t budge aside from the slight widening of her eyes and tightening of her lips. He stood there, holding the shirt out to her until she pushed herself from the couch and took it from his hands.

“Thanks”

“No problem.”

The air around them hung heavy, thick with things he wanted to say but never wanted to utter. She’d already moved away from him, back to the small bathroom, so even if he wanted to ask her any of his questions it felt as if it were already too late.

A shrill alarm like ringing forced him from his thoughts. He shoved his hand into his vibrating pocket and answered the phone with a slightly annoyed sigh.

“Hello-“

“Have you heard from Mari-cakes? She’s not answering my calls. I’ve left her like forty voicemails and seriously that girls gonna give me a-“

“Chloe, calm down. Marionette is actually with me right now.” Adrien sank into his couch and ran his fingers through his bangs as he cut off the blonde on the other end of the line.

“You took my Mari- do you even realize what’s going on right now?”

“She’s not your Mari.” He grumbled under his breath.

“Have you even seen the news?” Chloe went on as if he hadn’t said anything. “Hawkmoth two point oh pulled the same bullshit as your father with the big head of bugs and the threatening Ladybug and Chat-Noir. Of course they were too scared to challenge me, but Paris isn’t safe again!”

“Kinda got that when I saw Chat-Noir hopping roofs earlier.” He grunted and shook his head. “What does any of that have to do with her though?”

“Duh she’s my precious Mari and must be protected. I’m going to send her and her family to London until this is all over with.”

“What?” He could hear his heart in his ears. She couldn’t be serious.

“I’d go with them naturally-“

“Adrien?” He jolted as Marinette appeared before him. The new shirt hung lower on her, low enough to cover her knees at the very least.

“Is that Mari-“ he fumbled with the phone, bouncing it between his fingers until he finally ended the call. It felt all too natural for him to switch the ringer to silent and slam the device face down on the end table beside him.

“Who was that?”

“No one-“ he said quickly- “no one important. So let’s get you set up for the night shall we?” He stood, she backed away to give him space and he chuckled awkwardly.

He surprised himself at how quickly he managed to find a spare pillow and cover, it wasn’t as if he stayed at his apartment too often and he’d usually have a home cleaning service do a once over of it every other week. Setting up the couch for her was no problem, aside from the lingering thoughts of how he should offer her the bed instead. If they were home, she would be comfortably sleeping under her blankets and not having to curl up on a spare sheet over a mound of stuffed leather.

When did he start thinking of the Chateau as home? Before Marinette moved in it was simply a base of operations. Somewhere to go to pour over maps of the city and maybe grab a quick bite. Over everything else it was a good place to store cheese so his apartment didn’t smell like someone who never showered. He didn’t know when exactly it changed from that. It had only been a few months since she’d started her cohabitation with his alter ego after all. But somehow slowly his apartment felt less and less like the warm cozy home it had been and the larger, purposefully extravagant, Chateau became more welcoming and warm than the cold blank expanse of the downtown apartment.

“Do you mind if I stay up a bit? I’ll be quiet so you can sleep. I just have night classes.” Marinette pulled him out of his thoughts as he stepped away from the prepared couch.

“Yeah.” He said. “Yeah that’s fine uh, I’ll be in my room if you need me and the kitchen has plenty-“ did the kitchen even have food in it? “-plenty to drink if you get thirsty.” He scratched the back of his neck as an awkward grumble escaped his throat.

“Thanks.” She lowered herself to the pillows he’d adjusted on the couch as the single syllable escaped her lips.

The awkward air around them only seemed to increase as he stood there in silence. He shifted from foot to foot until it was all too much. Without a single word between them he retreated to his room and hid, from the silence as well as the secrets. He couldn’t do what he would normally do with her at night, couldn’t binge fighter games or joke about to release the stress of the day. He wasn’t Chat now, he was Adrien. Adrien who wasn’t close enough to Marinette to offer more than a couch to her.

Chapter 16: Beginnings

Chapter Text

Alya tapped her pen against her lips as she leaned back in her chair. Her phone rested on the table beside her elbow, screen on showing a text from Adrien of all people. It held an image of Marinette on his couch wearing an outlandish color of nightgown and smiling as she pointed to something offscreen. Below the image his words hung on a grey background:

Marinette is at my place. Her phones busted but I wanted to let you know she’s fine.

“What are the odds that after all this time it actually happens?” She asked herself as she circled another crib in the magazine.

“Wuzup babe?” Nino was at her side in a second, bringing a smile to her lips as his hand rested gingerly on her shoulder.

“Oh nothing.” She patted his hand and motioned to her phone. “Just Mari and Adrien having a sleepover last night.” Nino snatched the phone up quickly and she looked up to see a grim frown on his lips.

“If he touched her I swear I’ll-“

“Oh cut it out. You know those two as well as I do there’s nothing going on there.” Alya cut him off quickly, idly rubbing the large and still growing belly she bore. Nino grunted and shook his head softly.

“I’m just saying we aren’t kids anymore and men have urges.”

“I know you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying. Nope.” Alya pushed herself up from her seat slowly, taking in a breath as the weight settled around her. “No boy, nu uh. My Mari would not sleep over at his house just to do something stupid.”

“Mari is an adult babe. She doesn’t have to act like some innocent-“ he froze halfway through his thoughts as Alya shot daggers at him with her eyes. Memories of her flipping through the air and drop kicking bad guys as a teen danced through his mind- “Babe, remember you’re pregnant.”

“And you’re lucky I am boy, because if I didn’t have a baby in me you’d be eating your words.” She growled in response.

“Geeze.” Nino held his hands up defensively. “Look I’ll call Adrien and see what’s up with them. Maybe she did just sleep over at his place.” He stepped away from her, pulling out his own phone and waiting for a second in the kitchen before finding Adriens number in his contacts. It rang against his ear, sending faint vibrations down his glasses that jarred them just enough to blur his surroundings.

Click

“Hello?” His voice was soft, a whisper as it drifted into Ninos mind.

“H-hey man I was calling to check in on Marinette…” Nino coughed into his hand and glanced towards Alya. “We uh, we got your text and Alya is a bit worried.”

“Mari-“ there was a dry cough and a pause before his voice returned, much more alert than before. “Marinette is sleeping on the couch right now. Some creep, er… some creep attacked her yesterday. Kim helped her out and called me to keep an eye on her.”

“On your couch.” Nino said loud enough for his still seething wife to hear. “How is she? Nothing happened, right?”

“What? What time is it?” He could hear the creaking of bed springs as his friend went silent once again. “Fuck is that right?” Another pause in which he could swear he heard another male voice, though it was too faint for him to be sure. “I overslept.” Adrien deadpanned, followed by a sigh aimed directly at his microphone, apparently going off how loud it was. “What, what were you saying?”

“Is Marinette okay?” Nino said very slowly, dragging out each word.

“Yeah.” Adrien said after a pause. “Yeah, she’s fine. A few cuts and bruises, but no concussion and she didn’t look like she was experiencing shock when I left her in the living room.”

“We were just worried. She’s Alya’s best friend. Basically a sister and-“

“Nino, I’m sorry. I gotta get ready. I’m running late to a few appointments and one of them is for Luka and that’s really important right now because of his tour and-“

“No problem bro, talk to you some other time alright?” Nino cut him off just as he’d done. There was another pause after his words.

“Yeah. Later man.” The line went dead shortly after. He lowered the phone and turned back to his wife.

“They didn’t do anything. She slept on his couch.” He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. “Don’t worry alright babe?”

“He better be happy he didn’t lay a hand on her, after everything she went through in school…” she droned on, but to him her words were white noise. Sure Marinette was troubled in school over her one sided love, but in their last year a change happened with her, Adrien was the last thing on her mind after her fathers surgery and shortly after Hawkmoth was captured by their resident heroes she seemed to completely forget she ever had feelings for the blonde.

Marinette groaned as she slowly awoke. Her back hurt and the light streaming in from the large windows cut into her brain. The throbbing behind her eyes only intensified as they opened. The clock on the wall, blurred as it was, read three in the afternoon. She shifted to fix her posture and suddenly felt herself sliding sideways. She couldn’t catch herself before her already aching back met with the unempathetic hard floorboards.

There was a moment of confusion as she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling, then more as the sound of quick footsteps reached her ears. A flash of blonde hair over emerald eyes made her feel at home until she realized those same hues weren’t surrounded by black.

“Are you alright?” Adrien's voice was loud, too loud for her semi conscious mind. She groaned once again as she pulled herself up with the help of the couch cushion.

“Forgot I wasn’t at home.” She grumbled as she rubbed her temple with her fingers. He was already in a semi formal attire, the top two buttons of his crisp shirt undone and his tie pulled loose around his neck. She frowned down at the crumpled shirt she bore and pushed herself to her feet.

“Sorry for the accommodations, should’ve offered you the bed and took the couch myself.” He grumbled as she stumbled past him towards her folded clothes on the kitchen counter.

“No no, a couch is fine for a night- er- day.” She waved off his objections and motioned towards his bathroom with her head. “I’m going to get changed and head home. Have to get ready for school.” With that explanation she left him in his front room and went to do just that, being sure to slip Tikki a cookie from her purse tin before moving on.

Adrien dropped her off once again in front of her faux apartment building and she waved to him as he pulled away from the curb. After a few minutes she took in a deep calming breath and practically scampered to the Chateau. The entire elevator ride up had her pacing. What if Chat wasn’t okay? What if he went after that psycho woman and was taken while Marinette was making her alibi? Before she had time to even form a plan of attack should he be missing the elevator doors opened and a black clad blonde decended upon her.

“Are you alright?!” He asked frantically as his hands gripped at her shoulders like he had to make sure she was really there.

“I’m fine.” Her hands covered his as a gentle smile played across her face. Of course he would be fine, silly of her to worry. “I got away and stayed with a friend overnight so I wouldn’t have to worry about being taken again.” She oh so gingerly removed his hands from her shoulders and brought them down between them. “I would’ve called but my phone’s gone.”

Chat pulled at her hands until her face pressed against his chest. His chin rested on her hair as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She could hear his heartbeat, a slow gentle thumping that was accompanied by a purring so soft that it was barely even there.

“I can’t let you out of my sight. Feels like you’ll just disappear.” He mumbled into her hair. Her neck became uncomfortably hot as she patted his back.

“I always come home though.” She assured him, her voice muffled by his suit.

“Right.” His breath parted through her hair to brush across her scalp. “You’re home and safe. That’s all that matters.” She could feel his fingers quivering against her back as he pulled her closer. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there in time. I’m-“

“Don’t.” She pushed away from him enough to look up at his face. “Chat, me being taken like that wasn’t your fault. Don’t start thinking any of that was your fault. You aren’t to blame. You tried to save me. I called you and you came to my rescue. That’s all that matters.” She felt her brows pulling together with worry, maybe she was saying too much. “Thank you Chat.” She hugged him, pulling him against her this time in a reassuring embrace. “Now let’s go in and let out some stress.” She suggested with a shrug. “I haven’t beaten you in a while and I’m sure my APM could use some more practice.” His lips formed a small smile against her forehead as she mentioned the game.

“You wish you could beat my skills.” He scoffed. “But, I know some student who really should worry about class instead of getting her ass kicked in her favorite game.” Her lips parted in surprise at his words. She didn’t even realize he noticed her change to night classes.

“Maybe I should buy a spray bottle. I know some cat who is getting a bit too bold thinking he could win.” She stuck her nose in the air as she walked past him, a happy grin upon her lips. This felt like home.

A yawn passed through her lips as Marinette leaned on her elbow in a bored stupor. Their teacher's voice, soft and monotone as it was, could lull her into slumber almost as soon as he began his lecture. She felt her eyelids slipping down like two heavy folds of denim on her face. A few times she shook herself out of the stupor, though before long the blissful darkness surrounded her and her body began to drift to the left.

Her body jerked to a stop as a hand found rest on her shoulder. The sudden stop was enough to shock her out of her half sleep. She turned, ready to apologize to the stranger she inconvenienced, and paused. Cool emerald pools held her stare, draped on either side by golden strands of stray hair.

“Sorry.” She felt her ears warm as she wrenched her eyes away from his icy stare.

“You should pay attention in class.” She winced at his equally cold tone. He was right, she was doing this for her future after all.

She couldn’t help sneaking glances at the guy every now and then during the class. His hair, aside from the few strands that refused to stay in place, was perfectly quaffed and styled in a very business like way. She wouldn’t even be able to tell it went past his collar if she hadn’t studied it from the side.

He diligently took notes during the class, something she had trouble doing. His eyes stayed either on his paper or on their teacher, never once straying to glance her way. The niggling feeling that she’d met him before bore into the back of her mind. But she couldn’t think of anyone other than Gabriel Agreste who would have such a cold stare, and Gabriel’s only son was Adrien.

“Stop staring at me.” He grumbled close to the end of class. “If you aren’t going to pay attention to class why take it. Drop the course.” He stood suddenly and marched his way down the gently sloping steps to the front row of desks in the class.

She hid her face quickly behind her hand as her eyes bore into the loose scribbles on the pages resting along the desk before her. Her ears burned. That had to be one of the worst first meetings she ever had with someone.

“Don’t mind him, He’s a bit much.” A girl with bright pink pigtails and a speckling of freckles under silver eyes smiled at her. “He was the same in school. Always uptight. Guy never had any friends and never cared.” Marinette couldn’t help the small pout that puckered her lips.

“Everyone needs a friend.” She mumbled as she tapped her pencil on the desk.

“Not him.” The girl shook her head as she spoke. “Trust me you don’t even want to get to know someone like him. He’s manipulative and well…” she let her words trail away as she waved her hand idly.

Marinette shook her head. What she was saying made no sense. Everyone needed someone to talk to, hell even Lila needed a friend back in their younger years… if only she didn’t turn on every single one she made.

“I don’t believe that, no one should be alone.” She waved towards him as she spoke. “Even if they’re… prickly.”

“Prickly definitely describes him.” The girl snorted and turned back to her own work. Marinette sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t get the niggling feeling out of her mind that he was familiar. Did she save him once way back when? Honestly it wouldn’t surprise her if he were an Akuma or a victim she’d rescued from one that slipped her mind until meeting again. It wasn’t unusual.

She waited until the end of class and followed him to the commons area just down the hallway from their class. There he purchased a bottle of water from the machine as she pretended to study a CPR guide poster on the wall.

“Oh hey.” She said as he turned to face her. “I never got to properly thank you for the save earlier. My name’s Marinette.” She held her hand out to him in what she hoped was a friendly gesture. He stared at her face as he adjusted his bag strap on his shoulders. Eyes drifting down to her hand as he opened the bottle with a frown.

“No.”

“What, I- Marinette is my name.” She said, confusion lacing her words and pulling her brows towards her nose.

“No I do not want to feign any sort of friendship with someone who is childish and honestly far too lax to be in this program.” He sighed before taking a long sip from his drink. She frowned and shook her head slowly.

“I’m not childish or-“

“Mari!” She turned to see Adrien smiling from the doorway to the commons area. There was a lopsided grin on his face and an odd hang to his hair which told her his ponytail had slipped partway loose.

“Adrien?” She tilted her head as she tried to figure out why he seemed so ecstatic.

“Alya and Nino called and it’s ti- Félix?” His mood shifted so quickly that she took a step back, only to bump into Félix’s chest. His arm was around her shoulder in an instant and she was pulled even closer to him.

“Cousin. My friend and I were just discussing where to go for lunch. Care to join us?”

“Cousin?” She mumbled before looking up at the sneer painted across Félix’s face. Adrien frowned and stepped up to them just enough to grab Marinette by the elbow.

“Our best friends need us more than your baguettes need her presently.” He growled and pulled on her arm until Félix released her from his grasp. Marinette stumbled forward until her nose hit Adriens chest, then felt his arm around her in place of his cousins.

“What’s going on with Alya and Nino?” She asked after peeling herself away from his chest.

“Alya’s in Labor.” Adrien smiled down at her like a kid who just discovered the candy isle at the store.

Chapter 17: We could Adopt...

Chapter Text

The hospital was already getting crowded when Ivan and Maylene ushered their two children into the waiting room, bumping into Luka and Kim as they tried to make room for the line of others following them. By the coffee machine sat Sabrina and Max, both with their eyes on their phones and grim looks on their faces. Rose and Juleka stood beside the double doors leading to the maternity ward, Marinette paced past them and Adrien followed behind her attempting to get her to sit down. Maylene had just enough time to get her youngest out of the doorway before a bundle of bags and blonde hair rushed forward to knock Marinette off of her feet.

“Why am I always the last to know!” Everyone rolled their eyes at Chloe’s voice, aside from Marinette who chuckled as she gently removed the blonde from her.

“I texted you as soon as I could.” Marinette insisted. “It was hard to find you in Adrien’s phone.”

“I don’t see a difference. Brat, Chole, practically the same name.” Adrien puffed as he helped the two girls to their feet.

“I had to stop by every store to get the best ones for the little one.” Chloe ignored him as she began rummaging through the bags, pulling out baby clothes and holding them up for Marinette's inspection.

“Those are adorable Chloe! They’re…” Marinette didn’t want to say expensive, that would be impolite, but as she picked up a crushed velvet onesie her smile slipped ever so slightly. “Wow they’re all so, wow. I have no words. Alya will love them.”

“Yeah well we don’t know the kids size yet so I just grabbed what I could. I’ll have yours custom tailored.” Chloe nonchalantly said as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. Marinette's face went white, behind her Adriens was turning pink.

“You’ll have mine..?” Marinette began.

“What are you thinking Chloe? Marinette doesn’t have a reason for you to say, th-that.” Adrien placed his hand on Marinette's shoulder as he took the cloth from her hands.

“Oh don’t worry Adrikins, I’ll naturally team up with you when the time comes. We must find Mari a perfect guy of course.” Chloe waved away his words before he could continue. “If it’s a guy she even wants. If you go the other way I’ll be happy to be your wine and dine.” She chuckled as Marinette began to stammer incoherently.

“I’m… uh…”

“Of course then you could adopt. Oh! We could adopt together! Adoption agencies love two parent households.” Chloe cut her off.

“Chloe did you just ask Marinette out?” Sabrina was the one to speak up, everyone fell into silence as her words faded from the air. Marinette's face went cold as the color drained from it but Chloe stood tall and proud, unaffected by the question.

“So what if I did?” She asked smugly in return. Marinette felt like a fish as her mouth opened and closed while struggling to get any word out.

“Chloe I’m not-“ Marinette began only to stop when she felt Adriens grip on her shoulder. His face was as pale as hers and his teeth ground together once before his eyes narrowed at Chloe.

“Let’s focus on what’s happening here.” He said sternly. “My best friend and Marinette’s best friend are having a child just down the hall.” He removed her from his grip and took a seat near the doors. His hands covered his mouth as he eyed them.

Marinette sighed and packed away the baby clothes that had fallen to the floor, offering the bags back to Chloe with a small smile.

“I’m sure they’ll love them Chloe.” She said. Just then she spotted Master Fu’s nurse through the window separating the waiting room from the general hospital. “Excuse me.” Without waiting for an answer she rushed from the waiting room to catch up with the flustered looking young man. “Excuse me!” She called out as she neared him. “I’m-“

“Marinette, right?” The nurse gave her a customary smile. “Mr. Lou’s granddaughter. How are you?”

“Oh I’m alright, I was wondering if there was any news on my grandfather?” She twisted her hands around each other as she asked the question.

“Oh, well he’s recovering well and has been transferred out of the ICU ward.” He waved her over to the nurses station where he shuffled through files until he found Master Fu’s. Together they looked over what was written there and Marinette felt her shoulders relax. At least she now had one less worry in her life.

“Can I visit him?” She asked.

“Right this way.” He motioned for her to follow him as he turned down another hallway leading to the semi private rooms.

Adrien eyed the doors that Marinette rushed out of. She still hadn’t come back and nearly an hour had passed already. His foot thumped against the floor as he squeezed his hands together in front of his lips. With a sigh he stood and headed towards the doors.

“Just grabbing a drink.” He said when Kim stood from his place in the floor. Without another word he retired to his seat and continued to listen to Rose’s story about her recent vacation with her wife. Adrien smiled at the sight before stepping into the hallway.

No evidence she had been there met his gaze, not surprising with how busy the hospital was. He scratched his neck and grunted softly before heading to his masters room. If she was anywhere it would be beside her grandfather after all.

“Master I-“ he stopped short halfway into the room. His brows pulling together as he took one step backwards to look at the nameplate on the door before turning to the bed once again.

“Yeah they haven’t changed it yet.” The young man who occupied master Fu’s previous bed was as relaxed as one could look with his leg pulled upwards and resting in a sling. A very painful looking bruise oozed from a stark white cast that encased him to just past his knee.

“Woah,” a short haired woman lept up from the seat behind him. Her hands went up defensively as she attempted to usher Adrien to the door. “Sorry but he doesn’t need friends visiting him right now.” She insisted.

“He doesn’t know me sis.” The guy rolled his grey eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Doing so caused a shiny black feather to catch the lights above him and twinkle as it swayed from his lobe. “The guys obviously lost.”

“You’re obviously stupid.” She snapped back, striding to his side once again only to smack him on the back of the head. “Who told you that you could just take Kevo’s bike for a ride huh?” She demanded with a snarl. His only response was to grab where she’d hit him and snarl right back at her.

“I’m just gonna…” Adrien took a step back as he held his hands up defensively.

“Go.” They demanded without looking at him.

He shook his head and turned to leave only to knock down someone with a head of blazing red hair. The guy rushed to collect papers that scattered out from his book before finally looking up at him.

“Adrien?” He asked.

“Nathaniel?” Adrien was dumbstruck, how long had it been since he’d last seen the artist? Too long he supposed. “Hey what are you-“

“Sorry I’m in a rush.” Nathaniel said as he wedged himself between Adrien and the door to slide past him. “Catch up later.” With that the door was slammed in his face. He scratched his neck again and frowned as he went over what just happened.

After asking a few nurses he was directed out of the ICU and into the general population. It took him a while to find the correct room but when he did he suddenly felt ill. Should he interfere with them? He could see through the door that Marinette was beside his bed but her back was to him. She stood and hugged him for a few seconds before sitting back down. Even from where he stood he could tell she was wiping her eyes. Master Fu patted her shoulder with a warm smile.

Suddenly she was standing again, however now she was coming towards him. He ducked behind the corner quickly to avoid her running into him but the action just made his stomach sink all the more. She stood outside his door and looked down both sides of the hall before heading back to the maternity ward. He followed her, the sick guilty feeling eating away at him even as his body moved on its own. By the time she stepped back into the waiting room he was having cold sweats.

“Hey man!” Kim called out as he entered. “Nino was looking for you.” He said as he stepped up to Adrien. “Mari is already back there, apparently they only want two visitors in the room at a time. In case ya know?”

“Yeah.” Adrien clapped him lightly on the shoulder before heading towards the ward doors. He stopped short to look at Sabrina who was busy texting someone on her official work phone. Another sick twinge danced across his gut as he thought of his other phone, tucked in the side of his center console where no one would think to look for it. If it was Chat she was texting she wouldn’t be getting an answer today.

“Alya how could you- you didn’t tell me at all.” Marinette leaned over the bed, holding one of the babies in her arms as her eyes stared daggers at her. Alya sighed, exhausted after giving birth to not one, but two children who the nurses cooed over before letting the first visitors in. Only two visitors at a time in case the mothers suddenly Akumatized seemed a bit ridiculous to her but seeing the absolute look of betrayal on her best friends face made her happy she’d never worried about the girl succumbing to one of the dark butterflies powers.

“Surprise.” She said with a small shrug. Behind Marinette, Adrien leaned over Ninos shoulder and waggled his fingers at the baby softly cooing in the bassinet. A smile crossed her lips as Marinette huffed and sat back in the chair, rocking slightly as she ran her fingers along the baby’s cheek.

“What are you going to name them?” She asked without looking up from his small face.

“Leo and Robin.” When the names got an odd look she shrugged again. “Nino and I each picked one, you’re holding Robin.”

“Hi there Robin.” Marinette smiled at the boy and allowed his tiny fingers to curl around one of hers. “I’m your aunt Mari. I’m going to spoil you and your brother rotten just you wait.”

“Not more than Uncle Adrien will.” She looked up to see the blonde in question smiling after his statement. His finger was captured by Leo’s tiny hand and he didn’t seem in any rush to remove it.

“Is that a challenge, pretty boy?” She asked with a quirk to her brow.

“Hear that Leo, she thinks I’m pretty.” Adrien chuckled as the small baby cooed up at him.

“Did I miss something?” Alya asked from her spot in the hospital bed.

“Just that he’s a huge dork.” Marinette rolled her eyes as she rocked Robin once again.

“A dork you were obsessed over.” Adrien scoffed.

Two things happened at that point. Marinette turned red as a ripe cherry, spluttering out the word “we’re.” Angrily as Alya squealed, eyes lighting up with a fire she hadn’t seen in years.

“How’d you find out?” The reporter questioned him. He nodded towards Marinette who was busily shaking her head.

“You told him?”

“It’s no big deal. That was years ago.” Marinette stood and handed the baby over to Alya who looked about ready to burst. “You were the one who kept telling me to tell him.” She reminded her with an awkward shrug.

“BACK WHEN WE WERE KIDS!” Alya exclaimed. Robin began to cry and she rushed to shush him. Leo began a few seconds later much to Nino’s disappointment. “I told you to ask him out how many times girl? But no you had to wait until you were too caught up in your future to care about crushes.” She huffed and Marinette was sure if she didn’t have a baby in her arms they would be crossed. “So what? Are you two telling us you’re finally together?”

“No.” Marinette insisted before Adrien even had a chance to part his lips. “No. Adrien is my good friend and nothing more. I have outgrown that painfully corny childhood thank you.”

“Owch.” Adrien muttered behind her.

“Sorry.” She muttered before letting out a sigh. “Besides you and I weren’t meant to be. We’re better as friends.”

“Owch.” It was Nino who spoke up then. Marinette couldn’t see Adrien's face but the look in Nino’s eyes had her worried. She was about to open her mouth and shove her heeled foot further into it when Adrien spoke up.

“We wouldn’t be able to fight over who spoils the nephews more otherwise. Can’t lay with the enemy right?” A relieved warm feeling washed over her at his words and she visibly relaxed.

“Yeah. I mean they are going to like me more. An aunt who can keep them in the best of the best versus an uncle who can do what?” Before she could list off his gaming habits and the odd collection of anime movies in his living room she saw it, a Cheshire grin spreading across his lips.

“An uncle who releases the latest best of the best and can afford any toy they glance at.” He said around that damned grin.

“Excuse me.” The nurse’s voice had them all turning to the now opened door. “These two will have to leave. Visitation is over. She motioned to Adrien and Marinette, taking an extra moment to give Adrien a flirtatious smile. Marinette gave each of the twins one last kiss on the forehead before hugging Alya and saying her goodbyes. Nino led them to the elevator but didn’t stick around much longer before darting back to the room where his young family waited for him.

Marinette and Adrien stepped into an empty elevator. However it didn’t stay empty after opening on the next floor. Adrien ushered Marinette into the corner where he blocked her body with his own. She crossed her arms before herself when she couldn’t find anything else to do with her hands. His chest was very close to her face. It smelled faintly of fabric glue and antiseptic. An odd combination. She turned her eyes upward to avoid looking at his chest only to find his eyes instead. He watched her without saying a word, green eyes dark and hooded as he dipped his head nearer.

“You sure you don’t have anything left over from childhood?” He asked in a low whisper.

“Nothing.” She assured him after a small internal struggle. “You can rest easy. See? No stuttering.”

“Yeah.” He mumbled as his eyes drifted away to lock onto the mirrored surface of the elevator wall.

“Plus I don’t know if you heard but Chloe already asked me out so I’m sorta taken.” Her small chuckle died as his hand formed a fist next to her face.

“Are you serious?” He asked.

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “Though she has changed a lot. I think it would make Alya jealous.”

“Alya?”

“You should see the way she acts whenever I get a new friend. It’s like I married her instead of Nino.” Marinette chuckled a bit before squirming to peer out. The elevator was still very crowded and they had two floors to go. Though she was grateful for the protection and space he provided her, it was getting a bit uncomfortable to be so close to the former model.

And what would Chat say about this? Probably that I need to watch out for men getting close to me. Wait. Why should I care what he thinks?

“Night classes going well?” She glanced up at his face before looking away yet again. He hadn’t stopped staring at the mirror behind her.

“As well as they can.” What's with the twenty questions Agreste?

“So pretty well then.” He chuckled and cleared his throat into his sleeve before continuing. “Never thought I’d run into my cousin there.”

“Félix, right? He seems… familiar.”

“He should. The bastard acted like me and made an ass out of me.” Adrien's jaw clenched after he spoke. She could hear his teeth grind. “Back when we were kids. We look so alike that he’d pretend to be me and get me in trouble.”

“Oh yeah, I think I remember. He made a video or something dressed as you. Chloe was irate-“

“He did more than just that.” Adrien cut her off sharply. “But yeah I remember that too. He’s an asshole.”

The elevator finally came to the first floor. Marinette scurried out of the cage of Adriens arms as soon as people began to step off it. If her actions offended him he certainly didn’t show it as he followed her out of the front doors and to the parking garage. The ride back to her faux home was quiet. He only spoke to tell her to have a good night as she stepped out of his car.

“Take care of yourself Adrien.” She said as she leaned in to grab her bag. “And I’ll keep in mind what you said about Félix. Alright?” He nodded, turning back to the road without another word. She shut the door and watched him smoothly merge back into traffic before heaving a sigh. His cousin was obviously a sore spot for him, perhaps why he’d been acting so oddly both at school and at the hospital.

With a soft grunt she shouldered the book laden bag and turned herself towards home, already fingering the key card that would give her access to their floor.

Chapter 18: Babysitting

Chapter Text

Chat acted unusual. She stumbled into the front door of the Chateau and straight into his chest. Ever since that moment he’d been in contact with her in some way. Including his suit which now had its tail wrapped around her ankle as he leaned against the countertop beside her to watch her cook. A soft purr reverberated through her as she bumped his elbow with her arm.

“I need space to work.” She chuckled as she swiped a bit of frosting across his nose. He wiggled it before flicking his tongue out and snatching the offending cream off.

“They smell delicious though.” He urged as he moved even closer to her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She smirked and shook her head.

“We agreed you wouldn’t eat these though Chat, they’re for the celebration.” He huffed at her words and buried his face in her shoulder, the action causing her to tense for only a moment. That was all it took as he pulled away from her before she’d even relaxed back into her work.

He would continue to do things like that as she made the small cakes. Testing just how much she would allow him to touch her before she tensed, then backing away before she even realized what she’d done. At some point during the day he slipped into his room only to return in a pair of loose fitting sweat pants and her gifts to him, the mask resting slightly crooked on his face with a glob of spirit gum poking out on one side of his nose. It was weird to see him without moving faux cat ears but he appeared more relaxed as he opened the smelly cheese fridge and poked his head in.

A tiny floating black cat darted from his shoulder to land among the cheeses. Plagg. Marinette was sure to turn her head away to give them as much privacy as possible. Frowning when she noticed the sloppy flower she’d just placed on the top of a peach colored cake.

“Is there anything good to eat?” She rolled her eyes as Chat closed the fridge with a huff.

“Hang on, I'll find you some tuna.” She chuckled at the strangled sound from his throat and moved to the second fridge to look over its sparse contents. “Nothing really here to make a meal.” His whine had her shaking her head. “Tomorrow is shopping day. Unfortunately we’ve made too much lately.”

“So what now?” He asked with a slight tilt to his head.

“Order in.” She suggested. “I can’t really take you anywhere like that and I’m hungry too. How does pizza sound?”

“No.” He scrunched his nose at the thought.

“Sushi?” She offered.

“Sushi’s good.” He smiled around his response.

“Just like a cat.” She chuckled as she searched her pockets for her phone. He moved away from the temptations of the sweets to flop down on the couch. His shirt riding up and causing her to turn away. One thing could be said for Chat, he held not a modicum of modesty in his body.

“What’s the celebration anyway?” He asked, turning to lean over the back of the couch to watch her place yet another tray of cakes on the now mapless table.

“Our first quarter is coming to an end.” She waved her phone in her hand idly as she spoke. “My department at school is throwing a fashion show and I volunteered to cater for it.”

“Wait. Cater?” He asked. “Shouldn’t you be showing off something you made?” She gave him a soft smile and slowly shook her head.

“I haven’t made any connections with modeling students since they’re mainly in the day classes.” She explained. “Plus I mean all I’ve made is stuff that would fit someone like you and the closest student to that would be Félix who is leading the show so…”

“Who’s leading the show?” Chat didn’t have his faux cat ears on but she could swear they would be perked up as he asked the question.

“Félix Graham de Vanily I think is his full name. At least that’s what his papers said. He’s Adrien Agreste’s cousin of all things.” She adjusted a tray and rested her hands on her hips.

“Sounds like a prick to me.” Chat pushed his chin into the fold of his arms and wouldn’t meet her eyes after speaking. She sighed and shook her head.

“He’s not-“ she shook her head- “Félix is prickly but not malicious. He’s just really into fashion. Not surprisingly.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Just that their whole family has that creative streak.” She paused, mulling over her next words before continuing. “No matter how terrible Mr. Agreste ended up being in the end, no one can say he didn’t have an eye for fashion.”

“Hawkmoth.” He practically growled.

“Excuse me?”

“I only ever refer to that man as Hawkmoth. He doesn’t deserve to be humanized by a name. Do you even understand what he put Paris through? Let alone his son.” He scoffed at his own words. “Calling him a man is generous. Should only refer to that as a monster.”

“Chat-“ she began, but he’d already turned away- “I… I saw you on Tv. At Chloe’s when the akumas happened.” She attempted to change the subject only to cringe when she remembered that he may not want to go into that conversation either.

“Did you at least have fun at the party?” He asked, ignoring the rest of that day and patting the couch beside him, an opportunity for her to sit down. She took the offer and wasn’t surprised when his forehead found her shoulder.

“I did.” She answered then. “Especially at the start. You should’ve seen the dork doing parkor. Oh, Um, Adrien. You know him right?” Chat nodded so she continued. “He’s such a nerd for a pretty boy honestly. I kinda miss being young because we hung out a lot more then. I wish I wouldn’t have ruined our time together with my… thing.”

“Thing?” His deep sea grass green orbs bored into her and she fidgeted with her pocket, looking for Tikki who she already knew had snuck away in search of Plagg.

“I had a thing for him for a few years.” Her cheeks warmed as she studied the blank dark screen of the tv. “It was stupid but thankfully not as obvious as Alya kept telling me it was.”

“I’m not surprised, I mean he was a model.” Chat rattled off quickly. From the reflection in the screen she could tell he wasn’t looking at her as he spoke.

“It wasn’t because of that.” She let out a sigh and shifted to lean on the arm of the couch much to Chats dismay. “He, he’s nice. Always has been. We had a misunderstanding when we met but then he was so sweet when he gave me his umbrella the day it rained and I dunno. I guess it just clicked then.” When he sat up she shrugged and continued. “God I made an ass of myself in front of him so many times after that.”

“You’re saying your crush on Adrien started when again?” He asked.

“I guess the day after we met, when we actually talked. I still feel bad about the gum stuff to this day though.”

“And the stuff that happened with your dad…”

She blinked.

Oh.

Oh.

Chat had to know that Adrien and her had known each other nearly a full year before she made that stupid mistake that got her dad akumatized. Heat then icy coldness traveled through her cheeks as she stiffened at the thought. She wouldn’t look at him. Wouldn’t even turn his way as she fiend checking her phone for an update on their order.

“You can like more than one person and well… who wouldn’t fall for a hero, right? I bet loads of girls liked- no I know loads of girls who had a thing for you and still do. In my class-“

“Princess.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re rambling.” Her mouth snapped shut as her cheeks warmed. Chat stood and slinked up to her to pat her gently on the head.

“It’s okay. You aren’t going to get in trouble for having feelings for someone.” He assured her. “It’s not a crime to have a crush.” She pouted and set her phone down gently beside the frosted treats. In one motion she knocked his hand from her head and turned to face him.

“It felt that way when I was younger.” She murmured, crossing her arms. For a moment his hand hovered over her head as if he’d resume patting it, then it lowered to slip around her shoulder only to be joined by his other as he pulled her against his chest. His chin rested where he’d patted her previously and he allowed a soft rumbling purr to escape him long enough to feel her relax into his embrace.

“I’m sure Adrien would’ve been lucky to have you if he was smart enough to. But he wasn’t. Feel free to crush on me all you want Princess.” He chuckled as she jabbed him in the ribs. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt but he still released her to let her scamper out of his reach.

“I don’t have time to crush on anyone. Between class and my cat.” She gave him a pointed look that he grinned at before stepping closer to the table. “Don’t you dare.” He jumped at her harsh tone and she sighed. “Look, the food is a block away let’s just take a seat.” When he finally stepped away she allowed her shoulders to relax. She would have to do something to keep the small cakes safe from the cat themed hero for the time being. Her only hope was that the sushi would fill him as quickly as it filled her.

“Why would you even want any of those?” The quick blur of black darted from the cheese fridge to land on Chats shoulder. “All the Camembert in the world is just over there. We don’t need her food.”

“Your cheese smells like feet.” Chat complained and Marinette had to agree. Her nodding had Plaggs hair standing on end. She could swear she heard him hiss at her, but Chat was quick to move away from her with his hand wrapped around the tiny god to keep distance between them.

“Wha-”

“I have to go transform, the spirit gum isn’t going to last long if I keep using it.” Chat quickly cut off her question before scampering away down the hall. She sighed and sat back on the couch. Her phone chimed causing her to sigh once again, she would have to go down and collect their food from the lobby.

Her stomach churned. The sushi that she ended up eating on her own, when Chat didn’t answer her knocking on his door, did not sit well with her. Now she found herself sitting beside Félix and between him and the pink pigtailed girl. The professor continued to drone on, unaware of her plight, and it felt as if the cold blonde beside her took pleasure in it. She shouldn’t have gone to school. After all Chat and Plagg were both behaving oddly, perhaps she didn’t wiggle her way out of the situation like she thought. Did he think she lied to him about her feelings? Did he think she lied about liking Adrien back when they were kids?

She groaned and crossed her arms over her papers before resting her cheek on them. Félix raised a brow before meeting her eyes. He squinted for a moment before turning back to the professor. She closed hers, who cared what he thought about her. Adrien was one of the people she had been able to trust all these years and he couldn’t stand his cousin.

The droning continued, how did anyone understand what the man was saying when he sounded like he was half asleep? The sounds of pencil lead running across paper danced around her ears as if her table partner had begun writing faster than before. Silly of him to take notes of everything the man said, they were only going over the finer details of the class from the night before after all.

The sirens pounded against her eardrums. Red and blue lights flashing out between bursts of yellow as she dragged Chat down the alleyway. Blood warmed her side as it gushed from his abdomen and his head beat a bruise onto her shoulder each time she stopped to adjust him in her arms. He hissed in her ear when she stumbled, only to fall limp once again a second later.

“You’ll be okay kitty.” She slowly lowered him to rest against a brick wall near the entrance. “You’ll be okay, I’ll… I’ll make sure you’ll be okay.” He didn’t react to her. Limp and dying of blood loss on the ground. He looked like someone had abandoned him there already. She wiped her eyes and turned to the glass double doors. If she looked back at him now she wouldn’t be able to let him go, both their identities would be in danger and whoever shot him would be able to finish the job outside the suit once the word was out. She couldn’t let that happen. She already let the shooter get away the first time he flopped on the ground. She couldn’t put him in danger again.

“My… L-lady…” She swiped her hand under her nose. She couldn’t look back. Instead she rushed into the double doors with her eyes closed.

“Marinette, it's about time.” She stopped and looked back as the door to her parents' pastry shop slid shut behind her. Looking down confirmed she was no longer in her suit, but the light pink pants and flats under a white shirt had her brows pulling together. “Your date showed up hours ago, he’s in your room. Shoo.” Her mother ushered her to the stairs as she spoke quickly to her. Marinette barely had time to think before she was shoved up them.

Chat stood in the middle of her room, Photos of Adrien that would normally be under her mattress scattered out around his feet. One rested in his hand as he frowned down at it, his faux ears sinking down towards his wheat colored locks.

“You don’t understand.” She said quickly as his eyes darted up to capture hers. His frown deepened as he took one step to her, then another. His suit dripped and left deep red marks on her light carpet with each one he took. The photo in his hand crumbled into black dust as he came to a stop just out of her reach.

“You don’t love me.” He accused her, “You lied to me, liar, like Volpina.” She shook her head quickly as he spoke, not wanting to hear the words. “You left me.” He said then, causing her to stop and stare wide eyed up at him. “You left me there for dead! You lied to me Ladybug!”

She fell, she thought she’d fall back through the trap door of her bedroom but the wind rushing past her as she tumbled told her otherwise. The Eiffel tower loomed above her, growing larger as she descended. The black spot of Chat standing at its top grew smaller as she went.

And still she fell.

She startled upright in her seat, knocking her papers off the edge of the table as she did so. Beside her, Félix flinched. The pink haired girl was snoring and didn’t appear to notice her movements. She ran her hand down her face and looked at the clock. Her face paled. There were only a few minutes left in class which meant she’d slept for nearly an hour. All she could remember was falling and assumed she’d simply dreamt of that day again, the day everything ended for her and her leather clad partner.

“I suppose you wouldn’t want to tell me what I missed.” She huffed as she reached to grab a paper that was clinging to the edge of the desk. She could feel the others at her feet, some covering them and making it difficult to move around without stepping on one.

“I might be persuaded if you do something for me.” She couldn’t hold back her groan, of course he would want something from her now.

“What ever would the great Félix want from me?” She asked, after just a few weeks the guy had basically turned her into his personal errand runner. She’d only volunteered to cater the event because he left her no choice after all. With no time in class to make anything to show she had to find something else to do in order to get the credits from it.

“Come eat dinner with me and I’ll let you copy my notes.” He stood as he spoke. She didn’t know how but he could always tell exactly when the class ended and often stood before the professor dismissed them. The old man never looked away from the board when he finished up his lecture so her blonde seat neighbor never had to worry about being caught.

“You want me to eat dinner with you.” She didn’t hide the fact that his words weren’t believable to her. Her own dripped with sarcasm.

“Of course. I have to go over the menu with you for the event after all. Do attempt to be civil Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I mean you no ill will I assure you.”

“This time.” The pigtailed girl snorted from her other side. She hadn’t even realized her snoring had stopped. “Remember when he just wanted you to ‘fetch a mannequin’ from the storage lockers next door?” Marinette remembered. She also remembered the door locked from the outside and not the inside.

“That was a simple miscommunication that we have already worked past.” He adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder. “You would be wise to mind your own business, Bridgette.” The girl snorted as he said her name.

“Mari is a friend, of course she’s my business.” Bridgette placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder as she spoke.

“You’ve known her for a few weeks, she’s a classmate not a friend.” Félix countered.

“I’ve already known her for weeks. How could we not be friends?” Bridgette spat his words back at him. He sighed and shook his head.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, if you wish to copy my notes all I ask is a dinner where we will go over your menu. I’ll make the copies tonight and have them ready for when you make a decision.” With that he turned on his heel and left her standing there, Bridgettes hand still resting on her shoulder.

“It’s weird that he’s taken an interest in you.” Mari smiled as she felt her fingers release her.

“Yeah,” Marinette stopped to collect her papers, “I think it may have something to do with his cousin. We’re friends and I don’t think they get along.”

“Oh.” She could hear and see just the faintest hint of relief from the other girl. A smile played on her lips.

“Do you have a thing for Mr. Prickly?” She asked, causing the other girl to jump and look around quickly to be sure no one else heard her.

“Noooooo. Well no not anymore.” Bridgette slid her arm into Marinettes a second after Marinette fixed her bag on her shoulders. “I did when we were kids but no. He and I would never work out anyway. He’s too prickly.” The girls giggled together as they stepped out of the classroom.

They made it to the commons area without issue, each girl talking about how annoyed they were at their younger selves and Bridgette pointing out how alike they were. Marinette skated around who she had the cringey crush on but the pink haired girl didn’t seem to notice at all.

In the commons room it was a different story. Félix and a few other boys were all gathered around someone she couldn’t see. They were talking loudly and all at once so it was hard for Marinette to make out what was being said. The room was nearly full of them, to the point that she and Bridgette had to squeeze along the far wall to get to the vending machines.

“What do you think that is?” Marinette asked as she pulled her water from the machine.

“Knowing that group, it can’t be anything good. Probably telling that poor sap he can’t model for them or something.” Bridgette frowned as she opened her milk coffee.

Marinette found Félix in the crowd. He wasn’t one of the loudly arguing men, instead he stood slightly off to the side simply observing the conflict. His emerald pools reflected the cold lights as they bored into her gaze. She turned away quickly and fiddled with her water bottle as an irritated sigh slipped from her nose.

“I think I should head home.” She told Bridgette. “I still have about a hundred people worth of Macarons to bake and only one oven.”

“Mmm you gotta have a taste tester right?” Bridgette asked as she followed her towards the door. Marinette felt a laugh bubble up from her chest.

“I’m actually pretty confident in my baking. My parents run a bakery on the other side of town.” She assured the other girl.

“Boo.” Bridgette stuck out her tongue before giving her a friendly smile. Her eyes drifted past Marinette's shoulder and her brows raised slightly. “Well well well, who do we have here?” She asked. Marinette glanced over her shoulder to see Kim’s sports car parked just outside the main gate.

“That’s a friend of mine actually.” Marinette said with a shrug.

“The car or the guy hanging out of it?” She whipped her head around to see Luka practically melting out of the passenger side window. He gave her a large goofy grin and waved wildly at her. She felt like hiding her face behind her hand. Already she could tell that Kim had his hands full.

“Yeah. Both.” She mumbled before rushing to the car and placing her hand on Luka’s forehead. “Hey rocker what’s up?” She asked.

“Mari!” Luka wrapped his arms around her waist, sloppily.

“Sorry I didn’t realize where we were. Rocker boy can’t hold his liquor.” Kim began from the driver's side.

“Scoot over.” She sighed as she peeled Luka off of her. “Do you know where he lives?” She asked Kim.

“Yeah.” He said as she squeezed into the seat next to Luka.

“Well, take us there. I’ll take care of him until he can function again.” He didn’t need anything more to be said. His tires squealed as he pulled out onto the main road.

Luka’s house was about what she’d expect. Lots of guest rooms filled with musical instruments and merch of jagged stone littering the place, intermingled with his own merch as well. His kitchen was large but felt smaller due to a drum set wedged in between the fridge and the bar.

She deposited the very drunk rockstar onto his couch and moved into said kitchen to fix him something Carb heavy to eat. About half an hour later she had him munching away at sandwiches and pretzels. He wolfed them down between large drinks of juice that she found hidden in the back of his fridge.

“How- why did you end up drunk with Kim?” She asked when he finally slowed down.

“I wasn’t with Kim when I got drunk. He found me outside the bar. I think.” He licked his lips and finished off another cup of juice.

“Why were you alone at a bar?”

“I wasn’t. I was with the band.” He fell back onto the couch to look up at the ceiling. “Those were good sandwiches.”

“What happened?” She asked, sipping from her own cup of juice.

“Hmm?” His head rolled towards her as he hummed. “Oh, with the band? They got into a fight with some a-holes about something…” he rolled his wrist in a slow circle as he drug out the word. “Then I came out of the bathroom to see ‘Em all gone. I drank a bit more and wasabout to get an Uber but then bam! And we saw you too.” She was relieved, at least Luka hadn’t been in the fight as well.

“So, what was the fight about?” She asked as she tucked a pillow behind his head to stop him from hurting his own neck.

“I dunno. Some green dude was throwing weird stuff around.” He shrugged which only caused him to slip down the couch until she wasn’t sure how he could have held himself up comfortably.

“Wait green Dude?”

“Yeah he had a shell and was threatening to close down the bar if my drummer didn’t give up his girlfriend.” Marinette's brows furrowed as he spoke.

“A shell.”

“Yeah, ya know like Chip- char- chtu- turtle dude from our younger years.”

“Are you talking about the hero? Carapace?” She asked. “He threatened a bar?”

“Well, yes. But no. Not him but kinda him.” Luka slurred. She patted his head as it slipped to rest against her arm.

“I think you’re still drunk.” She stated matter of factly.

“Yeah well I think you’re still short so there.” He stuck out his tongue. She laughed.

“I am fun sized.” She slapped him lightly on his chest and it was his turn to laugh. Even when drunk, Luka was easy to hang out with. It surprised her that they could go years without actually seeing each other and fall right back into their comfortable friendship when they finally met again. “Feeling better?” She asked after pondering this thought.

“A bit.” He rubbed his cheek as he spoke before glancing at the clock on his wall. “It’s five? In the morning?”

“Yeah.” She gave him a small shrug, causing his head to bob up and down while it rested on her arm. “I have night classes so it’s no big deal but I hope you don’t have anything important today.” He groaned and pushed off of her to rub his face quickly.

“Yeah nothing too important except my meeting with Adrien about the show.” He groaned again. “It’s the only time we both had available too.” She felt bad for him. It was hard matching schedules between any one of her friends, especially in a professional sense.

“Well, what time is your meeting?” She asked as she rubbed his shoulders sympathetically.

“One pm. I try to show up early because you never know what’s gonna happen in that place.” He grumbled.

“I could wake you up about eleven then, you go get some rest and I’ll clean this up.” She stood and grabbed the tray that he’d been eating from. He nodded slowly and pulled himself to his feet. When he went to exit the main room she noticed something familiar, the guitar pick stand from his old room on his mother’s houseboat. The one he’d given her hadn’t been replaced and the empty slot stood out beside the rows and rows of multicolored picks.

She thought about hers, locked up tightly in her diary box along with all the other small trinkets she’d collected over the years. There was nothing expensive or rare in her box. Just small things that her friends and family had gifted her that meant the world to her and her alone. She even had her lucky bracelet in that box. It wasn’t a big thing, just a beaded bracelet that Adrien had given her as a birthday present. However it was something she wouldn’t trade for the world. Same with the rest of the items.

Once she’d finished cleaning his used dishes she moved on to the rest of the room, cleaning and tidying and mostly missing her cell phone. Nearly a month without one had her realizing how much easier life was with one. Hers was sliced in half by a portal after being crushed under her kidnappers boot. At the very least the bad guys couldn’t use it to find out Chats number now but she was left in a sort of limbo with no way to contact her hero roommate other than going home. He did return to the Chateau more and more often now. Almost every day. However she knew that he had another life that didn’t involve her. It was one that he had to return to eventually if only to keep up appearances.

Nine in the morning had her sitting in Luka’s living room flipping through a guitar fan magazine and running her fingers over particularly nice designs that she wanted to commit to memory for her own use later on. Luka’s house was large and quiet. He rarely even used it while on tour so many of his odds and ends were covered in a fine layer of dust. Whenever she looked up from the magazine she felt an odd sense of foreboding in the space that she couldn’t pinpoint the meaning behind.

Outside turned out to be a bad idea as well, the early morning drizzling of rain chilled her skin and pulled goose pimples from her flesh. She shivered and hugged her arms to her chest against the onslaught. One glance upwards showed dull grey skies that went on forever. Great. She would end up walking home in this within just a few hours. Her only hope was that the rain wouldn’t worsen before then, perhaps Luka had an umbrella she could borrow.

“This is a surprise.” She twisted around to see Rose making her way up the driveway, a large pink umbrella hovering over her head held aloft by Juleka’s hand.

“A nice one I hope.” She smiled as the short blonde pulled her into a tight hug. When they pulled away she shared a nod with the much taller and darker woman who gave her a rare smile of her own.

“What are you doing here so early?” Rose asked as she fished inside her small purse for a key.

“Oh I was nursing Luka through a hangover.” Marinette reached past her to open the front door for them. They seemed surprised but stepped inside without a word. “Kim actually handed him off to me about five.” She continued, trying to avoid misunderstandings that she would stumble blindly into in their school years.

“Kim’s a nice guy.” Rose gave Marinette a knowing smile and she gave her an awkward one in return. Juleka looked between them and simply shrugged before closing the umbrella and tucking it away by a coat rack Marinette hadn’t noticed before.

“Tea” was all the tall woman muttered as she passed by them. Rose smiled at her back as she left before quickly grabbing Marinette by her wrist.

“So tell me, how long have you and Kim been in touch?” The small blonde just wouldn’t let up.

“A few months?” Marinette gently pried her wrist out of her vice-like grip. “Kim’s helped me out a couple times, and Pissed Alya off once.” She shrugged. It was the truth after all. “I figured babysitting your brother in law for him was the least I could do.”

“Boo.” Rose pouted. “That’s hardly the whirlwind romance I imagined for you two.” Marinette floundered for a moment. Sputtering nonsensical words.

“Romance?!” She managed to ask as Luka’s voice called out cheerily “Rosie!” The blonde wasn’t even facing her now, instead she happily skipped over to Luka and wrapped him in a warm hug.

“They’re really loving and…” Marinette gave Juleka a small smile as the woman stepped into view, still murmuring though the words were illegible now.

“It’s good that your family all gets along like that.” Thoughts of her own grandfather, in yet another fight with her papa, danced through her mind.

“Yeah.” Tea was passed to her and she took a grateful sip as the other two turned towards them.

“You’re up early.” Marinette motioned to the clock on the far wall. Luka gave her a sideways grin.

“I couldn’t really sleep. Too nervous about the designs.” He explained, motioning to the door as if Adrien was waiting on the other side with designs in hand. Marinette suppressed a smile at the thought. The two always seemed to be dancing a fine line between friends and bitter rivals. Possibly because Luka offered to hire Nino on as one of his band mates back when they were graduating.

“I’m sure they’ll be great.” She took another sip of tea to avoid rambling on and on about the way Agreste Fashion had only improved over the last few years. It seemed, to her at least, that Adrien had hit his stride as a designer.

Chapter 19: I got a feeling

Chapter Text

Adrien yawned and rubbed his eyes. He’d been up all night and all day now. Worry over Marinette taking the majority of his attention even as he stepped inside the building that housed his company. He would’ve rescheduled if only he could’ve thought of a good enough excuse for both Luka and Abigail. How was he supposed to explain that he was running on no sleep due to having four panic attacks over a missing friend. She needed a phone. He decided she would get one from Chat whether or not she wanted to. He couldn’t go another day worrying about her being kidnapped by the psycho guy from her school. Of course he could get rid of the problem.

He shook his head at the thought. Who was he? The hero, not the villain. He certainly couldn’t lock up random guys for bothering his Princess, she wouldn’t like that. If he went that far Marinette may not speak to him, or worse she might move out. He knew the day would come eventually, the day when she would tell him she’d found a new place and then their home would be empty.

He’d seen her laptop, noticed the bookmarked pages that were all listings for cheap apartments near her school. He wasn’t snooping, she’d left it open on the counter in their kitchen. He just glanced at it and got curious. Curiosity did kill the cat and those listings felt like individual knives in his chest. How the hell could he get her to stay if she made up her mind to leave? She wouldn’t. She would leave him like Ladybug did. Why did everyone he-

He blinked.

Did he have feelings for Marinette? He couldn’t, could he? Certainly it wasn’t as if she were off limits. After living with her for as long as he had he certainly could say he knew her better than even Alya. Did Alya know that Marinette hummed when she brushed her teeth? Did Alya know she always scrunched her nose up when thinking about whether she should eat healthy or order in? Did Alya know that she often tossed and turned in her sleep, crying out until someone crawled into bed with her and petted her head gently as they held her to their chest? Granted Marinette didn’t know about that one either because he was always sure to slip out of her room before she woke.

He held his hand over his lips as he leaned against the elevator wall. This was serious. If he’d somehow gained feelings for Marinette after living with her as Chat then Chat would be the only one of him she believed but she’d never say yes, would she?

“Shit.” He grumbled.

“Hey, language.” He jumped, bumping into the wall and turning to see a hungover looking Luka standing beside him in the elevator. “He finally notices me.” The Rocker commented.

“Sorry.” Adrien sighed and ran his fingers over his face. “Had something on my mind.”

“I get it dude. If Rose and Mari hadn’t cheered me up before coming in I’d be a nervous wreck right now. This concert is a big deal and-“

“Wait.” He cut Luka off without so much as looking at him. “Rose and… Mari?”

“Yeah. I got drunk last night and apparently Mari’s boyfriend found me and asked her to watch me. I dunno though. It’s all fuzzy.” Luka rubbed his temple as he spoke but Adrien didn’t have time to worry over the state of the rocker's hangover.

“Marinette has a boyfriend?” He asked.

“Yeah man, you didn’t know? Rose is who told me. Mari and Kim got together.” The walls began to close in as the words left Luka’s lips. Marinette and Kim, a couple. Since when? They hadn’t even spoken to each other in years before he and Nino…

Bile rose in his throat. He felt heat then icy coldness rush through his body. Was he the reason why Marinette and Kim were a thing now? It made too much sense. Kim was the one she always seemed to end up with whenever something big happened. The much larger man had explained to him that he’d rescued her from that stalker. What did he say again? That he’d just acted naturally like anyone would when protecting their girlfriend…

He pressed his lips tightly together to hold in his sudden agony.

“Hey man are you okay?” Luka asked. Adrien, realizing that the rocker was still beside him, snapped into his practiced smile.

“I’m fine, just a few late nights.” He waved away any more questions before ushering Luka out and into his office. “Now about those designs. I have a few already fitted that Abigail will be bringing up for you to try on.”

“Straight to business. Good.” Luka nodded as he pulled Adriens design book towards him. “I dunno about this one.” He said, motioning to one that resembled a snakeskin jacket and pant combo. “Just doesn’t feel right.” Adrien cocked a brow as he mumbled this but otherwise didn’t say a thing. He’d based a few designs off of his old hero buddies and if Luka wasn’t a Viperon fan he wasn’t one to complain.

“How about a more silver color scheme?” Adrien suggested. “Your last concert was bronze and you are going for a three part metal theme for the next two as well right? We could do silver now and gold within the next year to bring the look to a close.” Luka nodded slowly as he listened to Adriens suggestions. “Now your newest song is about a siren at sea, correct? I was thinking this scale mail shirt would look great for it if we combine it with the large gaped mesh overtop. It would invoke a siren caught in a net.”

“I like the way you’re thinking.” Luka began as he placed a hand over one of the many side designs lining the book. “The band needs a solid look among all of us for the songs.” He motioned to a line of differently striped tops Adrien had scribbled out. “What about sailor outfits but like rock sailor?” He asked.

Adrien moved to sit in his chair. A headache was beginning at the base of his skull now. He thought he’d covered everything but now there were fine details he hadn’t thought of and he had so many people he’d have to pass them along to. He rubbed the back of his neck to ease the pain, not that it had ever helped before.

“What kind of adjustments were you thinking?” He asked as he turned his screen to angle it better, his other hand already reaching for his tablet pen. Luka pulled a chair up beside him and sat close enough for adrien to smell the remnants of alcohol on his breath as he exhaled.

“Maybe a black on grey scheme instead of blue and white.” Luka said, leaning forward. “Some rips in the material would be good like they’re well word, what are those hats called? Anyway we could outline them in silver.” Luka hadn’t thought of how long it would take for his company to manage this, he was simply rambling off ideas as they came to him.

“We don’t want to go overboard with the designs. Too much clashes.” Adrien reminded him as he quickly sketched out a black and grey sailor design on the computer. He added in hints of silver along the edges of the design and toyed with beading on the neckties. Luka thankfully, remained silent during his long period of sketching and undoing and sketching once again.

“Remember when Mari did those spikes on our old costumes?” When he broke the silence Adrien nearly broke his pen. It had to be her that he mentioned. Didn’t he think Adrien would jump at the chance to work with Marinette on a daily basis?

“Yeah.” Adrien quickly erased the crooked line he’d drawn and attempted to straighten it up along the belted boot of the design.

“She did that thing where they looked 2D until we angled them a certain way.” Luka continued.

“It was the fabric she used with them and the sizing.” Adrien rambled off, still focused on the screen. He could feel Luka scooting closer to him with each stroke of his pen. Just as he was about to ask the rocker to give him space, the elevator across from them dinged and out stepped his assistant pushing what looked like ten people strapped to a metal rack. The outfits were ready for him to inspect. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled away from him.

The next few hours consisted of them going over the finished designs, mixing and matching them until both men were satisfied with the outcome. All that remained was for Adrien to finish up the costumes for Luka’s siren song. Adrien still felt the snakeskin ensemble would go great with that particular song's themes but if the rocker said no that meant his three days worth of designing went to waste. Eventually he saw Luka off with a handshake and a promise to schedule another meeting as soon as he could. He knew Abigail would get on it the second the man stepped onto the elevator.

The apartment lay still and silent as he slipped down from the skylight in his room. He paused on the bed, as still and silent as his surroundings, and listened. Old lady Parker moved about on the floor below him, clinking teacups against wood as she rearranged her China cabinet yet again. The water in the pipes hummed through the walls and the faintest beeping of his smoke detectors caused his ears to cock curiously. There was no thrum of a sewing machine or muttering as his roommate poked herself with a needle. No sounds of life existed in the Chateau.

He sighed and slouched down against his pillows. She wasn’t kidnapped. He knew that now. Marinette had been with Rose when Luka spoke to him so he had to assume she was still with Rose. Of course if the rocker's words were to be believed she could easily be with Kim.

He pushed off the bed to pace around the room. What once remained basically untouched now had traces of him spread about haphazardly. His hoodie draped over the daybed, his mask and spirit gum resting on the nightstand, a pair of boots set by the bathroom door. There remained more that his eyes didn’t focus on. He ran his hands through his hair, loose of its ponytail that he’d become known for over the last few years and hanging about his shoulders in soft tufts. With a soft breath he released his transformation.

“She’s not here.” He muttered as his Kwami glared at his bedroom door.

“Good.” With that Adrien was left alone in the room as Plagg darted off through the walls in search of his precious cheese. The empty room felt much bigger than before without the small black cat to keep his mind off what he’d discovered that day.

His fingers danced over the fabric of his mask as he slumped down to sit at the head of his bed. Flashes of the last few months danced through his mind as he gripped the fabric tightly. So many memories that were coming to an end, something he shouldn’t even want to stop. So why did he? This was always a temporary arrangement. Wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry!” He jumped at the sound of Marinette’s voice shouting and followed by quite a bit of metal clanging. “I didn’t realize you were in there!” He was pressed against his door now, ear to the wood and hand still clutching the faux leather tightly.

“Well maybe if you’d learn to look before bumping into things Willy nilly!” Plaggs nasally tones echoed out.

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever. You’re in the way.” Adrien could hear Marinette cleaning up the mess as she mumbled to herself softly. “I never said that! I said you’re an idiot!” He stumbled back when Plagg’s voice was much closer to his door than he thought it would be.

The kwami zipped inside, his head still turned towards the kitchen and a scowl on his face. Adrien frowned. He snatched Plagg from the air and brought him close to his face.

“What the hell?” He hissed. “I get that you hate Ladybug and for some reason don’t want anyone getting too close to me. I don’t understand why but I get that’s your thing.” Plagg could easily phase through his hand, Adrien knew that, but he stayed put and listened to the blonde ramble. “Marinette is NOT involved in that. Stop your behavior towards her before I make sure you never get another sniff of cheese again. Got it.”

“You don’t understand anything kid.” Plagg shook his head before phasing through his hand. “You can’t make me like baker girl. You can’t make me do anything.” Adrien frowned before calling for his transformation. Once the green light faded from the room he smirked into the mirror.

“I can make you keep your mouth shut.” He said, not quite sure if Plagg could hear him or not.

“Chat?” Marinette’s voice rang out through the apartment. He was back by the door now, one clawed hand resting on the handle. “Chat I’m heading back out. I don’t know if you’re… decent, but I’m going to stay with a friend tonight so you don’t have to wait up on me.”

“Wait.” He stumbled out into the hall, closing his door quickly behind himself so she didn’t get a peek inside. “Wait. Uh… I wanted to talk to you about-“

“I don’t really have time right now.” She cut him off as she opened her bedroom door. “A few of us are going to this thing that I’ve been neglecting forever and I promised I’d make it this time.” Her door shut between them and he listened to the rustling of cloth as she continued explaining herself while changing. “We have to get the themes organized and we can’t just leave it until the last minute. It’s a month away I know but this has been what we’ve worked towards since the beginning of the year and-“ the door swung open and Chat took in a sharp breath. To say she looked stunning would be an understatement. She was just in everyday clothes, skinny jeans and a loose fitting shirt, but she practically glowed in the dim light of the hallway.

“You’re stunning.” He blinked. “Listen, Princess, I-“

“I gotta go. I’ll be back in the morning.” She slid past him easily, leaving him stunned as she made her way to the door. “I will be back, Chat.” She said firmly before leaving him once again alone in the apartment. He stared at the door as time passed him by, part of him hoping she would open it and tell him she’d decided to stay home after all.

Marinette stepped into the diner still in the process of tying back her hair. A table off to her left held a handful of her classmates with Félix sitting in the very center of the wrap around bench. The table was a jumble of half empty coffee cups and papers. Someone had brought in a few samples of their pieces but other than that it seemed tame enough.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng.” A few of the other male students scooted away from the table so Félix could slink off the booth with practiced ease. “Don’t you look stunning.” Her eyes widened slightly as her brows pulled downward. “But, what are you doing here?”

“Bridgette told me to come when I saw her earlier at the-“

“Of course, pinky. Listen I-“

“I don’t like your tone here Félix.” Marinette cut him off. She shook her head as a feeling of Déjà vu rushed through her.

“Listen, Miss Dupain-Cheng, this is a meeting for the designers who are going to showcase their works at the show. You are the one supplying food, our caterer. You volunteered for this position.” Félix spoke slowly like one would do to a child.

“Because you left me no choice in that matter.” She snapped.

“I wouldn’t say that, certainly.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. You’d just make it so every available model was taken up before I could get back from another pointless errand for you. What is your problem with me?” His mouth opened then shut a few times before he let out a slow sigh and turned to the ones gathered around the table.

“I will be back momentarily.” He told them as his hands found rest on her shoulders. He didn’t wait for her to argue as he ushered her from the diner and into the dimming light of the streets. Marinette didn’t have time to argue as the doors shut firmly behind them.

“If you were going to accept my offer we could’ve planned it out rather than you just popping in.” Félix shocked her with the playful tones behind his usually uptight and posh dialect.

“Accept-“ she shook her head quickly. “I only came because Bridgette told me everyone would be meeting here to discuss the show.” Her arms crossed over her chest as she narrowed her eyes.

“Unfortunately for me to hold a concise meeting at all, I need to split the meetings up and separate our artists from our… help.” Félix sighed and shook his head. Marinette prepared a sharp retort which he quickly cut off. “Not that I’m looking down on your position in the show. I’m simply saying it is going to be better for everyone if we keep the meeting separate.”

“I am an artist too.” She took a moment to cast him a warning glare. “I just ended up with a terrible show host who refuses to allow me to show off my art.”

“Do you want me to be honest?” He asked though he didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’ve seen your portfolio. I looked through everyone’s before picking who’s art would be shown. You are too obsessed with our resident black cat of justice. Your art doesn’t fit the themes of the show because it’s all blacks and greens and silvers. Piping is too ten years ago to be shown off and it’s in every piece you make. If you could branch out off the theme you’ve stuck yourself to then maybe you’d have a chance to show off your true style.”

The world felt like it was closing in on her. Félix had always been just a jerk that put her down to his elite friends in her eyes. But to hear he had actual honest criticism that could help her branch out from the slump she hadn’t even realized she’d fallen into. It surprised her to say the least. Maybe he wasn’t just some jerk, he certainly did have an eye for fashion that she’d ignored so she could put him in the box of ‘bully’ without a second thought.

She was such a hypocrite. Judging someone without trying to understand them.

“I-“ she began her apology only to be cut off by a shrill siren above their head. An Akuma attack. Before she could think of an excuse to get rid of him he shoved her sideways into the darkened street beside the diner. His hand gripped her wrist before she could recover and his speed was surprising as he pulled her down the street. Many buildings went ignored by him in lieu of a pitch black alleyway which he sprinted down, her stumbling behind him as she clutched onto her purse with her free hand.

“Wait here.” He ordered as he shoved her down behind a large stack of boxes. “I’ll be right back.” He rushed out of her sight. Leaving her in stunned disbelief for a moment before she remembered the students in the diner. Of course he’d want to make sure everyone was okay. Anyone would. She peeked around the boxes, watching for his return before leaning against the wall and once more reaching for her purse.

“Princess?” She yanked her hand back from her purse as her eyes met two green ovals that glowed slightly in the darkness above her.

“Chat.” She breathed. Her eyes went back to the mouth of the alley. His staff made a soft thunk on the stone beside her before he slid gracefully down it. His arm wrapped around her waist a moment later and she was whisked upward as his staff extended. Her knees bent as he settled her on his lap. His own feet balancing with practiced ease on the tip of the staff.

“Leave it to you to always find a way to give me gray hairs.” He chuckled even as a bright yellow light flashed behind him. “Now isn’t the time for you to be out of the tower unfortunately.” She frowned. It wasn’t even a good Rapunzel pun.

“This Princess can kick butt. Remember?” She asked, her arms going around his neck as he leaned forward. He smirked as he pushed lightly up on his staff. With that, they were bounding over buildings, her face pressed close to his chest to avoid her long hair hitting it. She could hear his heartbeat, steady behind the leather like material on his chest. The sound calmed her, relaxed her to the point that she almost forgot why he was there, the akuma-

“Felix.” She breathed. He told her he’d come back.

“Hmm?” Chat’s questioning hum reverberated through her head as the thought crossed her mind. She clamped her lips shut and chanced a glance up at the man holding her. The jawline was similar, and she knew due to Alya that the transformation could cause someone’s hair to change. His eyes were different, but no one she knew had cat eyes so that could explain that change.

She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She shouldn’t be trying to guess his identity, even if it all added up.

It all did add up though.

“Princess? You alright?” His voice cut in. She felt her stomach lurch, guilt caused her blood to run cold.

“I’m fine!” She hadn’t realized they’d stopped. He stood atop their apartment building, still holding her against his chest with his hand bracing her back and his other cupping the backs of her knees. His face held a bewildered yet curious gleam. Like he was surprised to hear her snapping out quickly. She was sure it wasn’t the first time she’d done that to him, maybe it was the first time she wasn’t in a mask when she did. “I’m fine.” She said softer this time. With the faintest push against his chest she released herself from his grasp.

“It’s the only way in.” She whipped around to see him pulling open a skylight. Memories of her climbing in and out of her own raced through her mind as he gripped the edge with his fingers and slipped halfway through.

His weight shifted as he held one hand out to her. She hesitated, eyes locked on the scene of him half in and half out of the window, a window she hadn’t seen before. One that could only belong to one room in their apartment. She wasn’t allowed in his room before. He must value getting her away from whatever the akuma was over his own precious private secrets.

“How bad is it?” She asked, not taking a step towards him. His hand wavered before dropping to the roof. He sighed and ran it through his hair, slipping a bit further down as he did so but somehow managing to stay outside enough to hold himself there.

“That’s none of your-”

“Chat.” She cut him off before he could finish the thought. “How bad is it?” Her voice hardened, more of a demand than a question now. He stared for a while in silence, trying to silently get her to let it go. “Chat if there’s an akuma out there who’s scaring you so bad then-”

“It’s not an akuma.” He cut her off. She was taken aback. Not an akuma? What else would set off the alarms then?

“Then-” He nodded before she continued.

“That damn horse is combining them now. There’s hundreds of them.” Her blood ran cold for a second time. The horse, the horse miraculous which was being held by her kidnapper. If he used it while multiplying then he also had the mouse miraculous.

“I’ll close my eyes.” She said, stepping closer to him. “I’ll keep them shut so lead me to the hallway once we’re in, okay?” She dared not look into the hole behind him as she squatted down to be face to face.

Odd isn’t close to how she felt, blind and clutching onto Chat’s neck as he lowered them either very slowly or a very long way down. As soon as her feet hit the bed her knees tried to buckle. Chat’s firm frame stopped her from collapsing in on herself. With a patience that had to rival a saint he gently led her to the edge of the bed, then took her hips and placed her on the floor. His warmth seeped into her hand as his own enclosed it. She shuffled behind him, her free hand over her closed eyes to stop her from even attempting to take a peek. Everything felt like it took too long, felt like a test from him to her to see if he could actually trust her.

“Chat?”

“Okay.” The sound of a door clicking shut behind her accompanied his voice. “Out in the hall like you wanted.” She breathed a sigh and peeked open her eyes. There they stood, in front of his bedroom door and not twenty feet from her own. He was close to her, closer than she thought he was when her eyes were shut.She could see a faint redness to his face and her mind immediately went to the room behind her.

“I didn’t look, I swear.” She assured him as she inched past on the way to her room. She turned once she reached her door. He stood where he was before, hands held out in front of him like he was holding something between them. She slammed the door to separate herself from the sight.

Once alone she took in a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. Michal was turning into a much bigger problem than a simple stalker. It was time to end his schemes once and for all.

“Tikki.” She breathed. Her kwami zipped to her side from where she stood sentry by her door.

“He’s gone into his room, probably leaving by now.”

“Good.” Marinette called for her transformation and went to her bedroom window, after a quick scan to make sure he wasn’t on top of the building looking down she used her yo-yo to lower herself safely to the street. It wouldn’t be good for him to see her coming from the direction of their home so she ran along the cobblestones until she came to the large luxury hotel still owned by Chloe’s family. Only then did she take to the rooftops.

Chapter 20: Oopsie

Chapter Text

Ladybug dodged a portal at the last possible second. This sent her skidding nearly into the canal before she finally found her footing once again. Michal’s laughter echoed from the ten versions of him that had spread themselves out across the alleyway behind her. She clenched her jaw and whipped around to face them. The horse-like head of their matching masks looked over her frame as they hung from roofs and scaffolding. She gritted her teeth, he really pissed her off.

“So, Horses ass is it?” She sneered, using the time he spent comprehending her words to fling herself onto a higher roof nearby. She stumbled on the slick tiles, righting herself by gripping onto a nearby wifi box.

“A quip then retreat. Just like the lady I so admired in my youth.” She barely dodged a hand that appeared before her face. Quickly, she dropped down and whipped her yoyo towards a nearby chimney. It found hold in a portal and she could feel her stomach staying behind as she was yanked towards it.

She couldn’t let go of her yoyo. Her weapon as well as the only way she’d ever cleaned an akuma. The most important part of her hero self now being used to reel her in like a fish. Her stomach tightened as her arm went through the portal.

The feeling of being yanked sideways left her head spinning as her eyes registered the tower nearby going away from her. Her yoyo string went slack as she rolled to a stop in a patch of grass that dotted the public park. She leapt to her feet quickly and whipped around to see her yoyo string wrapped around Chats staff. The red and black speckled disk was still in the hands of their foe.

“And I thought the miniature ponies were bad.” She said as she pulled tighter on her yoyo string, yanking Chats staff free as she forced the half snake half moth villain a step closer to her. She could see the horse and mouse themed villain forming himself into his normal height to her right as Chat twirled his staff to her left.

“Miniature-” Michal in his transformed state cut himself off. She could see his face reddening under the glasses.

The battle reminded her of the old days. After bumping into Chat a few times they found their rhythm and easily sent their foes running. In their rush, the mouse miraculous was dropped and Ladybug scooped it up. Before Chat could ask anything she placed it in her yoyo and swung away from the tower. She made it back to their neighborhood, detransformed, and rushed to their apartment building, sliding into the front lobby as she saw Chat bounding over buildings in the distance. She dashed to the elevator, shoving her card against the reader as her heart pounded in her ears. Her fingers shook as she passed a cookie to Tikki. She swallowed the lump in her drying throat and clenched her teeth. The door opened and she stumbled into the hallway. Not waiting for Tikki to scout ahead, she shoved her way through the door and nearly fell on the floor as her foot caught on the welcome mat. Her laptop lit up as the video call notification played. She eyes Alyas produce image as she steadied herself on the kitchen counter, fumbling with the laptop keys until finally she could answer the call.

“H-hello?”

“GIRL DID YOU SEE HOW LB SHUNNED CHAT AFTER THAT BATTLE?” She recoiled from Alyas voice as it blasted from her speakers.

“What? No. Battle? What- what happened?” She stumbled through her words as she slid into a barstool to stop her knees from buckling under her own weight.

“Dude LB showed up when Chat was fighting our hawkmoth wannabe. She came through a portal and joined him in the fight but right after she just bounced. No fistbump or anything. Chat hung around for a second to make sure everything was alright but he didn’t even talk to the media like usual. He just left. Must’ve hit him hard when his lady ignored him.”

She could hear Chats door shut as Alya was talking. She gave him a small wave, a motion that she hoped seemed very nonchalant, as he stepped out of the hallway. He waved back and motioned to her laptop. She nodded then held up one finger.

“Alya, shouldn’t you be watching my nephews instead of the news? I know you aren’t pregnant anymore but still stress could lead to-”

“Girl I know you aren’t taking a mom tone with me. The boys are sleeping, all three of them.” She snorted and waved her hand behind the laptop, idly dismissing Chat’s curious gaze.

“Sorry.” She said around a sigh. “I get nervous when I’m watching it in real time so I wait until they do the recaps.”

“Oh yeah you said you were there when-” Alya cut herself off before continuing- “how are your nightmares?”

“I’m fine now.” Marinette assured her while avoiding Chat’s gaze, “I mean that was years ago so of course I’ve had time to deal with… all of it.”

“Still. You know that was a rough time for both of us but girl you took it bad. Even with how close I used to get to battles I never imagined it would hit you so hard. I mean I know the guy was like your idol or whatever, but-”

“Never meet your idols right?” She gave a cold chuckle to her own words and sighed sadly. “Look girl I have to go but I’ll call you back later okay?”

“You better. No disappearing on me this time.”

“Okay, okay. Love you Alya.”

“Love you too girl.” She hung up with a smile and turned to see Chat leaning over the counter by her. The smile turned into a frown as she realized what he’d been doing.

“You heard the whole thing.” She accused. His faux ears moved down just enough for her to doubt her own eyes.

“It’s kind of hard for me not to. Sorry.” He pushed off the counter and moved to look over the stock in their fridge. “So, you didn’t watch?” He asked without looking over at her.

“I can’t.” she replied. The less he asked about what she knew the easier it would be to keep her secret. “I am too close to you now and I think I would have a panic attack if you got hurt and I couldn’t help you, again.”

“Again?” He questioned. She bit the inside of her mouth to punish it for its slip.

“I mean when you got shot a couple years ago. I was watching and I felt so bad for you but no one knew if you were okay or not.” She quickly rambled out to cover for herself.

“Oh.” He slowly shut the fridge door, “Yeah I um, I have a doctor friend who doesn’t ask questions. After she- after Ladybug left me at the hospital to retire I had to find someone trustworthy to help me with stuff like that.”

“O-oh.” She looked down as he padded over to sit beside her. His gloved hand found purchase over her clenched fist and gave it a light squeeze.

“I’m fine. I don’t want you stressing yourself over me okay?” She nodded and slipped her hand out from under his to toy with her keyboard.

“So were you upset, about Ladybug just leaving like Alya said?” She asked.

“No.” He said after a long moment of silence in which he simply stared at their sink across the counter. “No, I just… It’s weird like I want her there but I don’t.” He shrugged and looked down at his cupped hands. “I don’t know it’s- I wasn’t upset, just confused I guess.”

“I think I understand.” Marinette stood and made her way to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. She clenched her teeth before bringing the glass to her lips. Not wanting to look the black clad hero in the eye.

“It’s not like I don’t need her around-“ he began.

“Wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t forgive her.” She began at the same time. They locked eyes and she felt a cold wash over her as his narrowed. They stood there for a few heartbeats in the awkward silence created before he let out a snort.

“It’s not like I didn’t go through the stages.” He waved his hand idly as he spoke. “But Princess that was years ago. If I still hated her I’d be no better off than I am now. I’d probably out right turn into a villain the moment she arrived and that wouldn’t be the me I want to be. A special lady taught me that.”

“She taught you-“

“YOU taught me. You’re still you after all these years and look at all you’ve went through.” He shrugged and she narrowed her eyes in return.

“I’ve changed Chat, we all have.” He looked her up and down after she said this. She moved her hand to the opposite shoulder as she looked away.

“Nope. All I see is my kind hearted princess who makes me hot cocoa whenever I need it.” He declared as he rested his cheek in his palm.

“You’re a dork.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Her small smile slipped into a frown as she noticed the clock on the wall. “Is that the time?” He followed her gaze and shrugged once again.

“Yeah. I keep my clocks up to date ya know.”

“I need to go to bed!” She exclaimed, pouring her water out and setting the cup in the sink. “The- the thing! School thing!” She was fumbling now, shoving the papers she had on the counter against her laptop as she attempted to gather her things as quickly as humanly possible. Chat attempted to help her but it only resulted in them bouncing off each other as her clumsy side took center stage.

He grabbed her by the shoulders as she pressed her bundle of school work to her chest and looked her dead on the eye. Here widened as his fingers squeezed gently against her.

“Slow down. No need to stress yourself out about sleep. What time do you need to be up tomorrow?” He asked her calmly.

“At- at six in order to get everything ready by nine.” She mumbled as she looked down to avoid his gaze. His fingers relaxed and slid down to rest against her upper arms.

“Okay.” He said after a moment, “okay let’s just get you in bed and I can make sure you’re up. Do you need a lift to the school or-“

“It’s being held at the Grand Paris hotel.” She answered him quickly.

“Oh.” He scratched below his low ponytail as a small frown crossed his lips. “I thought it would be at your school.”

“We aren’t kids anymore Chat.” She pulled away from him with a sigh. “The big leagues now. Well, minor leagues at least.” They chuckled as as straightened her stack in her arms. He followed her to her bedroom door and stood inside it as she packed her things into her bag.

“Good night Princess.” He slowly closed the door as she slid into bed.

“Goodnight Chat.” She yawned around her words. The door clicked shut and he stood there simply staring at it for a long while. Marinette was safe, that’s all he cared about as he rushed home after dealing with the aftermath of the attack. Ladybug could run off to wherever she wanted after and he couldn’t care less as long as his roommate was alright.

Chat strode down the hallway, slipping into his own room before allowing his transformation to fall. Now simply Adrien, he fell into the messy bed and let out a low sigh. Alya was right. Ladybug ran off before her powers had even finished cleansing Paris of the damage caused by the two resident villains. He was thankful in a way, that Marinette hadn’t watched the battle. She used to be as big a Ladybug fan as the reporter so she would surely look down on him if she saw how he was left hanging mid fist bump. Wouldnt she?

Marinette sighed as she stepped into the venue. Her eyes lingered on the models who were already flaunting designs for the designers lingering around the room reserved for them. Her eyes found the stiff back of Félix who was busy directing Bridgette on what she needed to prepare. She sighed through her nose as the lingering image of Chat's own back seemed to hover over his. If he was actually Chat she really didn’t want to know. She waved away the thought and pushed against the trolley to continue into the room. A wheel squeaked as she got near the desert table and like he’d been waiting for that sound, Félix’s head snapped in her direction.

“There you are.” He gave her what was almost a bright smile as he handed the clipboard off to another student. “I wanted to talk to you before the show.”

“Do we have anything to talk about?” She asked, confusion causing her fingers to twitch. His smile slipped for a second before being replaced by a brighter one.

“Why don’t you just come with me alright. No need for everyone to overhear after all.” He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room and down the long hallway until they reached an out of the way suite. He shut the door firmly behind them and took in a deep breath as she backed away towards the main room.

“I’m sorry.” He said without looking at her. “I was harsh with you then left you behind after the Akuma and- I was distracted and by the time it was over I forgot to even check to make sure you were okay.” He turned and she caught the faintest glimpse of a scowl before he breathed out slowly. “Bridgette was telling me what all you’ve been through with that creep and-“

“Bridgette was telling you what exactly? About Michal?” She cut him off. His eyes widened before he looked pointedly at his feet.

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. “Yeah, she told me he put you through so much you were moving. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going through all that and on top of it all I kinda crushed your designs because I- well I’m not sure why I said what I did but-“

“Félix.” She only had a moment to think over wether interrupting him was a bad idea. Then his green hues were locked on her and she felt like there was a giant spotlight in their place. “What you said to me… it’s okay. I actually needed to hear that. For about a year now all my designs had those flaws and I know. I know that fashion comes back around and all but really I should spread out, try to get out of my funk and make something I should be proud of.” His head was tilted back as she practically shouted the words at him. When she noticed this she took a moment to have a calming breath. “What I mean to say is, thank you. I needed the advice. And the save. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have had such a good hiding spot… right?”

He stood in silence looking at her after her words faded from the air. She gave him a gentle smile and saw a hint of one on his own lips. She took a step towards him and opened her arms, holding them out in an offered hug which he accepted. Stepping into her embrace, his own arms found their way around her and gave a gentle squeeze.

“Oh!” His voice was far too loud in her ear causing her to jump a bit as he pulled away from her. His hands gripped her shoulders as he held her at arms length. “Back to the reason I brought you here. I need you to stay in this room. I found out when we arrived that the classes projects had to be merged. Time constraints.”

“What?” He sighed through his nose and hung his head at her question.

“You need to stay in here because his class will be showing their work as well.” He emphasized. “I don’t want to put you in danger due to negligence and as the class representative I feel a certain… duty, towards you- and everyone else of course.” He grimmanced. “I can’t ban a student from the show but I can do all I can to protect you Marinette.” Her lips hung open as the news sunk in. Michal would be in the hotel going about like nothing had happened while she had to hide herself away. It wasn’t fair. How could he get away with what he’d done while she was punished for being his victim. Her lips pulled into a pout as she looked down.

“Marine-“

“It’s fine!” She looked back up to him with an awkward forced smile pasted across her lips. “Absolutely fine. I understand you are just trying to protect me, again. Thank you.” He gave her another gentle smile to match the gentle squeeze his fingers pressed into her shoulders.

“Stay safe.” He said as he moved to open the door.

“Go give them a great show!” She waved as he nodded to her words and remained waving until the door clicked shut once again. Only then did she allow her body to go slack as she slid down to sit on her knees. She allowed herself to stay slumped like that as the time ticked slowly by. When music drifted in from down the hall she pulled herself to her feet and shuffled over to the rounded bed. She flopped down on the overly cushioned bedding and huffed through her nose.

Shock had given way to anger as the sounds of the show grew louder. Her face grew hot as she pulled her knees up to wrap her arms around them. Her chin rested atop the rough fabric of her jeans as she glared out of the window, cheeks flushed hot with held back rage.

She knitted her fingers in her hair, popping the thin hair bow from its place and causing the dark strands to fall around her face as she growled softly to herself. Part of her wanted to transform and go get Michal while he’s not transformed himself. She would hang him from the tower and make him regret ever liking her alter ego in the first place. Chills ran down her arms and she allowed them to drop into her lap. A soft sigh left her lips as she slowly raised her head.

She blinked.

Chat blinked.

She screamed.

Chat screamed as he fell back onto his rump.

“Chat?” She scrabbled to her feet and rushed to squat down next to him. “What- are you okay?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He moved faster than she could react, pulling her up with one arm as he opened the palm of his other hand. “I followed it all the way here. It was about to land on your bag strap.” The cataclysmed akuma drifted down to the floor as nothing more than dust. He was scowling as he watched it.

“I was upset.” She tried to move away from him but he held her firm, squeezing her shoulder lightly as he did so. “I wouldn’t let myself be akumatized though I mean, I know better than to so that wouldn’t ever happen. Ever.”

“Lots of people ‘know better’ and they can still get akumatized.” He finally let her go, wiping the remaining dust off on his suit. “Trust me I’ve seen it too many times already.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the bed to sit at the foot once again. “So, wanna talk about what’s upsetting my purrincess?” She chuckled lightly and gently pushed his shoulder at the pun.

“It’s nothing really. I just-“

“Princess if you’re upset it’s something. Come on. Cats honor I won’t tell a soul.” She felt her lips pull up at the corners as she rolled her eyes.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then you won’t mind telling me.”

“Fine.” She huffed. He wouldn’t let it go. “The guy who was giving me issues is in my school.”

“Still?” He growled a bit, “he should be in a cell next to Hawkmoth.” She grabbed his arm as he made to move off the bed, stopping him and bringing his attention to her.

“His class is showing today as well and well… we couldn’t stop just him from coming so to keep me away from him I was told to stay here.”

“How is that fair to you?” He demanded. He was on his feet and marching towards the door as she rushed to catch him by the tail. “I’ll cataclysm his fucking face off for-“ at that moment she managed to get enough leverage to yank him back. He spun as he fell to catch himself, bumping against her and causing her to fall back as well. His hand slid behind her head to guard it before they made impact.

Something very soft was pressed against his lips. He’d closed his eyes at some point and hadn’t opened them until the sensation registered in his mind. Her own eyes were wide and very very close. They both attempted to speak at once but he’d forgotten to move which just resulted in their lips moving against each other.

His fingers closed around her hair as his eyes slowly closed only to open wide once again as he was pushed up and away from her face. Her cheeks were flushed a dark pink and her still wide hues were locked onto his.

“Uh.” They said at the same time. “I’m sor-“ once again they spoke in unison, causing the two to fall into an awkward silence. Chat scrambled off of her and she sat up, accepting his offered hand and rising to her feet a few seconds after. He scratched below his ponytail as he looked away from her. His tongue darted out to run across his lips before he could think about what he was doing.

“There isn’t another akuma.” Her words brought him back into the moment and out of his scrambled thoughts. She’d moved to the window to look out across the Parisian rooftops.

“So no negative emotions anymore huh?” He felt right sliding up beside her to bump her with his shoulder.

“You had already cheered me up before- you getting mad for me was what I needed.” Her cheeks darkened again and he felt a small flutter in his chest. “You’re… you’re a good friend Chat.” She said as she turned to give him a soft smile. Her bottom lip was still shiny.

“A good friend-“ years of regret washed over him as his old words were thrown back at him. Was this how she felt? “Yeah. Good friend Chat Noir.” He chuckled as he pumped his fist before himself. The chuckle was awkward. The movements were awkward. He was awkward. How did she live like this?

Chapter 21: Fetching

Chapter Text

The sound of the event continued but Marinette didn’t mind so much. She had a half bottle of wine at her side and a deck of cards by her knee. In front of her, cross legged on the bed, the black cat superhero was scrunching his nose as he examined his felt hand. His own bottle was much emptier than hers. His cheeks had flushed a bit under the mask and he was swaying slightly as he threw down a three of hearts to draw another card. The scrunching of his nose intensified.

“I bet two gulps.” He slurred out as he looked up at her. She was feeling hot. Even with the breeze from the open window she doubted the room could ever cool down enough for her to feel better. Her own hand displayed all clubs, and large numbers at that.

“I see your two gulps and raise one more.” She smirked at him over her cards and even tapped one as she raised her brow.

“I call your three gulps.” He sneered, his mismatch of cards feeling heavier in his hands. She tilted her head a bit and gave him a Cheshire grin.

“Show your cards then, unless you’re a scaredy cat.” She teased. He snarled and tossed his cards between them.

“Pair of aces.”

“Full. House.” She slowly spread hers out and then watched gleefully as he took three large gulps from his own wine bottle.

“This isn’t how wine should be drank.” He spat out after the last gulp, giving her a small pout as he shoved the cork back into place.

“Oh, and you would know how one should drink wine.” She asked, sloshing what was left in her own bottle in a slow circle as she did.

“I would!” He exclaimed, sounding offended. “With fine glassware, a plate of cheese, and someone who knows how to kiss.” She snorted into her hand and began cleaning up the cards from their game. He stared at her with a pout as she leaned over to place both her wine and the cards on the table next to the bed.

“And you think you know how to kiss? Has the cat been chasing some kittens in his spare time?” She asked. His brows raised before he pulled himself onto his hands and knees to crawl towards her.

“Nah no kittens. Maybe a mouse.” He purred, hands on either side of her legs as he leaned over her. She giggled and shook her head.

“I’m sorry just- you kissing a mouse is funny.” She moved one hand over her lips and he reached out to move it away once again.

“I have it on good authority that a purrticularly mouse liked my kiss.” He crossed his arms over her lap as he smirked up at her. A warm rush ran down her body as their eyes met. She licked her lips as she moved her eyes from his, only to quickly look back when he pushed off of her to bring his face closer.

“I- I d-doubt the mouse even recalls.” She cleared her throat only to place her hand over her mouth. He smirked as his fingers once again gently removed her fingers from her lips.

“Well I guess a cat needs to remind her.” He purred. The alcohol had to be getting to her. At least that’s what she told herself when his lips gently brushed her own and she didn’t push him away. Warmth speed through her once again as his pressed harder against hers.

He gently urged her lips to part as her fingers found their way into his hair. His knee pushed up against her leg and she shifted it to the side to give him room between her legs. His tongue felt hot against her own as it explored the inside of her mouth. His gloved fingers drifted under her shirt. She shifted but didn’t resist his caress on her stomach.

Tingles ran up and down her spine. Between his lips and tongue joining hers in an intoxicating dance and his sultry caresses moving achingly slowly up her body she didn’t know what to focus on. He released her mouth and she took in a lung full of air as his lips went to work on her neck and collarbone. Her whole body warmed rapidly as his fingers brushed against her ribcage. Her shirt was crushed between them as his hand moved higher and higher. She felt her uneven breaths hitch as one claw brushed against her bra. Her hands gripped his hair as his finger slipped under the strap of it and glided towards the mound on her chest. She could feel every slight brush of his finger as it, along with the rest, gently cupped her from below. His thumb moved upward, intent on catching one hard nipple between it and his forefinger.

“No ones gonna come looking for us here.” They both froze at the voice. Male and slightly husky. Chats head shot up and a snarl grew on his face as he eyed the wall separating them from the door to the suite. He recognized the voice and so did she.

He moved off of her like a flash of lightning. She could here him calling on his power under his breath. As soon as the sickly black dust like dots danced around his palm she grabbed a pillow and shoved it against his hand. He startled and looked back at her and she shook her head slowly. Chat wasn’t a killer and she wouldn’t let him become one.

“What the-“ Michal and his newest conquest rounded the corner to stop dead in their tracks. Chat leaned slightly to better block her from him as he let a soft growl rumble up from his chest.

“Get out.” He growled once again.

“Is that Chat Noir?” The femal model exclaimed followed by a soft squeal. “I am your biggest fan! Oh my god I can’t believe I get to meet you in person!”

“Oh yeah sure, the ‘great hero of Paris’ with a girl in his bed.” Michal’s voice carried his sneer. Marinette didn’t have to see him to know it. She pulled her feet up and attempted to hide them behind Chat. His hand found her leg and gave it a reassuring pat. “Told your girlfriend you’re cheating on her yet Supercat?” The girl who was with him let out a confused noise as Chat adjusted himself once more into a stance she knew well. Chat was readying to pounce on Michal.

“Big words from a stalker.” Chats back tensed and Marinette reached out to grab him by the tail. She wouldn’t risk him ruining his image for her.

“Who’s the one who just so happened to be there?” Michal asked.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Marinette felt bad for the girl who had unwittingly walked in on this conflict.

“You know that ex I was telling you about? Yeah when I was breaking up with her because she was just too clingy this guy came out of nowhere and beat my ass before running off with her.” Michal explained to her in a superior voice. “This guy sleeps around on Ladybug with random people. He even slept with my old girlfriend.”

“I WAS NEVER YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” The anger boiled over until she could no longer hold her tongue. “YOU FOLLOWED ME DAY IN AND DAY OUT. YOU STALKED ME AND I HAD TO MOVE TO GET AWAY FROM YOU!” She was climbing over Chats shoulders as she shouted the accusation. Chat for his part only adjusted himself so he could hold her up by her legs so she wouldn’t fall. He stood up and her head came very close to hitting the high ceiling as he balanced them on the bed. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPREAD AROUND LIES ABOUT ME AND MY BOYFRIEND!” Chat stiffened under her as the word slipped from her lips. Time seemed to freeze as slowly it dawned on her what she said. Her blood ran cold as his fingers tightened their grip on her inner thighs.

“You heard the lady.” Chat stepped off the bed and Marinette finally caught a glimpse of Michals shock white face. “I would be wary of this one.” He told the girl who was wearing one of Félix’s designs. “She’s telling the truth.” The girl backed away as she stared wide eyed at Michal.

Michal took a swing at Chat then, who stepped back to avoid it and allowed Marinette to drop onto the bed. He dodged the next swing and ducked low to punch the brunette in the gut. Michal doubled over, a soft clattering sound followed his glasses falling from his shirt. With the boys locked in combat Marinette slid down to the floor and scooped the glasses up. She slipped them under her own shirt as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. She hit the ground moments before Chat scooped her up into his arms. The model was gone and Michal was scrambling to find something on himself. Marinette smiled as she hid her face in Chats chest. He wouldn’t be using the horse miraculous. Not now.

“Where-“ was all she heard before Chat lept from the window and they were soaring through the cold biting air. The up and down motion of traveling by his staff was still stomach curbing for her. Combined with the alcohol still coursing though her system it made it so she was very weak legged and relieved when they landed on a flat rooftop. She stumbled out of his arms and landed on her knees.

She covered her mouth with one hand as the urge to vomit coursed through her. Her eyes closed as she fought to urge her breakfast down once more. She could hear the soft beeping of his ring as he stood behind her and squeezed her eyelids tighter.

His back bumped against hers as a bright flash of green cut into the darkness for a second before fading once again. Warmth soaked through the back of her shirt as she put her face against her knees.

“Are you okay?” His voice was filled with concern as he asked the question. She nodded before remembering they were back to back.

“I’m… I’m okay.” She said softly. She could feel him shifted as he searched his pockets for something, she assumed it was for his kwami.

“The next time you two want to get drunk and eat each other’s faces make sure I’m not a part of it.” As if on cue the kwami’s voice filled the air. Her face heated immediately to an uncomfortable level and she attempted to shove it into her knees as hard as she could.

“Sorry Plagg, it’s not like we planned it.” Chats voice was soft and a bit forced. She could tell he was embarassed as well. They were both quiet for a moment before he continued. “And I’m sorry Princess. I didn’t mean to-“

“I’m sorry about what I said. It put you in a bad position and it just came out and I didn’t mean it..” she cut him off quickly, not wanting to hear the rest of his apology. “I know you aren’t my boyfriend. You’re one of my best friends and I shouldn’t have used you in such a way I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

“A- oh.” He said softly before calling for his transformation once again. He stood as she raised her head and she turned to look up at him. He gave her a forced smile and held his hand out in an offer to help her up. She gripped his hand and pushed herself to her feet. He scratched the back of his neck just below his ponytail and sighed through his nose. “Where to now Princess?” He asked.

“Ah- uh.” She looked away from his gaze and bit hard on her bottom lip. “H- home. I guess…” she mumbled. He scooped her up and held her against his chest once again. She squeezed her eyes shut, vowing to never let him give her a lift again even as they began the stomach churning journey once again.

The hot flow of water washed over her as she tilted her head up towards the shower heads spray. Enough time had passed that the sun sunk low in the sky and the lights of the city slowly blinked into existence. She hadn’t avoided Chat so much as she’d avoided any hint of conversation about what happened in the hotel room. She now stood in the shower just so she could be sure her superhero roommate couldn’t hear what had to be said.

“Thank you for the rescue, Ladybug.” Kaalki, the horse kwami who was munching on a small Macroon, hovered just outside of the water's spray.

“I just did what I could.” She said before ducking her head under the water for a moment. “At least I managed to grab the glasses before he saw me. Thank goodness Chat was there to distract him.”

“It’s terrible!” The horse Kwami didn’t heed Tikkis warning as they exclaimed, “They have all of us and won’t let us rest. They’re trying to find the best combination to stop you. Michal will gain another miraculous, we can only be thankful that Fluff is already with her chosen holder and safely out of their reach.”

“It would be bad if they had control of time.” Tikki said softly by her ear, agreeing with her horse counterpart.

“They have Sass though.” Marinette mumbled as she rested her head against the tiles. “And I didn’t take you as Ladybug so we can’t exactly use your help without giving away who I am to him.”

“I don’t see why you don’t just turn him into the authorities as Ladybug.” Kaalki huffed as they crossed their arms, hooves?, arms. “He is a terrible holder. He didn’t even feed me properly after using up my power multiple times in a row. Absolutely horrid.”

“Ladybug has to catch him in the act. And now that I took one as Marinette he’s only going to get more careful.” She bit her nail gently as she leaned against the shower wall. “This is going to be harder now, especially since Alya’s right. Chat and I aren’t the team we used to be. It’s my fault.”

The kwami’s remained silent for a long time. Allowing Marinette to finish her shower and pull on warm pajamas before Kaalki spoke up once again.

“What if we try another way?” She looked up as they gave her a small shrug. “You have my powers now Ladybug. And I do know where the others are being kept when not in use. Perhaps we could use it to our advantage. Take one or two back here and there as to not raise suspicion. Baark, Daizzi, Xuppu… they haven’t so much as glanced at their miraculouses the entire time we were trapped. At the very least we could get them back.”

“Maybe.” She murmured as she prepped her toothbrush. “What about Trixx?” Now that Alya was no longer pregnant maybe Rena could-

“The new Hawkmoth has Trixx around her neck at all times.” Kaalki cut into her thoughts. “They haven’t used her yet but-“

“The new Hawkmoth is a girl?” Marinettes toothbrush slipped slightly as she spoke causing a line of foamy toothpaste to slip down her lip. “I thought that maybe someone gave them to two people to fight us but if we actually fought the new Hawkmoth…” she finished cleaning her teeth as a plan emerged in her mind. “You know what, you’re right we can get one or two back.” She gave her kwami’s a wide grin. “Starting with Baark.” The two kwami’s exchanged a knowing smile as she slid on her house coat. She opened the pocket and allowed them to fly inside before stepping out of the bathroom.

“Chat I-“ she stopped. The apartment was silent and dark, no sounds other than her soft breathing reached her ears. “Chat?” She called out, making her way from one room to the next searching for him. She ended in front of his bedroom door, one hand on the knob as she chewed on her bottom lip. After a moment she pulled it shut and turned to make her way back into the living room. Chat left without saying a word to her. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her arms over them.

Kaalki popped out of her pocket, practically bouncing in place as they stared up at her. She sighed through her nose and ran one hand through her damp hair. Tikki peeked from her pocket as she gave the small horse a smaller grin.

“Okay.” She slipped the glasses from their (granted hasty) hiding place in the couch cushions, thankful that Chat hadn’t been paying enough attention to her to notice. She slipped into her bedroom once more before calling for the kwamis to unify and transform her.

Peggabug trusted in the memory of Kaalki to produce a small portal just large enough for her hand to go through. She peeked inside the portal to see a very dark room covered in fabric and papers. One that she saw showed a very old picture of Adrien from back when he modeled for his dad. The young man had his arm around a very familiar girl. Long brown hair, tan skin, and a confident smirk upon her lips. Lila Rossi. Peggabug mimed gagging as a reflex before getting herself under control and reaching through for the choker necklace that was just on the other side of the portal. With it firmly in her grasp she yanked it back through the portal and quickly closed it. She detransformed and fell to her knees, already worn out from using both miraculous at once. She pulled two cookies from a jar by her bed and passed them to the equally worn Kwamis.

“Oh my gosh it’s you again!” The tiny orangish brown dog kwami was in her face almost immediately. She smiled sheepishly and pushed herself to her feet.

“It’s good to see you again Baark.” She said, holding her hands out for all three to land on her fingers. “Im so glad that I can at least get you two back. Now we just have to rescue the others, but I have to ask you some questions.” She pointedly looked at Baark as she spoke and their doggy ears flopped wildly as they nodded.

“Of course!” Baark exclaimed as they once again bobbed their head enthusiastically up and down. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”

“That’s good.” Marinette nodded slower than Baark as she spoke, “because I think it’s time we all talked to a certain kitty and cleared some things up.”

Chat was surprised to see he had a voicemail from the spotted heroine as soon as he transformed. She was speaking as she ran across a rooftop, he could hear her panting along with every word.

“Meet me at the Eiffel Tower Chaton.” He grimaced at the painful twinge that gripped his heart at the old nickname. “I know- I am not able to hold my own transformation as long as you anymore.” A pause that drug on for far too long, he assumed she had to swing across to another rooftop. “I’ve been doing a bit of digging while I could and I may have something you will appreciate?” She cut the call there. Something he would appreciate, maybe an explination of where she’d been for all these years? No. He doubted the bug themed woman would ever give him a hint of her identity with a new Hawkmoth on the rise.

He looked towards the building housing the Chateu. He had planned on making sure Marinette was safe for the night before staying in his other apartment, but something in Ladybugs voice told him this meeting was urgent. He sighed through his nose as he extended his staff, sending himself up through the air towards the vibrantly glowing tower.

When he landed he glanced around himself. It was quiet save for the wind whipping against him. He at first didn’t notice her sitting against the pillar talking softly into her hand. It startled him when he did and the small noise that escaped him startled her.

“Chat Noir.” Ladybugs voice carried along by the wind filled his ears and he gave her a small nod.

“What’s so important that you had to send me a voicemail?” He asked. “Trying to set up a patrol schedule again? Sorry Lady but I do my own thing now.”

“What? No! No. Chat ive been doing some digging-“

“As you’ve already said.” He cut her off. “So Lady Detective what have you dug up?” He asked. In that moment a orangish brown blur darted out from her hair to hover before him.

“ME!” The dog kwami exclaimed. “Ladybug rescued me from that awful place!” Chat stumbled back, his baton pointed upward before he could stall his actions. His eyes grew wide in the mask as they turned to her.

“You found one.” He breathed. She nodded, resting her hands on her hips. “How?”

“Two actually.” She said as a tiny horse floated out from the nape of her neck to join with the dog. “The how I got them isn’t important. I saw an oppurtunity and took it. Now,” she reached out to take his hand in her own and placed the glasses in his palm. “I have a plan to get the others back but those who are using them for evil cannot know about Kaalki or the horse miraculous being in our possession. I’m trusting you to guard them Chat.”

“Where’s the dog miraculous?” He asked as he slid the glasses into his pocket.

“About that. I’ll keep Baarks necklace for my plan.” She explained. “With their fetch ability I can get more miraculous back if Hawkmoth 2.0 ever shows her face again.”

“Her?”

“The one who’s keeping us all in that horrid place is very much a female. She only uses those of us she likes and keeps Trixx on her at all times for ‘nostalgia’ as she puts it.” Baark explained as they sat on Ladybugs shoulder. “She never even took me out once! I had to hear from Sass what she was planning.”

“You’re one of the lucky ones. Those two barely fed us after all.” Kaalki huffed as they sat between Chats faux ears. Chat felt for the small horse but he didn’t have the time to comfort it.

“So there are two villains going against us.” He sighed and tapped his chin in thought. “Nostalgia indeed.”

“We won once.” Ladybug assured him, patting him on the shoulder before taking a step back. “Chat i, I also wanted to take this meeting to apologize to you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him. “I left you alone to defend Paris because I had become useless to you both. When you were shot all I could do was get you to the emergency room because I had gone so long without using lucky charm I couldn’t reverse your injury. I didn’t return because- because what’s the point! I am a one hit wonder and without an amok or akuma all I was was… I was a distraction for you. I was actively causing you to get hurt and I couldn’t do it anymore!” Though her words started in her usual calm manner by the end she was nearly screaming and her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears.

“You left me bleeding out in front of the emergency room.” He began.

“I went in to get help and I-“

“Detransformed.” He cut in. “You left.”

“I watched them take you into the OR. Tikki was beyond worn out at that point because after I tried to use the charm we had to-“

“You said you didn’t use a lucky charm.” He reminded her.

“I said I couldn’t use it to heal you!” She yelled then. “I tried! I tried so hard to heal you after you were shot but it did nothing!” She fell to the ground sobbing after shouting this at him. Her fists were pressed into her eyes as her body shook.

“You tried to-“ he began. Her choked sobs filled the space when he couldn’t find the words. He squatted down and placed his hands on her shoulders. She lifted her head and he pulled her into a tight hug.

She continued to sob into his shoulder as he patted her head. Her body shivered against him as she slowly, very slowly calmed until she was just resting against him with her arms limp at her sides. He pulled back enough to see her still downtrodden expression. She wouldn’t look up to meet his eyes.

“It’s been- years.” She began softly. “I hadn’t had to use it in years and it drained me and Tikki to the point we could barely sustain my transformation. Taking you to the hospital was all I could do. I was useless. I still am useless unless the new one uses the same old tricks.”

“I didn’t care, you know.” He said as he pulled her to her feet. “I didn’t care that we couldn’t use our powers like we once did. I didn’t care that all we were was meat shields for the police. I just wanted you to stay with me. By my side like I’d been by yours. I just wanted to know you cared about me like I did about you.”

“And I’m not asking you to forgive me for what I did. Chat I-“

“Good.” He cut her off once again. “Because it will take a very long time for me to come around to the thought of forgiving you. You left me on my own with no warning and that’s what hurts the most. But-“ he sighed and shook his head slowly- “but now I have someone, something that is precious to me that I need to protect. If partnering up with you will help me protect it then I am more than willing to try.” He took a step away from her to stare off in the direction of the Chateau. “It won’t be the same as before, but we can make it work.”

“Thank you Chat.” He shook his head slowly at her words.

“No need to thank me. It’s only natural. When Amoks or Akumas threaten Paris it can rely on the bug and Cat to defend it. Now!” He turned to face her once again and shot her a small smile. “What’s your plan with the dog miraculous?” She returned his smile with a larger one.

“We are going to catch a fox.”

Chapter 22: A Plan and a Meal

Chapter Text

Chat shivered as the night air cut through him. Ladybug paced the roof in front of him and though he didn’t get the same tight knot forming in his stomach he once had at the sight of her, he had to admit the tingle of nostalgia ran through his brain at the sight of her pondering their problem. The lights from buildings around them bounced off her pale skin and deep red suit. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face him and the kwamis that settled on his shoulders.

“Our issue has always been actually getting the main villain out in the open.”she said finally, breaking the silence and snapping him back from memories of a much smaller her leading him across the landscape.

“This time it’s two villains. That seem to be working together as a team.” He pointed out.

“Hardly.” Kaalki huffed. “The boy pays her to let him stay in squalor.” Chat turned to eye the small horse and noticed its arms(?) crossed before its chest.

“At least it’s not some super rich guy who can pull the strings in or out of a mask.” He said, turning his gaze back to Ladybug. She frowned at his words, her eyes downcast.

“It doesn’t sound like they have children either.” She’d mumbled the words but with his enhanced hearing they came through loud and clear.

“You’re referring to Hawkmoth right? Gabriel Agreste.” She sighed and nodded at his gentle prodding.

“I just… I feel terrible for his son.” She hugged herself as she spoke, rubbing her upper arms. “Adrien didn’t deserve… that.” Chat sighed and leaned back on his arms to look up into the sky.

“I’m sure he’s fine. It’s been years. We need to focus on the here and now.” His voice was as cold as the air around them. In the past he would’ve loved that she cared so much for his civilian self, but he’d grown past it. He didn’t need her pity.

“You’re right.” She placed her fingers around her chin as she came to a stop before him. “We know that the two don’t necessarily like one another. Thank you for that information Kaalki.” The horse kwami floated a bit higher by his head with a smirk on its face. “We know they aren’t coordinating plans all the time so there is more of a chance that the one who has all of the miraculous will appear. Just… how to bring them out.”

“It’s not like we can dangle a damsel in distress.” As Chat grumbled out his thought she gasped. Remembering what she saw through the portal in the moment she took the dogs miraculous.

“Adrien Agreste!”

“Huh?” He looked up at her, his lips downturned even if they were slightly parted and his eyes dropping as if he was tired.

“His image was all over the place in the room that she kept the miraculous box in. If we could convince him to play along then we could lure out our wannabe and snatch that necklace.” She slammed her fist against her palm as a wide grin crossed her lips.

“And he would help why?” Chat tilted his head a bit as he asked this. “Wasn’t it his father who WE put in jail?” She turned to him, her grin slipping. “I mean what makes you think he isn’t the guy in their two man band?”

“He wouldn’t be.” She full on frowned at him as she crossed her arms. “I heard that the one who had Kaalki kidnapped a girl. Adrien Agreste kidnapping someone is just unthinkable.”

“Just as unthinkable as Gabriel Agreste being Hawkmoth was.” Chat shot back.

“Monsieur Agreste isn’t my previous holder.” Kaalki cut in, not allowing Chat to go farther with his questions.

“Glad that’s out of the way.” Ladybug shot him a glare that he returned without a second thought. “We have to work together more than ever before Chat. Someone not only has all the miraculous that Master Fu kept safe, but they’re using them for selfish means.” She squatted down before him and placed one hand on his shoulder. “Chat. We need to be a team, at the very least until we get all the miraculous back from the wrong hands.”

“Once again, what makes you think he will help?” Chat asked looking away from her stare. She squeezed his shoulder before standing once more.

“Because in all the years that I’ve known of him I’ve only ever heard he was a kind soul and loyal friend. Like you, Chat.” She gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry but I can’t stick around. It’s difficult moving from London and I still have to get settled in.”

“Sure.” He sighed as he stood and made his way to lean on a nearby chimney. “Go do your thing Bug. I have my own life to deal with.” She raised a brow at him before leaping off the building and using her yoyo to swing away. He watched her go for a moment before jumping down into the alleyway behind him. He pulled the glasses from his pocket and glanced up at the horse.

“I don’t know what it is you’re thinking but I highly suggest you stick to the plan.” Kaalki said quickly.

“I was just wondering why she only grabbed one.” He said as he clenched his fist around the glasses.

“To buy you more time.” Kaalki insisted as they floated nearer to him. “She didn’t grab one they use and grabbed one that would help get back all the others. They can’t know she has it until it’s too late.”

“How is she supposed to talk Adrien into her plan?” He asked with a tilt of his head. Kaalki shrugged. Chat pouted his lips as he frowned, narrowing his eyes at the small horse. “And what am I supposed to do with you?” He asked. “Plagg and I are a team that can hold our own. If I use you there could be a chance that I wear down faster than before.” Once again Kaalki shrugged. Chat grumbled as he shoved the glasses back in his pocket. He would have to think of something, at least she actually seemed to trust him this time around.

“Maybe she isn’t really the same Ladybug.” He huffed. It was a possibility. Why would she come back to Paris if she lived in London? Maybe she gave away the earrings before she moved. After she left him at the hospital he doubted everything he thought he knew about her.

“Marinette!” She jumped a bit, her shoulders going ridged at the sound of his voice. Her fingers clenched around her bags strap as she turned to grin nervously at the blonde approaching her.

“H-hi Félix…” she said around her strained smile. He glanced around them as the other students filed out of the auditorium. A saftey drill for akumas had pulled them all to this place and trapped her between one class and another. Now that she had a chance to escape, he had to stop her. Félix of all people.

“I wanted to ask if you were free saturday around lunchtime.” He said as he stepped closer to her to allow a small group of students to pass by them. She noticed a glint of silver from a ring on his right hand as he moved to rest it on the wall by her head. “You can decline, naturally.” He said just as she turned to study the ring closer. She jumped again at his words and locked her wide eyed stare on him.

“Uh, I don’t- I mean I haven’t made any plans in particular.” She said, struggling to make the words sound normal as she did so. He smirked and her brows raised.

“Good, Can you meet me around twelve then, just outside of the school gates should do fine.” She snapped her mouth shut and nodded her head, not trusting herself enough to speak properly.

“Perfect” he said, purrfect she heard, “I’ll see you then.” He left her standing against the wall, blending in with the other students as they made their way back to their classes. She fisted her fingers in her bangs and let out an annoyed huff. She shouldn’t be looking into it deeply. Ignore any sign and go about her day like she didn’t have a clue. Was he being obvious to her on purpose?

Did he ask her on a date?

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. Just friends. They are just friends wether or not he is Chat Noir that changes nothing because she and Chat are just friends as well. She sighed and released the strap of her purse.

“I guess I have a lunch date Tikki.” She said as soon as she was alone. Her shoulders slumped. At this rate she wouldn’t be able to get ahold of Adrien in order to somehow discuss the plan with him.

Her new phone rang and her eyes widened at the name displayed there. Chloe with a small bee emoji, obviously put in her old phone by the blonde and transferred to the one Chat gave her via the only thing that survived. Her SIM card. Why had she never paid attention to that before?

“Hello?” She asked as she answered the call.

“Marinette what am I going to do?” Chloe sounded stressed as she panted out her question. “I can’t find it! I can’t find it!”

“Calm down.” She said quickly, moving her phone away from her face slightly as she did. “What are you looking for?”

“My ring! The ring daddy gave me. I’m supposed to go to this big gala he’s hosting tonight but I don’t have my ring. And after Marc used it to propose to.” Marinette frowned. Everyone knew she’d ended up with the writer, she just didn’t know why Chloe was calling her over a missing piece of jewelry.

“Chloe-“

“I’m just not going to go. That would be good.” Chloe cut her off.

“Why would you miss it over a ring?”

“It was my grandmothers.” Marinettes mouth formed a small o as Chloe said this. “Oh, right why I called. Could you check Grandpa Chang’s room for it? We had lunch yesterday and it may have slipped off then.”

“I can do that.” She nodded even as she spoke into the phone. “I planned on visiting him today.” At this point even she would think of Master Fu as her grandfather.

“Thank you so much Maricakes. I don’t know what I would ever do without you- Jacque! Bring me that catalogue!” Marinette winced as Chloe screamed over the phone. “Would you like pink or purple?” She raised one brow as she continued on as if she hadn’t just busted her eardrum. “I would adore to see you in a darker tone but I think it would clash with your hair. Oh! We have to discuss styles. I was thinking sweeping curls and tiaras for all of you what do you think?”

“Are you talking to me?” She asked as she passed through the school gates.

“Of course I am! You’re going to be my maid of honor right? I have to discuss these things with you.”

“M-maid of-“

“OH MY GOODNESS I FORGOT TO ASK YOU!” Marinette yanked the phone from her ear once again as Choles voice boomed from the speaker.

“Kinda.” She said as she brought it back. “Chloe what are you doing up so late?” There was a long pause after her question, Marinette pulled the phone back to check if the blonde hung up on her.

“I’m stressing myself out. Jacque keeps telling me it’s not healthy to do this but I can’t help it.” Chloe admitted then. “My mom micromanaged my life so now that’s all I know. I just want my wedding to be the best it can possibly be. I just… keep thinking about what could go wrong.”

“Do you… want to talk about it?” Marinette asked. The early morning air chilled her skin as she walked down the sidewalk. “You could text me your address and I could come over before seeing Grandpa.” Even as the suggestion left her lips she could hear the blonde beginning to sob. “Chloe! Oh- I-I didn’t mean to upset you I just-“

“No. No I’m not upset.” Chloe cut her off. “I just- Thank you Marinette. You’re really a good friend. Wish I would’ve seen that sooner.” Marinette felt her lips pull into a smile as she slid into a bus stop bench.

“Anytime Chloe, anytime.”

“Nino!” Adrien called out as he crossed the street to reach the DJ. Nino gave him a grin as he raised his hat in acknowledgment. Adrien stopped beside him, checking his phone as they turned towards their left. Still no message from Ladybug. It had been two days since their talk and she hadn’t attempted to reach out to his civilian form. Maybe she’d changed her mind and hadn’t told him, wouldn’t be the first time.

“So you ready to see the boys?” Nino asked as they crossed the street in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Adrien watched the storefront as they made their way by, keeping an eye on the small Asian woman manning the cash register.

“Huh?” He asked before Nino’s question registered to him. “Oh, yeah.” He said before his friend could ask it again. “Sorry. It’s weird. I haven’t actually walked Paris in a while.”

“Yeah you stopped walking with us after graduation Dude.” Nino scratched at the tight curls under his hat. “Even Mari would come walk the town with us, but you just vanished, man.”

“Sorry about that.” Adrien rubbed his neck as he spoke. “I kinda regret it now. I wish we could’ve stayed close.”

“It wasn’t just your fault dude. We all grew up and moved on with our lives. It’s probably for the best that you ditched us because it helped Mari to focus on her future anyway.”

“So you guys knew?” He asked as his cheeks warmed. “I guess she did say it was obvious…” he muttered to himself.

“She told you?” Nino stopped outside a large apartment building, eyeing Adrien in shock.

“She said she had a crush on me. Emphasis on had. She made it painfully clear that she doesn’t see me like that anymore.” Adrien sighed and dropped his hand from his neck. “How long did you know about it?” He asked.

“Do you remember when you tried to set me up on a zoo date with her?” Nino prodded as he typed in the passcode for the building. Adrien's face warmed more.

“Vividly.”

“Yeah, Alya kinda told me the whole thing. Poor girl spent four years trying to ask you out and failing every time.” Adrien chewed on his bottom lip, memories of a much younger Marinette making no sense as she spoke to him flashed through his mind.

“I- why didn’t anyone tell me back then?” He asked. Nino shrugged as he led him up a flight of stairs.

“Because you being the super nice guy you are would’ve dated her without actually having feelings for her. She would’ve ended up crushed. It’s better for all of us that she moved on.”

“Who says I wouldn’t have feelings for her?” Adrien asked as Nino opened his door. He paused before slamming the door shut once more. Alyas voice could be heard from beyond it yelling for him as he turned to Adrien with a look in his eye so serious that it scared the blonde.

“Agreste…” Nino had taken on a tone reminiscent of Adrien's father back when he actually cared what the man thought of him. Adrien threw his hands up in surrender.

“I’m just saying- I mean she’s an amazing person and anyone would be…” Adrien scratched under his ponytail as he looked down. “They would be lucky to have her. Whoever they are. It doesn’t really have to be me.”

“Who said it would be you?” He jerked his head up to see Alya standing behind Nino, a small boy on each hip that he could only tell apart due to one wearing large green framed prescription glasses.

“No one. I guess.” He managed to say as Nino shook his head slowly.

“Dude please don’t tell me that after all this time you suddenly have feelings for my wife’s best friend.” He said as he adjusted his own glasses then his sons.

“What! No. Pfft. Why would you- I mean I wouldn’t say sudden.” Adrien stammered out.

“Wouldn’t say sudden?” Alya raised a brow before sharing a look with Nino.

“You should come inside dude. Let’s not do this in the hallway where our neighbors can butt in.” Nino ushered him in the door as Robin was passed into his arms. Before he knew it, Adrien was sat on their couch and feeding Robin from a bottle while Alya studied him from her place sitting on their coffee table.

“Spill.” She said as her eyes narrowed.

“Never.” Adrien narrowed his eyes back at her.

“You can’t not talk to her dude.” Nino called from their small kitchen where he was struggling to get Leo to keep his glasses on. “She has the stare. She’ll get it out of you before you know it.”

“There’s nothing to get out.” Adrien insisted as he pointedly looked away from the reporter.

“From what I’ve gathered you’ve developed feelings for Marinette not suddenly but somehow over the last six months. Or was it before my boys were born?” She somehow had a notebook at the ready as she began her line of questioning.

“I don’t have to answer anything.” Adrien shook his head as he spoke causing Robin to giggle as his bangs brushed the baby’s head.

“Remember how they were acting in the hospital room?” Nino asked from the kitchen.

“You’re right babe. It started before.” Alya scribbled something on her notebook and Adriens face warmed again.

“You can’t both gang up on me!” Adrien insisted. The couple shared a look from across the apartment and he swallowed a lump in his throat. They could indeed gang up on him. That is what the look told him.

Hours passed. Adriens lunch with them felt bland and tasteless as the questioning continued. Halfway through he thought if he wasn’t quite as nice he would just walk out their door and never come back. But it was his best friend and his best friends wife and his adorable nephews that he barely had the chance to see. He couldn’t just abandon them for no reason. Though when Alya got him to admit that he did have feelings for Marinette that seemed to grow stronger by the day he felt like that was good enough reason to leave.

That’s when she called.

His phone vibrated against his thigh causing him to jerk in his chair and shove his hand deep inside it. A silver case with a red A displayed on the back. Not his Chatphone. He breathed a sigh of relief before seeing the name on the screen.

Mari

He fumbled with it, managing to catch it before it hit the ground and brought it to his ear.

“Hello?”

It continued to ring.

Alya and Nino were openly snickering at him now. Super. He rolled his eyes at them before sliding his finger across the screen to answer.

“Hello?”

“Adrien hi.” Her voice sweetly rang out from the speaker and his lips curved into a small smile. “Hang on Chloe I’m trying to ask him.” His lips slipped into a frown. “Hey Adrien, would it be possible for you to attend Chloe’s fashion show thing she’s hosting- GALA! She says it’s a gala. Sorry.”

“Why are you with Chloe?” He asked. A long pause followed.

“It’s on speaker now dingus.” Chloe’s snide voice carried out loud and clear. “My Maricakes can hang out with me if she wants.” Adrien snarled at the sound before turning his on speaker and placing it on the table. Two can play at that game.

“I asked what I asked.” He huffed.

“Boy if you’re trying to muzzle into my territory-“

“Stop.” Alyas eyebrow raised when Chloe was cut off by Marinette. Adrien smirked. They were about to get it.

“Hi Mari.” Alya leaned forward slightly as she spoke. Adrien's smirk slipped.

“Hi Alya! How’s my nephews doing?”

“Girl they are fine.” Alya adjusted her glasses as she slid the phone closer to herself, raising her brow at him after noticing the pink heart emoji next to her name. “Whatcha up to?”

“I was visiting grandpa with Chloe- they got close- anyway she mentioned a Fashion Gala and I thought the Agreste line would be perfect for it. I was gonna call you to see if you wanted to do a newspaper column on it-“

“That was MY idea.” Chloe cut in. Adrien frowned.

“I would LOVE to do a column on it. Anything to show off my MDC collection.” Marinette giggled at her words. Adrien’s heart fluttered.

“We could do that. Been a while since I’ve seen you around town.” Chloe spoke. Adrien’s heart sank. Why did she have to suddenly be friendly with Marinette? His Princess wouldn’t be safe around a girl who constantly made akumas happen in their youth.

“A-anyway I was trying to see if Adrien would-“

“I’ll be there!” He cut Marinette off before snapping his mouth shut and silently cursing himself for it. “I mean there are plenty of designs that didn’t quite make the fall collection but could still use some spotlight. I would hate for them to be stuck in the back of some design closet forever.” A long pause followed. He could feel his friends eyes boring into him as his face warmed more and more.

“Okay. Thank you.” Marinette said after the silence became too much. “Talk to you later. Love you Alya!”

“Love you too girl!” Alya called out before Marinette ended the call.

“You missed your chance to say ‘Love you’.” Nino teased. Alya laughed. Adrien choked on his sip of wine.

“It’s not like that! Marinette is-“

“Just a friend.” The couple cut him off in unison.

“Just over here.” Félix held one arm out, motioning for her to take a seat at a table situated in a secluded corner of the restaurant. He’d said he wanted to make it up to her but she wasn’t expecting him to show up at Chloe’s building to get her. She wasn’t surprised anymore. Ever since Chloe had turned a new leaf she seemed to know anyone who was anyone in Paris. Being the cousin of the fashion mogul counted, right?

“Thank you.” She said as he pulled out her chair. She awkwardly fumbled with her hair as she glanced around them. This restaurant was far too rich to just be making up something to her.

“I want to apologize first.” He said as he motioned over the nearby waiter. “I was quite harsh with your designs after all.”

“Oh no! Actually I was angry at first… but the more I thought about it the more I saw it from your perspective.” She waved her hands between them as she cut him off.

“I also wanted to apologize for what happened during the event. I heard from quite a few people there that you ended up in a room with, him, again. I am very sorry. I had a friend when I was younger- my cousin- he had quite a bit of ptsd from trauma that he had to work through and unfortunately at that time I made things much worse instead of being there for him. I tried to be there for you but failed. I’m sorry.” She felt her heart break a bit at his words. Adrien. He had to be talking about Adrien. She hadn’t been around to help the poor model either. Much too busy being Ladybug to worry about a friend.

“No.” She shook her head slowly as the word lingered between them. “No you did everything you could do. You don’t need to apologize for any of that.” She placed her hand over his and squeezed his fingers lightly as she gave him a soft smile. It took much longer than she would’ve liked, but eventually he met her eyes and returned the smile with one of his own. It was small and sad but it was there.

“Now that that’s out of the way.” He used his free hand to clear his throat after speaking. “We can get to the point of this dinner.” She tilted her head slightly and felt her brows pull together as his fingers slipped out from under hers. “I would like to offer my services to you. The next show will be at the end of the semester and you have yet to bump elbows with any of the modeling students at the school correct? I will volunteer to model any design you wish to make. I owe you that much.”

“Wait- you want to model for me?” She asked, her voice raising in pitch as the realization sank in.

“Yes.”

“But- but why?” His eyes didn’t seem as cold as before as he leveled his stare at her.

“Because, I believe that you can make something truly marvelous if you have the proper motivation. I will be wearing your clothes. Make me look good.” She says back. Her fingertips tracing the outline of the menu in front of her as she considered his words. Her mouth opened to protest only to snap shut once again. What was she supposed to say? She nibbled her bottom lip when she realized she didn’t know.

“Félix?” Her head shot up at the sound of his name. Adrien and Luka stood a few feet from their table, equally confused looks on their faces. “Marinette?” Adrien's eyes darkened as they darted between the two.

“Hi Adrien, Luka.” Marinette gave them a small wave only to stop when Félix wrapped his fingers around hers. He slowly lowered her hand to rest on the table once again before looking up at them.

“Cousin.” The word was cold and awkward as it hung between them.

“What’s going-“

“Hey Marinette it’s been a while.” Luka cut Adrien off. “We were just discussing some designs for the next show and got a bit hungry. Mind if we join you?”

“Not at all!” Marinette smiled around her words even as Félix narrowed his eyes and muttered “yes.”

Adrien and Luka took the two remaining seats and Adrien waved over the waiter much like Félix had. Marinette shared an awkward smile with Luka who sat directly at her side. He leaned forward a bit, blocking her from seeing Adrien snarling at Félix. His deep dark eyes locked on hers as he placed one hand on his cheek.

“How’s university going?” He asked. She blinked at him, staring blankly for a moment before his question registered.

“Oh! Uh, it’s going alright now. Félix and I were just discussing him modeling my designs at the next event.” She motioned to Félix as she said this. He grinned and nodded his head before leaning closer to her.

“I can’t wait to see what she comes up with for me. When you make a design it’s the model who is just as important as the clothes.” He explained to Luka.

“Some models don’t look good in anything.” Adrien growled as he crossed his arms. “Doesn’t matter how good the clothes look if the model brings the whole thing down.”

“Which is why Marinette and I are both very lucky with this deal.” Félix smirked. “Her designs will bring out my natural looks.” Marinette had to admit that Félix did have a very handsome build and face. With the cousins sitting so close together she almost thought they could be twins. Almost. Adrien wore his hair longer than Félix did, and his eyes weren’t as cold as the one sitting beside her. Other than that the two were identical.

“Marinette, Mari.” Adrien shot her a sweet smile. “I could model for you if you want. I do have some experience after all.”

“You never texted me back.” Luka said, cutting off the odd air that the cousins had caused to hover over them. “I was worried something happened.”

“Oh! I- uh… I broke my phone a while back and haven’t got my messages on my new one. You can video call me though, I do still have my laptop.” She reassured him when she noticed his lips pull into a frown.

“How’d you break your-“

“Did you know that Leo is starting to say words?” Adrien asked her, cutting off Luka’s question. “Nino called me yesterday and when I met up with them Leo said Dada.”

“Oh I bet Alya hates that.” Marinette chuckled at the thought. “She may end up strangling him for being the favorite.”

“Cousin, I’m sure that is interesting for you, however Mari and I were discussing me modeling for her when the two of you cut in.” She jumped a bit when she heard her nickname from Félix’s lips. Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to stare at him.

“We can discuss the particulars at school.” Marinette suggested, giving him a small shrug. She eyed the menu cautiously, concern growing as each dish sounded more expensive than the last. “I’m actually… not that hungry anyway.” She added as her brows pulled together over her eyes.

“I could order something for you.” Luka suggested. “There’s actually a really good pasta dish here I think you may like. It tastes like a symphony in your mouth.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, realizing that she was the only one at the table who could not afford the meal. Her lips pulled into a frown as she looked down at the menu to avoid his eyes.

“Totally.” The waiter appeared then and Luka spouted off an order of two pasta dishes, one with a side of salad and one with a side of steamed green beans. She was surprised he remembered she liked steamed green beans. It had been a long time since their last dinner together after all.

The four were awkwardly silent as they waited on their food. Adrien and Félix had their phones out and their brows pulled together in an eerily similar way. One would type furiously then the others phone would ding so she assumed they were having a text argument in order to keep it private at the table. Marinette shared a few looks and shrugs with Luka as the time stretched on. He wasn’t on his phone, instead he would rapp his fingertips against the table to form different beats while they waited. She recognized one of his fathers famous songs and felt her lips curve up in a small smile.

The food came. The pasta was just as delicious as he told her it would be. She and Luka shared a bit of small talk about the meal while the cousins ate in silence. It was… nice. It was a nice meal with four friends…? Yes. Friends. A nice meal with four friends. Marinette felt herself relaxing into her chair as she smiled at a joke Luka made about bow tie pasta. Adrien even looked like he was beginning to ease the stiffness that had settled on his shoulders at the start of the meal. Félix even graced them with a few short but kind of sweet words about Luka’s music.

A nice meal. Huh. She hadn’t had one without Chat in a while.

It was pleasant.

It was nice.

Chapter 23: Kisses

Chapter Text

Okay. Breathe. Just breathe.

Marinette stood beside Chloe backstage at the fashion show the blonde had decided should be central to her gala. Her fingers shook as she toyed with the dog necklace hidden below her high collar. Fingering the beads through the thin cloth. Adrien stood at the end of the catwalk, slightly to stage left, with a microphone in hand as he introduced the designs that would’ve gone unseen had she not convinced Chloe that it was needed for her big day. Why Chloe threw the gala in the first place was beyond her. Style Queen Magazine was discontinued after her mother’s retirement and subsequent move back to New York. Chloe, as far as Marinette could tell, was still somehow living off her fathers coattails. Maybe she inherited the hotels the man once ran. Maybe she would always be a socialite. Though, admittedly, she wasn’t as cruel and spoiled as she’d been in the past.

Just breathe. It’s all gone according to plan so far. No need for her palms to be sweaty or her neck to itch where the miraculous touched it.

Just. Breathe.

“And next up we have a lovely and light dress made for late summers and early autumns complete with-“ the lights went out halfway through his speech. They cut the power, they had to have cut the power because Adrien was now looking her way and moving his lips quickly over and over. Ringing in her ears caused every other sound around her to fade out.

“-Arinette!” Chloe slammed into her side, knocking her out of the way of debris flying from the front of the building. She landed with an oomph, wind knocked out of her. “Are you okay?” She asked as she helped her back to her unsteady feet. She took in gasp after gasp, unsure if she would get enough air back in her lungs to properly speak ever again. Chloe had some very bony arms that she could swear ended up under her ribs at some point during the fall.

“I’m-“ she inhaled once again only to cough as dust filled her mouth. “I’ll be fine I-“ another coughing fit. “Just out of breath.”

“Girl let’s get you out of here.” Chloe had her hand on Marinette's shoulder but didn’t react in time when the raven haired design student was yanked out of her grasp.

“I’ll take the purrincess to safety. You have bigger problems.” The voice rumbled from her captors chest, vibrating through her as a bell bounced lightly against the back of her head.

“Chat?” The girls asked as one.

“Agreste flew the coop already.” He was still just speaking to Chloe. Marinette’s chest twisted a bit. What an odd feeling.

“Adrien?” Marinette’s voice squeaked out. She blamed the dust still lingering in the air. Chat didn’t answer the question. Instead he scooped her onto his shoulder and extended his staff. Sending them through a massive hole created by the tiger miraculous. Marinette clung onto him like a life raft. In that moment he was. If he dropped her she was dead so clinging on for dear life was her only option.

“Stay here.” He finally spoke to her. Finally! All it took was a wild miraculous wielders attack for things to seem normal after a foggy night that ended in her calling him her boyfriend. She’s apologized hasn't she? Why did it still feel weird? Why did it feel normal now when their lives were at risk.

“Okay.” She managed to squeak out. Chat flashed her a small smile, his face coming close to hers only to pull away again. Something rested on her head now, when she pulled it down her eyes widened at the sight of the horse miraculous. Kaalki hovered behind him giving her a shrug. Huh. She hadn’t noticed Kaalki before.

“Stay safe.” He pushed off the roof he’d left her on, one with an easy entrance to the building below, and soon she couldn’t see him anymore.

“I- wha- do you- did he…?” She stammered out, unsure how to process the fact that Chat had given her back the miraculous without realizing it. She would laugh, if half of Paris wasn’t in danger at the moment.

“Tikki, Baark, unify!” It was time to get a fox tail pendant. Not time to think of a Cat with seriously bad timing. She casted Kaalki an apologetic look as she slid the glasses into her yoyo. Inter-dimensional pocket edition.

Ladybug, Ladybark? Lady… Tramp? Lady… hound. Yeah. Ladyhound landed on the center of the cat walk, eyeing Chat who had his back against the wall as the overly dressed (and very overly accessorized) woman swiped at him with a clawed hand. No getting the tiger back just yet. She grabbed the ball from around her neck and tossed it lightly in one hand. Waiting for the opportunity to get a clear shot at the necklace she wanted back more than anything. She took aim, threw the ball, and gasped in shock as it bounced off the bee comb in the woman’s hair. She’d ducked. Chat had swung at her to try to gain more space and she had ducked to avoid his hit. The ball was back. She had to drop Baark before the woman noticed but she couldn’t detransform. Maybe she could throw it again? Chat could do cataclysm twice and Hawkmoth had used his miraculous abilities seemingly infinite times so-

A sharp pain cut through her head. A sign that she was already overusing her ability. No she couldn’t use Baark again. Not while they were unified. She would wait until they’d chased her off and get back the bee.

Well.

At least Chloe was on their side now.

Queen Bee it is. Sorry Rena Rouge.

“Lucky Charm!” She called out, catching the woman’s attention as a large box fell into her arms. She opened it to reveal a telescope. “What-?” Nothing came to mind. Why a telescope? Since when were her charms so cryptic? She had to be out of practice. That was all. Yeah. She looked back up, smirking at the woman like she’d already won as her mind raced for answers to the riddle. She could tell the woman was worried about what she would do with the box if given a chance. Her eyes had widened at the sight and she’d freed herself from the battle with Chat.

It was a race to the giant hole in the ceiling. A race the heroes didn’t win as they watched her bound away so quickly they wouldn’t have caught up with her if they tried. Ladyhound winced as another pain shot through her head. It temporarily distracted her from her partner's words. Blinking at him, she only managed to catch half of his rant.

“- then you what? Just let her run off? Great plan bug. Next you’ll say let’s hand over our miraculous as if she’s not powerful enough already.” Chat was red faced. He was mad. Very mad. Mad enough that if the mystery Hawkmoth 2.0 wanted they could akumatize him in that very moment. She stared at him as he screamed, then when he ran out of words she simply held her hand out. Palm up. Between them.

“Fetch.” The bee miraculous appeared in her palm. His eyes reflected it for only a moment before she squeezed her fingers over it. “Miraculous Ladybug.” She didn’t call the words out with half the energy she usually used. Tossing the box half heartedly, she didn’t wait for the ladybugs to fill the hole. She whipped her yoyo through it and soon followed behind it. Feeling her heavy heart gain more weight as the hole sealed itself behind her.

She landed on the rooftop and detransformed. Her fists shook as she shoved the spare miraculous into her purse and begged the kwamis to be silent. Tears stung her eyes but she wiped them away. Why would she care what he thought of her? After all it wasn’t like she planned on living with him forever so it wasn’t like it mattered that he hated her. People hated coworkers all the time and still got the job done.

A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away angrily. Her lips quivered but she wouldn’t allow a sob to rock through her body. Marinette stood firm, on the roof, where he left her. Refusing to allow her best friend's actions to break her heart. No. Not breaking her heart, but it did hurt. Oh how it hurt. Her fists clenched and relaxed over and over. She let out a soft sigh. He hurt her feelings. That was all. Friends often did that. They would make up, eventually.

By the time he landed behind her she’d composed herself. Giving him a smile that held no hint of the pain she’d gone through.

“H-how’d it go?” She asked. He pulled her into a tight hug, his tail wrapping around her legs as he rested his head against the top of hers.

“You can’t imagine how worried I was when that beam flew out at you. You can’t just stand there in that situation!” His words were scolding but his tone was soft and feathery. He was scared of hurting her, Marinette’s, feelings. Too bad he didn’t care about Ladybugs feelings anymore. That was her fault.

She hugged him back just as tightly as a sob caused her shoulders to shake. Now she cries. Of course. He held her, as she clung onto him and sobbed sloppily. His arms never wavering and his lips murmuring soothing words into her hair. He thought she was scared that she’d almost died and it suddenly hit her. That wasn’t true. She hadn’t died. No reason to cry over that. She was breaking down because she’d lost something more precious than her own life. She’d already lost Chat, her Chat who would happily battle along with her against akumas and amoks. They would never be the same again.

And she’d done that. She’d broken what should have been unbreakable. It was all her fault.

“Come on.” He murmured, scooping her up in his arms. “Come on you need some rest.” He extended his baton and sent them careening into the air. She held onto him, not wanting to fall in more ways than one but feeling the earth tilting towards her anyway.

Home. Well, not exactly. The chateau. Yeah. Chats home. A place where she had a room now bearing a small sign on its door with tiny mice at the bottom and her name scrawled in cursive in the middle. The cursive named sign was hers from when she wanted to move in with Alya. The teeny tiny mice Chat added on one by one as time went by. It was solice in a way. But she’d never imagined having someone step into the odd bubble she’d put up about the place.

“Come on Maricakes.” Chloe’s voice echoed through the speaker. “Your new phone says your in this building and the guy at the desk says your on the top floor.” Marinette swallowed. Of course it was a bad idea to share locations with Chloe. The blonde hadn’t turned it off and now had a tracker on her. “He says the elevator won’t take me all the way and you have to come down to let me up.”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Marinette eyed Pollen as the kwami floated a bit closer. Her eyes darting from it to her purse. She nibbled at her bottom lip, grabbing the purse and lifting the bee comb out of it. She sighed as she slid it back inside. Chat was not in so it was safe right? Her mystery roommate would remain a mystery. She pulled her phone out on the way to the door, cringing a bit at the green and black hearts he’d put around his name as she typed the message to him.

My locations been found. Don’t worry. It’s a friend. Just don’t come back home until I text you again.

His response was nearly instant.

Alya?

She sighed. If only it were Alya the woman would stop worrying about her.

No. Another friend. Talk to you later.

She turned off the phone and placed it in her purse as she hit the button for the ground floor. A long yet short ride down later and she stood before Chloe who looked both impressed and angry at the same time. The blonde pulled her into a quick hug, kissing each of her cheeks before pulling away.

“Who on earth did you move in with to live here?” She asked.

“I- oh I d-don’t! Marinette stammered out. “I was just house sitting. For a friend!” She turned the blonde away from the elevator and towards the front doors of the building. She couldn’t let Chloe upstairs. Not now. Why did she say that when evidence of her residence was everywhere in the apartment now. He had nearly forced her to spread her things out over the last month that she’d been guarding not one but four miraculous’. It almost felt like he was trying to convince her to stay. It was a strange feeling to think he wanted to keep her around. But it had been months, nearly a year, and now this strange aura was always in the air whenever they were physically in the apartment together. Maybe going out with Chloe would be a good thing.

“I’m kinda hungry. Feel like sushi?” She asked quickly, attempting to take the other woman’s mind off the chateau. Chloe perked up at the thought of an early dinner. Hooking her arm in Marinette’s, she practically slipped to her car.

“You won’t believe the sushi at daddy’s new restaurant.” Chloe slid into the back seat of her car and patted the spot beside her. Marinette shared a smile with her driver before moving to slide into the seat. A flash of black caught her eye and she found herself staring at the building across from them. Chat crouched on the roof with his baton out and open. Tingles down the back of her neck told her he was using the telescopic lense on its camera. She gulped. Okay. So maybe he was just wanting to be sure she was okay. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe he was just checking the message she sent him last. Just because instinct told her something didn’t mean it was true.

Her phone dinged. It was him.

Can I come home now? Plagg wants his stash and I’m out at the other place.

See. Stupid instincts. She turned slightly to glance out the window as she texted him back.

Coast is clear. Give him my love.

Once again it was nearly instant.

Nah. Your love is mine.

She smirked but withheld her chuckle. There was the Chat that she knew before the awkward drunken night.

Kisses.

She sent the message without thinking and tucked her phone back into her purse. It was something she would send friends all the time. She’d sent it to Chloe. She’d sent it to Alya so much it became their normal goodbye. If she didn’t send it the reporter worried. She sat back against the soft leather and closed her eyes as the vibrations of the car rolling over cobblestone streets rolled through her. Beside her, Chloe chatted away on the phone with her father. Talking her up to the man instead of trying to force him to do something unpleasant to her. It was strange, but good. Yeah. Everything was kinda working out. She felt her smile widen at the thought. She would be okay.

Chat stared at the batons screen. Already in the apartment for well over ten minutes now and still in his suit much to the kwami’s future annoyance.

Kisses

She’d sent kisses when he kinda sorta confessed to her.

Kisses

Like someone would send to a loved one. His flesh warmed at the thought. He held a hand over his mouth, not noticing the ring's rapid beeping even if it was right up on his face. Suddenly he was reminded of how it felt to be forcibly detransformed and he didn’t like it. Without his baton he couldn’t see her message. Her kisses.

“Plagg!” He demanded as he jumped for the mask at his bedside table. “What the hell!? I didn’t even use-“

“The whole reason we came was so I could eat. If it hadn’t been for you getting her text when we were sooo close I would’ve been in the sweet warm gooey embrace of my delicious cheeses already!” Plagg snapped back at him. Adrien snapped his mouth shut. Plagg was right. He’d let himself get distracted yet again. It was bad enough that he had to sometimes physically stop himself from pulling Marinette to himself and showering her with them but now she’d sent him some.

Kisses.

What he wouldn’t give to know without a shadow of a doubt what she meant by that one single word. He fell onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. Plagg had flown out to the kitchen long ago but he knew he would be back. Until then he could fantasize about taking her into his arms and-

No. No he couldn’t. Not until she actually knew him. Not Chat Noir or Adrien but both Chat Noir and Adrien as one person. He would have to reveal himself to her, in more ways than one. He wondered how she would react. Positively he hoped. After all he was her old crush from school and maybe he could rekindle that. Or at least make her view him as something more than an estranged friend now. He was surprised at how much it hurt knowing that he would have already had her at his side. He could have been with her for years now and filled his home full of her warmth so much sooner. If only Ladybug hadn’t been his infatuation back then.

He rolled off the bed, grabbing the small stamp from his bedside table as he softly stepped down the hall in socked feet. Another small mouse, this one added just above the second hump of the M at the start of her name. It looked like it would slide down it at any time. He smiled. It was nice. He’d left his mark on her just as she had on him. With that thought in mind he turned to toy with the soft crushed velvet coat on her mannequin in the living room. Sure it was for Félix’s outfit, but he could imagine the deep blue jacket was something she wanted him to wear. He did, for a moment, toy with the idea of slipping it on. But it was actually pinned to the form and he didn’t want to disturb her work.

“So what are you planning while she’s gone?” He turned at the sound of Plaggs voice, ready to answer the kwami with a soft unsure noise. He balked when he saw the small white and brown horse floating beside him nibbling on a leaf of lettuce.

“I suppose I should just stay near the glasses.” Kaalki answered as they turned to him. “Hello Chat Noir.” She hadn’t taken them with her? But- but why? A miraculous would protect her. Sure it wasn’t the mouse but really Ladybug told her she wouldn’t have access to it again after the first time. He frowned.

“When is she getting back?” He asked, hoping she would’ve told her kwami her schedule at least if she was leaving it at home. Well, she wasn’t used to it. She only ever had the mouse miraculous for a short moment in one day so maybe she wasn’t attached to the kwamis like he was. Like Ladybug was.

“Her exit was quite sudden. I’m not particularly sure when her return will be.” Kaalki answered simply. So Chloe had barged in unannounced and Marinette hadn’t given away the location willingly. So like the blonde.

“Great.” Adrien sighed and turned his attention to the blank tv in front of him. Just great. Chloe could keep her out all night for all he knew. Well… that did give him time to go over reveal ideas. Marinette made it clear that she didn’t want to know who he was so he would have to make it out like it had been an accident. Maybe he could ‘forget’ to apply his mask one morning in a sleep laced stupor. No. No, that wouldn’t work. Plagg could forcibly remove the suit again just in front of her… he glanced at the kwami as he imagined his response. No. Plagg would keep the suit firmly on him if it meant that Marinette suffered from it. He still didn’t like her and Adrien couldn’t figure out why. Marinette was great! Fabulous. She was kind and sweet and clumsy and cute and he didn’t know why the kwami couldn’t see it.

He mulled over how to reveal himself for another hour before he pushed himself off the couch and made his way quietly to his room once more. The bed felt too big as he flopped down in it but he didn’t have long to cling to that feeling before he was dozing off. He’d forgotten to sleep the last couple of days after all so naturally he was exhausted. His eyelids fluttered as his brain began to fog. He could worry about Marinette later. She was safe with Chloe at least. As long as they didn’t get into an argument she wouldn’t be Akumatized, and Chloe was always very protective of her friends. Yeah. Chloe would protect Marinette from anything. That weirdo no longer controlled Kaalki so she wouldn’t be snatched out of nowhere.

And…

And he could take a moment to shut his eyes and finally…

Finally…

He could rest.

………………………………….

“Chat!” She giggled as he nuzzled into her neck. “Stop it that tickles!”

“But I like the sound of your laughter my sweet.” Adrien chuckled into her collarbone as he laced it with small kisses. Her hair spread out across the pillow below her as her eyes stared up into his. Somehow she still insisted on calling him Chat, even here in the small secluded villa.

“You tomcat.” She purred as she ran her fingers through his hair and brought his face down to hers. Their lips touched and it was like a fire had lit between them. The kiss was meltingly teasing. Her teeth grazing his lower lip before she opened up to him. He settled between her legs, holding himself up on his elbows as the kissed deepened. Oh how delightful it was. Her fingers curling into his hair and her breaths coming out short and wanting. He slid his hand down her side to curl it under her knee and pull her leg up and over his hip. Her dress crinkled, the chiffon under the white silk and lace pushed up between them.

She was so beautiful in that dress. That ring.

“Mr. Noir.” She breathed, her words caressing his face on the breeze she created.

“Mrs. Noir.” He purred back. She giggled and he lost himself in it. Latching onto her neck he decided there was no better time to mark her as his, the ring just wouldn’t be obvious enough. He would sign his name in her skin with his kisses and leave her always wanting more of him. Even when in a few years they had kittens of their own he would still shower her with all the adoration she deserved and he knew she would always leave him breathless as she turned it right back on him.

“Marinette.”

“Ch-at-“ her moan was delicious, so he covered her mouth with his in order to savor it. He wanted this to last. Forget Ladybug. Forget Paris. Forget the wannabe imitating his father. He had her here in his arms and he wouldn’t let her leave them ever again.

“Marinette-“ He blinked, staring up at the ceiling which just a moment ago wasn’t there. His skin tingled from the lingering memory and he shut his eyes wanting to be drawn back in. He was asleep. He was dreaming of their old flat in their old life and their old rumbles from-

Rumbles?

Adrien shot upright in the bed, frantically looking around himself in confusion as the world around him shook violently once again.

“KID!” Plagg zoomed into the room to hover around his face. He twisted up his expression and moved away from the kwami in surprise. “THEY MADE AN AKUMA!” Plagg shouted at him.

“Wha-“ a second ago he was in the middle of- with- his face flushed as he realized it had been a dream. And not the kind of dream he needed to have a second before transforming. He could feel cold wetness down his thigh as he scrambled to his feet, attempting to hide what had happened from his small partner. “Come on Plagg!” He called for his transformation and went sprinting through the apartment, looking for her, needing to know she was safe.

She wasn’t there.

“Shit!” He spit the word between a hiss. She was still with Chloe. He opened his baton. Her icon popping up immediately on his gps. He had to make sure she was safe.

Chapter 24: Cuddles

Chapter Text

Marinette slowed her pace behind Chloe. The other woman didn’t even notice her falling behind as she continued to ramble about her upcoming nuptials. Marinette would’ve never believed she would be Chloe’s maid of honor of all things. But she was honored. It made her feel better about what she was about to do. She stopped in her tracks, slipping the bee miraculous from her purse and bending like she’d picked it up.

“Um- C-Chloe!” She called out. The blonde stopped and turned to her, only then did she right herself. “This fell from your bag I think.” She said the lie easily as she held it out to her. Chloe’s eyes widened, flicking from Marinette’s hopefully confused features to the miraculous and back. She gasped, striding back to Marinette and carefully lifting the comb from her fingers.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” She said as tears filled her eyes. Pollen took that moment to zip behind Chloe in order to make her entrance.

“Hello my queen, it has been a while.” Pollen gave Chloe a small bow. Chloe in turn pulled the kwami to her chest, cupping it in her hands in a gentle embrace.

“I- missed- you!” She exclaimed around soft sobs that shook her shoulders. Marinette blinked. Chloe didn’t even care that she was ugly crying in the middle of the mall. She felt a wave of regret washing over her. The blonde socialite had actually missed her Kwami, so badly. It broke Marinette’s heart and she found it hard to keep herself composed.

“Chloe?” She said after she took a moment to twist her features into the confused concern she wanted to convey.

“Oh!” Chloe finally let Pollen go as she turned to Marinette, wiping a tear from her eye and giving her a wide grin. “Do you remember how Ladybug had helpers throughout the years?” She asked, her grin widening.

“Yeah…”

“Do you remember who Queen bee obviously was, besides the best partner.” Marinette saw a bit of the old Chloe in the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she spoke. She didn’t even give her time to respond before continuing. “It was me. Ta da! This is how I transform and one of my closest friends. Pollen, meet my friend Marinette.” She motioned between them and Marinette suppressed a laugh, covering it with a faux fangirl gasp.

“YOU’RE THE QUEEN BEE?” She asked and snapped her hands over her lips a second later as if she hadn’t meant to. Though she knew the blonde had spread it all around in their youth, she would let her have her moment. It was sweet. Adorable even. Marinette really should’ve given her back the miraculous at least once years ago.

“Yeah, but don’t like, idolize me for it.” Chloe’s hand landed gently on Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m still me, okay? I can just kick butt better now.” Pollen grinned at Marinette from behind Chloe. Yeah. This was the right choice.

“Wow! Just, a lot to take in.” Marinette was about to shower her with praise to raise her spirits higher. Chloe’s happiness was kinda contagious. It left her feeling bubbly and she wanted to bring more of it out of the blonde.

She didn’t get a chance to say anything more as the ground beneath them rumbled. Both girls snapped their heads towards the sounds that echoed from the akuma merely a block away from them and clearly visible from the glass ceiling above their heads. They looked at each other, then back up at the glass.

“Shit! Now?” Chloe asked no one as she scanned for a place to transform. An arm crashed through the glass and they both ducked towards a store nearby to avoid it. A roar filled their ears as the Akumas eyes came into view.

“Do you trust me?” Marinette asked Chloe.

“What?”

“Do you trust me?” She asked again.

“Yeah..?” She nodded, a plan already forming in her mind.

“Good, go become a hero girl.” Marinette said before scrambling to her feet and running directly at the large hand. “HEY UGLY WHAT'S YOUR ISSUE!” She shouted up at it as she jumped between its fingers. She heard Chloe’s voice yelling, but not whatever words were in it. The Akuma had turned to her now and she wanted it that way. Queen Bee was about to make her grand appearance after all. Then Ladybug could-

She went sideways suddenly. An arm around her and the air in her lungs staying where she had been at one time. Chat had her in one arm as he used the other to control his baton, sending them up and out of the malls ruined ceiling and into the Paris sky. She didn’t have time to even think about how he got to her so fast from the chateau before her feet were on a rooftop, her back pressed against a chimney, his hands on her cheeks, and a fire behind his eyes that she’d never seen before.

“Chat?” She asked as she reached to cover his hands with her own. Before skin met faux leather, his lips crashed into hers. Wetness landed on her cheeks as his lips moved against hers. A strange tingle ran from where their lips met down her body to the tips of her toes. She dropped her hands to her sides, stunned by this suddenness.

“Never.” His breath blew over her lips as his moved only a hair away. They were on hers again and it felt like he was trying to consume her breath by the lungful. “Never.” He kissed her again, fingers shaking on her cheeks. “Do that.” Once again his lips crashed into her own and she felt hers move against them as well. “Again.” He pulled back from her, taking in a sharp intake of air before resting his forehead against hers. Tears still streamed from his eyes. “I- can’t- lose- you.” He whimpered as his emerald hues were hidden behind his deep black mask.

“No!” She pushed on his chest until he stepped back from her. “Chat you- we can’t- we aren’t-“ she struggled with the right words to say as his eyes popped open and widened with each word. Hurt painted his face a pale image of the hero. “Chat you’re my best friend and I can’t- you can’t- we can’t-“

“Can I cut in?” Marinette couldn’t explain how quickly relief washed over her as she looked past him to see Queen Bee eyeing them suspiciously. “I need to take this stray cat over to a big ugly to sic him on it.” The heroine flashed Marinette a playful smile and she felt her tense shoulders relax.

“You?” Chat asked, his brows furrowing.

“Ladybug obviously gave me back my right.” Queen Bee flipped her ponytail as she haughtily retorted. “Ridiculous how long she took but whatever I’m here now.” She sashayed over to them and pushed chat easily away from Marinette. “This one is my charge. You have to go beat big brown and ugly to a pulp.”

“No.” Chats fists clenched as he stared her down. “Marinette is-“

“My maid of honor. So I should be the one protecting her.” Queen Bee wrapped one arm around Marinette’s shoulders as she spoke proudly. “What’s she to you kitty cat? Looked like you were trying to make her your lunch.”

“She’s my everything.” Chat said, Marinette felt heat wash over her cheeks as his eyes met hers. She winced when she saw the fire had left to be replaced by a deep ocean of pain and… guilt? He looked away from her then, turning to look out at the akuma still raging. “LB still late as usual.” He grumbled as he extended his staff enough to prop it on the roof. “Get her somewhere safe then meet up. Let’s hope the bug remembers to lucky charm so the city doesn’t blame me for this mess.” With that he was gone, bounding through the air towards the fray. Queen Bee let out a low whistle.

“That boy has some serious issues with short, mysterious, and spotted huh?” She asked, tilting her head to look at Marinette.

Marinette smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, happy to see that she’d made it out of the mall both safe and in her suit. Queen Bee hesitated before returning the hug and squeezing her tightly for only a moment. When she pulled away her face was firm. Eyes narrowed as they scanned the horizon.

“Okay so. It’s been a while for me and I kinda have to get the hang of this again.” Queen Bee began. Marinette noticed her suit now sported fur like white rings around her wrists and neck. It really pulled the look together. “I’ll lower you down with my top and you book it away from the battle. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” Marinette chuckled as she took a step back. “Good luck Chloe! Er- Queen Bee! I’m your biggest fan!” Queen Bee practically glowed as Marinette cheerily exclaimed. She did just as she said with a nervous chuckle, lowering Marinette to the ground and pointing strictly where she wanted her to run. Marinette saluted her and didn’t wait for her to leave before booking it down the street away from the battle and towards a subway station nearby.

“Always getting in a hair ahead of me.” Ladybug landed on a chimney above Chat Noir as he was slammed into the shingles. She glanced up at the gold and black heroine and gave a small smirk. “And I see our dear Bee found her little present.” Queen Bee saw her then, squealed, and rushed to her side.

“Hiya Ladybug~” she wondered if the hair flip was Chloe reliving her childhood, or just a quirk that came with Pollen. Either way it was definitely going to become a signature pose of the Bee heroine.

“Good to see you, Queen Bee. It’s been too long.”

“Yeah. It has.” Chat pushed himself up and into a crouching position. Ladybug frowned. Chat would come to be known less for his puns and more for his absolute disdain for her.

“What do we know so far?” She chose to speak to Queen Bee rather than him. She had some feelings that did not need to come out at that moment and even looking at him caused her stomach to turn flips.

“It’s basically like mud but harder and my god if it isn’t ugly.” Ladybug felt her lip quirk up at Queen Bees words. She was paying attention to Marinette when she acted as a distraction. Otherwise she wouldn’t be using that specific word so many times.

“Okay… and the akumatized item?” She asked, pulling out her yoyo to get a better view on the akuma currently headed towards the Eiffel Tower.

“Uhhhhhh….” She snapped the yoyo shut as Queen Bee drug out the sound.

“I guess I’m right on time then.” She said, casting a quick glare at Chat and forcing herself to look away from his scrunched features to lock eyes with Queen Bee. “Lucky charm!” She threw her yoyo up and caught a large firehose. Well. That was an easy one. “Okay Bee with me. Chat-“ she paused as his eyes met hers. “Be ready to do your thing.” His nose twitched into a slight snarl.

“Whatever.” He stood and walked to the edge of the roof only to take a step off. She knew he extended his baton downward to slow his fall, but still. Her heart was in her throat before her brain had time to catch up.

Oh… Chat Noir….

She slapped a hand against her forehead before motioning for Queen Bee to follow her. Then they were off towards the Eiffel Tower and the akuma. It was simple. The charm was a hose and the akuma was a mud monster. Bee immobilized it and Ladybug hosed away the outermost shell. Left behind in the puddle formed by the still flowing water, a fisherman in a sickly green set of waders scratched his head while Bee crushed his fly fishing pole at the handle. Ladybug cured the akuma and tossed the charm. The magic spread over Paris and the girls bumped fists in victory.

Chat landed moments after, ignoring them and bringing the pole to the man. He got into a conversation with him, leading the fisherman towards the river as they chatted about fish and bait. She almost wanted to stay. They clearly had so much to talk about. But his eyes were nothing but cold steel when they found her and he soon turned away. She felt a sign escape her lips as she hooked her yoyo on a nearby light pole and used its momentum to send herself flying through the air.

The talk would have to wait. Until he was ready. Until she was ready. She didn’t think she would ever be ready to talk about what happened on the roof with Bee, but she had to explain something to him. Something important. When Chat was ready she would tell him just why she hung up her mask the night he was shot in front of her.

Five days went by with no Chat Noir in the apartment. Marinette paced the first day, sure he would show up to check on her. The second day she mentally berated herself for thinking like that. By the third she had settled into just the rooms beyond the door with her mouse covered name sign. The Kwamis would peek through the walls ever so often to look for Chat or Plagg but neither were seen. Marinette supposed she’d hurt him as both versions of herself by that point. Her laptop lay across the foot of her bed, tab after tab of rental flats open and waiting for her to scroll through. She couldn’t exactly stay with him forever. She knew that but it still left a weight in her stomach as she slowly clicked through her options.

Her parents would take her back in, if all else failed. Her dad had already insisted she come back home after she’d accidentally broken the pipe to her sink in her own apartment. He had come by with a toolkit ready and willing to help only to constantly say she would be better off at home so he didn’t have to take the bus twenty minutes both ways to help her. She didn’t want to ask them to do that, already too used to living on her own. Well, basically on her own since her roommate no longer showed his face. She sighed as she drug herself off the bed to sit at the desk instead. The place was quiet, no faint footsteps or sounds from a tv in another room. She pushed down the feeling in her chest as tears pricked at her eyes once again.

“Oh, Chat.” She groaned to herself as she placed her head in her hands. Why wouldn’t he just come home? She eyed the shiny new phone that had only been hers for about two weeks, wondering if he would come back home if she texted him. Time ticked by slowly while she stared at the device. Her fingers tapped away at the desk top, not making a beat like Luka would but just letting her anxiety flow through them.

“Marinette?” Tikki hovered by her face, concern floating in her eyes as she studied the design student. Marinette turned to her with a weak smile and pushed away from the desk.

“I should just get some sleep.” She said as she rubbed her eye gently. “He isn’t coming today either anyway.” Tikki frowned as she watched her climb into the bed and pull the blanket over her head. Marinette settled in, only to adjust herself and roll to face the wall. After just a moment she faced the room yet again. Tossing and turning had become a commonplace situation for her. Worry and stress settled into her bones like someone setting into their own bed. No one ever thought of how the bed would feel about this though. Marinette was sick to her stomach with fear and guilt and nursing a headache caused by her constantly thinking of ways to just end the newest reign of terror.

Eventually she settled down and her breaths slowed to a nice even gait. Marinette cuddled closer to her pillow as she slipped off into sleep without another word to the kwamis hiding around her room. Night came soon after, the darkness settling into her room slowly but surely as the sounds from the city below became softer and softer until they were simply too faint to hear.

………………….

The wind from up on the tower was nearly deafening. She could feel it whipping her hair about her face hard enough to leave pink streaks on her cheeks. She could feel the cold through her suit as she watched the soft flakes of snow drift down, immune to the gusts' fury. She shivered as she saw one drift past her nose. She hadn’t really been on the tower without her transformation before. Normally she would giggle with Alya about tourists who wanted to climb up because Parisians knew how chilly it could be. So, she was having a bit of trouble trying to figure out why she was up there now. No suit, Tikki was even missing.

She opened her mouth to speak but the wind whipped her voice away. Her body quaked against it and she took a step back into a warm firm thing. She sighed in relief, hiding against the object as she looked around herself once again. That’s when she noticed it.

Paris was under water.

And that wasn’t snowflakes drifting past her.

The shiver that ran through her wasn’t the cold. Fear turned her blood to ice as she took in the sights once again. The water below remained clear enough for her to see the statue like piles of ash surrounding the streets. People, her people, gone and preserved precariously below. She gulped as the warmth at her back shifted. Two clawed hands landing on either shoulder. Her head turned slowly without her willing it to. Ever so slowly she took in the white hand to her left, leading up to the white shoulder and tufts of white hair. Icy blue eyes met hers and her heart stopped.

Chat Blanc.

“Here we are, Ladybug.” When her head finished it’s journey his hands gripped her tighter and twisted her body around until he was all she could see, “Me and you. How it should've been.”

“No!” She shouted as she scrambled away from him. Not that she had anywhere to go without her suit. She didn’t feel her earrings and still hadn’t seen Tikki anywhere. She clung onto the edge of the railing, inches away from jumping into the water hundreds of feet below.

“Oh come now Ladybug. You running from me is no fun.” He insisted as he drew near. Her brain scrambled to find a solution. The akuma was in his bell when they were children but he didn’t have a bell, or belt, or baton. Cold fear seized her heart as she realized she’d already broken them all. He tapped his heart when her eyes roamed up to his face, a sly smile spreading over his lips. “Really… you never listen do you, Ladybug?” He practically purred the words as he drew closer to her.

“Chat we don’t have to do this.” She insisted as she leaned away from him. The railing groaned under her weight, threatening to break.

“You broke my heart Ladybug, I am only repaying the favor.” His hand began to glow as he held it up towards her. “All you ever do is leave. The hospital, the country, the chateau. You make me feel like I can finally be happy then you leave me. You even toyed with me pretending to be just Marinette so I would hurt more!” His accusations cut deep into her mind, all the truths spun into hateful acts that she hadn’t meant to harm him.

“No, Chat, i didn’t- I wasn’t trying to hurt you!” She insisted as he settled his aim on her. Her body moved on it’s own, ducking under the light and running across the tower to pull him to herself. She buried herself in his chest, tears soaking through his suit and her cheeks causing them to sting from the friction. “Chat I love you, you’re my nearest and dearest friend.” She held him tighter as she tried to force him to understand. “I don’t want to leave you, I want to stay but I can’t! I am just hurting you more and more the longer I’m with you and now look! You hate me for what I’ve done and I can’t blame you. I hate me too! I’m so sorry, Chat.”

“Oh, Marinette.” For a second the coldness in his voice softened as he raised her head up to look at him. Blue eyes narrowed at her as his smile formed into a scowl. “You never loved me.”

“I have! I- I do!” She insisted as she brought her hands around to cup his face between them. “Chat, I know you’re still in there! I need you to come back to me.”

“I never left you.” He cupped her hands with his own as he said the words. She saw his fingers curl through hers as he gritted his teeth. “You left me.”

“I’m sorry, Chat.” she bit down hard on her bottom lip after the shaky words left them. His eyes widened slightly as she whispered softly “I am so sorry.” His grip grew lighter as she leaned up on her toes, pulling him down at the same time so her lips could graze his gently. He blinked as she pulled away from him, green swirling through his cold blue eyes for a moment before being over run by their iciness once again. She pulled her brows together and pulled him to her once again.

Chat slid into the apartment and immediately tensed up. Marinette’s soft moans drifted through the air to cut into his ears like a knife. He slipped down the hallway and slowly opened her bedroom door. She was tossing and turning in the bed, her foot coming uncomfortably close to knocking her laptop onto the ground. He rushed forward and caught the computer as it slid closer to the edge of the bed. He frowned as he noticed tab after tab open showing off places for rent around Paris. With just a few clicks he had the offending pages gone for the moment. She still wanted to move away from him, maybe if he showed her who he was then she wouldn’t be so willing to leave.

“Chat.” He froze at the sound of his name. One quick glance had his shoulders relaxing when he noticed her sweet sleeping face. “I am so sorry.” She mumbled out, her face scrunched as if she were in pain. He crept over to the side of the bed, placing the laptop on her desk before turning and slipping under the blankets. He pulled her to him and she snuggled in immediately, murmuring constant apologies as she clung onto his chest. He petted along her back slowly and gently, being sure to massage her shoulder blades when he noticed how tight the muscles were there.

“Chat.” He turned to her when she called his name and found himself between her hands. She pulled him to her, still sleeping, and pressed her lips against his own. His heart skipped a beat as she held him there before pulling away. He lay there, lips slightly parted in shock, as her eyes fluttered open. “It worked.” She smiled brightly, leaning up to kiss him once again. When she pulled away the last time she blinked, and blinked again. Her eyes became bluebell saucers on her face as she looked between his eyes and his lips over and over, a pink hue slowly crawling across her cheeks with each glance.

“If I knew you missed me that much I would’ve come home sooner.” He smiled around his joke. Her face was no longer pink. A deep shade of red spread from her ears to her neck as she shoved away from him. He chuckled as she sprang up into a sitting position with her face in her hands.

“I’m so sorry.” She groaned into her fingers. He chuckled and sat up to pull her against his side.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not complaining.” He assured her. She groaned loudly once again as her head butted against his shoulder.

“You’re my best friend. I don’t want to lose that.” She shook her head against her hands as she mumbled.

“What about Alya?” He asked as one brow raised.

“Alya is my twin flame. There’s no comparison.” He saw her shoulders slightly slouch as she answered him, good she wasn’t as stressed anymore. “How often do you..?” She began only to let her question fade into nothing.

“You have nightmares a lot.” He said, squeezing her gently with his arm. “I couldn’t just let you toss and turn all night so I usually pet your head until you calm down.” Her brows pulled together as her hands fell to rest on her lap. He found it adorable when her bottom lip jutted out slightly. “I gotta say that was the first time you felt the need to reward me though.” He chuckled gently as she shot him a cute glare and shoved against him with her shoulder.

“It’s embarrassing enough.” She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. A small huff followed as she rested her hands on her shoulders near her neck. Her eyes cut to him as they fell to her lap once again. “Now that you’re here…” she saw his head tilt as she struggled for the right words. “The other day… on the roof, when you-“

“Kissed you.” He finished for her. “It was forward of me. I’m sorry.” Her shoulders relaxed as he apologized. Though they tensed once again when he continued. “I had assumed that we were- after the night in the hotel and you, um, I guess somewhere in my mind I thought it would be okay to think of us as more than just roommates.”

“We can’t.” Marinette felt her throat tighten as she said the words. “Maybe if a new villain hadn’t appeared and maybe if we didn’t have so many secrets. Maybe if I didn’t- then-“ she didn’t know why but her throat and chest seized at the same moment. The look in his eyes as she tried to make him understand how important it was they remain distant for his good as well as her own. It hurt to see the way the light left his gaze. It hurt more when his head hung slightly in defeat.

“Maybe if you didn’t already have someone, right?” He asked as his mind went to Kim. He’d had a few moments in the past where he toyed with the idea of the much larger man swooping in and sweeping her off her feet after they’d finally met again. But it stung to think it was true.

“What?” Her question had his head shooting up so fast he was sure he had whiplash. “I don’t have a- who would I even..?” She looked flustered as she struggled to form her question.

“The Arcade owner. I’ve seen you two together a bit and you look close.” He clenched his fist on his knee as he spoke.

“Kim?” She snorted shortly after nearly laughing his name. “No! I mean he’s a great guy but no we aren’t dating. He’s just a really good friend. I’ve known him since basically preschool.” She covered her mouth to attempt to hold back another snort. “Just the thought of- no. No Chat, Kim isn’t my boyfriend.” He stared at the side of her face, dumbfounded. He’d talked himself into believing a horrible outcome but she’d just waved away all his concerns without batting an eye.

“Good.” The word was out before he could stop it. Her eyes were on him now, wide and questioning. “It’s good that he’s not- because he wouldn’t be able to come get you from home and now that you have the horse miraculous it’s really dangerous to date a civilian.”

“Who says I will use Kaalki? I planned on giving them back to you.” She flicked his bell as a small smile spread across her lips only for it to fade a second later. “Actually… Chat why would you give me the glasses anyway? I mean- how do you know I won’t go mad with power like Hawkmoth! Like-“

“Because you aren’t like that.” He cut her off, turning to place his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to face him. “I know what kind of person you are and I know you won’t fall victim to the power it offers.” He gave her a small smile and tilted his head a bit. “You’re you Marinette, that’s why I gave Kaalki to you. Because you are someone I can trust more than anyone else.”

“How are you so sure?” She asked in a small voice. He moved one hand from her shoulder to cup her face as a small smile played on his lips.

“Because I-“ he stopped short of saying he loved her. He did, he thought he did. He fantasized about her ever since the night in the hotel, maybe even before then. She invaded his dreams and made waking up harder and harder for him to do. But saying it to her would cause her to pull away more than she already had. “Because I know you a lot better than you think I do. I trust you because I know I can.” He said after licking his lips. “Now, no more of that. What were you dreaming about when I got home? Sounded terrifying”

“It was-“ her face went white for a brief moment before she turned away leaving his hand hovering in the air- “nothing.” She inhaled sharply before looking back at him with an uncomfortable smile. “You know, I can’t remember it now that you ask.” She added with a nervous chuckle. He noticed all this and had to resist the urge to frown.

“Do you… want some coffee?” He asked, sliding out of the warmth of her blankets before he could attempt to force the answer out of her.

“How about some doughnuts to go with it? I got a box from papa today on the way back from school.” He paused at the door, making a mental note of the fact that she hadn’t said home like she normally would.

“Sure. Sounds great.”

Chapter 25: Fluffy Kitty

Chapter Text

The bell chimed above the door, a cool breeze drifted through the brightly lit room. The smell of fresh bread and pastries swirled throughout the space, filling the already warm atmosphere with even more warmth. Behind the counter, a small Chinese woman smiled brightly as she took the customers orders. At her back sat a half open door. Beyond that a kitchen filled with ovens and, at that moment, covered in flour.

“I’m so sorry Papa.” Marinette groaned as she hid her face behind her hands. The large man laughed as he handed her a dustpan and broom.

“It’s been far too long since this kitchen had to face the wrath of Madame clumsy.” Tom Dupain chuckled once more as his daughter's face turned the color of a strawberry. She’d stopped in to see them only to discover they were fully into their afternoon rush. Being the good daughter she was, she’d offered to help. One rolling pin and a sack of flour later and they were further behind than before.

She hung her head as she swept the white powder into a pile, her cheeks still tinged with pink and her eyes staying locked firmly on her task. Tom patted her shoulder as he reached for another sack of flour from the cabinet above her head.

“Papa… I’m not a little kid anymore.” She huffed as she waved his hand away. He chuckled once more, giving her shoulder a warm pat as he did so.

“You’ll always be my little kid Marinette. My little honey bun.”

“Papa…” her word came out around a tired sigh. “I’m too old for nicknames like that now. I’m an adult for Pete’s sake!”

“Tom, we’re out of chocolate eclairs.” Sabine peeked in to see the scene in the once spotless kitchen and her face went as white as the flour before a smile spread across it. “Well, isn’t this homey.” She cooed.

“Mamon!” Marinette slammed the dustpan against the trash can as she dumped her first batch.

“Just saying it’s nice to see you around sweetie.” Sabine shut the door before Marinette could respond, leaving her red faced once again as she turned back to her task at hand.

“Papa,” she said after a long moment of silence, “I’m sorry I don’t come around enough anymore. I-“

“You have school to attend to and a life of your own to worry about.” Tom interrupted her before she could continue her apology. “Honey bun your mom and I understand you can’t be here every moment of every day. Like you said, you’re an adult.” He turned to the dough he had set aside for kneading and gave her a small shrug.

“Still…” she chewed her bottom lip as she thought over what she wanted to say. “I should come by more than once or twice a month. I’m just having trouble finding the time between school and Cha- Chloe.”

“Chloe? Is she…” Tom began, letting his words fade as his hands made vague motions between them.

“Chloe is very… different than she used to be.” Marinette cut in with a soft smile. “She’s great now. Really. She’s…” she picked up a macaroon from a tray and held it up to stand in for the blonde. “Sweet.” He looked at her for a moment in disbelief before the egg timer by the stove let out a shrill shriek. They both leapt at the oven door, gripping the handle together and pulling it open as they giggled at their synchronicity.

They were still giggling when the door opened and Sabine popped her head in once again. She smiled for a moment at the scene before clearing her throat to make her presence known.

“Marinette, can you come help take orders for a bit? The line is getting a bit much.” She called out to them.

“Sure thing Mamon.” Marinette cheerily replied, slipping out of her flour covered apron and hanging it on a waiting hook. She followed her mother out, leaving her father to clean up the mess of a kitchen. The front of the bakery felt stuffy with the amount of bodies crowded into the small space. Marinette put on her best professional smile as she stepped up to the counter and began filling the orders as her mother took them.

The day passed them by like that, Marinette helping her mom in the front while her dad ran the kitchen. She felt herself falling back into teenaged habit, sneaking a cookie here and a macaroon there to both herself and her kwami when her parents were too distracted to notice. A few regulars she hadn’t seen in a long time commented on her new choice of style, they were nice, a few even complimented her about her height or the length of her hair. She felt comfortable like this, some far away nostalgic memory pulled at the back of her mind as the crowd slowly became smaller and smaller until only one or two customers would file in at a time.

The workload slowed enough that by the time the two blondes entered the bakery, Marinette was fighting the urge to nod off. She was propped on the counter, chin resting on her clasped hands, as her heavy eyelids slowly dropped lower and lower. The bell chimed but she hadn’t heard it over the soft music that played through her headphone in her left ear. Her parents were both in the kitchen so her mother wasn’t there to warn her of their entrance.

A camera flash startled her, causing her to jump in her seat and knock over the tip jar by her elbow. She locked eyes with the blonde as they lowered their phone, a warm smile upon their lips and something akin to mischief dancing in their eyes.

“That was gorgeous. Hang on do another pose.”

“What?!” She exclaimed, halfway through scooping coins back into the toppled jar. “No! Why did you even-“

“You looked pretty in the sunlight. And that dreamy look on your face… this is going to be my lock screen.” She blanched at the thought and darted around the counter in hopes of snatching the phone away.

“Chloe!” Marinette insisted as her fingers brushed the phone only for it to be pulled away before they could find purchase. “This isn’t funny!”

“Chloe, just delete it.” Her eyes found Adrien, bundled in a thick grey hoodie and a faded baby blue scarf. He looked at his companion in annoyance as she typed away on the offending phone.

“Absolutely not. Ridiculous.” She huffed before turning to show him the image. Marinette didn’t think her shop was that red that the light from the phone tinged his cheeks a slight pink. She glanced around them and decided it must just be the lighting in the photo instead.

“She is clearly uncomfortable with you having it.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, pushing it up and away from his face.

Huh.

She hadn’t noticed he had his hair down until he did that.

“Whatever it’s on my cloud now.” Chloe gave Marinette another bright smile as she put her phone away. “Lookit you Dupain-Cheng, come here.” She was pulled against the other girls chest, her face pressed awkwardly against her warm mounds. She found herself meeting eyes with Adrien once again as Chloe gave her a tight squeeze. She gave him an awkward smile which he returned and patted Chloe’s back before pulling herself away.

“What would you two like to order?” She asked as she slid behind the counter and subtly straightened out her hair. Adrien gave her a smile she couldn’t translate while Chloe sashayed over to lean across the counter, putting their faces very close together.

“I’m craving honey if you get my drift.” Marinette did.

“I…. Don’t?” She quirked a brow. Really she should try her hand at acting, maybe take theater in school because she played at being an idiot for the blonde far too much. “We have honey butter croissants, or the honey meringue Macaroons. Or-“

“Noooo…” Chloe groaned the word as she grabbed at the sides of her hair. “That’s not what I-“ her eyes cut to Adrien before locking back on Marinette, wide and pleading.

“Chloe has spent all day trying to keep me distracted and now she wants to get rid of me.” Adrien explained with a chuckle.

“It’s not like that at all!” Chloe slipped behind the counter to hook her arm in Marinettes before leaning in close to her ear. “Look this is a kinda big day for him.” She whispered against Marinette's lobe, “I just need someone to make sure he doesn’t ya know…” she pointed to a monarch butterfly outside the window as she let her words fade away. Marinette froze as realization struck. Her eyes darted from the butterfly to the small rotary calendar on the counter.

Oh.

It was the anniversary.

The day she and Chat…

Marinette swallowed and forced on a large smile.

Eight years ago to the day, they’d captured his father. She and Chat, the team that was once unbeatable and now barely tethered together, had taken down Hawkmoth. Her lip twitched as her blood ran cold. Shit.

“I need to get some alone time but he needs a friend.” Chloe was still whispering in her ear. How much had she missed? It didn’t matter. She nodded at the blonde's words.

“Well, my shift has kinda gone on a bit long anyway.” Marinette said after taking a deep breath. “Let me let Mamon and Papa know I’m going and we could…” she locked eyes with Adrien and looked away from the sheer intensity of his stare. “Hang out maybe? Unless you're busy and Chloe already distracted you enough that is.”

“No, I don’t have anything really important going on today. Nothing I’d say is particularly… pressing.” He shrugged and she nodded as she stepped back into the kitchen.

“Just one moment then!” With that the door shut between them, cutting her off from the others and giving her an opportunity to breathe.

Adrien stared straight ahead as they walked over the lock laden bridge. Marinette at his side, was chatting away about a class she had with his cousin of all people. Was she trying to hold him at arms length using Félix as a shield? No. Marinette had no idea that everytime her hand brushed against his arm his heart did a little skip beat dance in his chest. She didn’t know that he noticed everytime her eyes found him even though he couldn’t look down at her for fear of doing something he would regret.

Chloe had been worried the stress of visiting his father would akumatize him. Little did she know he was having a much harder time keeping his hands off her dear Maricakes.

Oh yeah… he still had to visit huh? Gotta keep up that image.

“Marinette.” He interrupted her only to feel his ears warm as she turned her full attention on him. “It’s great that you and Chloe want to help me through today but- I kinda… have a… thing.” She raised a brow and scrunched her nose. Adorable. “I have to go…” he sighed and hung his head to hide his face behind his hair. Even saying the words made him feel sick to his stomach. “I have to… visit my father.” She paused in her steps and he naturally turned to look at her as she did so.

“Is that what Chloe was trying to distract you from?” She asked as she gripped her bag's strap tightly. He felt a smile trying to pull the corners of his lips up. The way she was pouting was just too cute.

“That and, negative emotions ya know.” He scratched at his hair as he gave her an awkward chuckle. “She doesn’t want her childhood friend being akumatized because his dad used to akumatize people. I get it.” Marinette gave him a small worried look before placing her hand against his arm. Warmth washed over him and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist the love sick grin threatening his mouth.

“Do you need me to go with?” She offered in that sweet caring way he knew her for. “I mean if you don’t mind that is, I know that going somewhere that makes you nervous with a friend would be better than going by yourself and-“

“I would love that, but unfortunately they wouldn’t let you past the front gate.” He interrupted her rambling, placing his hand over hers and giving it a gentle pat. “Family and pre-approved visitors only.” He said with a small sigh. She frowned a bit before nodding and giving him a small smile.

“I could grab some dinner and listen to anything you want to vent about after.” She suggested with a shrug. He genuinely smiled then and gave her hand a small squeeze.

“I would like that very much.” She nodded at his words and pulled out her phone. Tugging at his heart when he saw an image of a black cat surrounded by flowers as her Lock Screen. She hadn’t changed it.

“How about Milos?” She suggested the small restaurant before her lips pursed. “Or not… closed for the night. Okay. No problem, we can find somewhere else to eat.” He chuckled and leaned over her shoulder to watch her scroll through a list of restaurants on her phone.

“Why don’t you find a good place while I-“ all his merriment dissipated- “go see my father.” Her own smile faded at his words and she turned back to her phone.

“You… go see him still.” She murmured, still mulling over the fact in her mind. She was so cute when she jutted out her bottom lip.

“Yeah. Once a year at least.” He sighed and tugged at his hair. “Gotta… keep up appearances of the good son I was.” He gave her a small shrug. “But honestly, I don’t know why I still do it. He’s an old man, I guess, he’s had everything taken from him and now everyone is looking at him suspiciously again.”

“Because of the Akumas.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Because of the akumas.” He repeated her words with a tired sigh. “He’s actually innocent this time and- I don’t know. Makes me wonder what would’ve happened if he wasn’t caught.”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir would be battling Mr. Pidgeon seven thousand eighty two?” She suggested with a small smile.

“Or Maledictator number eighty nine.” He chuckled lightly. She slapped his arm as her giggles joined him. Her nose scrunched as her cheeks darkened with her held back laughter.

“Why don’t they seem so scary anymore?” She asked after their merriment died down once again. “I mean as a kid I about wet myself at a giant ice cream scoop and now thinking back they just all seem so silly. Well…” she bit her lip as her brows furrowed in thought. “Maybe not one or two of them.” He pulled his lips to one side as he thought over her words. There wasn’t any he would say were scary thinking back, maybe Stormy Weather 2.0 but she brought on a volcano. Anyone would be terrified.

“Maybe they weren’t actually scary at all, just the meaning behind them.” He said softly as they turned into an alley meant to give them a shortcut to the next street. Here he was, walking Paris with Marinette of all people. Why did they have to talk about something he’d been trying to forget for years, his time alongside Ladybug.

“Maybe.” She shrugged her bags strap back up on her shoulder as it began to slip. “What are you..?” She raised a brow as he opened the door to a flower shop. He gave her a nervous grin and motioned for her to step inside.

“It’s kinda a tradition.” He said as she stepped past him into the chilly shop. “I always bring an arangement with me.” He continued, motioning to the woman who was painstakingly putting together a small bouquet of red roses.

“Red?” She questioned as he passed the woman his card.

“Yeah, to remind him of the hero who took him down.” He smiled grimly as he studied the arrangement. She frowned as she studied the flowers. The woman wasn’t done putting them together yet so they would have to wait a bit. He wondered if it was the wait that was causing her to pout slightly only to feel his brows raising as she reached for a display of deep black roses.

“How could you forget Chat Noir?” She asked, holding the rose between them. “He took him down just as much as Ladybug did. No one gives him proper credit.” She was so loveable as she defended his other self that he couldn’t resist requesting black be added to the arrangement. She then argued for more and more until he held a large bouquet, red to one side and black to the other, tied with a lime green ribbon. She smiled proudly at the display until her eyes met his. Her cheeks darkened as she looked away.

“It may be a bit much.” She mumbled as she toyed with a black petal. He smiled and pulled the flowers to one side in order to be able to lean towards her.

“I’ll just tell him a friend helped pick them out this time.” He said with a smirk.

“Dork.” She chuckled as she pushed his face away. He grinned against her palm.

“Only for you.” He said, feeling her skin dance across his lips as he did. Her cheeks darkened before paling once again as she shook her head.

“No. No Agreste you are just a dork in general. A nerdy dork.” She moved her hand to poke his chest. He smiled as he rubbed the spot and gave her a quick wink.

“Only because a certain friend helped pull me out of my shell.” He said as he retrieved his card from the lady at the counter.

“Ahh yes, Nino.” She giggled as she held the door open for him.

“Nino my one true love.” Adrien went along with her joke, using his free hand to place upon his forehead dramatically. “My heart is still in shreds! How dare that woman take him from me.” She was full on laughing now, and he loved it.

“Hey now! That homewrecker stole my love from me as well ya know. Ahhh Alya my heart beats only for thee.” She fell against his shoulder and he could feel electric tingles where they touched.

“We should make them pay for breaking our hearts.” Adrien said in a mock serious tone.

“Like buying their boys a very loud toy that is motion activated.” She nodded, pushing off of him as she thought over the plan.

“Oh Marinette Dupain-Cheng you are evil.” She turned and stuck her tongue out at him playfully as he put emphasis on the word. A light playful air surrounding them only dimmed by the flowers in his arm. He’d have to leave her eventually, have to go face the man that singlehandedly ruined his childhood. But for now he simply basked in the warmth that she carried with her. Enjoying for the moment, a friendly walk around Paris.

“Hello Sweetie!” Chat grinned ear to ear as the man sitting in the dim visitation room audibly groaned. “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!” He shoved the half red half black boquet at the man formerly known as Hawkmoth. Gabriel Agreste snarled his nose and batted the flowers to the ground as his cold eyes found Chat. The cat themed hero smirked as he slid into the seat across from the man, lacing his fingers together and placing his chin upon them. “Did you miss me?”

“As much as one misses a splinter in their eye.” Gabriel snarled and leaned away as Chat leaned closer to him. “How do you know everytime I have visitation with my son? You have to strut in here and ruin what should be a good day.” Chat smiled brightly through the man’s words, little did he know.

“Your son and I are very close. After all, he wanted to make sure we knew he wasn’t one of your lackeys.” Chat leaned back to cross his legs on top of the table. “Anything else you want to admit this year Hmm Hawky?” He asked as he threw his arms over the back of his chair.

“How’s your bug themed partner?” Chat smirked. Gabriel didn’t have access to the news or anything involving the outside world. Chat had snapped the year she left and let slip she was gone. Gabriel had brought her up every year since hoping to get under his skin.

“She’s better than ever actually. Just patrolled with her the other day and let me tell you she got fiesty.” Gabriel paled. He had one less weapon to use against him. Chat gave him a small salute as the smirk on his face grew larger. “So… like I said Hawky. Anything you want to tell me? Maybe why you even did this in the first place? Ya know, with everything going on- oh wait ya don’t know. Because you tried your hand at being a terrorist and failed.”

“I told you I did it for my wife and son!” Gabriel slammed his fists down on the table, causing Chats boots to bounce with the force of it. The door behind Chat opened and a guard rushed in only to be waved away by the hero. He could handle the man on his own.

“If you really did it for them then you wouldn’t have made your sons life a living nightmare.” He said as he adjusted himself to place his feet on the floor. “Your cohort even said you were given a way out that you refused to take. No way you did this for them. Was it the power? Or did you just like dressing up in fancy magic spandex?”

“I could say the same for you. If it weren’t for the two of you children going around ruining everything then my wife and son would still be with me.” Gabriel growled. Chat rolled his eyes. Same old. Same old. He would proclaim that he did it for Adrien then snarl the same sentiment at Chat without realizing he was just repeating himself.

“Hawky you still sit here unrepentant. I mean come on it’s been so long since you were able to do… anything. Why don’t you try your hand at redemption, hmm?” Chat asked, hoping to urge the man towards their side this time. He was surprised that Ladybug hadn’t thought of visiting the elder Agreste. To catch this Hawkmoth, they would be dumb not to use the old one.

“I will pay for my crimes. Just as the two of you will have to pay for yours.” Memories of his mother’s destroyed cryochamber flashed through his mind. The woman had been in a Coma. Before he cataclysmed the chamber and destroyed the equppment keeping her alive. That day was such a jumble in his mind, a raw nerve he would do anything not to brush against.

“Ya know,” he said, cutting off the memory as quickly as it came, “for some big fashion guy you don’t understand that an ungodly orange jumpsuit isn’t the look.” Gabriel’s eyebrows pulled together as a deep frown creased across his forehead.

“A fitting look considering a fashion less cat and bug are the reason I have to wear this.” He snarled.

“I mean you had to know this was where it was all heading right?” Chat pressed.

“No.”

“No?”

“If I had gained the wish, then this outcome would’ve never been. I could’ve been with my love, my son. The three of us could’ve lived happily in a world without war, without those jewels you still hide behind.” Chats nose twitched. He wouldn’t let his smirk falter even as he stared down the man who just said he would’ve used the wish, a wish he’d become a terrorist over, for what? The good of the world as a whole? Laughable.

“If you would have-“ he swallowed away a lump in his throat- “if you would’ve used that wish then someone else would’ve taken your wife’s place. Your son-“

“She would’ve understood.” Chats world shrunk around him as he locked eyes on Gabriel. The man before him was okay with losing his son, even willing to put him in his mother’s place if it meant getting the woman back. The cold stare he received in return told him that the tearful pleas he had for Adrien were all lies. The man wasn’t his father, hadn’t been his father since he transformed his classmate into some kind of rock monster.

“I think we’re done here.” Chat said, his jolly facade dropping as he stood from his seat. “Enjoy your year of solitude Gabriel.”

“I’d enjoy it more if you didn’t return after.” Gabriel snapped back. Chat didn’t reply. He simply knocked on the door and, when it was opened for him, stepped through. He was grateful for the click of the lock behind him. Hanging his head slightly he made his way to the front of the prison where a guard held a window open for him. Chats special entrance and exit. The memory of childhood crashed through him as he leapt through it and into the chill that the evening air held for him.

Marinette had to be sweeter than the raspberry filled croissants they were shoving in their mouths like they had been starving for a month. That’s what Adrien decided as he watched her skip ahead of him and twirl in the twilight. Warm glows encircled her as she gave him a puffy cheeked grin. He shoveled more of the pastries in his mouth and grinned right back at her.

“Fluffy kitty!” She exclaimed around her food.

“Muffee mufftee!” He shouted right back. She snorted, sending the sweet treats out of her mouth and down into the water below the bridge. They were playing their own version of fuzzy bunny, attempting to say the words fluffy kitty around an outrageous amount of pastries. She was winning, but he didn’t mind. Spending time with her after two consecutive visits with his father in less than an hour felt so much better than going back to casa de Agreste and moping about the man not caring whether his son, whether he lived or died.

“I said it clearly around six.” She stated proudly, placing her hands on her hips with a confident smirk. He took a moment to try to swallow the now very moist and clinging pastries before giving up and spitting them into a nearby waste bin.

“That’s not fair I had like ten in my mouth!” He exclaimed after taking a moment to swallow what was left.

“Eight tops.” She laughed, looking in the bag. “We only bought twenty and I count one, two, three-“ he yanked the bag away defensively and gave her a pout.

“I said what I said.” He huffed as she snorted.

“A dork who can’t lose gracefully. Ahh to be in the mind of the great Dorkasaurous, C Agreste.” She feigned fainting, leaning over the tail of the bridge to do so. He simply smiled at her. If only she knew she was in his mind constantly, all the time, to the point that it was a major distraction in his day to day life.

“I can do everything gracefully. I just haven’t lost yet.” He smirked down at her and watched her quirk a brow. “First of all. Fluffy kitty doesn’t count-“ he ignored the nip against his side that was Plagg biting him through his shirt. “Second of all, something I would never lose in happens to be at my apartment.”

“Oh yeah and what’s that?” She sneered, rolling her eyes when he gave her a sly grin.

“Mecha Strike Six.” She gasped. The game had just come on the market after all. She didn’t need to know he spent three months reserving pre order copies, four pre order copies to be exact. Two for his homes, one for Nino, and one for his secret break room at the office.

“You don’t!” The surprise was evident in her voice.

“I do.” He leaned forward to level his eyes with hers when he said this. She didn’t notice them flicking to the cream still on the edge of her lower lip, did she?

Keep it together. Just friends. Just friends.

“You are so going to eat your words Agreste.” She pushed off the railing to jab a finger into his chest. She couldn’t feel his heart through one finger could she?

“Wanna bet on that?” He asked as he grabbed her hand, holding it there.

“I’ll have you know that the only person who’s ever beaten me in a mecha strike game only won because he cheated.” She turned, flipping her ponytail in a very Chloe like way as she marched the rest of the way across the bridge.

“You cheated first though.” He whispered as the memory of her stretching out across him played in his mind.

“Hurry up, I want to kick your butt!” She shouted from the other side of the bridge. He chuckled as he pushed his hair out of his face.

Yeah. This was better than solitude. This was better than anything.

Chapter 26: Utterly Ridiculous

Chapter Text

The TV cast a gentle glow over Adrien's small living room. Adrien rested on the couch, elbows on his knees and back arched forward to be closer to the screen. His tongue jutted out between his teeth slightly as he focused on the combos he attempted. Beside him rested a bag of pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, which had yet to be touched unlike the bottle of wine resting on the table by his knee. Marinette's elbow rested on the same table, though on the far side of it from him. It shifted closer to the wine bottle before pulling away yet again as she somehow parried all of his moves. She cheered as the KO appeared on the screen, throwing her arms up and falling back for her shoulders to rest against the couch. She’d ended up on the floor, somehow. He could remember her being on the couch when they started but when they decided that the loser had to drink from the wine bottle she’d made herself comfortable on a pillow rather than sitting next to him.

Shouldn’t have made that dumb bet.

“Drink up pretty boy~” she teased as she pushed the bottle closer to him. He grumbled a bit as he sat the controller down, lifting the bottle to his lips as he turned his eyes away from her.

“You think I’m pretty hmmm?” He teased her right back after getting down the mouthful. She scrunched her nose as she gave him a wry smile.

“Let’s see, want to try the hidden temple stage next?” She asked, turning away from the conversation and leaving him perplexed as to why. If she couldn’t take him flirting back with her then why even start in the first place.

“Sure thing.” He clicked the button to select the stage without lifting his controller. “Hey, Marinette?” She hummed, turning her eyes on him as a brow raised questioningly. He licked his lips and took in a shallow breath before continuing. “So I- I was at Ninos…”

“You went to see the babies without me?” She cut him off even as he struggled with choosing the words to say. She mocked being wounded, falling against the couch again as a light giggle escaped her lips. “You talked to me on the phone you dork. I heard Alya.”

“Oh,” he chuckled awkwardly, “y-yeah. Well uh, we got to talking about old times and-“

“He didn’t bring up the New York thing did he?” She asked, scrunching up her nose.

“What?”

“Nevermind, I’m glad you got to catch up with him. About time.” She pressed start and had two hits in before he could react. He frowned at his health bar but his eyes roamed back to her. Her teeth were pressed together as her lips rested, slightly parted, just enough to show them. Slowly her tongue worked its way between the two rows of pearls and his heart leapt into his throat.

“Take another drink, pretty boy.” She brought him back to his senses as her eyes turned to him. Her lips pulled into a frown as she studied his face. “Hey, are you in there?” She reached out to grab the bottle, studying the alcohol content with a small pout. “Didn’t know you were a lightweight, Adrien.”

“I’m not!” He defended himself quickly before taking a deep breath. “I was just lost in thought.”

“About?” Her eyes were full of concern as they darted to his window, looking in the general direction of the window.

“It’s not him.” He nearly growled the statement. True his father was worse than ever now, but he had put the man out of his mind. Adrien decided a few years back that after his visits he would make a point of not thinking about the man for another year.

“A…drien?” She pressed.

“It’s a girl.” He said without thinking, “a woman I mean. There’s someone that I-“

“Adrien Agreste has a crush.” The pearls that lined her mouth gleamed as she gave him a large playful smile. He felt his chest tighten as she did this, only to soar as she slid deftly back onto the couch. “Tell me all about her! Do you work together? Would that be weird?”

“No! No.” He smiled back as her excitement became infectious. “She doesn’t work with me. Yes, it would be kinda weird if she did. Well I mean she could eventually if she wanted to. She certainly has the talent for it.” Marinette nodded along, urging him to continue. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her what he really wanted to say, so instead he sat back and prepared to play the pronoun game with the one who held his heart. “She’s amazing. Strong willed and sweet at the same time. I don’t know, when I’m around her it’s like someone actually sees me. Not the Agreste CEO. Not ‘Hawkmoth’s son’ but me. Just Adrien as I am. It’s nice.” Marinette butted her shoulder against his and gave him another small nod.

“Well, in my unprofessional opinion, you got it bad Agreste.” She said, standing after the words left her lips and shifting to find her half eaten bowl of snacks. He eyed her waist as she bent down to grab it from the floor. Was she doing it on purpose? “I say go for it. All of us support you one hundred percent.” She added after standing and taking a bite from a mini pretzel.

“All… of you?” He questioned.

“Yeah. Me, Nino, Alya, Chloe, Kim, Luka, Rose-“

“I don’t think it’s so simple.” He cut her off quickly. “I’ve known her for a long time and she has no idea. How would I even go about telling her I like her in the first place?”

“Well…” she crunched into another pretzel as she thought over his question carefully. “I’ve never really been…” she cut herself off, shaking her head. “I was always the one doing the asking but I have fantasized about the other way around.”

“How would one go about wooing the great Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” He asked as he leaned his cheek on his palm, elbow resting on the back of his couch. Her cheeks darkened but only for a second before she gave him a sly grin.

“By being themselves.” She gave a small shrug of one shoulder before scratching behind her ear. “I personally don’t want any large displays of affection or any grand sentiments. I want something small and cozy. Maybe they take my hand one night and place a kiss on my palm before whispering they lo- like me in my ear.” Now her cheeks were darker, and remained that way. “But the girl you like may want to know for an absolute fact that- roses! A few roses and maybe ask her on a date. See how that goes.”

He sat dumbstruck as he envisioned a walk in the night, hand in hand with Marinette. Her cheeks blazing as he pressed his lips to her palm. Something simple. So simple he felt like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. Of course Marinette would want something like a moment shared just between the two of them. She shifted from one foot to the other, her eyes locking on the floor as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Visibly uncomfortable.

“I think your idea is best. Something one of a kind is way better than asking someone out the same way every sappy romance movie says it’s done.” He said the words quickly, hoping to dissuade her from doubting herself. The small smile that played on her lips told him it worked.

“Thanks Adrien,” she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she turned to the window once again. Lights from the city below made it hard to see the stars, only allowing the full moon to shine on a blanket of darkness. “I need to get home soon, and you are much too drunk to drive me there.” She chuckled lightly as he shook his head. “I’ll call my roommate to pick me up. Can you walk me down?” When he didn’t answer right away she stuttered out an explanation “b-because we’ve both been dr-drinking and I’m a klutz on my b-best days and-“

“I’ll walk you down.” Adrien cut her off before she could stammer herself into a puddle on his floor. “It’s no problem Marinette, it’s what friends are for.”

She leaned slightly against him as they made their way down the hallway to the waiting elevator. He placed one arm around her shoulders when she stumbled and gave a nervous grin to the little old man who peeked out of his door at them. He gave the man a wave with his free hand only to let it fall to his side as the door slammed in his face. The hallway was long, but thankfully not crowded with packages or furniture so her stumbles were catchable before becoming painful falls. He chuckled as she fell against the back wall of the elevator, stepping in and pressing the button for the bottom floor. The doors slid shut with a bit of a squeal and he winced at the sound. She groaned slightly when it began to move and he made his way over to lean against the wall beside her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and his heart attempted to claw its way out of his chest.

Heh

Some claws would be out soon enough.

They stepped out into the lobby and stood off to one side as a couple shuffled past them. Adrien's arm was around her shoulders once again as he ushered her towards the doors. She mumbled something under her breath he couldn’t quite understand as she pulled out her phone. He smirked as he saw the black cat and flowers before she pulled up her contacts. His smirk fell. A simple cat emoji replaced the black and green hearts he’d put beside the name Kitty. At least she hadn’t changed that.

“Who’s kitty?” He asked, causing her to jump and clutch her phone to her chest.

“Kitty, s-short for Katherine. My roommate.” She stammered out, looking away from him shortly after and hiding her face behind her bangs.

“She have a ride?” He asked, noticing her lips pull into a small smile.

“The best in the city.”

“Offensive.” He gave her a playful pout. She smirked a bit and gave him a small shrug with one shoulder once again.

“What can I say. Kitty is the best.”

He could’ve sung an opera about how much those words made his heart soar.

Chat showed up quickly after Adrien stumbled back inside the apartment building. Marinette wondered if he used a power up she hadn’t gained yet as it was less than a minute before he stood before her with a lopsided grin on his face. He’d scooped her into his arms and used his baton to pole vault them over the building before anyone else would see them. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his hair to try to stem the urge to lose what little she’d eaten over the last few hours.

“You know, kinda hurtful you calling me to get you from your boyfriend's house.” He said playfully as they landed on a somewhat even rooftop.

“Not every guy I hang out with is my boyfriend.” She groaned as she slapped his chest lightly. “Adrien is a really good friend of mine.” She continued, shaking her head. “One jealous kitty I have here.”

“I’m just asking.” He studied her on the roof's surface and gave her a sly grin. “You two have hung out quite a bit lately, and since Arcade Guy isn’t-“

“Neither is Adrien.” She chuckled around her words. “Between school, life, and my cat I have no time for anything else.” His sly grin transformed into a smirk at her words.

“Well, I am rather important.” He preened. She scoffed, slapping his chest once again and causing his bell to jingle lightly against it.

“And so humble too. Can we go home now? I do have class tomorrow night and would like to get some designing done for it.” Her words were playful as they danced towards him on a giggle. He saluted her before wrapping one arm around her waist. Baton in hand, he raised them up far above the city as her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried itself in his chest.

“Are we still afraid of heights, Princess?” He asked in her ear as he angled them towards another rooftop.

“Not so much the heights. Free falling on the other hand…” her voice was barely a squeak as his feet found purchase on solid ground once again. He chuckled lightly to himself at the thought. Had he ever been afraid of traveling in this way? He couldn’t remember. Though he’d been thrown across the city more times than he could count by a certain bug themed lady, and a few… okay pretty much every akuma ever. He didn’t remember being scared of the fall. Then again she wasn’t a superhero like he was.

He gripped her a bit tighter as he pounced to another rooftop, crossing a wide alley with ease. When her arms tightened around him his heart did the little skip beat that had become all too familiar. His usually cocky grin smoothed into a blissful smile as home came into view. Home. Their home. Who needed to waste time worrying about what was going through the mind of Ladybug when he had Marinette in his arms? Not him.

The Chateau was still draped in darkness when they landed on the roof. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for him to open the hatch above his room and guide her inside. Frowning, he did so slowly and carefully. Not only was she at least buzzed like himself, she swayed slightly against him when they reached the hallway, letting out a soft yawn as he reached over her shoulder to close his door. Then and only then did he get to see her bluebell hues once again.

“Hey.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he turned her towards her own bedroom. She almost tripped on her own feet and he wrapped an arm around her middle before she could hit the floor, chuckling lightly into her ear. “I think someone needs to go to bed right away.” She groaned but didn’t fight him as he ushered her into her bedroom. Her mattress sank slightly as she lay on top of it. He chuckled, noticing her cuddling into her cat shaped pillow that took up most of the top of her bed. Swiftly, he slid the blanket from under her and pulled it over her shoulders. She cuddled further into the pillow and let out a contented sigh. He slowly inched his way out of the room, closing the door carefully to avoid waking her with squeaking hinges.

He sighed when the door clicked shut and no sound emanated from the room. The Chateau was quiet and still. Not that he expected anything more. He only wished he didn’t have to suit up to carry her halfway across the city to her bed. If she knew he was Adrien then they could’ve just settled down in the other apartment, snuggled on the couch until she nodded off.

“Maybe if I buy one of those hide-a-bed couches.” He pondered aloud to himself as he moved towards the coffee maker. His nose snarled as he poured out the old cold coffee and replaced the water in the machine to run a fresh batch through. The smell surrounded him instantly, far stronger in his nose with the mask than without. He dropped the transformation and rubbed at the abused nostrils while Plagg made his way happily to his cheese supply. He poured himself a cup as soon as it finished brewing and sat down at the kitchen island to look over her school notes scattered about it. One page held a photo of Félix standing stiffer than any mannequin he’d ever seen. Marinette had taped cut outs of her own designs over him in an attempt to figure out what style would fit him best. Adrien felt his brows pull up as he thought over how one would put the word “prude” to work in fashion.

He took a sip of coffee, wincing when the still hot liquid burned the tip of his tongue but managing to swallow it down nonetheless. She’d wanted to work on these designs but fear and alcohol had worn her down until she succumbed to sleep. He stacked the papers carefully. She could work on them when she woke up.

He finished his coffee as he went around the chateau, picking up here and tidying there. The little touches of Marinette around the place brought a smile to his lips. Even the dining table, which once housed stacks of maps covered in dust, now held a lovely off white tablecloth and a brass bowl in the center with fresh fruit. She’d even made sure to replace the fruit as it started to wilt so the look of the table wouldn’t be thrown out of balance. He loved her little touches that made it feel more and more like home, and dreaded the thought of them going into a new apartment somewhere that he couldn’t reach her.

“I need to just pull off the bandaid, tell her who I am.” He grumbled more to himself than to the two Kwamis who were now flying around the room in a game of tag. Kaalki stopped short of catching Plagg and gave him a long quiet stare.

“Do you think that is right? She may not react well to knowing.” The small horse said before tapping its chin in thought. “Then again she may react very well to it indeed. After all, the two of you get along well no matter which side you show her.”

“Don’t encourage him!” Plagg came back to berate the other kwami and Adrien rolled his eyes.

“I thought you were getting along with her now.” Adrien pointedly said towards the black cat.

“Just because I have to play nice to get cheese doesn’t mean I like her.” Plagg huffed, crossing his arms. “She’s still annoying.” Adrien narrowed his brows as his lips tinned to a disapproving line. Plagg simply shrugged and darted off once again before Kaalki could touch him.

“Don’t let him get to you.” Kaalki said as they drifted closer to him. “He’s just biased. It’s nothing.” Adrien smiled and patted the kwami's head with one finger.

The air shifted around three hours after he’d tucked Marinette in. He was on their couch considering whether or not to drink a bit more to keep the warm fuzzy feeling in his gut going when suddenly everything felt off. There was no explosion, no sounds of screams from below, just the feeling that something wasn’t quite right in the city. A sense he’d honed for years was telling him to get up and transform.

He scrambled to the window, pulling open the curtain just in time to see a black blur zip past his window. He paused, confusion running in circles in his mind as he rubbed his ring. He wasn’t transformed. Wasn't him zipping around Paris so, an akuma? The sensation hadn’t died down and dread began to mix with it. Pooling in his stomach, making a sickening stew. The alert hadn’t gone off on his phone but it wouldn’t be the first time he was right there when an akuma started. Sometimes he would know minutes before it was announced to Paris.

Had it been minutes? He gritted his teeth as he turned towards Marinette's bedroom door. The blur- whatever it was- hadn’t come back so she would be safe at home. No need in waking his Princess when he could just go stop the danger before she had a chance to know it was around.

Seconds later, Chat was bounding over rooftops in the direction that he saw the dark flash go. He stumbled when a rumble from the street below shook the roof as he landed on it. Catching himself on a helpful wifi box nearby and banging his chin a bit on it as he did so. No explosions… yet. He could see in the distance a building beginning to topple, could hear the glass and brick of it groan as it headed towards the ground.

“Shit.” He spat as he pulled out his baton. A green light flashed at its top and when he opened it an akuma alert flashed on the screen. He groaned, of course the new Hawkmoth had just as much grace as the former one. A smile crossed his lips at the thought before he chased it away. No. Now wasn’t the time to make jabs at his father in his head. That was for later with Marinette and a batch of cookies.

A far off flash of yellow caught his eye as Queen Bee emerged from her fathers largest hotel. Of course she still had it. His heart sank at the thought. Ladybug hadn’t just given it to her for one battle, the blonde socialite had a miraculous now that she didn’t have to give back.

“Bee, wait!” He called out, using his baton to get himself nearer to her so she could hear him properly.

“Do we know what it is?” She asked as she stopped on the roof of a school, waving her hand towards the battle that was drawing closer to them. He could hear it now, unlike at the Chateau. Relief washed over him when he realized their home was too far away from it for the Akuma to affect Marinette. He would keep it that way.

“Not sure. Something went past my window earlier that looked off. I didn’t even know we had an akuma before I headed out.” He admitted as he squinted his eyes, attempting to see the battle through the cloud of dust it caused.

“Ugh and I was going over dresses for my bridesmaids!” Queen Bee practically screeched. “Akumas could have a bit more class! Seriously, I'm trying to do something here.” She huffed and pulled out her stinger shaped top, pulling it into two pieces and placing one to her ear before frowning. “Ugh, voicemail.” She grumbled.

“Let’s get this done so you can go back to picking out whatever.” He stood straight and stretched, resting his baton on his shoulders as he did so.

“I was thinking lilac purple or coral pink.” Bee said simply before darting ahead.

“Wait, what?” He bounded over the next rooftop, calling out his confusion at her retreating back.

“For the bridesmaid dresses! Duh!” They were squatting on a rooftop looking down at the scene of the gaudy man with a giant sledgehammer that he used to slam into another building. They winced in unison as the building shook then began to topple like a chopped tree.

He noticed the black blur again, darting from under the building and scrambling through the akumas legs. Chat leaned forward as he watched the Akuma take a swing at the- bird?

The guy was in blacks and dark greys from his head to his toes. Even the hair peeking out of his bird head shaped hood was a deep inky black. The hood connected to a cape-like overcoat that covered most of the rest of his suit, only showing the tall and clawed boots below it. Claws… or talons, he couldn’t tell.

Red caught his eye then Ladybug was there, swinging in from behind where they observed the battle and sliding to a stop before the Akuma.

“I was having a good night's sleep for once.” The spotted heroine complained as she swung her yoyo towards the sledge hammer in an attempt to stop the large man from swinging it again.

“Well Pardon me Lady Scarlet.” The guy Chat had been studying slid into view once again, coming to a stop beside her.

“It’s Ladybug.” She snapped at him, yanking her yoyo string in an attempt to pull the weapon away from the Akuma, and sliding herself a few feet nearer to it in the process.

“Oh pardon me My Lady.”

Chats eye twitched.

“Who are-“ her question was cut short as they both dived in opposite directions to avoid the hammer slamming down at them. “Do you know why hammer McGee is losing his mind?!” She exclaimed as she bounced back to her feet.

“No idea. Came stomping past the Louvre when I just happened to be there.” Chats heart sank, the Akuma had passed the apartment? He hadn’t heard or seen it. “That thing grows every time its hammer connects with something.” The guy went on to explain, pointing to the now much larger man.

“The bigger they are the harder they’ll fall.” Ladybug called out, then she turned to look up at Chat and Bee, her eyes narrowed at him but her head tilted towards the Akuma, inviting them to join the battle.

“Our time to shine kitty cat.” Bee stood and pulled her stinger top from her hip before leaping from the building to join the fray. He watched the three battle for a moment, still caught up in the fact that the Akuma causing so much damage had passed so close to home. So close to-

His throat seized.

Marinette.

“Chat!” He was at her side before he even realized Ladybug called out for him, one arm around her waist as he dived away from yet another blow. They landed face to face, he hovered over her as her eyes widened up at him. Then, she smiled.

“Happy to have you join us.” She said. The spell was broken then. He scrambled to his feet and took a few steps back from her.

“Whatever.” Muttering the word, he pulled out his baton and clicked it open, smiling to himself when he noticed Marinette’s icon still at the Chateau.

They slid into an easy battle for the most part. The new guy got in his way more than once and it began to grate on his nerves. At one point they slammed into each other as they both jumped to swing at the same spot on the akuma’s back. It sent Chat flying into a fountain while the other guy slammed into an alley across the street.

“Can you watch where you’re going?!” The guy stomped over to him, ignoring the Akuma as he wrapped his fingers around Chat’s bell to pull him to his feet. His face was red in the streetlights, teeth clenched as his fingers tightened around the bell.

“I could say the same for you.” Chat practically growled as he squeezed one of the guys wrists between his fingers. “You’re just getting in the way! Who the hell are you anyway?” The Akuma was on the move again but Chat wasn’t letting the stranger go. His stomach twisted with worry as memories of Volpina swirled through his mind. “How do we know you aren’t working with Big tough and Hammery over there?” He motioned with his chin before settling his eyes on the guy once again.

“Why would I be working with a villain?” The guy snapped back at him, still not releasing the bell.

“We’ve been tricked before.” He snarled. The guy held his glare for a moment longer before signing and turning his eyes towards the ongoing battle.

“The name’s Raven.” He let go of the bell and yanked his hand from Chat's grasp. “And I’m not working with sparkle-hammer over there.” He added as he rubbed the sore wrist.

“How can we know!” Chat insisted, not intending to let him get by with no explanation.

“Because I live here too now! I have a duty to protect my home and those I care about, same as you.” He pulled out his weapon, a pair of nunchucks that combined into a baton similar to Chat’s own, and pressed a place near the center to open one. A holographic screen much like one Rena used to use popped out of the open space and a view of the city’s map could be seen reversed for Chat.

“Looks like he’s heading towards the Seine.” Raven said as a display of dots moved away from their location. “I put a tracker on him during the fight.” He explained when Chat continued to glare at him.

“He makes, like, a good point.” Queen Bee stepped up behind Chat as Raven tucked his nunchucks back into his cape. “We don’t know you. Like, why didn’t you come to help out with ugly the other day? Or lollipop guild after that?” Chat winced as he remembered the hoard of children that were akumatized over the last piece of Candy. He thought his father was terrible but the new one didn’t care about who they used either.

“I have my reasons.” Raven crossed his arms. “It’s not like I have to be at every fight with you three there anyway right? I just happened to be there when this one got started so I held them off the best I could.”

“So what like, you have to have a good reason to suit up? Can’t come act like ya know, a hero would if you can’t be first in line?” Bee crossed her own arms as she stuck out one hip, staring the new guy down. “Some hero you are. Pshhh. Ridiculous. Utterly ridic-“

“Oh, be still my aching- shit!” He rushed past them then, confusion swirling through Chat for a second before he turned to see Raven scoop Ladybug up in his arms a second before she was struck with the hammer. He bounced from the ground to a light pole, then up to a nearby roof as easily as one would climb a stair. Ladybug kept one arm around his neck as he stood holding her up. With the other she pulled out her yoyo and opened it, frowning at what she saw on the screen.

“Thank you for the save… errr” Ladybug said as Chat and Bee leapt up to them.

“Raven.” The guy gave her a smile as he said his name. “Anytime My Ladybug.”

Chat's eye twitched.

“So,” Ladybug didn’t even linger on the name as she studied the screen. “The Akuma has to be in the sledgehammer, I couldn’t find anything else on him when we battled. I was beginning to think you three were on strike.” She added the last bit as she looked at each of them in turn.

“A small misunderstanding.” Raven assured her as he turned to the now nearly Eiffel Tower-sized Akuma. “No more… breaks. We gotta end this as quickly as possible before the city turns into lego blocks.” Ladybug snorted at this while Chat ground his teeth together.

They fell into a routine, Chat and Bee distracted the Sledgehammer wielding villain long enough for Ladybug to call for her lucky charm, a large drape that she and Raven used to cover his eyes. With that done, Bee froze him and Chat used his cataclysm to destroy the hammer. One purple and black butterfly cleaned, and a flood of magical ladybugs later, Chat ground his teeth through a fist bump. Ladybugs earrings beeped, the only miraculous to beep between the four. Chat saw a look he couldn’t pinpoint the meaning of cross her face as she waited just a minute to see if she was the only one who couldn’t hold on to her transformation.

“I have to go.” She practically grumbled the words as she turned and aimed her yoyo at the nearest building.

“I’ll get you home safe.” Raven said to the confused old construction worker who was left behind after the cleansing.

“Ladybug, wait!” Bee called out, landing on the building only to huff when she saw that the spotted heroine was long gone.

“Bird boy left too.” Chat called up to her as he leaned against a circular advertisement. Bee huffed and shook her head.

“Whatever, I'm not worried about him. What’s his deal anyway?”

“No idea.” He shook his head slowly.

“Ladybug liked him… I guess.” Queen Bee huffed as she plopped down on the edge of the roof.

“That or she doesn’t have her priorities straight. I’d believe either at this point.” Chat raised himself up on his staff to sit beside her.

“So… any plans?” He raised a brow at her question. Marinette was still sleeping off her day with Adrien and at home so he knew she was safe.

“What exactly do you have in mind, Bee?” He asked.

“Boba.” She shrugged when he once again raised his brows. “Come on kitten, it’s been a while since we hung out. We used to be close.”

“Back when we were both obsessed with Ladybug.” He pointed out with a frown.

“And now we’re both obsessed with Mari- oh come on who cares just come have Boba with me. I need a friend right now.” She stood and held her hand out for him to take. He hesitated before giving her a nod and allowing her to pull him to his feet.

“Boba it is?” She asked.

“Boba sounds great.”

She wasn’t the only one who needed a friend right now.

Chapter 27: Bringing Back Memories

Chapter Text

“Happy anniversary Bugginette~” Chat smiled down at Ladybug as she gave a soft giggle. It was a patrol night like any other, but special. On this very day two years prior they became a team for the first time. She became his lady.

“Cha-at, I’ve told you a hundred times you don’t have to celebrate that.” She shook her head but a small smile toyed with the corners of her lips.

“I know.” He helped her to her feet and held her hand a bit too long, frowning slightly as she yanked hers away. “But!” He held up one finger as he moved to unhook the present from its spot behind his baton. “I made it myself! Look! Chatbug!” The small handkerchief was a soft lime green with a crudely embroidered image of a cat like ladybug stitched on one corner.

“Wow.” She took it to study his work as her eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat when they glanced up at him. “Chat you’re… really bad at needlework.” She deadpanned as he grinned and placed one hand against his chest.

“The worst My Lady, I am absolutely clawful at it.” He proclaimed proudly. She snorted but didn’t give it back, tucking it inside her yoyo as she slowly shook her head.

“Come on Chaton. Never know when another Akuma will strike and I have a history test in the morning.” She said as she readied herself to swing away.

“No kidding.” He groaned, pulling out his baton. “The school system has to be syncing their test dates. I have one tomorrow too.” She laughed and turned her head to glance back at him.

“Well duh, it is a Friday after all.” With that she was gone, and he was bounding over the rooftops after her with a lovesick smile on his face.

Marinette sighed as she swiped the tattered handkerchief across her cheeks. Running with Alya to help her get her form back after the twins sounded like a great idea at first. That was until she was trudging through the run after an entire night of class because the reporter woke at the crack of dawn to get things done before work. She glared at the woman, stretching out after the run and looking as if they didn’t just go through nearly thirty minutes of torture. Alya wasn’t even sweating that bad. Marinette felt like a bucket of water had been poured all over her.

“HOW!” She exclaimed as she stuffed the off white cloth into her purse. Alya chuckled as she tossed her hair over one shoulder.

“Girl I am always running after our hero..s for the newest scoop. You’re the one who needs this more than me.” She rolled her eyes as Alya snickered once again and poked the slight pudge on her hip.

“I don’t have time to run around the city.” Marinette sighed as she braided back her sweat sticky hair. Her phone began to chime, playing the british national anthem tune, and Alya quirked a brow at her.

“That… would be Chloe.” She gave her friend a shrug as she fished for the phone. “Hello?” She held up one finger to Alya’s questioning stare as she spoke.

“Help me please!” Chloe’s voice was so desperate over the phone that she could feel her heart rate quicken. What if she lost her miraculous? What if all her efforts were in vain?

“Chloe-“ She stepped towards the park's exit as her brows pulled together. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“He is so frustrating!” Chloe continued as if she couldn’t hear her. “Agreste. Come to Agreste fashion right now and bring a big stick!” Marinette paused in her steps as she heard a garbled male voice faintly in the background. “Not my- Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!” Whatever was said obviously irked the blonde as she screamed her catchphrase right into Marinette's ear.

“Owww.” Alya jogged up to walk beside her. Waving frantically as she tried to mime her many questions to Marinette.

“Oh Maricakes! I am so sorry sweetie I didn’t mean to!” Chloe exclaimed, actual remorse in her voice.

“It’s okay Chloe.” Marinette pulled her phone away from her ear to rub the ringing from it before continuing. “I’m with Alya right now so-“

“Good. Bring her with you. More women are needed, period.” With that Marinette heard the call end. She stared at her blank phone before looking up at Alya.

“So… Chloe apparently needs our help to beat Adrien with… a stick?” She raised one shoulder in a half hearted shrug and watched Alyas lips pull into a devilish smile.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Alya pretended to crack her knuckles as if she was preparing for a fight. Marinette chuckled and shook her head as she led Alya from the park. The walk to the fashion brand’s main building wasn’t long, but on her still-shaky-from-the-run legs it felt like torture.

They entered the building and Marinette felt the temperature drop nearly ten degrees. She shivered as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her feet shuffled as she followed Alya towards the front desk, head down and bottom lip sucked between her teeth. What had Adrien even done to deserve Chloe’s ire?

“But if we don’t get in today then we won’t have time to reschedule before the spring line. Mr. Agreste and I were classmates in the past I’m sure he would make time for-“

“Listen, you aren’t the first one to try to pull the old classmates card here. This is a business, not a class reunion.” Marinette looked up as the very annoyed voice of the assistant cut off the redhead in front of her. The man sighed and ran one hand through his shoulder length hair before turning away from the desk. Their eyes met and a heartbeat passed between them before he gave her a small smile.

“Marinette.” His right hand moved from his shoulder to give her a small wave. She gave him an awkward smile as she returned the wave with one of her own.

“H-hey Nathaniel.” She responded. Alya moved closer to her to study the now very nervous looking artist.

“Nathaniel. Man. You hit a growth spurt and a half.” Alya preened as she studied his form. “What did you do after graduation?”

“Travel mostly.” He chuckled and went back to rubbing his shoulder. “New York was a big… inspiration.”

“You went back!” Marinette clapped her hands once as his smile grew more genuine. “Oh, I considered doing that myself! They have so much street art and casual galleries. I would adore soaking in that atmosphere.”

“You should totally go!” His face lit as he nodded along with his words. “Taking a group trip is great but if you can be there for long enough to really soak in the art then inspiration practically drips from your every pore!” Marinette felt her smile grow larger. His excitement was infectious.

“I’ll have to look into-“

“MMMMMMMAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIII!” Chloe’s voice washed over them like an oncoming train. The blonde felt a bit like an oncoming train as she slammed into her, wrapping her in a hug before she could fall. “Thank goodness you’re here!” She nuzzled Marinette's cheek a bit before looking past Nathaniel to the assistant. “These two are with me Ashley.” She said as she confidently smiled.

“Abigail.” The assistant calmly corrected her.

“That’s what I said, Amber.” Chloe finally noticed Nathaniel shuffling from foot to foot in front of them and widened her eyes. “Oh my gosh! Look who it is!” Recognition washed over Chloe’s face followed by a slight frown. Marinette knew before the blonde opened her mouth again that she’d forgotten his name. “Ahh… Tomato!”

“Nathaniel.” He practically groaned his name as he looked away from them.

“So, Chloe, what's the emergency?” Alya cut in before the blonde could cause him to reflect the color of his hair any more.

“For that we have to go upstairs.” Chloe huffed as she answered her and moved to hook her arms through Marinette and Alyas at the same time. “Come on.” Marinette gave Nathaniel a small wave as she was pulled towards the elevator by the other two women. She saw him wave back at her before a tall man with messy black hair approached him. He threw one arm over Nathaniel's shoulder as they moved their faces close enough to whisper to one another. Then the elevator door shut and she stood staring at herself in the mirrored surface.

The ride up to his office wasn’t long, but it felt like forever to Marinette as the three stood in silence. She just managed to lick her lips and pull them apart to ask why they were even there when the doors opened to reveal a wide open office space, a single desk in the middle while drawing desks and random sewing equipment lined two of the walls. The last wall was taken up by a row of windows that stretched from floor to ceiling.

“Chloe.” Adrien's voice was stern before he stepped out of a side room and stopped in his tracks. “Ma-Marinette. Alya. Hi.”

“Hi.” Marinette gave him the same small wave she’d given Nathaniel.

“Hey Mr. CEO.” Alya practically purred as she gave him a small salute.

“Why- what are you two doing here?” He turned towards Chloe who was impatiently tapping her foot as she glared at her childhood friend.

“I cannot with you anymore today. Ridiculous.” Chloe huffed as she waved towards the two still standing awkwardly in front of the elevator. “Show them. Go ahead.” She said with a slight snarl.

“Fine.” He sighed as he removed his glasses to rub at his eyes. “Step this way please.” He motioned to the door he’d just left. “Must please the queen.” Marinette heard him mutter the words as she passed by him. Only pausing for half a second to look over his exhausted face.

The room was a closet of sorts, all three walls held rack upon rack of gowns and dresses. In the center sat a small loveseat facing a podium that had steps leading up to it. A fitting room with an open curtain settled between two racks on their left and a skylight casting a bright light down on the podium letting them know it was the main attraction of the room.

“Please pick three aesthetics to display.” Adrien sighed once again as Chloe strode past him directly to a rack covered in white and gold gowns. “Something that matches your color palette would be best.” He grumbled as she reached for the first one. She turned to glare at him before locking eyes with Marinette and motioning in a *can you believe this guy* sort of way. Marinette shook her head slowly as she finally felt her shoulders relax.

All of the stress was over Chloe’s wedding dress.

She felt a bit dense, thinking it would be anything else.

“What do you girls think?” Chloe emphasized the word girls as she looked between them. Alya snapped into action, going through the racks and holding dresses up to Chloe as she scrutinized each choice. Marinette watched them for a moment before her eyes roamed over to the rack of bridesmaid dresses that had been tucked behind another full of bridal gowns. She made her way over and pulled the dresses out to study the pastel fabrics. A soft green caught her eye and she ran her finger over the puffed sleeve as she smiled. Chat had a mug that held the same color green on its inside that he’d always drink coffee from.

“That’s one of my favorite pieces.” She jumped when Adriens voice ghosted over her ear, turning to see his face inches from her own and scrambling back. He took it in stride as he grabbed the skirt of the dress to pull it into the light. Rainbows erupted across it as the natural light caught on the tiny sequins sewn into it. “The color is very… eye-catching.” He added as he looked back up at her.

“Yeah! Totally!” She agreed as she straightened herself out, tugging the messy braid over one shoulder. “I was just studying the plait work on the puffed sleeve, it’s really well done.”

“Thanks, it took me a while to get that just right.” He chuckled and scratched behind his ear as her eyes widened.

“You made this?” She gasped around her question, eyes opening in shock. He gave her an awkward smile and nodded in response. “Wow, Adrien, that's great.” She grinned as she ran her fingers over the sleeve once again.

“Adrien did all of these.” Chloe cut in, marching over in a mermaid gown. The white creamy fabric against her tanned skin only made her look darker in comparison. Marinette could see why Adrien was worried about her palette, not that she’d say that directly to Chloe.

“Impressive.” Alya had thrown on a red and orange gown that had a layered look to it. She stayed by the fitting room as she called out her thoughts. “I still remember when we were kids and he couldn’t do two stitches in a straight line.

“Would you like to try it on? Considering…” Adrien motioned to their friends as he spoke. Marinette shrugged and grabbed the hanger for the dress.

“May as well.” She stepped towards the fitting room only to be stopped by Chloe’s hand on her shoulder.

“We need wine.” The blonde pulled the strapless dress up with her free hand as she glanced at Adrien. “Can’t do a proper fitting without wine.” Adrien sighed at her once again before shaking his head and pulling out a walkie talkie from his pocket.

“Abigail.” He spoke into the device. “I’m going to need you to run to the store.”

………………………………………

“I don’t have to marry him.” Chloe cried against Marinette's shoulder as she slumped on the loveseat, her fluffy white dress puffing up around them. “You and me. We can run away from all this and adopt four cute little babies.” She slurred the words into Marinette's neck.

“That’s enough wine for you.” Marinette chuckled as she pushed Chloe off of her to stand on unsure legs. “What’s the next option?” She tugged at the neckline of the sleek baby pink number she’d ended up in. Nearly three hours and countless dresses had passed by in a blur since Abigail arrived with a cart of wine. They still hadn’t settled on Chloe’s wedding dress. The woman was picky but didn’t know exactly what she wanted at the same time. Pity washed through her as she looked at Adrien, completely sober and grumbling over a catalogue in the corner of the room.

“So like what do you want me for then?” Alya slurred the words as she twirled around on the pedestal. Chloe waved her hand idly about as she mumbled something along the lines of Alya being Marinette's best man at their wedding.

“Are you okay?” Marinette had shuffled over to stand next to Adrien who was glaring at Chloe as she carried on about her future with Marinette.

“Yeah.” He said after a moment. “Yeah. Uh, I’m just running out of dresses for the Queen over there.” She giggled softly and noticed his scowl turning into a small smile.

“Well we have been here a while.” She leaned over his arm to study the book, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as her brows furrowed.

“What?” He asked with his brow raised.

“Well…” she glanced at him before looking away. “No. Never mind, it's not like I- just forget it.” She waved her hands between them as she mumbled under her breath.

“Marinette, I work with enough designers to know that look.” He deadpanned. She scrunched her nose but shook her head slowly.

“I’m not in the right headspace for it.” She insisted.

“Marinette. Please.” She sighed but urged him to move over with her elbow. He smiled down at her as she motioned to his pencil. “Go ahead, do your thing.” He urged. She scrunched her nose once again before deftly moving the pencil over the page, adding here and marking out there until the gown displayed showed a simple Princess cut with a long skirt that pooled around the models feet. A trail of flowers ran from the hem to the bodice to end in a single sleeve over the left shoulder. She stepped back, holding the pencil between both her hands as she gave him a nervous smile.

He studied the piece, taking note of her thoughts written around it as far as colors and fabric options for it. His finger traced the outer lines as his smile grew. He could feel her shifting beside him and turned to see her swaying slightly as her cheeks darkened.

“I would’ve never thought of this spin.” He said as he tapped the page.

“Because it’s terrible?” She pressed.

“No no!” He turned to place his hands on her shoulders to grab her from her thoughts. “Marinette, this is great! Your designs are always awesome!” He leaned in close as he urged her head up to lock eyes with her. “Why aren’t you working with me yet?” He asked. Her dark cheeks darkened even more as she pulled her chin from his grip.

“I Uh-“

“We. Are. Out. Of. Wine.” Alya appeared between them with an empty bottle. She burped, covering her mouth shortly after with a small giggle before wrapping her free arm around Marinette's shoulders. “I’m your best man.” She proclaimed very loudly directly into Marinette's ear.

“I don’t think you are going to get her dress squared away today.” Marinette shifted to hold up her very drunk best friend. “I need to get her home. Are you okay with taking care of Chloe?”

“Yeah. No problem.” He rubbed his neck as he gave her a small smile. She returned it with a nod before looking towards the bundle of fabric Chloe had somehow tangled herself in.

“See you later Chloe!” She called out, already dragging Alya towards the door.

“Better be at the altar, love!” Chloe slurred back. Marinette chuckled and rolled her eyes before her gaze landed on Adrien yet again.

“See you later.” She said with a nod.

“I’ll be waiting at the altar.” He chuckled around the words. She smirked and shook her head. Then the door was closing behind her as she ushered Alya back into his main office space.

“And then he made a joke about wanting to be the priest for us.” Marinette was bent over rummaging through the fridge as she recollected her day to Chat Noir over her shoulder. She had planned on taking a snack with her to class but with the fridge being consistently empty now that both of them stayed In the Chateau, it left her with next to nothing to choose from.

“Are you sure he said that?” Chat asked from his spot on the couch where he sat feeding Kaalki a biscuit.

“Well if Chloe is the bride and I’m the groom then who else would be at the altar?” She asked, closing the fridge in defeat and stomping over to shove her notes into her messenger bag.

“And you’re sure they weren’t fighting over who you get to marry?” He pressed, not looking up at her as his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Those two? No.” Marinette adjusted her bag on her shoulder and gave him a small shrug. He tilted his head up to watch as she turned to grab her cup of iced coffee. “They are both great friends. They just like to joke with me like that… a lot.” She took a sip as she thought over the day before when Adrien had joined in on Chloe’s joke. “So what’s your plans tonight?” She asked, changing the subject rather than thinking about the design she felt she ruined while intoxicated.

“Nothing much. Unless something happens again.” Chat stretched as he spoke, checking to make sure the spirit gum still held the mask in place while settling back into the couch cushion a moment later.

“Well, have fun with your Disney marathon I guess.” She chuckled as he let out a faux horrified gasp.

“It is not a marathon.” He hissed. “It is a Lifestyle.”

“Uh huh.” She stopped by the table to scratch a dozing Plagg on his head before grabbing her purse. “I won’t be back until seven or eight. A few of us are stopping to grab some breakfast in the morning.”

“Is that Félix guy going?” He asked, twisting around to watch her as he rested his arms on the back of the couch.

“Actually yeah, he’s paying for it too.” She gave Chat an evil smirk. “Want me to order anything to bring back?”

“The whole menu?” He chuckled darkly. “Empty his wallet.” She snickered but shook her head slowly.

“How about a croissant sandwich and a big coffee?” She was at the door now, his fingers twitched against the back of the couch as he resisted the urge to stop her and convince her to stay home.

“Hot cocoa?” He tilted his head as he attempted to make his eyes even larger. She thought for a second before nodding at his request.

“I can do that.” The door squeaked slightly as she opened it. “I’ll see you in the morning Chat. Oh!” She stopped in her tracks before turning to point her finger accusingly at him. “Do not transform while I’m gone unless you absolutely have to! Plagg told me you’re wearing him out and not even giving him time to finish his cheese in between.”

“Wait- WHAT!” He scrambled over the couch to slam his hands on the table on either side of the Kwami, shocking Plagg from his slumber. “WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TELLING PRINCESS?!” He demanded as he let out a snarl.

“Seeeeeee.” Plagg flipped around to stare directly at her as he dragged out the word. “My holder is so mean to me! All I want is a bite of cheese!”

“I’ll bring you some home tomorrow.” Marinette said to him sweetly as Chat slapped his forehead behind Plagg’s head. Then the door was shut and once again she cut herself off from him. He glared down at Plagg who lounged on the tabletop as if he hadn’t just put a major wrench in his holder’s plans.

“You told me to be nicer to her. So we started having chats while you slept.” He opened his mouth to respond to the Kwami’s taunt, pausing as he pointed accusingly at him. His mouth snapped shut before he turned away.

“I’m not gonna let her fall for your tricks.” He said coldly. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make it so she doesn’t like me.”

“Who, me?” Plagg almost looked offended. Almost. “Why would I ever want that?”

“You’re rude and you do not like her.” Kaalki appeared at his shoulder, giving Plagg a small shrug as they continued to float forward until they sat beside the other kwami.

“I am not rude.” Plagg huffed. “I’m just… brutally honest.”

“I agree with Kaalki.” He sighed and moved to sit down on the couch once again. The tv may as well have been off with how much attention he paid to it. Instead he leaned his head back against the cushion and thought over what he still needed to do. Chloe’s wedding was fast approaching, and if he wanted to get the preparations for her dress out of the way before the finished costumes for Luka’s new music video were done, he would have to work nearly every available moment he had outside the mask. Which meant he would have to be away from the chateau. A lot. He sighed through his nose and sank deeper into the leather.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but at least he could hang out with Marinette when she was helping Chloe’s wedding planning. He had that one hope.

Chapter 28: The Long Night part 1

Chapter Text

“No. Just- hang on.” Marinette scrunched her nose as she physically moved Félix’s arms into the positions she wanted them in before returning to the camera and snapping a few pictures. “Can you look any less… constipated?” She asked with a small frown on her lips.

“Consti-“ he opened and closed his lips as his brows pulled together- “I am following your instructions exactly as you give them to me. What else can I do?”

“Smile, maybe?” She questioned as she moved to the rack of clothes to pull out a soft purple button up. “Or, I don’t know, relax? You’re so stiff in all these photos I just don’t think any would work for the class zine.” He sighed and rolled his head back dramatically while she searched through the choices for a matching pair of pants.

“Why did I agree to this?” He asked as he popped his neck. She glared at him over her shoulder before letting out a long drawn out sigh.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I get the whole hotel thing was kinda…” she allowed her words to drift off as she made vague hand gestures. “But you didn’t have to agree to sit out for the zine. Your designs were fantastic! You shouldn’t keep them on the back burner.” He smiled softly under her praise and reached to rub his shoulder. After a few clicks of the camera he noticed what she was doing and paled.

“Those aren’t to be used!”

“And why not!?” She snatched the camera off of the makeshift tripod and held it close to her chest. “Those are the best ones we have! I’m keeping them in.” He frowned and began pulling off the overcoat before flinging it over one arm.

“I am not my cousin. I will not be told what images of me will and won’t be used.” His voice dripped with venom as he stepped down from the wooden box they’d covered with a white drop cloth. “You will respect my choices or you will find yourself a new model.” It was her turn to go pale faced as he towered over her.

“But- every outfit was designed with your body type in mind. I mean I practically custom made each piece for you and-“

“Delete them.” He cut her off coldly. She stared him down for a moment as she swallowed a lump in her now very dry throat. A moment more passed before her eyes shifted away from his.

“No.” She hated that her voice came out as barely a squeak.

“No?” She saw his fist clench and closed her eyes.

“No, I will not delete the most real to life images I have in our entire session.” She felt braver when she wasn’t looking at his face. “Every other image I have of you reminds me of- of your uncle.” She met his eyes then, fire burning behind her own.

“My-“

“Marinette I need you to-“ Bridgette practically fell into the room, shouting over Félix’s mumbled words and successfully cutting off his answer. “Oh, you guys are still at it.” She blinked before shifting her gaze between the two of them. “It’s been like three hours what-?”

“We were just finishing up for the day.” Marinette gave him one last glare as she shoved the camera into her bag. “I need to make some phone calls. Find a new model.” She continued as she marched her way past him. He sighed when she stopped to grab her coat from a table near the door.

“No.” He said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “You don’t. I’m on edge today. I apologize for my actions during this session.” She stared at him for a long while, silent and stone faced. He shifted slightly on his feet as her stare lingered.

“Fine.” She finally huffed. “I will text you when I find time.” With that she pulled on Bridgette's arm to turn the girl away from him and they both stomped out of the room. Bridgette kept up with Marinette's energy until they were halfway down the hallway. That’s when she stopped and grabbed the dark haired girl by the elbow to catch her attention.

“What was that? You and Mr. Porcupine have a fight?” She asked with a slight tilt to her head.

“He’s just so…” Marinette growled and pulled at her bangs before reaching into her bag and pulling out the camera. “Just look at these.” She scrolled through a few of the earlier images of Félix standing there with his arms at his sides and his face either set in the usual cold blank stare he normally had, or contorted with concentration to the point he looked uncomfortable. “I cannot use any of these at all in my section of the zine and now he wants to, what? Waste three more hours of my life?”

“Wow.” Bridgette took the camera to scroll through his poses at her own leisure. “This guy… is not friends with the camera.”

“Tell me about it!” Marinette huffed again before shaking her head. “Even if he wasn’t such a jerk about it I still wouldn’t feel good about using him as a model again. But, those clothes were made with him in mind. I have to come up with someone who would fit his whole…” she waved her arms around wildly as she struggled with the word. “Aesthetic.”

“It’s pretty hard to find someone who can pull off ‘wet sock’ huh?” Bridgette played with the long earring in her right ear as she asked the question. Marinette grunted out an unhappy noise as she hung her head.

“Yeah.” She finally said as they left the building to step across the courtyard. They chatted about their classes and upcoming tests as they passed by students who were either waiting out the hour until their next class or rushing around trying to reach it before they were too late. Marinette, for once, wasn’t a part of the latter group. She only had two classes that night and both were behind her. Being only midnight she had plenty of time to kill before she would be expected back at home.

“Are you still coming to breakfast with us?” Bridgette asked as she pulled at the straps of her backpack.

“Will he even want me to after- whatever that was?” Marinette returned the question as she pulled out her phone. Almost on cue two things happened. Raven jumped on the ground in front of them, and the Akuma alert began to go off on her phone.

“You two need to get to safety.” He barely glanced their way as he turned to study the sky. “We got some bad weather coming in.” He grumbled. Just then a bolt of lightning struck the tower over their heads, causing Bridgette to shriek and jump as she wrapped her arms around Marinette.

“Safety. Right.” Marinette watched him leap over the school gate a second after she confirmed his orders. With a firm line set to her lips she turned Bridgette towards the general studies building and urged her to move quickly towards it and the bunker waiting below. She’d just pushed the other girl into the building when a surge of wind knocked her down. She pushed herself to her knees and glanced up to see the doors shut tightly. Cutting her off from her friend.

“Now’s our time.” She glanced down to see Tikki and Baark peeking out from her purse. The two kwamis nodded their heads in unison. She hopped to her feet and turned to run back across the courtyard towards a building she knew would not be in use at the moment. Somewhere she could safely transform without prying eyes.

Suddenly her feet weren’t on the ground. An arm was wrapped around her middle and she was being pulled to her left. Off course and disoriented, she tilted her head up to catch sight of the blonde who’d swept her off her feet.

Her frown deepened.

“Chloe??” She called out over the wind rushing past her ears.

“Heya Maricakes!” Queen Bee shouted over the roar of the wind just before they landed on a building down the street from her campus. A very specific building. Chloe’s father’s building. “You’ll be totally safe here.” She claimed when Marinette gave her a confused stare. “Just ask for the Queen’s Suite. Gordon will know what to do from there.” She dusted lint off of Marinette’s shoulder as she spoke, pausing to give her a warm smile. “We absolutely have to discuss your gown after this business is taken care of. I swear I was just about to call you when I got the alert.”

“It’s okay.” Marinette returned the smile as she patted Chloe’s shoulder. “Go save the city. I’ll get a mojito.” Chloe chuckled before turning her towards the door leading down into the building.

“See you after I get rid of this utterly ridiculous villain!” She called. A moment later Marinette was watching her swing across the buildings and breathing in deeply the scent of distant smoke.

“Now’s our time.” She said to the kwamis in her purse as she reached to adjust the strap of her school bag. Only to pause when there was no strap to adjust. She cursed under her breath before resigning herself to looking for it after the fight.

Marinette’s icon hovered over her university’s campus. She was still at school. Good. Chat closed the baton as he studied the woman fighting Raven. She was in a gaudy knockoff of Ryuko’s old super suit. The gold took over nearly half of the design, and the wings on her back were overkill. Whoever she was she had the fashion sense of a toddler combining all their favorite dress up costumes because they couldn’t pick just one.

“So what? A tacky dinosaur this time?” He asked before jumping down to land beside Raven. A second later Queen Bee stood at his other side, her stinger top ready and waiting to be used and an angry frown on her lips.

“This… whatever, totally ruined my plans tonight.” She huffed, slapping him in the cheek with her hair as she shook her head.

“I would call that a poor excuse of an attempt to be Hawkmoth.” All three turned to see Ladybug standing on the very roof Chat had just left. Hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips. He rolled his eyes as Queen Bee let out a soft squeal.

“You’re finally here.” Raven grunted without looking away from the woman, who growled as her face turned the same red as half her suit.

“My name is Dame Frey.” She hissed as she pointed her sword up towards the red and black spotted hero above. “And I will not STAND for your impudence any longer!”

“We will see about that.” Ladybug smirked.

“So like, are we going to toss miss damaged fry or what?” Queen Bee asked. Raven snorted.

“Toss her out with the rest of the trash and call it a day.” He gave Chat a small shrug when a questioning look was thrown his way. “What?” He asked. “I was just going with the flow.” Chat didn’t get a chance to respond as Dame Frey chose to leap on Raven, sword pointed towards his throat. He dodged, barely, and rolled against the concrete, a trail of blood following in his wake. He grabbed his arm just below his shoulder and looked up just in time to avoid another blow. Her sword cut through the ground just in front of his feet and he had to scramble back away from it as his eyes widened. Chat took the opportunity to strike her in the back with his baton.

She flew over Raven to slam into the wall leading down into the subway. Chat winced to himself as he watched her slide down the wall and into the darkness below. Raven was on his feet again a second later, reaching for his nunchucks as he scrambled towards the subway entrance. His gait was off as he ran, a nervous energy rolling off of him in waves. Chat raced behind him, not waiting to see if the girls would follow. He bounded down the stairs, taking two and three at a time until he made it to the bottom to see Raven pulling Dame Frey back with his weapon around her throat as a head of red hair darted away deeper into the darkness.

“Stay away from him!!” Raven growled as he pulled her towards the tracks. Even though he had the height advantage on her he barely moved her a few feet before she slammed one foot down hard enough to crack the stone below them and moved them forward once again. Chat whistled as he slid to a stop next to Raven and slid his baton between her feet in hopes of throwing her off balance.

“So what are we losing our shit over?” he asked as the three of them toppled forward. The guys landed with a knee on her arms facing one another as if they’d planned it. Raven pulled his weapon back as he shot Chat a warning glare. The guy was getting hard to work with.

“My… boyfriend was down here tagging a wall for an art piece.” Chat's eyes widened as he grumbled out the words. “I had to stop her before she could hurt him. He’s a civilian, ya know.” Chat glanced over his shoulder at the spot just beyond the yellow warning lines painted onto the concrete.

“That tracks.” He said, nodding towards the barely visible tracks behind them. Suddenly both of them were thrown towards the tracks he’d just been looking at. She had shifted, merging two miraculous together and gaining a darker color scheme and a pair of horns as a result. Chat caught sight of a brown and green blur darting past her neck as she raised herself up on her arms. It struck the snake bracelet around her wrist before darting back towards the stairs. He turned his head quickly to see Ladybug, wearing a strange mix of brown on her suit, standing there proudly with the ball of the dog miraculous in her hand.

“Fetch.” Dame Frey screamed as a bright green/blue flash zipped from her wrist into Ladybugs' waiting hand. She scrambled to her feet, rushing away into the darkness once again. Raven scrambled to his feet once again, intent on chasing her down. Chat was on his heels in a second, following step for step as they ran around a corner and out of sight of the girls. A thunderous rumbling stopped them, threatening to knock them off of their feet.

Chat grabbed Raven’s arm before the man could run headfirst into the newly akumatized victim. The redhead from before had gained at least a foot in height and lost the color from his face. On his body, a patchwork of paint splatter covered a deep black suit. His eyes bore a mask that resembled the paint splatters on his suit. The red hair that helped Chat recognize him as the poor man from before was now styled in an upwards sweep that resembled a paintbrush. Crossed over his chest were two belts full of holsters that held what resembled spray paint cans. From experience Chat could guess there wasn’t exactly spray paint in them. He rubbed his nose as thoughts of a green skinned girl with a perfume bottle vaguely danced along the back of his mind.

“Nathaniel!” Raven’s distraught voice cut through his thoughts. He saw the darkness next to him shift, then the other hero was on top of the akuma. He wasn’t fighting though, he had his hands pressed into each of the victims cheeks forcing it to look into his eyes. “You can fight this! I know you can! Come on Nath just-” Chat winced when he hit the wall, it only took one swing from the akumatized man to send the other hero flying. A pang of a memory caused him to grab at his own ribs. Being the one who took the hits eventually caught up to you.

“Chat! Raven!” Ladybug called out from behind him as she and Queen Bee rounded the corner. They slid to a stop on either side of Chat. Ladybugs fists clenched as she brought her hands up into a defensive stance. Queen Bee gasped when she noticed Raven in a pile on the ground. Chat didn’t have time to question their vastly different reactions as he was already using his baton to ward off whatever the akuma was spraying at them from the bottles. The fumes from them were filling the space, winding around them slowly but surely. Soon his baton would no longer keep them safe. He turned to warn them to start running only to see Ladybug sliding the snake miraculous into her yo-yo. She nodded to Queen Bee who called out to the akuma, catching its attention as Ladybug turned to face the exit.

“Lead him outside!” Ladybug shouted back at them, snapping Chat from his stunned state. He stopped spinning his baton a split second after Queen Bee turned to follow Ladybug. The three of them made their way outside with the akuma fast on their heels. Chat barely cleared the final step before green and blue paint spewed out behind him. He stumbled, his left leg going numb as the blue paint settled across the back of his boot, and fell harshly to the ground.

“Well, we know it’s following us.” Queen Bee remarked as Ladybug rushed to scoop him up, sliding her shoulder under his and dragging him to the side of the road. He grunted as he attempted to get his leg to just do something, but from his foot to his knee may as well have been a wet noodle.

Raven groaned as he rolled over. A rock jutted painfully into his back, pulling a hiss from his lips as he jolted upright just in time to see a hazy green and yellow mist fade to nothing around him. . He rubbed his head as he staggered to his feet. The woozy feeling that overtook him when he stood caused him to stagger forward until he caught himself on a pile of debris. He coughed in an attempt to clear his lungs only to feel them seize painfully as more of the strange mist around him filled them once again. He had to get out of the subway, had to get back up to the streets, but most importantly he had to find Nathaniel.

He winced, using the stabilizing power of his wings to hold himself upright as he stumbled along the dark corridor. He’d just managed to spot the lights of the street lamps above when he stopped and tilted his head. A black shape with a shock of yellow flew in front of one of the lamps only to disappear once again as it crossed over the wall of the subway. He groaned and slapped his forehead. Chat Noir, ladies and gentlemen. A second later a red flash followed behind the feline hero, only to be thrown off course by a wayward jolt of paint. Ladybug, ladies and gentlemen. Just as Nathaniel always described them to him.

“Okay.” He huffed to himself, enjoying the faint bit of fresh air that mingled with the noxious chemicals in the air, “Step one get those two away from him. Step two uh…” He stopped as he struggled to remember through the fog of his mind. Something about an object… akuma? No. The akuma was the thing they were fighting. Break an object to release the victim maybe? He struggled to remember, struggled to think of anything other than shifting his feet forward one at a time. By the time he made it to the stairs he was beginning to remember what he had to do, he could almost pinpoint the task. Like a word stuck on the tip of his tongue it infuriated him.

He gathered what little strength had returned to him and pulled himself up the first few steps, then a few more. Each time he gained ground on the surface his head became a bit clearer, it became a bit easier to climb. Easier to remember. By the time he reached the top he not only knew what he had to do, he was burning with rage.

“I’ll kill her.” He said as Queen Bee helped him up the last few steps, ignoring the battle raging in the street behind him for the moment. “Forget the garbage. I am going to find the biggest vat of oil and dip her in it slowly until she stops screaming for what she did to-“

“Woah, woah, hey!” Queen Bee pulled him from his spiral. “Look I know how you feel, I've had to watch loved ones get Akumatized in the past and it’s okay. Once Ladybug fixes everything up they won’t even remember it.”

“But I will!” He snapped, pushing away from her as he stumbled forward. “I’ll remember. You’ll remember. Everyone in this bloody city but him will remember.” He ground his teeth together as his eyes locked onto a reflection of light off of a pair of glasses in the distance. “And what? He will just have to live with everyone knowing he’s turned into that- thing?” He waved towards the battle as he shifted to glare at Bee. Tears pricked his eyes turning the usually white sclera a shocking red. He looked away from her when he saw the first traces of sympathy soften her features. “How do we stop it before it destroys everything?” He questioned, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“Well, I can stop him dead in his tracks- I just need someone to keep him distracted long enough for me to land a good blow. After that it should be easy.” She winced around her words as she watched Chat Noir fly into a window just to pop out again a moment later with a broomstick in one hand and his baton in the other.

“And the fry?” He asked as he ground his teeth together once again. Hearing the bones crunch and creak with the effort.

“She’s more than likely long gone by now. That’s usually what they do. Throw something at us so they can escape.” She answered as she crossed her arms over her chest. He chuckled a low dark chuckle as he shook his head, eyes stinging once again.

“It’s the same plan. Only an innocent life is our distraction.” He took in a deep steadying breath before looking at the fight once again. “He is my distraction. Just be sure to land a hit.”

He rushed in just as Ladybug summoned her Lucky Charm- a long length of rope like ribbon that she wasted no time tossing his way so she could focus on getting Chat away from the fight. The poor guy had both his legs and one arm covered in what Raven could only assume was paralyzing paint. Raven wrapped the length of ribbon around his arm and darted up to the Akuma, dodging its first attack only to be slammed back against the wall with its second. There was an arm on his throat and a hand by his face as the Akuma- as Nathaniel glared daggers at him. He winced at the pain but noticed something. Behind his eyes Nathaniel seemed to be struggling. Fighting whatever had a hold on him. At least that’s what he hoped that look meant.

“I’m not usually the one in this position-“ he grunted out as he shifted, trying to get more air- “but I could totally be down for something like this later.” The akumatized Nathaniel blinked at him, confused by his words.

“Was that a sex thing?” He heard Chat ask from across the street.

“N-no!” Akuma-Nathaniel spluttered. Raven smirked, moving his head a bit closer when he felt the grip around his neck lessen.

“It is absolutely a sex thing.” The color returned to the akumas cheeks, well a color did. They bloomed red as Raven called it out loud enough for Chat to hear, and they stayed red as Queen Bee jabbed them in the back with her stinger. Raven slithered out of his grasp and quickly tied the hands together, pulling the ribbon as tight as he could when he slid in between the large legs. Once he was on the other side, Queen Bee and Ladybug helped him pull until the Akuma fell forward onto their face. He winced.

“You can fix that, right?” He asked Ladybug, who was busy looking for which spray can held the butterfly. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

“I always fixed it before.” Her words were far from comforting as they danced on an anxious tone.

She found the butterfly, caught it in her yoyo, and untied Nathaniel before letting a load of ladybugs scour the city as they cleaned up the mess. Once Nathaniel was sitting up and rubbing his head groggily Raven rushed to him, scooping him up protectively.

“Wha- what happened?” Nathaniel asked him as the girls behind him exclaimed “pound it!” and fist bumped.

“Everything’s okay now.” Raven smiled a small smile as Nathaniel wrapped his arms around his neck and his head rested against his chest.

“The last thing I remember was running away when you were fighting that woman.” He groaned. Raven patted his back gently.

“Wait. He knows who you are?” Ladybugs eyes were the size of saucers as she stared him down, terror etched onto every surface of her face.

“Yeah?” He stopped patting Nathaniel’s back to scratch at his cheek. “Everyone does.”

“We don’t.” Queen Bee huffed.

“Live in Paris, play by its rules. Back home we aren’t into the whole ‘secrets’ thing.” He shrugged, anxiety prickling the back of his mind. “With that said, time for me to go.” He took off, Nathaniel tightly in his arms as he left the others to ponder what had just happened.

Chapter 29: The Long Night part 2

Chapter Text

Bridgette managed to find her bag. She held it up to Marinette with a large grin spreading from cheek to cheek as the dark-haired girl slid to a stop before her. Marinette panted, leaning forward to hold herself up on her knees as she sucked in breath after breath. She regretted not keeping up with the training she’d started before when the world made sense to her, but at least now she had Sass safely in her bag alongside Tikki. She gave Bridgette a grateful smile as she pushed herself fully upright and reached for her bag eagerly.

“Where did you go after the door shut?” She stopped short of grabbing the strap when Bridgette’s voice cut through the air. The other girl gave her a small shrug before continuing. “Félix even looked for you but we couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Would you believe me if I said a Queen whisked me off my feet?” Marinette asked, eyes darting to the flash of yellow on a rooftop behind her friend. She gave a light nervous chuckle before allowing the explanation to fall from her lips. “Queen Bee, the hero, she saw me crossing the courtyard and whisked me up and out of harm's way. Unfortunately, out of harm's way was a few blocks down the street and I’m not the best runner.”

“And all I did was hide away with a bunch of stuffy models.” Bridgette grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she allowed her lips to slip into a pout.

“You got ahead of the game. Our career choice means that’s all we will be around soon.” Marinette nudged her on the shoulder gently with a small reassuring smile.

“About that… I think I’m more into the fabrics than the designs.” Bridgette let out a long puff of air, not noticing the yellow clad figure hopping onto the roof behind her that held Marinette's attention. “I just don’t feel the same way you guys do when I’m designing. It’s so stressful and I end up making a bunch of felting craft to take my mind off class at home and I dunno-“ Marinette tried to pay attention, she did, but Bridgette’s words weren’t exactly hitting their mark. The light from a nearby window had illuminated the figure in what she assumed was a yellow suit and made her blood run cold. The suit wasn’t yellow.

Volpina.

Her eyes widened. Memories of Lila Rossi’s not-so-heroic alter ego flooding through her mind. The fox themed woman paused when she noticed her eyes locked on her. A smile crossed her lips as she pulled out a long slender flute. Marinette felt frozen. What was she planning? Why did she have the fox miraculous again? Did Dame Frey akumatize her or-

“Marinette get down!” She was shoved from behind as Félix’s voice filled her ears. Bridgette let out a shriek as she tumbled forward, her chin only protected from impacting on the gravel path by his hand gently cupping it. He’d landed on top of her, his weight only lingering long enough to knock the air from her lungs before he was on his feet again, standing over her as he glared up at the woman on the rooftop.

“Rena Rouge?” Bridgette gasped behind them as she noticed what had both of them so worked up.

“That’s not Rena Rogue.” Félix said as Marinette gasped around the same sentence. Bridgette rushed to help Marinette to her feet as Félix squared his shoulders.

“What was her name again? It’s on the tip of my tongue.” He grumbled as he shuffled through his bag, looking for something. His eyes were set on her during his search, never leaving the rooftops.

“V-vol-pina.” Marinette held her chest as she tried to get her breathing under control.

“She held my cousin over the city. Threatened to throw him off the tower.” He was grinding his teeth now, frustrated as his search came up empty. “You can say I have a personal vendetta against her.” Whatever he was planning, he never got a chance to begin. Volpina jerked her head to the side, frowning over her shoulder as a flash of orange filled the sky just beyond the campus walls. She looked back at them, smirked towards Marinette in a way that turned her blood from ice to boiling lava, then leapt into the air and out of sight.

“Dammit.” Félix brought his hand from his bag, dropping a small silver disc as he did so. He didn’t notice it hit the ground as he dashed towards the exit of the campus, chasing after her. Marinette picked up the disc and flipped it in her fingers. It was heavier than its size let on and felt faintly warm against her skin.

“Bridgette you need to get somewhere safe, I’ll go stop Félix from getting himself killed.” She said quickly as she turned her eyes on the taller girl. Bridgette didn’t have time to reply before she was sprinting behind the blonde. Pulse racing in her ears as she imagined a thousand scenarios involving her classmate being hurt or worse. She slid as she tried to round a corner, stumbling over the wet stone and dropping the disc as she wildly swung her arms to try to catch herself. She managed to not fall, but still winced as the pain of a twisted ankle made itself known. She hissed through her teeth as she hobbled the few feet to the side of the road. She didn’t know which direction Félix took but if she could make it to the ruckus in the distance she could find him again.

“You okay?” She turned to the owner of the low smooth voice and found a guy dressed in dark colors from head to toe. Under one arm he held a shiny black motorcyclist helmet, while in the other hand was Félix’s disc. He held it out to her, his head bowed and hidden in the shadows cast by his hood. She watched warily as he stepped closer, still holding out the disc to her. “You dropped this when you…” he let his words trail away as his head turned to the spot she slid.

“Thank you, I'm fine.” She snatched the disc away from him as soon as he stepped close enough for her to. He took a step back as his hand shifted upwards in a defensive manner.

“I just saw you fall. Shit’s gone sideways here and-“ he muttered a few words in English as he looked through his pockets, pulling out his phone as it continued to buzz- “and another one. Dammit.” When his chin shifted to tell her he’d looked at her once again she noticed a small grimace on his lips.

“Sorry.” She sighed as she shoved the disc into her pocket. “You we’re just being nice and-“

“Can we skip all that? I have somewhere to be.” He cut her off. Stunned, she stared at him wide eyed. “Yeah figured.” He brushed past her, sliding his hood off and his helmet on so fluidly she didn’t have a chance to glance at his face. “Whatever, chick. Hope you don’t fall again.”

“Thanks?” She watched him walk back the way he’d come. A sleek black bike waiting for him to mount sat just under a street lamp. He humphed just loud enough for her to hear his aggravation before kicking up the kickstand and cranking the metal horse below him. She stumbled back as he drove past her, clinging to her school bag as the gust of wind followed him.

“I can’t decide if he was a jerk or not.” She mumbled to herself. A flash of orange followed by a low rumble pulled the stranger from her thoughts and had her eyes locked on the skyline, trying to gauge where it came from.

She had barely managed to make it halfway down the block when she felt her feet pulled out from under her. Unlike when Queen Bee grabbed her, she wasn’t tucked under this person's arm. Instead she was cradled on it. Her knees held up with utmost care and her rump settled on her captors shoulder easily. Green eyes flashed behind a black mask as a coy smile pulled peach lips towards the edges of their cheeks.

“You’re starting a bad habit that a friend of yours keeps.” Chat said as he raised them above the city on his baton. “Danger isn’t something you should run towards.” He emphasized the word and she winced.

“I have a-“ she paused as they swept downwards, away from where she needed to go. “A friend ran that way I have to get him before he gets hurt!” She clung to him, though his hold hadn’t wavered. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought of him dropping her without her own suit to protect her from the fall.

“Him?” Chats mask raised slightly above one eye as he nearly whispered the word. “You aren’t chasing after your reporter friend?”

“She better be in bed.” Marinette growled the statement. “A new mom doesn’t need to be chasing down akumas.”

“So this him?” He asked as he lowered her to her feet for a moment of reprieve. She placed one hand on her chest as she took in deep steadying breaths. She looked up at him, a slight fire in her eyes he couldn’t decipher, and frowned.

“Félix.” She said finally. “He ran off towards the explosion after-“ her eyes found the spot between their feet- “Volpina… the one who looks like Rena Rogue, she’s back again.” When she chanced a glance back up to him his lips were pressed into a thin tight line.

“Are you sure?” He asked slowly, taking a breath between each word.

“She was just standing on the rooftop of the liberal arts building just before he ran off.” She crossed her arms as her head turned towards the chaos unfolding. This was taking too much time. “He wants revenge because she tried to drop his cousin off of the Eiffel Tower.” He made a shocked sort of squeak that had her raising an eyebrow. Then he laughed.

“Both of you don’t remember that fight like I do. That kid was an illusion she made, hell, he was an illusion she made at that time.” His hand rested on her shoulder lightly as the remaining bits of laughter rocked his body.

“He’s not one though.” She said, glancing down at his hand. “Please Chat, if he gets hurt, how will I forgive myself? He only noticed her because she sent something towards me at that moment. It’ll be my fault and I can’t. I just can’t stand here and do nothing so let me stop him from doing something stupid!” His fingers tightened on her shoulders as his lips thinned into that tight line once again.

“Okay.” He said after a long agonizing moment of silence between them.

“Okay?” She felt her pulse in her ears, positive she’d misheard him.

“Okay, but you stick right by me. If the slightest thing goes sideways I’ll take you straight back home.” He didn’t wait for her reply before he swept her off her feet and into his arm once again. She prepared for the trip by wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his hair. She missed her yoyo so badly as he vaulted them over the city, his hair lightly slapping her on the cheeks with each landing. Her arms tightened around him and he returned the gesture.

The trip wasn’t long but by the time they arrived at the scene Marinette’s legs were wobbly. The kwamis shivered along with her in her tiny purse. She decided to herself that it was the lack of control more than the free fall that terrified her. When she couldn’t control the situation, like when Chat carried her across the buildings, she felt so lost and out of place.

“Félix!” She called out as soon as her feet were on solid ground. She took a wobbly step forward only to be stopped by Chats hand on her shoulder. “Graham De Vanily where are you!?” She demanded over the chaos going on around them. Chat grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a darkened alley as the orange clad woman passed them by, followed by someone in purple.

“Doesn’t seem like he’s here.” Chat's breath washed over her ear as he whispered into it. She froze for a moment. Memories of Félix turning a corner only for Chat to appear a minute later washed over her. Inwardly she groaned. Berating herself for once again making a connection to what very well could be his secret identity.

“He ran this way-“ she bit her tongue but he could’ve turned back. Could’ve come back to scoop me up and take me to safety. She shook the thought out of her head. Chat was Chat. No more, no less - she had to stop. Stop trying to figure him out against her own will. The thoughts wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t control them. Invasive thoughts that she would’ve never allowed in her youth.

Distracted, she didn’t see the attack coming before Chat whisked her up and over a few more buildings. They landed on the Grand Paris Hotel’s rooftop, just beside the covered pool. The alley they’d stood in was now a pile of rubble as the building beside it crumbled. Her blood froze at the sight. How had she let herself get so distracted.

“It’s gone sideways.” Chat said into her ear, bringing her back to the present. She bit down on her lip hard in an attempt to steady her racing thoughts. The pain centered her, bringing her back into the moment.

It would be safer for him to take her to the Chateau, she could transform after he left and appear in her more heroic persona to help. She could try to get another miraculous even, if it wasn’t just Lila Rossi akumatized once again. The very thought of the woman had a headache forming at her temple.

“Okay.” She nodded, raising a brow when he let a surprised noise slip past his lips. “Félix isn’t here.” She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Let’s go.”

“I’m pretty sure I know who he is, but I’m not sure I want to know.” Ladybug said to Kaalki as she struggled with the window in her bathroom. Since when had it been so hard to open? It felt like someone had glued it shut against her leaving. With one final push it finally slid upwards, sending her upper body out of it slightly as she stumbled forward with left over momentum.

“That is a dangerous line of thought, Ladybug.” Kaalki pursed their lips in a way only a kwami could.

“I know. I know!” Ladybug sighed as she pulled herself halfway out of the window, eyes already locked on the wifi box she would use to swing herself up and away. “Don’t make too much noise while I’m gone, you two.” She said, pointing to the kwamis’ direction.

“We will be perfectly ssssssilent.” Sass nodded even if she wasn’t looking their way. She nodded in turn at his words before swinging herself up and out, knowing they would dart into her room and the safety of her closet after they saw her off.

Traveling by yoyo felt like swinging compared to the stomach churning free fall feeling she got when traveling by Chat’s baton. She felt free as she soared by shops and homes, the feeling only dampened by the sight of her destination. Half a city block was already leveled and she wasn’t even sure why.

She was barely surprised when she landed on a rooftop to feel a presence land behind her. No, the surprise really came when she turned to see the black-clad hero resembled a bird rather than a cat.

“How is the civilian you-“

“He’s fine now.” Raven cut her off as he stepped up beside her. “What’s the situation?”

“I’m not sure. Destruction and beyond that- I’m not sure.” She shook her head slowly as she spoke. Another building toppled in a flash of orange and she gritted her teeth. “I want to believe what I’m seeing is real but-“ she gripped her yoyo tightly in one hand as her eyes narrowed. “I caught sight of an old enemy and she messes with people’s heads, uses illusions to fool us.”

“Great~” he blew a stray hair out of his eyes as he pulled his hood over his head a bit more. “Where’s the other bug?” She shrugged. Chloe would appear, ever since she gained her miraculous again she hadn’t missed a single battle, she just wasn’t sure when the yellow and black heroine would make her grand entrance.

“We can’t wait for her. Chat’s down there somewhere. We have to help him.” She took a step towards the edge of the roof only to pause at what he grumbled just loud enough for her to hear.

“Not like he wants our help.”

She turned on her heel to jab a finger against his chest. Silver eyes widened as they looked down at the offending digit.

“I don’t care if he wants my help or not. I’m here to help him regardless. Do you think it’s fair for him to fight alone?” He opened his mouth to retort but she wouldn’t let him get a word in. “Chat deserves to be safe and happy just as much as the rest of us! But he throws himself in harm's way for all of us on a daily basis! Do you think that’s fair? Because I don’t. Now we are going to go down there and keep him safe in return. Got it?”

“Didn’t know I was crossing a line.” He lifted her finger off his chest and moved it away with a scowl. “Girls and their crushes.”

“He’s not my-“ another explosion cut off her words. She scoffed at Raven before leaping off the building without another word. Let him believe what he wanted. She didn’t care anymore.

It didn’t take long to find the fight, or to slip into her usual moves alongside Chat. Two villains again, a man in purple and gold and Volpina. The guy was using what she recognized as the tigers power to knock whole buildings off their foundation in an attempt to get to-

Volpina?

He wasn’t fighting them unless they got in his way of the orange clad woman. Ladybug and Chat Noir eventually ignored him completely as they chased down multiples of the woman from roof to falling roof. None of them knew which was the actual Volpina, her signature move of multiplying herself with illusions made her hard to pinpoint. After the eighth one she struck turned into orange dust, Ladybug let out a growl of frustration.

“Where is she!!!” She demanded at the same time as the purple clad villain. Raven landed beside her then, a clotted line of blood reaching from his eyebrow to his chin. His lips were in a thin line as he watched ten more Volpinas laughing as they bounced from roof to roof.

“We need to regroup. Get the Bee.” Her brow furrowed at his words. Why hadn’t Chloe arrived yet? Where was Queen Bee?

“She’d be as useless as us if she were here.” Chat arrived at their side, a frown on his lips. Ladybug mimicked the frown with the smallest nod of her head. They fell back into the battle easily. She focused on destroying the illusions so she wouldn’t have to focus on the men around her. Even the one that she was almost sure had to be Dame Frey’s partner seemed to be all too happy to join them instead of using the powers of the tiger against them. She was thankful for that small stroke of luck.

“Wonder what could’ve caused this lovers spat.” Raven commented dryly as he stood back to watch the purple clad man swipe a few more illusions away.

“From what I’ve gathered, they were fighting over a miraculous. I think he tried to take hers.” Chat scratched behind his ear and let out a soft huff. Ladybug gave him a small smile of reassurance that he promptly ignored. Raven patted her on the shoulder.

“Not for nothing but, if they get over their issue we are going to have a problem.” He pointed out as he pulled his hand away. “Get a hold of the other bug.” The order was carried on a softer tone, but she recognized it as him positioning himself as their leader, at least in the moment.

“Bee doesn’t have to show up to every fight. You’re lucky I did after our first time.” Chat leveled his eyes at Raven, asserting his own dominance over the group as he did so.

“Back in America-“

“This isn’t America!” Ladybug sighed and took a step back from them. She let the two bicker as she turned away and opened up her yoyo to show her bug-phone feature. Chloe didn’t answer her call. She wasn’t even transformed, it would seem, as the usual If you need me leave a message at the buzz!, rang out through the speaker. She frowned at the yoyo before returning it to her side and taking a deep breath. She held it. Counted to three. Then let it out again.

Where was Chloe?

The hospital was cold.

Not that she was kicking up a fuss about it like she would in her youth. Hospitals were always cold. She learned that after her fathers fourth heart attack. Or was it his fifth? Her shoulders fell as she admitted she couldn’t remember. She had been so horrible to everyone, including him. How did she manage to make it through her teens without someone lashing out, fighting back?

Wait.

She hadn’t.

Marinette fought back. At every given opportunity the girl from a bakery stood against her and all of her schemes. Her friends had moved to Marinette's side so easily that it still astounded her. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for her to leave Paris for two whole years with her mother. Her mother. The woman certainly made it easy for her to return to the very city she ran from so long ago.

“Madame Bourgeois?” She jumped at the sound of her name and turned to the smiling RN at the door. He motioned for her to follow him and she scrambled to her feet to do so. It wasn’t long after the last battle that she got the call. She’d barely detransformed before she was racing to her car to go to his side. The grandfather of her best friend.

Huh.

Marinette had become her best friend.

It was an odd feeling, but not unpleasant. Like petting a cat after only ever knowing dogs. The chill in the air bit into her skin as the guy's voice drifted around her head. His words not fully registering in her mind.

“-aren’t family. However as his emergency contact-“

“Wait. What?” She cut him off quickly. “Since when? Mari is his emergency contact.” The RN gave her a small smile.

“He had it changed on his records last week.” He explained, knocking on a door and waiting for the familiar voice to call out before showing her inside.

The small man standing in the middle of the room looked nothing like the shell of a man she’d made a habit of coming to see. He smiled at her brightly as he leaned a bit on his cane. His cheeks had color to them finally. Relief washed through her like a warm breeze.

Maybe this hospital wasn’t so cold after all.

“Grandpa Cheng!” She exclaimed with a bright smile, ignoring the look that the nurse shared with him in lieu of taking in the room. A packed bag on the bed, dead flowers mixing with live ones on a bead side table, and a stack of release papers on the over bed table that had been pushed up against the other to allow him space to stand. “You’re…” she let the words die in her throat as she turned to him once again.

“They are sending me home, Chloe.” He said in that same wiser-than-his-age way he always spoke. She practically squealed with delight.

“Okay. Wow. Look at you mr better than a heart attack.” He chuckled as she waggled her eyebrows at him. “Okay. Okay. Mari is going to be so thrilled! Hang on let me call her!” She pulled out her phone and without even looking at the screen she found and called her number. After two seconds she clicked it over to speakerphone, excited to hear her response and wanting him to hear it as well.

-If you need to contact me for any reason please leave a message. Sorry again for missing your call.

She frowned as she pressed the button to end the call. Voicemail. The call had gone directly to voicemail and though Grandpa Cheng didn’t seem to mind she felt a short moment of fury wash through her. How could Marinette of all people have her phone off at a time like this?

“I asked them to release me to your care. I hope you don’t mind.” Grandpa Cheng’s voice brought her back to the present. She gave him a fond smile.

“Of course I don’t mind.” She told him. Only then did her eyes meet the nurse who was attempting to gain her attention. “Uh… give me a moment.” She stepped up to the man who couldn’t be older than thirty and squared her shoulders. “Do you need something?”

“Come with me for just a moment.” He insisted as he led her from the room. She pursed her lips as she followed him to an out of the way nook not far from Grandpa Cheng's room. “I won’t sugarcoat it Madame.” He said before she could demand why he brought her there. “Monsieur Fu is… not doing well. However we can no longer help him. We’ve exhausted every possible avenue available to us and his condition has, at best, stabilized for now.”

“What are you saying to me right now? Grandpa Cheng isn’t better? Then keep him!” She nearly shouted the words. He shushed her as he looked over his shoulder to the ones lingering in the hallway.

“His release was requested by him.” The nurse insisted. “He wants to spend his remaining time with his family that he loves. Do you blame him? I work here day and night and can tell you I wouldn’t want to spend my last days hooked to these machines.” He motioned to a wheeled contraption she didn’t recognize as he spoke. “Madame, he wants this. There’s nothing either of us can do other than making him comfortable at this point.”

She deflated. All the retorts she was ready to throw his way leaving her the second he said it was what Grandpa Cheng wanted. She knew he wouldn’t be happy staying in the hospital, waiting for his granddaughter or her blonde friends to decide they had time for him. No one would be happy with that.

“Okay.” She sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She hadn’t realized they’d spilled over. “I can’t get in touch with Mar- with his granddaughter. I’ll take him home.” The nurse smiled and nodded, finally letting her return to the room where the small man was struggling to button his Hawaiian shirt. She gave him a small knowing smile and, upon noticing just how much his too thin fingers shook as they clung to the buttons, rushed over to help him finish the task.

“Thank you, Chloe.” He said simply.

“It’s no problem at all Grandpa Cheng.” She said as she straightened herself to her full height. The man was tiny tiny. She hadn’t realized it when she was just seeing him in the hospital bed. “You ready to go?” She asked, already reaching for his bag and discharge papers.

“I’ve been ready to go since I arrived here.” She chuckled a bit at his words and motioned for him to lead the way from the room. He shuffled out of the room as fast as he could, his cane clicking on the tiled floor with each step he took. Chloe lagged behind him a bit, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and wishing she had left a message instead of hanging up on Marinette's voicemail.

Marinette would see the missed call and call her back, she reasoned to herself, she wouldn’t just ignore her after everything they’d been through the last few months. No, they’d grown close enough to meet up just to meet up. Marinette would see she’d missed her call and she’d call her back.

Chloe gulped, she hoped she would call her back.

The walk to her car was taken in silence. She slid his things in the backseat before helping him into the front. Once she was behind the wheel, Jacque was on one of his rarely taken off days, she let out a long breath and turned to look at the man who was fumbling with what appeared to be a chunky charm bracelet on his wrist.

“Where to?” She asked, sure he’d want to be taken to the bakery.

They didn’t end up at the bakery. The building was so far out of the way that she had to park the car and follow him down a few alleys before they ran across it. A massage parlor he’d proudly told her was his home. It was small, hidden by buildings on either side of it, and run down on the outside.

The inside was worse.

It looked like a tornado had flown through the building, scattering everything that appeared valueless around the three rooms she was able to see from the front and taking everything else with it when it moved on. She could see lighter areas in the carpet where large objects once sat. Those objects were no longer anywhere as far as she could tell. Her pulse quickened in her ears.

“Having a heart attack while being robbed was probably not my best moment.” Beside her the small man gave a smaller frown. Her blood boiled. Marinette hadn’t told her that part.

“You are NOT staying here.” She said definitively.

“And where else would I go?” He asked as he stepped past her to survey the damage. Her thoughts went first to Marinette, but she had a roommate and from what she had heard from mutual friends a very small apartment. Then they went to the Dupain-Chengs, but she was pretty sure that she’d heard something about Marinette's father not getting along great with her grandfather so that may not be the best idea.

“With me.” She said after a long moment of deliberation. “To the hotel. You’ll have everything you could want there and I’ll drag Mari to you as soon as she calls me back.” He stared at her for a few heartbeats before his eyes fell to the floor.

“I have to grab one thing first.” She didn’t want to tell him whatever was so important to him was probably stolen, and less than ten minutes later when he appeared with a simple small picture frame she was glad she hadn’t. The image was a woman, sepia colored and worn from age. She was smiling at the camera in front of Big Ben, staring down at her photographer from where she stood on the sidewalk. Chloe smiled at the sight. He’d obviously been the one to take the image.

“All ready?” She asked. When he nodded she gave him a small smile. “Alright Grandpa, let’s go get you settled in.” Without another word they left the place, only pausing so he could lock up before heading to her car once again. The silence wasn’t as heavy now. It felt nice walking beside the man she’d slowly grown to see as family of her own.

The car waited for them at the curb. Chloe held the door open for him before rushing around to the driver's side. He held the photo in his lap, facing him and slightly angled up so he could study the woman shown in it. She smiled as she glanced over at the cute scene. His lips were curved ever so slightly up and his eyes had a faraway gleam that warmed her heart.

“So you keep pictures of adorable girlfriends or is this one special?” She asked, waggling her eyebrows at him before turning her attention back to the road.

“She is very special. Though unfortunately I haven’t seen her in nearly fifty years.” Her brows shot downward as his words pulled at her heart in the worst way possible. Her lips pouted slightly as she struggled for what to say, but he continued on as if it were nothing. “She and I met when we were traveling around the world. We just so happened to be going on the same train and Marianne struck up a conversation with me when she noticed I was alone.”

“Marianne. Is that where Mari gets her name from?” She asked as they pulled up to a crossing. He shook his head gently.

“She was an outgoing woman, very sweet and caring. Why, by the time our trip had ended we already felt like old friends.” He continued on as if her question hadn’t phased him. “I suppose that’s why I booked a different ticket at that spot just to continue speaking with her. By the time we arrived in London I was quite smitten.” Her lips formed a curvy smile as she imagined him as a much younger man arm in arm with the woman in the photo.

“Did you two…” she waved her hand vaguely as she struggled for the right words before sighing and continuing, “How long were the two of you together?”

“Years.” He answered simply before clearing his throat and giving a whisky smile. “We fell out of touch when it was time to come to France. Back then we didn’t have things like cell phones or social media so we never found one another again.” Her shoulders slumped as she pulled onto the road leading to the hotel. Her eyebrows couldn’t draw closer together and her lip quivered ever so slightly.

“Do you miss her?” She asked. Her voice cracked but he didn’t show any sign of noticing that bit.

“Every day. However there is a small beauty in missing someone. You remember them at their best moments. The thought of her saddens me truly, but at the same time part of me knows she is still out there and that is enough to keep me going. The thought that perhaps one day we could see one another once again.” Chloe’s cheek felt cold on the left side of her face, she knew a tear had slid out to be caught by the AC of the car.

“I’m sure of it.” She assured him. Her voice was hoarse from held back tears. “I can help you as well. We’ll find her.”

“Thank you, Chloe.”

The hotel looked ahead of them now. White exterior with red overhangs set on each window just like it always had been. She pulled into a spot by the curb and raced around the car to help the man out. She stayed by his side until she was sure he would be steady on his feet and only then did she pull his belongings from the back seat. A valet took her keys and gave her a small nod as she led him inside.

The grand front hall of the hotel sported the same color scheme as its exterior. Mainly white and red with splashes of gold in expertly chosen places. The large vases in the room proudly held fresh red roses that gave off a gentle scent as they passed by them. The carpet, a darker auburn, was soft below their feet. That softness offset the whitewashed walls and granite pillars around the room. Chloe led him past the dark oak reception desk and up the grand sweeping staircase. One right turn and a much shorter staircase later and they stood waiting on an elevator to take them to the upper floor. She squeezed his shoulder gently as they stepped onto it. A gesture that always cheered her when her father did it to her own shoulder.

The ride up to her floor was quiet, but not awkwardly so. He took in the look of the filigree in the elevator while she went over exactly what she would say to her soon-to-be husband. When they exited, a line of doors awaited them down a long high ceiling hallway. She motioned for him to follow before striding directly to her own door, not waiting to check if Marc would even be decent before throwing open the door. Papers were everywhere. Absolutely Everywhere. He must’ve accidentally dropped his manuscript yet again. She didn’t mind, his somewhat clumsy actions always seemed to bring a smile to her face.

“Grandpa Cheng is going to be staying here a while!” She called out, catching the scrambling man’s attention.

“What do you mean staying here?” Marc was elbow deep in papers as he scrambled to organize them, his dark hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, green eyes slightly narrowed as he scrutinized the man standing beside her. No recognition crossed his face and that irked Chloe just the slightest bit. She’d gushed about Grandpa Cheng for hours while Marc sat beside her typing away at his computer just a few days before.

“He can’t very well live on his own with his condition.” She huffed and tossed her hair over one shoulder. “It’s not like he will be staying in our room. He will have his own suite.”

“But are you sure you want to do this? He’s the one with the granddaughter you’re friends with right?” Marc lowered his voice as he asked the question, not that it mattered, the little man was right beside her after all.

“Absolutely I want to do this.” She said, waving at an attendant as they made their way past her down the hall. “You’re going to love Grandpa Cheng. Not helping would be ridiculous.”

“Absolutely ridiculous.” Marc finished for her, there was a small smile on his lips as he said it. He stood and dusted his hands free of non-existent dirt before stepping up to them and bending down just enough to hold his hand out to the little man with a cane. “It is nice to meet you, Grandpa Cheng.” He said a bit awkwardly. “I’m Marc Anciel.” The man gave him a warm smile before taking his hand and giving it the smallest of shakes with his trembling fingers.

“You can just call me Fu, young Marc.” Chloe scoffed at his offer and both men turned their eyes up to her.

“If you think that I will call you anything other than grandpa-“ she began only to be cut off by the man’s chuckles.

“Yes indeed Chloe, but you are a special case.” He patted her on her lower back, as high up on her as he could reach, as he said the words. She beamed, giddier than she was the day she stormed into their room with the bee kwami on her shoulder. Marc knew she never really knew her grandparents, and felt his heart bloom at the sight of her around one she’d basically adopted.

“Where’s Jacque?” Marc asked as he straightened his back with an audible pop.

“He’s off today. He overworked himself and I told him if he didn’t take the day off I would force him to take a two week holiday.” He laughed at his fiancé’s words. If only she had grown into herself a bit earlier then everyone would’ve been able to see the side of her she kept hidden all those years.

“Then I guess we can just order out tonight.” He suggested as Chloe stepped backwards into the hallway, already stuck on the thought of getting monsieur Fu to his room.

“I would like some of those honey crisps if I may be so bold.” Pollen wasted no time emerging from Chloe’s bag. The blonde froze in her step as she turned to the small man behind her.

“And good evening to you.” Was all he said. Pollen flitted around him before returning his greeting. Chloe let out the breath she didn’t know she held. “Everyone in Paris knows of your good deeds as Queen Bee.” She smiled as he assured her it was okay with his kind eyes. “I suppose this lovely creature helps you.”

“Pollen.” Chloe said with a grin. “She’s the best partner ever. Besides Ladybug of course.”

“Naturally.” He chuckled again and she motioned for him to follow her as she picked his bag up from the floor.

I’m off being amazzzzing somewhere else! If you need me leave a message at the buzz!

Ladybug groaned and closed her yoyo. Her other hand trembled as it gripped tightly to the beam above her head. It felt like every fight ended up at the Eiffel Tower, there were so many other places these people could pick yet they always chose the tower. At this point she had the infrastructure of it memorized by touch alone.

“Still no bee?” Raven hung by his knees, upside down, beside her as he twirled his nunchucks to parry the blasts being sent their way. Ladybug pressed her lips together tightly.

“No. Still no answer.” She winced when the tower shook ever so slightly. Above them, Chat had just struck a beam with his back.

Note to self, stack a lot of pillows on the couch.

Tigre, at least that’s what he called himself, scaled the tower towards them, a fire in his eyes that hadn’t gone away since the moment he noticed that all of the Volpina’s were illusions. Her heartbeat quickened and she pulled her yoyo to her chest, ready to block another blast from his Clout if she needed to. Raven, surprisingly, laughed.

“He looks like a Beenie baby.” He said around his laughter. “I can’t take this guy seriously.”

“Please take the fight seriously at least.” She begged. He stopped laughing and turned his silver eyes on her. For a second she felt like her namesake being sized up for lunch by his.

“I always take fights seriously.” He commented dryly. “Probably because I’m not fawning over my partners while I’m fighting.”

“I am not fawning over-“

“Didn’t say you- but that proved my point.” He cut her off before unhooking his legs and falling headfirst towards the villain. Ladybug scoffed at his retreating feet before turning her eyes up to Chat who was busily scanning the skyline. He felt it too. Volpina may not be right in front of them but she wasn’t far away. Experience told them so. Experience that Raven didn’t possess.

“Raven has him distracted.” She called up to Chat who just barely glanced down at her before scanning the skyline again. I know, kitty. She wanted to say. Not that he would let her. Ever since she came back neither of them really used the old pet names they once did. The distance between them now was only highlighted by the closeness they’d gained outside of her mask.

It hurt.

She felt her eyes widen as Raven went flying from the tower on the back of a clout explosion. She ground her teeth together as she fended off another aimed at her. Why did it feel like everyone but her had such an easy time with their transformations? She was running out of time as it was.

Time.

Time!

Sass was at the apartment, she could easily grab him and-

Well, Chat wouldn’t accept it anyway. He just gave Kaalki back to her. Her choice was painfully obvious.

She waited until the three men below her were too distracted to notice her absence, once that moment came she whipped herself around to the other side of the tower with her yoyo and leapt into the air. She could find her way back to their apartment building in her sleep by this point. Pausing only to detransform she reached the Chateau with little issue. Sass and Kaalki were surprised to see her there, of course they were watching the fight as she strode inside, and had a hundred questions that she simply did not have time to answer.

“Sass. I need you.” Was all she needed to say. The kwami found his miraculous and handed it over without a word of objection. She thanked him and reminded Kaalki once again that they needed to be quiet so the staff of the building wouldn’t get suspicious. With that she turned and made her way back out of the building, the long way.

………………

Transforming by a dumpster was never elegant or anywhere near hygienic, but it was the option she had and so she did just that. Squatting between the heavy metal frame of the trash receptacle and a stack of soggy undelivered newspapers. It didn’t take her long to scramble to the roof of the building she told Adrien she lived in just to escape the smell of the alley.

A few precise rooftop leaps later she arrived at Luka’s building. It wasn’t hard to find his bedroom window, he had a blanket with the image of a guitar hanging over it, something she remembered from her last visit. She hung from a well placed chimney and gave the glass a gentle knock with her knuckles.

“Who would be knocking on my- oh. Ladybug.” Lukas eyes were wide as he met hers through the thin glass. She held onto the yoyo with one hand as she waved to him with her other. He gave her a small smile before returning the gesture. A second later a blast of cool air struck her as he opened the window, followed by the scent of furniture polish. Her nose scrunched but she climbed inside anyway.

“Luka.” She took a moment to breathe as she adjusted to the scent of the room before continuing. “I- we need your help. Your use of second chance can change the tides of our battle against Tigre. Do you accept this-“ she paused, her hand butted against the yoyo as she remembered. She’d stuck the bracelet in her purse. Her civilian-form-can-only-access-this-accessory purse.

Shit!

“It’s okay. You can drop the transformation.” He moved past her to lay the blanket over the window once again. “No one else is here right now.”

“But you can’t know my-“

“I already know.” He cut off her quickly spoken words and she audibly gasped. “It’s okay, Marinette.” Her world closed in on itself as her ability to breathe all but ceased. She could feel her fingers growing clammy even in the suit as her hands shook at her side.

“How-“ she swallowed and it felt like sandpaper in her throat. “How long have you…”

“Since we were kids.” He reached to scratch at the musical note tattoo on his neck. “Nearly nine years now.”

“Who have you-“

“Marinette I haven’t told a soul. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, especially you.” She contemplated his words for a moment before giving him a small smile.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me at all.”

Detransforming in front of someone felt odd to her. She hadn’t done it… ever that she could remember… so when Luka acted as if it were the most normal thing in the world it just sent more questions spiraling around in her mind. She handed over the bracelet, which he put on as if he’d done it a hundred times. Luka always made everything he did look as if he were comfortable with it.

“Sass.” His smile gave away how much he’d missed the snake Kwami. Maybe not everything came so simple to him after all.

“Do you recall what musssst be done?” Sass asked, an air of superiority around him.

“Of course.” Luka called his transformation easily. Marinette shifted from foot to foot as she looked away from the bright light that engulfed him. When Viperon stood before her she called for her own transformation and quickly ducked her head down to avoid his eyes.

“Let me know when you would like me to use my second chance.” He said before moving to the window once again. Even without his newfound super senses he would’ve heard her softly grumble behind him.

“Could've used it eight years ago but no…” she let out a sigh, a very Marinette move that Ladybug masked well, and stepped up beside him. “The fight moved to the tower.” She told him with a bit more confidence.

“Naturally.” They both grumbled together.

Luka actually lived pretty far away from the Eiffel Tower compared to others in their friend group. It was an odd sort of relaxed yet stressed feeling that overtook her when she noticed this fact. He hopped easily over rooftops beside her and again she remembered falling through trees when she had finally transformed again. He knew even back then, that’s why he was watching her so intently in the car and why he didn’t think for a second before offering her a ride. She groaned inside herself. He was probably worried her classic Marinette clumsiness would kill her before she got back to Paris.

Chat and Raven had him cornered when they arrived. Ladybug and Viperon hid behind a tall facade on the roof of the nearest building to the tower. He glanced around it to size up the battle, his lips forming a thin line of concentration as he did so.

“That’s… not an akuma.” He stated simply, his tone flat and lifeless.

“No. Someone stole the miraculous from Master and now we are having to struggle to get them back.” She stepped back from him and placed one hand on the beads of the necklace resting against her clavicle. “Tikki, Baark, unify.” She commanded. To say it was odd to see a brown ladybug was an understatement, the dog ears resting on either side of her head didn’t help much either. “Okay. Here’s the plan. We let them keep him distracted long enough for me to touch his miraculous with my ball.” She opened her yoyo with a frown, studying the coverage on the news so she didn’t have to risk giving away their position. “Go ahead with Second Chance just in case I miss. I’m going to be depending on your judgment for this one.”

“Happy as always to be of assistance.” Viperon tumbled his lyre as he narrowed his eyes. A second later he’d called upon his second chance and was giving her a firm nod. “Here’s the plan Ladybug. You will try to take his miraculous when he is at the top of the tower but that doesn’t work. Wait down below. Chat will hit him towards the ground and as he falls you will be able to touch it with the ball. Come on, I’ll show you where to hide- wait!” He grabbed her wrist as she moved to leave their hiding spot. “Not yet. They will all notice us if we leave now.” He held up his hand, counting his fingers down slowly from five. “Now.” He said as the last digit fell. They emerged from their hiding space and made their way up the tower. Halfway up one brace he paused, holding his hand out to her to stop her as well.

“I’m assuming this is where I need to be.” She said, taking the ball in hand in preparation. He gave her a small smile and nod in response. Without another word he pushed himself up to brace his feet against the beam. A second later he was leaping up to join the others in the battle. She only had time to adjust herself before the purple clad man was falling towards her. The lights from the tower gleamed off his miraculous almost like a beacon for her. She reached out, the ball grazing the chains on his finger as he passed. Their eyes locked and hers widened as his hardened. He pulled his free hand up, middle finger pointed proudly towards her, before flipping himself around and angling himself to land. Her brow creased. She couldn’t allow another to get away.

Her yoyo wrapped around his waist just before he landed, yanking him upwards as it pressed his arms against his sides. She slid through to the inside of the tower before leaping to the ground, pulling him up even higher into the air.

“Fetch!” The tiger miraculous zipped to her hand, she clutched it in shaking fingers as her eyes shut against the purple light enveloping him. What was left behind was a man in casual clothing with fluffy brown hair and a scowl across his usual dimpled cheeks. Michal.

Her heart raced as her pulse pounded in her ears. Memories of a dark alleyway, pain in her head and a flash of bright green against the night. She bit her bottom lip to steady herself. She wasn’t Marinette. Not right now.

“Lucky Charm!” The air mattress summoned landed on the ground just below him. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered it was more than he deserved.

“Ladybug!” She turned towards a reporter as the woman rushed towards her, microphone at the ready and a determined mask on her face. “Please! Do you have any words for the parisians?”

“I have words for one specifically.” She took the microphone with the hand that still connected her to her yoyo, effectively raising him higher as she did so. “Dame Frey. We’ve taken down your minion. You will not be far behind. You are messing with powers you neither understand nor deserve. We will get them back. All of them. And when we do, you will join your idol in prison.”

She loosened the yoyo, sending him falling against the air mattress. He barely had time to catch his breath before she yanked it out from under him. When he hit the ground with an audible oomph, she had to stop herself from smirking. The ladybugs washing over the city did little to stop the icy chill forming around her chest.

“That was for a dear friend, Marinette.” She told him as he pushed himself to his feet, his nose already swelling. Chat appeared at her side then, eyes hard as he stared the other man down.

“I recognize you. The creep.” He said. Michal’s face turned beet red as his eyes lit aflame with anger.

“I would say a creep is a dude in black stalking a couple at night.” Michal spat back. The police officer who was busy placing him in cuffs met Ladybugs eyes and she slowly shook her head to tell him it wasn’t true.

“We will see what she has to say in court.” She said, flagging over Viperon who was introducing himself properly to Raven by the base of the tower. He gave her a bright smile as he stepped forward, the smile falling to a look of confusion when he caught sight of Michal properly.

“I was expecting… more.” He said, causing Michals face to darken even more. The man struggled against the police officers as they pulled him back towards their waiting car, trying to get to Viperon who simply watched with a bored expression on his face. Ladybug’s earrings beeped and he raised a brow in her direction.

“We have to go.” She said it more to the two black clad heroes than to Viperon. Then, turned to give him a quick nod, one he recognized from their teen years. Follow me, it said. He gave her a small nod in return then they were leaping over the rooftops once again. They raced each other, and time for her, all the way back to his home. Slipping in through his still open window just before her transformation dropped. She landed on her knees, panting from exhaustion and trying to gather the strength to stand once again.

“Are you alright?” He asked, casually dropping his own transformation as he squatted beside her to rub her shoulders.

“Y-yeah.” She took a moment to just steady her breath before casually adding, “five minutes seems so much shorter now.”

“Five-“ he blinked. “You still have to release it after five minutes.” When she nodded he moved to sit on the edge of his bed, running his fingers down his face as he breathed out slowly. “Mari I- the longest I went back there without using second chance was twenty.”

“What!” Her eyes couldn’t possibly get any bigger on her face as she stared him down. “But you- and your bracelet didn’t-“

“There wassss a ssssort of child lock on your powerssss.” Sass answered, landing on his shoulder. “Sssso you wouldn’t hurt yoursssself with overussse.”

“Are you telling me I’m child locked?” Marinette sat up a bit straighter and narrowed her eyes at Tikki who simply shrugged.

“I’m not exactly the one in control of it, Marinette. You are.” Tikki explained with a soft patient tone. “No one else is… restricted, like you are because they aren’t clinging onto the rules of the past.”

“But Chat-“

“Chat is barely clinging on by his fingernails at best.” Baark huffed from her purse where they’d already begun to munch on the waiting treats. “He will let go soon and then…”

“I’ll be the only one left behind.” Marinette deflated, shrinking into herself as she thought over the realization. Luka gave her a kind smile as his hands fell to rest between his knees.

“Well, what do I do then? How do I get past it?” Marinette looked at each kwami in turn but it was Tikki who responded with a small shake of her head.

“That is something everyone has to figure out for themselves. I’m sorry.” The red kwami landed in her waiting palm with large woeful eyes locked on her.

“Even so, I know at least for me mental barriers fall when I talk them through with someone. It may take some time but perhaps, if you wanted that is, I could help you work things out.” Luka tilted his head a bit as he presented her the offer with a slightly parted smile. She felt her own lips pull up into a small grin as she met eyes with him.

“Thank you Luka, that’s really sweet.” He shrugged at her words, waving one hand vaguely as if to tell her it was nothing. She felt a gentle vibration from her purse and pulled her phone from it only to wince at what she saw.

Notifications:

Chloe 🐝 one missed call

Chloe 🐝 six unread text messages

Chloe 🐝 one unread line message

Chloe 🐝 one new Instagram message

Chloe 🐝 one new snapchat

Chloe 🐝 two missed FaceTime calls

“I think… I’ve missed something.” She said before turning the phone for him to study the screen. His brow creased before one eyebrow shot upwards. “Do you mind giving me a ride to, ya know… the hotel?” She asked. He leaned back and was once again smiling.

“No problem at all Mari.” He helped her to her feet and she thanked him with a smile before following through his home and out into the early morning mist of the Parisian streets. They didn’t have to walk far before he found his bike. Memories of him on a scooter holding a helmet out to her washed through her mind as he held a similar one out from his place on the motorcycle. With the helmet clipped below her chin and her hands gripping his waist, he started the bike and swiftly turned them towards where she assumed a very pissed off blonde would be awaiting her.

Her fingers tightened around his jacket as her mind raced, wondering what would’ve possibly kept Chloe away from her duties as Queen Bee, and how it could’ve possibly involved her.

Chapter 30: Repercussions

Chapter Text

“There you are. Get in here!” Marinette felt like her arm popped from its socket with the force behind Chloe’s tug. Luka stepped easily through the doorway after Marinette’s flailing limbs. He shared a curt hello with Marc as Chloe dragged Marinette to the far corner of the reception area. “I’ve been trying to call you all night!” The blonde hissed into her ear.

“I’m sorry Chlo- my phone was dead and I had to ask Luka for a charger but his wasn’t working so-“

“Back with blue man group?” Chloe asked, cutting off Marinette’s mad rambling explination.

“His hair is green now.” Marinette sighed as she motioned to the guys who were seemingly in a deep conversation by the front doors of the hotel. Chloe huffed and raised her chin at the sight, crossing her arms over her chest before shooting Marinette a look she hadn’t seen since they were teenagers.

“You’ve fucked up Dupain-Cheng.” She hissed, pressing close to the smaller girl as she did. “Do you even know why ?”

“Uh.” Marinette licked her dry lips as she watched the light bounce off the snake bracelet wound around Luka’s wrist. “U-um…”

“Grandpa Cheng!!” Chloe snapped her fingers between them, pulling her attention back to the blonde. “What if I called to tell you he died huh!”

“Ma- my grandpa- died?” Marinette didn’t realize she was stuttering right along with her heart. Chloe rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, pressing the up button on the elevator as she did so.

“Pfft. No. But he could’ve. He still needed you anyway.” She shoved Marinette into the elevator and jabbed the button for the top floor before leaning back against the far wall. “Here’s the thing,” She said in a much gentler tone as they began the journey upwards, “I sorta brought him home. He was released from the hospital but-“ she sucked in a sharp breath- “It’s not good Maricakes. Not good at all.”

The hallway lay still and quiet before the elevators opening doors. A sense of dread filled Marinette’s stomach with lead as Chloe led her from it to a set of double doors across the hallway from what she knew to be the blondes childhood bedroom.

Chloe didn’t even knock before swinging the door open wide as she cheerily called out “ Grandpa Cheng !” Into the waiting room beyond them. It was set up much the same way as Marinette remembered Chloe’s room being set up. A large suite that combined a sitting room with a bedroom and a walk in closet opened wide to her right as they stepped in. Beyond the rooms waited a balcony that Marinette spotted a very chipped, but familiar teapot sitting on an iron wrought table. Soaking in the sun beside the table lay Master Fu, even smaller than she remembered him being before and seeming to be dozing. Chloe was undeterred by the sight and strode through the room like- well, Marinette assumed she did own it at this point so she saw no reason for the blonde to act any differently.

“Grandpa Cheng!” Chloe called cheerily once again as she stepped through the open glass door to stand beside him. He startled then, turning slightly in his chair to look up at her. A small yellow and black creature settled on his head as he gave Chloe a warm smile.

“Good morning Queen Bee.” He said gently, though his voice sounded strained to Marinette even at a distance. “I was enjoying the sunrise but it seems I nodded off.” Marinette had never seen Chloe’s smile so soft and vulnerable as it was when she squatted down beside the man and gently took his hand in her own.

“That’s fine.” She flicked her eyes to Marinette as she spoke and gave her a small nod. “I got Mari here to see you, figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to have your granddaughter around should you need her.” She saw Master Fu flex his fingers around Chloe’s as the blonde spoke.

“Thank you.” He said gently before turning to stand and fully face Marinette. “Good morning Marinette.” His eyes drooped, his shoulders slumped, his back bowed just that much more than it did before. Marinette had to inhale deeply and close her eyes for a moment. She focused on the last time she played a game with Chat to calm herself enough to look at him again. She couldn’t be akumatized just because the sight of the man was tearing her heart into shreds. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t let it happen.

“Good morning.” She said, then in two steps she’d managed to get close enough to pull him into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She mumbled into the top of his head. He wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her lower back as her body shook against him. She closed her eyes again. Willing the happy memory back in place of the sight of Master Fu before her. He chuckled lightly when she pulled away, sniffling and refusing to look at Pollen who now hovered over Chloe’s shoulder.

“I’m not done for just yet, so dry those tears.” He gently ordered. She nodded but couldn’t help a few more rolling down her cheek. He patted her shoulder before turning to Chloe who was practically preening now that she’d managed to get both of them together again.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.” Chloe took it upon herself to sit in the chair opposite Fu’s as she spoke. Her eyes settled on Marinette’s once again as she motioned to a small bench to her right. “Let’s get Maricakes settled in, shall we?”

“Excuse me?” Adrien blinked, shocked by the words he was hearing. “My father Hawkmoth, you’re saying my father refused to go with Dame Frey when offered the chance?”

“Yes Mr. Agreste. He is in a very agitated state at the moment, he is requesting you.” The corrections officer sounded beyond tired on the phone as they let out a soft grunt of annoyance. “He called officer Legrange an idiot and-“ there was a pause as a muffled voice echoed through the speaker. “He is now demanding to be moved to another cell as the temporary one he is in isn’t located at the north of the building.” Adrien blinked up at the ceiling of his office as his mouth hung slack with shock. He blinked once, twice, then shook his head to clear the fuzz that was building on the edges of his mind.

“So what you’re telling me is-“

“You want me to live here ?” Marinette couldn’t believe the words coming from her own mouth. Twelve years ago, eight years ago, he’ll even two years ago if someone told her that Chloe of all people would offer for her to live in the most expensive hotel in Paris, free of charge, she would’ve assumed it was a trick or an akuma. A small part of her still whispered that it might be both.

“Where else would you live? That apartment you house sit for your school buddy?” Marinette snapped her mouth shut at the question. No need to correct the blonde when that was a reasonable enough excuse. How else could she keep the secret she was living with Chat Noir of all people- well, secret.

“Chloe this is too fast. I’m not-“

“- ready to visit him yet.” Adrien shook his head as he finally glanced back at his computer screen. An online store boasted its goods to him but he couldn’t bring himself to study the products like he had been before the call. “I don’t think I should see him more than once a year anyway, and I just saw him-“ had it really only been a month since his last visit. Too soon for him to entertain the thought of seeing the man again. “Listen, I’ll pay for the repairs, since obviously Ladybug didn’t already fix the cell wall, but I can’t even think-“

“Mr. Agreste.” The officer cut off his thoughts with a stern authoritative voice. “We all know the arrangement you have with us is to protect yourself mentally after all-“ the unspoken words hung in the air around him as the officer cleared their throat.

After all, he is a terrorist.

After all, he isolated you.

After all, he’s a monster.

Adrien blinked his suddenly stinging eyes as he slowly shook his head.

“We feel it may be best if you make some time for him. If Dame Frey thinks he could be of help perhaps seeing his son would keep him from falling into her grasp and returning to a life of crime once again.” He swallowed and licked his too dry lips at the thought. Gabriel could certainly be a hindrance to them if he decided to spill what he knew about the miraculous to his would-be successor.

“Can I think about it and-“

……….

“Get back to us when you decide.” Chloe urged as Marinette began to pace in front of her. “It doesn’t have to be immediately, but it would be best for Grandpa Cheng if you were available more often.”

“We aren’t trying to pressure her, Queen Bee.” Master Fu settled deeper into his chair as Pollen rested on his head, half in a doze.

“Of course not!” Chloe insisted as she turned to him with a bright grin. “Mari, you don’t feel pressured, do you?” Those bright blue eyes turned to Marinette once again and she felt the start of a headache forming at her temple.

Chloe looked like a child presenting a present to a parent, all excited and nervous and smiling from ear to ear as if saying, go on, take it! Marinette’s heart twisted with a guilty feeling at that look. It reminded her too much of Chat whenever he managed to actually cook an edible meal. Chat- she couldn’t just leave him. She’d abandoned him for far too long already and though part of her still whispered it was for his own good, she could see the way it had affected him. The way he now looked at Ladybug was something she’d thought she would never see. At least his eyes didn’t burn into her with hateful glares anymore, but the trust they had for so many years still hadn’t returned.

Still, she was unable to look into Chloe’s eyes and tell her she didn’t want to be here. The blonde had worked so hard to become who she was now and Marinette feared that one slip would send her spiraling back into who she used to be. She swallowed thickly as her gaze turned to Master Fu, he simply gave her a small knowing nod as he took a sip from his teacup.

“Can I- can I talk to grandpa alone a moment while I think?” She asked as she looked at Chloe once again. The blonde stared at her for an agonizing few seconds before she stood and flicked her a bright smile.

“Of course!” Chloe’s usual habit of flicking her hair over her shoulder returned as she glanced between Marinette and the old man in the chair. “I’ll be in my suite, just across the hallway. Just come talk to me when you’re done!” Marinette grinned at her nervously until the blonde was out of sight. Only then did she let out a deep sigh and sink onto the stone bench.

“I’m assuming the living arrangements have a conflict.” Master Fu said after Marinette hung her head, allowing her shoulders to droop.

“Yes.” She muttered without looking up at him.

“It wouldn’t happen that you’re still cohabitating with Chat Noir, would it?” He urged. Marinette let the silence linger between them as her head hung lower. Her hands raised to hold it up as she slowly blinked down at her feet.

“…yes.” She finally mumbled when it was clear he wasn’t going to change the subject.

“Ladybug-“

“I can’t just abandon him again, okay!” She looked up at him, all fire and passion behind her eyes as she gritted her teeth. “When he was sick he was desperate Master! He was so scared that I would just leave him alone to die! He has every right too! Because- because...” She let the words fade as she toed at the concrete below her.

“You abandoned him before.” She knew he didn’t mean for it to be accusatory, but the sting of tears still came.

“I thought- I thought it was for the best but… Master, I broke him and I can’t fix it.” She met his eye as the first tear fell. “If bunnix came back right now I’d gladly go with her and stay. I wouldn’t leave him alone at that hospital.”

“Yet she’s not here.” He insisted.

“I know.” She sighed as she rubbed her shoulder. Bunnix only returned in the event of a world ending choice. The fact that she hadn’t come back didn’t mean Marinette hadn’t messed up, it just meant she hadn’t messed up in an apocalyptic way- Blue eyes surrounded by white filled her mind's eye as she closed hers- again.

“Do you feel that remaining with him will help?” He asked. She nodded before slowly shaking her head.

“I don’t know,” she chanced another look at him before locking her eyes on the teapot beside him. “I don’t know how much I can help him as me, but… I want to help him. I want him to be happy again and for now it feels like he is.” She closed her eyes once again. “I want my best friend happy again. He’s been through too much already.”

“Then stay with him.” When she opened her mouth to speak he let out a soft tutting that silenced her. “I will take care of things with Queen Bee, you take care of things with Chat Noir.” He said simply. Her muscles felt like jello as the stress ebbed slightly from her body.

“Thank you, Master.”

The memory of her last conversation with Master Fu played through her mind and Marinette sighed as she stepped out of the dark subway and into the bright afternoon sun. Two days had passed with no sign of Dame Frey, and no Akumas thankfully. Félix hadn’t answered her messages and had been kind of distant in class so she didn’t even have to spend time trying to make him look like a person instead of an angry cat- Nope. She shouldn’t be thinking like that.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled down to Adrien's last text message to take her mind off of her black clad roommate.

Adrien 🌻:

About that extremely loud toy we have to punish our one true loves with. I found the perfect thing.

What exactly would that be?

Adrien 🌻:

It’s a ladybug themed drum set.

Ladybug huh

Adrien 🌻:

No no listen! Alya loves ladybug and Nino cannot turn down music stuff. They will fight EACH OTHER!!!

Adrien Agreste you are evil

Adrien 🌻:

Have to get our payback somehow.

I’m in.

Adrien 🌻:

Already ordered. Want to pick it up with me?

Sure

She was just about to put her phone away after smiling over the messages. It was almost in her purse when it began to vibrate against her hand. She pulled it back up to look at her alert and almost dropped it. Adrien was… calling her? She wasn’t that late was she?

“Hello?” She pursed her lips as she leaned against a pole, holding the phone to her ear as she checked the time on her watch.

“Hey! Wrong side!”

“What?” She looked around herself, squinting in the harsh sunlight until quick movement caught her eye. Adrien stood on the opposite sidewalk, smiling over to her as he waved one arm frantically to catch her attention.

“You are such a dork.” She snorted and waved back before making a show of hanging up her phone. He feigned offense, like she figured he would, and turned his back on her to cross his arms with a flourish. “Total dork.” She mumbled to herself as she stepped over to press the crosswalks button. About a minute and a half passed before she could cross the street. He didn’t turn around once. She was impressed by his acting skills, almost to the point that she worried she really had offended him.

When she stepped up to his side he hooked his arm in hers and gave her a wide toothy grin. Her shoulders relaxed. She hadn’t offended him after all. He turned her to a small but expensive looking toy store at the corner and began to pull her towards it by the arm. They stepped through the revolving door to the sound of soft nursery music and the smell of baby powder. Soft pastel colors mingled with bright over saturated ones to the point that she wasn’t sure where to look. Adrien didn’t have the same problem. Keeping his arm hooked in hers, he walked them to the counter and gave the bored looking attendant a lopsided grin.

“Hi. We’re here for an online order. Under Agreste.” He told her, squeezing Marinette's hand a bit as he did so. The girl first looked him over, then stared down Marinette who grinned sheepishly at her. With a sigh she turned to the computer and typed on the keyboard quickly.

“Cain! Can you bring out order number AC780034?” She called over the loudspeaker. From the back they could hear boxes being shuffled around and a few angry sounds following heavy objects falling.

“That’s in the far back.” A lean guy with long dark hair and quite a few piercings popped his head out from a curtain behind the counter. “You’re gonna need to give me your keys if you want me to get it.” The counter attendant groaned as she passed him the keys, he gave her a short salute before disappearing behind the curtain once again.

“Sorry about that. If you two would like to look at bassinets while you wait we have some in the window on sale right now.” She told them.

“Ah, no.” Marinette said right as Adrien stated “some other time maybe.” They paused, looked at one another, and laughed together. Marinette hoped he didn’t notice color on her warming cheeks and turned to study two teddy bears propped against a display nearby.

“Whatever.” The attendant popped the gum that Marinette hadn’t noticed her chewing before going back to her phone. She felt Adrien shift behind her and could swear the heat under her skin moved to the back of her neck in response.

“Those are cute.” He offered, way too close to her ear.

“Y-yeah. They’re adorable.” She giggled softly as she took one step away from him so she could breathe again.

“We could get them for the boys.” His suggestion was barely out of his lips before there was a heavy thud behind them causing both to jump.

“You better either live nearby or-“ the guy from before began.

“I have a car parked outside.” Adrien had ended up in a protective stance. One arm stretched out in front of Marinette as if he was ready to shield her with his body.

“Whatever.” The guy waved at them dismissively before turning on one heel and walking back through the curtain behind the counter. The girl popped her gum again.

“That’s why he works at the back. Not a people person.” She shrugged, not even looking up from her phone.

Adrien chuckled and shook his head before moving to heave the heavy box up. He adjusted it to brace it on his raised knee before digging in his pocket and holding a set of car keys out to her. Marinette blinked at the offered keys before looking back up at his face.

“I need you to open the back door for me so I can get this in.” He answered her unasked question. She ducked her head as her cheeks warmed yet again. The fact that she couldn’t stop feeling embarrassed around him felt like a major step backwards in their friendship. She gripped her hands into fists. She wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“What? Wonder boy can’t multitask?” She forced her lips into a smirk as she snatched his keys. He chuckled as she waved them back and forth before turning towards the door.

“Thank you!” He called out to the attendant before she heard him shuffling along behind her. Once they made it outside she stopped, confused on where exactly she should go. “The dark grey one on your left.” He said as he stepped up behind her. She fumbled with the keys in her hand before finally pressing the button to unlock the doors. Her fingers shook as she opened the back door for him to slide the box into, and she may as well have thrown the keys at him with how quickly she shoved them into his hands.

“That was… anyway! See you later I guess?” She stammered out with an awkward smile as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

“You don’t want to come with me, to give it to the nephews?” He asked, closing the back door to turn fully towards her.

“You’re going now?”

“Well… I thought that- I mean only if you would like to but, maybe we could give it to them together?” He scratched at the back of his neck as he gave her a soft chuckle.

“Are you sure?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head. “You bought it. All I did was stand in a store like an idiot.”

“Trust me you did not stand there like an idiot.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You were a big help, me going into a children’s toy store on my own would attract too much attention.”

“And walking in with some no name girl wouldn't?” She raised her brow as she crossed her arms. His face went pale for a moment before he ducked his head and a soft chuckle left him. It wasn’t lighthearted or carefree. His chuckle was dark and clipped, anxiety rolling through it as easily as the sound rolled through the air between them.

“I… didn’t think of that.” He admitted after it had faded away leaving silence to settle between them. She hadn’t thought of it either, until the words were leaving her mouth she hadn’t considered that he was still very much a famous fashion icon and she was still just a nameless girl on the streets of Paris.

His eyes were big and pleading for forgiveness as he held open the front passenger side door. Marinette stared right back at him, her eyes only pulling away from him when a soft sigh left her lips. Damn him and his golden retriever energy.

“We better hurry then, before the press finds you out and about.” She slid into the seat and adjusted her purse as he gently shut the door. He grinned as he rushed around the front of the car to take his place behind the wheel. She chuckled to herself as she watched him, his ponytail bouncing against his neck as he practically hopped into his seat.

“Should we warn them that we’re on our way?” He asked, pressing the button to start the car. She pulled her phone from her purse and gave him a small smile as she waved it between them.

“I’ll text her.” Before he’d even pulled away from the curb she’d sent the first message.

Hey hon. Are you home?

It didn’t take long for Alya to answer her. Adrien jumped when the sharp ding rang out through the car.

“Sorry. She wanted to make sure I could hear her text alerts.” She waved away his curious gaze as she lifted her phone yet again.

Alya 🧡🦊

Where else would I be? I don’t know how mom did it. Twins are too much.

I doubt Robin and Leo are too much.

They’re juuuuuust right.

Adorable.

Sweet.

I’d steal them in a heartbeat.

Alya🧡🦊

Come take them. I could use the break.

Yeah. We’re home.

I can’t focus on my article.

Be there in a few.

Maybe we could grab some wine after?

Alya 🧡🦊

Wine would be great but I’d settle for vodka at this point.

Oof.

She turned her screen off just as Adrien pulled onto their road. She hadn’t spoken to him nearly the whole ride, thus only noticed when her attention was pulled from her phone just how tense his shoulders looked, and how tight his jaw was clenched as he searched each building for the right number.

The car pulled to a stop, Adrien pressing the button once again to shut it off before he laid his head back against the headrest and turned to look her way. She noticed his eyes slide to the back seat before he sighed and glanced at the building waiting for them.

“Forgot they only have stairs huh?” She asked, tucking her phone into her purse and unbuckling her belt.

“It’s not all that heavy. I can make it.” He mumbled, green hues turning back to lock onto her. “Do you remember the girl I was telling you I have feelings for?” He asked, half closing his eyes as he glanced down at his gear shift.

“It wasn’t Alya was it?” She asked, one brow raising.

“No!” He sat straight up before shifting his body towards her. His hands between them as he waved them frantically like he could wipe her question from the air. “No! It’s not Alya. It’s just-“ he sighed and tousled his bangs with one hand as he looked everywhere but her face. “They may mention her to you and I don’t want it to be awkward.”

“Adrien, we are all your friends. I promise not to think any differently of you or your crush.” He flinched when she opened her door and slid one leg out. “Besides I think it’s adorable that you have someone you’re in love with. Have you told her yet?” He frowned and opened his own door, sliding out of it in one fluid motion and shutting his door.

“No.” He said only after he stepped around to her side of the car. “The timing isn’t right. Not yet. There’s something I have to do first and it may ruin everything anyway.” He opened the back door and had the box in his arms before she had time to process his words.

“Oh.” She managed to get out as he cast her a small sad smile. She stared at the image of the drum set on the box rather than meeting his eyes. “W-well I’m sure it’ll all work out. Somehow.” She patted his arm awkwardly before turning and heading into the apartment building, hoping with Alya and Nino around he wouldn’t look so much like a drowned kitten.

Their walk up to the apartment was slow. She had to grab the edges of the box at one point to assist him and walking backwards when she was already clumsy caused her to slow them both down considerably. He didn’t seem to mind however, shooting her a bright smile anytime their eyes met over the box. Her own grin was lopsided and felt odd on her face. Relief washed through her when she finally saw the door number for Alya's home. Stumbling in her haste, she tripped over her own feet and landed with an “oomph” on the floor outside of their door. Adrien stumbled forward as well but managed to keep himself and the box off of her in the end.

Alya opened the door at that moment, her hair in a messy bun and her brows pulled together behind her glasses. She looked first at Adrien, who adjusted the box as he cleared his throat behind it; then to Marinette, still on the floor and looking up at her with wide bugged out eyes. A moment passed, then another. A baby cried while another giggled and behind it all a clock ticked away. Alya blinked then, breaking whatever trance she’d been thrown into with a laugh that rolled from her chest to bubble from her lips.

“Didn’t expect her to fall for you again so soon.” Alya managed to get out around her chuckles. Marinette tilted her head in confusion while Adrien spluttered from behind the box.

“Alya don’t tease him.” Marinette scolded her as she pushed herself to her feet and dusted her hands off on her jeans. “It’s not like that. Adrien and I are just friends.” Alya raised one brow at her as her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Hey you two!” Nino popped up behind Alya, Leo in his arm and a spit rag slung over his shoulder. He gave them both a bright yet tired smile before gently urging Alya out of the way so they could step into the door. “We weren’t expecting company.” He explained to Marinette as she took in the mess of the room. Robin sat in the middle of all of it, back propped against his chair and hands slapping happily in what appeared to be pudding on the tray ahead of him. Marinette held her arms out for Leo and Nino passed him to her only to step over to lift Robin up into his arms. “I’ll go get little mister here changed. You two… make yourselves at home.”

“I will get us some glasses.” Alya said as she stepped past Marinette. Adrien sat the box down near the door and began to pull at the tape around it. Marinette moved to sit on the couch with Leo on her lap, smiling down at him as he tugged on her hair curiously.

“How long have they been sitting up?” She asked as Alya passed by her.

“I don’t-“

“About two weeks.” Nino emerged from the back room with Robin on his hip and a bag of what smelled suspiciously like old diapers in his hand. “Leo sat up first but Robby here is getting the hang of hand eye coordination faster.

“Yeah.” Alya plopped on the couch next to Marinette, placed their glasses on the coffee table and then pulled her waiting laptop onto her knees. “Time flies.” She murmured as she loaded up a text file. Adrien made a happy noise as the box popped open, throwing his hands in the air in victory. Alya glanced at him for only a second before her eyes met Marinettes. “What’s with pretty boy?” She asked.

“Uh… ummm…” Marinette couldn’t meet her eyes as she stumbled over what to say. “We uh… got the boys a present?”

“A present?” Alya craned her neck to see Adrien around Marinette, her fingers gripping the screen of her laptop to stop it from falling.

“A ladybug themed gift!” Adrien called out cheerily as he pulled the first of five big shaped drums from the box and placed it next to his knee. “It’s one of those that you can adjust once the boys start walking. It’ll help them out a lot with their fine motor skills too!” He kept his eyes locked on Nino as he spoke, selling the idea of it to him rather than his wife.

“Cool.” Nino placed Robin back in his chair and moved to squat over the box next to Adrien. Alya, already distracted by a message on her laptop, scooted down in her seat to get more comfortable as she typed away on her keyboard. With the others distracted, Marinette moved to place Leo in his matching chair before sitting cross legged in front of the boys. She found their teddy bears that looked the most loved tucked under the coffee table.

What followed was nearly an hour of the men putting together the drum set, Alya working away and only glancing up to first drink wine from her glass and then from Marinettes when hers became empty, and Marinette playing with the boys to keep them entertained. Close to the hour and a half mark she noticed that Leo had rubbed his eyes red and Robin's head lulled from side to side far too often. She carefully lifted first Leo then Robin from their seats and checked behind her to see the men’s progress before carefully standing and making her way down the short hallway.

The nursery was as much of a mess as the front room. She could see where they set up areas for the boys to practice crawling and other areas where they simply placed things they had no other room for. She frowned at the sight as she placed the boys in the crib to her left, the only one not full of diaper packages and wet wipe boxes. The couple had no room for the boys as babies, she could only imagine what it would be like when they became toddlers.

“It’s all put together!” She turned from the boys as she slammed one finger against her lips, shushing Adrien with a stern frown.

“They just nodded off.” She whispered, stepping away from the crib and up to where he stood in the doorway. “Babies need nap time.” She muttered softly as she shook her head at his disappointed look.

“But we-“ he began with a slight whine.

“Oh! Thanks Mari.” Nino appeared at his shoulder, whispering softly as he took note of his sleeping sons. “That’s a huge help. It’s hard to get them to sleep before lunch.”

“It’s no problem.” She gave Nino a small smile and slipped past the boys to step into the hallway. “Where’s Alya?”

“She fell asleep after finishing her draft.” He sighed as he adjusted his glasses. “She’s… not taking parenthood well.” He admitted after a small quiet moment.

“Is it post pardem?” Adrien asked, causing her to turn towards him in confusion.

“That’s what they say but-“ Nino took in a long breath- “honestly she didn’t want this. She wanted to be further in her career and-“

“Hey! Hey it’s okay.” Marinette cut in, grabbing Nino by the face to make him look at her. “She’s having a hard time right now. It’s… an adjustment. All we can do is whatever we can to help her.” Nino’s cheeks were squashed, his lips resembling a fish as he took in a long breath. His fingers gently pried hers from his face as his eyes studied the line of off white stains in the hallway carpet.

“I know Mar.” He mumbled before shrugging his shoulders. “I’m just so tired all the time.”

“Well, how about I take the kids Friday?” She offered as she backed up to lean against the far wall. “I can come by and babysit so the two of you can relax for a day. Anything you want. Name it and I’m there.”

“Thanks.” Nino said after a long moment of contemplation, Adrien stepped up next to Marinette and mimicked her by leaning against the wall as well. “That’s great of you to offer but, we gotta take the boys to my moms Friday.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Raincheck, ok?”

“Sure.” She gave him a warm smile. “Anytime man.”

The next thirty minutes were spent with just the three of them chatting over cups of coffee while Alya snoozed behind them on the couch. When Nino noticed Leo wiggling uncomfortably in the crib he urged them out so he could focus on the boys. Apologies were exchanged, as well as half hearted promises to meet up again once everyone had finally adjusted to their new lives. Marinette may have hugged Nino a bit too tightly at the front door, but he didn’t complain and patted her head fondly before gently pushing her towards Adrien.

“That was… something.” He said as he turned her towards the stairs. She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at their door over her shoulder.

“Yeah.” She mumbled as she let him usher her down the first flight.

“Are you okay?” He asked, she paused as he continued down a few steps. When he stopped to look up at her he was met with a deep concerned frown.

“Why… would you ask ME that?” She asked after a quiet moment between them. She motioned behind herself with one hand as she continued, “You should ask NINO that question. I- he’s the one who’s overwhelmed with everything!”

“Marinette.” She snapped her mouth shut when he softly spoke her name. His eyes bore into hers for a long moment before he asked again, “Are you okay?” Her lips quivered as she squeezed her hands into fists at her sides.

“No.” She tore her eyes away from his gaze as the word slipped out. “No. I- she’s my best friend and I don’t know how to help her.” He rushed up the few steps to pull her into his arms. She shook as her tears soaked the shoulder of his shirt, her hands quivering until their grip loosened to hang limply at her sides.

“Sometimes,” He murmured as he squeezed her tighter against himself, “sometimes we can’t help. We just have to hope they can pull themselves out of it alone.”

Her hands gripped his shirt as she quietly sobbed for a few more minutes. Only when she could cry no more tears and felt empty and spent did she pull away from him. “We have to trust she’s strong enough.” She murmured as she wiped at her right eye. He gave her a warm smile as his hands dropped to cup her elbow and hip.

“Yeah.” He murmured. She returned his smile before letting out a soft groan.

“Why did I just do that?” She questioned as she hid her face in her hands. “I’m not a kid anymore.” The words were muffled but he still understood them and chuckled lightly as he gently urged her hands away from her cheeks.

“It’s fine,” He said once her eyes were on his again, “we all break down sometimes. No big deal.” She huffed, blowing her bangs away from her face for only a second before they brushed along her eyebrows once again.

“I need some air.” She waved his hands off as he attempted to steady her and took in a deep breath before marching down the stairs. He followed her as she rushed from the building. Halfway down the street she turned to look at him over her shoulder. “Are you forgetting something?” She asked. He blinked, his mind blanking as he struggled to think of what she could mean. Until that point his only concern was making sure she wouldn’t break down again.

“No?” He didn’t mean for it to be a question. She huffed and crossed her arms. He locked his eyes on hers and definitely did not have to resist looking down at the way her action caused her bosom to become more pronounced. Nope. Wasn’t hard at all.

“Your car.” Her words pulled him from his stupor and he could feel his thoughts click into place. Oh. Yeah. He’d driven them there. “Go back for-“ her words were cut off as an explosion ripped through the city behind her. They instinctively ducked when they felt it, covering their heads with their hands just as a shadow of a car passed over them. Her eyes locked on his for only a second before she turned away. He felt cold dread fill his veins as her body moved towards the explosion.

He grabbed her wrist, yanking her back towards himself as he turned the other way. Without a word between them he began to run back towards the Lahiffe apartment building, dragging her along behind him and feeling the shock of each of her stumbles running up his arm.

The first alarm sounded, cutting through their ears with its shrill scream. That heralded the shouts and screams of tourists around them as their path was cut off by another car slamming into the middle of it. He expertly adjusted them, turning down a side street that opened into a wide shopping district. Marinette struggled in his hold but without the miraculous’ added strength she could do nothing to break free. The poor guy thought he was helping her. He thought he could get her to safety but that wasn’t what she needed. She needed him to go. To leave her alone, but his protective nature was getting in the way.

That was just the start of her problems.

The akuma alarms were sounding all throughout the city. Their shrill noise filled her ears as she was dragged behind him. She couldn’t transform. Not in front of him. Not in front of anyone but especially not him. The thought of transforming to go help Chat kept pounding into the back of her brain as they raced across a street and straight into an alleyway. Chat would be in mid battle by now. Probably disappointed in her, yet again, like he was at every battle lately. But she couldn’t go. Not yet. Not until he took his hand off her wrist and allowed her to get away.

Adrien Agreste.

Why did it have to be him? Anyone else she would take a second to think over their odds of hiding her secret but Adrien freaking Agreste? Her heart sank as she thought over how much trauma he would have if he knew his good friend from practically childhood took down his father publically with the help of a black clad cat boy who he clearly doesn’t hold in high regard if any of their past conversations were anything to go off of. He would be shattered. He would never talk to her again. She would lose her friend.

He grabbed her around the waist. Pulled her into his chest as he rolled out of the way of a flying car. On the plus side, the car hit a light post and buckled around it. On the other hand… it trapped them in the metal. Marinette could feel hot blood trickling down her shoulder but the pain had not hit her yet. His face was so close to hers and twisted with pain that he had yet to vocalize. Dear sweet Adrien was hurt and she hadn’t transformed to stop it. Who cares what he would’ve thought about Marinette afterwards. He hates the superheroes who showed the world, who showed HIM that his father was a psychotic terrorist. But, he would’ve been safe if she’d ignored that. He wouldn’t be in pain and squished against her somehow in and also under a crumpled mass of what once was a car. If only she had trusted him. She could trust him with the secret even if he would hate her after. It wasn’t like he would tell Chat who she was after all. She could still get them out. She could use her lucky charm and maybe it’ll be a pair of jaws-of-life. She could-

“I didn’t want you to find out this way, Princess.” His voice was soft and smooth in her ear as he leaned his head against her shoulder.

“I- what?” She asked, confused when his shaky hands reached up to cup her elbows the best way they could.

“I’m sorry.” His lips against her collarbone, he mumbled something too soft for her to hear. She opened her mouth to ask what he meant when suddenly it was very very bright. Her eyes slid closed against the lime green light and her ears pounded when the sound of metal scraping on metal greeted them. She popped open one eye to see Chat on one knee, baton extended and a grimace of pain on his lips. His eyes caught hers and he gave her a small smile. “Hi.” He said simply.

Her world was collapsing in on itself far too much for her to respond. He looked at her for a moment before scanning their surroundings, clearly expecting her dumbstruck reaction. His hands were on her then, cradling her gently to his chest in a way that avoided him touching her now throbbing shoulder. She opened her mouth once more to protest this, because no. It wasn’t possible. She must be under an akuma spell because Adrien Agreste was NOT Chat Noir. He silenced her words before they even began with a soft kiss to her forehead.

That was new.

“I’ll get you home and come back to make sure LB fixed this shoulder of yours.” He assured her. She hadn’t even realized they were now bounding over rooftops but- there they bounded. Over tiles and shingles and bricks. He almost looked lighter in a way, had he wanted her to know? No. Secret identities were secret identities and she knew that all too well. She could never ever tell Adrien hers. It would’ve been idiotic to do that. She was glad she hadn’t.

She wouldn’t be able to live if Chat suddenly hated Marinette as much as he hated Ladybug.

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