Work Text
"Plagg."No answer."Plagg."Still no answer. Adrien scowled and scanned the room. The silence worried him. He at least expected his Kwami to be moaning about cheese or Adrien's despicable love life."Plagg!" A moment after his voice echoed around the room, Adrien cringed, suddenly remembering his bodyguard's presence outside his door. He lowered his voice. "Where are you?!""Hiding," a stifled voice called, distinctly resembling the ancient Kwami Adrien had been feeding for months. "Because you are so blind." He had been like that ever since the Frightingale incident, although Adrien got the feeling it wasn't the actual akuma encounter that was causing Plagg stress. No – it was the girl who had fit Ladybug's part in Clara Nightingale's music video so well that even Adrien was suspicious. More than suspicious."Ladybug is Marinette, isn't she?"A heavy silence lingered in the room. Adrien waited for confirmation, even though he was almost certain that his lady sat behind him in class. When Plagg finally deigned to speak, his voice was uncharacteristically somber. "Tikki is going to kill me.""Her Kwami?"Plagg zipped out from under Adrien's bed and hovered in front of him, ears flat against his head. "Yes, her Kwami. And her Kwami might look cute and have spots, but she is a nightmare!"Adrien stared at him. "Ladybug is Marinette."Plagg stared back and said, "Yeah, I know. I saw her. Dark Owl, remember?" Even as he thought, This kid has a one-track mind.Adrien threw his hands up. "Ladybug sits behind me in class and you didn't think to tell me?!""It's against the rules!" Plagg protested. He crossed his arms in front of him. Were they arms? Adrien wasn't totally clear on the names of the Kwamis' anatomy aside from head, mouth, and eyes. "Besides, it was obvious!" Plagg didn't bother to mention his own surprise after having seen Ladybug de-transform. "Anyways," the Kwami continued. "You figured it out."Adrien's glower was gloriously flat. "She was wearing a Ladybug costume.""And then you told her that she 'doesn't look a thing like Ladybug'!""She told me that I didn't look like Chat Noir, so..."Plagg rolled his eyes. "And also managed to call Chat Noir lame." He sighed. "Look, kid, Marinette is just... a little caught up in her own world. It's not that she's selfish or anything, it's just that she does a lot of stuff outside of school and saving Paris. Besides, you do kind of look different as Chat Noir. Eyes, hair... I've always been better at disguising my heroes, even though Tikki is the one who always insists they hide their identities."Adrien tilted his head and crossed his arms. "And how do you know that?" He cleared his throat. "About Marinette, I mean. Being busy."Plagg froze and smiled waveringly at his holder. "Tikki and I might have met up a few times since you defeated Dark Owl." He cleared his throat. "Just to, y'know, catch up.""And talk about Marinette and I?""No."Adrien's look was not impressed."What else are we supposed to talk about?!" Plagg burst out, voice higher pitched than usual.Adrien rolled his eyes again, though a smile was playing at his lips. After a beat of silence, Adrien's smile faded and his gaze unfocused."What are you going to do?"The boy glanced up, still frowning in thought."About Marinette," Plagg clarified. "I don't think you should outright confess your identity to her.""Why?" Nerves leaked into Adrien's voice as he remembered Marinette's words from the day before. "Do you think she'll be disappointed?"The look Plagg gave Adrien spoke levels, but Adrien missed all of them. Plagg snorted when he realized his holder hadn't caught his drift and flew to the plate of Camembert on the table, tossing a triangle of cheese into his mouth before answering. "No. Tikki's heroes have always had the rules of heroism ingrained into their brains from the first time they transform, and Marinette is no different. Furthermore, she-"Plagg abruptly cut himself off. Adrien narrowed his eyes. "What?""She... okay, honestly, kid, open your eyes." Plagg groaned. "It's so painfully obvious that she has a crush on you – Adrien, not Chat Noir."Adrien blinked."But Ladybug was always your first and foremost concern, so you never noticed." Plagg gagged. "Okay, I've overdosed on the love stuff. I need Camembert."Adrien was tempted to take his Kwami's precious cheese away, but he restrained himself. "I think I know what I'm going to do."Plagg actually stopped eating to turn back to Adrien. "What?"Adrien grinned. "If you don't want me to confess... Then I'll just have her figure it out on her own."…"Hey, Mom." Marinette entered the bakery with a weary smile, her gaze slipping over the customers in the room. Sabine smiled as her daughter kissed her on the cheek."How was your day, honey?"Marinette smiled. "Great!" Before Sabine could object, she ducked behind the counter and ran upstairs, her mind still racing. Adrien had been sending her odd looks all day – even Miss Bustier had noticed and told Adrien to pay attention. Marinette exhaled as she finally emerged into her room, hyper aware of Tikki's relieved sigh. The red and black kwami darted out from Marinette’s purse and floated in front of her. "What’s wrong?""Nothing's wrong, Tikki.""And I’m black and green," the Kwami deadpanned. "You’ve been quiet all day." She smiled at her holder. "Missing a certain black cat?"Marinette wrinkled her nose. "I’m sure I’ll see Chat Noir soon enough, Tikki. It’s not like Hawkmoth ever takes a vacation." She scowled."You’re still bitter about Christmas?""Of course I’m still bitter about Christmas!" Marinette dropped into her desk chair, spinning around a few times. "I akumatized Santa Claus because someone was just waiting to send out a butterfly!"Tikki giggled. It reminded the girl of bells. "Oh, Marinette."Marinette ran a hand down her face. "Besides, Adrien was acting oddly at school.""Oh?" Tikki floated closer to her holder, her expression the perfect mask of curious indifference. "Any idea why?""None," Marinette ground out. She exhaled. "He kept looking at me out of the corner of eyes like... like..." She groaned and forewent coming up with an adjective. "I think I might have offended him yesterday, after the shoot." Her face turned a shade of red that could rival Nathanael’s hair. "Oh my god, Tikki, what if he hates me?!" She let out an animalistic screech and stood, only to face-plant onto her chaise. She groaned."What’s wrong, princess?"That time, the scream was more shocked than anything else. Marinette scrambled to her feet, staring towards Chat Noir, who was sitting on her bed with an impish grin. The hatch from her balcony hung open. "Chat!"His eyes glittered. "My Lady?"Marinette went absolutely still. "Excuse me?"Chat Noir smirked at her. "C’mon, princess, you put on a Ladybug costume. Even this cat could tell you didn’t want to put on the mask – and why." He winked. "I don't know why. The get-up would have been purrfect."Marinette’s jaw gaped. Tikki was still floating by Marinette’s desk, her mouth clamped shut to prevent laughter from escaping. Marinette turned her attention to her Kwami, jaw still hanging open. Then her gaze went back to Chat Noir, who glanced at Tikki and then at Marinette with that same ridiculous smile."So…" Chat Noir’s voice trailed off as he drank in her room. Marinette was suddenly glad that she had started taking some of her photos of Adrien down after she had realized just how stalker-ish it was. There were only a couple, but of course Chat Noir noticed. "You’re a fan?""I’m a fashion designer," Marinette finally managed to say, her thoughts racing. "And Gabriel puts his best designs on his son."Chat Noir hummed in agreement, smirk fading into a more reasonable smile. His gaze trailed to the mannequin in the corner, the half-finished dress on it. "Ladybug dress?""It’s for Alya’s birthday," Marinette said automatically. Her brain was buzzing as she tried to keep up with Chat Noir.Her partner knew her. Her partner knew who she was. They had broken the first rule Tikki had told her – no one must know.Marinette finally cleared her throat. Chat Noir looked back at her, the top of his mask rising as he lifted his eyebrows. Marinette stared for a moment before speaking. "How did you…?"He shrugged. "Well, I sort of suspected you before now, but I wasn’t really sure, since you and Ladybug act differently." He stopped short, noticing the odd expression on Marinette’s face. "Which isn’t a bad thing! I act way different when I’m not wearing my mask, too. Like, way, way, different. More reserved, I guess." He stopped himself before he could ramble for too long. "But yeah, I was kind of wondering if you were… you, but then at Clara Nightingale’s auditions, I saw you wearing the costume and that was it. I saw Alya Cesaire’s footage of it later - you know, from her blog - and you were really reluctant to put on the mask. Also, you have the same hair."Marinette mumbled a soft curse under her breath. Chat Noir’s eyes widened, but he didn’t comment. "When did you start suspecting?" Marinette demanded."When Zombizou attacked." Chat Noir shifted and dropped from the bed to the floor, ignoring the ladder entirely. "Miss Bustier took you out, got akumatized, and Ladybug came in and we never saw Marinette.""Oh." Marinette looked down as another villain she had caused flashed in her head. And the other events from that day. What would he do when he found out that he had gone to his lady to complain about his lady?"What’s wrong?""Nothing." Marinette sat down on her chaise. "I just… When Glaciator…" She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "It was my fault. When I said sorry. It was because it was my fault Ladybug didn’t come."She heard the impact of his footsteps across the floor of her room, and then felt the chaise sink as he sat down next to her. "I overreacted. You said you weren’t coming. I shouldn’t have been so…" His voice trailed off. "And then I was a brat about it when you - Ladybug, I mean - showed up.""It was really nice," Marinette mumbled through her hands. She shifted her fingers to peek through them towards Chat, who smiled faintly. She tried to smile in response. "The candles and the flowers."Chat snorted and flopped backwards onto her chaise. "Plagg gave me hell about it for weeks."Marinette giggled and pulled her hands from her face. "Your Kwami? His name is Plagg?""Yup. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I knew your name." Chat Noir sat up and looked at Tikki, who was smiling. "Before you kill him, you should know he didn’t help me at all. I figured it out by myself.""You’re smart," Tikki commented idly. "And Ladybug’s costume is less… intense than yours."Chat snorted.Marinette huffed. "It’s not my fault that nothing changes other than my clothes!""She has a point," Tikki commented, looking conspiratorially at the black-clad superhero. "You do change your eyes, your hair… your personality…""My personality changes," Marinette said."Your demeanor changes," Tikki corrected. "You’re still you, just more forceful. And, really, the same is true of Chat Noir, just more intense than your shift-"Chat’s eyes widened suddenly. "Oh."Both Marinette and Tikki looked at him, frowning. Chat looked at Marinette."That’s why Ladybug hates Chloe so much."Tikki huffed out a laugh as Marinette’s face dropped. Chat Noir snickered."So, m'lady... she ruffles your polka-dots, eh?"Marinette jabbed her finger into Chat’s shoulder. "If you’re going to make fun of me, then you can leave, partner." Her eyes glimmered as she resisted spitting a pun back out at him."Now, where would be the fun in that?" Nonetheless, Chat stood up and sauntered towards the middle of the room. "So, Miss Dupain-Cheng… I figured out your identity." He smirked at her, and Marinette had a sinking feeling that she knew what he was going to say next. "Your turn to figure out mine."And before Marinette could object, he vaulted out of her hatch and propelled himself into the distance."I think I need to start locking the hatch," Marinette commented.Her only answer was Tikki’s chiming laughter. -- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dude, what's up with your face?"Adrien's gaze slid to his desk mate, smile frozen in place. "It's called a smile, Nino.""Yeah, but yours is... weird."Said smile dropped. Adrien leaned forward and let his forehead fall against the desk."What's wrong?""Nothing." Adrien's voice was slightly muffled. All the better. Marinette was absent, and Adrien hadn't even gotten the chance to start throwing puns at her. Alya had mentioned something about Marinette having called her sniffling and congested, but Adrien didn't believe it.Not. For. One. Moment.Marinette was avoiding class.How or why, he didn't know.But he was soon to find out...."Marinette-""No!" Marinette buried her face in her hands. "Tikki, he goes to my school! I know he goes to my school!""How could you know for certain?" Tikki tried to placate. "He-""He knew about Miss Bustier," Marinette interrupted. She pulled her hands away from her face and stared at her Kwami. "He knew Miss Bustier pulled me out of class. Either he's in my class, or... or..." She sputtered for a moment before groaning. "Tikki.""Yes?""There's... only one other person in my class who hasn't been akumatized. And Chat Noir has been at every attack, so I know he hasn't been a victim."Tikki stifled a giggle. "And who is that, Marinette?"Marinette pointed an accusatory finger at her Kwami. "You know! You knew this entire time, didn't you?!""It was sort of obvious.""Tikki!" Marinette stood and climbed up onto her bed, and from there to her balcony. The Kwami followed her and floated beside her as Marinette leaned against the fencing. "He was wearing a Chat Noir costume and I said-" Marinette's voice cut off. "Tikki," Marinette whispered, aghast. "I called Chat Noir lame. To his face."Tikki only giggled. "I don't think he really understood what you were saying.""That doesn't help." Marinette pouted and let her gaze float down the street, towards the school. "And he- Glaciator. He didn't come for ice cream because he was setting up his surprise for Ladybug. And then, when Grandma visited for my birthday and got akumatized, he saved me! Then, when I suggested Mr. Agreste was Hawkmoth-"Marinette's face went pallid."Tikki. I accused Adrien's father of being Hawkmoth. To Adrien.""Marinette," Tikki laughed, sounding slightly exasperated. "It's fine. He probably doesn't even remember."But Marinette's face had fallen further, any color completely drained away. Tikki's smiled faded."Marinette?"Marinette's horrified gaze slid to her Kwami. "I kissed him."Tikki's mouth formed an O.Marinette squealed, although it appeared to be from mortification more than anything else. "Tikki, I kissed Adrien Agreste!"Tikki thought it might be a bad idea to mention that it had been true love's kiss that had broken the spell, not just a kiss. She needed her holder to be functional. Mostly functional, at least."And then, when Nathan got akumatized- Tikki, he kissed my hand!""He has also flirted with you for the past year," Tikki reminded Marinette.Marinette groaned and rubbed her face. "I can't go to school. I'll implode.""Uh... You might not have to." Tikki grew stern. "Marinette, there's an akuma."Marinette looked up and saw the storms cloud gathering. She ground her teeth. "Really, another weather akuma?"A sigh."Tikki, transform me!"A flash of pink – and a moment later, Paris's red hero was zipping across the rooftops and for the first time, dreading her upcoming confrontation with her partner...."So, m'lady, feeling a bit under the weather?"Ladybug scowled. "You took your time."If Chat Noir noticed her lack of enthusiasm, he didn't comment, and instead deftly tossed his baton into the air just as lightning collided with it. He caught it again without so much as looking at it. "You know how bad traffic is when it rains. Besides, some of us bothered to go to school today.""You'll be sorely mist."Chat Noir actually dropped his baton and scrambled to retrieve it. Ladybug acted like she hadn't even made the pun and sent her yo-yo hurtling through the air to wrap around Chat Noir, dragging him out of the way of one of Thunderstruck's lightning bolts. The villain floated in the sky, laughing maniacally, as the two heroes ducked underneath a bus station awning."The akuma is in the bat-""The bat?" Chat Noir frowned. "Like, a baseball bat?"Ladybug shrugged. "I don't know the logistics of it, Chat, I just deal with the de-evilizing.""If the object is a bat..." Ladybug sent him a warning look. "That must be why he's going bat-shit crazy.""You are despicable."He offered her a Cheshire grin. "So, what's the plan? I hate to burst this guy's bubble, but he's really got a stormy temper.""Lucky Charm!" A flash of light emanated from Ladybug and her yo-yo, and then she was holding a harpoon gun. Well, really, it was a rather under-sized one, looking closer to a grappling hook than anything else. Rather than question it (she had stopped asking the gods for some explanation a long time ago), she let her gaze dance around the room."A harpoon? What, are we catching rainbows?""That pun was so awful it wasn't even bad enough to be funny.""I'm going to pretend like I understood what you just said.""You've been doing pretty well at that for the past year, so..."Chat Noir gaped. "My lady, are these comebacks?"Ladybug exhaled. "C'mon." She poked her head out from underneath the bus station and then entered into the rain. She glimpsed people hiding inside storefronts and only strengthened her resolve to take down the most recent of akumas."What do you want me to do?""Stand there and look pretty. Isn't that your day job?"Chat Noir froze. Ladybug aimed the harpoon gun and swiftly fired it, sending the spear-head sailing through the air. The spear collided with Thunderstruck's poufy skirts and dragged her back to them, sending the girl colliding with the ground. Chat Noir chose that moment to dart in and grab the bat the girl was carrying. He grunted as he slammed it against the ground. Then, when that failed to break it, he shouted, "Cataclysm!" and slapped his hand onto the bat.Moments later, a white butterfly was released from Ladybug's yo-yo and she hurriedly went to cool off the press while Chat Noir calmed down the victim. That was their MO – Ladybug did the press relations, and Chat handled the individuals. They had found that Ladybug was sometimes too intimidating for the shell-shocked victims of Hawkmoth. It made sense that the guy with cat ears was a little less daunting.But even as he walked the victim to her group of friends, Chat's head was filled with those words.
Isn't that your day job?
She knew...."Can we talk?""We are talking." Ladybug didn't wait for Chat Noir to propel herself from roof to roof, towards her own. He followed in close pursuit, his staff carrying him through the air. A moment later, both of them landed in the shadowed part of Marinette's balcony, hidden from the street view. She crossed her arms as her transformation wore off and her disguise vanished in a flash of pink sparkles. Chat felt his insides flip over. Knowing and seeing her two identities at once were two very different things."How did you figure me out?"Her gaze dropped. "You knew about Miss Bustier. You said she pulled me out of class. Also, you were wearing a cat suit."She glanced up at him and smiled tentatively. He chuckled."You still have two minutes of transformation," Marinette said. "You have enough time to get back to school if you go now."He frowned. An emotion was still flickering in her eyes – one that he couldn't place. "You're upset.""No!" Marinette objected too quickly. Her face flushed. She dropped her voice. "No, I'm not, I just... it's a lot to handle.""Why, because I'm a super model?" Chat lifted one arm and flexed. Marinette was caught somewhere between getting a nose bleed, giggling, and rolling her eyes.Chat Noir didn't notice her emotional turmoil, nor did he notice as Tikki zipped away from Marinette and down into her room."Or is it because I'm different without the mask?"Marinette frowned. "We're not different, Chat. Not really." She sighed and massaged her forehead. "We're uninhibited. The masks give us freedom. Well, you more than me..." She swallowed the inexplicable lump in her throat. "It's just... I guess..." Marinette had forced herself to do a lot of mental maturing overnight, and her brain was still trying to catch up with the one small part that ran on logic. "I had this unrealistic image of you in my head. Of the supermodel nice guy." Noticing the look on Chat's face, she rushed to clarify. "Which isn't really all off, but I was missing so many important parts of you!" She looked down. "Like, your bravery, your humor, your-"Chat's ring beeped. He looked down at it, as if he was surprised it was still there."You should go," Marinette mumbled. "They probably will still have class.""My lady-""She's right," Tikki shouted from Marinette's bedroom. "You can talk later!"Chat Noir ground his teeth. "Fine." He lifted his hand, as if to touch her, but then let it fall to his side. "I'll visit sometime after school. I have a shoot right after, but probably after that."Marinette nodded. A moment later, Chat Noir was zipping away, a black blur in the distance....It was almost dark by the time Adrien was finally left alone in his room. He told Nathalie something about studying for a Physics test and then going to bed – and as soon as his door was closed, he was flying out the window mid-transformation.He landed on her balcony in silence as the sun dipped below the horizon. He was still trying to formulate an apology when he knocked on her hatch. A moment later, it opened and Marinette climbed out."I'm sorry I'm late," Chat hurried to get out. "The shoot went longer than I expected and then I had Mandarin lessons and then-""Chat," Marinette interrupted. He closed his mouth, even as his cheeks flushed red. "It's fine. I get it. You have a busy schedule already, let alone handling being Chat Noir.""So do you," he retorted.She blinked. "What?"Chat's eyes widened. "What I meant was, uh, that my Kwami and your Kwami have met up since we defeated Dark Owl, since – you know – they know where to find each other and my Kwami said that you were, er, busy."Marinette blinked. Is Adrien Agreste rambling? "I mean, I guess, but my busy is more flexible than your busy. Your busy is allotted blocks of time. My busy is spending my free time doing... uh, busy things."Suddenly, Chat wasn't the only one blushing. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, yeah. Sorry about being later than I expected. Since I assumed I would be here sooner.""It's okay," Marinette repeated. She coughed and rubbed the back of her neck, looking away, even as he subconsciously mirrored her actions."So, uh..." Chat struggled to come up with a conversation starter. Is this how we're going to be from now on? Awkward? "Evillustrator. Your 'secret mission.'"Marinette laughed, although it sounded high-pitched. "Yeah. What was I supposed to tell you? 'Oh, hey, plot-twist, partner, I'm actually the girl Nathan is after, so have fun doing my job for me.'"He grinned. "If I remember correctly, princess, you're the one who saved my butt.""It was more to keep Tikki from coming out of my bag." Marinette giggled. "She tried, but I pushed her back in.""She was going to reveal you?""I guess." Marinette shrugged."No, Mari, you have no idea how massive this is." Chat turned and grabbed Marinette's shoulders, smiling conspiratorially. Marinette's face turned red once again, but he didn't notice. "My Kwami said that Tikki is always the one who preaches about sticking to the heroes' rules, but think about it: your costume is so much less disguising than mine. Tikki almost revealed you only a couple of akuma fights in." He straightened his spine and released Marinette. "I think that Tikki is secretly a rebel."She couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, giggles escaping her lungs. Chat watched her for a second, half smiling and half frowning, before he started laughing too.It wasn't really that funny, but maybe they were just grasping at straws to find something to break the tension.Besides, they were fourteen year olds.Most things were funny. -- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Girl, you look like you got dragged under a bus.""Thanks, Alya." Marinette collapsed into her seat with a weary smile. "That's reassuring."Alya snickered. "I do my best. Did you hear about the play?"Marinette blinked. "Huh?""The musical," Alya repeated. Marinette leaned backwards, tuning into only Alya's expressive tones and ignoring the rest of the room. "Miss Bustier told us- Oh, right, you weren't here yesterday." Alya grinned and kept plowing on. "Monsieur Desrosiers is putting on a play over the summer!""Really?" Marinette frowned. "Which one?" Her frowned deepened. "Is it an English play or an actual musical?"Alya snapped her fingers. "That Shakespeare one.""Al," Marinette reminded her, "there are a lot of Shakespeare plays.""The, uh, stabby one! J... Jul... Julius Caesar!" Alya grinned victoriously. "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar." Alya grinned."Why Caesar?" Marinette backtracked. "As to that, why Shakespeare?""You know Monsieur Desrosiers is obsessed with history. And England."Marinette wrinkled her nose. The few classes M. Desrosiers had taught when Miss Bustier had been out had been almost solely history and... Shakespeare based. He had told the story of his childhood growing up in some ramshackle theater in England so many times that most of the students could recite it. She got the feeling M. Desrosiers and Alix's father would have gotten along excellently."You should audition!""Whoa, no, slow down Al," Marinette said, eyes wide. "I can't act for the life of me. My English is decent enough, but a Shakespeare play? I haven't seen or read many, but I know enough that I will absolutely butcher it. Also, I should help with costuming."Alya frowned. "Why would we do it in English?""Have you tried translating a Shakespearean play?" Marinette exhaled. "Besides, I'll be late to everything!" Marinette was desperate to get out of performing, and it wasn't because she was particularly against it – it was because she knew that akuma attacks took precedence over plays, and if she missed a rehearsal or a performance... "You know me, Al. If the production got ruined because of me, I would never forgive myself. Besides, who would I play? Calpurnia?"Up until that point, Alix had been the only other girl in the room, but Max and Kim had just entered, and Kim and Alix had already engaged in a verbal sparring match. Alya stared at her friend. "Costuming, then? I'm not letting you get out of this, girl."Marinette smirked. "You know, you could play Portia or Calpurnia...""Absolutely not!" Alya shrieked. Marinette giggled."I mean, I can totally see you playing Caesar, too...""Marinette!" Alya shouted as Miss Bustier entered the class. The teacher glanced at the girls with a half-smile before sitting at her desk and opening her lap top. "I'm not acting. I'll be on tech.""You should audition," Marinette mimicked."Only if you do.""I can't," Marinette protested. "I promised my parents I would help with the bakery over summer. I'll help with costuming, I promise."Alya scowled."You should audition," a male voice said. Both girls turned to the boys who sat in front of them. Marinette blinked. She hadn't noticed their arrival. Adrien sent her a heart-melting grin as Nino tried to convince his crush to audition for the play. "Hey, Mari."Alya stiffened next to her. Marinette smiled back at Adrien, forcing herself to keep calm. He's Chat Noir, Marinette, you talk to him every day. "H-hey, Adrien."
Minor success. No humiliation. Just minor stuttering.
One step at a time."How are you?" he asked, still smiling at her. Nino and Alya had both gone quiet, and both of the heroes were distinctly aware of their audience."I'm good," Marinette said. She resisted the urge to fist bump. Before she could ask him how he was, he interrupted."Why?" His smile shifted into a restrained smirk. "Anything exciting happen lately?"Marinette laughed. "No, you?""Well..." Adrien leaned towards her and stage-whispered, "I found a poor, abandoned kitten and had to feed it cheese.""I'm pretty sure that's not what cats eat," Alya interjected. Adrien only laughed, shooting a wink at Marinette just before class began.Marinette felt something warm bloom in her chest. She'd had a conversation with Adrien, and she hadn't totally embarrassed herself. And he had winked at her.It was really shaping up to be a good day...."I swear this guy has no life!" Ladybug screeched as she was launched across the Parisian skyline. Chat Noir sailed after her as she flicked her yo-yo, managing to catch both of them in a makeshift net before they were unceremoniously dropped to the ground. She scowled. "Every single day. Remember those times when he only attacked once a week? It's like he just sits around waiting for some sad chump to get pissed off.""And you were so cheerful this morning." Chat Noir sighed and used his baton to hit away an incoming globe. The Historian had been using outdated items as weapons the entire time – from ancient catapults to retro disco balls. They had seen Monsieur Desrosiers screaming at a few poor students who had been the unfortunate souls to inform him that the budget for the play was significantly lower than expected, so the heroes correctly assumed their esteemed play director was Hawkmoth's latest victim. Ladybug scowled and mirrored Chat's actions, blocking the projectiles sailing towards them."That was when I thought I might have twelve hours of peace.""I'm Washingdone with this guy, too."Ladybug's scowl only deepened. "Less puns, more fighting!"Chat Noir only shot her a devious smirk and used his baton to propel himself back towards the flying chariot in the sky. The Historian released a maniacal laugh as he did so, and catapults materialized into the air beside them. Ladybug started spinning her yo-yo as rocks were launched towards Chat, but he nimbly bounced off the sides of each rock and lobbed his baton towards the Historian. "Catch!"Her yo-yo shot forwards and wrapped around his waist, pulling him back to her before he could be dropped into the Seine. The moment he was on his feet, Ladybug leaped through the air and caught the baton and the item it had hit. She heard Chat release a cheer behind her as she somersaulted to her feet and broke the globe with her knee.When Ladybug finally got back to her partner, baton in hand, he was standing with his hands on his hips and a grin on his face. She slowed her pace, not trusting the grin on his face. "We didn't even need our powers!""I guess not." Ladybug's eyes darted to a familiar blur approaching behind Chat Noir. "Incoming."He twisted and took his baton from Ladybug. Alya ran up to the heroes, still panting. "Ladybug, Chat Noir!" She must have ran from the school. Ladybug resisted the urge to look at Chat. "Hey, what's up?" Alya's phone was out, trained on both heroes. Ladybug smiled her interview smile and laughed uneasily. Before she could respond, however, Alya was speaking again. "So, like, can I ask you some questions? Right, so what's your favorite part of being a superhero?"Ladybug blinked."The ladies," Chat responded immediately, crossing his arms and sending a smug look to his partner. "Falling all over me, I tell you.""Yeah, right," Ladybug scoffed. "I've had this stray kitty following me around for months!"Alya chuckled."But, my favorite part is probably getting to save everyone." Ladybug couldn't think of a good reason not to humor her best friend – or one of them – for a while, since neither she nor Chat Noir were on a time limit yet. "I wish I didn't have to do it all day, every day, but... I don’t really know how to describe it." She glanced at Chat."It's like a rush," Chat said, winking at Ladybug before focusing his full attention on Alya's phone. "Saving people. It makes us feel like we've...""Finally done something good for the world," Ladybug finished. "Every time I save someone, I kind of think, 'Even if I never do anything good, I saved this person' and suddenly fighting doesn't seem so scary."That was when Ladybug realized Chat was staring at her, his lips quirked upwards just slightly. Ladybug averted her gaze quickly, her cheeks heating slightly, even as Alya opened her mouth to ask another question. "So, how is it you know what to do with all of those crazy objects that come out of your yo-yo?"Ladybug actually let out a laugh."Y'know, I'm curious about that, too.""You know what they say," Ladybug cooed. She poked Chat's nose. "Curiosity killed the cat."Alya laughed. Ladybug glanced at her. She figured that her increased attention to Alya could be explained by Alya's recent adventures as Rena Rouge. Ladybug cleared her throat."I think that's enough questioning for one day," Ladybug suggested, shooting a wink at camera and the girl holding it. Alya opened her mouth to protest, but then her phone buzzed and Alya gaped at it."My phone died!"Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged a look again, eyes glittering. It took Ladybug a few seconds to remember that it was Adrien Agreste standing next to her, his hair messy and eyes wild. She turned away and flicked her yo-yo towards a nearby lamp-post."My lady! Where are you going? I thought we could patrol tonight?"She shot a blank stare at him. "To study for the math test tomorrow?"Chat's eyes widened. "We have a math test?"Alya was gaping at them. Neither hero noticed. Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Or were you not paying attention in class?""I might have been day-dreaming about you."That was when Ladybug realized that their reporter friend was still present, eyes wide and phone hanging by her side. Ladybug's gaze traveled to the shell-shocked girl and idly said, "Shit."Chat grimaced and glanced at Ladybug. "Well, she's already heard, so..." He cleared his throat. "Came I come over to study later?"Alya shrieked. "No! No, you two have to repeat this conversation when I'm filming, not directly after my phone dies!" She threw her hands up. "I knew I should have brought my spare battery!"Ladybug arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, Chat. Preferably after dark, though.""Will do." Chat Noir saluted Ladybug and extended his staff, zooming away from the two girls. Ladybug swallowed."See you, R," Ladybug said. She was gone long before Alya could come to her senses. But even Marinette could hear Alya's shout."Damn it!"..."Marinette, are you up there?""Yeah, Maman!" Marinette glanced towards the hatch into the living room."One of your friends from school are here! He said you had plans to study?"Marinette went still. "I'll be down in a second, Maman!" She frowned and shot a look at Tikki, who only giggled. Marinette stood and descended into the living room. Adrien stood by Marinette's mother, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. That was, of course, until he saw his lady and lit up like he had just seen his Christmas gifts."Marinette!" he greeted, beaming. "How are you?"Marinette was half-smiling in amusement as she walked to them. "I didn't realize you were coming so soon?"Adrien flushed, even as Sabine commented, "Marinette, it's almost dark. He couldn't have come any later.""I meant today," Marinette clarified."I'm sorry," Adrien grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, ducking his head sheepishly. "I thought-""It's fine, dear," Sabine interrupted. "Would you like dinner, while you're here? Studying fuel and all that." She winked at Marinette from behind the blonde. Marinette sent her mother a stiff glare."Sure!" Adrien's blush got worse as he looked to Marinette. "As long as that's fine with you.""It's fine." She smiled at him and looked to her mother. "What's for dinner?""Well, I was going to make noodles, but since you two are here..." Sabine's eyes glittered. "Why don't you teach Adrien how to cook?""Maman-""I have the ingredients for crepes already, so go ahead and make that," Sabine said. She smiled at them. "I'm going to help Tom clean up downstairs. Have fun!"A moment later, the door to the upstairs apartment was swinging shut. Adrien coughed. "So, uh... you're not mad, right?"Marinette glanced at him and immediately looked away, her cheeks growing hot. "No, not at all." She hurried to the fridge. "But from my mother's actions, I'm getting the feeling we won't get much studying in."Adrien laughed and followed her. "How badly do you think we scarred Alya?""Badly enough that she called me in a panic once she got enough charge in her phone.""How long was the call?" He leaned against the counter as she retrieved items from the fridge."Over an hour."Adrien grimaced. "Tough. Sorry, princess, I didn't meant to accidentally reveal that we knew each other." Marinette's hands stilled.
Princess. Oh my god, Adrien called me Princess.
"Are you okay?""Fine!" Marinette squeaked. He watched her with a bemused smile as she spun and looked at him. "Just thinking. We usually make enough crepe batter for just Maman and Papa and I, but s-since you're h-here...""A third more batter, right?""Right!" Marinette's voice was higher pitched than normal, but she was glad she wasn't completely stuttering over her words, even as Adrien stepped up to next to her, his arm brushing hers. Marinette's heart stumbled over itself, but she kept talking, if only to distract herself from the scent of detergent and shampoo wafting off of him. His gaze darted towards her as she spoke, his smile widening slightly at how flustered she was. "So, we need to increase the recipe and probably what bowl we're using, but I don't know if the crepes alone will be enough, since we make them thin, and I don't know how hungry you and my parents are and-""Mari." Adrien placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, tilting his head to get a better view of her face. "It's fine. Calm down."She smiled at him weakly. "I'm sorry.""There's nothing to be sorry for." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek before quickly retracting his hand. He turned towards the stove so quickly that he missed the way Marinette's jaw dropped and went up and down for a few moments. She could barely think, let alone try to reconcile in her head that she was with her partner and her crush and one of her best friends at the same time – and they were all the same person and holy hell, she had kissed Adrien Agreste and not realized it.It was going to be a long night. -- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Marinette turned and immediately burst into laughter, cupping her mouth with one flour-coated hand."Mari!" Adrien whined. "It's not funny!""Yes, it is!" Marinette countered, leaning against the counter in an attempt to regain some semblance of balance. "You have flour in your hair! How did that happen?"Adrien huffed. "Yes, it is," he mocked, then scowled. "Not everyone walked out of the womb wearing an apron, Mari!"She snickered as he blew a lock of hair away from his eyes, flour coating it in damp lumps, like he had tried to use wet hands to comb it out. She pushed away from the counter and swiped the hair from his face. She tucked it behind his ear. Marinette scrutinized his hair and slid her fingers into it, smoothing it out.It was only after she had retracted her hands that she realized what she had done. Adrien was staring at her with his lips parted, cheeks shining red. Marinette turned away, her own face unbearably hot. "C-can you get plates from the c-cabinet?"Adrien cleared his throat. Despite his best efforts, his voice was still thicker than normal when he finally spoke. "Which one?""Corner cabinet, by the fridge." A moment later, the clinking of glass plates rang through the room as he started placing them on the table. Marinette watched him out of the corner of her eyes, focusing as little attention as possible on the last crepe left. Adrien had removed his signature white jacket, but his black t-shirt was smeared with flour and what looked like batter. Marinette averted her attention as she placed the last crepe on the plate and carried it to the table. "Silverware is in the left drawer in the island." His hand brushed her side as he passed behind her, and just like that, any last brain cell in Marinette's head sparked out of existence. She flushed as she stacked crepes onto each plate, distinctly aware of his approaching figure."Hey," he mumbled. "At least I managed to pull off scrambled eggs, right?" He placed the silverware down and gestured to the bowl and plate of toast on the table. "Are you proud of me yet, m'lady?"Marinette rolled her eyes. It was impossible to withhold the smile tempting her lips. "I was already proud of you, minou."He went still, watching her from where he stood. Adrien's heart thundered in his chest like a stampede of horses. He wondered if he was going to die right there – his heart was going to give out if she kept saying things like that."Ah, it smells good!" Tom Dupain burst into the kitchen and stretched his arms behind his head. "Breakfast for dinner? My oh my." Tom narrowed his eyes at Adrien. "Are you the Ultimate Mecha Strike kid?""Papa!" Marinette smiled at Adrien in silent apology. "His name is Adrien. We have a math test tomorrow.""Didn't you hear?" Sabine asked, following after her husband and sitting down on one side of the table. Tom took the seat next to her before Marinette could dive for the seat – which meant she would have to sit next to Adrien. "Marinette and Adrien are study buddies."Every thought of seating arrangements flew out of Marinette's head. She plopped down into her chair, wide-eyed and missing Adrien sitting down beside her. "Maman! Don't-""Well, we are study buddies, right, Mari?"Marinette swiveled her head towards her partner. He only grinned at her, propping his head up with his fist. Sabine chuckled as Marinette glared at him. "Yes. But-""But nothing," Tom interrupted. "Did you make these eggs, Adrien? I've never seen Marinette make them so well?"Adrien flushed for what must have been the millionth time that day. "Yes, sir."Tom belted out a laugh. "Call me Tom, son.""O... okay." Adrien coughed slightly. Tom stared between the two teenagers, who had suddenly dissolved into blushing."Are we going to eat, or what?"..."Ugh, I hate finals!" Marinette scowled at her paper. "My brain is melting."Adrien only laughed at his partner. "You know, I've only been listening to you complain about tests for the past two months, so I couldn't have imagined you hate finals."Marinette rolled her eyes, still smiling. In the two months since they had revealed their identities, Adrien and Marinette had been using the study buddy excuse for both of their parents. While Adrien had had more trouble with Gabriel at first, the older Agreste had suddenly forgotten his concerns once he realized it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng who was hanging around his son. Marinette had been devastatingly awkward the one and only time she had seen Gabriel Agreste, the memory of Master Fu's book still fresh in her mind, but Gabriel hadn't mentioned it. Adrien had even said that the man had liked her, despite his cold exterior.Neither hero had heard from Master Fu since the Syren incident, either – which was mildly worrying. The last time Marinette had tried to visit him (about a week after Marinette and Adrien had discovered each other's identities), she had found a note tacked to his door that said he was in Tibet on vacation. The note still hadn't been taken down when Marinette had last visited – the day before."I just want it to be summer already," Marinette grumbled.When Adrien didn't respond, she glanced towards him with a frown. They were settled on the couch in Marinette's living room, protected by the knowledge that Marinette's parents were working downstairs and wouldn't be likely to wander upstairs. Adrien was staring at his paper with a frown, his hair shielding most of his face due to the down-turned angle."What's wrong?"Marinette wasn't sure how, but at some point in the past two months, she had become in tune with his emotions. Even with his acting skills, Adrien's mood shifts were as easy to see as his alternating shirts were. At least to Marinette. Unfortunately, that went both ways – Adrien somehow inherently knew Marinette's mood at any given time, even with no indication. Adrien's hand rose and rubbed the back of his neck, massaging the spot where his hairline ended. "My... I'm... Father..." He groaned and slouched backwards into the couch."Your father...?" Marinette prompted. Her stuttering had significantly improved since she had started processing the identity situation. She still had trouble keeping Adrien and Chat Noir as the same person in her head, but seeing him transform had clicked something into place that had been odd before. However, where her stuttering had improved, his had gotten worse. Every time Marinette tried to suggest to herself it was because she was Ladybug and he was Chat Noir, she discarded that thought. She hated the idea of getting heartbroken because she was misreading the signs."My father is sending me on a tour over the summer," Adrien finally got out. Marinette blinked. "He's got it all planned out. Or, Nathalie does, I guess. I don't know. He's sending me away right after school ends and I'm not coming back until the day before it starts again.""Are you going to be okay?" Marinette asked. Adrien usually took modeling with the same practiced indifference most kids took chores or homework – he just accepted it and moved on. Gabriel had been getting more pushy about it lately. The Clara Nightingale incident had only been the start. Adrien had come to Marinette's house at midnight a few nights ago, his stomach growling because he had been kept at a night shoot for a long time and immediately sent to bed without dinner. Marinette knew he was usually allowed to eat whatever he wanted, but it had been so late and no one had bothered to think of him."Are you?" Adrien countered. He removed the binder from his lap and turned towards Marinette. "Mari, I'm going to be abroad. That means that Chat will be gone, too."Marinette's frown deepened, but she still exhaled and said, "I'll be fine, Chat." She tried to smile at him, but it looked more like a grimace. "Besides, I hear hotels have gyms. You're going to have to keep in shape over summer break."He smirked at her, and Marinette's stomach dropped. She knew that smile – it was the face he made when there was a pun or pick-up line incoming. "So all of Paris can admire my pecs when I come back from modeling in Italy?" Adrien flexed, and Marinette felt her face go red at how defined his bicep was. "But I'm sure you'll be glowing this summer, m'lady.""And why's that?" Marinette smiled down at her lap."Because what's hot can only get hotter if it's in the sun. And princess, I hope there's a fireman around when the sun comes out, because you're smoking-""Don't say it!" Marinette screeched, slapping her hand over Adrien's mouth. His eyes crinkled as he laughed into her hand. If she had been blushing before, she was burning now. "Why are you so smooth?"He smirked underneath her hand, lips brushing her palm. Her heart jumped in her chest, and Marinette ripped her hand away. "Well, m'lady, there's this wondrous thing called the internet, but-""Yeah, yeah, the internet is the meaning of life." Marinette rolled her eyes, even though she felt like she was about to combust. "I've never heard that before.""Well, actually, I was going to ask if your name was Google, because you have all I'm searching for, but-""Oh my god!" Marinette squealing, curling in on herself. Her binder fell to the floor, but she hardly noticed it. "Stop punning!"Adrien dropped his chin on her shoulder. "Are you going to punalise me if I don't?""Damn it!" She shoved his face away from her, the heat crawling up her neck. At that rate, she would be all red by the time they started focusing again. "You're incorrigible.""Only for you." Adrien grinned, but it faded after a moment. His voice dropped. "Seriously, though, are you going to be okay-?""Adrien," Marinette cut him off. "I can handle a few akumas." She smiled at him, some of the embarrassment fading from her skin. It was easier to talk to him about superhero business. She didn't know why, but it just... both of them slipped into a familiar zone of confidence that sheltered their less assured identities."Are you sure?""Minou," Marinette scolded, bopping his nose with her finger. "I'm going to be fine, I promise."He watched her warily. "Promise?"Marinette felt her heart crumble. Just a little bit. Even as Adrien felt despair and terror and fury welling up inside him all at once, a war of emotions fighting for control. "Promise," Marinette mumbled. "I'll even manage the costuming for Caesar while I'm at it."Adrien chuckled. "I'm going to hold you to that promise," he mumbled."I expect nothing less."..."I don't understand humans," Plagg mumbled. Tikki giggled, nibbling on a cookie. They were hovering in Marinette's kitchen, distant enough from their holders that both knew that the heroes had forgotten their presence."Your job isn't to understand them," Tikki reminded him gently. "It's to help them.""Yeah, yeah," Plagg grumbled. He shot a look at the ladybug Kwami. "You know, you're the one who always spews the philosophical stuff, but you and I both know you're only imitating Wayzz."Tikki smiled delightedly at him. "Well, Marinette needs a rule-following influence in her life. I might not have the best track record at being a follower of the rules-""Are you kidding?" Plagg snorted derisively. "'73? Remember that? And '51? And 44'? And-""You made your point," Tikki deadpanned. Plagg rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault that they're always so blind. I know there's magic at play hiding their identities, but-""That's your magic, Tee," Plagg reminded her."It's yours," she corrected. "Cats are the sneaky ones. Ladybugs are red and flashy. There's nothing subtle or secretive about us."Plagg considered that. "Fair enough.""Besides, are you kidding? The incident in '44 was not my fault or my hero's fault. It was your holder's fault, just like this time, mind you!""Did I just hear you say '44 was Dieter's fault? I don't think you're remembering it correctly.""He was obsessed with Karin!"Plagg rolled his eyes. "Tikki, the Chat Noirs are always obsessed with the Ladybugs. My holders are chosen after yours. They have to be compatible. Maybe it's not always romantic-""'44 was all romance, Lag.""Don't call me that." Plagg stopped for a moment. "And don't act like Karin wasn't smitten for Dieter. They were married their entire lives."A flicker of shadow passed over Tikki's face. "I'm not saying Karin didn't love him, I'm just saying-""She caught him transforming!""Because he told her that he was going to, and I quote, 'Yell at a tiny cat with a purple mouth'! She might not have met you, but normal cats don't have purple mouths, Plagg!""She didn't have to take the bait.""Even so, it wasn't my fault," Tikki said. "Dieter wanted Karin to know, and he didn't know she was Ladybug.""That's because you needed the Nazis to not find her! You hid her more than any other Ladybug I can remember.""Maybe your memory is bad," Tikki grumbled."Ohmygod Adrien I'm so sorry-"Tikki and Plagg looked over to the couch, where Marinette had tripped over her binder and into Adrien's lap. Plagg dissolved into snickering a moment later. -- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Alright, class, five minutes until school's out! You can take this time to converse with each other." Mme. Bustier smiled at her class, hands clasped in front of her, as the teenagers burst into a cacophony of noise.Adrien twisted to face Marinette and Alya. "What are your plans for the summer?" Nino mirrored his desk partner and turned to them, shooting a smile at Alya as she started talking."Well, I'm on tech for the Caesar crew, and Marinette is on costuming." Alya shot a grin at her best friend. "And apparently, she's helping out at the bakery." She looked at Adrien. "What about you?"Marinette stayed quiet as his shoulders slumped. "Fashion tour. I'm going to be abroad until right before school starts again." His gaze jumped from Alya to Marinette, that same apology glowing in his eyes. Marinette smiled at him. He needed to stop worrying. They'd had that conversation already."Aww, man, that blows!" Nino scowled. "Your dad is really a taskmaster, huh?"Adrien chuckled, but it sounded forced. "Something like that.""I wonder if Ladybug and Chat Noir go on vacation," Alya mused. Adrien's eyes widened, but Marinette quickly turned more fully towards Alya."Well, a lot of people are, so it would make sense, especially if they're keeping their identities secret from their parents." Marinette nudged Alya. "They can't just say 'Sorry, Mom and Dad, but I have to stay in Paris because I'm a superhero."Alya giggled. "I wish I could do that. I'm going to be gone for the next two weeks before rehearsals for the play start.""Where are you going?" Nino asked. It escaped his mouth more quickly than normal. Marinette barely managed to restrain her smile."Los Angeles!" Alya grinned. "I'm so hyped to visit, but what if I miss some Ladybug and Chat Noir action? My viewers will be bummed, and so will I.""I'll let you know if anything major happens," Marinette offered. She felt nerves build up in her stomach, the full force of Adrien's upcoming absence hitting her. She couldn't even go to Rena for assistance. At least not for the beginning of summer.Alya squealed and threw an arm over Marinette's shoulder. "Thank you! You're the best, girl!"Marinette laughed, her face flushing slightly. She failed to notice how Adrien stared up at her with a silly smile on his face."So, Adrikins, what are your plans for this summer?" Chloe leaned on Adrien's desk, startling all four friends. Adrien blinked at Chloe."I'm going abroad, Chlo. I told you that.""Well, when are you leaving and when are you getting back?"Was that a flicker of irritation on Adrien's face. Marinette couldn't tell, but his smile seemed more strained than usual. "I'm leaving after school and I'm getting back the day before school starts again.""What?" Chloe screeched, her voice high-pitched enough that everyone in the room winced. "No!""Chlo-""This is unacceptable!" she shouted. A moment later, Chloe had stormed out of the classroom. Sabrina hovered by the door, sending a nervous look to Mme. Bustier."You may follow her, Sabrina," Mme. Bustier sighed. "Take her bag, too, please.""Yes, ma'am," Sabrina murmured. A moment later, the other girl was gone."Wow," Alya mumbled. She was the first of the four to speak, all of them staring in Chloe's wake. "That was... unexpected."Adrien huffed out a breath of air and dragged his hand through his hair. Marinette was fascinated by the way his usually impeccable hair style was ruffled enough to faintly resemble Chat Noir's. "She's gotten more obsessive this year.""That's because she sees you every day, dude," Nino said. He nudged Adrien with his shoulder. "Just be glad she can't stalk you over the summer.""I-""And that's a wrap, class!" Mme. Bustier stood up and clapped her hands, beaming. "I'll see you all next year! Have a great summer!"Alix was the first to dart out, Kim and Max close on her heels. A moment later, the rest of the class barreled after them, but the four students lingered. Adrien glanced nervously at the door as Alya and Nino stood, gathering their belongings.Nino murmured something to Alya, who nodded and said, "We'll meet you outside, 'kay? I have to get something from my locker.""Me too!" Nino exclaimed, if not in a slightly overzealous manner. They ducked out of the room, leaving Marinette and Adrien in relative privacy, aside from where Mme. Bustier stood chatting to Rose and Juleka.Adrien turned his attention to Marinette. "Mari-""Hey, it's fine." She grinned at him. "It's not up to you."Doubt flickered across his face, even as he wrapped his hand around his bag and stood. Marinette rose as well, shifting her backpack onto her shoulder. "Call me, okay?""I don't think you'll have enough time to come back," Marinette reminded him gently. He looked away for a moment."You don't just have to call me if something goes wrong." He smiled at her. "Call me anyways."Marinette felt her skin turn hot. He lifted a hand to rest it on her arm and squeezed."I'll see you when school starts.""O-okay." Marinette cleared her throat as he walked towards the door. "Wait!"Adrien stopped and turned to her, eyebrows lifted."I- uh- you should- I mean-" She cut herself off and exhaled. "Call me, too. If you need to talk to someone."When he smiled that time, it was a real one. "Okay."She waved at him as he vanished out of the door.
This is going to be a long summer.
..."Alya!"Ladybug dropped onto the dimly lit street, her gaze focused on the flabbergasted girl standing there. "Ladybug? What's going on?" Her voice dropped. "Do you need Rena?""Yes, well..." Ladybug exhaled and wrapped a hand around Alya's arm, then led her into the shadows of the street. The sun had just set, and Ladybug had barely been able to catch Alya on her way home from rehearsal. "Not exactly."Alya frowned. "What's up?""I, well..." Ladybug exhaled and looked towards the street. "Chat Noir's family doesn’t know he's Chat Noir, so he kind of got forced to go on a summer-long trip."Alya's eyes widened. "So that's why he hasn't been sighted since school ended?""Yeah. He was... upset about leaving, but there was nothing we could do.""So, you know each other's identities?"Ladybug nodded, her face flushing. It was barely noticeable, especially with the red mask on."I figured. You were kind of obvious about it on that day, like two months ago?" Alya frowned."The point," Ladybug redirected, "is that without Chat Noir, I need extra help." Ladybug sighed. She had talked to Master Fu about her idea (he had finally returned from Tibet, albeit in a bad mood), and while he had been somewhat reluctant to part with the fox miraculous for such an extended period of time, he understood Ladybug's need for assistance without having to go searching Alya out each time. Ladybug handed Alya the miraculous box, her hand trembling. "Can I trust you to give this back to me once Chat comes back?"Alya's mouth parted. "You're letting me... keep it?""Just for the summer."Privately, Ladybug thought it would be smart to let Alya keep the stone permanently, but it wasn't her decision. Master Fu knew more about the miraculouses than Ladybug. Alya inhaled sharply and slipped the box into her pocket. "Thank you, Ladybug. I promise to give it back when he returns."Ladybug nodded once, the movement crisp and concise. Then she offered a conspiratorial grin to Alya. "I bet Chat will be jealous that you got to spend all this time with me."Alya giggled. "No way, Lady, he knows I'm no competition. I have my eyes on someone else, anyways." Alya winked at Ladybug."Ooh, there's a boy?" Ladybug smirked at Alya. "Care to share?""I think that's private information," Alya chastised. She grinned anyways. "I'll be on the lookout for any akuma.""Great." Ladybug silently cheered. "See you around."..."No. Way! Marinette, these costumes are killer!"Marinette laughed breathlessly, relieved that they had worked. Most of the costumes had been simple – pieces of fabric easily sewn together into robes. That was lucky, too. Hawkmoth had obviously noticed Chat Noir's absence and taken full advantage of it, sending out akuma at least once a day, and sometimes twice. Ladybug and Rena had a lot of bonding time, and Marinette spent several minutes each night on the phone, reassuring her feline partner that she was okay and would continue to be so until he returned.
Only two weeks left.
..."Are you excited?"Adrien's getting back tonight.That was the highlight of Marinette's day. She was exhausted and sore and bruised in inexplicable places, and she was ready for her partner to return. She hadn't had a chance to retrieve the fox miraculous yet, but she promised herself she would do so before school the next day."Do you think he'll be out on patrol today?" Marinette asked Tikki, her words trembling with anticipation. Somehow, Adrien had managed to worm his way into Marinette's heart more than he had before, like the fact that he was both Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste only strengthened their bond. "To see me. He told me his father was taking his phone last time we talked and not returning it until school starts.""I know," Tikki reminded Marinette. "I was there."Marinette exhaled.A few words and a flash of pink later, Ladybug was soaring over Paris's rooftops, her heart thundering in her chest. The organ refused to calm down as she flicked her wrist and let herself be carried through the sky towards the Eiffel Tower. She let her gaze wander over the skyline when she landed. The superhero dropped to a crouch, far above the city. Wind whistled around her, even as she felt heat seep into her bones.
Come on, kitty...
She didn't realize how much she was riding on seeing him until she noticed a familiar leather-clad figure running on all fours across rooftops, blond hair whipping in the air. A smile bloomed on Ladybug's face when the boy ripped his baton from his back and used it to catapult himself towards the tower. She watched, still beaming, as he landed perfectly on the beam next to her.She knew she was absolutely screwed when he said, voice deeper than before, "Long time no see, my lady." His face was split by a heart-stopping grin, his eyes glittering in the moonlight and-
Oh no.
He was ripped. Way more than before.
Shit.
-- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Alya didn't look up when Ladybug knocked on her window. She gingerly removed the necklace from her neck and put it back in its box, then handed it to Ladybug. Alya offered her favorite superhero a sad smile. "Thanks, Ladybug. Being able to work with you over the summer has been a dream."Ladybug smiled back. She hated that she had to take the miraculous, but it wasn't her decision. Master Fu was getting impatient. He had been more prickly than usual, his patience wearing thing with everything Ladybug did. Tikki had even commented on the oddness of Master Fu's actions, but there was nothing to do but do as he told them. "I'm really sorry about taking it."Alya smiled. Ladybug had told her about Master Fu, though not in great detail. It was enough for Ladybug to explain why Alya couldn't keep the miraculous. "I know. Seriously, it's no big deal, girl.""Thank you for helping.""Gave me something to do over the summer." Alya shrugged. "Besides, I never realized how hard it is being a hero all the time, and not just on occasion.""It's... tiring."Alya eyed the red-clad heroine. "Is Chat back?""He got back last night."An alarm started ringing. Alya jumped. "Crap! I have to get to school." Alya lifted her backpack from the floor as Ladybug zipped out of the window, the clock ticking in her head. She had to get to Master Fu to return Trixx, then she needed to get to school.
I'm going to be late, aren't I?
...The months passed so quickly. Marinette and Adrien were practically attached at the hip, Adrien still guilty about his summer absence and Marinette simply glad for his presence. Alya and Nino were often nearby, making bets on when the two students would finally start dating. Especially given how hard Adrien had been hit by puberty – and how hard he seemed to have hit the gym.Unfortunately, his growing fanbase only made acting normal more difficult. While Adrien and Marinette – and to some extent, even Alya – were used to the fans due to their alter egos, they lacked a magical mode of escape. So when fans decided to mob Adrien, they had only their wits to protect them."Why are you so famous?" Alya grumbled as the four of them hid behind the counter of a coffee shop. The baristas went along with their business, pretending that there weren’t four teenagers pressed against the cupboards. The manager had noticed the supermodel and his friends running from the mob and had offered for them to hide there – and so they hid, their legs cramped and their skin hot from their layers. The Christmas holidays were sneaking up on them, and the cold weather had forced them to wear coats and scarves and gloves. Unfortunately, the coffee shop they had taken shelter in was warm and their blood was already heating their body from running."It's not my fault," Adrien defended, his voice low and harsh. Marinette tried to restrain her smile. The four of them were pressed together, Nino on one side of Adrien and Marinette on the other. Alya sat on Nino's other side, her hair plastered to her cheeks and her eyes dark. Adrien's arm was wrapped around Marinette. Whether it was for her comfort or protection from the baristas, Marinette wasn't sure. All she could really bring herself to process was that their sides were pressing together, and she could feel the warmth from his body, even through the many layers of clothes. "I've been modeling since I was a baby."Alya rolled her eyes, unimpressed by Adrien's admission. Marinette, on the other hand, immediately latched onto that piece of information. "You modeled when you were a baby?"If his cheeks hadn't already been flushed, Marinette was sure he would have blushed. He looked down at her with a small smile. His height was somehow amplified by how they were sitting – or maybe it was because she was slouching more than him. "Yeah."Nino snickered. "I want to see that.""It's like the famous-person equivalent of embarrassing baby pictures," Alya commented, eyes glittering. Marinette ignored both of them, her brain producing photos of a toddler-aged Adrien.They all cringed, however, when they heard a harsh shout. "Hey, is he in here?"The barista closest to the four teenagers shrugged. "I saw Adrien Agreste run past, if that's who you're talking about.""Really?" None of the teenagers knew the identity of the fan, but Adrien was fairly certain it wasn't Wayhem. In fact, Wayhem had been helping Adrien escape mobs on a more normal basis, using pictures they had taken together to lead the fans in the wrong direction. Evre since Gorizilla, Wayhem had toned down the fan-boying. Adrien found himself liking the boy more and more. He was nowhere as close a friend as Nino, Alya, or Marinette, but he was still a good guy. "Thanks, man.""No problem." The barista shot a wink towards the teenagers as the excess voices drained out of the shop. They hadn't been able to see how many people had been behind the fan, but Adrien could only assume there had been a lot, judging by the shift in noise."I just wanted to go out with my friends for my birthday," Adrien mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair as Marinette squeezed his arm. She knew he had argued endlessly with his father about being allowed to go out on his birthday, and she knew he was perturbed by the attention."Do you want to go to my house?" Marinette offered, her voice soft. The question was directed towards Adrien, but it was meant for the two teenagers beside him. "If we sneak in through the back, no one should notice us.""Are you sure your parents will be okay with it?" Adrien asked. He had been at Marinette's house many times before, but usually entered through the balcony. The few times he had gone through the front door, they had been acting under the guise of needing to study together.Marinette frowned up at him, eyebrows creased. "Of course they'll be fine with it.""Dude, you go there all the time," Nino reminded him. Adrien let out a nervous laugh.You have no idea, he thought to himself. "Okay. We can go to your house, then.""Should you call your bodyguard?"The teenagers had been separated from the gorilla at some point. Adrien nodded. "I'll text him." He glanced up to see the manager standing over them, smiling in amusement. "Do you have a back alley we can go out of?""'Course I do," the man said. He was big guy, his shoulders wide and a grizzly beard screaming gruff. But he had been nothing but kind to them. "You kids got a ride?""Working on it," Adrien said as he lowered his gaze to his phone, thumbs flying over the keyboard.A simple ok was all he got after he sent his bodyguard their location."We have a ride, now," Adrien said.The man smiled. It was surprisingly infectious. And as they got into the car behind the coffee shop, all four teenagers were armed with coffee. While the French weren't crazy about coffee, Adrien had spent enough time abroad to appreciate the caffeine boost, and the others were just happy to have a hot drink to use as a weapon if mobbed again...."Merry Christmas, m'lady!"Ladybug laughed as Chat Noir bowed dramatically, a hand held forward as he offered a pristinely wrapped box. "You didn't have to get me anything," she reminded him, even as she held her own package behind her back. Chat stood up and smirked. "Is that why you're hiding my present?"Ladybug rolled her eyes, but handed over the package. He grabbed it eagerly, tail floating behind him excitedly. She had no idea how he moved the tail, since it was detachable, but she was past questioning the laws of reality when it came to Kwamis. She took the gift that was still outstretched to her."To be honest, princess, you didn't have to make me anything," Chat said, that stupid grin on his face. "Your presents is a present itself.""You're incorrigible," Ladybug grumbled, not waiting for her partner to finish his punning before ripping into the package. Chat let out a surprised chuckle at her enthusiasm, but didn't say anything until she pulled the models out of the box.Chat Noir smirked as she held up the action figures in the moonlight. All three of them – Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Rena Rogue – were in the box, their bodies expertly crafted. "That way, you can stare at me even when I'm not here."Ladybug rolled her eyes again. Their dynamic was incredibly different without an audience – Adrien dissolved into a flirting mess and Marinette either turned to stuttering or punned back at him. The stuttering usually happened when they weren't masked and the teasing when they were. "Which designer did you get these from?""Weïss," Chat said casually. Ladybug almost dropped the box, then hurriedly put the figures back in."How expensive was that?" she snapped. "Weïss is the most expensive toy brand out there!""You should know better than to ask the price of a gift." Chat winked at her, eyes glittering. "Didn't anybody ever teach you manners?"Ladybug scowled, face hot. Her present seemed pathetically mediocre in comparison to his. Despite that fact, Chat carefully tore open the package, his eyes flickering between Ladybug and the gift held in his hands.A moment later, he had inhaled sharply as the present unfolded itself, the bottom of it fluttering in the breeze. "Did you make this?"She flushed more deeply. She wasn't going to admit it, but she had been working on it over the summer, the knowledge that he had the bad habit of barging into her room unannounced driving her to finish it during his absence. "Yes."Chat glanced at her, eyes wide. "Mari, this is... amazing."Ladybug shifted from foot to foot, eyes dropping to the ground. Marinette had first seen a varsity jacket on Adrien's first shoot of his summer tour, which had been taken in New York. He had sent her the raw pictures, accompanied with a selfie of him crossing his eyes and scowling (which was her background picture on her phone), but she had paid more attention to the clothes, for once. The design of the varsity jacket had attracted Marinette, and she had immediately had the idea to make a Ladybug-inspired jacket. She had originally intended to make it for herself, but then had decided to make it for her partner instead.The torso of the jacket was red, speckled with black spots of varying sizes. A hood sprouted from the neckline of the jacket, all black like the sleeves, black drawstrings hanging from it. Elastic cuffs at the end of said sleeves were black with two red stripes. Chat Noir looked again from the jacket to Ladybug, eyes wide and ears flat against his head. "You're amazing."A moment later, he was crushing her into a hug, their gifts pressed between them. Ladybug was the first to pull away. "Thank you for the models," she mumbled.He didn't answer for a moment. "Princess, how much time did you spend on this?"She swallowed an inexplicable lump in her throat. It had taken her a long time – the stitching and sewing had consumed almost all of her free time over the summer. In between saving Paris at Rena's side and helping with the play, she had only finished the jacket a couple of days before Adrien's return. "All summer."Chat blinked at her, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "I... God, m'lady, my gift is nothing in compar-""Don't say that," Ladybug interrupted. She frowned at Chat, closing the box so that the models wouldn't fall out. "Just because mine was hand-made doesn't make your gift any less... incredible."Chat flushed. A moment later, the extra wrapping paper was tucked into his belt and Chat had donned the jacket.It was Ladybug's turn to go red when he imitated the first pose she had seen him in from New York – the photo that had inspired the jacket. Chat tucked his thumbs into his belt (since he didn't have jeans pockets) and threw his shoulders back.Ladybug only lingered long enough to throw a curse at him before darting away...."You're leaving again?""All summer." Adrien scowled."Your dad is a piece of work, bro," Nino grumbled. Adrien didn't often run his hands through his hair, but he did so then. It ruffled his usually perfect hair-style, reminding Marinette of Chat. Without warning, she leaned forward and started fixing his hair.Adrien tensed, but relaxed once he realized who was touching him. Marinette didn't say anything, even as Alya gaped at her, along with the rest of the class.The days of the stuttering Marinette were – mostly – over. Adrien Agreste wasn't nearly as daunting when you realized he spent his nights walking around Paris in a leather cat suit. Chat Noir was a goddamn furry, and while Marinette was hopelessly in love with Adrien's less restrained alter ego (as well his restrained one), the masked boy was significantly less... terrifying.She still stuttered, of course, but at least she could hold normal conversations with him. Besides, the stuttering was to be expected. Marinette was crushing, and she was crushing hard."Marinette..." Alya trailed off, voice weak. "Nino, I think I need to go lay down."Nino leaned towards his pseudo-girlfriend. "I think we're having the same hallucination.""Classroom wide hallucination, you mean," Ivan grumbled, his voice low enough that the teenagers almost didn't catch it.Almost."Shut up," Marinette grumbled, her face going hot as she fixed the part in Adrien's hair. He shuddered slightly as her fingers brushed his scalp and attempted to stop himself from dissolving into a lovesick puddle. Marinette's fingers were cold."DUPAIN-CHENG!"Everyone cringed as Chloe rose from her seat at a lightning-fast speed, her eyes burning with fury. Even Sabrina flinched as Chloe stormed across the aisle and grabbed Adrien's arm. He scowled as she pulled him away from Marinette's freezing fingers."What do you think you're doing!?" Chloe screeched, her voice so high-pitched that Marinette wondered if her ears would start bleeding. "Manhandling Adrien like that!" She scoffed and turned to the scowling boy beside her, his eyes flickering tiredly from Marinette to Chloe and back again. "Oh, Adrikins, are you okay?""I'm fine, Chloe," Adrien said stiffly, attempting to draw away from the blond menace. Her nails were digging into his arm, through the Ladybug varsity jacket he had been wearing more and more often. Seeing Marinette blush on the daily was worth the odd looks he got from Nathalie and his father.Chloe shot a seething look at Marinette. "You little bitch."The entire class took in a collective breath – including Mme. Bustier. She had chosen that moment to step in, a minute before their final class before summer began. "Chloe!" Mme. Bustier gasped, eyes wide. Her gaze immediately went to Marinette's dark eyes and the way Adrien was trying to pull away from the other blonde. "Release Adrien and apologize to Marinette!""As if!" Chloe stepped closer to Adrien, who tried to pull her fingers off his arm. "She was touching him.""And you're doing the same," Alya pointed out, voice trembling with restrained anger. Marinette blinked and glanced at her friend, surprised to see the fury in Alya's eyes. Alya shot a quick smile to Marinette.Chloe's eyes widened, then her lips twisted into a venomous scowl. "But I'm allowed to, unlike the little whore-"Adrien ripped his arm out of Chloe's grip. "Don't say that," he snapped, eyes narrowing. Chloe looked up at him as Adrien stepped closer to Marinette's desk, nearly shielding the black-haired girl from the blonde. "Apologize, Chloe.""Adrikins-""And don't call me that," Adrien said. Marinette swallowed and resisted the urge to say anything.This was Adrien's fight. The subject might have been her, but he needed to address Chloe himself."Chloe," Mme. Bustier when Chloe didn't move, her gaze locked on the black-haired girl behind Adrien. "Go to the principal's office."The woman's voice was unbearably soft. Chloe just stared at the two teenagers and spun on her heel, pushing past the teacher and into the hallway.
She's going to get akumatized.
She never did...."I can't believe I have to leave again.""I'll be fine," Ladybug promised, looking down over the city from their favorite spot on the Eiffel Tower. "I'll get Rena's help again."Chat sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, most likely from the stress both heroes were suffering. "I don't like leaving. If something happens-""Nothing is going to happen," Ladybug said gently, resting a hand on his arm. He exhaled roughly, not resisting the warm embrace the superheroine pulled him into. "I promise.""Don't break your promise," he murmured, dropping his head against the top of hers. Her hair smelled like strawberries and sugar. "I'll..." When he failed to come up with an adjective, he sighed. "You should get Rena's help as soon as possible.""She's going abroad for a couple of days. I'll take Trixx to her when she gets back."If Chat recognized the similarity to Alya's travels, he didn't comment."Be safe," he whispered."Of course."..."Les Miserables?""Les Miserables.""Sweet!" Marinette grinned. "Am I going to have help with the costumes?""Well, yeah.""Oh, this is going to be great."..."I'm coming back a day before school starts. I should be able to make the last performance. My father likes what I've done this summer.""Really?" Marinette couldn't contain her excitement. The production was fantastic – the weeks of rehearsal and set-up had been worth it. "I'm supposed to be backstage, but I can meet you after the show.""I look forward to it, bugaboo."She giggled. "Have a safe flight.""Have a safe night, my lady."..."You got me a birthday present?"Adrien looked offended at the notion that he hadn't. "You got me one last year. I got you one last year. Of course I got you a present."Marinette grinned, crossing her legs as she twisted to face Adrien on the couch. She could hear the sounds of the bakery downstairs, the afternoon making no doubt crowding people inside. "What is it?"Adrien chuckled and reached his hand into his pocket. A moment later, he handed her a folded up piece of paper. Marinette took it from him."Tickets to Clara Nightingale's Paris concert?" Marinette's eyes widened as she looked back up at him. "Adrien, I thought these sold out before they were even being sold?"He shrugged, then winked. "You'd be amazed what my father can do.""Your father got them?"She sounded surprised. Adrien let out a light chuckle. "He designs her outfits. He was willing to get me two tickets if I was in one of her music videos.""Adrien..." She frowned. She knew how much his modeling was starting to interfere with his personal life. And his alter ego's appearances in Paris."It's worth it. For you, it's worth it."Those words meant a lot more than two tickets ever could. Adrien flushed as she threw her arms around him and hugged him like the world was ending...."Seriously? Chat's gone this summer, too? This is the third year."Ladybug quirked her hips, pushing an exasperated breath of air from between her lips. She looked down at Alya, who was holding a familiar box in her hands. "I’m afraid so."Three years of being one half of Paris's dynamic duo had strengthened Ladybug in ways she hadn't realized were possible. Even if her abilities were heightened by the miraculous, she had noticed the change in her normal appearance as well. Even Nino had noticed Marinette's fading clumsiness. She still had her moments, but they usually occurred around one of Adrien's two alter egos. Alya rolled her lips between her teeth. "Is the Guardian okay with this?"Ladybug still hadn't told Alya Master Fu's name. She knew Hawkmoth was looking for the old man – several akumas had demanded to know how Ladybug and Chat Noir had gotten the power-ups that could only be created by Master Fu. While the heroes hadn't needed their power-ups except for a rare over-powered akuma (Frozer and Syren came to mind), they still carried the power-up items with them. "It's... not ideal. But he'll live."When Alya didn't respond, Ladybug swallowed tightly."Are you up for being Rena this summer?""Of course," Alya said quickly. She frowned. "I'm just... thinking. You two are lycée students, right? What happens when you go to university after next year?"Ladybug frowned. The past two summers of Chat's absence had been hard... but if Adrien was forced by his father to stay out of Paris after lycée, what would happen to Paris? "I guess we need to defeat Hawkmoth before then."They had one year of lycée left.
We can do this.
..."Guys!" Adrien burst into the classroom, eyes wide. Somehow, he had managed to stay in the same class as Marinette, Alya, and Nino all three years of lycée, but other classmates had cycled out.Unfortunately, Chloe was not one of them. Fortunately, she had made herself scarce after the incident in seconde. She hardly looked up as Adrien bounced in, his figure large but bursting with excitement.Nino arched an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat as Adrien started talking. "Father is letting me stay in Paris this summer!"Marinette lit up, eyes widening as she leaned forward. "Really?"Adrien grinned as he sat down. "And I heard from M. Desrosiers what this year's musical is.""What is it?" Alya asked, suddenly interested."Le Fantôme de l'Opéra," Adrien announced. His gaze landed on Marinette as he said, "And guess what? It's pretty much the only theatre production my father likes, so...""Is he letting audition for it?" Rose asked, perking up from where she sat behind the four students. The tips of her hair were dyed pink, similar to her girlfriend's purple hair. She narrowed her eyes at Adrien. "Give you darker hair and a mask and you'd make a fantastic Erik."Adrien glowed at the praise. At least, he thought it was praise."Marinette will have to size you," Alya cut in, eyes bright. "Won't that be fun?"Marinette promptly blushed as brightly as physically possible.Alya, however, only smirked.
Let the games begin.
-- Find me at <capncrunchofthelovesquare.tumblr.com> --