MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Hello! I'm not great at writing, and I don't expect this to be very good, but I was just having fun with a story in my head. Sorry if it's bad in advance!
A bit of context:
Adrien discovered Ladybug's identity.
Weredad never happened, instead Chat Noir saw her transform.
Marinette has gotten a little less flustered over the years.
This is three years after they first got the Miraculous, so they are 16-17 years old.
Disclaimer: I own no characters, they belong to their respectful owners. I only created the mediocre plot.
MLB
"Why the long face, Chaton?" Ladybug asked as she peered into his eyes.
"Long face? Why milady I think my face is quite round," Chat Noir leaned towards her with a smirk, "and handsome too, don't you agree?"
She put her finger against his nose to push him back. "Down kitty. You know what I meant."
"Well if you must know I am experiencing a bit of a conundrum."
"What kind?"
A few days earlier…
"Pound it!" Ladybug said with a grin and her fist held out. She had just finished cleansing the latest akuma with her magic yo-yo.
Chat raised his fist up and bumped it against hers. "Great job, milady, as per usual."
"You too, Chat. But I gotta run, my time is almost up." She gestured to her earrings.
"Well then I bid you adieu."
She smiled before she swung herself up to the nearby roof and disappeared from sight.
It was then that he realized she had taken baby August's pacifier after de-akumatizing him, which he needed. He quickly extended his baton to run after her, but when he reached the roof he saw a flash of pink light engulf Ladybug as she was replaced with Marinette, his classmate.
Chat Noir didn't know what to do, so he simply high-tailed it out of there, dropping August with his mother along the way. She didn't want to reveal their identities. He would never disobey his lady's wishes. And that meant also keeping his a secret.
"Well I guess it could be classified as the Love kind of conundrum, milady."
"Ooh! I love giving love advice. I set my best friend up a while ago and it worked out great." Ladybug replied with an excited grin. "What happens to be the problem, Minou?" Chat shifted warily. His answer needed to be vague, Ladybug was too curious and smart.
"Well, there's this girl I only saw as a friend until recently…" he started cautiously, "but after a new development I started to see her as more. I started seeing all of her amazing qualities. Like her creativity, bravery, selflessness, and kindness. The more I got to know her, the more I loved her. But I don't know how to approach her with all these new feelings…" he glanced over at her to gage her reaction. She looked thoughtful, but her expression quickly morphed into one of intrigue.
"Well, I'm glad you found someone." She said genuinely, "I think the best thing you could do is tell her how you feel. God only knows how many times I've tried telling my crush my feelings."
His blood ran cold as he processed her words.
Her crush.
Her crush.
Chat Noir suddenly felt very cold, and jumped to his feet in alarm.
"Sorry Ladybug! Ihavetogobye!" He jumped off the roof and hurtled himself home. His mind was still processing her words. He felt like he was currently going through the seven stages of grief.
MLB
Shock.
"Plagg can you believe she has a crush???" Adrien cried in disbelief as he paced back and forth across his room. "Who do you think it is? Do I know them? Plagg what if she's a lesbian and that's why I've never gotten through to her???" Adrien collapsed in his bed with a groan.
Denial.
"I must have heard her wrong, Plagg. She might've said plush! Yeah! She might have a really cute plush that she really likes, but she never really told it! That works…" Plagg simply continued to eat his cheese with a roll of his eyes.
Guilt.
"I must've said something wrong… maybe she still thinks I hate her after the gum incident? Maybe she doesn't think Chat Noirs feelings for her are genuine? Maybe I'm too pushy????"
"You we're onto something with that last one, kid"
"Plagg you are no help whatsoever."
Anger.
"Who do you think this 'Mr. Perfect' is?! He's probably some stuck up douche who only pretends to be nice. I'm a way better guy! I would love her forever! I should fight him so she realizes that!" Adrien spewed as he punched his pillow.
Depression.
"Plagg I'll never find love. The only girl I'll ever love loves someone else. I'm destined to be lonely forever. The only girls who like me, like me because of my money or fame or looks…" Adrien sadly sighed as he laid forlornly in bed.
Rationalization.
"First, I should figure out who this dude is. Second I'll see if he's good enough for her. Third I'll decide he is not. Fourth I will win her over. Fifth we will live happily ever after with three kids and a hamster." Adrien said decidedly.
"Yeah you do that, kid." Plagg mumbles unhelpfully.
Acceptance.
Adrien wouldn't accept he had no chance with her. She would love him someday. It was just a matter of time.
MLB
When school started the next day, Adrien was groggy from lack of sleep. He had spent the entire night brainstorming ideas on how to woo his lady.
He felt like a zombie as he sat down in his usual seat in Mme. Bustier's class. He was still relatively early, the only other person here was Nathanael, and he was busy drawing in the back.
The door to the classroom burst open as someone rushed in.
"So sorry Madame Bustier! I slept in and…" he saw Marinette panting in the doorway with an extremely confused look on her face, "where is everybody?"
"Marinette it's Daylight Savings, we jumped backward an hour." Nathanael piped up from behind Adrien.
"Really? I just ran here for nothing then!" Marinette said with a grunt as she took her seat. Adrien immediately straightened up and tried to look distinguished in front of Marinette. He couldn't look like a zombie while trying to court her.
He turned around in his seat and flashed a suave grin, "Did you do the English homework last night Marinette? I just love Shakespeare, don't you agree?" He finished with what he hoped was a handsome eyebrow raise and smile.
"Er-I love you! I mean I love it? Yeah Shakespeare is great?" Marinette spluttered as she turned an adorable shade of crimson.
Adrien smiled as he turned back around in his seat.
"Marinette do you want to go to the art classroom with me at lunch? I need your help designing outfits for my new comic." Nathanael asked from behind him. He glanced behind him to see Marinette smiling and Nathanael blushing as they talked closely. A little too closely.
Adrien hadn't forgotten hat Marinette had a crush on someone else, and he couldn't help but think it might be Nathanael. Both were artists and both hung out in the art room after school. Marinette was always so nice to him too.
"I'll come too!" Adrien shouted out before he could stop himself. He slapped his hands over his mouth.
"Really? I didn't know you were into art Adrien… what's your preferred medium?" Nathanael asked. Marinette turned towards him with an inquisitive gaze and cutely scrunched eyebrows.
"Er-I" Adrien struggled to find an answer, "I paint? Paintings? I paint paintings! Yeah. Um… see you guys then?" He couldn't stop the furious blush that came to his face. He most definitely did not look suave right now.
"Ok, see you the-" Marinette was cut off when Mme. Bustier walked in along with a couple of other students.
"Take your seats everyone! I will start roll call soon. Nice to see you here on time Marinette." Mme. Bustier called out to the class.
MLB
By the time lunch rolled around, Adrien was sufficiently panicked.
He had never painted in his life. He told the love of his life he knew how to paint.
Oh no.
He snuck into the art room early to get a feel for what he needed to use. Paint brushes and paint, obviously. But he had no idea what else.
Who knew there were so many types of paint? Watercolor, acrylic, oil, etc. Not to mention the wide array of brushes. He was absolutely doomed.
The door swung open to reveal Marinette chatting with Nathanael. They headed towards a table near the window.
"Hey, Adrien," Marinette greeted as she took a seat at a table facing the glass window pane.
"Hey Marinette!" Adrien replied, "Nathanael." Adrien tried to keep a smile on his face as he nodded to the tomato-head.
He went to snag the seat next to Marinette before Nathanael did.
He had decided to use acrylic paint, for lack of more knowledge, it looked the easiest to use. He had grabbed a canvas and a couple of brushes and set them up on the small easel.
Well now he was stumped. What was he supposed to draw? Should he sketch it out first? Or just dive right in?
He glanced around for something acceptable to draw. The window overlooked a large tree, but he couldn't see past the bushy leaves. The art room was fairly empty so far, but there were no 'artsy' things to draw either. No bowls of fruit or pitchers of water even.
He glanced back at Marinette. He saw the sunlight waft over her features. Her black hair showing hues of blue, the warm light highlighting her cute spatter of freckles. Her eyelashes seemed like feathers against her cheeks. She had her tongue sticking out as she drew something in her sketchbook.
Before he knew what he was doing, he felt his paintbrush glide over the white canvas as he drew. He drew her pigtails and the outline of her face. He outlined her profile and her cute button nose. He used a pretty bluebell color for her eyes, and splattered dark paint on her cheeks for freckles.
He was painting!
Granted, when he looked over his drawing a little while later, he came to the realization that he could not paint. He hadn't even begun to do her beauty justice.
But for now, he was having fun.
"Nathanael, what were you looking for in Carapace's everyday style? I was thinking along the lines of casual but cool? Like jeans, t-shirt, hat, maybe some earphones?" Marinette asked while looking towards Nathanael.
"That sounds great, Marinette. But I was thinking that Carapace is more refined in everyday style. Like button down shirts and stuff." Nathanael answered. Adrien could've sworn he heard Marinette stifle a laugh.
"What made you want to draw the superheroes in their civilian lives?" Marinette inquired as she sketched out Carapace, but she looked really interested in his answer.
"I like imagining them as regular people. People like us. If I knew their secret identities it would be much easier to draw them." Nathanael replied nonchalantly. "I see Rena as sort of a badass, motorcycle riding girl in her real life. Maybe black leather jacket? I think that's what makes her and Carapace such a good couple. Opposites attract."
"True." Marinette mumbles as she finished her sketch outline. "How about Ladybug and Chat Noir? Do you want new outfit ideas or are you sticking to the first sketches I made?"
"I wanted to do a new dress for Ladybug. I'm drawing a new comic of her and Mightillustrator on a date."
Before Adrien could stop himself, he let out a blood-curdling hiss.
"What was that?"Nathanael asked bewilderedly. "Is there a cat in here?"
Adrien tried to hide his laugh at his reaction.
"I don't know, it may have been the kiln in the back." Marinette answered with a slight frown.
He tried turning them back towards the current conversation. "Really? I always thought Ladybug and Chat Noir were a thing. I never knew she liked Mightillustrator." Adrien made a pointed look at Nathanael.
"Psh," Marinette scoffed, "Ladybug isn't with either of them! She doesn't even know Mightillustrator, she wouldn't like him like that anyway. And Chat Noir was never serious about liking her. He flirts with everyone!"
Adrien felt a pang of sadness at her words. Did she really think he wasn't genuine about his feelings? He did not flirt with just anyone.
"Well, in my comic Ladybug is giving Mightillustrator a chance." Nathanael huffed as he turned back to his work.
Adrien rolled his eyes. At least he knew she wasn't interested in Mightillustrator, although she did rebuff Chat Noir as well.
The bell rang to go back to class a little bit after that. Adrien hid his canvas in the trash. He would try again some other time.
MLB
In the following month, which consisted of only three akuma attacks, Adrien tried to get closer to Marinette.
He offered to go to the cinema with her, Alya, and Nino. He even managed to snag a seat next to her! But, alas, nothing. No hint about who her crush was. Whenever he brought up the topic of love, she blushed and changed the subject.
In no time, it was the start of Winter Break, and the most headway he'd made was being her partner on the Shakespeare Semester project.
He walked into class on the second to last day until Christmas Break feeling absolutely glum.
"Listen up students!" Mme Bustier called to the full classroom. "Since tomorrow is the Christmas Party, today I will give you your homework for over break." At that, the entire class groaned in protest.
"Now, now! It's nothing difficult, in fact it's your Semester Shakespeare Project! You will need to
work with your partner in preparing a PowerPoint on Shakespeare's life, along with a miniature play. You will write your own scripts with a new take on your appointed play's chosen scene. I have already chosen the assigned plays, please come up and claim your pamphlet." Mme. Bustier finished.
Adrien turned around and smiled at Marinette. He hoped they got a love story. That would be awesome.
After he told Marinette he would get the pamphlet, he headed up to Mme. Bustier's desk. She smiled at him and handed him a small stack of paper.
Adrien glanced down at the packet and saw Much Ado About Nothing: Benedick and Beatrice.
Adrien smiled, giddily.
He loved that play, and he loved Benedick and Beatrice even more.
They reminded him of his lady and him. Witty banter and playful flirting. Beatrice pretending she hated Benedick, while also being in love with him. Benedick loving Beatrice, joking around with her, but being hurt when she didn't return his feelings.
He couldn't have picked better himself.
MLB
Adrien had already invited Marinette over to his house during break. They would work on the project the Sunday before Christmas, the Bakery was closed on Sunday so she had time. And Adrien persuaded his Father to give him the month off from modeling because he claimed his skin was too dry because of the cold. He was overwhelmed with the amount of moisturizer he got, but he still had a break.
Adrien was in high spirits Saturday night before he went to bed. Even Plagg was in a good mood.
Tomorrow he would see his Lady after a week since the last akuma attack, and school had been out for a week already.
The weather outside was snowy, and even though they still had a week before Christmas, he felt the holiday spirit in the air.
Marinette was set to arrive at the Agreste Mansion today at 10 am. Adrien had already set up his room to be equipped with tables full of snacks, blankets, pillows, pens, pencils, paper, and much much more.
There was a blizzard expected to be rolling in soon, but if they could finish around 4 then she would still be able to make it home before it really started getting bad.
Adrien was really excited.
A whole day spent with his lady love working on a romance play? A fantasy.
That is, until Marinette was four hours late and huffing and puffing up the sidewalk to his house.
"I'm so so so so sorry, Adrien! I overslept, but I could've still made it, but then I had to help shovel a snow pile in front of the bakery door, and then my Papa slipped on ice and I had to help carry him back inside- it was just a mess! I'm really really sorry…" Marinette trailed off as she met him at the door.
Her cheeks were red from the cold, and she wasn't wearing more than a simple cardigan, which was soaked from the snow. Her teeth were chattering and she looked exhausted.
This could not do.
"It's completely fine Marinette, I understand. You look freezing, come inside and I'll help you dry off and get warm." He gave her an encouraging smile.
She smiled back gratefully as she stepped in. He led her over to to their ever-burning fireplace to let her warm up.
"You look soaked, if you want I can get you change of clothes, god only knows how many clothes we have here. Father being a fashion designer and all."
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…"
Adrien waved her off, "I insist." He gave her a warm smile as she hesitantly smiled in return.
Adrien headed off down the hallway to go to his room. Father had stocked his closet to the brim with winter clothes before going on business to Milan for two weeks with Nathalie. It was just Gorilla and him for the holiday. Plus maids and cooks on select days.
He wouldn't have a Christmas with Father again, but seeing Marinette was enough for him.
He returned to Marinette holding a warm sweatshirt and sweatpants that were slightly too short for him after his growth spurt.
"Thank you, Adrien. I really appreciate it, I forgot to change into something warmer in my hurry to get here." Marinette blushes profusely once she was handed the clothes. She rushed into the bathroom closing it behind her.
When she made her reappearance, Adrien had to pick his jaw up from the floor.
She was already beautiful, but this was something else.
She was swimming in his sweatsuit, and her hair was all mussed up out of its usual pigtails. She was flushed bright red and fiddling with the too long sleeves.
She was wearing his clothes and she looked breathtaking.
"Adrien? I did some research on Much Ado About Nothing and I started to formulate a script. Maybe we could focus on the masquerade ball part? Mme. Bustier said we only had to do one scene… Adrien?" He had been staring at her slack jawed.
"Er" he shook himself out of his stupor. "That sounds great. I have three computer monitors in my room so we can get started on the PowerPoint."
She smiled at him as he led the way down the hall.
5 hours and many hot chocolates later, they had accomplished the slideshow and the beginnings of a script.
But it was then that he realized it was already 7:00 because of the raging snowstorm taking place outside his windows. The snow had already barricaded up the sides of the mansion from what Adrien could see, and it showed no sign of stopping.
He flipped on the news to see a very distressed Nadja Chamack predicting the storm to last for the next two days. The Mayor had issued an order for all cars to return home, and citizens were to stay inside at all times.
Adrien glanced behind him to see Marinette talking on the phone with her parents.
"Maman I can just walk home! … The news isn't always accurate … What about you and Papa? … I can't just force the Agreste's to house me …"
Marinette was cut off when Adrien gestured to her to give him the phone. She looked at him with a quizzical expression, but handed him the phone nevertheless.
"Hello Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, this is Adrien, Marinette's classmate."
"Oh Adrien! I've heard so much about you! Please, call me Sabine. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I was just gonna say that Marinette can stay as long as she likes. We've got plenty of rooms and supplies, it's really no bother! Besides, we can use this extra time to work on the project."
"Oh you're such a sweet boy! Thank you for the kind offer, Tom and I really appreciate it. But the one you really need to convince is Marinette. She is very stubborn when she has her mind set on something."
Adrien laughed a little. That did sound a lot like his Lady. "I'll make sure she doesn't go out in this horrid weather Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Thank you!"
"You're very welcome! And it's Sabine!"
They said their goodbyes and Adrien handed the phone back to Marinette.
"Traitor." Marinette accused, but there was no bite to her tone.
"It's not my fault your parents and me are reasonable and you're not."
She shoved his shoulder a little, but relented.
" Let's get back to wor-" Marinette was cut off suddenly when the lights all switched off and the room went dark.
"The power went out, but don't worry, the backup generator should be on soon…" but he stopped midsentence when he remembered the generator was scheduled for repair tomorrow. Great.
"Adrien? Are you okay? You look panicked."
"Er- yeah. The generator is broken, we'll have to use flashlights." He said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a good thing we brought lots of food and blankets in here, my door is electronically activated, so we're stuck until the storm stops."
Marinette paled a little in the dim light. "S-stuck? A-alone?" If it wasn't so dark, Adrien could've sworn she was about to faint.
"Yeah, it's a good thing we aren't stuck here with Chloe." He winked at her in an attempt to lighten the situation. But the wink just made her look even more unstable.
"Um, how about we use my battery charged computer to watch a movie? We've been working for awhile…" he suggested. She nodded her head and let him guide her over to his bed.
He set the monitor up at the foot of the bed and grabbed some chips from the table. He settled down next to her and shuffled through his collection of Disney movies.
"I like Big Hero 6." Marinette mumbled from beside him.
"Really? I'm more of a Moana guy myself." He replied with a grin.
She cracked a small smile at that. "You seem the type." They both started to laugh a little bit.
"How about Big Hero 6 and Moana after?"
"Sounds great."
They grabbed a pile of blankets, it was getting colder by the second, and bundled up before Adrien pressed play.
By the time Moana and Maui met, Marinette was fast asleep. Adrien had no idea how, but she had somehow ended up curled against his side snoring. She was warm and she looked absolutely adorable.
He was definitely not complaining.
Adrien was awoken by Plagg blowing in his ear, complaining about not having enough cheese. Adrien reluctantly pointed him to the cupboard near his basketball hoop.
Adrien had met Tikki last night while Marinette was in the bathroom, Tikki knew that he had figured out Ladybug's identity, and had approached him.
He gave Tikki some cookies before she dove over to spend time with Plagg.
Marinette was still fast asleep beside him. She was softly snoring, but once in a while she would let out a little snort, and Adrien had to stop himself from kissing her.
He reluctantly got up quietly. He didn't want to fluster her by cuddling up next to her, no matter how much he wanted to.
The storm outside didn't look any better, it was lighter out, but he still couldn't see half a foot beyond the windowsill.
Looked like another day of being cooped up inside. Adrien wasn't annoyed though. His lady made it worth it.
He heard a shuffle of blankets and a yawn behind him.
"Tikki I had the strangest dream! I was hibernating in a cave with a cat - eep!" Marinette squeaked when she realized where she was. Adrien couldn't help but be slightly amused.
"Marinette? Did you say something?" He asked, he could just imagine her flustered face as she tried to explain.
"Er- I told Amazon Alexa I would call her Tikki from now on! Yeah! And I wake up and tell her my dream every morning? She's a great listener…" Marinette bumbled on, absolutely scarlet.
"Hibernating with a cat? Sounds like you were comfortable."
"Uh yeah! Super comfortable!" Marinette quipped, still red. "Oh no, did I push you off the bed? I'm so sorry, I'm used to sleeping alone and your bed is so big! And I was so cold…" she trailed off uncertainly.
"Don't worry, you didn't push me off. You cuddle in your sleep by the way." He finished with an eyebrow wiggle and a wink.
Marinette looked like she was about to internally combust. Oops.
"BATHROOM!" Marinette suddenly blurted out as she ran into the bathroom with her backpack. He chuckled a little.
It was around noon when they finished writing their Shakespearean script.
Marinette seemed to be more comfortable after they ate a lunch of cookies, chips, and protein bars.
They played board games for a couple of hours after that, Marinette winning most of the time. She did a cute little butt wiggle victory dance that was adorable. Adrien might've lost on purpose one or two times.
"Do you ever climb your rock wall?" Marinette asked after winning a long game of Sorry.
"The only time I've ever climbed it was when it was first put in 10 years ago." He shrugged a little. He hadn't even thought about it much. It seemed more like a decoration than an activity.
Marinette surprised him a bit by jumping up and walking towards the wall. She looked at it, and then started climbing.
Adrien rushed over to catch her if she fell. She wasn't even using a rope! Well, she was Ladybug, but still…
She was about halfway up when she made a grab for a rock and missed. She helped and tried to scramble to catch herself, but it was too late.
Adrien was glad he was below her to catch her. But he did not expect her to crash into him so directly that their lips were smashed together for a millisecond.
Her lips tasted like vanilla and Cheetos. A surprisingly pleasant flavor, but that may be just because he was kissing-ish the love of his life.
She bolted straight up and started trying to apologize profusely. She stumbled and tripped over his leg and knocked over his basketball hoop. Disturbing Plagg unintentionally.
"Hey I'm eating over here!" Plagg harrumphed as he floated up.
"Plagg don't yell at her! She's already flustered enough as it is!" Tikki scolded with a frown.
Marinette whipped her head back and forth between the black kwami and Adrien… "Chat Noir…?"
"I guess the cat's out of the bag?"
Marinette seemed to be jolted out of her stupor. "PUNS?! Yeah you're Chat."
MLB
One shot for now, a second chapter if I get enough requests… please review! I love constructive criticism.