[ kittycatblack: url change: hotstuffhandsomeboy is now kittycatblack ;3 ]
Marinette smiled at the blog post and clicked on the messaging link.
ladybugger
New url, huh? It suits you, Chat Noir.
Almost instantly, her mutual replied.
kittycatblack
thanks, my lady. it came to me during class and i just had to change it. lucky for me, the url was open! i think you may be rubbing off on me
ladybugger
That's good, I suppose, but I'm still a little dubious about my so-called "amazing luck."
kittycatblack
purr-lease, youre my mew-raculous lucky charm ;)
Marinette snorted. That silly cat's puns were both annoying and endearing.
ladybugger
Again with the puns?
kittycatblack
cmon, you know you like them. just admit it: youre impressed by my puns and my charm
As if she'd ever admit that. Chat would have a field day and Marinette would never live it down.
ladybugger
Since you can't see, I'll tell you: I'm currently face-palming.
kittycatblack
id do anything to see your face, my lady
just one selfie?
purr-ty please?
ladybugger
Haha, no.
kittycatblack
if you send one, ill send one back! our followers will never have to know
im sure you are as beautiful as you are sweet :3
ladybugger
It's not my appearance I'm worried about, Chat, but thanks.
I just
I like the anonymity of it, you know?
kittycatblack
yeah, i know
well, if you ever happen to change your mind
ill send my best pic
ladybugger
Don't get your hopes up, kitty.
Marinette didn't like where this conversation had headed. Their real identities was a topic she wasn't ready to discuss. She knew Chat wanted to know who she was, but it was a bunch of little reasons that kept her from revealing herself. Time to use the not-so-subtle method of subject changing.
ladybugger
Hey, did you see that new post Hawkmoth posted about us yet?
kittycatblack
newer than yesterday?
no
link it to me
ladybugger
420690413612/why-ladybug-and-chat-noir-are-problematic
After a few minutes, Marinette received a reply.
kittycatblack
wow
i mean seriously
where does he get this stuff?
also his theme sucks
ladybugger
Pfft.
He's a very persuasive writer, I'll give him that. If I didn't know better, I might actually believe him.
He's got a surprisingly large amount of supporters, too. Have you read some of the reblogs?
kittycatblack
i dont really want to
oh ew
my activity is spammed with a bunch of mentions from him
and oh look
to no one's surprise
ive got more anon hate in my inbox
Marinette eyed the inbox icon at the top of her dash, where a notification displayed a decent amount of new asks. Hopefully there'd be nice and genuine messages in the mix.
ladybugger
I'm sure I have some, too. Time to shut them down, I guess.
kittycatblack
you could just delete them. not give them the attention theyre trying to get from us
ladybugger
I don't want people to think I'll just accept it. I want them to know I won't people get away with anon hate, that I'll stand up for my beliefs!
I want them to stop! Sending! Us! Hate!
kittycatblack
ah, theres the fierce ladybug i know and love
go get em, my lady!
be cute and pastel and fashionable and heroic! squash those pests!
Marinette laughed. She could always count on Chat to support her. After being online friends for three years, they were a team, inseparable.
Hawkmoth and his stubbornly loyal rag-tag group of followers had been targeting the two bloggers since their steady rise in popularity two years ago.
In truth, Marinette's (or as everyone knows her as: Ladybug) and Chat's blogs weren't all that special. Ladybugger featured fashion and girly aesthetics, with a small giveaway almost every other week. Kittycatblack was made entirely of memes, shitposts, and cats. Both were passionate about social equality, which must have been what drew in the trolls.
Eventually the pair became mutuals and started an online friendship. Now, they were always associated with the other. Not that Marinette minded, of course. Behind the whack blog, Chat was kind and funny and smart and relatable. He was easily one of her best friends. Marinette confided in nearly everything with him, from what little thing bothered her that day to her IRL crush.
Speaking of whom…. She raised her wrists to the keyboard and replied,
ladybugger
I will! :)
And, on an unrelated note, guess what happened today!
kittycatblack
let me guess
prince charming happened today?
ladybugger
Yes!
He talked to me in class.
kittycatblack
…
is that all?
ladybugger
You don't understand—it was the longest conversation we've had in a month. Like, maybe five solid minutes?
kittycatblack
five minutes?
are you listening to yourself?
that's hardly anything at all!
ladybugger
Well, now that you mention it, I guess it's not that long…
Marinette's shoulders slumped. Chat was right, five minutes should not be impressive. Maybe… maybe Adrien doesn't like her? If only she could gather up the courage to maintain a proper conversation! Maybe then would Adrien really notice her.
kittycatblack
hey, ladybug, if that sounded rude, im sorry :(
its uh
well
i think you can do better than someone who barely talks to you!
anyone like that is certainly missing out on an awesome girl
just saying
ladybugger
Thanks, Chat.
I just don't think I can get over him.
At school the next day, Alya and Marinette walked around the track with the rest of their gym class. The chilly autumn air nipped at her face, nose surely turning red.
"Hawkmoth tried to start another mass attack, apparently," Marinette complained to her best friend, throwing her hands in the air. "Why can't he just leave us alone! Chat and I have done nothing to him. I just want to blog fashion and pretty things, is that really so much to ask for?"
Alya chuckled. "You should know by now that if you blogged only those things he wouldn't be harassing you. Anyone who speaks their mind will get targeted."
Marinette groaned. "So what if I want to advocate equality for all every once in a while? That's my business and I'm not hurting anyone."
"I bet he lives in his grandmother's dingy old attic, holed up in the darkness with nothing but his computer," joked Alya. "Just a middle-aged bundle of sour grapes who has nothing better to do."
Marinette laughed. "Probably. Have you seen his blog? It's so angsty and depressing. I think he has a YouTube channel, too. I heard he'd uploaded a video of himself just crying for an hour straight."
"Oh my god," Alya snorted, clapping a hand to her lips. "I have to find it. That'll definitely be on the playlist for the winter dance."
Marinette squealed in protest. "Don't—you'd get us in trouble! No abusing our power as class presidents."
"I'm only joking. But come on, you know that'd be hilarious."
Marinette grinned in agreement. She was about to reply when two people raced past in a blur. Marinette jumped into the air, emitting a strangled noise.
Alya shook her head. "Oh, it's only Alix and Kim. They must be competing again. Those two don't stop, do they?"
"They should suck it up and date already!" Marinette said with a smirk. "Everyone can see that they're totally into each other."
She was nudged in the side by her friend's elbow. "You mean, like you and Chat Noir?"
A flush rose to Marinette's cheeks.
"W-what?" she sputtered. "What are you saying? B-besides," she added in a whisper, "I like Adrien, you know that."
"Please, you two are thick as thieves—and don't tell me that his vague-blogging isn't about you."
Marinette's brows furrowed. "Are you talking about the ones referring to his mysterious crush? He's told me all about her, albeit vaguely; why would he mean me?"
Alya made a noncommittal grunt. "Anyways," she said, drawing out the word, "how is dear Adrien by the way?"
Marinette sighed. Said boy was walking with Nino on the other side of the track at a faster pace than the girls; they'd been lapped by the pair already. "I thought things were going good between us, but I guess not."
"What makes you say that?"
Marinette tugged on the edge of her white gym shirt. "Well, the other day we talked a bit, but when I mentioned it to Chat yesterday, he pointed out that 'a bit' wasn't really a great thing."
Alya nodded. "I'm going to have to agree with him on that one. If you want a change for the better, Mari, you're going to have to brave up and just talk to him. Adrien's a person, not some all-mighty being."
"I…" Marinette sighed. "Yeah, you're right." She straightened, holding her chin up, a spark of determination in her eyes. "I'll do it; I'll talk to him today. N-no—tomorrow."
Alya smiled, patting her friend on the back. "There's my girl. At least that's a start."
As soon as Adrien hopped into the limo after school, he whipped out his phone and opened the tumblr mobile app. There were no new messages from Ladybug, so he decided to compose a few shitposts and reblog some "dank memes."
Ah, yes, he thought, the dankiest dank memes in the history of memeing, with a side of extra-shitty shitposts.
Whilst scrolling through his dash, a strange post caught his eye.
[ stormyweather: Down with ladybugger and kittycatblack! Stand with Hawkmoth and join the akumas! ]
Further down the post was the comment from the blog he followed:
[ plaggxcheese: kittycatblack look at what these people are calling themselves! hilarious, am I right? ]
Adrien sighed, annoyed. Hawkmoth was an idiot, but with his smooth words and the pressing of the right buttons, he had gathered a good amount of backers, all of them determined to somehow put he and Ladybug in their place.
He sent a message to her, wondering if she'd already seen the new nickname.
kittycatblack
look at what hawkmoths followers are calling themselves
"akumas" lmao
what does that even mean? its plural for akuma. would that be akumai?
akumases hahaha
There was no immediate response. Bored, he stalked Ladybug's blog, liking all of her posts.
There was an original post: a picture of the Eiffel tower from ground level with a soft pink filter. The caption read: Lovely sights in Paris
Adrien sighed wistfully. I'll bet there is no lovelier sight than you.
The fact that she lived in Paris was the only thing about her real life he knew. Even her age she had not disclosed, though she had once mentioned she was in collège, if he remembered correctly. It'd be weird if he was crushing on someone far older or younger than he.
Later, he arrived home. There were no photoshoots until this evening, thankfully, so he had the afternoon to spend as he pleased.
After completing his homework, Adrien brought out his drawing tablet and doodled idly.
Looking at what he had drawn, he decided to post them, if only for the shits and giggles.
He uploaded the image, captioning it as "nyan. rawr."
Adrien stared at his screen. This is it. This is what I've become. If only you could see, mother, how low I've sunk.
And then he posted the other.
To hell with it, he thought.
A small blue dot popped up on the messaging icon.
ladybugger
I'm not sure whether I should be laughing or slightly worried.
kittycatblack
definitely laughing
ladybugger
Speaking of laughing, what in the world did you post?
Nyan. Rawr? What is that?
Is that you?
And what is the other one?
kittycatblack
that, my lady, is none other than hawkmoth himself
ladybugger
THAT'S Hawkmoth? Oh my goodness.
He's certainly going to blow up about it if he figures it out.
kittycatblack
come on, its pretty vague
and i doubt he actually looks like that so i see no reason for him to recognize it as himself
ladybugger
That's true.
But you'll not drag me down with you if he does.
kittycatblack
how awful!
id never do that, my lady
probably
ladybugger
Chat!
kittycatblack
only joking
ladybugger
You'd better be!
Hey, do you mind if I send you something?
kittycatblack
what is it?
ladybugger
Just some stupid clothes I bought on sale. I saw it at the mall and thought of you ;)
kittycatblack
oh? pray tell, what does it look like?
ladybugger
This horrendous black shirt with little neon green pawprints. They had, like, twenty of them for
about 3 euro. My parents were looking at me funny when I bought it. The cashier, too.
kittycatblack
i love them already
ladybugger
Great! I'll mail it today before the post office closes. Your address is still the same, right?
kittycatblack
yes
you know you could come by and drop it off yourself. i do live in paris, too, you know
ladybugger
Chat, we've talked about this. We can't visit each other's homes. Our addresses are for mailing only!
kittycatblack
yeah, but
ladybugger
I just don't want to ruin what we have. I don't want to change the way you see me.
kittycatblack
ladybug, i can promise that wont happen
youre great
why does that have to be any different in real life?
ladybugger
It just is!
Adrien's shoulders sagged. He wished Ladybug had the same confidence he had in her. If only she could see how much he cared about her, how meeting her in person would never change anything for the worse.
It'd be too easy to look up her address. Too easy to show up at her home. Too easy to betray her trust. She'd never forgive him.
He'd just have to give her time.
ladybugger
Look, Chat Noir, I'm sorry for snapping.
I don't think I'm ready for it yet, though.
kittycatblack
i understand. whatever is more comfortable for you, i will stick with
ladybugger
Thanks. It means a lot to me. Really.
kittycatblack
no prob, my lady
who knows, maybe we already know each other in real life
ladybugger
I doubt that. There's a lot of people in Paris, Chat.
kittycatblack
i think id know if it were you. id know you anywhere