Hi! Sorry I haven't updated in so long... college got really crazy busy and I've been dealing with some personal issues and stuff... but now I'm on summer break so hopefully I can get out of this funk and continue writing again!

Summary: When Marinette is denied entry to a local fencing team due to her gender, she finds a way around it by pretending to be her twin brother, Mark. She attends his boarding school in disguise, as well as fences on the team in order to prove herself. Along the way she meets and befriends Mark's roommate and fencing teammate, Adrien Agreste, and falls into a strangely familiar relationship with.

Word count: 4.8K+


"You have got to be kidding me."

Marinette stood grinning nervously in front of Alya, watching as her friend pushed her glasses closer to her face and stared at her best friend. They were both in their dorm room, Alya having just returned from the local TV station, where she interned.

"St. Godfrey's?"

"Yup!"

"Fencing?"

"Uh-huh!"

"… Disguising yourself as your brother for two months so he can go pursue his dreams of being a drummer in America?"

"Ehehe…"

Alya sighed before standing up from her bed. "Well," she said slowly, walking over to throw an arm around Marinette's shoulder. "You're crazy, but that's what I love about you."

"Oh – Alya!" Marinette cheered, grabbing her best friend into a hug. Alya laughed, hugging her back.

"If we're going to pull this off, then we have a lot of work to do," Alya stated, hopping back onto her bed and grabbing her phone. "We'll have to think of some type of excuse for you to leave school… we might need to forge your parents' signatures to make sure that the school doesn't contact them."

"Who are you calling?" Marinette asked, watching as Alya put her phone up to her ear.

"Nino," she stated simply, and Marinette's eyes widened. "Mari, relax! He goes to St. Godfrey's so he can help you out when you're there! Plus, his uncle is a doctor, so we can get a fake doctor's note or something and get you a leave of absence for the rest of the year. Besides, he's my boyfriend, we can trust him."

"Okay," Marinette sighed, jumping up onto Alya bed as well and putting her ear close to the receiver.

"Hey buddy," Alya greeted into the phone.

"Wow, 'buddy.' That's really romantic," Marinette heard Nino quip on the other line.

"I need a favor," Alya asked, ignoring his remark. "Well, actually, Marinette needs a favor." Alya clicked the phone onto speaker mode, and Marinette grinned sheepishly.

"Hi, Nino!" She greeted.

"Hey, Marinette. What's up?"

"Uh.. well, I… um –"

"Marinette needs to disguise herself as a boy and attend St. Godfrey's for a couple of months to help out her brother, and to show up the sexist coach over at D'Argencourt's," Alya stated simply. Marinette hit her on the arm, silently screaming in protest at her blunt approach to the situation. "Can you help us?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments before Nino chuckled. "Sounds like a lot of shenanigans," he noted. "I'm in. I'll be over in 20."


A few hours later, the three friends sat on the floor in the middle of Alya and Marinette's dorm room, a spread of materials and make-up that Marinette had purchased from her favorite art store down the street laid out in front of them.

"Here's the doctor's note, and the note from your parents temporarily withdrawing you from school," Nino said, handing Marinette the documents that he had worked on and printed out. Nino was in a graphic design club at school, and knew how to do a lot with programs on the computer, including how to forge documents and signatures. Which was a… good thing? Well, at least right now it was.

"Thanks Nino," Marinette smiled, placing the documents in the manila folder that her brother had given her.

"Now, let's get started on the fun stuff," Alya grinned, cracking her knuckles and picking up the short wig that Marinette had purchased from the store.

They spent the next few hours cutting the wig to match Mark's hairstyle, putting together fake sideburns, and perfecting the subtle make-up techniques in order to make Marinette's face look more rounded and masculine.

Nino offered her a few outfits of his, and soon Alya was pushing Marinette toward the bathroom so she could wrap her chest and get changed.

"This feels weird," Marinette called to Alya, wincing at her reflection in the mirror as she wrapped the bandages around her chest. Once the wrappings were in place, she threw on the over-sized shirt and jeans, adjusted her wig, and stepped out the door.

"Woah," Alya and Nino both gasped, staring at Marinette as she pulled at her shirt uncomfortably.

"You… look like Mark," Alya stated.

"Are you sure…? Because I don't really think –"

"Marinette, if I didn't know that it was actually you, I'd totally date you," Alya said.

"Woah, I'm right here," Nino muttered.

"But do you think I'll be able to pull this off?" Marinette asked.

"Marinette, you look just like him," Nino stressed. He held up the picture of Mark that they had been using as a reference next to Marinette's face. "He… really is feminine looking."

"And he's self-conscious about it," Marinette noted with a laugh.

"Girl, you are going to rock this," Alya cheered, hugging her best friend. "Go show those fencing boys what Marinette Dupain-Cheng is made of."

Marinette beamed, flattening down her wig and taking one last look at herself in the mirror. She did look like Mark… She could do this…

"Alright," she nodded.


"So, what's your roommate's name?" Nino quizzed Marinette. The three friends were sitting together on the crowded subway, Marinette sandwiched between Nino and Alya. It was Sunday afternoon, and Marinette was moving into her brother's dorm. She was wearing her boy's disguise, and gripped her duffel bag to her chest as she listened to Nino's questions.

"Adrien," she answered instantly, having memorized his name from the information that Mark had given her.

"Last name?"

"Uhm…"

"It starts with another A –"

"Agreste!"

Nino nodded. "Right. And who lives next door, in 212?"

"Kim and Max!"

"And in 214?"

"Ivan and Nathanael."

"Right. And in 216?"

Marinette grinned, and punched Nino on the shoulder. "You, in a single!" She sighed in relief. "Thank god you live down the hall from my brother's room!"

"I never knew that you were related to him, actually," Nino confessed. "I'm pretty close to Adrien, but we could never get your brother to stand still for a second. He was always running around from place to place – I think I talked to him maybe twice this year?"

"Marinette's brother was always pretty flighty," Alya said. "I'm not surprised that he dropped everything and went to America just to join a band."

"I'm not surprised either," Marinette giggled. Both Alya and Nino raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh… what's wrong?"

"You… need to work on a guy's voice," Alya winced. "Try not to giggle, either…"

"A man's voice?" Marinette asked blankly. She held a hand to her throat, realizing just how high pitched her regular speaking voice was. She cleared her throat before lowering her voice and making it raspier. "Umm… ahh, h-hey Alya, I mean – what's good, sexy lady?"

Nino and Alya were silent before they both busted out into laughter. "D-d-don't do that!" Alya cried, trying to calm her breathing as her laughter subsided. "Marinette, you have to act more natural!"

"I'm anything but natural!" Marinette stressed.

"Here's our stop," Nino said, standing up as the train slowed. Alya hoisted a nervous Marinette out of her seat, and together the three friends hopped off the train and walked up the stairs into the street.

"Adrien's on a trip with his dad and won't be back until tomorrow morning, so you'll have the whole day to get situated," Nino told Marinette as they walked. "I'm right down the hall, and Alya is a few subway stops away."

Marinette nodded, adjusting her wig and fake sideburns. They stopped in front of Mark's dorm building, and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Marinette fished her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door to Room 213 before pushing it open. She ushered Alya and Nino inside, and was about to close the door and lock it so she could practice her man voice some more when a foot stuck in the door.

"Woah, hold up!" A voice from the other side of the door called, and Marinette jumped back as the door was pushed open and a blonde boy with striking green eyes smiled down at her.

"Uh, uh, uh…" Marinette stammered, looking back to Alya and Nino in complete distress. They were both staring at the boy, their eyes wide.

"Adrien!" Nino said in surprise, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He moved forward and hugged the boy. "You're back a day early!"

"I convinced my father to let us leave early," he grinned, before glancing around the room. "What are you two doing here? It's good to see you again, Alya."

"It's good to see you, too!" Alya laughed nervously.

Adrien looked at Marinette, and grinned. Marinette felt her face go hot, and tried to keep the blush from her cheeks. "Mark, I haven't seen you in awhile! You're never here!"

Marinette opened her mouth before closing it again, not trusting herself to sound like a guy at all in this situation. She merely nodded and awkwardly grinned back at Adrien before turning to Mark's bed – desperately trying to hide her red face.

"Hey, uh, Adrien – come to my rom for a sec," Nino said quickly, grabbing Adrien by the arm and pulling him out the door before he could protest. Once the door was closed behind them, Marinette flopped onto her bed facedown, screaming into her pillow.

"Okay, calm down!" Alya told her, rushing over and pulling Marinette up. "Nino will keep him distracted for a few minutes, so we are having a crash course lesson now!"

"How am I going to talk to him, Alya?" Marinette groaned. "I don't know anything about him, and he's really cute, and I haven't had time to stalk him online yet – what am I going to do?!"

"Let's refrain from the online stalking, girl," Alya stressed, dragging Marinette over to the middle of the room. "You just have to act natural with him, alright? He's just your roommate! Don't be weird around him, just talk to him like you'd talk to me…except… with a deeper voice!"

Marinette sighed, trying to calm her beating heart. She cleared her throat. "Like this?" She asked, straining her voice too low. She started coughing, and waved her hands in front of her face.

"Not so deep," Alya said. She placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "You can do this!"

Marinette nodded, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath. "You're right," she said, trying her best to deepen her voice.

"That sounded good!" Alya cheered. "Just keep doing that, alright? You're going to be fine! And remember – you're a guy, and he's a guy – you're just two guys hanging out, alright?"

"You got it… bruh."

"Oh, Marinette," Alya winced.

"Alya, I don't know what I'm doing!" She shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

Mid-scream, the door opened again and Adrien walked in, Nino following behind him in distress. Adrien stopped, staring at Marinette in confusion.

She wished that the floor could just swallow her up right then and there. Coughing, Marinette cleared her throat and relaxed her shoulders, bringing her hands down to her sides.

"Uh –" Marinette stuttered awkwardly. "Y-yeah, Alya, I – don't really know what I'm doing, like… all the time… life is just craaaaazy like that, right? Ehehehe…"

"Haha, same Mark! Good one!" Nino laughed, trying to force his voice to sound natural as he made his way past Adrien and clapped Marinette on the back.

Adrien smiled good-naturedly, even if he did look a little confused, and went over to his bed to start unpacking his bag.

"It's best if you just stay quiet for now," Alya whispered as she passed Marinette. She nodded, and watched as Adrien unpacked. He dumped out some pants and shorts before reaching in and pulling out a white uniform and a pointed sword.

Marinette gasped, and before she could stop herself she was walking closer to Adrien to get a better look. Alya and Nino's eyes widened behind her in distress.

"You fence?" Marinette asked. Adrien looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah…? We're on the same team, Mark…"

D'Argencourts? He was?! Marinette laughed awkwardly before clearing her throat. "I-I knew that, Adrien, haha. I meant – uh – you brought your fencing stuff on your trip with you?"

"Oh. Yeah, I did!" Adrien told her, handing her his sword when he saw her eyeing it. "My dad wanted me to model in it during one of our shoots, so I brought it with me. I got a little practice in too, while I was there."

Marinette looked back at Alya and Nino, mouthing the word "model?" at them in disbelief. They both nodded, and Marinette whistled before turning back around and balancing the sword in her hand. It was slightly heavier than Chat's sword, and the hilt was bigger and more intricate.

"You're going to practice tonight, right?" Adrien asked her, and Marinette's head snapped up before she nodded instantly. "Practice… yes, of course!" She hadn't even known that there was practice tonight.

"That's good to hear," Adrien grinned. "I haven't seen you there in awhile. It'll be good to have you back, Mark. We can walk together there, if you'd like."

Marinette felt her face heating up, absolutely touched by the pure, genuine good air around this boy. "Thanks," she sighed, but then quickly coughed when she realized how breathy that had came out. "I-I mean… thanks, man. Uh… Dude."

Adrien looked at her before he busted out laughter. "You're welcome… bro."

Marinette broke into a wide smile, and laughed along with him – almost forgetting all of the awkwardness in this new situation entirely.

Behind them, Nino and Alya stood together in disbelief. "Are they… flirting?" Nino whispered.

Alya merely shrugged.


"So. How's the drumming coming along?"

Adrien and Marinette were both walking down the sidewalk toward D'Argencourt's, bags and swords in hand as they talked. Marinette was using Mark's sword, as he had advised her that using her own could cause suspicion on the team. It was better to be safe than sorry, he'd said. The sun had just recently set, and the street lamps flickering on and lighting up the twilight air.

"The drumming's good," Marinette answered, her voice deep and unstrained. An hour at dinner with Adrien, Nino, and Alya in the school's cafeteria had given her enough time to become comfortable talking as a boy. Of course she was still terribly awkward around her new roommate, but it was getting easier as the hours passed by.

"Did you find a new band since the last one broke up?"

"Uh… nah, not really," Marinette told him. Liar! You're such a liar! She yelled at herself in her head. "I'm planning on focusing more on fencing, actually."

"That's good," Adrien nodded. They kept walking, silence falling around them. Adrien kept glancing at her through the corners of his eyes, and after awhile Marinette finally caught his eye and laughed at him.

"What it is?" She asked. Adrien awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before shrugging.

"I'm just surprised that we've spend more than 20 minutes together today," he admitted. "And… not to sound weird or anything, but you're acting a little differently than usual. Is everything alright?"

Marinette felt something nudge against her side inside her bag, no doubt Tikki trying to get her attention. He's onto you! She could practically hear her kwami saying in her head. He's sharp and he's onto you!

"I'm fine!" Marinette said quickly, looking straight ahead and avoiding his gaze as she walked. "Everything is great!"

"Huh. Okay," Adrien nodded. He let the topic drop when they finally got to the gym and pushed open the doors.

"Hey, Adrien! Welcome back!" A bigger guy with brown hair greeted. When he spotted Marinette, he looked between her and Adrien in confusion. "Uh… hi, Mark."

Marinette hesitated before greeting the boy back. "Hi."

"Hi, Kim," Adrien smiled, walking up and clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Good to see you again!"

Kim. This boy was one of her neighbors, then. Nino had talked about a large muscle-y dude who looked like he drank protein shakes for breakfast… this had to be him.

"I'm surprised you even showed up," Kim said, stepping in front of Marinette as she was following Adrien. She stopped, and looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You never come! I'm surprised coach hasn't kicked you off the team yet," he spat.

Marinette realized two things in that instant… 1. Mark clearly wasn't serious about his fencing career, and was probably in hot water with the coach. And 2. He wasn't very well liked, either… Kim was currently glaring at her as if she were a bug under his shoe, and some of the other boys were stopping to stare at her.

Marinette had always known that her brother wasn't always the most well-liked person in school, but this… this was nerve-wracking. Especially because now, she was the one that had to fence with these boys.

Panicking slightly, Marinette looked over Kim's shoulder to Adrien. He was looking at her with concern. He seemed to understand the situation jut as well as she did, and ushered for her to follow him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Marinette ducked under Kim's arm and quickly followed Adrien into the locker room, which he checked to make sure was empty before he started to talk to her.

"I'm sorry about them," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"W-why are you apologizing?" She asked.

"It's just… this team is so close-knit, and I didn't realize that Kim and the others would act like this when you decided to start coming back to practice…"

"How many practices did I miss?" Marinette sighed before she could stop herself. Adrien looked at her in confusion before she started laughing nervously and raising her hands back and forth in front of her face. "I mean… uh… has it been long? I lose track of time easily…"

Adrien thought about it for a moment before answering. "About two months."

"Two months?!" She voiced in disbelief. He's so dumb! Marinette raged inside her head. How could he possibly skip that many practices in a row?!

"Kim mentioned that the coach might kick me off…" Marinette remembered, her eyes widening. "Is that true, Adrien?"

"Um… yeah, he's been talking about it," Adrien said uncomfortably. "But he might not, now that you've showed up. Just… you better have perfect attendance from this day forth, if you want to stay on."

"I will!" She said instantly, taking a step toward him with fire in her eyes. "I will, I promise!"

He blinked, and smiled at her in return. "I believe you." A moment passed, and his smile turned into a sly grin. "Work hard and maybe you'll beat me in a match one day. But, I doubt it."

Woah! The handsome blonde had some sass in him!

"Is that a challenge?" Marinette laughed, crossing her arms. "Face me today, then!"

Adrien shook his head. "You can't – I'm on First Team, and you're on Second."

"Uhh…" Marinette winced, well aware that this was probably information she should know about. As she expected, Adrien looked at her funny.

"It means you can't fight me, Mark," he explained slowly. "Advance up to First Team first, and then we'll see."

"So I have to beat a couple of guys on Second Team? No problem," she stated, her fist clenched in determination.

"More than a couple," Adrien mentioned slyly, turning away from her. "You're dead bottom on the roster – you have to beat seventeen people."

"Seventeen?!" She choked, racing around him to stop him from leaving the locker room. "Are you serious?!"

"This is what happens when you don't come to practice," he shrugged. Marinette couldn't believe this. Not only was she starting off dead last on this team, but Adrien was making fun of her for it! Mocking her!

It was just so… so… Chat!

That was the only way she could describe it. Underneath the smiles and kindness, her roommate had a sassy side – so similar to her cat. They'd probably be best buds, if they met each other, Marinette thought bitterly. That is… whenever Chat decides to start showing his face in Paris again.

"Let's just get out there so I can kick some butt and start advancing," Marinette muttered, shouldering past Adrien.

Adrien grinned behind her before following.


Marinette was rusty, that was for sure.

She sat on the matt, dazed as she stared up at the red-haired boy she'd challenged to a match. He'd looked easy enough – slightly nervous expression, a small stature similar to her own – but when they started fencing Marinette had barely been able to match his pace.

It's been two months, what did you expect?! Marinette scolded herself, clambering to her feet and accepting the handshake that the boy offered her. Her cheeks heated up in shame. She could see Adrien watching from the corner of her eye.

"You really weren't that bad," the boy tried to reassure her, patting her on the shoulder. "Keep practicing."

Marinette was taken aback by the genuine kindness – she hadn't experienced this from any of the other boys except Adrien, and even that was recently questionable.

"Thanks," she sighed.

"If you ever want to practice more, just let me know," he offered. "I'm right next door, you know."

Oh crap! This boy lived next door? Which one was he? There were four!

"Good match, Nathaniel," Adrien called, jogging over to clasp him on the back. "You're getting better everyday."

"Thank you, Adrien," he smiled.

Marinette took a breath of relief. So that's who he is…

"You did well, too," Adrien said, turning to face Marinette. She crossed her arms.

"Don't patronize me… I know it was a train wreck."

"You'll get it back soon," he reassured her. "Once I went a month without picking up a sword, and it wasn't pretty."

"Thanks, guys," she sighed, just as a large shoulder knocked into her from behind and sent her lurching forward. Adrien caught her and held her shoulders in his hands. When she looked up, their noses almost bumped as she stared into his eyes.

"Whoops, sorry," Kim laughed from behind them as he walked away. Marinette gritted her teeth, and untangled herself from Adrien's arms. He kept standing there, staring down at her as she stomped her foot in frustration.

"Is he ever going to like me?" She snapped. Adrien was silent, but Nathaniel gave her a reassuring nod.

"Kim doesn't like quitters," he explained. "And that's what he thinks you are right now. Just show him wrong, Mark."

"Right," she sighed, rolling her sore shoulders back as Coach D'Argencourt walked into the gym from his office. When he noticed Marinette, he locked eyes with her before strutting over.

"Oh no," Marinette groaned, before turning to face the mustached man.

"Dupain-Cheng!" He bellowed. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Hi, Coach," she sweated. "It's good to see you."

"Is it, really?" He asked, and Marinette resisted the urge to grit her teeth at his condescending tone. He was speaking to her just like he had the other day! Would she ever win?

"I should kick you off the team right here and now, for skipping so many practices," he told her. "But… I'll give you a second chance."

She blinked. "You… will…?"

He nodded. "Of course! I'm a generous man, after all." He paused before clearing his throat loudly, gathering the attention of the rest of the team who hadn't already stopped to listen.

"I believe your sister came in here the other day to try out for the team… Marinette, was it?"

Marinette stilled, her eyes widening as the Coach mentioned her name. Why was he bringing this up?!

"Uh – yeah, she told me about it," Marinette said quickly, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"I had to turn her away… girls just don't really belong on this team, do you know what I mean?" He was looking straight at her, and Marinette felt a shiver run up her spine.

He knew.

How did he know?!

"Anyway, your sister accidently left something in my office – come with me, and I'll give it to you so you can get it back to her, Dupain-Cheng."

"Y-yes sir," Marinette muttered, moving forward past Adrien and Nathaniel. Adrien looked at her, concern hinted in his eyes as she left.

Once the door to the Coach's office was closed, Marinette spoke.

"How did you figure me out?"

He turned around, chuckling at her. "I knew something was up the minute Kim told me that you volunteered to participate right in the beginning of practice," he said. "Mark was never one to volunteer for anything, honestly."

"That's… it?" She asked, dumbfounded. "You recognized me only because of that?!"

"… And I was on the same subway car as you earlier today, and overheard you and your friends talking."

"Ack!"

Her face reddened. How could she have been so careless?! Her Coach had been on the same car and she hadn't noticed?!

Her world started to crash down around her as she thought about the boys outside. Once the Coach told them the truth, she'd had to slink back to her old life. She hadn't even lasted a day!

What will Adrien think of me? She moaned in her mind, cringing at the thought of it.

"Just… get it over with," she sighed, crossing her arms. "Go and tell them all."

Coach D'Argencourt's mustache twitched as he grinned. His usually cold and calculating eyes softened.

"I'm not going to do that," he stated. Marinette blinked, her mouth opening slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"I still believe that girls do not have a place on this team," he said, and laughed as he watched Marinette's jaw clench in anger. "But I'd never seen someone argue with such conviction as you did the other day."

"Well, sir, you were being sexist, why would I not argue?" She snapped. He paused, before nodding.

"But now? You've really gone above and beyond to try and prove me wrong," he noticed, gesturing at her appearance. Marinette unconsciously tugged at her short wig, fingering the blue strands in between her fingers. "You're very impressive, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I can't deny this."

She wasn't sure whether she should be flattered by his remarks or not. Marinette was still flustered on the inside from having been found out.

"So… you're impressed? Great?" She rolled her eyes. "Still doesn't change the fact that you think I can't fence." She sighed before turning toward the door. "I'll leave. Please don't tell the guys anything more about who I am. I'd like to be able to live this down."

"I'm not going to tell them anything."

Marinette went ridged, and turned. "What…?"

"Perhaps there is a chance that you could prove my previous assumption wrong, Ms. Dupain-Cheng," D'Argencourt said. "Continue to fence for the team. Prove yourself. I'll be counting you out the entire time, but perhaps you'll prove me otherwise? Besides… I already see more potential in you than I ever saw in your brother."

Was this… really happening?!

"You're serious?" She asked in disbelief.

"I always am," he stated.

"I-I'm not sure if I should thank you or not," she confessed, surprised by her brute honesty with the older man. "… I still don't like you very much."

"Understandable," he shrugged. "Practices will not be easy, and I will not go easy on you due to your gender. I hope you understand?"

Well… maybe she was starting to like him just a little bit more.

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"Good talk, Dupain-Cheng," Coach said, sitting down behind his desk as if nothing had happened. "I'll expect to see you as tomorrow's practice. Make sure you arrive on time."

Marinette's features broke into a grin before she nodded. "Yes sir!"