(AN: Okay, sorry for the holdup! I forgot to upload here too after Ao3. Good news: you don't have to wait too long for Chapter 4. I also included some links embedded in the fic that will open in new windows because there's a few songs that were used to write this chapter. I'll try to get around to embedding the art I made for each chapter here, but you can also find them on Ao3 or my tumblr at CrispyPata!)
There wasn't a new akuma every week, so Adrien got to pull from some public favorites. So far, the Bubbler was a popular vote, and he had a feeling at least half of those votes were out of spite or a joke with his crazy color scheme, but Chat Noir was always ready to rise to a challenge.
The Bubbler was...a strange memory for him. Being homeschooled he had no friends besides Chloe, Ladybug and Plagg for the longest time until he happened to befriend Nino on a music forum. Even after all this time, the fact that he was one of maybe three akuma he's seen that had been possessed for someone else's sake still comforted him in a weird way.
That video call before it happened - he still remembered how Nino was so furious at his father and his situation, how his birthdays went unnoticed - but even more so he was distraught over how he was so powerless to do anything to help him. "I swear man, I am going to find a way to get you out of that house and live like you actually deserve to." Nino said before ending the call. Soon after then the Bubbler came along and swept up all his friends to introduce to Adrien and throw a party.
Friends, Adrien realized after their victory that day, were more precious than just in numbers. Friends are great and do good things for each other. Nino made sure when they found out they got into the same university to show him around on every single thing he missed out on. They're roommates, best friends, and he didn't know where he'd be without him.
Then there's Marinette - he gained another friend and it was through acting like himself! She kept up so easily with his banter, and she was fun to talk to about almost anything that came up in their late conversations. She was kind, she was smart...and she was his friend.
Marinette came in after his shift started for once, she took one look at the board behind him and groaned, burying her face in the bundle of fabric in her hands.
Friends also mess with their friends with bad puns. He couldn't help letting one of Chat's mischievous grins grace his face. The chalkboard read: "Villain of the Week : Prepare for Bubbler! (fruit+soda+energy drink infusion)", but the space where the drawing would go was left blank, leaving a speech bubble saying "And make it a doubler!" hanging in the air, along with a "Happy first round of Midterms!" at the bottom of the board.
He put on as innocent a look as he could with that grin. "Hey Marinette! Could I interest you in a Prepare for Bubbler? Only one euro to make it a doubler!"
"Okay, that's it. I'm leaving." She didn't even uncover her face, already taking a step back.
"Oh! Want it to go then? I can put it for you in a tumbler!"
His shoulders were shaking from holding in his laughter. If looks could kill, her glare was enough that even Ladybug couldn't bring him back.
Part of him thinks it would have been worth it in that case.
"Why did my life turn out like this? What did I do in a past life to become friends with such a complete dork?" Marinette all but prayed to the heavens above in resignment.
If there weren't half a cafe full of people studying for first round of midterms, he would have gladly burst out laughing. Instead he pulled the collar of his shirt over his mouth to hide the shit-eating grin splitting his face as the snickers slipped out between his teeth.
Marinette was still giving him the stink eye as she planted herself in the same booth near the counter as last week.
Adrien finally got enough of his amusement out of his system to face his fate. "Okay, that was really bad this time, I know. I'm sorry. Kind of."
Finally she pulled the bundle of purple cloth away from her mouth - still scowling at him, but it looked more like a pout. "I don't know if I should do anything for you after being welcomed like that." the girl deadpanned.
"I said I'm sorry!"
She unfolded the cloth and eyed the embedded pins (how did she even stuff it against her face without stabbing herself?) before pulling out a cookie tin from her bag. "And what if I don't feel like it for just one drink?"
He could hear the teasing tone in her voice, but still offered: "What if I make you two to make sure that gets done?"
She was actually considering his offer, looking down at the lavender fabric and opened the cookie tin...which was disappointingly filled with sewing supplies.
"Will you draw the picture for me pleaseeeee?" He put on the best kitten eyes he could, pawing at her arm.
Marinette only stared at him with a blank face for a few seconds, then facepalmed. "God damn it, I can't take the kitten eyes from anyone. Now you know my weakness."
Her other hand she held out, and he darted up to retrieve the box of colored chalk and put it in her waiting palm. "Thank mew~" he crooned, only to be met by another death glare. "Sorry. Shutting up now."
Adrien's mind was sidetracked as he planned his schedule for the week - he finished two midterms and had the harder one last tomorrow afternoon. He could stay up after patrol to study and crash later...but that wasn't always the brightest idea when the last attempt made him knock out in the middle of an exam.
This drink was quick to make, and so he fiddled with the counter for a while, only turning around when he heard irritated noises behind him.
He was met with a much more detailed version of the Bubbler than he was expecting.
Marinette was trying to erase bits with a napkin to get the black coloring in his face spots and arms, frowning deeply. Adrien touched her elbow gently, snapping her focus. "Hey, it looks great! Way more than usual. You can leave it like that if it's bothering you, I think it looks just fine."
She glared at the drawing once more before finally nodding and climbing down. "Sorry, he just didn't look right when I tried to draw him like I did Ladybug, and you are paying me in drinks so I didn't want to give you something half-assed." Her voice suddenly revealed how exhausted she was, and up close he could see her concealer rubbing off under her eyes, letting a deep purple hue peek through.
He guided her back to her seat and put both drinks in front of her before giving her hand a squeeze. "It's more than enough and I really, really appreciate it. Now get some work done before I decide to kick you out so you can get some rest." He joked, before heading back to the counter as more people piled in through the door.
It was a busy night, and he didn't get to check in on the poor girl until she left. Adrien was on his own at closing time when he emptied the box and found the next hint.
[ Hint #2: She can't dance at all. The luck doesn't carry over outside the suit and neither does the coordination - she's super clumsy. ]
The next evening, Chat Noir decided he wanted to know a little bit more about this interesting fact.
"Come on, you got to have a reason why you can't dance. Was it an embarrassing moment, or can you not keep a tempo, or…?"
"Nope, you got your hint for the day, I'm not giving you any more spoilers till next week." She stuck out her tongue at him before flipping a page in her packet.
"Alright then. I'll make do with what I have then."
Chat stood up, brushing off his legs before offering his hand to Ladybug. She took it without hesitation and was about to help push herself to stand up too when he decided.
"I'm going to teach you how to dance." he said before pulling her up.
"What?!" Her eyes bugged out as she stumbled forward, bracing her free hand on his chest. The heroine's face flushed near red like her suit, looking down at her feet adamantly.
Chat chuckled to himself, enjoying this new side of his partner he finally got to meet. Her dark bangs covered most of her face but he could see the tips of her ears burning bright red. Gently, his knuckles tipped her chin up to look him in the eye. His mouth split into a wide grin at her nervous face - lips drawn in a long thin line and her eyes were still refusing to meet his, looking over his shoulder until he let out one breath of a laugh.
God, his heart was fluttering like crazy at the sight.
"My Lady, dancing with a partner is just the same as fighting alongside one. All it needs is communication," he tilted his head to the right to align their gazes. "And trust."
He let go of her and took two steps back before bowing with his hand held out.
He smiled seriously, gently at her. "Do you trust me?"
"I trust you, of course!" She stepped forward and hovered her hand over his, again looking away. "I just don't trust me or my two left feet."
Chat stood up and moved to her side, guiding her hand with the lightest of touches. "I'll teach you something slow so it's easy. The beat of a waltz is in threes; one-two-three, four-five-six. The basic step is just back-turn-together, front-turn-together and you repeat that a lot."
He pulled back his hand and pretended to hold an invisible partner, counting out loud as he walked through the steps.
"Are you up for the challenge?" His lip quirked up.
She lifted a brow at him, crossing her arms. "Fine, let's see how good of a teacher you really are."
To Ladybug's surprise and to his own satisfaction, he had a lot of experience with the subject at hand, as she would learn.
"What, the girls at the fancy rich galas not up to your standards?"
"Well, my standards are going through one dance without them trying to discreetly touch my butt or latch onto my face, so no, they weren't."
"Pffffft, yeah right."
"What, you don't believe me? They were all being creepy and I have an excellent butt, for your information." He mockingly turned his head away, nose turned upwards in disgust. "Besides," he looked back at her again. "Maybe I'm like you; I just needed the right partner."
It took a while for Ladybug to completely learn the box step, but with enough effort (again with that determination that drove him mad at times but still loved so much), she even got down one or two other simpler moves before Chat offered to find a slow enough song to try.
"S-sure, if you think I'm up for it. Oh, wait hold on!" Ladybug hopped over to her book bag and pulled out a wide, long black scarf that she tied around her waist.
Chat looked at her, more in a question than a laugh. She curtsied with her makeshift skirt, and he followed with a dramatic bow. They still stood apart as he reached out his arm, the other hand hovering over the button on his music player.
Everything about his posture was as formal and poised as he was taught to be, but his face relaxed into something much more honest. "So Buginette, may I have this dance?"
"You may, Chatton." She stepped forward, laying her hand in his palm.
He brought their hands up between them, palms touching. "We'll start slow. Just follow my lead and my count."
It was kind of cheating.
Okay, to Chat it was very cheating, but to be fair, she said she wasn't going to say any more hints for the week and there were more ways to skin a cat (figuratively, of course). After being immersed in them for so long, music and dance were just other languages to him. Every pitch, every movement was deliberate, and though he had the mask of perfection, it was developed after many years of attending those events with his father.
But for the girl in front of him, right now she was an open book.
He let the very tips of his fingers fit between her shaky own in comfort.
"One, two, three."
He pressed play, storing the music player in a pocket, and began to walk her in a circle as the lyrics started, palms together and elbows bent, keeping her close. Chat counted by measure to slow down and let Ladybug learn the tempo, watching her carefully.
"One...Two...Three..." Her hand pressed flat against his, her fingertips squeezing his own. She was still nervous, thinking of following and getting the moves right first before the flowy movements. Yet, she wanted to use that scarf as a makeshift skirt - something that gave that sense of full movement, maybe a slight distraction for him or more comfort to her to cover up any blunders. Her spare hand held it, helping it catch air with every step.
"Four...Five...Six..." Her eyes leveled with his, watching for any signals. Chat was taking the lead, and she was following, putting her trust in him when her earlier comments should have her staring at her feet. Her blue gaze flickered between their touch and his gaze, growing bright and dim like a lighthouse as he eclipsed her from the one light on the rooftop.
"One...Two...Three..." He nodded and raised their arms up, Ladybug spinning twice without hesitation, stuttering only a little as she came to a stop in front of him, crashing into his chest but landing her spare hand on his shoulder. A triumphant grin widened on her face - she was stubborn about learning and was determined to get them right.
"Good, you're doing great!"
They swayed in place for a few counts, Chat humming along to the song.
"Ready? We're speeding up at the chorus!"
She grinned, flush still scattered across her face in happiness now than embarrassment. He gave her hand a squeeze and they both counted two measures out loud before he guided her in faster circles covering the whole rooftop.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, hold!" Ladybug was now laughing freely, still imperfect in her steps, but she didn't have a care in the world. "One, two, three, four, five, six, spin!"
Chat decided he didn't either. He never wanted to dance again unless it was with her, like this, in this one moment that just belonged to them.
"Okay, follow my lead on this one."
At the bridge of the song he spun her once, catching her other hand and stretched both their arms out, her body turned forward away from him. He didn't close the gap between their bodies but instead leaned his neck forward to whisper over the suddenly quiet melody.
"Same steps, just side to side...left, two three, right two three…"
He straightened up and was surprised when her head followed, turning enough so that one eye could look at him through her lashes. Their movements shook some of her bangs to cover her view, which she quickly huffed out of the way.
This was new.
Ladybug's eyes were glittering in the twilight around them, deeper and darker blue than he remembers that threatened to pull him in. But there was something else in them, the way her brows angles under her mask and in the way her lips parted open that was something he wasn't prepared to see.
Chat only just realized that the song had already ended and they stopped moving their feet, frozen by the others gaze.
"...my Lady?" His throat was suddenly dry, his voice more strained than he wanted to let on.
Be-beep, be-beep-
Ladybug broke out of her trance and snapped around to face him, letting go. His heart settled heavy as she looked between him and the noise coming from her book bag.
"I...I have to go. I need t-to finish a project that's due at my 8 am."
Her face stiffened as she gathered her bag and shut off her phone, looking back at him one last time. She muttered a quick good night before casting her yo-to into the darkness and taking off.
The pain of his claws digging into his palms barely registered as he stomped over to his own bag and kicked it with a grunt of frustration.
They were so close.
But that first look he knew was fear. Suddenly, she was scared of him.
The second look before she left was shadowed by walls around her heart that suddenly had come up again.
The next week, Wednesday morning brought an akuma attack.
"Sing, o Heavenly Muse, of the sorrow of Altair and Vega!"
"Ladybug, look out!" Chat Noir called as they both jumped to dodge the glittering arrows from the akuma behind them. They ended up on separate sides of the Siene when the arrow struck the waters. A nebula of colors bloomed under the surface as the water level rose quickly, flooding onto the streets and forcing the heroes up to higher ground.
Adrien didn't know much about the stories behind constellations, but the way that the thick walls of water rose up between them every time they tried to cross over the river, he was getting a little tired of the whole "star-crossed lovers" deal he and Ladybug seemed to have fated for them, romanticism be damned.
And the literally star-themed akuma be damned too, while he's at it.
As much as he wanted to blame the akuma, Ladybug still was acting weird and avoiding his eyes. It annoyed him, but all he could do in this situation was let her take the complete lead and follow.
It took some time, but with a Lucky Charm granting a box of plastic wrap, Ladybug was able to catch the akuma by wrapping her arms and her mouth, leaving the glittering crown of stars above her head easy pickings and the purification was done in a snap.
Chat gazed at the glittering blue galaxy in the river as it was washed away by the magic. His eyes lit up in inspiration. Looks like the next drink he originally had planned will have to wait.
He fought against the ugly feeling curling in his stomach when Ladybug took off as soon as she cast her spell, not even standing around to watch the damage come undone. The akuma victim was thankful as he arranged a taxi to take her back to her family in the next city over, footing the bill.
Of course, it was only noon when he detransformed and returned to campus, jittering with excitement that was more distracting than energizing. Adrien resigned to his usual caffeinated fate and made his way to the campus coffee house. It wasn't like the cafe he worked in downtown, but it did the trick and it was cheap.
Nursing his cup of iced coffee, his grin grew as he saw the bench at the piano in the corner of the room empty. The campus tuned it once in a blue moon, so he hoped luck was on his side for once, quickly striding over and dumping his bag on the floor (earning a hiss from his kwami who fell asleep after the battle). Adrien muttered an apology before lifting the lid and laying his fingers over the keys.
He was in a weird mood and still a little down from the week before and today, so he decided to indulge a little bit. Long, nimble fingers played the opening run.
His voice was soft, barely audible over the background noise of the other customers. Adrien couldn't help himself but sing along as he got to the first line in the song. "Gomen ne sunao janakute, Yume no naka nara ieru," He hummed along, continuing the next line. "Ima sugu aitai yo…"
A hand placed a rather large cup down on top of the piano from behind him.
"You know, I was a little intimidated to talk to you before I found out you are the biggest dork ever."
Loose black hair peeked over his shoulder, and he smiled, turning to face his friend.
"Marinette, how could you? Buying coffee from another barista? I thought what we had was special!" He leaned back dramatically, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.
The girl sputtered for a moment before pulling his hand away. "Well, what about you, huh?"
He patted his own cup gently. "Excuse me, I am very much loyal to my artist, I am just saddened she doesn't think of me the same."
She huffed at him, but as Adrien scooted down the bench and gestured, she took a seat by him.
"I learned as a kid, but I only learned a couple songs by ear." Marinette admitted, flexing her fingers over the keys. "Oh, here!" she fished her tablet out of her bag and typed in something, balancing it on the stand in front of them - sheet music to a duet. "Tell me if I still can play this right, I used to play it with my relatives who actually could play, so I knew the easy part."
Adrien scrolled through the pages, seeing it was a short song as he heard her press the keys up the scale, trying to find the first note. She let out a noise of triumph as she found the E, and began to play each note one by one. There were moments she would stutter or get the wrong note, but Marinette quickly recovered and kept going until she found the way. It was a slow, somber song, and there was a moment she paused, looking at him expectantly.
"...what?"
"...that's the part where you come in." She played the last two measures again, nodding at him.
He glanced at the sheet music on the screen and followed, playing the same melody on his end of the piano. Marinette nodded and continued, and he responded back to her next few notes in turn. She played her next few measures, holding the last chord as Adrien looked back up to the music and saw his part picking up on its own.
He wasn't the best at sight reading, but it took only a couple measures for him to pick up speed as he nodded with the song's suddenly lively tempo. There was a measure of rest where he looked back at his companion who watched him in surprise. He continued on, smiling, getting to the part where the duet came back together again and he turned again to her as he repeated the four notes picking up into it.
She held her hands up defensively, staring at him with eyebrows raised. He just shrugged and continued the rest of the song on his own, reaching his left hand across her body to cover the second part himself.
Okay, maybe he lets a little too much of Chat out sometimes, but it's not often he gets to really play music like this with a friend. She shoved his shoulder playfully. "Show-off." she muttered, grabbing her cup of coffee.
He rolled his eyes before he could stop himself. "Well, excuuuuuse me, Princess."
Marinette gasped at him, actually offended. "You! You - you memer ! How dare you? All this time I thought that was just a cute nickname!"
He couldn't help but burst out laughing at the serious accusation, only to be cut short by the clock tower ringing for the half-hour. Great, he had calculus in ten minutes.
Adrien reached around behind Marinette for his bag, standing up to put it on. "I got class, but will you be there tonight? I won't change the board 'till tomorrow, but just wondering."
Her blue eyes widened at him for a moment before turning to pick up her tablet and put it in her bag. "I...have to work on something tonight at home, but I'll definitely be there tomorrow, okay?"
He bit the inside of his cheek at the distant answer, but didn't push it. Adrien gave her a wave before walking towards the exit, turning back once to see her still seated at the bench staring forward with her hands wrung in her lap.
The next evening, the chalkboard was already set up when she came in late. Villain of the Week : Heaven-tea Muse – a berry and black tea with a dash of milk and sugar glitter. He was able to manage something that looked like galaxies with stars drawn around the glass on the board.
Adrien fluffed up with joy at the sight of Marinette stunned by amazement at her glass. The deep purple drink contrasted with the creamy white whisps swirling in it and even shimmered in the light. Marinette looked ridiculous, parading around the room with the drink held up in her left and her phone in her right, trying to find the best lighting for a picture.
The other students in the room continued to ignore her, zoned in on their books and screens.
"Ah-hah!"
He slowly clapped as she finally walked back to her seat. "Congratulations, now can you please try it?"
The girl in front of him didn't respond, staring down at the table but not really focused on anything.
"...hey, I think we've met before." she muttered quietly, putting down her drink.
That caused Adrien's anxiety to spike up and he was fiddling with the edges of his apron to calm his fingers. "R-really? Where would that be?" Damn it voice, behave!
She seemed to shift uncomfortably too for a moment, stirring the drink with her straw to make the drink shimmer. "...Remember how last week I drew the Bubbler really good? That's cuz I was there at that party. Nino was one of my classmates since back then."
"Oh." Adrien inwardly deflated. "Yeah, that was for me. Nino was so upset about how I used to be locked up all the time...I'd say I'd appreciate it more if he didn't also almost send everyone else into space, but that was my first birthday party with other people."
She watched him carefully, sighing before looking away. "Speaking of, do you mind making me another Bubbler drink? Sorry, I really gotta finish this commission by tomorrow."
He eyed the work done on the table so far and the bags forming under her eyes before he decided he wasn't the best person to preach to her about self-care and sleep. "Okay, but I gotta get some stuff from the back, so be right back."
Adrien nabbed the suggestion box from the counter on his way to the back kitchen area, dumping out the contents and sifting through until he saw one folded neatly with her signature on it - she still wanted to play the game! His heart was racing wildly at the realization, but this only added onto his confusion.
[Hint #3: Roses are okay, but her absolute favorite flowers are carnations.]
Adrien ruffled his hair, staring at the hint in thought. There was a flower shop at the edge of downtown, maybe he could make a stop before patrol soon. Maybe that could break the ice of whatever's going on between them. He quickly grabbed an energy drink from the stock room.
"Hey, Marinette, what do you know about flower meanings?" He called, coming back to the storefront.
He whipped around when he heard a yelp of pain, only to witness Marinette snap her arm back and knock over the entire sewing canister to the floor. She looked down at it, seeming so exhausted as if her soul was about to leave her body, before flopping her head into her arms with a groan.
Adrien ran his hand through his head again before walking around to her side. He shook her shoulder gently.
"Come on, Princess. We both gotta clean up and go home. I have half the mind to walk you in case you fall asleep and crash your bike."
Her head picked up, blinking slowly at him as if considering the idea for a second before plucking his hand off her shoulder and getting up.
"No need," she muttered, detatching a magnet from the inside of the tin and hovered it over the tiles to pick up loose needles. "Last thing I need is you finding out how much I don't sleep, then I'd never get rid of you."
She yawned wide, not bothering to cover her mouth. Adrien picked up a ruler and poked her in the cheek, earning him another of her half-hearted glares. He grinned back.
"Yeah, you're probably right about that."