(( Order up for LadyNoir, and…who ordered the MariChat? (8 ))
"You wanna Pizza me!?"
Previously:
"I…No! I c-can't," Adrien muttered out. He walked back to the window, running a hand through his hair as he looked over his city. Their city. "I just can't do this to her. I don't want to kiss Marinette. Not like this."
So…he probably should have chosen his words a little better.
Adrien and Tikki whipped around when dual gasps sounded behind them. Nino and Plagg peeked through the crack between the top and bottom cabinets from the kitchen. Adrien didn't miss the grimace on Nino's face.
Adrien had no hope that Marinette hadn't heard what he said. Her eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them.
"Ah! Marinette, th-that's not what I meant."
"Tikki…" Marinette muttered, not taking her watery eyes off of Adrien. "Spots on!"
If you would have asked Adrien Agreste, famous male model, what he would be doing that day, he probably would have spouted off his rehearsed schedule, ending with piano practice or something equally quiet and solidary in his mansion.
If you would have asked Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste, fashion mogul, what his plans for the day included, he would have answered in the affirmative to school, some sort of practice, and a quiet drive home.
Adrien Agreste, award-winning fencer, basketball player, and foosball enthusiast, did not think that he would be watching the sun set over Paris while tied head-to-toe with a magical yo-yo, facing down the love of his life whom he had accidentally hypnotized into trying to prove her undying love for him and making his life a crazy pit of randomness.
So you could say that Adrien Agreste was having an off day.
For the record, he blamed this particular predicament on Plagg.
For some reason, in the middle of trying to tail Ladybug to explain to her that what he had said was not what he had meant to say and what he wanted to say sounded a whole lot nicer than what had left his wide-open trap, the ladybug-shaped blip on his GPS suddenly flickered out. Seeing as how he had been caught moments later, Adrien – as Chat Noir – broke it down to Plagg continuing to pull out all the stops in all things "bad luck". The black cat would laugh to himself about it later. Meanwhile, Chat Noir dangled helplessly by one of the bell towers of Notre Dame, watching with wary eyes at a surprisingly calm Ladybug circle around him with a grin that didn't seem quite like herself.
As Chat hung there, spinning, he contemplated which placating phrase to use first. His mouth, as per usual, worked a little faster than his brain did. It also tended to completely bypass his intellectual filter.
"Ladybug! Wh-What...Why didn't you show up on my screen anymore? No, wait, GAH, not important! L-Ladybug, I-I-I didn't mean what I said! Back there! I mean, I meant it, but not in the way I said it. I mean – what I'm trying to say is I'm s-s-sorry! Please, please don't be mad at me, I-I – we can work this out! Talk. We talk! We talk all the time!"
Such suave. Much smooth.
Guh. Word vomit does not taste good coming out.
A sound between a growl and a groan emitted from Chat. His frustration only added to the pulsing in his head that was growing stronger every second he was left upside down. This wasn't going well. And what made it worse was that he knew he deserved it. Everything.
Chat's eyes suddenly popped open at the sound of Ladybug giggling.
Of all the reactions he expected – smacking him being at or near the top of the list, next to dropping him in the Seine – giggling was not one of them. As he rotated slowly, he watched through strained eyes as Ladybug's cute little frame shook with mirth. The sight, however, brought something that felt like the opposite of relief to his bones. Instead of the freeing feeling her particular tittering usually brought him, Chat couldn't help but think that maybe her sudden and obvious emotional constipation was brought on by the confounded hypnosis; like she wasn't able to express her true feelings and really be angry.
"Oh, Kitten…" Ladybug whispered breathily to him while she walked closer. Chat's breath hitched when her fingers ghosted across his cheek. "How could anyone ever stay mad at you?"
BAHAHA. Yup. Hypnosis.
Chat breathed out a snort, simultaneously wondering how he would explain this all to Ladybug later and if this topic would ever reach a not-too-sensitive-to-talk-about range so he could tease her about it.
All thoughts stopped when Ladybug's fingers began to trail around the edges of his jaw. As if the feline-themed superhero need more blood to rush to his head. Ladybug, either seeming to not sense his distress or playing at some ulterior motive (a real possibility), only bent lower, pressing her knees to the ground and sitting up on them to be level with Chat's hanging face.
"L-L-Ladybug…" Had Chat always been able to reach that high of an octave? Throat suddenly feeling strangled, Chat coughed slightly. "W-Wait –!"
"Sshhhh…" Ladybug cooed, bringing her face closer to his. Her other hand, which had, curse her, been trailing lightly through his hair, came up to the other side of his face. Her breath was hot on his face, and through his enhanced hearing in the momentary stillness, he could detect every distinct heartbeat pulsing from his lady…
Hm.
But…
I can't be that stalkerish, right?
But Chat couldn't deny what he was hearing. Maybe it was the blood rushing to his head. But Chat Noir knew his partner. He had spent so many quiet patrol nights just listening – she had assumed it was just companionable silence, and, truthfully, it was; neither of them would outwardly make a sound on those peaceful nights. But he had spent those quiet, silent late nights doing more than just enjoying the company of his partner. Namely, practicing on honing his feline senses by practicing on Ladybug.
(He should probably stop trying new things out on Ladybug, but that was a thought for another time.)
It had started when he realized he could hear her breathing. Slow and steady while they rested, fast and hitching when she sensed trouble. The next few times were focused on sitting quietly, breathing quietly, just to count each of her individual inhales and exhales. It was methodic, peaceful, familiar. During these exercises, he realized something else beating through the night air. The sound combatted against the still regularity of Ladybug's breathing. This sound, while steadily rhythmic, sounded trapped, caged. That was when Chat had started sitting back to back with Ladybug on these nights. He would sit and listen – feel – her heart.
Chat could tell a lot more from Ladybug's heart than anything she ever shared with him. Through careful listening, he could sit and feel the thoughts that raced through her mind. Thick and slow…he could imagine mundane things. Racing…something that she feared. Labored, pounding…a crush. It was a soothing white noise he could easily recall to help him sleep, and a radiating lighthouse through moments of sadness.
He knew his lady's heart.
And this, this Ladybug, was not his Lady.
The metaphorical hackles rose and Chat froze. His skin exploded with goosebumps under his protective magic armor.
Ladybug was kissing his cheek, and he peeked out to spy on her trembling fingers, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face to study her more. That's when he saw it. On her finger was…a black Chat Noir ring.
For a moment, Chat panicked, shaking himself away from the Ladybug wannabe for a moment and glancing up at his dangling body. He was still Chat, right? That wasn't his ring, was it!? The movement made his vision go blurry, but he was able to relax a little a moment later when he saw he was still covered in his black garb.
Ladybug had pulled away slightly when Chat had started flailing against his restraints. She looked a little worried, and Chat knew he was dealing with someone – something – different than HIS Lady. So, as he had done countless times before, Chat decided to try to talk himself out of this.
"Is everything alright, Kitten?" Ladyfake asked him, fingers laced together in fists below her chin, eyes wide.
"M'Lady," Chat blinked slowly, trying to lay on the charm a little thicker than normal. "I, uh, I'm getting a little dizzy. Mind helping a cat out?" With his signature smarmy smirk, he nodded upward toward the yo-yo holding him aloft. "I'd like to be able to really enjoy what we have going here."
The stranger in bug clothing flushed maroon. "Oh! Oh, Kitten, oh I'm so, so sorry."
As Ladyfake started to lower Chat gently to the ground, Chat had to suppress a snort. This was definitely not Ladybug – Ladybug never hesitated to drop him on his butt, just for giggles, hypnotized or not.
Chat laid on the ground for a moment, stretching out his limbs while his head tried desperately to remove some of the blood that had built up there. His cheeks still felt uncomfortably warm when he saw Ladyfake's face hovering about his own. With his cat-like reflexes, Chat hopped to his feet straight into a kitty crouch, turning to face Ladyfake and taking her by the hand. With the most seductively look he could muster, he raised the imposter's fingers to his lips. While he brushed his lips across her knuckles, she shivered, and he took the opportunity to look down at the ring on her finger.
In size and shape, the ring mimicked closely his own. On closer inspection, however, he could make out the slightly chipped paint and the worn spots that betrayed its fraudulence.
"So, Ladybug…" he purred, smiling up at her again. "Where'd you get this ring?"
Ladyfake was frozen in place. Her cheeks still held a rosy hue. The resemblance to his own Ladybug was becoming a little unbearable.
Oh how Chat wished Ladybug would look at him like that.
"Vendor," Ladyfake whispered back, the word seeming to escape before she realized she had even answered. "A-At a side-market. By the Seine." She looked away bashfully for a moment and the heartstrings in Chat tangled into a tight knot. Seeing those looks on her face was doing things to him that he didn't care to think about right now.
"I really couldn't say no to having some part of you with me always."
There were two thoughts warring in Chat's head at this moment. The first was sweet adoration for this girl that seemed to like him so much that she was Akumatized…for some reason. The second was thinking that it was ABOUT DARN TIME that he finally got someone for him like Copycat was for Ladybug. Not that he would ever want anyone to be Akumatized, but he felt like three years was a bit of a long wait to spurn enough jealousy in someone that Hawk Moth actually took notice. His derision for Hawk Moth only grew at this thought.
"I…" Chat brought his thoughts back to the situation at hand, trying to force away imaginings of a jealous Ladybug coming to his rescue. The little fantasy may or may not have included a blond-haired prince trapped in a tower. He thought back to where the ladybug shape icon had disappeared on his GPS screen, and his mind whirred into a plan. "I want to take you on a date."
Ladyfake looked shocked for a moment. Honestly, the words were hard for Chat to comprehend too…he really couldn't blame her for her temporary silence.
"A-A-A-A DATE!?" she squealed loudly, her clasped fingers raising up with her voice, eyes growing impossibly wide. "Oh, CHAT! This is just like my favorite dream!"
"Everyday with you is a dream, M'Lady," Chat responded with a wink. A red flush broke across Ladyfake's face again and she batted her eyes adoringly at Chat. It was a very Disney princess reaction, and Chat smiled in spite of himself. As he stood, he pulled Ladyfake up by the hand. "Ready?"
"But, Chat, where do superheroes go for a date?"
She giggled as Chat laughed heroically.
"Why, the best bakery in Paris, of course."
qpqpqpqpqp
Marinette stomped through her room, fired up beyond anything she could imagine.
A volcano probably blew out less steam than the trail pouring out through her ears at the moment.
She figured Chat would follow her home, and, admittedly, was disappointed that he hadn't shown yet. It was for more reasons than one, though. There were equal parts sparring roughly with themselves in her brain: one part wanted him to hold her while she cried, clawed fingers stroking her hair; one part wanted him to show up just so she could tie him up with her yo-yo and vault him off the balcony before pulling him back, then repeating the action over and over again; and the last part was that aggravating part of her that never felt sated – fulfilled – unless he was standing right there next to her. Thinking about this last part, though, only made the yo-yo option more and more appealing.
Marinette muttered in frustration again, ignoring Tikki's eye and whatever comforting look she was trying to pass on. Marinette didn't want to be consoled right now. There was too much to think about already, and starting a discussion with her Kwami when she didn't even have her own thoughts sorted was too much to deal with at the moment.
Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste.
Adrien Agreste knew she was Ladybug.
Adrien Agreste had hypnotized her.
Chat Noir had hypnotized her.
OH MY GOSH, CHAT NOIR IS ADRIEN AGRESTE! OH MY GOSH, I HAVE BEEN SHUTTING DOWN ADRIEN AGRESTE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS! OH MY GOSH, ADRIEN HAS A TERRIBLE SENSE OF HUMOR!
Picking up her previously discarded throw pillow, she shoved her face into it as she had just 2 minutes before and let out another scream.
The emotions were picking up each time she let out a release. The first time had been shock, the next anger, and, after this last one, Marinette found that sobs were beginning to rack her shaking frame. A soft pressure on her shoulder told her Tikki had found an opportunity to get close enough to her to not be shooed away and took advantage of it. A little arm stroked Marinette's neck while the bluenette screamed into her pillow again.
It could have been an hour, or it could have been a few minutes, but Marinette finally pulled her face out of her pillow in search of some fresh air. The tell-tale signs of swollen eyes made her face ache. As she sniffled again, she offered Tikki a watery glance. The Kwami offered a matching stare, and, not for the first time, Marinette appreciated the older sister she found in her little red fairy friend.
Over her shoulder a shadow pass over the trapdoor window. Heavy footfalls followed immediately afterward.
The burning in Marinette's cheeks resurfaced; she could feel the snarl on her lips.
Kitty better be ready for a cat fight.
With Ladybug abilities that seemed to be seeping more and more into her every day lifestyle, Marinette flipped over the railing of her stairs, springing up them four at a time before reaching the loft bed. Her fingers were on the trapdoor when she heard voices. Chat Noir's she could recognize immediately, but the other one…the other one sounded like….
"Marinette?" Tikki's face asked the question Marinette held at the edge of her tongue. With a swift glance to the ceiling and back, Marinette silently signaled for Tikki to take a peek. When the Kwami flitted out of sight, the voices suddenly became more distinguished, as if Chat Noir was hoping to be heard.
"-no place better than here, Ladybug!" his voice rang out loudly. The feminine, very Ladybug-esque voice answered him back. He replied in kind. "Don't worry, M'Lady, I'll just drop down and see if anyone can help us! This is the super-secret superhero entrance, after all!" Another mumbling response, and…a giggle. Marinette's nerves flared in protest, every hair on her slim body raising defensively.
Tikki dashing down through the ceiling was the only warning she had before a familiar blond mop of hair bounced over the now open trapdoor, making Marinette jump.
There was a pause when Chat met Marinette's eyes. She could see his ears flatten slightly against his hair, and his eyes darted around her room, only landing on her face occasionally. With a slight blush, Marinette realized she must look like a wreck. There were pretty criers, there were ugly criers, and then there were Marinette criers, a monstrous category all her own. Mix that with the flurry of emotions that made up this wretched day, and Marinette could understand fully why Chat so desperately wanted to avoid her gaze. She probably looked like all the antagonists from Night of the Living Dead put together. Somehow, this thought almost made her smile, if only to imagine his discomfort.
Chat cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him.
"Hello, Mlle Dupain-Cheng!" he rang out through almost clenched teeth. "Ladybug – " Chat paused pointedly and darted his eyes to behind him on the balcony, " – and I are here for a date, and we'd like to know if you have something special for Ladybug?"
Uh…what?
Chat's officially snapped, Marinette thought sadly, resisting the urge to shake her head in pity.
His earnest face started to take on an exasperated quality. His eyes shifted again toward the balcony. Marinette still didn't move, completely confused. It was only when Tikki physically pushed Marinette toward the ladder leading out that Marinette found use of her feet. The sight she found there, however, she was completely unprepared for.
Her first thought: Is that what I really look like?
Her next thought…no, that was pretty much it.
Marinette shot out of the door hurriedly and walked straight to the Ladybug lookalike. It was amazing, really, and Marinette, whilst circling around the obvious Akuma (that was her FACE, what else could it be?), wondered if it would truly be a travesty if she was able to steal a moment to take her own measurements while she had a real life double (measuring yourself accurately is hard!).
Chat cleared his throat again.
Marinette looked up from checking the copy-bug's hip size from behind to meet Chat's eyes. His lips were pursed and a hand was on his hip. The other was cocked in the air, a universal gesture for "Seriously!?"
"Oh! Uh…sorry!" Marinette sniffed, wiping the remaining wetness of almost-dried tears from her face and taking a steadying breath. Chat had said something about he and Ladybug…and having something special for Ladybug. "What…uh… What exactly were you hoping for?"
"Mlle Dupain-Cheng, please bring something my little Ladybug here truly deserves."
Mmm. Ok. She could do that.
With a nod in Chat's direction and a playful wink to a bashful Ladybug (what a strange expression to see on her own features), Marinette rushed back into her room.
"What are you going to do, Marinette?" Tikki asked, starting in on her nervous weaving from side to side.
Marinette only smiled as she scanned her room. Grabbing a large cookie (the plate was always there for Tikki) and her umbrella, she ran back up the loft stairs.
"I'm going to give her what she deserves, Tikki," Marinette smirked.
And Chat, too, she added silently.
Marinette burst through the opening to the balcony, getting air from her vault upwards. Seemingly instinctually, Chat moved out of the way as Marinette rushed toward Copy-Bug. As the fake superheroine opened her mouth to scream or protest (Marinette didn't care enough to try to decipher the silent cry), Marinette shoved the cookie as far into the "superheroine's" mouth as she could manage. Before Copy-Bug could even react, the real Ladybug, though dressed in her civilian skin, was already on her next move. In true Babe Ruth fashion, Marinette swung her frame around before twisted into a powerful enough momentum to bat Copy-Bug off the balcony.
The scream was almost as satisfying as the "oof!" that sounded when the imposter hit the concrete below. A car screeched to a stop. Chat, Marinette noted, didn't even peek over the side.
Chat…
As the word formed in her mind, Marinette felt the tug she was trying to ignore twist painfully, like a hook around her gut linked to her tomcat. On their own accord, her feet ran the few steps her superhero partner, her hands looped around him in a forced hug, and her mouth growled out the only word her brain seemed to supply:
"Mine."
qpqpqpqpqp
Chat felt like he had already delved into the land of Misery several times today. Now, though, with a red-eyed Marinette hugging (is that really the right word for this action?) him on her balcony and possessively claiming him to no one in particular…Chat could see that he hadn't only visited the land of Misery, he had permanently taken up residence there. And maybe even bought a summer home. No, probably a spam-induced time-share he couldn't actually afford but had to pay off anyway.
A whimper may or may not have escaped him at the sheer attractiveness of the scene that had just played out before him. Adrien was a complete gentleman, but watching Marinette absolutely kicking butt in Ladybug style was, in a ungentlemanlike word, hot.
"M-Marinette?" Chat tentatively tried coaxing a response – physical or otherwise – from the girl holding him still. He really didn't care at this point if she chose to go transform and capture an Akuma, or if she chucked him off the roof as well – anything would be better than being this close to his lady luck while he still felt so dang guilty. When the girl didn't respond, Chat reached out and pulled her arms from around his waist.
Her face left him completely heartbroken.
Though it seemed like she was done crying for now, Marinette's puffy eyes and round cheeks were red and raw-looking. Splotches traced their way down her neck and on her lithe arms. Her blue eyes were still overly-wet, as if one more emotion would cause the dam there to burst. Chat thought he could see – or perhaps he could clearly imagine – where the tears cut paths down her cheeks and dripped past her chin.
"Oh, Marinette…" Chat whispered, trying not to choke on his own emotions. Regretting drawing Marinette away from the embrace before, he gently pulled her to him again, wrapping his arms around him. "Princess, I – "
"Princess!?"
Oh. Right. Ladyfake.
"Ladybug!" Chat and Marinette sprang away from each other. Chat scratched nervously at a spot behind his neck. Marinette twirled the umbrella around in perfect Chat-like impersonation and put herself into a defensive stance.
Yeah, ok, maybe that was the hottest thing he'd ever seen.
Ladyfake leapt from her perch on the balcony rail. She cut a beeline to Chat, completely ignoring Marinette. Marinette didn't seem to like that.
"Chat…" Ladyfake was about to touch Chat's cheek like something out of a cheesy romcom scene. (Not that Chat would mind reenacting scenes from romcoms with the real Ladybug.) Chat started to back up, but suddenly another tiny figure moved in between him and his imposter partner.
"Stay away from him," Marinette snarled.
Nnnnggg.
FOCUS CHAT NOIR AND GET YOUR BUTT INTO THIS FIGHT!
Ladyfake snarled back, and for a moment, Chat looked from one form of Marinette's face to the other and decided that he hoped to goodness he would never be on the receiving end of that look of terror.
With a small gulp, Chat realized that he probably very much was on the receiving end of her wrath, and probably would be face to face with that look toward him very, very soon.
"Chat Noir is mine!" Ladyfake almost screamed. This time, the voice sounded strangled, throaty, Akumatized. A suddenly bubbling of purple and black overtook her body while she fixed Marinette with an off-putting stare. At the very last moment, Ladyfake closed her eyes. Chat trailed his eyes down to where the bubbling was dissipating at her feet.
She was wearing pink shoes.
And pink pants…
Ah, nuts!
It wasn't a Ladyfake – it was a morpho-master!
And the morpho-master had just changed into a very disgruntled, very angry-looking Mari-fake Dupain-Cheng.
Just as Chat was busy finding similarities and dissimilarities (there was literally none, the fact only cemented by their matching glares toward each other) between the two Marinettes, Mari-fake surged forward. Chat barely had enough sense left to register that this was still an Akuma that would really hurt his Marinette. He leapt between the two, but instead of attacking Mari-fake, Chat found himself unable to bring harm to the perfect semblance of his princess. Instead, he pulled his Marinette to the side before whipping Mari-fake around and spinning her away from the pair.
"What are you doing!?" Marinette yelled at him, struggling against Chat's arms. "This isn't dance class! Get her!"
"I can't," Chat groaned back. "I can't attack you! What if I accidentally hurt you trying to get Mari-fake?"
The Akumatized girl yowled furiously before flipping and coming toward the pair again. In a swift movement, Chat lifted his Marinette and dropped her through the trapdoor.
"Hey–!"
The rest of Marinette's protest was cut off when the door slapped shut. Immediately afterward, Chat leapt over the side of the balcony.
"You'll never be good enough for me!" Chat called out to Mari-fake. He needed to make sure she wouldn't go after Marinette. And he needed to give Marinette enough time to transform into Ladybug. The jab worked. Mari-fake, looking over the edge, scowled through teary eyes before a tell-tale purple mask circled around her eyes.
Suddenly a red-clad figure appeared burst through the side door of the bakery. Chat scowled.
Subtle, Mari, he thought wryly.
Mari-fake was, thankfully, still discussing something with Hawk Moth and didn't notice Ladybug's conspicuous entrance.
"Chat, what are you waiting for?" Ladybug scolded as she came up next to her leather-clad partner.
"Ladybug, if you think I could possibly –"
Ladybug's stupendous eyeroll caused him pause. He pursed his lips.
"Don't give me that," Chat retorted, bending down to talk to her in her ear. He tried really, really hard to ignore the way she shivered as he spoke. He also tried really hard to suppress the desire to make it happen again. "I can't do it, Ladybug. Would you be able physically fight Adrien?"
Chat didn't like the scathing look she sent sidelong to him. So, she was still mad at him.
In hindsight, Chat really should have been paying better attention to what was going on around him. If he had, he probably would have seen a Marinette lookalike barreling from the balcony straight toward him. He also would have been able to leap gracefully out of the way. Unfortunately, he did neither. Without ceremony (as if she may be trying to drive home the point they had just been discussing), Ladybug heaved Chat aside without warning. The force was enough to send him into ungraceful somersaults into the side of the bakery. Dazed for a moment, Chat righted himself, sending his vision of the world right-side-up once more. He dusted himself off, about to simultaneously jump into the brawl and send a quip in Ladybug's direction. At the sight before him, however, he stood, finding himself only able to cock his head to the side and blink stupidly.
Ladybug was fighting…Marinette.
Ok.
This was normal.
He could participate in this. Sure.
Fight with the woman he loved against the woman he loved.
(Oh, if only Hawk Moth knew the irony of this situation.)
"Would you stop thinking of something clever to say and get in here!?"
Chat shot a glare toward the voice. Well, they both had the same voice, so Chat assumed the culprit was Ladybug. Running toward the pair, Chat tried not to join in when Mari-fake seemed to come to his defense.
"Don't talk to him like that! You don't own him!"
Ladybug paused midstep and simply gawked at…herself? A moment later her whole demeanor seemed to crouch in barely-suppressed aggression.
"He's. Mine."
qpqpqpqpqp
Ladybug felt the air whoosh passed her ears as she flipped up and over Copy-Bug (Copy-Mari?). Copy-Mari skidded to a stop below her.
"You could actually help, you know!" Ladybug shouted back at Chat. While the fight had moved into the park, Chat had stayed by the bakery, inching closer to the arched pillars on the side of the buildings lining the park.
Ladybug shot her yo-yo down toward the victim's head, but Copy-Mari dodged easily. The reverberation as the yo-yo struck the concrete sidewalk sent a temporary tremor up Ladybug's arm. Grimacing at the impact, Ladybug twisted as she landed, allowing the yo-yo to spin freely around her. The string tornado in motion, Ladybug leapt from the epicenter, allowing the string to build in momentum before whipping her arm out toward her now-airborne assailant and tangling her up.
"The Akuma is in her ring!" Chat shouted back. He seemed to have successfully hidden in the shadows provided by the arches.
"Not helpful!" both bluenettes responded.
A tug brought Ladybug's attention back to the Akumatized victim. Copy-Mari wrenched the yo-yo from Ladybug's grasp with surprising ferocity. The fake's blue eyes stared intently at it for a moment before a black bubbling appeared in her other hand. A moment later, Copy-Mari smirked, a replica of Ladybug's yo-yo resting neatly in her upturned palm. Ladybug growled. Copy-Mari then had the audacity to simply throw the stolen yo-yo back to Ladybug. The challenge was in her eyes, and Ladybug readily accepted.
Yo-yo snaps from the enemy peppered the ground around Ladybug's feet. Each pounding motion sent a jolt of annoyance into Ladybug. Ladybug kept just out of reach of each blow, leaping deftly around the park, each hit coming close to her toes but finding no purchase. With a large flip, Ladybug landed on the top of the fountain in a perfect crouch.
"You can't win, Ladybug!" Copy-Mari laughed. She landed at the edge of the fountain. Her spinning yo-yo spun like a shield in her inexperienced but supercharged hands. Ladybug only rolled her eyes.
Typical.
"History would prove otherwise," Ladybug lazily quipped back.
When Copy-Mari made to jump up to Ladybug, Ladybug leapt from her post. Her heels pecked Copy-Mari in the forehead. While the victim was distracted (a gratifying splash sounded behind the red-clad superheroine), Ladybug yo-yoed out of the park. As soon as she hit the other side of the roof, she paused, hiding behind the cusp of the curved roof. Her breath came in rasps. Not deep enough to feel like she was lacking in air, but heavy enough to leave her feeling breathless. She could lie to herself and say that it was because of the fight she had just participated it. It would be justified. But when Chat leapt passed her, the second she took to just watch him vault through the air frozen in her mind, the gesture itself resigned her to admitting the truth. With a zip, she sent out her yo-yo out and pulled a yelp and her cat-boy companion out of the air. When he landed, she pressed a hand over his mouth and drew him in close.
Her heart was beating wildly. She hoped he wouldn't be able to feel it pounding against his back while she held him to her. There wasn't time to ease into a better position, and Ladybug was trying to ignore how her entire sitting frame was hugged around the back of Chat's.
She could chalk up these feelings to the "hypnosis" crap going on. And maybe a good portion of it could take that blame. But Ladybug was a master secret-keeper. She was practiced. And while she was usually open with people she loved, even Tikki didn't know about the secret she kept closest to her heart.
To her it made sense why Adrien, as Chat Noir, was especially attractive to her. To her, it made sense why she would drop everything and chase the cat-boy around Paris, especially when unwittingly commanded to do so.
Maybe some part of her mind had been so open to act on her crush's request in chasing Chat Noir because it gave her an excuse to reveal those hidden feelings.
A moment's inhale and exhale, and Ladybug and Chat Noir froze as Copy-Mari yo-yoed up and passed them, delving deeper into the streets of Paris.
Ladybug quickly stood and whipped Chat up and around to face her.
She didn't take note of the suddenly ascertained height difference.
She didn't look into his bright green, innocent eyes.
She didn't notice his pinked cheeks.
She didn't flick her gaze to his lips.
And she wasn't leaning in closer. And closer.
That would be irresponsible. One of Hawk Moth's villains was loose in the streets. They should be hatching a plan, not snogging. Not that she was thinking about that…about how he looked just so…inviting….
"Ladybug…" Chat whispered to her.
She felt a grip on her shoulders, a strength beyond hers keeping her at an arm's distance from her cat.
"What?" Ladybug snapped accusingly before leaning even closer. She growled at the pressure pushing her back.
"Ladybug, now is not the time for…this."
Ladybug's eyes snapped open and she glowered at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Chat scoffed. "Sure you don't."
Like he had a right to do that!
Ladybug got right up in his face (well, as much as a more-than-a-foot-shorter person could hope for).
"LUCKY CHAAARRRM!" she shouted as loud as she could.
If it had been an anime show, Chat's features would have rippled in the blast from her outburst. Smirking, Ladybug reached into the air for the object dropping down. A scarf? Maybe…but the material was soft and silken. A blindfold! Copy-Bug/-Mari had to see something in order to claim it, or to transform into it, so if they could cover her eyes –
"Chat! I have a pla–pfft."
Chat was still rubbing his cat ears from her outburst. The look was endearing to her, and it annoyed her to think about that. While he was distracted, Ladybug reached down and yanked on his tail, satisfied with the resulting yowl.
"You tracked her, right?"
Chat grumbled and pulled out his baton, flashing the screen to Ladybug. A purple blip flashed close by their location on the little GPS. Ladybug studied the screen for a moment before slapping a hand on Chat's head and roughly ruffling his sunny hair.
qpqpqpqpqp
"HHHIIII-YYYAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
A shuddering blast, a tremor through the city streets covered in billowing dust.
The shapeshifting Akuma victim had collapsed to her knees. She was a mess. She wore gloves in the same pattern of Ladybug's suit paired with Marinette's signature outfit – though considerably more torn up than Marinette usually wore it. A mimicry of Chat Noir's leather ears perched on top of her head. It was pieces of all of the things "Changling" had transformed into. Now Ladybug stood over the banged-up victim, holding a store-bought Chat Noir lookalike ring. Her chest was heaving from exertion; apparently fighting against yourself (so-to-speak) was more of a workout than perhaps one would think.
It didn't help that Chat may have stepped out every time the fight was against a Marinette or Ladybug lookalike.
"Time to de-evilize!"
Chat looked on for the second time in the last 24 hours as Ladybug caught the wicked butterfly before releasing it in its purified form. In the dark of the just-set sun, Chat watched in awe as the Miraculous Cure followed immediately, lighting up all the features on Ladybug's face. The bubbling around the Akumatized victim brought him back to reality. What surprised him most, though, was the teary expression still on the young girl's face.
And really, Chat Noir tried really hard not to hear the conversation she struck up with Ladybug as Ladybug reached down to give her back the Chat Noir ring.
"You don't deserve him."
While these words had shocked Chat enough to turn and start to walk toward the pair of females, the next sentence caused him the biggest surprise.
"You're right," Ladybug sighed.
"I am?"
Ladybug looked straight at the small girl and dropped down to sit cross-legged in front of her. While the response was a surprise to Chat, it seemed to pale in comparison to the reaction from the Chat Noir fan. Ladybug seemed to notice as well. She chuckled halfheartedly.
"Yes," Ladybug responded. Her tone was resolute; there was no hint of sarcasm, no mark of dislike. "He's always been open about his feelings, but I never was – not even to my crush."
"You have a crush? Isn't Chat Noir your crush?"
"Yes and…yes, though he wasn't always." Ladybug looked down and fiddled with the ring the girl had refused to take from her offering fingers. "There's a boy who's been my crush for three long years. And because I was so focused on that boy, I never spared a glance for my best friend." Ladybug's eyes flicked pointedly in Chat's direction. "Now I can only hope I still have a chance. He deserves to be loved unconditionally. He won't say it, but it means a lot to him that he has as devoted supporters as you out there cheering for him."
"Yeah?" the girl asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Absolutely," Ladybug answered, offering a warm albeit shaky smile. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and offered the ring to her again. This time, the girl took it, staring intently at it while twirling it through her fingers.
"I'm so embarrassed," she finally conceded in a trembling voice.
"I won't tell you to not be embarrassed, because everyone feels different things, whether we want to or not. But I will say that this isn't uncommon. You did nothing wrong. You were taken advantage of in the worst way possible." Ladybug chuckled again. "And think of it this way…Chat Noir now knows he has at least one devoted fan in this city." Then, in a lower voice, "Plus, how else would you be able to take the coolest selfie with a superhero ever?"
At this statement, the girl's head popped up, cheeks turning rosy under watery streaks.
"Let me tell you a secret," Ladybug continued in a hushed tone. "Well, two secrets. Chat Noir gives the best hugs. It's true! And the second secret? He really does take the best selfies." The girl smiled. "But don't tell him that, or I will have 200 more picture on my phone by the midnight."
This elicited a laugh from the girl and from the leather-clad superhero looking on fondly.
Ladybug and her companion looked up at the cat-boy.
"You were eavesdropping!"
Oops.
"I did no such thing!"
"Liar!" Ladybug wrapped an arm around the girl as they both stood to face the boy in black. They all laughed after a moment. Chat Noir was totally taken in by the free expression on Ladybug's mirthful features. His heart felt like it was swelling at the fond look in her eyes.
Chat Noir suddenly bowed low.
"Forgive me, ladies. How shall I repay thee?"
A pressure on his backside startled him slightly. When he looked up, Ladybug was shoving his baton in his face.
"I think you owe this fine lady a hug and two-hundred-and-one selfies. Sent to the Ladyblog." Chat started to splutter a protest. "Nuh-uh! No arguing, Pussycat."
The beeping in her earrings, which she had been ignoring, started in earnest now. She immediately rushed off, waving a goodbye to her two companions.
As she rounded the corner, the real Marinette appeared in a flash of pink.
"Well, this has been an exciting day!" Tikki zoomed out and into the open bag at Marinette's side where her private stash of quarter-sized Tikki cookies awaited her.
"You can say that again, Tikki."
Marinette slumped down against the wall. Pulling out her phone, she sent a few messages out before laying her head back to rest until her Kitty was done.
To Mom: I got caught up in the akuma attack but I'm ok! It looked like ME maman! I'm by the tower walking home be home soon love you *heart*
To Alya: so weird day today, right? heh…
To Alya: I will do an interview? *a line of embarrassed emojis*
To Alya: and Chat may or may not be sending you some selfies to put onto the Ladyblog *shy face**winking cat emoji*
To Nino: I hope you guys are good
To Nino: good luck with Al
To Adrien: meet me at home? anytime
To Adrien: MY home, not like, OUR home that's not what I meant I meant MY home
To Adrien: and not anytime a girl needs her beauty sleep ;)
To Adrien: …
To Adrien: I BLAME YOU FOR THE WINKY FACE
qpqpqpqpqp
It was passed midnight before Chat made his way to visit the princess in her tower. Normally he would never dream of going so late, but Marinette's last text was sent only five minutes ago asking for him…and how could he say no?
It had taken a little patchwork to get his string of stories past Nathalie and his father for his unaccounted whereabouts that day. Thankfully, for story purposes, there were two Akuma attacks, and they already knew about the project he was supposed to be working on with Marinette. Really, he should count himself lucky…he only had to endure a supervised double practice session on the piano for missing his fencing class that afternoon. Because it had gone so late, Adrien hadn't been able to properly check his phone until he entered his room at 11:30. Nathalie had started to come check on him at night "just in case", which meant having to go through his nightly routine and feigning sleep before all of his babysitters would finally leave him alone.
As his boots landed silently on the roof of his favorite bakery, however, and he spied the baker's daughter there waiting for him, he decided that he could be babysat for the next hundred years and he wouldn't complain a bit, as long as he was able to see this sight every night. The implications of this attractive thought caused a blush to rise in his cheeks. And he hadn't even talked to the girl yet.
Chat hung from the railing around the balcony, feet planted firmly on the roof below. It was a safe distance. His hands and heart really, really wanted to be closer, but for goodness' sakes, Chat Noir was a gentleman!
Marinette stretched, her arms peeking out from under the fluffy blanket she had been resting under.
"You're a little late, minou," she said through a yawn. "Didn't a tell you I need my beauty sleep?"
Chat grinned. "As if you could get any more beautiful."
Marinette shook her head, smiling sleepily at him. She exited her blanket, revealing pajamas that broke Chat's stoic features into laughter.
"Nice," he chortled merrily, looking the girl up and down (just to check out her pajamas, nothing more). "Very subtle. I hope you don't wear those in public."
The shirt was red. A ladybug mask was printed at the top, and below it read "Simply the BEST". The pants were the same shade of red and were peppered with polka dots.
"Honestly, I'm surprised the spots aren't in the same spots as your spots are."
Marinette came and leaned against the railing, looking down at the black cat.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Chat arched a brow. Marinette tried to frown through a smile.
"I bought these. And yes, it bothers me to no end, but I love them anyway. And no, I don't wear them in public. You are the only one that's ever seen them, and you will only ever be the one to see me in these…er…"
Apparently she and Chat were working on the same subconscious wavelength.
Again, Chat felt the heat burning through his neck and his real ears, having moved on past his cheeks just on her walk over to him. Chat closed his eyes, shaking his head. He was trying – and failing – to shake his hair enough to feel the cool air flow across his face. It was a poor idea at best, but Chat was honestly starting to overheat.
A snort made him crack an eye open. Marinette had taken her hands off the railing and covered her mouth. Whether it was from the slip-up earlier or due to his own uncomfortableness, he wasn't sure, until she burst out laughing a moment later.
"It's not that funny," he grumbled at her. She only continued to laugh.
"It kinda is."
"I didn't laugh at you!"
She gave him a skeptical look.
"…Out loud?"
Marinette snorted. Chat smirked.
"You know I can't lie to you, Princess."
"No, just hypnotize me." Ladybug gave him an arch look. Chat must have looked decently embarrassed. Marinette relented and dropped her hard gaze. With a softer expression, she set her elbows on the railing, leaning down to rest her head on her hands. It brought her ridiculously close to him.
"I really hate how attracted I am to you right now."
Surprisingly, those were Marinette's words.
Chat could not hold back the impish grin. When he suddenly moved his face closer to her, she may or may not have "meep"-ed in a very cute way. Their noses touched, and Chat brushed his own back and forth against hers. Marinette sighed theatrically.
"Is it wrong to say that I am loving this just a little bit?" Chat asked in a low voice. Something warm hit him fiercely in the gut when Marinette let out a sound between a growl and a whimper.
"Yes, Chat. Yes it is."
The next moment his forehead was on her shoulder. His frame was shaking. Would she think he was crying? For the love of Pete, he hoped not, but he didn't dare look at her pretty eyes when he was trying so hard not to laugh in her face.
Marinette had stiffened under his initial touch. Now, though, she pushed him back by his forehead.
"You are awful!" she cried, and Chat only laughed harder when he saw the mirth dancing like fire behind her irritated façade.
"I hypnotized you, Ladybug. Oh my gosh, I really hypnotized you! And here I thought I was just some sudden chick magnet."
"You know, Chat, magnets repel just as much as they attract."
Chat only continued to chuckle. He needed to feel her though…and she didn't resist when he pressed his forehead against hers. Instead she rubbed her nose gently against his own.
"I can't believe I thought you were cool, Adrien Agreste."
They stayed like that for a moment. There was a reassurance in their touch; Marinette let out a sigh, the warmth from her breath giving the effect of what Chat imagined embodied whispers would feel like on his lips.
"Mari…" Chat broke the comfortable silence. Marinette shivered, and Chat didn't think it was because of the cold. It took him a moment to catch his bearings again. "What you heard at Alya's...that's not how it sounded."
Marinette grunted noncommittedly before sighing again.
"What, you mean like how it sounded like you had no real desire for all of this?" Opening her eyes and pulling away slightly, Marinette lazily gestured to her entire self.
A terrible something knotted inside Chat's stomach. Where there was once warmth, ice seemed to freeze over.
Did she really think…? Was she being serious?
Call it his inner cat. Call it predatorial instinct. Call it just being a maybe-slightly-possessive male.
In a moment, Chat had jumped the balcony rail and landed in a crouch. He spun around to a startled Marinette, whom he pulled down to sit on the ground in front of him.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he started, face so close he could see every shade of blue in her darkened eyes. "Be mad at me – you have every right to be, believe me – but trust me when I say this: I've desired ALL THIS every minute of every day since the moment I saw you parachute off the Eifel Tower." His gaze dropped for a moment. When he spoke again, his words were barely above a whisper. "And when I found out you were Marinette, I felt so inadequate. How could I ever deserve you?" He took a rattling breath. "Every day is an agonizing, exhilarating experience since I met you."
A rattling breath passed through his lips as turned away from her. He stood abruptly, pulling Marinette up with him, before jumping back to the safe zone on the other side of the banister.
"And about Alya's…" Chat spoke a little louder, catching Marinette's gaze once more. "Call me old-fashioned, but as much as I want to kiss you – which is, really, like, a lot, like a lot a lot – " He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I, uh, I just wanted to take you on a date first."
Marinette had gone quiet. Chat suddenly felt embarrassed at having effective trapped her during his little speech. As was his norm, he reached back with one hand to nervously scratch at the base of his neck. But…she needed to know. She needed to understand…
She was absolutely everything to him.
"Do you trust me?" Marinette asked suddenly.
They both seemed surprised at this question. Marinette bit her lip, eyes darting away for a moment.
Before Chat could reply, however, Marinette reached out to him and placed a hand on either side of his face. Chat stiffen under her touch, but she only smiled. Chat gulped.
Gently, Marinette brushed her lips against the skin right next to his own lips. Chat couldn't stop the tremble that seemed to take over his body. The next kiss was a little closer to his jaw. Then one right under the line of his mask. One last one on his nose.
Feeling like he was about to pass out, Chat felt Marinette smile against his cheek before nuzzling her face against his in a very feline show of affection.
"It's kinda late tonight…" she whispered in his ear. "But I'm free tomorrow."
Chat's legs seemed to finally give out, and he fell off the roof.
(( Show of hands, who thinks Adrien will be able to deal at school tomorrow? (8
On a TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE, the next chapter will leaning more toward that "T" rating. Heh... (3 ))
(( WOO BOY THIS WAS LONG. It's 3 am here, and HERE YOU GO! It's not perfect, but…I hope it's good enough! n.n
So, question…next chapter is going to be some Adrienette, and obviously we have some main story points to still cover and whatnot…but is there anything you'd like to see/read? Kwami interactions, DJ/WIFI, bonus scenes, more Akuma, etc. Usually I have everything planned out, buuuut…I like extra stuff. :D ))
(( THANK YOU for all of the favs, follows, and reviews! You seriously have made my whole week. I appreciate it, really, and I treasure each review you leave!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING! *hearts* ))