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Tikki waited till her chosen was fast asleep before she left to find Plagg. She was completely aware of who Chat Noir was in civilian form and thus she knew exactly where her kitty counterpart was. No one was at the campsite, so Tikki casually flew about until she approached the cabin that was inhabited by none other than Adrien and Nino. She floated down towards the bottom of the door, and phased through it silently. Inside the cabin, she found Adrien sitting on his bed playing his Nintendo 3DS while chatting with the black kwami besides him. Tikki snuck closer to them, then hid under the bed to wait before she alerted Plagg of her presence.
Her nose scrunched up distastefully, "you'd think a boy like Adrien wouldn't smell so bad," She thought to herself. The cabin room had a cheesy aura about it, plus the addition of sweaty clothing and she could see a forgotten, stinky sock besides her. The little red kwami had a sudden desire to go back to Marinette and snuggle in her floral shampooed hair that was so refreshing and sweet compared to the atrocity of a boy's cabin.
Above her, Adrien was trying to discuss the river discoveries with his kwami.
"Plagg, how in the world are Ladybug and I going to save all those animals?" He said in frustration.
The cat kwami munched, his voice muffled and full of food, "you guys will figure something out," he said lazily.
Adrien huffed in annoyance, "you're no help, I shouldn't have given you any cheese. You don't deserve it."
Plagg gasped in offense, "excuse me, I had to suffer through your flirting with your 'princess darling sugar angel' of a girlfriend so I deserve this cheese and MORE! You two are disgusting."
The young model sighed, "we weren't flirting Plagg. And Marinette is not my girlfriend." He said the last part a little sadly, a little hopefully, and Tikki fluttered in excitement below.
Adrien and Plagg bantered back and forth a little longer before Tikki decided she'd heard enough, and smelt enough, and wished to return to her chosen sooner rather than later. She took a deep breath, and flew out from beneath the wooden bed frame. Her body hovered besides the black kwami, in plain sight of Adrien Agreste.
"Plagg," she said simply, matter of factly.
Oh how Tikki wish she'd had a camera for that moment. Her partner was unphased by her appearance, he only smiled at her in greeting and offered her a piece of cheese. Adrien, on the other hand, was VERY shocked to see two kwami beside him. He squeaked aloud in surprise, backing away from Tikki and falling clumsily off the bed. His feet waved about in the air and his 3DS crashed to the ground beside the blonde boy.
"Are you alright?" Tikki giggled.
Adrien's eyes were wide and his face pale, "you're a kwami!" He shouted dumbly.
"Yes," Tikki nodded kindly, "I'm Ladybug's kwami."
"You're Ladybug's kwami!" Adrien yelled out again, this time covering his face with a blanket as he sat on the floor besides the bed, and he whispered harshly, "Am I allowed to see you?"
Plagg rolled his eyes and Tikki giggled some more, "Yes, Adrien, you can look at me."
He lowered the blanket and stared at Tikki in wonder, "You're so much cuter than Plagg!"
"And you're much cuter in person!" She winked, causing Adrien's face to turn a deep red.
Her high little voice laughed more and then she turned to Plagg, "we need to talk."
He nodded his head, "Can I finish my Camembert first?"
Tikki crossed her arms, "fine. But hurry, I don't want to waste too much time away from Ladybug."
Adrien spoke up, "Erm, what's your name?" He asked a little awkwardly.
The red kwami gave him an achingly sweet smile as she came closer to Adrien, "I'm Tikki!" She brought out an arm, and Adrien brought up his right index finger to shake her arm in greeting.
"Does Ladybug know who I am?" He asked her next, as he climbed back onto the bed.
Tikki shook her head, "not at all! She doesn't even know I'm here!"
He nodded, "there's something I need to tell Ladybug! Today I was with my classmate and we figured out what's causing the animal monsters and-"
The kwami cut him off, "I know. Marinette told Ladybug already."
"Already?" Adrien was baffled, "man she was quick. I know we can trust her, she promised she wouldn't tell anyone!"
Tikki grinned knowingly, "Yes I believe we can trust Marinette as well. Now, I need to discuss some things with Plagg in private. I'll bring him back to you shortly!"
She flew to her partner and plucked him from the pillow where he was laying sleepily. He groaned in annoyance, but flew besides Tikki and the two phased out of the cabin, leaving Adrien alone and a little dumbfounded.
"What is it Tikki?" Plagg asked with genuine curiosity as he started to notice the intensity of his bug partner.
She was literally buzzing, and she got close to Plagg's face with such excitement and motivation, "I know what they can do!"
"Who?" Plagg questioned, "the kids?"
Tikki nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! I know how they can cleanse the river and all the animals!"
She shared her ideas, memories, and plans with Plagg who listened carefully and nodded his head every so often to show he was listening. They discussed the plans, made an agreement, and then gave a little hug as they bid each other farewell. Both kwamis agreed to explain to their chosen's the plan and what they would need to do to practice.
. . .
"MARINETTE OH THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!"
A rather frazzled bluenette shot out of bed, startled by the screaming and Marinette found herself being hugged by her best friend. Alya's glasses poked the side of Mari's face painfully and she slipped out of her friend's arms.
With a yawn, she asked, "Alya what are you talking about?"
Her friend plopped on the bed, directly on top of Marinette and snuggled close to her, rambling as she spoke, "you disappeared Marinette! Adrien went looking after you and then you both were gone and we were all so worried you two had gotten lost but Nino trusted Adrien and said you guys were probably already at the camp so we didn't tell Ms. Bustier you two were missing and girl, THANK GOD you are here and you're okay!"
Marinette chuckled and rubbed her friend's back, "I'm sorry we worried you so much, we did get lost but we ended up finding a huge short cut essentially and saved hours getting back to the campsite!"
She told her friend excitedly about Adrien hugging her and some of the things that had happened, save the river incident. Alya was excited to hear that Adrien was showing some interest in Marinette and more than anything she was relieved to find her friend safe. She pulled Marinette out of bed, waited while the bluenette tied her hair back into her usual pigtails, and the two joined the rest of their classmates outside at the campfire.
Alya, Marinette, Max and Rose prepared large camping pots full of delicious soup ingredients while Kim, Alix, and Juleka started the campfire. While the soups were slow cooking, many students left to shower and clean themselves from the long hike while others lounged around in exhaustion.
The usual group of four sat at a picnic table. Alya laid across the table, Nino sat on one side resting his head on her stomach while Adrien sat beside him and Marinette across from them. Adrien's stomach rumbled loudly and everyone shot him a look. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully.
"Somebody feed the poor boy, his stomach is getting louder and louder by the minute," Alya complained.
"You know Adrien," Nino directed at his friend, "we are all hungry. And unlike you and Marinette, we actually had to do the full hike so if your stomach could just shut it, that'd be great."
His words were slightly malicious but his tone was teasing, Alya continued, "yeah next time you two decide to run away together and take a short cut, take us with you!"
Marinette squeaked and a blush arose at the notion that her and Adrien intentionally ran away together. She noticed Adrien's cheeks were also dusted with a little pink and the sight made her stomach flutter even worse than the hunger already was. Adrien laughed in embarrassment, apologizing for both his stomach and for taking an unintentional shortcut with Marinette. Alya rolled her eyes at the mention of "unintentional" and made a quote gesture with her fingers to mock him.
"I'd watch out Marinette," Nino laughed, "Maybe underneath Adrien's formal gentlemen persona is an evil, mischievous serial killer who lures innocent girls into the woods to KILL them!"
"Nino!" Adrien punched his friend hard in the arm.
Nino winced painfully, and rubbing his arm said, "see what I mean? There's evil in there!"
The girls laughed and Alya flicked her already pained boyfriend in the nose, "Adrien couldn't even hurt a fly. He's a big softie, I see him more as a mischievous kitten!"
Marinette giggled in agreement, not noticing Adrien stiffen a little guiltily at the mention of kittens.
The soups were soon finished cooking and the class quickly got themselves situated with full bowls and spoons. They scattered about the campsite, sitting at various picnic tables. There was a delicious aroma in the air, of stewed beef and veggies and delicate seasonings.
"God boys you're going to burn your mouths off," Alya noted as the boys devoured their soups.
"So hungry," Adrien spoke through mouthfuls.
"Worth it," Nino added, shoving a spoonful of potatoes into his already full mouth.
Marinette gently blew cool air on her spoonful before placing it in her mouth. She hummed happily at the warmth and taste of the stew, closing her eyes and wiggling her butt in her seat.
"So cute," Adrien whimpered softly.
His eyes widened in surprise and everyone looked at him with opened mouths. Marinette choked on her soup while Adrien turned firetruck red. He ducked his head down shamefully, sliding himself underneath the table.
"I didn't mean to say that out loud," he admitted, causing his best friend beside him to burst out laughing.
"Dude you're embarrassing," Nino said, poking Adrien in the rib with his foot.
Marinette on the other hand was being patted on the back by Alya, "breath girl!"
Adrien came back up to the bench, his face still flushed. He refused to look at anyone, especially Marinette, and he went back to his soup. She too went back to enjoying her soup, a little more conscious about how she acted and her cheeks still warm from Adrien's accidental compliment. Alya and Nino continued their usual banter, discussing random topics like superheroes and music.
Later that evening, most of the class (besides a few who decided to go to bed early) gathered around the campfire for another night of S'mores. On one log, the regular group of four sat snuggled together, the girls in the middle.
"What do you say, Marinette?" Nino said as he reached for a bag of marshmallows, "Will you please grace us with your one of a kind S'mores?"
She laughed, reaching over Alya and taking the bag from Nino, "Only because you asked so nicely!"
"What makes hers different than a normal s'more?" Adrien asked innocently.
Alya clapped her hands, "Oh Agreste, I'll show you! Here I'll make Adrien's s'more first so he can experience a regular one."
Marinette handed her friend a marshmallow and skewer and the two girls went to work s'more building. They finished relatively the same time, but the difference between the two was imperceptible. Alya handed Adrien her s'more; it was what you'd expect. A decently toasted marshmallow, squished between two pieces of graham cracker and a piece of milk chocolate. It didn't look that different from Marinnete's, whose was structured the same way. The only clear difference in physical appearance was that Marinette's marshmallow was perfectly golden around the entire surface, and Alya's had a larger piece of chocolate.
Both boys took bites of their treats. Marinette could hear Nino moan in pleasure and she laughed to herself. Besides her, Adrien remained unphased. The two girls looked at him expectedly, waiting for a reaction.
He looked up at them awkwardly, "Thanks Alya, it's great!"
She laughed loudly, "Don't hold back on me Agreste, tell me what's wrong!"
Adrien scratched his head bashfully, "nothing is wrong! It's just.. missing something is all. But it's still great, really!"
Marinette began to make him another, in which Alya excitedly told Adrien to get ready to compare the flavors. It was finished in no time, and she shyly handed Adrien her creation. He was hesitant at first, suddenly feeling nervous at again having all his friends watch him closely. This time, he threw the entire s'more into his mouth. As soon as he bit down, his body shivered and an unholy moan escaped his throat. Marinette turned bright red and looked away as if she'd witnessed something intimate while Alya and Nino snickered shamelessly.
"God Mari," Adrien sighed blissfully, "I don't know how you do it, but it's heavenly!"
"Thank you Adrien," she squeaked.
"How do you do it," he asked with genuine curiousity as he chewed.
Marinette shook her head, "No idea! Maybe it's the way I roast the marshmallow," she said humbly.
He shrugged, "Whatever it is you're doing, don't ever stop. Maybe you cook with love! That's something my mom used to say really changes the way food can taste!"
"Oh she cooks with loooots of love," Alya sneered.
Marinette smacked her friend's thigh and hissed, "oh stop!"
To the bluenette's great surprise, she felt Adrien drop his head gently on to her lap.
"Is this alright?" He softly asked.
Not trusting her voice, Marinette only nodded quickly in assurance. Her heart beat had suddenly become VERY rapid and probably very loud and she had to focus on steady breathing. Adrien's weight was heavy on her as he relaxed but the weight and pressure of his body was nice on her legs. Hesitantly at first, she brought up a hand to his back and slowly rubbed it in small circles. She heard him sigh in content and so she continued, gently massaging his strong shoulders and then moving up to his head and combing through his soft, golden locks.
She wasn't sure how long they say there for. As time went on, more and more students went to bed and before she knew it only her and Adrien sat out there. Marinette looked up at the beautiful night sky and wondered if Chat Noir was waiting for her yet. She breathed out in slight disappointment, she really didn't want to leave or wake Adrien who was snoring softly in her lap, but she had a duty and there were important things her and Chat needed to discuss. And as much as she hates to admit it, she missed her kitty.
The fire was still crackling faintly, it's glow dim and the warmth from it small but still enjoyable.
"Adrien," she whispered, patting his back to try and wake him.
He groaned a little, turning so that his face was up and facing her. Marinette brought a hand to his cheek, gently feeling the softness of his skin and down to his sharp jaw. His brown eyelashes were long and lay beautifully on his already perfect face. The glow of the fire danced on his skin, making him look angelic. She moved her fingers lightly over his lips, enjoying the smooth texture and wondering how it would feel if she brought hers down to his. Without realizing it, her own face had lowered and she could feel his breath on her own lips. If she just moved forward a little more..
The blonde suddenly moved again, this time turning his face into Marinette's stomach. She pulled away hastily, catching her breathe and panicking at the thought of what she almost did. And while he was sleeping!?
"Marinette what is wrong with you?" She said aloud to herself.
Turns out her voice was loud enough to wake the sleeping model, as he began to stir and opened his eyes. He struggled a little bit in getting up without putting his hands all over her, but Marinette just laughed and grabbed him by the shoulders to help him sit up.
He yawned, "Everyone else went to bed already?"
She nodded, "Yeah, and I figured we should too as it's probably pretty late. I had a good long nap earlier so I'm not too tired but I thought we should at least get you to bed."
He stretched his arms above him and sighed, "You're right. Can I escort you to your cas- er, cabin?"
Marinette tilted her head in confusion, something about his wording was familiar but she tried to ignore it, "yes of course! Thank you!" She smiled at him a little too eagerly but he just laughed.
Adrien stood up, and offered his hand to Marinette. She took it and he pulled her up, and rather than let go right away she shyly intertwined her fingers with his. He bit his lip and looked away but not before she noticed the adorable blush on his face. She held back a warm giggle and tried to relax herself and fully enjoy the sensation of their hands together again.
Too quickly, they were at the door of her cabin. She had another flash of Deja Vu as he took her hand and kissed it, just like Chat Noir had done the other night. The resemblance and feelings were so similar that she couldn't help but freeze.
"Are you alright, Marinette?" Adrien asked, his voice laced with concern.
She looked into his caring, bright green eyes, and responded with a slightly nervous voice, "yeah I just.. Thought of something odd. Um, thank you for everything today Adrien."
He nodded, his face looked a little uncertain and insecure and she hoped she hadn't made him worry too much. Boldly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. Getting on the tips of her toes, she leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"Okay BYE goodnight!" She practically screamed at him as she ran into the cabin and slammed the door shut behind her.
Tikki giggled from Marinette's hoodie pocket. The bluenette shushed her kwami and hurried over to her bed.
"Alya?" Marinette whispered in to the darkness of the cabin room.
Her friend didn't respond but continued to sleep soundly, a pillow on top of her head and her leg splayed over the side of the bed. Marinette chuckled and then opened her pocket for Tikki to fly out.
"I talked to Plagg!" Tikki whispered.
"What?" Marinette made a pout, "When?"
The kwami only smiled, "I went out and found him while you were napping earlier today! We talked, and we have a plan for you and Chat Noir!"
Marinette sat cross legged in her bed and got out a cookie for her Kwami to munch on while she spoke, "I'm listening," she said eagerly.
Tikki thanked the girl for the cookie, took a bite and chewed for a moment before she began, "Okay first I need to give you some background."
The kwami received a nod and so she continued, "It was in Japan, during the Yayoi period. The Ladybug was Queen Himiko, and she was considered so amazing and beautiful that she was the queen of ALL of Japan! She started very young and used the powers of her Miraculous to make the kingdom strong. All who worked for her were woman, except one man and her brother, who was the Chat Noir at the time. Her people adored her, she was loyal and peaceful and such a dedicated leader."
"And did something happen?" Marinette asked in deep interest.
"There was a man who sought to be king. But no one cared, compared to Himiko he was powerless. So he came up with a deceitful plan! He had discovered the fox Miraculous, but he used it for evil rather than good. Using his abilities, he poisoned the gardens in which the people ate from. It was a slow, evil poison. It was sneaky, and when people began dying from illness Himiko couldn't figure out the source. When she finally did, it was too late for simply her Ladybug abilities to help her people. Hundreds had died, many of whom were the woman who worked for her and she was heartbroken. But her brother, Chat Noir, had an idea! Together, they mastered using their abilities together. And when they did so on the entire garden, it restored not only the garden but all of the land. Those who hadn't died yet were healed and restored, the gardens were pure and healthy, and when the man tried to use his tricks again it was impossible as the land had a permanent protection over it!"
Tikki added, "When Himiko died the man became king. But no one respected him! The people were disobedient! It wasn't until a relative of Himiko, a thirteen year old girl named Iyo, became the new ladybug that order in the kingdom was restored and she became the new queen!"
"That's incredible!" Marinette exclaimed and then asked, "But so what exactly did Himiko and her brother do that cleansed everything?"
Tikki fluttered in thrill, "it required Ladybug to summon her lucky charm! And then, Chat Noir would have to cataclysm the item at the exact same time Ladybug used the Miraculous cleanse. By doing so, it created a huge effect of all the evil and poison being destroyed while also cleansing it and making it pure again. It was incredible but it took lots of careful practice. When timed even just slightly off, it would knock out either Ladybug or Chat Noir, whichever move came second, and made them unable to use their powers for about a day. It's risky, especially when emergencies can happen, but I think if you and Chat Noir can master this then you can cleanse the river and save all the animals here!"
Marinette nodded her head eagerly, she was speechless as she took all the information in and wondered if her and Chat Noir would be successful.
"Oh!" Tikki suddenly squeaked in surprise, "Chat Noir is calling you!"
This awoke Marinette from her dumbfounded state and she nodded her head in determination. She jumped out of bed, Tikki following close behind her, and ran out of the cabin door. Marinette snuck back around behind the cabin and then called out to her kwami.
"Tikki, Spots on!"
. . .
"Good evening, my lady!" Chat Noir greeted with a giant smile.
The dread Ladybug had felt in seeing Chat again instantly vanished at the happiness of his smile. It was hard to feel upset or jealous to whoever the girl was that stole his heart when he was giving her a smile like that. She waved and stood beside him at the dock.
"I'm assuming your kwami has spoken with you?" She asked.
He nodded, his golden hair bouncing freely, "Yes! He explained to me Tikki's plan and what we need to practice. And by the way, Tikki was an absolute purrr-easure to meet."
Ladybug rolled her eyes but smiled, "I'm glad you liked her! She is wonderful."
"You mean wonderfur?" He winked.
She snorted but ignored his pun, "So what should we do if one of us knocks out while we do this?"
"Plagg said if one of us passes out, our kwamis can still hold our transformations for some time. So I think we should just do our best to help the other come to. And hopefully no animal monsters come in the next day or so if that does happen.." his voice trailed off at the end, his usual confident demeanor sounding more nervous.
His ears sprung up happily though at a thought, "So Ladybug, did my darling Marinette speak to you about the river then?"
Ladybug laughed, "yes she did. Seems like her and Adrien got some big information. And darling?"
"You caught me," Chat Noir laughed, putting his hands up defensively, "As my princess has seem to stolen my heart!"
Her eyes widened and she choked. Tikki had suggested the idea to her but to hear it from Chat Noir himself was shocking for her.
"Why?" She asked stupidly, and loudly, her tone coming up rude.
Chat was taken aback by her question, "Why? Well why not!"
Ladybug sat down on the dock, hugging her knees to her chest, "Marinette is clumsy, she's awkward and can be shy. There's nothing really special about her. Chloe hates her, her friend's probably pity her and-"
"No!" Her partner cut her off, his voice annoyed and defensive, "Yes Marinette is clumsy, but it's the cutest thing I've ever seen! And she is so brave, just as brave as you even! She stands up for others, she's creative and so talented, everyone adores her and the only reason Chloe is so mean to her is because she's jealous! Marinette is beautiful and selfless, and when I'm around her I feel like I can be my true self! More of my Chat Noir self!"
Ladybug was taken aback by his words. She wondered how in the world Chat could feel so much for her civilian self when he spent most of his time with Ladybug rather than Marinette. Her eyes watered and she quickly blinked back the tears. Marinette couldn't believe he had said such wonderful things about her, the real her, and she wanted to grab him in that moment and hold him tight.
But that would be weird, she was Ladybug after all and not Marinette and at the same time she was feeling incredibly torn on her feelings for Adrien.
"Well you'll have some competition," Ladybug found herself teasing.
Her partner looked at her with large eyes, ears bending flat on his head and he sighed, "Yes, I know Nathaniel has had his eyes on her for sometime and they do have similar interests but-"
The spotted hero burst into a fit of giggles, "Not Nathaniel you silly kitty!" She held her stomach tightly, "Marinette has had a crush on Adrien Agreste since the day she met him! He's your real competition."
"Oh," was all Chat could say, his face suddenly blank and pale.
"Well then," he coughed, "I'll have to challenge the model."
Ladybug smiled at her partner fondly, "I'll be rooting for you then, Chaton. Marinette is a lucky girl, after all."
Funny actually, So this is only half of what I wanted to include in this chapter but it's already as long as some of my other chapters (if not more) and so I thought I would get this posted to you guys and move the next section to the next chapter! This one was a lot of fun to write, especially Tikki's little history lesson. I hope you cuties enjoyed it, I'll try to get the next chapter written up soon! I'm currently paused on my commissions because my iPad is too old for the drawing program I use and so it won't work anymore. I ordered an iPad Pro (ouch) but until that comes in I can't continue with my work so that gives me more time to write ;) I'm also 8 weeks pregnant! Which is exciting but dealing with my awful nausea and my crazy toddler son I'm exhausted. So that being said, I'll try to work on the next chapter lots and get it to you all soon. Don't be shy, leave reviews on any thoughts you may have and I'll see you all again soon! - SweetBbyFox
