A/N: Based on Marichat May 2021 prompts. If you enjoy, please follow, favorite and review.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Miraculous.
1.
Adrien felt his head begin to hurt just by watching it. His good friend, Marinette was staring at the phone again. She was doing it all the time these days, hiding her bluebell eyes whenever he was near. Scrolling on Facebook. Liking photos on Instagram. Reading Ladyblog. The first couple of times he'd written it off as coincidence. Now, two weeks later, he could conclude only one thing.
And it was this: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was an addict.
"Alya, can you help me with this?" she asked, posing for a photo. The redhead laughed. The camera shutter made a sound which was immediately swallowed up in the busy classroom.
"It looks really good," she said, passing the phone to Marinette. "Really shows off the design of your blouse."
"You think so?" Marinette beamed. "I feel like something is missing though… Like it could be better somehow."
"Nah, girl, it's perfect!" Alya checked it again. "Come on, post it already and then we can go."
"I'm already on it!" her friend announced, not looking up from the screen, even if Adrien had stepped dangerously close to her.
"You know what would help you?" Chloé smirked without looking at Marinette. "Getting a life. Your stuff is as boring as it gets."
Marinette glared at her. "No one asked your opinion, Chloé." After that, her attention turned back to the screen. Adrien nodded absentmindedly, as if confirming an old theory.
The bluenette was addicted alright. But not to the social media like the blonde boy thought. Marinette had simply discovered that it was easier for her,if she didn't look at him. The smartphone that she had received as a gift from her grandmother (to stay in touch more easily during her travels) had proved to be a brilliant distraction.
"Marinette, you should stop," Adrien said kindly. "It's not good for your posture." He poked her spine gently, making the girl jump at the touch. Her head snapped up and Adrien grinned at her so widely she blushed to the roots of her hair.
"Don't kill her, pretty boy," Alya came to her friend's rescue, amazed that the boy in question could not take a hint. It was painfully obvious that their mutual friend was in love with him. "Come on, Marinette, we've got to go."
"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.
"Marinette feels like she's not getting enough likes on her stuff, so we're going to see, if we can get a better shot at one of the iconic spots in our wonderful city of love." It was a lie, albeit a smooth one. Even though she and Marinette weren't planning to do anything too specific, Alya didn't want anyone to invite themselves along – girl time was for girls only.
Marinette, still staring at the phone, nodded. Adrien frowned.
"Don't you think she spends too much time on her phone?" he asked Alya. The girl shrugged.
"No more than usual I guess," she answered, pulling the bluenette along. "See you later!"
As soon as they were out of the room, Adrien sighed. He'd had this exact conversation every day. He'd even told Marinette that the likes and reactions wouldn't make her happy. She'd readily agreed, never looking up from the screen.
A thought occurred to him. Marinette was a shy girl. If she got those likes and comments, maybe she'd finally get her head out of the phone. Maybe she'd look at him again. As Adrien Agreste, it would be so easy – but she'd probably stop being his friend. The spotlight on the model was something else.
As he reached out to grab his bag, the ring on his finger caught his eye. Of course, there was also that. She never had to know…
His plan was simple. All he had to do was be on the scene when Alya was taking a photo of Marinette. Of course, he had to be inconspicuous to pull this off. After all, if he wasn't, the photo would end up on Ladyblog before making it to Marinette's Instagram account. He was sure he could manage it somehow.
He would later point out the superhero, using his personal account. Alya would confirm it with Ladyblog. That would give Marinette's account some exposure, which she seemed to desire, and that would lead people to check out her designs too. Marinette's account seemed to be mostly reserved for those. She rarely posted photos of herself, what she ate or who she was with. But there seemed to be a personal touch to all the photos she shared with her not-so-few followers.
His wicked plan was interrupted by sudden rain. It was not unusual to rain like this in the beginning of May, but it left him sulking. It felt like a personal attack on the Parisian hero who was famous for his bad luck, even though the afternoon rain had been forecasted several days ahead of time. The leather-clad superhero stalked the roofs of Paris, going by unnoticed except for the occasional glance upwards by a child or two. Wet hair stuck as close to his skin as the suit that left little to imagination.
He sighed, wondering if he should just call it a day. Ladybug had skipped patrol too. Considering that, he almost passed Marinette's balcony.
Almost. He landed with a loud thud, knocking over a flower pot and managing to catch it before it hit the ground. He sighed in relief and placed it where it had been. He looked around, expecting Marinette to show up to look for the source of the noise, so he put on his most innocent look. When she didn't appear, Chat approached the trapdoor cautiously, briefly wondering if he was walking into a trap.
The trapdoor was slightly open, letting in cool air. Chat opened it wider and slipped in, careful not to get her bed wet. He closed the door behind him. He was ready to be ambushed, so it was a surprise when nothing happened. A mischievous grin spread over his face as he strutted down the stairs.
Chat had been in her room before, both as a superhero and as a civilian. It was comfortable, although a little too pink in his opinion. But he didn't mind the pinkness. It was fitting for his Princess. Especially since Marinette tended to blush often and in all the shades of pink you could find in her room.
Chat expected her to squeal, surprised at his unexpected presence. He didn't even try to be quiet, since his landing itself had been loud, but all that welcomed him was a still and quiet room. At first, he thought Marinette wasn't home. For a moment, he considered giving up the plan and making his escape as quickly as he'd come. But then he noticed her, asleep, arms stretched out and her right cheek pressed against an opened physics textbook.
Chat stared at her, taken aback, as a wide grin spread over his face. It was all too easy. And too tempting.
Sneakily, he looked for her phone. It was next to her sleeping body. Chat picked it up carefully and was pleased to discover he could unlock it with a PIN. He tried several number combinations, from her birthday to Alya's, growing more impatient by the failed attempts. He finally entered the day they'd met and was surprised it unlocked the phone. But he didn't have time to be surprised, so he shoved the feeling aside, opened the camera app and turned on the selfie cam, a wicked grin spreading over his face again. He leaned closer to Marinette, making sure they were both in the picture and took the picture. It took a couple of attempts, because taking photos with a clawed hand wasn't exactly easy, but he managed and that was what mattered. Marinette stirred a couple of times, giving him a mini heart attack every time, but didn't wake.
Chat nearly dropped the phone, as he tried to switch from camera to Instagram, and he sighed in relief once he managed. He considered detransforming just so he could be done with it quicker, but he really didn't want to risk Marinette waking up and finding out his identity.
Personally, he thought the photo was great. She looked cute, even asleep, and he looked as good as ever. It helped that he knew his best angles. He posted it with a smug grin, adding a humble #PrincessDiaries to it without a comment. As soon as he was sure it had uploaded, he closed all apps and put the phone where it had been. Then he made his exit, satisfied and amused, waiting for all hell to break loose.