A/N: thanks, Ms Candycane, for the review 3. Day 11: Voicemail/Calls.
After their last patrol, Ladybug sent Chat Noir a link through their communicators.
[Download this!] She sent along with it, eagerly waiting for him.
[As my lady commands : D] He sent back almost immediately.
That talk had been a bit of an eye-opener to Marinette. She was getting to know Chat Noir more and more each day and she treasured every bit of information she got, jealousy holding it close to chest, hesitating to write it even in her diary. He was a quiet student during class, he had a friend whose name was definitely not Sallie (ugh), his father was distant, his mother and mother-figure were out of reach. He was lonely. All this information was worrying, just not as much as what she learned that night. At that moment, with him shaking in her arms, she made a decision.
Being there for him just as Ladybug wasn't going to cut it anymore.
This idea wasn't anything new, she had been playing with it in her mind for a while now. So when she sent him a chat room code through her communicator with other instructions and detransformed, she was fairly confident it would work. Picking up her phone, she smiles as she saw that there was already a message.
CN
My lady! 3 3 3
LB
down, Chaton. :)
CN
I'm just mdlaomqnahsbsk
Is it okay, though? Talking like this?
LB
yeah, i've been testing this app with RR and it's fine, there's no way we'll leak our numbers or anything like that to each other. don't worry ;)
CN
This app is to warn each other about attacks and schedule meetings? Are you going to add RR to the chat?
LB
nah, i'll just make one for the 3 of us. this is one for us to talk and stuff, doesn't need to be about job things.
The "CN is typing…" kept it's place on the screen for enough time for her to start getting worried.
CN
You don't need to force yourself for my sake, bug. I don't want to bother you.
Marinette thought about making a joke. The situation, however, didn't seem right for it.
LB
you never bother me.
His response came almost immediately.
CN
You never texted me before.
LB
guess i'll have to learn what's the maximum amount of cat memes a person can humanely send per day
CN
Is that a challenge, my lady?
LB
;) ;) ;)
just remember to not blow up my phone, we have class
CN
I'll use my powers for good, don't worry : D
Marinette smiled and put down her phone, fixing up her bag for the next day on the chance (certainty) that she would wake up late the next day. When she picked the phone up again, there was a single text:
LB
Thank you, bug. Good night.
He was absolutely unstoppable after that. Next morning, as she was brushing her teeth, her cell phone pinged with the telling sound from the app and she smiled as she opened the app on her phone.
CN
Look, look, we can change each other's names.
LB
good to know
You changed "CN" 's name to "Chat-terbox"
Chat-terbox
You know me so well. Soulmates.
Chat-terbox changed your name to "lady of my heart"
lady of my heart
yeah, i should have seen that coming, that's on me.
oh yeah, gm
Chat-terbox
Good morning 3 3 3
Are you in class already?
Marinette froze in place, eyes snapping to the clock. There was only ten minutes before the class started. She bolted, barely noticing if she had on the right shoes or if her jacket matched her pants. So much for being an aspiring designer. Marinette blurred past the kitchen, taking a croissant and a banana and cramming them into her mouth as she ran. She made it to the classroom in the middle of the roll call, not even stopping by the lockers.
"Thanks for joining us, Marinette." Ms. Bustier said dryly. "Please take a seat."
"Thank you, ma'am." She answered, out of breath. Sitting down, she took out her tablet and noticed another message making her phone screen glow.
Chat-terbox
Is everything okay?
lady of my heart
i made it late in class but the teacher let me in hehehe
i think she's used to it *forehead sweatdrop emoji*
Chat-terbox
Hahaha a friend of mine just did the same thing, you two are twins
lady of my heart
let me guess… Sallie *eyeroll emoji*
Chat-terbox
I mean, yeah, but why the eyeroll?
lady of my heart
you just talk too much about her, don't you think
Chat-terbox
You sound just like Plagg.
lady of my heart
maybe bc we're right
Chat-terbox
Why does that bother you? Jealous? *eyes emoji*
lady of my heart
as if *kicks u*
Chat-terbox
You kick your partner? You kick his body like the football? Oh! Oh! Jail for my lady! Jail for my lady for One Thousand Years!
lady of my heart
since my fate is already decided *kicks u again*
Chat-terbox
Nooooooooo
A giggle escaped her mouth.
"Marinette?" Ms. Bustier raised an eyebrow. "Something you want to share with the class?"
"N-no, ma'am." She answered, face heating up. Marinette quietly put her phone away, ignoring Alya's prying eyes.
She only opened the app again during the break between classes, moving away from a curious Alya to hang by Kim and Alíx.
Chat-terbox
I'll assume you're actually paying attention to class, which is great. You probably need it to make up all those crazy plans ;)
SM beaten by ninth grade physics
Hey, boo, did you see this one SM identity theory video making rounds on the internet?
Marinette frowned.
lady of my heart
there's nothing new on the ladyblog
Chat-terbox
Oh, it's not on the Ladyblog, here (rickroll)
She opened the video as quickly as she could before Ms. Bustier came back, only from the sound to make Kim and Alíx burst out into laughter.
lady of my heart
i opened it in my class I hate u so muuuuuch ughhhhhh
Chat-terbox
C'mon, boo, it was funny
lady of my heart
: (
Chat-terbox
: 3
This time, she willingly put her phone away.
On the next break, she tried to ignore the pinging from her phone. However, curiosity killed the cat('s lady).
Chat-terbox
Please don't be mad, my lady, I have written you a lengthy apology to make up for sins
File attachment: apology letter for my
lady of my heart
if it's another rickroll i swear to god i'll END you
Chat-terbox
You can see it's not a video, it's safe to open
Scout's honor
lady of my heart
u were never a scout
Chat-terbox
I could be!
Please read 3
Sighing deeply, she clicked on the document. He would never shut up if she didn't. It read as:
l would like to offer my sincerest According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible…
She clicked back
Chat-terbox
Did you like it? :3
lady of my heart
…
blocked
Chat-terbox
Boo, noooooooo
After that, Marinette didn't open the app again no matter how much her phone pinged. She wasn't mad, not really, just a bit annoyed. Before lunch ended, she would read and answer. But now, she was stuck watching Alya and Nino play Super Penguino and make moon eyes at each other. Adrien wasn't allowed to join them, as much as he begged his father, and she was feeling pretty bummed about that. She poked around her chicken pasta when she heard her phone playing a familiar song.
kore nani kore nani korenanikorenanikorenanikorenani-
Chat Noir!
"Is everything okay?" Marinette asked as soon as she picked up the phone. Alya and Nino, noticing her worried tone, paused their game to look at her.
"You picked up!" Chat Noir said, cheery. "I thought you blocked me."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is there actually something wrong? I'll hang up "
"No, wait!" He yelped. "There's nothing wrong, I just wanted to talk. Are you busy?"
Marinette looked over at Nino and Alya, who were still watching her expectantly. She smiles reassuringly and waved them away, furtively signaling to Alya that it was Chat Noir on the phone. Her friend nodded and bumped her shoulder on Nino's.
"C'mon, babe, let Marinette talk to her 'friend' by herself." Alya said, leering.
"Why did you say it like that?" Nino asked, confused. Then, his eyes lit up. "Is it Adrien? Tell him I said hi!"
"No!" Marinette shouted, gaining weird stares from the other patrons.
"No, you aren't busy?" Chat Noir asked on the phone.
"No, it's not Adrien, or no, you won't tell him I said hi?" Nino asked.
"It's another friend." She said hurriedly before focusing on the phone. "I can talk now, not that busy."
"If you're with your friends, it's okay." He said, rather meekly for her chaton.
"I'm just third-wheeling." Marinette said as Alya and Nino began another round of Super Penguins. "Why did you call? Aren't you having lunch now?"
Chat Noir chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I'm having lunch at home and I'm all alone, so I thought I could give you a call. Is that too much?"
"No, it's fine." She reassured. "Why are you alone? What about your siblings?"
"What siblings?" He asked, genuinely confused.
"Uh… the siblings I assumed you had for some reason." She said awkwardly, noticing how out there she sounded the more she spoke.
"Really? You thought I had siblings? Why?"
"Because you're just like an annoying little brother." She said teasingly, a complete lie.
Chat Noir struck her as a mischievous, but supportive older brother. The kind that sneaked you treats after midnight and comforted you after failing a math test. Not like she could tell him that, though. If he was a little brother, it would be to a stressed older sister that he admired a lot and that found him reliable in return. She dreamed about meeting them sometimes and now it seemed that they would truly stay dreams forever.
"I would like an older brother or sister." He sighed longingly. "The closest I have is my cousin, but he lives in another country."
"Oh, sorry."
"No, it's better this way, we would kill each other if we lived together. Everyday I would have to check for poison in my breakfast."
"A true sibling dynamic."
"Yep."
"Hey, why aren't you having lunch with your friends then?" With Sallie, she wanted to tease, but held back for fear of sounding, as Tikki said, bitter.
"My father would rather I have lunch at home." He said vaguely. "My friends did invite me to go with them to a café, but my father didn't like the idea. He only likes one of them, the rest he says are bad influences."
"Let me guess, the one he likes is Sallie?"
"I can hear you rolling your eyes, but yes."
"Well, if you ever get lonely at lunch, you can call me." Marinette said honestly. "I don't mind it."
"Thank you." Chat Noir said softly.
They spent the rest of lunch talking on the phone, even sending pictures of their food to each other (Chat's limp salad made her take a bunch of mental notes to take him some pastries next patrol). On the way to school, as she walked to the classroom, they kept talking. She could hear Chat getting on a vehicle (a bus?) and when he got to school, she was disappointed he had to hang up. After Marinette clicked the end call button, the first thing she noticed when she looked up was Alya's smug face and Nino's confused one.
"Wow, does my bro have some competition, dude?" Nino said. "You spent the entire break talking."
"What? No, that was just a friend!"
"Yeah, a friend." Alya sing-songed, making her face heat up.
"Yeah." Marinette said firmly. "There's no competition for anything."
"Who's competing?" A sweet voice asked from behind her and she jumped.
"Adrien!" She shouted, scrambling. "N-nothing hehe."
"Dude!" Nino smiled. "How was your lunch?"
Adrien smiled, brightly. "The best I've ever had."
Marinette felt inclined to agree.
A/N: Please review if you can :3