Miraculous Ladybug AU

Puppeteer 2 – Rewrite

DM Notes – Okay, quick question readers. For some odd reason, whenever I am looking at fan art for the Chlonath pairing, I see a couple of them with Nathaniel being the wielder of the Peacock Miraculous (half the time he's a villain). Why? Don't get me wrong, I think Nathaniel deserves a Miraculous. But nothing has pointed to him taking up the mantle of the Peacock holder.

If Nathaniel does get a Miraculous, it needs to fit with who he is. I honestly think Nathaniel should get the Miraculous of the Rooster. Although we don't know what this Miraculous does yet, I still think it would fit Nathaniel much better than the Peacock.

Personally, I think Nathaniel as a rooster-themed hero would look great. And I think his primary power would have some restorative properties. Rejuvenation, there we go.

Also, Nathaniel is the name of an angel. It means "Gift of God". Anyway, that's just something that's been bothering me.

That, and the fact that Nathaniel keeps getting paired with people that don't make sense for him to be paired with (Luka, Marc, Adrien, Lila). If it weren't for Chloe's redemption arc, I'd probably be supporting either Alix&Nathaniel or Julika&Nathaniel (though more Alix than Julika).

Okay, enough of my rambling. On with the chapter! I have more things to cover.

[Chat Noir]

This was definitely awkward. It was after the battle with Puppeteer at the wax museum, Ayla and Nino had been dropped off not too long ago, and it was now just Adrien and Marinette. In the limo, alone, in the back, seated next to each other. Adrien glanced over to Marinette as he began thinking about what happened earlier.

Adrien was pretending to be a statue after Marinette left the restroom. For some reason she was beating herself up over something, literally. When she saw Adrien standing there, she jumped back in surprise. "Ah!" She then calmed down when Adrien remained motionless . "Oh, it's just a statue. How did I not notice it before?"

Adrien probably should have thought of that, but his plan was working. She was not flustered around him for once. Marinette then reached up and gently caressed his cheek. "Wow, it even feels real." She stated.

Taking her hand away Marinette took a step back and turned around. Adrien tried his best not to break, but he did steal a glance while Marinette talked to herself. "Be cool, Marinette. Just pretend it is Adrien. That should make it easier, right?"

'Make what easier?' Adrien asked himself taking his gaze back before Marinette turned back around. Marinette gave out a sigh. 'She's actually kind of cute when she's flustered.' Adrien thought before realization sunk in. 'Wait, flustered? Does that mean… I'm about to listen to her practice her confession?!'

[Ladybug]

This was definitely awkward. Adrien had not spoken for the majority of the limo ride; only once to say goodbye to Nino and Alya. Now it was just the two of them. Alone. Why did it have to be so awkward?

'Right, because I spilled out my feelings to him right before we were attacked by the wax Hawkmoth.' Marinette thought before stealing a quick glance at Adrien.

Marinette let out a sigh. "Okay, here goes nothing." Marinette then quickly slammed her hands over her eyes. "Oh, what would I even say?!" Marinette then started pacing. "Hey Adrien! Boy do I have something hilarious to tell you." With each turn, she switched what line she could start with. "Hey handsome. You know, you've been on my mind for a while now."

"Funny story, I used to not like you. But after you showed me how kind and amazing you were, I kind of fell head over heels for you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, how clumsy of me. It seems that I fell in love with you."

Marinette then grabbed her head and growled at herself. "This is so frustrating! Why can't this just be easy? What if he doesn't like me back?"

"What if I say something wrong and offend him. Then our friendship is ruined and he'll never want to speak to me again!"

Marinette then stopped in her tracks when she heard a failed attempt to hold back a laugh. "Pfft."

She turned her head slowly to the Adrien statue. No, not a statue. What she thought was a wax statue was the real Adrien, who was no longer in the same pose as before. Adrien puts his hands up defensively. "Don't mind me." He said smiling.

[Chat Noir]

In hindsight, Adrien probably shouldn't have snickered at Marinette. Now her face was a mixture of shock, embarrassment, and dismay. And perhaps there was a drop of fright mixed in as well. "Y-you- I-I-" Marinette stuttered, her face getting red.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think your fourth one was really clever." Adrien stated.

Tears began to well up in Marinette's eyes, surprising Adrien. "That's not funny!" She yelled, half-choking on her sobs. "That's not funny at all!"

'Good going Agreste. You just made her cry. Now she is definitely mad at you.' Adrien thought as Marinette ran over to a bench and sat down.

Adrien sighed and walked over to his friend and sat down beside her. "Forgive me. Even after all these months with you guys, I guess I'm still not good at being a good friend." He said. 'Not to mention I was blind to her feelings for me. Ironic, seeing that I'm the one who fell for her on more than one occasion.' He added, to himself of course.

Yeah, I'm definitely an idiot. Adrien thought as the limo came to a stoplight. "So,"

"Adrien I-" Marinette began at the same time as Adrien, causing the two to stop.

"Sorry, you first." They said simultaneously.

The two blushed. "I insist. Ladies first." Adrien stated.

Marinette smiled. "Adrien, I'm sorry about today. It's probably the last thing you wanted to hear."

Adrien waved his arms defensively. "No, no. It's fine, Mari. I'm flattered." He then frowned. "It's must have been difficult. Holding in your feelings like that."

Marinette laughed nervously. "I wouldn't say I was holding them in. Everyone at school was practically getting tired of my rambling."

Adrien blinked in surprise. "Hold up, am I the only person who was blind to the fact you had a crush on me?" Marinette gave a nervous grin and Adrien then facepalmed. "Wow, I am so dense."

Marinette giggled. "You're not that dense."

Adrien chuckled. "Thanks."

The two turned away from each other. "So, now you know. What now?" Marinette asked.

Adrien shrugged. "If this were a dream or some lousy writing, we'd probably be in the middle of a long, exaggerated kiss. But its not. I honestly do want to return your feelings, Marinette." Marinette turned to Adrien. "But I also want you to fall for me for the right reasons. Adrien is only a mask that I wear. I want you to know me for who is under that mask."

Adrien then looked at Marinette with a sad smile. Marinette smiled back. "I think I know what you mean."

Adrien then offered a handshake. "So, are we still friends?"

Marinette giggled. "Yeah, you bet." She stated before accepting his hand.

The limo finally came to a stop at Marinette's house and the two exited the vehicle. Adrien walked Marinette to the door. Once there, the two faced each other and gave a quick hug.

[Ladybug]

Adrien and Marinette parted from their embrace. The model then walked back to the limo, waving. "See you later?" Adrien asked.

Marinette smiled. "I look forward to it."

Adrien smiled back before getting into the limo. After watching the limo drive off, Marinette turned to go inside. "Well that went better than expected." Tikki stated as Marinette put her hand on the door handle.

"Totally. I thought I was going to lose Adrien as a friend. But now, Tikki," Marinette opened the door to the bakery and walked inside. "Things are looking u-"

Marinette stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Standing before her, having a chat with her parents was Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette's father saw his daughter standing at the door. "Honey, there you are."

Chloe turned, a stoic expression on her face. Marinette glanced up, noticing that the mayor's daughter was without her sunglasses and saw the Bee Miraculous resting in her hair, in plain view. Marinette gulped, her face pale. "Hello, Marinette." Chloe greeted sourly. "We need to talk."

DM Notes – Well, well, well. Hope this small chapter was to your liking viewers. Just a short rewrite of a couple of Puppeteer 2 scenes. For the most part, everything is the same, I just really disliked Marinette fawning over Adrien's statue the way she did. So, I went with a confession instead. Until next time.

Adrien collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. Today was something else. Plagg flew lazily around his friend. "You confuse me kid." The kwami stated.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"Well, I don't know. You found out who the love of your life was not too long ago and now you know she loves you back. Yet, you turned her down." Plagg replied.

"Like I told her, Plagg, Adrien is just one side of me. I want her to love more than just the model or her friend. Chat Noir is who I am too. If not who I really am. I want her to love that side of me too."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Whatever kid. I still think you should have made with her face like cheese"

Adrien's face turned red. "Plagg!" He cried.