Since I got some questions about it I just want to let you guys know I'll be updating roughly once a month. I'm very busy in an accelerated grad school program plus working full time, so that's the best I can do right now. Also, I have no long-game plan for this thing so just know it's all coming out of my butt as we truck along. Enjoy!
Marinette jumped as her phone buzzed. She honestly hadn't expected a response from Adrien, as both Nino and Alya had reported that their attempts to reach him had failed. With cautious excitement, she swiped the message open.
Adrien: :)
She wasn't sure what to think of the simple response, but was relieved to have it nonetheless. She took a screen shot of the thread and forwarded it to Nino and Alya.
Marinette: Well, that's something, I guess.
Alya: Way to go, Mari! At least we know he's alive.
Nino: Lol you know how to make him talk.
Marinette: Yeah, do you think I should try to make conversation though? I don't wanna push it.
Nino: I think we've tried all we can for tonight. If he wanted to talk, he'd have done it by now.
Alya: Right, and we've all reassured him we're here for him, so probs best to just let him sit on it for the night.
Alya: Don't worry guys, our sunshine boy will be back to normal soon! That's a Césaire guarantee ;)
Marinette: Haha, okay. See you guys tomorrow!
They all said their goodbyes, and Marinette set her phone on the desk, fingers tapping idly next to it as she sought something to distract her from her worries.
With her ever-perfect timing, Sabine called up at that moment. "Marinette! Dinner is ready!"
"Coming, Maman!" The girl scuttled down the stairs to help her mother finish setting the table. She found her parents' warm presence reassuring, and it helped take her mind off of her worries.
During dinner, Sabine passed her the pepper, eyeing her with a furrowed brow. "Marinette, is everything alright?"
Her mother may not have been a miraculous holder, but she seemed to have the superpower of knowing when something was bothering Marinette, no matter how well she managed to hide it.
"Actually, something was wrong with Adrien today." Her parents looked on in concern as she continued, "We're not sure what, but it seems like something bad happened last night. He looked like he hadn't slept and was super jumpy and irritated all day."
"How unlike him," Tom commented, putting his fork down. "And he wouldn't say what it was?"
Marinette swallowed a bite of bread, shaking her head. "No, he kept saying he was fine and didn't want to talk about it, but then during lunch he just bolted out of school." She rested one elbow on the table, laying her chin in her hand. "Now he doesn't want any visitors, and he's not responding to our texts. And I feel bad because I promised to text him last night, but I was exhausted and said I was going to bed instead. What if I could have done something?"
Her mother reached over to stroke her hair. "Don't put that weight on yourself, Marinette, I'm sure he doesn't hold it against you. And he knows you're there for him if he does want to talk, right?" The girl nodded. "There, you see? You are a very good friend to that boy, and he knows it."
"You mentioned trouble with his father before," Tom commented, fiddling with his mustache. "Let him know that if there's anything we can do to help, our door is always open to him."
Marinette brightened, hopping out of her seat. "Thanks, Papa!" She flung her arms around the man, giving him a peck on the cheek, then did the same to her mother. "You guys are the best parents a girl could ask for."
Sabine chuckled. "We appreciate the title. Good luck with Adrien."
"Thanks!" Marinette dashed to the sink to rinse her dish, then zoomed up the stairs to find her phone. Snatching it up, she opened her text thread with Adrien.
Marinette: My parents want you to know that our door is always open to you, whether you need pastries or a place to stay. I'm not sure what you're going through right now, but I know that hard things are easier together.
She waited a moment for her text to deliver, puzzled when the usual check mark didn't appear. She looked at her signal - four bars.
His phone was off.
Worries reestablished, she alerted the others. Of course, there wasn't much they could do. If he wanted to shut them out, that was his right.
Still, Marinette didn't like it.
For a moment, she was tempted to swing by his house as Ladybug, just to peek in and see how he was doing, but she reconsidered. That would be an invasion of his privacy, and she couldn't do that. She had to respect his wishes, as painful as it was to be shut out.
However, transforming and going for a run didn't sound like a bad idea. It might be just the thing to take her mind off her worries. Besides, she had a there was a stray cat roaming around out there that needed some comforting.
"Tikki," she called softly, waiting for her kwamii to surface from her hiding spot and rest on her shoulder. "Mind if we go out for a bit?"
"Of course not, Marinette!"
"Thanks. Tikki, spots on!"
Suited up, she jumped up to the trap door and let herself out into the brisk night air. Wrapping her arms around herself, she scanned the rooftops surrounding her in the dim moonlight, her view of the city slightly obscured by clouds over the moon.
"If I were a stray kitty in the cold Parisian night, where would I go?" she mused, reaching for her yoyo.
Considering their meeting last night, the answer was obvious. Chat Noir had always loved the fantasy of a secret base, and the warehouse walls would keep out some of the cold wind. She launched off the balcony, swinging in that direction.
Minutes later, she landed with delicate grace on the rooftop. She noted that the plywood sheet had been moved aside - her hunch was right. With a graceful leap, she descended into the dark room.
"Chat Noir?" she called into the inky darkness, squinting around as her eyes took a moment to adjust. In his all-black suit, he would be difficult to see in the shadows.
There was a shuffling sound behind her and she spun around, catching a glimpse of two glowing orbs. It was always a little eerie how his eyes glowed in the dark, but she swallowed her surprise and meandered towards him. "Hey, Chat. How are you holding up?"
A dry laugh sounded from a dark, hunched shape, and his eyes flashed again, more narrowed this time. "How do you think?"
There was a bit of bite in his tone, which Ladybug graciously decided to excuse considering his situation. Reaching out, she patted the air, looking for what the boy was sitting on. Coming into contact with a crate, she took a seat next to him and leaned back with a sigh.
"You and Grumpy Cat must be soulmates."
Chat let out a wry chuckle. "That cat seems to be the theme of my life today."
"Well, it's obvious why. You're being a grumpy cat," Ladybug teased, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge with her own so he knew she was joking. After a second of hesitation, he returned the bump.
"So, how did school go? Did you have much trouble?"
Chat sighed at the question, glancing over at his partner. She probably couldn't see his face in the dim light, but she faced him with an earnest and caring expression. He managed a small smile when he realized she had been focusing her gaze about a foot to the right of him.
Ladybug jumped as clawed fingers grazed her chin, allowing the boy to adjust her head, presumably so that she was truly facing him. His fingers shook as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and she leaned her head into his palm, showing him that she still trusted him completely.
The gesture soothed him somewhat, and he let his hand remain there, thumb stroking her cheek as he responded to the question. "It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Plagg came up with a plan to help me, but I...I didn't make it through the day." He ducked his head in shame, but she moved before he could pull his hand away, clasping it to her cheek with her own.
"Oh Kitty, I'm so sorry. It must've been hard for you." She squeezed gave his hand a comforting squeeze, and the shame - his shame - that had been pulsing in the back of her head subsided a little. "It's amazing you were able to go at all. I don't think I would've been able to manage that."
Chat chuckled, hand sliding back to play with her pigtail. "Of course you could have, you're Ladybug. You can do anything."
She shook her head. "There are a lot of things Ladybug can do that my civilian self can't."
"I'm sure that's not true."
She hesitated on her next words, not sure if it was right to give him hope she wasn't prepared to cash in on. Then again, hope was what he needed now more than anything. "Remind me of this conversation once you know both sides of me. Then we'll see who's right."
His tail gave an unconscious twitch, and she felt his excitement make her heart skip a beat. "Do you mean that, my lady?"
She wasn't sure if it was his influence or not, but her reply was instantaneous. "I do."
He pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her hair as he held her tight, and she didn't have the heart to reconsider. He was the one she trusted above all others, and she knew that she'd do anything for him, even give up her biggest secret.
Not today, but someday.
Although, if this sharing emotions thing kept developing, that day could come sooner rather than later. Which brought her to her next question.
"Chat Noir?" she asked, receiving a nod and muffled hum in response. "Have you been having any...strange feelings recently?"
The question caused him to pull back for a moment, though his hands remained close enough to cascade down her arms, fingers tracing patterns as they went. She shivered, surprised at the pleasant sensation, and hoped he hadn't noticed.
"Do you mean, like feelings that aren't my own?" he asked, drawing circles on the back of her hands with his thumbs. She nodded, and he picked up her injured hand, turning it over gently and pressing several sweet kisses around her palm.
Ladybug shuddered again, sure that she was turning red as her suit. His touch was surprisingly enjoyable, embarrassingly so.
She became even more embarrassed when she could hear the smirk in his voice as he whispered, "I'm feeling some right now."
She wrenched her hand away, holding it to her chest as her face caught fire. She felt him shift towards her, could sense the predatory delight he was feeling, and as annoyed and flustered as she was, she was glad he had gone back to his usual self for a moment.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed," he murmured, head ducking down to nuzzle her cheek. Into her ear, he whispered, "Then again, you're always cute."
Ladybug leaned back, trying to steady her breathing as her heart hammered in her chest in what she absolutely would not admit was some sort of arousal. Why on earth was he affecting her so much? He'd always been flirtatious, and she'd always brushed it off with ease. Was this another effect of their new powers, or did she just want to believe that it was?
"What's gotten into you, mangy cat?" she stammered, not managing to sound as chiding as she wanted.
"You're just too easy to tease, my lady." Feeling emboldened by the feelings of pleasure and cautious anticipation rolling off of her, he pressed a kiss to the edge of her jaw before pulling away.
Ladybug's mouth opened and closed aimlessly for a moment, unsure if she was more appalled at the action or her positive reaction to it. Don't get mad, get even, she thought to herself. Her blood boiled at the challenge, and she hoped he couldn't sense her intents as she put on a sly smile and leaned towards him.
"What are you up to, Bug?" he chuckled as she languidly walked her fingers up his chest.
She toyed with the seam that bisected his chest momentarily, before lifting herself onto her knees and reaching up to flick his bell. "What makes you think I'm up to anything, Kitty?"
The sight of her on all fours next to him did something unholy to the teenage boy, and he gulped hard as she gave him a carnivorous smile and inched closer.
A sudden image of her on top of him, legs braced on either side of his hips and hands holding his arms down as they made smouldering eye contact flashed through her mind, and she gasped and sat back on her heels, slapping a hand over her eyes as though that could stop her from seeing his thoughts. "Chat Noir!"
It was an attractive scene, she had to admit to herself, though she'd never tell him that.
"I-I'm sorry!" he mewled, retreating so fast that he scooted himself off the crate and landed in a distressed pile on the floor.
Embarrassed as she was, his reaction was hilarious, and she couldn't help but laugh as she reached down and yanked him back up beside her. "I guess we have some practicing to do with this stuff, huh."
"No kidding," he commented as he dusted himself off, pretending to be less humiliated than he felt. "This could get dangerous pretty fast."
"Just try to keep it PG, you perv."
He poked her cheek with a clawed finger. "Hey, if I recall correctly, we were both in our suits, so I think I'm in the clear there thank you very much."
She rolled her eyes with a slight blush, batting his hand away. Ignoring the comment, she said, "If it does keep developing like this though, I think our identities will be at risk."
He mulled the thought over. "You're probably right. Have you asked Tikki about it?"
"She sort of changed the subject. I'll try to ask her about it again tonight, but I don't know how much I'll be able to get out of her."
"Plagg has been more helpful recently, I'll see if he's willing to give anything up."
Ladybug nodded at the suggestion, tapping her toes against the floor as she pondered the possibilities of this new power. "I suppose it could be useful in battle. We already work together well, but if we could literally talk with our minds..."
"We'd be unstoppable." Chat grinned. "Maybe new powers aren't all bad."
Standing up and bringing a hand to her chin, Ladybug began to pace. "We need to do experiments, find out the limitations. Is it only good for feelings and pictures, or can we actually communicate in a normal conversation? Is it affected by distance? Can we tell where the other person is just by feeling it? What if we're asleep, can our dreams be transmitted? If we-"
"Bug, take a breath," her partner chuckled, coming over to her and resting a hand on her shoulder to still her. "We've got plenty of time to figure things out." As she narrowed her eyes at him, he acquiesced, "Alright, when we get home we can try sending some thoughts back and forth, test things out a bit."
"Great." She turned to him suddenly, remembering something. "Did you make your Link account? We'll need it for the experiments."
He grinned at her, teeth glinting in the faint light. "Sure did, and I got a great username."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course. What is it?"
"Nuh uh, Buginette, it's gotta be a surprise. Give me yours and I'll friend you."
She bit her lip, suddenly hesitant about the name she'd picked as a joke. "Fine. It's 'The OG Ladybug'."
"Easy to remember," he laughed. "I'll add you once I'm home, then we can practice."
She nodded, following him towards the hole. He grabbed his baton, and before she could reach for her yoyo he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest, launching them into the air. She clutched at his suit in surprise at the sudden movement. He gently let them down onto the roof, but didn't release her, so she peered up at him, hands still resting on his chest.
He smiled down at her, something special shining in his eyes, and her heart stuttered for a moment. "Thank you for tonight, my lady. You were, as always, exactly what I needed."
She hoped her blush was hidden behind her mask. "Of course, Chaton. I'm always here for you, no matter what."
After a moment's pause, he slowly released her waist and stepped back. With a flourish, he bowed to her, picking up her hand and pressing a lingering kiss to the back of it. "I'll see you soon, Buginette."
And with that, he was gone. She stared after him, watching his lithe form overtake rooftop after rooftop, unsure when he had gotten so tall, so muscular, and more unsure why she had started to notice so much. When he faded into the night, she shook herself from her stupor and began her own journey home.
Detransformed and having gotten ready for bed, Marinette climbed under the covers and pulled out her phone to see a new Link notification, as expected. Tapping on it, she waited for the app to load and navigated to her friend requests. There was only one name listed, and even if there had been more, she would have known it was him in a heartbeat.
She accepted the request, tapping into their new message thread.
TheOGLadybug: Are you kidding me?
Dots bounced at the bottom of the screen as her partner typed out a response.
Miraculous_Sixpack: Don't you mean "kitten me"?
*You have unfriended user Miraculous_Sixpack *
Her phone pinged as a new friend request came through. She rolled her eyes, accepting it and pulling up the message thread to read his new message.
Miraculous_Sixpack: :(
She rolled over onto her stomach, thumbs tapping out her response.
TheOGLadybug: Take that as a warning.
Miraculous_Sixpack: Alright, alright, I surrender. No more puns.
Miraculous_Sixpack: For now... :D
*You have unfriended user Miraculous_Sixpack *
She giggled at the next ping, going through the motions of accepting his request again. The puns didn't actually bother her much, but she couldn't let him know that - he was already incorrigible as it was.
Miraculous_Sixpack: Bug, I love you, but you're being ridiculous, we're not going to get anywhere like this.
Miraculous_Sixpack: I promise to behave, cat's honor :3
TheOGLadybug: Fine. But Miraculous_Sixpack, really?
Miraculous_Sixpack: Well I wanted to be 'Ladybug's Knight in Shining Arm-purr', but that exceeded the character limit
TheOGLadybug: Oh, well...thank goodness
Miraculous_Sixpack: You wound me, my lady!
Miraculous_Sixpack: So where do you wanna start?
She hummed thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered the question.
TheOGLadybug: I'm not sure. Not like we've dealt with this kind of thing before...
Miraculous_Sixpack: Okay, how about I try to send you a thought, and you guess what it is?
TheOGLadybug: Easy enough. Just keep it professional, kitty ;p
Miraculous_Sixpack: I told you it was an accident!
She laughed quietly to herself. It was seldom she got to embarrass him, and boy did it feel good when she did.
TheOGLadybug: Alright, go ahead and think at me I guess?
He responded with a thumbs up, and she put her phone down, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the message he was supposed to be sending her.
At first, she didn't sense anything foreign, but after waiting a moment she felt it. Though the thought wasn't her own, it didn't feel uncomfortable or intrusive. It was more like someone had slipped a note under her door, it was just waiting there, meant for her to see. However, at this stage of inexperience it was like trying to read a book from 100 feet away - she could tell something was there, but couldn't make it out.
Breathing deeply, she focused harder on the thought, trying to draw it closer so she could decipher it. Slowly, the message became clearer, until she felt she had a reasonable guess as to the subject.
TheOGLadybug: You're thinking about food?
Miraculous_Sixpack: Not bad, my lady. I was thinking about the treats from my favorite bakery, in particular their croissants. Still, for a first attempt that's pretty good!
TheOGLadybug: Okay, let me try one.
She closed her eyes and selected her topic: a ball of yarn. Biting her lip, she tried to figure out how to send the thought to him. Did she just think about it, or was there some way to direct it? She should've asked what he had done.
Finally, she decided to try "throwing" the thought, like one would with an actual ball, figuring the mental imagery might help increase the clarity of the message if nothing else. Imagining herself holding a ball of yarn, she sighted Chat Noir in the distance and tossed it towards him, watching it unravel as it spun towards his hands.
A moment later, her phone buzzed, and she opened his message to see an emoji of a ball, followed by a question mark.
TheOGLadybug: Close. It was a ball of yarn.
Miraculous_Sixpack: Hardy-har, very funny LB.
TheOGLadybug: Thanks ;)
Miraculous_Sixpack: Okay, so we can definitely send thoughts this way, it's just going to take a lot of getting used to to make it effective.
TheOGLadybug: Right. We should practice regularly, especially because we don't want to risk sharing too much.
Miraculous_Sixpack: I swear I'm not a pervert! D:
TheOGLadybug: I meant our identities, Chat .
Miraculous_Sixpack: ...oh
Miraculous_Sixpack: Me too
Marinette chuckled and rolled her eyes again, feeling a surge of affection for the boy. Ridiculous as he was, there was something charming and endearing about his goofy behavior.
Miraculous_Sixpack: I felt that! You do love me ;)
TheOGLadybug: I tolerate you
Miraculous_Sixpack: Whatever you say, Buginette xoxo
They tossed around a few more thoughts before deciding to call it a night. As they practiced, the thoughts got slightly clearer, but it was a slow process. On the bright side, distance didn't seem to change the strength of the connection; they felt each other as strongly as they had when they had been together.
With the hour growing late, they bid each other a good night, promising to practice more throughout the next few days. Finally putting her phone aside, Marinette realized with a sigh how exhausted she was from the day's events, and put her head to her pillow, quickly drifting into a dreamless slumber.