It was supposed to have been harmless. It was a check-up and nothing more. In the black spaces of the night, Adrien leapt through Paris in his persona. The wind bled through his hair, the icy caresses tingling his face, exciting him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, teeth shining like stars as each one was shone. The life breathed into him through the calm air, begging him to stay longer. The rush sent him reeling as he glided over rooftops of Parisian homes. Bright lights were below him, and above him shone more, twinkling and moving ever so slightly as the earth turned. When he jumped and flipped, it was impossible to tell what was light and what were stars.
Eventually, he saw it. A balcony on top of the best patisserie in Paris. The pink canopy and hanging lights on the iron fence. He had only been their a few times as Adrien, mainly for projects and other little things. He remembered gaming with her and losing. He remembered their Science Fair project and how much of a disaster it turned out, but the fun they had during those hours. There were some new additions to the outside, however, one being flower pots. Not the ones she had before, but all the new additions, looking very taken care of. It was nice to see that in her spare time, she had not forgotten to water them, or that she even had spare time at all due to her busy schedule.
After the Akuma attack, all other photoshoots scheduled were cancelled for the day. Which was lucky because Marinette never would have made it back in time to finish the shoot. She stayed home (she had sent Adrien a text message as to what had happened) and helped her parents in the bakery. He, however, went back home, his homework brought to him. Alya was able to send Marinette's to her due to the circumstances. Adrien had gotten a few pictures from his assistant, mostly of her teasing him with pastries and the like. Somehow, he wasn't happy with these photos. He wanted to be there, sharing the experience. He wanted to be in her company.
A small twinge of guilt wormed its way inside of his heart. He was supposed to only want ladybug's company. Her companionship was all he needed. But in the back of his mind, his thoughts had a ponder. Did he have her true companionship? They had been together for almost a year and still, he knew next to nothing about her. Now, as Chat Noir, her partner in crime, she was hard to read. There was always something he would miss, a flick of the wrist that went unnoticed which would cause him to be off-balance, a few close calls she hadn't warned him about. The more Ladybug and Adrien grew closer as a team, Ladybug and Chat Noir began to drift into neutrality.
Neither Chat Noir nor Adrien knew why she was a hero, nor any type of likes and dislikes. They knew her battle skills, her strategies, even her kwami, but he only learned about her Mask. The mask was an important part of Ladybug, sure, but when it came down to it, he didn't want the mask. The mask helped him get out of his shell and be himself.
The mask helped her hide and be something she had to like.
Shaking his head, he knocked politely on her skylight-trapdoor. A few seconds later, it was opened, and the raven-haired girl popped out of her hole with a confused look on her face. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here?"
Chat grinned in response. "In the flesh, princess. And this knight in shining leather came to make sure you were alright after today's unfortunate cat-astrophe."
Marinette smiled and chuckled as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "Well, I can't have the knight sitting outside in the cold, now can I?" Her head dipped back down the hatch and let him come in. With slow, careful movements, he did so. Plopping down on her Chasse and sitting crisscrossed on top of it. A few minutes later, Marinette came back with tea and a few sweets. His mouth watered as they came closer. The smell of them practically lifting him from his sitting position. It was a tray full of macarons and two croissants. "Each question you answer, you get a treat, fair?" He nodded, his taste buds singing to be fed. "Why did you come here?"
"To check up on you. I like to check up on the people I come across during an Akuma attack, mostly to make sure everything is alright. Ladybug's Lucky charm does fix Paris, but I get worried sometimes about the people and the post-akumatized citizen. Make sure nothing is broken or bruised, physically or mentally." He eyed the sugary confection with longing.
"Wait, you stop by to see the victims? All of them?" The tongs slowly backed away down to her hip. Her expression was so confused and shocked. It was almost like he had been hiding some huge secret. He was more focused on his cookie than on her expressions.
"Hey, those are more questions, princess, and the cat wants his treat." Quickly, she gave him one, and just as quickly, it was gone. He kept talking as he munched, a hand in front of his mouth to keep from being rude. "I stop by the victims I come across during the attack. I wish I could check up on everyone who was there, but in the commotion, I can't remember everyone's faces. Later the same night, I visit." This time he was given two of the meringue cookies. She gave him time to answer, but her brows were knit tight, desperate to know more.
"Does Ladybug know what you do? in regards to this, I mean" Chat shook his head, ears drooping a bit.
Her desperation dimmed as she watched him. Watching what she had done to him.
"My la- well, Ladybug..." He didn't know why the Chat side of him could not call her his lady. He saw her at least once a week, He had even seen her that morning. But the Chat side of him had stopped. Ladybug liked Adrien, not Chat Noir. She liked... the sweet model. What did he like about her? Her compassion? Her skill? Things he had only seen and others he imagined. "I don't exactly think she would approve of what I am doing. She would feel as if it would put us in danger and jeopardize our cause. I'll admit to being a disobedient cat at times, but that doesn't mean I have bad intentions."
She gave him a croissant. He ate it slowly, savouring the piece, thinking about his new revelation. Not only his thoughts, but his heart was being torn this way and that. There was a flicker in her eyes, one he couldn't quite pinpoint. The silence lasted for a while, giving him time to finish his treat.
"How long have you been doing this?" Her voice had changed a bit, more soft, more sombre. She didn't look him in the eye as she spoke, but rather at the tongs in her hand. Chat didn't think much of it.
"Ever since Copycat." She passed him his treat and he continued to explain. "It was shocking to see that my hero persona caused an Akuma, completely by accident and through a misunderstanding. I went to visit him later and explain everything that had gone on, nothing personal about me, only clearing up his misconceptions. I could see how much it meant to him that I took the time to make sure he was okay."
Chat looked at his hands. The destroyers of many things, with the power to destroy anything. "They put us on such high pedestals that they would never expect us to visit them. They think they are insignificant compared to our cause and that we are too busy to check upon them. I'll admit my civilian life is crazy, but that doesn't mean I don't have a bit of free time during a patrol to make sure they are alright. What's the point of being a hero and pledging to help the city if everyone thinks we are too busy to listen to them?" Marinette nodded. She was unusually silent, as he would have thought he knew her well.
"Do you ever get tired of managing both lives?" He shrugged in response.
"It's ruff sometimes," another treat given and another smile, " but I manage." Chat looked around the room, admiring her mannequins, pointing at a few that seemed vaguely familiar. "That's inspired by Respostre, isn't it?"
"Yes. I want to do a line based on the akumas fought by Ladybug and yourself. I feel like they deserve some type of recognition, seeing as they were puppeteered through their own human emotions." Chat's hands scoured up and down the designs as she talked, chuckling a bit when she had finished.
"You know, if designing wasn't your passion, writing could be the next best thing."
She laughed, and he grinned. That was how they stayed for the rest of the night. Two newfound friends enjoying each other's company. He left late that night after all the treats were gone off the tray. He made a few laps around Paris to work of the pastries, eventually laying down in his bed and taking care of his mischievous kwami. He lay there in silence for a long time, thinking about what had happened earlier that same night. He had never known Marinette to be curious and outgoing. She was always focused and poised around Adrien. The difference between how she acted around Chat versus how she was around Adrien became a neon sign in his mind. Laying there, he thought and pondered the night away, laying in his large bed, waiting for answers that never seemed to appear. He didn't read, he didn't watch a movie, he didn't even sigh: He laid there until the sun came over the horizon line, lighting up his room and the rest of Paris. Plagg awoke, but he didn't speak. He was confused with the newfound state Adrien was in, perplexed almost.
That morning, Adrien decided to visit her again after the next Akuma attack. This became a common occurrence between the two. After Akuma attacks, he would personally seek her out, lying a bit about seeing her near the battle (making it blatantly obvious he didn't). They would play games, hang out, tell the other stories, even watch movies. It was easy to talk, easy to listen. Their company engulfing the other, any nervousness, if there was any, gone with the first night. All the while, Adrien paid attention to his new job, his life with Ladybug, and his duties as Chat. Marinette being an add-on to his Chat-life was a blessing in disguise for the lucky feline.
But no matter where Adrien was- if it was with Marinette, Ladybug was suddenly a figure of his imagination. The woman he held so high above his own life, that he had forgotten what he fell in love with. Several sleepless nights were spent lying awake, wondering what he was doing. And day by day, the guilt ate up his insides.
A/N: this one is going to be quick today (meaning the note) as I want to get this out as soon as possible. I am surprised at the support and like of this story, and this will only be a few chapters long.
Update: I fixed the spelling mistakes and added a few things I thought were necessary and appropriate. I saw this song online that reminded me of Marichat (through Instagram actually), and I listened to it on loop while writing this. It is called Je Te Laisserai Des Mots by Patrick Watson. Warning it is in french, but it is a simple song.
I will admit it whole heartily that I did not watch season three into its entirety. Mostly it was because of the poor writing and that the show is created off of the ramblings of a madman who follows his fandom so much that he takes their ideas or has been notified of the accidental slip-ups that sound very similar and has given no address on the issue. The drama in the show, as well as the fandom, is getting to be a bit much and it is drowning the original concept of the story.
In this writers opinion, Chloe is not a character past redemption. If Astruc had wanted to make her a hated character, he should not have given her hope nor let her learn. The addition of Kagami and Luka to the love square this late into the show, where it has been established that it will eventually be Marinette and Adrien, in the end, is horrid and is only a drama aspect to keep watchers entertained. To be honest, Miraculous Ladybug is doing the very thing that took over Animes like Fairytail and One Piece. Too many characters little to no plot until the halfway point of the shows, and then we get some type of development. Even then we are given fillers disguised as false arcs.
Let's compare: Ouran (all 18 manga) to Miraculous.
Ouran High school Host Club stayed true blue to its harem and its development in characters. It has a solid ending and did not drag out anything longer than the need for things to progress in the manga. Miraculous, while having a "plot" has small character developments each episode that honestly features fan teases around the love square rather than character development itself. Not only did Ouran give itself a quality end, but every filler and side story featured ties back into the main story and antics. There is rarely a moment where the club itself isn't featured. Miraculous, we are so focused on Marinette and Adrien, you can hardly focus on any other characters unless they are featured in the episode itself and the episode revolves around them.
Don't get me wrong, I love Miraculous Ladybug. I just hate the people writing it. This middle school has more high school drama I have seen in all my years in high school.
Thank You all for Reading and Stay Tuned!
~Pheonix
