CHAPTER 8: Lady Jealousy

[PROMPT: Bell]

Ladybug wished she was able to take back what she had initially thought about Aimée Bourgeois, but disregarding the nasty temper of Chloé's cousin was pretty difficult. They had been shooting the movie for a little over a month now, and it looked like she was making every effort to get on Ladybug's nerves. Including flirting with her Chaton. It shouldn't have been something that irked her, yet, it did. Thoroughly.

She glanced from the corner of her eyes at the two. Chat Noir was talking whilst Aimée was holding her tummy, laughing out loud at what was probably one of her partner's terrible (nice) puns. He laughed along with her, and she grabbed his upper arm. She took hold of his gorgeous, chiseled, bicep, palming it without any shame. Chat Noir flexing for her was like a bad joke; the kind which made you choke on your drink and cough for a whole minute. It was unpleasant to look at and left a bitter feeling in her guts.

But the straw that broke the camel's back was when Aimée freaking Bourgeois dared to flick Chat's bell. The (probably suicidal) woman flicked his golden bell for God's sake! It was her thing. It was their thing! Only Ladybug could flick and chime Chat Noir's bell! No one else!

Ladybug suddenly squeezed the unopened soda can she was holding so hard that it exploded, the liquid gushing out like an erupting volcano.

"Uhoh, Bug, look out!" Chat Noir moved toward her at a back breaking speed, grabbing a cloth to cover the can and stop the flow. "You almost made a mess of yourself. I would have had to volunteer to clean up." He winked at her and the teasing-flirt went down the wrong way, a bit as if she'd drunk too much soda, too fast, choking on it.

How could he dare flirt so openly with her after just making such tomcat advances toward Chloé's cousin? Her blood pressure shot straight up, pulse pounding hard in her temples.

"I'm sure Antoine would have volunteered too. Maybe I'd even let him do it. He's nice, and cute, and you were busy with Miss Killjoy, anyway."

"So busy that I was next to you within a split second. And, wait…" he froze on the spot, lips ever so slowly stretching into his signature smirk. "You wouldn't be jealous by any chance?"

"Moi? You wish!" she tsked. "I just can't stand her. She's so… 'Chloé-like'." She winced as she collected the cloth, now crouching down, trying to clean the floor while still glaring at the blonde actress.

Glaring and hissing through gritted teeth.

"I thought only cats hissed, not bugs." He looked down, cocking a brow at her with a mischievous smile.

"Shut up." She knew she sounded like a 13 year-old teen being bullied by her big brother, but she couldn't help it. Chat just hit a raw nerve. He was right, but she couldn't let him know it. She didn't like being confronted with her weaknesses, even less so when something touched a weak spot that she was still trying to accept. Hence, the pretty immature defense mechanism.

"Give her a chance, M'Lady. She isn't that bad. Maybe she's trying to find her place and is just intimidated by you. Who wouldn't be, standing next to the ameowzing Ladybug?" He wiggled his eyebrows, laying it on thick.

"Oh, shove it; flattery will get you everywhere, mon Chaton…" She froze, realizing that she had stumbled over her words and said just the opposite of what she wanted to tell him. "Nowhere! I mean NOWHERE, uh!"

She blushed deep red, putting her own suit to shame; she laid on it thicker than him.

Her partner bent down, his hand sliding against hers, taking the cloth and straightening up to put it on a table. Reaching out to her, he helped her to get back on her feet, a cheeky grin popping on his lips as he snickered at her slip. "Flattery will get me everywhere, huh? Well then, I had better take notes." He winked at her and his smugness stroked a raw nerve.

"That is NOT what I meant in the first place, you stupid cat!" She groaned, stomping off her dressing room, only for him to closely follow suit.

"Oh bug, you are not funny!" He objected as she closed the door on his face. "Well okay, it looks like the fight scenes we have to shoot this afternoon would be very welcomed. Maybe it'll help you blow off some steam and release some of that anger."

"I'm not angry!" she shouted through the door, her voice muffled by the wooden surface. "I'm just fetching another drink now that the other one has been spilled! And I have a call to make! Don't wait for me!"

Ladybug slumped on the couch in her dressing room, still trying to calm down.

"Tikki, spots off." The flash of her transformation forced her to close her eyes as the intense pink glow wrapped her body.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Her kwami flew into her purse, grabbing two cookies before giving one to her holder and settling in her lap to eat her own.

"I. See. Red." She punctuated each word, the bluebell of her eyes darkening until they looked almost black.

"Oh… I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave you alone?" Tikki gave her a sheepish look.

Marinette's gaze softened. "Oh, Tikki, I'm not talking about you. I'm not literally seeing something red. It's slang. It means that I'm… fuming, you know? I'm pissed off." She grabbed a cushion on the couch, throwing the damn thing through her dressing room.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with Aimée?"

"Détestée*, you mean…" she huffed as she reached out to the mini fridge, taking out of it a bottle of water and pressing it gently against the heated skin of her neck.

Marinette sighed, the cold doing wonders on her nerves.

"Nice wordplay. Maybe not so nice for Aimée though. Looks like Chat Noir's sarcasm is rubbing off on you."

"Looks like he can rub a lot of things. Including himself against Aimée's body, the mangy alley cat," she groaned, giving a firm squeeze to the bottle of water as though it was Chat's neck she was strangling.

"Do I sense a hint of jealousy there?" Tikki chuckled as she moved to nuzzle Marinette's cheek .

"He let her flick his bell! She flicked his fucking bell!"

"I don't know what to say in his defense. He put himself in a shitty situation."

"Tikki! Watch your words!"

"Ah! Now you get what it's like to hear someone swear all the time!"

Marinette stuck her tongue out at her kwami—the cheeky bug! She was spending way too much time with Plagg.

She opened the bottle of water, using it the right way after squeezing it like a stress ball. She then took a long, soothing sip of the cold drink. She could hardly resist the urge to get out there and cool down her kitty's ardor with a little accidental sprinkling. Breathing out slowly instead, she fumbled in her pocket, taking out her phone and unlocking it before making the call she came to her dressing room to make in the first place.

"Why, hello miss actress. How is it going?

"Not so good, Alya. Chat is so made for this, meanwhile I'm such a clutz. Also… you won't believe my luck…"

"Let me take a guess; Chat Noir is an Adonis of kissing?"

"We haven't gotten there yet," Marinette clarified, her cheeks flushing just thinking that it will happen sooner or later. For the movie, that is. "We're working on the set with Chloé's cousin and she's bullying me."

"Have you killed the Bourgeois' family dog or what?"

"It's not funny, Alya."

"I'm sorry to hear that though. Really. What's her role?"

"You mean, except for threatening me like shit and flirting with my partner? She plays the villain controlled by Monarch."

"Suits her well considering her family background," Alya giggled. "Wait. She's flirting with Chat Noir? You sound annoyed about it. Is that jealousy I heard in your tone?"

"It's annoyance. Nothing more. The girl is unbearable."

She could hear the distinctive sound of Alya facepalming on the other side of the phone.

"The girl, or the sight of your 'just partner' flirting with someone else?"

"Are you in cahoots with Tikki or something?"

Tikki chuckled next to her and Marinette glared at her, making the little Ladybug kwami giggle even louder.

"I think everyone is just sick of you two fooling around like prepubescent teenagers. If I were you, I'd stop kidding myself. Grab the cat by his bell and never let him be a homeless stray again."

"What is it with you all and my partner's bell?!"

"Don't try to deflect the conversation. You know I'm right and you know exactly what you have to do, girl."

Marinette 'humphed, not liking a single word of Alya's wisdom.

"I see you're still in denial. Typical you. Let's move on. Why were you calling me?"

"I think I got the talk I needed. Thanks Alya. Don't make a mess of our room while I'm not there. Talk to you later, bye."

"That's my Ladybug. You got this!"

Marinette wasn't sure she got anything though.

*Détestée is a French word which means hated while, at the opposite, Aimée means loved. Marinette (and myself) played it very ironically with her name.

I'll start to publish another story while I'm posting this one (the new one though, will be M rated (for some sensitive topics and (very) mild blood) and updated each Saturday night.) It's a bit different of what I'm usually writing (more of a thriller/romance) but I hope you'll like it anyway. The first chapter will be online this Saturday.

Until the, stay connected for more of our LadyNoir July (yes, in august lol) ride.

Miraculous kisses!