-Julian's POV-
The internet definitely can't help me with this.
I know, I tried, you would think that it would've been easy. There have been many amazing superhero comic books, tv shows and movies over the years, spanning all sorts of cultures and genres. Yet, I can't seem to find one that can answer the question that's been on my mind for hours now.
Do I confess to Adrien as the civilian Julian Le Beau, or the superhero, Faon Vert?
Obviously I can't just tell him who I am in either option. Despite what Ladybug says, I'm still responsible enough to understand the ramifications of doing that. So, I did the closest solution I could find online when it comes to making big decisions like this.
A pros and cons list.
"Alright Ossi." I uncap a marker to write on the board. "Pros of confessing as Julian, go."
"Ya get to see him more often." The Kwami immediately says, I write it down with a nod, going to the next line to write…
…
…
"Alright, now cons…" I mutter after not being able to think of anything else.
"Huh? Ya seriously telling me thatcha can't think of more-"
"I'm much uglier in civilian form." I interrupt, writing it down on the cons side. "I'm not as confident, I can't sneak into his room at night-"
"Now that's a little creepy-"
"-to cuddle ." I glare at him, blushing a little before going back to the board. "Also Alix and Nathaniel's teasing will be much worse."
"Ya never cared about that before…"
"Moving on!" I ignore Ossi's indignant shout at being ignored again and change to a green marker. "Pros of confessing as Faon Vert, go."
"Uh, ya get to sneak in every night to cuddle!"
I nod, writing that in larger font on the board, cuddling is very important.
"Faon Vert's a lot more confident."
Another important point, I write that in before blushing at a new thought.
"There's a higher chance that Adrien might say yes…" I mumble, quickly writing that in. It's true, after replaying that fateful night several hundred times in my head, I'm almost twenty percent sure that the blond was about to kiss me too, and twenty percent is much higher than zero.
"Alright, now the cons…" I draw a new column and hum in thought.
"I won't be able to see him as often…" I write that down before frowning again. "We would have to keep it a secret too, for his safety."
"Ya can't take off ya jacket."
What? I turn to him with wide eyes. "W-Why would I need to take off my jacket!?"
"Oh I dunno." Ossi smirks. I glare at him before turning back to the board, I am not writing that.
"Keeping it a secret means that I can't do anything romantic when I'm Julian…" I add the line to the second point with a scowl. That basically means that I'm going to have to see other people try to cozy up to Adrien, and I can't do anything about it…
I'm not sure if my heart could handle that to be honest, or my blood pressure.
Wait.
Who else would cozy up to Adrien again?
There's Chloe, which honestly, I don't even think she truly even has a crush on him, and…
Marinette.
I fall on my bed with a gulp.
"Uhh… Julian?" Ossi asks in confusion, I sigh.
"Marinette… She was my first ever friend, not to mention she technically fell for Adrien first…" I grip my marker tighter.
The Kwami doesn't seem to understand my plight. "So? Didn't cha promise Alix to put yaself first?"
"Well, yeah, but…" I look away. "Don't you think it's kind of cruel? Confessing as Faon Vert means that it would have to be a secret, which means she would continue pining after Adrien, without knowing that he's taken…"
"Hmm, yeah, good point." Ossi looks at the board in thought. "Jealousy ain't a good look on ya."
I roll my eyes. "Gee, thanks. Completely missed the point by the way." I say sarcastically before flopping back on my bed.
"Why is this so difficult!" I groan, grabbing a nearby pillow and screaming my frustrations into it.
"It's not really, it just means thatcha hafta confess as Julian, right? Marinette can find out that way."
I pull the pillow down to glare at my Kwami. "Yeah, but Julian sucks . Julian's weak-willed and awkward and probably a bad cuddler, Adrien doesn't deserve that. He needs someone like Faon Vert to tell him how perfect he is without turning into a stuttering mess all the time."
"First of all, ya ain't a bad cuddler, I would know. Second, ya know thatcha both Julian and Faon Vert, right?" Ossi says sympathetically. "Ya can be Faon Vert while you're Julian, ya just need to believe in yourself."
I roll my eyes again. "Sometimes it feels like it's just the Kwami magic that lets me be Faon Vert." I frown. "Besides, Adrien's more likely to accept my confession if I'm Faon, not Julian…"
The Kwami looks a little angry at that. "If the brat wouldn't like both sides of ya, why even get together?"
I groan. "It's not like that, it's just that he and Faon have a better connection than-"
My phone rings. Letting out another sigh, I pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Julian! Are you ready to cheer Nino on?"
Startling at Alix's voice, I look at the clock. "Crap, I nearly forgot, I'll turn the channel on now."
Alix laughs on the other side. "I figured, you seem a little distracted, are you okay?"
I hesitate, sharing a look with Ossi before sighing. "Yeah, everything's fine, just thinking about… stuff."
"Well think about stuff later, we have a friend to cheer for!" Alix says brightly, the two of us saying goodbye before hanging up. Grabbing the remote, I turn on the TV to the contest being broadcasted across Paris.
Today's the first ever episode of the new season of The Challenge, a reality TV show that has its contestants go up against famous people in a series of challenges (what a surprise right?) My parents actually funded the show at the start, and since they're back in Paris, they're probably there right now helping out behind the scenes.
"Welcome back to everyone's #1 live game show: The Challenge! Let's give it up for our awesome contestant, Nino!" The host announces as I breathe a sigh of relief at not missing Nino's part.
"Isn't Adrien there supporting his friend? Ya could've gone easily with ya parents, right?"
"Huh?" I turned to Ossi, confused for a second before realizing what he meant. "Oh, I guess so, but I'm much more comfortable cheering them on in my room."
"So Nino, you're a student and a DJ. That's pretty awesome! Check out the decks we got for you!"
"Ya could always visit as Faon Vert."
I huff. "Yeah no, Ladybug and I are on thin ice as it is, I don't want to make things worse before we have a chance to talk first." Is what I say, but secretly I just want to avoid making her mad before I inevitably piss her off again by courting Adrien (if I decide to confess as Faon), something about a furious Ladybug after me kills the romance a little.
I sigh, once again wondering why this is so difficult. I should just wait for Adrien to confess to me instead (if he ever feels the same way of course), it would be much more romantic than whatever I'm planning to do. Besides, that's how romance always goes right? The protagonists are always the ones getting confessed to.
Wait, does that mean that Adrien's the protagonist? Am I just a side character in my own life?
I shake my head violently, these thoughts are getting WAY too meta for me to handle right now.
"So, the challenge the viewers have chosen for you is... To get the mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, to dance!" The host on TV announces before the TV behind them displays Mayor Bourgeois in his office. "Thank you for agreeing to play with us today, sir. What are Nino's chances tonight?"
"Zero. I despise dancing. The last time I set foot on a dance floor, Madonna was in kindergarten."
Letting out a scoff, I lean back. "As if." I mutter. "No way Nino's going to lose this one, his deejaying is great, and the Mayor… He's definitely the type to dance in the shower."
Ossi snickers. "Usually I would disagree for the fun of it, but I agree witcha on this one. Nino's got it in the bag."
As Nino starts a song, my phone pings again.
-1 New Message-
FROM: Normal Classmate Adrien
"Hey! Are you watching Nino on TV?"
While the sentiment is sweet, I can't help but huff, does everyone think I'm that airheaded?
…They probably do, I sigh before texting back.
"yeah! hes amazing as always, the Mayor wont know what hit him."
-3 New Messages-
FROM: Normal Classmate Adrien
"I'm already making space in my schedule next week to cheer him on in person again."
"..."
"You should come over, Nino could use the extra support. Not to mention it would make me really happy too."
"That's not fair…" I whimper, grabbing a nearby pillow to strangle. Adrien can't just say stuff like that to me, it's against the rules.
"...maybe. hows Marinette doing?"
Gee, excellent response Julian. Deflect the question and immediately change the topic, and about Marinette too! Who's currently alone with Adrien! Whatever, gotta know what's happening with the enemy anyways.
Wow Ossi's right, jealousy does not look good on me.
"Victory! Challenge conquered by Nino. You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!" The host announces, surprising the Mayor.
"What?! That's not true! My neck was... itching, that's all." Mayor Bourgeois excuses.
"Relieving an itch to the beat counts as dancing, too!" The host says again before looking back at Nino. "Nino, congratulations. You'll return in one week to meet your next challenge!"
I grin in excitement, already hearing the class group chat going crazy congratulating the boy. I sent a picture of a cat saying congratulations before checking Adrien and mine's private messages again.
-3 New Messages-
FROM: Normal Classmate Adrien
"Marinette couldn't make it, her parents said she was grounded for skipping too many classes."
"I think I just met the next contestant, he looks like a magician. Do you think his trick will have something to do with hamsters?"
"He won! Nino and I are going to celebrate, I'll talk to you later!"
I definitely do not sigh dreamily. Adrien's so cute, my heart feels like it's exploding.
Knowing that Marinette couldn't make it makes me happy too, gods am I a tool for thinking that way? I just can't help it!
"have fun! tell Nino that Alix, Nat and I always believed in him!"
"And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!" The show continues, introducing a new contestant who is wearing an extremely flashy costume. I see what Adrien meant when he suspected that he's a magician.
If he is, he better do something involving hamsters, it'll make Adrien so happy.
"Mr. Grimault, you are a hypnotist. You use cards to hypnotize people to get what you want from them!"
"Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist. But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything."
"A hypnotist!? I thought those were extinct!" Ossi exclaims in wonder.
I give him a confused look. "What, like, actually magical hypnotists?" I tried to ask but was immediately shushed as the Kwami floats closer to the screen.
The host opens an envelope . "So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!" The TV on set turns on again, revealing Adrien's dad.
"What!? They can't do that! It's against the Hypnotists' Creed!" Ossi shouts. I frown at the screen, now that I think about it, this is actually the first time I've seen Adrien's dad (I was too busy panicking during the Derby hat contest to notice). He's older looking than the portrait at the Agreste's home, but overall he's dressed kind of dorky, the candy cane tie definitely doesn't look like it should be worn by a world renown fashion designer.
"What is this show? I was told this was an interview." The man says and wow, his voice is so deep and depressing, it's a wonder how Adrien is the son of this guy.
"Do your thing, Grimault, let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!" The host presses, turning the hypnotist to face the screen.
The contestant still looks hesitant. "I told you, I don't make people-"
"Ha! A shy hypnotist! How funny is that, Gabriel?"
If there's a level below unimpressed, it would probably be what the fashion designer's face is making right now. "Hilarious. Your show is pathetic. And so is your contestant. Control me? Never." He haughtily claims before ending the call.
"Damn." Ossi whistles. "I've never seen a human so arrogant, and I've met actual Kings."
"I don't like him…" I mutter darkly, looking back at my phone conversation with Adrien. This literal ray of sunshine is living all alone with a man like him?
A lifetime of cuddles wouldn't nearly be enough.
"Looks like Mr. Agreste has turned on your challenge. Game over!" The show goes on, and the contestant looks stricken.
"But... that's not fair! I didn't even get time to…" He barely gets to say before being dragged off stage by the film crew.
"He's right, it wasn't very fair at all." Ossi grumbles as I sigh again.
"That's reality TV for you, anything to bump up the drama, I'm more surprised that my parents would allow it. Probably too late to change the script or something." I reach for the remote to switch the channel before a loud crash can be heard from the set.
"Simon says the show is not over!" An even more weirdly dressed man walks up to the set.
"What on earth!?" The host shouts.
"Silence!" The strange man interrupts before drawing a hand of cards from the deck. "Simon says, you're lame! As lame as a duck!" He announces before flinging a card at the host. Immediately, the man starts flapping his arms around and making quacking noises.
"An Akuma!" I say, looking at Ossi. "We have to go."
Pulling out my pen, I point it at him. "Ossi, Horns Drawn!"
Ossi immediately dives into the tip of the pen, causing a deer head to appear in front of it. Swiping the pen across my eyes, the mask gets drawn and materializes onto my face, I drag the pen from my left hand back to my right as a brown suit slowly starts to appear from my arms towards the rest of my body. Twirling the pen around effortlessly as it slowly grows longer, I toss it upwards before reaching towards my back and pulling up a newly made hoodie, ears on its side and antlers on top as I catch the pen which has turned into blowgun as I lean against it with a lazy smile and a peace sign raised in the air.
Climbing out of my balcony, I start leaping towards the TV station.
"Faon! Hey!"
I turn to see Ladybug swinging alongside me. "Hey. You saw the show too?"
"Yeah, let's hurry before Simon Says hurts anyone else."
Nodding in agreement, the two of us quickly make our way to the TV station, entering through one of the open windows on the floor and running towards the set.
"Alright, get ready." Ladybug tells me before winding up and kicking the door down, yo-yo prepared to attack.
I frown. "There's no one here." I walk in, on guard, looking around for signs of the Akuma.
"Psst! Ladybug! Faon Vert! Over here!" A voice alerts me to one of the piles of equipment boxes where Nino seems to be hiding in.
Wait, where's Adrien?
"Hey! You okay?" Ladybug runs to the boy while I keep an ear out.
"I'm fine, but my boy Adrien's still here somewhere!"
"Don't worry, we'll find him, right Faon? Faon!" I heard Ladybug shout but I was already running out of the room by then.
Adrien's alone in a building with an Akuma? That's bad, what if he's already taken?
"Oof! Well, I quit karate." A voice sounds from somewhere nearby, it kind of sounds like Chat. Quickly turning tails, I ran towards the location of his voice.
Turning the corner, I see Chat fighting Adrien's bodyguard, flipping him into the elevator. "Enough already! Cataclysm!" The blond shouts, pumping the elevator with destructive energy and sending the bodyguard plummeting to the floors below.
That's… dark .
"Hey-"
Walking up to him, the cat hero tenses up before I could say anything else, backflipping to get his staff, spinning it around and slamming it into my face.
"SON OF A-" I yelp, barely able to dodge the blow and falling on the floor with a wince.
Chat lets out a horrified gasp. "Faon, oh my God. Sorry! I thought you were Simon Says!" He says, frantically kneeling down to grab at my face. "I didn't hit you too hard did I?"
Holy mother of green eyes. I stare at the blond's face in wonder before snapping out of it and pushing his hand away. "I'm fine, you hit like a wet noodle anyways." I say, snickering at his indignant gasp.
"Faon!" I wince at Ladybug's voice as she runs up to us with Nino. "You can't just run off like that- Wait, why are you on the floor?"
"That's my fault." Chat winces, offering me his hand to help me up. "I thought he was Simon Says."
Nino gasps. "I saw him! He's got a whole army together!" I frown, dusting myself off, is Adrien part of that army?
"He's looking for Gabriel Agreste. We better get to him faster than they can!" Chat says.
Ah, so Adrien's dad is the target of this Akuma, so not even his home will be safe.
Chat's ring starts beeping.
"Chat Noir, you're about to change back. I'll take one last look around for Nino's friend." Ladybug says, prompting the blond to shake his head.
"Uh... Forget it. He's probably hypnotized."
I frown. "I doubt it, he's pretty smart, he would know where to hide."
The cat hero takes a step back, surprised. "You think so?"
I blush, looking away. "Y-Yeah? I mean, not like I would know, but he's um- Nevermind."
Chat looks a little too pleased with that for some reason before looking away too. "You're right. Maybe he's hiding. I'll leave you to look for him. Let's meet up at Gabriel Agreste's place later on." He says before quickly exiting through the stairs.
I huff, what a strange kitten.
"Faon Vert, what was that?" I jumped at Ladybug's voice, turning to her in surprise.
"W-What was what?"
She narrows her eyes. "Do you and Adrien…" She catches herself before sighing. "Forget it, sorry, let's just go find him." She says before walking off, leaving me and Nino, both sharing confused looks with each other.
Running after the spotter superheroine, the three of us are running through the indoor bridge when a familiar voice hits me.
"Adrien!" I gasp, running forward and seeing the blond safe and sound, well, almost. I frown, grabbing his shoulders. "You're not hurt, are you?" I ask, quickly assessing him.
A hand lands on top of mine, I look up to see Adrien smiling at me. "I'm doing much better now that you're here." He whispers, quiet enough so only I can hear it.
What the what? I blink, wondering if he actually said that or if I just imagined it. Letting go of his shoulders like it's on fire, I clear my throat.
"I-It looks like you're fine." I say, quickly walking away to hide my slowly reddening face while Nino and Ladybug talk with the blond.
"Adrien! You okay?" I hear Nino ask, receiving an awkward chuckle in response.
"I'm fine, really." He says before gasping. "But we've got to get to my house now! My father's in danger!"
What?
"What do you mean 'we'?" I turn around with a raised eyebrow. "You're not coming."
The blond actually looks surprised. "But, my home has the best security system in Paris! It's one of the safest places there is!"
I shake my head. "Not if there's an Akuma after it, no. I'm taking you somewhere safe."
"No, we don't have time." I turn to Ladybug with wide eyes, she shakes her head. "Adrien can come with us. He's right, his house is the safest place."
I glare at her. "How would you know that?" I ask, because while I'm trying to avoid confrontation, letting Adrien walk headfirst into danger is something that I won't accept.
"Um, Faon Vert, it's fine, really." I turn back to Adrien who's giving me to stupid illegal kitten eyes. "Please? I want to check on my dad." He whimpers, and gods .
I sigh. "Fine, but stay by my side at all times, okay?" I look at Nino. "You too." I turn to Ladybug. "Alright, let's go."
She nods, turning to run out of the building along with the rest of us.
Carrying Adrien and Nino to the Agreste mansion, I barely set him down before the blond ran right into the building, shoving the doors open.
"Nathalie, where's my father? He's in danger!" He says to the lady standing by the stairs.
"He knows already." The woman says and, huh. That's strange, how would he know already? I look up at the man in question, standing ominously at the top of the stairs.
"Good evening, Ladybug." He greets, ignoring me as he steps down.
"Father, you've gotta get outta here. The hypnotist Simon Says is coming after you!" Adrien informs, earning a scoff from the man.
"What? And be dictated by a madman? Certainly not."
I huff, what a prick !
"But father, he's dangerous! Who knows what he'll do?"
"That's enough. head up to your room now. You've had enough excitement for today." He gives his son a cold look. "Nathalie, make sure he and his friend stay there." The woman in question nods, ushering them upstairs. I frown, taking a step to follow but stop as the man's cold look turns to me.
" Only him and his friend." He repeats, I grit my teeth, fingers twitching closer to my blowgun.
The man turns to Ladybug. "I have to apologize for my son, Ladybug. He's like his mother. Way too overly dramatic."
"Oh yeah, someone threatening your father's life, totally dramatic." I mutter, rolling my eyes and looking around the foyer for anything to barricade the doors with.
"But he's right, you know. Simon Says is a real threat. You're in a lot of danger!" Ladybug says, much more friendly than how I would've phrased it.
"What could possibly happen with you here to protect me?" The man says, I turn to see him put a hand on Ladybug's shoulder-
"Okay." I drop the umbrella I was holding. "Listen here King Candy Cane, you-"
"Alright! Faon and I are going to keep an eye out, do you have a room with a view of the building?" Ladybug interrupts, shooting me a look while Mr. Agreste leads us to the indoor catwalk, kind of like my blackbox theater but for model runway practice.
My eyes gravitate towards the walls containing pictures of Adrien modeling for various clothing brands and I suck in a breath. He's so-
"Isn't he flawless?" I jump at Mr. Agreste stepping in between Ladybug and I (wait was Ladybug ogling too?), he shoots Ladybug an calculating look.
"Huh? What? Flaw-what?" The bluenette says with wide eyes as the man looks back at the pictures.
"Adrien, my son. He's the image of perfection, don't you think?"
What, like a sports car or something?
I shoot Ladybug a look, conveying a very pointed message.
Can I please beat him up a little?
She glares back at me.
No, we're here to protect him .
"I've never noticed your earrings before. They really are quite unique." The creepshow continues, reaching for her ears. "May I…?"
Ladybug's yo-yo rings, interrupting them as I let out a sigh of relief, one more inch and he would've been tasting the floor.
As she picks up the phone and walks off, I take this as my opportunity to speak with him. "You know, Adrien was just worried about you, you shouldn't talk to your son like that."
The man glances at me, a hint of surprise on his face before he frowns deeper. "How I speak to Adrien is none of your business."
"Oh?" I flex my fingers in anger. "And I'm sure Adrien just loves being talked to like he's property."
The man growls and for a second I think that he might try to attack me (worrying), but a familiar voice interrupts us.
"Close off all exits! They're coming from another direction! Do as I say! Engage the self-defense system, we need total lockdown!" Chat announces as he enters through the window.
Mr. Agreste frowns before going to a tablet, pressing a few buttons before metal shutters cover the entire house, leaving the building darker than before.
"How do you know so much about the system?" The man asks Chat, who sputters.
"Uh... In a house like this... it's a given!" The blond excuses as I scoff.
"Guess your house is as cliché as your parenting style." I jab, pissing off the man even more as I pointedly ignore Ladybug's exasperated look.
"They won't get in. This house is built like a fortress." Mr. Agreste says before turning to me. "You should go out and fight, I'm sure the Akuma would love bringing down a superhero as infuriating as you."
I snort. "Yeah you would like that wouldn't you Grandpa Candy Cane?"
"As a matter of fact, I would."
Suddenly the entire room blinks red as a siren repeatedly plays. Looking at the monitor, it looks like Simon Says' army has knocked down the front gate, wow there's a lot of them.
"There are too many of them. Your defense system is failing!" Chat shouts.
I look at the screen in shock. "Adrien and Nino." I look at Ladybug. "We should go get them."
"I will never allow my son to be close to a philistine such as yourself." Mr. Agreste says as I wince. Even if I hate his guts, not having your crush's parents approve of you still hurts.
"Mr. Agreste you're in no position to talk!" I jump at Chat's voice, looking at him in surprise. "You're in danger like everyone else, so stop pretending you're above us all, just do what we tell you to!"
A quiet beat passes as I stare at the cat hero, mouth agape. I've never heard him so angry before. Not long after Chat seems to realize this too, shooting me an alarmed look.
Unlike when I spoke, Mr. Agreste lets out a low chuckle. "Quite a temper. You remind me of someone." He comments before clicking a few buttons. The picture near us suddenly opens, revealing a couple remotes.
"Nathalie. Pick the controls in case you need to unlock an exit. She's coming with you." He instructs his assistant, who picks up the remote with a nod.
"Chat and I will reinforce the outer defenses, Faon, you get Adrien and Nino to safety." Ladybug says and I nod. Finally a plan I can get behind.
"Lead the way." I say to Nathalie, who opens the door, showing me to Adrien's room.
After making sure that there's no dangerous sounds inside, I push the door open. Nino is standing around listening to music on his headphones.
He takes off the headphones as he notices me. "Faon Vert? What's going down?"
I sigh. "The defenses have been breached, I'm here to take you and Adrien to safety." I look around. "Where is he?"
His best friend shrugs. "Taking a shower."
"Now?"
"It's the model in him."
I frown, knocking the door and pressing my ears close.
There doesn't sound like there's water running, maybe he's already done.
I turn back to the two. "You guys get to the atrium, keep the remote in case something happens, I'll bring Adrien in through the window." I instruct, watching Nathalie and Nino walk off before knocking on the door again.
"Adrien! Are you okay in there?"
Nothing.
I sigh. "Listen, if you don't respond soon I'm coming in."
The water suddenly turns on and I frown, seriously?
"Alright, ready or not, here I come." I mutter, opening the door.
It was at that point that my brain actually registered what I was doing, but it was too late.
Adrien's head peeks out from the shower.
Wait, he was showering, does that mean that he's not wearing-
"Faon?"
I jump at the voice, what the hell, did my brain just turn off? I look at Adrien with wide eyes. He's still hiding behind the door which means that-
I gulp. "Adrien, we need to get you to safety."
He smiles, embarrassed. "Can I… put on my clothes first?"
Oh gods. I choke. "Please." I whimper before slamming the door shut, letting out a sigh.
Maybe I won't be confident when I confess as Faon after all, if I were to glean something from that last interaction.
Distraction. I need a distraction. I walk to the desktop, maybe he has solitaire or something that I can play.
His desktop wallpaper displays a beautiful young lady, probably in college, smiling at the screen whilst she sits in a meadow filled with flowers.
"My mother on her seventeenth birthday." Adrien suddenly says, walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck. "She was pretty huh?"
Not as pretty as you. I turn to look at him, his face set in total shock and blushing heavily for some reason...
"Crap, did I say that out loud?" I ask frantically, clearing my throat. "W-Whatever! If Chat's allowed to say someone's pretty, the I can say it too!" I cover up with faux confidence, pretending that I'm not dying inside.
Suddenly the doors to the room burst open, and a hoard of Simon Says zombies charges in. Letting out a gasp, I shove Adrien back into the bathroom.
"Stay here." I instruct before shutting the doors. Somersaulting backwards to dodge the pile up from the zombies. Wait a minute-
"Da- I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Le Beau?" I ask in surprise, watching my parents charge at me.
My blowgun rings as I curse, knocking my parents away from the bathroom before picking up. "Hello!?"
"Faon! We're too late, the Akuma took Mr. Agreste."
Muttering profanities, I kick a couple more guys away from the bathroom. "He'll likely be taken back to the TV studio. We can stop him there."
"My thoughts exactly, Chat and I will go on ahead, meet you there." Ladybug says before hanging up. I sigh, making sure that I didn't hurt my parents too much. Akumas that use innocent civilians like them as soldiers are really the worst.
"Adrien, it's safe, you can come out now." I say, slowly opening the door to make sure that I won't be caught off guard like last time.
The water isn't on, and Adrien is nowhere to be seen.
"Wha-" I look at the empty room with wide eyes. "Adrien!" I shout, extending my hearing so I can try to pick up his voice. Nothing.
Dammit, that Akuma probably got him. I curse under the breath, running out of the boy's room and all but fling myself towards the TV station. He's not going to be hurt, not on my watch.
Arriving back on the set, I look at the TV to see Ladybug and Chat Noir already in the middle of fighting Simon Says. Suddenly, the door opens and Adrien's dad crashes right into me.
"Mr. Agreste?" I ask in shock, the man doesn't respond, only making airplane sounds, arms spread like a child playing pretend.
I can't help but snicker, oh man, if I wasn't a fighter of justice, this would be top tier blackmail material. Ah well. Looking around, I decide to just hang him by the shirt on the door.
"Stay." I order jokingly, laughing again as Mr. Agreste blows a raspberry before running into the room.
The Akuma stands in front of my teammates, Ladybug's yo-yo for some reason snapped and on the floor.
"I'm here." I announce, standing in between them. "The Akuma has Adrien, we have to stop him."
"What!? How'd you lose him?" Ladybug asks, worried with a hint of accusation.
I huff. "I feel bad enough already okay? No need to rub it in."
"It looks like everyone is here, it's time to end the show!" The Akuma announces, drawing three cards from the deck. "Simon Says, it's over !" The cards in his hand turn black as he throws them towards us.
Chat jumps forward, deflecting the cards as Ladybug shouts. "Faon! With me!"
She and I run forward, Simon Says growls, reaching to his deck before Ladybug takes out another yo-yo and knocks the deck of cards right out of his hands, kicking him back and setting her hands down.
Jumping onto it, she throws me over her shoulder as I twirl my blowgun around.
"Sticks can act as a longsword, Mind's Eye!" I activate my Miraculous, turning my blowgun into a sword as I plunge it right into the deck of cards, slicing it in half and embedding my weapon right into the floor. The dark butterfly flutters out of it.
"But that's impossible, I made your yo-yo useless!" The Akuma proclaims as Ladybug looks at him smugly.
"This one yes, but not this one." She holds up the other yo-yo, which was probably her Lucky Charm before tossing it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouts, the ladybugs fluttering around and fixing everything, including her yo-yo so that she can start the purification process.
Watching the now purified butterfly flutter away, I grunt as Chat tackles me from the side in a hug again.
"We did it!" He exclaims, sending me a bright smile before gasping. "My fa- I mean, Mr. Agreste, he's on the roof!"
I scratch the back of my head. "Actually, I think we're good." I point towards the middle aged man grumpily hanging by his threads at the door.
The blond gives me a wide eyed look. "You just… hung him like he's laundry?"
Blushing, I look away. "It's only because there was no other option, nothing to do with the fact that I think he needs to be taken down a peg or two. Definitely not-"
Chat hugs me again as I let out a squeak. "Super strength! Can't breathe!"
"Oh! Sorry!" The blond removes himself, embarrassed. Looking at the fashion designer getting grumpier and grumpier. "I better go help him down." He says, looking at us.
I shake my head. "I doubt that he would want to see me right now, Ladybug?" I look at our leader, who visibly shudders at the thought. I smirk to myself, I knew that she didn't like him as well.
"Fine, Chat, come with me." She says, walking solemnly towards the man. Letting out a snicker, I sneak out the backdoor instead, heading back to my home in quick steps.
Later at night, I find myself staring at the Agreste Mansion through my window.
Shortly after detransforming, I called Adrien to check on him. Turned out he was hypnotized into the Akuma's army, and was running towards the TV station when we fought Simon Says.
While him getting akumatized wasn't exactly what I was planning, I can't really apologize to him as Julian can I? I'll just save it for the next time Faon Vert visits.
Or maybe the visit after that… I think to myself, because the next time I visit, I'll probably be too busy with other stuff to remember, regardless of how it goes.
I turned to look at the pros and cons board, all of it was practically screaming that I confess as Julian. It would let me see him all the time, and it's much safer too, but…
I sigh. His father is a jerk, no doubt about that. If I was Julian, would I be able to stand up for him the way Faon Vert did? Would Adrien even trust me with his problems when Julian is practically weighed down with so much emotional baggage already?
No, he needs someone he can lean on, someone who can take care of him when he's feeling down, and can cuddle him back to being happy, that's something only Faon Vert can do. If I have to sacrifice a little of my own happiness by seeing him be flirted with by others to ensure that he's happy, or if I have to sacrifice some of my nights to keep watch over him, I'll do it. Besides, it's not like he's the kind to cheat anyways, I trust him.
"Hey! Kid! I wanna show ya something!" Ossi yells, bringing my attention.
"What's up?"
"I got something I wanna give yah." He says, sounding so excited that it's making me excited too.
"Oh yeah? What is it?"
"Alright, putcha hands out." The Kwami floats in front of me before doing a really weird dance, zipping left and right before spitting a glob of something into my hands.
"Uh, Ossi?" I ask calmly, looking at the goop of spit currently on my freaking hands . "What is this ?"
"Miraculous Present!" He announces, drooling off the side of his mouth which he wipes off. "There's a lot of words that describe what it is from where I'm from, but a majority of Kwamis call it a Kwagatama!"
I look back at the goop, watching it slowly turn into a tiny fang in fascination.
"It's a sign of the bond between Holder and Kwami, we take the hairs of our previous holders, and mix it with our current ones' for a few months before spittin' it out as a little trinket! I was planning to give it to ya for ya birthday, but when it was ready I couldn't wait any longer!" Ossi exclaims, buzzing around excitedly.
I look at him with wide eyes. "This… This has the DNA of all your previous holders…?"
"Yep!"
"And… Mine too?"
"Yep!" Ossi beams. "Dontcha just love it? I- Wait, kid don't cry!"
Huh? I sniff, looking at Ossi with wet eyes. Crap, I am crying.
"Julian, c'mon kid, what's wrong?" Ossi flies closer.
I smile, shaking my head. "Nothing, nothing, just- The thought that you think I'm good enough to be with the rest of your Holders is just… Oh gods." I hiccup, frantically wiping my eyes.
"Kid, one day you're gonna see how amazing you are." Ossi says, eyes twinkling in mirth. "You and Faon are one in the same, and Faon Vert never goes down without a fight. You're kind, and you care about others so much that it's honestly scary sometimes."
"O-Okay, you can stop now." I laugh, feeling a little self-conscious, blushing and looking away.
"I'm just telling it how I see it." Ossi shrugs. "Ya always put yaself second when it comes to making others happy, butcha also know when to prioritize yaself first too, it's a good character trait."
I snort. "Right…" I look at the Kwagatama and smile, I'll look into getting some nice strings tomorrow and turn it into a necklace, and it'll never leave my person again. "Thanks Ossi."
"No problem fawn."
Setting the fang aside carefully, I look back out the window in thought.
Putting myself second to make sure my friends are happy, huh?
"Ossi, I need to go somewhere." I say, reaching for the pen.
"Oh? Gonna visit loverboy again?"
I shake my head, resolve setting in. "Nah, I'm going to give someone a chance." I raise my pen to the Kwami. "Ossi, Horns Drawn!"
Leaping across the night sky, I look at the bustling city under me, marveling at the sight. It truly is the City of Lights.
It's also the City of Love . My brain oh so helpfully provides before I land at my destination with a crunch.
I take a deep breath. Okay. I can do this.
Quietly slipping to the familiar balcony, I knock on the door, loud rustling can be heard, followed by a pained yelp before the door opens, revealing just who I wanted to see.
"Faon Vert?"
"Hey Marinette." I smirk, looking around before whispering. "Mind if I come in, it's freezing out here."
Probably cold from the nerves, but that's neither here nor there.
"Oh! Uh, sure! Come on in." She smiles a little awkwardly, stepping aside and allowing me to enter.
Her room is pretty small (well, smaller than Adrien's and mine obviously), it looks like it was repurposed from the attic or something, which makes sense if the first floor is the bakery.
"I like your room." I say, looking around. "It's really homey, and it smells like-" I stop suddenly, noticing a rather large collage of Adrien Agreste posted right on the walls, it's really well made, where did she even get these?
"Uh! That's- It's for photography class!" Marinette lamely excuses. I chuckle, taking a seat near her.
"It's okay Marinette, it's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."
The bluenette looks confused, taking a seat on her own bed, facing me. "You… Want to talk about Adrien?"
I shudder, is this really the right thing to do? Whatever, I'm in too deep now.
"Yeah." I force myself to say. "It's- I know that you like Adrien."
" WHAT!?" The girl suddenly looks frantic, laughing a little hysterically, looking anywhere else but me. "It's- I don't know what you're talking about! I just, really like his modeling work! That's it!"
I shake my head, amused. "I don't think people keeping up with just his modeling work would make something like… this. " I gesture back to the collage.
Marinette stammers out a few more weak excuses before tiring herself out, falling on her bed with a groan. " Fine , I admit it, I like Adrien." She looks up at me. "Why would you bring it up though?"
"Ah." I blush, scratching the back of my head. "Well, you see… I kind of…" I gulp. "I kind of… Like Adrien too."
A beat of silence.
" WHAT!? " She shrieks, hurting my ears a little as quiet footsteps sound from below.
"Sweetie, is everything okay?" Marinette's mom asks from the door, worried.
"Uh, everything's fine mom!" The bluenette assures. "Just- watching this TV show! Didn't expect the plot twist!"
I can't help but snort, yeah, you can definitely say that I suppose.
"Oh, well, don't watch it for too long, you have to wake up for school tomorrow." Her mom says again before walking off.
I nod in approval. "It's cool that your parents respect your privacy."
"That's not the issue right now!" Marinette whisper-shouts, looking frantic. "I- Why are- Why are you telling me this!?"
I gulp. "Well, you see…" I avoid eye contact, seriously regretting this now, but it's the only way I can stop her from wasting her time pining for a boy that might not like her back anymore.
"I decided to confess to him." I finally say. "If he says yes, which I'm hoping he will, it won't be fair to you, ya know?" I wince. "So, I'm here to give you a warning."
Crap, wrong word, I look at her in alarm as she looks a little scared. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I just-" I hold my hand up to take a deep breath. Okay, reiterate.
"I'm giving you the week." I say, forcing myself to look at her. "I-If you want to confess to Adrien before I do, you have the rest of the week to do so." I try to smile but it probably comes off a little pained. "If Adrien accepts it, I'll leave you two alone."
"You…" Marinette stares at me, face blank. "You're making me confess first?"
I wince. "I'm not making you, I just don't want you to continue pining after him if we start… dating." I shook my head before I could dwell on that thought. "If you don't want to, sure, but Adrien and I, we're going to keep this a secret, if he says yes, of course. So you wouldn't know unless you confess."
The bluenette gapes at me like a fish, shock and betrayal flooding her features. "I… You're going to confess to him as… Faon Vert?" She asks quietly.
I hesitate, before nodding. "Yeah. He deserves me at my best, and Faon Vert is that."
She glares at me. "You can't do that! It'll put him in danger!"
I frown. "I'm not even sure he'll say yes , I- Wait, why are we even talking about this?" I shake my head again. "I'll make sure that he knows what he's getting into, you just focus on talking to him before the week ends."
"Are you going to tell Ladybug?"
What? I blink at her before snorting. "As if, Ladybug and I are at odds enough as it is. She doesn't need to know about my dating life." I shudder jokingly before giving her a look. "I trust you to not tell her too, okay? You seem like a nice girl, it's part of the reason why I'm telling you all this in the first place." I say honestly, because no way in hells I'm going to tell Chloé about this. She might have some good deep, deep, deep in her heart, but there's no way she'll keep this a secret.
"Faon Vert, listen to me, you can't do this." Marinette pleads. I frown, giving her a look.
"Yes, I can. I understand that you're worried about him, but I can protect him."
"Like how you protected him from Simon Says today?"
I glare at her. "How do you know about that?"
She falters, but stands her ground. "If you want to confess, do it as a civilian."
"Okay." I huff, standing up. "Let's get this straight, I don't have to tell you all this, I could be at his house right now, cheering him up from having a piece of shit dad. But no. I decided to be nice." I sent her a withering look. "If you don't want to confess, don't, if you do, then do it by the end of the week. To be honest, I'm getting tired of you constantly tip-toeing around him all the time."
"How do you know about that?"
I shrug. "Guess we both got secrets."
She glares at me. "You can't do this."
I glare back. "Yes, I can." I retort, walking to the balcony before this discussion goes further into the shits. "Look, if you're that against it, then maybe confess to him first. If the two of you get together, then I'll back off." I say, opening the doors to the outside and giving her one last look. "Good chat Marinette, see you later."
"No wait! Stop!" She shouts before I dive off the ledge, landing quietly on my feet and running to a nearby alley.
Letting out a sigh, I quickly detransform, quietly sitting on the floor to catch my breath, hands anxiously pulling at my hair. Ossi flitters around, worried but not really knowing what's going on.
That could've gone better. That could've gone so, so much better.
"Stupid emotions..." I whisper into the dark, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.
Why must this be so difficult?
