A/N: Back again with more chapters! :) I'm sorry for the wait, a particular feature of my homework drove me up the walls and I had to at least partially do that before writing another chapter (as guilty-free as possible ;) haha
INFO: In this akuma battle, I deliberately used different marks for the French system. I researched a bit and found out they have grading points (0-20) but I thought it would be too complicated executing the fight with a bunch of numbers flying around so I alternated to common American marks/grades (A,B,C,D,F…etc.) Oh and sorry for the very lame name for the akuma, I just couldn't think of something good! . P.S: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG CHAPTER! T_T
ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:
SylverIscariot: Thanks so much! :3 I hope I didn't disappoint too badly!
RavenPuffPrefect1296: Aw, thank you :) Let's hope it's not as awful as I think it is, thank you for reviewing :)
Prompt: Continuation of "A Jealous Streak" (Chapter 10)
Rating: T
Enjoy!
A Jealous Streak Part 2
Previously on "The Smitten Kitten & The Lovestruck Princess"…
Both teenagers froze when a strange, scratching noise sounded on the hatch from the outside.
When Marinette rushed to her window to see what it could possibly be, she was met with vibrant, green eyes.
It was Chat Noir.
Marinette's thoughts ran wild, thinking of possible patrol appointments or other arrangements she forgot she had with Chat Noir, until she realized he was here to see Marinette and not his Lady.
Which brought the question forth…why?
As far as she knew, Chat Noir would usually get himself a head start on patrol on his side of Paris before it was time for them to meet and update each-other on their patrolling progress. But it was too soon, two hours until their scheduled meeting, two hours where he shouldn't be prowling through Paris' streets and rooftops and visiting innocent and completely uninvolved civilians.
Wait, did she just pun?
Shaking her head, Marinette unlatched the window to her room and she wanted to send him some type of telepathic message to not just casually jump into her room like he did so many times before and cause Nathaniel to think he did this often!
The cat looked as comfortable as ever, standing there with his hands on his hips and that wide cocky grin on his face, she almost wanted to get her squirt bottle out.
"C-Chat Noir, w-what a surprise! What are you doing here?" her eyes rapidly moved from a stunned and visibly uncomfortable Nathaniel to the smug looking hero.
Chat crossed his arms, grinning, "Why hello there princess, can't I just visit my favorite Parisian this fine day?" his eyes were alight with mirth and she wanted to indulge him and poke fun at him, but Nathaniel was here and she didn't want anyone from her class to know of her familiar relationship with one of Paris' heroes!
Rigidly, she began pushing him in the direction of her window, "Oh my! Well, what a complete surprise! The last time I saw you that was…so long ago and don't you have patrols to do?" Chat seemed surprised by her sudden attitude and her pushing him out, firmly planting his feet on the ground to gain some leverage and he caught her elbows just as her nose was about to painfully make contact with his chest.
The scene was oddly familiar to Marinette, with all her clumsy actions whenever Adrien was around and he would catch her like that, or the few times where he caught her like that while she was Ladybug. Thankfully, she managed to control the burning blush from spreading little more than to her cheeks.
"Please wait, purrincess! I just got here and I have happened to miss your lovely company," he steadied her and looked on in amusement as she tried composing herself, this side of her more familiar as Adrien than her sassy side she displayed toward Chat Noir and it was making him feel his plan was a success, judging by the very uncomfortable look on Nathaniel's face.
Adrien would have wanted to sink through the floor and immediately try to apologize to the redhead, after all he did nothing wrong and he was a good guy. He would have fled the scene to leave them alone and do their thing with his head bowed.
But this was Chat Noir. Nobody expected anything from him to behave a certain way, his actions weren't dictated by any fashion code or his father, the mask was there, the freedom was there. And he wouldn't run with his tail between his legs.
Nathaniel remained quiet in the background, hand clutching his pencil so hard Chat Noir swore his sensitive ears might have picked up the beginnings of splintered wood. However, Marinette's feisty attitude was back full force as she rounded on the unsuspecting cat, "I'm sorry Chat Noir but Nathaniel and I have a project for school to prepare for and I don't have any time." She shot him a look that could potentially kill any protests from bubbling from his mouth, "And since you only ever visit very rarely to check up on me and see if any akumas were here, the answer is no. No akumas, no danger. You can go and do your superhero work!" she waved frantically, her eyes daring him to act out of line.
And finally he understood. She was trying to hide the fact that she knew him, or was familiar with outside of chance rescues from akuma attacks here and there. Nathaniel was by no means a gossip, but an accidental slip of tongue during nerve wracking moments, which weren't a rarity for poor Nathaniel, it could cause Alya to start stalking her friend like a demon possessed to get her latest scoop, Nino to tease her and him and not to mention Chloe to have new bullying material.
Fighting off the strong urge to act out of line and tease her familiarly like he had slowly gotten used to over his more-or-less frequent trips to her balcony, Chat Noir instead bowed gracefully, professional distance between them, "Apologies milady, it seems I've intruded and overstayed my welcome," he straightened his posture and grabbed at his baton, "If you happen to see any akumas in the vicinity, please stay inside until Ladybug or I arrive, they may still be targeting you," he nodded at her, then looked at Nathaniel.
"Ah, Nathaniel, right? I've heard you were a good artist," at the redhead's confused look, Chat supplied smoothly, "From what Marinette told-I mean told her journalist friend, which I have happened to overhear, you were the best in class,"
He felt bad, honestly he did. If he weren't secretly Chat Noir, and if a superhero would just waltz into a girl's room he was having a project with and acting all alpha-male and playful, he suspected Adrien would want to bolt or wish he weren't there. Nathaniel was nice, just because Chat Noir wasn't expected to act a certain way like Adrien, didn't mean he could act like a jerk.
Nathaniel, meekly gathering his courage, nodded slightly, "Um, yes, I…I guess I'm good," he shrugged, clutching desperately at the pencil in his lap, before he curiously lifted his head, "I didn't know heroes also check up on citizens from time to time,"
Marinette imperceptibly froze, searching for answers to say until Chat calmly beat her to it, "I've visited that boy from the Bubbler incident…Nino, was it? After the akuma attack," he shrugged, "We don't always have the opportunity, but I was in the area and decided to drop in," he smirked and Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Right, well goodbye Chat Noir," curtly, he nodded, hiding a smile as he extended his baton and was out of her room in a flash.
Huffing, Marinette quickly closed the window least the stray cat decided to drop in again.
Nathaniel wasn't stupid, surely he would question her why Chat Noir of all people would visit her and not Ladybug. Or why Ladybug never visited him. Or why Chat acted so familiar earlier but was suddenly all formal after he little speech.
She didn't know why he decided to drop in now, she also had no clue why he had behaved the way he had. It was not unusual per se, but he must have had the common sense to not act familiar around her when somebody else was present. She would need to have a talk with him as Ladybug when it was time for patrols later.
Turning to her friend, who seemed just slightly more comfortable now that the masked superhero was gone, she tried searching for the right words to say, "Um, I'm sorry about that Nathaniel. From what I can tell on the Ladyblog, Chat Noir can be quite a handful and I guess he just proved it," she smiled sheepishly, "W-well uh, right!" Marinette grinned, "The project! So, you're going to draw me right? How do you want me?"
Marinette was pretty sure she hadn't said anything that might cause what looked like concussions or mini heart attacks, but she was pretty sure Nathaniel had just suffered both on the spot as his eyes widened, pupils dilated and he was staring at her like she had grown a second head.
Just then, no thanks to her slow mind, she realized in what other way her words could be interpreted, "A-ah, as a drawing model o-of course! S-should I start sewing or drawing or uh," she behaved like a fool, which definitely wasn't a first, but did she have to inflict that embarrassment on poor Nathaniel?
To her surprise, instead of growing mute and flustered, he started to laugh.
His cheeks were red, clashing with his hair fiercely, but his voice was kind when he spoke, "Um…i-if you don't mind, I would like to draw you when you sew or work on your designs," he smiled shyly and Marinette slowly removed her hands from covering her face in embarrassment.
She blinked, her nerves calming down, "Oh…" she smiled, giggling at her stupidity, "I'm sorry Nath…guess I'm the one that's a handful, huh?" she shook her head, standing to switch places with him on her bed and her on her desk, taking out a few unfinished drafts for dresses she had started working on for the summer festival.
Nathaniel hesitantly sat on her bed after more prodding from his friend, he didn't know if he was crossing a line sitting on a girl's bed and he was sweating just thinking how her parents would react seeing him sitting there when they would come up to check on them, but Marinette said it was okay, so maybe it wasn't that bad.
With shaky hands, Nathaniel gripped his notebook and pencil, "R-right, um, could you maybe turn this way a bit?" he gestured awkwardly, and Marinette followed obediently, angling her face, "A-and um, just sit like you always do, I-I guess," he cursed himself for stuttering around her all the time.
But Marinette didn't seem to mind, slowly relaxing until she positioned herself familiarly with her legs curled in on her chair, sitting comfortably and beginning to draw invisible lines on her draft with her pencil.
Soon, she started to lose herself in her own work, completely forgetting Nathaniel was there, watching her like a hawk and drawing her.
Nathaniel had long since forgotten his embarrassment, mostly since her attention wasn't on him anymore and he had the rare opportunity to gaze at her all he wanted, to finally capture her real beauty when she did things she enjoyed and felt comfortable with. Here, with her attention elsewhere, nobody would judge him or look at him the wrong way when they noticed he was staring at her. It felt so surreal, here in her room, on her bed, with her alone, getting to draw her with her permission.
He felt more relaxed, feelings of guilt or embarrassment completely nonexistent now. He drew the soft lines and contours of her face, accentuated further by the soft, warm glow of her lamp. The focused expression on her face as she lost herself in her designs, the gentle curving of her lips when she saw something pleasant.
Nathaniel thought he was dreaming and then he remembered his time as the Evillustrator, how brave and bold and smooth he had been talking to her, inviting her to his birthday, having that boat ride…
Until it was ruined by Chat Noir…and with her betrayal.
Feelings of bitterness had lingered only briefly when another akuma attack happened, he understood her reasoning after only thinking for a while. Personal feelings aside, Marinette had been in a vulnerable position with an akumatized person, even with his promise to not hurt her, he understood if she had felt insecure and had accepted the offered help from Chat Noir. Akumatized people were dangerous, unpredictable, anything could happen at any given moment and he would have acted similarly had he been in her position then. She had acted surprisingly brave, agreeing to meet up despite knowing the dangers. His admiration, after the bitterness receded, only grew towards her. He understood, he couldn't have stayed bitter no matter what.
After all, he only knew too good what it was like losing control over your own movements, like Hawk Moth had tried to control his on the boat ride. He had never meant for the boat to sink, much less with Marinette still on it and he couldn't help but still feel the same twinge of guilt whenever he looked at her now.
He stiffened when she moved briefly, before relaxing into her original position and his heart tightened at the small smile on her beautiful face.
He was in so deep.
It had been odd, to be sure.
He nearly felt like the stalker Plagg had called him this very same day before his transformation.
Perched on top of a roof, eyes trained like a hawk on the window of the girl's room, the very same room he had been kicked out of, where Nathaniel was sitting on her bed, her bed, eyes trained on Marinette like…like…like his own were whenever his lady was around doing something awesome again…
Chat groaned, slumping his head, what should he do?
He blamed Plagg for this!
He knew Marinette was only a good friend, he also knew she had no romantic feelings for Chat or Adrien, so the logical conclusion had to be his stupid cat instincts being protective of a friend that fed him whenever he visited and scratched his ears or ruffled his hair.
Her touches reminded him of his lady's oddly enough, identical stroking motions, same pressure, the only difference was, his lady's were brief and quick with limited time while fighting an akuma, and Marinette's were slow and unhurried, which also had a very embarrassing side effect.
Purring.
He had definitely Plagg to blame for this.
As much as he tried to suppress the embarrassing feline noises, it got harder and harder whenever Marinette's hand would absentmindedly trail through his messy hair or run gentle, soothing patterns on his ear or under his chin.
He suspected she sometimes forgot he was actually a guy beneath all his cat tendencies and clawsome puns, she did have her own pet names for him after all.
She was usually so scared around Adrien, he had begun to think she was afraid of guys in general, but the relaxed way she could talk to Nino when he had helped him on his 'date' was proof she definitely wasn't afraid of their gender.
…Her interactions with Nathaniel were even more solid proof.
He wasn't a fool, he knew Nathaniel's feelings towards her and had only wanted to protect his pure, innocent princess from harm.
…Then again, Nathaniel of all people was the last to try anything a girl, especially Marinette, wouldn't like or approve of. He remembered all the times how he would shy away whenever Marinette would be a bit too close, or blush uncontrollably when Marinette did or said something that made him happy.
He sighed, running a hand down his face as he watched, transfixed and a bit irked, at the way Nathaniel seemed to gaze at Marinette like she was a goddess. Something deep within his chest clawed to reach the surface, and he felt his legs jerk in motion, nearly toppling over the roof before he used his cat-like reflexes to maneuver away from the edge and land on his butt.
Shaking his head, he quickly got up, and that weird feeling was back again when Nathaniel smiled at Marinette, the girl completely oblivious about the redhead's obvious infatuation with her.
Chat Noir sighed again. It wasn't his business, Marinette had no idea who he was behind the mask and even if she did, it gave him even less of a reason to start prying in her love life, since Adrien had even less interactions with her than Chat Noir.
Tearing his gaze away from the scene, Chat readied to extend his baton and head home until a sudden thought made him freeze in his tracks.
….
…..
How did she know I have patrols?
Ladybug was the first one to reach the Eiffel Tower, keeping a lookout for her feline companion.
Her eyes caught movement from the right and after her vision adjusted to the darkness, she could see the shock of blonde hair from Chat's all black suit as her partner vaulted off the ground with the help of his baton and catapulted gracefully at her side, arm resting on her shoulder and grin in place, "Good evening m'lady, missed me?" she rolled her eyes playfully, nudging him slightly.
"Hello to you too chaton," she smiled, "Well, since I don't have any cats of my own, I sure missed my kitty," she scratched him gently behind his ear and a short purr reached her ears. She retraced her hand and Chat instinctively followed her hand but stopped himself, a sheepish grin on his face at her amused look.
She giggled, "So, I heard you were visiting a certain someone today," she smiled.
His eyebrows lifted in question, "Really? How?" he tilted his head to the side. He was pretty sure Alya didn't mention anything on the Ladyblog, not that she knew anything either and he was pretty sure he was careful nobody spotted him landing on Marinette's balcony either.
Ladybug paused for a moment before shrugging, "I…may see Marinette from time to time, you know saving her a couple of times from er…akuma attacks and all," she smiled, cursing herself for mentioning it in the first place.
Oh…so maybe that was why Ladybug wasn't around…but he never saw her rescuing Marinette before…usually he stumbled upon the bluenette here and there during akuma incidents and his lady would always join the fight later after everyone got to safety.
He dismissed the thought, crossing his arms in amusement, "Ah, I see." A sudden thought struck him, "Say, do you often chat with Marinette?" his ears perked up straight in interest and Ladybug had yet to figure out how he did that. She rolled her eyes at the pun and his following grin.
She grew slightly nervous but played it off, walking a little away from him so her back was to him, he didn't need to see the panicked look on her face, "Uh, well, sort of, sometimes, rarely ever really," her voice was meek at the end, "Why?"
He shrugged, "I uh, I met her by chance today," claws gently ran through his messy hair, "And I guess I was an unwelcome stray this time around, she was with her friend, I think Nathaniel was his name? Anyway, she obviously didn't want me around and asked if I had any patrols today," he looked at her back, "I just thought you may have mentioned something,"
Ladybug stiffened.
Crap.
"Uh, oh! Right! Right! Yes, I uh, well you know Al-ah, her reporter friend? She wanted a few infos and I guess I mentioned somewhere that we patrolled together," she laughed nervously, hoping her partner didn't detect her unease.
Chat remained silent but nodded slowly. He didn't see anything on the Ladyblog about that, it must have slipped past him.
"Oh, okay," Chat Noir shifted, eyes scanning the silent night, "Anything happened on your end, bugaboo?"
Ladybug smiled at the familiar nickname, "No, nothing out of the ordinary, what about you kitty?"
Chat smiled, "Not a single disturbed soul in Paris," he gestured broadly, grin wide, "How about we take to the skies and see where the breeze takes us?" she couldn't help but laugh, grabbing her yoyo as Chat readied his baton.
Her yoyo latched onto a lamp post and she launched into the air with her partner right behind her, "Sorry chaton, but I can't recall if cats learned to fly yet!" she smirked, "Ladybugs though? No purrblem!"
Chat almost crashed against said lamp post, head whipping about and eyes dilated and large, "You punned! My lady punned!"
Ladybug laughed, carefree and happy when her partner jumped after her, with pleads for more clawsome puns.
She indulged him.
Just a little.
"Dude, you look horrible man," Adrien shot Nino a look, before the teen raised his hands in defense, "Hey, no offense but…seriously did someone attack you last night? You look like someone bashed you in with a baseball bat or somethin',"
There was a red mark on his face, from the harsh impact against the lamp post last night as Chat Noir, where he was so stunned his lady had unexpectedly punned, that he crashed against it, face first.
"….I slipped…during a photoshoot," well, his lying skills had certainly seen better days.
Nino deadpanned, "…with a paddle?" Adrien gently punched his friend in the shoulder and Nino laughed, "Sorry dude, it's just…man I bet that hurt,"
Adrien absentmindedly caressed the slightly sore spot, smiling goofily at the memory of his lady, making cat puns, "Yeah….it was good,"
"What?"
"What?" Adrien had that deer in the headlights look, eyes wide and grin sheepish.
Nino rose an eyebrow suspiciously, "….Maybe your head suffered some more damage,"
Adrien rolled his eyes, "I'll be fine," one glance backwards confirmed his earlier suspicions, Marinette was talking to Nathaniel, looking over sheets of paper, most likely their project from last night.
Last night.
Alone in her room.
Nathaniel sitting on her bed.
Alone in her room.
With her.
Alone in Marinette's room.
With Marinette.
"Man we talked about this!" the blond model quickly whirled around to regard a eye rolling Nino, "I thought you said she was just a good friend,"
Adrien scoffed, crossing his arms defensively, "Which she is. Maybe I just like to know what my friends do,"
Nino couldn't believe him, "Oh really? Adrien, I swear, you gotta bring that interest up some time," voice turning into a whisper, Nino said quietly, "Preferably around her,"
Adrien rose an eyebrow, "What?"
"What?"
"Nino!"
The teen laughed, clasping Adrien on his shoulder, "Sorry, sorry. Anyway, the summer festival is in two weeks, we could sign up and help with decorations and stuff. You up?"
Adrien thought for a moment, briefly going over his schedule in his head, "Definitely!" he pounded his fist gently against Nino's and Adrien felt a rush of excitement flood him.
He could help with the festival, he could decorate, he could do normal things that everyone else did. He was glad he was fighting tooth and nail to stay in school, he knew his father wasn't necessarily happy with this, but Adrien took comfort in the fact that he was still allowed to go to school.
A loud, piercing scream made his blood freeze to ice and Adrien quickly shot up from his seat, nearly bumping into Marinette had he not moved out of the way just so, "Woah!"
"Oh!" Marinette looked stunned, eyes blinking up at him. Adrien blinked back, "S-sorry!"
Ms. Bustier was directing the class to safety and Adrien tuned the outside noises out, "No problem, sorry I uh, gotta go to the restroom,"
A deep flush spread over Marinette's cheeks, "Y-yeah, too me! Uh, I m-mean, m-me too!" she grinned sheepishly and Adrien smiled before making a mad dash toward the doors.
While he ran in the opposite direction to the boys toilet, Marinette ran in the opposite and he felt a twinge of worry.
She shouldn't be going to the toilet when an akuma was somewhere in the school, he would have to deal with the akuma first then find her quickly to make sure she was safe.
His lady should arrive shortly too.
Quickly disappearing into the bathroom and into one of the stalls, Plagg flew out of his shirt, "Plagg, cla-"
But the kwami cut him short, "Not so fast you lovesick kitten!" Adrien blinked and Plagg released a sigh of exasperation, "I'll only do this if you promise not to flirt with pigtail girl again. It's bad enough I have to tolerate your sappy romance confessions to Ladybug!"
Adrien flushed, "Plagg! Now's not the time! There's an akuma on the loose!"
"Plagg, claws out!"
As it turned out, as soon as Chat Noir ran out of the boy's bathroom, there was a torrent of screaming and panicked students running for the exit and he didn't spot the akuma yet but he heard him.
The noise came from the lab.
Bracing himself, Chat dashed toward the chemistry room, dodging randomly flying objects thrown out of the room.
The akumatized person was furiously shuffling through a stack of papers, the teachers desk a mess and chairs all thrown about or turned upside down, "Where is it?! I can't find it!"
Chat jumped on one of the tables and rested his hands on his baton, grinning, "Hey! You're damaging school property there mister akuma!" he dodged an incoming tacker to the head, "Maybe I can help you look for what you want, that way nobody has to get hurt," he eyed the door behind him, the halls were still full of students and teachers.
This wasn't the first time the akumatized people did their own thing until Hawkmoth took control over them again so Chat braced himself, "I have to find my test! My test! It has to be here somewhere!" the akuma roared in rage, flipping the teacher desk over violently.
Chat studied him, he was tall, with a red letter "A+" like a sign on top of his head, his clothes were a simple lab coat and glasses, which were tinted purple with green swirls. He held a pencil in his hand, which was white with a glowing tip. He resembled a crazy professor, but he looked to be about his age, he must be a student in the higher classes. The most ridiculous item were the fluffy slippers on his feet, "What are you supposed to be? A walking fashion disaster?" he couldn't help it, the slippers!
The akuma growled, pen whipping out suddenly from his breast pocket, "Silence!" big bold letters appeared above his head, the letter 'D' materializing in front of him, the letter was rapidly approaching Chat Noir's vision and the cat quickly jumped out of the way when the letter was close to make contact with, creating a sizeable dent in the wall instead.
He hissed.
"I am Notiere, the student of justice! I'll put a stop to these flawed school systems and put an end to an endless cycle of bad marks! I shall be a new beacon of hope for students who struggle to fit in and excel at every subject! I shall lead the schools and its students to success!" Chat rose an eyebrow, one hand on his hip while the other gesture toward him.
"….You're telling me you've become akumatized because…of a bad mark?" he tilted his head to the side.
"No! Not just because of a bad mark, students are untreated fairly because of the flawed school system, schools and universities grade stricter and it's harder to achieve your dream score." He clenched his fists tightly, "Why should one student suffer for one mistake? Or for a single bad mark on a test?! Where is the justice in that?!" Notiere glared menacingly and the butterfly shaped mask appeared before his face, Chat recognized it as a sort of communication device between Hawkmoth and his akumas.
Obviously, he wanted their Miraculouses, since the minute the butterfly mark disappeared, he glanced at the ring on his finger. Chat braced himself.
But it seemed like Notiere had a different agenda, "That can wait! For now, I shall unleash chaos upon strict teachers and offer a helping hand to anguished students!"
Chat's baton got in the way before the villain could jump out of the window, "Not so fast big guy, first let's have a little chat about those marks of yours hm?" he swung his baton, "I happen to be purrfectly good at chemistry and physics!" he leapt then and slammed his staff down to counter another letter coming way.
The letter 'D' caught onto his baton, staff going through the hole in the letter before the 'D' firmly fixated itself on his staff at the end and suddenly, Chat Noir couldn't lift his baton anymore, "What the-! You've got to be kitten me!" he struggled to make his baton budge even an inch, "Well, this certainly a burden to carry," subtle muscles bulging from the exertion underneath his suit, Chat was forced to dodge when another letter made its way toward him.
He expertly maneuvered midair, spinning out of the way of the attacks and landing a kick to the akuma's overly large pencil, "No!" Notiere cried out, groaning in frustration and grabbing Chat's ankle, throwing him against a desk with great effort.
Chat narrowly missed the collision, swiftly turning around so his claws and feet crashed against the upturned desk a little too harshly, his very bones rattling against the impact, "Meowch!"
"I'll show you Chat Noir! I'll show everyone! Just because someone isn't good at physics or chemistry doesn't mean he has to fail the year!" Notiere seemed genuinely desperate and a pang of sympathy hit the superhero, "Don't you think it's unfair? Studying so hard and doing the best you can to do your homework when all you get is a bad mark on your test!" Notiere's hands clawed at his hair in frustration, "Why stop me, hero? You go to school too, don't you? If you just leave me be, I could change the whole school system to suit our needs!" he grinned maniacally, arms raised into the air.
Chat frowned. He understood where the boy was coming from, but this was wrong. Quickly, he chanced a glance at his staff, the 'D' still firmly attached at its end, weighing it down. Where was his lady? For the time being he had to distract the akuma until she arrived to purify it.
Chat relaxed his defensive stance, walking slowly toward the tense akuma, who picked up his pencil, "You're wrong, Notiere. Just because you don't like something the way it is doesn't mean it's wrong," his gloved hand tightened, "Rules are meant to be followed and sometimes to be broken but…there's a reason why we have rules or why schools are the way they are." His expression softened, trying to reach out to the boy and not the akuma, "Just think, some kids can't even afford to go to school, they'd be happy to have rules to follow and get a chance to study and learn."
The boy looked at him scathingly, eyes glowing with deep mistrust, "Why should I listen to you, Chat Noir? You're a superhero! You probably don't have any problems at school or at following rules at all!"
A rueful smile crossed Adrien's face and his voice softened, "I know following rules isn't easy, you just want to break free from them and do what you want and be free. It's true, I do have good marks, but I struggle too and I have to study for tests too. Without some of my friends, I don't think I 'd have gotten through math alone," he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, "So you see, even superheroes have difficulties in school. After all, they're human beneath the mask, just like you are beneath the akuma," Chat took another step forward, close enough to snag the pencil, "You're not a bad person Notiere, I'm sure of it," he offered a smile.
There was a moment where Chat Noir thought he had gotten through, until the familiar butterfly symbol appeared again and Notiere lunged forward, fingers outstretched for Chat's ring.
Quickly, he side stepped and jumped away.
"Damn, just when I had him," Chat quickly bounded toward his staff, trying to lift it with all his might, "Notiere! Please!"
But the boy was lost to reason, "No! You tricked me! Your words are lies Chat Noir!" his pencil glowed at the tip again and he readied to shoot Chat Noir with another letter again until he suddenly stumbled forward and lost his pencil, "Ooff!"
Chat rose an eyebrow, still struggling with his baton and watching the uneasy and wacky movements of Notiere.
What the hell just happened?
And then, it all became clear when Notiere flailed with his arms and turned his back to Chat Noir, only to reveal a struggling Marinette on his back, holding his eyes closed with her hands, "M-Marinette!?"
Chat blanched, visibly stunned that she didn't already run away like everyone else and-
What was she doing here?! Didn't she know how dangerous this is?!
"Hey kitty! Sorry I'm late!" Chat cocked his head, confused.
"Late?" he watched Marinette's eyes widen in panic before she held on tighter to the struggling akuma, yelping.
"Well, u-uh I h-heard from the o-others that Ladybug wasn't here and someone needed to help yo-woah!" Marinette was unceremoniously flung off and Chat leaped to the side to catch her, her body hitting his and slamming them both against a desk with Chat bearing the brunt of it.
Marinette cursed, quickly getting off the groaning cat, "I'm so sorry!"
She really was useless without the mask, she only got in the way, she-
No! She couldn't afford to think like that now, Chat Noir was in trouble and while she didn't have the protection of her suit or her superpowers, she was determined to help.
Alya had been sticking to her like glue since the teachers alerted them of another akuma attack in school and had dragged her along with the rest of the swarm of students, being difficult to find a safe place to transform. She had seen Chat Noir make a sprint to the chemistry room and had to help, with or without transformation.
But now she was beginning to see it did more harm than good, on top of being deprived of his baton, he had to concentrate on protecting her too.
Couldn't she do anything, right?
"Are you alright, Marinette?" she blinked, unused to being called by her real name by him.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she eyed him from head to toe, "Are you okay?"
Chat Noir nodded, taking a defensive stance in front of her the moment Notiere composed himself, enraged eyes focused on Marinette, "Don't interfere!" he started shooting more 'D's towards them and Chat quickly scooped up Marinette into his arms and started jumping out of the way, chairs and desks flying.
Marinette clung tightly to his neck, eyes focusing on Chat's staff, "If only we can get your staff, it'd be easier!"
"Yeah, no kitten," Chat grunted, expertly evading all the letters even with the extra burden of her in his arms.
A smile curled Marinette's lips when she noticed the 'D's Notiere kept conjuring up pushed chairs and desks away viciously and suddenly she had an idea, leaning up close to Chat Noir's ears to inform him of her plan.
He tried to concentrate on her words instead of the brief brushes of her warm lips against his ear and finally his mind focused when she backed away slightly to view his reaction.
He gave a slow grin, flipping back quickly to avoid another letter, "Quick thinking princess, let's do it," Marinette smiled and nodded, jumping out of Chat's arms as the hero jumped in the opposite direction to dodge another attack.
Notiere focused on Chat Noir instead of Marinette, which was just what Marinette wanted.
"Hey! Notiere!" the akumat turned to her and glared, breaking from his stare down with Chat Noir, "Were your marks so bad that you had to get akumatized for them? Were you too lazy to learn for your exams or didn't you just want to?"
Chat's eyes widened, looking at Marinette and expelling a low whistle, "Look at her go," he grinned, feeling a twinge of pride and awe at her bravery at facing an akuma but a sudden hiss in his head from his kwami made him focus on the matter at hand.
Slowly, cautiously, Chat slipped between chairs and overturned desks, sticking to move behind Notiere's back, gaze locked on the large white pencil in his grip.
He moved to all fours, knees bent and hands taut in front of him, bending his back to prepare for a full-frontal launch.
He just needed to wait for the signal.
Marinette subtly looked at him and Chat Noir nodded, signaling he was ready.
Her eyes quickly snapped back to Notiere's, "Student of justice or not, you have no right to endanger the other students and teachers!" in the moment where her voice brimmed with conviction and a fierce sense of duty and protectiveness Adrien had had the privilege of seeing a few times when she stood up to Chloe, an image of his lady in red appeared in Marinette's place and Chat quickly shook his head.
Focus.
Eyes locked on Marinette, Chat waited, "Tch, what would you know of failing the year? Getting scolded by your parents and getting grounded for a bad mark?!" Notiere seemed to grow more furious, advancing slowly toward Marinette, pencil glowing at its tip, "Of course, excellent students wouldn't understand the struggles of us average ones," he hissed angrily.
Marinette's face softened in sympathy, "Notiere, everyone in their life got a bad mark in school, even the top students who excelled later at most subjects get one every once in a while. But…it's not the end of the world," Notiere's eyes widened, "Many students fail, a semester or the whole year, but that doesn't make them stupid or any less worthy than the ones who didn't. Getting bad marks can be frustrating and making you feel like you're not as smart or gifted as everyone else, but that's why you have friends who can help you and build study groups with," she smiled encouragingly, "That's why if you just-"
Notiere's whole body shook, shook in suppressed rage Chat Noir realized, "Princess!"
The glow on Notiere's pencil intensified, the glow morphing from pale yellow into a dark red and Chat Noir scrambled to his feet, "Marinette! No!" just when he tackled Notiere to the ground, the letter was already fired, heading straight for Marinette.
Worry over her reckless kitty had Marinette frozen on the spot and when her limbs finally moved to grab Chat's baton and attempt to lift it for protection, the menacing, brightly glowing letter was just inches from her body.
She closed her eyes tightly shut, body bracing for the impact without the protection of the suit, when she suddenly-
Nothing.
"Nothing? Did I…what happened?" Slowly, Marinette uncrossed her arms and opened her eyes only to stare at a white back with black stripes.
"Are you hurt, Marinette?" the voice was too familiar. The costume was too familiar.
It couldn't be.
"N-Nath?!" but when the artist, the Evillustrator version of him, looked back at her, his eyes were the same kind turquoise ones she knew from her classmate and friend.
"Hey, guess I got here just in time," he smiled, the letter vanished into thin air and Marinette suddenly remembered what Nathaniel could do in this form.
He could draw things and bring them to life! He could also erase them.
"Nath! Quick, erase the letter from around Chat Noir's baton," the former villain looked slightly dumbfounded, before he noticed the staff on the ground, the glowing letter 'D' firmly attached at its end. Quickly, he drew on his notepad and the letter was gone.
Chat Noir's arms were still locked around Notiere like a vice and he quickly shook himself from his stupor and jumped toward his staff, the familiar solid feel of it in his hands a reassuring weight as he moved Marinette gently aside, away from Nathaniel.
Great, two akumas, this couldn't get any better.
"How did you get akumatized?" Chat's eyes narrowed, mistrust seeping into his tone. Usually, he wouldn't have anything against a little help, but Evillustrator, while not exactly harmful to Paris, had kidnapped Marinette on a boat ride with him and nearly drowned them both.
Marinette gripped her kitty's shoulders, "Chat Noir, wait," she felt him stiffen, but his eyes locked onto hers, "I don't think Nathaniel means any harm, he protected me;"
Evillustrator – Nathaniel- appeared to be harmless, but Chat Noir wasn't a fool, looks could be deceiving.
Evillustrator straightened, pencil and notepad falling to his sides meant to calm the tense hero, "I'm sorry about what happened back then, but please believe me I'm not here as your enemy." His gaze moved to Marinette, "Alya was looking for you and she got scared when you didn't come out of the school so…I guess I got so worried that I suddenly turned into SuperNathan," he shrugged, scratching the back of his neck.
SuperNathan?
Chat's claws clicked against the metal of his baton, did he just give himself a superhero name?
Before either of the male heroes could speak, Marinette moved from behind Chat Noir and settled a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder, "Thank you for the help Nathaniel, I would've been a goner if you hadn't come," she smiled, smiled so kindly and warmly and brightly that it made Chat's insides twist and knot uncomfortably.
What sort of a name was SuperNathan anyway?!
But Nathaniel, true to his shy persona, shyly averted her gaze, "Uh, no problem." He offered her a smile in return, one that looked so affectionate it made Chat Noir want to empty his stomach.
Before he could, Notiere made his presence known, obviously irked at being ignored, "Give me your Miraculous Chat Noir!" Ah, so there was Hawkmoth.
Both Chat Noir and Nathaniel moved into defensive stances and both looked at each-other, Marinette could practically cut the tension in the air with a knife, "Mari, you better go outside to where Alya and Nino are, we can handle it from here," Nathaniel's eyes were trained on her briefly.
Chat's claws flexed, Mari? Since when were either of them so familiar with each-other?
Why didn't he call her Mari? Granted, he called her princess and a bunch of other things, as Chat, but he had no real nickname for her as Adrien.
But why didn't she call him something other than just Adrien? He blinked…what would be a good nickname for Adrien? His name was already so short, it would be difficult. Well, kitty still suited him best. He grimaced.
He would not be ignored, "Right princess, you go to safety while you let your knight take care of the villain!" he flashed her a bright grin, aware that Nathaniel's eyes were on them, he delicately took Marinette's hand into his and kissed her knuckles gently, lips lingering on the warm soft skin of her palm as his eyes lightened up in mirth and glee when he saw her stare at him, caught off guard, a light hue of pink tinting her cheeks.
The look suited her.
Confidence oozing from his whole body, Chat lunged at the stunned Notiere, who had watched the scene with more confusion than a genuine interest and stumbled back from the force of the cat's strength and weight.
It took Nathaniel a while to snap out of what he just saw and when he did, Marinette was gone and he shook his head, ignoring the tightening of his heart and instead, drawing on his notepad to help Chat Noir.
It wasn't long before Ladybug arrived on the scene, looking a bit flushed and slightly nervous whenever she looked at her partner, but battle ready nonetheless.
Ladybug helped Notiere, whose real name was Maurice, stand, "Getting bad marks is not the end of the world Maurice, there will always be times when you're not at your best and you should accept that. Besides, I'm sure your parents will understand once you sit down and talk with them, parents only want what's the best for their children after all," she smiled encouragingly, and Chat frowned, looking away.
Maurice smiled, "Thank you so much, Chat Noir and Ladybug, and you too," he nodded at Nathaniel, who only smiled, "I…guess I went overboard," he chuckled.
Chat Noir smiled, "If you're interested, I know a guy from Ms. Bustier's class who has a knack for physics and chemistry, I'm sure he's willing to help you out," he grinned, not noticing the way Ladybug looked at him, a mixture of confusion and silent suspicion.
Again, Maurice thanked all three of them and slowly walked out of the classroom, his friends shouting for him in the distance and tackling him in a hug. Ladybug smiled and finally relaxed.
With the akuma purified, the three masked figures stared at each-other, "Thank you for your help Evillustrator," she smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Nathaniel smiled, nodding, "It's alright, I had to help out a really good friend of mine,"
Chat twitched. Really good friend, huh?
Ladybug laughed, "Really? I didn't know my kitty replaced me with a partner already," she glanced at Chat and winked.
Nathaniel looked slightly embarrassed, "Oh no, no, I uh, I actually meant Marinette," he smiled.
Chat twitched.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to go and check if she's alright," with that Nathaniel excused himself and rushed out of the classroom.
And suddenly, Ladybug looked about ready to bolt, "Uh, well chaton, I'll see you around!" with speed usually he was known for, Ladybug quickly jumped out of the window and swung away with her yoyo.
Left alone in the now tidied classroom, Chat Noir glanced at his ring, he still had a few minutes left before the first warning beep sounded.
He had to check on Marinette.
Gritting his teeth at the thought of Nathaniel already all over her, he picked up the pace, rushing out of the classroom and slamming the doors to outside open, only to nearly stumble into none other than Nino and Alya, "Woah dude you okay?"
Straightening up, Chat looked around, "Uh, yeah, sorry I'm looking for Marinette," he looked around again, "Did you see her anywhere?"
Alya looked the definition of a worried mother, "I thought she was with Nathaniel! He came out of school a few minutes ago and went to look for her,"
Nino placed a comforting around her, "Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine,"
Chat Noir nodded, "I'll bring your princess ba-" his expression darkened, eyes narrowed into slits, "You have cat to be kitten me…"
Alya and Nino turned around, only to see Nathaniel, in his costume still, hugging a surprised Marinette and Alya's keen eyes didn't miss the way she relaxed into the hug and hugged him back, tightly.
Nathaniel: 1
Chat Noir: 0.
He'd have to rectify that somehow.
When Marinette opened her eyes again, she spotted the leather clad hero standing next to her friends, "Chat Noir!" Nathaniel was stunned when she gently broke their hug, jogging towards them and Adrien couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of satisfaction at the disappointed pout on Nathaniel's face.
Chat 1.
Nathaniel 1.
He couldn't help but smile when Marinette beamed at him, "Thanks for saving me kitty,"
He bowed, taking her hand in his again, "I have to thank you my lady, you were the one that rushed to my aid and helped a stray cat out of a catastrophic situation," he kissed her knuckles again, briefly, before straightening up.
She giggled nervously, trying to ignore the bewildered looks of her friends, "Anytime, chaton," his grin softened and he resisted the urge to pull her into a hug, instead he bowed deeply at the waist, sent her a wink and extended his baton.
"I'll be seeing you around, purrincess," he caught her good natured eye roll and it made him grin even wider, jumping through the streets and scaling buildings and rooftops, feeling full of energy despite Plagg being drained.
Chat Noir: 2.
Nathaniel: 1.
"Girl, you have some explaining to do!" Alya crossed her arms and even Nino looked far too curious, "Why was Chat Noir acting so familiar with you? Calling you his lady and princess?" Marinette could feel her cheeks heating up in embarrassment, "And why in the world didn't you tell me you have nicknames for each-other?!"
"I-I c-c-can explain A-Alya!" she sweated buckets, wondering how she could distract her friend from interviewing her further. She looked at Nino for help, but only smiled apologetically at her, obviously eager to hear her side of the story.
Thankfully, the help came in the form of Nathaniel, now back to normal.
"Wait, how did you change back?" Marinette blinked in surprise and Alya's attention was momentarily shifted.
Nathaniel smiled shyly, scratching the back of his neck, "I don't really know…I don't even know how I changed into SuperNathan again," he shrugged, "Are you…I mean are you s-sure you're o-okay, Marinette?" the blush hit him full force in the face and Nino slapped his hand against his face.
"Yes, thanks Nathaniel," he smiled shyly, red bangs partly covering his face when she smiled at him.
"Dude, where were you? You missed all the fun again!" Nino suddenly called out and they saw Adrien jogging toward them.
Marinette's mind nearly stopped working when he stopped right next to her.
So very close.
Adrien's gaze immediately moved to Marinette, "Are you alright? I heard you got attacked by the akuma," Nino and Alya's eyebrows shot up to their hairlines.
"What? How did you know that? You weren't even here when Nathaniel changed into his superhero form!" Alya rested her hands on her hips, her investigate side resurfacing as she eyed the model suspiciously.
Adrien nervously adjusted the collar of his shirt, "Uh, yeah well, I met Chat Noir on my way back here and he told me what happened quickly, since uh, he knew I was friends with Marinette and all," he smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry I wasn't here I was…hiding!" he feigned an embarrassed smile.
Nino frowned, "Aw man, Adrien why do you always have to miss out on these things? You're never around when there's an akuma attack," he crossed his arms, sighing.
Alya rested her elbow on Nino's shoulder, sighing, "I could sing you a song about Marinette and her absences when these things happen. I don't even know how she got tangled up in this one and failed to see Ladybug, again," Alya fixed her friend with a glare and Marinette giggled nervously.
Both individuals shrugged, before Adrien spoke quietly, "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt, Marinette,"
Marinette felt her soul leave her body and wave goodbye at her from afar as she just stared at the blond model, transfixed at his words and standing rooted to the spot. Alya rolled her eyes and quickly elbowed her friend, "Too thank me you!" her eyes widened, Adrien tilted his head curiously, "Uh-Uh, I-I-I thank me too you! No I-"
Alya rolled her eyes with a fond smile, "What she means is 'Thank you, me too'," she winked at the blue haired girl, giggling.
Adrien grinned and bowed his head slightly, "No purroblem my-"
Crap.
"Adrien, your Chat is showing again," Plagg whispered into his shirt, low enough so the others couldn't hear and Adrien rapidly straightened and rubbed at the back of his neck at the quizzical looks he got.
"Dude…I didn't know you were a Chat Noir fan too! And I thought you were a die-hard Ladybug fan!" Nino clasped him on the back, smiling. Nathaniel smiled, chuckling quietly.
"Uh….yeah! Yeah, I'm a Chat Noir fan," he chuckled, "I mean he's pretty cool, right? Fighting crimes with Ladybug and his puns aren't too bad either," he laughed, feeling small claws prickle his chest slightly at his own joke.
He would need to get Plagg a ton of cheese today.
Marinette smiled fondly, shaking her head, "Yeah, I guess they aren't so bad,"
Adrien was pretty sure his face had been frozen in a goofy smile for a full minute.
A light knock sounded on the hatch and Marinette smiled when she hopped out of her bed, rolling up the sleeves of her pajama shirt before opening the hatch to let Chat Noir inside.
"Good evening princess, I'm not disturbing, am I? I thought to drop by and check on you after that akuma attack today," Chat Noir was hiding something behind his back and Marinette couldn't help but smile warmly, shaking her head.
"I'm fine kitty, don't worry. But you were fighting alone for most of the fight, I'm more worried about you," he looked fine, physically at least, he had to be since he came to her from wherever he lived.
He brushed her concerns off with a wink, "Nothing can take this cat down so easily, I'm feline purrfect, purrincess!" he grinned widely, and she rolled her eyes and giggled, humoring him since he had so much trouble today to protect her.
Then he produced a small colorful box from behind his back and her eyes locked onto it curiously, "For you," he bowed down to one knee and lifted the box up to her, head bowed down.
"Kitty, you really didn't have to," nevertheless she smiled, feeling appreciation bloom in her chest for the reckless cat.
She would have sighed at his dramatic actions or at least piqued a comment, but she couldn't bring herself to today, not right now. Instead, she gingerly took the little box and slowly opened the lid, raising an eyebrow at what she found inside.
It was a small black paw shaped brooch of some sort, made from metal, completely black in color save for the green paw prints on it, identical to the design of Chat's ring, the paw print looked like a button, "What is this?" she twisted and turned it, intrigued.
Chat Noir rose to his full height and smiled proudly, "It's a device with which you can call me for help, I call it the Cat Caller," he winked, at her unimpressed look, he pressed, "Feline Hotline? Emergency Purr?" he slumped his shoulders when none of the names seemed to impress her.
After a moment of silence, Marinette's voice sounded gentle to his ears, "How about…Kitty Talkie?"
Green eyes lighted up in excitement and he barely suppressed the urge to sweep her off her feet and hug her and spin her and- "Sounds good, purrincess,"
His shit eating grin made her giggle and she clutched the small brooch close to her, "Thanks Chat Noir, I really appreciate it," she fidgeted briefly, "And I'm sorry that I was a burden today, I wanted to help you and-"
But her kitty had other ideas, he took a large step and looked down at her, she could smell his cologne, since when did cats wear cologne, and noticed the warm quality his eyes took on, "You could never be a burden, Marinette," there, he called her Marinette again.
She tried not to show it affected her at all, nope, not at all.
"T-thanks chaton," she cursed inwardly for her stuttering but smiled up at him brightly.
She counted her lucky stars when she remembered the cookie and croissant plate on her desk, quickly slipping around Chat's form, she dashed for her desk and lifted the still warm plate up to his face, "It's the least I can do," she smiled, hoping her cheeks weren't as pink as she thought.
He smiled and right there, munching on the cookies her parents made, he truly did look like a cat, a very big, not so childish-looking cat clad in skin tight leather but a cat nonetheless. Sitting down on her bed next to him, she reached up and scratched behind his ears, hearing a low purr rumble in his chest.
She giggled and Chat was glad her room wasn't so bright to show off the pink color of his cheeks as he tried distracting himself with mouthwateringly good cookies and croissants on his lap.
Once he finished getting his fill, forcing Marinette to eat with him since he didn't want to eat alone, he prepared to go home.
In all honesty, he didn't want to leave, but it was getting late and Nathalie was sure to check on him sometime for supper.
"Well, it's time to take the trash out, right princess?" he grinned, referencing one of their playful banters where she told she would need to take the 'trash' out when it had been time for him to leave.
He didn't expect her reaction though.
She gripped his bell and he hastily adjusted his feet to support his forward tilting weight to not crash into her face, her bluebell eyes fierce, "You're not trash Chat Noir! Anyone saying that is blind to see the truth!" vaguely, he wanted to ask her what 'truth' she meant, but she continued talking, in a softer tone, "You're brave and kind, funny and a dork, fearless and protective, determined and loyal and everything Ladybug could possibly look for in a partner willing to fight by her side." he fell silent, searching her expression and finding nothing but the truth there.
"I'm sorry I said that, it was meant as a joke but I understand if you-" he cut her off but it all felt like slow motion to him.
First, he felt his throat becoming clogged up from emotion, then he gently took her hands from his cheeks, which had strayed from his bell to make him look directly at her, not that he would have looked anywhere else anyway.
And then he pulled her into a tight hug, just barely stopping himself from listening to the tiny voice in the back of his head, which told him to just finally do what he had been dreaming to for weeks.
Shaking his head gently, he buried his nose against her hair, one clawed hand gently cradling her head while the other wound tightly around her waist, pulling her close for a hug so affectionate and intimate he had a feeling he was breaching a line.
But she didn't push him away, she let him hold her and what was even better, she hugged him back and taking her returned hug as encouragement, he swallowed the lump in his throat and dared to say what he couldn't before, "I was worried, you were reckless charging into a room with an akuma rampaging in it,"
Marinette quirked an eyebrow and she smiled, sighing, "Silly kitty, if Ladybug gets caught up you can count on me for help, I'm sturdier than I look," he remembered her not even limping after Notiere had flung her at him so harshly.
"Hm…that you are princess,"
She giggled, "See? I'll be fine," in a rare moment of openness, Marinette nuzzled him back, "Besides, if I'm ever in a pinch I know I can always count on my knight in leather armor to come and save me,"
Chat chuckled, reluctantly breaking free from the warmth and comfort that was Marinette, his eyes twinkling in amusement, "Oh, you don't need saving princess,"
It's me whom you saved.
Shaking his head, Chat grabbed his baton strapped to his lower back, opening the hatch, "I wish you a mewautiful evening, my-" he froze when he felt soft, warm lips press gently against his cheek and his stunned expression made her giggle.
Her gaze was fond as she looked at him, "Good night to you too Chat Noir," her smile was warmth and home and felt compelled to stay, "Be safe on your way home kitty,"
Snapping out of his trance like state, he blushed and quickly turned his head so she didn't see, offering a wave and a husky, "Good night, Mari," before leaping into the night.
Bonus Scene:
"PLAGG!" the kwami groaned, not again, "THE INTERNET DIDN'T WARN ME ABOUT THIS! THE COMICS EITHER!" his chosen was currently pacing through his room, face bright red, "WHAT SHOULD I DO?!"
Calmly, lazily, Plagg regarded him, "Humans and their crushes, what's so bad about having cheese? It will never let you down," he swallowed the piece as large as his head in a single bite.
"I don't get why you're freaking out over this, pigtails girl is cute and she looks like she likes ya," he yawned, rolling over on his stomach.
Adrien released a unmanly squeak and dived for Plagg, whose green eyes grew wide at Adrien's panicked eyes, "THAT'S IT PLAGG! SHE LIKES CHAT NOIR NOT ME!"
Releasing his kwami, Adrien dramatically flopped down on his bed, releasing a deep, deep sigh.
Plagg's eyes twitched, "You. Are. Hopeless."
Adrien twitched.
Anyone interested in a "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" one/two shot AU of Marichat? ^^