ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:
Zero kami no mu: Yup, exactly. How one thing can change or influence your whole life basically. :3
SylverIscariot: Don't you worry, I'll definitely warn for spoilers! BTW: You should watch it, it's awesome! :3 haha
Demi clayton: Thank you. :)
Iridescent-Iris: Thank you :3 Ah, right, sorry maybe I worded it weirdly but yeah when Chat/Adrien saw the Miraculous box (the black one where their kwamis were stored in when they first received them) he realized Marinette was Ladybug since she possessed one too. :)
Prompt: (my idea again) The clichee elevator scene. Older Marinette and Chat Noir (Ages: 23-24)
WARNING: Kind of suggestive-y scenes. Kinda AUish
Rating: T
Short-Circuit
Marinette's eyes intently roved over her latest sketches, tongue sticking out of her mouth in thought as she tried to see what she did wrong.
Something was wrong since she refused to make that dress for Alya. Maybe the length was the problem, or the way the sleeves were cut, maybe it was also the fact that the collar was heart-shaped…no that looked good.
She tapped her pencil against the side of her head rapidly, feeling annoyance bubble up inside her.
She was about to ask for Tikki's input, since nobody was in the elevator with her, until a sudden, very familiar voice made her freeze, "Hmm…I'm not so sure about the sleeves there, princess. I would suggest a more casual look, besides, puff sleeves? Really princess?"
She turned her head and met none other than Chat Noir himself, "Chat, what are you doing here?" her eyes quickly scanned the still open elevator doors, heart hammering in her chest while she waited for them to finally close.
The superhero looked innocent, "Well, I don't really think puff sleeves would suit Alya-"
"No, I mean, what are you doing here?" she hissed, frantically looking back and forth between her companion and the still open doors.
Why won't it close?!
She didn't need any rumors regarding her and Chat Noir. She had learned enough from the few times Chat Noir had visited and saved her from akumas in the past when they had been teenagers, the press would eat up anything and spit it out completely different, regardless of the situation.
Just like they insinuated a relationship of the more…intimate kind between them when a paparazzi took a photo of them how Marinette was helping sneak Chat Noir into her room in the dead of the night.
In reality, the poor cat had come stumbling barely conscious to her balcony, having encountered a rare, more dangerous case of thievery-turned-assault, one where Chat Noir had to hold back the majority of his powers, allowing for the criminals to inflict more damage on him. She had only helped him limp toward her room so she could treat his injuries there.
"Princess?" the blond tilted his head to the side like a confused cat and Marinette blinked, realizing she hadn't heard a single word he said.
"I-I'm sorry! Can you repeat that?" she grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment and flashing him an apologetic smile.
Chat Noir didn't seem to mind, smiling calmly back, "I said, there's been some commotion between co-workers up in the higher stories, Ladybug didn't pick up so I went to check it out," at her worried look, he grinned, "All cleared up. They may not be best buds now, but nobody got hurt," he winced when he remembered one of the participants throwing a coffee canister at his colleague, "…much," he grinned sheepishly.
Marinette sighed, shaking her head, "Good to know. I didn't even hear anything down here,"
Chat Noir looked down at the sketchbook in her hands, one hand resting on the wall leisurely, "What are you doing here anyway, princess?"
Marinette lifted her sketchbook up for Chat Noir to see, showing him some of her latest sketches, "I was hoping to get an internship here at the company as an assistant fashion designer. I have another meeting in two weeks where they'll tell me if I got accepted or not," she lowered her sketchbook back to hold it against her stomach, biting her bottom lip, "I'm not really sure if I'll get accepted though. There were so many other candidates,"
Chat Noir frowned, "I don't doubt it one bit! After all, you're amazing!" at her stunned look, he cleared his throat, "With, uh, your designs! I'm sure even someone like Gabriel Agreste would be happy to employ you," he smiled at her tenderly and Marinette found herself flushing.
"Gabriel Agreste? Chat, do you know what sort of influence he has? I mean, I met him a few times when I visited Adrien but still…he's something like the king of fashion! He doesn't just accept anyone,"
Chat shrugged, "True," he shook his head and looked at her seriously, placing one hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Trust me, my d-aah, I mean, Mr. Agreste surely could spare some time to have a little talk, right?"
Marinette smiled weakly, "Yeah, maybe." She shrugged helplessly, "I mean, if nobody answers or accepts me I guess I could try it as a last resort,"
"That's what I'm talking about princess!" he grinned happily, he stuck his fist out reflexively and he was about to draw it back, not expecting her to reciprocate, but was surprised when her smaller fist met his.
"Pound it!" Marinette's automatic response to their usual fist bump as Ladybug and Chat Noir made her freeze up, looking up at the stunned expression on his face, "I uhh…I usually do that greeting with my dad too! Like, uh, a-after winning a video game?" Marinette grinned nervously, heart racing a mile a minute.
She could actually breathe again when his previously suspicious expression melted away, "Oh, I see," he chuckled, remembering the few times they've played video games together in her room, "Yeah, I remember," he shook his head fondly.
Marinette smiled, covering her mouth as she giggled, thinking the same thing as him.
They fell into a comfortable silence as the elevator doors closed and started its descent down, their hearts feeling like they lurched up to their throats before settling down again once they got used to the moving of the elevator.
Chat Noir turned to her, "So, anything new happening lately? Been a while since we last talked, princess," his elbow rested against the wall of the elevator, head inclined interestingly toward her.
Marinette thought for a moment, her bottom lip sticking out in thought, not noticing Chat following the movement fascinatedly when they immediately shot back up to her eyes when she looked at him, "Well, Alya keeps pestering me on going on a double date with her and Nino, but uh, I don't have a boyfriend and she keeps insisting I ask this…guy I liked for a long time out," again, she bit her lip and Chat swallowed.
"Oh? Somebody else stole my princess' heart? Now what prince charming could that be?" he rose an eyebrow, secretly going through a mental list of all guys that had ever interacted with Marinette.
There was Kim, Ivan, Max, Nathaniel,- Nathaniel!
Chat froze.
Oh, that cunning, little-
Chat's eyes sprung back to hers, "Excuse me, princess, what did you say?" he blinked innocently, pretending he wasn't plotting how to inconspicuously throw Nathaniel out of a window and make it seem like it was an accident.
Marinette rubbed her arm, slightly embarrassed, "Uhm, well, you see, he's uh, he's one of your 'friends'," she looked at him expectantly, "Uhm, you mentioned you met him a few times and that you guys talked sometimes," when he didn't show any signs of recognition, she pressed on, "You know, tall, blond, gorgeous- I-I mean uh, for his profession I mean!"
Chat's eyebrows shot to his hairline.
…Blond? Tall? Gorgeous for his profession?
"A stripper?" he was genuinely dumbfounded. He didn't know one of his allies was secretly a stripper…he would have to rethink his choice of friends again it seemed.
Marinette's face turned on several shades of red, "No, Chat! A model!"
Something clicked in his brain then.
Tall, blond, gorgeous, a model.
Tall, blond, gorgeous, a model.
Tall, blond, gorgeous-
Chat's mouth fell open.
"Did that Theo Barbot dye his hair blond? I haven't seen any news featuring that!" he grit his teeth, "Copycat, alright!"
Marinette stared at him as if he was crazy and for a brief moment, he wondered why.
Then it clicked.
Wait.
HE's a model!
HE's tall, blond and gorgeous!
Wait…
He rose an eyebrow, "….You think Adrien Agreste is gorgeous?"
Her face flushed uncomfortably, "W-Well, you know, for someone of his line of work, y-yeah," she shifted the sketchbook in her arms, fingers nervously gripping the edge of it.
Chat blinked, what did that even mean?
"…So, Alya wants you to ask Adrien out, huh?" he grinned, "Why don't you? I'm sure he would say yes," he smirked. Oh he most definitely would.
Marinette sighed, deflated like a balloon and his heart plummeted sadly to his stomach, "Princess?"
Marinette shook her head slowly, "It could never work, Chat. Adrien only ever saw me as a friend,-"
"That's not true," he frowned.
"-and look at me! I can't possibly compete with all those models he meets daily on his photo shoots!" she sighed again.
He crossed his arms, snorting, "What if I tell you that's not true?" her head whipped around to look at him in surprise and he cleared his throat, "What if I tell you that all those models he meets never caught his eye? That he kept trying to forget a certain dark-haired girl with bluebell eyes but that it was impossible because she was so amazing? What if…" his eyes met hers meaningfully and he saw slow recognition dawn on her features, "…I tell you, I'm the guy that kept trying to forget you but simply couldn't?"
Marinette's jaw dropped in shock, like his had before and his heart hammered wildly in his chest as he slowly inched closer to her, claws gently stroking the side of her face as he slowly stared to lean in, eyes rapidly moving over her face to search for any signs of rejection.
His face was only a breath away from hers when a violent tremor wracked the elevator and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her head as they fell down to the floor, curling around her protectively as the shaking grew.
Warmth flooded him when her arms wrapped tightly around him, one hand going up to wrap around his own head protectively and his heart swooned.
"Adrien!" she called worriedly into his chest as the shaking didn't stop and his heart made irregular pumps at the sound of his real name leaving her lips.
What in the world-
The shaking stopped, the world stopped spinning and only after a few minutes did he dare to slowly disentangle himself from around Marinette.
Slowly, slightly dizzy and disorientated, they both got to their feet.
The elevator stopped.
Chat's gaze narrowed at the emergency button as he pressed it, "Hello? We got trapped in the elevator," he frowned when nobody answered and his clawed finger repeatedly tapped against the annoying red button until a bored voice drawled from it.
Hello, we've received your call, a group of technicians will arrive shortly to repair the damage. Please stay calm and wait for further instructions.
Chat whirled around to face Marinette again, one hand supporting his weight against the wall, a sly grin on his face, "Well, looks like the electricity between us short-circuited the elevator," he winked suggestively.
For a brief moment, Marinette froze, remembering a very familiar scene like this one as Ladybug, with Chat saying the exact same words.
Did he know who she was?
Shaking her head to dispel her thoughts, Marinette sighed, "How long do you think they need to get to us?" she stood leaning against the wall, face slightly pink. She shouldn't think too much on his words, perhaps he had run out of original jokes, though knowing him, that would be nigh to impossible…
She couldn't believe Adrien, the guy she had a crush on since she could think, the guy she was trying hard to get over, was the same superhero that had been her partner for years and whom she had started to develop feelings for. Fate certainly had a twisted sense of humor.
Chat suddenly smirked, all teeth, "I hope not any time soon," she shot him an incredulous look and he moved closer towards her until he had her pinned to the wall, her eyes widened in realization and she blushed, "At least after I'm done with you, purrincess," he was suddenly thankful for the mask that hid half of his blush. He was hoping he wouldn't get flung through the window.
Marinette's face turned scarlet, the blush going all the way down to her neck and disappearing beneath her clothes and Chat was eager to know till where her blush reached.
He was stunned though, when he felt her thin but strong arms wrap around his neck and pull him down toward her and together, they tumbled to the floor.
A little longer than a few minutes later…
The elevator activated with a violent jolt, startling the two occupants leaning against the wall comfortably.
Marinette shot up first, hands flying to fix her hair and clothes, "Looks like they repaired it,"
Adrien smirked, "You sound disappointed, princess," he grinned, his grin stretching wider when he felt Plagg's claws gently prick his chest from the inside of his shirt and he fought down a chuckle.
Marinette fought down the blush that threatened to cover her entire face again, "Then you're reading the mood wrong,"
Adrien's eyes lighted up at the unintentional opening she gave him, "I think I've been rather good at reading the mood, don't you think?" his smile was all perfect white teeth, a grin Marinette usually associated with a certain cat.
She couldn't believe how oblivious she was to not have figured it out sooner.
Crossing her arms smugly, Marinette allowed a small smirk to grace her lips, "I think you have a small smudge there on your shirt," she grinned suddenly, "And your cheek," she cleared her throat in an attempt to hide her giggle when Adrien flushed and quickly inspected his white shirt and frantically rubbed at his cheek.
He whined when he found she was joking, "Marinette!" the young woman stuck her tongue out at him.
"Serves you right for teasing me, sly cat," her teasing smirk transformed into an affectionate smile when he stood up, his hair looking disheveled. She tenderly ran her fingers through it, trying to comb through to give it its normal tidy appearance, "If I had seen your bedhead earlier, I would have realized straight away you were Chat Noir," she giggled.
Adrien flushed, clearing his throat, "Yeah, well…ok, I don't really have any excuse why I couldn't figure it out, I mean all you did was wear a suit but everything else was the same. Maybe our kwamis used some magic so we couldn't recognize each-other," he pointedly looked down at his shirt but Plagg stayed surprisingly quiet.
Marinette glanced down at her purse, Tikki also saying nothing, before both young adults could question their kwami's sudden silence, the doors to the elevator moved open.
Bright light hit them and they were greeted by the technicians, "Sir, madam, are you alright? Should we call an ambulance?" both uniformed men looked at them cautiously.
Marinette smiled kindly at them, bowing her head in gratitude, "No, thank you that won't be necessary. Thank you for getting us out of there so quickly," the technicians nodded at her and stepped aside to allow them to exit, sharing a look between them when Adrien suddenly grabbed Marinette's hand and they walked out holding hands.
"Dude, isn't that Gabriel Agreste's son?" the taller uniformed man said.
His partner nodded, whistling lowly, "Along with that budding fashion designer Dupain-Cheng. Damn, I thought she wasn't spoken for," he sighed in disappointment.
"As if she would want a fatass like you," his partner snorted.
The stouter man bristled, "I'm not fat! I'm generously proportioned!"
Hehe, the end for this chappy! Thanks for reading! :3