Author Note: Welcome to a new story, I hope you enjoy! This will involve Marichat, which is my favorite coupling…Marinette/Adrien…Ladybug/Adrien…and we'll see about Ladybug/Chat Noir :P Lol, have fun!
I do not own Miraculous or any of the characters appearing in the show, but any other characters are of my own creation and therefore are mine. I do reference episodes, but any other incidents are also of my sole creative design. I hope you enjoy! Thank you!
This is the REVISED version I'm working through, and I'm aware I'vee been gone awhile. I'm finally getting to a place where I can write full time, so those of you who are still around to enjoy my writing, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: A Flaw in the Design
She was there. That phrase was the same one that echoed incessantly in Chat's mind each time he found himself staring needlessly at her soft features. Why are you lingering? Why are you visiting? Why do you keep coming back? The answer was always the same. She was there. When he'd been in desperate need of help…she was there.
His vibrant eyes would follow the curve of her jaw down to her mouth when she pouted over her designs, and it would pull a smile along his own lips. When her tears echoed into the obsidian nights, he would gravitate to her. Three years he'd been straying to her balcony. Three years his mind kept asking him. Why are you spending so much time with Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She was there when he'd needed it, and she'd saved his life, in fact.
His luck made it nearly impossible to predict how events would go after an Akuma battle. Whether Ladybug's magic would heal him was always based on chance, and although she was the embodiment of good luck, his was that of bad, and on one particular occasion, his bad fortune found him crippled and unable to continue. Marinette got him to the help he needed.
"What do you think of this one?" She tapped the eraser of her pencil against an elegant lace gown, and Chat shrugged. "I guess it's nice, but you have far better work. I think you're trying to play it safe."
She sputtered, mouth flapping open and closed repeatedly. "I-I'm not!"
Her floundering was adorable, and he'd never tell her how cute she was, but he already knew all her designs were destined to make a splash in the fashion world. Having grown up in the industry, he had a natural eye for talent, and Mari was talented.
Additionally, she was trying to enter the very contest his father was having on designers. The herd was wearing thin on true talent, and Gabriel Agreste was on the prowl. Each designer had been elected a model to design for, and the outfits themselves were going to be graded in a blind test by several judges. She'd refused to divulge her model's name, but that was fine.
Chat smirked, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling of her room. "Is your lover boy going to be there?" Of course, Marinette never divulged his name, but he suspected the boy accompanied school with them.
"Shut up," she snapped, ripping out an empty sheet of paper, balling it up, and throwing it. He caught it almost deftly, and tossed it up, playing with it, mewling.
"Okay, Princess, but any guy willing to overlook you for four years is an idiot," he mused playfully.
"He's not! He's just purr-fect, and I'm not." The piece of trash hit him in the cheek as he turned at her pun, and she realized it the moment he did. Chat watched the deep shades of crimson cascade over her ivory cheeks, delighting in the hitch of her breath as frustration took over. "Wasn't a pun," she insisted.
His tail swished, and his green eyes darkened mischievously. "'Course not," he conceded, getting up from his chair. They'd been toying with each other for years, developing a confident banter in the confines of her comfortable little room, but Chat always liked to push the line a little.
His senses allowed him to probe her boundaries, push a little further…delve a little deeper than she'd suspect, and it excited him. He never told Marinette how much he enjoyed her company, or how much he could sense around her, but he heard her rapidly beating heart now, and he used it to his advantage.
His love for Ladybug kept a carefully constructed barrier over all other women in his life, but with Mari, he was at ease. A reprieve from the world. It was similar to being with Ladybug. His life was not a life at all. The forced schedules, the seclusion, and the lack of compassion made his mask the far more exhilarating and free life. Here, with the beautiful bluenette, it was a close second.
He shifted behind her chair and slid his hands over both her shoulders until he grasped her notebook, his back pressed against the piece of furniture. His cheek almost touched hers, as he flipped carelessly through her creations.
"I know I saw something a lot more worthy of this event," he commented seriously.
The occasion in question was his father's upcoming Fall Collection, despite it being just the crest of summer vacation. The contest Marinette was entering was an open call for designers, but there was also an open call for fresh models. He figured this particular vision would land her squarely at the top of the competition.
His claws stopped on a design that was enveloped with crimson and beautiful burgundy hues. He smiled.
"This one m-might be too much," she admitted, staring at the paper.
His eyes drifted to the design on the page next to it. It was a low cut dress, and the colors were silver and obsidian. The hem came up to mid thigh, showing a lot of leg, and the faceless model Mari sketched didn't quite do the design any justice. She would have though.
He pictured the bluenette in a piece like that one, and his heart gave way to flutters. It would be better if she shed her clothes entirely. He swallowed around the intrusive feelings, and ignored the way his armor was starting to feel too hot.
"Chat?"
He didn't know she'd been speaking. "Sorry?"
"What are you thinking?" He could tell that wasn't what she'd been saying, but it was the question she was certainly settling for.
"I was thinking," he purred, his voice husky and dark, "of what you would look like out of these clothes." He turned her in the chair to face him as his silver coated tongue skimmed gracefully over the tantalizingly forbidden truth. He only paused for two heartbeats, but he could smell her as he kneeled in front of her body, reaching across the desk for the notebook. "And in this outfit." He finished, despite wanting the words to linger as they were with the way she smelled.
Her scent was warm, intoxicating….delicious. It could drive a cat insane. It took several slipping moments for it to register, but the bluenette looked embarrassed, snatching the pad, kicking him in the hip playfully so she gained space between them.
"Shows what you know," she complained, turning away, growling.
With the almost instantaneous feeling of regret, he reached out, but she was already shaking her head. "There's no point I think, he'll hate whatever design I choose."
"Who, Princess?" He teased, his fingers daring to rest on her soft creamy thigh from the side. "Romeo?"
Her heartbeat shuddered, he could taste it on his tongue, feel it on the air before it picked up pace, and sped up dramatically. Did he really have this much effect on her?
"D-doesn't matter," she murmured, putting her hand over his claws, pushing them off her smooth skin.
"If he makes you feel less than adequate, of course it matters," he protested, standing up and sitting on the edge of her desk so he could look down into her face.' He's just one boy."
"He's everything," she countered quietly, staring down at her sketch.
"He's nothing if you feel less about yourself," he snarled defensively. "He's an idiot."
"You're very kind, kitty," she whispered, reaching over to take his hand without looking. "I…I'll consider your advice, really," she breathed.
Chat sighed, nodding. Once Marinette made up her mind, there really wasn't any point in changing it. She was much like his Lady in that fashion. "As you say, Marinette," he breathed softly, shifting with all the grace his power allowed, spinning to the center of her room. He afforded himself a boisterous bow, and she giggled, enlightening his heart like only she normally could before he galloped up the loft, disappearing into the warm night.
***POV Change***
Ladybug's earrings beeped urgently, echoing in the back of her mind through the memory, and she screeched her apologies, fleeing in her panic. Never did she suspect the agony Chat had been in, or the wounds he was still suffering because he'd never told her that her wondrous Ladybugs didn't always heal him. He never wanted her to worry.
So, she never suspected…didn't question the tightness around his eyes. She'd left him there, and he'd nearly died, alone, to save Ladybug the worry. To keep her mind at ease of his suffering because he was 'her knight.'
Marinette gave a small shake of her head, chewing on the end of her pencil, staring through the papers in front of her. He never told Ladybug how much pain and suffering he took for her. He just…did, with a brave face or a smile.
If she hadn't found him as Marinette…after releasing her transformation…
The bluenette swallowed. She didn't want to think about it. He was fine, and she knew now. She paid better attention to him after their more violent battles, and of course, she got to see him most evenings when he came to visit her balcony. She flushed, feeling the heat filling her face.
"Thinking about Adrien?" Alya asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"W-what? N-no!"
"Oh, is it another boy then?" The journalist leaned closer, shoving her elbow into the heroine's side. "You are eighteen after all. It might be time to move on."
The bluenette's eyes gravitated cautiously to the blonde at the front of the class, considering her words. It was true that she'd barely spoken to Adrien in the several years she'd known him. They were friends, but what else? Barely anything, really.
"Somebody else said something similar to me recently," she admitted slowly, sighing. Adrien was going to be an impossible target to hit. Staring at him still made her heart flutter needlessly in her chest, and her stomach tightened, but it was painfully obvious he was never going to see her that way. She'd had her years to pine and sputter, and yearn…but, to what end?
"Maybe you should just date a random guy," Alya tried, but Mari shook her head immediately.
"I won't hold my breath for Adrien anymore, I guess, but I don't just want to throw myself at the next guy either. I want to be somewhat interested." She folded her papers into a notebook, grunting softly. "Plus, I'm busy trying to finalize my design ideas."
"I don't know why you worry so much, they probably have a spot with your name on it already," the caramel skinned woman teased, and the crimson etched deep into her ivory cheeks as she fiddled with the edges of her sketchbook.
"Doesn't help I got him," she muttered softly. "Of all the models they could have given me to design for during the contest." She blew out a soft sigh, rolling her eyes.
Each potential designer was given a packet with head shots and general measurements of the model they were supposed to cover for the contest so their designs would suit their specific needs for the fall competition. Of course, fate would shoot an arrow into her heart, and give her Adrien Agreste. He didn't know that of course. The models weren't supposed to know the names of the potential designers for anonymity purposes, but still…it added an extra layer of tedium and stress to her task.
"I'm sure whatever you design is going to look great," Alya reiterated, "just do you."
"Yeah, do me," she grunted, pulling herself out of her seat.
"I wanted to let you know I'm going to be there to support you almost every step of the way. Along with Juleka, Chloe, Rose, and a couple of the guys."
The blue haired girl looked at her friend curiously. "Oh? Why are so many of you coming to a dumb designer contest? Even if I get picked, I do most of the work from home. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
It was Alya's turn to blush, and she offered a coy smile, her full lips trembling with barely contained excitement. "We're going to join the competition."
Mari stared, unable to believe her ears. "The…design..."
"Oh! No, no," she giggled, "no-no girl, we're trying for the model call. We figured if we're going to be there cheering you on, we might as well give it a shot. You only live once kind of deal."
Marinette blinked several times and shook her head. "You guys are crazy, but I'll support you every step of the way too! I'd never have the guts!"
"That's too bad, because you definitely have the body," Alya countered easily.
Marinette's ears burned. She'd filled out a lot over the years, with ample breasts and wide curvaceous hips, but she didn't feel confident in her skin the way Alya did. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that, so she gathered her books and said nothing as the class was dismissed.
***Later that Evening***
The shit eating grin on his face almost wasn't worth asking the favor. "You want my help with what Purrrrrincess?" He added an extra umph to the purr today, and she rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the fact her cheeks were on fire.
She couldn't stop the nervous fluttering of her heartbeat in her mouth as it tied her tongue and tripped her words on the way out. "I j-just need you t-to put on the clothes I designed so I can d-do some final adjustments. Y-you're a close match to the m-model I got," she groaned.
"He must have a very good body," Chat purred, his smirk getting broader, and she flushed, her skin heating up enough that she needed to take a breath and swallow to wet her suddenly dry throat.
"Doesn't he! I mean he doesn't! I mean, I guess...it's not like I never noticed…I mean e-ever noticed! I d-don't know!" She groaned and covered her flaming face with her hands as he chuckled under his breath.
"Did mademoiselle get a boy she finds attractive?" His voice was light and airy, but he hopped up and spread his arms to don her clothing.
"None of your business," she grunted, grabbing the outfit and tugged the shirt over Chat's armor, tilting her head back and forth. She chewed her lip slowly, biting the end of her thumb thoughtfully as she eyed the fit around his broad shoulders. "Wish your armor came off," she whispered softly.
He must have leaned closer in her contemplative haze, because his breath was startlingly close to her cheek when he spoke again, his tone husk and all dark flirty suggestion. "So do I."
She yelped in surprise, and toppled backwards, tripping over her own feet. She tried to catch her desk to stop her fall, but she missed, and a plastic container rolled off the surface and hit the floor, exploding open in a shower of beads and various crafts.
His tail vibrated, twitching feverishly, as his chest quivered with the laughter she knew he was trying to contain. "You okay?" He hadn't even moved, his arms still outstretched in a ridiculous manner for her to use as a puppet for her dressing.
"You c-could have tried to catch me," she complained, getting up and rubbing her affronted backside, wincing. "Or help at all, since you did that on purpose!"
He let the snickers sneak free this time, and Chat Noir slid out of the shirt with graceful ease, gliding up to her, his fingers hovering over the outline of her body, careful not to touch before he put his hands over hers…which were still on her ass.
"Shall I take over for you, then," he teased.
She could see his eyes perfectly now, he was so incredibly close. His chest brushing against the ample curve of her own. Each inhale offered an exciting electric shock through her skin, and she forgot how to speak, or think for an eternity, staring up into those impossibly green eyes.
Marinette could see the separate shades of green in his eyes…the darker shade of green that adorned his actual iris, ringing the cat-like pupil. The outer green was lighter, but both were breathtaking, and she was having a hard time remembering to breathe at all.
His smile slipped. "Marinette?"
She watched his mouth move, and she couldn't remember it looking this soft, but then again, she couldn't think of a time they'd been this close, face to face, the feel of his leather on the backs of her hands almost scathing her skin. Why hadn't Ladybug ever given this boy a chance?
She shivered, heat spiraling directly to the lowest part of her stomach, gathering into a painfully tight knot, twisting her insides until a dull ache throbbed between her thighs, and she felt wet.
He inhaled softly, the sound barely audible, and she watched those beautiful eyes, the pupil expanding just a little more before his lids dropped a fraction. What was wrong?
"Chat?" She frowned.
His eyes appeared to fog over, and after a moment, he gave his head a shake, pulling away quickly. "Sorry, didn't mean to linger," he laughed nervously. "Alas, my Princess, the suit does not come off, so this will have to do," he grinned his usual grin once more, and she smiled.
"Oh, kitty, that's fine. Not like I have any other men in my life willing to be an impromptu model at my whimsy," she played.
"None at all?" His voice sounded a little strained this time, but he cleared his throat. "What a shame. The boys in your life must be boring. At least you have my beautiful body to look at!"
Chat flexed, and she giggled, punching him in the gut, but her knuckles throbbed for her effort. "In your dreams," she countered, adjusting one of the sleeves, smirking as she grabbed a few pins. In truth, yeah, it was in her dreams too, because Chat was fun to look at.
***POV Change***
"What was I thinking?" Adrien addressed the predominantly empty room, blinking at the wall.
"It wasn't about camembert," Plagg muttered, snuffling cheese off the desk in a savage display of hunger.
"I'm in love with Ladybug."
"Okay," Plagg commented, raising curious eyes towards his favorite owner. "What does that have to do with hormones and a very sexy female kitten?"
The blonde scuffed his thick locks, growling, frustrated. He should be able to control his hormones. He was eighteen, after all, but with Mari, he'd felt the need to push her back and devour her lips, ravishing her body with an animal need so primal it'd caught him completely by surprise. He'd wanted to fuck her the moment her arousal filled his nose. No, the moment his chest brushed hers. No…the moment he got close enough to utter those deliciously sinful words 'So do I'….even if she had fallen over in a mad panic, because he'd tasted her fear and excitement in the possible meaning of his words.
He could taste that she wanted Chat. "I can't let my hormones get the better of me with Marinette," he groaned, rubbing his eyes and flopping backwards on the bed. That just complicates things."
"You could do what I do." The blonde looked at the black being. "Just love camembert."
He snorted, scoffing. "I'll take that under careful advisement." He let his eyes slide closed, and he sighed.
"You forgetting something Casanova?"
"Huh?" He popped a single orb open to regard his Kwami.
"You're supposed to meet up with Ladybug to let her know you can't cover for a few weeks because you'll be out of town."
UGH! He thumped his forehead with the heel of his palm. He'd meant to tell Mari, too, so she wouldn't feel abandoned. He guessed he'd have to tell her tomorrow. Tonight, he'd let his partner know…because his father was dragging him around Europe ahead of the Fall Collection to unveil some of the designs, and to showcase the new models they were going to pick from the contest.
"Claws out!" He shouted without getting up.
