1 – The author does not own Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir
2 – I can't thank you enough. All the best to every reader out there. You are making me very happy!
oOo
In Which Chloé and Adrien get Some Cash for Brand Placement
Marinette tried to reason all the impossible things that were happening.
One, the heroes of Paris are needed now to help the police capture a runaway tiger.
Two, best case scenario Chat Noir will not be available in the next four hours, because that was the time she should take his kwami from her purse and leave it at the rendezvous place.
Three, heavens know when she will see Tikki again and be able to transform in Ladybug.
Four, she does not want to see Adrien. Not now. She. Does. Not. Want. To. See. Adrien. Agreste. It's the end of the world.
She tried to put her foot down.
"No, Alya, I will just give him my notes, and that's it."
"Marinette, are you running away now?"
"Not running away. It's just… now is not a good time."
"Have it your way, girl."
"Thanks. I will."
"Go, give him your notebook. The one full of hearts drawn in the margins."
Suddenly, the paper sheets on her hand seemed toxic, its coil as sharp as a blade. She went pale, but her friend was restless.
"I seem to remember some of those are clearly marked 'M + A'. But that can be any person with the letter 'A', right? Even me."
Marinette had a glimpse of hope.
"Oh, wait, isn't the notebook with pages and pages of you practicing the signature 'Marinette Agreste'?"
She sighed in defeat.
"I liked the one you put one name on top of the other, and write the final 'te' bigger, only one for both nam.."
"All right, all right, I got it!"
"So let's march on, girl, and rescue your boy."
Adrien didn't know what to do to get away from the blonde invading his personal space. He did not want to be rude, specially when Chloé is making a real effort to change. Well, sometimes she is, but it's already an improvement.
"Really, Chloé, if you just let me see your notes it will be enough."
"Oh, nonononono, I will not allow it. My Adrikins is exhausted from all the photos, and fencing, and lacrosse, oh my. I insist in helping you."
"Huh… please don't get me wrong, but your SVT grades are not top of the class."
"Another reason. I know how hard is this subject, I just can not let a friend of mine do such a report alone. Let me say what we will do: Sabrina will write the report while we do some window shopping, deal?"
"But you just said no friend of yours…"
"You're an extra special friend, Adree-beau-beau."
Looking around, he found a salvation.
"Marinette! Thanks again, Chloé, but Marinette will lend me her notes."
"What? So you prefer to be with the baker kid than spend the afternoon with me?"
"No, Chloé, I will spend the afternoon researching alone, no matter what. But thanks for the help offer, anyway."
"Adrikins! That's not right."
Marinette took a deep breath and pushed her friend between Chloé and Adrien.
"Notes-not here-Alya-get hers."
And dashed away.
Adrien facepalmed. This must be the most difficult report on the history of French Education.
"See? Your only chance to deliver your assignment is to do it with me, Adrikins."
Adrien started to push Alya to the lockers area.
"I will think about it, Chloé, if her notes are not available." And, in a lower voice "Please tell me or just pretend your notes are available."
"Adrien, this day is so crazy I don't know if I am sure of anything anymore. But yes, they are."
"Thanks!" he said, finally grabbing a notebook. "I will now say something to Chloé, the last thing I want now is for her to be akumatized. Again."
"And I will update my blog. Ladybug herself wants me to deliver a note for Chat Noir."
"Wait, Alya, what no…"
But she was already gone. Noticing he was alone, he reached for his internal pocket.
"What now, Tikki?"
"You had the right idea, Adrien. First, avoid an akumatization. Then, run to the Guardian."
"In the middle of the class?"
"The previous Holder of Nooroo, the Butterfly Kwami, taught every one of us some serious lessons about plans and emergencies. And this is an emergency." The Creation Kwami thought for a while "Winston also almost put poor Nooroo in an alcoholic coma, but that has nothing to do with emergencies."
"I can imagine it was quite an accident."
"… more than once."
"Well, sometimes, people don't realize their mistakes."
"…every other month. Nevertheless, Winston was the best Butterfly ever." She laughed "just to remember that body of him in that purple skintight…"
"Back to present, I think you are right. So, Chloé first, skipping school after. Natalie will not like it." And added "I am starting to fear the kind of shoes Chat is expected to fill."
"You are doing great, Adrien. Trust me."
At another secured area, Marinette was pacing back and forth.
"What to do, what to do?"
Plagg wanted to avoid this situation, but now he felt he ran out of options.
"It can't be helped" Plagg sighed. "To the Guardian, Little Bug. Hurry."
She obliged, without understanding.
"How will this help me find Tikki?"
"It won't. But Paris needs a hero now, and Trixx is available. You'll wear the Necklace of the Fox for the mission."
Marinette stopped running.
"What?"
"We have a tiger on the loose and no hero available. It's an emergency, and we can't train another Holder in five minutes."
She picked up her pace. Plagg went on.
"Just be used to be without Chat Noir for a while."
"What? Why?"
"Just thinking about Master Fu and Wayzz's lectures is making me fall asleep. Listening to them for real will put me in coma."
She shook her head giggling. With a Kwami like this, she is beginning to understand her partner better.
"It's getting incredible harder to find absence excuses for my parents."
"Akuma chaos."
"That only works with actual akumas."
"Taking care of an incredibly charming little black kitten?" The Kwami said, moving his eyebrows up and down.
"Aaaagh, you and Chat deserve each other."
"You handled it very well, Adrien." Tikki complimented as the teen got out of the school.
"I am not sure. Now I have to spend Saturday morning going up and down Rue Saint Honoré with Chloé on her shopping spree."
"Being a Holder is also about sacrifices, Adrien. Subway's that way."
Getting down the stairs of the Paris Metro, Marinette reached her purse for her pass. But, instead of the purple and white plastic card, her hand only found a squishy, creamy substance. And smelly, she noticed after removing her hand.
"Eeeeeewww, Plagg. Where's my pass?"
"If you mean that plastic square, I had to take it out of your purse, to make more room for cheese… like the one you just ruined."
Marinette was beyond her capacity of getting mad. She just raced to the ticket booth, searching her pockets – there's no way she would put her hand on her purse again – for some coins.
When she was in front of the teller, she was still to find some cash. Nervous, she didn't notice a hand at her side, offering her a 2 euro coin.
"Oh, thank you, thank you"
"You're welcome, Marinette."
Turning, she faced Adrien. The day could not get worst.
"Adrien. What-why-when-school-I can explain."
"Right. We're both skipping school, and I suppose we both have good reasons for that. So, truce and no questions, 'criminals' honor?"
"S-sure."
She turned back and bought the ticket. He did the same.
Marinette was about to rush to her train, when noticed Adrien, looking helpless, staring at the subway diagram and lines and scratching his head. She sighed and went to him.
"W-where do you want to go?"
He mentioned the station, and added an embarrassed smile "Sorry, I… don't use the Metro that much."
"It's my plataform. Come with me" she said, adding 'poor rich boy' to the characteristics that made Adrien adorable. It took a while for her to notice it was not only her plataform, it was her station!
Inside Adrien pocket, Tikki was about to scream bloody murder. Enough of secrets, enough of charades, no more riddles, Plagg stop ruining my purse with your cheese, return to the kid you obviously are not fit to handle, both of you Marinette and Adrien transform and let's save the people from the tiger and the tiger from the people.
"So… tag a tick, ah, tiger attack. Heard about it?"
"Yes, a danger that is not an akuma, for a change. Still a danger. Hope no one gets hurt."
"So do I."
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. She was avoiding looking at him straight.
"Did you love Alya, did you NOTE Alya, did you get your notes form Alya?"
"I did, thanks." And offered a fraction of a cookie to Marinette "Hungry? This is from a very good bakery, you know."
"Thanks. Hey, this is the favorite of Ti-iiiiiiiiiverse clients."
"I can understand. They're great."
The train arrived, helping then to change the subject.
After a while, they both stepped out in the same station. Now what, both thought. Protect identity, protect the guardian, save the city…
"I must go that way!" both said, pointing to opposite sides of the station. And moved away, hiding on a place where they could, now and then, check if the other was still in sigh.
"What unfortunate coincidence." Adrien said, but chuckled "You know what is funny, Tikki? I am missing Plagg so much I imagined Marinette smelled a bit like him."
The red kwami opened a weird smile.
"Can you excuse me a bit, Adrien?" And turned to the wall, proceeding to bang her head against it several times. "This-is-I-can't-I-just-can't." Then, taking a deep breath, she talked in a calm voice. "We must break this stalemate situation, Adrien. Just take the stairs, move quickly. I am sure she will not follow you."
At the other side of the station, Marinette was lost in thoughts. "He got out in the same station near Master Fu… had Tikki's favorite cookie… you know what this means, Plagg?"
"I was wondering when…"
"So many things in common. We are made to be together."
Plagg's mouth hang open.
"Marinette, I am one of the oldest kwamis, second only to Tikki. I've being in this planet since the very beginning, and followed many humans in many, many adventures."
"I know, Plagg."
"So, please, allow me to say this to you in a rough chronologic sequence." And raised his voice.
"You and the kid are both, in Proto-elamite" and laid out a bunch of syllables, that, by the tone, could only mean insults "In Sumerian," another cascade of sounds, "In Hittite," Marinette pushed him back in her purse, hopping the cheese would help to muffle the sounds.
Only then she noticed Adrien was gone.
Good. The coast was clear for her to reach The Great Guardian. She opened her purse.
"We're moving, Plagg."
"IN ARAMAIC,…"
And closed it the fastest she could.
Next: The final chapter.
I just noticed this is the first time I really write Marinette. AntagonistS and Kwami in a Cheeese Shop are Adrien-heavy, Plagg Confession, The Wayzz of the Turtle and Felix Identity are all about it's namesakes. So, you being so generous so far, how am I handling Marinette? Also, The Paris details I put on are all google-mined. If I wrote some big mistake, can you kind readers from France/Europe point it out for me? Thanks.