His head ached, feeling as though someone had hit him with blunt force. As his vision cleared, he saw that someone with a pair of the bluest eyes he'd ever seen was hovering just above his face, looking down him.
"Who are you?" He murmured, looking up towards someone who was dressed in a ladybug patterned suit and mask, looking at him in pure shock as he pulled him behind the cover of a glass viewing area.
"I'm your..." The Ladybug themed person wavered for a moment as hugged him close, appearing to be wary of something, but he couldn't be certain as to what. "Please tell me this is another one of your jokes Chat Noir."
"Um...I don't think so..." He replied getting a better look at this boy, dressed in a Ladybug print costume with a scarf, and black thigh-high boots that were very stylish; the only thing that seemed out of place was the ceramic turtle attached to his belt. "Am I Chat Noir?" He asked, only receiving a concerned expression from the person in the ladybug costume.
"This isn't good." He murmured, seemingly checking for something as the ladybug then placed his hands on his shoulders, looking at him seriously. "Okay, listen. I'm Ladybug, you're Chat Noir, we're partners that protect Paris from villains." He quickly explained.
"Ladybug..." Chat Noir, said aloud, thinking it was rather fitting but flinched as he heard a distorted voice.
"You can't hide from us! Chat Noir is already down, it's only a matter of time before you join him Ladybug!"
Chat Noir peaked from behind the air conditioning unit, seeing a large purple person who was walking towards them, shooting lasers in their direction.
"What is that thing?!" He harshly whispered as Ladybug pulled him back to safety.
"Oblivio."
For some reason, Chat Noir felt something on his head flatten, feeling a pair of cat ears that oddly appeared to respond to his emotions.
"Listen, we need to head to that elevator. I'll cover you, but if it goes wrong, and I get hit I need you to do two things." Ladybug said as Chat Noir felt strangely calm, staring into his partner's bright blue eyes.
"Okay?!" Chat Noir said just nodding along as he was trying to process what was happening right now.
"First, don't lose your head, you can do this; Second, if-" Ladybug said, as Chat Noir then heard something beeping. The source came from his ring that had a paw emblem, as well as Ladybug's earrings. The hero, Ladybug, narrowed his eyes, realizing that time was against him. Chat Noir had no time to ask anything further as the villain was almost already on them. Ladybug ran out first, using a yo-yo as a shield as he defended himself from the villain's attacks.
"Go now!" Ladybug called out as he deflected the shots aimed at him.
Chat Noir only obeyed, feeling the tension as he pressed the button for the elevator. He felt the air tense up as he then heard a grunt, turning to see Ladybug fallen to the ground just a few feet away from him with the villain standing over him.
"Your Miraculous is ours, Ladybug!" Oblivio said as they then pointed their weapon at him. Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug seemingly tried to use the turtle at his side to deflect the attack, but Oblivio made contact first. The shot landed as Ladybug was knocked out and the villain was knocked back.
What happened next was all on instinct.
Chat Noir reached for something, anything, discovering that he had a baton attached to his belt. He threw it, unintentionally extending it as the weapon hit Oblivio just as they were recollecting their thoughts. Just as the elevator arrived it able to distract the villain for a moment as Chat Noir grabbed his partner, wrapping his arms around his torso as he dragged him into the elevator.
"NOOOO!" Oblivio yelled out just as the elevator doors closed and Chat Noir heard his ring, and Ladybug earrings beep faster.
He grumbled for a moment as he felt his head hurt, as though something had hit his head.
"Um, hi?" He overhead as he realized that he was the arms of a stranger, a boy about his age who was cradling his body in a catsuit of all things with ears to match.
"AH!" He reflexively reacted, immediately breaking away, but hitting his hand on an elevator wall as he backed away. "Owowow-" He winced as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey are you okay?" The cat boy asked as he reached out stunned by the new personality of the capable person he had just met.
"Wha- what am I wearing?! Why am I dressed like some kinda of clown!?" He half yelled, utterly confused as he saw his reflection in the mirror above.
"Look, I don't know what's going on, I lost my memory too. But I lost it just before you did." The Cat boy explained as he sat before him. "You told me that I'm called Chat Noir, and you were called Ladybug." He- Chat Noir, informed.
"Ladybug?" He asked in disbelief. "That's a stupid name, why would anyone call themselves Ladybug?!"
"Well, I think it may come with the territory." Chat Noir observed as he gestured to all of Ladybug's costume, a smile of amusement slipping through for a moment before he realized just how freaked out Ladybug was.
"Those can't be our names though, can it?" Ladybug asked, but before he could get an answer he heard a sudden beeping sound close to his ear. He saw that Chat Noir's ring was beeping, and all of a sudden they were no longer wearing their costumes. Instead, the costumes apparently turned into two strange creatures who were lain out on the ground.
"AHH- What are those?! Bugs? Mice? Bug mice?!" Ladybug screamed as he hit behind Chat Noir who seemed unphased by the appearance of the new creatures, curious almost. A smile grew on his face as he picked up both creatures in the palm of his hands.
"Hi there," He said with a smile. "Who are you guys? Genies, like the one in the lamp from that story?"
"Hungryyyyyy." The black cat-like one groaned but perked up as he seemingly caught the scent some something, sniffing around Chat Noir as his eyes shot open. "What's that delectable smell?!" The cat-bug asked as Chat Noir searched his pockets for a moment, wincing back as he felt something squishy in his pocket.
"Ugh, Camembert?!" Chat Noir asked, repulsed by the smell as the black creature immediately grabbed it.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful!" He said, immediately gobbling down the cheese. Meanwhile, the red one was still weak, only looking up towards Chat Noir looking tired, barely able to keep her eyes open. Chat Noir felt sad as he saw how weak the creature looked. He patted down his pockets once more but didn't seem to have any more cheese on him.
"Hey, do you have any snacks on you?" Chat Noir asked as he turned back towards the other boy, Ladybug who was sitting in the corner, trembling in fear like a small animal. He appeared to be overwhelmed by this entire situation, to the point where he didn't even want to talk. It seemed like losing his memories had hit Ladybug harder than it had himself. But before he could ask him if he was alright, the elevator began to shake violently.
"What is that?!" The red bug asked worridly as the lights began to flicker.
"Nothing good!" Chat Noir reasoned, as he placed the red bug on his shoulder and then tried to open the elevator doors, but to no avail. "Ugh, they're stuck!" He said, then saw the black cat fly past him, phasing through the door as the tremors began to get worse. "What just..." Chat Noir asked himself in surprise as the red bug followed suit. Whatever these two animals were, there was no way they weren't anything but magical. A second later the doors sprang open
"Come on, we gotta get outta here!" Chat Noir said, forcing Ladybug to his feet as he grabbed his wrist, the two just narrowly escaped just as the elevator fell. Chat Noir sighed in relief, looking up at the two flying creatures. "Thank you." He said gratefully as the black cat scoffed.
"Hmph, you two should have just phased through the doors too." He said turning his head away while the red bug slowing fell to the ground. Chat Noir gasped about to catch her, but Ladybug beat him to the punch, holding the small creature in his palm of his hands. Taking a closer look, he saw that Ladybug without his costume looked felt significantly different, his giving off a timid and feeble aura. His hair was a mess only really kept together by pink and white pins, and even though his outfit looked professional it was offset by the wrinkles, making it look like he just got out of bed. What really drew his attention however was the bandaid wrap around his wrist, implying that he was injured along with a ladybug patterned tie that was wrapped around the same wrist.
"Okay everyone we're gonna keep our cool here. We've all lost our memories but I'm sure we'll be able to—" Chat Noir was about to say, but a banging in the elevator shaft caught their attention, sounding like there was something, or someone climbing it. "Get out of here!" Chat Noir said, grabbing Ladybug's hand, the uninjured one as he ran in a random direction.
Ladybug had no idea what was going on, he had awoken in the arms of a beautiful stranger. A stranger dressed like a cat but who transformed into a human being, it was almost like something out of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, he most certainly wasn't the kind of person play any part like that, a chair or a table maybe, but no leading role. Right now, all he could do was follow Chat Noir's lead as they passed by rooms that were destroyed, covered in debris until they ended up running into a restroom. The two of them gasped for air, Ladybug more so as he felt like his heart would give in, wheezing for air.
"Sorry for dragging you like that, I realize this must be as crazy for you as it is for me." Chat Noir apologized, however, Ladybug only responded by still trying to catch his breath. But his attention was grabbed as his bag started to move, making him flinch back. He opened it to see the red Kwami was munching down on some cookies that were in a plastic case, her face covered with crumbs. But as soon as she was caught, she looked up towards the two boys apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I was hungry." She said as she hovered, still holding half a cookie in her hands. A smile broke out on Ladybug's face as he chuckled, cleaning away the crumbs with a handkerchief that was in his bag.
"Thank you Marinus!" She said with a smile.
Both Chat Noir and Ladybug looked at her in surprise.
"Is that his- how did you know his name?" Chat Noir asked pointing towards Ladybug- Marinus.
"It's written in there," The red bug said, flying back into Marinus's bag and pulling out a pink floral patterned notebook. Marinus took it from her, looking on the back to see, Property of Marinus Dupain-Cheung, written in neat cursive writing.
"Marinus..."Chat Noir murmured for a moment before a smile drew on his lips, "That's a pretty name." He said, but was surprised as Marinus turned his head away, blushing fiercely. It was almost cute.
Chat Noir then patted down his pockets, feeling something in his back pocket and pulled out what looked to be an ID card. "Adrien Agreste," He read aloud, "I'm Adrien Agreste."
"Well that's great and all, but who are we?" The black cat asked impatiently while the red bug was resting on Marinus's shoulder.
"You two are probably someone important if you came out of our jewelry like that." Adrien reasoned looking down at his ring, noticing that it was white now while Marinus's earrings were now black. "Okay. We're stuck in the building with amnesia being chased by a villain that took away our memories, so I'm guessing we have to find a way to defeat it." Adrien reason as he saw Marin's face pale at that goal.
"How do you know what that thing's called, and how it's the cause of us losing our memories?" The red bug asked.
"Because Ladybug told me." Adrien said, looking at Marinus who was hugging himself nervously, not enjoying the spotlight being set on him. But there was no time to worry about that now, as the door started to bang.
Adrien immediately looked around for a place to hide, but there was no obvious place that wouldn't be found in 10 seconds. He was surprised as Marinus grabbed his arm, pointing towards a vent that was above them, just above the stalls.
"It's too far up." Adrien said as Marinus walked towards it. Even if they could reach it, Adrien assumed that Marinus wouldn't have the strength to pull him up. Before he could say anything, however, Marinus was already waiting for him, lacing his fingers together to give him a boost.
"Are you sure? Your wrist-" Adrien pointed out.
"We don't have time, just hurry up!" The black cat snapped, causing Adrien to comply. He was lifted up until he had to balance on Marinus's shoulder. They wobbled a little, but ultimately, Adrien was just barely able open up the hatch, tossing it down as he climbed into the duct.
"Alright, come on." Adrien said as he reached out towards Marinus. For a moment, he wondered how he'd be able to pull up Marin on his own, however, he was surprised. As he gripped his partner's hand, he didn't expect him to be rather light, after all, he was taller than him, perhaps he was just stronger. As Adrien pulled him in, the two genies closed the vent behind them. The vent was cramped between two of them, Adrien felt a little embarrassed holding Marinus in his arms the vent leaving no space between them, but neither of them dared to move a muscle as they heard the door break down. Footsteps echoed through the bathroom, for a moment there was some silence as Adrien sighed, releasing some tension as his heart was racing. But then both of them flinched as a sudden bang rang in their ears. The sound continued until the villain roared on frustration.
"Ugh! We will find you!" Oblivio said as he seemingly walked out of the bathroom. Even though the coast was seemingly clear, Adrien and Marinus both silently agreed not to backtrack as the underlying fear of being caught was still present. Adrien looked down towards Marinus as the two were tangled together. Marinus immensely averted his gaze as he pushed himself away while Adrien chuckled nervously, the former taking the lead as they both crawled through the vents together.
"Um, quick thinking on the vent back there, you seem to be good with situations like this." Adrien complimented. He looked back for a moment seeing Marinus hanging his head, not reacting to his compliment at all.
"You're striking out here pal." The black cat commented, his voice low enough so only Adrien could hear. Adrien scowled at the magic cat. He wasn't striking out, he wasn't striking anything, he was just paying a compliment.
Once they reached the end of the vent, the two genies peaked out first. Once they confirmed the coast was clear Adrien carefully pushed the vent through, placing it to the side as he jumped out. He stumbled for a second as the drop was higher than he expected, so in turn, he held out his hand towards Marinus, hoping that it would help him balance. But it Marinus fell for the same illusion, as he took Adrien's hand he stumbled into his arms. Reflexively, Marinus wrapped his arms around Adrien's waist, the two froze for a moment before Marinus immediately broke away.
"I-" Marin gasped for a moment, then bowed his head. "Sorry!"
"Oh, no- you don't need to apologize!" Adrien said, still flustered from the contact. But turned his head away as he didn't want his gaze to linger on Marinus. "Why don't we head upstairs now?!" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he walked ahead. He wasn't sure why, but even knowing that Marinus was walking behind him made his heart race to the point where it started to hurt a little.
They peaked into an empty office space, cautiously walking around as they saw the room was a mess, yet abandoned.
"We can hide out here while we figure out what to do." Adrien said as he took out his phone, but was prevented from accessing it. "A four-digit code..." Adrien said aloud. " I don't suppose you remember yours?" He asked, but Marinus shook his head as he stood before the windows with the red bug hovering nearby.
Adrien ran to a desk, picking up one of the phones, but didn't hear a dial tone on the other end. "The phone lines are down, neither of us can remember how to unlock our phones, there's a villain hunting us down; we seem to be running out of options here." Adrien sighed.
Marinus looked back at him for a moment, wanting to be positive but couldn't find the words. Suddenly, an idea came over him as he took out the book from earlier. He saw that it had a lock on it, one that needed a key. Marin looked through his bag but couldn't find anything that could fit in the this really was his. In his bag, all he could see was a small bag filled with cookies, a pouch of various art supplies, a small sewing kit, and a mini first aid kit. All things considered, if he had a bag filled with drawing supplies as well, then he probably used the book often; implying-hopefully- that he had to have kept a key on him somewhere. It was a stretch, but it was all he had to go on.
Marinus patted down his pockets, feeling something in his back pocket, something that was attached to the back of his pants. He untied the charm looking down at what appeared to be a lucky charm of sorts. He didn't recognize it, but it didn't have what he was looking for, so he placed it in his bag. Then, he touched his neck as he felt that he was wearing a necklace. It was tucked under his shirt, having a bright red jewel of sorts tied with a cord, along with a small silver key.
He quickly removed his necklace and easily unlocked his journal. He flipped through a few pages, seeing drawings and magazine clip outs all referring back to fashion, all dated with a few notes on each design, pretty standard to say the least. But then, as he turned more pages, the random magazine clippings were more geared towards one model in particular. Marinus's face burned with embarrassment, thinking about all the time and effort that had to be placed in making these collages, no wonder he'd locked his book was random, one page could be filled with cutouts and the next was some strange doodles of what looked to be bananas? His eyes widened as he then turned the next page to see a pressed flower, a pink rose that was pressed in the pages. As much as he was curious about the flower, it wasn't what he was looking for.
Then, he spotted 4 numbers, circled in red marker next to a polaroid photo of Adrien taped in, one that looked to be from a magazine clipping. The caption read, "Don't Forget!". Marin hummed thoughtfully, taking out his phone and dialing the 4 numbers, which apparently was the code as his phone was unlocked. The wallpaper on his phone was oddly a yarn basket of all things, it seemed strange to make a yarn basket the wallpaper for anything.
"I got it!" Marinus called out as Adrien turned towards him.
"Got what?" Adrien asked as the two walked towards each other.
"I got my phone unlocked," Marinus explained as Adrien's eyes lit up.
"That's amazing how'd you manage that?"
Marinus was about to answer until he remembered how he got the code, his mind racing back to everything that as in his journal. He didn't know what his relationship was with Adrien, as far as he knew, Adrien would be creeped out by all the photo's of him within the journal he kept. It has creeped him out, that was sure.
"I uh... found the code in my journal," Marinus said lamely, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "My phone's almost out of battery, I think I'll be able to make one, maybe 2 calls before it dies."
"Still, it's great that you managed to find it." Adrien complimented again but saw that Marinus wasn't very receptive to his praises. Then he saw that Marinus was looking through his phone in confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked, then looked at Marinus's phone to see that there were no clear names listed on his contact list, everyone was a dessert with a picture of their namesake attached to their contact info.
"Cupcake, Cookie, Truffle, Coffeecake- What kind of names are these?!" Marinus grimaced in disbelief as he scrolled through having no idea who to call.
"Hey, I think that one's me." Adrien pointed out as he saw the name, Adrikins next to an actual photo of himself. Accidentally clicking on the icon, he opened up the full picture, one where he and Marinus were sitting on a bench together, looking friendly towards each other. "We look close." He pointed out kind of happy that he and Marinus seemed to be on good terms.
" Yeah, we're sitting on a bench together!" Marinus said quickly exiting out of the photo, maybe too quickly as Adrien noticed his hastiness.
"Wait, stop!" Adrien called again as he saw a turtle picture next to someone nicknamed, .
"What? What is it?!" Marinus asked now startled as Arien pointed to the contact information.
"Before you lost your memory you had this...turtle thing that you were carrying around."
"So?"
"So maybe it's a sign or something," Adrien said shrugging his shoulder. "Even if it's just a coincidence, it's something to go on." He offered as Marinus sighed, there were a number of things wrong with Adrien just suggested. However, it wasn't like he had a better idea, so he simply dialed the number. He grew anxious as the phone rang, for a split second, every possible bad thing that could happen seemed to rush into Marinus's head. But luckily, it only lasted for a moment as someone picked up from the other side.
" Hello?" A voice asked from the other side of the call.
"Um... Mr. Turtle?" Marinus asked hesitantly.
"Marinus, is there a problem?" A voice from the other side asked; a higher-pitched one that he was expecting.
"Well... um-" Marinus stammered, not sure of what to say as his head started to get fuzzy the more he grew anxious. He was almost sure that he wasn't good at talking to people. However, he then felt a hand on his shoulder as Adrien looked up towards him, nodding assuringly. Marinus felt a little at ease, all things considered.
"I can't remember who I am or who you are or who the magic fairies are, now there's a villain chasing us- me and Adrien Agreste- but I think I'm supposed to call you because Adrien said that I- well, Ladybug had some kind of turtle charm before he- I, got my memory erased." Marinus rambled as he felt embarrassed explaining this whole confusing situation.
"Oh no, that's not good." The voice on the other side said. " You two aren't supposed to know each other's identities..."
"Why not?" Adrien asked.
"Because it's extremely dangerous, but for now I guess it's fine." The voice from the other side said, ignoring Adrien's question. "Ladybug will be able to fix this with his Lucky Charm, now tell me, where are your Kwamis? The Faries." Mr. Turtle clarified.
"Um..." Marin turned his head, spotting the red bug, but then his stomach sank as he saw the black cat flying out of the building. "Just the red one..."
"Listen carefully, the red Kwami's name is Tikki. She gives you your powers Say, "Tikki, spots on," and you'll transform into Ladybug: your powers are Lucky charm; which is part of your other power, Miraculous Ladybug; which can undo anything effected by the power of an Akuma: As well as purification, once the item the akuma has possessed is destroyed the akuma will be released, you can then use your yo-yo to capture and purify it so it doesn't cause any further trouble. Adrien, your Kwami's the black one. His name is Plagg. Tell him, "Plagg, claws out," and you'll become Chat Noir again; your power is the Cataclysm, with one touch you can destroy or corrupt."
"Right, thank you," Marinus said gratefully and then hung up. He exchanged a nervous glance with Adrien who saw that Plagg was gone as well.
"So, what are we suppose to do now?" Adrien asked, then saw Marinus was sitting with his back to a pillar, sitting on the ground.
"Take two seconds to process what's happening?" He recommended feeling winded after gaining so much information in such a short amount of time.
"I'm fine with that." Adrien said as he sat adjacent to Marinus. He looked up towards a giant poster, one that appeared to be for a movie, a Ladybug and Chat Noir movie of all things.
He overheard Marinus talking a deep breath, "So...what about us? Do you think we know?"
"Know?" Marinus asked, but knew what Adrien meant.
"You know, do you think you know about each other identities?" Adrien asked hopefully.
"Mr. Turtle said that we shouldn't know each other's secret identities. There's probably a good reason that we don't know." Marinus reasoned.
However, that didn't sit right with Adrien. "Sure, but just before you got your memories erased...it kinda felt like you, like Ladybug cared a lot about me. Do you feel like that? About me now?"
Marinus's mind went in a hundred different directions as he hugged his journal. "I feel like we're more than just partners...maybe friends?" He said carefully. Being friends was all he could, should, really hope for if he ended up being some kind of creepy stalker. Adrien was confident and was incredibly patient with him as he struggled not to lay down and cry from the stress of the entire situation.
"I wish we could make sure."
"Why?"
"Even if we can't remember, I think I'm supposed to care about you a lot." Adrien said as he grasped his shirt. He was uneasy around Marinus, a good kind, a kind that he'd correlate more towards excitement than dread.
"Maybe..."Marinus wavered for a moment, glancing toward Adrien's direction. "Maybe there's a way we could-"
But then they both tensed up as they heard a door open and close.
"Ladybug! Chat Noir! You remember your BFF Oblivio, don't you? Don't tell us you've forgotten us." Oblivio yelled out angrily as they overheard the sound of something crashing, probably a desk being thrown across the room.
"I'm not convinced that this monster is really our best friend," Adrien whispered sarcastically as he, Marinus, and Tikki hid under a desk. "If that guy catches us, it's ov-" Adrien was about to say but then he saw Marinus whispering something to Tikki. The Kwami nodded, phasing off as Marin reached for a roll of tape sitting on top of the desk.
"Can I borrow your phone?" Marinus asked holding out his hand, just before placing his journal back into his bag.
Adrien stared at him for a moment before silently complying, watching as Marinus wrapped his phone in the tape. He then placed it on the ground as he glanced at Adrien seriously. "I'll call your phone with mine, and once he comes around, we run for it. Ready?" Marinus explained as Adrien looked at him in surprise, wondering if this was the same timid boy from earlier.
A confident smile drew on his face as Marinus dialed his phone. Both of them heard rapidly approaching footsteps gaining closer and closer. Marinus and Adrien moved carefully as they hid under another desk. Marinus quickly pulled Adrien's phone to safety as Oblivio growled in annoyance.
"We know you're in here, you won't get away this time!" They called out, but then started running again as they heard a door open and close from across the room. "There!" They called out, sprinting away after what they believed were their targets.
Neither Marinus or Adrien moved until they heard the door close, Marinus let out a sigh of relief as he handed back Adrien's phone. "Tikki's going to lure Oblivio away as far as she can, it'll give us some time to figure out a plan."
"Plus, this room will be the last place Oblivio will think to look for us, it's brilliant." Adrien praised, this time Marinus didn't seem so averse to taking the compliment, but it only lasted for a second before he averted his gaze. "We're doing pretty well, even without powers, don't you think?" Adrien pressed as he stood up, holding out his hand to help Marinus up.
The taller boy accepted the gesture but had a frown on his face. "So far we've been lucky with these close calls, but we have to put an end to this so we can get our memories back." He pointed out as Adrien sighed, placing his hands on his hips.
"When you're right you're right. So, do you have a plan?"
"Me?" Marinus asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Adrien said as-a-matter-of-fact-like, "You seem to be good with situations like this."
Marinus's face burned with embarrassment as he noticed the window looking especially appealing to look at. He placed his bag on the desk and walked up towards it for a moment, placing his hand against the glass, feeling the cool temperature at his palm. He took a slow deep breath, placing his forehead against the window, hoping that the cold would help him calm down.
He knew they had to defeat Oblivio. He knew that he that Plagg was missing so, for now, it would be on him and Tikki to take on Oblivio alone. Except that there was no way for him to do this alone. If Adrien took Adrien's words into account then there was a chance that the reason that they failed was due to his partner being taken out first. But maybe there was something that he was missing, something that could help them tip the scales in their favor. If he could figure out how Oblivio's power's work then perhaps...
Marinus opened his eyes, his chest swelled with confidence, "Adrien, maybe we can-" However it all came crashing down as he turned to see Adrien holding a book that was all too familiar. His journal, in his hands, opened up, and the rest was history.
Adrien wasn't sure what to do.
His partner was seemingly in his own world as he was thinking. So he crossed his arms, leaning back against the desk behind him, tracing Marinus's figure with his eyes as he waited. There was a chance that he wouldn't be able to figure out a plan, that was a given. But every time Adrien looked at him, something inside him was always set at ease, maybe it was natural for him to rely on his partner like this. After all, the first time he had met Ladybug, the hero had saved him when he was at his most vulnerable.
His bag fell over, something fell out from his journal.
"Hm?" Adrien hummed curiously as he saw there was a page that was bookmarked. "Um, Marinus?" Adrien called out, not wanting to touch the personal items of an incredibly timid person but didn't want to leave it on the ground. As he picked up the book, it opened up to a page that had a pink rose pressed within. Alongside it was a very detailed drawing of Chat Noir with a cheeky smile on his face.
Next to it was was a few words. "Today, I found out Chat Noir's eyes are actually green-Also using a Cataclysm can be a power trip but that's for another time. I couldn't shake the idea that they reminded me of Adrien's eyes...today I also noticed the silver ring on his hand. One that looks eerily similar to Chat Noir's. I've read through the pages of the Master's grimoire more times than I can count, and read that the Miraculous are known to change color, but only more experienced Miraculous holders can change the shape of their Miraculous at will. Luckily my earrings are a common design, hardly anyone notices them. But a ring like that...if Chat Noir is really Adrien..."
The words then stopped as there was something redacted with a black marker.
"Adrien, maybe we can-"
Adrien's head immediately shot up, just in time to see Marinus's face go pale. He immediately closed the book holding out his hand towards his partner, "Wait I can explain!" He said, but Marinus placed his head back onto the window, now more defeated than ever as he hid his face away.
"I didn't mean to read it." Adrien said honestly, "But when it opened I couldn't help it...but that's no excuse." Adrien sighed as he held out the book towards him. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, this is fine." Marinus said clapping his hands together trying to end this conversation, but he did not sound fine. "We just are going to have to defeat the villain and turn everything back to normal and forget that we forgot our memories and then never talk about this again. Okay, good plan."
Adrien frowned at his partner who was now clearly going through some kind of panic-induced breakdown under the guise of being composed. "Or we could talk about this?" He suggested. "Like how you wanted to earlier?"
Marinus hand his head, holding his face in his hands. "Could you please forget about that?" He now begged, but Adrien shook his head.
"I saw what you wrote about Chat Noir, about me." He said honestly, as Marinus blushed fiercely."I know that we don't have any of our memories, but I know what I'm feeling for you is real," Adrien said as he clawed his shirt, "I like you Marinus; Anyone would be blown away by how amazing you are, and somehow you always end up surprising me when I think I've figured you out." Adrien said as he started the smile, feeling a warm feeling swell in his chest. "Which makes me want to spend more time with you." He confessed as Marinus looked like he was just about to pass out. "How do you feel about me?"
"I..." Marinus stammered for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, looking at him with a conflicted, yet sincere expression. "I don't think I should tell you how I feel."
"Why not?" Adrien asked, about to ask if it was something that he did, but then remembered how he literally just read through Marinus's journal, so he thought he didn't have any right to ask the follow-up question.
"Because, if I do tell you, then it'll be real, not just something that's in my mind." Marinus explained. "That scares me more than the literal villain running around this building, doesn't it scare you at all?!"
"Feeling?" Adrien asked, a little confused.
"Truth!" Marinus clarified, but then grumbled to himself, messing up his hair. "Ugh, we don't have time for this. We're heroes, and we have to get rid of that villain and turn everything back to normal."
"What about us?" Adrien asked. "We're not supposed to know each other's identities, if we go back now then we'll forget about the time we spent together. It may be messed up to think about, but doesn't it feel honest? That we don't have to hide who we really are?"
Marinus faltered for a moment, thinking about what Adrien said, but just then Tikki phased back into the room with a panicked expression on her face. "There's trouble! Oblivio's going to erase the entire city's memories!" She warned as Adrien and Marinus shared a worried expression. It took no time for a more determined expression to take old on Marins's face.
"Then we don't have a choice." He said walking over to the desk and placing his journal within his bag, placing it back on as he turned towards his Kwami. "Tikki...spots on?" He said nervously for a moment as suddenly he was surrounded by light for a moment. When it faded, he saw his reflection in the window, cringing at his outfit. " In the clown suit again."Ladybug grimaced as he felt far too exposed.
"I think you look good." Adrien offered. "Like a real superhero."
"Thanks, but I don't feel like a superhero at all." Ladybug said, looking over his costume again, wishing he could just wear a parka or at least some kind of tarp.
"You've already proven that you are one, with or without a costume," Adrien said reassuringly as Ladybug smiled at him.
"You're sweet." Ladybug said as he noticed he had a yo-yo at his belt. He gripped his weapon in hand as he took a deep breath. "Alright, so long as I can find Oblivio's weakness, I think we should be alright." Ladybug said as he turned towards the door, but then Adrien grasped his hand.
"Wait, you're not fighting this guy alone are you?!" Adrien asked.
Ladybug nodded. "You don't have your kwami or your superpowers. And without your costume, you'd be put in even more danger." Adrien sighed dejectedly, wondering how Ladybug was able to stay reasonable at all times. Perhaps it was part of the reason that he like him so much, despite how annoying he could be. However, he was surprised as Ladybug placed his hand on his shoulder, looking at him with a sincere expression on his face."We've gone through all of this together, I just don't want anything bad to happen to..." Adrien said, but then time seemed to slow down as he felt arms wrap around him, trapping him in a warm embrace. He was stunned, too stunned to even reciprocate much to his regret as Ladybug stepped back.
The hero clapped his hands together to divert attention away from what just happened. "OKAYCOOLTALKBYE!" Ladybug said, slipping on a few papers as he struggled to run out of the room, all the way swearing to turn everything back to normal and erase this whole embarrassing escapade of a day as he ran up the stairs. Except that he had no idea how to do that.
All he knew was he had a magic power, a yo-yo, and that something called a Lucky Charm would be able to help them out. He hoped that somehow, it would all just come together as he opened the door to the roof, and then was almost shot.
"WAH-" Ladybug gasped as he evaded ducked for cover behind a glass wall, feeling a rising tension as the villain approached him.
"So you're decided to hand over your Miraculous, Ladybug?" Oblivio ashed as he pointed his weapon towards the hero.
"No, I don't think so!" Ladybug called back, sounding a little whiny as he gripped his yo-yo.
"Seems like you've already forgotten about your last defeat! How silly of us, of course, you've forgotten!" They remarked, now running towards him as Ladybug tried to keep distance between them, noticing that when Oblivio was shooting, they had to use one of their hands.
That gave Ladybug an idea, but he didn't have the speed or accuracy to pull it off, not like he was now.
Adrien was frozen as part of him wanted to feel that feeling of warmth once more now that he could clearly identify was this feeling was in his head; something that was far stronger than like. He chuckled to himself, having no idea how the same person could keep surprising him over and over again in such a short amount of time. As much as he would have liked to linger on his growing affections, he had to find some way to help his partner.
Right now, there wasn't much he could do as Adrien. But maybe if he wasn't Adrien...
The blonde's eyes scanned the room, looking at the fallen packaging materials lain about, quickly getting an idea as he picked up the packaging tape and boxes. It wouldn't the most glamorous of an idea, but at least he'd-
"What are you doing?"
Adrien turned to see the genie- the Kwami, from earlier had returned with a confused expression on his face as to what he was creating. "Plagg!" Adrien called out in relief.
"Plagg? Is that my name?" The Kwami asked excitedly as Adrien nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, we're supposed to be partners."
"Hmph, well, I do owe you from earlier," Plagg said, crossing his arms as Adrien smiled fondly at the Kwami.
"Alright, let's help out our friends, Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said aloud as his Miraculous began to change color.
"What's that gonna do-AHHH!" The Kwami yelled out as he was sucked into the Miraculous.
Ladybug tried to block against a punch but was knocked back as Oblivio pushed him to the ground.
"You've forgotten your reflexes, huh? Now we're gonna make sure you lose everything else, including your Miraculous!" Oblivio promised as they pointed their weapon down at the hero. But then the blast was knocked back as Ladybug was surprised, looking down at a staff fallen to the ground. Next thing he knew, someone else stood before him protectively, picking up his weapon.
"Invading the personal space of a gentleman, did you forget your manners?" He asked looking back at him with a cheeky smile on his face.
"Adri—" Ladybug was about to say before he immediately covered his mouth. But then, his partner picked him up, carrying him as Oblivio began to fire at them again, the two taking refuge behind an air conditioning unit. "What are you doing here?!" Ladybug harshly whispered.
"Hey, pretty cool, right?" Adrien- Chat Noir asked gesturing to his hero uniform.
"That was reckless!" Ladybug scolded, secretly thinking how cool Chat Noir looked but held a stern expression as his words didn't seem to go through Chat Noir's head.
Chat Noir he tilted his head with a playful smile on his face."I didn't know you cared so much." He inquired, leaning his head closer to his partner.
"I-" Ladybug stammered as he was blushing furiously. "Of course I care, dummy!" He snapped back, but somehow grew weaker as he saw that Chat Noir was smiling brighter."We need to focus." Ladybug said, taking out his yo-yo, he thought back to what said about his powers. "Lucky...Charm? WHA-" He said hesitantly, but then a horde of magic ladybugs erupted from his yo-yo. He quickly caught a ladybug printed teapot before it crashed on the ground, landing on his stomach.
"Wha- what am I suppose to do with-" Ladybug asked as he then heard Chat Noir's staff extent, seeing that he was blocking the blasts from Oblivio's blaster.
"You got a plan bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked, defending his partner. "We won't stand a chance until we stop him from firing at us."
Ladybug looked down at the teapot, wondering how this could possibly help them; then he remembered how Oblivio's powers worked. A confident smile drew on his face as he gripped the handle of the teapot. "Yeah, just trust me!" Ladybug called out.
"Of course I trust you, what's the-" Chat Noir asked, but then stumbled for a moment as he felt Ladybug use his shoulder as a ledge, jumping on him to gain extra height as he then used his yo-yo to wrap around Oblivio's hand. He then slammed the teapot on Oblivio's raised hand as he bound his arm behind him leaving him completely defenseless.
"Now!" Ladybug called out and Chat Noir sprung into action towards the stationary villain.
"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out confidently as he touched Oblivio's blaster, destroying it with one touch.
Ladybug released his yo-yo as Oblivio turned into two children about his and Chat Noir's age, then saw a dark butterfly fluttering by, the Akuma no doubt.
"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."
Chat Noir walked up to him as they watched the white butterfly fly away. "We work well together." He said but saw that Ladybug was more focused on the giant orb hovering above them, Oblvio's presence lingering.
"I think this is where my other power comes in." Ladybug said, picking up the teapot. "It'll undo everything affected by the villain's powers."
Chat Noir hesitated for a moment, "I guess that applies to us too." he sighed, "You think we'll feel this way about each other when we turn back?"
No idea.
Ladybug thought to himself, almost saying it aloud. But then he picked up on what Chat Noir was thinking, seeing his partner's ears flatten. Instinctively, he took hold of his partner hand, looking into his captivating green eyes as he spoke sincerely, though embarrassed.
"If we feel this way about each other now after everything we just went through, there's no way it wouldn't happen again."
"Then, just in case..." Chat Noir prompted with a smile, taking Ladybug's hand in his. There wasn't that much of a difference in their heights, Ladybug was only slightly taller than him after all, but even so, he felt the need to lift himself on his toed, initiating the kiss as he placed his hand against the back of Ladybug's neck as his partner laced their dingers together. The kiss only lasted for a moment, but the two couldn't help but smile, breaking away, resting their foreheads against each other's as both of them couldn't help but giggle, feeling the same feeling of joy.
Neither of them let go of each other's hand as Ladybug threw up his lucky charm in the air, turning everything back to normal.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
When Ladybug opened his eyes, he realized he was holding Chat Noir's hand, who looked equally confused, the two stumbling back from each other, dazed by this situation. Suddenly, he remembered, "Oblivio!" He said, recalling how Chat Noir what taken out first, but then after that, everything was a blur.
"Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir?" Both Heroes turned to see Alya and Nino standing before them with sheepish grins, looking almost guilty.
"You two haven't happened to see a supervillain named Oblivio, have you?" Chat Noir asked as Nino and Alya exchanged a look of embarrassment.
"You've defeated it already, dude."
"Yeah...actually, he was kind of us." Alya clarified as she and Nino chuckled nervously.
"Oh, okay." Ladybug and Chat Noir responded together, bumping their fists together with some hesitation as they had no recollection of defeated the villain.
"Have to admit, we do make a good couple, don't you think?" Chat Noir said as he rested his staff on his shoulders.
"Hm?" Ladybug murmured, giving Chat Noir a curious look. "We're partners, not exactly a couple." He pointed out bluntly.
"Still, what other duo do you know who could take out a villain and not even remember it happened?" Chat Noir joked but smiled in amusement as he saw Ladybug actually taking his question seriously as he had a pensive look on his face.
"Oh, you guys did a little more than just, take us out." Alya said, looking like she was about to explode with excitement as she held up her phone. Chat Noir leaned in to take a better look, and he suddenly felt flushed.
"What doesn't even make any sense, forgetting your identity is something inherently unique and we're the only superheroes in Paris-" Ladybug muttered under his breath, but was pulled out of his thoughts by Chat Noir turning his partner's head towards Alya's phone.
There was a brief silence because Chat Noir laughed aloud, "Well one thing's for sure, we would make a good-looking couple. "He joked again, but his ears perked up as he rested his sights on his partner. Uncharacteristically, Ladybug looked flustered as he hid his face in his hands. Chat Noir was taken aback by the sight, he would've expected his partner to brush this off, using his reasoning to explain what was happening in the photo. Normally, Chat Noir would have consoled his partner, trying to dispell his grief and uncertainties. But then again, this was an ultra-rare opportunity. The hero leaned towards his taller partner, resting his arm around his shoulders while donning an alluring smile. "Clearly, we're meant for each other bugaboo, you're the only one who doesn't see it." Chat Noir teased whispering the last part in Ladybug's ear.
"D-Don't joke about this kinda stuff!" Ladybug stammered, pushing his partner back as Chat Noir was surprised by how emotional he was acting. Ladybug then covered one of his ears as his Miraculous started beeping.
"What's the big deal, we don't remember so it's not like it counts." Chat Noir pointed out, but then grew salty as he recalled the many times they'd actually shared a kiss, but somehow, never when either partner wasn't unconscious or out of their senses. He flattened his ears as he wondered what kind of force would never allow them to share a moment of passion without some kind of Akuma interfering.
However, Ladybug, on the other hand, looked like he was about to pop. He looked like he was about to snap about something but stopped as his Miraculous began to beep more furiously.
"Better make your usual lecture quick, bugaboo, or else Alya will have an even bigger scoop to post." Chat Noir pointed out as Alya looked all too eager.
Ladybug gripped his yo-yo in his hand, feeling complete humiliation, but surprisingly, for once it wasn't as Marin.
"You should only do that kind of thing with someone you love!" Ladybug snapped, running away furiously as he then jumped off the building, not even looked back as Chat Noir groaned into his hands.
The hero felt Nino pat his head as a form of comfort. "He finally returns my feelings and we forget all about it!" Chat Noir cried out as Nino nodded.
"I know buddy."
"He says that we're partners and good friends, but how does he expect me to be friends with someone so amazingly adorable!?" Chat Noir asked in defeat as he then rested his head on Nino's shoulder, who continued to be comforting to the defeated hero.
"I know buddy."
"I love him so much." Chat Noir conceded as he then fell into a full-fledged hug with his- Adrien's best friend.
"I know buddy." Nino sighed as he allowed the hero to lean on him through this trying time.
Marin scanned the new photo on the Ladyblog, his fingers interlaced as he just stared at the screen for what turned into hours. Tikki looked between the two for a while, now getting worried for her partner who looked to be on the verge of tears.
So what if he kissed his partner and all of Paris knew? So what if he made a fool of himself once the picture was shown to him? So what his feelings that were locked away deep in the depths of his heart threatened to bubble up to the surface- where they were far from welcome- and transform him into a person he no longer would be able to recognize? He kept almost all of his feeling towards Adrien hidden away, Chat Noir was no different, after all, he had met the two around the same time. He would just...never talk to hero ever again, in his entire life...forever...
"Marin?" Tikki asked, waving her hand before his partner's face before he sighed heavily, resting his head on his hands.
"This is fine."
Notes:
-So much procrastination because why did this turn out to be 9k
-If Marinus and Adrien end up dating, Adrien would probably instigate most stuff, it'd be super fluffy.
-The bananas were the back of Adrien's head, Marin couldn't really draw well back then
-The of my fic was actually Wayzz, couldn't find a way to slip it in, but here it is. Wayzz and Marin are texting buddies and has to pick up the phone because Fu is tech illiterate.
-Well would you look at that, he kept the rose...