Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, feeling butterflies in his stomach flutter with each step towards the theatre. He and the rest of his friends had planned this outing a few days before...the incident happened. But he perked up as he saw Alya waiting outside the theatre on her phone.
"Hey Alya!" Adrien said walking up to her but noticed that her attention was squarely on her phone. "Al-"
"It doesn't make any sense!" She suddenly said in annoyance. "Chat Noir hasn't been seen for weeks, Ladybug's been avoiding any interview, what the heck is going on?!"
Aaaand any hopes that Adrien had with this being a pleasant evening were thrown out the window. He averted his gaze nervously as Alya ranted on about not having solid news on Chat Noir missing. Part of him was kind of glad that he wasn't replaced so easily, but then again...
"Maybe they had an argument?" Adrien suggested, trying to ignore the stinging.
"You don't think I've thought about that?!" Alya snapped, making Adrien flinch at her tone. "I've thought about this probably about a million times, and not in any situation would they- well." Alya conceded for a moment as a new idea popped in her head. "You don't think Chat Noir was working for Hawkmoth or anything right?"
"What?!" Adrien asked, dumbfounded.
"It's a classic hero story," Alya said adjusting her glasses. "Two heroes are drawn together by destiny, becoming comrades in battle, forging powerful bonds of friendship. And then, BOOM, tragedy." She said dramatically. "Chat Noir was working for Hawkmoth all along just to get the Miraculous."
"That's ridiculous, everyone knows how devoted Chat Noir is to Ladybug."
"Right, but what if that was all a cover? Just pretend to be the lovestruck fool to lower everyone else's guard, even his own partners. As far as I know, Ladybug seems to be the one who summons their partners. So maybe there's a special reason for that. Oh! Maybe Chat Noir actually started to care about Ladybug so much that he couldn't muster the strength to tell him the truth, not wanting to lose what they had. But something worse happened, Ladybug had to find out on his own, through a villain, maybe that Mayura chick. And now Chat Noir had to return to the shadows in order to protect what information he knew from Hawkmoth to keep Ladybug and the rest of Paris safe."
Adrien stared at his friend as he for some reason allowed her to rant on. "Alya, when was the last time you slept?"
"I don't need sleep."
"You're getting a little obsessed about something that probably isn't a big deal. Maybe Chat Noir's just sick or something. After all, Chat Noir and Ladybug are still people under that mask." Adrien offered as Alya groaned, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Adrien hugged her as he could see his friend needed this.
"I don't have any evidence, I can't track down Ladybug, it's like Chat Noir just vanished without a trace. He didn't even have the decency to tell us if he was really a double agent or not."
"There's no way he was Alya." Adrien sighed.
"That's what I'm saying, there're no leads to follow. I'm kind of at my wits end here." Alya sighed. They stayed like this for a little while, getting a few stares off the street but Adrien knew that supporting his friend was a little more important than a little embarrassment. Then he was hugged from behind as Nino rested his head on his other shoulder.
"Hey dudes." Nino greeted. "Why're we hugging outside the theatre?"
A smile broke out on Adrien face as he chuckled at his best friend. "Alya's slowly losing her mind over this Chat Noir thing." Adrien informed as Nino nodded in understanding.
"She tell you about her Chat Noir villain theories?" Nino asked as Adrien carefully transferred Alya to her boyfriend without breaking the hug.
"They're becoming surprisingly more detailed," Adrien noted as Alya moved to hug Nino, currently capturing him in a Koala hug. He then looked around noticing a certain someone wasn't here. "Marin didn't come with you?"
"Nah, I got stuck with Noel so Marin offered to babysit him while we went out. I tried to say it was alright, but you know how Noel gets when he's cranky and how Marin gets when he's around kids." Nino informed.
"Oh...right." Adrien said as he scratched the back of his head. "Do you two want me to come along? Seems like I'd be the third wheel without-"
"No way dude!" Nino suddenly said. "Friends first, couple stuff second. Besides, Marin's been acting a little weird around you lately, did anything happen between you two?"
Yes. I am Chat Noir, we had a secret friendship for months. I saved him from getting Akumatized only to scare him away and now I'm all alone because I lost my Kwami and the love of my life. Not to mention, my best friend won't answer any of my texts and can't stand to even be in the same room as me anymore.
"Well, whatever it is. You two should work it out soon." Nino recommended as he then dragged his girlfriend and his best friend into the theatre by hand. "You sure you didn't say something to him?"
Adrien took a deep breath as every part of his being screamed at him not to do this. "I...said I didn't like his macaroons." The moment Adrien said that he heard glass shattered in the back of his head. Alya snapped out of her funk as she and Nino stared at him, visibly offended like he had broken some unspoken taboo.
"Come on, look at all the nice plushies, don't you want to play with them?" Marin offered as he held his stuff toys before Noel. He'd offered to babysit for Nino so his friends could go to the movies, but soon realized that he was probably out of his element. Usually Nino was with him to help quell his little brother's more boisterous side, but today he was on his own.
" I hate dolls. I hate toys. They're for babies!" Noel snapped as he kicked his backpack, scattering all of them on the ground.
Marin sighed, "I'm sorry Noel but your mom said no video games."
"I'm not scared of monsters like you. I'm a big boy!" Noel pouted angrily, crossing his arms and turning his head away from Marin.
Silently, Marin promised himself no more watching scary movies at his friends' house. He'd just have to sit alone at home in the dark if he wanted to overcome his newfound fear of possessed ventriloquist puppets. He placed his plushies away back in the chest, but as he opened it he caught sight of a familiar box that was tied with ribbon. He stared at for a little while feeling uneasy.
"Hey, what's that?"
Marin flinched as he quickly shut the chest, sitting on top of it trying to act casual. "What's what?"
Noel looked up at him in annoyance. "Hey no fair, come on what are all those gifts?"
"What gifts? There's no gifts." Marin said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes darted around, laying on one of Noel's fallen toys. "Hey, why don't we play with your snow globe?" He tried to offer, but saw that it wasn't working on the kid.
"Tell me why you have so many presents in your room!" Noel demanded.
Marin averted his gaze. There was no way he could tell Noel the truth, that he'd taken up crafting gifts as a hobby for someone he'd...thought that he liked at one point. But now realized that he had mixed up those feelings of admiration for something fictional.
"I can't tell you, it's a super-secret," Marin said, but that only seemed to prod Noel further. "You wouldn't be interested in these, because gifts are for babies, right? And you're a big kid aren't you?"
"Yeah, so I can keep secrets!" Noel insisted as he stood before Marin eagerly. "Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"I can't tell you this secret Noel." Marin said, trying his best to be sincere, but quickly realized that it fell on deaf ears. He wasn't getting out of this unless he gave Noel something to chew on. He looked down at the globe in his hands, tapping the glass with his nail before he got an idea. "Alright. You've found me out, I'm actually one of Santa Claus's secret elves on a secret mission, to protect these gifts.
Marin grimaced wondering when did lying become his go-to for simple solutions.
"Hmm," Noel inquired as he stared at Marin in disbelief. "Are you lying? You don't look like an elf. They're supposed to be short and funny looking."
"...That's because those elves live in the north pole, they're Santa's helpers. I'm a special elf, one that looks like a person so no one suspects anything. But I can't say anything else, otherwise, I'll lose my elf license." He lightly teased, hoping that was enough for Noel to stop asking questions.
"Hey wait, that means you can give me my Christmas present early!" Noel said as his eyes lit up much to Marin's chagrin. " I asked for a Grobotech Ultimate Destructor! It's easy, it's gotta be the biggest one in the box!" Noel said as he tried to open the chest but found no luck.
"Now wait a minute, I thought toys were for babies."
"Christmas isn't for babies, Chrismas presents are for everyone!" Noel grunted as he continued to try an open the trunk. "Can't I please have my toy Marin?" Noel asked now changing his tune. He widened his eyes, looking up at him sweetly. But Marin knew the intent behind that fake smile, Manon had trained him well for these kinds of moments.
"Sorry Noel, but Christmas rules are very strict. You don't open gifts early. Santa gives them at Christmas, not at Easter or Halloween. Otherwise, you'd might as well have a bunny or a witch delivering your presents."
Noel pouted, crossing his arms, but looked up to Marin with a little hope. "But, since you know him, you could ask him if I could have my toy? Can't just you call him on the phone or send him an email?"
Marin shook his head. " I can't do that. He's extremely busy all year round, that why he has to hire special elves. Besides, your present isn't here anyway. We elves don't watch over gifts for kids we know, one of the elves must have it. Santa's the only one who would know where to find it because he knows who's getting what. He has a list of good children."
Noel sat down on the ground in a silent tantrum, clearly not liking the answer he received.
"Hey, why don't we go for the park?" Marin suggested kneeling before Noel. "Your big brother's coming by to pick you up soon. Why won't we meet him at the park and I'll get you some nice cotton candy while we wait."
Noel didn't say anything, sitting still as Marin picked up his toys and putting them back into his bag.
Marin stood awkwardly as he held Noel's hand while they waited in line at the snack vendor. He hadn't said a thing since they left his house, now Noel was pouting and uncharacteristically quiet.
"Next."
Marin turned towards his head towards the vendor and was taken aback as he saw Master Fu wearing a fake mustache and clearly standing on top of a crate behind his stand. Over the past few weeks Master Fu had been jumping from job to job to support his new lifestyle.
"What'll it be sonny?" Master Fu asked in-character, speaking a different accent, he wasn't sure what kind but it had to be an accent of something.
"...One cotton candy please, sir." Marin asked, crossing his arms as he watched Master Fu spin cotton candy before him. It was kind of surreal finding Master Fu pop up in random places across town, but oddly enough this wasn't the weirdest place that Marin had come across him.
"What a handsome young lad. Is he your brother sonny?" Master Fu asked playfully, but Noel didn't respond.
"I'm actually watching him for a little while." Marin said to keep up appearances.
"Why thé long face young man?" Master Fu asked looking down at Noel who started scrunching up his face in frustration.
"Santa isn't going to give me my present until Christmas!" Noel suddenly yelled out, crossing his arms as a new tantrum was triggered.
"Ha, we've had a day." Marin chuckled nervously as he quickly handed Noel the cotton candy then gently pushed towards him towards a nearby bench. "Why don't you sit while I pay?" Marin suggested, gently pushing Noel towards a nearby bench. Marin forced himself to smile as he watched Noel walk away begrudgingly for a moment before his smile dropped as he already knew what kind of face his master was making. "Don't act smart with me Master Fu, I already know what you're going to say."
"Oh really?" Master Fu asked innocently despite the mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Yes," Marin sighed, "You were going to say; Marinus, you need to choose a new Chat Noir to help aid you in fight against Mayura and Hawkmoth. I know that you feel guilty about returning the ring but that doesn't change the fact that you need someone who you can trust to fight alongside with."
"I was actually going to ask you to pay for the cotton candy."
"Oh, sorry, how much do I-" Marin asked taking out his wallet.
"But it is nice to hear that we're on the same page." Master Fu said as he happily caught his student in his trap, almost laughing as he saw Marin crush the euro in his hand. All I am saying is a change in scenery is good for the youth. Take some stress off their shoulders, make them less mouthy to their elders."
"I can hold my own Master." Marin said unapologetically.
"I don't doubt that, but you must admit; you have been more cranky lately."
Marin narrowed his eyes as he clutched the sleeves of his jacket. "I'll ask for help if I need it. I don't need a new partner replacement. So how long are you staying in this area?" He asked trying to change the topic.
"You know me, always moving." Master Fu said simply. "Plagg is doing well. He's adjusting back to his former life slowly." Master Fu informed as Marin looked away guiltily. "It is nice to see you with company this time, usually I'm just stuck with you."
"He's my friend's little brother, but he's being particularly moody today, so I had to fib a little," Marin admitted shamefully as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Hm, a child being stubborn towards his elder engaged in a web of lies, sounds very familiar." Master Fu said cheekily as he stroked his beard.
"Good-bye sir." Marin said abruptly as he walked away from Master Fu, but the pit in stomach grew as he saw Noel just sitting on the bench looking at his cotton candy, untouched. Marin took a deep breath as he sat down next to Noel. "You know, there is one exception to the Christmas rule."
Noel lit up as he clutched the snow globe in his hand. "Really? What is it, what is it?"
Internally, Marin screamed at himself not so say anything further, but he couldn't bear to see Noel looking sad. "Santa is allowed to make one exception but only for the best-behaved kid in the whole world."
Noel's eyes widened in anticipation. "Who's the best-behaved kid in the whole world?"
Marin hummed for a moment, keeping the child in suspense as he tried to think of a reasonable answer." Hm, maybe Ladybug?" He said even though he was sure that was far from the truth.
Noel nodded, seeming to concede as he slumped back down on the bench. "Well, seeing as he saved Paris a gazillion times, that makes sense." He said as he took the cotton candy from Marin, taking a bite of the fluffy sweet.
"Marin!" Alya called as she and Nino walked into the park together. Marin counted himself lucky that Adrien wasn't with them.
"Did you guys have fun?" Nino asked as he tried to get his brother's attention, but was receiving the silent treatment.
"How was the movie?" Marin asked handing Nino his brother's bag.
Nino exchanged a glance with Alya. "Awesome. Thanks for watching my bro, Marin. Hm, what's up little dude?" Nino asked crouching before him, then all of a sudden his little brother began to cry out.
"I want it to be Christmas right now!" Noel whined breaking his silence with another tantrum.
Marin exchanged a surprised look with his friends before chuckling nervously. "Ah-ha...we had some rough patches," Marin admitted as Alya picked up Noel in her arms.
"There there little koala." Alya cooed trying to calm him down as Noel clutched her tightly, taking a lap around the park, leaving Marin and Nino alone.
"So hey...Adrien asked about you." Nino said folding his hands behind his back.
"That's nice." Marin said reflexively as he handed over Noel backpack. "If there are any toys anything missing I can drop it off at your place later today."
"He didn't say anything mean to you did he?" Nino said seeing though Marin's attempts at diverting the conversation, looking like he was trying to inquire about something.
Marin looked away guiltily before shaking his head."No, no. He's...I'm just trying to work through some stuff. Sorry if it seems like I'm avoiding him."
"But you are avoiding him." Nino pointed out.
"I am not, I'm just...busy." Marin argued back but was undermined as his voice cracked.
"You literally try to avoid him at any opportunity.
"That's ridiculous, you're just being paranoid."
"Dude, literally anytime Adrien walks in a room you leave. What the heck happened?"
"...He said that he hated your macaroons."
"He sai-" Marin held himself back, coughing once to hide his tone that rose in annoyance at his best friend's audacity. Then again, all those cookies he let Adrien try were experimental. His eyes widened in a newfound concern. He pictured Adrien as the kind of person who could lie to protect their feelings. He covered his mouth, using his arm as a rest for his elbow as a conflicted expression drew on his face.
"...W-what's happening?" Alya asked as she was walking back up, looking between the two in confusion.
"Eh...I may have made a mistake." Nino admitted, clapping his hands together. "Well, we're going to take off. Don't worry about what I said, Adrien probably didn't mean it-" Alya then nudged Nino's arm with an annoyed look on her face. "He definitely didn't mean it. I don't know what I'm saying."
"You and Adrien need to talk Cutie pie," Alya said reasonably. "Whatever you two are doing is just delaying the inevitable. Hurry up and chat before I lock you two in a room so we can all go back to being friends again." Alya said with a smile, but it was just a cover before a very real threat.
"...right." Marin nodded, waving at his friends as they walked towards the bus stop. As soon as his friends were out of sight, Marin groaned heavily, even placing his hands on his as he could feel the weight of this whole situation on his back.
"A Christmas elf on a secret mission? Letting everyone continue to think you hate Adrien? Don't you think you're going a little too far this time?" Tikki asked, poking her head out of Marin's messenger bag.
"Well, what am I suppose to do, tell everyone the truth?" Marin asked as he walked back towards his house.
"Why not? I thought you were planning on telling him how you felt." Tikki asked.
"Wha- I don't-" Marin said reflexively before he realized he was talking to Tikki, who knew practically everything about him. "I mean, I do like Adrien. I just realized that everything I felt was just because I admired him. I was just confused about what I was feeling, but now I'm not." He said abruptly as his face started to burn with embarrassment, hoping that his Kwami would drop the whole thing.
"Then why don't you just give him the jacket if you don't care." Tikki pointed out, not dropping the topic. "After all you went out of your way to try and give it to him on a special day."
"I...I still haven't forgiven him." Marin said, averted his gaze as he quickly grew annoyed with this line of questioning. He wasn't on trial, this was dumb perfect Adrien's fault, being a kind and caring friend. It sickened him...he tried to reason to himself.
"Forgiven him? Or haven't realized that you're mad at yourself for being hypocritical." Tikki suggested. "It's a classic love story, when a dangerous secret is revealed and the protagonist is angry at the betrayal, but eventually they and the love interest come to an understanding and they become a couple."
"Classic? What have you been reading?" Marin asked in surprise. "I didn't give you any books like that."
"Unimportant. You're upset because you kept saying you didn't believe in love, and now you're facing it head on." Tikki said as Marin opened the front door of his house and quickly walked past the bakery where his parents were working.
Marin gripped the sash of his messenger bag, looking down at his Kwami wondering if she was enjoying this on some level. "It just means I need to reflect on how moved I get when I receive kindness from strangers. Adrien was nice to me once and I actually thought that mean he liked me. Adrien's nice to everyone, that's why he's such a great person, but big deal everyone's nice to an extent. For all it mattered if it had been anyone else I probably would've been the same kind of fool for them. I had a bad day and he made it better." Marin reasoned as he walked up the stairs towards his room.
Tikki flew out of his bag as soon as they entered his room, looking at him in disbelief. "If you were that shallow then anyone would've done. But you felt a connection with both Adrien and Chat Noir, which is why you kept trying to push it away when you found out they were the same person.
"Ugh." Marin groaned, placing his hands on his forehead in frustration as he sat at his desk. "This is too juvenile." He grumbled to himself, then he turned back towards the trunk, feeling the presence of everything that he had kept hidden. A few week ago, he found some sort of comfort with them in the room, like he could indulge within a little fantasy that he had cultivated. Now they were just a constant reminder of how sappy he actually was. "Remind me to get rid of everything in that trunk." Marin asked, then proceeded to take out his school textbook and read ahead.
Marin's groaned as he opened his eyes. Somehow he had fallen asleep at his desk as he was using his textbook as a pillow. He looked around to see Tikki sleeping in her yarn basket, but then something caught his eye as he thought he saw something white fall from the sky outside his window. "Huh?" He questioned as he climbed up to his deck, lifting up the skylight he saw snow falling from the sky along with flying catfish breathing fire. Marin then looked over the edge of the railing spotting a troop of life-sized plastic army soldiers patrolling the streets.
"...How long was I asleep?" Marin asked in disbelief glancing at Tikki who had phased through to where he was standing. Then came a T-Rex running down the street barking orders to a Teddy bear about finding Santa Claus.
"What are we going to do?" Tikki asked turning towards her partner halfway back to his room. "What are you doing?"
Marin stared at his Kwami for a second. " I'm going back to bed." He stated as-a-matter-of-fact-like but was stopped by Tikki pulling a lock of his hair. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"See? You're not dreaming." Tikki pointed out with a mischievous smile as Marin frowned at her rubbing his head.
"Couldn't just let me go could you."
"Nope, we have a job to do."
Marin sighed heavily, stretching his arms over his head as a pseudo-warm-up, silently wishing he had just stayed asleep. "Alright, Tikki, spots on!"
Ladybug took precautions as he lept through Paris, stopping for a moment before a jumbotron and Nadja looking worried while she reported the news.
"Nadja Chamack here, don't be bemused it's just the news. Paris has been literally invaded by giant toys looking for Santa Claus-"
"Major Teddiski here, Santa Claus. All your toys belong to us. If you don't give yourself up real quick, this little city of Paris will go kaboom, lickety-split! Under the order of Christmaster!" A familiar teddy bear announced.
"Wha-!" Ladybug said as he was taken off guard by deer flying away from what appeared to be some kind of wreckage...of a giant sleigh. He looked down into an alleyway, seeing a large sleigh and a man wearing a red suit. Ladybug stared in disbelief at this entire situation; Paris had turned into a winter wonderland- of sorts-, toys were running amok on the streets, and for some reason, they were looking for Santa Claus for a to-
"Oh." Ladybug murmured before slapping his forehead. "I'm an idiot." He sighed before jumping down into the alley, walking up towards the man looking at the wreckage in distress. "Santa Claus?" He asked in a little disbelief at the person standing before him. He was a textbook image of the fabled jolly old man, even smelling like cinnamon cookies and the hearth of a fireplace. It was suspicious.
When Santa turned around his eyes lit up in relief. "Ladybug, as I live and breathe. I'm relieved to see you. I don't know what happened, one moment I was in the north pole preparing for Christmas and the next I was here. My poor reindeer were even scared off."
Ladybug stared at him for a moment trying to push back the urge to cross-examine everything Santa had just said but instead dryly coughed. "You're in danger the longer you stay on the street sir, I need to get you to safety." He said eyeing something in the alleyway. "Santa, do you know where Nino Lahiffe lives?"
Santa looked at him questioningly as he saw Ladybug digging through the dumpster, pulling out a ragged trenchcoat. "Of course, I know every child in the world, but uh, why?"
"Excuse me." Ladybug said taking off Santa's hat, trading it for the coat of questionable smell. "Put on the jacket, it'll mask your smell and appearance so that you'll be harder to track. I'll divert the attention while you get to safety. Just tell Lahiffe that I sent you and hopefully he won't panic." Ladybug informed as he used his yo-yo to jump on the rooftops.
As soon as he was in a blind spot of the catfish and the soldiers below he took a deep breath. "Tikki, Spots off." He said as his Kwami landed in his hands. "I'll need you to direct the heat far away from here. Think you can play keep away for a little while?"
"Of course, we're a team after all." Tikki nodded as she took the hat from Marin's hand. "Leave it to me."
"Alright, I'll need you to give me about an hour, be careful Sugarcube." Marin said, watching Tikki hide under the hat and then fly away far from where the wreckage was. As soon as she was out of sight, Marin then used the fire escape to climb down from the building jumping down to the ground and then backtracked towards the park.
The streets were empty for the most part as Tikki had done her job but Marin still had to watch out for the catfish flying overhead. He crouched near a familiar van, knocking on the door to signal his presence. The door opened to reveal Master Fu no longer wearing his disguise along with Wayzz hovering nearby. Marin jumped in the white van closing the door behind him. As soon as he did Wayzz immediately hugged his cheek.
A smile broke out on Marin's face breaking his anxious mood for the first time in a few weeks. "I missed you too." Marin said, letting the Kwami sit on his shoulder as he turned towards his Master. "You may have been right about one thing Master." Marin admitted. "I'll need some help with this one." He admitted.
"Then-"
"Not about a new Chat Noir." Marin clarified. "I just need to borrow Wayzz for a little while." He requested.
Master Fu nodded in understanding as he took off his Miraculous, handing it over to Marin along with its box.
"Come back safely."
"I will Master." Marin said respectfully before he peered out of the van, looking around carefully before he sprinted for cover.
Marin was hidden from sight in an alley just near Nino's house, counting his stars that he was able to arrive at Nino's house without any trouble. He took off his Ladybug Miraculous for a moment before then placing them back on, effectively resummoning his Kwami in a red ball of light. He smiled as he saw Tikki again who looked at him with look of accomplishment.
"How far did you get?" He asked.
"All the way to the Eiffel tower." She confirmed. "We Kwami's fly fast you know."
"Nice work Sugarcube." Marin praised. "Tikki, Spots on!"
As he transformed back into his hero suit, he backed up a few steps to use a fire escape to jump on top of the roofs, giving off the illusion that it was where he was coming from. He then jumped into the Nino's back yard and knocked on the backdoor.
Ladybug only had to wait for a few seconds before he heard rapidly growing footsteps, then saw his best friend standing at the door looking both frantic, disheveled, and relieved all at once.
"Dude!" Nino said in relief, quickly hugging Ladybug who was surprised at Nino's forwardness before being pulled inside. Ladybug noticed Santa Claus had taken off the ratty jacket and was sitting at the kitchen table eating store-bought cookies and drinking milk. "You have a ton of explaining to do, but first, have you seen my little bro? He was in his bedroom and then-"
"Disappeared?" Ladybug guessed, his suspicions confined as Nino nodded.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Nino asked.
"It's a hunch, but I'm guessing your brother is behind all of this, which is why I asked Santa Claus to come here." Ladybug said. "Chances are you little brother was Akumatized into turning Paris into this."
"But, he could be anywhere, how are we gonna find him?" Nino asked.
"It'll be hard, which is why I'm going to need your help to save your little brother. Are you in?" Ladybug asked holding out the Miraculous Box towards his friend.
Nino nodded but just as he was about to accept it, he hesitated, darting his eyes at Santa Claus. "Uh, should we do this in front of him?"
Ladybug followed his eyes and then shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you worried? He's just another part of Noel's Winter Wonderland." He said, but then quickly realized he may have been a little inconsiderate as Nino gasped in shock.
"Dude! That's not cool." Nino scolded placing his hands on his hips. "Saint Nick is literally sitting right there."
Ladybug stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Sure, he could argue that Santa Claus wasn't real, but really, he just wanted to get this over with. "...sorry."
"That's better." Nino said, taking the Miraculous box and opening it up. A green ball of light appeared before him before it materialized into Wayzz who smiled at the sight of his other partner.
"Dude!" The two greeted as Nino placed his Miraculous on, then quickly transformed into Carapace.
"So, what now?" Carapace asked.
"I'll need you to grab some wrapping paper, a ribbon, tape, and a huge box."
"How big?"
"Big enough for you to fit in." Ladybug specified. "Also is there any stationary around here?"
"Yeah." Carapace nodded."Just in one of the kitchen drawers, but why exactly do we need this stuff?"
Ladybug flashed him a sly smile. "Because we're going to give Christmaster exactly what he wants."
Carapace looked confused about the plan but nodded as he ran off to collect what was needed. Meanwhile, Ladybug then turned towards Santa who was still distracted by the milk and cookies. He quickly found the stationary he was looking for and then grabbed a nearby pen just before he turned back to Santa.
"Mr. Claus?" Ladybug asked as Santa turned towards him with a jolly expression.
"Oh, Ladybug, I didn't hear you come in, guess I was that parched." He chuckled, wiping the crumbs and the milk mustache off of his face. "What can I do for you?"
"I need a huge favor from you sir."
Ladybug stood in the center of the city square near the Eiffel Tower with a huge box next to him all wrapped up and another present attached to his belt. "Christmaster, I've got your Christmas present, come and get it if you want it!" Ladybug announced but wasn't planning on just a toy helicopter showing him along with a giant platform flying platform that descended from the cloudline. His eyes narrowed as he realized he had to act fast if he didn't want to lose his one-way ticket to seeing Christmaster.
As the toy helicopter grabbed onto the large gift, Ladybug immediately used his yo-yo to scale up the Eiffle tower. He had just narrowed hooked onto one of the platform's blocks before it started to ascend into the cloud line once more. He then hid behind a few blocks, narrowing his eyes as Christmaster was now in sight. The young boy was eyeing the large present greedily as it was presented to him. Ladybug zeroed in on the familiar snowglobe, sensing the Akuma within it.
"Wow, awesome!" Christmaster cheered as he walked towards the present walking towards it while holding a snow globe in his hand. But just as he was about to open it, a toy dog approached him with a hat in his mouth.
"Christmaster, we have no leads to Santa Claus's location, all we found was this hat." The dog said.
Christmaster glared at his toy angrily, "You're such a dumb-dumb! I said not to come back until you find Santa Claus and my present. So don't come back until you do!" Christmaster yelled, throwing a tantrum. But just as the dog was about to leave, he glanced at the present, he'd probably have a suspicious expression if he could emote.
"Chrismaster, this present smells suspicious." The Dog pointed out as he approached it, sniffing it carefully. "It smells rotting, but it also has the smell of macaroon cookies and cinnamon."
"Huh? What are you talking about stupid? This is a gift just for me-" Christmaster said just as Ladybug threw his yo-yo towards Christmaster, aiming for the snowglobe, but missed as the dog pushed him out of the way, getting entangled in the wire.
"Carapace, now!" Ladybug called out, triggering his partner to jump out of the present. "Aim for the snowglobe!"
"Right!" Carapace called out, quickly taking out the Dog and dashing towards Christmaster who looked at them angrily.
"Hawk Moth wants your earrings Ladybug, and once I take it Chat Noir's ring is next!" Christmaster threatened.
"Christmas presents are only for good boys and girls Christmaster." Carapace said holding his shield in hand. "Sorry, but you don't make the list."
Christmaster growled at Carapace before looking down towards a pair of toys, grinning mischievously as he picked up Ladybug and Chat Noir action figures. "That's what you think!" The villain said as he snowglobe started to glow, transforming the pair of toys into a larger version, now soldiers under Christmaster's control.
"Talk about playtime." Carapace said now worried as he held up his shield.
"Lucky charm!" Toy Ladybug said summoning a mace.
"Cataclysm!" Toy Chat Noir said, activating his power.
Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he started spinning his yo-yo defensively. "I'll take Chat Noir, you take out toy me." Ladybug directed.
"Oh yeah speaking of-" Carapace said, defending as Toy Ladybug tried to attack him. "Where is Chat Noir?"
Ladybug grumbled as he backflipped away from Toy Chat Noir's grasp.
"Because you know, I'm just asking for a friend. But if you two are having some kind of couples skirmish-" Carapace said knocking Toy Ladybug back and ending up back-to-back with Ladybug. "I think you two could work it out."
Ladybug pulled him out of the way as Toy Chat Noir tried to attack them again, but accidentally destroyed Toy Ladybug as they tried to attack at the same time.
"Morbid." Carapace commented. "Think we can take out your partner?"
"We can't." Ladybug said. "We'll need that thing's help if we want to destroy that snowglobe."
"How are we suppose to do that?" Carapace asked as they both evaded Toy Chat Noir once more. It then turned towards him again, raising his hand above it's head.
"Cataclysm!" Toy Chat Noir said, activating how power again.
"I may have an idea." Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo over his head. "Lucky Charm!" He said, and watched as a roll of ladybug printed ribbon fell from it. "Hm. Seasonal." He commented as he then ducked from one of Toy Chat Noir's swipes. "Carapace!" Ladybug signaled just as he tumbled out of the way, dashing towards the throne where Christmaster was sitting.
Carapace nodded in understanding, following Ladybug's lead, holding up his Shield against Toy Chat Noir but was taken aback as his shell shield disintegrated before him. "Uh, oh."
"Now!" Ladybug called out just as he grabbed Christmaster who was trying to fight back against the hero's grasp.
"Shell-ter!" Carapace said, activating his power, effectively trapping himself, Ladybug, and Christmaster inside the bubble.
"Nice work." Ladybug said patting Carapace's shoulder as he held Christmaster in his other hand who was struggling in his grasp. "Now them." Ladybug placed Christmaster down before him, kneeling before him as Toy Chat Noir was trying to break through the shield.
"You babies think you can beat me?! My toys are going to beat you all up!" He claimed but didn't have any more toys to help him out while he was behind the Shell-ter. The Toy Chat Noir held its hand over his head, activating another Cataclysm that started to make the Shell-ter crack.
"Hurry up please!" Carapace called out as he saw the Toy Chat Noir lining up another Cataclysm.
"I'll make you a deal Christmaster." Ladybug said.
"Huh?" Christmaster stared at him in surprise as he saw Ladybug take out the present that was attached to his belt and then gasped as Ladybug ripped the paper away. "Grobotech Ultimate Destructor!"
"You know, I had to ask Santa Claus personally for this toy.
"But- how did you know?" Christmaster asked in amazement.
"I talked to your friend Marin, and you what he told me? He said that his friend Noel was a good boy who'd share his toys with anyone."
For a moment, Christmaster looked conflicted as he clutched his snowglobe. "...I wasn't a good friend to him, was I?"
"Probably not, but if you won't mind, would you want to trade this for that snow globe of yours? I promise I'll give it right back."
"It's what a responsible big boy would do." Carapace chimed in, helping out as Christmaster traded the globe for the toy he desperately wanted. Christmaster immediately fell to his knees in excitement, ripping the rest of the paper off and taking out his new robot happily.
"Ready?" Ladybug said as he handed the globe over to Carapace.
"Yeah." He nodded. A moment later the Shell-ter shattered and Ladybug bound Toy Chat Noir's arms and legs together skillfully after he and Carapace knocked him off balance. By the time they were finished with him the action figure was struggling but was unable to escape. Carapace was about to press the snowglobe to Toy Chat Noir's Cataclysm but was stopped as Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. Ladybug then tilted his head towards Chrismaster who was still playing with his new toy happily.
"Let's give him a few minutes." He requested but then felt embarrassed as Carapace smiled at him smugly.
"You're a huge softie."
Ladybug waved to Noel just as he dropped him off at his front door, smiling for a moment before he used his yo-yo to jump into the nearby alleyway where Nino was waiting.
"Thanks for your help today Mr. Lahiffe." Ladybug said gratefully. "I couldn't have done this without you."
"Dude, you can call me Nino. We're practically buds at this point." Nino said as he handed back the turtle Miraculous.
Ladybug stared at him for a moment. "...nah, that seems a little forward." He said sheepishly while Nino sighed.
"Man, are you this much of a stickler around Chat Noir?" He asked crossing his arms.
Ladybug averted his gaze as he placed the Miraculous within his yo-yo, slowly growing more anxious. "Moreso."
"You know, you two kinda remind me of these other buds of mine. They're arguing or something but one doesn't want to talk to the other." Nino said not realizing the implications of what he was saying. "It's like, I know they're really good friends but it's stumping me on what could make them hate each other this much."
"...If they're really as good a friends as you say, then it was probably something they can't get past."
"Is that what happened with you and Chat Noir?" Nino asked sympathetically.
"Something like that." Ladybug sighed, now wondering why it was easier to confide something like this as Ladybug more so than as Marin.
"Well, real friends can get past anything together. That's why I'm sure we'll see Chat Noir again." Nino said with an infectious smile, one that made Ladybug smile at his optimism. Nino quickly hugged Ladybug before he then left, running back to his house to greet his brother. Ladybug heard his Miraculous beep for a final time, allowing himself to transform back as he caught Tikki in his hands.
"Good work today Sugarcube." He said softly as he took out a macaroon from Tikki's snack pouch.
She accepted it happily, chewing slowly to gain her strength back again. Marin rested his back against the wall of the alley, placing Tikki on his lap. He hesitated for a moment before his took out his phone, scrolling down towards a familiar contact.
The next day Nino left Noel with Marin as he was going on a date with Alya at the amusement park.
"Thanks again for looking after the little dude, Marin." Nino said gratefully as they stood in Marin's room. "Have I ever told you how awesome you are?"
Marin chuckled nervously unable to believe that Nino thought of him so highly when he was a terrible friend. "...Hey, have you heard from Adrien?"
"Hm?" Nino questioned. "No, he's got fencing training camp all day at school, why?"
"...no reason, I just had something I had to give him that's all. See you later." Marin quickly clarified as Nino then left. The moment he did, Marin placed Noel on the ground before him. "Noel, I owe you an apology, I shouldn't have told you that I was one of Santa's elves. But you were acting—"
"Lika a baby, I know." Noel said finished off Marin's sentence then looked up at him apologetically. "My mommy says lying is wrong. So from now on, we'll always tell each other the truth, okay?" He asked holding out his pinky towards him.
Marin was stunned for a moment but then smiled as he returned the gesture. "Alright. As long as you stop trying to act all grown up."
"Psh." Noel scoffed. "You act all grown up too." He pointed out. "You lied just so I wouldn't find out what was in the chest."
Marin stared at him for a moment before getting embarrassed at how right this kid was. He groaned into his hands, before facing Noel again. "You're right, Noel. I should be honest with you about what's in there." He took a deep breath as he walked over to the check, placing a hand on it. "Okay. Here's the right, this guy at school I have I really like-"
Almost immediately Noel looked at him in disgust, placing his hands on his ears. "Ew! No stop! I hate romantic stuff. Gross!"
Marin was taken aback. "It's not love! I just made all these things because I-"
"Lalalalalalalalalaal!" Noel yelled out trying to drown out Marin's reasoning, even shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at him.
Marin frowned at the young kid before he chuckled in amusement."Yeah, I knitted and sewed all these gifts because I really thought he'd like them, but now I'm just finding out that he probably didn't even like the cookies I bake him? Who does he think he is, continuing to just let me made a fool of myself." Marin said jokingly as he grabbed Noel who was trying to escape his friend's grasp. Marin wrapped his arms around Noel's waist and then proceeded to tickle him furiously, smiling in amusement at Noel squirmed in his arms furiously unable to hold back his laughter.
Adrien slumped down on the bench, chugged down water as just as he was exhausted from an all-day practice. He was so tired he hadn't even bothered changing out of his fencing gear yet, and he was in no hurry. Somehow he was happier hanging around school than just being at home these days. He hadn't realized how large his room really was thinking back on it. Even though Plagg was a tiny roommate, he always had a knack for making anywhere feel more welcoming than if he was on his own.
He was then snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Kagami standing before him, already having changed out of her uniform. "My mother is waiting outside, do you want a ride back?" Kagami asked holding her fencing bag in hand.
"Yeah, sure-" Adrien said with a smile but then got distracted as he looked down at his phone seeing that he got a text from Marin. He was stunned for a moment, for a moment he thought that he was seeing things. He unlocked his screen and saw a single text.
[Marin: If you're free, please meet me in the classroom.]
He stared at the screen for a moment, refreshing the message box to make sure it was actually real. This couldn't be a prank, it did sound like Marin. But on the offhand that it was someone who was pulling a prank or something...
Screw it.
"Kagami, I need to grab something so go on ahead without me." Adrien said not waiting for her answer as he walked towards the second floor shouldering his fencing bag over his shoulder.
As he approached the classroom, Adrien clutched his fencing jacket feeling his heart race with anticipation. He had no idea what this was about, or what he was going to say, but he could wing it, despite past experiences. Adrien hesitated as he stood before the classroom door, taking a deep breath as he opened it to an empty classroom. He looked around in confusion until he saw a white box sitting at his desk. Curiously, he walked towards it after placing his bag on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a ladybug printed bomber jacket. He was no designer by any means, but he even he could see how professional the stitching and assembly was all together. Adrien's eyes widened as he then recalled he and Marin having a conversation that happened practically a lifetime ago. He'd all but forgotten, but apparently Marin remembered.
He was then surprised by his phone ringing, once he saw the contact he immediately answered.
"Hey."
A sudden pang of loneliness hit Adrien as he heard his best friend's voice. "Hey. Where are you?"
"Just standing outside, uh, please don't come out also, happy belated Saint Athanasius Day."
Adrien clutched the soft fabric of the jacket in his hand as his heart started to race. "That's my fifth name." He said, he knew he shouldn't be surprised that Marin knew something like this, but even so, it made him extremely happy to be thought of.
"Yeah, I heard. I wanted to give it to you on that day, but...you know." Marin said as his voice started to strain. Adrien winced as his momentary bliss quickly disappeared but quickly tried to change the subject.
"You actually remembered that I wanted a Ladybug jacket? That was months ago, even I forgot after that day we had."
"How could I forget? You had me running around the city in my pajamas!"
"But we had fun right?"
Marin sighed heavily, but Adrien could practically hear him smile as they both remembered the fond memory. " Yeah, after that I spent weeks just choosing the right fabric. I practically wove my heart and my soul into that thing so you'd better appreciate it."
"I appreciate everything you do." Adrien said honestly.
"..."
"Marin?" Adrien asked.
"Nino told me you said that you didn't like the macaroons I baked."
Adrien cringed at his own folly, of course, Nino would mention this to Marin. They knew each other way longer before he and Alya came into the picture. "I only said that because you were avoiding me. It was the only thing I could come up with."
"Yeah, well- you're pretty good at covering things up."
Something sparked in Adrien's mind as he heard that, if it was anyone else that feeling would have festered into resentment and anger. He hadn't known Marin for very long, and vice versa, but all accounts he should be angry at him. After everything he'd done, everything they went through as friends, he didn't deserve this kind of treatment, to be shunned to always feel like he did something wrong. Part of him wanted to be angry, to blame his best friend for losing his cool, for almost getting akumatized, for making him try and save him...but, unfortunately, he knew better. He knew his friend better than that.
"I'm not Chat Noir anymore." Adrien said openly before he shut his eyes tightly, biting the bottom of his lip for a moment before he spoke up again. "Could we...I mean, can we go back to being friends like before?" Adrien practically begged as his chest felt tight. Those few moments of uncertainty felt like an eternity, he was so used to putting himself out there and getting rejected. If it happened again, with this best friend...
"No."
Adrien opened his eyes, not even realizing that he was holding his breath the entire time he was waiting. He asked feeling a wave of sadness almost overwhelm him. He'd known loss all too personally, but this, being abandoned by someone who he truly cared about...it stung.
"Adrien, I just asked you here to drop off the jacket." Marin said sternly, sounding more cold and distant that he'd ever heard Marin sound before.. "We can't just go back to the way things were before, it's not that simple. Even if you're not Chat Noir anymore, it doesn't change anything between us."
Trying to be reasonable, as always.
"Do you really hate me that much?" Adrien asked, his voice heavy with emotion as he spoke in an accusing tone.
"Hate you- What are you talk-"
Adrien shut his eyes tightly again, trying his best to push back the tears. "Even if I hurt you, I at least need you to say it aloud so I can move on. Because if I don't, then I'm still going to see you as my best friend."
"Adrien I don't hate you. I could never hate you no matter what." Marin insisted, sounding more frantic.
"Then, why don't you want to be friends anymore?" Adrien asked, then heard Marin groan from the other end.
"I can't tell you that."
"Why?"
"It's too embarrassing to say."
Adrien gripped this phone in hand, partly wanting to laugh at that childish response. "What do you have to lose? You already don't even want to be in the same room as me. What could you possibly say that could make this any worse for you."
"Fine, you want to hear the truth?!" Marin said as he grew more annoyed. "Ever since you transferred into our class, everything just seemed to be better whenever you were around!"
Adrien's eyes widened at his friend's boldness.
"On that first day we met, I was so sure it would be terrible, especially with that whole gum incident. But you surprised me, you actually apologized and then decided to actually be my friend. It was the first time anyone had ever been that kind to me. Ever since then, you just made everything better just by being around, I was always really happy being around you. I can't even found how many times I thought my heart was going to burst. But even though it meant so much to me, I did the worst thing by hurting you. I shouldn't have told you to stay away from me when you needed a friend, and that's something I'm never going to stop regretting."
"Marin."
"Just, let me finish, and then you can hate me afterward, or whatever." Marin said, his voice heavy with guilt. "The truth is, I was actually really happy when I found out you were Chat Noir, more than you could ever realize. I felt so happy and glad that my best friend and the person I looked up to were the same person. Which is why I couldn't be around you; I felt too ashamed at how happy I was because all the while I knew how much of a bad friend I was. So before I apologize one million times for being a bad friend, at least let me thank you first." Marin said taking a deep breath. "Thank you for always smiling, thank you for always talking to me, thank you for allowing me to be your friend, thank you always being kind even when I didn't deserve it, thank you for being someone who was always inspiring me to always try to be a better person, and thank you most of all for being my hero."
There was a brief silence between them as Adrien tried to process everything Marin had just told him, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the amount of affection his best friend had for him. It stunned him for long enough that he heard Marin growing more anxious.
"Uh, listen I'm no good at saying how I feel. I was planning on telling you how I felt on Saint Athanasius Day but..." Adrien didn't say a word as he listened to Marin while walking towards the door.
"I...I really like you, more than like. I love you so much it's hard to even be near you-" Marin said as he leaned against the wall, but then flinched as he heard something behind him. He didn't dare look back as his face turned scarlet red with embarrassment. His voice was already horse from talking so much, if he had to endure another emotional crisis he wasn't sure he'd survive.
"Say that again." Adrien asked as he grasped Marin's hand, ensuring he wouldn't escape.
He was dead.
"Say what?" Marin asked absentmindedly as he was quickly losing all sense of reasoning and any will to escape. It wasn't helping that he was sure his ears were red at this point as well.
Both of them flinched as he heard footsteps on the first floor, being reminded that they weren't exactly alone. But before Marin would attempt a strategic retreat, Adrien dragged him into the classroom while closing the door.
Reflexively, Marin covered his face with his free hand, sinking to the ground with his back against the door. "Please don't look at me." He whimpered. How many times did he need to be reminded that feelings were dumb and he was better off bottling up and tossing whatever human feelings he had into the voids of his mind? Where were the good old days of not having any friends, no crushes, no superhero escapades, and he just sat in the dark studying always on the brink of falling ill?
"Marin." He heard Adrien say softly as he continued to grip his hand. But Marin refused to answer, instead, he favored to remain completely still. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, Adrien would go away and he could just melt on the spot. Problem solved, no emotion needed.
"Okay." Marin heard Adrien say, but before he could see what was happening, he felt arms envelop him as Adrien hugged him tightly.
"Wha!"
"I'm not looking at you so this is probably fine right?" Adrien said as Marin could almost hear a smile.
"No! Do you want me to pass out?!"
"Of course not but you don't want to look at me and I don't want you running away from me again. You seriously think I'm going to let you go after telling me something like that?"
"I didn't say anything!" Marin insisted despite his voice cracking.
"Really, because I just heard you say that you lo-"
"AHHHHH!" Marin wailed, intentionally interrupting him as he gripped the back of Adrien's fencing jacket, while Adrien laughed rather cruelly.
"What was even your plan if I decided to just walk out of the classroom and do this? You know I'm way stronger than you."
"I could've hid! There are a bunch of other empty classroom" Marin said for argument's sake. "Somehow this is worse."
"Why because you love me?"
"Wha- I don't- No. No. I don't love you, I just...I'm mixing up infatuation and adoration with something else, it's dumb, I'm dumb. Please let me go."
"Not until you say you love me."
Marin groaned as he rested his head on Adrien's shoulder"...I hate you now. Forget everything I said, there, I said it. I hate you we're not friends anymore. Now please let me go." But he quickly realized he had doomed himself as Adrien laughed.
"Heck no." Adrien said happily. "My best friend is in love with me."
Never had Marin wished to be hit by a meteor more in his life. "WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE! You don't even feel the same way about me!"
"How do you know?"
Marin opened his eyes for a moment as he rested his head on Adrien's shoulder, his face obscured from view."Because...you like Kagami." He said almost questioned while at the same time wishing not to know how Adrien felt. He'd already been burned too many times when he tried to lead with his heart, he didn't need this kind of hope if it was going to bite back.
"Yeah I like Kagami because she's my friend, but so are Nino and Alya and everyone else in our class. Don't you want to know how I feel about you?"
"No. Never. I'm better off not knowing." Marin said curtly as he closed his eyes again.
"What? But it's so romantic." Adrien said cheekily. "Isn't it the duty of a knight to proclaim his love for his prince?" Marin grasped Adiren's jacket tighter as he could feel Adrien polling back, now resting his forehead against his. Never in his wildest dreams could he ever have imagined Adrien saying something like this, Chat Noir on the other hand...
"You have to open your eyes sometime Marin." Adrien said, smiling through his words.
He had to hold out as long as he could but he knew all too well he'd falter the moment he saw those green eyes, his one true weakness. The eyes of the person he'd truly fell in love with, now on in the same with the one who had always given him the courage to stand tall in the face of his adversity. Truly, he had found his most heinous foe, someone who he'd lose to every single time. Yet at the same time, someone who could make him feel happy just by being close by to.
Sure, he knew he'd cave eventually, but he was Ladybug after all. He may as well give his partner a run for his money while he still had some lingering will.
Notes:
- They're not friends anymore, good night everyone.
-This chapter was too diabetic what with all the fluff and romance, someone throw me in the trash.
-I prefer the name Noel to Chris.
-Master Fu is sassy now to combat Marin's heightened bitterness.
-Nino is good boy and deserves friends.
- Originally, Marin was planning on confessing to Adrien on Saint Athanasius Day, which- for the sake of this story- was the same chapter as Ladybug (but more on that later)
- Adrien having the right to be angry about his best friend is valid, however, in this situation, he was more hurt by losing his best friend. And then it was just all swept away when Marin confessed.
- Adrien's Chat Noir is showing, and while he may not realize how much he loves Marin just yet, he's getting there. He's going to be sad about Plagg for a while, but at least he has his not-friend back.