Hello there!

This is my first short story that I've written for Miraculous. I wrote the first half at the beginning of the year. I wanted to do my own version of the enemies AU that is popular among this community. Around a few months ago when I came back to writing officially I managed to finish the rest of the story. There are four parts to it. The story explores nearly every side of this frenemy relationship so there's a lot to look forward to.

So without further ado, enjoy!

Today was going poorly and there wasn't even an akuma yet.

Adrien plopped down at the top of the school steps and rested his head on his hands. He huffed out his nostrils.

Father gave him a good haggling this morning for sleeping in, which resulted in another hour of piano once he returned home. Which seemed completely unfair because he was up late running around as Cat Noir at the behest of his father, but of course that didn't matter.

He was fairly certain that he did poorly on the physics test, at least according to Agreste standards.

A photoshoot was also scheduled for the next morning and he was only now informed via text. It already sucked that Father treated him like an employee - on so many levels than just modeling - the least he could do was tell him when his photoshoots were days in advance.

Adrien twisted his miraculous ring, a habit born from stress. Stress that he did not need as a teenager. The only things he should be worried about are school, making friends, and getting good grades.

Of course his father caught him the day he came back as Cat Noir when he and Ladybug finally defeated Stoneheart. That was certainly a day he will never forget. He'll never forgive Plagg for his bad luck hitting him like a truck that day.

Speaking of Plagg, Adrien opened his bag and peaked in. Staring back at him was the black cat kwami of destruction himself, looking none too pleased as per usual.

"Don't look at me like that." Adrien sighed.

The kwami furrowed his brow.

"Look, I know this isn't fair, but if you hadn't said his 'fashion design had as much taste as a processed, fast food cheeseburger' he wouldn't have made me do it." Plagg briefly seemed amused, but returned to his sour kitten look.

Two days ago Adrien was telling Plagg he wished he had more freedom. More freedom to spend time with friends, freedom to do what he actually wanted with his time, freedom to be with whoever he wanted to be with.

A lot of things restricted that freedom, namely his father. The other big thing was Cat Noir. At first it was a breath of fresh air from his sheltered life. No longer was he stuffed in that big house, no longer would he have to sit in his room and play the same video games all day. He could run around, be as silly as he wanted to be, not some model with a fake smile.

When his father found out he nearly took that freedom away, until Adrien convinced him otherwise. Which led to a deal, which led to his father's secret.

He's Hawk Moth, and he wants the miraculous of the ladybug and the black cat to save his mother.

Adrien shivered at the memory of seeing his mother enclosed in that metal coffin for the first time.

When he told Plagg that he was switching sides, he was not happy at all, but his father taught him to command the kwami. At first that only meant he had to stay near Adrien and on his person while he was at school.

Two days ago, when Plagg went off on his father for restricting so much of Adrien's freedom, his father taught him how to silence the kwami.

That left him uncomfortable. Controlling him already left him uneasy, but this was a whole other level.

Adrien closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. It's all for mother. It's all for mother. The montra brought him back to himself.

He gave the kwami a model smile.

"Plus he doesn't want you screaming while I'm at school."

He fixed him with a gaze that told him, I would do it too.

Adrien gave him an unamused look. "And that's exactly why. Plus I'm trying to stay in my father's good graces."

Plagg rolled his eyes, his usual rant of stop trying to please your father, he doesn't care, do what you want to do, all conveyed in a single motion.

"I can't just do what I want, Plagg." Adrien huffed. "You know this, and you know why." Plagg gave him a rare sympathetic expression. "Plus the school is finally hosting a dance. I really want to go." His gaze turned wistful.

The kwami rose a brow, then pantomimed throwing up.

"Oh shut-"

"Adrien!" Someone called behind him and he rushed to shut his bag.

He turned, then immediately stood to catch the girl that called his name.

"Falling for me again princess?" He quipped as he held the bluenette, notorious for tripping over nothing.

Marinette steadied herself, and pulled out of his impromptu embrace. "S-sorry."

Adrien liked the blush that colored her cheeks, then scolded himself for making her stutter. She hadn't stuttered like that for a long time.

"Don't apologize, I'm used to it." He grinned.

She groaned and her face fell into her hands. "Ugh I'm so clumsy." She bemoaned, growing increasingly redder.

"Hey." His voice softened, taking pity on her distress.

She peaked out from behind her fingers. So cute! He smiled at her, gently prying her hands away and squeezing them. He tried to ignore the tingling feeling he got from holding her soft and delicate hands. He felt his cheeks warm, no doubt they were tinged slightly pink, the only hint to how he felt.

"Don't worry about it, I'll gladly catch you every time."

A small smile graced her features. "Even if that meant being my personal bodyguard?"

"A bodyguard is supposed to protect you from other people, not from yourself." Adrien laughed.

She smiled wide at that. There it is. The smile that always made his day better.

"Want to have lunch together?" Marinette asked.

"I'd love to!" Adrien beamed.

The pair turned to walk toward the bakery, neither realizing they still held hands until they reached the bakery door. Which of course, meant awkward apologies and blushes on both sides. Adrien would take it every time if it meant holding this lovely girl's hand.

The fact that Adrien held her hand, even for a few minutes, was still on the forefront of her mind after eating their small lunch of bakery goods. Now they sat in Marinette's living room, duking it out in Ultimate Mecha Strike III, and surprisingly, she was winning.

No it shouldn't be a surprise that she was winning, but right now she was in Marinette dreamland. Which usually meant that Adrien would pummel her into the ground, then his bragging would bring her to earth and she would return the favor for the rest of the play session.

This time however, she was winning, albeit not as ruthlessly as she usually would, but still winning. A glance at the blonde boy next to her told her why.

Yes his eyes were on the TV and anyone else would think he is laser focused, but he wasn't. Marinette could tell. The way his eyes didn't light up when he managed to hit her, and his posture wasn't as tense whenever he was trying his hardest. He seemed relaxed. Marinette knew better.

"K.O.!" Announced the game.

Adrien put down his controller with a sigh. "Good-"

"What's wrong." It wasn't a question.

Adrien looked like a deer in headlights. "Nothing." He said with a smile. Ugh she hated that fake model smile with a passion.

She set her controller down and brought her legs up onto the couch and turned to sit criss crossed in front of him.

"Usually it's not that easy to beat you." She deadpanned. "And whenever I do, it usually means something's wrong."

Adrien's smile grew tight and turned away. "It's nothing."

Marinette crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Really."

He returned her glare, before closing his eyes with a sigh. "Alright, fine. Something is wrong."

"I know." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which to her, it was.

Adrien brought his own legs up to the couch and hugged them. "It's my dad."

Marinette scowled. "What did he do this time?"

"He lectured me this morning about sleeping in." Adrien grumbled. "And he scheduled another photoshoot and didn't think to tell me until today. He gave me more piano to do, and on top of all that he-" He cut himself off suddenly and curled into himself.

The distressed boy in front of her heaved another sigh.

Marinette's scowl softened. She knew this was normal for him, for his dad to act like he did no wrong, and whenever Adrien made a mistake - at least according to his father's definition of mistake - he usually got in trouble.

She scooted forward, and took his hands. "He what?" She asked softly, her thumbs gently rubbed his hands. If she wasn't in the middle of trying to comfort her friend, she knew her cheeks would be on fire.

Adrien lifted his head to meet her eyes, and the look nearly made her choke up. His usual light was gone, replaced by a dull aching sadness, and maybe guilt too.

"He treats me with contempt, like I'm nothing or I don't matter." He whispered, squeezing her hands. "Which doesn't make sense. We work together all the time. We should be partners, but yet. He treats me like I'm the lowest of employees. He doesn't even treat me like a son."

That word; partner. It was a strange word to hear from Adrien, especially regarding his father. What wasn't strange was the familiar boiling anger at the word. With that anger came a masked face, a messy blonde head, and piercing green eyes.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." Adrien's voice came out strained.

Marinette brought herself back. Now wasn't the time to think about that black cat, she scolded herself.

Tears were in his eyes now. Marinette let go of his hands in favor of wrapping her arms around him. Slowly, he did the same, relaxing into her hold, face buried into her shoulder. He cried softly. Not loud sobs, but soft tears that slowly leaked out.

Her shoulder wetted slightly, but she didn't mind of course. Her best friend needed her.

Marinette rubbed slow circles on his back. "It's okay." She said softly. "It's okay not knowing what to do."

"I-It. It doesn't feel okay." He sniffled. "It doesn't feel o-okay, not knowing the r-right thing to do a-anymore."

She pulled back slightly, enough to look into his eyes. Tears were streaming down his face and she wiped them away with her thumb. Oh how she wished she could kiss away those tears and make him feel loved so much more than he deserved to be.

Marinette took a breath. "Knowing what the right thing to do isn't always easy. Sometimes the answer comes with time. Sometimes you just know in the moment, and sometimes it takes the intention to be a good person, yanno?"

Adrien averted his eyes at that. "What if I'm not a good person?"

"What? Of course you are, Adrien." She laughed, but stopped when he didn't look up again. "You are, Adrien." With more conviction.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder again. "I'm really not, Marinette."

Marinette grabbed his shoulders and forced him back into eye contact ,his eyes were filled with surprise. "Adrien Agreste, you're the best person I've ever known." She said sternly.

He opened his mouth. "But-"

"No!" She shouted, which caused him to jump.

"No." Marinette amended softly, but firmly. "You're one of the kindest, most generous, and thoughtful people I've ever met."

He didn't seem convinced.

"You want me to list off all the nice things you've done?"

Adrien's brows rose at that.

"Who went out of his way to clear up a situation that wasn't even your fault to a judgmental idiot?" She raised a finger, and an eyebrow.

"You're not an idiot." He mumbled.

"Who stood up for me when Lila tried to get me expelled. Who went out of their way to support lesser known charities. Who took notes for Kim when he broke his arm. Got Kitty Section their first venue, helped me with Mandarin. Shall I go on?"

Adrien gave a small smile which she returned in earnest.

"I could list so many more things, Adrien, you're a good person." Marinette gathered one of his hands in both of hers. "You're one of the best and I-" love you.

Heat rose to her cheeks. Now was not a good time to tell him her feelings. No, definitely not. Not when he's struggling, and hurting. Yes he was smiling now, but the time to tell him had happiness and a moonlite backdrop. This was not romantic. Not the snot on her sleeve nor the tears in his eyes.

"You mean the world to me." She decided.

Adrien's own cheeks grew red, and she hoped it meant he felt the same. Ugh who was she kidding, it was probably because he blushes at words of affirmation. Yeah, that had to be it.

He surged forward, causing Marinette to let out a surprised squeak. He held her tightly.

"You mean the world to me too, Marinette." Oh the way he said her name sent a pleasant tingle down her spine.

She returned his hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

After a few minutes the two pulled apart, their arms remaining intertwined, gazing at each other. Emerald and bluebell. Marinette's breathing hitched as he glanced down, and then backed up at her eyes.

Maybe it's the right time afterall.

Adrien took a deep breath. "I-"

Marinette's phone alarm broke the trace, and the pair leapt apart.

"Welp! Guess we g-gotta get back to shool. I mean school!" Marinette exclaimed, overly bright.

She snatched her phone and ran upstairs to get her backpack, and also to calm her beating heart.

"Is it just me Tikki?" Marinette started as the red kwami came out of her hiding place. "Or was Adrien about to kiss me?"

All the kwami could do was giggle as she phased into Marintte's purse.

Marinette loved Paris at night. The skyline was lit up from the city lights, giving the city an ethereal feel.

She breathed in the cool night air. A walk was always a great way to end the day. Sure she loved to see the city from the rooftops, running around as Ladybug certainly had its benefits. Some days she just preferred to be Marinette.

Was she supposed to be patrolling tonight? Yes, yes she was. But the last few patrols have been quiet. No signs of Cat Noir, akumas, or Hawk Moth. Even non-magical crimes were at an all time low.

Tonight, she figured she would take a break from magic, except of course, for Tikki.

The evening walk wasn't without a purpose however. She managed to finish all her homework early, for once. All her friends were busy tonight as well. Alya was on a date with Nino. All the girls had stuff to do, and Adrien, well, she didn't know exactly what he was doing, only that he too was busy.

Which led Marinette to go to the crafts store.

Somehow, she and the rest of her class convinced the school to host a dance, similar to the American's homecoming. Like the prom. Instead of only the graduating class participating in the dance, the whole school is invited, and since the whole school is invited, many of the students want to participate in decoration.

That gave Marinette plenty of time to design her own dress, and, at the request of Adrien himself, a tux for him.

At that thought she peaked in her bag to examine the materials she bought. Particularly the emerald green fabric that she planned to make into a bowtie. A bowtie she plans on giving to him when she asks him to be her date to the dance.

A few years ago, that train of thought would have led her down a spiral of self-doubt, anxiety, and panic. Thank you Chloe and Kim. Now, however, now that she is as close to Adrien as she can be as a friend.

Marinette paused and considered a moment. Well, she definitely was still anxious and had doubts, just not as intensely.

Little paws patted her side, and Marinette snuck a glance at her bag to see Tikki giving her usual encouraging and bright smile. She scratched the top of her head.

"Let's get home." Marinette started off in the direction of the bakery.

As she walked her thoughts drifted back to the blonde boy of her dreams. The day she started to fall in love with him was a day she'll never forget. Both the good parts of that day and the bad.

A new school year, some similar circumstances. Like Chloe being in her same class, with some other familiar faces.

The day brought a few new friends, including Tikki. The day she discovered the earrings in her bedroom. The day she met Cat Noir for the first time.

Marinette felt a familiar burning pit in her gut. She never understood that cat, nor did he ever explain his actions. He showed up at the same time she did. The day Hawk Moth first appeared. They battled Stoneheart, twice actually.

She nearly gave up her miraculous, and nearly gave up before the day could be won. She still remembered the way Cat Noir grasped her shoulders tightly and gave her the encouragement she needed to stand up for both herself, and to Hawk Moth.

Then of course the next day. The second the akuma had been purified and the villain defeated, Cat Noir had asked for her miraculous. When she refused…

Marinette gritted her teeth and grumbled to herself.

"Are you okay Marinette?" Tikki asked softly.

"Yeah." She mumbled.

It wasn't all bad. She did make new friends, like Alya, and stood up to Chloe for the first time in her life. There was that misunderstanding with the gum, but thankfully that was resolved very quickly.

A memory of rain, an umbrella, and a pair of kind and sincere eyes. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she let out a content sigh. That was one of her favorite memories.

The only unfortunate part about that situation was that she judged Adrien poorly. By not only his status, but his relation to Chloe. Prejudging people was easy, giving people a second chance was not.

Are you prejudging Cat Noir then? A small part of her asked, but she shoved that thought down to the deep pits of her unconscious mind. He made his choice.

A flash of claws and anger.

Marinette tightened her grip on her bag of goodies. She didn't prejudge anymore. Any judgments she had on Cat Noir were justified based on his actions.

"Marinette." Tikki murmured.

She glanced down into her pink purse to see the little red kwami staring up at her, eyes wide with concern. Before Marinette could ask, she gestured behind her.

Marinette discreetly glanced over her shoulder to see a man walking behind her. He was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, and black sweatpants. Hands were in his pockets. She couldn't see his eyes, the shadow of the hood hid his face.

Unease pooled in Marinette's gut as she picked up her pace. A quick glance around the area told her that there was no one else. The city was going to sleep. Not only that, but it appeared that she took a wrong turn.

Of course she did, and of course being lost in thought about Cat Noir brought her into this predicament.

A glance behind told her that the man had also increased his pace. Marinette forced herself to breathe evenly. Panic would not do her good, there were enough close calls against villains and Cat Noir to thank for that practice, not that she ever would.

At least she knew the area. She had to learn the city like the back of her hand to be able to lose Cat Noir, so if she could lose his cat senses she could certainly lose this man.

Marinette turned down an alleyway. Tempted to make a run for it, but if the man was truly following her, he would run too. While she could easily outrun anyone in her super suit, and some others outside of it, she did not want to risk this man outrunning her.

After a few more twists and turns down a few streets, she slipped into another alley to stop and scout out the man's whereabouts. She breathed a sigh of relief when there was no sign of him.

Marinette pressed a hand to her chest to calm her beating heart. Sure she'd been in deadly battles before, but here she didn't have the protection of her suit. Nor could she transform and risk the man finding out he was pursuing Ladybug. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

She took a few deep breaths, then turned the corner to see the hooded man right in front of her.

"Hello there sweetheart." His voice gravelly.

Marinette squeaked and stumbled backward the alleyway, dropping her bag in the process. The man stepped forward to follow her, right into her personal space. She raised her hands, intending to push him away, but he caught her arm and shoved her against the wall.

She opened her mouth to scream, but the most she could get out was a muffled squeal as the man covered her mouth with a dirty hand. Panic gripped her pounding heart. A sharp jab to her chest told her the man was using his elbow to keep her against the wall.

"Shh, relax sweetheart." He purred. "Don't give me any trouble and I'll only take your wallet, and whatever is in that lovely bag of yours."

Marinette stared with wide eyes at the man, he gave her a grin that did not set her at ease at all. His breathing was heavy, and the man stank of something strong that stung her nose. She tried not to breathe too much through her nose, but with her mouth being covered she had no choice. It was only made worse as she tried to take deep breaths to calm her heart and think.

She didn't try to struggle. If the man kept his word, then nothing worse will happen to her. He was clearly stronger than her, there was not much she could do to get out of his grip. Her purse jiggled at her side, he was going through it. Oh I hope Tikki got away.

If he was going to do nothing else other than take her money and her purse, then she would let him. It wasn't worth the risk of getting hurt over some money and fabrics that she could easily replace.

But the risk was still present. If the man resorts to therivery, there is little chance he would keep his word. The simple fact that he held her against the wall was mere proof that he could, and maybe even would do something worse to her. She heard plenty of horror stories of women and girls like herself being attacked.

Marinette shook that thought out of her head. She cannot panic.

The man grunted. "Don't have much do you little lady." He said, pulling out her wallet and her phone.

He narrowed his eyes at her, and she almost returned it with a very Ladybug like glare, but then thought better of it. Marinette shied away with fear.

"Those pretty earrings will do." Ah, that was not a part of the plan.

Panic gripped her heart, she whipped her head around, trying to break free of his grip. He responded by stepping closer to her, pressing his body against hers to keep her still.

He laughed, an ugly sound. "Feisty aren't we." She felt his free hand finger one of her earlobes.

That was it, she had no choice now. She shoved down her fear, and tensed her muscles.

Just as his hand touched one of the earrings, she bit down on his hand, hard. He pulled away with a "yowch!" Taking a step back he brought his hand up to his mouth, sucking the wound.

Marinette used the opportunity to step into his personal space, swiftly bringing her knee up between his legs.

The man howled and crumbled to his knees, dropping her phone and wallet in the process. She snatched her belongings and turned to run further into the alleyway. Only to find that it was a deadend.

Marinette, for the first time in her life, let out a curse.

She turned around, hoping to see the man still on the ground, but alas, her Ladybug luck was replaced by her usual Marinette luck.

The man stood, albeit a bit wobbly, she allowed herself momentary pride. She may be small, but she is still mighty as plain old Marinette. But whatever satisfaction and self-confidence she got dissolved into dread as the man stared her down with rage.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that." He growled, voice strained.

He brandished a knife, and whatever hope Marinette had of fighting off this man disappeared for good.

"Tikki help me." She whispered.

She screwed her eyes shut momentarily, then realized the fault in that tactic. She cannot allow herself to be afraid.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped. A figure in black leather stood in front of her, back to her. He brandished a silver staff in his right hand, pointed toward her assailant. He had cat ears and a tail.

In front of her was none other than her worst enemy, and he was coming to her rescue.

"Cat Noir?" She heard the man say, confusion evident in his voice.

Cat Noir pointed his staff at the man. "Turn away and leave, before you hurt yourself with that butter knife of yours." His voice was cold.

Marinette used the distraction to return her things to her bag, and saw Tikki staring up at her, with both fear and confusion. As she put her hand in her bag, the little red kwami hugged a finger. Are you okay? She mouthed.

She hesitated, then nodded. Tikki didn't look convinced.

"But, you're a villain." The gravelly man spoke again, and Marinette turned just in time to see Cat Noir stiffen. "You should be on my side."

"I am not a villain." Cat Noir hissed. "Now stay away from this girl, or else." He twirled his staff around, before slamming it into the ground, cracking the concrete.

The man staggered backward, complete terror on his face, then turned and tried to run, but it was more of a swift hobble.

Cat Noir stood tense for a few moments, then walked to the mouth of the alleyway, and peaked around the corner. His shoulders relaxed, he turned back and picked up her bag of fabrics, brushed it off and approached Marinette.

She was shaking, first from the fear of being mugged and the prospect of being stabbed. But now pools of anger and outrage filled her.

How dare he! Her nemesis, after all these years fighting her for her earrings, now had the audacity to save her? Her? Ladybug, who has defeated this miserable cat for years. Ugh how embarrassing.

And why was he out here? He is never just out and about, the only reason she could think of was the fact that she was supposed to be patrolling tonight. Was he going to try and ambush her?

The fire in her gut only intensified.

The cat suited man gave her a smile as he approached her, he held out the bag of goodies to her. "Are you okay?" He asked with a softness she hadn't heard since the day they first met.

She glanced down at the bag, then narrowed her eyes at him. "Get away from me." Her voice shook with ever so controlled anger.

Cat Noir once again surprised her by looking taken aback. "Excuse me?" He said, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"I said." Her voice rising. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Cat Noir recoiled, taking a step back, his expression was like a wounded kitten. He dropped the bag, taking a few more steps back. "B-but, I saved you."

"I don't care!" Marinette shouted, taking a step toward him, he took another step back. "You are an evil, evil man! You fight Ladybug everyday, you help the akumas, you hurt people!"

She kept taking steps toward him at every word, and he took steps back in response until she took a step into his space, causing him to twist around only for his back to end up against the alley wall. A finger pointing accusingly in his face.

Forgetting that she wasn't Ladybug at the moment she shoved his chest with both her hands, slamming him against the wall.

"You are an evil! Evil! Man!" Marinette shouted in his face. "And everything you do is evil!"

She raised her hand and swung it palm open toward his cheek, fully intending to slap him like he deserved. Cat Noir caught her by the wrist. It was a feather light touch, and it was a grip she could easily break out of, Ladybug or not. The catch snapped her out of her blind rage and she saw it.

The tear filled eyes, the hurt, and the pain. An uneasy feeling slowly crept in, replacing the fire, but only for a moment. She growled as she ripped her hand from his grip and stepped away from him. Taking in his defeated posture, sunken shoulders, and head tilted downward.

He screwed his eyes shut, and Marinette took the opportunity to retrieve her bag, not taking her eyes off him for even a second. Cat Noir didn't even flinch as she walked past him out of the alleyway.

"Saving you wasn't evil." His voice came out strangled, and she stopped. "You said everything I do is evil. That wasn't evil."

She didn't meet his eyes, and as angry as she felt, he was right.

"You shouldn't judge people you don't know." He took out his staff and made to vault away before he paused and turned to face her. "Or for who they associate with."

Marinette watched as he extended his staff, and launched himself into the sky. Unease filled her yet again, fully replacing the fire, though the embers remained. The question she had asked herself earlier in the night came back to her, only increasing the unwanted feeling in her gut.

Am I prejudging Cat Noir?

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think of chapter 1!

As I said, this is my first longer piece of fanfiction when it comes to the Miraculous universe, so I do hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The rest of the story will be released in the next few weeks!

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silverfury23

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