lady magique et lady chance

Ladies an Gentlemen, finally, the Love Cube!

Previous version

Marinette has been fighting Papillon for several years now.  Chat Noir was never in the mix. Fu is dead now (gastro-intestinal issues) and she is on her own with Tikki, the miracle box, and two-year old Emma. The father is out of the picture– it’s whatever they’re better off without him. She’s juggling school, being a single mom, and Paris and god dammit she is tired.

She kind of notices her neighbor in the way you can’t ignore the ridiculously hot co-ed next door.  Particularly after their disastrous first meeting (made up for later when he brought her a peace offering of a hot meal on a day when she absolutely needed it).

After a particularly rough battle, Ladybug lands at the wrong window in her sleep-deprived delirium and wakes up Adrien instead.  He makes sure she’s okay, makes her coffee, and won’t let her leave until she’s recovered a bit.

Later, after discussing the matter with Tikki (who lets her know she always should have had a partner and Fu was being ridiculously cautious and reckless by letting her operate alone) Marinette decides to activate the black cat miraculous.

Plagg is charming as ever but he always did have a soft spot for the bug.  He tells her it’s about time.  All that’s left is to decide who to entrust with it.

Cue Adrien knocking on the door, for some contrived reason or other, stopping by to check on Marinette and Emma because he heard them up late into the night.

After some stammering on his part, offering to watch Emma any time if she needed a break, he leaves.  Tikki shoots Marinette a look. The same look she’s been giving her for months since they moved into the complex.

Marinette looks at Plagg who shrugs.

Until she drops on his balcony one night and makes him an offer.

Being a superhero, running beside Ladybug, was something straight out of his teenage dreams.  At twenty-three he’s no less enamored with the idea although he has to wonder just why she chose him.

Plagg rolls his eyes when Adrien asks and says beats me.

It’s rough going at first, but he’s quick on the uptake, and relatively in shape.  Chat Noir becomes a beloved icon after a few weeks.  Someone who can help shoulder the burden Ladybug’s been carrying all these years.

He finds his silly crush resurfacing, after all, how could it not?  Ladybug is amazing and quickly becomes one of his favorite people and closest friend.

But

He’s still got a thing (just a tiny thing. A thinglet if you will.) for his adorably scatter-brained neighbor Marinette.  She doesn’t really notice him and she’s too busy to really even be a viable dating option but that doesn’t mean his heart doesn’t flip when they pass each other in the hall.

And it’s not like Ladybug is looking to date him either.  Adrien just has to content himself with being surrounded by beautiful, charming, unattainable women. 

And knowing she can trust Adrien with her life (not that he knows that) makes it easier for her to trust him with Emma.  Before he was just her kind neighbor-not-quite-friend.  Now he was her partner.

Marinette finds it easier to make space for him in her life, superhero and otherwise.  Sometimes, after putting Emma to sleep, she will sneak out of the apartment, transform, and swing by to land on Adrien’s balcony just to visit.

Platonically of course.

Because there’s absolutely no way she’s developing a crush on her dorky neighbor and kitty cat.  Absolutely not.

There are some downsides, however, to their burgeoning friendship on both sides of her mask.  Particularly when it comes to the thin walls of their apartment complex.

She’d taken for granted that no one could really hear what was going on in her apartment but after giving Adrien his miraculous she could hear muffled voices on the other side of the wall.  Nothing distinct but enough to know he was talking to someone.

It made her wonder what he could hear on his end.

(Adrien, for his part, wonders at the myriad of different voices he sometimes hears coming from his neighbor’s apartment.  He never sees anyone coming or going on the occasions but he can hear their muffled voices all the same.

This comes to a head one day while Marinette is out doing laundry and Emma is left home with some of the more responsible kwamis keeping watch.  Adrien knows Marinette isn’t home but assumes she took Emma with her.  That is until he hears the familiar babbling through the walls followed by several other voices that should not be there.  Cue Adrien freaking out, transforming before Plagg can protest, and crashing through the balcony only to discover baby Emma holding court with three suspiciously kwami-like beings.

Sass looks him over, unimpressed.

Tikki squeaks in protest and flies out from the basket grumbling only to freeze when she sees Chat Noir.

“Two months.  We didn’t make it two months.”

Plagg forces the transformation and Adrien is left staring, wide-eyed, as the kwamis duke it out in the living room.  Marinette coughs and asks him if he wants any tea.

It’s a long night.

- A competitor to blog is mentioned and she arrogantly says they’re irrelevant or similar dismissal. Akuma is competitor either hearing comment or upset over lack of impact/exposure.

- Another blog leaking they will be revealing Chat’s identity soon as they have proof and Alya then going panic mode of trying to get the scoop first (or a bigger scoop like Ladybug’s identity) before other blog reveals all. 

- Another blog having more hits and Alya becoming even more reckless to get back her title of best ladybug blogger.

Alya can’t be upset at the blogger but does lead to a debate of which is more important her hero self or journalistic career. Sure, for patrols she can set up cameras but she can’t really do that during akuma fights. Alya just trying to deal with feeling great as a hero but losing hits. Other blogger not realising anything is wrong at first. Perhaps Alya asks Ladybug for the miraculous just for a little longer and when Marinette finds out why (stage an interview) she’s just very disappointed.

(1) Adrien ain’t tiny. smaller than Tom, yes, but everyone is (except maybe Gorilla–have we ever seen them together to compare?). I recall someone worked out, based on the known size of the Mona Lisa, that Adrien is 5'10" in “Copycat”, and someone else compared Chat’s and Ladybug’s heights in S1 and S3 and concluded he’s gotten taller. (she may have gotten taller too, but that just makes him even taller, because the height difference increased.) and he’s probably more muscle in S3 than S1, too, so yes he’s lean but he’s gotta be heavier than most people who fit the same size clothes. he is not tiny.

THE WALL BETWEEN US 🥰

THEY RECREATED THE PV ❤️ omg thanks 😭

Ladybug & Chat Noir: Awakening

“Who are you?” Adrien asked, awestruck.

“I’m…” Emma took a deep breath. It was hard, it was so hard to even think, to remember what she was supposed to tell and what she was supposed to keep a secret, and where was she supposed to start? How could she possibly explain it all with just the little energy she had left? And how was she supposed to explain any of it to this Adrien, to a fifteen year old boy that knew nothing of the world of Miraculouses or magic, who had spent almost all his life until now shut away from the world?

“Okay,” Emma said slowly, “do you… do you remember the Black Moon Clan arc of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R?”

(Alya keeps telling Marinette fake it till you make it)

(Marinette is trying but it's hard)

(until she realizes, if she acts with Adrien like Ladybug does with Chat when Chat's not getting on her nerves--it can't be a too terribly losing strategy, right? after all, that's how Chat fell for her--then she can speak coherent French to Adrien and everything)

(Adrien is so happy Marinette is finally relaxing around him, but also Chat Noir is jealous of Ladybug's mystery guy, but also Chat Noir really wants Ladybug to be happy)

(and weirdly, relaxed and happy Marinette is a lot like Ladybug)

(...oh shit Adrien isn't faking this anymore is he? shit shit shit! because of course Marinette isn't really interested in Adrien...)

(...but he knows she is interested in Chat Noir, and he can't tell her the connection--would never want to tell anyone before he tells Ladybug anyway--but Adrien can certainly act with Marinette more like Chat does with Ladybug! less some of the trying to get on her nerves, because--and he never dreamed he'd say this--Marinette's smile is cuter than Ladybug's glare)

they start making their own traditions. for christmas, they decide to volunteer at a charity, or hang out at the orphanage, bringing pastries for all of the kids!

valentines day has them sneaking into a movie (they wear costumes!) and watching a romcom.

they have a 'second' birthday where they celebrate the other's birthday on a completely random day so their identities can still remain a secret.

chat brings a form of entertainment on patrol like coloring books, or a crossword puzzle (he's usually sprawled over her, glancing at her face with heart eyes while she's concentrated because COULD THE WORD WE'RE LOOKING FOR BE -)

lb bakes him cookies, with his favourite flavours and the icing is always neon green in colour!

they play tag a lot. ladybug: 20 and chat: 12

sometimes, when they're lazying around, they laugh and imagine a life post Hawkmoth. ("We'll reveal ourselves, of course!" "Ah, My Lady! Then, you'll finally realize what a handsome cat you've been fighting with." + "Can we live in a castle?" "YES! Can we have a chocolate fountain, as well?" "Only if I get my own study."

lb and chat both have a playlist on Spotify labelled 'Dork' and 'Icon' respectively on their phones.

they have Ice Cream (Platonic) Dates.

LB always blushes when Chat sings to her, or quotes Classic Romantic Literature (I love you most ardently.)

they're very comfortable around each other. Chat massages LB's feet when she's having an off day, and she runs her hands through his hair.

So, originally a theme song was pitched for Miraculous Ladybug by Andy Marsh called “Here Comes Ladybug” and… holy shit.

dreamhunk.mp4

she doesn’t have a good track record with umbrellas