#chatinette

Since it’s been filling up my dash with art and drawings of nightmare babies, I decided to study the Ladybug fandom, not as a participant, but as an observer. Particularly their ships, observing how this fandom managed to wrangle four different ships out of two people. These were my results.

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Adrienette, Adrien x Marinette (a.k.a: the only one that actually exists): A pretty standard quirky smart girl getting with the popular hot guy ship, but also slightly disturbing by how much this girl lusts for Adrien. Like, she’s got 90% of her life figured out, but immediately goes crazy ex girlfriend around Adrien. All I’m saying is that she’s definitely fished his band-aids out of the trash at some point. This ship is rendered boring by how inevitable it is, and everyone’s pretty much waiting for the inevitable identity reveal and everything to fall into place. However, the writers keep jerking us around, coming up with increasingly arbitrary reasons to keep the “Will They Won’t They Hell” going.

Adribug, Adrien x Ladybug: Genderbent Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Also this one is literally just Adrienette with a new coat of paint an a slightly more assertive Marinette. Watching Adrien pine for the girl instead of watching Marinette stalk Adrien is a nice change of pace for a while, but it’s still boring by virtue of being the last ship reskinned.

Ladynoir, Ladybug x Chat Noir: Look, all I’m saying is that Chat needs to learn that no means no. This guy is giving Pepe le Pew a run for his money. Like, dude, she turned you down a bunch of times and you have a job to do. Get on with yourself. There is a certain appeal to seeing the whole co-workers to lovers dynamic, but it’s off-set by the sheer creep factor that Chat is putting out. Reminds me a little too much of teen romantic comedies where the “nice guy” is endlessly battering at the leads defenses until she breaks down and goes out with him.

Chat:

read from the beginning

@miraculousfluffmonth

It was the perfect evening.

The air was cool, signaling the end of summer. The stars were bright.

Marinette decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather before the chilliness hits and autumn has come. 

She laid out a couple of blankets and a few large pillows on the balcony to make it comfortable, then laid down on her stomach with her sketchbook and a pencil. A cup of tea next to her, she chatted with Tikki as she absentmindedly sketched whatever came to mind.

“Adrien is so hard-working,” she sighed. “Even during his free time, he spends it practicing fencing and studying Mandarin. How does he not burn out? I would be out of this world if I didn’t have times like these to myself.”

“Adrien is indeed admirable,” Tikki responded with a nod, sitting next to Marinette’s sketchbook with a small pencil of her own, doodling with her. “He goes to school for Business, does fencing and Chinese, participates in his father’s fashion events, and still is at the top of his class.” ‘And is Chat Noir on the side,’ she added silently.

How did Tikki feel about Adrien being Chat Noir?

Well, she thought it was quite sad. Marinette, as Ladybug, was unknowingly rejecting the advances of the very boy she was in love with, while pining over him all the while.

Plagg thought it was absolutely hilarious. The irony sent him keeling over laughing. 

Despite their differing feelings, they were both quite clear on what had to happen. They both has to continue to keep their identities secret. It would forever be a tail-chasing circle of unrequited love.

Marinette was in the middle of sketching a Chat Noir a new catsuit of her own design when a familiar black-clad superhero dropped down in front of Marinette on the ledge of the balcony, posing seductively as always. Well, trying to be seductive. Marinette never fell for it.

“Hello, Princess,” Chat Noir grinned. “That’s a wonderful drawing of me. I didn’t know you were that infatuated with me.”

Marinette looked up at the sound of his voice as Tikki flew into the blankets to hide. 

“Don’t flatter yourself kitty,” she laughed. “I’m just designing a new suit for you.”

“Pity. I thought it was because you were in love with me,” Chat Noir smirked as he dropped down from the balcony to crouch in front of her.

He used a finger to lift her chin to have her look at him.

“You look exceptionally beautiful with the stars shining in your eyes,” he cheekily grinned.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You know your sweet talking doesn’t work on me, Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir laughed and dropped his hand. “I know Marinette. That’s why it’s most fun to do it on you.”

Marinette smiled. “How’s patrol going? Anything adventurous?”

“Nope. Quiet as a bug,” Chat Noir stood up and began walking around her, twirling his baton. 

“Hmm. Are bugs that quiet though?” Marinette smirked as she rolled over onto her back, watching Chat Noir circle around her. 

He chuckled. “You’re right. Ladybug is nothing but loud, ironic to her species.” In the open space Marinette left, he sat down and laid down on his back as well, hands behind his head in a relaxed position.

“Hey, who said you could sit here,” Marinette poked his side.

“Should I leave?” Chat Noir looked over with a raised eyebrow.

“Nope,” she mimicked his position, hands behind her head. “I could use the company.”

He smirked in satisfaction and looked up at the sky.

After a few minutes of silence, Marinette spoke up tentatively.

“So... are you still in love with Ladybug?”

“Of course,” he automatically answered, a smile immediately blooming across his face. “I’ll never give up on her, even though she doesn’t love me fully yet. But I know that I’m getting to her, little by little. Someday, we will be together. I’m sure of it.”

Marinette shifted, a little uncomfortable at how determinedly he said so. “But don’t you feel like you’re wasting your time? Pining after another girl who you know loves someone else? Don’t you think you’re just...hurting yourself?”

Chat Noir grew quiet. 

“And you know, I know Ladybug pretty well,” Marinette continued. “and I get the feeling she’s hurting too. Hurting because she cares about you so much and there’s nothing more she wants for you than to be happy, but can’t give you that happiness herself.”

Chat Noir sighed. “I know. Even though I know all that, but I want to be selfish. I want to keep loving her for as long as I can. Because she deserves all the love in the world.”

Marinette was deeply touched and couldn’t contain the blush creeping up her cheeks. He really, genuinely did love her. It made her heart flutter.

“So what about you?” Chat Noir suddenly changed the subject, standing up and jumping up onto the balcony ledge. “I heard about your situation, living with Adrien Agreste.”

“Yeah, it’s going okay!” she replied too quickly, her voice shooting up an octave.

Marinette hesitated in spilling her thoughts. She’s always been an emotionally private person, only confiding in Alya when she needed to. But she was very close with Chat Noir too, wasn’t she? She knew that Chat Noir was trustworthy. And he just opened up his heart to her. It would only be fair to return it.

“To be honest, it’s not going too great for me,” she sighed. Chat Noir frowned, surprised. Adrien had no idea that Marinette was not happy with their living situation. “Why’s that?”

“I...have had a massive crush on Adrien in high school,” Marinette confessed, staring up at the stars. Chat Noir’s eyes widened. “R-Really?!” He turned his head to look at her.

"My feelings went away about a year ago because I learned that he loved someone else. So I gave up, to save myself the heartache.” Marinette sighed. “I never realized that my emotions would be be so ignited by living with him.”

Chat Noir turned on his side with his  hand propping his head up to look at her, trying to control his facial expression. “S-So do you like him again?”

“I don’t know!” Marinette exclaimed and mirrored his position to face him as well. “All I know is that I’m confused and...and I’m afraid of getting my heart broken. I don’t want to like him again. My heart says to yearn for him but my mind tell me to just stay away.”

Chat Noir’s eyes softened. He had never seen Marinette seem so vulnerable to him, neither as Chat Noir nor Adrien. He was also conflicted. He was in love with Ladybug...

Marinette bit her lip then sighed again. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.

Chat Noir placed his hand on her cheek. “No matter what happens, I’m sure everything will work out,” he gently said, although inside he was freaking out and completely unsure what would happen if Marinette confesses. “Will you confess to him?”

“No, never.” Marinette lightly shook her head. “I know that he’s in love with someone else still. How else is he so okay with living with me?”

He had no words. He didn’t even know his emotions. She just looked so miserable, that all he could do was to pull Marinette towards him, cradling her head close. 

Instead of pushing him away like normal, Marinette couldn’t help but lean into his embrace. It felt so...familiarly comfortable.

 It reminded her of the smell of rain, 

and the feeling of her fingertips brushing against Adrien’s.