#mlsecretsanta2022

His heart is already beating rapidly, only to increase when Nino takes notice of how soft Chat Noir’s feathers are when they shield him from another attack, or how brilliantly his wings- dark as the night- catch the light and gleam iridescent and beautiful. And it might skip a beat when Chat Noir looks at him, a too-charming grin doing the same for his face that the sun does to his feathers.

“You okay?” he asks, and it’s not cocky or annoyed or frustrated at all. Instead, it’s the opposite, filled with genuine concern and kindness. As if Chat Noir really cares about him, somehow.

Nino swallows, trying to force his heart back down his throat.

“I- uh. Fine. You’re f- I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.” He really looks it, too.

“It is?”

“Can’t have my b- my, uh, number one fan getting hurt!”

Nino stares at him.

Chat Noir stares back.

And then, slowly, Nino grins.

“Yeah, that’d suck, dude. I’d have to change my favorite hero to Ladybug.”

A laugh, loud and boisterous, leaves Nino’s head spinning, though he keeps it together this time.

“Hey, Ladybug is a great hero to have as your favorite. She’s mine, after all! So I wouldn’t take offense to that... but at the same time, I’d like to be a little selfish and keep you on my team.”

His team.

“Well. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

“Good.” Chat smiles at him. “But you should actually go- akuma and all.”

“Oh! R-right, I forgot.” He pauses. “Well, I didn’t forget, but-”

“I know.”

“Okay.”

Chat Noir turns away, and he’s about to leap into the air before he stops, turning back to look at him one more time.

“Oh, and Nino? Fly safe.”

Then he’s off like a shot, a black streak flying through the air, almost too fast for Nino to register. He thinks- and maybe it’s wishful thinking- that Chat Noir glances at him again before he’s out of sight. He hopes he did.

Turning away, Nino gives his own wings a little test, making sure he was good to go before he left. Nothing hurt, his feathers were barely even ruffled, and-

Did Chat Noir know his name?

_

“How did he know? Dude. Adrien. How did Chat Noir know my name? I’ve literally never met him before,“ Nino rambles, pacing in front of his best friend. “I mean, he’s awesome, it would have been great to meet him without, you know, almost dying. But I haven’t. That was the first time and he knew my name!“

“Maybe you just look like a Nino,” Adrien helpfully supplies, a little too genuine for Nino to think he’s joking.

“...No. No, that’s not it.”

Taking his hat off, Nino runs a hand through his hair, first to muss it up a bit, and then again, just because it gave him something else to do rather than wear a bare patch in their carpet.

“It’s just... it felt so familiar, you know? Like we’d done it before. Like that wasn’t the first time he said my name.”

“...Maybe it wasn’t.”

Nino laughs a little, dropping down onto the couch next to Adrien. His drop bounces Adrien into the air a little, and his friend’s wings adjust for balance as his own stretch out behind him.

“Maybe not. That feels even more bizarre, though.”

Adrien nudges him with an elbow, drawing Nino’s gaze over. His smile is sweet, as always, but there’s a teasing edge to it that’s started coming out more and more ever since they moved in together. Nino was happy for that; it meant Adrien was coming into himself more, becoming more confident.

Holding up a pair of controllers, he wiggles them around, waggling his brows at Nino- which, to Adrien’s credit, definitely takes his mind off of Chat Noir. A little.

“But is it as bizarre as you winning at Super Penguino Bros Deluxe?”

Nino snatches his controller away in a heartbeat, letting the distraction happen.

“You won’t be trash talking when I kick your ass.”

It’s Adrien’s turn to laugh as the system boots up, and that might pull Nino away from his thoughts on Chat Noir more than the game itself.

And yet, he can’t help feeling that this is all very, very familiar.

_

The second time Nino meets Chat Noir, there’s no time for small-talk or what Nino eventually decided was painfully awkward flirting.

Instead, there’s the smell of singed feathers, a dislocated wing that, honestly, might be broken, and a normally cheerful superhero looking far too intense, far too serious.

Nino’s wings fold against him nervously, bristling when Chat Noir glares at him.

“Why did you do that? Why-?” he coughs, loud and rattling, into his hand. His suit is dark, but not so much that Nino can’t see a spattering of blood there before he draws it away. “You could’ve been hurt.”

“I guess... I wasn’t really thinking.”

“No. You weren’t,” Chat snaps, though her shudders after, and it’s barely enough of a warning for Nino to catch him before he collapses to the ground. “Shit-”

“Woah! Yell at me later- we need to get you out of here.”

Struggling a bit, Nino shifts Chat Noir, careful not to jostle him too suddenly. It’s hard to get a good hold on him with his wings, larger than average, especially his bad one- and when he tries, the pained sound that leaves the hero stops him in his tracks. He can’t even touch it without Chat hurting more, and there’s no way they’ll be able to get away from the akuma undetected if something isn’t done.

“Ok. Ok, it’s fine,” he says, setting Chat Noir down on the ground as gentle as he can. One hand searches for his phone while the other stays on Chat for support. “We’ll do something else. Get your wing in a sling or something.”

“Stop. Stop-” Chat Noir coughs, but determination hardens his gaze and chases the pain out of his expression. “I can’t leave, Nino. Ladybug needs me.”

“She’ll be okay long enough to get you help-”

“No.”

“Dude-”

“I can’t leave her out there alone,” he says, almost desperate, and somehow the prospect of leaving his partner alone seems to pain him more than his ruined wing. “I promised to protect her.”

Nino pauses for a long moment, watching Chat Noir grow more and more anxious to rejoin the fight. A large part of him thinks he should deny Chat Noir, take him away to get checked up anyways. It’s the same part that made him jump without hesitation into the akuma’s path to save Chat. The same part that makes his heart do double-time. And, yes, the very same part that might, maybe, possibly have a crush on him.

A smaller part- the part that still maintains any logic when it comes to Chat Noir- knows that Chat Noir knows his own limits better than Nino ever possibly could. And it knew that he was a superhero, that Chat Noir gets himself into a pickle with akumas almost weekly, and that he’s always fine in the end. It knows that Chat Noir will be okay after this, too. even if he does go and rejoin the battle.

And it’s all of him, every last inch, that has faith in Chat Noir.

So finally, he relents.

“Alright, fine. But at least let me help you get your wing situated before you go.”

Chat Noir heaves a sigh of relief.

“Okay. Deal.” A pause. “How’re you going to do that?”

“Oh. I have help coming,” Nino says, a grin lighting up his face in spite of the circumstances as he holds up his phone.

On it is a message to a group chat, alive with activity from the other members, some sharing research on how to properly bind a wing, others with links to WikiHow articles on popping a dislocated wing back into place, some with WebMD pages on how to tell if your wing is broken or dislocated or just plain strained. Then others are getting the necessary supplies, asking if they need tape, if a sheet will do, if the gauze their mother keeps in the bathroom will help.

One person even says that their cousin is a nurse, and that they’ll facetime him when they arrive.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea... there’s still an akuma around-”

“Hey! Don’t sweat it, okay? My friends are awesome. They’ll get here and help you get back on your feet in no time.” Nino sets his phone down, and sets his hand over Chat Noir’s. “That’s my promise to you.”

Chat stares at him for a long time, not saying anything. His green eyes, catlike in their appearance, search his face for something, and it’s all Nino can do to keep the rising heat from his cheeks.

He’d never thought much about having the full attention of a superhero on him. At least, he didn’t until the last time they met- the first time. He never would have expected it to feel so intense, that the weight of his gaze would be heavy and wonderful all at once, warming him down to the core. Like a weighted blanket for Nino’s terrible, awful, ready-to-burst heart.

He’s about to say something- anything to break this silence that threatens to push him too fast into something too dangerous- when Chat Noir blinks.

Whatever he was searching for, he must have found it, because his body relaxes as much as it’s able to. And then he smiles, pain be damned, and it darn near takes Nino’s breath away.

“It’s nice to see someone have so much faith in their friends.”

“They’re the best. Really.”

“No argument there, I trust your judgement... when it comes to friends. Not jumping into the middle of a battle,” he says, chiding him still. “My suit protects me enough; don’t put yourself in harm’s way for me, okay?”

“I mean... Like I said, I wasn’t really thinking. I just... saw you get hit, and knew I could do something. So I did. I can’t promise that I’ll hold back if it happens again.”

“...Guess I’ll have to make do with the other promise you made me, then.”

It’s the only time Nino might ever laugh at seeing Chat Noir look so defeated.

_

He can’t sleep.

He’s already gotten up and out of bed four times in the past hour- five if he includes the time he got up to push Adrien back into his bed properly. Half of his body was hanging down from the top bunk, one wing tip gracing the floor before Nino got up to fix it.

The other times were to pace. Or get water. Or get water and pace. Or stare into the bathroom mirror until his eyes grew tired. Nothing seemed to help, though; his mind couldn’t stop running around it, haunting him each time he closed his eyes. He groans, rolling to face the wall, but that lasts less than a minute before he moves again, turning his face into his pillow. His hands clench onto the edges of it, turning each side up until they cover his ears.

Groaning again, louder this time thanks to the pillow muffling his voice, he turns to face up and lets the pillow lay on his face while he stretches out spread-eagle, one of his wings curling up against the wall. His fingers twitch first, then his leg until he finally sits up and throws his legs over the side of his bed. The pillow falls sadly to the floor and-

“OHMYGOD.”

He jumps back, scrambling away as he tries to find purchase on something before he falls back and hits his head on the wall. He desperately clutches onto the blanket beneath him, and it’s the first time he’s ever cursed the expensive blankets Adrien had bought for them as they slip away. A dull thud is the only sound in the room for a moment before Nino curses under his breath, reaching back to rub his head.

“Dude. What the fuck,” he says, glaring up at him.

Adrien is still there, hanging down from his bed and watching Nino with the most shit-eating grin Nino’s ever seen on him.

“You were thinking so loud it woke me up.”

“That was not cool.”

“Aw, come on.” Like a cat, Adrien slinks down to the floor, too graceful for the middle of the night as his feet touch the ground with hardly a sound. He sits down on the edge of Nino’s bunk and pats the spot next to him. “Tell your good ol’ buddy Adrien what’s keeping you up.”

Nino glares at him, still rubbing at his head, but as always, Adrien’s earnest look softens his edges. With a sigh, he scoots forward, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders as he draws his knees up to his chest.

“I just... hope he’s okay.”

“...Who?”

“Chat Noir.”

“Oh.” He considers Nino’s answer while his wings, folded neatly against him, flutter just enough to draw Nino’s eye. “He’s fine.”

And that makes Nino suspicious. Eyeing him, he pokes a finger into Adrien’s chest.

“You sound pretty damn confident in that...”

“Um- Well, yeah, Ladybug’s power always puts everything back together. So even if Chat Noir was hurt, he’d be okay now.”

Nino deflates.

“Ah. Yeah. I know. It’s just... I don’t know. I can’t get him off my mind anyways, and I didn’t see him after the akuma, so I didn’t actually get to see him all healed up.”

“Don’t worry, Nino.” An arm and a wing both wrap around him in a hug, the warmth and familiarity putting him at ease. “You didn’t get to see it, but believe me. Chat Noir’s perfectly fine thanks to you.”

Nino gives him a small smile, leaning into Adrien’s side.

“Don’t you mean thank to Ladybug?”

Adrien shrugs.

“Who knows if they would’ve been able to beat that akuma if you hadn’t helped him out? He wouldn’t have been able to fly.”

“Well... he might have been able to. You didn’t see it, but the determination coming off of that guy... he was so focused, so desperate to rejoin Ladybug, I really think he might have flown anyhow. Even if the wing was more than dislocated...”

He remembers the way Chat Noir had looked. The way the determination had shone in his eyes, fierce and unyielding. Even in such a haggard state, Nino knew he would win. There’s no force on Earth that could dissuade him of that. Chat Noir would never give up, would never back down, and...

And he would never leave the city unprotected. No matter how broken it made him.

He would always be okay.

Letting out a long breath, Nino pulls his blanket tight around him.

It isn’t Chat Noir’s pretty blond hair, his mischievous green eyes, or even his stark black wings that make Nino’s heart do double-time, although they all help.

It's how personable he is, his charm, the loyalty that not even Nino could question, even when he’s only met the hero twice. It’s that Nino trusts him implicitly, believes in him without any doubt clouding his mind. That’s what draws him in.

That’s what makes Nino’s crush come to life.

That’s-

“Nino?”

Snapping his gaze up, he meets Adrien’s concern with embarrassment.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“...Yeah. I mean... Yeah.”

“...Want to try getting some actual sleep?”

He nods, a little surprised to realize that he really does feel tired. Like his mind has calmed down after Adrien’s reassurance, even though neither of them can possibly know for sure. Something in the way Adrien had said it, though, made Nino believe him.

“I should try, yeah. You should, too. I keep waking you up- you’re gonna be more tired than Marinette and Alya tomorrow.”

“Oh, I’m okay,” Adrien says, getting in another squeeze before he lets his wing drop back, and takes his arm from Nino’s shoulder. “Just focus on getting some rest yourself, alright?”

“I’ll do my best. Thanks for letting me vent it out a little.”

“Anytime, Nino. I’ve always got your back, you know.”

“I know.”

For the first time that night, Nino finally feels tired.

He dreams of blond hair, and wings that change from gold to black and back again.

The evening was particularly calm at the sea. The Liberty was being gently lulled to sleep over the sluggish waves. There was a storm brewing far on the horizon, its tall clouds made even darker courtesy of the full moon. But if Prince Luka averted his eyes from the boiling bulks of lightning, he could pretend it was a tranquil evening, just like the one a month ago. 

He found it hard to believe that four whole weeks had passed since the Liberty had set sails to take him to faraway lands in search for a suitable match. Despite his mother’s objections, his father, King Jagged, had been unusually insistent on finding Luka a bride worthy of the crown prince. And Luka, ever the obedient and good-natured son, met princess after princess, heiress after heiress, some daughters of noblemen in the mix as well. Some had been stunningly beautiful, others - as he’d been told - unimaginably rich. Some had talent for embroidery, flower-arranging, cricket or other skills considered useful in high society. Some had shown interest in music, either in singing or playing instruments, yet Luka found each performance lacking the essence and passion he so desired in a soulmate. 

Juleka, his sister, mocked him for being picky. The truth was much simpler. His heart had already been taken, only he couldn’t say so out loud.

How could he, when he hadn’t even laid eyes on the one he’d fallen for? When he wasn’t even sure she existed, that he hadn’t dreamed of her that night of the full moon a month ago?

Such thoughts ran through his head, as Luka stood on the prow gazing on the dark, oily waves, straining his ears, searching for the notes of the song that had captured his heart. The melody had seemed out of this world, sung in a bizarre language, in a scale he’d never encountered despite his thorough musical education. Yet in some unfathomable way it had reached right into his soul and imprinted itself in his memory forever. 

Wind picked up, ruffling Luka’s hair and filling his lungs with salty air. The prince pulled out his guitar, he strummed the strings, listening to the wind whispering in the instrument’s belly. He felt the world holding its breath and he found himself waiting, wound tightly just below the breaking point.

Then came the song. 

Vibrant notes carried over the ocean, pulling at his heartstrings like no melody had ever done before. Luring him in, making him want more, making him wish it’d never end. Luka gasped, realizing this was his moment of truth, that he hadn’t been imagining things or slowly going crazy. He had been right the whole time. 

For a few moments he let himself be submerged in the music. When it filled him to the brim he took a deep breath. He raised his guitar and joined the song in an impossible duet, just like that first time one month ago. 

The voice, searching and wistful at first, turned joyful, excited even, as if the guitar was a long missing friend. It greeted the new addition with enthusiasm, relishing the new harmonies, new possibilities that came from combining the vocal and the instrument. Unified the voice and the guitar transformed the song into something greater than its parts.

It flew over the water. It echoed in the ship’s hull. It filled the sails.

Enchanting. 

Mesmerizing. 

Spellbinding. 

Luka was lost in the music, in the feeling of finally being complete. He reached deeper to the underlying rhythm and discovered it synchronized with his own pulse, a perfect harmony of two heartbeats. The heartsong he’d been looking for, the one he’d been drawn to, the one he’d been destined to join. His soulmate, he realized, opening his eyes.

And then the storm hit.

***

It wasn’t unusual for Marinette to sing in the evenings nor was it uncommon for her to dream of the adventures in faraway lands, above the sea, among the two-legged people she frequently spotted on the beaches and on those wooden sea beasts called ships. Yet, she never dared to sing above the surface, allowing her voice to be heard by ears other than those belonging to the merfolk. At least not until that last full moon, when she had succumbed to the strange desire that had awakened in her, urging the little mermaid to swim up to the surface and let her song flow freely over the waves. 

Something told her that was where she was supposed to be, and that was what she was supposed to be doing. She never expected to be answered back. She never would have guessed her performance wouldn’t be a solo, but instead a duet out of this world. 

The boy had been standing in the moonlight, high over the water. His dark hair had been tinted blue at the tips, as if he’d dipped them in the ocean. His eyes reflected the moonlight, glowing unnaturally bright, while he stared out into the darkness with a faraway expression upon his handsome face. She’d wondered what he was dreaming about at that moment. At first she had thought he’d been singing, but then she noticed the instrument he’d been wielding, a brown box with strings. The melody had been divine, soft and tender, reaching out, searching. It found her song and entwined itself with it, creating a new harmony, filling the pauses, completing the rhythm, until the song became a perfect amalgam of water and land, of above and below, of human and mer. 

It had left Marinette wanting to follow the ship, to never separate from the boy. And she might have just gone for it if it wasn’t for Tikki. Her crab chaperon had caught up with her at the last moment. She pinched Marinette’s tail, quite painfully, snapping the girl out of her reverie. The ship had disappeared from sight long before Tikki finished scolding Marinette for her unauthorized evening swim. 

Since then the little mermaid anxiously awaited news of ships passing over their kingdom, but none of them sported the characteristic eyes and whale-like smile of the boy’s vessel. She almost lost hope she’d ever see him again. Her heart ached at the thought, as if that stranger, who hadn’t even seen her, took a part of her with him and she’d never be complete again without it. 

Tikki must have had a word with Alya, because her guppy childhood friend kept a close eye on Marinette for the whole month and asked a lot of pointed human-related questions. Finally Marinette was able to coax Nino, the googly-eyed turtle, to ask Alya out, freeing herself of her orange-tailed friend’s company.

As luck had it, this was the night of the full moon. Marinette feigned going to bed early to get King Tom and Queen Sabine off her scales. Then, she set out to find if she was indeed as lucky as she’d been dubbed by the royal court. 

Anxiously, Marinette swam to the surface and began her siren song. She sang of all the hopes and dreams, the feelings that came to her that fateful night, the heartache that followed. She felt the world falling silent around her, bewitched and enthralled by this new song. The wind carried it into the night, but only the moon listened.

She almost gave up, but then she heard the soft and sweet sounds of the instrument - guitar, as she’d learned - calling out to her. 

She saw him standing on the prow, eyes closed, fingers dancing over the strings. His whole being seemed to be consumed by music, her music. Marinette would be a liar if she said she didn’t like the thought. But just as he seemed to be spellbound by the melody, she felt similarly smitten. She hadn’t even locked eyes with him, yet she felt the connection between them, a bond stronger than anything she’d experienced in her life. 

At the next flash of lightning, he opened his eyes and looked straight at her. Marinette froze, hypnotized by his gaze, unable to look away. Her voice died in her throat, just like the guitar grew silent. 

A beat of silence. Two heartbeats. Three - and then came the hurricane drowning everything in rain and wind. 

Marinette found it difficult to stay above the water, the waves tossing her any way they liked. She tried her best to stay close to the ship, because each time she resurfaced she saw him standing right there, despite the gusts and the rain, looking for her. As if he cared for no one else in the entire world. As if the storm, the ocean’s wrath didn’t matter to him at all.

As if he had eyes only for her. 

Another lightning bolt struck dangerously close and she dove below the surface for cover. When she reemerged, several other humans had appeared up on the deck, scurrying about with a chaotic, frantic energy. Her eyes darted around, seeking out her musician, but she couldn’t spot him anywhere among the men. A round object bobbed on the water, tethered to the ship with a thick rope, while the crew kept shouting and pointing towards it. 

Marinette’s stomach clenched. Chills descended down her spine, shaking the fin of her tail. Something was wrong. She dove to where the crew were pointing. At the next flash of lightning she saw her musician frantically fighting the currents, kicking and waving his hands. Despite his efforts he kept sinking further and further down, pulled back by a maelstrom he’d gotten caught in. 

Never in her life had Marinette raced so fast. In a blink, she was at his side, wrestling with the vortex, pulling him away from its clutches. She wrapped him in a tight embrace, shielding him from the currents, but stopped her finning when he looked at her in astonishment.

‘Hi,’ she uttered shyly, suddenly extremely aware of their closeness.

He opened his mouth to reply but only a few bubbles of air came out. Then, he passed out in her arms.

the one who feeds me:

girl he’s staring again

the one who clothes me:

no he’s not. do ur work

the one who feeds me:

see 4 urself

Marinette looked up from her phone, casually sitting on her lap under her desk, and glanced across the aisle to catch Adrien’s blonde mop shaking as he turned to face his workbook again. She squeaked, turning a deep shade of scarlett to match the shade on his face, and immediately returned her eyes to her workbook.

Since she, Adrien, and Alya interrupted the parents’ meeting with Miss Bustier the prior week, they’ve been separated in class to refocus on their classwork. Not a forever thing, Miss Bustier had said, just until the next topic test. Thankfully for them, this was due for next week.

It would be a whole lot easier if Adrien wasn’t staring at her every day in class. She’s not in love with him anymore, damn it. She’s fallen for her partner, Chat Noir, and she thinks he might love her, too.

She doesn’t fully believe that Chat Noir didn’t mean to kiss her just to save her from akumatisation, but it doesn’t matter. She told herself she couldn’t love Adrien while Monarch was still a threat to Paris. Why would Chat Noir be any different? She’s going to live a sad lonely life, fighting crime and spending every waking moment terrified of her identity being revealed and-

Marinette shakes her head, a little too aggressively, then fixated on her workbook.

Adrien knew he had spent too much time staring at Marinette, and not enough on his school work. Words and pages blurred together, and he couldn’t focus on anything but her. He could barely remember what it was he was supposed to be studying. Was it the French Revolution? The themes of Romeo and Juliet?

He supposed, in a weird way, he could be Romeo, and Marinette was his Juliet. What he would give to kiss her as himself.

Why did Marinette want to kiss Chat Noir? He can count the times they’ve spoken on one paw. Is she really just a fan of him? He knew from experience the kinds of weird things fans fantasised about with him, but it feels different. Marinette’s different.

His eyes focused on her again. He just loved the way the sun streamed through the window, perfectly illuminating the kaleidoscope of blue hues in her eyes and highlighting her ha-

Riiing.

“Marinette, can you-”

“Adrien, may I please see you for a moment?” Miss Bustier’s kind voice cut through his own and his head turned, eyes clouded with confusion, though he nodded. Little knives tore and cut at his heart as he turned back to Marinette and her now packed bag.

“Marinette, can you please wait for me?”

“Oh! I, uh, I have to talk to Al-” Marinette stuttered, pointing at a fastly retreating Alya, hand in hand with Nino. Her eyes narrowed, and she continued, “I mean, Maman is expecting me home for the lunch rush. Sorry!”

Miss Bustier didn’t miss the way Adrien’s eyes creased with disappointment, and some of his hope drained from his body as he shouldered his bag and made his way to her desk.

“I’m sorry, Miss Bustier, I know I’ve not been listening well this week, but please don’t-”

“Adrien, you aren’t in trouble.”

Adrien perked up, meeting her eyes. “I’m not?”

“No, of course not. I was a bit like you at this age,” she said, turning to look out the windows of the classroom to where Marinette was, running through the courtyard. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of him either.”

“Y-You mean-”

“Yes, Adrien, I can see where your focus has been this week. However,” she continued, her voice firming, “You are a smart kid. You know how to balance your studies and your free time… as well as you are allowed. Please start showing your work some more attention, before I do have to call your father.” Adrien’s shoulders tensed as her words hung in the air. “I understand. I’ll… figure this out soon.”

“By Friday, I hope, so you are ready for the test next week,” she replied, raising her eyebrows knowingly. “Thank you for listening, Adrien. I will see you this afternoon,” she smiled and held a hand out towards the door.

Adrien let out a sigh of relief as soon as he exited the room, making a beeline for the bathroom. There was a certain level of stress in his life already, and he was just repairing his relationship with his fa- dad. His dad. He didn’t want to lose what he had started building with his dad, but he didn’t want to lose his chance with Marinette. What might be his only chance.

Why couldn’t he have both?

“What am I gonna do, Plagg? Marinette’s everywhere, I’m so in love and I can’t get her out of my head!”

“What's the problem with focusing on what you love? I only ever focus on my one true love- a decadent, creamy camembert!” Plagg flew out of his jacket, holding a hunk of his “true love” and taking a huge bite.

“Père can’t know I’m not focusing on my school work, though. What if he does put me back into homeschooling, and I never see her again?”

“You saw her on the weekend-”

“As Chat Noir, Plagg. I want Marinette to love me again as Adrien.”

“-and she kissed you-”

“That didn’t mean-”

“-and you’re two sides of the same coin, kid. I’m sure if she doesn’t already, she will love you.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the courtyard, one Chloé Bourgeois was sitting on the bench, arms and legs crossed, fuming. For too long, her Adrikins had done more than tolerate Marinette Dupain-Cheng, even spent time with her outside of classes, and now he has gone and fallen in love with her? Ridiculous.

Dupain-Cheng is going to pay for this, she just needs a little help.

And it doesn’t hurt that this is another chance to get back at Ladybug.

Chloé rose, neutralising her facial expression, and walked to the bathroom. She could hear Sabrina calling her name in confusion but ignored her. Opening the door, her eyes darted left to right, checking if the room was empty, then slipped inside.

“I know you can feel my anger, Monarch,” she spoke lowly.

A black butterfly flew through the window seconds later, slipping into and colouring her sunglasses. “I want to punish Marinette Dupain-Cheng for stealing my Adrikins’ desire. She deserves nothing, especially not him. Give me back the power of the Bee, and I will get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses, once I’m done with her.”

“As you wish, Queen Wasp,” was his only reply, before the bubbles cascaded around her form.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette sipped her steaming soup and sighed. “I can’t keep avoiding him forever, he’s my friend! But don’t you agree he’s been acting a bit strange recently?”

“He’s acting like a certain someone I’ve known for a while, Marinette…” Tikki muttered.

“I don’t know what you mean by that, Tikki. He’s just a friend,” she paused to scowl at Tikki’s giggle. “He is! So what if I used to be in love with him? Ladybug and the people of Paris have to come first while Monarch is around.”

Sighing again, she placed the bowl of Ching Po Leung on her desk and held her half-filled spoon out to Tikki to sip from.

“Maybe it’s time for you to stop trying to have some degree of control over everything around you and just let things happen,” Tikki mused after a moment of quiet. “You can’t control your feelings for Adrien as much as you think you can, nor can you control your feelings for Chat Noir.”

“It doesn’t matter anyways, Tikki, I-”

A knock coming from above stalled her words, and both of them looked up. Tikki flew and hid in a desk drawer and Marinette grumbled, climbing the ladder to her bed.

“Chat Noir, are you insane? It’s the middle of the-”

The skylight shattered.

“You’re going to wish it was that mangy cat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Marinette stifled a scream, sliding back down the ladder and backed her way to the trapdoor.

“Chloé? What are you doing here?”

“I’m not Chloé, I’m Queen Wasp, and I’m going to take back what is mine!”

“What’s yours? What-”

Marinette shrieked and leapt to her right as Queen Wasp shot a beam of light towards her feet.

“I don’t know what my Adrikins sees in you! You must have tricked him somehow! There’s no way he would like someone like you!”

Marinette’s feet danced around as she desperately avoided the beams Queen Wasp shot her way, her time as Ladybug maintaining her stamina. A loud robotic voice from the living room below announced a Megakuma alert, startling them both.

“I hope there’s a macaron for me after this!” Chat Noir dropped in front of a particularly close beam, sending it back to a growling Queen Wasp with his baton spinning wildly.

“Don’t you know not to interrupt a girl fight, you mangy cat?!” Queen Wasp cried out, trying to aim around him. One loose beam ricocheted off of a mannequin, which sent it crashing to the floor.

“I think you have an unfair advantage in this one, it doesn't seem right to let it go on!”

Marinette watched Tikki phase in out of the corner of her eye and grabbed her bag while Queen Wasp was distracted, slinging it around her shoulder.

“Marinette’s the wrong one here! She’s a thief, a liar, and-”

“And it’s time to go!” A repelled beam shot right back at Queen Wasp, sending her flying into the opposite wall.

Wrapping one arm around her waist, Chat Noir launched himself and Marinette up through the skylight, and leapt from the balcony down the block, wrapping the other arm under her legs, bridal-style.

“Get back here!” they heard Queen Wasp yell faintly, as Chat Noir kept running.

“Are you okay, Princess?” Chat Noir asked between puffs of breath.

“Oh yeah, never better,” Marinette replied, glancing over his shoulder. “It looks like we’ve almost lost her.”

“Good,” Chat Noir grunted, leaping from the rooftops towards ground level. “We need to find a place to hide you for now.”

They had landed in front of the movie theatre. “If this is your way of asking me out, Chat Noir, we could’ve saved the trouble over the weekend,” Marinette scoffed lightly, as she placed both feet on the sidewalk.

She giggled at his spluttering, his face glowing red. “I’m just kidding, we wouldn’t have time anyways.”

Chat Noir looked up to the sign, trying to avoid looking at her directly. “W-Well, I- uh, what movie would you want to see, if there was time?”

“Hmmm…” Marinette looks up to the sign as well. “I’ve heard ‘The Shadow Ruins’ is meant to be good. Some reviews said it’s the perfect mix of thriller and fantasy, and there’s strong Chinese representation in the main cast!”

Chat Noir glanced down at her, a soft smile gracing his features watching her light up.

“Well, head on inside and stay while Chloé’s still looking. Ladybug will be here to fight with me, soon enough.” He saluted her and shot off with his baton again, glancing back as Marinette ran inside the theatre with a returning salute behind her.

Running to the bathroom, Marinette quickly checked the stalls to make sure the room was empty, and Tikki flew out of her bag.

“Good thinking, calling the alert on Maman’s Alliance ring, Tikki. Let’s go help Chat Noir. Spots on!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Miraculous Ladybug! Pound it!”

The ladybugs flew off in different directions, repairing broken glass and holes in the sides of houses.

“Chloé, are you okay?” Chat Noir reached out an arm in concern, but she brushed him off before his claws could rest on her shoulder. His brow furrowed as she tugged her bag firmly over her shoulder.

“Marinette deserved it. Leave me alone,” she grumbled in response, brushing her shoulders and leaving the heroes in a stunned silence, both pairs of eyes narrowing. Neither had much time to recover as Alya approached them both, slightly out of breath from running from block to block, chasing the fight.

“So Chloé Bourgeois was akumatised again, can you tell us a bit more about this Ladybug? Chat Noir?”

Beep beep beep.

“I’ll have to leave this one to you, Chaton, I’m about to transform back. Bug out!” Ladybug finished with a smile to both of them, then threw her yoyo back in the direction of the theatre. She shot off a quick text to Alya to distract him as long as possible.

She tried to breathe evenly as she ran along the Parisian rooftops, wondering what Chloé had meant. How had she stolen Adrien? She absolutely doesn’t have any sort of feelings for him, they're just friends and friends are meant to be shared. Just because Chloé had seemed to regress emotionally doesn’t mean they can’t at least act cordially.

It’s not like Adrien returned her feelings that she absolutely no longer has. Nope.

She landed in front of the theatre and ran inside, making her way to the bathroom again.

“Spots off! Here you go, Tikki,” she clicked open her bag and pulled out a cookie. “Chat Noir might be back soon, so you’ll need to hide again.”

Crumbs dotting her small face, she said, “I’m on it!” And flew into the open bag. Marinette fastened it shut again, and walked out of the theatre, waving to the bored attendant. He didn’t look up from his phone as the door shut behind her.

“So, how about that movie, Princess?”

She giggled as he landed in front of her, missing the unease that briefly flickered in his eyes as he looked her over.

“I”m not sure I’d have time today, I need to get back to school. But I think I’ll see it with friends soon!”

“Allow me to at least escort you. Do you need to pick anything up, or should I drop you to school directly?”

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the one who feeds me:

guess who hasn’t kept his eyes off u

the one who clothes me:

i’d really like to pass the test next week alya.

the one who feeds me:

u know u can’t resist a peek

he definitely hasn’t 😏

Marinette glanced up from her phone to Miss Bustier, who was facing the board, then towards Adrien. He was leant on his hand, her favourite colour brushed on his cheeks when he realised she was returning his stare, and quickly focused back on his work. Like the day before, his hair shook and obscured his eyes as she slowly turned her own head back to her workbook.

Only they heard the tiniest giggles coming from their respective bags, which earnt itself a light foot nudge.

Why did he look almost… queasy?

Riiiiing!

“Marinette, could you please wait for me?” Adrien half-yelled in her direction, earning a giggle from the rest of the class (and a scoff from Chloé).

Her eyes widened. “Uhh, I-” She turned to Alya, who had already taken Nino’s hand at the front of the room and winked at her as she fled. Her face dropped and she sighed, “Sure. What’s up?”

“Uh, why don’t we head outside?” Adrien glanced towards the rest of the room, their classmates’ eyes firmly trained on him.

She shrugged, glancing around at the class before landing back on Adrien, who was rubbing the back of his neck as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Sure thing. Lead the way.”

He stifled the urge to take her hand, walking a few steps ahead of her instead as he led them to the locker room. His hands tremble, though he couldn't tell if it was from excitement or nervousness. They felt a little wet, is he sweating? Oh god he shouldn’t be sweating Marinette won’t-

“So I, um, I don’t really know where to start,” he blurted out, turning around a little too fast.

Her eyes crinkled as she gave him a soft smile. “How about the start? Are you okay? Is your father giving you trouble again?” Her tone dropped as the latter question, worry colouring her face. If she heard Gabriel was giving him a hard time again-

“Oh, no, it’s actually been good with him lately!” A smile widened on his face, a little too comically in Marinette’s opinion. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about though.”

She tilted her head to the side, bemused but relieved. A small gasp, almost unnoticeable to them both, left her mouth as he took her hand.

“It’s probably no secret by now that I really like you,” he started with a soft smile, twin blushes donning their faces. Marinette lowered her eyes to their joined hands, watching as he absentmindedly ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I’d really like to take you to see the new movie, ‘The Shadow Ruins’? I-uh…” he could feel the heat rising up his neck as Marinette hadn’t moved her eyes from their hands. He almost shook it free to rub his neck, but used his free hand instead. “Um, I heard some reviews that it was really good. Y-You know, a bit of thriller, a bit of a fantasy, a-and I remember you mentioned there was some good Asian representation in the main cast, s-so-”

He realised his mistake too late, as her eyes finally tore from their hands to stare at him. Her brows came together in confusion, but her eyes softened with realisation.

“I said what?”

“D-Did I say you said that? I meant-”

Her voice dropped just above a whisper. “Did I say that to you?”

Ladybug is going to kill me.

“You- uh, maybe?”

Her hand dropped from his, and for a moment he could feel his heart about to shatter, but Marinette flung her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. He stumbled, spluttering for a split second, then wrapped himself around her as tight as he could.

“I always knew you’d be close, Chaton.”