#post weredad

“Fertile Ashes Au” As Marichat gets stronger day by day, Ladynoir limps on its uncertain path.  Thanks to her bonding with Chat as civilian and him becoming her pillar after the stress of being guardian drove her away from most friends after they separated to go to high school, Ladybug realised her mistakes in their partnership before and after taking the guardianship. No one knows her identity, but she wishes more than ever she could come clean with him and enjoy what they have as Marinette and Chat. 

However, Hawk Moth becomes more brutal with each attack and well... if she wished to reveal on a side, on the other it terrifies her.  She talks to him, tries to be a better partner, but their friendship and whatever bond there was is rebooting and uncertain as ever, with her needing to confirm by action her words of faith. And the rift between drove him away enough from her to being difficult crossing the already fragile and mere line of friendship. 

He drifted away and concentrated more on himself and Marinette. The same she did with Adrien after his father made him skip a grade in high school and they got separated from being classmates. 

She never felt so close yet so far. And after a long period of denial and gradual falling in love, nurturing those feelings... she got totally mindblown.  She was close to him as Marinette, but as Ladybug they were always on a thin line and she couldn’t just let the walls down because their bond under that form was so broken.  And well, acting normal while hints are thrown at your face that feelings are changing... is very difficult. 

These are sketches of one of the situations she had with him while realising she is in love with Chat and trying to settle with the feeling. 

André just wanted them to get an ice cream to thank them for rescuing him after being reakumatizated, and it ended up sending message to their minds.  Ladybug recognises her ice cream is about Chat, and that his is about Marinette. Chat only gets his points at Mari, but doesn’t notice or pay attention to Ladybug’s so he doesn’t get it. 

Reminder! This is set at the end of season 3, after Papa Garou, so most of what comes after and all season 4 is not canon to this AU and it didn’t happen. Alya doesn’t know about Marinette’s secret yet, Ladynoir naturally drifted apart for what happened before season 4 and during the 2 years time skip of the Au. What happened between them wasn’t as extreme as in season 4 and didn’t just explode in one shot, as also Ladybug’s actions weren’t SO extreme. Things were just bound to get a bit messy with the lack of communication and each’s personal issues.

It’s based on the concept of Marichat being friends and bonding with time, with him visiting her after it was enstablished!  Luka and Kagami only had crushes on Marinette and Adrien, but in the end they stayed friends only.

Marinette and Chat’s bond only deepened after Adrinette and Ladynoir drifted apart.

Chat still cares a lot about LB as friend but there is a big wall between them. He doesn’t stay too much to engage and simply let things go their own way professionally. He doesn’t want to get hopes up that she won’t hide things from him anymore, Standing his ground would be easier if things got messy again. 

Chat noir talking to Ladybug about how he got confessed to by Marinette.

Ladybug rolling her eyes, thinking he is gonna use this as some sort of way to brag, but then he goes.

“It was really hard to not accept her feelings. Marinette is such a kind, creative and amazing person. Her family is so loving and understanding that they made me feel so welcome. It isn’t easy to reject someone when you care about them deeply.”

Ladybug looking at the cat with surprise. She saw how strained he looked.

“I think this is how it feels for you... right?”

Ladybug manages to nod at the statement.

“I know you like someone else. Regardless of outcome, regardless of the numerous rejections I’ll get from you in the future, know that I will still be your Chat noir.”

Ladybug smiled and shook her head.

“I know, you stubborn cat.”

Ladybug : *slowly slides in* Oh hey, there's a fight for Adrien? Mind if I join?

Lila/Onichan : ... Ladybug?

Chat Noir : What-

Ladybug : Oh wait, let me call someone first!

-5 mins later-

Chloe : What is this that I've heard about a fight for Adrikins!?

Chat Noir : (... kill me. Just kill me now).exe just stopped

Ladybug : Hey there Chloe! Good to see you! See the fight is-

Chloe : Wait! *holding her hand up* Where's Dupain-Cheng?

Ladybug : -over there... WHAT!? Wait, what do you mean where's Dupain-Cheng?!

Chloe : Duh! Marinette Dupain-Cheng! And here I thought that girl must have gotten here before me! Tch! Wait a min, Ladybug, let me call her before her precious Adrikins is gone before she knew it

Chat Noir : *suddenly wakes up from the death* ... wait, what?! You mean Marinette likes Adrien?! Surely not!

Ladybug : ... And why would you know, exactly...?

Chat Noir : Of course I knew! I mean she confessed to me before----erm, nothing!

Chloe : Blergh! She confessed to you? I guess Dupain-Cheng does have a type with blonde hair and green eyes. I mean, it's kind of pathetic knowing at how such great lengths she does to practically worshipping him. I mean, taking away her credits of making his birthday gift just for the sake of his smile? Pathetic! And not to mention, digging out trash for Adrien's valentine poem, blergh! Oh, and I've heard that she's the one who setting up a date for Adrikins with than fencer girl he met because Dupain-Cheng hates to see him so upset? Talk about losers! And the fact that she's actually jealous at the premiere seeing Adrikins with that Kagami, but she doesn't exactly do anything that I said properly to humiliate that girl is really pathetic! Ridiculous!

Chat Noir : .... omg, I love her

Ladybug : !?

Note: Originally posted on FFnet on “A Smitten Kitten & A Lovestruck Princess”

Prompt: Marichat Fluff Wish! Chat Noir had a nightmare and he transforms to make sure his princess is safe.

Rated: K+

Safe

Adrien jumped awake in his bed, nearly knocking out Plagg, who had slept peacefully on top of Adrien’s head.

“Ow! Hey! I almost caught the cheese wheel! Adrien why did-“ Plagg’s annoyed rant died down as soon as he saw the haunted look on the blond’s face and he quickly hovered near him, “Adrien? You okay buddy? What happened?” he watched how his whole body shook in small tremors.

Adrien frantically searched the bed, his eyes scanning his dark, empty room and his breathing quickened even more, “Where…what…Plagg,”

Plagg flew in front of Adrien’s face and grasped his cheeks, “Adrien! Talk to me pal! What’s wrong?” he would never admit it out loud, but he was really starting to worry for the kid.

“Where’s Marinette?” the question flew out of his lips in a hurry and Plagg rarely ever heard such a serious and worried tone in the boy’s voice, except during akuma fights.

Plagg sighed in relief, floating back down on the bed after making sure nothing was amiss, “Pigtails girl is probably sleeping as she we by the way,” Plagg settled in against Adrien’s side again, yawning loudly, “Come on Adrien, let’s go back to slee-“

“Plagg, claws out!”

“Wait, what?!” Plagg shouted as he got sucked into the ring and Chat Noir suddenly kicked off the covers of his bed, rushing straight forward and jumping out the window into the dead of the night.

LoganLight, AO3

Plagg waited until Luka was fast asleep before going to Adrien. Their earlier conversation had left him deeply unsatisfied.

He phased through the window to find his kid in bed.

"Plagg?"

But not asleep.

"What're you doing up?" Plagg asked, because he was a contrary being.

"Can't sleep. C'mere."

Plagg floated into Adrien's hair. "So, what brought on your sudden desire to talk to Ladybug?"

"I told Nino."

"Another one? So, that's why he and Kagami were double-teaming Chloe! Anyone else?"

"No, can't risk it."

"And the superhero menagerie?"

". . . You haven't noticed?"

" I make it a point not to, so no."

"Huh . . . I'm sorry, about earlier. It was important."

"Always is . . . I'm sorry, too."

"Who're you and what've you done with Plagg?"

"What? What'd I do?"

"You never apologize!"

Plagg wanted to protest, he really did. Instead he tugged at Adrien's hair and muttered: "First time for everything."

"Ow. Yeah, guess that's true . . . . . ."

". . . . . . Thanks for the cheese."

"Well, I couldn't let you starve now, could I? . . . Do you think Luka noticed all the Camembert I leave in the fridge when I'm over there?"

"You mean the Camembert I eat before anyone sees it? No, don't think so."

Adrien smiled.

". . . How's Marinette?"

"You're asking me?"

"You've got class with her all day. I get twenty minutes per akuma."

"Point . . . She's been better since Panthera kissed her that first time."

"Hmm." Plagg decided not to voice his disagreement. "That why you brought up your crush?"

Adrien was silent for a moment. ". . . Maybe. I wanted-"

"I know," Plagg soothed. It had cost Adrien enough saying it the first time. "I heard. This gonna be a regular thing now?'

"Talking to Marinette? I think so? Probably not such heavy topics but I don't want to make it weird."

"It's already weird, kid. You know she's Ladybug."

"Yeah . . . but if it keeps Alya happy then . . ."

"Not sure that's the best reason to start talking to the person you've ignored for half a year."

". . . I know. But this is a good thing! I didn't realize . . . how much I missed her."

". . . You gonna tell her about Chat Noir?" Adrien tensed and Plagg purred in response. "Too soon, got it."

The tension didn't leave the boy. "Plagg?"

Well, this can't be good.

"A-about earlier. When you were with me instead of Luka . . ."

Oh, by the Nine Lords of the Underworld!

Plagg floated above Adrien's face to better glare at him. "No."

"But-"

"I barely get to see you! I am not going to stop visiting!"

Adrien sat up and Plagg floated further away. "What if an akuma attacked right now? And Ladybug needed Panthera? What if something like Sandboy happened!?"

"Well, considering that she just took on four akuma, and a brainwashed Cat and Turtle, and won; I'd say she can handle it."

". . . Carapace was brainwashed?"

"Very. And Ladybug took care of it like she always does."

Adrien didn't say anything, just sat on his bed.

". . . Honestly, I thought you'd focus more on Panthera getting hit than anything else."

"Why didn't he say- No, no, she was there. He couldn't . . ."

". . . We having the same conversation?"

"How were they? Did they seem okay?"

Plagg thought about the kiss. "Yeah, they seemed pretty okay. A little too okay."

"What?"

"So, there's no reason for me to go anywhere! Got it!?"

". . . Yeah . . . Yeah, okay."

Adrien laid back down and Plagg sat on the boy's forehead with his arms crossed. He pretended not to notice the boy sniffling.

Stupid kid!

Selflessness was a Black Cat's most endearing quality . . . And the most exasperating.

". . . How's Luka?"

"I told ya, he's okay."

"Yeah, but how is he?"

"He gets that same annoying look you did when he thinks of Ladybug."

Adrien chuckled. "And?"

"He doesn't like lying to his family. He thinks being in the band is good for you. He gets along well with Rena Rouge and Carapace. He's finally stopped asking me about you, er, Chat Noir."

"And you?"

"What do ya mean? My charming personality speaks for itself!"

"Plagg." Adrien raised an eyebrow.

". . . He might be under the impression that I don't like Panthera as much as Chat Noir . . ."

Adrien's breath hitched and Plagg could practically hear the boy's thoughts wrestling with each other. ". . . Do you?"

"I don't self analyze."

"Plagg!" Adrien grabbed him and sat up again, holding him in front of the boy's face.

"You can't- It's important that- Aahhh!" Adrien cradled Plagg to his chest. "You're impossible!"

". . . See, this is why we don't talk about Luka!"

Adrien nodded.

". . . He thinks Marinette would be a good girlfriend for you."

Adrien laughed as he collapsed back onto his bed. Again. "Luka pairing me with his girlfriend! Oh, that's rich! See, this is why secret identities are terrible!" Adrien muffled his laughter with his pillows.

Plagg floated above his kid, Adrien having released him, and felt warmth at this genuine mirth. Adrien had laughed before but the occasions were sparse. The boy's shoulders shook as he breathed deeply. An ear to ear grin firmly in place as he settled down.

Adrien stretched as a huge yawn escaped him. Plagg pulled the sheets up to Adrien's shoulders. The boy was struggling to stay awake. His eyes drooped closed before fluttering open. Plagg placed an appendage on each eyelid and held them shut.

Adrien shook his head slowly trying to dislodge Plagg. "Noooo! Just a little-" He let out a massive yawn. "-longer!"

"It's two!" Plagg grumbled. "You're supposed to be the responsible one in this relationship!"

Adrien giggled. "The sixteen year-old teenager is more responsible than the universe-old deity!"

"Your brain is much more annoying when it lacks sufficient oxygen, ya know that?"

Adrien yawned irreverently but settled himself into a comfortable position. Plagg did likewise. It wasn't long before he heard the boy's soft snores.

Plagg didn't want to leave but he felt his own eyes drooping. Sleeping here meant Luka, who was an unreasonably early riser, would find him gone. He was on thin ice with his disappearing acts as it was.

So, like always Plagg roused himself. Again he noted how peaceful Adrien seemed in sleep.

"Goodbye, Adrien," he said more for himself than for the boy. Because last time he didn't get the chance.

He won't make that mistake again.

From my headcanon “Fertile Ashes”, which I’m working on with a friend. There will be a fanfiction for this project and I’m going to draw plenty things from it! Sets off from WereDad, including some episodes of season 3 but mostly going off the canon road from there. It’s a Marichat focused story, based on the two frequenting each other as friends regularly as WereDad seemed to imply potentially and slowly getting closer.  Going to high school, isolating herself and having various duties, including her guardianship, Marinette’s most solid pillar is Chat Noir’s presence in her life, who is struggling himself with his once again lonely and busy schedule.However, at the same time, Ladybug and Chat Noir’s bond is facing hardships and Shadow Moth is losing his grip and control, becoming more and more extreme and starting a chain of devastation in which the two heroes will start to get lost.  But Destruction sometimes leaves ground to a fertile rebirth...

Going a tiny bit more into details...

After almost two years of timeskip.

Ladybug is 16/17 and goes to a prestigious fashion school thanks to a scolarship won before finishing middle school. She is the guardian of the Miraculous and the box was passed down to her in a critical situation, but not in the events of Miracle Queen, which helped her deal better with the new burden, even if it costed many of her friendships. Chat is 17/18. Doing some calculations based on what we’ve seen in the series and the ages of french schools, we set Adrien’s birthday in Autumn and Marinette’s in late spring of the following year, so he is almost a year older. He was in Marinette’s class due to some complications in transferring from his old homeschool grade to the public school one. His relationship with Ladybug gets even more rocky after she becomes guardian, due to his feelings of being sidelined and kept in the dark, however it's not as extreme as in canon and when she starts noticing her mistakes she tries to patch things up. However, there's always something in the way making their partnership fragile. Luckily, after the WereDad accident, he kept visiting Marinette as civilian to nurture their friendship and eventually their feelings blossomed and they got together ad Marinette and Chat Noir. Thanks also to his father's obsessed behaviour towards his evil plans, Adrien is barely noticed and controlled at home, so Chat spends majorly of his time at Marinette's when free. Her parents are aware of the relationship. However... can the safety of their relationship balance out with the danger Paris is living into? Chat Noir and Ladybug didn't unlock yet their unlimited powers in this.

New AU because Bluechuii inspired me and there’s no limit to overwork <3

The enemy’s power grew and so the violence of his attacks.  Marinette and Adrien’s group of friends planned a secret and surprise meeting for the two, in attempt to have them spending time together and have their relationship blooming, however a new attack caused without magic takes place where they sent individually by them. Their efforts as heroes aren’t enough to save the plenty lives lost and the city is left scarred. Master Fu decides in a rush to send Ladybug and Chat Noir away from Paris, to prevent the same thing happening outside the country and gaining new forces and informations. However, to avoid complications with their identities and not making their several months, or even years, of absence suspicious, he speaks to both separately and convinces them to let him stage their fake death due to the attack.

Ladybug and Chat don’t know each other’s identities, and while they know they need to let the master plan their own individual death, they also are not informed that their partner have to fake their death too. And so, as much as it wasn’t a surprise to hear their own name from the victims’ list, it sure was shocking and painful to hear the one of their dear friend/crush in civilian clothes. 

If only Ladybug didn’t see Adrien and Chat in the same place during Gorizilla’s attack.  If only Chat didn’t see Marinette and Ladybug side by side after defeating Kwamibuster... Maybe they could have hoped for the two civilians to be alive and well under the other’s mask.