Adrien was twenty years old when he first became Chat Noir and met Ladybug. Four years later, amidst the toughest time of his college career, he meets Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
A College/Reverse Crush AU exploring what would happen if Marinette was fo...
"My- my what?" his partner blinked, then snorted with derision. "My cleansing pleasure?"
Chat turned red. "I didn't mean it like that."
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"Oh, you didn't think I was mature enough to understand those kinds of jokes, right, Monsieur 'I'm older and better than you' ?" she scoffed, snatching the akuma out of hand and ripping it in half. Together they watched as the black and purple butterfly floated up into the sky, disappearing in the early spring breeze. "Don't worry. I'm sure the next time you meet your partner, she'll be everything you were looking for. She'll meet your high standards for suuuure . Me and my too-young self will be out of your hair for good."
Chat tried not to look hurt. Scratching the back of his head, he felt a sense of creeping dread settling in. What could he possibly say to make this better? How could he explain himself? Did she really want to quit because of him? "I promise I didn't mean to upset you-"
His ring beeped and he stared at it, bewildered for a moment. Then he remembered what it meant. He was running out of time. "Listen- umm- miss? I have to go but, can we talk another time?"
His partner shrugged, turning her back on him. "Just go," she replied, walking towards the bewildered young man who'd been akumatised. "I'll handle the civilian."
"But-"
"Go, unless you want to reveal your identity to everyone."
She pointed to a place on the opposite side of the stadium, where a young girl was filming with her camera. When she saw the superheroes looking in her direction, she waved frantically.
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The ring beeped again. Chat Noir glanced over his shoulder at his partner one more time before sighing in defeat. Picking up his baton, he leapt over to the stands and vaulted over the edge of the stadium, out of sight.
Funny. He'd been so thrilled to become a superhero. It'd been the most exciting thing that had happened to him in his miserable, boring life. The first time he'd ran, jumping as high as a building, he'd felt a sense of freedom so poignant that tears had formed in his eyes. The bars he'd kept around his heart had smashed to pieces, and the yearning he'd suppressed over the years had flooded back into his system. He'd felt breathless. He'd felt alive .
