Marinette and Adrien froze, a blush creeping up on their cheeks. Ladynoir...? Did I hear right? They took a glance at each other and looked back at Nino.
"Ladynoir?" Mari asked, a slight smile covering her lips. If Chat heard about this, he'll talk nonstop about it. She thought. She tried to suppress a giggle that was about to escape from her lips, it seemed funny for her, she was Ladybug and now she was going to help someone write a story about her having a romantic relationship with her partner.
"That sounds perfect!" Adrien exclaimed, almost jumping from his spot to hug his best friend. "I love the idea! When do we start?!" he was overjoyed by the idea. He wouldn't tell anyone, but he would make many scenes in his head with Ladybug just for fun.
Marinette looked at Adrien, quite surprised by the fact that he eagerly agreed. "Do you... like Ladybug?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She was taken by surprise again when she saw Adrien stiffen slightly and... was that a blush she was seeing?
I don't like Ladybug, I love her. "W-Well... I-I am a fan." He stammered, rubbing his neck nervously.
"Yeah, a huge fan." Nino added with a smirk.
"Shut up Nino." Adrien said, elbowing him gently.
Marinette couldn't help but blush; after all, she was Ladybug. "Well... I'm guessing by the name this will be all romantic, no Nino?"
"Yep, that was the top option everyone voted for."
"So... they'll go on dates, and... who knows... even a kiss then?" she asked, she glanced at Adrien and she saw him all flushed and still. She smiled, and now that she thought about it, she could actually make Adrien blush but writing some words here and there, she didn't mind see Adrien blushing, she didn't mind at all...
Nino rubbed his hands together. "Great, now that we've all agreed dudes, let's get started. Marinette, you'll write all of Ladybug's parts and Adrien you'll so Chat Noir's."
"W-What will you do, Nino?" Adrien asked. "It seems like we'll be doing all the job."
"I... I'll tell you what to write, I've noticed that you two both know a lot about these two, so I thought you'd know how to write them, that's all." Nino said with a smile. "It's like you're besties with our superheroes or you dudes could be Ladybug and Chat Noir. Heh, seems like a crazy idea though. Haha!" he laughed.
"O-Of c-course!" Adrien and Marinette said together.
"We totally aren't Chat Noir and Ladybug, heh." Adrien laughed nervously. "That'd be a really hard secret to keep, don't you think?"
"Of course, I was just kidding." Nino said, chuckling. "So, this story takes place in Paris, there's an Akuma attack whose powers come from the blizzard of the winter..."
...
"Wow, we have 5 chapters already. This is great!" Nino exclaimed when the team had just finished the chapter. "We're almost done now!" he pumped his fist in the air happily.
"Yeah, and that was... fun." Marinette said before grabbing the pages and re-reading Chapter 5: The Date. What a coincidence. She thought, I actually do have a date with Chat to night, but at the Eiffel Tower. Hmm... I wonder if I should buy him something.
Chapter 4... Where Chat Noir passed out by a knock in the head by an akumatized villan and Ladybug figured out his secret identity by accident, where the chapter ended with Chat asking Ladybug out because he actually felt something for Ladybug's civilian self. Ladybug excitedly said yes, Adrien's idea.
Chapter 5, where Ladybug and Chat Noir met as their civilian selves (Marie and André), and hung out together at school and later went to one of the fanciest restaurants in all of Paris, due to Marie being rich and stuff. They were just about to kiss when an Akuma attacked, much to Adrien's dismay. Marinette did it on purpose though, even if it were just a story, she wasn't sure if she was ready for Chat to kiss her... yet.
"I'm going to the washroom." Adrien said, he stood up and mumbled something before closing the door behind him.
Plagg zipped out of the boy's jacket and groaned loudly. "Ugh... My head hurts with so much cheesy romantic stuff." He rubbed his ears and closed his eyes. He was happy that Adrien was enjoying it so much, but he was exaggerating a bit too much.
The blonde shrugged and smiled. "Stay here while I take Marinette and Nino downstairs to get something quick to eat, okay?" he asked, eyebrows raised in amusement.
The Kwami sat up and snickered. "Okay, but bring me some cheese."
Adrien chuckled. "Don't worry Plagg. I'll get it." He said as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"You know... you still owe me that stash of camembert..." the Kwami said floating up to his Miraculous holder's face, a grin plastered on his face.
"After the date Plagg, we do the shopping tomorrow anyways." The boy replied, "now sit here."
The small cat like creature watched as Adrien closed the door and listened as he told his friends to follow him downstairs. His eye narrowed and he waited until the kids left the room, once they did, his opened the door silently and zipped out.
. . .
"I think we have some light snacks down in the kitchen." Adrien had said when he exited the washroom.
"Awesome dude! I bet you have frozen pizza in there!" Nino said before running out the room and going towards the kitchen.
Adrien chuckled and mentioned Marinette to follow him. "I'll follow you in a second Adrien, I just have to... to tie my shoes." She said with a smile.
The young model smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs to show you where the kitchen is." He said before leaving.
Marinette turned around and crouched. "You can come out for a moment Tikki, I'll be right back." She said as she opened her purse.
The Kwami flew out and nodded, sighing at a bit of fresh air. "Okay, enjoy the time with Adrien." She giggled.
The girl blushed slight but nodded before kissing Tikki's forehead affectionately. "Heh, thanks. I'll leave my purse here in case someone gets in, okay?"
The Kwami nodded and waved as she watched Marinette leave. Out of curiosity, she looked around and decided to explore a bit more, she could be more mature than Plagg, but new places got the best of her and she would wander off.
"Wow... these are a lot of bo─!"
"Tikki!" Plagg flew towards Tikki and hugged her. "I knew it! I knew it!" he exclaimed as he nuzzled her.
The ladybug Kwami froze, not sure what happened. "Plagg?! What are you doing here?! What do you mean you know? Why aren't you with your Miraculous holder?!"
Plagg let her go and smirked. "Aren't you happy to see me, Tikki?" he asked, he wiggled his whiskers.
Tikki's eyes widened. "O-Of course I am! B-But..." she sighed and hugged Plagg again. "Sorry, you took me by surprise, that's all.
The black Kwami let out a purr and smiled. "Long time no see, eh?" he asked.
Tikki nodded. "It's a bit hard when Chat Noir and Ladybug don't tell each other's identities. How did you find me?"
"Oh, you know how ambitions I am Tikki, I always want to talk with you, but since you respect our holder's privacy, I have to find other ways to find you." Plagg laughed.
Tikki shoved him playfully and giggled. "Yeah, I respect their privacy. But this one is just too much."
"Oh, so you know?" Plagg asked. "I thought you didn't by what you said earlier..."
"I know, but you know how I like privacy. After what happened centuries ago you know." Tikki said, looking downwards.
Plagg smiled sadly. "Hey, this is the twenty first century; I don't think we'll have the same problem." He said. "But guess what, today I'm going to have fun."
Tikki looked at him, confused. "What?"
"Tonight, you know, since these dorks have a date." Plagg chuckled, he spun in the air and grabbed a two small pieces of cheese before returning to Tikki. "It's actually pretty funny, it's like they are cheese, Adrien is Camembert and Marinette is Marble cheese," he spit the two cheeses in half and bit into each one of them.
"The non- bitten Marble cheese is Marinette, and she likes the bitten Camembert which is Adrien, but the non-bitten Camembert, which is Chat Noir, likes the bitten Marble cheese which is Ladybug. But they don't know who they are. They are really different, Camembert and Marble are very different, but they are the same too, they both are cheeses, no?"
Tikki started at him, "... what do you mean? You know I don't understand your cheese talk."
Plagg groaned before plopping both cheeses in his mouth. "This is a whole Love Square! And it's fun!"
Tikki giggled. "Okay... it's a bit funny, not fun. Funny." She said. "I just want them to reveal themselves to each other you know. It could be good for them."
Plagg nodded in agreement. "Marinette is Adrien's complement; they are ying and yang, just like we are." He said.
"It's rare for you to show this side of you Plagg. You really do care for the boy, don't you?"
"Nu uh! He can give me all the cheese I want, that's why I chose him." Plagg said with a grin.
Tikki rolled her eyes, yeah, right. She thought. "Hey, they are coming back. We should, you know, hide again." She said once she heard the student's footsteps.
Plagg turned to see her, his eyes shining with excitement. "Tikki, how about we go out for a while. I know we've seen Paris through their eyes, but... I wanna have some fun, spend time with you." He said. "Please?" he flattened his ears to his head and looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Oh Plagg, we have to stay with them you know and we can only be away from the Miraculous for so long." Tikki said, she tried to avoid Plagg's glance but it was impossible. She sighed in defeat, "Okay, it better be worth it."
"Everything is worth it when you're with Plagg." The kwami winked at the other before pulling from her hand. "Let's go!"
"Plagg! Go a bit slower!"
. . .
. . .
. . .
"What do you mean you can't come?!" Alya asked through Marinette's phone speaker.
The girl laughed nervously. " I told you, I made plans with someone a few days ago. I'm sorry Alya, but I cannot say no to this guy."
"Wait... you said... guy? You have a DATE?!"
"W-what?! I-I didn't say that! I—I meant guys! I-I have other friends too you know."
"No way girl, you aren't lying to me. Who is it? What happened to Adrien?"
"I-It was by accident, I couldn't say no to him."
"Marinette, Marinette. Tell me his name, come on! Give me a scoop girl!"
"Alya, I can't. I don't want to. Look, I'll make it up to you, really. Just... I have to go Alya."
"Marinette, wait!"
She ended the call and sighed. "Oh Tikki, what am I going to do?" she asked as she buried her face in her hands. When she didn't hear her Kwami's voice she panicked. "Tikki?" she called out again.
Marinette had left the Agreste Mansion about an hour ago, she made sure she had her purse and she knew Tikki would be in there. But she wasn't. Her heartbeat sped up a little after calling her Kwami for the third time. She went outside and called out again. "Tikki!" Oh where could she be...?
Adrien is in a similar situation, he had brought the plate of cheese he had promised Plagg and he left it close to the window so the smell wouldn't get to his nose, quite was his surprise when the sly and cheese lover of a kwami didn't appear at second he placed the plate down. "Plagg? You little critter, where are you?"
He stuck his head out of the window and looked around, no Kwami around."Where is he now?" he looked at the clock in his room and gasped. "I haven't bought anything for Ladybug yet!" he exclaimed before running to get a coat. "I bet Plagg is just wondering about again, he always does it." He mumbled before running out of the mansion.
"Adrien! Where do think you're going?!" the boy froze in spot as he turned around to face his father standing at the top of the stairs.
"I... I have an errand to do, Father. It'll be quick, something for school." He said quietly, hoping his father would buy it.
Gabriel clenched his jaw. "Fine, but I expect you here within an hour, do you understand Adrien?"
The blonde nodded slowly. "Yes Father." Once he saw the dismissal in his father's eyes, he bowed his head and left before he changed his mind.
Marinette was really worried for Tikki; she sighed sadly and went back inside. "Where is she?" she asked out loud. "Did something happen to her?" she held her hands close to her chest.
"What are you talking about silly? I'm right here." Marinette gasped when she heard the familiar voice.
"Tikki! My God, you scared me! I-I thought something happened to you!" the girl exclaimed before grabbing the tiny creature in her hands and holding her close to her chest.
"Oh Marinette, I'm sorry. I... I just had a secret mission and... I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter, you're here now!" Marinette was on the verge of tears, the thought of something happening to her best friend while she was distracted made her heart break.
"Don't cry Marinette! Hey, let's go get something for Chat Noir, you know, for the date." Tikki said, smiling.
"Oh yeah! I'll feel bad if I don't, he's my friend after all." Marinette said. "Hmm... I'll wonder what I can get him."
"Maybe you can think about it when we're in the store."
"Right, let's go then!"
Tikki giggled and flew inside Marinette's jacket to hide. Oh, if only you knew Marinette..."
The clock ticked and ticked, they were both waiting for the clock to show them the right time, 7:30. It seemed both had the same idea of arriving early.
Adrien was quick to move and he called for Plagg to transform him, he was out the window before he was fully Chat Noir, he ran over the rooftops and dashed towards the Eiffel Tower to make sure things were ready.
Marinette wasn't far behind, but just before she said, "Tikki, transforme moi!" her mother called her for her help. She sighed. "Coming!"
Tikki stayed in Marinette's and waited, there was a full moon that night, and Tikki hoped that her and Plagg's plan worked.
Once Marinette came back, she transformed and made sure she had everything on her before leaving her home. She raced over the rooftops of Paris, using her yoyo time to time to get there faster.
It's just Chat Noir, he's your best friend, he protects you at all costs and he... he lov... he likes you a lot, he's just a human, he's a flit but he's very nice... he's your teammate and it's a friendly, date, right? Oh, what am I going to do...? Ladybug rambled in her head the whole way to the Eiffel Tower. She was a bit nervous at the fact that she was having a date with her partner, because she knew that he actually felt something for her, she didn't know how big this something was though, and she didn't want to break his heart.
Before she knew it, the Eifel Tower was just in front of her, she took a deep breath before throwing her yoyo all the way to the top. Her feet landed softly on the metal structure, she saw Chat Noir sitting not far away from her, his feet dangling over the platform, a basket beside him made Marinette smile.
"Hey kitty." She said and giggled when her feline partner jumped in surprise.
"M-My Lady!" the boy said happily, he stood up and walked towards her. "I'm glad you could make it." He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckled slightly.
Ladybug smiled slightly. "So... what's in the basket?" she asked. Chat Noir grabbed her hand and led her to where he was sitting before.
When they both sat down, Chat dug his hand in the basket and took out a single rose. It had no thorns and its red colour glowed in the night. "This is for you." He said softly as he careful slid it behind Ladybug's ear.
"Chat... thanks, it's beautiful." She said smiling; she also took the time to actually look at her partner since she got there. His hair was actually, brushed slightly different, it reminded her of someone else, did he also put some lotion? From the way his hair laid a bit heavily on his head, Marinette assumed he also took a shower.
"Huh?" Chat brought the basket in between them and opened it. Ladybug peeped in and was surprised to see a very fancy meal inside. "Oh Chat... You didn't have to. How... did you make this?"
Chat rubbed his neck nervously, "Actually, I don't know much about cooking, I got some help from the cooks back at home, but I cut the vegetables."
Ladybug giggled, her shoulders shaking slightly when she did. Chat blushed slightly when she saw her, a stupid grin formed on his face.
"I –I hope you like it, my Lady." He took out the two meals and gave one to Ladybug.
"Merci."
"De rein."
Ladybug took a bit of the meat, she smiled, and it tasted great! "This is really good Chat!" she said excitedly before grabbing another bite.
The boy smiled. "I'll tell my cooks then." He chuckled.
At first, they ate in silence, just watching over Paris like they normally would; but Ladybug was the one to talk first.
"So... how was your day at school?" she asked out of the blue.
"Hm? Well, you won't believe what happened after school." The blonde said with one finger held in the air.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, my best friend made this... story about us. He called it, heh, it's actually funny you know, he called it Ladynoir." Chat said, chuckling softly. "He just told us the idea behind every chapter and my friend and I wrote our superhero egos on the paper. I was Chat Noir, obviously."
Ladybug froze, Ladynoir? That... that was Nino made me and Adrien write about, and I wrote Ladybug's part in it... is it just a coincidence or... no! Don't think about nonsense, Marinette, everyone in Paris loves Ladybug and Chat Noir, many say they are lovers or something, people probably have the same idea, yeah.
"Oh, haha! That's funny, actually, something similar happened to me too you know, my friend had the same idea, we finished 5 chapters just earlier today."
"Wow! This is weird but my team finished chapter 5 as well." Chat said. He looked at Ladybug and when she caught his gaze, they burst out in laughter.
"Gosh, this is strange." Chat said after a while. He sighed, "Nino's such a bother sometimes..." he mumbled to himself.
"Wait, what did you say?" Ladybug asked, the name Nino quickly getting her attention.
Chat looked at her quizzically. "Hm? I was just talking to myself." He said softly.
My, my... what a coincidence, you and Ladybug share the same moment, hmm, very strange... Plagg chuckled inside the boy's head. You were writing Chat's part and Marinette Ladybug's.
"Marinette." Chat whispered, frowning slightly as he tried to figure out what Plagg was trying to tell him, normally he wouldn't talk to him while the transformation was active, the Kwami would only laugh at him or make fun of him in any way he could, but... what was he trying to do this time?
Naturally, Ladybug would've turned around when she heard her civilian name, and she did. "Do you know Marinette?" she asked, knowing very well that he did. She stifled a laugh when she saw her feline jump up in surprise.
"W-well, yeah, don't you remember you introduced her to me?" he asked, quickly recovering to his cocky state.
Ladybug blushed in embarrassment. How could she forget it? Stupid... she thought. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin up in the air. "Of course I do, I just... I just wanted to test your memory Chat Noir." She said, her eyes closed.
"Pfft! Yeah right, I know you Ladybug. You forgot my Lady! Ehehe!" Chat laughed, his hands covered his stomach as he did so.
Ladybug blushed even more in embarrassment. "Shut up stupid cat!" she said playfully, nudging him on the side.
The boy rolled his eyes. "Hey, talking about something else, I brought this for you." He put his hands behind his back and that's when Ladybug noticed that he had brought a black bag with him. "Here I─"
"Hold on a second kitty, I also brought something for you." Ladybug interrupted as she brought out a similar bag that her partner had.
"Oh? You didn't have to my Lady."
"But Chat Noir, you're always so kind with me, I guess it's my turn to return the favour."
Chat blinked a few times, confused, but his lips curved into a smile. "Okay then, at the count of 3, we give each other our respective gifts, okay?"
Ladybug nodded, "Okay, one..."
"Two."
"Three."
Chat brought out a small red box with a black ribbon. Ladybug had a small sized box too, it was black and it had a green ribbon with black paw prints on it.
They handed it to each other and opened up their respective boxes.
"Oh Chat, you shouldn't have." When Ladybug opened up the box, the first thing she saw was the black cat, then she saw the small ladybug perched on its nose, as she took it out, she noticed it was a necklace, she turned it around and saw something written on it.
'For my Lady, my partner, my best friend, my everything. – Chat Noir'
She raised her head to him; his look was gentle, his cheeks glowing a soft red, his lips curved into a warm smile. So... where his feelings actually genuine? She always thought it was all pretend, just for the cameras. Her heart skipped a beat, she loved Adrien, but... he never noticed her; if he wasn't in this world, could she had given her partner a chance? Perhaps.
He's being so kind, sort of like Adrien, his soft tone of voice is the same one when Adrien speaks to you, you know? He's so adorable, and he's blushing and he's a little shy. Tikki giggled inside the girl's head.
'What do you mean, Tikki?'
What I'm trying to say, Marinette, that Chat is acting a bit like Adrien, it's cute how similar they can be sometimes.
Adrien and Chat Noir... she never thought much about it, but as she tried to turn the gears on her head, she recalled Adrien's peculiar sense of humor, how much he loved cats and their puns, his smirk that she rarely saw. Then Chat, he could be shy in some occasions or he would end up being so kind with her and when she needed his help, he would be there and offer everything he could.
Could it be that Chat Noir was Adrien? Did she want that? Could she actually learn to love his Chat side like she liked his Adrien side? The more she thought about it, the more the fact that she didn't actually mind Adrien being Chat scared her.
It was like when Alya showed her the picture of Adrien in Chat's costume; she got really scared and evaded the fact that he could be her partner. They did really look alike. Perhaps... just perhaps...
She looked at him and saw that he looked somewhat troubled too.
Oh, and did you noticed the determination Marinette had when she decided she was going to be class president? Or, or... hmm.... How calm she looked when Chloe copied her hat, oh, how she can be sassy? Isn't Ladybug like that too?
'What are you trying to tell me Plagg?'
What do you think dummy?
'That Ladybug is Marinette?'
Hmm, I don't know. I'm just rambling about nonsense right now; it's been too long without my cheese.'
Ladybug, Marinette. He started at Ladybug for a moment, Marinette's face came to his mind and as he compared the two of them, he did actually notice some similarities. He always thought Marinette looked like Ladybug because of her ponytails, but as he thought more and more about it, he actually could pick out when Ladybug acted like Marinette and when Marinette acted like Ladybug too. And a few things Marinette did actually seemed familiar, like the roll of her eyes.
Could it be, that all this time, my Lady sat behind me every day? He thought glancing down at the black bracelet with a cat eye gem in the middle, he knew it wasn't real, not everyone was rich so he knew it was probably just a fake, he liked it either way though, as long as it was from Ladybug.
He smiled and chuckled softly to himself. Could it possibly be that his Princess was also his Lady? Did he mind that? He grinned when he noticed it was actually something good, now that he thought about it, Ladybug always smelled like fresh bread, Marinette did too.
They always ended up a little late to class just after an Akuma attack, they always ended up as a victim in the attacks too, he laughed when he knew it was no longer a coincidence.
When Ladybug wasn't there, Marinette was. Just like in the Evillustrator attack, Ladybug had gone on a secret mission while he protected Marinette he now knew that was no longer a coincidence. And he did tell her that she was going to be his Ladybug that day, and she did just that.
Ladybug gave him a funny look at his sudden attitude but he just told her that he was happy. He thanked her for the gift and she did the same.
Was this what Plagg was trying to tell him? That Marinette was Ladybug? He didn't mind at all, but he would make sure that it was true, but he had to wait until Monday.
Time for the cat to get out of the bag. He thought.