Archive of Our Own

He was distracted.

There was no other explanation. Her lips were moving, but he wasn’t hearing the words despite the fact that he was supposed to be taking notes on the winged fauna of Le Ménagerie. No, his green eyes were glued to the gentle sloping of her neck before the creamy skin gave way to the loose, raven black tresses. They looked so soft, so silky, so smooth, and shiny…

He wanted to run his hands through them and learn how they felt against his skin, preferably while he was cradling the back of her head and drawing her close to ki—

“Adrien? Did you get any of that?” 

Adrien Agreste, teen model and face of the Gabriel Brand, couldn’t help the red hue that colored his cheeks in his embarrassment. “Sorry, Nettie, I was kinda focused on something else,” he admitted sheepishly, all the while rubbing the back of his neck. 

Where the hell did that come from? The entire reason he and Kagami broke up was because he couldn’t get his mind off Ladybug. This girl was one of his best friends, the very first he made on his own outside of his father’s realm of influence. Adrien never thought of Marinette in that sense.

Liar... his subconscious supplied readily. 

The voice in his head sounded suspiciously like the greedy cheese gremlin currently hidden in his breast pocket. Adrien fought to keep the resulting scowl off his face. 

Okay, maybe he’d thought about kissing Marinette more than once, not that he would ever admit it to Plagg. Nino even told him that everyone in their class, even Chloe, had a thing for the raven haired girl at one point or another, so he was just another statistic! Seriously, who wouldn’t fall for Marinette?! She was sweet, kind, fiercely loyal...She reminded Adrien of Ladybug in so many ways, that’s why he called her his “Everyday Ladybug”. Adrien would even go so far to admit that if Ladybug had never been in the picture, he would have tried dating Marinette first. 

Alas, the heart wants what the heart wants. He wouldn’t dare dream of breaking Marinette’s heart just because his hormones were addled thanks to fucking puberty.

A high pitched, all too forced laugh echoed over to them and Marinette winced at the sound of it. The physical reaction of hearing it reminded Adrien of swallowing castor oil, and the thinly veiled grimaces the two teens made matched. 

“I can see why,” murmured the raven haired beauty with a hint of acidity to her normally sweet tones. 

Adrien scowled as he leaned in closer. She didn’t deserve any of this. The low key bullying, the isolation from their peers. He specifically asked Mrs. Bustier to pair him with Marinette because of how she’d been treated by the rest of the class lately, not that he’d ever let Alya or the other’s know that. Adrien carefully brushed her hair from her ear so he could whisper in it. “For what it’s worth—” The struggle to keep his voice even as her silken tresses glided over his fingers in the sweetest caress known to man was the hardest he ever endured. He wanted to keep touching them, playing with them. “—I’m sorry. I should have never given you the advice I did about her.”

“What do you mean? She’s not hurting anyone with her lies, right?” Adrien couldn’t help the wince that crossed his face at the unrestrained sarcasm of her words. It was his fault that she was jaded by the rest of the class, his fault that they now had this Salti-nette instead. Her blue eyes were glued to the information placard in front of them, but he was dismayed to see tears forming at the corners. 

His fingers left her hair before gently grasping her chin to turn her gaze to meet his own. “But she’s hurting you. Don’t think I’ve missed the thinly veiled barbs and backhanded comments she’s been making recently towards you.” Adrien turned Marinette towards him and he tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers ghosted over the shell of it and down to her earring on their own. “I’ve been researching bullying recently Marinette, and what Lila is doing to you, what she’s manipulating the class to do, is definitely that. I already warned her once not to mess with the people I care about and you’re part of that,” he whispered as he cradled her cheek against his palm. 

Adrien felt Plagg wiggle against his chest, clearly wanting to call him out on what he really said to Lila. He could hear the little cat all but screaming that he said ‘the people he loved’.

He had said that, hadn’t he? Adrien’s thumb smoothed against the apple of her cheek, trying to bring her some measure of comfort with the touch. Funny, he didn’t think about the words in the heat of the moment when he said them, only that he wanted to drive home how important Marinette was to his school experience. He loved all his friends in a platonic sense, but Marinette? He’d sooner take the blow than allow her to feel the pain. If she was his everyday Ladybug, then he was her Everyday Chat Noir, not that she needed to know he truly was the midnight clad hero. He’d give her anything and everything if she all but asked for it and Adrien would move Heaven and Hell to make it happen. He’d love her and cherish her more than Luka ever had if…

Oh...

His heart thundered as his green gaze searched her face, continuously coming back to meet her eyes.

That’s why Plagg constantly called him blind… The kwami knew what was in his heart before he did. 

Marinette’s lower lip quivered as his words sank in, her bluebell eyes glimmering in the sunlight with unshed tears. The caress of her hair enveloped his fingers again and Adrien lost all sense of place and time as he dipped in closer. His eyes closed and his lips pursed, prepared to feel the pressure of her mouth against his. 

He was interrupted when an unholy shriek accompanied by a cacophony of terrified screams echoed through the space and Adrien chanced a glance up when an orange blur shot skyward towards the apex of the aviary. In a single fluid movement, he pulled Marinette tight against him, cradled protectively against his body as he jumped to his right. The faint whoosh above them told Adrien he dived just in the nick of time.

His eyes scanned the immediate space above them in an attempt to catch the bits of orange he saw a second ago. Marinette was scanning with him, if the movements of her head under his hand were anything to go off of. Her hair mussed and tumbled under his palm in her frantic movements. 

They spotted the akuma together, with a quick shared glance of amusement and exasperation. 

It was Lila and her akumatized form was not very flattering to say the least.

Neither had the time to dwell on their thoughts, as Adrien pulled Marinette close once again and rolled for cover when the shrieking harpy of an akuma dived for them once more. The moment they were covered by foliage in the form of a low hanging tree near the water’s edge, Adrien popped to a crouch and he looked over to Marinette. 

“Stay here and hide. We’re not sure which one of us she’s after,” he ordered. Before Marinette had a chance to get a word out edgewise, Adrien dashed off to find a new spot to hide and transform in. Once he was sure it was secluded, Adrien lifted beckoned Plagg out. “Akuma time, Plagg. You know what that means.”

“Yeah, that you got blocked again with your girlfriend,” teased Plagg. The kwami cackled at the black look Adrien leveled him with. “Don’t even deny it, kid! You were about to lay one on her, after all.”

Despite the truth in the kwami’s words, it didn’t lessen the scowl on his face. “Plagg, claws out!” intoned the model in a flat voice. Green light flashed over him, leaving him donned in the armor that made him Chat Noir. “Time to go keep that insufferable harpy away from ma princesse ,” he said with a small grin. He vaulted up, going airborne before landing among the throng of panicking students and other park goers. He looked up again, scanning the immediate airspace.

Should he go Astrochat to take up the chase?

He was just about to reach for the purple magicamembert when an unholy screech filled his ears and slammed into him from behind, sending Chat Noir face first into the ground. He caught himself at the last moment, tucking into a roll before springing back to his feet. His eyes found the orange pest easily this time, and he lengthened his staff. 

She was getting too close to where he hid his princess.

The harpy hovered in place momentarily before pointing a finger to him. “Chat Noir! Turn over your miraculous to me this instant!” she demanded.

“Not happening, Lie-la,” he shot back, his trademark smirk in place. “Or should I call you Chicken Legs right now? Honestly girl, you need some moisturizer and a three day long pedicure! Even then, that won't be enough!” He flipped out of the way when she dove towards him with another shriek that grated on both sets of ears, and he swung out his staff in an effort to disable one of her wings. He wasn’t anticipating that she would come rocketing towards him faster than he could account for. 

His green eyes went wide, but a calm settled over him when he heard the familiar zing of his partner’s yoyo and he gave the jealous Harpy--Seriously, he was going to just call her that unless she corrected him at this rate-- a two finger salute before he was pulled out of the way at the last possible second. Chat Noir landed in a crouch beside Ladybug, and he chanced a glance at her through his peripheral vision.

“Lovely timing as always, my lady. You wouldn’t happen to have an idea of what the item is, would you?” he asked.

Ladybug shook her head no as her yoyo spun in tight circles between them. “Not yet, chaton ,” she replied. “I don’t have any magicarons with me, meaning I can’t take the fight to the air if need be. Do you have…”

“I got this, LB. I’ve got one slice left and I was already planning on using it,” replied the cat hero as he reached back into his pocket. 

Ladybug gave him a proud grin and a quick scritch behind one leathery ear that prompted a happy purr. “That’s a smart kitty,” she cooed. “I’ll call my lucky charm and signal you when I’m ready.”

“Sounds good to me, partner. I’ve got a princess to keep safe from this harpy’s clutches, so if you’ll excuse me.” Chat Noir gave her a quick bow in parting before shoving the piece of magicamembert in his mouth as he ran full speed towards their adversary. A purple flash covered him after a second and he jumped, going airborne and speeding towards the akuma. 

Astrochat knew he shouldn’t take any joy in fighting the akumatized victims of Hawkmoth, but in Lila Rossi’s case it was a guilty pleasure. He never thought he would be capable of hating someone as much as he did her, but here he was. He hated every word that came out of her mouth, every touch that she forced on him. Most of all, he hated the fact that she loved every second of what she was doing. He learned all too late that she felt no remorse for what she was doing, no concern for the lives she was twisting and potentially ruining.

Slowly but surely, he was wearing his father down about cutting her from the brand. She was costing Gabriel too much in the way of time and money every shoot he did with her as Adrien. He had no plans on stopping until she was banished from his life.

On that day, he would gleefully proclaim “BEGONE THOT!”

His smile disappeared as he slammed into her, the two of them grappling briefly before splitting apart and clashing again. Astrochat yowled as he felt the talons tipping her fingers dig into the soft flesh of his cheek and lips and he felt a growl build up at the back of his throat. 

She was lucky as hell Ladybug’s miraculous cure would heal that or he would have some serious explaining to do to his father and to Marinette.

The brief thought of the raven haired girl made him look down towards where he left her hidden in the brush, and the Harpy gave a snide laugh. “Thanks for giving away their position you dumb cat,” she sneered before dropping into a dive.

Astrochat kicked himself as he dove after her, though Harpy’s shrill scream as she broke through the canopy made him pause. 

Did Marinette move away from the battle? Sweet kwamis, he hoped so!

Harpy burst out of the foliage again, looking every which way for her targets. Little did she realize that she was fighting one of them! “You!” she screeched as she sped at Ladybug. Harpy extended her talon tipped hands before her, intent on doing some sort of damage to his partner. “You’re always getting in the way! You called out my lies to Adrien, ruined my chances with him! I hate you!”

“LADYBUG! WATCH OUT!” screamed Astrochat as he went into another dive. He might reach her before Harpy did. No, not might! He had to!

Ladybug looked up from her haphazard preparations all too late, but she dropped down right before Harpy could sink her claws into her throat. Instead, they tangled in the raven colored locks, prompting a scream of pain as a decent hank of hair was pulled out along with both of her ribbons.

His wings popped to full extension, bringing Astrochat to a sudden stop while hovering. Time stood still as he took in the sight of her, his green eyes going wide in realization.

He knew the frame of that sweet face when her hair was down, the soft curve of her cheek and jaw. The gentle sloping of her neck before it was hidden behind a curtain of shimmering, inky black. It was a sight he committed to memory and it was one he would always recognize, mask or no mask, magic filter be damned. Hell, he had only just touched those silken strands nary fifteen minutes ago!

Marinette was Ladybug. They weren't two separate entities, but one that he could give the whole of his heart to without reservation. Visions of sharing Sweethearts Icecream while watching the sunset, getting their first hamster together, patrol doubling as date nights as they redefined the meaning of parkour danced through his head as his heart beat so furiously he was sure it would burst in a joyous supernova.

The zing of the yoyo rang out, wrapping around his hand and drawing him back to the present. “Chat! Your helmet! NOW!” cried Maribug, no Ladinette.

Aw hell…

This was not the time to be melting down about realizing his partner’s identity!

He peeled away his helmet with one hand as he wound the other in circles, slowly bringing his lady princess up to him. Once he deemed her close enough, Astrochat dropped his helmet towards her outstretched hands. Once both hands were free, he began pulling her up in earnest, though it turned into a swing when Harpy came rocketing towards them again. One brief glance shared with her through the yellow tinted visor of his helmet revealed the slightest, teensiest feral grin on her face and she nodded in confirmation. 

That’s when he spotted the bespeckled canister of mace in her hand. Her lucky charm.

“Fastball Special coming right up!” he crowed as he released the yoyo, sending his sweet, mild mannered but righteously salty classmate right towards the girl that had been making her life a living hell.

Harpy couldn’t stop in time, and Ladybug held the can of mace before her, shooting the caustic contents right into her eyes and mouth. Astrochat dove down to catch his partner, his grin a little too wide for someone who was witnessing the level of agony Harpy was in. He could care less as she hit the ground with a thud, still screaming and clawing at her eyes and mouth. 

“Good shot,” he commented as he set the love of his life on her feet. 

“Good catch,” Buginette replied with a proud smile, though it fell when she saw the bleeding scratches on his face. “Kitty!”

Astrochat shook his head as he grabbed Ladymari’s hands before she could touch him. “Item first, then miraculous cure,” he shushed gently. He had to force himself not to say any of the names running through his head. Save the day first, internal meltdowns later.

That's how it was supposed to work, right?

His sweet Maricess gave him a wounded look, he knew she hated seeing him in any pain or injured in any way. She opened her mouth to say something but a shrill beep from her earrings cut off any further discourse she could offer. The two of them made quick work in finding the item, and Ladybug hurriedly purified it before Astrochat plucked her up in his arms. 

“Hold on to your charm a moment,” he whispered. “You’re going to need to throw it after I get us out of here.”

Princette gave him a confused look, though a startled gasp was all that left her when he shot back into the sky. “CATACLYSM!” he called out, raking his clawed fingers against the metal of the giant cage of the aviary and giving him leeway to fly them off to a more secluded spot of the Jardin de Plantes. He didn’t want to get too far to where it wouldn’t be believable for Adrien and Marinette to have made good time in reaching while escaping the akuma after all. Once his wings were folded and his Mariboo set down on her feet again, she promptly threw the mace into the air, releasing the miraculous cure into the world. Astrochat grinned as he checked his reflection against the visor of his helmet and the queen of his heart gave a shrill scream as her earrings beeped their one minute warning. 

“Chat! You need to go!” she cried.

“No need. I, uh, I might have realized who you are under the mask while fighting the akuma,” he admitted. 

Enough lies had fallen between them with the need for their identities to remain secret. Now that he knew, he was never keeping another secret from her ever again.

Nettiebug went ramrod stiff at hearing those words. “How?!” The question came out as a cross between a squeal and a growl, both filled with nervous tension and dismay.

Astrochat leaned in close, his green gaze hooded and tender. “I know I’ve told you before you’re beautiful when your hair is down. Kagami agreed with me, remember?” His nose brushed hers as the final beeping of her timer commenced and he sighed out a soft “Claws in,” as his eyes closed. His lips brushed hers once, eliciting a gasp before their mouths sealed together, his fingers carding back into the soft strands of raven black he adored.