I listen to it all the time and i want to talk about a few lyrics that engaged my attention
“Adrien disappears and Chat Noir steps in”
Oh well, i can literally feelthe facepalms of the fandom at this part. Jesus why is she so goddamn blind?!
“But what would you do if you knew what’s true, that’s why i so secretly love you”
Now, we’ve got stuff to talk about.
I feel like Ladybug is ashamed of who she is under the mask. She thinks Adrien wouldn’t be satisfied about her feelings and she is not at all confident about herself. This is actually really serious, this shows how much Marinette needs to be confident and realize how awesome she is. Even Adrien said that!
I think for a while she should date Luka, he returns her feelings and makes her feel loved. With Luka, she would become aware that she is not a complete mess and is actually pretty cool. She is Ladybug after all! Yes, we know Adrien likes Marinette already (he said that in Chat Blanc) but in order for him to realize this Marinette needs more character development.
It will be a looooooong road my friends!
Ps: Marinette HAS TO sing in front of Adrien (while the band is practicing for example) she has a beautiful voice and Adrien would be head over heels for her.
UGH MARINETTE WHY WON’T YOU GET HOW PERFECT YOU ARE?!
So i was binge watching MLB again and realized Marinette really shows her Ladybug side in that episode. She is like do this, do that, giving orders, making a plan, being a badass and i was like yes go girl! Cause Marinette never gets how amazing she is.
However after Darkblade we NEVER see Marinette acting like that again and i don’t understand why. It was a huge step in character development for her to be aware of herself.
First I apologize if this looks weird or something like that, I’m on mobile and want to have this out before I forget…
But yesterday I may spend way too much time thinking and kind of forcing me to work on: “An Akuma on Konoha”
Yes, that story, that according to AO3, I started back in 2016 and last time I update was 2019?? Wow
Anyway, although I don’t really recommend forcing you to do stuff, specifically creative one. It could go wrong and the results won’t be something you like. It did work, in a way, for me.
So for me, it had been in a while in my mind the idea of finallyfinishing it. Because yes, chapter 6 is going to be the last one. I didn’t have that story planned out for longer than an one chapter only, if I not mistaken, but it end with 5 chapters long so far. And after all this time, I had managed to do something.
And that’s it. I spend too much time thinking about that, I re read it and cringe a lot with it. That without touching the Spanish version, that I could swear is messier than the English one. I really wondering what was wrong with me, when all that started. Please someone at least lie to me saying that it’s because I got better at writing… please.
Anyway, I know that story is messy (to being nice) but I never planned it to be a dead fic. That’s why I’m bringing it back with the last chapter. After re reading it and looking after all notes (the original ones) and finding that I didn’t have anything passing the first chapter because that was past me. I got to the point that the only “useful” (maybe back then) was the information I researched while writing. But then it hit me, I remembered the ending.
So, I know what I was remembering wasn’t the original-original idea (that’s lost in time), I got something. I opened a doc on my drive and type down all the ideas in lines (as general guide line) and well the rest is history.
When that may return? Soon? Heck no. I don’t know. I’ll keep working on that on the side. I still want to draw some staff once in a while. But I thought I should let you know, and we’ll see. Sorry for the long post at the end.
Primero me disculpo si esto se ve raro o algo por el estilo, estoy en el celular y quiero tener esto afuera antes que me olvidé…
Pero ayer quizás pasé muchísimo tiempo pensando y medio que forzándome a trabajar en: “Un Akuma en Konoha”
Sí, esa historia, que según AO3, la comencé por allá en el 2016 y la última vez que actualice fue en el 2019?? Wow
De todas formas, aunque en realidad no recomiendo forzarte a hacer cosas, especialmente las creativas. Podría salir mal y los resultados no serán algo que te guste. Funcionó, de una manera, para mí.
Así que para mí, ha sido un buen tiempo en mi cabeza la idea de finalmente terminarla. Porque sí, el capítulo 6 será el último. No tenía planeado esa historia para ser más larga que un sólo capítulo, si no me equivoco, pero terminó con 5 capítulos hasta ahora. Y después de todo este tiempo, me las arreglé en hacer algo.
Y eso es todo. Pasé muchísimo tiempo pensando en ello, la re leí y “me sentí mal” demasiado con ello. Eso sin tocar la versión en español que está más enredada que la de inglés. En verdad me pregunto que estaba mal conmigo, cuando todo esto comenzó. Por favor que alguien al menos me mienta diciéndome que es porque he mejorado en escribir… por favor.
De todas formas, sé que esa historia está enredada (siendo amables) pero nunca planee que fuera un fic muerto. Es por eso que la estoy trayendo de regreso con el último capítulo. Después de releerla y buscar por todas mis notas (las originales) y encontrar que no tenía nada pasando el primer capítulo porque esa fui yo del pasado. Llegué al punto que lo único “que sirve” (quizás en ese entonces) fue la información que busque miestras escribía. Pero de ahí me dió, recordé el final.
Así que, sabiendo que lo que estaba recordando no era la idea original-original (eso está perdido en el tiempo), tenía algo. Abrí un documento en mi drive y escribí todas las ideas en líneas (con si fueran líneas generales de guía) y bueno el resto es historia.
Bueno ¿cuando quizás regrese? ¿pronto? “Heck no”. No lo sé. Seguiré trabajando en ello al lado. Sigo queriendo dibujar algunas cosas de vez en cuando. Pero pensé que debería de dejarles saber, y ya veremos. Lo siento por la publicación larga al final.
One good thing about turning a year older was that Adrien discovered he could remain transformed for about two hours after using either Cataclysm or Black Hole; or five minutes if he used his powers twice. This made him an even bigger asset as a teammate and gave them an edge they desperately needed against Hawkmoth.
Another advantage about realizing that he was an official adult was that Adrien was finally able to get all his bank accounts back from his father without further interference. He wasn’t about to start frivolously spending his hard earned savings from several years’ worth of work, but he could finally begin to plan to move out, if he so wanted to.
He didn’t want to.
Not only because he finally felt a sense of love and belonging, or because he was thriving as an honorary member of the Dupain-Cheng family (although there was no denying that his time here had been some of the best in his entire life). But the fact of the matter was, he’d painted a giant target on Marinette’s back when he rescued her from his father. Being near her in proximity was the best way to keep her (and the family) safe. Moving out at this point would not be wise. In fact, he decided that he needed to become even more proactive in protecting his new family.
And so here he was, on Monday morning, about to knock on the front door of the Dupain-Cheng home. It felt quite odd, considering that the balcony trapdoor was the only door he ever used, despite having his own house key. Not that he ever used it; Tom Dupain giving it to him was more of a symbolic gesture, albeit one which he appreciated more than words could express. Still, being at the front door felt odd.
Nevertheless, he stood up straight and readied his signature award-winning smile as he rang the doorbell.
It was Tom Dupain himself who answered a few moments later. His flabbergasted stare was quickly replaced by one of pleasant surprise, and he greeted Adrien happily with a pat on the back, ushering the young man inside.
“What brings you to our humble home this morning, my boy?” Tom asked with cheerful curiosity.
Adrien cleared his throat nervously. “Well– uh, firstly, I have some good news! Certain… circumstances have improved, so I’ll be able to attend school again,” he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
“Oh, that’s great, son! Wonderful to hear,” Tom replied with an even heartier pat on the back, which almost knocked Adrien over.
The boy continued, “So I thought it might be nice—err, fun— to walk Marinette to school in the mornings from now on. I-if that’s cool with you. A-and with her too, of course!” Adrien gulped, cringing inwardly. Chat Noir had a good rapport with Tom Dupain, but Adrien’s relationship with him wasn’t as close. He wasn’t sure how the man might react to his only daughter receiving unsolicited attention.
Tom narrowed his eyes slightly and gave him a sly smile, then answered, “Why, I’m sure she’d love that! And it would be a great way to help her get to school on time, that’s for sure.”
“Awesome! Thank you To— uhh, sir.”
“I’ll go check in on her real quick, make sure she’s presentable and all,” the man said, giving him a playful wink. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Adrien thanked him, then sat on the couch to wait, placing the backpack on the floor beside him. A couple of minutes ticked by, until the silence was broken by a loud voice screeching, “WAIT, WHAT?!” followed by some thumping and scrambling, until a few moments later, an incredibly frazzled looking Marinette stormed downstairs like an elephant in a porcelain factory.
“Adrien!!” she greeted him, breathless. “W-what a nice surprise!”
“It’s so good to see you Marinette,” Adrien greeted her as he stood, leaning forward for a polite bise on each cheek. Marinette let out a barely suppressed noise that sounded almost like air leaking from a balloon and greeted him back.
“It’s a good thing you’re here, Adrien. Marinette is never downstairs by this hour!” Tom teased.
“Papa!” the girl hissed through her teeth, throwing him a side eyed glare.
“Have you had breakfast yet, Adrien? Would you like to join us?”
Adrien missed the mortified look that Marinette gave her father and beamed excitedly. “I would love to!”
—
At school, except for the infrequent times they were in separate classes, Adrien and Marinette were practically joined at the hip. Adrien became Marinette’s shadow, always showing up to walk her from classroom to classroom (a fact that did not go unnoticed by their classmates, particularly a certain Italian girl with eyes as green as her envy).
Adrien hoped it wasn’t too irritating for her, as he was certain that she’d noticed the extra attention; but she’d been too nice to say anything about it so far. In fact, despite some extra skittishness on her part, she didn’t seem to mind.
“Maybe she thinks you’re afraid of being alone,” Plagg whispered to Adrien as he unwrapped a small wheel of camembert. The kwami had insisted on a snack break in between classes, so they were hiding out in a bathroom stall for a few moments.
Adrien shrugged. “That’s just as well. It’s not like that’s an incorrect statement either way. Safety in numbers, and all that. Have you noticed how she seems more nervous around me though? She hasn’t acted this way since… since… Back when she…” He cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning pink, then changed the subject, “Well, anyway, I hope I’m not making her uncomfortable.”
Plagg took a bite of cheese, talking with his mouth full, tiny crumbs of cheese spraying out of his mouth, “Speaking of uncomfortable, how’s your neck feeling? You said it was sore after you fell asleep on the couch with Marinette a couple of nights ago.”
Adrien swiveled his head around experimentally. “Much better, thanks. Although you might be surprised, I slept really well that night. I’d choose an achy neck over bad dreams any day.”
Plagg raised his brow curiously as he chewed. “This isn’t the first time this has happened,” he said thoughtfully.
Adrien sighed, scratching the back of his head in puzzlement. “No, it isn’t. And I might have an idea of what may be ‘curing’ it. All those times, I was with Marinette. It’s too specific to be a coincidence. But—” he looked at the kwami, shrugging.
Plagg nodded and finished for him, “—But it’s not like you can ask the Dupains for permission to sleep with their daughter every night. As a friend.”
“Exactly,” Adrien groaned. “And it may not even be just with Marinette, maybe it happens if I were to sleep next to any other person. But that still doesn’t solve my problem. I can’t just go up to random people and ask them to sleep with me, and platonically, to boot. Especially since I have a girlfriend.”
“You could just ask Ladybug to move in with you. I’m sure she’d love to sleep with you,” Plagg replied smugly as he finished his snack.
Adrien rolled his eyes, yet his cheeks reddened significantly. “Right, I’m sure that conversation would go over well with all involved parties,” he replied sarcastically. He glanced at his watch. “We’ll continue this conversation later; we should get to class.”
A few days passed in this manner, with Adrien joining Marinette for breakfast (with an enthusiastic Tom and Sabine never far behind as they hovered excitedly about the pair) and then walking to school together.
On this particular day, Adrien was settled in his classroom waiting for class to start, looking through the latest photos that Nathalie had sent him of her cat Clochette at their current location. Despite her foreign surroundings, Clochette looked right at home resting atop a luxurious velvet pillow while staring out a window. Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he fondly recalled how she’d always seemed to have a soft spot for him despite ignoring every other human that wasn’t Nathalie.
From his peripheral vision, he noticed a downcast Kim shuffling into the room. He sat in his usual spot behind Adrien, trying to conceal a sniffle. Adrien thought it odd, since Kim always carried himself with infectious exuberance and energy. Once he was situated, Adrien turned around on his chair. Kim stared through cloudy eyes at the contents of a small box; a jewelry box, perhaps? It was certainly ornate enough to be one.
“I…” Kim began, “N-nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” he said as he hid the box, lower lip quivering. However, once asked, he could no longer hold back his grief, and a couple of tears began to trickle down his face.
“Oh my God, is he crying??” Chloe asked loudly from the other side of the classroom, prompting everyone to look over at them.
Thoroughly embarrassed, Kim shot out of his seat and ran out of the classroom, still clutching the velvety box. Adrien winced (faintly hearing a sheepish Chloe mutter, “Oops”), then got up to go after Kim.
However, as he passed the door’s threshold, he bumped into Lila, who tripped and fell backwards. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.
She let out a dainty yelp. “Ah! I’m so sorry, Adrien! How clumsy of me!” she whimpered as he helped her up.
“It’s okay, it was my fault,” Adrien replied hurriedly. He tried to look around Lila to see where Kim had gone, but he couldn’t see him anymore.
“Will you help me get to my seat? I think I twisted my ankle when I tripped…” she asked, her voice thick and sweet as honey.
Adrien grimaced. “Umm… Well, I’m actually trying to catch up to Kim. He was really upset and—“
“Oh, it’s alright, Adrien. I understand,” the girl interrupted, dejectedly looking away. “You’re such a caring person, of course you’d want to check on your other friend; don’t let me keep you. I’ll find my way to class on my own,” she added, looking away glumly. She made like she was putting weight on her injured leg, then let out a small whine. “Oww!”
“N-no, I guess I should… I mean- I can help you get to class first,” Adrien replied, trying to ignore the nosy stares that several faculty members were giving them, then helped a limping Lila into the classroom.
The girl had barely reached her seat when Adrien was already dashing back out of the classroom, inadvertently dodging the “thank you” kiss she tried to give him in return for his service. Lila frowned as she watched him exit.
Since class would be starting soon, Adrien figured Kim might be hiding out in a restroom for privacy, so he entered the closest one to search. It was empty, so he tried checking the next one. Also empty. Just how far had Kim run? It shouldn’t be surprising, for someone as athletic as he was, but still!
Adrien had scarcely touched the knob for the next restroom when the door swung open with so much force, it knocked it clean off its hinges. The young man lacked the feline reflexes of his superhero form and was knocked a few meters away, but managed to quickly scramble to his feet.
He looked up and saw Kim– or, rather, not-quite-Kim. He was akumatized.
“Kim!?” Adrien called out. “What happened??”
“I’m not Kim. I’m Dark Cupid. And I really, really hate you.” With that, he readied his bow.
—
Ladybug leaped and swung across the beams and railings of the school’s common area, dodging the numerous arrows that Dark Cupid shot at her. She had already figured out that the akuma was most likely in the heart-shaped pin on his chest, but hadn’t been able to get close enough to grab it. She’d already summoned her lucky charm, but it had merely conjured a small black cat plushie, which she took as a hint that she needed to go find her partner in order to be able to defeat this new foe.
She managed to retreat and run away from Dark Cupid, finding shelter inside a small broom closet. She unwrapped a cookie and gave it to Tikki, who zipped into her purse to eat her snack.
Marinette peeked out of the closet, then slipped out upon finding it safe enough. Where could Adrien be?? Thankfully, she hadn’t gotten that awful ominous feeling this time, so at least she was fairly certain that nothing truly bad had happened to him. So then, what was he up to? Maybe he’d gotten caught up with helping someone and hadn’t been able to tear himself away to transform. Or maybe he wasn’t even aware there was an akuma yet. Or… maybe Dark Cupid had already…
She shook her head resolutely, trying to dispel those thoughts. No, Marinette, stay positive! Just find Adrien, help him slip away to transform, and everything will be fine!
Marinette slinked from hallway to hallway peeking into each classroom, sticking close to the walls so she wouldn’t be spotted from above. As she poked her head into another room, she could see a familiar red cap poking out from under a desk. She scurried inside, then crawled up to Nino, who was breathing fairly hard, but hadn’t noticed her yet.
Despite her best efforts to not alarm him, her quiet “Psst,” caused poor Nino to let out a frightened, high pitched squeal. He exhaled sharply, stuttered out a small apology, then scooted over so she could hide next to him under the table.
“I need to find Adrien. Have you seen him?” she asked.
Nino nodded, still spooked.
Marinette perked up at the news. “Do you know where he is right now?”
He shook his head, swallowing thickly before trying to explain. “W-we heard a commotion right as class was starting, so of course Alya wanted to check it out. She was so excited to try out her new mini camera— y’know, the kind you wear on your head. She’s got it mounted onto her glasses,” he said, pointing at his own glasses to demonstrate. “A-anyway, Adrien was outside and he was saying something to Kim– umm, Kim’s th-the akuma– but then he ran off before we could talk to him.”
Marinette swore under her breath. “You said you were with Alya. Where is she now?”
Nino gripped the fabric on his pants legs nervously. “Well… after that, Kim noticed us and he shot Alya with some kind of black arrow. I freaked out ‘cause, I mean, it’s a freakin’ arrow!? But as I checked on her, the arrow disappeared, and there was no wound. But then suddenly, it was like she woke up or something! She started saying stuff about how she hates me and she was gonna kill me, so I ran away as fast as I could to get help. I tried to hide, but as I was about to call the police, she found me and smashed my phone! I ran away again, but she’s been like, hunting me, and like-” he put his head between his hands, “-it is really freaking me out! That person is not my girlfriend! I feel like a caged animal with a tiger who’s playing with its food. What’s happened to her?!”
Marinette gently touched Nino on the shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Hey, everything’s gonna be alright. Alya’s gonna be fine. Ladybug and Chat Noir will show up and get everything back to normal. Just stay hidden and don’t make a sound.”
She made to leave, but Nino grabbed her arm. “Whoa, hold up! What are you doing?? You can’t go out there, it’s too dangerous!”
Marinette bit her lip, thinking fast for an excuse. “I… my cell phone’s back in a different classroom, so I need to go call for help. Otherwise, Ladybug and Chat Noir won’t know that there’s trouble.”
Nino squeezed his eyes tightly and took a shaky breath. “Okay. I’m coming with you.”
The girl’s eyes popped wide open. “What?! B-but—“
“I won’t let anything happen to you, too,” he interrupted. “Otherwise, Alya would really kill me,” he joked, offering a small smile.
Marinette’s heart warmed at his concern and she smiled back, then nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but she could tell how important this was to him.
The two friends silently exited the classroom and crept down the hall, Marinette peeking into the window of every room they walked past. Just a little further down and they’d reach the classroom that she was fairly certain was Adrien’s current scheduled class. Down the hall they lurked, quiet as mice.
But then she found them.
Nino let out a terrified yelp as Alya tackled him to the ground, his glasses flying off his face from the impact. He tried to scramble out from under her, but Alya let out a seething growl that almost didn’t sound human. Her blackened lips curled menacingly, and with a heavy punch, she knocked him back down.
Marinette gasped in horror and rushed over to them, trying to pry her off of him. Alya delivered a sharp elbow to the stomach in return. Her unnatural strength knocked the wind out of Marinette and she staggered back a few steps, gasping for air.
Alya continued her onslaught, slapping and scratching at the terrified Nino, who put up his arms to try to defend himself. He managed to grab one of her wrists, which merely enraged her further, and she doubled her efforts with her free hand.
“Babe, stop!!” Nino cried. “Why are you doing this?!”
“Why?! What do you mean, why?? Because I freaking hate you, that’s why!! You are literally the worst boyfriend ever and I hate your stupid guts!! I can’t believe I ever agreed to go out with you!”
“B-but you’re the one who asked me out on a date first! OW!”he cried as he received another slap in return. “Stop that!!”
“All the years I spent with you were a total waste! I regret every single day we ever spent together!” she yelled.
Hurt and shocked, Nino couldn’t help the moisture that began to prick at his eyes. “Y-you don’t mean that!!” he protested.
Alya narrowed her eyes at him. “Everything about our relationship means nothing to me. All your nauseating love notes, all your lame gifts, all your dumb playlists, all your disgusting kisses, all the nights we stayed up late talking on the phone. They never meant anything to me!”
Nino sniffled once more before gaining a determined glint in his eyes. Furrowing his eyebrows, he reached up to grab the sides of Alya’s face. Stupefied, she stared at him in confusion.
“Then prove it.”
He pulled her down and their lips crashed together into a passionate kiss. Alya froze at first, but melted into it as she let out a small noise of approval. A few moments later, Nino pulled back cautiously, then gasped when he saw her lips were no longer black.
Marinette couldn’t help but stare, slack-jawed at this development. A lover’s kiss? Like in the fairy tales? That’s what broke the magic spell?!
“Huh? What’s going on?” Alya asked. “Is there an attack?”
Nino surged up, throwing his arms around her neck to embrace her. “Alya! Thank goodness!”
Eyes darting around to try to figure out what was going on, Alya noted that she was essentially straddling Nino in the middle of the hallway with a dumbfounded Marinette staring at them. With a sheepish smile, she quipped, “OH. Umm… babe, maybe we should move this somewhere that isn’t the middle of the school hallway. And… maybe not during an akuma attack again.”
“Again??! What do you mean, ‘again’?!” Marinette cried, her voice several octaves higher than normal.
Nino interjected, “It’s good to have you back to normal, Alya.”
Alya’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Back to normal? What do you mean?”
She backed away and helped him up, then looked him up and down in puzzlement. “Whoa, you don’t look so good, hon. What happened to you? You look…” she trailed off, gently running her fingers over the cuts on his face and neck and eyeing his torn up shirt.
Nino’s eyes darted away, not sure how to explain.
Alya frowned. “Wait. I remember now. The arrow. I don’t remember much, just… the only emotion I could feel was hatred, and nothing else.” She gasped in horror and her face paled. “Oh, no… I did this to you, didn’t I?” She pulled her hand back like it had been burned and stepped away from him, looking like she’d rather disappear than acknowledge her actions.
“Babe, no! It wasn’t you!” Nino insisted, taking her hands and turning her to face him again. “It was the akuma! You would never hurt anyone!”
“Are you sure though?? How do you know that the magic doesn’t just unlock someone’s true evil side? An ugly, unloving side of themselves that lies deep inside?”
“I promise, it turned you into someone else, not some hidden ‘you’ that doesn’t love anyone. It made you say and do the opposite of what you feel.”
“But how do you know??”
“Because… you just proved it to me,” he answered with a smile, cheeks darkening with a shy blush.
Alya’s eyes became glossy with emotion and she let out a small awed breath.
“He’s right,” Marinette added, handing Nino his wayward glasses. “Otherwise, the kiss wouldn’t have worked. It had to be a kiss of true love.”
Nino and Alya looked at each other, then glanced away as they blushed, still holding hands.
“Come on,” she gently urged. “We should get out of this open area, it isn’t safe.”
With that, the three of them walked on, unaware of another person who witnessed what had just transpired.
Lila Rossi quirked an eyebrow with mild curiosity at her three classmates as they walked away. Albeit not enough curiosity to investigate. She’d taken refuge when Alya showed up and had seen everything that had transpired afterwards. With a frown, she let out a small huff. It’s not like she was jealous of the couple, of course. She just couldn’t understand how so many people in her grade had a significant other. Alya and Nino, Mylène and Ivan, peppy Rose and that quiet goth girl… the list went on. Their standards were just lower than hers, she supposed. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.
But even Adrien, who had been hanging around with that horrid Marinette… ugh! She shuddered to think about him getting stuck with someone like her.All Lila needed was an opportunity to show him that he could do better, and that he didn’t have to settle for such an airheaded, self-righteous, and neurotic person such as Marinette. There must be some way to chase her away and rescue poor Adrien.
Lila sighed, shelving that thought for a later date. She stepped out from her hiding spot under a stairwell, aiming to leave the premises as was the norm during an akuma attack. It was boring here anyway. Sticking close to the edges of the spacious outdoor court to remain unseen, she headed towards the exit.
That’s when she saw him: Adrien Agreste hurriedly darting back and forth between classrooms. What could he be up to? Searching for something, perhaps?
Intrigued, she decided to approach him and observe. Before she could conceal herself, she accidentally stepped on a dry leaf, which made a small crunch sound that echoed through the empty hall. Adrien whipped around and their eyes met. Lila’s eyes widened and she froze mid-step.
His lips were black.
She knew what that meant. She’d had a clear enough view of Alya to know. Lila held her breath, glued to the spot like a deer in headlights. Adrien studied her for a moment and paused. Then, against her expectations, he walked away, carrying on with his search.
Lila blinked. What just happened?? He’d just… left her alone? How very odd. She’d expected a much more… volatile reaction. She remembered the conversation between Alya and Nino earlier. Since he was acting completely indifferent to her, it meant he actually felt the opposite towards her, right? Could that mean that he… liked her? She decided to continue to follow him, spurred on by equal parts curiosity and foolhardiness.
“Wait! Adrien! Why didn’t you attack me?” she asked, catching up to him.
The spellbound Adrien didn’t even spare her a glance. “You’re not who I’m looking for.”
Lila’s features twisted in confusion. “Who are you looking for?”
Adrien huffed. “I’m waiting for Ladybug. She’ll be here soon. But in the meantime, I need to take care of Marinette.”
Now Lila was even more confused. “Ladybug?? Why would you be looking for her?”
He practically snarled, “Because she’s the most horrible person ever! UGH! Simply the worst! Dark Cupid wants her miraculous, so I’d be happy to assist with that. She doesn’t deserve a miraculous!”
“O…kay?” Lila replied, still a bit puzzled. Apparently Dark Cupid could make his minions do Hawkmoth’s bidding as well. She doubted how effective Adrien’s wrath would be against a superhero, though. Another question remained. “So why are you looking for Marinette?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Because I loathe her,” he hissed with a scowl.
The girl shrugged. Understandable.
“Fair enough. What are you gonna do once you find her?”
An eerie grin crept upon his face. “What do you think?” he replied darkly.
“I see,” Lila said, raising an eyebrow. The side of her mouth quirked upwards as she considered his words. “Well, she didn’t go that way, silly.”
He turned to face her. “What?? You know where she is?! Show me!”
Lila grinned widely, and her insides tingled with anticipation. This would be the perfect opportunity to put that fool Marinette in her place.
Marinette was beginning to inwardly panic a bit. Only a little bit, of course. She had a plan, after all. She was a professional. She’d done this countless times before. Stalling, stretching the truth, and harmless white lies had all become second nature for her by this point. It was all a normal part of having to juggle a superhero job and protecting her loved ones.
Plagg unexpectedly showing up inside her purse was the first wrench thrown into her plan. Tikki had been able to get her attention to notify her, but as Alya and Nino were present, Marinette hadn’t been able to do more than acknowledge his presence with a silent nod.
Plagg being away from Adrien meant he couldn’t transform into Chat Noir. How had they gotten separated? This wasn’t good.
Secondly, after “finding” her cell phone and making a show of calling the police, to Marinette’s dismay, Nino and Alya insisted on staying with her instead of letting her wander off on her own. They’d been supportive of her subsequent plan to go find Adrien and get him to safety. After all, since he and Marinette had been nearly inseparable over the past week, it would seem only natural. She was certain that people suspected there was perhaps something more going on between the two of them, particularly Alya. She hadn’t asked her about it yet, and Marinette certainly hadn’t brought it up herself. Best to delay that conversation for as long as she could; at least until she and Chat/Adrien could be as transparent with each other as possible.
However, if they didn’t find Adrien soon, Alya and Nino would begin to ask questions about why it was so important to find him instead of evacuating somewhere safe, like civilians were supposed to do during akuma attacks. Especially since Ladybug and Chat Noir would “fix” everything and it would go back to normal afterwards, so whatever fate had befallen poor Adrien would thankfully be reversed. Granted, Alya’s reporter tendencies would keep her from wanting to leave the scene of the action, and Nino would want to stick around to keep her safe after what had just occurred between them. But even these special circumstances had limitations.
She needed to transform and find Adrien, preferably in that order. Especially if, heaven forbid, somehow Dark Cupid had already found him, and…
“THERE YOU ARE!!”
Before Marinette could even turn her head towards the sound, someone shoved and pinned her against the wall. Head spinning, she struggled to escape but her upper arms were grasped firmly in place. She grunted weakly, then raised her head up to peek at her assailant.
Oh, no.
It was just as she feared. His lips were stained black, like Alya’s from before, and the smile she was so used to seeing on his beautiful face was turned into a vicious snarl.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, ma princesse,” Adrien said mockingly, practically spitting out the nickname with disdain.
He leaned in close, as he often did when they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, but with none of the affection that she associated with this action. He whispered into her ear, but instead of giving her pleasant butterflies as it always did, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in dread.
“Did you know that you even torment me in my sleep?” he hissed. “Why won’t you just leave me the hell alone?!”
Unfortunately, she did know. Usually it was Ladybug that appeared in his dreams, but sometimes it was his mother, and sometimes it was his friends. She’d seen herself as Marinette in them on occasion. To say that it was unnerving would be an understatement.
His face pulled away so their eyes could meet. “How about we make my dreams come true, Marinette? Would you like to find out what happens next?”
Never had Adrien ever glared at her with such animosity and contempt. This expression looked jarring on his face, foreign, completely out of place, and she couldn’t help but shiver at his ominous tone.
“Leave her alone!” Alya yelled, both her and Nino managing to peel Adrien off of her and slam him onto the wall across the way.
Marinette shook herself out of her stupor and assisted in holding him in place, and with their combined strengths, they had him trapped. But only barely.
Adrien squirmed and thrashed, trying to escape. “LET GO!! I hate you all! You’re all horrible!” he growled. “Especially you, Marinette. You’re absolutely revolting! I hate you so much, just like I hate that stupid Ladybug. I despise you both more than anyone else in the world!”
Marinette tried not to think about what he was saying. Like Nino said, he was only saying the opposite of what he meant. The implications of that were too much for her right now.
Instead, she focused on what had to happen next in order to snap him out of it. She’d kissed Chat before. Kissing Adrien should be no different, right? She gulped nervously as she tried to mentally prepare herself.
As she gathered her courage, a voice called from behind, “Friends, let me help!”
She knew that voice. Whatnow?!
Lila walked up to them and added, “I saw you guys earlier, out in the courtyard. I know what Adrien needs to break the spell.”
Nino stared dumbfounded as Alya let out a puzzled, “Uhh…” They both looked back and forth between Lila and Marinette.
“Pucker up, sweet prince. I’ll save you,” Lila said calmly as she walked up to him and placed her hands on his chest. Adrien made no effort to try to move away, but merely frowned in confusion.
Marinette could practically feel smoke coming out of her ears and fire alarms ringing in her brain. She couldn’t let this happen! Adrien was her boyfriend (kind of)! In any case, Lila wasn’t allowed to kiss him! But what could Marinette possibly say to stop her?!
Lila puckered up her lips and moved in for the kiss.
There was no time to think. Marinette shot up and shoved Lila out of the way as their lips brushed.
No time to waste. Before he could get a chance to react or pull away, she roughly grabbed the sides of Adrien’s head and planted a heavy smooch on him.
Adrien’s eyes popped wide open in horror and he protested into her mouth at first, but a second later, his eyes slowly slid shut and he let out a low, contented moan. He tilted his head to return and deepen the kiss; Marinette gently caressed his cheek as she accepted it.
Seconds passed and she pulled away hesitantly, unsure whether it had worked. After all, the kiss had been from Marinette instead of Ladybug, and while they were the same person, Adrien wasn’t aware of this fact. His eyes remained closed, but to her surprise, the last remnants of the black lipstick disappeared.
It worked!! Elated, Marinette let out a small laugh, and it took all her remaining willpower not to jump up and down in excitement.
“What the hell, Marinette?!” Lila exclaimed, enraged.
Marinette ignored her.
Adrien let out a small groan and shook his head, a bit disoriented but seemed fine otherwise. He looked back and forth between Nino and Alya, who were still holding him in place. “Uhh… What’s going on? What happened?” he mumbled.
The pair let him go, and looked at Marinette for an explanation. She laughed nervously, fidgeting with her hands. “Um, well… Kim’s been akumatized. You were under a spell but we managed to snap you out of it.” She decided this wasn’t the right time for a detailed explanation, so she shifted the topic. “Now, listen carefully. Ladybug’s fighting Dark Cupid by herself right now. Do you know why Kim was so upset?”
Adrien considered his interaction with Kim from earlier. “I’m not sure, but he was holding some kind of jewelry. I’m guessing it might have been a gift for someone. He looked kind of… heartsick. Like he didn’t get to deliver it.”
Marinette nodded. “I see. Okay then… Nino and Alya, can you two go outside and direct the authorities when they show up? Lila, you should go with them. Adrien and I will stay behind and look for other students who might be trapped or need help.”
The couple agreed, and Lila begrudgingly tagged along, sparing one last side-eyed glare at her. “This isn’t over, Marinette,” Lila muttered before catching up with the pair.
Marinette chuckled nervously, but shook off her nerves as she took Adrien by the hand and led him to a small utility closet. “You should stay here for a few minutes to make sure there’s no side effects left over from Dark Cupid’s magic. I’ll come back in a bit to check on you. Sound good?”
Adrien still seemed a bit frazzled, but didn’t argue with her and nodded in return. She offered him a smile as she closed the door.
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she opened her purse and gave Plagg the signal so he could phase in from one of the side walls, before Adrien could notice his absence. She understood now that Plagg must have fled as soon as Adrien got hit by Dark Cupid’s arrow in order to keep him from transforming. Smart little kwami. She made a mental note to make him an extra special cheesy snack later today.
—
A few minutes later, Ladybug and Chat Noir were reunited, and the two were able to take down Dark Cupid without further incident. Apparently, there had been a misunderstanding between Kim and his girlfriend, Ondine. He had prepared a gift for their relationship anniversary, a lovely heart shaped pin with a mermaid in it. But as he was about to give it to her, he’d overheard her on the phone with somebody, and had assumed she was going to break up with him. In reality, she had been talking about how she was tired of her current job and she was going to quit later that week. Once they cleared things up, Ladybug and Chat Noir said goodbye to a relieved Kim and a grateful Ondine as they locked in an embrace.
“Thanks for your help, Kitty,” Ladybug said as she raised her fist. Chat dutifully returned the fistbump, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Is anything the matter?” she asked.
Chat shrugged, shaking his head slightly. “I got hit by Dark Cupid as a civilian. My friends found me and were able to snap me out of it, but it feels so unnerving to have no memory of what happened. I hope I didn’t do anything bad or say anything horrible to them.”
Ladybug touched his arm, rubbing it soothingly. “I’m sure they know you didn’t mean it if you did. Someone as kind as you would never hurt anybody on purpose, especially your friends,” she reassured him.
“Thanks, Bugaboo,” he replied, looking at her with affection and gratitude. “Speaking of which, I’m supposed to meet up with them. They’re probably wondering where I went.”
Ladybug smiled. “I won’t keep you then. I’ll message you later, ‘kay?” With a quick peck on the lips, she said goodbye then leapt away.
“See ya,” Chat replied, fingers ghosting over his lips as they tingled, then forced his feet to move where he needed to go next.
—
After detransforming, Adrien didn’t see Marinette near the closet where she’d left him, so he exited the school to meet up with Alya and Nino, texting Marinette his location in case she was looking for him elsewhere.
As he reached his friends, he noticed the pair was preoccupied watching something on Alya’s phone (most likely the news), so he peeked over to watch too.
It was, in fact, not the news.
His eyes grew as wide as dinner plates upon seeing footage of himself thrashing about like a feral animal while his friends held him down, followed by Lila’s attempt to kiss him. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Marinette kissed him. And he kissed her back.
Alya and Nino turned to face him and he realized he’d let out a loud, involuntary gasp.
“Oh! I-uhhh, I didn’t see you there, bro,” Nino stammered.
“Crap! I wish we’d been able to explain before you saw this footage,” Alya groaned. “Alright, try not to freak out. You were hit by one of Dark Cupid’s arrows, which put you under a spell. The spell made people hateful and violent, and the only way to break it was true love’s kiss. Yes, like in the fairy tales. I can explain how we found that out too…”
Alya continued her recap, but Adrien couldn’t hear her, as there were two things that were currently consuming the entirety of his brainpower. Firstly, he’d kissed someone that wasn’t his significant other, and even though it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. Not to mention, he’d actually kissed them back.
Secondly, it was Marinette who had delivered that kiss. And not just any kiss, a kiss of true love. Which meant…
Marinette was still in love with him.
———
A/N: Poor confused Adrien. You think Alya’s gonna bring up this incident with Marinette later on? That girl’s got a lot of explaining to do!
Side note: I was very close to having Lila actually kiss Adrien and have it not break the spell, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it! Lila’s gonna be pretty mad after this though… you think anything will happen because of it?
If you’re unsure who we’ve got on our contributing team, or worried you missed a spotlight - hopefully this should help! See below for a list of all our contributors, and details on their slots/pricing. Please message us if you have any questions!
