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katiechat · 4 years

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The White Cat

Spoilers for Chat Blanc

Notes:

This fic takes place in the alternate timeline of Chat Blanc. (As in, the angsty one.) It’s near the end, between Adrien’s identity reveal and their fight with Hawkmoth. Hope you’ll like this!

The necklace mentioned in this fic is inspired by the one in this post. This fic wasn’t written as any sort of advertisement: I was just inspired by it and thought it would be a gift Adrien would probably get for Marinette.

Edited-ish.

Warning: This fic is fluffy, but also super angsty.

Dedicated to my wonderful friends @miss-chaos-2710 @swiftieanimecat @mariaoz and @sparklinglilac. <3

Word count: 2000+

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Adrien gazed at the necklaces in his hand. The pendants were shaped like two cats intertwined in a yin and yang symbol, completing each other in the same way Marinette completed him.

He swallowed. Through the glass window, he could see Marinette’s family illuminated in a warm glow. Her laughter echoed through the thin walls, igniting forgotten feelings deep within him: love, happiness and security. This was the best part of life. This was the only thing he could ever wish for. How could Adrien worry so much about his father, when he had Marinette?

He never expected to be this happy with someone. His dreams in the past of Ladybug held only a fraction of the feeling Marinette gave him. Somehow, reality surpassed even his wildest dreams. All he needed was to stand beside the girl he loved: to hold her hand, hear the strong beat of her heart, and wonder how he ever came to be so lucky.

He glanced back at the necklaces. Adrien tightened his hold on the metal, his hand whitening from the pressure. “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Plagg. Do you think she’ll like it?”

Plagg peeked his head from Adrien’s pocket. He turned toward the bakery door, where the Dupain-Chengs were in the process of preparing dinner. “She’ll love it, kid. It came from your heart. That’s what matters.”

Adrien nodded, but he couldn’t budge. Watching them laughing, smiling, joking, made his heart ache deep inside. Was this how it was to have a happy family? It’s been so long, he hardly remembered how such an experience felt.

“I miss her, Plagg. I miss Mother.”

His breath left his mouth in a smoke-like shape. The words lingered in the air, before eventually merging with the cold breeze. Somehow, this simple sight made Adrien feel more lonely than ever.

Plagg lay his head on Adrien's chest. “I’m sorry, kid.”

He patted his kwami's head. “It’s okay. I have you. And Marinette. And Father.” Adrien smiled. “And I also have Tom and Sabine. Now they're family, but so is Father. When he can’t come, they always welcome me.”

Plagg stayed silent.

A blush crept up Adrien’s neck as he processed Plagg’s words. “And now, things are only getting better. Ever since that night, Father’s been more cheerful than ever. I think he’s finally starting to change.”

“You mean the night Marinette found out your secret identity? Are you sure no one else saw you transform?”

Adrien tightened his hold on the necklace, and fixed the beret on his head. “I’m sure, Plagg. I promise you, I can trust them. My dad may do some harsh things, but he means well. He’ll never hurt me knowingly.”

Adrien stepped closer to the door, and lay his hand on the cold glass. "I'm going in."

He waited till Plagg was safely hidden before he pushed the door open. Three heads turned in his direction, and smiled once their eyes met his.

He saw some hidden understanding light up Marinette's eyes, before the knowledge disappeared. She beamed at him, rushed to her feet and ran to give him a small kiss on the cheek. “You're finally here! Come on in.”

She pulled on his hand, and he obediently followed. Marinette led him to two seats across from her parents, and persistently sat him down. “I’ll go get the food. You relax.”

Adrien chuckled, but didn’t object. Marinette left with her father, and he stayed with Sabine. The older woman gazed at him the way Emilie once did. Adrien lowered his gaze as he felt a tinge of sadness re-enter his heart. If only Emilie was still with him.

“Your father couldn’t come?”

Adrien's voice wobbled slightly, but he still managed to speak. “He’s busy right now. But he’s starting to put more time on the side. I hope maybe next time he could come”

Sabine took hold of his hand and gave a light squeeze. “I’m happy to hear that.”

For some reason, Adrien found himself spilling more of his thoughts. “He’s smiling more now. We're now eating dinner together, and he always smiles then. Especially when I tell him more about myself. I think he's finally started to recover from Mother.”

Sabine’s eyes softened. “I’m happy for you, Adrien. You deserve this, and so much more.”

Adrien’s eyes focused on Marinette, who was now walking toward them, a plateful of macaroons in her hand. “I’m happy too.”

Sabine smiled knowingly as she followed his gaze, a certain pride in her eyes. Tom trailed his daughter, beaming as if he just heard an announcement for his daughter’s wedding.

Adrien’s cheeks reddened. It wasn't that he hadn’t thought of the potential future, but he was still just a teenager. Now wasn’t the right time.

Marinette sighed as she reached the table. “I’m sorry this took so long, Adrien. We had a little mix-up with the food, so we needed to clean up a bit. But I brought your favorite macaroons as a consolation prize!”

She sat beside him, so close he could feel her warmth. Absentmindedly, she took a macaroon and brought it to his lips. Adrien hesitantly bit into it, careful not to hurt her hand. She grinned at him, mischief playing on her lips. “So…?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “It’s perfect.”

She beamed. “I knew you’d like it!”

Without a second thought, Marinette bent down and kissed his cheek. Adrien took her hand in his, and she held on even tighter. Tom and Sabine exchanged knowing looks, but Adrien didn’t pay them any attention.

He was holding the hand of the most beautiful girl in the world: the bravest, kindest, most righteous person he knew. She was the girl of his dreams, and she was his.

He still couldn’t believe it.

The meal passed by quicker than his way there. With the Dupain-Chengs, Adrien was never at a loss for words. He never had to worry about being a social burden. He could just be himself, without the constant worry of scrutinizing looks or vicious rumors.

Eventually, the conversation died down. Marinette’s eyes slightly drooped, and she lay her head on Adrien’s shoulder. He ran his hand through her beautiful black hair, gazing happily at the perfect girl for him.

“I should probably go now. I don’t want Father to get upset.”

He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay in this moment forever: only rarely did he experience such warmth and comfort. How could he let it all stay behind?

“Marinette?”

She mumbled something incoherent, snuggling closer. Adrien smiled, his voice now even more gentle. “Hey, I need to go.”

Marinette took Adrien’s arm in a tight Ladybug grip. “No,” she whined. “You’re comfy.”

“I can’t stay here forever. My father will worry. Plus, tomorrow is our school trip to the Louvre, and you know Ladybug and Chat Noir will meet us there.”

Marinette forced her eyes open. “Fine,” she drawled.

She forced herself up. Adrien followed, and with a tight grip on his arm, Marinette led him toward the dark night. The shop door opened the moment she touched it, as if everything about her was magic.

And maybe she was.

“Marinette.”

His girlfriend stopped in her tracks. She took in the empty streets, the chirping of the crickets, and the cool, calming air. A silent serenity entered her eyes, and by the time she turned to him, it was like she transformed. A teasing smile lit her face, and her back seemed even straighter than before.

He had no idea how someone could be so perfect. Not only was she Marinette, the only person he could always turn to, but she was Ladybug too. She saved him, and Paris, so many times. And she would do it again, with him by her side.

“What is it, kitty?”

He pulled her to him, so they were now standing under one of the many streetlights. She smirked at his reaction and raised a brow in question. “What are you planning?”

Adrien bent so he gazed right into her eyes. The sparkle in her eyes lured him, the way his lady’s gaze did ever since the beginning, but now there were no barriers. Now... he could actually kiss her.

As Chat Noir. As Adrien. As both of his identities. As everything he was.

“Oh, so this kitty wants a goodnight kiss?” she teased, “I’m sorry, but Ladybug is busy right now." Marinette looked toward her bedroom window playfully. "She’s… sleeping.”

Adrien took her hand. “No, she isn’t. Milady is here. Right here.”

He pulled her hand so it touched his heart. Marinette’s eyes softened at the way he looked at her, and suddenly her warm hand cupped his face. “Really, kitty? And I thought you loved me.”

She pouted. Adrien met her eyes once again, a mischievous tilt to his lips. “You know I love you always. With the mask. Without the mask. Ladybug, or Marinette.”

He tucked a stray strand behind her ear. Marinette shook her head, a chuckle escaping her lips. “You’re one special kitty.”

“Only for you, Bugaboo.”

She took his other hand. “Tonight was beautiful. Thank you for coming.”

"I'll always be there for you, Marinette. Remember? It's you and me against the world."

She chuckled. "I do. We're a team, after all."

A short silence transcended. They basked in each other's warmth, imagining all the different possibilities of the future. Adrien etched every little detail in his brain: Marinette's sugary smell, the playful tilt to her voice, and the way her hand felt in his. He wanted to remember this moment even if he would have a million more. Somehow, every time she stood beside him, the world seemed almost... perfect.

Eventually, his voice broke the silence. "Milady, I need you to close your eyes."

Marinette chuckled. She squeezed his hand, meeting his eyes with all the earnestness in her, before she complied. Silence enveloped them as Adrien’s hand reached for the gifts he prepared. His hand shook as he fished them out of his pocket, but the moment they touched his palm, a deep certainty rested in his heart.

The only question was which cat was his, and which one was hers.

He looked back at his Marinette. She smiled expectantly, waiting for his surprise. Adrien glanced back at the necklaces, and a sudden thought pierced his mind. He dropped the white cat in his pocket and took the black half, gently sweeping her beautiful hair away. With careful fingers, he closed the clasp behind her neck.

“There.”

Marinette opened her eyes. A deep happiness shone from her face as she studied every little detail of her pendant, her hold so gentle it almost seemed like a treasure lay in her palm. “It’s beautiful.”

“I found it online. I thought you might like it.”

She met his gaze. Her eyes shone with tears, and her grip on the necklace slightly tightened. “I love it.”

He held out the other necklace. “Would you like to put mine on?”

Marinette’s hand reached for the other half, before realization dawned on her face. “But… it’s white! Why did I get the black cat?“

Adrien smiled. “It’s so a piece of me will always be with you.”

Marinette shook her head. “No, no, no. Kitty, I can’t take this from you. This is who you are. This is Chat Noir. I can’t just-”

“I already decided, milady.”

“But-”

Adrien closed Marinette’s hand around her pendant. “Take it. Please.”

Marinette shook her head, but Adrien carried on. “It’s just a necklace. You know I’ll always be your kitty. Nothing will ever change that.”

She swallowed. Her grip on the cat tightened once again, as if his words finally convinced her. “Always?”

“Always.”

Marinette hesitated. Eventually, she nodded. “Okay, I'll take this cat. But you keep that promise, you hear?”

She narrowed her eyes at him in silent threat. Adrien chuckled as he fixed the necklace back where it belonged. "I will. I promise."

Marinette chuckled. “I’m holding you to that.”

She took the other half from Adrien, and gently put the chain around his neck. A wonderful warmth passed through him as her fingers brushed the nape of his neck, and then the necklace settled on his chest and she stepped even closer. "Now let's see how this works."

She took her black cat, and carefully connected it to Adrien's. A smile lit her face as the two halves connected perfectly, their short chain drawing her even closer to him.

"Like us."

Adrien gripped the circle Marinette created. "It is."

Suddenly, her eyes met his. A mischievous spark entered her eyes as she took in their close proximity.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?” Adrien found himself saying, “Because let me remind that not too long ago you thought that Chat Noir was-“

Before he could finish his sentence, Marinette’s lips met his. It was a kiss full of love, hope and promise. A kiss for the past they endured, the present they shared, and the future awaiting them.

When they broke apart, Marinette winked at him. “You really need to stop mentioning that, kitty. Otherwise, I might remind you how long it took you to realize your feelings.”

Adrien chuckled. “You win.”

Marinette’s gaze fell back to their entwined necklaces. Her thumb ran over the circle thoughtfully, before she met Adrien’s eyes once again. “Thank you for this, kitty. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She carefully detached her pendant from his. Adrien held her hand, a heavy weight entering his heart. "Don't leave."

"I love you, Adrien Agreste. I’ve loved you ever since that day in the rain, and I will love you every day from now. I'll never leave you.”

They stood there for a while longer: joking, teasing, laughing. As time ticked by, Marinette’s happiness was gradually replaced with fatigue. She lingered there a while longer, until she was forced to give in to sleep. With one final goodnight kiss, she walked back inside, her loving eyes like a beacon of hope.

But it didn’t help the feeling of dread stirring in Adrien’s gut. Or the way his necklace burned the skin above his heart, instilling an unknown warning for what was yet to come.

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princess-of-the-corner · 4 years

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Taking a break to talk about the Hero Chat AU and the episode Ladybug. Because I kinda mentioned it, but I want to go over that episode in detail.

So, a few people are aware that Lila’s a fucking liar.

Mari and Adrien know, of course.

Chloé is also very aware, and she told Alix.

Alya, Nino, Max and Kim are all in the ‘suspicious of her, but not ready to really call her a manipulative bitch yet’ category.

The rest of the classmates are unaware, but can be influenced by the louder voices.

When Lila starts framing Marinette for stuff, more people stick up for her.

Cheating on the test:

Alya speaks up, vouching that Mari had no opportunity to steal the cheat sheet

When it’s obvious that Lila gave the tip to Miss Bustier about the cheating, the rest of the Team speaks up too, saying it’s out of character.

The rest of the classmates comment too, since the Team brings up a good point.

Miss Bustier calms the class and asks Marinette and Lila to head to the principals office so that they can discuss their issues in a private enviroment once she gets everyone else set up on the lesson today

Pushing Lila down the stairs:

Nino points out that Mari isn’t violent. She never punched Chloé, despite everything she did.

Chloé agrees with that. Both the ‘Mari isn’t violent’ and ‘I might’ve deserved a punch if she did’.

They know calling Lila a liar wouldn’t help, but instead suggest ‘perhaps Lila tripped and assumed Mari pushed her, since they’re not on good terms.’

When Lila insists that she was pushed, Alya and Nino ‘look, maybe she did it accidentally? You know how clumsy Mari is. She might’ve tripped and knocked into you, which then pushed you down?’

Everyone agrees that Mari isn’t malicious enough to push someone down the stairs, even someone she doesn’t like, but she is clumsy enough to do it accidentally.

Mari wants to insist she didn’t do that, but knows that continuing to say ‘Lila’s lying’ isn’t helping, so lets them think what they want to keep herself out of trouble.

Stealing the necklace:

At first, everyone’s at a loss for how the necklace got into Mari’s locker, but they all know she’s not a thief.

Adrien tries to speak up, but is silenced like in Canon.

Then Chloé speaks up, refusing to let the principal silence her, and points out that the necklace can’t be Lila’s family heirloom, because it’s from last year’s Agreste collection.

Lila tries to cover by saying ‘well, it is, but it was a gift from my grandmother! Not an heirloom!’.

Adrien speaks up again, this time coming up with a lie of his own to cover

He says that the necklace isn’t Lila’s and Mari didn’t steal it. He knows this because he’s the one who put it in Mari’s locker.

Mari had been having a rough time lately, and Adrien wanted to do something nice, so he snagged a necklace from his father’s collection to give to her.

It was totally supposed to be a surprise after class, but now she knows.

That said, he has no idea why Lila thinks that Mari stole it and stashed it in her own locker. Even if she mistook this necklace for her grandmother’s heirloom, she would’ve seen Adrien hiding it, not Mari, and accused him.

When Lila starts throwing a tantrum, insisting the necklace is hers, she’s guesturing wildly and stomping her feet. Alix points out ‘hey, guess you’re feeling better after falling down the stairs!’.

Everyone kinda realizes what Lila was doing, trying to frame Marinette. And they realize that Mari was probably very much right about everything else.

Between the shock, betrayal, guilt, and righteous fury everyone’s feeling, Hawkmoth takes advantage of the situation like in Canon.

Side note: Gabriel does not tell Lila to mess with Mari specifically, he just told her to ‘cause some chaos’, basically. Because fuck you let me have the weird ‘Hello future daughter-in-law!’ dynamic between Marinette and Gabriel.

Mari doesn’t get almost-Akumatized because she actually feels pretty good right now. Panicked at the mass Akumatizations, but still.

Chloé, Alix, and Adrien are also unaffected because as angry as they are, they know that it’ll be taken care of.

The whole Scarletmoth thing still falls through like in Canon though.

Lila still attempts to get out of all this by claiming that she has that ‘disease that makes her lie’.

It does get her the sympathy bump from most people, but the Team ain’t buying it.

Still, to play along for now, Mari, well, plays along. ‘Apologizing’ and saying ‘oh, why didn’t you tell me earlier! I thought you were lying because you were a jerk manipulating my friends! I can’t be mad at you if you can’t control it! Now that we know, we should probably keep track so we can see when your disease acts up so no one else gets almost expelled!’.

Everyone still apologizes to Mari though. Because she was right, Lila was lying.

Later, in private with the Team, Marinette discusses it with them.

Since everyone knows to believe her now, she feels safe confessing that Lila threatened her, and she’s sure the ‘disease’ isn’t real.

Adrien, while surprised at the threat, backs this up by pointing out that Lila did in fact confess to ‘her disease acting up after seeing Adrien put the necklace in Mari’s locker’. And since he did not in fact do that, she’s lying again.

Everyone’s kinda mad at him for that because yeah he technically did lie, but it was to counter Lila’s lie so they don’t stay mad. And also he offers to actually buy Mari a necklace instead of tricking their way into one.

Adrien also confesses that he knew Lila was lying, because Ladybug called Lila out on the first day, but decided that he and Marinette should just ignore it because Lila’s lies weren’t doing that much harm before.

Everyone’s a little more mad at him about this, but Marinette clarifies that she didn’t tell Adrien about the threats.

Chloé also defends him by pointing out that it’s how you’re supposed to deal with celebrity gossip and tabloid magazines. And also that once he realized this is more than that he decided to do something.

Chloé adds more proof to the pile of ‘Lila’s lying wasn’t caused by a disease’ by pointing out the fact that Lila was gone for months.

They can prove Lila was in Paris because of Volpina being there for Hero’s Day.

So how does it work with Lila’s mother? The teachers would’ve called her about Lila’s absences and supposed disabilities she’s lied about.

She likely has a whole scheme set up that includes fake emails, forged doctor’s notes, and straight up lying to her mother.

They all have a feeling Lila isn’t done yet and are prepping for things.

Okay, that was long and I’m gonna break it off for half a second to use my favorite sentence for Lila: I think the fuck not you trick ass bitch!!

Back to the other half of the episode with Senti!Bug

Since this AU includes the Groupchat, when Mari sees a Ladybug running around she texts the chat like ‘hey that ain’t me!’

So everyone kinda knows Senti!Bug is a fake.

Once the real LB shows up they kinda lose track during the fight

But Senti!Bug/Mayura is trying to trick not only Chat Noir, but also Rena, Carapace, and Honeybee. She can’t replicate the dynamic accurately enough and they’re able to sniff her out.

The actual fight against Hawkmoth goes pretty much the same, ending with Hawkmoth holding Chat and Ladybug holding Mayura.

When they do the whole ‘This bitch empty! YEET!’ thing, Rena, Carapace, and Honeybee try to jump after Hawkmoth, but he manages to knock them away and escape.

Instead of the ‘deal with the devil’, they all encourage Adrien to tell his father about Lila’s ‘disease’, hoping it will keep her away from him.

Adrien frames it as him believing the ‘disease’ thing, and saying ‘I’m trying to be nice because she can’t control it, but even when her ‘disease’ isn’t acting up she makes me uncomfortable and invades my personal space a lot….’.

He was ready to go further, saying stuff like ‘can you imagine what would happen if her ‘disease’ acts up and causes a scandal for us?’.

However, Gabriel might be a fuck but he can be a good parent sometimes. As soon as Adrien confessed to Lila making him uncomfortable/basically harassing him, the bitch was going to get hella banned from everything Gabriel can ban her from.

Obvs Gabriel might think that Lila’s ability to fuck shit up might be useful for Hawkmoth, but he’s keeping her on a very short leash next time and not letting her near Adrien ever.

All’s well that ends well!

#Hero Chat AU

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