#but that clamp are always seeking to tell the same themes in new lights and contexts

[captainmeowvelwrites]

You Times Two (Ch.2)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 4147 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two... Ladybug learnt her kitty's secret identity, invented a new language, and threw her yoyo off the Eiffel Tower. Her word vomit reminded our dear, sweet Adrien of someone, but true to form, he just couldn't figure out who. Will LB find her yoyo? Will Golden Boy get a clue? Will a half-reveal make even a shred of difference? Or are these lovelorn dorks just beyond help at this point? Read on to find out!

---

Chapter Two

Ladybug plopped onto her balcony, the planks squeaking beneath her feet. She latched her yoyo around her waist and stole a glance over the ledge, finding closed curtains and an empty street. No witnesses to her arrival.

At least something was going right this evening.

In hindsight, finding her yoyo had by far been the easiest part of the night. She'd found it dangling from the roof of a horse-themed carousel, the ride glowing like a yellow beacon to anyone near the Eiffel Tower after dark. Thankfully, it'd been too high for just anyone to reach.

But with her super agility?

Not a problem.

Ladybug hurried to the skylight hatch, fixed into the balcony floor, only to squeak as she stubbed her toe on a potted plant, then stumbled over another. Both were new additions, and easily overlooked at the best of times. Tonight, they were basically two bullseyes for her unrivalled clumsiness.

"S-Sorry, Sunny," she stuttered, glancing at a single, yellow flower. She turned to a cluster of bright purple ones. "You – You too, Patty."

She yanked the hatch open and dropped onto her bed, the glass shuddering as the door thumped shut above her. A desk lamp cast its glow upon her lean frame, highlighting her silhouette as she stumbled down the ladder with about as much grace as a potato.

"Spots off…"

Those two words, usually full of quiet confidence, instead shook in tandem with the rest of her.

In a flash of pink, Marinette stood where Ladybug once had, and Tikki emerged at her side. Her powers might've just been the only reason her legs hadn't liquified sooner, for she instantly sunk to the wooden floor.

With a quiet gasp, Tikki swooped to her aid. "Marinette?" she said, waving a tiny hand over her chosen's vacant eyes. "Marinette, it's going to be okay!"

Marinette remained silent, save for the long, croaky groan that slipped through her lips.

A frown filled Tikki's face. Like magma below a dormant volcano, a whole chamber of thoughts bubbled and boiled beneath Marinette's skin, ready to explode. Whatever she was staring at, she wasn't truly seeing it.

Tikki had expected as much—and knew there was more to come.

"This whole time," Marinette eventually breathed, more to herself than her kwami. "Chat Noir… has been Adrien." The phrase squeezed through her lips, as though that fact hadn't quite rooted itself in her brain. "Adrien—my Adrien."

No, he wasn't hers anymore.

In fact, he never had been.

Her throat closed, throbbing and aching, as though an unseen hand had snaked itself around her neck and refused to let go.

"This," Marinette choked, "isn't a disaster." Tears blurred her bedroom, but refused to fall. "This… is the apocalypse!" She flew to her feet, gripping her scalp as she started to pace. "Adrien is Chat Noir. He's always been Chat Noir. He's been my partner… this whole time!" She gasped, the gravity of those words slowly sinking in. "Oh my gosh, I've been rejecting Adrien… for Adrien… this whole time!" Her eyes shot wider. "No, even worse than that. I've been pushing Adrien away. I've been telling him I'm in love with someone else! And after being in love with me for so long, he's actually given up and moved on – to Kagami!" She released her grip on her scalp to instead cover her face, hiding a wounded look. "How can I possibly face him, Tikki?"

Before the kwami had even opened her mouth, Marinette peeled her hands from her face to reveal an entirely new look; one that shined with purpose and promise. "Wait, how silly of me. I don't have to face him. I can just start a new life!" She pressed her palms together, her face brightening. "Yeah. I'll sell my designs, save up some money, change my name to Bridgette and learn to juggle five – no, six – pineapples." Her plan played out in her head like a filmstrip, foolproof. "Then I can join a travelling circus, leave this whole mess behind me and—"

"Marinette," Tikki cried, flapping her hands out in front of the girl in question. "You're being silly! You can't—"

"You're right," said Marinette, a line etching between her brows. "I can't juggle to save my life—I'm way too clumsy!" She launched a triumphant finger in the air. "I know! I'll grow a beard. I'll become Bridgette, The Bearded Lady – yeah, that has a nice ring to it – and then the circus will have to let me—"

"Marinette!" The weight of Tikki's tone had her screeching to a halt, her plans crashing around her. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little?"

"Tikki!" Marinette shrieked, worry clouding her features. "I'm already a complete mess around Adrien – and now Chat Noir too. How am I supposed to save Paris like this?" She dragged herself to her desk and slumped into her hot pink revolving chair. "Not to mention he and Kagami are a thing now. And I've been hanging out with Luka—"

Luka…

An hour ago, the mere thought of the blue-haired boy sparked a light in her eyes, a rising joy in her chest, a fluttering in her stomach.

Now, her heart dropped like lead.

Maybe Master Fu had been wrong about her. She'd led Hawk Moth right to him, and that failure was the only reason she'd become the Guardian. What if tonight was her second mistake? What if learning Chat Noir's identity had only made things worse?

For a fleeting moment, she realised Tikki had already known Chat Noir's identity. Throughout her decision-making process – in which she'd weighed the pros and cons of knowing Chat's identity to her little, red companion – Tikki had known and hadn't once nudged her one way or the other. If she’d thought this was a disaster waiting to happen, surely she would've said so. Did Tikki think she could handle this?

The pang in her chest faded, if only a little.

Yet, tears swelled behind her eyes, only kept at bay by a few well-timed blinks. "I thought," she murmured, her chin meeting her chest, "I'd finally accepted that Adrien would never be more than just a friend. I thought I was moving on, but"—her fists shook in her lap—"now that I know we had a chance together, I… I don't know what to think…"

"Okay," Tikki said, rubbing her neck with a sheepish smile. "Maybe overreacting was the wrong way to put it." She settled on the desk, its white paint stark against her crimson skin. "Yes, Adrien's the one who's been fighting by your side this whole time, but he's still the same Chat Noir he was before. The only difference now is that you know who he is."

"That's exactly the problem, Tikki!" She slid a few inches down the back of her chair, its squeaks faint to her ears. "The fact that Adrien is Chat Noir only makes things worse!"

Tikki tilted her head, seeking further elaboration.

With a sigh, Marinette straightened where she sat, rooting her feet firmly on the floor. "You remember Chat Blanc, don't you?" Her eyes sunk to her lap, where her thumbs circled each other in an endless loop. She lost herself in vile visions of crumbling statues, a world of rubble, and a pair of icy blue eyes—as chilling as an arctic blizzard.

Chat Blanc's words, dripping with malice, bounced about her brain like a razor-studded pinball. "Things were purrfect until Hawk Moth found out about everything." She could still hear the soft clink of his claws as he’d crept along iron scraps of the Eiffel Tower, eyes peeled for his prey. "Once the cat is outta the bag, it's only a matter of time until everyone knows. It was our love that did this to the world, M'Lady!"

Marinette's eyes squeezed shut, willing away the living nightmare.

Such attempts were in vain.

Instead, she was clad in red and black latex, and Chat Blanc stood tall across an immense, iron beam. She was trapped and he knew it. He skulked closer, white light surging at his fingertips, his body framed by a city of ruins. "You know that by merging our Miraculous together we'd be granted one wish, right? Any wish we wanted." Desperation had clouded her vision, her eyes darting left, right, left again—searching for an escape and finding none. He'd drawn closer still, ready to destroy her with a single touch. "Well my wish would be to fix everything, so we could be in love again…"

Again…

That single word screamed in Marinette's ears, refusing to be ignored.

"The simple truth is you don't love me anymore," Chat Blanc had later cried, his voice thick with grief, "so I might as well destroy you, me, our memories… everything!"

That final word echoed through Marinette's mind, like she was hearing it again for the first time. Her hands curled into fists, trembling in her lap, colour draining from her knuckles. Even now, those tormented cries – Adrien's cries – rattled her to the core.

So lost.

So broken.

So devoid of hope.

How could she possibly risk putting him through that kind of pain again?

What if this time it was her that became a brittle statue beneath a sea of ruins, turned to dust by the slightest touch?

Wiped from existence by a single mistake.

Her mistake.

A mounting weight clamped down on her chest and in that moment, she choked down a sob that threatened to spew forth. "Tikki, if our love caused all of that…" Her lips curled and shook, a knot twisting her stomach. "If it brought about the end of the world…" Finally, tears tumbled freely from her eyes, dotting her lap and dying her pants a darker shade of pink. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed, each one racking her shoulders. "I… I don't think I can ever tell him who I am, Tikki. And I never thought it would hurt this much!"

Tikki's eyes creased. "Everything's going to work out, Marinette." She glided onto her shoulder and patted it lightly. "You just need to give yourself some time to let this all sink in, okay?"

"I… I know." Her words came out low and shaky. "Hawk Moth targets people who feel"—a sob shook her shoulders—"like there's no way to fix their problem." She sucked in a breath, only just stifling another sob, and released a wobbly sigh shortly after. "But what can I do, Tikki? I'm just so confused!"

“You'll figure things out, Marinette.” Tikki beamed at her. "You always do."

---

For the rest of the night, she somehow kept the tears at bay. That might've been, in part, because her parents had soon returned from a date, raving about the delicious meals they'd just had and the quick, yet cheery service. Any other night, the hopeless romantic in her would've absorbed their every merry word. Tonight, however, while they'd distracted her a little, she'd still been so out of sorts they’d later popped their heads through her bedroom hatch, questions at the ready.

"Oh, I'm just tired," Marinette insisted, resorting to the same lame excuse she'd used on Chat. By this point, she wasn’t exactly lying. "Actually, I was just about to get ready for bed."

So she did.

And from one mundane task to the next, a new realisation would force its way into her racing mind.

"Oh my gosh, Tikki!" she shrieked, a baby pink hairbrush clasped between her fingers. "I've kissed Adrien – twice!" Her hand flew to her lips, only for a pained grunt to leave them as her hairbrush greeted her face.

…

"No wonder," Marinette garbled through a mouthful of toothpaste, "Adwien shounded sho mush li' Chat in 'at movie." She spat into her bedroom sink and rinsed out her mouth. "He was voicing himself!" Her hand slapped her forehead. "That's why he stuttered so much when I said he sounded almost exactly like the real Chat Noir!"

…

A gasp escaped her lips as she hopped around the room, struggling to shove a leg through her pale pink pyjama pants. "Oh man, Tikki!" She stumbled into the nearest wall, grunting from the pain. "Remember that time Adrien said what a knightmare? That's totally something Chat Noir would say." She thumped her head against the wall she'd just greeted. "Duh! It was so obvious!"

…

"Tomorrow's Friday!" Marinette shrieked, clambering into bed. "You know what that means? A joint patrol! With Adrien!" She dragged her hands down her face. "Disaster!"

…

Marinette burst upright in bed, her blankets hugging her lean frame. "The day after tomorrow is Saturday." She turned to Tikki. "And isn't Alya having people over for video games – including Adrien?" She placed a finger to her lips, considering the situation for a moment longer. "Nahhh. I doubt his dad will let him come." She almost hoped for that very scenario, and that made her feel terrible.

…

The lights were off and yet, as she'd expected, her mind was still reeling from the evening's events. "Hold up," she called into the dark, hearing Tikki straighten on the pillow beside her. "The day after Saturday is Sunday. And I'm meant to go to the movies – with Luka!" Her brain was a scrambled mess, bouncing between two modes – repressed tears and unholy screeching. "How am I supposed to hang out with Luka when all I can think about right now is Adrien?" She chewed at her lower lip. "That doesn't seem very fair on Luka, does it?"

"Marinette," Tikki yawned, "it's very late."

Marinette squinted into the darkness, faintly making out her kwami's tiny silhouette. She looked to be rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sure," Tikki murmured, "you'll think up a solution once you've had a good night's rest. Being tired never helps an anxious mind."

Marinette sighed. "You're probably right." She fluffed up Tikki's pillow, then her own, and slumped against it. "Good night, Tikki."

"Sweet dreams, Marinette."

---

A ghostly voice sang out her name.

Her eyes eased open.

Moonlight flooded through the skylight hatch above, fixing on her like a spotlight.

"Marineeette," the intruder sang again.

She shot straight in bed, hairs prickling on her neck. Her eyes darted every which way, as she peered over her blanket, out into the darkness that shrouded the space beyond her bed.

Her name came again, this time as a feral hiss.

Marinette's stomach coiled. Her muscles ached, adrenaline rushing through her veins, preparing her for the worst.

A black paw slithered out from the shadows, its claws clutching the foot of the bed frame. "There you are!" Another paw followed, tearing the end of her bedspread, and two cat-like eyes emerged, glowing green, framed by a mask as dark as the room around it. An eerie grin stretched his lips far wider than humanly possible. "Do you wanna know my secret, Marinette?" snarled Chat Noir, twitching and jerking as he dragged himself toward her like a possessed China doll, "I'm in love with a girl and her name is Kagami!"

Marinette jolted awake, a screech hurdling from her throat. Her eyes dashed around a room that this time, she saw quite clearly despite the dark.

In an instant, Tikki was hovering straight ahead. "Marinette," she cried, alarm riddled through every syllable. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?!"

"No! I mean, yes. I mean—" Marinette forced a smile and scooped her kwami up in her palms. "It – It was just a bad dream," she insisted, and pecked Tikki's tiny cheek. "Nothing to worry about."

Even in the low light, she could see that Tikki wasn't buying it. "But your hands… They're shaking!"

Marinette drew her kwami close, nuzzling her briefly. "I know you're worried, but trust me… I'll be fine." She ignored the pointed look Tikki gave as she placed the little kwami on the pillow beside her. "It's like you said." She yawned, slumping into her pillow. "I'll figure this out."

She had to.

Her eyes slid shut, but she hardly managed one more wink of sleep after that.

---

The morning sun soaked Marinette with its warmth, its rays spilling over the rooftop of Collège Françoise Dupont. Her eyes – brimming with focus – darted right, left and right again, as she tiptoed up the school steps.

These last twelve hours, her brain had been torturing her. And naturally, it had chosen now of all times to remind her of the day a film crew had broadcasted her bedroom – more specifically, her bedroom walls – for all of France to see.

For Adrien to see.

Pink grazed her cheeks.

The morning after, she'd failed to enter school undetected.

This time would be different.

Today, she was the epitome of stealth.

And failing that, she was also late—on purpose, for once.

After all, it's not like Adrien could strike up a conversation with her if she was late, ergo she'd have no chance to rouse suspicion with her word vomit. This time, her plan was foolproof. She was sure of it.

The familiar ring of a bell echoed out into the street, where morning traffic rumbled. She heard a groan from the hefty, oak doors at the top of the stairs.

"Wait!" Marinette called, stumbling up the steps. "Wait! I'm almost there!" She squeezed through the doors just in time, seeing the school groundsman step back with wide eyes. "Made it," she breathed, gripping her knees with a sigh of relief.

A couple of doors on the second story clicked shut. Students had already flowed into their respective classrooms, leaving the courtyard empty. There'd been no akuma attacks this morning either, so Adrien had no reason to be late.

"Perfect."

Determination filled her face as she threw herself against the nearest wall. She slunk around the edge of the courtyard, over to the locker room swing doors, remaining unseen. That is, if you didn't count the school groundsman, who watched on with a quirk of his brow and a tilt of his balding head.

Other than that, she was practically invisible.

With a triumphant grin, Marinette shoved the swing doors aside, expecting rows of lockers to fill her vision.

Instead, she was greeted by a grunt and a pair of familiar green eyes.

She'd shoved the doors, all right.

Straight into Adrien's face.

Straight into Chat Noir's face.

The universe hated her. True or false?

Horror tainted her features, putting his pained expression to shame. "Kill me," she muttered, watching as he gingerly rubbed his nose, blinking incessantly.

Adrien looked up at her. "Hm? What was that?"

Marinette went rigid, clinging to the straps of her backpack. "Uhh! I said excuse me! No—sorry!" She shifted from one foot to the other and back again, avoiding his gaze. "Yeah! Sorry! That's what I vent—meant!"

"Don't worry, Marinette." He showed a small smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder, his ring in full view. Her insides flipped at the sight of it. "Trust me, I've been through worse."

Had he said that twelve hours ago, she would've been intrigued. Now, she knew exactly what he meant. If there was one guy in Paris who could take a beating, it was Chat Noir.

Her fingers toyed with the bottom of her black cardigan, the events of last night replaying in her mind like a humiliating home video. "I'm so clorry—err, clumsy. And sorry. I'm so sorry!" She spared a moment to inspect his face; it looked as flawless as ever, but she still had to ask, "Are you gay—" She zapped upright. "Okay!" she screamed, "I meant okay! Are you okay? Uhh – Not that there's anything wrong with being gay. I'd still love – I mean, like you – just the gay—way you are!" Her face must've looked like a stop sign by now. "Not – Not that I think you are gay. I mean, there's salami—pastrami—Kagami!"

Marinette's stomach soured at the reminder of the girl who held his affections. She could just feel a frown emerging as she tugged her backpack closer, itching to dump its contents into her locker.

Adrien tilted his head, confusion swirling in his stare. Only then did she realise his eyebags, dark and puffy, might've just rivalled her own.

Guilt hissed accusations in her ear.

She was the one responsible for them.

She just knew it.

"I'm… I'm okay, Marinette," Adrien stammered, lurching her back to reality. He scratched his cheek, his eyes drifting to the ceiling. "I'm just, uhh…" When he looked back at her, he smiled, though she didn't miss it falter. "I didn't sleep too well, but that's not your fault."

"Yeahhh," she drawled, "I mean no! No, it's not." She turned away to slap herself, hoping it'd help her to regain some sense—emphasis on some.

"Hey," Adrien said, his tone much lighter.

Marinette stood stiff as a plank as she re-faced him, at first thinking he planned to call her out for slapping herself. His smile said otherwise.

"I know I've said this before," he continued, that soft smile growing, "but your hair still looks really pretty when it's down."

"Wait, what?" She reached for her pigtails and instead found loose strands. Oh great. Not only had she forgotten to style her hair this morning. She'd forgotten to even brush it. If she'd looked like a stop sign before, she must've looked like a dang fire truck by now.

Marinette rushed her fingers through her hair, wishing she could jam her head in the nearest locker. "Oh, I… uhh… slept in." She smoothed her hands over her scalp. "I – uhh – yeah. I actually had a bad sleep too! I must've – erm – forgotten to brush—I mean, tie up my hair. Y'know… from the no-sleep." She giggled, peering up at him from through her dark fringe.

Adrien laughed into his hand. It was reserved, refined, careful—nothing like the snickers, smirks and guffaws of his alter ego. "Well," he said, bringing a hand to his bangs, "how about we match?" He ruffled his hair, flashed a grin, and suddenly, all she saw was Chat Noir.

Somehow, it put her at ease… if only for a second.

She smiled—small, but genuine. "I've… never seen your hair like that." It wasn't a total lie. "It suits you, Adrien."

For some reason, that comment had him glowing. "You really think so?" His grin only grew and, in that moment, ladybugs fluttered in her chest. "Thank you, Marinette!"

"No problem, Chadrien."

Marinette froze.

"Adrien," she screeched, stooping her head low in apology. "That's what I meant! Not – uhh – that other thing." A nervous giggle escaped her as she glanced over his shoulder, where her locker awaited her. "Boy, am I tired, huh? 'Cause I have absolutely no idea where that came from!" His lips parted, but her gasp cut him off. "Oh no!" she cried, clasping her hair. "The well—shell—bell rung, like, five minutes ago!"

There was a spark of realisation in Adrien's eyes. "Oh," he faltered, glancing at the exit over her shoulders. "Well, how about I wait for you outside?" His smile was softer again. "It's probably better to interrupt class once rather than twice, right?"

Marinette stilled, taking in his smile. She could already hear the onslaught of questions Alya would send her way if they arrived to class together—late. "Oh, no no no no!" she said, waving her hands like a maniac. "I mean, you… you don't have to." She gave a quiet giggle. "You grow—err, go first. I don't mind being the one to interrupt the second time."

"Please." Adrien held up his own hand far more gracefully. "I insist."

Fighting back a grimace, Marinette nodded stiffly, as though the motion pained her. Not far off, if she was honest. "I'll smell—err, see you outside then." She stepped to her left, but he stepped the same way.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

Marinette dipped her head, pink pinching her cheeks, and lumbered around him to her locker. The doors swung shut behind her, announcing that she was alone.

Immediately, she smacked her head against her locker, over and over, like a broken record. Maybe she'd finally – literally – knock some sense into herself.

She'd probably be here a while.

"Well," Tikki said, peeking up from Marinette's pink side bag, "that could've been worse."

Marinette stopped to glance down at her kwami and the strained smile she wore. That smile said the one thing Tikki didn't: it could've gone a lot better too.

"I knew the first half of our conversation was going suspiciously well," Marinette muttered, pouting.

Tikki arched a brow. "You think it went well?" She went taut at the mortified look her owner sent her. "I mean, yeah – it went so well!"

Marinette threw her head back and let out a throaty groan.

#ml fic #miraculous ladybug #you times two #adrinette #marichat #ladynoir #ladrien