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seas-of-silver · 8 months

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First Sentence, Then Scene: “I know your secret.” Lila said as she pinned Marinette to the wall.

Just a lil warning that I touch on anxiety and dealing with that... emotional feedback (I guess you could call it?) of being in a high intensity situation with your bully/source of anxiety.

~/~

'I know your secret,' Lila said as she pinned Marinette to the wall. Marinette wriggled, but Lila's grasp didn't budge.

'What secret?' Marinette asked, still trying to loosen Lila's grip. 'I don't have any secrets.' Lila tsked, shaking her head in mock disappointment before smirking up at her with a devious glint in her eyes. 'Playing innocent, I see...'

The Italian's tone sent shivers up Marinette's spine, but made sure she gave no indication of how the girl's words affected her.

'The only one "playing innocent" here is you,' Marinette spat. 'Everyone thinks you're so kind and sweet, but you're like the devil in disguise.'

'Hah! You flatter me,' Lila purred, 'but I am not the Devil- well, not yet, anyway.'

Marinette's eyes narrowed.

'See, the problem with you angelic types is that you're too honest for your own good,' Lila said, voice heavy with faux concern that made Marinette want to grind her teeth. 'Too kind, too generous, too self-sacrificing. You would do anything for a friend, and expect nothing in return.'

This was pressing on all of Marinette's buttons. She knew what the true purpose was of these words, and yet-

'And that is why you'll always lose to someone like me,' Lila finished with a devilish grin.

'You know what your problem is?' Marinette snapped. 'That attitude. Those lies. I know you can't help it, you're born this way, but the thing is you could be so much more than this.'

She couldn't help but take satisfaction in the way Lila's eyes widened ever so subtly.

'You have an incredible talent, and an even more incredible mind - you could be truly amazing if you wanted to be, but you don't, so you're not. You lie, you cheat, you play these twisted games, wasting your time and energy on things and people that do not matter to you - and for what? To get me down? To hurt me? We both know that you're targeting me with all this, for some minor disagreement long-since forgotten- which, let's be honest, doesn't justify all that you've done since then. I've tried to make amends, to help you, to do what I can to build bridges, but you burn them every time, turning away any offers I made so that you could keep that flame burning within you. You think that everything that makes me who I am makes me weak to the likes of you, but in reality-' Marinette forced her hands free from Lila's weakened grip, '-that's why you'll never win against someone like me.'

'Aaaand cut!' Nino cried, leaping out of his director's chair, his hand clutching his cap as his arms waving excitedly. 'That was electric! That was super tense and believable and ohhhhh, I knew this "angels and demons hidden amongst humans" theme was going to work! And you two! Man, I could not have cast more awesome people for these roles!'

'You're welcome, by the way,' Alya lightheartedly sing-songed from behind him, grinning happily.

'Yeah, okay, I owe you an Andre's ice-cream, but if this take is as good as it was in person, I am buying you ice-cream every day for a month!' Nino promised before dashing off to look at the take.

'Whew! It was sooo hard being so mean!' Lila fibbed, earning her some comments on how fantastic of an actor she was by their fellow classmates. With Lila sufficiently distracted, Marinette let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline pumping through her body making her fidgety and unsettled.

'Hey,' Adrien greeted gently as he approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he handed her a glass of water, 'you did fantastically out there.'

They both knew the real meaning behind his words.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

"I know your secret." Lila's line echoed in her mind, Lila's expression - and the way it scared her - haunted her. It was like she really knew...

'Yeah... but also... no?' Marinette answered. She wasn't entirely sure he'd understand what she meant, but he nodded like he did. 'The acting bit, I'm fine with, but her? It's... she's...'

'Overwhelming?' he prompted. 'Like suddenly, it's all too real, and it's hard to remember where you are and what you're doing.'

She nodded. He understood.

'I felt like that every time Dad was at a photoshoot,' Adrien admitted. 'Despite him being my father, he's this intimidating, powerful, incredibly critical figure that with one look can pull my performance- can pull me apart, and make me feel vulnerable in such a way that I feel like a kitten backed into a corner, trembling in front of this towering, snarling dog, and it always made me want to run and hide. But I had to fight through it, push through, pretend I had everything under control when I didn't feel like that at all, and let myself decompress once I was alone and safe in my room.'

Marinette's heart ached for Adrien, while also taking comfort in knowing she wasn't alone in feeling this way. Any other time, she might've felt guilty for taking comfort in such a painful thing, but she was too rattled right now. Instead, she silently hugged him, ignoring the stinging of tears forming in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, careful not to spill the water in the glass she was still holding as he hugged her back.

In his arms, she felt safe, and the world around them faded away as she let the adrenaline run its course and bleed out of her system, knowing he'd catch her if she fell. She ignored Nino's cries of a perfect one-take wonder, she ignored Lila's grandstanding to their peers, she ignored the clicking of phone cameras. She was in her own bubble within Adrien's arms, and all she could hear was the sounds of their breaths and his steady heartbeat against her ear.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

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rosie-b · 11 months

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jealous of my friends (sometimes)

(1236 words)

Written for @ladrienjune days 5 and 6, Just Friends / Jealousy

Ladybug loved to tease Adrien about his friendship with Marinette.

It had started one night during a completely typical evening date. Ladybug had asked him about his day, and naturally, he mentioned Marinette while he was talking and called her “one of his best friends.”

Ladybug had looked down with an unreadable expression and muttered under her breath, “As far as you know.”

“Of course,” Adrien had responded after a small pause, looking Ladybug dead in the eye and speaking in his most soothing voice. “She’s just a friend.”

Against all apparent reason, Ladybug had burst out laughing.

Read the rest on AO3 or just below!

Ladybug loved to tease Adrien about his friendship with Marinette.

Ladybug had looked down with an unreadable expression and muttered under her breath, “As far as you know.”

Adrien didn’t think she’d meant to let him hear her remark, but he was offended by her obvious jealousy. Didn’t she trust him yet? Then again, this was only their second date, and they hadn’t talked much as Adrien and Ladybug before this. Maybe he just needed to assure her of his loyalty.

“Of course,” Adrien had responded after a small pause, looking Ladybug dead in the eye and speaking in his most soothing voice. “She’s just a friend.”

Against all apparent reason, Ladybug had burst out laughing.

Adrien had blinked. “Why are you laughing? I didn’t say anything funny; do I have something on my face?” He quickly wiped around his mouth, just in case, but Ladybug shook her head, still laughing. Adrien frowned. “Then what is it?”

“You—ha—and Marinette,” she’d said with a hiccup, wiping tears of mirth (or were they? ) from her eyes.

Adrien’s eyes had narrowed. “What about that is funny? We’re just really good friends, like any others. Although, sometimes I think she’s the only one who can understand the way I feel, more than my other friends. We had a rough start, but we just,” he raised one shoulder and smiled in a way that he hoped was charming, “Clicked. And the rest is history, as they say.”

Ladybug had covered her mouth with one hand. Occasionally, her shoulders shook suspiciously, but she wasn’t laughing out loud anymore.

“I see,” she’d said in a deep, serious voice undercut by a recurrent tremor. “You and Marinette are… very special friends.”

“Yes!” Adrien had nodded his head, excited that his lady understood. “We’re very special friends. That’s exactly it.”

But Ladybug had only dissolved into laughter again as Adrien stood helplessly by, his blond brows wrinkled in confusion and concern.

From then on, whenever Adrien talked about Marinette, he was sure to specify that she and he were just friends, but for some reason, it never worked to reassure Ladybug the way he thought it would. She always either laughed or looked away for a moment before changing the subject.

The worst offender was the second time he’d attempted his new technique, during which she’d choked on her lemonade, fallen off the couch, and lain on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, for ten minutes. She laughed it off as soon as she regained herself, but Ladybug was obviously more insecure about their relationship than he had originally guessed.

Luckily, Adrien was happy to help her work through her insecurity! He made it a point to talk about Marinette as often as possible, pointing out all the decidedly platonic things they did together. And as they sat on the couch in his room, staying inside for their date because of the hot weather, he decided to try his awesome plan yet again.

“Today in class, Marinette said she forgot her coffee. She sounded really tired and sad about it, so I gave her my coffee cup, since it was still mostly full. And it was just a disposable one, from the store, so it wasn’t a big gift or anything, although Marinette definitely deserves those.” His brow wrinkled as he thought. “I should get her one sometime.”

Ladybug nodded hesitantly, which was a great sign in Adrien’s eyes. It was very important to him that Marinette and Ladybug both liked each other, and any progress was good.

“So, what you’re saying is that you want to give Marinette a better gift next time… that sounds reasonable to me. But it is a bit unnecessary, and it’s not something most friends worry about unless it’s Christmas or one of their birthdays. So,” she said, smirking at him, “Are you sure this is just a friendly gift, or is it something a little more than that?”

Adrien’s hopeful expression collapsed at the resurgence of his lady’s jealousy. “It’s just a gift between friends ,” he insisted wearily. “And it’s for Marinette, so it could never be too big! I think she deserves the world. Is anything wrong with that?”

Ladybug smiled. No, she grinned, and a predatory glint entered her eye as she replied, “Nothing at all! I just think it’s sweet that you and she are such ‘good friends.’ Just like us,” she said, leaning back on Adrien’s couch and taking a sip from her cup of iced mint tea.

Adrien tilted his head and blinked at her. It was really hard to understand Ladybug sometimes!

“But we’re not just friends,” he pointed out. “We’re girlfriends. Er, boyfriend and girlfriend! The next time I give you a gift, it will be… at least as good as Marinette’s.”

He wrinkled his nose. He’d started to say “better than Marinette’s,” but for some reason, it felt wrong. Now, why would that be?

“Perfect,” Ladybug declared with a smirk. “I always wanted a sip of your coffee. It would be like an indirect kiss! So romantic,” she said, making an exaggerated kissy face at Adrien, who spluttered and took a sip of his raspberry iced tea, the tips of his ears burning red.

“You can have that anytime you like,” he muttered in embarrassment. “Both my coffee and my kisses. I’ll give you whatever you ask for.”

“What about Marinette?” she asked.

Adrien coughed. “Uh, I don’t think giving you a whole person as a gift is a good idea. She’d love to meet you someday, though! Marinette is one of Chat Noir’s biggest fans, and I’m sure she loves you, too.”

Although, when was the last time Marinette had said something positive about Ladybug? Or anything at all, really? Adrien squinted at his mostly-empty tea as he tried to think.

Ladybug interrupted his thoughts with a laugh like a dozen gently chiming bells.

“I don’t mean that you should give me Marinette; what I mean is, what would you give her? Out of the whole world she deserves, what does she get?”

Adrien tapped his glass as he thought. He had to consider this carefully, because what if he gave the wrong answer? Ladybug seemed to think that there was a difference between girlfriend-gifts and Marinette-gifts, though he didn’t know why, and his gift had to fit in the right category.

“A necklace, maybe,” he said finally. “With a pretty silver thimble on it, one that she could easily detach and use. She pricks her fingers all the time; I think she must forget where her thimble is. But this way, she’d always have one with her.”

Ladybug smiled softly, a light blush on her cheeks. “That’s really thoughtful of you,” she murmured. “You must really care about her.”

Adrien nodded. “I do,” he said. “I always will.”

The corner of Ladybug’s smile twitched, like she was going to laugh.

“I certainly hope so,” she said. “Otherwise, you might have to break up with her.”

Adrien sighed. “Yeah, that would be awful.” Then his face froze as he re-evaluated Ladybug’s words. “Wait, no! I didn’t mean that!”

But it was too late. Ladybug was laughing again.

“Such a good friend!”

#ladrienjune2023 #ladrien #ml fanfic #rosie-b writing #pre-reveal #established relationship #ml leak free #miraculeakless

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overworkedunderwhelmed · 2 years

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Close Call

One-Shot Fic Sneak Peek! Full fic will drop tomorrow.

“Sorry.”

Ladybug smiled ruefully down at her favorite face in all of Paris, as she touched down in Adrien’s bedroom. With extraordinarily care, she set him down to the ground from the impromptu Princess carry.

She nibbled at her lip, not entirely certain what to do with her hands, especially with her every instinct screaming for her to hold him in her arms again.

Adrien simply blinked back at her in confusion. “It certainly wasn’t your fault.”

Finally, she settled for keeping her hands busy with her yoyo. “I know. But it still inconvenienced you. I wish I knew where Chat Noir was. If he was there, we probably could have finished up hours ago.”

“No worries.” Adrien smiled quickly. Perhaps a little too widely.

Ladybug blinked rapidly. Maybe she was so tired she was seeing things.

He quickly continued. “I just wish the battle had ended sooner. I really wanted to spend the evening with my girlfriend.”

She didn’t even bother to fight the coy smile. “I bet she wouldn’t mind even if you did visit late.”

“Probably not.” Adrien smiled softly, glancing out the window towards her home. “She tends to be up really late.”

“Oh,” Ladybug inhaled, realization striking as she strategically backed up towards the window. “You probably want to call her and check in, right?”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed, rubbing the back of his neck in that endearing way. “She’s probably been really worried.”

“I’ll bet she saw the battle on the news at least,” Ladybug kept smiling, not-so-subtly eyeing the exit for the fastest path home.

Green eyes flying wide, Adrien raced towards his desk to grab his cell phone. “Oh, man. You’re right. She’s probably been terrified.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Ladybug sprinted out, half shouting back over her shoulder.

She could barely hear his distant “Thank you!” but there was no time to stop.

She could swear he had already dialed before she had cleared the windowsill.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #adrinette #ladrien #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #established relationship #pre-reveal #I had the idea and it wouldn't let me be #so here we are #fic teaser #full fic drops tomorrow

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tsuki-chibi · 10 months

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Ladynoir July 2023 Day 19: Viligante

Read all the entries on AO3

It was early when Ladybug arrived at the spot where she and Chat had agreed to meet, so she wasn’t surprised to find that she’d beaten him there. She set down the bag she’d brought with her and then sat down beside it on the grass, leaning back against the trunk of a conveniently placed tree.

She sat there for a moment, eyes shut, before she reached for her bag. It only took her a few seconds to dig out the newspaper. The article on the front page made her hands shake. Even though she knew that she shouldn’t be reading it, she couldn’t help herself. She greedily devoured every single nasty, mean-spirited, cruel, short-sighted word.

She was so involved with the article that she didn’t even notice Chat had arrived until a black, clawed hand pulled the newspaper down. Ladybug blinked into Chat’s exasperated face.

“Why are you reading that?” he asked her. “It upsets you to see what they write about us.”

“Because I need to know,” Ladybug said, gently pulling the newspaper away from him. She folded it up, her heart thumping hard against her ribs, and tucked it back into her bag. She’d read it again later, in the privacy of her own room with only Tikki for company, where she could cry and yell all she liked.

“But you’re better off not knowing,” Chat said.

“I know. But I still need to know. I drive myself crazy thinking about what they could be writing if I don’t know,” Ladybug said. She knew that it made no sense, but that was just how it was.

Chat sighed. “Here.” He procured a tray that held two drinks and held one out to Ladybug. She took the cup and sipped from it, sighing as the taste of coffee rolled over her tongue. Five or six more of these was exactly what she needed to make it through today, but one was a good start.

“Thanks. I brought pastries,” she said, digging the box out. They were the day-old pastries that hadn’t sold yesterday, so she was free to take as many as she liked. She’d stuffed the box to the brim, even including some cheese croissants for Chat to take for Plagg.

Chat took a plain croissant and took a huge bite of it. Ladybug smiled at the sight of his stuffed cheeks, but just as quickly her smile faded. When she looked at Chat, she saw a hero. She saw someone who had tried their hardest to protect Paris from day one, no matter what the personal cost. And make no mistake, Chat had suffered a lot during their quest to stop Hawkmoth.

She didn’t see a vigilante at all.

So why did those writers keep saying that they were?

“You’re ruminating again,” Chat said, grabbing another croissant. “LB, let it go.”

“I can’t let it go! We’re not vigilantes! It’s insulting that they think we are!” Ladybug said, nearly sloshing her coffee all over the place as she gestured frantically.

“It’s not that they think we are,” Chat said calmly. “They want attention. This is an easy way to get it. I see this sometimes in my – in my day job.”

Ladybug eyed him, wondering what he’d been about to say before he amended it. But of course, she couldn’t ask. So she waited for him to explain.

“People will say stuff to be edgy and get publicity. It doesn’t really matter if they believe what they’re saying, or if it’s even true. All that matters is getting the response they want. And right now, it’s working,” Chat told her, nodding towards the newspaper. “Most of Paris is up in arms about this. Whether they agree or disagree, everyone’s talking about it. Alya’s even mentioned it on the Ladyblog.”

“I know,” Ladybug said with a small smile. Alya’s outraged write-up in their defence had been legendary. She had it bookmarked on her computer so she could back to it whenever she started feeling bad.

“It’ll blow over,” Chat said kindly. “This kind of thing always does. Just give it some time, okay?” He reached out and put a hand on her arm, squeezing lightly. “Everyone who matters knows exactly just how much of a hero you are.”

“How much of a hero we both are,” Ladybug corrected him, and Chat smiled.

#miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #pre-reveal #miraculous ficlet #my fics #ladynoirjuly2023

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kuekyuuq · 2 years

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Do we have a fic out there that fully leans into Lena believing Kara is dating Supergirl?

(Because why not, Lena thinks. Kara is adorable and sweet and the Super “so solid, so powerful”. And of course these two beautiful women in her life would rather find happiness with each other than even consider her... But she also understands, why they keep it a secret, going so far to never show up in the same place at the same time, yet apparently always knowing where the other is. Lena won’t push Kara to tell her, but if she helps Kara by sending the Super home on late evenings (with a fresh order of pot stickers to boot) or keeps making sure the Super will make it home in one piece, so Kara never has to worry, or hints at the Super what Kara’s favorites and likes are, or if she sneakily gives Kara tips on how to spice up her f/f relationship, or recreates a Kryptonian flower for Kara to gift to her girlfriend... she’s not trying to project her own feelings into their relationship, no. She’s just being really supportive!)

Point me the way if there’s something like that? If not, feel free to take this as your prompt~

#supercorp #fanfic prompt #fanfic ideas #pre-reveal #early seasons #dear authors #mistaken identities #glasses and a ponytail is a great disguise >.>#two wholly different people really #or maybe Lena is the one who needs glasses?#low-angst and few-drama plot #can be humor #but lena may still need all the hugs...#prolly mostly lena POV but kara's reaction could be fun as well

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valiantlyjollynightmare · 1 year

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five times they didn’t take a polaroid (and one time someone else took one)

my contributions to @lovesquarefanbook :D Rating: G Ao3 Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Realtionships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir / Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Tags: five time, polaroids, getting together, aged up, prom, wedding, future kids, fluff, FLUFF ALL AROUND, inspired by music, marriage proposal, slow dancing, pre-reveal, post-reveal, prpr Number of Words: 4635 Summary: Snapshots of Adrien and Marinette's love story as they grow up - and always, always more in love Read on ao3

Author Notes: This was written for the Happily Ever After Zine, and I have some amazing memories tied to it. More than half of it was written on a bench in the park in front of my dorm building and like. The vibe alone still gives me life.

For maximum enjoyment, check out these songs: The Good Old Days - Macklemore (ft. Kesha) Hymn for the Weekend - Coldplay Queen of Hearts - We The Kings Best Day of My Life - The American Authors Let's Get Married - Bleachers Praf de stele - Vița de vie Fireflies - Owl City Which you can also find in this Spotify Playlist

1. The Good Old Days

When Adrien gives her his present, he’s positively beaming, and his excitement is contagious. His joy translates into curiosity for Marinette, and as she asks if it’s okay to open his present on the spot, he gets even more excited.

It’s not a big box, and the packaging is clumsily done. She loves it all the more. But however much she tries, she still has to tear it to get to what’s inside.

“A couple months back I heard you say that you hate taking pictures because you always drop your phone,” he says at the same time as she finally looks inside.

A camera. And boxes upon boxes of film.

“Now you have something you can’t drop as easily,” he continues.

Marinette can only raise her eyes and gape at him.

He’s positively glowing.

Somehow, she musters some words, looking at the camera one second and him the next. “But this is a Polaroid,” she says in lieu of a proper response. It’s expensive, it’s too much, it’s perfect. “With tons of film!”

He chuckles. And winks. “Go wild!”

“But this must’ve cost you a fortune!”

“Not really,” he says, but he must see the doubt in her eyes.

He leans forward and puts his hands on her shoulders, hitting her with a proud grin. He’s not even trying to hide how pleased with himself he is.

“You deserve so much more! This is just a small present and I hope you like it.”

The last thing she’d want is to make him feel like she doesn’t like his present, but it’s a weird feeling. He might be saying it’s not much, but it doesn’t feel like it.

“I love it!” she sputters her response, mind almost as blank as all the film in the box. “But wow, it feels like a lot.”

Adrien takes his hands off her shoulders, clasping them behind his back and rocking back on his heels.

She misses the warmth of his closeness but at least she can breathe a bit more normally.

“How about this,” he starts again, changing tactics. His expression is thoughtful but there’s still that note of excitement that hasn’t left his eyes. “Since I got yours, I’ve been thinking about getting one for myself too. How about I do that and we become Polaroid buddies?”

On the one hand, she doesn’t want him to spend even more money on her. Can it even be considered spending money on her?

But on the other, she likes the idea of sharing this little thing with him. She imagines them going on photo-taking dates. Being silly, and serious, and artistically invested in the littlest of things—together. And it’s her birthday. She’s allowed to be selfish. Especially when he seems so happy at the idea.

So she gives a tentative nod—and his face lights up again.

“I hope you’ll have so much fun with it!” he says, beaming at her.

It’s her turn to wink at him. “We’ll have fun together.”

“You don’t have to wait until I get mine to start taking photos with yours, though!”

She hums, bringing the camera out of the box to inspect it. She has no idea what to do with it, but she still points it at him.

“I can do this, then?” she asks, smirking as she mimics snapping a photo.

His face takes on the most precious expression—so betrayed, that she can’t help a laugh.

Still chuckling, she puts the camera back in the box not noticing Adrien taking out his phone. The snap of a photo brings her back to reality, and he grins at her, quickly switching off his phone again.

“You won’t even show me?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at him, while trying to sneak a glance at the dark screen.

“Nope, mine now.”

“Then I’ll just have to surprise you with a picture too.”

He lifts a shoulder in a careless half-shrug, but his eyes twinkle and his smile is wide. “I guess it’s on, then.”

Two days later, his chat bubble pops up with three new messages, fired all at once.

He bought his own Polaroid—the exact same model as hers. And Marinette has a photo-date to overthink, scheduled for the next day.

2. Hymn for the Weekend

The déjà vu hits her like thunder and lightning: just a quick flash, but strong—and echoing.

It’s nothing unusual. Just her and Chat Noir at the end of their patrol. The sun is casting him in bronze and gold while the slight summer breeze is turning the moment into something ethereal.

After months of photo-dates, it’s muscle memory, really.

She takes her yoyo, turns it to him, and snaps a picture of his profile in all its glory.

He looks like a snippet of a dream that leaves Ladybug still watching the picture of him even after he turns curious eyes to her.

An eyebrow raised, a corner of his lips quirked up in the beginning of a smile.

She snaps another quick photo.

“You reminded me of a friend right there,” she says, fighting the pull of the picture and reluctantly taking her eyes off of it. Did he remind her of Adrien only after she took the picture? Did she take the picture because he reminded her of Adrien in the first place?

“How so?” he asks, raising his second eyebrow as he turns to her properly.

He makes an exaggerated sound, groaning like an old man as he pulls his legs under him and settles into a more comfortable position.

“I have this friend…” she starts, not quite knowing how to continue.

They take photos together, but it’s more than that. They go on dates, but they’re not quite dates. They spend too much time in front of Adrien’s car talking about the school day and their future plans, and it’s nothing and everything all at once.

She settles on, “We’ve been going around the city to snap pictures for a couple of months now.”

Chat Noir’s face brightens with every word, somehow.

“I didn’t know you were into photography, M’lady!”

“Yeah, I never expected to like it so much,” she admits, opening the gallery on her yoyo. The two pictures of Chat Noir greet her right at the top of her list, innocent and condemning all at once.

She’d been resisting the shy urge to take pictures with her yoyo. It’s no fun if she can’t show them to anyone. But every now and then, every time she sees a building covered in green, or an old couple holding hands, or kids being kids—every time she sees a special moment, she feels the urge to immortalize it in shiny paper and pin it in the album she’d been building.

But the most special of moments are the ones she and Adrien had been competing over—the ones only they are privy to. Sweet little smiles, sunbeams, leaves dusting their shoulders with light; a secret they’re not even aware of and which the other somehow manages to capture.

She still has pictures she hasn’t shown him, all arranged carefully in an album of their own, decorated with washi tape, and fancy markers, and little illustrations she hopes will make Adrien’s day when she finally gives the completed album to him.

And in those two pictures—in those two pictures Chat Noir is Adrien. Lost in thought and ethereally beautiful.

“I’ve been taking a lot of photos recently too,” he says, leaning forward to take a peek at her gallery.

She resists the urge to shy away and reluctantly hands him the yoyo.

“Promising profile pictures, right here,” she says, trying to change the subject. She wants to share every detail with him, yet she wants to hide away those two pictures and put them in a special frame fitting for how precious they feel.

She doesn’t really understand why they feel precious.

“And replace the masterpiece I already have?”

She shakes her head, hoping he thinks it’s a response to the meme he’s had as a profile picture ever since he’d made a Twitter account, but she’s just trying to shake off the feeling that there’s something she’s missing.

The habit seeps into their hero lives, tens of new pictures appearing on her yoyo and his baton.

Two months later she finally finds out what she was missing.

She prints out those two first photos.

One, she adds to Adrien’s album with a smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes. The other, she keeps to herself, to pin in a corner of her corkboard.

3. Best Day of My Life

Chloé could not conceive the idea that they wouldn't have a movie-worthy prom at the end of high school.

Sometimes her stubbornness truly did wonders.

She wanted a prom, so she had a prom—held in her father’s hotel, barely any different than her last birthday party.

But the photo booth is new—set up nicely in a corner, a sparkly curtain as background and a table full of props right beside.

It’s the first thing Marinette notices when she enters the room with Alya, Nino and Adrien, eyes going back to it even as Alya leads them to their table.

Chloé is impatiently tapping her foot when they get there. Her shoes make the sound carry even over the music. It’s just background noise for the moment, only loud enough to cover up the emptiness.

“Took you long enough,” she says, slightly annoyed.

Marinette turns right in time to catch her rolling her eyes, so she quirks an eyebrow as she sets down her purse on the table. She meant to say something, but her mind chose to focus entirely on the way Adrien pulled a chair for her, instead.

She sits down and hopes her makeup hides the blush she feels rising to her face as Adrien pushes her chair and takes the seat next to her.

“We aren’t even late, no one else is here yet,” Nino says, taking off his blazer and rolling his sleeves.

“Well, you’re the organizers, you’re supposed to be here early.”

Marinette is quick to respond. “You hired an entire team to make sure this runs smoothly. You didn’t let us lift a finger for this.”

Not that it affects Chloé in the slightest. “You’re the organizer’s friends, you’re supposed to be here early.”

“You got bored and told me to hurry up,” Adrien finally speaks up, snorting, but Marinette has seen his excitement.

He could barely contain it.

If Chloé hadn’t called him, he would’ve showed up early anyway. Chloé only called an hour early. He’d shown up on Marinette’s balcony even earlier, catsuit dissolving into slacks and a navy button-up, sleeves rolled up his forearms and a tie hanging undone around his neck.

He made Marinette do the knot. Then started pestering her to dress up too.

Then Chloé called and she actually did start to dress up

“My point exactly.”

“Well, we hurried up,” Alya said, pouring herself a glass of water and watching Chloé over the brim. “What now?”

“Now you wonder at my competence and then we go take pictures.”

They laugh. Because it’s their prom, and it’s like in the movies, and it’s surreal. And it’s funny, it’s so funny, how they’re here and living a moment that’s supposed to be big, and important, and big.

It’s their moment.

And, well, isn’t it? They’re alone in an enormous ballroom, and their excitement charges the air like electricity before a storm.

Marinette takes a hold of the camera hanging from her neck and takes it off with a sigh, glancing at the photo booth. “This is useless isn’t it?”

It wasn’t a burden per se. But it was still bulky enough to be slightly inconvenient. And it was one more thing to keep an eye on all night.

“Of course not,”Adrien jumps in, taking it from her hands fast enough that she doesn’t have time to react.

They’ve been doing it long enough to know what’s going to happen next.

Marinette closes her eyes, but she’s smiling.

The camera shutters and a photo comes out with a whoosh that she’s all too familiar with.

Before the first people start showing up, they’ve already hit the photo booth three times. They have complete reign over the machine, and they can pick whatever props they want.

Marinette especially loves the set of photos where all of them are wearing wigs and laughing at each other instead of paying attention to the screen.

The night is less magical than she imagined, yet somehow more. Just in a different way. There’s laughter—a lot more than she’d expected. And dancing—a lot of jumping around rather than the slow dances she’d been hoping for. And there’s their group stuffing their faces with the Dupain-Chengs’ fantastic pastries that Chloé made sure wouldn’t be missing.

Then, there’s the waltz. It’s the epitome of what she’d dreamed of—and it’s not. It’s her, and Adrien, with absolutely no space between them, laughing the whole time, as Adrien looks at her like she’s the stars and the moon, and—is it really something new? Is it not how she looks at him as well?

She dares a spark of hope, but she’s too busy enjoying the moment—being content—to really think about it or be disappointed that nothing really happens. There’s no dip and kiss at the end, there’s no dramatic confession following their clumsy attempt at being dramatic dancers.

The night is young until it isn’t, and when they go for a final round of photos after most students have already left it’s just their group again. Marinette’s feet hurt, and her cheeks hurt, but she’s happy.

She picks up a headband with antennae on top and hands Adrien one with cat ears—a subtle nod at everything they’re hiding, just for them to see and remember.

He’s holding a thin stick with a message to his chest, so close to him, she can’t see what it’s written on it, but she smiles. He returns the smile as he takes the prop from her and puts it on his head with a mischievous excitedness she simply loves.

She sets up the machine, and takes a quick look at Adrien on the screen. The countdown has already started, but he’s not looking at her, he’s looking at the message with a thoughtful expression.

She doesn't think much of it, until she’s next to him, eyes still glued to the screen, and the message is turned around for her to finally see.

It’s reversed, on the screen. Seen in the mirror. But she could read those words upside down and in a hundred languages and still know what they mean.

The count is down to one. She hears the snap of the photo, but everything is already lost to her. It’s only Adrien and the Comic Sans “I love you” he holds with a nervous expression, and his eyes—on her, only ever on her.

That first photo catches her with an open mouth and wide eyes. The second, has Adrien handing her the message—clumsily, somehow still unsure, as if she hasn’t been dreaming of that for the past too many years. The third—the third shows her with her hands on his cheeks and their eyes locked together carrying a conversation only they can understand.

And the last, gloriously big, bigger than all other three, with a fancy generic message at the bottom to remind them it’s from their prom and nowhere else—the last shows them finally, finally kissing.

4. Let’s Get Married

There are icy webs covering the locks on Pont des Arts, and stray snowflakes lingering on them when the wind doesn’t blow.

Adrien catches a picture of her looking at one before she even has the time to register what he’s doing.

His laughter fills the air with warmth when she raises her polaroid to take one of him as well.

He puts the photos safely in a bag he always carries for these dates and goes to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

The kiss was only half an excuse to get close enough to ask quietly, “Is he still there?”

A quick glance over his shoulder gives her the answer. He is. He’s barely trying to be sneaky anymore.

The man has been following them for the better part of their date—clumsily, probably a beginner, still eager for the easy money that came with intruding in a celebrity’s personal life.

After they first noticed him, they tried ignoring him.They’re not doing anything interesting, just taking photos the same way they do every month on photo-dates which have long since become tradition. But the man is persistent.

So Marinette nods and Adrien catches her hand in his with a resigned sigh. “I’m starting to doubt he’ll get bored of us.”

“You’d think he would after watching two people walk around and take pictures of random things for an hour.”

He pouts at her. “I only took pictures of you! Please, give me some credit.”

“Always, Chaton. But you should really slow down or we’ll need to buy another album before spring is even here.”

“Can’t help it when you’re the most beautiful person to walk the earth,” he says, squeezing her hand and going for a quick peck.

Eyes half lidded, she doesn’t give up. “You see me everyday.”

“And every day I thank God for that.”

The kiss they share is a proper one this time, sweet and warm, though still much too quick. For a second, they’re silent after.

“I can't wait until you’re the first thing I see in the morning,” Adrien finally says.

She can’t either, but she can’t help teasing him either way. “Bleary eyes, and morning breath, and all?”

“And messy hair and the most gorgeous eyes, yes,” he responds, giving her a wink.

She sees the moment he gets the idea. He squints the slightest bit as his eyes gleam with more mischievousness rather than love and blissfulness.

“I think I know how to deal with our stalker.”

“He does not need to know we’re moving in together.”

He laughs, because it’s absurd but because it’s still a bit surreal too. They’re doing it. They’re moving in together.

“I mean, that would work too,” he says, still chuckling. “But that’s not what I had in mind.”

She quirks an eyebrow. There’s an extremely simple solution to this, and she still feels obligated to say it—just for the sake of it, really.

“We could just continue our walk, get into the bakery like we planned and get it over with quietly.”

But.

“But where’s the fun in that, princess.”

After all, birds of a feather flock together.

So she moves her head with a curious little shake and waits for him to voice his idea. He doesn’t disappoint.

“We could give them the real big news.”

She squints her eyes. “Not even all of our friends know yet.”

“We better get around to telling everyone faster, then. The photos would take at least until tomorrow to come out though.”

And then, with his most Chat Noir smirk, he lands the killing blow. “I can make it look like an accident.”

It’s her turn to laugh.

“I’m not even wearing gloves, he might have already seen the ring.”

“I think he needs to be hand-held into taking his precious picture,” he says, raising her left hand ever so slightly and asking for permission with his eyes.

She can’t help the giddy smile on her face—she’s been wearing it almost constantly for the entire two days they’ve been engaged.

Marinette briefly entertains the idea of being responsible, but she’s too happy to think rationally. She wants to shout her happiness to the whole world, she wants to talk about his love for hours on end, she wants everyone to know, and even though they’d discussed keeping their engagement a secret, they knew they couldn’t escape it getting out with how much people still fawned over Adrien.

So she lets him raise her hand further, bringing it to his lips in a cheeky kiss that still fills her with all the warmth in the world.

Maybe the paparazzo misses that too, but they stop paying attention to him, and in the twenty minutes left until they’re back to her house, they change the subject altogether. Talking about their future wedding is much better after all.

And when, properly zoomed in and dramatically showcased, the picture of Adrien kissing her hand—her ring—makes the front page of a gossip rag the very next day, their wedding becomes the talk of a lot more people.

5. Stardust

As the confetti explodes in the air around them and the fireworks in the cake light up their faces, Marinette feels so overwhelmed with happiness she could cry.

After a year of talking, and planning, and preparing, she and Adrien are married.

Adrien’s eyes are already on her when she turns her head to him, his gaze already soft and even more loving than usual. The fireworks bring to life a spark that was always there but which now everyone can see, not just him, not just her.

Their glasses clink as they toast, and the people cheer.

They’re on top of the world.

She’s having the time of her life.

Though her feet ache, Marinette is still reluctant to take a break and just sit down.

She goes outside instead, and even though she’s not exactly inconspicuous, she’s still able to steal a moment for herself on the furthest edge of the pool outside of their venue.

She watches the fairy lights hanging above, glimmering in the still water below.

The summer night is still warm, but there are few people enjoying it. Most of the guests that haven’t left for the night yet are inside, taking advantage of the remaining moments of music and fun.

The night is beautiful, but the end of the party is looming in the calmer atmosphere and the music that only faintly reaches outside anymore.

Arms crossed lightly to her chest and eyes focused on the lights, she doesn’t notice Adrien until he gives himself away.

The telltale click of his old Polaroid going off startles her—and has her smiling.

“You’re a sight to behold, My Lady,” he says, catching the photo coming out of the camera with practiced ease and slipping it into his vest’s pocket before it even starts showing.

His sleeves are rolled up his forearms and his tie has long since been abandoned on the back of his chair. He’s glorious.

“That’s the pot calling the kettle back, Chaton.”

She lifts up the camera hanging from his neck and turns to put it away on a lounge chair nearby.

They gravitate towards each other like they always do, her arms around his neck and his around her waist the second she’s back, all the space between them lost as they embrace.

The music inside is a boppy tune from before they were even born, but it’s music, and that’s all Adrien needs to start swaying gently, with small movements of his feet that Marinette has no trouble following despite her tiredness.

They’re in their own little bubble, and Marinette wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Tired, Bugaboo?” he asks after a minute or two of rocking away in silence.

Her only response is a neutral ‘mm’, but she tears herself away from him to see him better.

The proximity makes her catch a stray sparkle in his hair and whatever she wants to say is forgotten as she focuses on that instead.

“There’s confetti in your hair,” she realizes with a chuckle.

“There is?”

She hums a confirmation, but doesn’t make any move to take it away, and neither does he. “Stardust,” she says, eyes drifting back to his.

So the confetti stays, and they keep swaying, gentle smile brightening his face more than the fairy lights.

“Maybe we should go back in,” he says after a while.

She only gets back closer and grumbles, “Too tired.”

But he picks her up with years of practice in sweeping her off her feet, and startles a squeak out of her—and a giggle.

“People will think we’ve left.”

“People can see to their dances and leave us alone for a second,” she mumbles, arms tightening around his neck, but as he starts walking back towards the venue, she gets a better idea.

Tearing herself away from his warmth for the slightest bit, she finds the confetti and takes it away. “Stardust privileges revoked,” she says, trying to tease him.

She could never beat the master.

“Only if you left me,” he whispers, the corner of his mouth going up. And rubbing his nose to hers, he puts her back down.

Later that week, Alya sends Marinette a picture with no context and no caption. It shows her beside the pool, but in the background, Adrien is carrying Marinette, faces close together and noses touching.

+1. Fireflies

Marinette looks at the muffins on the cupboard with a frown and a hand on her hip.

She’d overestimated how much vanilla they had in their kitchen.

She calls for Adrien, hoping he’d go on a shopping trip as impromptu as her baking, but there’s no response.

It doesn’t take her long to find him, but the sight she’s met with stuns her.

There are pictures everywhere, scattered on the floor and in open albums thrown carelessly around Hugo’s room, with Adrien, Hugo and Emma in the middle of their mess, completely absorbed by the stories in front of them.

Their old cameras are there too—on Hugo’s desk, proud, but dusty. It’s been so long since she’s seen them—since they’d touched them.

She couldn't even remember when they’d put them in the attic—she couldn’t even imagine what prompted Adrien to bring them down.

Her family beckon her to them when they notice her, and she decides her muffins can wait.

The realization that they let go of this hobby is bitter. They used to go out regularly for photo dates, they have so many photos they don’t even know what to do with all of them, the memories are sweet.

There are even still unopened boxes of film beside them—all expired.

As she goes back to the kitchen with Adrien in tow, she gives voice to her thoughts; the idea of buying more film and picking their polaroids up again is thrown around, although more as an abstract thing.

But soon enough, as she’s covering the muffins in whipped cream instead of the vanilla neither of them felt like buying, and Adrien stealing muffins like there’s no tomorrow, the telltale shutter of a polaroid makes them realize how much they’ve truly missed it.

Hugo, ever the spitting image of his mother, stands there with the camera in hand and his father’s grin on his face, his sister just a step behind him with the other Polaroid in tow.

“I wanted to see if they’re still working,” he says, and they’re curious too.

They fill the time needed until the photo finally shows with muffin tasting and banter, but Marinette can’t help stealing glances at the film far too often.

The final picture is tinted yellow and has black stains around the upper edges. But there they are, her and Adrien in all their glory, being as in love as they’d been as kids.

Over her shoulder, Adrien lets out a chuckle.

The next day he’s home with a bunch of new boxes of film and an excited grin on his lips.