Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After leaving his lady to deal with Syren on her own, Chat Noir stopped on a random rooftop away from the battle and de-transformed. A few seconds later, Adrien Agreste stood where Chat Noir used to be, along with a tiny black cat who was not happy with his chosen.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The tiny cat, Plagg, asked angrily.

Adrien blinked, not expecting his usually lazy kwami to sound angry, but mentally shook himself out of his surprise and scoffed. “Ladybug doesn’t love me Plagg, so I’m showing her how I feel.”

The way his chosen said that, in such a matter-of-fact tone (and was that a hint of pride in his voice?) as if he truly believed what he did was the right thing to do, only made Plagg both disappointed and even angrier than before. Never, in all of his years of being bound to a miraculous, has Plagg had such a stubborn and idiotic Chat Noir as the one he currently works with.

Don’t get him wrong; at first, Plagg took pity on the sheltered little boy who had everything but freedom handed to him on a silver platter. Initially, Plagg didn’t want to work with Adrien, something about him gave Plagg a feeling that Adrien wasn’t the one he was actually supposed to work with. However, after seeing just how stifling Adrien’s life is, with a schedule so full there would rarely be time for friends even if he actually had any before receiving his miraculous, Plagg decided that if the old guardian Fu decided Adrien was worthy for the miraculous, then he might as well allow the kid to experience the taste of freedom. The fact that his new chosen was rich enough to buy him the most expensive Camembert in Paris on a daily basis was simply a small bonus. Unfortunately, Plagg didn’t take into account just how…unstable Adrien actually is due to his lack of parental figures in his life (and boy, did that make Plagg upset) and lack of understanding social cues due to his isolation growing up. On top of that, the last time Plagg was active, social cues were very different back then, and constantly adapting to how society works every few centuries got tiring enough that he simply didn’t care anymore. Now, however, Plagg regrets not being more serious with Adrien, because maybe if he had been just a little stricter, he would’ve been able to teach Adrien how to stand up for himself and to respect people’s boundaries, especially if he claims to love said people. He also should’ve taught Adrien that being Chat Noir was a responsibility-before-fun type of deal, just so he wouldn’t abuse his powers too much; he still wanted the kid to enjoy his freedom after all.

Plagg was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize Adrien had taken his silence as a sign to begin whatever rant he had been saving up since he abandoned Ladybug to defeat the akuma on her own until something Adrien said simultaneously caught his attention and made him stiffen in shock.

“—besides, at least this way once Ladybug understands how I feel, she’ll apologize and I’ll forgive her because I could never stay too mad at My Lady, then I’ll swoop in and save her, and then she’ll have to give me a chance to date her!” Adrien finished, panting from what seemed to be a long rant about how he was doing this to knock some sense into Ladybug or something along those lines and looking far too smug for Plagg’s liking. Plagg honestly couldn’t bother learning exactly what Adrien was talking about; he understood more than enough to reignite his anger that had slowly faded away as he was thinking about his initial thoughts on his chosen.

However, before Plagg could even open his mouth to scold Adrien, a swarm of ladybugs flew past them, getting rid of the water as it did. Relief immediately replaced Plagg’s anger; however, he also felt sadness creep up on him as well. Knowing that Ladybug was able to defeat Syren on her own is a good thing, Paris would’ve been in even more danger if she couldn’t, however, knowing that if it wasn’t for his stupid chosen Ladybug wouldn’t have had to fight the akuma on her own made the sadness Plagg felt grow the more he dwelled on that particular thought. Sadly, Adrien didn’t share Plagg’s relief over Ladybug handling the akuma by herself. In fact, he seemed…annoyed, possibly angry.

“I can’t believe it! Ladybug defeated Syren without me! I bet she didn’t even bother to look for me either! How could she do this to me? Does she even understand how I feel at all?” Plagg tuned Adrien out, having heard enough. He could only sigh sadly and shake his head in disappointment as he waited for Adrien to either finish ranting and transform so they could go home or notice that if citizens saw him ranting angrily on a rooftop people might begin to talk.

Plagg felt sorry for Tikki’s bug, now that he realizes just how bad his chosen has become, he hoped she was okay. He could only imagine how stressed out and overwhelmed she must have felt when her partner, who was supposed to have her back, abandoned her simply because she didn’t return his feelings. Of course, Plagg now knew that wasn’t true, not exactly at least. Thanks to Dark Owl, Plagg knows that Ladybug’s civilian self, one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, has a crush on Adrien. At least, she did have a crush on him, a massive one at that. However, it seems something changed in Tikki’s bug and she has learned to get a handle of her emotions for Adrien, or she has moved on from him. With his knowledge of just how bad Adrien has become, and knowing that he will most likely only get worse even if he interfered, Plagg hoped it was the latter. That poor girl doesn’t need to worry about him, Plagg thought.

Adrien sighed loudly, regaining Plagg’s attention without even knowing that he lost it. “Oh well, I’ll just have to talk to her either the next time an akuma appears or during patrol next week. If only Ladybug would allow us to reveal ourselves to each other, then I could just call her now and see if she’s sorry.”

Oh, not this again, Plagg thought as he rolled his eyes. That was another thing Adrien couldn’t, or perhaps wouldn’t, understand. He was constantly pushing the topic of revealing their identities to Ladybug, despite knowing why they shouldn’t. However, Plagg knew that getting Adrien to drop not only the topic of revealing his identity to Ladybug but also the idea that Ladybug was in the wrong for his chosen throwing a temper tantrum when citizens were drowning would be pointless for now, so he said nothing and simply flew into Adrien’s breast pocket.

As Adrien made his way home, Plagg hoped that tomorrow would be better, not realizing how wrong he was, and neither of them noticed Adrien’s phone buzz with a new Twitter notification sent from the Culpa business account.

Chapter Text

He left her.

The thought plagued Marinette’s mind, even as she managed to fight and defeat Syren (on her own because he left her, a voice whispered in her head), even as she restored everything and de-transformed in an alleyway near her family’s bakery. The thought constantly repeated itself in her mind even as she entered her home and reassured her parents that she was fine (but she wasn’t, not really, because Chat Noir abandoned her when she needed him, when PARIS needed him, the voice continued to whisper) and walked upstairs to her room with the excuse of being too exhausted to eat. It wasn’t a lie, Marinette was exhausted and far too concerned with other, more important, things to worry about than eating dinner (like wondering why, why did he leave her, why did he abandon her?). She wasn’t sure if her parents would stop her and ask her to eat dinner first, they refuse to allow anyone to starve, especially their own daughter, but they seemed to understand that something must’ve happened if the concerned glances they gave each other suggested as they let her go.

Now that she was in her room, away from prying eyes and ears, Marinette collapsed onto her chaise, too exhausted to climb the stairs up to her bed. Of course, now that she was alone, there was nothing stopping her from thinking about Chat Noir, her partner, abandoning her simply because…because she didn’t love him. That wasn’t true, not exactly. Marinette did love him; she just wasn’t in love with him as he is with her. She thought he understood that, especially after what happened with Glaciator. He even told her that her friendship meant everything to him, but it seems getting her love is more important than settling for her friendship; and that…that hurts. It hurts knowing that her partner, one of her best friends, cares more about getting her to love him romantically than simply being her friend. It hurts even more knowing that because she doesn’t feel the way he wants her to feel about him, Chat Noir is willing to let innocent people drown simply because he’s upset.

Marinette was vaguely aware of Tikki trying to talk to her, most likely trying to ask if she was okay, but she could barely hear over her own thoughts plaguing her head. Does her friendship really mean that little to him? Does he even care about being a superhero or was this seriously just a game to him? Does he even care that citizens were dying when they could’ve been saved if he hadn’t taken his time to throw a temper tantrum? Didn’t he tell her that he understood when she told him she loved someone else? Why can’t he understand? Why did he yell at her when she didn’t do anything wrong? Why did he leave her? Why why why?

“Marinette!” A voice, Tikki’s voice, exclaimed. Marinette blinked, blearily realizing that she was panting heavily and her cheeks were wet. Raising a trembling hand to touch her cheek, she confirmed what she already knew. She didn’t even notice that she had started to cry. Tikki floated in front of her, big blue eyes gazing at her own worriedly. She waited as Marinette regained her breath, thankful that no akumas had come for her chosen while she had her episode.

“Are you okay?” Tikki asked softly, then mentally face-palmed. Of course her chosen wasn’t okay, she was vaguely aware of what Chat Noir had done during the battle against Syren; she just hadn’t known that Marinette would be this shaken over it.

“…He left, Tikki.” Marinette whispered, voice hoarse from crying. Saying it only made it even more real, even more painful to acknowledge. However, underneath the overwhelming feeling of sadness, a spark of anger was beginning to grow, and Marinette didn’t know if she wanted to put out that spark or let it burn.

“Did he say why he had to leave?” Tikki asked tentatively. While she was aware that Chat Noir left in the middle of the battle, she had felt Plagg’s energy moving further and further away until he was on the other side of the city after all, she was not aware of the reason why. Perhaps his identity was at risk of being discovered if he did not go to a specific place at the time, although that was a hollow guess. Not only was the city being flooded at the time, but he also should have been able to find a way to come back and help Marinette without causing suspicion.

Before she could voice her theories on why Chat Noir left in the middle of a battle, to reassure her chosen and herself, Marinette spoke up.

“He left because I didn’t love him the way he wants me to.” She said quietly, her voice just slightly louder than a whisper and still hoarse. Tikki paused, not expecting that of all things to be the reason Chat Noir would leave.

“…He what?” Surely, Marinette was just exaggerating. There is no way Chat Noir would just leave, in the middle of a battle no less, simply because her chosen did not love him romantically. However, if that wasn’t the case, why did he leave in the first place?

“He left because I didn’t love him the way he wants me to.” Marinette repeated slowly, the sadness she felt clearing for bafflement to take place. That spark of anger was also steadily rising the more she said those words as well, along with indignation.

Now that she was no longer crying, Marinette took a few moments to think back on the one-sided shouting match she and Chat Noir had. It wasn’t even about love, not at first, at least. She used her Lucky Charm, which produced a potion bowl, and was about to leave to meet Master Fu. All Marinette had said was that she could not tell Chat where she was going and then suddenly he started shouting at her, complaining that she didn’t love him. She had expected him to be upset, angry even, but she did not expect him to shout at her, and she especially did not expect the reason for his anger to be that she did not return his affections. He had yelled at her, shouting that if she truly cared about him, loved him (she tried to tell him that she didn’t love him that way, but he didn’t listen), then she wouldn’t keep secrets. He left shortly after that, and she stood there in a daze before she began to cry. She only cried for a few minutes, however, before she stood up and made her way to Master Fu’s massage parlor.

Master Fu. Oh, how hard it was to tell him that Chat Noir was not going to be assisting her in the battle. She hadn’t told Tikki about what Chat Noir said until now, and while she didn’t want to tell Master Fu, he had sensed she was distracted by something as they worked on the potions that allowed Tikki to transform and gently coaxed her problems out of her. He had gone strangely silent, and Marinette had assumed that he was simply surprised at the time. What she didn’t know, however, was that he was actually starting to realize that perhaps he had made a mistake in choosing the current Chat Noir.

Tikki, on the other hand, was beginning to feel an emotion that she only very rarely felt, anger. Normally Tikki is a very forgiving kwami, choosing to have the benefit of doubt and give others many chances to do the right thing. Her far-too-forgiving nature was seen as naive by the other kwamis, and while they are right in most cases, her choice to forgive and forget has managed to make some people change their ways for the better. However, that is unimportant, because right now, Tikki has never wanted to skin a cat as much as she does at this moment.

How dare that…that self-absorbed child abandon her chosen in the middle of a life-or-death situation simply because she didn’t return his affections? Although, that is not exactly true, Tikki thought as she glanced at one of Adrien’s pictures on Marinette’s walls. There are a lot less of them than there were before, and while she has calmed down considerably around Adrien, Tikki knew that her chosen still has a crush on him, even if it is much smaller than it was a few months ago. After the battle with Dark Owl, Tikki had wanted nothing more than to tell Marinette that Adrien is Chat Noir, seeing as they were in love with each other this whole time. However, she knew she couldn’t, so instead she tried to encourage Marinette to talk to Adrien and get to know him more. Then a new student transferred to their class, a stoic and cold boy named Felix, who ended up befriending and getting along with Marinette surprisingly well. While she does not act the same way she used to act around Adrien, Tikki had a feeling that her chosen was developing a crush on Felix.

At first, Tikki had mixed feelings about Felix, seeing as his stoicism and cold demeanor made him seen as the black sheep in Marinette’s class. However, somehow, Marinette managed to befriend him, and Tikki was able to witness a new side of the stoic boy that sat in the back of the class. He had a penchant for causing and enjoying chaos, which made Tikki briefly think that he would have been a great Chat Noir if things were different.

She shouldn’t be thinking about that right now. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to have words with Adrien and make him regret making her chosen cry. Focus! Tikki mentally shook her head. As angry as she was, Marinette was her main priority right now. She had come to see Marinette as close to a daughter as she could actually have, and it broke her heart seeing her cry, plus she refused to allow her chosen to be taken advantage of by Hawkmoth, not now and not ever.

“Did you tell Master Fu about this?” Tikki asked gently.

“I didn’t want to but yes, I told him when we were working on that power-up potion earlier,” Marinette said, looking down at her fidgeting hands.

“What did he say?” She wanted to know if she would have to convince Master Fu of dealing with Chat Noir or if she would have to do so herself.

“He didn’t say anything, he just went really quiet and I decided to leave it at that.” Marinette replied, pausing to wonder what Master Fu would do about this. She did not want to admit it, not to herself and especially not to Tikki and Master Fu, but after what happened earlier, Marinette no longer trusted Chat Noir to have her back in battle. A part of her still had hope that things would be better the next time an akuma attacks, but that part was small compared to her steadily growing doubts and anger towards her partner.

“…I see.” Tikki frowned thoughtfully; she did not know what Master Fu would do about Chat Noir, and still planned to have words with him about Plagg’s chosen, but for now, she will focus on Marinette.

“Tikki, is it bad that a part of me doesn’t trust Chat Noir to have my back anymore?” Marinette asked, staring at her kwami with a tentative yet sad look in her eyes that Tikki never wanted to see on her chosen’s face.

Tikki frowned, “While it is bad that you don’t trust him anymore, it’s also completely understandable given what he’s done to make you lose trust in him in the first place.”

Now she’d really have to talk to Master Fu, the ladybug and black cat miraculous are supposed to be balanced, both wielders need to trust each other completely, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to fight together efficiently and effectively. If Marinette is starting to lose trust in Chat Noir, then the chances of Hawkmoth getting their miraculous have gone even higher than they already are.

“What should I do, Tikki?” Marinette asked. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and wanted to just curl up in bed and forget about today, but she couldn’t. She needed to talk to Chat Noir, needed to set the record straight with him. She needed to make sure he knew that she could not tell him certain things not because she did not love him, but because they are not her secrets to tell. She needed to reassure him that she wants to trust him and tell him these things, but she cannot and she won’t if he’s going to…to throw a temper tantrum and yell at her over it.

“We can worry about Chat Noir later. For now, I think you should get something to eat and then get some sleep. It is still a school night after all, and you haven’t eaten anything since this morning.” Tikki replied, mentally thinking about what she’ll say to Master Fu when she gets the chance to talk to him.

Marinette nodded, she hadn’t even realized how late it had become, nor how hungry she was, and while she wanted to think about how she’d approach Chat Noir, she was far too tired to disagree with Tikki. She stood up, wobbling a bit due to her legs being numb from lack of use, and made her way downstairs to freshen up and get a snack, grabbing her pajamas on the way.

A few minutes later, Marinette returned, clad in a white tank top and pink sweatpants and feeling slightly better than before. She made her way to her bed, handing Tikki a macaroon as she walked by. Tikki thanked her then flew towards Marinette’s chaise, eating her macaroon in silence as she heard her chosen shuffle around in bed for a few minutes before stopping, the sound of soft snores quickly filling the air.

After waiting for about five minutes to make sure Marinette was asleep, Tikki made her way to Marinette’s desk where she left her phone and turned it on. A few hours ago, Marinette’s phone chimed with a Twitter notification from the Culpa business account. Marinette was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice, but Tikki did. Now, as she read the caption that accompanied a video, Tikki felt dread wash over her. Watching the video only confirmed her fears, someone managed to witness and record Chat Noir shouting at Ladybug, and judging from the likes and re-tweets, many other citizens have witnessed it as well by now.

Well, we can’t do anything about it now, Tikki thought, sighing quietly. Now she really needed to talk to Master Fu, but she will worry about that in the morning. She turned off Marinette’s phone and flew up to Marinette’s bed, kissing her cheek before snuggling next to her on one of her pillows.

Tomorrow will certainly be interesting at least, Tikki thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Felix has never felt more amused than he does now as he walked to class, hearing the students around him talk about the video. Although, you would never guess he was enjoying himself considering his facial expression is mostly emotionless, with only a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes that very few people would notice unless they knew him well enough.

After posting that video of Chat Noir yelling at Ladybug and leaving her to face Syren on her own onto his family’s official Twitter account, Felix immediately went home. He ate dinner with his parents, reassuring them that he was alright and relieved to know that they were fine as well after that terrifying flood earlier that day. Thankfully, they were okay with him posting that video on their business-related Twitter account, with his mother even encouraging him to post it. He finished his dinner, bid his parents goodnight and went to sleep, eagerly awaiting the chaos that was sure to unfold the next day.

He was far from disappointed as he woke up the next day, his phone constantly buzzing with notifications from all forms of social media, each one most definitely about the video. As he looked at the flat-screen TV in his bedroom, which was currently playing on the news channel, he noticed that the video seemed to be the only thing people were talking about as well, which only made Felix even more amused.

Serves that stupid cat right, Felix thought smugly. He had never liked Chat Noir, he seemed far too childish and spent most of his time flirting with Ladybug and making jokes when he should have been focusing on the battle, which more often than not led to the cat-themed superhero taken out of the battle, whether from mind-control or getting captured.

Felix had always felt bad for Ladybug in that regard, seeing as unlike everyone else who tended to think the two superheroes made a good couple (Felix made an effort to avoid glaring at the Ladyblogger, Alya, at this thought), he was aware that Ladybug didn’t seem to be interested in her partner romantically.

From what Felix could understand based on the few interactions between Ladybug and Chat Noir that had been caught on film during akuma attacks, the superheroine tries to let her partner down gently. Even if she was annoyed or frustrated with Chat Noir, Ladybug rarely showed it and always seemed patient and gentle with her partner. Although, Felix would have told the idiotic cat off if he were in Ladybug’s position, especially after the recent one-sided shouting match the two superheroes had.

Thinking about the spotted hero made Felix wonder if she was okay. He had watched her cry after Chat Noir left, after all, and Felix respected the superheroine even more than he already did after watching her compose herself and leave to face the akuma even though it was easy to see that she was hurt by her partner’s actions. Seeing how strong Ladybug’s resolve to protect the city of Paris, to the point where she pushes her personal feelings aside to deal with when everything’s all said and done, only made Felix wonder, not for the first time mind you, what Ladybug had done to deserve such an incompetent partner in the form of Chat Noir.

Voices steadily growing louder as Felix neared Ms. Bustier’s classroom pulled him out of his thoughts, and Felix blinked as he realized he had already grabbed his books from his locker and was now standing outside of his class. Mentally berating himself for being so lost in thought, Felix listened in on what his classmates seemed to be talking about, smirking when he realized they were having a debate about the video he posted. This should be interesting, he thought.

As he was about to enter the classroom, however, something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. Glancing to his left, Felix’s eyebrows raised in slight surprise, seeing as Marinette Dupain-Cheng herself was slowly walking to class, fidgeting with her purse as she stared at her feet. Felix was surprised to see Marinette for two reasons; not only because she was early to class, which he quickly learned upon transferring to Collège Françoise Dupont is a rare occurrence, but also because she seemed…withdrawn, for lack of a better term, compared to her usual cheerful and kind personality.

Felix frowned, wondering what was wrong with his friend. Marinette is Felix’s only friend at this school, mostly because she was the only one in their class that Felix tolerated when he first transferred to their school. However, after getting to know Marinette more, Felix felt comfortable admitting to himself that she is his friend. She respects his privacy and boundaries, only gently encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone every now and then.

She never tried to befriend him simply because of his family’s company, and considering she loves fashion and his family’s company revolves around the manufacturing field for said fashion, that was surprising to Felix, at first at least. He had asked Marinette why she did not try to take advantage of him and his resources, genuinely curious, when her answer surprised him even more.

“I refuse to take advantage of others just to get what I want. I want to be a fashion designer when I’m older, and I want to do it with my own resources and skills, not because I’m friends with people who could bribe others to give me what I want.” Marinette had said, her voice sounding appropriately offended for someone who had been asked such an accusing question.

Felix had asked that question a few weeks after becoming a student, having grown curious and slightly annoyed at Marinette and her never-ending kindness towards him. She had always tried to make sure he was adjusting to the new school well and always made sure to include him in activities she and their classmates were doing, leaving him alone with only a gentle smile and a reassuring “Let me know if you change your mind” whenever he declined her offers. After apologizing to Marinette for coming off as rude, she forgave him and they continued to enjoy their day. That was also the day Felix officially considered Marinette his friend, and he has been glad to call her such ever since.

To see his friend look so withdrawn, especially when everyone else was more concerned with the video of Chat Noir’s true colors being revealed all over the internet, made Felix worry that something terrible had happened to his friend. However, that still left the question: What exactly happened to Marinette?

There is only one way to find out, I suppose, Felix thought, stepping away from the classroom doorway and making his way towards Marinette. He did not want to draw attention to himself or his friend by yelling for her, and he had a feeling that whatever was bothering Marinette would be best to talk about in private.

Marinette was worried and slightly panicking, but mostly worried.

She had woken up early the next day, thoughts of Chat Noir and his actions during the Syren battle had made it difficult for Marinette to sleep as long as she usually did. On the bright side, at least she would get to school on time for once. However, that little bonus still did not ease her mood. She did not know why, but Marinette had a feeling that something was wrong. Tikki also seemed to be worried about something, which did not help calm her nerves and only made the bad feeling she had even more prominent.

Marinette shook her head, choosing to focus on getting ready for school and ignore the bad feeling she had. If something was wrong then Tikki would tell me, Marinette thought, trying to reassure herself as she got dressed and put her hair into its usual pigtails. Tikki flew into her purse as Marinette grabbed it and walked downstairs to get breakfast and leave, snatching her phone as well as she walked.

“Might as well see what time it is,” Marinette murmured. However, before she could turn on her phone, her mother’s gasp caught her attention. Looking up, Marinette saw her parents watching the news with shock on their faces. Fearing that it was an akuma attack, she looked at the TV as well. Oh, how Marinette wished it was an akuma attack instead of what was on TV. Instead, Marinette felt dread wash over her as Nadja Chamack talked about a video posted on Twitter, displaying Chat Noir yelling at Ladybug as said video played in the corner of the screen.

“Approximately an hour after the akuma known as Syren attacked, the Culpa family’s official Twitter account posted a video of Chat Noir yelling at Ladybug for not returning his affections and then leaving her to face the akuma on her own,” Nadja was saying. Marinette flinched at the reminder.

“Witnesses report that near the end of the battle, only Ladybug arrived to defeat the akuma, with a new look as well, which further proves that Chat Noir abandoned his duties during the middle of a very dangerous akuma attack.” Nadja continued. Marinette did not hear the rest of what Nadja was saying after that, too busy trying to get her thoughts in order before her parents noticed she was there.

How did I not notice that there was someone nearby when Chat and I talked? What’s going to happen now? Will the citizens trust us to protect them anymore? Will they demand us to give our miraculous away? What does Chat think about this? What does Master Fu think about this?

These thoughts plagued Marinette’s mind as she quietly walked downstairs and out of the bakery, grabbing a few cookies for her and Tikki to snack on as well. Thoughts of Master Fu taking her and Chat Noir’s miraculous away due to the video made Marinette’s blood freeze. Her mood only grew even worse when she noticed citizens all around her talking about the video and Chat Noir’s actions as she ran to school.

As she made her way into the courtyard, Marinette froze upon hearing the students lingering before classes officially start talking about the video. Of course, they would talk about it; it’s all everyone seems to be talking about now, she thought, mentally facepalming.

Marinette forced her body to relax and looked down at her feet as she slowly walked to class, trying not to show anyone how worried she was on the chance they ask her what was wrong. She could not let anyone know that she was the one Chat Noir yelled at, after all.

However, she was also trying to stave off going into class any earlier than she had to. Any other day, she would have rejoiced at having arrived to school early for once. Unfortunately, with the video of Chat Noir’s one-sided shouting match with Ladybug currently being the talk of the city, Marinette did not think she would be able to handle Alya and the rest of her classmates’ thoughts and comments.

Marinette was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice the soft footsteps coming towards her until a male voice grabbed her attention, causing her to jump slightly.

“Marinette?”

She looked up and found herself staring into worried gray eyes with a hint of green. It was Felix Culpa, the most recent transfer student, and her friend, dressed in his usual black and gray clothes and currently staring at her with a barely noticeable frown on his face.

“Oh! Hi Felix,” Marinette smiled disarmingly, it was small and slightly forced but it will have to do. Sadly, something told her that Felix did not buy it, although it was not surprising. He is a very perceptive person, after all.

“Are you alright?” Felix asked. He was never good at talking to people about things that were not business-related. Becoming friends with Marinette has definitely helped in that regard, but he still has trouble showing emotions around anyone that is not his family or close to him.

“I’m fine,” Marinette lied. She hated lying. She hated liars in general, but becoming Ladybug has made lying a necessity for her at this point, even if she was never a good liar. Not to mention, she did not want to worry Felix, especially since she would not be able to tell him what was wrong anyways.

Felix’s frown grew slightly more visible, and Marinette knew he knew she was lying. He is one of the smartest students in their school, after all, and one of the most perceptive people she has ever met. It was one of the things she liked about him.

“If you’re sure,” He replied, worry still shining in his eyes. She will tell me what is bothering her when she is ready, he thought.

Marinette smiled more genuinely this time, grateful that Felix did not push it, unlike most people she knew. That was another thing she liked about him. After coaxing him out of his shell a little more, Felix has shown himself to be patient and understanding whenever she was upset but did not want to talk about it.

“I’m sure. Now come on, we should get to class,” She started, already beginning to walk towards their class and hearing Felix walk with her. “This is the first time in a long time that I’m early after all, and I don’t want to ruin that.” She continued, giggling for the first time in what seemed like forever, even though it has only been two days at most.

Felix smiled, though it was small and appeared to be a twitch of his lips to anyone that was not close enough to notice. He enjoyed hearing Marinette laugh. It was a beautiful sound that he wanted to treasure forever. He felt even better knowing that he was the one who caused her to smile and laugh.

They walked into class together and froze. Marinette’s eyes widened in shock, while Felix just stared at what was in front of them with a deadpan expression, resisting the urge to facepalm at his classmates’ stupidity.

Or, more specifically, at one Adrien Agreste’s stupidity, seeing as all of their classmates seemed to be in a heated debate while glaring at him (Alix, Alya, Max, and surprisingly Chloe and Sabrina) or staring at him in shock (Nino, Rose, Juleka, and Mylene). The rest of the students (Kim, Ivan, and Nathaniel) watched in confusion (Kim and Ivan) and disinterestedly (Nathaniel).

Adrien himself was looking around, confused at why nobody was agreeing with him until he noticed Marinette and Felix standing in the doorway. He smiled, surely these two would agree with him.

“Felix, Marinette! You guys agree with me, right?” He asked, sure that if not Felix, then at least Marinette would agree with him. Never mind the fact that they probably did not even know what was going on in the first place.

“Agree with you on what?” Marinette asked, still surprised to see her friends stare at Adrien in either anger or shock. Felix remained quiet, remaining expressionless on the outside but very curious to know what this is about internally.

Before Adrien could respond, they heard a scoff before someone else spoke up.

“Adrien thinks Chat Noir didn’t do anything wrong in the video that was posted,” Chloe, of all people, stated. However, it was what she said that had both Marinette and Felix shouting, one in surprise and the other in anger.

“What!”