things i wish you said, by @asilentsonata

A fic inspired by the gladiolus flower

AO3; breakup thoughts, bisexual kagami tsurugi

Summary:

Post Adrigami breakup, Kagami thinks about her relationship. Based on “things i wish you said” by Sabrina Carpenter.

---

"Baby, sorry I left you in the dark, I always reach for your leg over there on your side of the car". "Baby, everything reminds me of you, nobody gets my jokes, everyone here thinks I'm fuckin' rude". "When I saw you cry, I didn't handle it well. Without you here, I don't know what to do with myself". I think about these things at night before I fall asleep… things I wish you said to me.

Kagami sat on her bed and stared at the dresser as she let herself think about what happened. How she’d messed up so bad. How she lost the best thing she had ever really had. 

She had gotten in too deep and she knew it. But Adrien was amazing. He was so nice, so smart, so supportive… everything she wasn’t. She was blunt, abrupt, straightforward, awkward (and not in the cute way he loved seeing in Marinette), and goal-oriented. She was prideful. She saw what she wanted in everything she looked at. She was flawed. She was resilient. She was wrong.

Did she mean to accidentally tell him that his true personality wasn’t what she wanted? Of course not, that’d be ludicrous. But she told him that she didn’t believe it was really him, and that was pretty wrong.

She was glad he was still her friend. He was an exemplary companion, even from a platonic perspective. But she couldn’t help but wonder if they could’ve stayed together as a couple. Or if she’d just inadvertently sabotage that too. 

She wanted to hear him say that he was sorry for loving someone else and leaving her alone. She wanted to tell him she was sorry she tried to make him into someone he wasn’t and she wanted him to accept it. She wanted him to miss her and want her back in his life. She wanted him.

A tear fell down her cheek before she even realized she was crying. She wanted him.

She remembered how much he loved flowers and their meanings. She remembered how he’d ecstatically infodumped about the flowers in a vase in her room, there because he had brought it as a birthday present for her. A gladiolus.

“I brought it here because it reminds me of you, Kagami.” He had grinned at her as he rubbed his neck, his default stim. “See how long and elegant it is? It’s also called a sword lily, and this flower in particular symbolizes victory and strength. It really sounds like you, doesn’t it? Because you fence, and you always win, and you’re so resilient and strong, I think it fits really well.”

“Yes, I… I suppose so.” She had smiled back, unsure how to react. “It’s really pretty, Adrien.”

“Just like you!” He had beamed. “I hope you like them.”

“I love them, Adrien.” She had affirmed. “Just like how I feel for you.”

I saw you met somebody, and I'm jealous as hell that I can't even stomach lovin' somebody else. I think about these things at night before I fall asleep… things I wish you said to me.

It hadn’t been that long since they’d broken up, had it? But there she was watching her best friend and her ex-boyfriend finally start a relationship.

The selfish part of her hated it. Realistically, she should hate it. But she couldn’t. She loved them both so much, and she was happy that they finally figured out what was right under their noses. 

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to lie awake at night wondering what could have happened if she were sweeter. Kinder. Less of a lily, doomed to poison the cat that paid it any mind, more of a catnip that would keep a cat happy and coming back for more.

More like Marinette.

Kagami would be lying if she said she didn’t love Marinette. And she was happy for them, she was happy for them, she was happy for them. She just had to keep telling herself that.

Like maybe one day it would happen without trying.

Like maybe she didn’t have to pretend she wasn’t hurting because she lost both people in her life she truly loved.

"Sorry that I pulled the 'it's not you, it's me’. One day, I'll make sure you get a real apology". I waste my time, I waste my life on idiotic things… Like things you never said… things you'll never say to me.

‘I miss you’. ‘I’m sorry’. ‘I still care’. She could picture him saying it to her. She could picture herself saying it to him. 

But she couldn’t. Because he wasn’t hers anymore. He was his own person and she was happy for him. 

And those things were things he’d never said, things he’d never say to her.

The Ballad of You and Me, by @gaussiansphere

Based on a prompt submitted by @their-destinys-writer: Kagaminette Biker AU, Marinette is the Biker.

AO3; 1960s AU, Rock Band AU, Bikers AU, Implied/Referenced Murder

Summary:

After meeting a mysterious woman at one of her band's gigs, Kagami can't make herself look away from what follows.

Fear is obsession is desire is love.

---

Kagami gave the bartender a quick nod and took a breath, slamming her drink back as quickly as possible before breathing out. The music of the club was suffocating—amplified guitar and bass echoing off the walls as the band on stage finished up their set. She motioned for another drink and slipped a small tip under her empty glass, before destroying the second shot as quickly as the first. Shaking her head slightly to clear the worst of the feeling, she opened her eyes to see Luka shaking his in disapproval.

"It's not even ten minutes until we're on, could you really not have waited just a bit longer to destroy your liver?"

"I never perform sober, it's bad form not to bring your best to a performance like this, and I do my best work when I've had the chance to relax..."

Luka was unimpressed, "You really think I'm buying that you can only sing when you're wasted?”

"First, I am not wasted, I am simply tipsy—the difference between the two is significant. Second, it helps me loosen up, which I have only accomplished now, no thanks to you."

He finally turned back with a sigh, "Whatever, as long as you're ready when we come on and the show gets done, I can't stop you. Just try and make this one your last one before the show, please?"

Kagami shrugged, "I'll do my best."

Kagami signaled the bartender for one last shot, which she downed with extreme prejudice before following Luka through the crowd, which even now was filling the whole room. The room wobbled slightly as she went forward, the mass of people pressing in on all sides.

The band on the stage started to wind down their set, as Kagami looked back to the bar, where a rough looking crowd of men was clustering on one side, their leather vests covered in patches. She nudged Luka and tilted her head towards them, “Look at those guys over there, staring down the girl across the bar.” She indicated a darked haired girl wearing a long, brightly-colored shawl “What do you make of them?”

He shrugged, “Eh, it’s bikers, what’s the big deal?” he paused, looking back between the girl and the gang, “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, here’s what I say: Not. Our. Problem. It’s all well and good to help a girl out, but not if that means brawling a dozen Hells Angels to get to her.”

Kagami turned up her nose, “I figured you’d say that. I suppose I’ll just have to ask Fel-” “No,” Luka interrupted, “You are not going to ask Felix for help, no matter how bad this seems. The last thing we need is to get kicked out and handed over to the cops after whatever he does.”

As if on command, their bassist appeared behind them, “I heard my name. I don’t suppose you happen to be talking about those fellows over there…” Kagami picked up on where he was going, “Yes, we actually were. I was wondering if you would be amenable to-” Luka slapped her on the back, interrupting her and sending her stumbling forward.

“We’re good, thanks.” He interjected. Felix shrugged, “If you’re sure, I suppose there’s nothing I can do.” He waited for Luka to momentarily turn to the stage, before he shot Kagami a wink and a sharp smirk. Luka turned back, seemingly sensing the silent message and shot Felix a disapproving look.

As they reached the edge of the stage, Adrien was already tuning his guitar on the sidelines, shooting them a quick smile before going back to his work. Nino, beside him, was anxiously tapping out a quiet rhythm on his drum sticks. 

“Look alive ladies,” Felix sauntered up the stairs, grabbing his bass off its stand and sliding its strap over his shoulders, “it’s game time.” Kagami and Luka followed, and as he went ahead, she slipped a small flask from her back pocket and downed it in one go, shaking off the liquor and smiling, “You heard the man, let’s show them what we’ve got.”

As the band took their places up on stage, Kagami looked out through the haze and bright lights to the bar on the far side of the club. The bikers were still there it seems, still seeming to gravitate around the poor woman, but without making much ground in the interim. Meanwhile, the girl at the bar turned from the bikers to her, locking her in place with her deep blue stare, even as the rest of the band began without her.

Closing her eyes, Kagami stepped up to the microphone stand.

5 Times Adrienette Attempted to Buy Each Other Christmas Presents (and One Time They Succeeded), by @galahadwilder

Based on a prompt submitted by @2manyfandoms2count: 5 times [pair/group of characters]* attempted to go Christmas shopping and the 1 time they gathered to exchange gifts *there can be as many or as few people involved, a pairing, the core 4, the miracuclass…

AO3; Post-Reaveal Pre-Relationship, Christmas Fic, 5+1 Things

Summary:

When Marinette and Adrien find out each other's identities just before Christmas, both of them are desperate to find the perfect present for their partner. But, off-balance, neither one of them is entirely... thinking straight.

Alya, Nino, Tikki, and Plagg are going to lose their minds.

---

Chapter 1: I Don't Want a Lot for Christmas

Marinette’s computer background has been updated a few times since she was fourteen. It started when Adrien retired from modeling: something felt wrong about using images that he’d hated, something inauthentic. Like she was violating him somehow. So she’d replaced all of the images of him with candids, photos of his genuine smiles, spending time with his friends, playing in the park, smiling at her .

She’d kept the hearts, of course.

She’s replaced the photos as they aged, as they got closer. As she’d started noticing stubble gracing his strong chin, as the baby fat had melted off his cheekbones, as he’d grown more and more comfortable with his genuine smile. She paid so much attention to his face, spent so much time staring at it… and somehow she’d never known.

She sits, curled up in her desk chair, knees hugged to her chest with shaking arms. She’s not sure she even remembers how to blink—her eyes are wide, hollow, and she feels like she’ll never be able to close them again.

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Tikki asks from her nest on Marinette’s spare pincushion. The Kwami is lying on her stomach like a schoolgirl at a sleepover, chin propped up on her little nubby paws, gazing into Marinette’s eyes with her own ocean blues. “You’ve been closer to him than you knew this whole time!”

Marinette wants to sob. A part of her realizes that Tikki’s right, that she’s known him better than she thought, but that part is drowned out by the part that’s suddenly aware of the gulf between them that she’d never even noticed. How could she have missed it? She’s spent so much time with both of them, so much time interacting and watching and observing. She’d even started to take note of how, despite their superficial differences, they were so similar on the inside. How could she have possibly missed that both of them were the same person?

She hadn’t wanted to know. Hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

It’s a towering, overpowering sensation, knowing. Because knowing, knowing they’re the same person, puts so many things into perspective. Chat has shown her so many parts of Adrien that Adrien would rather hide. And Adrien has shown her so many hidden parts of Chat, as well. She can see it all now, his pain, his love, his hope, and it’s… very nearly too much.

So she’s not entirely sure why the first thing she says is, “I’m going to have to re-do so many presents. ”

Put Your Heart In It, by @purrfectlypunny

Based on a prompt submitted by @halcyyonn: Rivals to lovers Felinette as opposing debate team captains arriving at a competition

AO3; Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Debate Team AU, Fluff

Summary:

In this multi-chapter fic, Marinette Cheng and Felix Sphinx are rivals on opposing sides of their debate team. What starts as a friendly debate about writing instruments turns into much more as they *gasp* start to fall for each other.

---

Chapter 1

“Fe, please.” Alan groaned. “We still have time, the debate is not the end of the world.”

“To you .” Felix pointed out. “Marinette is ruthless. No doubt, she’s scheming something that’s completely out of our respective playing fields with something that doesn’t even make sense just to throw us off.” 

“We need to be prepared because Marinette is our biggest threat. We know, we know.” Claude raised an eyebrow while he twirled a pencil in his fingers. “It’s not like you haven’t talked about it before, and we still have, like, two weeks left to prepare.” 

“The results for who battles who in the debate comes out tomorrow. This will be a good thing to watch out for because who knows how this will go… Then we can work on identifying logical fallacies in the arguments to look out for and exploit.”

“You talk about this like someone’s going to die.” Alan sighed, resting his head on his hand. “It’s just a debate.”

“A debate that I have never lost. I’ve never even had a threat of losing until Marinette.” Felix sighed.

“Who you might not even get assigned with.” Claude shrugged. “Why worry about something you have no idea about?”

“I hate to say it, but he has a point.” Alan agreed. “Just give yourself time to think.”

Our Daughter the Superhero, by @their-destinys-writer

Based on a prompt submitted by @bugchat: Tom can merely stare up through the skylight he doesn't fit through. Sabine wiggling up beside him goes unnoticed before she's stilling as well, mouth agape. He can only feel tears welling in his eyes as she stares back at them, apologies and explanations hanging on her lips. His daughter is Ladybug.

AO3; Parenting, Supportive Parents, Identity Reveal

Summary:

Tom and Sabine walk into Marinette's room to find a superhero turning into their daughter.

---

Ladybug didn’t like civilians putting themselves in danger during akuma attacks. That was something every citizen of Paris knew. However, after one particular event, two dedicated civilians decided to fully ignore that rule.

It had been sometime after another giant akuma had been rampaging through the city. Debris was flying everywhere, buildings were getting destroyed. And Tom and Sabine were calling out for their daughter. A construction crane had landed on the very top floor: Marinette’s room. But all the debris was making it hard to reach her.

“MARINETTE!!!” Tom yelled, moving concrete blocking the path to her room, with the help of Sabine. Just as he yelled his daughter’s name again, magical ladybugs rushed through the house, and the debris was gone.

Tom wasted no time in running up the stairs, only to find the trapdoor locked. Although he respected Marinette’s privacy, he had very little care for it when there was a chance she was hurt. So he hit the door several times, attempting to break it open. Luckily, Sabine had a key, which she quickly handed. Door unlocked, they climbed up to find the room empty.

Common Ground, by @bugchat

Based on a prompt submitted by @empressofall: star wars holiday special au

AO3; Fluff & Angst, Star Wars/Mandalorian AU, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Kidnapping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing

Summary:

Adrien Agreste is starting to get really tired of all these formal Empire-organised dinners and meetings, so when he gets instructed to be a courier that gets to go outside for a bit, he happily obliges. Little does he know his cargo is very important, and many people are after it. How does he fare, faced with past mistakes, a planet destroyed, and an enemy unknowingly after his cargo?

---

THE GALA

“For the love of the Maker, Adrien, stand up straight. The Moff’s here tonight, we need to look presentable .”

Adrien and his father walked through the halls just after the initial security checkpoint outside, dreary gray metallic slabs reflecting the harsh white lights from above. It cast harsh shadows into his father’s face, deep-set eyes completely vanishing in the dark. Not that Adrien often got the pleasure of having them look at him anyway. The only time those eyes saw him is when Gabriel passed a propaganda poster with Adrien’s face on it, smiling a fake smile and making false promises.

That light had vanished long ago.

The second checkpoint was already a bit more formal looking, with it being near the main halls where the internal official people went. The deeper one went into the core of the building, the more pretentious it got. Adrien supposed his father belonged right in the middle of it.

The stormtroopers had a few blue squares on their insignia, so they had to be quite high-ranked. For stormtroopers, that is. They didn’t dare ask his father for ID when they saw his 6 yellow ones. 

“Please step through.”

Adrien wasn’t wearing his.

The weapons detector beeped at him in synch with the security droid next to it, and he stepped to the other side to be handed back his ID cylinder. Like they needed that to run his chain code these days. “Happy birthday, Sir.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s…” The stormtrooper paused, slightly shook their head, and dropped the cylinder into Adrien’s gloved palm before saluting and turning back around. “Have a good evening, Sirs.”

Adrien turned to just watch his father break his disapproving stare at him. “How coherent of you.”

Gabriel waltzed on, briefcase completely still in his right hand. Adrien blinked and turned to the stormtrooper, but they were already tending to the next guests arriving. He had to walk quite fast to catch back up, since running wasn’t exactly an option, and joined on his father’s left side. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Be better.”

“Of course, Father.”

The troopers at the door parted for them and let them enter the main central hall. Adrien still wondered how the “defeated” Empire managed to rent out one of the biggest buildings on Coruscant without raising suspicion, but those questions were better left unasked by someone of his rank. For now, he had to blend in as well as stand out, however much he wanted to disappear.

The central hall was near-circular and had a high glass roof, with a giant chandelier hanging from the middle of the dome. The architecture had to be Old Republic, with its golden accents. The New Republic didn’t have money for all that during the war, and the Empire definitely didn’t bother with such things. The halls, however, had to have been renovated in the last few years, with the–

“General Agreste.”

Adrien bowed very curtly before stepping behind his father and taking the briefcase from his right hand. He held it tightly, unmoving as he had seen his father do. The contents were unknown to him, but the man before him seemed to know. He eyed the briefcase with unrestricted eagerness and greed, even as he shook Gabriel’s hand. He was higher ranked, so he could. The plaque on his armor told Adrien that much. 

He didn’t bother with the rankings all that much, but two blue and four yellow squares were high. Maybe an Admiral? Or…

“Ah, Moff–” 

Oh . A moff . Not as high a title as Grand Admiral, but above his father’s rank. He probably had his own cruiser orbiting the planet right now. Sweat was already gathering on his back and in his hands as he met the Moff’s inquisitive gaze.

“Adrien,” his father turned to him and gestured with his right hand to two black-dressed individuals, “go with these stormtroopers and deliver the briefcase to the transport. You return to me as soon as it is leaving. Is that clear?”

‘Crystal.’

“Yes, Father.”

The Spirit of Competition, by @2manyfandoms2count

AO3 link; Childhood Friends, Halloween Costumes, Fluff, Pre-Canon, Rivalry, Identity Reveal, Multichapter

Summary:

Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn't one to take a competition idly, especially not when it comes to costume design. When she meets a worthy competitor, she decides she can let one defeat slide... But she'll be damned if she lets him win the whole war.

Three years, three Halloween costume contests: who of Adrien and Marinette will come out victorious?

---------------------------------------------------

"Come on, Maman, quickly!" The little girl pulled on her mother's hand, drawn to the exhibition hall's entrance like a moth to a flame. Her mother chuckled as she tried to keep up, graciously side-stepping a puddle her daughter jovially jumped into. In her excitement, she hit the front of her red and black polka-dotted boots on a crack in the pavement, and would have sprawled onto the ground had her mother not scooped her in her arms at the last minute.

“Whoopsy daisy! Be careful where you put your feet, Marinette, you don’t want to dirty your pretty costume now!” she said, gently placing her daughter on the ground.

Marinette pouted as she readjusted her antennae headband, which had fallen out of place in the process, before checking to see if her wings had been damaged. Satisfied that they hadn’t, she insistently held out her hand again for her mother, fighting the urge to run off towards the crowd. On the one hand, she was confident that she could weave her way through the dense queue of people that stood before them, on the other hand, she was slightly afraid of being alone on the other side of the doors.

She huffed as they joined the admissions queue, which seemed a thousand miles long to her little four-year-old self.

“We’re going to miss it,” she grumbled, tugging at her polka-dotted dress.

“I promise that we won’t.” Her mother squeezed her hand, amused by Marinette’s annoyance.

The only thing on Marinette’s mind for the last two weeks had been the Halloween costume contest. She’d come home from school one day with stars in her eyes and a brochure in her hand, babbling about the event organised by the Mairie de Paris. She’d changed costume ideas about once a day, before finally settling for a Ladybug, a winner’s outfit if there ever was one; with her head to toe polka-dotted outfit, complete with antennae and wings, she didn’t feel like she needed any luck, but she still hadn’t chosen to be a Ladybug for nothing.

Trick-Or-Treat?, by @ladybugs-and-black-cats

AO3 link; Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Superheroes, Multimouse, Aspik, Identity Reveal, Not Canon Compliant, Guardian Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Costumes

Summary:

Halloween—a night for wearing a new mask and temporarily taking on a different persona. Marinette is not too thrilled when Alya suggests that they (Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino) should dress up as superheroes to go trick-or-treating.

Marinette knows that she can’t dress up as Ladybug because it would risk revealing her secret identity, but there shouldn’t be any problems if she chooses to dress as a superhero that no one else has ever seen…right?

---------------------------------------------------

“We should totally all go trick-or-treating together!” Alya Cesaire told her friends. “I’ve got an idea! We can all go as superheroes!”

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had to resist the urge to groan at the idea. Sure, it would be fun to go trick-or-treating with her friends, but dressing up as superheroes? The only one of the group who wouldn’t risk exposing their secret identity was Adrien…and his father probably wouldn’t even let him go! Gabriel Agreste would never approve of letting his son go out and gather a bagful of candy.

“We could dress up as Ladybug and Cat Noir!” Nino suggested to Alya before he thought about the other friends that might join them in the trick-or-treating adventure. “Will you be able to join us, Bro?” he asked Adrien.

The young model shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll check with Nathalie.”

“Well, we’ll start planning,” Alya decided, starting to drag Nino away. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Marinette watched her two friends go, leaving her alone with Adrien. Oh no, no, no, that was not okay! “Uh, yeah, I should probably go too. There’s lots to do to prepare and so little time!” She raced away before she could see Adrien’s disappointed expression.

Parisian Holiday, by @deinde-prandium and @2manyfandoms2count

Assigned monuments: The Pantheon & the Canal St Martin

AO3 link; Alternate Universe, No Powers AU, Royalty AU, False Identity, Inspired by Roman Holiday (1953), Paris (City), Fluff, Fluff and Humor

Summary:

During a state visit to Paris, Prince Adrien Agreste finds an escape from his strict timetable. In the process, he crosses paths with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, an aspiring fashion designer turned tabloid reporter on a reluctant mission to score an exclusive scoop. She knows all about Prince Adrien. Or so she thinks.

For two days, Adrien becomes Félix, an ordinary tourist in Paris, and Marinette, his personal tour guide. As they make their way through Paris' most famous monuments, they might become a bit more than that – if their secrets don't get in the way.

-------------------------------------

Arts and History – The Pantheon

(Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris)

A staple of the Parisian skyline, the Pantheon is also a cultural hotspot. Beyond the eternal rest place of French notables (Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Pierre and Marie Curie, Josephine Baker, to cite a few), it is also an architectural wonder with its impressive triple dome and colonnade facade, and boasts an extensive art collection. Physics enthusiasts take note! The Pantheon is one of the places you can witness the Earth’s rotation, thanks to Foucault’s Pendulum. End your visit by climbing up to the Panorama, and enjoy the stunning 360° view of Paris!

Even though she’d been the one to drag them down the sewers, Marinette was glad to re-emerge into the streets. There was something to be said about seeing where you put your feet, and knowing that if you did, you weren’t likely to step into something you didn’t want to identify.

She stole a glance at Adrien – Félix, she reminded herself. It was safer to think of him as such, lest she slipped up in conversation and gave the whole jig up. There was just too much at stake.

She had to admit that, so far, the prince was defying all of her prejudice against the upper crust (not that she’d had a particularly bad opinion of it before meeting him, but she had expected him to be a lot snootier). As they wandered around, a slight frown creased his royal brow, but something told her it had more to do with him falling for her sewer crocodile legend, than falling on the questionable sewer floor. 

Just for that, she decided to give him something to smile about. 

Rabbit Hole Worth Choosing, by @azuriteartist

Based on Switchfoot's Oh! Gravity, submitted by noirshitsuji

AO3 link; Time Travel, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Lesbian Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug, Lesbian Chloé Bourgeois, Mild Blood, Lila is Fauxina (Miracle Queen!Lila), Mentioned Lila Rossi, Mentioned Gabriel Agreste, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Rabbit Chloé Bourgeois | Tempair, Alternate Timelines, no one technically dies, but they do get erased from existence so....

Summary:

Chloe had never thought that her happiness would bring about the end of the world.

-------------------------

Tempair stared at the near-perfect timeline through her burrow, her resolve weakening with every passing second. But she knew what she needed to do. She had tried every other timeline, every other option.

She had even tried talking to a past version of Marinette. Tempair had tried arguing for pulling random powered-up nobodies out of the timestream. With all their power, they could prevent Crimsonoir from fulfilling his wish. They could overwhelm him with sheer numbers, they could win! They could keep their happy ending!

But the alternate Marinette had been stern, just like Tempair’s Marinette would’ve been. And now Tempair was in a white void, with time windows all around her.

In front of the rabbit hero, a window to her happiest timeline. She placed a hand upon the circle, and dragged it left, rewinding the timeline, watching her past become an uncertain future.

Baby, even on our worst nights (I'm into you), by @2manyfandoms2count

Based on Paramore's Still Into You, submitted by @team-leo-v

AO3 link; Post-Canon, Post-Hawkmoth Defeat, Aged-Up Character(s), Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Nightmares, Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir Gets a Hug, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary:

A stormy night in Paris, six years after Hawkmoth’s defeat. Marinette and Adrien should be over all the butterflies, but they still haunt them, each in their own way.

Thankfully, they can always count on each other.

Fic written for the MWG’s August 2022 event.

-------------------------

The bedroom’s ceiling is white, void of any cracks. 

Marinette could tell even without seeing it in the pitch dark of the night; she’d stared at it enough over the course of… Kwami, has it already been three years? she thought as she shifted from the edge of the bed to lie on her back. She sighed as she did so, the sound barely audible over the pitter-patter of the rain outside. 

It was one of those nights. The nights when, no matter what she tried, there was just no going to sleep. The nights when it felt like she’d never be able to untie the knots in her stomach, in spite of how much experience she had with yarn.

A flash of lightning illuminated the room. 

Still no cracks, she noted, the fact oddly relieving, making her forget about her nerves for a second. 

Strangely, or so some people could’ve said, it wasn’t the thunderstorm that bothered her; if anything, she’d always found them to be quite soothing. After all, a lot of memorable things had happened to her in the rain, and — even when it had felt like pathetic fallacy — there’d always been something bright to hang onto. A single, beautiful, ray of sunshine.

Next to her, Adrien mumbled and shifted in his sleep. She rolled to her side to face him. 

A frown was creasing his perfect (in her humble, totally unbiased opinion) forehead. His breathing was accelerating, as, she was sure, was his pulse, sounding more like gasps than proper breaths. A drop of sweat rolled down his face from his right temple.

Marinette immediately scooted closer, her hand seeking his. Upon contact, his fingers retreated briefly, as if he’d been burned. Then he gripped her hand like his life depended on it, and something told her that it probably did.

these little words, by @multimousenette

AO3 link; Texting, Chatting & Messaging, Bad Flirting, Light Angst, mostly cheese, pre-reveal pre-relationship

Summary:

What do you call a string of people all holding up a brie? A cheesy pickup line!

In which Marinette practices flirting by texting Adrien's lost phone.

and I do know why but with you I'd dance, by @alexseanchai

Based on Taylor Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) (submitted by @2manyfandoms2count)

AO3 link; Children of Characters, Conventions, Cosplayers, Voice Actor Adrien Agreste, Identity Reveal, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Disabled Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Autistic Child Character

Summary:

Adrien hasn't been in Paris since his father's arrest. But as a panelist at Paris Comic Con, the first stop for him and his foster kids is of course the bakery Marinette and her family still live above.

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Louis dashes ahead to hold the hotel door for Emma and Adrien. The sun is just coming out after rain left the streets enough of a mirror that the city seems to glow. Some of the dark spots on Emma's sneakers will be from splashing through puddles—whoops, make that already are from puddles. Adrien shrugs and clips the umbrella handle to the newly neon blue loop on his backpack, smiling contentedly in a way Louis is pretty sure he's never actually seen before.

"This way, Em," Adrien calls. Emma scurries back and bounces up onto Louis's back—oof!—and Adrien braces them with his walking stick until Emma's done wiggling. "You good?" he asks Louis.

Louis shifts one of Emma's hands from his neck to his shoulder. "I'm good."

Adrien leads them along a couple of blocks, that contented expression flickering through wistfulness, and stops outside a pastry shop, his face falling. "Of course they're closed, it's August," he says. "I don't know what I expected."

Louis considers the logo, a T and an S between two wheat stalks. "Is this Tom and Sabine's?"

"Sweetest creations in the world," Adrien says, nodding, then plasters a happier expression over his sad smile. "Come on, we're almost to the Métro station."