Work Text:
Critical Hit On My Heart
“Left Chat noir. I said left!” Marinette shouts through the mic on her headset, glued to her luscious midnight hair.
“Sorry M’lady, I’ve got your six.” The voice reassures back to her through her earphones.
“Thats what I like to hear.”
All thats heard in the Université dorm is the clicking and clacking of buttons on her controller whilst she screams at her teammate directions for a virtual fight that she watches on her small dorm television.
“Back up! He’s right behind you-I-! Yes! YES! Just one more enemy, Chat, we got this!“ she encourages aloud to the mysterious ‘chat’ person, that her roommate Alya could not hear a response from.
She tries to focus on reading a comic of her favourite superhero Majestia when she sigh’s aloud at her roommates growing noise.
“No! No! NO! Theres a lucky charm right there! I lagged! I did so—I DID! Ugh! Who cares, you get it, you just need to use the-yes chat…YES CHAT! Get him Chat! Get hi—YEESSSSSS!YESYESYES! HAHA! We got him! Gg’s Kitty!” She celebrates.
Alya pinches the bridge of her glasses in annoyance at her best friend. She was always like this in her last years of Lycée, unfortunately for her now, they shared a living space.
It wasn’t until twelve pm when Marinette said her goodbyes to her gaming partner that Alya confronted her.
“Em?” She starts.
“Hm? Yeah? Whats up, Als?” She replies.
“I know I said I didn’t have any exams or anything tomorrow, so I didn’t really mind you playing tonight, but can you at least be a little quieter so I can actually focus on what I’m reading and maybe stop at like ten, so I won’t be so late to sleep?” She suggests honestly.
“Oh shit! I’m sorry. I didn’t even realise I was loud.” She tries justifying. Then she turns to the alarm beside Alya’s bed reading the numbers: 12:11am.
“Yikeeess, or how late it was, sorry. Next time, I give you permission to just flick me in the head or something, and I promise to turn it off.” She swears, getting comfortable in the covers of her cosy bed across the room from Alya’s.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Girl.” She responds to her friend, removing her glasses and turning off her reading lamp, as she also wriggles under her own covers in the darkness.
Marinette stretches her arms out wide, yawning with exhaustion.
“Man, I’m pooped.” She sighs.
“I’ll say. Sounded like an intense game with that Chat crush of yours.”
“Yeah, we’re an awesome team. He’s an amazing person…” she trails dreamily.
“You mean partner?” Alya corrects.
“Right. Thats what I said.” Marinette jokes.
Alya yawns, closing her eyes as she continues on with the conversation.
“You know, you haven’t even told me who that Chat guy is. Where did he come from? How did you two meet? Its been like, what? Since Lycée?” She resurfaces.
“Oh Chat_NoirtheCataclysm? We’ve been friends since the last year of Collège.” She responds, snuggling into the pillows. “We made a promise to not know anything about each other though.”
The silence is deafening before Alya responds, “Wait, so, you don’t even know who he is?”
“Nope.”
Alya turns over onto her side, to face her roommates bed where she laid.
“How long did you say you knew each other again? Thats like five years-ish?” She asks curiously. Marinette turns to lay on her side too, facing her friend in the darkness with an unseen frown on her face.
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Your journalist thing. You’re trying to paint him out to be a bad guy and he’s not.”
Alya defends herself saying, “Hey, I’m not trying to paint anything. All I look for is the truth. Thats what every good journalist does.”
Marinette lies on her back again, staring at the blank ceiling. “Yeah. Five years. Thats how long we’ve been playing for.” She tells the brunette.
Alya goes silent for a while before replying, “Huh. Thats a crazy amount of time to be friends without knowing anything about each other. You don’t even know each others ages? Real names?”
“No…but, I don’t mind. I think the mystery makes it so much more comfortable to be ourselves.” Marinette smiles, letting herself succumb to deep slumber.
“…Right, because secrets are real healthy. You’ve got yourself some sort of discord kitten.” Alya mumbles under her breath, as she listens to Marinette snore softly.
There was no need to talk about their personal lives. They had talks of strats, ways to win the fight against strong enemies and pass the levels, and thats all she cared about. The time she got to share with her mystery love. That friendship meant the world to her, one she could never sever with the truths of reality.
———————————————————————
“Ughhnnnn...” Nino groans, flopping on the wooden table in front of him.
“Your roommate again?” Alya questions, sitting across from him on their date at the nearest coffee shop to the Université building.
Nino hums in response, shaking his head up and down against the table.
“Yeah, mine too.” Alya adds, bringing her hot cup of coffee to her lips.
Nino lifts his head complaining,”I just don’t know how one person can be that noisy at twelve at night, you know?”
Alya didn’t know Nino’s roommate personally, and Nino only mentioned him on a few occasions. Stuff about how he was smart and so handsome that every girl that sees him swoons at the sight.
“Not. exaggerating.” Nino would emphasise. Alya still didn’t believe him.
Apparently it was because he was some rich, famous kid, so Nino had promised as much discretion as possible. Alya was curious at the start of the year, trying to pry at Nino for months about who he was—almost going as far as to ask the girls that this famous roommate had supposedly encountered—but eventually gave up after Nino was adamant about the guys privacy.
“He’s just an innocent baby chick, I can’t just release him into the world and betray him like that!” He’d argue.
His girlfriend respected the compassion. So she never dug into his roommates personal life again. If there was a reason he was loud at night, Alya wouldn’t pry. Maybe he had anger issues? Mental challenges? Work out routines late into the night? She wouldn’t know.
“Tell me about it, my girl Mari is practically screaming at the top of her lungs before bed every night for some guy.” Alya complains.
Nino flushes hotly at the comment.
“Crazy that you guys are close like that. You really just sit there and watch?” He asks, nervously, twiddling his thumbs as he anxiously awaited her answer. Her eyes are focus on the engravings in the table, so distracted with tracing the intricate patterns with her finger that she misses his reaction.
“nah I don’t watch, I let her just do her own thing and mind my business. Gets annoying when shes so loud though.” She says, oblivious to the dirty perspective Nino had about his girlfriends roommate. Nino never asked about her roommate either. He wasn’t the type to get curious until he found out this little detail. What a freak!
“Hm. She takes the guys back to her place. Maybe thats all Adrien needs. A girlfriend to keep him busy...” He thinks, placing his own coffee cup back on the table as a genius idea enters his brain.
“Wait. Thats it! A girlfriend! He won’t be in our dorm gaming all day and night if he has a special someone to occupy his free time with dates!”
He quickly checks his calendar on his phone for today’s date, before clicking off, smile wide crazily, with genius.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asks, concernedly.
“Alya, your girl is single right?”
“Yeah. Why…?” She responds skeptically.
“I have a plan, one that’ll keep both our roommates from being cooped up inside the dorms, but this only works if your girl and my dude show up at Alix’s party tonight.” He starts.
“I’m lost. Where are you going with this?” Her brows furrow in confusion.
“Just trust me. Convince her to go, and we’re golden!” He shares enthusiastically.
Alya hesitates before sighing in defeat, “Alright. Not sure whats happening in that head of yours but, I’ll do it for you, Babe.” She promises.
———————————————————————
Marinette had no idea what she was doing in the crowded venue away from the Université. There were so many men and women around her age floating around, laughing, playing games and drinking. It was SO not Marinette’s scene.
What she really wanted was a game session with her Kitty cat, but she knew that Alix’s party was NOT one to miss. She could so easily hold a grudge, it was insane.
“You’re coming though, right? You won’t leave my side?” She asks Alya before the party.
“Girl, trust me. You are going to have a blast, with or without me.” Alya declares. It did nothing to swirl her anxiety.
The icing on the cake was that she had watched Alya deadass ditch her for her red-cap wearing boyfriend.
“Ooh! I gotta go talk to Bae about something important, I’ll be back, Girl!” She shouted atop the music.
Marinette went to object but couldn’t as she was already missing amongst the crowd in a millisecond.
So there she stood, awkwardly in the corner, amongst the flashing lights, dressed to kill in her white cropped spaghetti strapped top, a crotchet long sleeved mesh top in white layered atop of that, a short light-grey denim skirt with white fishnets underneath, brown boots, bag and newsboy cap to match, with the added extra of jewellery and leg-warmers to boot.
She was a looker, and today was proof of her fashion skill. She tried to avoid as many eyes as she could when she heard a crowd from the doorway shout and cheer, “LUKAAAA! Oh em geee! I didn’t think you were cominggg!”
“Shit.”
Now that was the cherry on top of the icing. She ran deeper into the crowd at the noise of the greeting. No way she was going to face her ex-boyfriend at a party like this. Not a chance in hell.
She was too occupied by her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed a tall, built frame intercepting her path before she crashed head-on into it.
“Ow..” she complains, falling against the hard floor, and rubbing her butt to soothe the aching pain.
“Ah, sorry..I was-I-uh…” he stutters, guilt in his deep (not to mention familiar) voice as he contemplates on what to do with the six cups of alcohol cradled in his hands. After a moments decision he decides to throw them all to the garbage can behind him and reaches a hand down for her to take.
“Here, let me help you up.” He says finally.
She takes it graciously, as he pulls her up with little use of his strength.
“Damn this guy’s strong.”
“I didn’t mean to stop in your way, honest.”
“No, no! It was my fault, I’m just such a klutz, really, like, you’re fine.” She replies, brushing off her skirt and looking up at him. She freezes at his appearance. She knew them green eyes from her assignment on the Gabriel fashion house. So she points to him in recognition.
“You’re Adrien Agre-“
“Shhhh!“ he intercepts, eyes blown wide in panic.
“Please don’t say it. I just got by all these drunk people unnoticed and only a few tipsy people have asked me to hold their drinks because they think I’m a random attractive guy-“
“Is that what that was?” She asks, looking behind him and toward the garbage can filled with red cups of liquid he had just thrown out.
“Yeah…I’m just gonna have to hope that they’ve forgotten about it by now.” He scratches behind his neck, suddenly guilty.
Marinette takes in his casually dressed form: An anime t-shirt and plain jeans with a pair of sneakers as footwear. He didn’t seem like a model at all. It was almost as if…
“You seem completely ordinary.” She voices aloud.
“I’m sorry?” He blinks.
“You. You just look like a normal guy.”
Adrien’s face is unreadable for a beat before snickering over the music. “Yeah, sorry to distort the perfect image you had of me. People usually get disappointed when they see I’m not just a centrefold in a magazine.”
“I never thought you were a centrefold.” She argues.
“Just didn’t picture you being so full of life. Like, is it weird that I thought you didn’t have a soul?”
Adrien snickers louder this time. “You’re funny.”
“And you are…an anime nerd?” She refers to his shirt.
“Of course! You think I wouldn’t know peak cinema? Are we real right now?”
“Dude, that is Sailor moon we are talking about.” She pokes directly to the magically girl printed on his chest.
“Yeah, peak cinema. Thats what I just said.” He playfully banters.
“Not even a shounen lover?”
“Overrated!” He argues.
“No its not!”
“Is so!“
“Oh my gosh, next you’re going to tell me that you watch studio ghibli films.”
“I don’t have time for shows!” He justifies, before continuining, “And c’mon! What kind of psychopath doesn’t love spirited away?”
“Eh, its okay…”
“What?!“
“It was way too rushed.”
“Okay, how about Ponyo?”
“Oh, everyone loves Ponyo.”
“Exactly! Point proven. Studio Ghibli wins.” He says victoriously.
“You are such a dork.” She laughs.
Alya and Nino watch as their friends chat from a little distance away, near the beer pong game.
“Your friend was Adrien-freaking-Agreste?” She whispers.
“Who cares about that! Look at them. Don’t they just mesh so well, babe?”
“I mean, they’re friendly. Whats more to say?”
“Ughh. Okay, we need another setup. When are they both free next?”
Nobody notices the blue eyes and teal hair who also caught sight of the two strangers interacting for the first time.
———————————————————————
It was the seventh time that month of Adrien missing his gaming sessions with his online crush LadybugSpots_On14. He wasn’t trying to actively avoid her, but recently, he’d been busy with assignments and Nino’s weird nagging of wanting to go everywhere with him.
Sweet, but strange. Nino wasn’t usually the co-dependant type.
And weirdly enough it was like the universe was trying to replace Ladybug with the friendly, cute girl he had met from the party, Marinette. Everytime he wasn’t with gaming Ladybug, he’d coincidentally see her around in her stead, walking towards their separate classes, on coffee runs, smiling, brief waves crossing the same halls.
Nino even asked her and his girlfriend to sit with them at the Cafeteria one time. She was nice enough. Gorgeous and clearly intelligent even, but she wasn’t Ladybug.
“Nino, this isn’t working.” Alya says to her boyfriend, as they both study in the library together.
“Theres no progress. We’re just going to have to accept the fact that they’re not interested in each other.” Alya states.
“What? We can’t give up.” He responds from the chair beside her.
“We’re so close, I can feel it!” He encourages.
Alya rests her elbow on the table as she holds her forehead in her palm.
“Look Babe, I want this to work too, I really do, but I don’t think that this is the type of thing that can be solved. Especially since she has a crush on someone else, remember?”
“I thought you said he was unattainable.”
“He is.”
“Then whats the problem?”
“The problem is, they’ve been on this ‘Miraculous’ game for years and she’s not just gonna give up on her amazing, charming Chat noir for some other guy who just pops into her life every now and then.”
Nino freezes mid-flip of his page at her complaining. “What’d you say?” He asks again for confirmation.
“What is so hard to comprehend?” She sassily remarks.
“‘Miraculous’? Marinette’s had a gaming problem since…? And…Chat noir…” He puzzles aloud to himself.
Alya looks at him, confused. “What? What are you so…?” She trails, concerned.
Nino’s eyes widen in realisation, and he slams his book shut.
“…Marinette’s gamer tag wouldn’t happen to be Ladybug, would it?”
———————————————————————
“Oh, its you.” Marinette greets Adrien, whose sitting on her favourite park bench at the Place des Vosges.
He unplugs his earphones from his ears at the shadow looming above him. He glances up, her greeting barely heard over the music.
“Oh hey, fancy seeing you here.” He greets back playfully. “You’re a long way from the Uni.”
“And so, coincidentally, are you. Can I sit next to you?”
“Sure.”
Marinette sits by him as they watch kids play around the park.
“I feel like I’m always seeing you around now. You stalking me or something?” Adrien cheekily jokes to start the conversation.
Marinette pulls out her sketchbook from her bag. “Oh please. If anything, you’re the one stalking me, Blondie. I came to visit my parents.” She responds sassily, lifting her hand the flick him in the forehead.
“Oh you’re meeting at the park?”
“No, they live close by. They run the Boris Lumé Boulangerie.”
“Holy crap! I love that place! It has the best eclairs!”
“If you love them, you should try the galettes. They’re a fan favourite and my dad is obsessed with making them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Uh-huh. You still never answered why you’re here though.” Marinette comments.
Adrien smiles, watching her flip through the pages of her sketchbook to reach a blank canvas.
“Its the one place I like to clear my head.” He admits, watching colours swiftly run by with every flip of the page.
“Wow.” He admires, briefly catching a glimpse of each design she had made so far.
“I knew you were studying for your bachelors degree in fashion design but this is on another level.” He praises.
“Thanks. I’m top of my class.” She boasts, scribbling down the rough sketch of her newest design on the blank page.
“I can tell. Though I should’ve known that from your clothes when we first met.” He points out.
Marinette was usually wearing leggings and an oversized hoodie to class, outings outside of the Université though, called for more elegant looks, and she loved to play around with aesthetics.
She goes to make a playful remark about his anime shirt when another voice chimes in.
“Melody?” The soothingly deep voice questioned.
Marinette’s heart drops as she glances towards the teal-haired intruder who’d entered the park entrance.
“L-luka?!” She stutters.
Adrien looks between the two. It was clear they had some sort of history. Maybe an ex-boyfriend of sorts? That’d probably explain the awkward tension.
The blonde is the first to break the silence, “Hey, whats up, man? I’m Adrien.” He introduces, reaching out a hand to shake in his.
Luka takes his hand giving it a firm and friendly shake. “Thats right. You’re that model that I saw at Alix’s party.”
“Adrien...?” He questions for a last name.
“Not important.” Adrien redirects.
“Hah. I respect the discrepancy. I’m Luka Couffaine.”
“Oh. He’s the nepo baby for Jagged stone!” His thoughts rudely reply, he shakes that dangerous thought away, immediately, but his smile falters when he turns towards Marinette who was clearly still stunned shock.
“Is she okay? I hope shes not distressed because of this guy.” He thinks.
“So I’m guessing you two are friends or…? You two seemed real friendly at that party.“ Luka asks for context.
“We-uh—I-!” Marinette stutters, covering her face with her sketchbook in embarrassment. Adrien smoothly pulls an arm around the bench behind her neck.
“We’re dating.” He lies confidently, trying to save her hide.
Marinette side-eyes him with confusion.
“Really?” Luka questions.
“Yeah. Still fairly new. We only met like a month ago at that party but we pretty much clicked instantly upon meeting. Right Marinette?“
Both boys turn to face her stock-still form.
“Um. I mean, I…” She trails, not finding the heart to lie to her ex-boyfriends face, so instead she just nods slowly.
“Ah.” Luka’s face is blank but soon breaks out into a smile, convinced.
“I’m happy for you, Marinette. You always told me that your feelings for that Chat noir guy wouldn’t ever change, but seeing you now, I’m glad that you’re living your life with someone who matches you completely. You’re tunes both compliment the other, just like a harmony.”
Marinette listens to him so intently that she doesn’t even notice Adrien tense beside her.
“I’m sorry, Luka.” She says with a sad smile. He returns that same smile.
“Its okay. I really am happy for you.” He says finally, giving them both one last small wave goodbye before continuing on with his journey.
Its silent for a moment as Marinette watches him move further into the distance. Its almost solemn.
“Chat noir?” Adrien questions.
Marinette blushes bright red at the question, not bothering to move her wide doe-eyes from her feet below her. It did sound weird to anyone without context that she was in love with a black chat.
“Uh-Its not as weird as it sounds!” She defends herself. Hands curled into fists against her thighs.
“Its just—when I was dating Luka in Lycée I…led him on. Its not something I’m proud of, and I’ve been avoiding him all this time because I felt so bad about the fact that I was already in love with in an online friend of mine on this game and-“
“Ladybug?”
She freezes at the name, meeting his eyes with equal surprise.
“…How-but thats—how do you know that nickname?” She asks.
Adrien’s too shocked to respond himself.
———————————————————————
4 years ago…
“Oh. You have a boyfriend now…” Adrien says, attempting to bite back his disappointment in his tone. His headset was on, as he played ‘Miraculous’ on his large tv in his childhood bedroom.
“Yeah, I know we said no personal stuff because we’re strangers and all, but…I think I just needed to tell you. What do you think?” She calls from the mic back to him.
There was something else in her tone that he had missed, but he didn’t want to be too pushy when it was such an exciting moment for her.
“Its great.” He lies.
“You really think so?”
“Yes.”
“No.” His brain argues.
“I think if you’re truly happy with him, Bugaboo, there shouldn’t be any need to worry about what Ithink.”
“Lies. You should always confide in me.”
“Oh…right.” She replies.
Its quiet with only the mashing of buttons heard over the microphone between the two.
“…so you really think its okay..”
He hears her whisper into the mic, as they play.
“No, not really.” Adrien’s heart was practically slamming in his chest, at the her confession. Pulling down into his stomach like a child tugging down a balloon by its string. It made him sick.
With no final response and awkward tension hanging between the teens, they both end up dying to an enemy akuma on the game, too unfocussed to the point of losing their three-hundred and twenty-three day win streak.
“We lost.” Marinette says.
“Guess we did.” He responds.
Restarting the game in silence, Adrien is the first to pipe up when they reach the loading screen.
“All the personal relationship talk must’ve cursed our game, huh?” He jokes.
Marinette gives a half-hearted chuckle in response. She knew she shouldn’t have brought it up at all, but she couldn’t help but know what his true feelings were. How he’d react. If he cared at all. She wanted to know him completely, but if he didn’t feel the same, what was the point?
“Probably. Maybe this just means we shouldn’t talk about it ever again.” Marinette suggests coldly.
If it were him revealing that fact, she wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“Yeah. Probably for the best.” He agrees.
“But he’s definitely the most lucky guy in the world..”
She wanted to move on. Its just that his last words set Marinette’s heart ablaze once again.
———————————————————————
“Adrien, you’re—you can’t be…” She trails.
“And yet, I am, M’lady.” He cheekily hints with a wide grin, grabbing her hand to peck the back it, softly.
“Holy shit, you really are.” She breathes.
Impulsively reaching in to dive into his chest and wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace. Adrien returns it just as tightly, holding each other close like they had just found a precious item that they had lost years ago.
“I can’t believe it.” She whispers.
“You were so close. All this time. I never would’ve imagined.” She finishes.
Adrien caresses her back lightly, shyly, “Is it really true that you loved me too?” He asks.
“Yes. Still do.” She admits with tears building in her eyes.
So many memories of late-night chats, text messages, tournaments, online challenges. It was crazy that it immediately came rushing back to associate with the stranger in front of them.
“Marinette. My ladybug. I love you but, I feel like I don’t really know you at all. You’re so different, but also the same? Its all so weird to me.”
“Yeah, me too.” She agrees.
“But we could always get to know each other? As friends! To start, of course.” She bravely suggests, eyes darting around the park, nervously.
Adrien chuckles at her antics, “You’re not so confident without a plan are you Maribug?”
“Shut up.” She demands as Adrien laughs harder.
“Marinette!”
“Adrien!”
They break away from each other, perking up at the couple huffing with adrenaline as they both keel over in exhaustion in front of the two.
“We have fantastic news to tell you-!” Alya huffs out, pausing to take notice of their hands that were intertwined with each other on the bench.
“Is it more fantastic then us finding out we’re practically soulmates, drawn together by the string of destiny?” She asks her friend.
Alya gapes at Marinette, and she giggles in response.
“Told you I’d find my Prince Charming.” She boasts to Alya.
Adrien smiles, squeezing her hand tightly in his, as he brings it up again to kiss sweetly.
“Oh so you’s know now? That checks out. Probably should’ve let you both play that out more naturally.” Nino rants beside Alya.
“‘Play out’?” Marinette asks.
“What are you talking about, Dude?” Adrien asks, blinking beside her dumbly.
“Uhhh….nothing?” He lies in response.
“I fucking knew it. You two were planning out all our meetings!” Marinette jumps from her seat to accuse the two.
Adrien’s lights up in understanding. “Ohhh, thats why I’ve been seeing you around so much.” He says to Marinette.
“No! We didn’t-we wouldn’t-!”
“Alright Babe, the jig is up.” Alya interrupts her boyfriend.
“Yes we played you, and yes, we wanted you guys to be together. How about you let us treat you both to a proper double date instead, to say sorry for the inconvenience?” Alya suggests.
Marinette turns to Adrien in askance, he nods vigorously like they were communicating telepathically. Luka really wasn’t joking when he said they were harmonious.
“Fine.” Marinette agrees aloud.
“But we also want treats from Boris Lumé Boulangerie!” Adrien negotiates, seriously.
Alya rolls her eyes, Nino pulling her closer by the waist in consolation for dragging her into his antics in the first place.
“Treats it is, Sunshine.” She agrees.
Adrien celebrates childishly, pumping his fist in the air with a celebratory, “YESSS!”
They start moving towards the park entrance, making small talk and questioning the order of what happened. Marinette goes to answer, “well what happened was-“
“Race you all to the entrance!” He immaturely claims, bolting into a full sprint in front of them.
“Wha-hey!”
“Get back here!”
“Adrieenn!”
They all chase after him, as he teases them by sticking his tongue out, ahead.
Marinette knew that she’d savour these memories of her and her friends. Now that there was no more secrets between her and her charming Chat noir, things were looking up, and they knew they didn’t need the mutual interest of gaming to keep them together. Fate was doing all the work for them.