Enjoy a solid chunk of fic inspired by this post by the mighty and powerful @yunyin. I’m always a sucker for getting fun and colorful descriptions of what it’s like inside someone’s head, and the image of Adrien finding out by Marinette running into him was the piece I needed to actually write some of this.
--
He realizes that her mind had simply been processing events, as she hits him like a train, harder even than her body had.
Chapter 1
--
Adrien didn’t know how he’d gotten there. He didn’t know when he could possibly have gotten here, but…
He could see a planet, a ball of stone and gas, crumbling, swirling like so much dust away, into a blindingly bright flare of light.
The sight should have bothered him, or scared him, but more than that, Adrien felt… Quietly pleased, watching it disintegrate.
He became suddenly aware of… Something; a presence had seemingly noticed him just as he had noticed it.
It didn’t have a body, or a face, or, anything, really, but he knew it was there.
From nothing, it let out a familiar, annoyed groan.
“Oh, come on, not this one again.”
“What?”
“Alright, get up,” said Plagg, not responding to the question.
Adrien sat upright in bed, breathing hard, eyes wide. Plagg floated lightly up from where he’d been asleep on his chest.
Adrien glanced at the clock, and saw… It was a few minutes before he was supposed to get up, but that wasn’t really what was bothering him because…
“Plagg?”
“Mm?”
“What… Did you…? What just happened?”
Plagg groaned, the sound almost identical to the one Adrien had heard in his dream. It was annoyed, more than anything.
“You… Just ended up in my dream. Or… Well, it’s more of a memory, but the point is, you were there.”
“I… I know. That’s the problem!”
“Oh… You’ve got no idea what the problem is.”
“Plagg?”
“See, it’s pretty common; if you use a miraculous for long enough, weird things happen. Had a guy, kept destroying things randomly when he touched them, wasn’t even transformed.”
His eyes went wide again. “Is that… Going to happen to me?”
Plagg shrugged. “No idea. What you’ve got, is…” he put a tiny hand up to his face, and sighed… “Empathy.”
Adrien blinked. “Like… What?”
“You feel emotions. Other people’s. At least, probably. Usually, that ends up letting you share dreams, so if you’re sharing dreams… You’ve probably got empathy.”
“So… Wait, what? Why?”
“Because—” Plagg cut himself off, shaking his head. “Like this.”
He floated forward, and pressed a hand to Adrien’s forehead.
For a second, Adrien didn’t notice anything, but then…
It was like… Like…
“Rumbling?”
“Probably.”
“Like… Purring, almost.”
“Yeah, that’d be me.”
“That’s what your… emotions, feel like?”
“They make sense if you’re as old as I am. Not so much if you’re young by human standards.”
“I see.”
There was a second of silence, and then…
“You said… ‘Not this again,’ right?”
“Yup.”
“Is… Is something bad about this?”
“Oh no, I’m sure you’ll love it, but I’ll have to listen to you talk about how everyone you know feels around you for the rest of your life, or… Which’ll be bad enough if you don’t get the part where you can feel their emotions without touching them.”
“Ah…” Adrien went silent. “Well… You’re old, right? The rest of my life should only feel like a couple seconds, to you!”
Plagg gave him a withering look.
The alarm rang.
…
By the time he’d showered, gotten dressed, given Plagg his cheese, eaten, and, well, ridden to school… Adrien was worried.
It wasn’t like he was a naturally anxious person. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t about to ruin his life by taking a peek at how people thought when they were around him, and when he’d asked Plagg on the ride over, he’d been assured that he couldn’t actually affect someone’s feelings towards him like this. The most he’d be able to do was get inside information on what his words did, which was…Better? It wasn’t like he was even planning to do that much.
So, why did he feel like he should be wearing something long-sleeved?
It didn’t matter. He wasn’t wearing something long sleeved, was the simple fact of it, and if he turned around now, Nathalie would probably want an explanation, and that… Wouldn’t be good.
He pushed through the doors, and started for the lockers.
It was early, and, unsurprisingly, nothing happened in the dozen or so steps between the main entrance and the lockers.
As he stepped into the locker room, he saw Nino, sliding his locker closed.
For a second, Adrien was surprised to see him here so early, since on the rare occasions Adrien was able to keep up with his alarm, Nino wasn’t here when he arrived. And then he realized… This was his one-year anniversary with Alya, which presumably meant he had to one up her 6-month gift.
Nino seemed almost scared at the sight of him, but he brightened almost immediately.
“Dude! Thought you were Alya.”
“Let me guess…” He nodded at the locker. “Flowers?”
He grinned. “For a start. That’s just to get her warmed up. The real gift is after school.”
“And what is the real gift?”
Nino stepped forward, placing his hands onto Adrien’s shoulders.
“Dude. You know she’s gonna ask you about it. Can’t take that risk.”
The sensation was muffled by the shirt, but Adrien felt…
//
Softly, there’s the sensation of warmth, like standing in the shade of a tree on a summer day. He almost isn’t sure he feels it, because it doesn’t feel much different from talking to Nino normally.
He can feel, skimming across the surface, the sensation of Nino’s mind running. He’s pleased, excited, and maybe a bit nervous. There’s even an unexpected amount of… Deviousness? Probably that ‘surprise’ he’s getting ready.
//
Adrien sighed, smiling, the nerves he had earlier largely dispelled by Nino’s easy presence.
“Alright, alright. Keep your secrets.”
Nino grinned. “I will. If she asks, you have no idea what I’m doing.”
He laughed, as Nino pulled his hand away.
“I mean. I don’t know.”
“Exactly. If she pushes… Maybe give away the flowers?”
“You do realize she’s probably got something planned for you, right?”
Nino snorted. “I’m counting on it.”
And with that, he walked out, leaving Adrien alone.
…
Adrien didn’t have much to do at his locker, so it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before he was walking to the door, only to come face to face with Alya.
If he’d thought Nino had looked suspicious, Alya looked like she was on the trail of a criminal, and her clothes seemed… A bit more formal than usual? She looked as if someone had told her to dress up, but to be casual about it.
She glanced past him.
“Have you seen Nino?” she said.
“Why?”
She looked at him. “It’s our anniversary, and he’s definitely got something planned.” She looked back up at him. “Actually… I don’t suppose he’s told you anything, has he?”
He laughed. “Nothing.”
Alya squinted at him, visibly suspicious.
He wasn’t quite able to restrain the urge to pull away, slightly.
She cocked her head.
“You know something. He’s got something planned, and you know about it.”
“No! I don’t know anything.”
“What is it?”
“I- Wh- I have no idea!”
“Tell me, Adrien.”
“I- Uh- I- Alya, are you- What are you-“
“Tell me.”
“Wh- I don’t know!”
She stared him down a second longer, and…
She pulled back, expression suddenly much less imposing, and gave him a confused, nearly amused look.
“Interesting. So whatever it is, you’re not part of it.”
She stepped neatly past him.
He turned, staring after her, bewildered. Her fingers twitched like a pickpocket contemplating a theft. She’d interviewed Chat Noir several times, but that was-
“Wait, Alya,” he said, staggering after her, hand catching her shoulder as she walked away. “Since when do you interrogate people like that?”
//
Alya’s mind is practically buzzing. Excitement, glee, and nerves burn throughout. It feels like an engine running at full speed.
She’s… Apparently having the time her life, right now.
//
She turned, and as his hand fell away, she smiled, in a way that seemed almost surprised.
“Since Nino has, and don’t tell him I said this, managed to keep me in the dark about something, and I’m not sure whether to be angry at myself or impressed with him.”
As if on cue… Possibly literally on cue, considering he shouldn’t have needed to come back in here, Nino pushed through the door.
“Oh, hey dudes.”
“Nino! What are you doing?” said Alya.
Nino laughed. “Going to my locker?”
Alya stepped back.
“So… Do you remember what today is?”
“Tell me.” Nino put down his backpack, and went to his locker.
Alya glanced at Adrien, raising her eyebrows.
“Well… I find it hard to imagine you’ve forgotten, but it’s been a full year since we got locked in a cage together.”
“No kidding?” said Nino, reaching into his locker.
“No kidding,” said Alya. “And from what I’ve gathered, you know that, and-
“Hold these, would you?” said Nino, almost absently handing her a bouquet of flowers.
Alya blinked, taking hold of them.
“Wh—” She didn’t seem entirely certain what had happened.
Nino pulled back from the door, and looked at her. “Call that payback for our first kiss!”
Adrien, for his part had heard the part of the story where Nino had been so shocked when she’d kissed him he hadn’t been able to speak for a minute. He and Nino had laughed about it after the fact, but apparently, he’d been a bit embarrassed at the time.
Alya looked half offended, for a second, and then… She laughed “And they’re Tiger Lilies.”
“Had to ask Marinette about that one, but she said you…” he glanced for an instant at Adrien, “had sort of a connection to them?”
Alya snorted. “Yeah. I do. And, even if I didn’t, they really are lovely.”
She looked down at the flowers, then up at Nino, and idly tapped at her lips. “I’m wondering if I should kiss you now, or see if I can bribe you later to let something slip.”
Nino grinned. “Either way, I won’t tell you.”
“Well, in that case…” she said, grinning back.
“Aand, I think I should be going,” said Adrien, laughing, as their faces met.
He turned, not registering the sound of the door opening, not registering the unexpected slam of-
// Panic, worry //
As he staggered back, he looked down, and came face to face with Marinette. They seemed frozen in space…
And then she slipped, and he reached out, hands slipping under her arms, even as she grabbed onto his sleeves, and he was just about to be surprised that her emotions had deserted her when-
//
He realizes that her mind had simply been processing events, as she hits him like a train, harder even than her body had.
The first thing to make contact is a blast-furnace of warmth and care, as if he’d opened a hot oven incautiously. And… Something else, which he couldn’t quite make himself put a name to. He feels his face shift, a shade of red the twin of hers. It’s… It’s a bit like Nino’s, but more urgent, in a way that feels like it’s reaching directly into his stomach, and twisting.
As if that alone isn’t enough to grapple with, he feels the fear rise behind it. Panic. Irrational, gripping panic. Her hands scrabble at his sleeves, as she tries to pull herself upright.
//
Marinette regained her feet, but seemingly hadn’t quite gained the presence of mind to pull away.
He needed to let go. She was on her feet, and it wasn’t like they were together or anything, and it was kind of weird for two friends to be randomly holding onto each other like this, and-
// Some kind of pleasure bubbles up through the embarrassment, and some semblance of… hope? //
He blinked, clearing his throat.
“Uh… Marinette, hi, um, are you okay?”
She giggled, and he would have known she was nervous even if he hadn’t had a direct link to her mind.
She finally managed to get the presence of mind to pull away, and…
She pulled away hard enough that his fingers, which had seemed for an instant frozen stiff, as if by rigor mortis, didn’t even have a chance to hold her in place.
It seemed even Marinette was surprised by how hard she’d pulled away, barely keeping her feet.
He laughed, a little nervous himself. “Sorry, guess I didn’t see you coming.”
“Ah- No, that’s… That’s my fault I was in a hurry and I didn’t look where I was knowing- Ah, going! I… You know…”
He slid out of the door.
“If you- if you’re heading in, fair warning, there might be a bit more kissing than you’re comfortable with in there.”
“Oh, I don’t mind kissing,” she said, and her eyes widened, “I mean! I don’t mind kissing if it’s with the right person,” she seemed to have lost control of her train of thought, “I mean! Not that I think there’s anyone in there I’d want to kiss, because the only person I want to kiss is… Probably, not, in there?”
Normally, he’d have brushed that off, but after what he’d just felt…
He forced a smile. “Right. Well, it’s Alya and Nino, and it’s their anniversary, so we’ll probably have to be used to them being a bit more… y’know… than usual.”
“Ah! Right!” looking at the door both as if to avoid looking at him, and… As if weighing the option.
Adrien took the opportunity to walk rapidly away, thanking whoever was responsible for the fact that his blush had at least waited this long to hit him in earnest.
This was… He was…
He hadn’t expected this, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
The butterfly arrives: The beginning of empathic Adrien.
There’s more info in the ‘empathic adrien au’ tag!
Also, because I kinda borrowed the idea for this power from Ladyblargh’s Chouette!, please check that out as well if you haven’t! It’s not ML, but is inspired by it, and features an adorable pair cursed with animal powers, lovely art, lots of mutual pining and mystery solving shenanigans. I got sucked in by this post, here.
Adrien tightened his hold on Marinette, the sweet warmth of her emotions soaking in through their clothes. He still marveled at his effect on her. From outside, it was only a hug, but to her… he could feel how much she relished his embrace. How special it made her feel. He loved it. He didn’t know the last time he’d felt so treasured, and every time he touched her, it was like being in a delectable feedback loop. It was hard to know where her feelings stopped and his began. Part of him wondered if he should be doing this… but it made her so happy. It made them BOTH so happy. He slowly rubbed her back, feeling that warmth from her grow, and wondered what it would be like if he kissed her.
His hands stilled, and he forced himself to pull back from her, giving her shoulders a squeeze before letting her go. He missed her touch already. “Ah, sorry Marinette, I have to go… I’ll see you later.”
Marinette looked dazed, and a bit wobbly. “Too too… er, you too…”
He couldn’t help but give her a sheepish smile before heading off. He knew exactly how she felt.
His smile faded a bit as he headed through the hall. This was getting out of hand. It was getting harder and harder not to find excuses to touch Marinette. Master Fu said that the gift would be temporary, and he didn’t know if he felt more relief or dread at the thought of losing this window into Marinette’s heart.
He thought he might be falling in love with her, but was it just her own feelings cycling through him? He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly.
Something had to give. He needed to tell Ladybug. Then… they’d figure out what to do.
While I think getting empathy for a little while would be beneficial to Adrien, I feel like it would be HORRIBLE for Marinette.
She’d feel compelled to use it like she would any other tool in her arsenal to solve problems, but it would probably make her feel guilty and anxious, and she already struggles with that. It would be a burden on top of everything else she’s dealing with.
It would be nice to let her feel just how much Chat Noir/Adrien loves Ladybug, though...
I’m actually not totally sure, because I don’t know how genuine her feelings are for Adrien. I don’t think she really loves him, but she for sure has feelings for him. I think he’d sense manipulation and contempt. Her touch would probably be the most uncomfortable to him, (Chloe’s a distant second) and a lot of the reason he wears long sleeves later. (If he happens to roll them up when he touches Marinette, well, no one notices but Plagg.)
What if Adrien touched Nathalie while she was around Gabriel? Also, love your art. It's super gorgeous; you should go into 2d animating.
Aw, thank you so much! I’m actually really lousy at animating, as much as I love animation. I’ve thought about character designing or story boarding before, though! (I guess technically I am a character designer, but not in animation.)
I feel like Adrien wouldn’t get a lot of time to touch Nathalie before it felt weird for both of them, but I imagine the result would be interesting.
Nathalie keeps her emotions under wraps for the most part, so it’s possible it would take him a bit to get deep enough. I feel like the emotions he can sense deepen with the length of contact. Even so, around Gabriel, conflicted feelings are bound to rise to the surface. If he held on long enough, he’d sense loyalty. Love. Concern. Regret. Guilt. I don’t think Adrien would understand it all, but finding out that Nathalie loves his father would probably give him a lot of mixed feelings.
For Adrien himself, Nathalie feels a hesitant, almost motherly affection.
I have an empathic Adrien snippet I wrote that probably won’t exactly fit in the full story as is but I still like it and am thinking about posting it.
