Today’s drabble was requested by @kellarhi for Max and Marinette. I can honestly say I’ve never written this pairing so here goes something! :D
“Okay, all of the safety protocols have now been overridden,” Max’s voice came over the earpiece crisp and clear, accompanied by the clickety-clacking of his keyboard from where he was safely hidden in a hotel room down the street. “You have approximately seventy-three seconds before the backup firewall is put into place and I have to reconfigure.”
“Got it.” Ladybug slipped into Gabriel Agreste’s office and stayed close to the wall as she moved. “Let me know if anyone in the house leaves their current spots.”
“Gabriel is showing in the furthest left room on the top floor, Nathalie on the opposite end, and Adrien...” Max’s voice dropped out and Ladybug reminded herself time was of the essence and kept pushing forward as she waited for her partner to come back online. There was the sound of furious typing and then Max spoke again. “Adrien isn’t showing up anymore.”
“What do you mean? Like he left the house?”
“That’s one assumption. I can send Markov--”
“No, I’m to the safe now. I’m sure Adrien just went out.” She tried to push away the worries of her friend sneaking out of the house in the wee hours of the morning but there would be time to think on that when she wasn’t trying to beat the clock on a high tech security system.
“Okay, move nine degrees to the left and I should be able to pick up a signal from the relay I gave you.”
Ladybug guessed where nine degrees to the left was in front of the safe and waited, holding her breath.
“You know, between the two of us, I think I’m the one expected to be the cat burglar, Spots.”
She almost jumped out of her skin and turned her head slightly to see Chat Noir leaning against the far wall. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“Wondering why you’re breaking into Gabriel Agreste’s safe,” he shrugged. “Need help?” He raised his hand to show the black power already beginning to bubble at his fingertips.
“Sorry, Kitty, this job requires a bit more finesse.”
There was a huff over her earpiece. “The backup firewall is going to fall into place in fifteen seconds. Both of you need to move to the far left and stand approximately three body widths apart until I can take it down. Go now. Communication will be lost for an indefinite number of seconds.”
Ladybug nodded and hoped Max saw her over the security camera he’d hacked. “Come on, we need to move before the system comes back online.”
Chat Noir casually pushed away from the wall and easily moved into the spot he would be safe from the motion detectors as if he already knew exactly where it was. “So who is the little voice in your ear helping you with this caper? I thought I was your main partner.”
“I can have different kinds of partners, you know.” She saw a teasing glint enter his eyes and immediately regretted her choice of words.
“Ah, so this is a different kind of partner then.” He put too much emphasis oh the word “partner” as he curled his tongue behind his teeth. “Aren’t you a blushing bug?” he teased.
Ladybug felt her cheeks heating up and turned her face toward the opposite wall in a failed attempt to hide her blush. “We work together.”
“No, you and I work together,” he argued as the hum of the backup generator began. “I don’t make you blush like that. So who is the mystery man with the mic?”
“I can’t tell you that! It’s a secret for his safety.”
“Ah,” he nodded. “Does he know who you are?”
She sniffed and lifted her chin. “He knows I’m Ladybug.”
“Everyone knows you’re Ladybug.” He studied her profile. “You really trust him though. You didn’t even tell me about this job tonight and you tell me just about everything.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but he had certain skills that were necessary for tonight so I invited him to help.”
“Skills for stealing from Gabriel Agreste,” Chat Noir clarified.
“Yes,” she replied stiffly.
“I see. So when are you going to make your move?”
She blinked and looked back over at him. “What? I’m waiting to hear from--”
“Come on, Spots, not about the safe. You going to let him be your mystery mic man forever or what? Life is short.”
“Yeah. but...”
“But he’s hideous?”
“What?! No, he’s very...” She felt her blush return and ducked her head. “He’s very handsome. And he wears these cute suspenders that...you know what? I’m not doing this with you.”
“Suspenders. Very fetching.”
“Stop it. Look, he’s crazy smart and creative and just...just amazing.”
“You’ve got it bad.”
“Please let me die of embarrassment in peace, Chaton.”
Chat Noir chuckled quietly. “All I’m saying is don’t miss your chance. Life is unpredictable for people like us. You have to take your joy where you can find it.”
“Thanks, I...I really appreciate that.”
There was a crackling in her ear as Chat Noir nodded and then Max’s clipped tone came through loud and clear. “You are free to move about the room. I’ve taken the entire layout of it out of the programming.”
“You’re a genius, Max,” Ladybug beamed as she moved back to the safe with Chat Noir smirking and on her heels. She realized she’d let his name slip but she knew she could trust Chat Noir, even if the teasing might become unbearable.
“Your work is very important,” Max replied after a pause. “And I want to help in any way I can. This seemed to be the most efficient way to do so. Once you’re finished, I’ll rewrite the program and it will be as if you were never there.”
“Easy as that, huh?”
__________________________________
“Easy as that, huh?”
Max sat back and flexed his sore fingers as he felt his face and neck grow hot. “I didn’t say easy, Ladybug, but I can do it. For you.”
He watched her reaction on the camera he’d taken control of and could swear she was wearing a blush to rival his.
