Hey @arisu-artnfics , I am your secret santa! Hope you enjoy the gift! Thanks to @mlsecretsanta for organising!
Summary: When Chat Noir finds Marinette sighing over her failed love life, he decides to help her get the boy of her dreams. Nothing can go wrong here. Absolutely nothing.
(you can also read on AO3 and FFN -- will add links with reblog)
1: For a Friend
Adrien makes his way over the rooftops, heading back for his house. Solo patrol was uneventful tonight. He'd helped an old lady find her dog, comforted a kid who had fallen off their scooter, and done some heavy lifting for a mother who had just moved into a new apartment with her two children. All good deeds, sure, but not exactly what his miraculous had given him powers for. Still, he loves this part of the job: getting to chat to civilians, getting to see them smile or help them with those everyday frustrations and woes. It certainly beats getting thrown face-first into billboards.
Lights flicker like fairies to his right. Marinette's balcony. He pauses, watching as she clambers up through her skylight and leans against the railing. His lips curve—and immediately droop. Something about her posture is off. Too slumped, like she's going to sink to the floor any moment.
"Maybe I have time to check on one more person," he murmurs.
He changes direction and drops onto one of the little chimneys on her rooftop, offering her a wave and a smile. "Good evening," he greets.
She straightens but shows no surprise. Of course she'd seen him coming. "Er, hi." She gives him an awkward wave. "Did you need something?"
"Not really." He jumps down so he's standing at her level. "Just thought I'd stop by."
"Okay …"
His toothy smile fades into a much softer expression. "Is everything okay, Marinette?"
A blink. "Why would you ask that?"
"You seem kinda down."
She lowers her gaze. "That obvious, huh?"
When she says nothing else, he bumps her shoulder gently with his arm. "Wanna talk about it? I'm a great listener, you know. Got double the hearing." He wiggles his leather ears and brushes his hair aside to reveal his human ears.
A smile is tugged out of her. "Thanks, but you don't need to listen to my problems."
"I don't mind."
"Really, it's okay. I'm sure you have plenty of other things you need to be doing."
"I'm all yours if you want me."
Her eyebrows rise.
"Er." Heat blooms on his face and he scratches his cheek. "That came out wrong, didn't it?"
"A little bit."
Right. Probably should have dialled down the playfulness in his tone.
"Ah, you know what I mean," he says, still fighting a blush. "I just wanted to make it clear that I have no plans tonight, so it's fine. I'm happy to offer you a listening ear."
"That's sweet of you, Chat Noir, but …"
"But?"
She frowns at her hands.
"Hey," he says, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to force you to talk if you don't want to. Just say the word and I'll leave." A gentle squeeze. "But I really appreciated it when you kept me company that night I was feeling down. The least I can do is return the favour."
Her eyes dart to his. "You remember that?"
"Of course."
Ladybug had not showed for the rooftop date he had arranged. Granted, she had not committed to doing so, and she had joined him in the end anyway, but for a while he had been really upset. That was how he'd ended up sharing his romantic surprise with Marinette, who had been experiencing her own share of heartache that night. It was like their own broken hearts club for two—purely platonic, a little awkward at times, but it had still been good to talk about his feelings to someone who wasn't a sassy cheese vacuum.
He definitely wants to return the favour if he can.
"So?" he says, releasing her shoulder. "What do you say?"
She sighs. "Okay, but promise you won't laugh."
"Cat's honour." He even mimes sealing his mouth shut.
A giggle escapes her, and he can't help the soft smile that curves his lips. She's lovely when she laughs like that, bluebell eyes lighting up like sunshine. Even the sound of her laughter is warm and welcoming. He'd make her laugh all the time if he could, but for now he'll have to settle for offering her some listening support.
"Anyway," he says, "what's troubling you?"
"Oh." All the light dims in her eyes and she props her elbows on the railing, head bowing. "There's, um, this boy …"
Ah, a boy.
"I tried to confess to him today. Had a speech prepared, had practiced it over and over, but the moment I found the courage to approach him, I tripped and face-planted the ground. My nose started bleeding and everything." She sighs heavily, shoulders hunching. "I had to be taken to the nurse's office to get fixed up. It was so embarrassing."
He pats her back in a show of sympathy. Of course he's already aware of her tumble. He'd seen it happen—and been too slow to catch her in time—but Chat Noir isn't supposed to know that. "I'm sorry. That must have been rough. Are you okay now? Sounds like it was a bad fall."
"My nose is sore, but other than that the only thing hurt was my dignity."
He tilts her chin up gently with his finger so he can examine her nose better. "Hmm, it doesn't look swollen."
Pink dusts her cheeks. "Um, the nurse said it's just a bit bruised. Nothing serious."
"That's good."
"I guess. I'm pretty clumsy so I'm used to a few bruises."
He releases her chin. "Well, I'm sure this boy won't write you off just because you tripped over. Maybe today didn't work out the way you wanted, but that doesn't mean you can't confess to him another time, right?"
"That's the thing! This isn't the first time I've tried to confess!"
She goes on a long rant about gifts with cards that go missing, unsigned Valentine's Day cards, the endless interruptions, not to mention how her own brain likes to betray her and make gibberish come out of her mouth.
"It's like the whole universe is against me," she ends on a wail, burying her face in her hands.
Yikes. And he thought he was unlucky in love. At least he gets to voice his feelings, even if Ladybug rejects him every time.
"Maybe I should just give up on him," she says into her palms. "Maybe this is all a sign that we're not meant to be."
"Aw, don't be like that. You've had a few mishaps, sure, but that doesn't mean there's no hope."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"I'm not. I mean you haven't even confessed to the guy. You can't give up yet."
She lowers her hands from her face, lips forming a pout. "Well, there's no point wondering how he actually feels about me, because the universe and my own dumb mouth won't let me confess to him anyway. I'm doomed to failure."
"I don't think that's true."
"Feels true."
He frowns, not sure how to comfort her when she's this down and frustrated. Not that he can blame her. It would drive him nuts if his attempts to confess kept getting foiled as well …
Wait.
His eyes light up. "I can help."
"Huh?"
"You. I can help you confess to him."
Her jaw drops as if all the hinges broke. "You want to what now?"
"Things keep going wrong for you, right? So someone else just needs to come in and balance that bad luck." He sweeps into an elaborate bow. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I offer you my wingman services."
"Thanks, but I don't think that will make a difference. Alya and the girls have already tried to help me. Multiple times."
He leans in until he's almost nose to nose with her. "Ah, but they're not me."
She pushes him back with a finger to his nose. "I thought black cats are meant to be unlucky."
"Pure superstition."
Amusement gleams in her eyes, but then her lips twist. It's obvious she's contemplating his offer. It's also obvious she's uncertain if she wants to accept.
"Oh, come on, Marinette," he says, swinging up onto the railing so he can sit on it, feet kicking back and forth in the air. "I promise I'll be a great wingman."
"I don't know …"
His cat ears droop. "You don't trust me?"
"It's not that. I just … why do you even want to help me so bad?"
"Because I want you to be happy."
It's a simple fact, one he's not ashamed to admit. Her eyes widen before a heart-meltingly soft smile touches her lips. Flutters stir in his stomach.
Oh.
She looks so much like ladybug in that moment that his brain ceases to function. All the breath gets punched out of his lungs, his mouth forms a small O, and he stares and stares like the stuffed-statue of idiot he's become.
"I-I mean," he says, gaze skittering to the side. Get a grip, Agreste. This is your friend, not Ladybug. "You seem like an amazing girl, and I can tell you care for this guy a lot. It would be my honour to help the two of you get together."
She bites her lip.
"What, you still don't believe I can help?" he asks.
"It's … complicated."
He tilts his head. "How so?"
She opens and closes her mouth. Repeats the motion.
"Are you too embarrassed to tell me who you're crushing on?" he guesses.
"Yes!"
He blinks. Whatever reaction he'd expected, it was not for her to perk up, eyes brightening as if he's just handed her the best of gifts.
"Er, you don't have to be," he says. "I'm not gonna judge. Plus, you already know I'm in love with Ladybug."
She shakes her head. "Look, Chat, I know you mean well, but I ... I think I need to figure this out on my own. So, um, please just drop it."
"You sure?"
She nods.
"Okay." He shrugs and jumps off the railing. "But the offer still stands."
"Thank you."
oOo
Adrien detransforms and collapses on his bed. Creases form on his brow. "I wonder who she likes."
"Why do you care?" Plagg says, opening up a wheel of camembert. "Didn't she tell you to drop it?"
"Yeah, but she seemed so sad."
He knows the endless ache of not being able to be with the person he loves. He doesn't want that for her. She deserves to smile and be happy all the time.
"Maybe I can still help her out," he muses. "You know, act like her secret wingman or something."
"That seems like a waste of effort, especially since she doesn't want you to help her."
"Of course you'd say that."
Plagg shoves a slice of cheese into his mouth. "Just stating facts, kid."
Adrien ignores this and grabs his phone, bringing up pictures of his classmates. The boy she likes has to be someone in their class. There hadn't been that many people around when she'd tripped, and most of them had been girls. That narrows things down a lot.
"Well, it can't be Nino," he murmurs.
She doesn't seem the type to go for someone who's already taken, especially by her best friend.
Max then?
Adrien frowns at the picture of his classmate. Max, as far as he's aware, isn't interested in anything to do with romance or dating. That would be tricky if she likes him. Very tricky. Then again, maybe it's Kim she likes. Kim had been there as well …
A sigh. "Guess I'll have to see how she acts around them tomorrow."
Of course he knows he's going against Marinette's wishes, but it's not like he's planning to confess to the boy on her behalf. He'll just fish around, get a feel for if the guy returns her feelings, maybe give him a nudge in the right direction. You know, like a good friend. Plus, he's sure she'll be happy if he manages to succeed in helping her to date the boy she likes.
Happy holidays, @iamcatchild , I’m your @mlsecretsanta ! I hope you enjoy this Marigami piece I wrote for you! It was an interesting pairing to write for and more of a challenge than expected, but I’m happy with what I’ve written for you.
Meet me as soon as you can at the Pont des Arts. -Kagami
Provided you are not busy, of course. -Kagami
Be there soon.
-Marinette
Sprinting down the street as fast as she could, Marinette glanced down at her phone and checked the conversation for the millionth time. Marinette nearly tripped when her eyes left the screen, but she kept her balance and stayed on her feet. She was already late, but in her defense, Kagami had sent the text only moments ago asking to meet nearly halfway across the city. Why she suddenly wanted to meet by the Pont des Arts, Marinette wasn’t sure, but it was clearly important. And spontaneous. Which wasn’t like Kagami at all.
Pausing at the last crosswalk, Marinette doubled over, leaning on her knees, in an effort to catch her breath. Once the crosswalk changed Marinette would be able to cross the street and then it was only a matter of locating Kagami. She glanced from under her bangs in time to realize finding Kagami wouldn’t be so hard. She was already within sight, occupying a nearby bench alone just before the Pont des Arts. She was too far away to see clearly, but Marinette didn’t believe Kagami looked distressed. Good, that was a promising sign.
“Marinette! You can go now.” Tikki prompted, careful to be just loud enough that only Marinette could hear.
“Uwah! Thanks, Tikki!”
With a sudden burst of energy, Marinette quickly sprinted across the road, careful to dodge the few pedestrians walking past her.
“Sorry for taking so long.” Marinette apologized in between gasps for air. “I came as fast as I could from the bakery.”
With one arm propped against the bench, Marinette gave Kagami an exhausted smile.
“Don’t worry. I believe you.” Kagami softly laughed, brushing flour off Marinette’s shoulder.
Marinette perked up at the laugh and carefully slid next to Kagami on the bench, only now noticing that Kagami was holding a rose.
For a second, her heart skipped a beat. And the next, she felt the cold reminder of the last time she had seen Kagami with a rose. When she had been akumatized because of Lila’s photo with Adrien.
“Oh, did something happen between you and Adrien?” Marinette asked, careful to swallow the lump in her throat.
Kagami hummed to herself, her attention drifting from Marinette to the rose in her hands.
“I wanted you to be the first to know.” Kagami began, twirling the rose between her fingers.
“The first to know what?” Marinette interrupted; eyebrow quirked as she looked between Kagami and the rose.
Taking a moment to breathe and calm herself, Kagami slowly raised her eyes to meet Marinette’s.
“I’ve decided to change targets.”
The look of confusion on Marinette’s face only grew. She scooted closer, leaning on one knee so as not to get too close. Kagami was rather particular about her personal space after all.
“I’m not sure I heard you very well. Could you repeat that? I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“I’ve decided to change targets. I will no longer be pursuing Adrien romantically.” Kagami articulated, this time much louder. “Or in any manner really. I’m content with just being his friend.”
“I thought you didn’t like the idea of losing. Isn’t that the same as giving up?” Marinette went on. “If this is because you are worried about one of us ending up with Adrien will cost us our friendship, you don’t need to worry.”
“I can assure you, Marinette, I’ve had time to think this over. And while I certainly come to value our relationship above pursuing a romantic relationship with Adrien that’s not why I’ve decided to change targets. It’s hardly worth winning when you’re heart just isn’t into it, you know?”
“Oh.” Marinette paused, realization setting in. “You’ve moved on too, haven’t you?”
This time, it was Kagami’s turn to stare back in confusion. Although from Marinette’s perspective, her eyes merely flickered wider for a second. Even in a shocked state, Kagami was the calmer of the two.
“Yes,” Kagami responded. “But what do you mean by ‘too’? I’m not sure that I follow you now.”
“Oh, well I.” Marinette trailed off before shifting awkwardly on the bench.
Her cheeks tinted pink and her gaze fell to her shoes. Marinette wasn’t sure whether now was the time or not to mention her new crush.
“I have decided after everything that’s happened that I’m moving on from my crush. Or rather, finally accepting that those feelings have passed.” Marinette sighed. “Like you said, I’m content with just being Adrien’s friend.”
When Marinette finished, there as only silence between the two. Too nervous to go on, Marinette focused instead on settling the flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
This wasn’t where she had anticipated the conversation going at all.
Next to her, Kagami took a measured breath. She waited for Marinette to continue and when Marinette stayed quiet, Kagami opted to take hold of the conversation once more.
“I’m glad to hear that, honestly.” Kagami gave a small smile, eyes trailing back to the rose in her hand. “After a while, I realized I didn’t like the feeling of competing against you and even more so, I didn’t like the idea of assisting you in your pursuit of Adrien. Like you mentioned, I thought maybe it was my pride that I didn’t want to see you win even if I was no longer interested. It took me a while to understand exactly why.”
Rising from her seat, Kagami moved in front of Marinette. She waited for Marinette to look up, nudging Marinette’s shoe. She didn’t say anything more to Marinette until she had Marinette’s full attention, even going so far as to wave the rose in front of Marinette’s face.
“Walk with me,” Kagami spoke softly.
Looking up at Kagami standing confidently above her only sent Marinette’s stomach into a round of somersaults, but she kept her attention on Kagami. There wasn’t much that could pull her attention away from Kagami now.
Tentatively, Marinette took Kagami’s free hand and rose from her seat.
With a gentle tug of her hand, Kagami led Marinette up the steps onto the Pont des Arts. Kagami kept her steps measured as they walked together, careful to guide Marinette rather than simply pulling her along. All too aware of Marinette’s clumsiness, especially when hasty.
When the pair had made it up the steps of the bridge, Kagami paused by the edge. She held the rose up, catching Marinette’s eye and brought her hand out over the water.
“I want this to be symbolic so that you understand my feelings for Adrien have passed,” Kagami explained, her fingers releasing the rose.
Together, they watched as the flower fell into the water below and disappeared out of view.
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask who my new target is,” Kagami remarked, a playful smile on her lips. “Granted, by now I’m wondering who has stolen your heart away from Adrien.”
“Why would that matter?” Marinette asked, her voice hesitant.
“Well, originally I was going to challenge Adrien in a fencing match, but it seems that won’t be necessary anymore. Instead, I will have to send my challenge to whoever your new crush is.”
With a confident smirk on her lips, Kagami gave a playful wink in Marinette’s direction.
Marinette, for her part, simply stood there in shock. She could feel the warmth spreading to her cheeks but couldn’t find the words as her mouth hung open. Instead, she could only open and close her mouth the words dying on her lips.
“That won’t be necessary, Kagami.” Marinette finally spoke up, cheeks still blazing.
Kagami quirked her eyebrows in response but waited for Marinette to explain further.
“That won’t be necessary because I don’t think you would be able to challenge yourself to a fencing match,” Marinette added with a soft, embarrassed laugh.
Marinette had hoped to catch Kagame off guard. Maybe even cause her to end up a blushing mess as Marinette had been only moments before, but once again Kagami maintained her composure.
Her face did not betray her emotions and the only indication that Marinette had otherwise was the slow blush that spread along Kagami’s cheeks. A small victory for Marinette.
“So why bring me here?” Marinette asked, still flustered herself.
Just as Kagami was about to explain, she was interrupted by another voice.
“My name is Andre, Andre Glacier the sweetheart matchmaker.”
Marinette’s eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Andre setting up his ice cream cart on the other side of the Pont des Arts. She could already see a crowd of couples forming around his cart.
“It’s why my text to you earlier was so urgent. I had figured out where Andre was going to be set up today and I didn’t want to miss my chance.” Kagami explained once she found her voice, “I thought you might like to get some ice cream with me. I’ve been meaning to try the orange and blueberry ice cream together.”
Hello @artisticflutter :) hope you're having a wonderful year :D I'm your backup gifter at @mlsecretsanta this year ^^ Here's a little angsty MariChat scene, as a wink to Chat Blanc as well :) hope you like it
