Then

Marinette jumped around, dancing to the newest hit song from Clara Nightingale. There was something so free about dancing in her bedroom; she wasn't skilled in the slightest, so not having people glare at her attempting to flip herself upside down was a godsend.

She followed each move as particularly as possible; her arms and legs flew erratically up and down, as they tried to keep to the same rhythm as her idol. She wasn't a natural dancer, in all honesty, she wasn't a dancer at all, but that didn't stop her from trying to look like a backing dancer for her favourite singer.

As the music video came to its dramatic, high pitched end, Marinette finished with her big finale... falling on her back. Maybe trying to do a handstand in such a small enclosed space wasn't the best idea. Or maybe the issue came from attempting to do one at all (her gym grades would most certainly agree).

"Hey divas and divos, I'll be giving a few of you, lucky fans, an opportunity to dance and groove in my newest music video, 'Miraculous'. Not only will you get a chance to dance with me but also with the awesome heroes from 'The Tales of Chat Noir'. Come and put your best foot forward, Tuesday 5th September, 9:30 am sharp at the Grand Palais Hotel, Paris. See you there my Nightingales!"

As Clara waved goodbye to the screen, Marinette moved quickly, grabbing her phone from where it had fallen from her pocket. She checked today's date three times to make sure she'd got it right. Today was the 4th of August, which meant the filming was tomorrow.

"No way!" Marinette squealed, scrambling to her knees and eventually, after a couple of stumbles, stood up. "No stinking way!"

Her summer holiday had been boring, so far. All of her friends either had boyfriends or hobbies which were keeping them entertained, everyone except for her that was. She scrambled around trying to find somewhere to sit hoping that this would be an amazing excuse to finally have a cool girly day out.

Finally seated securely in her chair, Marinette clutched her phone tightly to her chest and pulled up the WhatsApp group.

Marinette started to do an excited wiggle in her chair. She adored Clara, but she was also a huge fan of Chat Noir, and the chance to maybe meet him was far greater than the idea of being in the music video — she wouldn't tell her friends that though.

Many nights she'd dream of being Ladybug and following her handsome partner into the grand abyss of world saving. He was just so smooth, and sexy, and funny and...

Marinette cheered before throwing open the trapdoor to her room; a bubble of excitement surrounded her as she headed down to her parents, however her chilled saunter was rudely interrupted as she fell onto her bottom and progressed to bounce down the stairs.

But that didn't matter because tomorrow she would be at the auditions for Clara's music video.

Tomorrow, she could catch a glimpse of the amazing Chat Noir.

Tomorrow, she was going to have the best day ever.

•••••

It was turning into the worst day of her life and it was only 9am and she was already wishing she'd stayed at home. She'd spent the previous evening baking some snacks to take with her, hoping that she might even get the honour of offering one to Clara herself – or, even, Chat Noir. However, after spending two hours researching Clara and Chat Noir's favourite snacks she'd ended up with a rather profound list. Some websites claimed they liked croissants, others stating quiche and then she'd even found one with Clara bragging about the best lemon tart she'd ever tasted. So, instead of choosing one and making sure it was perfect, Marinette decided on doing all of the named treats. She was now fully loaded with enough sugar to make Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory look under-stocked.

And she'd only had two hours of broken sleep!

With a groan, she lay her head on Alya's shoulder, closing her eyes and hoping that this was actually a dream. Eventually, when she opened her eyes, she'd realise she had a couple more hours in bed until she needed to wake up and try to dance – try being the keyword.

A brush of someone moving past her almost sent her toppling onto the ground. Fortunately, Alya's quick reflexes grabbed hold of her in time, stopping her from making an idiot of herself in front of the hundreds that were here for the audition.

"So, this is what I've found out so far. They're going to be choosing 50 people to perform in the video. The song is for the new 'Tales of Chat Noir' movie where Ladybug is also being introduced as an equal lead — which we all knew anyway. The dancers will perform a simple routine and be dressed as random Akuma's." Alix rambled off the information so quickly Marinette wasn't sure she caught any of it, but that also could have been because of the giant croissant dream she was currently experiencing. Flaky, buttery, perfection.

"Only 50, yikes," Alya said. "At least I'll be back in time to meet Nino for brunch."

"Brunch?" Alix questioned. "What are you? 30?"

"I thought you weren't telling him," Marinette yawned into her friend's ear. She nuzzled into Alya's neck more, enjoying the feel of her hair brushing against her cheek. It was so soft and fluffy.

"When you love someone as much as I do, Marinette, it's impossible to keep secrets from them. Even if you try."

Marinette's eyes began to flutter, the summer sunshine burning her retina's and causing her to shield her eyes from the early morning glow. She reached behind her, attempting to find her sunglasses in her back, yet every move was blocked by the sheer array of treats in her bag.

She placed her backpack onto the ground, unzipping it and beginning to route around. She was sure they put them in there.

"Is it too early to eat?" Alix said, eyeing up the rather impressive selection of goodies Marinette was pulling from her bag.

"Yes," Marinette said, forgetting the glasses and pulling the bag into her chest. "These are for Clara, not for us."

"Clara, or Chat Noir?" Myléne said, a quirk on her lips which made Marinette feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Clara, of course. So hands off?"

She heard the whines from her friends as she turned around and placed the bag down again, hiding the blush slowly increasing on her cheeks. She continued rummaging around, hoping no one had noticed the sudden colour taking over her cheeks, when finally her fingers wrapped around the arms of the glasses. Bingo!

Giving it a hearty tug, Marinette attempted to remove them from underneath the ridiculous amount of food still in there. One. Two. Three tugs and nothing was happening. Crouching lower and into a rather unattractive squat, Marinette put her whole body into it, yanking hard and falling backwards as the glasses flew from the bag and began go skid away in the opposite direction.

"Not the lenses! Not the lenses! Not the lenses!"

The glasses continued to gain distance from the line, bouncing lightly across the slabs, teasing her with a chance of them falling on, and scratching, their lenses.

They came to a sudden halt as they collided with someone's foot, Marinette letting out the breath she'd been holding as she noticed the frames were facing up safe from the harsh attacks of the stone.

Eyes fixated on the item, she was surprised when they were joined by a large hand reaching down, wrapping around the centre and lifting them up. She followed the arm as it rose to the person's face, noticing how they seemed to be hidden behind their own pair — and a baseball cap.

He was definitely male. His frame was wide and tall, and, from what she could tell by the tightness of his tee, he was exceptionally well built. The sleeves barely won the battle to keep his bicep undercover — the material pulled taut at his chest.

With her stare at him (not just the tightness of his tee) being so intense, she didn't realise he was moving forward — glasses in hand and a wide, bright smile on his face. Everything he wore — right down to his aviator sunglasses and cap — were plain black. Could it be? Is this...

Before she could comprehend what her brain was attempting to say, Marinette was up and on her feet, scrambling to gain stability and not fall over again. She smiled (almost psychotic like) in his direction.

Less Joker, Marinette, please!

"I believe these belong to you."

A hand reached out to her, as a smooth, masculine voice graced her ears. Oh, boy...

"You think, I mean, thank you." She looked up and caught a glimpse of an eye underneath his frames. Green. Vibrant green with an amused sparkle which made her cheeks blush — turning from peony pink to cherry red.

She took the glasses from his hand, gasping as their soft, warm skin collided and a spark ignited in her stomach, almost stopping her from breathing. She pulled the glasses into her chest.

His laugh was melodic – heartwarming and all consuming. This guy laughed with his whole heart and she couldn't help but smile back – he was all consuming and mesmerising. Her insides began to warm in an unfamiliar, yet comfortable way.

"You're very welcome. Are you heading inside?" he asked. She looked behind her, then to the sides, wondering if he was still talking to her or if someone else had appeared nearby.

"Most certainly not – I mean – I most certainly am. I'll dance for you. No! I like to dance, not for you, but for myself. I'd like to be able to speak properly too but your hotness is distracting me. I mean, you're hot! No, not hot, just a distraction. Not in a bad way, but..." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you for bringing these back." She waved the glasses in front of her as though she needed them to make her statement. Obviously her words weren't enough. The enthusiastic wave only added to her mortification when the glasses flew from her hand and in the direction he'd just brought them back from.

With quick, Cat-like reflexes, the guy leaped to the side, catching the glasses mid air and bringing them back to her. "Careful there, you don't want to scratch these, and I won't always be around to save you."

She giggled like a fool, taking the glasses again and placing them on her face. A big, burly man appeared behind them, placing a hand on the guys shoulder and turning him in the direction of the entrance.

He smiled brightly and she noticed how one side of his mouth lifted up slightly higher than the other. She'd seen this exact smile before. She knew that smile – it was plastered all around her room.

"See you in there." He dropped her a quick wink before being led away.

Marinette watched him leave, a soft, dreamy sigh leaving her mouth. Alya came to stand beside her and tilted her head. They both watched as the guy in black waved and nodded to others in the line. He moved further down; his long, lean strides the most beautiful she'd ever seen.

"Woah! Who was that? You know I love Nino, but the eye candy! Yikes!"

"I don't know." Marinette continued to watch as he was greeted at the doorway by another big, muscular man in a black suit and sunglasses. He had an earpiece spiralling out of his ear, and Marinette couldn't help but think he was important — and probably had the word 'COBRA' tattooed on his knuckles.

"Girls, girls!" Myléne suddenly appeared beside them and she was practically bouncing from one foot to the other. "Did you see him?"

Marinette and Alya exchange a look before turning back to their over excited friend. "Who?"

"Chat Noir! Apparently, he's just arrived." She punctuated her sentence with a long, loud squeal, her hands clapping together like a toddler being given a lollipop.

Marinette's head shot back to where the guy had just disappeared. Her toes pushed her up to look back over the crowd, but he was long gone.

The smile. He had Chat Noir's smile because he was Chat Noir. Chat Noir had been right here, he'd brought her glass back. He'd touched her hand and almost electrified her with his touch. There had been a spark... and now she couldn't breathe. She'd had a moment with Chat Noir! Her Marinette Dup(l)ain-Cheng!

"Marinette! That was Chat Noir! Chat Noir was flirting with you!" Alya and Myléne grabbed hands and began to jump up and down, Marinette completely perplexed from their over enthusiastic behaviour.

"He did not flirt with me!"

"Oh, he did, Marinette. 'Are you heading inside?' please! He was almost drooling!"

Her friends were insane! There was no way the Chat Noir was flirting with her, he was gorgeous and she was well... just her.

Before anyone could push the conversation further, and darken the never ending blush on Marinette's cheeks, a commotion was heard from inside the building. Voices raised over the crowds and people began to scurry out of the building. More men in black suits and a smaller girl with blonde hair stormed out the entrance. She looked positively furious!

"I'm not doing it!" she yelled. "Tell Gabriel Agreste to stick that costume up his arse because there is no way someone like me is wearing such a monstrosity!"

The blonde pushed past a couple of people and stopped just in front of where Marinette and the girls were waiting. She flicked her hair, the golden strands almost blinding everyone in the immediate vicinity as the summer rays bounced off it.

"If it's that simple they can just get someone else to do it! I'm out of here!" With a pout, the girl placed on her white sunglasses and pulled down hard on her yellow jacket before heading towards a stretch limo — a long, important looking stretch limo. Was that the mayor's? The girls watched gobsmacked as the door slammed shut and drove away, Clara Nightingale herself walking out and watching the commotion.

Everything that happened next was a bit of a blur. Firstly, Clara was approached by the burly man with rather impressive sideburns, he seemed to be grunting something at her and her demeanour changed. Her shoulders pulled back and she looked like a woman who was about to take over the world. Next, was something bizarre because the burly sideburn guy was suddenly in front of them and grunting at her.

"Me?" Marinette questioned, pointing to herself and he grunted again.

Alya pushed her forward, both Alix and Myléne cheering her on as she ducked underneath the rope and stood beside him, girls in the crowd around her moaning and whining about why she was skipping the line. He grunted again and nodded his head to the side. Did he want her to follow him?

"Let me just get my –" Marinette reached out to grab her bag only to have Alix's hand slap hers away.

"You've got your phone and now we've got the treats. Have fun!"

A tentative smile crossed her lips as fear darkened her heart. Sweat began to collect in places she'd never sweat before. Where was she going? And, more importantly, why?

•••••

Adrien watched as Chloé marched up and down the dressing room. When his usual Ladybug called in sick, Chloé Bourgeois had 'stepped in' to help out. In other words, it was another feeble attempt to get to him — that was until she saw the costume..

He leaned against the dressing room counter, hands gripping the edge and one eyebrow raised in amusement. Chloé had finally stopped the pacing to hurl profanity after profanity at Nathalie, his father's assistant.

"If you think I'm wearing a glorified baby romper to dance around on stage in, you are being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

Rolling his eyes, Adrien pulled out his own phone, dropping Kagami a quick message to see how she was.

Kagami had been his Ladybug since the show started a year ago and they'd built quite a bond together. Maybe not in the way his father wanted (thanks to his cousin) but they were definitely close friends. His phone buzzed in his hand.

Just as Adrien was about to reply asking exactly what his cousin had bet on, the slam of the trailer door shook the room and caused the mirror to drop from the wall — the large square piece of glass narrowly missing him.

"I take it, we're ready to film then?" Adrien said, smiling at Nathalie.

His assistant rolled her eyes before turning to her own phone and, what he guessed was, a call to his father. Why had they trusted Chloé in the first place? She wasn't exactly easy to work with, or the most willing.

"Gabriel, Chloé's left..." As Nathalie continued her conversation with his father, Adrien couldn't help but move to the trailer's window. He looked through the one-sided glass at the crowd of people being signed in ready for the auditions. A smile graced his lips as he spotted the girl who'd dropped her glasses – well, threw her glasses – across the floor. She was with a couple of others; they were laughing and joking, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was enthralling. Seraphic.

She was bouncing from one foot to the other, excited chatter bubbling between them and he could almost feel their happiness in the trailer – only making his smile grow more. The sun hit her hair, sending it into a vibrant shine of hues — blue and purple – not too dissimilar to Kagami's. A thought hit him hard and fast, causing him to stumble and head towards Nathalie at a haste speed.

"A replacement," Adrien said, almost falling flat onto his face.

Nathalie placed her phone on mute before looking at Adrien. "Pardon?"

"We can find a replacement. There has to be a girl in the crowd who could do it?"

She looked at Adrien before taking mute off of the phone. "What if we could find a replacement?" Nathalie said through the microphone.

Adrien watched as she listened intently to his father, his eyes constantly sneaking glances out of the window to keep track of the girl. She was still there, however, Chloé was now making her grand exit, causing all the bubbling chatter to stop.

Not wasting anymore time, Adrien opened his mouth to speak again, only for Nathalie to hold a finger up in response. Freezing him in motion.

His eyes flickered side to side, fluctuating between his fathers assistant and the girl with the raven hair — what if Chloé put her off and she turned to leave? From the moment he laid eyes on her, he needed to know more. She'd hooked him tight, and he was ready to be reeled in and learn more.

"What if I found someone who looked very similar to Kagami? Hair and body type – with the added extra of Ladybug's eye colour," Adrien whispered.

"Gabriel, can I call you back?"

Obviously, his father had agreed to Nathalie's demand as she ended the call and placed the phone back in her pocket. "Who?" she stated matter of factly.

"There's this girl in the line. She looks like Ladybug."

Nathalie studied his face like he'd gone insane, and for a moment he wondered if he actually had. "Again. Who?"

Adrien beckoned her to follow him. He made his way to the window and looked to where Chloé was now storming towards the front entrance, straight past the girl.

"There, by Chloé."

His finger hit the window in a fable attempt at pointing her out. Standing still, Adrien waited for Nathalie to make her decision, his body tense with the idea of getting to know this girl more.

With a quick snap of her fingers, Gorilla was marching out of the trailer and towards the girl, his body guard off to, hopefully, grab her and bring her to him — well, not him personally, but into hair and makeup

"Put your cap and glasses back on, you know your identity can't be revealed."

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he walked to grab the items, even if she couldn't know who he was, that didn't mean he couldn't get to know her more. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way about a girl? For sure, he had a spark of something when he first met Kagami, her overall bravery and decorum mesmerising, but it soon came to light that they weren't suited. As much as they worked well together, they didn't work as one. Since then, no one had even turned his head — until now.

"You, go to your trailer and get suited, and I'll speak to the girl."

Heading to the door, Adrien gave a quick look back at Nathalie, before exchanging a smile and leaving in the direction of his personal trailer, finally feeling a buzz of excitement for the day.

When Adrien reached the set, he was pleasantly surprised to see not only Clara warming up ready to perform, but the girl too. If his eavesdropping during hair and makeup had been right, her name was Marinette and she was 16 years old – one year younger than him.

Dressed in his black suit, boots and cat ears, he bounded up onto the stage to the sound of cheers and applause. He loved playing Chat Noir, he just hated the fame that came with it, which was why he requested to remain anonymous — it was hard enough just being Adrien Agreste the famous model.

Turning to Marinette, aka Ladybug, he walked forward, dropping to one knee and taking her hand in his. He lifted his head, placing a soft, delicate kiss on the back of her hand, completing it with his trademark wink.

"Looking amazing, M'Lady," he said, his voice barely lifting above the crowd.

Where Kagami had always looked so strong in the suit, Marinette made the costume look different – elegant. She looked beautiful, like a ballerina who was about to kick some serious ass. Her cheeks blushed and he stood up to his full height, suddenly realising how much he towered over her. He was almost tempted to pick her up and put her in his pocket. Noticing the vast display of flowers scattered around the stage, he grabbed a red rose and moved forward again, holding it out to her and smiling.

"Here, it matches your costume." Her hand stretched up, a slight nervous tremor as she took it from his hand.

"T-thank you, Kitty."

His heart took on a mind of its own, swooping and twirling, as it moved about his chest like a deflating balloon. "You're welcome."

He stood, enchanted by her wonderful, blue stare. He could seriously look into her eyes all day. They glistened with so much joy and love, he was absorbed by them.

Clara's voice suddenly boomed over the speakers. Adrien jumped out of his boots as he was pulled from the hypnotic stare of his partner for the day. Oh man, he was going to struggle and he was quite sure this time Chat Noir wouldn't just be acting the part of a love sick kitten...

•••••

Marinette had had the best day of her life!

The moment she'd been approached by Chat Noir's bodyguard, she'd be terrified, but then she'd been propositioned about playing Ladybug and she was almost certain she'd died and gone to heaven. This was a dream come true, and as sure as she was about messing it up, she couldn't deny that it had actually been amazing – beyond amazing!

She sat in the trailer with the red rose Chat Noir had given her twirling between her fingers. She moved it around and around as she thought about the guy in the black cat suit. Chat Noir had kissed her hand and given her a rose, sure it was his usual move for Ladybug, but this had been to her... not the normal Ladybug — her. Her mind began to spin with the thoughts of weddings, three kids and a hamster... she just wished she knew who this mystery man was.

Lifting the rose to her nose, she sucked in the delectable scent before running her fingers over the silken petals – a flutter of glee circling in her stomach. She knew the character well, she'd had a crush on him for a year; but, the boy behind the mask was something else entirely. As they went through the motions of filming the music video, every now and then his superego slipped, and someone sweet and wholesome appeared away from the cheesy puns. He'd been supportive and encouraging, becoming her cheerleader and supporter. He'd eased her into everything and been there every single step of the way. By the end of filming she was a fully fledged Ladybug, even getting a smile and nod from the serious lady with the red streak.

Her crush had exploded... and she was quite sure she had fallen in love with the guy! Yet, she didn't even know who he was, she knew nothing about him.

A knock startled her. She stood and made her way to the door, expecting the lady to be there ready to escort her out of the building; instead, she found Chat Noir standing outside of her door – hat and shades on – looking exactly as he had when they'd met earlier that day.

"H-h-hi," she stuttered, her hand itching to cover her eyes from the brightness of his radiant teeth.

"May I come in?" Chat Noir was standing sheepishly on the top step, hovering from one foot to the other, his bottom lip caught between his teeth and causing her to want to nibble on it too.

Stop staring, Marinette!

"Yes, of course."

She stepped to the side and allowed him in, a soft, nervous smile on her face as the blood pulsed in her ears. What was he doing here?

She closed the door behind them, hyper aware that they were here – alone – and she was quite sure his identity was meant to be protected. This just seemed forbidden. Taboo.

"Is everything okay? Oh, goodness, have they watched the takes back and I was awful. I'm so sorry, I knew I couldn't do this."

Marinette slammed her hands over her face, taking the moment to hide herself as much as possible. It was too good to believe she wouldn't mess this up. That had to be the reason he was here. To let her down gently in telling her, she was crap!

"Oh, no! You were amazing, Marinette. I was just wondering if maybe we – I mean – It's just, you're really pretty, and... I'm really bad at this." He wiped a hand over his mouth as he let out a nervous laugh. His hand reached to rub the nape of his neck, the smile he came with fluctuated a little and dimmed.

Marinette removed the hands from over her eyes and looked at him expectantly. She knew she was prone to verbal diarrhoea, but to see it from this confident, overenthusiastic guy was quite endearing. He took his hat from his head, before removing his sunglasses. His face and hair were finally uncovered and on display for her to see. He was gorgeous; his hair was as bright as the sunshine and eyes as green as the grass. He looked like summer in human form. Warm, friendly, appealing... and familiar.

"What I'm trying to say is... I really enjoyed spending time with you today. And I would like to do it again at some point, if you want to, that is. So, may I have your number, please? And maybe we could hang out sometime? You are more than welcome to tell me I'm overstepping my boundaries and that I need to get lost. I hope I'm not pressuring you into anything. I mean, someone as amazing as you must have a boyfriend, and I don't want to hit on someone who's already taken... I mean I'm not hitting on you. Well, I am... it's just I like you and... oh man! I'm messing this up so badly." His hands joined together in front of his body and for a slight moment she thought he was praying.

He looked so sweet, and innocent and naive... the whole charade making her giggle. Chat Noir was fumbling to ask her out on a date. Her! Watching him mess this up so badly swelled her heart a little larger. She was definitely hook, line and sinker for this guy.

"Not too confident now, are you Kitty?"

Looking under his eyelashes, he gave her a smirk. "Does that make me more, or less, attractive?"

Building up her confidence she pulled her shoulders back. "I'll tell you after our date, Chaton."

"Great stuff! Yeah, cool! I mean, I can't wait. Well, I can wait, because I have to, but it'll be amazing... good ... it'll be pawesome." He flashed her a heart throb smile, handing her a piece of paper and a pen.

She quickly turned, scribbling her number on the paper and ignoring the little dance she spotted him doing in the reflection of the mirror.

"Here!" She handed the paper back, the confidence of Ladybug causing her to place her hands on her hips and give him a smirk.

He looked at her in awe, before taking the paper and heading towards the doorway. He stopped before opening it, placing his cap and sunglasses back on. Looking him over a couple of times, she smiled. She was going on a date with Chat Noir.

"Oh, and before I go," he said with a smile. "My name is Adrien. Adrien Agreste."

He stepped out, closing the door behind him. Did he just say Adrien? Adrien Agreste? She knew he looked familiar! Keeping herself from screaming, Marinette bit down on her fist. There were only two people on her heartthrob list and she was about to date both of them.

When the hell did she get so lucky?