Disclaimer: I do not own characters or Miraculous Ladybug. They are all respectively Thomas Astruc's.

Summary: Rule number 2 – DO NOT insult Chat Noir. Unless you're ready for a whole lot of red.

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG

The darkness ebbed away and Chat Noir shook his head from the momentary loss of control and memory. He looked up as a red gloved hand reached out to him. He returned the smile Ladybug gave as he took her hand and let her pull him up.

"I was under the akuma villain's control again, huh?" Chat Noir said miserably as they did their signature fist bump. "I'm sorry I got in the way again, my lady."

"Chat that's not-" Ladybug started to protest, only to get drowned by the heads of microphones shoved in front of her face. He nimbly stepped back, blending in the shadows of the crowd and under the shelter of the Eiffel Tower's beams. Fame loved him, but he didn't love it back.

As Chat Noir watched from the distance, he wondered if he really was worth this superhero business. Power came with a price, especially when the power involved destruction. Most especially when his emotions would run rampant, causing reckless actions and –

"Chat Noir? May I have a word?" A monotonous voice spoke from behind him. He jumped in surprise and whirled around. A woman in a business suit held out a recording device in front of her, the other hand holding a tablet with a list of questions on the screen.

Chat Noir gave his signature smirk and said, "Ask away."

"How do you feel about being pegged as a supervillain?"

He froze. The question hung in the freezing air. Chat Noir's smile wobbled as he said, "Well, I don't-"

"While it is true that you were the main morale boost of Ladybug when this whole fiasco started, lately you have, more often than not, come under the control of the villains." The woman said, her voice as clipped as her heels on the cement. "Is it because of many a complicated thing in your civilian life or is it because of the influence of the darkness within you due to your destruction powers?"

An unsettled feeling fluttered inside him. He knew he shouldn't listen to negative comments like that, but how could he not? If not for Ladybug claiming they were a team, he would've been marked as a villain a long time ago. Chat Noir pushed down the wavering emotions of insecurity and said with a grin, "Don't worry, I won't-"

"How can we know Paris will really be safe if it were not for Ladybug?" She said, taking a step forward. He took a step back. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "How can we know that you won't turn your back on us? From the Christmas day a few days ago, it seemed as though you were ready to bring down that Christmas tree."

Chat Noir's heart skipped a beat. Did she see him detransform too?! She answered his unspoken question. "I was in a meeting so I couldn't see what happened next, but you were really intent on bringing it down, your eyes glinting with rage and villainous intent and whatnot. Who is to know when you'll set those eyes on us?"

Chat Noir's back bumped on the icy steel frame. The woman snapped, "Tell me, Chat Noir!"

"Get the hell away from him." A low growl spoke up from behind the reporter. Both of them jumped in fright at the sheer anger in the voice. The woman turned around and her eyes widened in fear. Ladybug's mouth was set in a deep scowl, her hand shaking from the raging emotions inside her, the interview with the press abandoned.

"You don't know a thing about Chat Noir." Ladybug said dangerously, taking a step towards her. The reporter tried to run away, but Ladybug grabbed her collar and drew their faces in close. There was unbidden fury in her eyes. "How dare you ask these questions when he risks his life to keep Paris safe?! How dare you question his intentions when he has done all he can is so that you will live without any fear from akuma attacks?! Paris wouldn't be this safe if it wasn't for him and this is how you repay him!?"

"Ladybug, calm down! It's okay!" Chat Noir said as he grabbed her arm, trying with all his might from preventing his partner from clawing the eyes out of the unfortunate reporter.

"This is not okay!" Ladybug snapped. "You think this woman can say anything she wants just because she's a reporter?"

Ladybug turned to her again. "All he has done, is to save and protect the people of Paris, even people like you who seem to have no respect to their betters and take what they have for granted!"

Her voice was starting to rise. "He's the nicest, most caring human being and the purest soul I have ever met! He's my best friend, my partner, the superhero of Paris, he's Chat Noir and you better respect him! If you were turned into an akuma, I'd never-"

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir's pleading brought her out of her blind rage. When she had come to her senses, the reporter had already run away.

"Why'd you let her go?! I wasn't finished!" Ladybug struggled in his grip. When Chat Noir deemed her calm enough, he let go. Unfortunately, Ladybug turned her ire towards her partner. "And you! Why'd you just stand there?! Why'd you let her insult you?! You – you with the emotional rage of a teaspoon!"

Chat Noir blinked and then burst out laughing. Ladybug glared at him, her cheeks flushed in both annoyance and embarrassment. She watched as his laughter came in short gasps and ended in a fit of hiccups. She said grumpily, "You're laughing at me."

"I'm not laughing at you my lady, I swear, I just," Chat Noir straightened up as he calmed down. With a grateful smile, he said, "thank you, Ladybug."

His words were so sincere, she couldn't help but let her anger go. With flaming red cheeks, she turned away. She looked over her shoulder and said, "You better go before you detransform, Chaton. And if someone ever insults you again, don't just stand there."

Just before she zipped away, she said quietly, "I should be the one thanking you instead."

He tilted his head in confusion, wondering what she meant, but she had already zipped away, leaving a lovesick tomcat behind.

…

"Ahhh~~ Ladybug," Adrien cried out to the full moon, his silhouette casting a large shadow on his bedroom floor. "when are you going to realize how much I love you so?"

"When are you going to realize that you're repeating your words every day and the moon will never listen to you?" Plagg snapped. "You're making my cheese rot with your sickening words of love."

"Your camembert can't get any more rotten that it is." Adrien said back, slightly annoyed at being interrupted from his Shakespearean lament.

Plagg gasped. "Apologize to my cheese!" He crooned. "He didn't mean that, camembert, don't listen to him."

Adrien rolled his eyes. He didn't feel in the mood now that he was brought out of his lovesick daze. In between chews, Plagg asked, "Why don't you choose someone else to fawn over? Someone closer, like, I dunno, that cute girl in your class?"

"Who? Marinette?" Adrien said. "She's just a friend."

"So you think she's cute?" Plagg teased.

Adrien frowned. "Who doesn't think she isn't? Well, aside from Chloé, of course."

"You should like her instead." Plagg said wisely. "I feel something special from her."

Adrien snorted. Plagg? A love expert?

"I know what's running in your head, mister. You should heed my advice you know." The quantic god said. "I'm over five thousand years old."

"Sure, whatever you say Plagg." Adrien said with a laugh.

The kwami frowned and shook his head. Apparently love made you an idiot. Add that to a romantic heart and you've got a headache case.

…

"Chat Noir is just a sidekick to Ladybug."

BAM!

The classroom door slammed open as Marinette, hair in a mess and extremely late, asked in between short gasps, "W-Who said that?"

Madame Bustier gave her a hard glare. "Marinette, if you're going to come in to class late, do so quietly. We're in the middle of a debate and I'd like for you to quickly take part."

Marinette looked up at the board and groaned. Why was everyone against her partner this week?

Pro Chat Noir /Anti Chat Noir

"One question, why are we doing this?" She asked. "Everyone knows that Chat Noir will always protect Paris. Why do we need to do a debate about it?"

"You have seen the news of yesterday. We all know that Chat Noir is a superhero and he will never turn against us. But who's to say for sure he won't? Rumors have been circling around and it's hard to ignore what they say." Madame Bustier explained. "Now I will not doubt him, but I think this is something rather important to discuss."

The secret superhero frowned. She hated being doubted about her superhero duties, but she hated it even more when it was turned on her partner. She knew Chat Noir better than anyone else. he would never turn his back on them.

"Marinette, you'll be defending Chat Noir." Madame Bustier said as Marinette sat down beside Alya. She smirked. Oh she'll defend her kitty alright. "And who was next? Adrien?"

Adrien got straight to the point. "Chat Noir can be pegged as a supervillain if Ladybug didn't exist."

Marinette's jaw dropped. She slammed her palms on her desk as she abruptly stood up. For a moment, her awkwardness disappeared in replace by her ire to defend her partner. "H-How can you say that?! They're a team! They balance each other out! Without Chat Noir, Ladybug would've already lost the first battle!"

"And – And even if he was under the light of being a supervillain, he won't turn into one because he's the nicest, most caring person you've ever met! He's a guardian of Paris!" Marinette declared. Adrien looked at her with a weird expression, his cheeks slightly red.

"Obsessed much?" Chloe mocked. "Ladybug's got fighting skills and she can cleanse the akuma. He's got a baton, he's an embodiment of bad luck, and Cataclysm that destroys whatever he touches. Sounds like a whole supervillain package to me. Besides, what's the point of Chat Noir being there? He's just a sidekick, but I don't think Ladybug even needs his support."

Adrien winced. Marinette clenched her fist. She was about to pounce at her, but Alya grabbed her arm. "Marinette, calm down!"

The girl breathed in, willing herself to not claw Chloe's eyes out. "Ladybug's not as great as you think. She makes mistakes and poor decisions, but she has Chat Noir there beside her to correct her where she's wrong. She wouldn't have been able to save Paris as quickly if she didn't have Chat Noir."

She hoped her partner wouldn't hear her next words. "He makes awesome puns too."

"You really think so?" Adrien asked in delight.

"Adrien, you're against." Madame Bustier reminded him.

"Right." Adrien remembered and focused back in the debate. "But Chat Noir is under the control of the akuma most of the time, which is a nuisance to Ladybug."

"It's not his fault!" Marinette said fiercely, borderline shouting already. "It's because he jumps in the way to save Ladybug and to save people!"

The class watched in stunned silence as the debate was left in the hands of Marinette and Adrien, the former defending her partner fiercely. It wasn't much of a debate anymore, really. Madame Bustier tried to stop them, but she was ignored as the two were too invested in the fight to notice anyone else.

"Why do you keep insisting that Chat Noir isn't important?!" Marinette said angrily.

"Because it's true!" Adrien argued back.

"He guided Ladybug through the dark during Stormy Weather, he helped me escape from the Evillustrator and he was able to fight equally with DarkBlade who was a fencing master! Alya would already be dead on the first day if it wasn't for him! He's skilled at both baton and hand-to-hand combat, and he always puts the safety of people and Ladybug before himself!" Marinette raved, breathing hard. "There's a ton more I'd like to add in that list!"

During her rant, Adrien already had a nagging thought in his mind. If what he thought was correct, there was only one way to find out. "What's so great about Chat Noir-"

"Because he's important to me, okay?!"

Adrien snapped back at the fury and the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Her cheeks were splotched red, and her freckles grew more prominent in her anger. "That cat is too reckless, too selfless, and without a care about his life because everyone is that important to him! Why can't you see that?! Why can't anybody see that?!"

"Why is it always Ladybug?!" She was on a roll now and the class was too afraid to interrupt lest her anger would be directed towards them. "Ladybug wouldn't be able to do half of what she does if it wasn't for him! She would've given up on the first day if he wasn't there with her! Chat Noir is important and amazing and you can't tell me otherwise! And - and - don't tell me he can be a supervillain because he has the emotional rage of a teaspoon!"

Everyone was speechless. Marinette walked around her desk and stood in front of Adrien. She poked him on the chest and growled, "And if you think you can badmouth my kitty, then you thought wrong."

And with that, Marinette stormed out the classroom, slamming the door behind her.

Adrien stood rooted on the spot, stunned by the recent blowup in front of him. Once her words settled in, a dark blush crawled up to his face, spread through his cheeks, reached to the tip of his ears and down his neck. 'She likes Chat! She probably hates me now – she likes Chat!'

And another thing…

'Marinette is Ladybug?!'

So you might've seen the summary and think it familiar, yes it is familiar if you have read my Dabble in Drabbles series because this work was originally a threeshot titled Teaspoon. But since my readers weren't satisfied with just those three chapters (hahaha blame me for the plot twists), with a helpful suggestion from EchnidaPower, I made it a standalone! Thanks to all who reassured me that it was okay to post this!

*I hope ff. net won't delete this or something…I can't lose this account.*

You don't have to read the three chapters to understand this one. Also, the ending will be spoiled if you read it, ne? ;) It will still keep the main elements of the story, with some changes here and there, but it'll be evenly spread out.

Thank you for waiting! I hope you liked it! See ya'll next time!