The Miraculous Marichat

Part Five

Marinette's trist as sleeping beauty only worsened the attention she was receiving in her civilian form. The only solace was that Alya had been a dragon at the time and was unable to get any good pictures for her blog as a result. The report given to the Ladyblog didn't mention a kiss or that Marinette herself had taken part in the final battle, only that Chat Noir had heroically rescued her from the tallest tower.
The kiss.
She couldn't remember it—she'd been asleep. Yet the blush on Chat's cheeks and the stuttering of his words told her it was absolutely real.
She had kissed Chat Noir before, once during Dark Cupid to break his loathing spell and once during Oblivio (though she didn't remember that one either). But both of those instances had been Ladybug, not Marinette.
Chat had kissed her. Not Ladybug. HER. 
Marinette shook her head. She needed to stop dwelling. If someone else had been in a similar situation, she, as Ladybug, probably would have done the same. Marinette felt her cheeks heat slightly at the thought as she rushed into the school courtyard.
She had left early that morning, having predicted the strangers she would have to fend off and had managed to get to school just barely on time.
"There you are, girl!" Alya called from the bottom of the staircase. She stood just beside Nino and Adrien. Oh, Adrien. He looked so wonderful. His eyes were full of concern as Marinette hurried forward.
"Sorry! I was--" Marinette was cut off suddenly as a man appeared in front of her in a puff of smoke.
Marinette coughed as the glittery mist got in her face. The man was tall and thin, dressed in a deep purple suit with a bright green tie and a large purple top hat.
An akuma.
"Marinette!" she heard Adrien call her name. The boy of her dreams rushed towards her, but he didn't make it in time.
"I am The Magician!" the akuma said, "and for my first trick, I am going to make Chat Noir's girlfriend disappear!"
Marinette tried to dart out of reach, but The Magician grabbed her arm and flipped his top hat off his head with his other hand. The next thing Marinette knew, she was tumbling into a deep, dark purple hole: disappearing into The Magician's hat.

——

Adrien was helpless to do anything but watch as Marinette was once again captured by an akuma.
He stuttered to a stop as The Magician returned his hat to his head and poofed away in a puff of glittering purple smoke.
"Oh no! Marinette!" Alya cried, gripping her phone tightly.
"I'll sound the akuma alarm," Adrien yelled towards his friends as he began sprinting to the bathrooms. "You two get somewhere safe!"
Adrien slammed the stall door shut behind him and banged his fist against it.
"Adrien?" Plagg asked with a touch of worry in his voice. He floated up to hover above the young boy's shoulder.
"Marinette keeps getting put in danger and it's all my fault," he growled.
"It's not your fault, Adrien!" Plagg reprimanded. "You saved her and everyone else jumped to conclusions."
Adrien sighed and clicked the akuma alert on his phone.
"Plagg, claws out!"