A/N: Thank you soooooo much for 1K+ reads guys! Thanks for showering this book with so much love during my semi-hiatus. I love you! ❤❤

So, by default, here's the 1K reads special. It's short but I tried to keep it sweet. :)

Genre: Romance
Subgenre: Friendship
Rated: K+
Word count: 2,206 (excluding the A/Ns)
Date: August 11, 2020
Episode: Glaciator (S2 E10)
Part 1 of the 'HISHE' series

Preview (sort of): I'm not sure how many of you know about 'The Hug'. It's not an official thing or something, but anyone who watches K-dramas knows what it is. 

Usually, the guy/male protagonist hugs the girl/female protagonist to provide her support and comfort and sometimes it's really aggressive (but still romantic). The guy is (usually) sure about his feelings while the girl is left horribly confused and unsure about her feelings. 

Being a K-drama trash, I just needed to use 'The Hug' in one of my one-shots for our incredibly complicated but ever so sweet and frustrating love square. I don't know if every K-drama has 'The Hug' in the same context but every single one I've watched does have the scene. So, enjoy! ;)

Here's LadyNoir, doing 'The Hug'.

»»°•*•°««

Ladybug clenched her fists, her stomach sank as her partner asked her about the boy she liked. How could she tell him? There were a million barriers between them, the entire load of Paris' security was rested upon their shoulders. One tiny slip and she could be giving away the secret identity she had sworn to keep hidden since the day she had accepted her duties as a superhero. 

And it wasn't just about that. Her encounter with Chat Noir earlier as Marinette had proven to be an eye-opener. The boy was so much more sensitive and serious than he would ever let on. She could see in his eyes that his feelings were genuine. It doesn't make this any easier! 

She glanced up at the sky and saw the stars. They always glimmered brightly despite the situation— they were constant. They illuminated the darkness and her fears crumbled to dust beneath her feet. The anxiety now lingered at a distance. Her job was never going to be easy, she knew that. It was never going to be simple, to begin with. Facing the cat-themed hero, she made her mind. 

"I can't tell you who it is," she said with a decision, "We can't know anything about each other. Our identities must remain a secret." Trying her best to sound as reasonable as possible while gently letting him down, she said softly, "We are both superheroes, Chat Noir. We don't have a choice." She looked at him in the eyes— the cheerful, bright green eyes that were now saddened. Because of her. It made her stomach plummet.

Then his expression morphed into something quite indecipherable as he moved closer. She didn't know what she had expected from him as a reaction. But she never in a gazillion years had anticipated what he did next. 

He smiled down at her with his gentle eyes that caressed her very soul. It made her insides erupt into butterflies. She accepted the rose he gave her with unsure hands. "I get it, Ladybug. Your friendship means everything to me." She was pulled into a very delicate hug by her partner's very gentle and inviting arms. It lasted for only a few seconds before he pecked her cheek tenderly. "You can keep the rose, it goes with your costume." He sounded as if he was in a hurry. By the time she had turned around, he had already left, leaving her all alone on the rooftop he had so meticulously decorated with petals and candles. 

She held the rose tightly in her hand as she looked down at it with a dazed expression. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She was breathless— and very aware of her blush. A sensation she had only once experienced with her kitty— the time he encouraged her on their first day as superheroes after she had royally screwed up and the feelings of confidence and warmth that had later engulfed her. 

She remembered the hug they had shared just minutes ago. Despite the heaviness in her stomach, it had fluttered at the feeling of his body pressed against her own. His touch had made the warm night warmer somehow. She rubbed her arms tenderly with her fingers as she hugged herself. His embrace had been so warm and so comforting. It felt like home. It had soothed her more than she had expected. It was simple enough of a gesture— affection, perhaps the fragile beginning of something beautiful. Love. All she could feel was sparks.

What am I thinking? Her admonishment fell short as she stared at the rose in her hand again. Her face was shades darker than her spandex suit.

She didn't realise when her feet started moving on their own accord. Or when she reached her own balcony and dropped her transformation. Tikki had been sensible enough to not disturb her chosen as she flew downstairs for a cookie. 

As for Marinette, she didn't know how long she fiddled with the rose, she didn't know how late she stayed up at night to talk to it, she didn't know how long she smiled at it before finally closing her tired eyes to sleep— only to dream about her knight in shining leather.

******

Something changed after that. She didn't know what did though. Everything was necessarily the same— school, akuma attacks, designing, baking, hanging with Chat Noir sometimes after patrols. It was all same, but a continuous tickling feeling kept pulling at her heartstrings. It was familiar and new in its own way. 

Speaking of the devil himself, Chat Noir had been an absolute sweetheart to her with the 'crush on another boy' thing the whole time. Yes, he teased her occasionally, but just like a best friend. He didn't overstep his boundaries. He didn't say anything else, but she could see the hope dying in his eyes— the hope of winning her over. And it killed her. She didn't like the feeling at all. 

Ladybug shook her head and smacked her shoulder to bring herself out of her reverie. Post-akuma attack wasn't the time to get lost into her thoughts. She should have been comforting the victim. She exhaled as she scolded her brain the billionth time for concocting a… a LadyNoir fantasy. Her head was so messed up. 

She looked in front of her to see a little girl, no older than six, who had been prey to Hawkmoth's lunacy. The kid was giggling and clapping her hands while jumping up and down as Chat Noir pulled funny faces to cheer her up. He lifted her up and cradled her in his arms until the child's mother came. 

Her features smoothened. Chaton was so sweet and gentle… especially with the little ones. He would undoubtedly make such a loving father in future. And probably…

… A loving husband-

Her brain shut down as she stood rooted to the spot whilst realisation washed over her. Oh no! Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno! She could all but gape like an idiot as Chat Noir returned to her side with a smile that made her swoon. His (perfectly kissable) lips were moving. He was saying something to her but she concentrated on the pink hearts, flower petals and roses that had appeared around him. When had the invisible wind started blowing through his beautiful hair? She didn't like the direction of her thoughts. Mon Dieu, no!

"Ladybug?" The clueless boy waved his hand in front of her eyes to catch her attention. 

"Erm- agh- HMPH-" The sounds that left her mouth were unknown to humankind. 

"Ladybug?" His voice sounded more concerned than earlier. At this rate, she was going to melt into a puddle of good any second now. "Are you fine?" He tried again.

"You are fine~," her blush darkened as she realised that she had said that out loud, "I mean no!" She hesitantly and earnestly tried to correct herself, "I am fine. Not you! N-n-not hat- that you aren't han- handsome." She stuttered nervously.

The way he cocked his eyebrow in confusion made her want to die from embarrassment right then and there. What was happening?! This wasn't fair! This was ridiculously unfair! 

"AHAHAHA- Race you till Montparnasse Tower.  Last one there is a rotten egg," she didn't wait for his reply, "GOTTAGOBYEHOTSTUFF~" In record speed, Ladybug swung away without letting the bewildered kitten utter a single syllable as she could be heard screaming in distance:

"I can't believe that this is happening agaaAaaAaiN!" 

.

.

.

The bug shook slightly when she heard a reverberating soft thump of feet as the person she wasn't ready to face landed on the rooftop she had been sitting on with her eyes closed in contemplation. 

"Are you alright, Ladybug?" The male voice asked.

Ladybug. Not M'lady, not Buginette, not Bugaboo. No other terms of endearment. Just Ladybug. It didn't sound quite as good as the nicknames he had given her. She had tried hard to not to feel dejected after he had stopped calling her M'lady or when he had stopped flirting with her after that night. This wasn't good. "Yes," she lied, "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Rough week?" He asked as he sat down beside her. 

Ladybug hummed as she rested her head against his arm, trying to seek the same warmth in his touch that she had been provided with weeks ago when he had hugged her. Here it is. There was that ticklish feeling again. "So tell me more about yourself," she suddenly spoke— surprising not only herself but also her partner who went rigid at her request. 

"I-Isn't that, I don't know, dangerous?"

It probably was. They had no idea what personal information could possibly give them away. It was risky as well as stupid. But, she couldn't bring herself to care. She just wanted to hear him talk— she had realised that she loved his voice very recently. "Not anything very particular," she provided, "Like, what are your hobbies?"

The hero chuckled, "Well, I love learning new things," he started, "I like to play video games, I like to read different mystery books, I love watching animes-"

"Animes?" The heroine interrupted him before he could go on about his love for playing the piano as she looked up at him with wide eyes, "You like watching animes?"

"Ye-ah," the blonde boy laughed nervously whilst rubbing the back of his neck, "Why is it so hard to believe?"

"It's just unexpected from you."

"Always expect the unexpected with me, Ladybug." He winked at her.

Her breath hitched as her heart started beating wildly again. "S-so," she cleared her throat, "Which one is your favourite?"

"Itazura na Kiss," he replied almost immediately, without giving it much of a thought.

"Itazura na Kiss?" She asked incredulously, "Why do you like such a cliché shojō?" 

"I don't know," he admitted, "I guess it's because the male protagonist, Naoki Irie, is always such a chic guy and usually a jerk but he is able to be his true self only when he is with Kotoko Aihara," he had started smiling unconsciously, Ladybug noticed, "She changes him into a better person, she completes him." He turned his head to face her with a very soft expression, "Just like you make me want to be a better person." His smile was so delicate. 

Ladybug's heart skipped a beat. Time stilled. All that existed was a bug and a cat. The world didn't matter to her. Her chaton was sitting next to her. She sighed as if it was all she had ever desired for. The loving heart was born to live out in the open, to sing from the eyes and speak in song. She was listening to the faint song of her heart that was becoming clearer to her with each passing second.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," Chat Noir's frantic declaration broke the magical spell of the moment, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I know that you lo-" He tried to apologise but, couldn't bring himself to say the 'L' word. His adam's apple bobbed as he gulped painfully. 

The heroine in red-spotted suit found it harder to digest the reality herself. Her kitty was suffering, it punctured her heart and squeezed the entire blood out. She just wanted to make him happy. "No!" She cried out, "You never make me uncomfortable, chaton." 

His eyes were still unsure, but he didn't say any further, afraid to complicate things more than they already were. He sat in silence, trying his best to enjoy the view of the sunset.

Ladybug hated the silence. She hated the tangled mess of her relationship with Chat Noir. Why couldn't it be simpler? 

She could hear the song of her heart very clearly now, and she was afraid of how much her kitty was a part of it… 

******

There is so much to admire, but your raw honesty is the best part. I love how your words spill out real slow as if the truth can take its time.

Marinette jumped up slightly in surprise when Tikki's voice interrupted her and brought her back from the world of fantasy. With quick, fumbling movements she tried to gain control over her pencil again as she pretended to be sketching a new design. 

"What are you doing, Marinette?" She asked in her usual sweet voice.

"Wh- ah- What am I do- um doing?" She struggled to form coherent sentences, "I'm designing." She put on a fake toothy grin in the hope that her kwami would buy it.

"Are you sure?"

"Uhm, yeah why?"

The small, red creature gestured her to look down at her sketchbook with deadpan eyes she barely ever used.

Marinette followed her paw's movement to look at the opened page. Her brain short-circuited for a moment and then her face visibly relaxed as she let herself fall back on her chaise with a thump. "I guess my feelings for Chat Noir are no longer a secret I'm gonna try to hide." She laughed at herself in amusement while Tikki gave her a knowing smile.

On the paper were scribbled doodles of Ladybug and Chat Noir holding hands and among the hearts, a very clear name was written in beautiful calligraphy—

'Marinette Noir.'

»»°•*•°««
A/N: There you have it; simple and sweet. Tbh, I'm not quite satisfied with this one, the idea sounded way better in my head. But, this is as good as it gets. Feel free to leave suggestions to help me improve. :)

Did you like 'The Hug' used in MLB? You can request for alternate endings for other episodes as well.

Itazura na Kiss is my favourite anime for the same reason mentioned earlier. It's cliché as hell in so many ways. As much as I hate cliché content, I'm a sucker for cliché sojō. 😉

I'm back from my semi-hiatus, but I'm still not aware of how the update schedule's gonna be... Let's just say that I'll update when the next one-shot's ready.

I am not going to accept requests for erotica. However, I'm willing to work with any other form of M content like abuse, violence etc.

Requests with overview should be sent through PMs only!!

Any other format of request won't be accepted. This is the most efficient way I can get this done.

Requests ➡
Suggestions ➡

That's all for today,
Take care

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