We swayed in the evening light beneath the stars that spread out across the sky. Marinette's hands rested on my shoulders, lightly cupping the back of my neck, and I pressed my hands against her soft waist, loving the way my hands fit in perfectly with her slight curves. Her head was leaning on my shoulder, and her eyes were shut, a lazy smile spread across her petite face. I inhaled her sweet bakery smell, resisting the urge to give her a small kiss on her neck, which was just inches away from my lips.
I re-adjusted our stance so that we were just a little bit closer, leaning into each other lovingly.
Then, I spotted the dessert table.
I separated from Marinette but kept a single hand on her waist as I pointed out the table.
"Wanna grab a bite to eat?" I asked. Marinette looked at the large street clock before responding.
"A quick one, I have to be home at eleven-thirty, my parents want me to spend the New Year with them."
I led Marinette over to the table, swishing my hair out of my face eagerly. The table was stacked high with cookies, brownies, some light pink macaroons, and a few chocolate croissants. A large cake surrounded by a variety of pastries surrounded the middle of the table, welcoming anybody who came near.
Immediately, I went for a tray of cupcakes. They were decorated with a light pink frosting and a simple white cupcake liner. I was just about to grab one when Marinette interrupted me.
"I made those, one of my parent's recipes," she declared shyly. I looked at her and gave her a small smile.
"May I have one?"
Marinette giggled, "Sure, I mean they're not amazing, definitely not as amazing as you or anything…" she rambled on while I grabbed a cupcake and undid its wrapping. When Marinette was done talking, I smiled at her gently, and took a large bite out of the cupcake.
My mouth was in heaven. The sweet homemade strawberry frosting bursted with flavor, dancing along my tongue with a flawless amount of sweetness. The cupcake was perfectly moist, all the way through to the center. I had never tasted such an extraordinary cupcake in my life.
"Wow, this is really good!" I exclaimed. "You're baking is as good as your dancing." Marinette's cheeks flushed in the dim street lights as she stuttered out a 'thank you'.
By the time we polished off our plate of desserts, it was time for Marinette to return home.
I walked her out onto the street where the full moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the ground beneath our feet. Marinette inhaled the fresh air for a moment before turning back around to me, her smile fading.
"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow," Marinette sighed. Not being able to see her so down, I reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze to comfort her.
My car drove up and my bodyguard got out, giving me a gruff look. I waved at him with my freehand and tugged Marinette closer to my side.
"We can give you a ride home, if you'd like." I offered shyly.
Marinette thought for a moment before replying with a nice cheesy, Marinette smile, "That would be great, thank you!"
The car ride was short and sweet. I couldn't help but flirt with Marinette a little, especially when her amazement with the fancy car shone in her bluebell eyes. Every-once-in-a-while I would look over and see Marinette's hand fly over to her small purse, as though she had a weird instinct to protect whatever was inside it. I couldn't help but wonder if that was where she hid her kawamii.
I knew Marinette's secret, yes. But, once I discovered that Marinette was Ladybug, I decided to give myself some time to get to know the unmasked side of her better. Maybe it was selfish of me to keep my secret from her for so long, but it just didn't feel right to reveal myself to her yet. She hadn't been ready to know that Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir, but she was ready now.
Marinette told the driver to stop at the next house, and she reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt.
I unbuckled mine too, quickly jumping out of the car to reunite with Marinette at the front door of her house. Marinette took out her house key with shaky hands and twisted the key around in her fingers, trying to draw out the moment.
I placed one hand on her shoulder and used the other to cup her chin, tilting her head upwards to make her look at me.
Marinette smiled widely, giggling slightly with nervous laughter. I smiled too, then wrapped her thin body in a tight hug.
"I'll see you tomorrow at school, Marinette." I stated confidently. I felt Marinette's arms wrap around me tensely.
"Yeah, I-I'll see you to-tomorrow," she stuttered. I gave Marinette a light kiss on the cheek, the desire to do so finally taking over. Then, I took a step backwards towards the car.
"Goodnight," I waved at her. Marinette waved back shortly, then fumbled with her keys and entered her house. Once she was gone and I reached the car I instructed my driver to run a few unnecessary errands and to pick me up when he was done. The car peeled out down the street, disappearing from view.
Plagg flew out from behind my shirt and said, "What was that all about? You don't flirt with anybody but Ladybug like that."
I smiled knowingly into the darkness, the whipped out my phone to check the time. Twenty minutes to midnight.
"You'll see. Plagg, claws out!"
My Chat Noir persona engrossed me quickly, filling me with newfound confidence. I swung myself up over Marinette's balcony using my baton, and quickly tapped her trap door three times. She emerged hesitantly, a curious look on her face. When she saw me, a worry crease appeared between her eyebrows.
"Chat Noir? What are you doing up here? Is something going on?" She asked with a troubled tone. I chuckled and twirled my baton through the air twice before tucking it back into its usual place. Marinette started to roll her eyes but must have thought better of it and crossed her arms instead.
"No trouble, Mi' Lady," I started. "Just heard that there was a fancy dance tonight while on patrol. I saw that boy, Adrien with you. Did you go to the dance with him?"
Marinette walked up to me and flicked my nose before walked over to one of the benches that were set up along the balcony. She sat down gracefully and patted the seat next to her.
"Did Chat Noir really come here to talk to me about a dance?" Marinette asked.
"I guess curiosity caught the chat." I replied sheepishly.
Marinette waited until I sat down next to her before she spoke again, this time with a slight stutter. "I mean, Adrien and I didn't like, g-go to the dance together or anything. W-we just danced and ate, then he gave me a ride home."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a date," I teased with a sly smile. Marinette punched my arm playfully.
"What does this have to do with saving the world anyway, Chat Noir? There's no need to check up on me. I'm perfectly safe." Marinette spoke defiantly, however she shivered in the cold air and rubbed her bare arms to try to keep warm. I stood up and walked over to the trap door, opening it up for her.
"Turns out my Princess does need saving, from the cold that is." I smiled. Marinette smiled back softly and came over to the trap door, sliding down the stairs onto her bed. Once she was safely down, I swung myself into her bedroom, shutting the trap door with my tail.
I plopped down into one of Marinette's desk chairs, the memory of gaming with her swiftly crossing my mind. Marinette sat down on her chaise couch, holding a finger to her lips to tell me to keep silent.
"My parents," she explained in a whisper. I nodded, my cat-ears twitching, listening for their noises. I could hear the still breathing of her parents, steady in rhythm which told me that they were fast asleep.
"No worries, Marinette," I said in a low voice, "quite as a mouse."
"Want anything to eat, Chat?" Marinette asked.
I shook my head, "I'm good Princess, I stole some desserts from that dance."
"Got a sweet tooth, huh?"
"A little. So… do you like this Adrien boy?" I inquired, kicking my foot up over my knee to relax.
"Why? Are you jealous, kitty? Got something to say to me?" Marinette teased. I perked up, smiling in the dim light of her bedroom.
"I'll always be loyal to Ladybug," I stated blatantly. Marinette suddenly got really red, filling up with embarrassment.
"Yeah, I like Adrien. Too bad I'm a blubbering mess around the guy…" she trailed off.
I got up from the chair and walked over to Marinette, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She looked up at me through her eyelashes, a cheerful look crossing her face.
Excitement swirled around in my stomach, "What time is it?" I suddenly asked. Marinette checked her phone, tracing her pink lips with her fingers aimlessly.
"About, a minute to midnight,"
"I have something to show you, close your eyes." I instructed.
"What, why?"
"Just do it," I smiled reassuringly. Finally, Marinette obliged, shutting her eyes tightly. I placed my hands behind my back, enfolding one in the other, and leaned forwards. Marinette's pink lips were open slightly, so when I was close enough to her, I could feel her warm breath graze my cheeks. I brushed her lips lightly with mine, giving Marinette a soft, lingering, New Year's kiss. Fireworks bursted out into the Paris sky in the distance as I silently commanded Plagg to de-transform me, removing my leather-clad outfit and replacing it with my usual white button down and black t-shirt.
Marinette hesitantly touched my shoulder with her fingertips, kissing me back for only a second before we tore apart and she opened her eyes. Instantly upon seeing me, she crawled backwards, falling off the couch dramatically. I peeked over the edge at her, giggling sweetly.
"A-A-Adrien?!" Marinette exclaimed. I reached a hand out and helped Marinette off the floor, pressing a finger to my lips.
"Shh, your parents," I whispered with concern. Marinette blushed and took my hand, using me to support her weight as she stood back up.
"Y-You're Chat Noir?" Marinette questioned.
I put my hand on the back of my neck and silently said, "Well, yeah,"
Marinette took another minute to let the information sink in. Many expressions crossed her face, some of which gave me a quiet concern, then she looked at me with her large blue eyes.
"Seriously?" She said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.
"Adrien Agreste, is freaking Chat Noir. How do I get myself into these situations?" Marinette seemed to be talking to herself more than she was talking to me, but I leaned against one of the beams in her attic and watched her talk to herself. "It's just, I've had a crush on you forever, but Chat? I've grown to like that flirt over time, and he's like, my best friend. I mean-you're like my best friend? I mean- I don't know." She sighed into her dimly lit room.
Finally, I said, "Marinette,"
"What?" She asked, looking up at the sound of my voice.
"You're Ladybug."
Marinette stopped short, her right hand floating up to her earrings out of habit. "H-How did you…"
"It doesn't matter." I declared, walking up to her. "All that matters is, I find myself deeply in love with both sides of you, Marinette. You are more than just a great friend, and I wanted you to know how much I meant that..."
"By revealing yourself," Marinette finished.
"Yes," I placed my hand onto her shoulder and gently tugged her closer to me. I ducked my head as though to give her a kiss, and whispered, "Happy New Year's, Marinette."
Hello fellow Miraculousers! I hope you enjoyed the story. I know it's late, I'm sorry! Thank you, guys, for all of your support. It might be a while until I post another story, as I am fresh out of inspiration. Love you guys!