Chapter 1: At Long Last
"Adrien?! Y-you're Chat Noir?!"
8 hours earlier
Marinette...
Adrien Agreste sighed happily as he walked down the street to his father's offices, Marinette's name ringing in his head.
Marinette...
He wasn't sure exactly when he had begun to fall for her. Perhaps it had been the day they'd spent together hiding out from his crazed fans after the launch of his perfume ad. Or maybe it had been the slow dance they had shared the day of Chloe's party. Or perhaps it had just occurred over time. He had gotten to see her nearly every day since she had started interning for his father's company, watching in awe as his cute, clumsy friend blossomed into a confident, beautiful young woman.
Marinette...
The only problem: his feelings for Ladybug hadn't gone away. If anything, they had grown stronger as the pair of them grew ever closer. About a year ago, Ladybug had started accepting his occasional invitations for late night meetups and adventures, and over time, every wall between them had been broken down - save for their true identities, and Ladybug's longtime mystery crush. And so it had gone on for quite some time: one eye on Marinette, and the other on Ladybug.
Marinette...
Even her name was beautiful; it sounded more like a song every time Adrien heard it. Indeed, every time he had walked into work alongside her they had been greeted by a virtual chorus of her coworkers. Adrien wasn't the only person who had noticed the change in Marinette; within the last two months alone she had turned down advances from six of her fellow coworkers, each time causing him to grow more and more eager to tell her his true feelings. But he'd held off from making any move so far, not wanting to put her internship in jeopardy - and not wanting to try and pursue a relationship when his heart remained divided between two people.
Marinette...
"Adrien!"
Adrien jumped. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed the very girl who was on his mind. Marinette was waving at him from down the street, and once he had shaken himself fully awake he jogged over to join her. Physically, she hadn't changed much since their days in high school. She had grown a little bit taller and her figure had filled out a little more, but the biggest difference since then was the confidence with which she now carried herself. Her reputation had grown quickly since she had arrived at the Agreste fashion house, her designs even winning the approval of his father on more than one occasion, and it had done wonders for her self esteem.
"H-heya Marinette!"
Adrien could feel his face growing red. Even dressed plainly as she was - white blouse, black flats, and a bold red skirt with black polka dots - she put every single model Adrien knew to shame without even trying.
"You ready for today? You'll be showing off my first complete line at 11!" She smiled, playfully jabbing him on the shoulder.
"Don't mess this up for me."
Adrien feigned shock, allowing a little bit of Chat Noir to peek through.
"My lady, how dare you think that I, Adrien Agreste, would ever do such a thing to my good friend Marinette!"
Marinette couldn't help but giggle as Adrien gave an elaborate, sweeping bow that nearly brought his nose in contact with the pavement.
"My humblest apologies, my good sir," Marinette replied with her own mock elegant tone and an elaborate curtsy, "Can you ever forgive this attack upon your honor?"
Adrien struggled to keep his composure, but he couldn't even contain himself for a minute before he nearly collapsed in a fit of laughter.
"Alright, time to get going. We don't want to be late now!"
Adrien smiled, pulling himself upright to walk to work alongside Marinette, all the while fighting the urge to take her hand...or put his arm around her...or even kiss her on the cheek.
Soon, he promised himself silently, I'll tell her, and I'll tell her soon.
"Everything ok?"
Ladybug was worried. The day's battle had gone smoothly enough, but something felt...off. It wasn't like her partner to be so quiet; in fact she could have sworn that Chat Noir hadn't dropped a single pun since he had shown up.
"Yeah...yeah," he mumbled distractedly, "Yeah, everything's fine."
She frowned, "Well, something's on your mind. You gonna tell me what it is, kitty cat?"
Chat Noir pursed his lips, pondering his next move. Tell her now? Or later? Suddenly, his ring started beeping. It couldn't be more than a minute now before he transformed back. He sighed, it looked like the decision had been made for him.
"Meet me tonight at our usual spot? I'll...explain everything."
"Alright...better hurry up and go before you change back."
Ladybug watched as Chat Noir leapt across the rooftops,
Whatever's wrong...please tell me, kitty cat.
"Hey!" Ladybug swung herself onto the rooftop where she and Chat usually met at night.
Chat Noir was perched in his usual spot on the rooftop, staring out at the moon that hung above them.
"You realize what today is?"
"It's our anniversary, Ladybug. This very day, three years ago, was the first time we fought together."
He smiled, reliving the first day he had met Ladybug, then turned to face her.
"I'm going to cut to the chase: I want to tell you who I really am."
Ladybug's face fell.
"Chat...you know we can't. Our identities have to stay a secret, it's the only to ensure-"
"-Please."
Ladybug's heart nearly stopped. There was something new in Cat Noir's voice: pain. She felt a twinge of guilt. She'd known her partner had longed to share their identities for quite some time, but she had walled him off at every turn. Whoever it turned out to be, she was certain they would be disappointed to find plain old Marinette underneath. But she'd had no idea just how much it hurt him to keep his identity a secret from her.
"There's...there's someone else. I never thought it would happen but there's someone else. And I want to pursue things with her, but I can't while I still have lingering feelings for you. So please..." Chat pleaded, "Just...let me share this with you. You don't even have to tell me yours. If it doesn't change anything...I promise I'll forget about you and me. I'll happily resign myself to being just friends"
Ladybug was torn. A part of her didn't want to know who Chat Noir was underneath the mask. Knowing his true identity, finally having a face to match to the name...she was scared it would change everything, possibly even drive a wedge between the two of them. And Chat Noir was someone she very much needed in her life. But whoever he was, he was one of her best friends, and she didn't want to keep hurting him any further.
You trust each other with everything else. Why not this?
"Just friends? You promise?"
Chat Noir grinned, "Cross my heart!"
Ladybug took a deep breath. "Alright...let's see what's behind door number one!"
"Alright, Plagg! Claws in!"
In a flash, Cat Noir's costume had vanished, and Ladybug found herself looking into Adrien Agreste's beautiful green eyes.
Marinette's head was spinning. Her beloved Adrien was Chat Noir? Her crime-fighting partner, the one she had trusted with everything - her life, her secrets, her insecurities - had been her lifelong crush all along? All that time she'd fought at Chat Noir's side had been time she'd spent with Adrien?
"Surprised?"
"Well...um...yeah...I mean...w-who could have guessed that the famous Adrian Agreste was Chat Noir?!" Oh no, no no no no no, I'm stuttering around him again?!
He sighed, "That's the whole point isn't it, making sure nobody knows it's you? Keeping a whole piece of your life locked away from the rest of the world, even from someone you love?"
Ladybug didn't know what to say, it felt like her whole world was spinning out of control. She was certain Chat could hear her heart pounding, each and every beat screaming TELL-HIM, TELL-HIM, TELL-HIM.
Adrien sighed, Ladybug's stunned silence seemingly confiming his worst fears.
"Well...I guess I'll be going now. Until next time, Ladybug."
"Adrien, wait."
He stopped. Ladybug had gently taken his hand. She took another deep breath, then finally looked back into Adrien's eyes.
"Tikki...spots off."
Ladybug's costume disintegrated before his very eyes to reveal a girl in a very familiar outlet, and when the mask was finally lifted from her eyes Adrien's jaw dropped.
"...Marinette?"
Marinette. Ladybug was Marinette. Adrien could hardly believe his luck. The girl he'd loved since the day he met her and the girl he'd fallen head over heels for were one and the same. The only way this could have been more perfect would be if - Wait...Adrien's mind suddenly kicked into overdrive. Her change of heart about revealing her identity...her suddenly shy demeanor...her utter shock - and then, dare he say, relief - when she found out it was him underneath the mask of Chat Noir...could her secret crush possibly have been him?
"So...this mystery guy you've had a crush on for years?"
"Take a wild guess," Marinette said, blushing brightly and nervously rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, "This new girl you're wanting to pursue things with?
Adrien simply gave her a small smile, reaching up to cradle her face in his hands.
"It's you...", he whispered, "I'm so happy it's you."
Those five words were all it took. Before she even had time to think, Marinette had locked her arms around Adrien's neck and pulled herself upwards to greet his lips. Adrien's breath briefly caught in the back of his throat, but his arms quickly wrapped themselves around her waist, years of unfulfilled passion finally boiling to the surface in one long overdue kiss.
"Adrien..." Marinette whispered, reluctantly pulling herself away from his lips and resting her forehead against his.
"...Yeah?"
"You know this is my building, right?"
Three years.
Three. Years.
For three years their hearts had unknowingly danced around each other, each of them falling for the other's hidden face - Marinette for a painfully unaware Adrien, and Adrien for a Ladybug who'd always had to keep him at arm's length.
It had been three years of close calls and unknown feelings, and the two minutes between the rooftop and Marinette's apartment felt like another three. But as soon as her door was locked and latched she had leapt onto her couch and into Adrien's awaiting arms, peppering his face with soft kisses, breathlessly repeating his name between each one.
"Adrien..."
Adrien matched her kiss for kiss, holding her as closely as he could and running his fingers through her dark hair.
"Marinette..."
"Adrien..."
"Marinette...
"Adrie-aaaaa..."
Marinette yawned, her warm breath tickling Adrien's cheek.
"Time for bed, bugaboo?"
She pouted, trying to hide her face so Adrien couldn't see how tired she was.
"Adrien...I don't want this night to ever end."
He smiled, pulling himself upright and cradling her in his arms to carry her over to her bed.
"Never fear, Marinette. We have tomorrow. And tomorrow. And every last tomorrow after that."
He'd made it to her bed, but when he tried to set her down her arms only latched more tightly around his neck.
"So that's how it's going to be then?"
It took a little bit of manuevering, but Adrien eventually managed to get himself situated on Marinette's bed with the girl in question comfortably in his arms.
Marinette snuggled up as close to Adrien as she could, finding a comfortable spot for her head between his shoulder and neck.
"Goodnight Adrien."
Adrien smiled, gently stroking Marinette's cheek
"Goodnight Marinette."
Marinette woke up the next morning bright and early, finding herself looking into Adrien's beautiful green eyes.
"Morning, bugaboo. I even made you breakfast!"
Adrien suddenly had the wind knocked out of him as Marinette threw her arms around his middle.
"Everything ok?"
"You're still here..." she whispered.
Adrien smiled, squeezing Marinette as tightly as he could as she buried her face in his chest.
"Don't worry Marinette, I'm not going anywhere."
She smiled, reaching up with one hand to playfully tousle his hair. "You're going to have to come up with a different nickname for me, you know? Can't exactly call me 'bugaboo' around Alya, she's already suspicious enough as it is!"
VRTTT!
Adrien shot upright. He'd recognize that sound anywhere, and sure enough he gritted his teeth upon checking his phone. Fifteen missed calls. All from the office of Gabriel Agreste.
"Well...looks like it's time for our budding relationship's first test: explaining to my father where I've been all night."
Author's note: Hello! I usually like to leave little notes at the end of each chapter, usually apologies for rarely updating
Long story short, started watching Miraculous Ladybug about a month ago, been addicted ever since, especially when it comes to AdrienxMarinette (or any variation thereof). Fair warning, I get really, really emotionally invested in my ships.
As for this story...well, there's about a million good fics out there of Adrien and Marinette being unaware of each other's identities/feelings/etc. Me? I wanted to explore what the ins and outs of what their relationship would be like, so I figured "fuck it, we'll get it all out of the way right off the bat". So they're both 18, Marinette's more confident, and Adrien's more than a little lovestruck: relatively perfect circumstances for the two of them to stop screwing around and lay it on the table. But never fear: there's still going to be HawkMoth and akumas a-plenty!
Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner as opposed to later.
Obligatory like/favorite/review
See you soon
-BlueRose