"It has made me better loving you ... it has made me wiser, and easier, and brighter. I used to want a great many things before, and to be angry that I did not have them. Theoretically, I was satisfied. I flattered myself that I had limited my wants. But I was subject to irritation; I used to have morbid sterile hateful fits of hunger, of desire. Now I really am satisfied, because I can't think of anything better."
Adrien wasn't sure where he had picked that up, but you got a lot of that sort of sentiment in this town. Paris was perfumed in the whimsical philosophies of love and the existential romance. It was as the weather to feel the brush of poetry against your passing ear and the caress of a blush on one's cheeks at the sight of a bent knee before the majesty of the Tower. Perhaps it was an unintentional listen to such prose during a drive with an open window; a visionary waxing poetic on his own views through Adrien's open window as his limo sat patiently at a street light. Or, perhaps still, a lecture that he only latched onto as it seemed to resonate deeply within him while he stared longingly into his reverie of she that was his cause to only half listen to his lessons.
Ladybug. Mon cheri. He sighed deeply as he studied the lines of her face as it glimmered in the light of the purified akuma that flittered away. Had they always done that? He particularly noted the shine in her eyes brought forth by the glow of receding wings. They shone like the sun against the darkening sunset in the distance; an icy blue star that he could lose himself in for the next eternity, and even all the rest after that. A smile dashed across his lips as fist met fist in their ritualistic celebration of a job well done.
"Pound it!" before another word could pass between them, a blip caught their attention.
"Ah! Looks like it's time for this little cat to wander on home!" With his best Prince Charming bow, he gave a smile as his staff lifted him into the direction home. It was a curious expression on Ladybug's face that Chat Noir caught in the corner of his eye as it happened, and the next thing he knew her line had wrapped around his waist. Suddenly, his trajectory was not as forward as he had intended.
Ladybug yanked him back, but his momentum was enough that it pulled her forward as well. Her feet slid down the slant of the roof she stood on, then right off the edge. She managed to catch herself on the wrought iron of the fenced balcony below. She grunted shortly at the yank at her shoulder and grimaced down at the black figure dangling at the end of her line. "Ridiculous."
Once she managed to pull herself up and Chat wriggled his own way onto the balcony, she sighed. Again, she glowered at him as he looked at her curiously. Before either could muster any utterance, there was a flash and deafening crash of thunder sounded a few moments after. Looking at him sternly, Ladybug motioned toward the sky as if to say, "See?"
He blinked. Chat wasn't following. Just then Ladybug's own warning sounded. "Why did you stop me? We're about to transform. I was going-"
"Home?" He nodded
"On Paris rooftops?" Again, he nodded. That was how they always got around in the city.
"In a lightning storm." She continued to add, though he no longer nodded, beginning to connect some dots.
"With a metal stick." She pointed at the staff in his hand and he looked at it.
After a moment of gears turning in his head, that Cheshire grin danced across his lips and he looked at her. "And wiser still." He murmured aloud as he retracted his staff and stashed it away. Ladybug looked at her counterpart with a brow piqued in confusion at the response she earned. "An absolutely valid point, M'lady," he bowed again, "but then, that leaves us with a whole other prob-" As if to illustrate his point, Chat Noir and Ladybug both heard their warning blips again.
"I know." The heroine mused, holding her chin as she looked out toward the sky. The rain hadn't taken long at all in following the looming rumbles in the dark clouds above and was starting to gain heavy momentum. Now, they didn't even have the option of walking the streets of Paris without getting soaked to the bone. Never mind there even being a hair's breadth of a chance Ladybug could make it home before reverting without the quickness of the rooftops. They were stuck in a hole that Ladybug couldn't figure a way out of – and the clock was ticking.
Chat watched as the wheels turned in her head. He loved that about her. She was always working so hard to be one step ahead of the problem and was always quick to adapt to practically anything that curved out of her expectations. Truth be told, Chat Noir didn't worry much over the situation. He saw no harm in being camped in a dry perch through a little bit of rain. And even if they reverted, he was perfectly fine with that too. But he knew how Ladybug felt about their secrecy and the last thing he ever wanted to do was go against his lady's wishes.
His emerald eyes searched out through the rain and Chat could see the delicate haze that began to fill their view as the weather found a steady tone of water fall to drown them in. A cool breeze swept beneath the striped canopy that sheltered the masked duo and he felt it play through his golden mop of hair. He looked on as it danced through Ladybug's own loose strands, coaxing playful ends to caress her soft looking skin and tease at her delicately pursed lips. He nearly shuddered at the wonder of how they might feel. If they were trapped there in that spot for the rest of their days he wouldn't care. He would happily spend the entire night there if it were at her side. How long had it been at this point? Two years since he had found Plagg and the fortunate opportunity to become partners with Ladybug? Three, maybe? It might have been something he would have thought to keep track of, but time just always seemed to sit still when she was around. Chat Noir drew in a deep sigh, delighted in his little 'happy place' for the moment, and took a step back to lean against the French doors.
There was another rumble in the sky following a quiet play of light against neighboring buildings, but the crash that startled Ladybug wasn't the storm. Chat Noir yelped as he stumbled and dropped into the room.
"Chat!" she rushed in to help him up, "Are you okay?"
"Ah!" he chuckled as he propped onto an elbow and rubbed at the back of his head. "I'm good. That was pretty unexpected…" He craned his head back, looking over his shoulder as his lady love surveyed the room as well. "Looks like we might stay dry after all."
Ladybug looked around the room with furrowed brows. After a moment, she realized that it was a hotel suite. Nothing quite as opulent as The Grande Paris, but it was a handsome room. Chat had toppled into the bedroom of the suite, housing a king sized mattress, the foot of which pointed toward the grandly open wall that gave way to the living area. Comfortable looking seats were accented by the ornate rug on the wooden flooring and the inviting couch faced a welcoming fire place decorated with an expertly painted landscape of a Paris nightscape, the crown jewel Eiffel Tower gleaming brightly in the center of it all. Just off to the side was a quaint little dining area seated next to the adjacent balcony. It was a lovely little getaway for whomever were to stay within it. Currently, it seemed to be unoccupied. The last cleaning shift must have missed shutting the doors completely and left the lock forgotten. (Though, it wasn't truly a surprising thought. Ladybug was certain that it wasn't a common occurrence for people to drop into their hotel rooms from the roof of a six-story building.) Perfectly luck for them, though.
Ladybug smiled to herself at the thought. She rather enjoyed her miraculous luck. "This is perfect!" she smiled brightly as she helped her friend to his feet, "This solves our problem completely!"
"You had the same thought too, huh?" Chat grinned slyly as he shut the door, keeping out the spray of cool rain from getting in. "Wait out the storm snuggled together by firelight?"
She made no acknowledgement to his reverie, though she did smirk to herself as she gave him a quick sidelong glance before he could take note of it. "We can sneak out through the hotel! We'll go our separate ways and once we transform, the staff will think we were nothing more than just guests at their hotel. It's perfect. Thanks, Chat Noir."
Chat Noir's shoulders slumped as Ladybug elated in their fortune. The answer to their problem was the pin to his bubble. His forehead gently thumped on the frame of the door as he never turned to face his lady. He sighed heavily, wishing that he had never fallen through. He could still have been out there; his eyes looked out the glass pointedly to the very spot Ladybug had been standing not a moment earlier. He could still have been admiring her only but an arm's length away. The things that could have transpired between them that night, trapped in their own patch of heaven until the rain set them free, were nothing more than a missed opportunity washing away with the storm. His chances were nil now and he mourned the death of his joy before it could even truly bloom.
"The rain will still be a challenge though." Ladybug mused, stepping up beside him, looking out the same doors once again. The corner of Chat's lip curled up in a soft smile and he looked over to her, watching the light bend through the rain and practically make her eyes glitter. Beep beep! "Ah. Better get going! See you soon, Chat Noir! Bug ou-"
As she turned to leave, she halted. Chat had reacted without thinking. Ladybug turned to look back and he had her by the wrist. She looked at him curiously and a little anxious about their waning time. His head was bowed and his face was obscured by his wild golden hair.
"… Does he love you?" he said nothing more, but his tone was so very unlike him.
"What?" Before she could even ask where the question even came from or bring up the fact that it really wasn't any of his business, Chat Noir refused to let her.
"The one you like." She had mentioned off-handedly in the time between them that there was someone that held her attentions. It was clearly a bit of information she placed no gravity on at the time, but it had been a thorn in Chat Noir's little paw ever since. "Does he love you..." he looked up at her then, the green of his eyes darkened with the gravity of his question, "the way that I love you?"
Ladybug froze, her eyes cemented to this abnormal shadow of Chat Noir. She had never seen him so frank and serious. She had never seen him so dejected before. It was unsettling to her to see him in such a way. But the topic of Adrien he brought up threw her into her own cloud of melancholy. She couldn't bring herself to answer him. However, her lack of response was more than the answer he needed. The simple fact that her own body eventually drooped at the question spoke volumes. Did he even like her at all? Did he even know her? Whomever he was, Chat Noir knew for certain that he didn't deserve the kind of devotion Ladybug clearly had for him. How long ago could she have been his if this cad hadn't been in his way the whole time?
Now wasn't the time to be angry at him. Chat had to focus. What he wanted was her. He had always wanted her. The feline figure stepped toward his beloved Ladybug, keeping a gentle hold on her hand, and brought it up to his chest. His heart was racing. Could she feel it? It didn't show in his countenance, but this was the first time he stood so close to her and had her listening - truly listening - to what he said, and he had never been more anxious in his life.
As he moved, she no longer looked at him, but watched his manipulation of her, watching as her hand felt the warmth of his body. Ladybug's free arm pulled up against her own chest as she tried to curl into herself coyly. This wasn't supposed to happen. How did everything get turned around so fast? Their miraculous chirped once more, but neither could hear anything other than the pounding of their own heartbeats against their eardrums.
"My lady." Even as a gentle whisper, against the quiet in the room, Chat felt as though his voice filled the place entirely, "I'm begging you…" He reached with his other hand to caress her face with the back of his fingers, "Just give me one chance."
Ladybug squeezed her eyes shut. No, this isn't what she wanted. She wouldn't let herself betray Adrien. She loved him. She would give anything for Adrien Agreste. She wasn't supposed to be with Chat Noir. Adrien was her happily ever after. She couldn't let go of that dream. Even after years of trying, years of stammering, years of failing to get his attention… She had to hold on to him. No matter how difficult it was to get him to notice her, no matter how much Chat Noir was always by her side, or how many times he told her things that she wished left Adrien's own lips. This isn't how this is supposed to happen… She felt his gentle fingers glide under her chin.
She didn't turn away and she didn't seem to fight him at all. Chat Noir swore to himself at the moment she turned him back would be the end to it all. He would ask no more and it would be over. But she never said a word against him. He nearly lost his moment and was now fighting to keep it, if he didn't make a move, he could lose it all over again, and quite possibly for good - as deep as he was now. Cautiously, he tilted her chin up toward him, clearly noticing her refusal to meet his gaze. Still, Ladybug didn't pull back, so he didn't hesitate to lean in and lightly press his lips against her own.
It was soft and chaste and she began to feel his own uncertainty in it all. Actually, it was a much meeker kiss than the one she had given him under Dark Cupid's influence. Under different circumstances, Ladybug might have even quipped at Chat Noir being a poor kisser, but the insecurity in them both was nearly tangible. Besides, it wasn't necessarily bad. She didn't hate it. She didn't push him away as he lingered, the end of his nose lightly tickling her cheek. When she opened her eyes, she focused on his lips, almost knowing he could do better, not even realizing how far from her thoughts Adrien had slipped. Perhaps she had thought to think of Agreste as she felt Chat Noir's touch, but she had become full of her dark companion and Adrien was nowhere in mind.
In a moment Chat almost missed, in spite of waiting for some reaction, Ladybug leaned in again, initiating a more confident kiss. It caught him a bit off guard, but a cat's reflexes were sharp and he answered with just as much conviction. Dotted arms moved to slip over his shoulders as Ladybug felt the support beneath her chin slide around her waist. She knew he had to be a better kisser than that.
Their lips broke and Chat Noir moved his hand from hers to cup her face, not allowing his lady to change her mind before he could draw her in again. To his delight, she answered, bolstering his avowal and giving rise to his actions becoming gradually more passionate. His actions were heated, but he dared not press her, his pace never quickened, and truly, he relished in it. Her lips were velvety and strawberry sweet; almost exactly like he hoped they would be when he had wondered earlier. He felt her fingers play in the hair at his nape and it practically sent a shiver down his spine.
It was Chat that pulled away again and only for need of breath. All those times before, he was mesmerized by her. Now, he was intoxicated. Look at me. See me. He made another attempt to coax her eyes to him, brushing the hair from her face. He watched as her lids fluttered and the moment she looked at him he nearly regretted it. His heart practically choked him and he could feel goose bumps on his arms beneath leather. It has made me better loving you.
"M'lady…" her lips parted to answer him, but they made no sound.
In one smooth motion, he lifted her into his arms. She made a breathy "Chat" in response before hiding her face in his neck. He paused a moment and swallowed thickly. How long he awaited the sound of her calling to him that way. Everything seemed so surreal, if it wasn't for physically feeling her, he would swear it was some dream and Adrien would wake up in his room hating reality. Chat Noir moved to set his beloved heroine gently onto the mattress at the head of the bed, both finding it much plusher than first thought; the down-filled duvet whispered with their movements. Ladybug adjusted herself slightly and Chat Noir took a seat at the edge of the bed at her side. As he did, he lifted her hand to his lips, eyes focused on her face. Even in the darkness of the room he could see the flush on her cheeks as her cerulean doe eyes looked back at him. She didn't pull away like she always did when he kissed her hand and it made him smile. She sat demurely, her arms mostly tucked close to her torso and her knees together, pulled half way up and away from him. She was still emotionally unsure where he had now become resolved, but she accepted him. She was giving him what he asked and he rejoiced, making sure not to let the chance go to waste.
There was no longer a point to turn back. Ladybug had acquiesced and she opened a door she never considered stepping through. But, she had to admit to herself, it wasn't as frightening a venture as she led herself to believe. Chat Noir was as considerate as he had always been. His touches were kind and thoughtful, and perhaps even enticing. She eyed him closely as he smiled against her fingers and soon allowed herself to relax slightly; her shoulders easing a bit. Adrien was a fantasy. He was a daydream she had wanted to make real, but could never manage to. Chat Noir was what was real. She could touch him like this and he wouldn't fade with a rising sun.
Suddenly, she even questioned that. She took her hand away from his lips and reached to caress his cheek. He was warm. He was still there. Ladybug studied him in detail as she followed the contour of his face with light fingers. Chat smiled again as he turned his head toward her palm, his green gaze hardly flinching away from her own blue stare. She brushed her thumb over his lips and he immediately leaned in again. This time she reached for his face midway with both hands and welcomed him.
Adrien, I'm so sorry. She was lost to him. More and more she found herself gradually letting go of Adrien Agreste and slowly grasping more at Chat Noir. The rumbling storm outside fell onto deaf ears and their world consisted only of the two mysteries finding one another. Ladybug slipped her arms around Chat Noir's shoulders again, feeling him reach for her as well. She drew him in and he complied, lips never missing a beat between them. Lightening flashed, silhouetting furniture and casting long shadows into the room and, with a crack of thunder that refused to be ignored, swirls of green and red filled the room. There was a last lingering kiss between them when the glow subsided and she felt him rest his forehead against her own. She didn't move. She didn't want to. Not yet. Her eyes kept shut, holding onto that last delusion of what her fairy tale end once was.
A warm, naked hand brushed against her cheek and he smiled tenderly to himself. Of course. It was truly a wonder that she didn't cross his mind before. Of anyone he could have guessed it would be, she should have been at the top of his list; smart, creative, selfless… He realized, then, that he wasn't surprised by whom he saw; whom it was he had come to love. But in just as quick a moment, he also realized there was a possibility that his good fortune could come to an abrupt end, just for the simple fact that it was him. They seemed to be friends when they were in school, but he recalled their very first meeting not going at all well. What if she was completely disappointed in Chat Noir being… him? He began to think that poor luck wasn't just Chat Noir's super power.
"Please…" he offered a last plea with a softly fretted voice to his lady before she lost the interested he had only now garnered, "Please don't push away just because it's me, Marinette…"
Her eyes shot open at the sound of her name. She knew him. Rather, he knew her. But it was a known possibility, for years now. She took a breath and let it out softly before her eyes wandered up to the face before her. No… The color from her face drained and surprise filled her eyes. She just let him go. Marinette had only just forced Adrien from her heart and let Chat Noir in - and now this? She leaned back a bit, taking the full vision of him in. Her fingers grasped at his familiar, white button down shirt and her eyelids fluttered with the rising sting of tears welling in her eyes. She reach to touch his face as she did Chat Noir, waiting to wake up in her room one more time, late for class and broken-hearted again. But, this time, he didn't vanish. He was there. She felt him and tears rolled down the side of her face. When they did, Adrien reached to wipe them away with a soft touch. She flinched slightly, not expecting it, and he frowned softly. Marinette still had to force herself to accept it.
"Ad-…" her breath hitched in her throat, "Adrien?"
Lightening flashed into the room, bringing up the shadowed features of Marinette's face. The boy nodded and thunder rolled into the atmosphere around them. He couldn't really read her. Was she simply surprised? Or upset? He didn't see anything that made him believe she was happy to see him. He felt fingers latch onto his shirt, but the caress on his face was apprehensive. Would she shy away? … Would she stay? The only way to know was to make one last move.
Adrien felt Marinette tense when he brushed her lips with his thumb, but shifted closer to her to lean in one last time. He received a poignant answer when she suddenly grabbed him by his head again and pulled him into their kiss. This time, in unison, the room paled with a loud roar, swallowing the both of them whole. Neither could tell if the pounding in their chest was the thunder, or their hearts ready to burst. It surprised Adrien how fervent she suddenly was, shifting her legs aside to nestle closer against him. Immediately, his arms folded around her, just as his lips moved against her own. Kisses spilled between them as much as the rain outside, arms clutched the other tightly and fingers tangled into locks of hair. Both Agreste and Dupain-Cheng were too frightened it would all suddenly wash away if they hesitated and questioned anything until they were just simply too overwhelmed. Lips broke apart with deep and heavy sighs, Adrien the first to find his voice again.
"Je t'aime." His whisper tickled against her ear and she wasn't sure if she laughed or sobbed through her smile.
"Mon Chatton…" Marinette hugged him tightly. "Mon Adrien." She kissed him again and he happily obliged, still brushing stray tears from her eyes.
Moments felt like forever in the other's arms, and still, it wasn't long enough. The reality was closer to only a few minutes before they finally spoke again, passing the time simply being together and letting everything process in their hazy minds. Marinette laid her head to rest on Adrien's chest and he reached to brush strands of hair behind her ear, smiling to himself when fingers brushed against her earring. Marinette's lips did much the same as she reached for his hand there, finding a familiar ring.
"Tikki!" Marinette sat up, suddenly, causing a bit of confusion for Adrien until she reached for her earring looking about the room.
"Plagg…" he stood from the bed and offered a hand to Marinette as she got up herself. She smiled up at him and he kissed her hand in normal Chat fashion. "I wonder where they could have gone."
"Can't have been too far…" Marinette glanced at the light switch and considered it a moment. It was dark in the room, but it was supposed to be a vacant room. If lights were suddenly switched on, they could be welcoming inconvenient trouble. She sighed softly and made her way toward the other end of the room. "Tikki…?"
Adrien followed behind and strode toward the dining table. If he knew naught but one thing about his kwami, it was that one of the first things Plagg would be after was food. But, there was no camembert nearby. Marinette called to him near the loveseat at the fireplace and he went to her. The two kwami laid snuggled together in the light of the rainy window on the seat fast asleep, having left their counterparts to sort themselves out. Gently, they gathered their companions, stashing them in their places with care. It was time to go home.
Marinette crept toward the door of the room and cracked it open just enough to see into the hall. It seemed late enough that anyone within would be fast asleep and they had the run of the place without any problem. Quietly, she stepped out and Adrien followed, shutting the door behind him gingerly. They walked in silence down the hall to the elevator and waited. Stepping in, Adrien reached to slide his fingers between Marinette's. She looked up at him blushed before resting her head against his shoulder and hugging his arm.
"I do believe you are in need of a ride home in this weather, M'lady." He said as he reached for his phone.
The late afternoon sun poured into Marinette's room, filling the place with pastel tinted light. The light bounced off the floor and walls, giving her skin a soft pink glow. She sighed lightly, poking through the bits of charcoal in her left hand. She had spent the better part of her afternoon working at her easel, staring for over an hour, now, at the obligatory bowl of fruit on her table. Sketching simple designs was easy enough for her, but in order for to progress in fashion, design was more than just ideas. Well-rounded artistic skill was a great asset and now, this art project was her current object of devotion. She brushed a bit of fringe from her face with the back of her black stained hand and arched her back. The stool she perched on was started to get even less comfortable, if that was even possible.
"It looks great, Marinette!" Tikki encouraged, perched atop her messy bun.
"Thanks. Not quite there yet, though."
There was a muffled thump over-head and she smiled. Impeccable timing. The hatch from the roof opened and in dropped a mischievous black figure, a stark contrast to the gentle hues of her surroundings. Marinette's lips pursed as she glanced between the bowl and her sketch, trying to see what was in need of improvement. They spread into a bright smile when she felt kisses against her neck and behind her ear. Tikki had floated off toward a back shelf near the computer desk, allowing some room for romance.
"Ah!" Chat Noir bemused, "Still life!"
Patrol must have been dull for him. Marinette nodded.
"I'm thinking I've had enough fruit for a while, though…" she groaned softly, adjusting the boat neckline of her shirt, adding just a bit more to the smudges already adorning it.
"Well, I have the purr-fect solution!" Chat boasted as he trounced in front of the table of fruit. "Try sketching something more dynamic and interesting!" He began flexing into poses before settling into clasped hands behind his head and an obvious attempt at engaging his abdominals. "I've dabbled on the catwalk, myself, you know."
"Have you, now?" Marinette rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Chat, if you're trying to flex you're abs, your suit is covering them. So stop trying so hard."
Chat Noir smirked darkly and in a flash Plagg nodded in greeting to her before he zipped over to join Tikki, knowing exactly where Marinette kept a shiny new box of camembert just for hungry little kwami. Marinette watched as he tracked it down within seconds and turned back to see Adrien, pulling his shirt off over his head. Her cheeks flushed brightly and she turned away with tightly shut eyes.
"Adrien, what are you doing?" she whispered harshly.
There was a familiar Cheshire cat smile on his face as he set the article of clothing down and strolled over to sweet, innocent Marinette. "The problem is the same if my shirt is on." He took her by the chin, leaning in, and turned her face to him nose-to-nose, her cheeks and ears warmed to a brilliant red, "Can't draw with your eyes closed, Buginette…" Her eyes opened with an annoyed look that gave way to shock – refusing to look anywhere else - when he reached for her sketching hand and guided it over the defined ridges of his stomach and up the solid curves his chest, "But, I guess you could feel it out."
Spare sticks of charcoal dropped to the floor when she shoved Adrien's face away, covering his eyes as she pulled her other hand away, secretly refusing to wash it ever again despite the artistic medium. He laughed and she paused, glancing at her hand and then to Adrien, his bare torso streaked with black. The artist looked up at his thoughtful face, looking down at his own mess. "You know… I was afraid it would be a bit coaled without my shirt…" He looked up at her and Marinette blinked. The black mess she left on his face resembled that of a certain feline mask she knew with eyes behind it that gleamed just as emerald green as Adrien's own. He leaned in again and smiled. "But then I remembered how much you set me on fire…"
His earned response was a deadpan glower, "I think I liked it better when I didn't know Adrien was Chat Noir."
He chuckled. It had only been two weeks and already she said such things? He kissed his beloved Marinette as she slipped her arms around him. No matter what Hawkmoth might have had in store for Ladybug and Chat Noir, they were unstoppable now. As Marinette and Adrien and as Ladybug and Chat Noir, they were more a force to be reckoned with than ever. Agreste nuzzled against Dupain-Cheng and smiled a kind smile that was far more fitting to Adrien in Marinette's opinion. She kissed him again.
"Now I really am satisfied, because I can't think of anything better."
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James