This is more serious and contemplative than a lot of my one shots, and is consequently a true one shot.
Candid
As Ladybug sailed through the air toward the enemy she'd been fighting for the better part of four years, she found that her thoughts weren't anything like what she imagined they would be.
She thought she would be filled with single-minded determination; with an unquenchable desire to put an end to the threat of the black butterflies.
She couldn't have imagined that her thoughts would be steeped in sadness.
That her vision would be blurred with unshed tears as she faced Hawkmoth in the final battle.
The heel of her foot connected with his jaw, sending the man sprawling on the ground in a very undignified fashion. She would have laughed had she not been fighting tears.
A clawed hand shot out as soon as he hit the ground, and Hawkmoth scrambled to catch Chat Noir's wrist before he could rip the Butterfly Miraculous from his chest.
Hawkmoth may have been much older than Paris's teenaged protectors, but his reflexes were perfectly honed. Ladybug's kick would never have landed if Chat Noir had not been actively trading blows with him.
Someone's Miraculous beeped frantically and timed out in a blinding flash of light, but Ladybug couldn't be bothered to figure out whose it was.
She leaped forward and cried out in victory when her fingers closed around the brooch on the supervillain's chest. She noticed that her hand was bare, and realized that it must have been her Miraculous that timed out.
Not a second too soon, apparently.
Hawkmoth's transformation faded away as she leaped back to avoid a devastating kick he aimed in her direction. Gabriel Agreste appeared unfazed by the loss of his Miraculous, and made a grab for the ring on Chat Noir's hand.
With an angry snarl, the black clad superhero twisted out of his grip and flipped backward to put distance between them. He stayed in a crouched position, glaring at Gabriel Agreste with an expression of white-hot fury.
Marinette scrubbed at her eyes, hoping to clear the blurriness so that she could be of more use to her partner. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he danced backward to avoid the fierce strikes of his father.
Gabriel huffed in frustration as the superhero continued to evade his increasingly wild snatches at the ring.
The detransformed superheroine's eyes narrowed in determination as she zeroed in on Chat Noir's staff, which lay on the other side of the room. She dashed across the room, slid to avoid one of Gabriel's strikes, and snatched the baton from the ground with practiced ease.
"Chat Noir! Catch!" she shouted, winding up and throwing it to him.
Gabriel tried to intercept it, but Chat was too fast. In a flash, the man was pinned to the ground beneath the metallic staff.
Chat Noir stood over him, green eyes blazing and body shaking like a leaf. Whether the trembling was from exertion or anger remained to be seen.
The holder of the Ladybug Miraculous came to stand beside her partner, placing a hand on his shoulder in solidarity.
"It's over."
The words cut through the silence like a knife, and the finality of it cut them all to the core.
Marinette couldn't be sure sure who said it, frankly. She was too drained, both physically and emotionally, to puzzle it out.
Gabriel slumped as he finally accepted his loss, and Chat Noir's transformation fell away to reveal a still trembling Adrien.
He somehow managed to look triumphant despite the defeated look in his eyes, and Marinette ducked under his arm to help him stay upright. He gave her a grateful nod and turned to his father, who was lying prone on the ground.
His eyes were vacant as he stared up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
"We're returning the Butterfly Miraculous to the Guardian," Adrien explained, his voice rough with exasperation.
The only indication that he heard was a minor twitch of his fingers. Gabriel remained silent as Marinette and Adrien disappeared from his line of vision.
They slowly made their way down the deserted streets of the city, with Adrien leaning heavily against Marinette's side.
"Are you okay?" Marinette inquired, giving her partner's waist a gentle squeeze as he continued to shiver in her grasp.
"I-I'm fine," he stammered, avoiding her eyes.
She furrowed her brow as she contemplated the best way to help. There weren't any online guides on how to help your crime-fighting partner overcome the shock of discovering that his father is the supervillian who has been terrorizing the city for the better part of four years.
"Suuuuure you are," Plagg drawled, peeking out from Adrien's shirt pocket with half lidded eyes. His voice was weak, likely from the exhaustion of holding the transformation so much longer than usual.
"Quiet, Plagg," Adrien replied, his voice lacking any real bite.
"It's okay to be upset, Adrien. I know that was really hard for you," Marinette replied, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder.
They'd stopped in the middle of the sidewalk at some point, and people had just begun to resurface from their hiding places.
It was reminiscent of the way forest animals slowly reappeared after a particularly nasty storm had blown through.
He buried his face into her hair, pulling her close and making her heart want to leap out of her chest.
"I know this isn't really the best timing, but…" Adrien began, trailing off uncertainly.
"But?" Marinette prodded, voice muffled by his shirt.
"But I'm hopelessly in love with you?" Adrien responded in a small voice, sounding rather embarrassed.
Marinette smiled into his shoulder and resisted the urge to squeal in delight. She schooled herself into a neutral expression and pulled back so that she could see his face.
An adorable blush dusted his cheeks, and her lips quirked up in a coy smirk.
"What a coincidence! I'm kinda hopelessly in love with you too," she remarked, delighting in the wide-eyed response she received from him.
"Really?" he whispered, scrutinizing her expression as if waiting for the punch line.
She chuckled and tapped his nose, "Really."
He perked up and leaned closer with an eager smile, eyes bright with building excitement.
"Then… can I kiss you? Please?" he begged, nearly bouncing on his toes as he awaited her answer.
Marinette's jaw dropped at the words that had just tumbled from her crush's mouth.
In what world would she ever answer no to that question?
His grin grew impossibly wider, and she realized that she must've voiced that thought aloud. She really was exhausted if she managed to let that slip out.
Her breath caught as Adrien's fingers came to rest under her chin and he tilted her head upward ever so gently.
He began to lean forward, and she could feel her heart pounding with anticipation. Adrien's lips drifted toward her with excruciating slowness, as if he were giving her every opportunity to change her mind.
Though his thoughtfulness was very much appreciated, Marinette had been awaiting this very moment for four long years. She rose up on her tiptoes to close the distance between them, and he melted against her immediately.
Marinette's heart pounded in her ears as his lips moved tentatively against hers; he was still asking permission even after she'd given it.
She belatedly realized that she should probably reciprocate if she didn't want him to stop.
She kissed him back shyly, tangling her fingers in his hair despite the fact that it was slick with sweat from a long battle.
He gave a blissful little hum in response, and Marinette melted into a puddle of goo. She was putty in his hands, and he hadn't even a clue.
Suddenly, the kiss was broken, and he was supporting her weight as she collapsed against his chest.
"Are you okay?" he cried, panic clear in his voice.
Marinette blushed furiously, "Yeah, I… g-guess my knees gave out."
"Are you hurt? Did you sprain something earlier?" Adrien worried, holding her away from his body so that he could check her over.
"No, I'm not hurt. I just, uh… am really tired! So tired!" Marinette practically shouted, her face nearly as red as her super suit.
No way could she tell her flirtatious partner that he made her weak in the knees. If he knew that his kiss had affected her in such a profound way, he'd never let her live it down.
"Oh, sorry! I guess we should hurry up and get that brooch back to Master Fu so you can get some rest," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Marinette released a nervous little giggle, "Yeah. Uh, maybe we could meet up and talk more tomorrow?"
Adrien snickered, but mercifully chose not to point out that they hadn't really done much talking. They probably should talk things over soon, Marinette noted. After all, a lot of things had changed for them both over a short period of time.
"Okay. Can we meet at your place? Mine is going to be a bit awkward for a while," he remarked, a frown marring his previously elated expression.
His house would be very awkward, since Gabriel knew both of their identities. Marinette nodded solemnly and threaded her fingers through his.
"Of course. You're welcome anytime you need to get away," she assured him.
"Careful. You might never get rid of me," he warned, only half joking. The grin he gave her was tinged with sadness, and it made her heart ache.
Marinette smiled at her partner and squeezed his hand, "Why would I ever want to get rid of you?"
Adrien beamed in response, and he practically radiated joy at her candid statement. Marinette decided right then and there that her goal wasn't to have three kids and a hamster anymore, but to see that smile every day for the rest of her life.