TAF: I'll be posting a lot of random one-shots while I get inspiration for my long-running story/stories. Most of these just come from random ideas I've had, and you can expand on these as long as you give credit where credit is due. Thank you for reading!
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Ladybug sat down with a huff on a rooftop after purifying the Akuma from the latest villain. She would go home in a minute; she just needed to catch her breath. Besides, something was bothering her.
Chat Noir sat down beside Ladybug, enjoying a peaceful moment in Paris. It had been a long time since the two had received their Miraculouses and Hawk Moth had started sending out Akumas, and they were becoming more frequent and harder to defeat. So, in other words, peaceful moments were hard to come by.
"Is everything okay, M'lady?" He said after a moment.
She stared off into space, her expression unreadable. "Yeah. It's just…" She trailed off.
"Just what?"
"Do you ever feel like it's getting harder and harder to defeat the villains?"
"All the time." Hawk Moth was definitely getting better at choosing victims. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the powers each villain had.
For example, the last victim had been a little girl, nine or ten, who watched her house go up in flames after a freak accident. She began having trauma-induced nightmares and regular panic attacks, making her the perfect target for an Akuma.
Ladybug continued. "And… I feel like I'm getting worse at using my power every time."
Chat Noir cocked his head to the side. "Why do you say that?"
"My Lucky Charms… It always takes me so long to figure out what to do with them. And when I do, I have to use some ridiculously complicated plan to actually use it. They're getting more cryptic. The last one took eleven other objects for it to work, and if it hadn't worked, we would have been totally screwed." She rested her chin in hands.
Chat smiled, trying to think of a way to encourage her. "I think that just means we're getting better. The power didn't test you this much at the beginning. But somehow it sees that you've gotten so much better at what you do, and it gives you a challenge. The Lucky Charm will never give you the easy way out. You of all people should know that."
Ladybug's earrings beeped their final warning. "Thanks, Chat. I really gotta go. See you for patrol tonight?"
"As usual, M'lady." Chat gave an overly exaggerated bow. But instead of scoffing at it like she usually did, Ladybug laughed at his flirtatious gesture.
"Bug out!" She waved at him, smiling, and zipped off to her house before she transformed back.
Chat stood with his arms akimbo and spoke to no one but himself. "She'll fall for me one day. I just know it." His ring beeped as well, reminding him that he, too, had to leave. "See you later, M'lady."
oooooooooooooooooooo
At 7:00, the two superheroes met for patrol, as per usual. They had taken to patrolling every night or almost every night instead of a couple times a week now, for precautionary measures. Besides, even Ladybug admitted that it was nice to spend time with her partner when they didn't have to battle an Akumatized civilian.
"Bonsoir, M'lady. You look lovely as ever." Chat touched down on the Arc de Triomphe, their usual meeting spot, taking one of Ladybug's hands and kissing it softly.
Ladybug giggled. She was used to his affection by now, and it really didn't bother her. It was just one of Chat's little quirks. "Bonsoir, chaton."
"The usual routes?" Most often, Ladybug took her route to the east and Chat took his to the west, although every once in a while they liked to switch things up.
"Actually, Chat," Ladybug stepped closer to him, holding his hand. "I was wondering if you wanted to patrol together tonight. We haven't really talked in a while."
Chat blushed at her physical affection. It was no secret to anyone in Paris that the superhero often pined for his female counterpart. While Ladybug just wished to keep it a friendship - for safety reasons, she often said - Chat wasn't going to give her up. He was convinced they were soulmates, and any opportunity to spend time with her he would take.
"Sure." He said simply, not wanting to risk sounding stupid. The two walked hand in hand to the edge of the Arc before using their multipurpose weapons to get to the next rooftop, going to the west first.
ooooo -Later- ooooo
Chat's heart leapt when Ladybug laughed at his cat pun, a rare treat for his ears. They had just circled back and started the second half of their partner patrol: the east side of Paris.
They were picking up their earlier discussion and reviewing the weirdest ways they had used their powers over the years. The pair had gotten more personal over the years, careful not to reveal anything that might jeopardize their identities, but talking nondescriptly about certain aspects of their lives.
"Your bad luck has improved, Chat." Ladybug commented. It was true; Chat had some less-than-proud moments over the years that he preferred not to think about, but some of them were okay to laugh about now.
"You want to know why?" Chat Noir stepped a little bit closer to his partner, studying her face as she looked back at him.
"Why?"
"Well…if you must know, I have a lucky charm, too."
Ladybug raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. A very good friend of mine gave it to me a few years ago. I always carry it with me. I think it works pretty well, as a matter of fact. Do you want to see it?"
"Sure." Ladybug said, curious what his idea of a lucky charm was. He pulled his "lucky charm" out from his pocket as Ladybug's face paled.
It was absolutely identical to the charm she gave Adrien when they were practicing for the Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 tournament in her room almost three years ago, which was impossible, because she made that one herself. There wasn't another one like it in the whole of Paris.
Chat noticed the strange look on Ladybug's face. "Everything okay, Bugaboo?"
No. Everything was not okay. If Chat had the lucky charm Marinette gave to Adrien, then Chat must be… Adrien? Impossible. But there was no other explanation.
She tensed. "What? Yeah. Yes. Everything is fine." Chat was taken aback at her tone, but he brushed it off.
Okay… Ladybug thought. Two can play at this game. After all, she carried around Adrien's birthday present to her that year: a lucky charm, similar to the one she gifted to him.
"That's funny, 'cause…" Ladybug reached for her charm.
"Because what?" Chat looked at her with an oblivious expression.
Ladybug held out her hand, which now contained the charm. "I have a lucky charm, too." She watched his face carefully as he realized what it was. And his expression proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Adrien was the boy behind the mask.
But Ladybug wasn't exactly prepared for what came next. Without hesitation, Chat said, "Claws in." A wave of green energy washed over him, and Adrien Agreste stood in Chat Noir's place. Now, Ladybug did have a pretty good idea that it was Adrien, but there was no way she could have known that he was just going to detransform, then and there.
"Y-y-you...you're A-Adrien!" She stuttered, mentally hitting herself for sounding like the lamest human on the face of the earth.
Adrien's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Marinette?" He whispered.
"Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt anything anymore. Spots off." She, too, transformed back, Marinette now standing in place of Ladybug, shivering at the sudden lack of warmth from her costume.
Adrien's eyes sparkled under the moonlight. "I was right! It is you." He pulled her into a tight embrace. She tensed again, but relaxed a little, mind still flooded with questions. "Is this okay?" Adrien asked her.
Marinette was too shocked to respond, so she just nodded, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
Eventually, both of them reluctantly pulled away from the warmth of the hug. They had more serious things to discuss. They sat down in the middle of their current rooftop resting spot to talk.
"Marinette." Adrien's voice was serious. "Who's the boy?"
Marinette was confused. "What boy?"
"When I told you I loved you, you said there was a boy. You wouldn't tell me then because our identities had to remain secret, but...would you mind telling me now?"
Marinette almost started laughing at the irony of it all, but it wasn't the best time for that. "Well, actually, Adrien…" She began, finding it no easier to talk to him knowing he was the one that flirted with her on the daily. "It was...kinda…you? I mean, Adrien you, not Chat Noir you. If you don't like that, that's okay, but I just thought I'd tell you since you asked and everything, because I wouldn't want to lie to you, after all, you've always been honest with me and-"
"Marinette!" She stopped rambling. "I get it. You like the Sunshine Boy."
How did he know about that nickname? "No! No, nonononono. That's not it at all! I mean, you're handsome and everything, but I couldn't care less what you look like! I'm not that self-absorbed."
"Then why? Why me?"
"Do you really want me to get into it?" Adrien nodded. "Okay, then. Where shall I start? You are friendly, caring and positive. You are absolutely selfless and always say you're fine when you're not, because somehow you manage to balance your wacko schedule of modeling, Chinese, fencing, piano, and saving the city, for crying out loud. You're the only person I know who would run away from home to go to school…"
"How did you know about that?"
"Because, I know a lot about you, Adrien Agreste." Marinette made the impromptu decision to spill her guts to him. "I've loved you since the second day we met. I can't say it was love at first sight, though. In fact, I hated you. Especially when I thought you were in cahoots with Chloѐ. But when you told me the whole story, gave me your umbrella, and made friends with me, that was when I fell in love. And I mean, fell in love. I practically fell down the steps, to be honest.
"Ever since then, I have been crazy obsessed with you. I have your entire schedule mapped out in my room to the minute, there are pictures of you all over my room, and I mean, all over. But you know that.
"I talk about you nonstop and doodle pictures of you in the margins of all my notebooks, I've planned tons of crazy schemes to try to get your attention, I've even dreamed about you every night for the past two and a half years. So yes. I, Marinette Dupain Cheng, am in love with you, Adrien. No two ways about it." She crossed her arms over her chest, anxiously searching Adrien's face for anything except shock.
There was a very awkward moment of silence. "...Wow." It was all Adrien could say.
"Well, Sunshine Boy. It's your turn."
"For what?"
"Why do you like me?"
"For real?"
"Spill."
Adrien took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's just start listing. You're thoughtful, sweet, brave, feisty, bold, kind, cute, selfless, optimistic, bubbly, compassionate, generous, passionate, persistent, trustworthy, resourceful, sensible, joyful, and sincere, not to mention, you're totally badass.
"You literally put the whole world before yourself and find time to be a talented designer, a student, and have a full-time crush. Believe me, I know the feeling. Your Ladybug shows every day, whether or not you realize it, so don't even ask me if I'm disappointed, because the only thing that stopped me everyday from walking up to you and kissing you senseless was the fact that I liked Ladybug. And now...there's nothing stopping me.
"I guess it's my turn for a confession, then. Marinette, I am pawsitively head over heels for you, and don't you furget it."
Marinette giggled. "Watch it, Adrien. Your Chat is showing."
"Well, if you like me, you have to like that side of me too."
"How could I not?"
"Besides…" Adrien began, leaning closer to Marinette.
"What?"
"You're my lucky charm." He leaned in further, closing the gap between them.
Marinette had literally zero time to react before Adrien's lips crashed on hers. Her mind went blank as she gave in to the sensation of the kiss, his hands wrapped around her waist as she kneaded her fingers through his hair.
All the feelings from years of waiting went into that kiss as they clung to each other like lifelines, as if the only thing keeping them alive was the fact that they had each other. Slowly, unwillingly, they pulled apart.
Adrien whispered softly into Marinette's ear. "I love you."
Marinette blushed profusely at his declaration. "I love you, too." The two sat in silence for a few moments longer before deciding it was time to part ways. One more sweet kiss that they savored in silence before they both transformed and said their goodbyes. Until tomorrow, at school.
And if it had taken years longer or years less, it didn't matter. As long as they balanced each other out, so would the universe stay in balance. Opposites attract because they have at least one thing in common: their love for each other. Good luck and bad luck are drawn to each other in the same way. Because when you find your soulmate, you know it. They are your lucky charm.