"Pound it."
Another villain is successfully defeated, and after a long day, the heroes are ready to return home. Chat Noir's ring beeps, "Can I leave you to return the victim home? I'm about to change back and that would be a CATastrophe!"
Ladybug nods and Chat winks before vanishing into the vast city of Paris.
"What's your name, little guy?" Ladybug approaches the child who had fallen victim to Hawkmoth's akuma.
The kid is sitting on the ground staring at her in confusion. His hair is spiked up and his baseball tee is covered in dirt. "Jameson…"
Chat Noir drops into an alleyway. A green flash turns back into his everyday wear and he goes to approach Nino. "Sorry Nino, that call took much longer than I expected."
"It's not a problem dude, we're still waiting on Marinette anyways."
"Yeah, that girl is a total mess," Alya chimes in, "Let's go see what's up." She tilts her head in the direction of Marinette's house which is visible from the park.
The trio walk toward the bakery door, meanwhile Ladybug is now finding Jameson's home. As Adrien pushes open the bakery door, bells chime. He holds it for his friends. "Oh hello, Alya… Nino… and Adrien!" Mrs. Cheng says each of their names as they walk in the door, putting emphasis on Adrien's. "Do you want to try these peach macarons? They're baked fresh," she motions to a platter stacked with delicious crumbly deserts.
All their mouths water and they immediately go towards the platter. Alya and Adrien bite into their own while Nino has already shoved a couple into his mouth. Mrs. Cheng approaches only Adrien. "Why don't you go get Marinette?"
Adrien finishes his macaroon before going into the home part of the building. He starts climbing the stairs, then the ladder. As he lifts up the trapdoor he hears a thump on Marinette's bed. Ladybug jumps down into the center of the room, facing away from him. Adrien watches in awe. "Tikki spots off."
As blinding pink light encases Ladybug, Adrien ducks back down the ladder and gently shuts the trapdoor. His mind is racing but he needs to play this cool. He lifts the trapdoor again and makes his presence known. "Hey, Marinette!"
Marinette who was fiddling with her earrings in the mirror turns around startled. Her face flushes red and her ditzy smile appears on her face, "Oh hey Adrien…" she awes. She jerks with realization, "Oh! I'm so sorry I'm late! I took much longer than I was supposed to getting ready, I hope you guys didn't wait too long!"
Adrien notices she's wearing a different outfit than usual. She has on gray pants, a pretty white blouse that shows her collarbones, and her everyday pink flats. How can somebody be so apologetic for saving Paris? She is the kindest person Adrien has ever met. Thinking about it, his cheeks flush a little red. "It's not a problem Buga- er- Marinette," he smiles.
Marinette grabs her bag and the two go downstairs to join Alya and Nino. As they approach them, Alya speaks up, "What took you so long girl?" she teases.
Marinette scratches the back of her neck in embarrassment, "I might have took a while to get ready…"
"Well let's get going dudes," Nino urges.
The four begin walking around the big city, unsure of their plans. Marinette and Adrien are nervous to be walking side by side. Now when he looks at Marinette, it's obvious to him. She has the same baby blue eyes and dark hair. He expected her hair would change in length as Ladybug because he does as Chat Noir. He's surprised it doesn't. Not to mention she also has the same full pink lips that he's grown rather fond of staring at. She even acts the same as Ladybug. She's always kind, brave, and fair. The only thing is she's often shy and clumsy, the opposite of Ladybug. The suit must boost her confidence as it does his.
The friends approach Andre's ice cream on the Passerelle des Arts. Alya and Nino share their fruity combination while Marinette and Adrien awkwardly small talk.
"So have you ever put a lock on here?" Marinette asks, unable to look at him. Ever since the day she confessed her- well tried to confess her feelings, she promised herself to talk to Adrien like everyone else, to not stammer like a fool. It's much easier when she starts the conversation and isn't taken by surprise when he does.
"Yeah," Adrien's face emits warmth as he smiles, "My mom and I put one here when I was younger, of course, I don't know which one it is anymore." Finding one lock in a sea of them is nearly impossible.
"That's sweet, my family has too."
Andre the ice cream maker interrupts their conversation with his booming joy filled voice, "I can tell this couple is new! But don't worry, I'm sure to find the perfect three scoop combination for you two! Adrien and Marinette right?"
Both faces turn red all over. Marinette looks toward the floor and spins her foot in a weird motion. Adrien's ears get hot. "Oh- um- haha- we're not a couple," Adrien says, as much as he wishes they were.
Andre is confused as they are obviously in love, is it not obvious to everyone? "Are you sure you don't want to share?" he questions.
Adrien looks down as Marinette, she blushes even more. "Oh, no thank you!" Marinette blurts out. Why would Adrien want to share with her?
Andre makes them their usual, "Peach pink like his lips, and mint like his eyes. Here you are, dear." As he hands it to Marinette he knows that the icecream represents the boy next to her.
Next, he makes Adrien's, "Strawberry with black chocolate chips, blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream just like her sky blue stare! Here you are, my boy." As Adrien takes the icecream, Andre sees this combination obviously is for Marinette but he just doesn't know where the strawberry chip ice cream comes in.
Both stare at their ice cream in awe, hoping the other won't notice.
The four wave goodbye and continue walking around. Since the sidewalk is narrow, Nino and Alya walk hand in hand while Marinette and Adrien walk a few paces behind them. Every time someone else walks by them on the other side, Adrien is forced to get closer to Marinette and their hands accidentally brush. Soon it starts to rain.
They all pull over on the side of the sidewalk so Marinette can get coats out of her bag. She first pulls out a long orange raincoat with small wooden buttons so it fits kind of like a cloak. Marinette never wears orange so the rest of the gang is confused until she hands it to Alya. Next, she pulls out a green one for Nino. This one has a zipper all the way up. Then, she grabs an identical one to Nino's that is black for Adrien. Lastly, she puts on a pink one like Alya's for herself.
"Where did you get these? They're gorgeous!" Alya asks, excited.
Marinette is nervous in her abilities and twiddles her fingers, "I might have made them last night for us, I thought they might come in handy."
Everyone puts up their hoods, they all fit perfectly and are made with so much precision. Adrien admires Marinette. The way the coat fits her makes her look like little red riding hood and her slightly wet hair is adorable. How can she be so talented at everything? Nobody could ever be deserving of her. She manages to save Paris, go home, and make coats for her friends so they don't get wet. How considerate. She notices him staring and flushes pink to match the coat. Pink suits her better than red, Adrien thinks to himself.
To escape the rain they stumble into a small jewelry store. They all wipe off their wet feet on the welcome mat and pull their hoods off. "Welcome in!" a man with a thick accent says.
They begin looking around while waiting for the rain to stop. Marinette wonders over to some silver bracelets and necklaces. Lots are too flashy for her and all of them are much too expensive. She finds herself staring a simple chain one but upon the end of it, there is a tiny little silhouette of a cat, no longer than a centimeter. She can almost hear Chat saying, look at this necklace Bugaboo, isn't it purrrrrrfect? She giggles at the thought.
Adrien, who has been keeping her in his peripheral vision, notices she's been standing in one spot for a long time. He casually wonders over to her. She's taken by surprise when she feels him next to her. Adrien sees the one she's looking at. "I like that one," he says.
"Me too. It reminds me of someone."
She's sad she can't afford it but knows there are more valuable things in life. She wanders off to find Alya. Adrien stays and looks at it more closely. The cat on the end must mean something to her. He can't come to terms that it would be for Chat Noir. He's not that important to her is he, just a work partner? He calls the owner over and buys the necklace, hiding it in his jacket.
That night Adrien torments himself. He wants to tell Marinette so badly that he is Chat Noir but what would she think? Would she be weirded out that he is such an immature flirt? Would she be glad that Chat has a tamed side? There's no way to know. He doesn't deserve her friendship let alone her love. What would he even say? Oh by the way Marinette, I'm Chat Noir. You know that superhero you work with every day to save Paris? Yeah, the one you hate, that's the one.
She would never accept that. She's already going to be mad that he accidentally found out her identity. If he even told her that, he would have to explain how and then both their identities would be out in the open. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the box with the cat necklace in it. Plagg's childish tone breaks the dragging silence, "When are you gonna give it to her Romeo?"
"There'll be a time to Plagg," Adrien says laying out on his bed like a starfish.
The next day at school Adrien arrives early and eagerly waits for Mari- I mean- his friends to show up. He chats with Nino and Alya when they arrive but Marinette still isn't there. There are only minutes before the bell rings so they all reluctantly gather their things and head to class.
Adrien is suddenly anxious. Why isn't Marinette at school yet? Is she sick? Is she in trouble? His thoughts consume him with worry. He turns his head at every noise hoping it's a sign that she's arrived. Sweat builds from his pores until Nino says something, "You alright dude?"
Why are they more concerned with him and not Marinette. He plays it cool. "Fine. Just wondering where Marinette is."
"Dude, she's late like every day," Nino reminds him, "What did you expect?"
Oh right. She's probably just late, that's all. The thought eases him. As soon as the bell rings, she's in the door. She tries walking up the steps but trips on the first one. Adrien watches. Even the way she falls is beautiful to him. It's like it's in slow motion to him with pink hearts floating all around. Her cry of distress breaks his daydream. He's suddenly alert and dives to catch her before she can hit the floor.
When he catches her he forgets to get up again for a few seconds, he's just staring at the perfection of her face. Marinette doesn't mind, her ditzy smile and flustered cheeks have returned though. "Thank you, Adrien," she glees.
The bell rings and they sit down at their seats. Marinette rests her head in her hand and stares at the back of his head, now having her own daydream. Meanwhile, Chloe looks at her in disgust, it's as if she has three heads.
By lunch, Adrien's decided to give Marinette the necklace he bought her. "Hey, Marinette."
He got her attention along with the rest of the lunch table. "You've been such a good friend to me and I appreciate you beyond what words can say, so…" he reaches into his pocket and shows her the hexagon box the necklace is in. Everyone is ecstatic because they know of Marinette's crush on Adrien. Marinette's mouth is open in surprise and excitement. Adrien starts opening the box, "I got you a gift."
They're interrupted by a piercing scream. It's Chloe. "HELP ME! I CAN'T STOP, HELPPP!" she shrieks are frightening.
Her hands move without her will, picking up all the litter in the cafeteria and recycling it or throwing it away. A dark figure hovering on a cloud is outside manically laughing at the scene. Sabrina yells, "She accidentally missed the trash can and walked away and then something happened! Get Ladybug and Chat Noir, SOMEONE!"
Adrien and Marinette's eyes narrow and they flee the cafeteria. They transform in the bathrooms. Ladybug lands on top of the school and scouts for the villain. Chat Noir joins her a few moments later.
"Hey Kitty, did you happen to see a villain on your way over?"
If only she knew he came from the same place she did. "No, but as least I can see you, M'Lady," he flirts.
"Let's get going."
She yoyos from building to building followed by Chat Noir who uses his stick to launch himself in the direction he wants. She acts so different as Ladybug it's hard for Chat to believe until he realizes he does too. They find the villain in front of the Eiffel tower. His suit is black with green detailing and he's floating upon a dark rain cloud. An antenna sticks out from the top of his head.
All the tourist and people of Paris one by one are forced to do something against their will similar to Simon Says except this time the people still have their own conscious. A booming voice towers over the noise of Paris, "Since nobody will do as I say, I'll FORCE YOU TO!"
Ladybug's voice yells in return, "People of Paris, run, stay inside!" she redirects her attention, "YOU'RE NO MATCH FOR US-"
"MARTIEN! AND I WILL HAVE YOUR MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"
Martien, Ladybug remembers that from somewhere. On the side of a bus, she sees it, an ad for a new movie coming out called Martien Invasion. It's about aliens who come to earth and attack, and the picture shows an alien with an antenna coming out of its head just like the akumatized victim.
Ladybug talks quietly now, "Chat Noir, the akuma is inside his antenna."
She strikes the villain with her yoyo, trying to grab the antenna but Martien dodges her attack. Chat Noir launches himself at the villain but is also dodged. The battle continues on, unimpactful for awhile until Chat Noir gets knocked down and Ladybug decides to use her lucky charm.
She jumps to the sidewalk and launches her yoyo in the air, "Luckyyy-"
Martien jumps off of his cloud at just the right moment and snatches her yoyo from midair. She's left weaponless. He lets out an evil chuckle before his cloud returns to his feet and he can fly up once again. Chat Noir gets back up to see what's happened. Ladybug yells up to Chat Noir, "It's up to you Kitty! You focus on Martien and I'll protect the citizens!"
His princess is relying on him, he needs to do as she says. Adrenaline builds in Chat Noir as he's thinking of new attacks to use.
Martien is bored. Now that he has Ladybug's yoyo, it'll be easy to take her miraculous later. He plans to distract the heroes so he can get away and take control of Paris. "Ladybug," he taunts, "You wouldn't want innocent people to get hurt would you?"
As an unaware bus rounds the corner he uses his power and takes control of the bus driver. The bus is steered to run directly into the news team. "NO!"
Ladybug sprints to the news team and puts herself in front of them. She braces for impact and hopes her added strength and weight will be enough to stop or even slow the bus.
Chat Noir barely has time to launch his pole into the crash. It extends to fit between two buildings just in front of Ladybug. While all attention is on the crash, Martien leaves. The bus collides with Chat Noir's pole instead of Ladybug. It bends until it touches Ladybug's chest, but it doesn't do her any harm.
Rage fills Chat Noir. Did she not realize that the bus would kill her? His voice is stiff when he talks, "Detransform. You'll get your yoyo back."
"Chat! You were supposed to focus on the villain, not me," she's mad too.
If she thought he would let her die, she was wrong. "Detransform then we can figure it out."
Ladybug runs off into an alleyway to detransform. Chat Noir goes to find Martien.
Not wanting to take action without Ladybug, Chat Noir stalks his prey as it looks for innocent Parisians. His head keeps flowing with the thought of Marinette's helpless body, ricocheting off of that bus. She's so stupid. Why would she ever do that? What would he ever do without her? His life would be absolutely meaningless.
Finally, Ladybug joins by his side, carrying her lucky charm. It's a macarena, red with black spots. Ladybug comes up with a plan, "We need to-"
"Distract him," Chat Noir finishes in a sour tone.
"Why are you so angry?"
"Does is matter?"
As Martien comes by the rooftop, Ladybug throws her yoyo and is pulled to a building across the street, right behind Martien. The villain now floats between her building and Chat Noir's. She begins shaking the macarena to get the villain's attention. "Cataclysm," Chat Noir activates his power under his breath in order to stay hidden.
"Oh hello Ladybug," the villain starts a conversation like they're just buddies talking at school, "I see that you got your yoyo back but where is your furry friend?"
"He's mad at me, so he left me to save you," that was halfway true.
"I don't want saving," the villain's cloud slowly approaches Ladybug.
Chat Noir seizes the moment and flings himself into the air using his stick. His hand manages to grab a hold of Martien's antenna and it crumbles into broken burnt pieces. A black butterfly flies from the wreckage.
As Chat Noir lands on the other rooftop, Ladybug catches the akuma victim with her yoyo and pulls him to them. "No more evil doing for you little akuma…"
As Ladybug catches the akuma and restores Paris, Chat Noir speaks with the victim. "What's going on?" the man asks.
"You were akumatized but you're okay now," Chat Noir's voice is soothing, "What got you so fired up?"
"I was directing my movie but everyone was just goofing around and we weren't making progress, then a butterfly landed on my visor and I don't remember anything else," he's still kind of confused.
"It's okay. Where do you live, we can escort you there."
The man looks at his surroundings, "I know where I am, I'm close enough to walk."
Ladybug helps the man off the roof and returns to Chat Noir. "Why are you mad at me Kitty?" Ladybug asks, expecting it to be a childish problem.
"Why would you do that?" Chat Noir's voice is low and sorrowful but angry. He's looking down to avoid eye contact or he might cry.
"Do what?"
"YOU COULD HAVE BEEN HURT!" Chat Noir's voice raises in a way it never has before. The blonde haired boy that has always followed suit, that has always done what everybody wants him to do snapped.
Ladybug is just as surprised as Chat Noir is. She looks at him without fear, but confusion. Then she remembers that she put herself in front of the bus. She crosses her arms and speaks sternly, "It is our duty to Paris that we put our lives before the citizens of our city." She grabs his face and turns it so he looks at her. She sees the tears in his eyes. She tilts her head slightly and her voice goes soft, "I thought you understood that, Kitty."
Rage and fear cloud Chat Noir's head. His princess deserves life far more than anyone else in the entire world, more than himself. How can she be so naive, so clueless? "JUST NOT YOU!" he takes a breath and it slips, "Just not you, Marinette."
Chat Noir doesn't realize what he's said. His head is still bursting with thoughts of the fight, what could have happened. Ladybug steps back with her eyebrows raised, her arms still folded. "How did you-" she's interrupted by her earrings beeping.
She turns and starts walking and her walking turns into a run. Chat Noir realizes what he said. He's frozen, not entirely sure what to do. They both forget about the quarrel. Ladybug runs to the edge of the roof before she completely halts to a stop. She looks over her shoulder at the boy she's worked with and trusted for so long, that he's become a friend. How did he find out her identity? What clues did she leave behind?
"Kitty, we need somewhere to talk."
The duo race to her balcony. After seconds of their arrival, Ladybug becomes Marinette for the second time in front of the same boy. Her voice isn't angry like he expected, it's just curious, "How did you find out?"
They only have minutes before he detransforms too. "I saw you detransform," a vague answer.
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"Where?"
"In your room?"
"You were in my room?"
"Kind of."
"What are we going to do?"
Chat Noir pauses, "I have no idea."
"We should-" he cuts her off.
"Marinette, my heart belonged to Ladybug," he's rehearsed this in his head a million times over the past 48 hours, "but when I found out that she was you, my heart that beat for her spread that love to the rest of my body." Marinette watches with surprise, her face slightly pink. "You are just as heroic as Marinette as you are Ladybug and you're just as kind, and funny, and cute, and thoughtful too. Marinette, you need to know my identity to know this is true so I'm sorry if you don't want to but I'm not leaving until this stupid mask is gone."
Marinette's eyes are wide, staring at her partner as he looks out onto the city. She thought her feelings for Adrien were all she had but she's never felt so important before. She likes the way Chat Noir talks about her and how it makes her feel. She doesn't want to make him leave. She wants him to stay as the sun sets.
Without saying another word, both look out onto Paris, waiting for Chat Noir to transform back. They don't know why he just doesn't say, claws in. They wait, it only takes a minute.
Suddenly green light encases Chat Noir. Marinette doesn't turn her head, not yet. She keeps her attention forward out of fear. What if he's someone she knows and dislikes? What would she do?
Adrien stares at Marinette, waiting for her to stare back. Her beauty is so indisputable it would be impossible to capture in a painting. It distracts him and buries his anxiety in a grave. She only looks when he speaks. "I never got to give this to you." Out from his pocket, he pulls the hexagon box with the necklace.
She's not looking at the box. Marinette is looking at those familiar green eyes, her jaw won't close. She doesn't understand it, but now that she knows Adrien is Chat Noir her awkwardness vanishes and she's left with Ladybug like confidence. She stands on her tip toes and takes his face in her hands and kisses him directly on the lips.
It takes them both by surprise but it doesn't take long for them to get used to it. Adrien even wraps his arms around her waist, box still in hand. The kiss is short and sweet, as a first kiss should be.
They both blush uncontrollably while Marinette finally opens the hexagon box. When she sees the necklace she squeals with excitement. "Now I'll always have a cat around my neck to remind me of how purrrrfect you are, with and without the mask." Marinette suddenly remembers how expensive it was and her eyes go big once again, "It was so pricey! You shouldn't have got this for me! If I were to get this myself I would have to steal it."
Adrien ignores her complaints, "If you were to, I'd say you were…" he leans down with a devilish smirk on his face, "Under Agreste!" He laughs at his own joke.
Marinette tries to hold back her giggles, "Careful or someone's gonna realize you're Char Noir," she teases.
Adrien smiles, the happiest smile he's smiled since his mom was in his life, "I love you!" his tone is light and playful and he embraces Marinette so tight, she can barely breath.
When he lets go Marinette kisses his nose, "And you."
