"I'm sorry, Alya, but I really can't go tonight." Marinette sighed as she listened to her friend complain about how lame she was for not being able to go trick-or-treating with her and Nino. "I know, but my parents need help for the rush, and by the time we're done it'll be too late to go out."
That was a lie of course. The real reason Marinette couldn't go out was that she had patrol with Chat. It was especially important for Paris' heroes to be out on the night that all of the city's pranksters came out to play, because surely there would be more than one citizen who was tricked and viable to become an akuma.
"I know," she muttered in response to the chatter coming from the other end of the line. "I was really looking forward to it, but I can't. Send me pictures of your costumes, okay?" With that, she said a quick goodbye and hung up.
Tikki floated towards Marinette's face as she sighed again. "I'm sorry you're going to miss going with your friends, but it's really important that you and Chat Noir patrol tonight. Miraculous holders are often needed on Halloween, unfortunately."
"I understand, and it's not like I don't want to see Chat. I'm just frustrated because Nino said that Adrien might be going with them, and I really wanted to get a chance to spend time around him."
Tikki smiled mysteriously. "You'll have other chances, I'm sure. In fact, you might see him sooner than you think."
Marinette assumed the kwami was referring to the good luck that being Ladybug brought her. She tried to look on the bright side. "You're right, maybe I'll run into him tonight somehow. At least I'll see him on Monday."
Tikki nodded sagely, flying up to give Marinette a pat on the cheek. "That's the spirit. Now we'd better get a move on or you'll be late."
"Okay, Tikki. Spots on!"
Pink light sparkled and swirled around Marinette as her red spotted suit formed around her. She smiled as the transformation completed, loving the feeling of strength that flowed through her. Dashing up the stairs to her bed, she flew out the trap door and into the night.
A few minutes later, the heroine landed at her favorite spot on the Eiffel Tower, sitting down on the cool metal to wait for her partner. She dangled her feet over the edge, gently swinging them back and forth as she hummed a song she'd been listening to earlier in the day, completely losing track of time as she basked in the city's presence.
"Boo!" shouted a familiar voice as someone wearing a white sheet with eye-holes jumped out from behind her.
Ladybug rolled her eyes at her partner's extremely unconvincing costume, but couldn't resist trying to give him a scare as well. Dramatically laying a hand across her chest, she gasped in surprise, letting her eyes roll back as her body went limp and tipped over the edge of the tower. She let herself fall for a few seconds, hurtling towards the ground as though unconscious as her partner yelped out a surprised "My lady!"
With a grin, her eyes snapped open and she reached for her yoyo, tossing it with a flick of her wrist to wrap around the truss she had been sitting on previously. A quick tug, and she was soaring back up towards her unamused partner, who had discarded his sheet haphazardly during her fall, in preparation of diving after her.
"Bugaboo, you shouldn't scare me like that," Chat murmured with a hurt expression as she landed, glancing over her as though to make sure she was really okay.
Ladybug felt the slightest nudge of guilt. "I'm sorry, Kitty. I was just playing along, trying to scare you."
"Well, it worked." He gripped her upper arms gently, giving them a slight squeeze. "Please promise me you won't do anything like that ever again."
Ashamed of her actions, Ladybug just nodded silently. She could understand why he was so upset, since she would've been distraught if Chat had played that kind of prank on her. Pressing her lips together in a thin line, she resolved to think more carefully about that kind of thing in the future.
"Anyways," Chat Noir chirped, sensing the need for a subject change, "I wanted to ask: trick or treat?"
"Well I've seen your trick already, so give me a treat."
The boy winked flirtatiously, crossing his arms. "All you ever had to do was ask," he purred much more suggestively than necessary.
"Chat."
His smirk transformed into an obviously faked pout as he sighed. "Okay, fine." Seemingly from nowhere, he produced a piece of candy, placing it delicately in her palm.
Ladybug stared at the foil-wrapped treat in awe. "Th-this is Debauve and Gallais chocolate." She recognized the famous artisan brand from seeing it in passing, but it was so high-end that she had never dared to even hope to taste it.
The heroine gazed at her partner in admiration for so long that he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Peeking back up at her, he insisted, "Just go ahead and eat it. If you like it, I'll bring you more sometime."
"I'm going to hold you to that," Ladybug informed him as she carefully peeled back the wrapper, revealing the luscious delight inside. Carefully, she lifted the treat, popping it between her lips delicately and biting down with a moan.
A blushing Chat Noir watched this intensely, gulping as her tongue slipped out to catch the cocoa powder that had remained on her lower lip. He shivered as she moaned again, savoring the treat with her eyes closed.
Finally, the heroine's crystal blue eyes fluttered open. "You know," she commented as she analyzed her gloves for any stray bits of powder, "I was pretty disappointed about not being able to trick-or-treat today, but that totally made up for it." Spotting some stray streaks of chocolate, she slipped a gloved finger into her mouth and gently sucked it off.
Chat swallowed hard, his heart racing at the sight. "G-g-glad I could help."
Ladybug found herself surprisingly amused with the effect her actions were having on her partner. She'd never made a habit of teasing him by using the knowledge that he was infatuated with her to her advantage, but recently she was finding she was more and more flattered by his attentions. She wasn't sure she returned his feelings at this point, since she herself was still very much in love with Adrien, but she was certainly having fun giving him a taste of his own medicine.
Deciding she'd tortured the poor boy enough for one night, she cleared her throat. "Well, Kitty, we'd better be on our way."
"Right, right," he replied, snapping to attention. "Lead the way, my lady." He bowed slightly, getting back into his normal character and burying the flustered fanboy he had become only moments earlier.
With a nod, Ladybug did just that. Quickly slinging her yoyo out, she catapulted herself from the tower to the roof of a nearby building, dashing away to begin their usual circuit with Chat Noir close behind. Her eyes scanned the streets as she flitted from building to building, looking for trouble.
They proceeded to make their way around the city, keeping a sharp eye out for any pranksters up to no good, but it was a surprisingly quiet evening. For the most part, the only people out were trick-or-treaters. Ladybug sighed wistfully as they soared over a group of teens in costumes who were making their rounds and filling their pillowcases with candy.
A certain cat's ears picked up on the low sound, and he glanced over at his partner, noting the longing on her face. Making a decision, he surged ahead of her and stopped her.
"Hey, Bugaboo, since it's so quiet, what do you say we have a little fun?" The boy leaned over and nudged her gently in the ribs.
"What are you talking about, Chat?"
"Well, we're already in costume," he explained, motioning grandly at their outfits. "We may as well take advantage of it."
Ladybug hesitated. "The heroes of Paris can't be seen running around for candy, it's unprofessional. I'd hate to be spotted."
"Honey, I've got some unfortunate news for you."
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Chat."
The boy laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry. Anyways, no one has to know we're the real deal." Chat winked at her with a devilish grin. "Come on, I've already seen several Ladybugs and even a couple Chat Noirs roaming the streets. No one will suspect anything."
She toyed with the idea, trying to imagine exactly how much trouble she'd get in with Tikki later if she went along with it. Ladybug knew that they should stay on patrol, but darn if it wasn't hard to resist that playful smile Chat was giving her.
After a minute of consideration, she shrugged with a devious smirk of her own. "Let's do it!"
"After you, then." Chat motioned towards a nearby alley and Ladybug swung herself down into it with her partner right behind her. Putting their weapons away, they strode casually out onto the main street.
Just as the pair was spotted by the first trick-or-treater, Ladybug realized the fatal flaw in the plan. "Chat, we don't have anything to carry candy in."
"Right. That." He pursed his lips in thought, scanning the nearby area as the fan approached. Spotting a nearby convenience store, he murmured, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
Ladybug nodded as he left, turning to the approaching figure—a teenage girl dressed as a vampire. In her most convincing definitely-not-Ladybug voice, she exclaimed, "Wow, I love your costume!"
The girl halted for a second, confusion crossing her face at the sound of her voice. "Thanks! I love yours too, it's so realistic." She giggled, tucking some hair behind her ear. "To be honest, when I saw you and that Chat Noir together, I thought you guys were the real deal. Your outfits are really good!"
Ladybug tried to laugh casually. "Oh, no, I'm way too klutzy to be the real Ladybug, but thanks for the compliment." She noticed Chat exiting the convenience store behind the girl and prayed that the conversation would end there.
"No problem. You know, I think it's really cute that you guys did a couple costume like that. Most of the Ladybugs and Chat Noirs I've seen tonight have been going solo."
Of course, it was right at this moment that Chat finally walked up. "Yup, it was actually my girlfriend's idea, right Love-bug?" With a mischievous grin, he slung an arm around Ladybug, giving her a peck on the cheek.
She only barely resisted the simultaneous urges to blush and throttle him, forcing her mouth into a love-struck smile.
The vampire girl gasped, cooing, "Aww, Love-bug, that's so cute! You guys are too perfect." Her phone vibrated in her hand and she glanced down at it, tapping on the screen to respond to the newly arrived text. "Well, my friends are wondering where I am, so I'd better go. It was so cool meeting you though!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir agreed and wished her a good night, waving as she trotted off down the street. When she was finally out of earshot, Ladybug let out a huge sigh, turning to Chat with her hands on her hips and a less-than-amused look on her face.
"Love-bug? And a kiss on the cheek, really?"
"Aw, come on, Bugaboo. I was really trying to sell it."
And totally taking advantage of the circumstances, Ladybug thought to herself. Who gave him the right to make my stomach feel tingly like that. She shook her head. It was probably only from the nerves and surprise, just forget about it.
"Anyways, let's go get some candy." Chat held up two Halloween-themed reusable shopping bags. "You can have whichever you want, but I really want the one with the cute pumpkin on it. Just saying."
Ladybug snorted, grabbing the other bag, which was decorated with bats and ghosts. "So, how exactly did you obtain these?"
"I told the cashier there was an emergency and that he would be reimbursed. He was skeptical, but I showed him my staff and he believed I was the real Chat Noir."
"We're not supposed to use our hero status to take advantage of citizens like that, Kitten," Ladybug scolded gently.
"Don't worry, I fully intend to pay the store back anonymously in the near future. For now, though, let's concentrate on getting some candy."
The duo headed down the street to a more residential area, taking in the interesting assortment of costumes that surrounded them. They got more than one curious look from passers-by, but no one came to ask if they were the real heroes of Paris. Ladybug was amazed that Chat's ridiculous idea was working so well.
"I've never actually done this before," Chat confessed as they approached the first doorstep.
"Really? I love trick-or-treating. I go every year, if I can."
The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "My father never really got into the holiday. He thought it was dangerous, so he never let me go." His smile was sweet, but there was sadness hidden in his eyes as he told his companion, "That's why I'm really glad you agreed to this. Thank you, my lady."
Ladybug reached over and squeezed his hand. "Of course, Kitty. I'm really glad we're doing this too." She let go quickly as they climbed the stairs and rang the doorbell.
A few seconds passed before the door swung open to reveal an elderly woman holding an orange bowl filled to the brim with candy. As the teens chorused "Trick-or-treat!" she smiled up at them. "Oh my, what lovely costumes."
The heroes thanked her as they held their bags open, allowing the woman to drop several pieces of candy into each. With a cheery wave, they were off to the next house.
They continued down the line, their bags slowly getting heavier. After they hit the last home on the block, they decided to head over to the next street. Turning the corner, they were just about to cross the road when they heard footsteps hurrying over from their right.
A familiar figure wearing a Lady Wifi costume—which had been a birthday gift from her best friend—was dashing towards them, trailed by a waving boy in a pirate costume as she shouted, "Marinette! Adrien! Wait up!"
The heroes froze, heads whipping around to stare at each other. Blue eyes narrowed as Ladybug scanned her partner up and down, her face becoming increasingly red as she realized who exactly was beneath that black mask. Chat was staring in amazement, eyes widening and jaw dropping as he tried to come to terms with the fact that his lady was also the klutzy girl who sat behind him in class.
Neither teen tried to deny it, knowing their automatic reactions had made it all too obvious that Alya was correct about their identities, whether she knew it or not. As Alya and Nino grew ever closer, Ladybug—Marinette, Adrien corrected in his mind—leaned in to whisper, "We play along with them, and as soon as this is over, we are having a very very long discussion."
Adrien nodded, gulping at the implications in that sentence. Is she mad that it's me? he wondered worriedly. Maybe she really does hate me, and that's why she can't even stand to talk to me. His ears and tail drooped with sadness at the thought, which did not go unnoticed by their gasping friends as they finally stopped in front of him.
"Wow, bro, that's a really cool costume, I can't believe you even got the ears and tail to move!" Nino elbowed Alya in the ribs. "Rich people, right?"
The girl laughed at the comment before turning to Marinette and giving her a hug. "Girl, why didn't you just tell me that you couldn't come because you and Adrien were going together tonight? I would've let you off the hook, you know."
Marinette muttered, "It was a surprise for me too." Adrien shot her a warning look, not wanting their friends to overhear her and figure things out.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"Oh, I just said that it was a surprise for me too. He came by the bakery and asked me at the last minute, and since things were slow my parents said it was okay." Marinette patted herself on the back mentally for coming up with such a reasonable excuse on the fly.
"And yet, you two have perfectly matching costumes." Marinette started to sweat at the suspicious look in Alya's eye as she glanced over them.
"I asked her to make me this a while back, actually," Adrien put in quickly. "She just so happened to have recently finished a Ladybug costume as well."
Alya's eyes narrowed. "I never heard about any of this."
"I wanted it to be a surprise!" Marinette smiled as convincingly as she could. "I was planning on making you one for Christmas, so I wanted to make a prototype first."
Finally, the Alya's dubious expression faded into on of excitement. She grabbed Marinette by the shoulder, reaching up to ruffle her hair. "Sly girl, I had no idea."
Nino, who had stood silently as Alya vetted their friends, jumped in suddenly. "That's, like, the whole point of a surprise."
Alya rolled her eyes, poking his cheek with a gloved finger. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."
"Arrgh, my pleasure, matey."
"So," Alya continued, "I think we should finish going around together. Or would you prefer it if we left you to your date?"
In their current state of confusion over the sudden reveal, neither of Paris' heroes could handle the idea of a date. With twin blushes, they waved frantically as though they could simply smack the suggestion out of the air.
Marinette struggled to form actual sentences. "No, no date. Just friends." Close enough.
Nino and Alya laughed at their flustered state. "Okay, then come with us," Nino suggested. "We were about to head this way anyways."
Hesitantly, the masked duo agreed, and the group made their way carefully across the street.
Small talk about their classes and assignments flowed freely as the teens wove their way from house to house. Marinette and Adrien tried to relax and enjoy the activity, but they were still stressed about being revealed and found themselves wishing the night would just end.
Not soon enough, Nino and Alya finally decided to turn in for the night, having gathered enough candy to last them for several weeks. Adrien insisted he'd be walking Marinette home, and the group easily split up to go their separate ways after a few suggestive winks from Alya, of course.
The duo watched the retreating backs of their friends in silence for a few moments, neither exactly sure of what to say in light of their situation. They shifted awkwardly, each not wanting to be the one to speak first.
Finally, Marinette sighed. "My house is nearby. Let's talk there." As Adrien agreed with a silent nod, the girl led him to the nearest alleyway so they could traverse the roofs and slip onto her balcony unseen.
A few minutes later, Marinette led her partner-slash-crush through the trap door and into her room, ignoring the stairs leading down from her bed and simply dropping over the side onto the main level. She took a seat in her desk chair, absentmindedly waving Adrien over towards her chaise when he looked at her for direction. As he sat nervously on the very edge of the seat, she rolled forward in her chair, a piercing glacier gaze holding him in place as she analyzed him from head to toe.
He shifted anxiously, watching as the girl's face slowly got redder and redder, eventually turning the exact shade of the mask she was wearing. Gently, he asked, "Uhm, Lad-Marinette, are you okay?"
She nodded, then shook her head. Eventually she gave a helpless shrug, dropping her face into her hands with a groan. "I just can't believe it's you."
Adrien's heart sank and his eyes prickled with tears he would never let fall. When he had imagined the reveal of their identities, disappointment had definitely not been a feature. He felt sick at the thought of his lady no longer wanting to be partners with him now that she knew who he was. His ears and tail drooped, once again displaying his emotions as he whispered mournfully, "I'm sorry."
At the sound of his voice, Marinette peeked out from between her fingers. When she saw how depressed he was, it suddenly dawned on her how terribly discouraging her previous statement must've sounded to him, especially considering he was somehow still oblivious about her crush on him. She hurried to backtrack.
"Wait, that's not what I meant! At least, not the way it sounded."
The boy laughed bitterly. "You don't have to lie for my sake. I'm sure it must be frustrating to find out that the person you have to be so close with is someone you dislike."
"But that's not it!"
"I mean, I had kind of figured that after apologizing for the whole gum thing we were okay, but you always seemed uncomfortable around me."
"I'm trying to say—"
"It's not like I'm good enough to be your partner anyways, and I should've realized it earlier." Adrien laughed ruefully, shaking his head. "I'm so dense."
Marinette snapped. She shot out of her chair, reaching forward and grabbing the boy's cheeks, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Yes! You are so dense! It is infuriating and I can't believe you won't stop belittling yourself long enough to let me tell you that I don't hate you, I love you!"
Breathing heavily, she dropped her head, letting her eyes slide shut. What have I done? That was so not the way I wanted to confess to him. She took another deep breath, lifting her head to face her partner.
Adrien, for his part, was frozen in place, his jaw hanging low as he stared at the girl in front of him. As she started to turn red under his gaze, he came back to life. He licked his lips, mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "Y-you, uh, you wanna run that by me again?"
Marinette blushed harder than she'd ever thought possible, but at Adrien's pleading look she forced the words out. "I love you. Like really, crazily love you. I'm in love with you, and I have been since you gave me your umbrella way back when."
The heartbroken expression Adrien had been wearing slowly transformed into a humongous smile. He poked Marinette in the cheek gently. "Say it again."
"I-I love you." She finally released Adrien's face to bury her own. "How many times are you going to do this? It's embarrassing."
"As many times as I can get you to say it."
"You didn't believe me after the first time?"
"No, I just like hearing it." He grinned, gently pulling her hands away from her face. "One more time?"
Marinette frowned defiantly, determined not to give in, at least until Adrien gave her the sad kitten eyes. "Ugh, why do you have to be so cute?"
"It's part of my charm. Please?"
"Fine," she sighed, gathering her courage once again. She looked the boy right in the eyes and said, as sincerely as she could muster, "I love you."
His smile could have outshone the sun. Slowly, he brought her hands towards his mouth, delicately placing kisses on top of her knuckles. "I." Kiss. "Love." Kiss. "You." Kiss. "Too." Kiss.
Marinette let out a soft disbelieving gasp at the words, and he smiled teasingly. "Do you need me to say it again?" When she nodded, he tugged her close, wrapping her in his arms and bringing his face close to hers. Looking seriously into her eyes, he told her, "I love you, too, and I have practically since the moment I met Ladybug. I'm sorry I never noticed you as Marinette, but I promise that now that I have, I'll never stop." He tapped her on the nose. "See, I told you I'd love whoever was behind the mask."
Marinette couldn't form words, so she just nodded. And nodded. She was still trying to wrap her head around everything, and she couldn't seem to stop her head from bobbing up and down.
Adrien chuckled, placing a hand on her cheek to still her. "Are you okay? You look like you're in shock."
"I just can't believe this is happening," she whispered. "I always wondered if I would've fallen for Chat Noir if it weren't for liking Adrien, and even recently I was starting to like you as Chat, and now Chat is Adrien and I'm just a little—" Unable to think of the words to describe it, she waved her arms wildly while shaking her head. "You know?"
The boy laughed again. "I think so. But it's not bad, right?"
Marinette shook her head, smiling softly at him. "Definitely not bad. Just…different. I kind of still can't believe it."
"Do you think de-transforming will help?"
"Maybe? It's worth a try, I guess." She let out a breath as she released her transformation.
Adrien watched in awe, squinting in the bright pink light that bathed the room. When it dissipated, Marinette stood before him, looking very bashful. And cute, his brain helpfully supplied.
He had a feeling he'd be falling for the other side of Ladybug just as quickly as the first.
A blushing Marinette gestured at him, and he realized it was his turn. Hoping to relieve the last of the tension between them, he struck a silly pose and exclaimed, "Plagg, claws in!"
The girl found the whole situation only slightly easier to believe once Adrien was standing before her in his normal clothes. She circled him, analyzing him from all angles before coming back to his front and poking him in the cheek.
"So, is this helping at all?" he asked, trying to bite back a laugh at her awed expression.
"You're real. This is happening."
Adrien put on a teasing smile. "Yeah, I figured we had established that."
"I know, I just still can't believe it." Marinette giggled. "I knew as Ladybug, I was luckier, but I can't believe I was this lucky."
An idea popped into Adrien's head, and he stepped closer to the girl, gently taking hold of one of her hands. "I might be able to think of a way to convince you this is all real."
"Oh?"
He slid a hand up to cup her cheek, tilting her head up towards his. Marinette's breath caught as she realized what he was about to do. She nuzzled into his hand, leaning forward a bit more to indicate that she wanted him to kiss her. He smiled as he watched her eyes flutter shut, then he closed his own as he moved closer.
The touch of her lips on his was electrifying, sending a rush of adrenaline better than any he'd ever gotten while saving Paris flooding through his veins. Her lips were soft and sweet, and he never wanted to stop kissing her.
"Okay, you've had enough time to rub faces, now give me my cheese!"
Adrien shot away from Marinette with an irritated groan as his eyebrow began to twitch. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about his annoying kwami.
"Shush, Plagg, they're having a moment," a small red being scolded in a high-pitched voice. She—at least, from the sound of it Adrien assumed it was a she—turned to Adrien. "I'm so sorry, he ruined it didn't he."
"Just a bit," the boy muttered petulantly.
Marinette giggled, squeezing his hand gently. "It's okay, Tikki. I'm sorry we forgot to feed you guys." She turned to Adrien. "Stay here and get to know Tikki a bit, I'll go get some snacks. What does Plagg prefer to eat?"
Adrien gave his kwami the evil eye. "They cheapest cheese you can find. Kraft Singles are preferable."
She nodded, ducking out of the room before the small black cat had time to protest. Adrien grinned at his small victory before turning to meet Marinette's kwami as instructed.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Adrien," Tikki chirped, twirling around in the air.
He smiled at her, liking her already. "It's nice to meet you as well, Tikki. Marinette is lucky to have such a pleasant kwami." He sent a glare to his own lounging companion.
Tikki sighed. "Yes, Plagg tends to be a bit ornery. He isn't a bad kwami, just a bit of a troublemaker."
Adrien thought back on his kwami's antics. "You can say that again."
At that moment, Marinette snuck back through her trap door with a plate of cookies and some cheese sticks. "I hope this is okay, it was the only kind of cheese I could find." She held the plate out for Plagg to see.
The kwami sighed heavily as he drifted over to rest on the edge of the plate. "I suppose it will do, but if we visit here in the future, I expect to be treated to proper nourishment."
"Of course, I'm so sorry, Plagg." Marinette rubbed his head with one finger, marveling at how cute the little creature was. "I'll definitely have something better next time."
"Good," he sniffed haughtily, pretending not to be enjoying Marinette's actions.
The girl set the plate down on the table and Tikki zoomed over to begin scarfing down cookies. Marinette watched the kwami for a second before heading over to sit on the chaise, Adrien following her lead and taking a seat next to her.
After a moment's hesitation, Adrien grabbed her hand. "Is this okay?"
Marinette smiled. "I'll never say no to hand-holding."
"Is that so?" Adrien grinned back. "That's useful information. Does the same rule apply to anything else?"
Marinette hummed in consideration. "Hmm, like what?"
"This, for example." Adrien leaned in and gave her a long slow kiss that left her absolutely breathless.
Coming up for air, a pink cheeked Marinette murmured lovingly, "I'll never say no to that either."
"Good, because I plan on doing a lot more of it from now on." Adrien pecked her on the nose.
"I think I'd like that."
The boy quirked an eyebrow teasingly. "You think?"
"Shut up and kiss me, stupid cat," Marinette muttered, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him to her.
And, well, how could he argue with that?