A/N: So while I should definitely be working on my other fics, I bring you my very first Miraculous one-shot. I'm not hooked, and it's driving me insane to have to wait for Season 2. It's a rite of passage for me to write something for a new fandom, so here it is! (Hope I'm not too OOC)
Based off of Shawn Mendes' Imagination, with some lyrics, not mine.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouts, tossing the polka-dotted fork into the sky, a plume of red and black smoke reversing the akuma's damage.
She frowns to herself as Chat Noir joins her, raising a hand to her pounding head. He notices quick, coming closer and placing a hand over hers.
"You alright, My Lady?" He asks her gently, just as her eyes roll back in her head, and she tumbles back into his waiting arms. "Oh, I've got you, I've got you…" He picks her up.
"ThunderBolt got you good, didn't he," He frowns, as her earrings beep. He peers closer at the singular spot left. "Oh…"
"I'll get you somewhere safe, I promise." He starts jogging forward, trying hard not to stare at her face, as her miraculous dies out.
It's not long before he can see the white light out of the corner of his eyes as she de-transforms, and a red, spotted creature pops out into the daylight. It takes nearly all his willpower to prevent himself from looking at her.
But he can't help himself, the hopeless in love can't help himself.
He's met with a sight he'd never once anticipated.
"…Marinette…" He gapes, and the kwami swoops up in front of his face. His ring beeps.
"Nice to finally meet you, Chat Noir! I'm Tikki, Ladybug's kwami." The small creature bubbles with enthusiasm. He can't help but smile through his shock.
"Ladybug…You're Marinette's kwami," He finds himself correcting her.
"I suppose we can put it that way, Adrien!"
He freezes in his tracks, mere feet from the ledge of the roof.
"You…know who I am? Does Ladybug-"
"Oh don't be silly Adrien, Marinette has no clue who you are! But us Kwami's know you both,"
He shakes it off. Plagg had known this entire time who it was he was pining after. His ring beeps again.
Getting Marinette home has to be his first priority for now. Then he can scream and yell and be shocked and confused and angry, all at the same time.
"I just can't believe…I'm in love with Marinette," He pauses, vaulting himself and Marinette in his arms over a few consecutive homes. "Tikki, do you know if she loves me too?"
Tikki giggles as they flit over a few more roofs.
"I think you know the answer to that," His mind travels to his time with Marinette in school. The way she looked at him, when she didn't realize he was watching. How flustered she became whenever they spoke. It never really occurred to him she may have liked him, until now, when he pictured her and Ladybug as one in the same, which they were.
He pictured the Valentine he thought he'd received from Ladybug, a response to his poem. It had to be from her, she's the only one who would've understood the context. Marinette found his poem, Adrien's poem, and took an opportunity to tell Adrien that Ladybug likes him too. She didn't realize she was also responding to Chat Noir.
But would that change things? She had never responded with affection when he'd flirted as Chat Noir. In fact, it always felt like she thought he didn't mean it, or that she just didn't return those feelings.
What would happen if she knew too? Are Adrien and Chat Noir really that different? Are Marinette and Ladybug?
He reaches Marinette's parent's bakery just then, as his ring begins to beep uncontrollably. He's only got seconds, he thinks, as he hops up the awnings onto the rooftop. He slides her door open silently, and slips inside.
His eyes trace the room rapidly as he lays her down on her bed, and he is met with pictures of him, of Adrien, he thinks.
"Tikki I-"
"I understand Adrien, you'll tell her when you're ready. You have to go now, before your miraculous dies."
He nods, as he hops out of the window, and falls gracefully to the empty sidewalk, just as he de-transforms.
Plagg reappears from his ring.
"Quite a day, huh?" He smiles up at Adrien, a paw on his stomach.
"I need to speak with you later. But for now, please just, let me think in peace." He sighs. Plagg shrugs, fluttering into Adrien's jacket pocket.
"I really hope you can forgive me, Ladybug."
…
On their next patrol, it becomes clear that Ladybug has no recollection of the last night's events, nor did Tikki tell her what had happened.
The only remnant from that night seems to be her ongoing headache, that by now Chat Noir believes is a minor concussion.
He follows behind her, racing atop the rooftops of Paris, imagining all the ways he could tell her right now, if only he had the courage.
I keep craving, craving you. You don't know it but its true. He thinks to himself as he watches her ribbons flow behind her, her grace as she swings from her yoyo string.
"Just can't get my mind to say the words they want to say to you, My Lady," He mutters to himself dejectedly.
She turns her head back only slightly, pausing atop of covered chimney.
"What was that?" She asks, half expecting a pun response. He sighs.
"Nothing," But everything. He thinks.
She turns around completely now.
"You sure, Silly Kitty?" She smiles, coming close enough to jingle the large bell on his chest. "You've been so quiet tonight. Which is definitely not like you,"
He smirks. "Would you like me to go on a soliloque about how much I love you, Bugaboo?"
Her smile falters in slight annoyance. "I'm not your Bugaboo, Chat."
"I think you'd change your mind if you got to know me a little better," He continues slowly, gauging her reaction.
I wanna tell you how beautiful you are, just let me…
"Come on, Chat, we know each other plenty. We're partners,"
"All this time we spend alone, and I don't even know your real name," He lies smoothly, reaching for her hand.
She pulls away.
"You know we can't reveal our identities to anyone. Not even each other." She warns, taking a step back.
I wanna call out your name, Marinette. He frowns. This could be the night that we kiss, for the first time.
"But, what if we know each other in our civilian lives, what if-"
"We're not talking about this, it isn't a choice." She frowns, turning away from him. "We have to think of Paris before ourselves. We can't be selfish,"
She's right, he knows. It is selfish to expose themselves, knowing it could endanger Paris as a whole if they ever slipped up in an akumatized villian's path.
But his heart couldn't accept it. He knows who she is, and she doesn't even know it. It's the least he can do to tell her he knows, if not reveal himself.
But…she may never forgive him for finding out, even if it was an accident.
Can't wait anymore, won't wait, I need to tell you how I feel. He decides.
He steps closer, reaching a hand out to her shoulder. She glances back at him.
"My Lady," He breathes, staring out at the Eiffel Tower outline in the distance instead of her wide bluebell eyes. "…This is going to sound paw-sitively cheesy-"
"Was that a pun, or just poor choice of words?" He gets her to smile again.
"In my dreams, you're with me, we'll be everything I want us to be…And, I know."
"Chat, what do you mean, you know?" She asks, choosing for the moment not to dwell on his confession of love.
"I know, Marinette." His voice is barely above a whisper.
She takes a step back, nearly tripping over herself.
"Uh, who's Marinette? A friend of yours, someone I know?" She begins to panic, her expression betraying her.
He steps closer, taking her hand.
"It's ok, My Lady. I know who you are. You took a beating with Thunderbolt yesterday and passed out…You detransformed in my arms, and I took you home." He explains.
She pulls away, bringing a hand to her head, as she realizes why she woke with a headache.
"How…How did you know where I live?" She wonders aloud, watching as his eyes widen at her question.
He isn't sure what to say, because he isn't sure he should reveal himself to her, lest he ruin them for good.
A moment of silence is left between them.
She takes another step away.
"How did you know where I live?" She repeats, making it sound more like an accusation, as if he'd already told everyone her secret.
"Because I know you," He says slowly, "Plagg, Claws In!"
She watches in amazement as he detransforms, to reveal none other than her friend, and crush Adrien Agreste.
His kwami pops out in front of her, a small black cat creature smiling up at her.
"Nice to finally meet the love of Adrien's life! I'm Plagg, I like Camenbert and shiny things."
"Oh my-" She takes another step, "Adrien."
"Please, don't be angry. I can't do this without you," He tries, but everytime he takes a step forward, Ladybug takes a step back. Plagg disappears from sight.
"I just, I need to think…I need some time!" She pleads with him, overwhelmed, her eyes watering.
"Are you disappointed?" He finds himself asking. She likes Adrien, not Chat Noir. She thinks Chat is immature, and Adrien is wise beyond his years. Can she accept Adrien's true self, his happy and open self, that comes with Chat Noir? Or does she hate them both now?
"Disappointed?" She frowns, meeting his eyes. "No. Never."
"Shocked and relieved." She admits.
"Really? You're relieved?" He continues, unsure that he'd heard her right.
His eyes light up with hope.
"Chat…" She pauses, looking away. "Adrien," she corrects.
"You found out last night, and didn't tell me until now."
"Ladybug-"
"We're friends, and I'm sure you know how I feel about you, after taking me home…" Her voice shakes. "I…I like you, Adrien…why didn't you tell me until now?"
"I didn't know how. I was so worried, I still am worried, that I ruined our partnership, our friendship, now that I know." He takes a step closer to her. "Did I ruin us?"
For some reason, she smiles.
"It was an accident…And, I can't stay mad at you for something you didn't do on purpose. I'm still hurt you waited all day to tell me, but we're partners and friends, and I'm not going to hate you over something so petty."
"So you fur-give me?" He grins.
"There's nothing to forgive, Silly Kitty." She decides, wiping her eyes.
"Well, I'm glad that's settled, I was starting to get hungry! Hey Ladybug, got any cheese to spare?" Plagg flies into view again, "You two lovebirds have worked things out, so how about we turn our attention to the kwami here!"
"Plagg, we're not lovebirds," Ladybug reprimands the kwami. Adrien steps in front of him.
"Wait, we're still not?" He questions, letting out a small whimper. Plagg sighs, returning to his jacket pocket.
"Adrien…I just found out your greatest secret. It doesn't take a few seconds to adjust,"
"…I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just, all I keep thinking about is how you like Adrien, not Chat Noir. Is it possible you only like half of me, and you'll never be able to accept it all?"
"I like all of you Adrien, trust me on that. There's a page in my diary…Everytime you've ever flirted with me, or held my hand, or even looked at me…" She stutters, unsure of how best to tell him, "I would think to myself, I'd give you a chance, if it weren't for Adrien. And now I know you're two halves to one whole, and that means everything to me."
Her cheeks turn pink as she continues.
"You know, I never would've guessed it was you under that mask, the reserved, handsome-"
"Did you just call me handsome, Bugaboo?" He cuts in, blushing himself. She smacks his arm playfully.
"But at the same time, I don't know how I could've been so oblivious that the guy of my dreams was always there. You're witty, and fun, and outgoing. You are all of the above, it's not just Adrien or Chat. Maybe not all of those traits appear all of the time, but they're still apart of you. And I love them all,"
"…You love them all?" He repeats her words, his green eyes sparkling. His Lady loves him back, she loves all of him.
"But I still need time, we still need time. You haven't ruined anything tonight, but if we move forward too quickly, we just might." She finishes, averting her eyes. "You've only had twenty four hours to adjust to Ladybug and Marinette being one person. There's still time to back away,"
"Why would I ever back away from you, My Lady?"
"I just want you to make sure this is what you want, you and Chat are like dusk and dawn, so close in nature that I can't believe I didn't know. But…Marinette and Ladybug are like Night and Day, so different, it wouldn't be difficult to love one and not the other."
"Didn't we just have this conversation about me? Marinette, you are Ladybug. You're talented, and smart, and kind, and strong and sarcastic. It's like you said, maybe you don't know how to show it all at school, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I've made it abundantly clear how I feel about Ladybug. And that's you too Marinette… Remember my poem to you? I know now you were the one who read it and responded. I didn't go on about your confidence and fighting prowess, even though I love that about you too. I wrote about your hair, dark and silky, your bluebell eyes, the ones I look into every day."
"Adrien…"
"The Marinette I know never backs down or gives up. She designed Jagged Stone's album cover, and a derby hat in less than twenty four hours! She stood up to Chloe, and even me when it applied. She tries her hardest to make everyone in class feel included, and keep them safe from akumas. That isn't just a Ladybug thing. It's a Marinette thing that Ladybug uses too."
"Does that tell you what I want?" He watches her, his heart pounding from his confession, and from hers.
"Tikki, spots off." She barely mumbles, detransforming in front of him.
"Marinette?" He waits. Tikki disappears into her purse, sensing the private moment.
"I'll practice showing those traits more often, if you do." He cocks his head.
"Hu-"
And she leans in, kissing him.
Who knows, maybe this will be the night that we kiss, for the first time.
Or is that just me, in my Imagination…