And I'm back!
For those of you who don't know- I was participating in the ML blackout for two weeks. Mainly it was to spread awareness about the art and fanfiction theft going on in the fandom. Unfortunately, I myself have had Smoulder, All That Jazz, and When Duty and Desire Meet plagiarised and put on other sites. It hurt...a lot.
But I won't let people who steal my work get me down ^_^ I made sure the plagiarists had my stolen fics removed one way or another, and I've worked very hard on this chapter so I hope you enjoy it!
"No offense bro, but I am actually going to murder you."
This was the third time Nino had said such a thing in the past hour. At first, Adrien had been rather alarmed by the uncharacteristic threat. Now he, alongside Nathanael, continued to sip their coffee in relative peace.
Well, as peaceful as Adrien could be, given the circumstances.
It was roughly a month after the newlyweds had returned from their honeymoon. Nino had managed to sneak away from Alya once to call Adrien and screech about him dropping 'the proposal bomb' on him. Whilst Adrien had the good sense to feel remorseful over his sudden confession at their reception, he couldn't help but be amused. Once he'd gotten over the initial shock at his decision to propose to Marinette, he'd been dancing on air. Nino, it seemed, had taken on all the stress on Adrien's behalf.
"You keep threatening that, Headphones," Plagg shot back over his plate of camembert, peering at Nino with a raised eyebrow. "I thought being a newlywed was supposed to be a calming time?"
"Oh, hush you," Trixx replied, landing on the kitchen table beside him and fluffing her tail in front of Plagg's nose, much to the latter's protest. "He's clearly just missing his mate."
Nathanael, who was privy to the madness unfolding (considering it was occurring in his own home) leaned back in his chair with a grin aimed straight at Adrien. "Have a kwami meeting," he mocked, "plan a proposal together. Several minds are better than one! Still think that?"
As Tikki snoozed on his shoulder, a tiny bit of drool oozing from the corner of her mouth, whilst Plagg and Trixx bickered on the table and Nino looked on the verge on his fifth mental breakdown, Adrien did indeed admit to having some regrets.
But still, he was determined to make this a worthwhile effort. Ever since Alya and Nino's wedding he'd been thinking of ways to propose, each more romantic and heartfelt than the last. In fact, he was so overwhelmed with ideas that it was hard to decide on the best one. It was as if every idea was fighting to take hold of Adrien's mind, but there were so many ideas that the fight turned to chaos, the kind of fight where everyone gets knocked out in some way, police sirens are wailing in the distance, there was a random fire for no reason…
"Earth to Banana Boy!" Nathanael cried waving his hand in front of Adrien's face and startling him so much he jolted Tikki off his shoulder. She woke up mid-fall and managed to stop herself crashing to the kitchen floor just in the nick of time. "Sorry Tikki."
"It's alright," she yawned, landing next to Trixx and using her tail as a blanket. "Sorry for dozing off! Especially when we have something so exciting to talk about."
Plagg snorted. "Exciting-smiting. He's proposing to Marinette. We all know she's going to say yes. There's no drama. Bor-ing."
"Aww," Adrien cooed, scratching Plagg under the chin, who promptly wiggled out of his grasp with a grunt of disgust. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there, buddy!"
"That… well… I'm not quite so sure that was a vote of confidence!" Trixx winked.
"I know," Adrien winked back. "It's more fun to act like it was."
Whilst Plagg threatened to cough up a fur-ball on Adrien's pillow that night, Nino phone buzzed several times and he picked it up with a squeak. As he read through the messages, his cheeks turned an odd shade of grey, like the colour of a sick elephant, and his eyes widened. When he spoke, his voice cracked. "Guys I don't know how much longer I can keep this a secret from Alya."
"Don't break on me, dude!" Adrien cried, sitting up straighter. "Nathanael isn't!"
It was true that, the second he'd decided to propose, he was also certain that Louis and Alya were to never hear of it. Not once. Alya wasn't able to keep a secret for the life of her, and Marinette was sure to suspect something was amiss when Louis kept crying around her.
"Louis is easier to distract!" Nino shot back pointing a finger at Nathanael as he did so. The latter raised his eyebrow again, and hid his grin of amusement behind his coffee mug. "You know what Alya is like when she smells a scoop."
"Scoops smell?" Trixx whispered to Plagg.
"Depends on the scoop," he shrugged.
"I prefer scoops of ice cream!" Tikki supplied cheerfully, glancing at Adrien's face with a worried expression- and with good reason. The cloud-like feeling he'd been experiencing the past few weeks was declining rapidly as the conversation descended into chaos.
"The point is," Nino interrupted, putting his elbows on the table and running a hand over his face, "she knows something is up. I can't lie to her. It's easy for you Nath, if Louis thinks something is up you can just take your shirt off and you're all clear."
"He's right about that," Trixx agreed with a laugh, flying to Nathanael's hair whilst the latter blushed and ducked his gaze. "I love my Kit but he's very easily distracted where you're concerned. It's a good thing he has such an honourable mate."
"I wonder if I could ask Siri for advice on how to propose?" Adrien mused, staring up at his phone screen as he flopped face-first onto the table, right next to Tikki. A waft of cheese infiltrated his nose and he sat up again in disgust.
It was a suggest he was taking seriously. Maybe he should have just googled "how to propose" and been done with it. Indeed, it would certainly be faster than asking his supposed friends. Although that wasn't as romantic as he hoped to be. He didn't want a generic, google-prompted proposal. He wanted to do something special- that's what kept tripping him up.
The silent, incredulous stares he gained in response to his comment rendered his suggestion null and void once and for all.
Adrien sighed, running his hand through his hair with a frown. He loved the idea of proposing, he was excited to do it. But how? How could he do it? Marinette was his… well, his everything. She deserved the world and then some. How could he give her the proposal she deserved without going too over the top or understating too much? Was there a way to get the best of both worlds?
"I don't know why you're asking such a dumb question, my guy," Nino replied. "I'm gonna help you and all, once I figure out how to get out of the last lie I told Alya. I think she thinks I got some sort of disease on our honeymoon 'cause I've been wigging out so much. Seriously though, I can't keep it together much longer. The last time she asked me what was wrong I panicked and said I thought I was pregnant."
"Oh really? Who's the father?" Adrien laughed which Nathanael choked on his coffee. Plagg mumbled something about being too old to put up with this nonsense, though it was hard to tell what he was saying exactly, due to the massive lump of cheese wedged between his teeth.
Poking out his tongue, Nino rested his cheek on his palm and fixed Adrien with an incredulous stare. "I never thought you would become a deadbeat dad of your own brain baby but here you are, denying its existence!"
"Speaking of brain babies!" Tikki piped up in solidarity with Adrien's efforts. "We really should be helping Adrien plan, shouldn't we?"
Yet again Adrien thanked whatever higher power had eschewed his bad luck once, just once, to allow Marinette and Tikki to come into his life.
"You're quiet this evening."
It was half a statement, half a question, and it set Adrien entirely on edge.
Snuggled up on their living room sofa, with Marinette's head resting on his chest, Adrien couldn't help but marvel at just how he'd managed to get to this point. The girl he loved beside him, in an apartment they shared, with an engagement ring in his pocket.
Although his friends had tried to giving him the best advice they could, they couldn't do much for him except offer him general advice. He should have seen it coming really, as both of his friends had proposed spontaneously, albeit in different circumstances. Nino had been overwhelmed by his love for Alya whilst on a romantic getaway. Nathanael… well it made sense why he'd proposed to Louis when he did.
After they'd defeated Hawkmoth, Louis had been taken to hospital. They'd managed to cover up his injuries by saying he was a civilian caught up in the huge akuma-fray that was Hawkmoth's final power-bid, where pretty much all of the akuma's of the past (Nathanael included) had been re-akumatised to attack Ladybug and Chat Noir at once.
It was a half-truth, for Louis had been Volpino at the time, and had held off as many of the akuma as he could so that Chat and Ladybug could sneak away and face off against Hawkmoth "as they were always destined to do," without him. He'd never meant to be a main hero, he was a placeholder, and though others had joined their ranks over the years, had come and gone when they were needed, it was Ladybug and Chat Noir, in the end, that were meant to defeat Hawkmoth together- alone. And defeat him they had.
It was a risky move, one which had almost cost Louis his life. Nathanael, once he'd known Louis was ok, had been so overcome with emotion that he'd proposed at Louis' bedside.
Adrien remembered a lot of tears that day, for so many reasons. Most of them happy tears. He wondered if Marinette was going to cry when he proposed. He hoped, if she did, that it was also for good reasons.
"Kitty?"
Marinette was staring at him, worry etched on her face as she regarded his probably distant expression. He smiled down at her, lightly squeezing her in reassurance, and she relaxed against him. "I'm thinking that's all."
"Thinking?" Marinette teased, prodding his chest. "Now I'm really worried."
"Ha-ha," Adrien retorted drolly, reaching around her waist to tickle her and she squirmed in response. "I've been known to think from time to time. I'm more than just a pretty model with a butt that won't quit you know. Don't stereotype me."
"Butt it's so much fun to," Marinette giggled, dodging out of Adrien's hold when he attempted to tickle her again, jumping off the sofa and heading for the back of the armchair, which was placed neatly between the living room and the doors leading to their own balcony. That was something they'd always liked to include. Since their first apartment, they'd lived in two other homes. Each one always had to have a balcony. It was symbolic.
Adrien laughed, hauling himself off the sofa and stalking towards her with a catlike grin. "Seducing me with butt-puns my lady. That's a new low."
"Hey I'm only trying to get to the bottom of what's going through that brain of yours," she replied, putting on an air of innocence as they circled the plush, white armchair. The sparkle in her eyes, however, was one which was far from innocent and Adrien thrilled at it. The ring box weighed heavier in his pocket with every step. "You going to tell me?"
"Sounds like you're on the edge of your seat, Princess," he laughed, leaping over the armchair without any warning. Marinette squealed, trying to duck under his arm, but he caught her, tugging her towards him and plastering her with butterfly kisses until they were both tangled together in a giggling heap. Trying not to fall, literally, he stopped tickling Marinette enough. The mood calmed, like a lake after the rainfall. The laughter which echoed around the apartment faded to a beautiful nothingness, and a quiet took hold as Adrien brought his fingers under Marinette's chin, softly tilting it up so he could press his lips to hers.
They stayed that way for a while, holding each other, kissing like they had all the time in the world. In that moment, Adrien had a revelation. Perhaps the fourth greatest revelation he'd ever had, right after realising he was in love with Ladybug, understanding that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person, and deciding he wanted to propose to her.
Funny how the best moments of his life always revolved around her in some way. He hoped he did the same for her.
"Come here," Adrien whispered, taking her hand and leading her out to the balcony. It was a cool night, and their apartment was always warm despite its cool-toned décor. The contrast of temperatures swept through Adrien, the breeze almost knocking him off his feet even as the weight of his decision kept him firmly rooted to the ground, as did Marinette's hand in his own.
Marinette followed, a quietly amused smile on her face and god that was so cute that he simply had to kiss her again. It would have been impossible not to. However, as his hands reached up to stroke her arms, he felt the bare skin, the way she shivered, and knew it wasn't anything to do with him. "You're cold," he stated, unzipping his hoodie and shrugging it off without question.
"Not that cold," she replied, holding her hands up to block him from giving her the hoodie and stubbornly shaking her head. Adrien huffed, thinking.
"Ok," he conceded, putting the hoodie back on and opening it wide at the zipper, making enough room for her. "Share?"
She chuckled, stepping into his embrace and Adrien wrapped them both in the hoodie, turning them around so they were facing the city skyline. The sky was a wash of golds, pinks and creams. From a distance, they could see the Eiffel Tower, muted against the early evening sky, its lights not yet awake. Adrien hummed, resting his chin on Marinette's head and earning only a faint, not serious, hum of annoyance from her. Placing a placating kiss to the crown of her head, he snuggled closer, hugging her from behind and making sure he protected her from the crisp air, that he was keeping her as warm as she made him feel every morning when he woke up by her side.
His eyes scanned the city, their city, from the furthest stretch of horizon his eyes could reach, to the cobbled street below them, to the balcony on which they stood. Marinette had taken to growing all manner of flowers and fruit there, continuing the habit from their younger days. The sweet smell of night blooming jasmine (Marinette's pride and joy) filled the air, and Adrien felt a sense of peace, of home, so strong that he wanted to capture it somehow. He wanted to take it and put it in a locket, or in a bottle, make it into something physical that he could look at and touch.
But, deep down, he knew that was impossible. So, he did the next best thing.
"You know," he began, surprised at the softness in his own voice, even as his heart began to thud heavily against his chest, "I always thought that I had to make some kind of grand gesture, but really, all I have to do is speak from the heart, right?"
Marinette looked over her shoulder at him, her bluebell eyes catching the dying light of the sun and her freckled skin glowing. Adrien swallowed thickly, trying not to lose track of his words.
"Speaking from the heart is the best thing anyone can do," Marinette smiled, looking back out towards the city but reaching out of the hoodie a little so that she could clutch his hands and give them a little squeeze. "Grand gestures are fun and all, but I think if people do them too much, it makes them lose sight of the most important things."
"Yeah," Adrien agreed, breathless, as he reached down to kiss her cheek. The most important things huh?
"Adrien is everything ok? Really?" Marinette asked, the question heavy in the air. "You know you can tell me anything Kitty- I'm only saying because you seem sort of out of it."
"Everything's fine Princess," he soothed, reaching up to play with her dark hair, which she wore loose around her shoulders. "More than fine."
Taking a deep breath, Adrien closed his eyes for a moment, allowed himself to soak in what he was about to say, what he was about to do. Sure, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing, it wasn't a grand gesture or anything overly romantic. It was just them. It was them, in their apartment, overlooking the city they protected time and time again. Really, that was enough for him. It was everything he'd ever wanted and more than he'd once ever dreamed of having.
"I love you, you know?" he said, reverent, and he buried his face into the crook of her neck and kissed her shoulder. She responded by leaning her head against his and Adrien felt himself melt at the small, simple gesture. He didn't give her time to say anything else. "Everyone says that this is Ladybug and Chat Noirs city and it is, in a way. The city may be ours but here, right now, with you? Marinette you're my whole world. I can't imagine Chat Noir without Ladybug, and I can't imagine Adrien Agreste without Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
"I could make this long and rambling, I could tell you forever and ever, why I think we're meant to be together, how incredibly lucky I am that you knocked me out of the sky that day when we were kids. I could say all of that and more. But I'll do what you said, and concentrate on the most important things." His voice was starting to waver, the skyline was becoming a little blurry under his watery gaze, but he pulled every bit of strength he had into finishing what he had to say. It was too important not to.
Reaching up Marinette's shoulders, he stepped away to tug the hoodie off his shoulders and wrap it around her own. This time she was too busy looking up at him, equal parts moved and puzzled by his heartfelt speech, to pay it any mind. He smiled, sighing a little as he caressed her cheek, as he did as she told him to.
"Marinette you mean more to me that anyone I've ever met. You've given me a home instead of a house, love instead of loneliness, happiness instead of isolation. And I promise, I promise, I promise, I promise, that I'll spend forever, I'll spend all of my nine lives trying to play cat-ch up to you because you deserve it. This city is ours, and you're my world, but you deserve the universe and I'll do whatever it takes to give that to you, to make you happy…but first…"
Oh god here it was. The moment he sank to his knee felt like a dream. How many nights had he laid awake picturing it, whilst Marinette dozed, innocent and unaware, by his side? Now it was real, now it was happening, and Adrien felt like a part of his soul lifted and was watching the moment occur from far away. His limbs felt light, his fingers numb as they reached for the box in his pocket, as he looked back up to Marinette. Seeing her eyes widen and the gasp fall from her lips, lips he'd kissed a thousand times and wanted to kiss a million more, made the realness of the situation come back to him full force. For a second he found himself unable to speak.
"Adrien, oh my god," Marinette breathed. "What are you doing?"
He laughed then, a dizzying laugh because that was just the sort of reaction he thought he'd get from her. Opening the box to her, he held it up a fraction, so she could see, see the ring which belonged to her own great-grandmother (the one Sabine had given him over a year ago, in secret, for "whenever he was ready") and know exactly what he was doing.
"I'm doing as you said, my lady, I'm speaking from my heart," he replied. "And my heart is telling me that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not as boyfriend and girlfriend, but as lifelong partners, as-" he stumbled here, choked on his words as his emotions finally caved and tears sprang freely from his eyes- "as husband and wife. Marinette, will you marry m-?"
"YES!" she didn't let him finish, and Adrien found that he didn't mind one bit as she fell to her knees and threw her arms around him. Because he'd just heard her say yes, he'd just heard her say YES! "Yes Adrien of course I will! Of course, I'll marry you! Oh my god. I couldn't marry anyone else, could I? No, it's you, it's always been you!" Her words were frantic, jumbled, and so very her that Adrien couldn't help but laugh again, laugh through his tears of unbridled joy. He pulled away from her to pull them both to their feet, the pair of them crying and kissing all along the way.
"Did you really say yes?" he uttered into her ear, completely in awe, slightly disbelieving even as she nodded.
"Do you want me to say it again?" she replied, equally as muted as Adrien brought her hand to his, slipping the ring onto her finger just as the lights of the Eiffel Tower turned on, and wasn't that a wonderful thing? To have the place of their first kiss shining down on them at yet another pivotal moment of their lives.
It was then that Adrien got his next greatest epiphany of the night.
"I do," he replied, grinning as he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it, the coolness of the silver engagement ring brushing against his cheek as he did so. It felt like kissing her hand for the very first time again. "But not right now."
Marinette blinked, confused. Even through her smile, her giddiness, she had it in her to look a little wary. "Not right now?"
"Exactly, not right now," he confirmed with a nod of his head and a wink. "After all, I know that Marinette wants to marry Adrien. But what about Ladybug? Does she want to marry Chat Noir?"
"And here I was thinking we're the same people," Marinette giggled as she tugged him back into their apartment, heading towards the bedroom.
"Oh, we are," Adrien replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up. "But the rest of Paris doesn't know that, do they?"
Marinette's eyes widened again. "Kitty," she said, "what are you planning?"
He kissed her, slowly, sensually, as he carried her through the threshold of their bedroom, humming in content when his fiancée (his fiancée!) wrapped her legs around him and buried her fingers in his hair.
Settling them down onto the bed, Adrien rested beside her, nuzzling his soon-to-be-wife as they both admired the ring on her finger. It seemed she was too euphoric to really be concerned with what he wanted to do.
"A grand gesture," was all the explanation he gave before swooping down to kiss her again.
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Take care lovelies! See you next time!