July 2: Civilian Life

Author's Note: Epcot97 back with you again with another chance to revisit our duo in that apartment they've been sharing since Roommates (Chapter 7 of What Were We Thinking, over on ChubbyUnicornMama's profile). If you want to catch up on how we got to this particular episode, I recommend reading the entire arc in this order:

What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story

Chapter 7: Roommates

Ladrien-Free June:

Chapter 3: Couple

What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story

Chapter 9: Ice skating

Ladrien-Free June:

Chapter 8: Valentine

What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story

Chapter 25: Boots

This has been a fun set of stories to write and there may be more in the future. Today, however, we find that two years in, Chat decides it's time to tell Marinette who is beneath the mask. But he'll need a little help from certain bug to pull it off.

CM: I'm making him write a wedding! Coming later this month.

Two years had passed since I bought the apartment for us; while it hadn't entirely been smooth sailing, it had been the most loving experience I could have ever imagined. The hardest part for me had been having to keep a part of myself hidden from Marinette for that time, and the longer we went, the more worried I became that the ultimate reveal of my identity would shatter the harmony we enjoyed. Plagg (of all people) had counseled me not to worry about it; his own observations of my beloved had led him to conclude that she'd accept me no matter what.

The fact that my girlfriend fed my kwami behind my back – and had been doing so from the get-go – may have factored into his high opinion of her.

I still worried, however. For I had also caught Marinette's rather subtle ploys to wring identifying information out of me, and I well knew a carefully timed scratch behind a kitty ear at a weak moment would have me blurting out my life story to her. I'd fended her off since Christmas, but as Bastille Day approached, my heart knew the time had come for me to put all of my Chat cards on the table.

Needing some advice, and perhaps even permission, led me to carve out time with Ladybug one July evening. I'd left her a voicemail telling her I needed to meet, and when she texted back a time, I was leaning against the kitchen island sipping on a glass of red wine, trying to unwind. It had been a Hell of a day, with morning and afternoon photoshoots; I'd also been notified that I'd been removed from a long-planned swimsuit campaign and replaced by an up and coming nineteen-year-old who looked as though he spent every waking moment refining his six pack abs.

Intellectually, I knew that the shelf life of a model was pretty short. The fact I'd been doing it for more than a decade spoke more to my versatility than anything else, but I thought I'd have another year or two before aging out of the gigs I had done pretty much from the beginning. Swapping high fashion catwalk calls with jobs modelling button downs and slacks you could find at any decent department store stung more than I'd expected.

Marinette emerged from her suite and found me contemplating the wine bottle with narrowed masked green eyes. "Chat?" she asked as she came up behind me and wrapped an affectionate arm around my waist. "Long day?"

"Yeah," I said as I drained the last of my second glass and set it down on the counter. My tail snaked around her hand as I turned and kissed her. "But just seeing you wipes it all away, Princess."

She smiled at the moniker I'd bestowed upon her all those years ago.

"Join me?" I asked as I nabbed the bottle in a paw. "I've got time for another before I've got to scat and meet Ladybug."

Marinette's eyes flicked to my baton, which was still snapped open to the texting function. "Since you're not rushing out your balcony door, I assume this is a casual meeting? And not, oh, an akuma?"

I flashed my Chat grin. "Yeah, no emergency," I said, eschewing another glass for the moment. "I've got to chat with her for a bit – nothing major," I added, when I saw her eyes go round. "But don't wait up for me."

"What a coincidence," she said. "I've got to run to the office myself. I had something cooking in the three-D printer that I want to check on."

That intrigued me. "Mind if I tag along?" I asked, for I was truly curious about some of the higher-tech angles her firm was taking in the fashion realm. I was technically inclined myself; my alter-ego had overseen the modernization of the design system at House of Gabriel a few months earlier. "I can find another night to meet with LB," I added as I reached for the baton.

Something passed across Marinette's face. "Oh no, this is just something quick," she said as she hurriedly threw some items into her purse from the side table. "Go meet with your partner."

"Okay," I said, and my crestfallen look must have caught her. She dashed back from the door and reached for my bell, pulling me down into a kiss. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?" I asked as we parted.

"A promise that I'll take you in later."

I smiled. "I love 'take your Chat to work day.'"

"I know you do," she winked as she flew out the door.

Grabbing the baton, I trotted through to my suite and vaulted out the balcony door, helicoptering into the evening. Flying over the skyline of Paris was one of the aspects of Chat that I'd never grown tired of. The Ladyblog had once called me a "rooftop dancer" for the grace I exhibited, and as I'd gotten older and, frankly, better at being Chat Noir, I felt I was getting closer to the Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire end of the spectrum.

To my surprise, Ladybug was waiting for me when I dropped down onto our rendezvous rooftop. "Milady," I bowed, taking her hand and kissing it as was my long-standing custom. "You look meowvelous this evening."

"Seriously, Chat," she laughed, her blue eyes sparkling, "you need some new lines. The cheese on that one is getting moldy."

"The classics never die," I said somberly, trying hard not to break into laughter, and failing. "You might be right," I said after wiping tears from my feline eyes. "Look, thanks for meeting with me tonight."

"Of course, Chat," she replied. To my surprise, she'd kept my paw in her hand for a few beats longer than normal before releasing it. I hopped up to the pony wall she'd been leaning against and sat in my patented cat stance, and she surprised me again by pulling herself up and folding herself cross legged next to me. "What did you want to talk about?"

"LB, you know how much I respect you, and value our friendship—" I started, then paused when I saw her mirthful expression. "—what?"

"Are you breaking up with me?" she chuckled.

"No!" I said quickly, then amended, "I mean, how could I? We're partners by fate." I paused for a moment. "Although there was a time when I'd wished it had been more," I added with a trace of wistfulness.

She put a hand to my bicep. "Even now, after all these years together? And the time you've spent with Marinette as her boyfriend?" She searched my eyes. "You still think about the possibility of us?"

"I love Marinette with all that I have," I said in a very non-Chat way. "Don't get me wrong, Milady. You are special to me in your own way." I looked away, embarrassed in her presence for the first time in years. "I do love you, still," I said quietly, "and always will." I looked back at her. "But Marinette owns my heart."

"I know," she said, equally as softly.

Keeping my eyes on hers, I picked up her hands, one to a paw. "I'd like to propose to her," I said. "But I can't do it unless she knows who I really am." I paused, searching her eyes. "But I also made you a promise many, many years ago now."

Ladybug's face flickered through a series of emotions before she hastily recomposed herself into a smile. "I don't think I expected you would ever stop roaming, Chat," she tried to tease, but it came out a bit flat.

"Ah, I thought you knew me better than that, Milady," I replied, feeling somewhat hurt. "I've only had eyes for two ladies in my lifetime."

"You want to propose…" she repeated, slowly.

"Yes," I said. "It's time. Actually, it's probably beyond time; she's an incredible woman who has been insanely patient with this cat." Looking at her deep blue eyes, I couldn't help but add: "I really am quite lucky, Milady. People rarely meet their soulmates; I have two in my life."

"Chat—" she started, and I thought I saw her eyes glistening slightly.

I put a claw to her lips. "It's the truth," I said with a gentle smile. "Maybe it didn't work out for us, and I get all the reasons; but I thank my kwami nightly for the chance to spend even a little bit of time with you."

Now she was crying. A little shocked at her reaction, I automatically pulled her into an embrace. "Ladybug? I've blown it again, haven't I?" I asked, hugging her close.

"No, nothing like that Chat," she said quickly, snuffling. "It's just a side of you that I hardly see."

I chuckled lightly. "If I'd only known you wanted the softer side of Chat all these years, Milady…"

She pulled back. "I might not see it every day, but it was there, Chat. Always has been." Ladybug wiped away her tears, and smiled at my concerned expression. "Joy," she said simply. "Pure joy. I'm so happy for you, Chat. You've found your way forward in this topsy-turvy situation of ours. And you've grown into a partner of the truest sense. You deserve all of the happiness that comes with it."

I wiped away the final tear with a claw tip. "Bugaboo," I said softly. "Why do I feel as though I've suddenly broken your heart?"

"Chat, far from it," she said, eyes still glistening. "My heart is overflowing for you."

It was yet another reminder of how special Ladybug was. I pulled her back into a hug and buried my face in her hair; it was an impulsive act, one I did it regularly with Marinette. As Ladybug returned the embrace, it dawned on me that I'd never held her this close – this way – before, and yet, it felt oddly familiar. And normal.

Ladybug's personal scent filled my feline nose, one of exotic spices that I'd recognize anywhere. More than once I'd needed to track her down in less than optimal circumstances, and her scent notes were so unique I'd never had trouble finding her. Actually, now that I thought about it, Marinette seemed to have a scent portfolio that was quite similar. Not the same, exactly, but I really hadn't puzzled her out. Mostly because the perfume she wore, while beautifully complimenting her, masked her personal tones.

I pulled away slightly. "So there is one tiny little matter, then," I started hesitantly. "Well, three, I guess."

She looked up at me. "Okay."

"First, I want to make sure it's acceptable to you that I reveal myself to her." I paused for a beat. "I know we've discussed this to death over the years, but I feel pretty confident in my abilities as Chat now that I will be able to protect her from any harm."

"I'd say you have a two-year track record to back you up," she nodded. "Before I decide, what are your other points?"

"The second is more of an advice question." I pulled back and dropped to the tile, starting to pace. My tail was telegraphing my angst on this next point. "I've had to hide my alter-ego from Marinette, as you know, and I am worried that once she finds out who I am under the mask, her feelings for me might not be the same."

"Chat," she started from where she was seated, "you know as well as I do that our personalities – our civilian personalities – are part and parcel of who we are, even as superheroes. The best parts of you don't change when you transform." She paused and then added quietly, "In either direction."

Still pacing, I folded my arms tightly against my chest. "I'm aware that she had feelings for my alter-ego, Milady," I said after weighing the pros and cons of admitting that. "I'm afraid she will think poorly of me—"

"Chat, stop," she said abruptly. "That was years ago. And she wouldn't have moved in with you if she hadn't accepted the notion that you needed to protect your identity. For her." She popped down and intercepted me mid-stride. "For both of you."

"Really?" I asked, still not certain.

"Yes," she smiled. "She might surprise you. No," she added, "I think she will surprise you."

I nodded, not completely satisfied, but enough to continue to my final item. "That brings me to something I've had to think about long and hard."

Ladybug's eyes widened. "That sounds ominous."

I smiled. "Not like that," I said quickly. "Look, it doesn't feel right that I reveal my identity to Marinette before doing so to you." I unfolded my arms and put a hand next to her mask, cupping her face. "You mean too much to me not to also know who I am, civilian or not."

She put her hand against mine. "As sweet a notion as that is, Chat –"

"I'm not asking you to reveal yourself to me, Milady. But it's important to me that you also know."

Ladybug squeezed my hand, then unexpectedly leaned up and kissed me on the exposed portion of my cheek just below the mask. "No," she said firmly. "Marinette should know before I do. It's a secret the two of you will have to protect, and if she feels like she can share it with me, too, then I will accept her decision. Then, and only then, will I allow you to reveal yourself to me."

Somewhat shocked by her forwardness – this was a new dimension to my partner! – I searched her eyes again, and saw she'd made up her mind. "Are you certain, Milady?"

"Yes."

"And you are all right with me telling her my secret?" I couldn't help but ask again.

Ladybug ran a finger along the edge of my mask, a move she'd never done, but Marinette had on plenty of occasions. "More than fine," she said with a gentle smile. "Just be gentle. She will be… surprised, I think. But I know she will accept you." She pulled back a bit. "It's a big step for you, Chat. And I think you are ready for it."

"Thank you, LB," I smiled, and then gave her one last quick hug. "I won't keep you further."

"Anytime, kitty," she said as she pulled out her yo-yo and lassoed her way into the night sky.

I stood for a few more moments, pondering our conversation, and then made my own way home.

Bastille Day appeared; I'd managed to wrangle Marinette's promise that she wouldn't be working late at her firm that evening and would instead join me on a rooftop with a particularly good view of the fireworks. It had been an off day for me from the agency, so I'd spent the balance of it pulling together a picnic dinner we'd share and arranging the space with several comfy pillows, a blanket and as many roses as I could lay my paws on.

When we landed together at dusk, I saw her take in my little vignette and narrow her eyes. "Chat," she said. "What is all of this?"

"A celebration," I said happily, though my heart was beating five times its normal pace. I surreptitiously padded one of my costume pockets for the fifth time, ensuring the ring was still there. "We've been together for a long time, now, and I thought it would be nice to recognize that with a little bit of fine food and a fireworks show."

"The fireworks are for Bastille Day," she reminded me with a smirk.

"Are they?" I replied with a grin.

I settled her in on a pillow and folded myself on top of the other, cat-like, and served up the roasted duck and baby potatoes I'd been coaxing through the kitchen, complimented by an expensive wine I'd borrowed from the cellar at Agreste Mansion. She was halfway through her spinach and walnut salad when she finally asked: "How did your meeting with Ladybug go the other night?"

I polished off the last of my duck and reached into the basket to remove the macaroons I'd picked up from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. "Fine," I said nonchalantly.

She raised an eyebrow but let it go.

At length, she was curled into me as I leaned my pillow against a brick half-wall facing the direction of the fireworks. "That was wonderful, Chat," she said. "Your cooking has gotten rather good."

"I had a great teacher," I reminded her. "But I can't take credit for the macaroons. Your father says 'hi,'" I added. It had been a double trip, actually, for I'd also formally asked Tom for his daughter's hand in marriage. He'd said yes, after running around like a crazy person and then agreeing to keep it under his hat. It had struck me as funny he'd not objected to Chat being his son-in-law.

She snuggled further into me and I felt my purring start. I also knew if I waited much longer, she would doze off and I'd lose my nerve. So I plunged ahead.

"Purrincess, I need to ask you something."

Her head popped up, and she looked at me expectantly. "Ask away," she said.

I slid out from beneath her, turned, and stayed crouched. "I know I've said it a million times, Marinette, but I love you. Deeply. You have the keys to my heart now, and furever."

Quickly, I unzipped my costume pocket and removed the ring I'd had made more than a month earlier. Carefully, I started to kneel, and offered her the ring. "Marinette, will you marry me?" I gently took her hand into my paw, and hovered the ring over her finger. "If you accept, I promise to be your partner through thick and thin, furever and always. And," I paused, swallowing, "accepting comes with the additional burden of knowing all of me. Both as Chat, and as my civilian self."

Marinette was smiling wildly, and tears had started to fall. "Of course I will marry you, you foolish kitty!" she cried. "What took you so long?" she added as she deftly slid her ring finger into the ring I was offering. Throwing her arms around me, she whispered into my feline ear: "I love you with all of my heart, Chat, and that is true no matter who is hiding under that mask."

"Are you sure?" I asked, pulling away slightly. "I'm a little worried—"

"Don't be." She bopped me on the nose. "Kitty."

I let her go and stood up. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," she said with certainty.

This was it. There would be no turning back if I kept going. I swallowed, hard.

"Plagg – claws in."

The green glow of my transformation process lit up the night, washing over me with the electric tingle I had never quite gotten used to. Once it faded, I was standing there as Adrien, albeit in a tuxedo. Plagg had agreed to stay hidden, and I felt him nestle down in the inner pocket of the jacket. I kneeled down again. "Marinette," I said, once more taking her hand in mine, "will you marry me? All of me?"

Marinette's eyes had gone wide, wider than I thought possible, and her smile matched. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes," she said firmly, drawing me up and into an embrace.

"Surprised?" I asked, burrowing my head into her hair. My human senses were slightly augmented, and I could pick up the faint traces of her personal scent.

"Somehow, I always knew it was you," she replied. "Don't ask me how. But you've long said Chat was more of who you were. And the best parts of you don't change when you transform. I understand that better now, seeing who was hiding under that mask."

"You're not upset?" I asked, still worried. "That I've been holding this part of me back from you?"

"I'm in no position to judge," she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "We all have secrets. Even me. But as I told you earlier, I never would have agreed to move in with you if I didn't accept the notion that you'd need to protect me by protecting your identity."

"Purrincess—" I started and then stopped, dumbstruck. That was nearly exactly what Ladybug had said to me earlier, and the space of a few heartbeats, my brain clicked into gear, finally drawing the most logical of conclusions I had clearly been blind to – intentional or otherwise.

There was one way to know for certain.

"Plagg – claws out!" I said abruptly. The transformation washed over me once more, and before I could stop myself, I'd stood up and pulled Marinette back into a massive hug, burying my nose in her hair.

For once, she wasn't wearing her perfume; there was nothing to mask the exotic scent portfolio from my feline nose that evening. The notes I would have detected immediately two years ago.

I pulled back slightly, feeling my masked eyes go wide. "Milady?" I swallowed, hard. "All this time?"

"Tikki, spots on," she said in reply.

I'd obviously never seen her transform before, and watched in amazement as a red wave washed over her, replacing my girlfriend with my partner. She was smiling at me. "As I said, you weren't the only one keeping secrets."

I was thunderstruck, and felt myself panicking slightly. "But everything I said-! What I told you-!"

"Chat," she said gently, pulling me close again. "It's me. It's always been me. To paraphrase what someone told me not long ago, you rarely get a chance to spend life with your soulmate." She leaned up and kissed me, gently. "I'm fortunate enough to have found mine."

My mouth had gone dry. The woman I loved was the woman I had loved – still loved? – but thought was unobtainable. They were. The same. Person.

In a flash of insight, I realized Marinette had to have been feeling the same thing, for she had loved – still loved? – Adrien. And he was Chat. And she had willingly moved in with Chat.

I found myself smiling, partially Chat, partially Adrien. "Me, too," I said simply. "So you'll marry me? All of me?"

"I will," she said easily. "You're not mad? Knowing my secret?"

"Only that I didn't see it sooner," I replied. "The perfume was an inspired subterfuge."

"Yes," she said. "Master Fu recommended it."

"He what?"

"I had to tell him about our little arrangement," she laughed. "While he wasn't terribly amused that I'd allowed you to talk me into the apartment, not to mention you were going to do it as Chat, he acknowledged it was, quote, 'the twenty-first century' and we were responsible adults. But he also helped me make sure I could keep my identity secret until the time was right."

"Ah."

"Apparently, he helped a Ladybug from the late eighteen-hundreds with that particular formula."

"This has happened before?" The thought bewildered me, especially if my feelings for Ladybug were simply a byproduct of wearing the ring.

"Repeatedly," she laughed, then continued as if she'd read my thoughts. "While our two Miraculous are fated to be together, Chat, it's completely up to the holders what happens between them. The jewels gave us a nudge, for sure, but sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't."

I frowned. "And when it doesn't?"

"Ask Plagg about Pompeii sometime."

That made me laugh. "I will." I pulled her back into a hug, and this time we kissed for an extraordinarily long time. Her lips were, of course, Marinette's lips, but the mere fact I was kissing Ladybug as Chat – finally, and without reservation – set a happy tune in my heart that I knew had been just waiting for this moment to appear.

I'm not entirely sure how long we went at it, actually, for my sense of here-and-now only fully returned when the first volley of Bastille Day fireworks rose into the sky and burst into being. We'd flipped positions by that point, with Ladybug sitting with her back against the brick and my head snuggled below her chin. She was scratching behind a feline ear, and the rumbles of my contented purring nearly overrode the explosions of the fireworks. Sitting there, comfortably entangled in each other's limbs, the picnic dinner was completely forgotten; both of us intended to stretch out this moment as long as possible, etching it permanently into our memories.

The fireworks were beautiful, but couldn't hold a shine to Ladybug. I turned up toward her, beckoning her down for another kiss, and she obliged; as she pulled away, I smiled. "I have a question," I said, a sly smile on my face.

"Okay, I'll bite," she said, arching a masked eyebrow.

"Well, maybe two. Does this mean I can come through the front door now?"

"As Chat? Or as Adrien?"

"Would it matter?"

"Absolutely." She waited for a beat. "Chat would draw too much attention."

"Ouch!" I howled. "You know when to kick a model when he's down."

The smile from Ladybug was stunningly beautiful. "What is the other question?"

"Does this mean you get to stay transformed now when we're home?"

"Chat!" She plunked me on the mane. "That's insane. Why would I do that, now that we both know each other's identity?"

My smile grew larger. "You're kind of sexy in that outfit, Milady. And I know you ogle me in mine—ow!"

"Bad kitty!" she laughed after bopping me between the feline ears again.

"You've not seen anything yet," I said, rubbing my head as I always did when she plonked me, but smiling my best Chat smile.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Incorrigible."

"C'mon," I said, reluctantly pulling away from her. "Let's clean up and head home. We've got a lot of planning to do if we're going to pull off a wedding in September."

"September?" Ladybug cried. "I can't do that! What about the Fall Fashion show?"

"We'll work it out," I said happily. "Like we always do. Together."