BUCKLE UP, BUTTERCUPS, IT'S GONNA BE A LONG RIDE! Okay, I know this is supposed to be mostly about Adrien and Marinette, But I had to put some Ladynoir in there too for plot progression? Idk. There's some angst, so please enjoy that. It's more… fluffy angst? You'll see.
So.
Please, keep your hand and feet inside the vehicle at all time.
And, and some mentioned Marichat for plot (The little that there is) Progression, but again, it's only mentioned.
Remember, lovelies. In the end, no matter how different they act, they're the same two people just dancing around each other until they finally realize.
And that's why we love them. (Oh, there is one swear in here, just a warning)
The day had started out routinely enough. Wake up, clean up and get dressed, double check that her backpack contained everything she needed for school. She made sure Tikki was tucked securely in her favorite pouch before leaving her room.
Zipping down the stairs, she gave each parent a kiss goodbye, making sure to grab a couple of goodies for her and Adrian. Pushing past the bakery doors, she stopped dead in her tracks as a pair of familiar green eyes were looking back at her.
Adrien's eyes?
This was new fo sure, but definitely not unwelcome. "Hey, what's up? I thought we were gonna meet up at school?"
There was a soft smile etched on his face that could only be described using the word 'puppy'. "Well with how nice the weather's getting, and school getting out in a few months for summer break, I thought we'd walk together the remaining days of school? If you're up for it, that is."
She nodded and his eyes lit up with warmth at her response. "Awesome!"
Without warning, he grabbed his own sweet and drink from her, looping his arm through hers, tugging her forward towards the school.
Seeing the visible joy and excitement on his face, this day could not have gotten any better.
This day could not have gotten any worse. Those were the only words that were running through Alya's head as most of the room began to gather around her. Little miss Paris herself Chloe Bourgeois.
Usually, Alya could ignore the snobby rich girl. She was all talk and no show, afterall, but hearing what she was this time! Oh, it was hard to ignore the brat for this one.
"So, from what I found out, it turns out Dupain-Cheng is in love with Ladybug's mangey sidekick."
Oh... Oh no. No one insults her girl, not behind her back or in person.
Pushing past the sea of kids, Alya moved to get a front row look at the drama queen. "What'd you just say about Marinette?"
Chloe laughed at the bloggers obvious anger. "You heard me, The designer wannabe is in love with Chat Noir! She confessed, and he turned her down. That's why her dad was akumatized! She can't even get a mangy stray."
"Really? Where's your proof?"
Chloe scoffed flailing her hands about as though it would help her case. "I don't need proof. I have my sources and that's all you need to know."
Anger pulsed through Alya's body, seeping deep into her bones. Letting her adrenalin take over, she was about to stalk forward, not knowing what action she was gonna take to defend her best friend, but rather letting her fist figure out the details. She was mere inches away when a hand pulled her back.
She turned to see Adrien and Marinette. Clear confusion written across their faces. "Alya, what's going on?"
Her anger dimmised, if just slightly. Pointing at Marinette, she let out "Chloe's saying that you're in love with Chat Noir."
There was an immediate reaction from the two unknown heroes. "What!"
Alya nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, she's saying that when your dad got akumatized because you told Chat that you loved him and he flat out rejected you."
Hot cinders burned from her cheeks spreading across her entire face. "W-what!?" Her lips parted in a trembled of disbelief. "That's stupid. First off, do you know how hard it'd be for a civilian and superhero to date!? It'd be near impossible. I'd be in danger around every corner— my parents included!"
Alya expected her best friend's reaction, but what she didn't expect was Adrien's.
His face was stone cold blank. Lips pressed together, jaw slightly tensed, yet, not fully taut. His nose flared for a second, but wasn't easily caught by the naked eye unless one was looking for it.
His eyes. His eyes spoke a story that his face wouldn't dare tell, confusing the life out of Alya.
His usual gleeful green eyes were drowned with… guilt? Guilt was the only word she had for it and that guilt seemed to take the light from the model's vibrant gaze. A gaze that was now cast downward at his shoes, avoiding eye contact from the rest of the courtyard.
It was odd to see him like this, yet he was sure to have a reason.
Shrugging it off, she turned her attention back to Marinette. "I'm serious, girl. She's telling the whole school that 'not even a side kick of the worlds greatest superhero wants a low-life baker like you,' I swear, M. I'm gonna punch her one of these days. And I'm not gonna feel a bit of remorse."
The young designer inhaled through her mouth, exhaling from her nose, her face turning back to its normal color. "Alya, you gotta calm down. Doing anything rash isn't gonna help the situation. Remember Lady Wifi?" Her best friend glanced away in shame for a second. "It wasn't your fault, Aly's, but this isn't the way to go about it. We'll deal with this with how we can. But physical assault isn't gonna be the answer."
The teen sighed, but relented. "Fine. But we'll be dealing with this, not only did she put you and your family in danger, but she also straight up lied. Everyone knows who you have a crush on." She shot Marinette a pointed stare.
"Alya.." She warned.
Said girl raised her hands in defeat. "I'm just sayin.' If you and Mr. You know who started dating, we could easily dispel this rumor. Until then, I'll do as much damage control that I can. See you two in class."
They watched the girl sped away, grabbing Nino— who had been standing there quiet the entire time— by the elbow and set off towards the classroom.
"Who does she think you have a crush on?"
Marinette jumped as Adrien's voice broke through her train of thought. She forgot that he had even been there. Turning to look back at him, she shot him a shy smile, eyes bouncing back forth trying to find something to land on. "Just… someone. You know how Alya is." She chuckled nervously.
Adrien gave her an odd look before nodding in understanding, but an underlying sense of tension swam in the air around them. "Y'know, if that did happen, Chat would be an idiot for turning you down. I'm sure he would feel horrible about it."
She took his hand, gently squeezing it before letting it drop limply to his side. "Thanks. He's not an idiot though, no matter what he did or didn't do."
As much as she wanted to, she couldn't deny the rumor. In the face that Chloe did have proof, no one would believe Marinette and she'd be labeled a liar. Which would be ironic with the whole Lila situation.
So, for now, she'd keep her mouth shut, find out if Chloe had any video evidence, and do her best to make sure her family didn't become a target of Hawkmoth.
She already felt tired at just the thought of that.
As she nudged him along to class, she couldn't help but wonder two things: why was the idea that Chat rejected her so.. Weird for him, and two…
Why did he look so guilty?
Weeks blurred together, but the rumors never lessened. Marinette was thankful that HawkMoth had the decency to leave her parent's out of their grudge.
With the whole city knowing of her 'feelings' for Chat as Marinette, they could've been easy targets. But no, thankfully, from what she could tell, the whole city
However, there was a down part to it. It seemed the city was divided into.. Ships? One being Marichat— her and Chat— and the other being Ladynoir— Ladybug and Chat.
Ha, only if they knew.
But this actually seemed to help in her case. From what she could tell, Hawkmoth was in the idea that LadyNoir was mutual, thus meaning Chat's feelings weren't mutual for 'Marinette' and leaving her family out of the crossfire.
She had never been so thankful for kissing her partner.
Because, Ladybug and Chat could take care of dealing with Akuma's. It was their job, they had powers and suits to protect them. Her parents, they were vulnerable. They had no way to protect themselves.
That didn't disguise the fact that it was a pain to hear the screams of 'Marichat' and 'LadyNoir.' It was simply getting tiring at this point, especially when she was being called a homewrecker, both in and out of the suit.
Seriously, don't these people have lives?
Adrian and her sat back to back, basking in the warm glow of the sun, with everything going on, she tried to take some comfort in the quiet moments.
Over time, the two had become used to finding whatever means to get comfy around the other and from time to time, that meant using the other as a friendly set of furniture. The pencil in her hand glided across the page as her newest design coming to life right in front of her eyes.
Alya was scrolling through her blog as she stopped mid swipe to look at the two teens. "Hey, Mari. I was thinking, you know how you're good at swiping phones?"
Adrien's eyes immediately went to the blogger in confusion. "When has Marinette ever stolen a phone, or anything for that matter?"
"That's not important right now. What is, is that you might be able to get your hands on Chloe's phone and find any footage she might have of on the attack, thus leaving her with no proof, thus you can easily say that it never happened! If there is footage that is. I still don't get why you don't just deny it. We both know you're not in love with Chat Noir. Then again, knowing that girl, she could have faked a video to make it look as such."
Marinette's spine stiffened as she tried to keep a straight face. But she knew Adrien her tense up with his back against hers. "W-we'll figure it out. There's nothing we can do at the moment, plus we're not in any danger, seeing as Hawkmoth seems more interested in Chat and Ladybug, we shouldn't go all head first into this."
Adrien wanted to say something, anything, just to show her it was gonna be okay. That her crush on Chat wasn't stupid, because why else would she be so standoffish about it? When she hugged him after the akuma, she seemed perfectly fine with the fact that he wanted to be friends.
And why hadn't she told Alya about harboring feelings for Chat? Why did she think it was someone else? So many unanswered questions remained to be seen. But he couldn't say anything without his identity being compromised. So, he went back to his phone, mapping out his schedule for the week.
He finally had a free day on Friday. He planned to spend the day with Nino and his friends, thanks to his dad being lenient this time. He hoped that maybe Nino could help get his mind off things for a time.
Nino cared for his friends deeply. He remembered how hard it was to get Adrien to completely open up, even though the boy obviously wanted friends. He was naive, still was to this day if he believed Chloe any with Marinette having a crush on Chat. She had been so in love with the model, how could he not have noticed by now.
Hopefully one day.
The hours were flying by now that the two had the chance to just relax and have some fun. It was nice to escape from all the drama Chloe was stirring up and it was quite a change to have Adrian over at his place rather than them just hanging out in Adrian's giant room.
As of now, the DJ didn't want to think about it Chloe's mess, as they danced in his living room to the latest new dancing game. Chris was in his bedroom doing his homework, so the four had the entire living room to themselves.
Focusing on his next move, Nino did a slight slide to the left, completely unaware of his best friend losing his footing, landing flat on his butt.
Nino quickly paused the game to make sure that his friend was okay, but was taken by surprise when Marinette doubled over in laughter at his fall. Her face turning beet red as her chest heaved in, trying to open her lungs enough for air.
She laughed so hard to the point where it started out joyous and carefree. A sweet happy sound that was contagious for anyone nearby. Eventually, though, it turned into a dying squeal, crackle as the air because evidently too hard to grasp for her.
But what surprised him the most, what almost floored him, is the expression on Adrien's face.
He was looking at her, a blush flushed across his face from one check to the bridge of his nose to the other check. His lips were slightly parted as he just stared at her, almost as if he was gasping for air without even making a sound himself, with eyes widely opened, which caused Nino to wonder just one thing.
What was going through the dude's mind?
Because somehow, his eyes lit up like suns seeing Marinette laughing. He had never seen them filled with so much life and peace as he stared at her. Like, in one moment, he saw everything he needed to just by looking at the designer.
Like the fourteen year old had been lost for years.
And he was finally found.
The next week ate at Alya's patience.
She just couldn't take this anymore.
Chloe just wouldn't stop. And now, before Marinette could even steal the phone from Chloe, as she had suggested, the diva did as Alya thought she would: The queen bee showed the clip.
And wow, it looked real.
She watched in horror, along with the other students as Chloe somehow got the footage of Marinette running to Chat Noir, throwing her arms around him and professing her love for the superhero, with clear shock written on his face.
And then the class broke out into laughter, everyone except Alya, Marinette, Nino, and Adrien.
The instigator in this entire scheme was crying with laughter. "Poor little Marinette, hoping that at least one boy would love you when no one else would. Maybe that's why she's going around picking up strays."
And that's where she crossed the line.
"Okay, that's it." Alya stood up straight, knuckles braced on the wooden table as she radiated anger. If she thought that was okay, she had something another thing coming to her. "Whatever that was, are you guys seriously gonna take it for real!? She would've told me if she had a crush on Chat! And even if she does have a crush, we know it's because he looks exactly like Adrien! Or did you guys forget her actual crus-"
She stopped immediately.
Oh, shit.
All the air just scurried away from the room. No one said a word and she watched on with guilt heavy in her chest to see Marinette's eyes wooden in absolute horror. Instead of red, she went pale, her lips becoming dry as her heart started beating in her eyes.
She was obviously horrified.
She was screwed.
Marinette bolted from her seat and the room, deaf to everyone calling her name, including Adrien, who jumped from his seat, and followed after her.
Oh, she had some apologizing to do.
She knew he would follow, no matter how humiliated she was, because that was just who he was. He was kind, and gentle, he genuinely cared, and would have no intentions of hurting her. He especially would never make fun of her.
But she could hardly catch her breath as he called for her to stop. She couldn't, she need to sit, her legs were becoming weak, threatening to fail underneath her and she knew she only had moments to find somewhere away from him to sit before she'd just drop.
Because she was just not ready for this conversation.
Ignoring Adrien's yells of "Marinette!" she went to straight to the lockers, putting her back to the cold metal, sliding down until her butt hit the floor and brought her knees to chest, burying her face in them as the sobs finally came.
"Is this seat taken?"
Her head snapped to attention at the familiar voice. Adrien stood there, rubbing his neck nervously, but his eyes were directed on her alone.
Figuring it useless at this point to run, she paused for a moment before nodding her consent to take a seat next to her, which he did, his leg sprawled out in front of him as he got comfortable. His hands laid politely in his lap as he was obviously trying to find something to say.
The silence became so hollow. Something she wasn't used to since they became actual friends.
"So," Adrien coughed beside her. "Ho-how long… uh… how long have you…?"
She hesitated. "Si-since you gave me your umbrella."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
The silence persisted with each second more awkward than the last. Every moment tugging at her heartstrings.
He coughed some more, choking on his own air. "What about Chat?"
There was that. She wanted to be honest. She knew if Adrien hadn't been in the picture it would've been a possibility that she'd given him a chance. She sighed. "It's complicated. If it weren't for you, I'd probably pursue him more so. He...that moment on my balcony was a spur of the moment. But yes, I do.. Sorta like him. Just… you kinda got to my heart first."
He breathed. "Oh."
She chuckled softly, trying to reclaim some calmness. "Is that all you're gonna say?"
He laughed along with her. "Sorry."
A pause.
"I should be completely honest with you, though. There's this girl that I work with..and um.. I've liked her for a while. And I can't say yes to you, exactly, right now,"
Her shoulders slumped in recognization.
"... But I can't say no to you either."
Her eyes went straight to his, hope sparkling in captivating eyes.
He sighed as he tried his best to explain. He took her hand in his, fingers trembling."Had it been months ago, I would've told you that you're an amazing girl but I just didn't feel the same. But now… now I just don't know. I don't know because I've seen all of you, Marinette. And I can't… I don't want to let you go."
She smiled, words still unable to come to her.
She squeezed his hand, as if to say go on, which he did, "I do have feelings for you, but I do for her as well. I think… I think I need to talk to her, get closure. I know that's selfish, but I need to give my all to you, because that's what you deserve. You don't have to, you shouldn't, but I can't help but hope you'll wait."
Taking the palm of his hand, she spread his fingers out, intertwining them, the small smile growing by the minute. "I've waited almost a year, Adrien." She whispered. "I think I can wait a little longer."
Night had fallen over the quiet city. It was protal night and Chat had told Ladybug to meet them at their usual spot, they needed to have a serious talk. Knowing that he wasn't punning made her realize the urgency of the situation.
When she landed on the rooftop, his heart caught in his throat.
This was it. This was gonna make it more break his decision.
A small part of him knew what the answer would already be.
Her eyes flashed with worry. "Chat. You okay?"
He couldn't hold it in, before he knew what was happening, he blurted out, "There's this girl."
She sighed, understanding what he was trying to say, "Oh, kitty."
He turned around, almost too ashamed to say anything to her face. "I'm sorry, LB. I know this seems like it's coming out of nowhere. But, it turns out there's a girl that has feelings for… civilian me, and for a while now, I've been getting to know her.. And.. and I don't know. I couldn't exactly tell her yes. Because, I still love you."
It was a plea. A silent one, but a plea nonetheless.
Tell me yes.
Tell me no.
He didn't know which answer he wanted at that moment. He'd never want two different things so badly at the same time.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn around. Ladybug cupped his face, leaning her forehead against his. "But you couldn't tell her no, could you?" She whispered.
He gulped. Eyes closed. "No."
"Kitty." Her voice called in a sad understanding. "Look at me."
He did as he was asked, his heart pinging at the sadness in her eyes. "If it had been any other girl, would you have given it a second thought?"
"No. I would've told them no right away." He breathed. "But I need this. If I chose her… I need to know, Ladybug." He paused as he saw the pain screaming in her eyes. "So, please." He begged, taking the fingers that cupped his face and wrapping his own around hers. "If there's any chance that you even feel just the slightest thing towards me, tell me now; before it's too late."
Her lip trembled as her voice cracked. "Go to her, Chat."
That was it, closure. It hurt him. It hurt almost as much as seeing his mother for the last time. But it was relieving in a way. She was his first love, and he never got to keep the ones he loved. Deep down he knew Ladybug would never truly leave him. She promised. His love for her wouldn't leave, definitely not overnight, it never works like that.
That was okay, because someone else had started to take residence in his heart. Marinette. Finding out about her crush on him put the feelings he had developed for her in the past months into overdrive in just a few short hours. Because it was real. She was real. And she felt the same.
He needed this goodbye from Ladybug though first. As selfish as that was, he needed to burn that bridge before he could even think about pursuing Marinette.
Because she wasn't an option, she was someone that he needed to be chosen one hundred percent. He had to go into this relationship fully knowing that he was giving her his all; even if he felt for another.
When he fell for Ladybug, it was quick, like a wildfire that leapt at the bark of a tree in seconds. Whereas Marinette— Marinette was slow, his love for her snuck into his heart without him even realizing it. Before at one point she was just laughing when they were at Nino's and he fell on his butt and his heart squeezed in his ribcage at the sound.
And oh.
This.. this was love. This is what true love was.
More importantly, this is what it felt like to be loved.
Ladybug had been raging, passionate, a fiery love that electrified every part nerve and setting his skin aflamed. She was adventurous and a mystery just waiting for him to unwrap, because she wasn't his. She was his first love.
Marinette, she held all the world's comfort just in her arms. She didn't just let him talk when he needed to, she listened. Her eyes held all the love her tiny body could possibly possess and then some. If he needed to feel safe? All he had to do was place his hand in hers and nothing could touch him. Not his dad, not even Hawkmoth. If he was lucky, if he has any luck at all, she'd be his last love.
With Marinette, he understood the difference between what a house and what a home was.
A house was stiff, unused, avoided of any life whatsoever.
A home was filled with love, happiness, laughter, and warmth. Everything that Marinette had and was in the palm of her hand.
So, as he pulled away from Ladybug, gave a small bow, he said his, "Goodbye, Bugaboo." Leaping from the tower, knowing that would be the very last time he would ever call her that. And while he may still call her 'His Lady's, it wouldn't be in a possessive manner, it would purely be out of respect for her. No more flirting, his eyes would be for his classmate from then and there.
He would scream into his pillow tonight, letting it all out, because first loves were hard. Once he did that, he'd actually breathe for the first time in a long time. Because he knew that when he left his house for school in the morning, he'd be going home.
Straight into Marinette's arms.
That very next morning, he barely finished his breakfast as he dashed out of the house and to the bakery to pick up Marinette. The moment he spotted her, she was just walking out onto the sidewalk.
And when he saw him, her face was filled with nothing but worry, nervousness and just a tinge of hope. She smiled shyly as he approached her. When he finally did reach her, he lost all train of thought, because how did one say that 'oh hey, yeah. I choose you. Congrats?'
"So, uh." He ran his tongue against his lips as they started to dry. "I talked to her and…"
Ugh, this was not going how he wanted.
So, he decided, instead of words, he brought his hand up to her checks, running his thumb along the soft patch of skin that was starting to turn his heart and words into mush. Bringing his face just meters from hers, he whispered. "I promise, I'm yours, if you still want. No one else." He held his words firm determination.
A smile broke out on her face, leaning into his touch.
"With your permission…" His voice barely reaching his own ears. But she heard, she always did hear him, and nodded.
And with that, their lips finally met in a sweet, long-awaited kiss. And Adrien was right, he felt what he always felt what he did when he has anywhere near her.
He felt warmth. And he was home.
Turns out a 'mangy stray' can love Marinette, isn't that right, Chloe?
Gosh, I get mad even when I write her.
Anyways, thanks for reading, sorry it was out later than usual, guys. Love you all!