So... this is the twentieth question... whew. I can't believe I wrote 20 chapters.
Disclaimer- As fate would have it, I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Fate is cruel.
Chapter 20
Chat stood in the rooftop, breathing in the crisp Parisian breeze. The sun glinted across his glossy suit, and he felt as though he was roasting in the midday light. Yet on an outward glance, he seemed patient, almost calm.
However his heart told a different story. It had been two weeks since they had taken down Hawkmo--Gabr--his Father. He had been able to visit him in jail once so far, and the trial was coming up.
But that wasn't what bothered him.
The hero patted his front pocket, and felt the small lump. Hs tried to breath a sigh of relief, but in vain.
That still wasn't the biggest worry he had.
Chat looked down at the streets. The Parisians were holding another celebratory ceremony relatively soon, this time to commemorate the heroes capturing Hawkmoth.
Chat had received two invitations, one for the ebony clad superhero, and one for the late teen/former model who had helped the heroes to find Hawkmoth.
He mildly worried about how to appear as two people at once, but he would figure it out.
But there was the question. His final question.
The mere thought of it sent his heart into a sporadic array of violent beats. This was the day.
"You can do this Chat," he told himself. He knew he had prepared everything. He had the roses, the key, the candle, the ladder, and the bracelet. Most importantly, the lump was still in his pocket. He knew it wasn't likely to leave, as the pocket had a zipper, but he still checked it almost religiously.
As he patted his pocket once more. Ladybug's yoyo produced its ever familiar "zing!", which echoed through the air, followed momentarily by the graceful heroine landing next to him.
"Hey Kitty, what's up?" She asked.
"I-I..." Chat breathed.
"Calm down. This is just like any other day. She's just the love of your life, same as she's always been," he thought to himself.
"I called you here for question number twenty... but I wanted to make a change..."
Ladybug had been prepared for something like this.
"Ok, I know you said you didn't waste your questions, but we both know you did. I'll give you five extra questions since we already defeated Hawkmoth. Deal?" she offered with a look of exaggerated benevolence.
Chat smiled nervously.
"No, that's not what I had in mind. I already have an idea of who you are. This was my plan: I am going to take you on a tour of Paris... a purrsonal one. And at the end of the tour, I am going to ask my last question, and then you can answer it and try and guess who I am. Is that an ok adjustment?"
Ladybug looked like she had been hit in the gut.
"You... you have an idea of who I am?"
He smiled, extending his hand.
"Well there is only one way to find out M'Lady. Do we have a deal?"
"D-d-deal," she stuttered, still a bit shaken.
Without so much as a warning, the cat scooped up his bug, and vaulted off into the distance.
She recognized the area he came to a stop at.
Pulling out a hidden ladder, he climbed up one side, a hand behind his back.
"Chat, you did this last year," she said.
"Yes, though to be more precise I did it one year and one day ago. And today I am doing it again. Do you want to tell me why this place is so special?"
She instinctively touched the pendant Chat had given her a year ago.
"This is where we met, six years ago," she whispered, now clinging to the ladder next to him.
He saw her hold the necklace, and smiled sorrowfully.
"Yes. This is where I first met the girl who would grow to become my closest friend," he began,"unfortunately times have been tough, and this year all I can afford to offer is this bouquet".
He presented her with the flowers. There were 12 red pristine roses, each singing a harmony to the feelings Chat wished he could express with his own words.
She accepted the gift, only to find Chat had scooped her up and was carrying her elsewhere.
She gulped as they began to near the second sight. Each catapult of Chat's staff brought the duo nearer and nearer to their secret paradise.
Eventually they landed on the rooftop gravel, staring out at the city. Ladybug wanted to speak, to tell him that she didn't need to be carried to the locations, and to ask why they were here- even though she knew the answer.
"M'Lady, at this point you are probably starting to believe what I told you before. I know who you are. This is THE rooftop," he said.
His voice trembled ever so slightly.
"The one where we comforted one another after our mutual heartbreaks. Where we went on countless dates. Where I waited to hear those three sweet words. And where you said them to me".
He produced a small candle, hidden under the bench.
"I remember blowing these out one night after you had left," he said, holding up the candle," she loves me. She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not. I had just declared my feelings to you for the second time, and you had offered me a kiss in return. When I blew the last candle, I found myself at 'she loves me not'".
Marinette recalled the event, and the panic afterwards as she told Alya that she had messed up. The thought brought a tear to her eye, which she quickly brushed off.
"It was only a few days ago that I found this candle. It had fallen under the bench. It was the missing 'she loves me'," Chat concluded.
At this point she couldn't help it. Ladynette threw her arms around him crying.
"I love you so so so much," she blubbered.
"I know you do Purrrincess. I know. And I love you more than you can imagine. In fact, let's go see where that love began," he soothed, now offering her his hand, rather than picking her up.
She took it, and leapt with him.
As they moved from building to building everything felt perfect. She swung from street to street in line with his staff, as he vaulted through the same city. The most impressive part was that the pair held hands the entire way.
Maribug followed her Lover's every gentle turn, until they found themselves at the ruins of a building.
"I did this," he gestured at the rubble.
"What? Why?" She asked, more out of curiousity than worry.
"When we fought Silvertongue, I saw him ask for people's possessions. You were Mari, but you offered him the Ladybug pendant. And for a second it broke my heart," he explained.
She looked at the ruins and pondered. It did make sense that he could have such a visceral reaction. She had screamed the foulest things she could think of as Ladybug, then allowed Chat to comfort her as Marinette only several hours later. They had started dating, and she had hidden how she ahd hurt him.
"How... how did you forgive me? How could you? I said some of the worst things to you, then pretended everything was ok. You must've been devastated," she wondered aloud.
"At first I assumed you were just playing with my heart. And it did hurt, more than anything I have ever felt before. That's how I knew I loved you Mari. And when I called you to chew you out, I heard your soft caring voice. And at that moment, the only thing I could feel was love for you".
"And that is the night you called me and said 'I love you' right before hanging up," she finished.
"Yeah, and I knew two things from that moment. That you had never meant to hurt me, and that I would always love you".
Tears again flowed down her face.
"Hey Mari, if you keep crying you won't be able to cry when it counts," Chat gently teased.
To try and calm her, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
He also slipped a charm bracelet onto her wrist. On it were only two charms: a ladybug and a cat.
"Shall we explore a few more places Purrrincess?"
His hand was once more offered to her, to which she graciously accepted.
They bounded off, stopping at a large tan building. It stretched three stories off the ground, the single circular window at the apex staring down at the Parisian streets below.
"Collège Françoise Dupont," she whispered.
Ladybug stared in confusion as Chat stopped at the large wooden double doors. He snuck behind one of the pillars and smiled, a thin black object behind him.
Then, with a sudden move he flicked his wrist, showing he had picked up a black umbrella. With the movement in completion, the large black mass enveloped the couple.
It seemed useless in the warm afternoon sun, especially when one considered the sky was as clear as a diamond.
Suddenly the couple faced a barrage of water as a 50 litre trash bin filled with water poured down from above.
Carapace and Rena quickly retreated, having completed their portion of Chat's plan.
She looked at Chat in confusion, expecting an answer.
"I didn't know why this was special until recently," he began,"but according to Rena, this is where you first fell in love with me... or rather my alter ego. That being said, I couldn't help but add it to our location list".
The school was closed, as the Hawkmoth liberation ceremony was meant to have as many Parisians in attendance as possible.
As he gently placed his hand in hers, he produced a key from his right pocket. She noticed he also tapped his left pocket as if to make sure something was still there.
"Principal Damocles owed me a favour," he explained.
Opening the door, he escorted her in.
"An umbrella... in the rain..." Marinette thought,"I've only ever loved one boy besides Kitty..."
She didn't have time to think as Chat raced them to their old classroom.
"I met Ladybug in the middle of the street, tied together by the ankles. But the love of my life, Marinette, I met right here, in this class".
She continued to process it.
"A-a-adrien?" She whispered almost silently.
If he did hear her, he ignored it; instead he checked his baton-clock.
A moment went by, then another. Finally he cleared his throat.
"Six years. To the minute," Chat started.
"I was right here when we met," he said, dropping to a knee," I was trying to scrape off some gum someone had left behind. Little did I know that in the next second I would meet the only woman I would ever love. My Purrrincess, my best friend, my partner, and confidant. The girl with an eye for fashion, who would stutter at my presence as if she was scared of everything, yet charge into battle against the scariest of Akuma, as if it meant nothing. You would become my hero, my inspiration, my Love".
"Adrien," she said confidently.
He smiled, still on his knee, as if the ancient gum were still adhered to the chair.
"You've got me Purrrincess. Any ways I was given 20 questions. Today I would like to use the last one... but first... could you please transform, I knoa you are the same girl, but I would like to ask you as Mari".
"Tikki, spots off".
He trembled as he unzipped the pocket and produced a glistening silver ring. The band was thin and plain, and the center held a small unimpressive ruby.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?"
She looked at him, tears streaming down her face, unable to speak.
"It's not a lot, I admit. When I cut ties with my father, I left a trust fund behind. I told him I didn't want any 'model money'. But I'll undo that. Later we can replace this with something bigger--".
"Chat, yes!" she sobbed, grabbing him.
"Chat, yes?" He asked excitedly.
"Chat, yes," she reaffirmed,"and by the way, the ring is perfect".
She slipped the modest band onto her finger, and kissed her fiancé.
So... how can a girl marry a superhero with no identification?
And will Adrien and Gabriel truly be able to reconcile?
Master Fu payed up, but Tikki still owes Plagg.
And don't we all want to know how the meeting with Tom went?
What ever happened to Luka? (for those of you who care).
What is the Lahiffe baby's name?
Darn, since the questions are done, I guess there is no way for us to know. If only there were some sort of additional speech, an 'Epi Logos' as ancient Greeks would call it. Hmm. too bad there isn't an English word for epilogos. Darn.
The end... perhaps...