Midnight blue and black

Version 1

"A dance?"

"You heard that right, girl! It will be an amazing event and the best part is that I get to film it!" The brunette exclaimed, punching the air out of excitement.

"That explains your excitement," the bluenette giggled.

"And–," Alya insisted, a mischievous glint sparkling in her eyes.

"And?" Marinette asked, completely oblivious to what the Ladyblogger was thinking.

"This is your chance to finally ask Adrien out!"

"Wha– N-No ways! I can't do that. Besides– I am over him," the bluentte remarked, swishing her hands frantically to justify her point.

"Oh really," Alya said, raising her brow and holding an amused expression. Marinette looked at her determined to not falter under her best friend's gaze. But she failed at that soon enough.

"I am trying Als," she whined and started keeping her stuff inside her bag.

"I know girl, but– this is your chance!"

"And Kagami– what about her? Adrien is definitely going to ask Kagami."

"Then ask him as a friend before the Riposte does," Alya winked and walked over to Nino who had been waiting for her at the door.

"Sounds good to me," a voice cheered and Marinette stiffened. She frantically looked around, ensuring that no one heard that, and then looked down at her sling bag, opening it a little.

"Tikki– I am still in school," she whispered urgently and shut the purse.

She heard a little giggle and sighed, not knowing what to do with both girls and their shipping fantasies. She swung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the school. She stopped in her tracks when she was Adrien getting into his limo.

I am not going to ask him. He is just a friend. She looked down and started heading back home, trying her best to avoid his noticing her. But he saw her anyway.

"Marinette!"

Marinette stopped and inhaled sharply, telling herself to keep cool. She turned around and saw Adrien waving at her. She waved back and to her surprise, he got out of his limo and jogged up to her.

Breathe Mari, breathe.

"H-Hey Adrien," she stammered and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, I was wondering, would you like to go to the dance with me?" He asked her in a hurry since he could feel Gorilla's eyes boring into the back of his head which scared the whiskers out of him.

Marinette froze and blinked her eyes a few times, cocking her head to one side.

Did THE Adrien Agreste just ask me– to the dance?!

"I know this is sudden," Adrien added quickly and after scanning the area around them, he leaned in a bit and whispered, "but I don't want to go with Kagami."

Under any circumstances, this would have made Marinette malfunction. His proximity, his cologne and the mixed scent of camembert would make her go nuts and she would be rendered at a loss of words. But the last line didn't click right.

"What about Kagami?" She questioned and Adrien sighed softly, rubbing his head.

"She is kind of– taking things a bit faster than I can catch up with," he admitted and shrugged.

"Oh I see, but isn't that good?"

"As I said, I can't catch up with her."

"But she will get the wrong impression if she sees us at the dance," Marinette expressed her concern, pointing to themselves. Going to the dance with Adrien wasn't bad but giving Kagami the wrong idea was not good. Her crush on Adrien didn't even matter for her at that point. She just didn't want to ruin Adrien and Kagami's relationship due to her having a crush on Adrien.

"I will let Kagami know that we are going as friends. Besides I don't think her mother will allow her to go to the dance."

"Will your father agree?" She piped in, not sure that he was going to get the permission to come. The thought of him not coming saddened her a bit but she knew that it would hurt him far more.

At this, Adrien's expression dulled a bit. Marinette was right. It would take a lot of convincing and many more promises to make his father agree to him going to the dance. And even after that, he would have to agree to his father's curfew time and hence get a very limited amount of time to spend with his friends. But he was determined to enjoy his time with Marinette, Nino, Alya and all his classmates even if he only got a second.

Adrien smiled confidently and Marinette couldn't help but notice how similar it looked to Chat Noir's cheesy smile.

"Don't worry about that Marinette. Just let me know if you can make it, okay?" He patted the bluenette's shoulder and walked back to his limo.

"Well that was– unexpected," Marinette muttered, blushing slightly.

"Alya will be so proud!" Tikki squeaked from inside the bag and Marinette smiled, her blush becoming more prominent.

"Yeah, she will be. And so are you."

The red kwami giggled and nodded.

Chat Noir swung across rooftops and landed perfectly on the Eiffel tower. He was excited to meet his lady since he wanted to talk to her about something very important. And he hoped that she would accept his request.

Those few minutes of waiting seemed like hours. He paced around in circles, his tail swishing with excitement and his ears stiff with nervousness. Any hint of even the slightest noise made him freeze and look around for Ladybug.

"Hello Chat."

Chat Noir swung around and grinned at the sight of the red-clad superheroine.

"M'lady! I was waiting for you," he exclaimed with his usual enthusiasm and this made Ladybug giggle, much to his pleasure.

"Well someone seems more than excited to see me today. Something new you have to tell me?" She said and sat down, her legs dangling from the edge of the tower's platform.

"I was waiting for you to ask just that," he replied, sitting down beside her.

She nodded and Chat Noir took it as an invitation to start the talking.

"You see, m'lady, the Mayor has organised this Eiffel Tower anniversary festival, right?"

This earned him a nod and hum from the girl and so he continued.

"Then on the night of the 31st, there is this dance," he trailed off, unsure of what Ladybug's reaction would be.

She very well understood where this conversation was going. But she still feigned cluelessness because she didn't know how to respond. Just earlier the same day, Adrien had asked Marinette to the dance. Even if they were going as just friends, she couldn't bail on him. And both Ladybug and Marinette could not be present in the same event, at the same time. She felt bad for Chat Noir but there was no way that she would break her promise with Adrien.

"What about it? Did the mayor ask us to patrol?" She asked, trying to keep up her act while she thought of the best possible way to refuse his upcoming invitation politely without hurting him.

"Oh no. He didn't mention anything about that yet. I was just thinking that maybe m'lady would like to go with m e– to the dance?" He asked softly and looked at her, his eyes filled with hope and genuineness.

Ladybug looked at him and sighed, "Chat I–"

"J-just this once bugaboo. I– I will never bug you about such a thing again, Chat's honour! But just this one time, purrty please," he said, making puns in between which didn't go unnoticed by her.

He chuckled softly when he heard her sigh at his puns.

"Listen Chat, I kind of promised to go with this boy– in my civilian self obviously, so how can I be there for you at the same time?"

"M'lady, even I set up a prior engagement with a friend of mine so I will have to be with her. But maybe after some time we can sneak away and just have one dance at the top of the Eiffel Tower and then go back to our respective dates. It will only take five minutes!"

"You have thought everything through, haven't you?"

Chat Noir smirked at her amused expression and looked at her intently, expecting a positive response from her.

"Okay, Chat Noir. I will be there. But first I am going to meet up with him, okay?"

He grinned and nodded while looking at the sky, a soft, satisfied sigh escaping his lips.

"You don't know how much that means to me Ladybug."

"You are going out of your way to make a dress for the dance, Marinette!"

"Yes Tikki. After all it was Adrien who asked me to the dance," the bluenette answered, her cheeks turning red at the mention of the blonde model, "I mean– that was the last thing I expected from him. I thought he already must have made plans with Kagami!" Marinette made an exaggerated hand movement by raising and flailing her arms. "But he didn't. Instead–," she continued in a sing-song voice while getting back to sewing a liner on the dress, "he doesn't like how quickly Kagami is going with their relationship."

"Then maybe you have a chance with him Marinette!" Tikki chirped excitedly and made the girl giggle.

"At school it is Alya and at home it is you," she said, while tickling Tikki's stomach with her index finger. This made Tikki giggle and brought a big smile to the bluenette's face as well.

"But I don't think he likes me that way," she added, looking at the dress. "He just doesn't like how fast their relationship is advancing. That doesn't mean that he doesn't like her."

"Marinette," Tikki looked at her a bit sadly and smiled softly, "let's just enjoy the dance, okay?"

Marinette nodded and her face brightened up immediately. She was very excited for the dance night. Although she wasn't sure how she would balance Adrien and Chat Noir together, she would have to try her best. She was very grateful that Chat had shown some understanding to the whole 'civilian-superheroine switch' management issues so she wasn't very worried about that. But she still didn't want to break her word.

"–just have one dance–"

He had asked for one dance and she was sure to give him that. She left the unfinished dress on the table and picked up her phone.

Hi Adrien, I will be there. – Marinette

Can't wait. :) – Adrien

In the same city, the blonde teen-model lay on his back, smiling at the text he received from Marinette. Keeping his phone aside, he stared at the ceiling, thinking about Ladybug, with a love-struck expression on his face. His black kwami flew up right above his face, nibbling on a camembert.

"Plagg, just go away," he frowned at the stench of the cheese and tried to swat the creature away with his hand.

"You are living a dream, lover-boy. So let me live mine," Plagg replied as he swallowed the cheese whole in one go.

"Really Plagg?" Adrien scrunched up his face and rolled his eyes.

"Of course!" exclaimed the kwami with his mouth full. After a good amount of time relishing the flavour of his beloved, he continued, "you got the blue-haired girl and Ladybug. Isn't that a dream?"

"What do you mean by 'got' the blue-haired girl– I mean, Marinette? She is just a friend, and we are going as friends because I want to enjoy the night with everyone," Adrien explained.

"Isn't that being– selfish? I mean Marinette could have wanted to go with anyone else, like that rockstar boy–"

"Luka?"

"Yes, him! And then you also asked Ladybug. Isn't that like cheating on Marinette?"

Plagg knew Ladybug and Marinette were the same person, and he also knew that if it weren't for the teen's obliviousness and his denial nature then Adrien and Marinette would have started dating long back. And even though he didn't really care about his owner, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. Adrien was stuck between the love of his life and her alter ego which was ridiculous. Some days Plagg simply wanted to scream out loud that Marinette is Ladybug and Ladybug is Marinette. But that was impossible since his sugar cube had strictly shushed him and he honoured her words.

"Well– I will tell Marinette that I will be running late a bit and at that time I will have my dance with Ladybug as Chat Noir. Then I will be back to being Adrien. It's not cheating Plagg because it involves Chat Noir and Adrien who are not the same," Adrien retorted.

"And not completely different either. Listen, kid, this is a bad idea."

And Adrien could already feel some guilt gnawing at him.

The day everyone had been waiting for had finally come. It was the 31st of March– the Eiffel Tower's inaugural anniversary. And for the same event, Mayor Bourgeois had organised a night celebration. There would be a dance, food stalls, and later a fireworks display– all centered around the Eiffel tower. The preparations had started the previous afternoon. Stalls were put up, André's ice cream cart found its place, XY and Jagged Stone got their designated positions and space to perform. Nadja Chamack and her team were all geared up to live telecast the event. The Mayor had specially requested the Dupain-Chengs to put up a little sweets counter themselves to which they gladly agreed. He had even asked Ladybug and Chat Noir to patrol the area and both of them had vowed to be alert at all times.

"M'lady, am I going to see you tonight?" Chat Noir had asked just after their meeting with the Mayor was over.

"Silly kitty." Ladybug had replied with a smile and flicked his bell with her fingers before swinging back off. Chat Noir knew that she'd be there. And that lightened up the rest of his day.

Marinette had done her best at the dress she had sewn for herself. It was a royal blue, knee length dress. She was proud of it and Tikki had complimented her for it as well. Marinette couldn't wait for the night.

And Adrien had run out of patience as well. He was pacing around his room, a pale pink and yellow rose in hand.

"Which one is for whom?" Plagg asked as he looked at his owner preparing his greetings for his lady.

"The pink one is for Ladybug and yellow for Marinette," he answered and went back to rehearsing for the evening.

"Last time yellow was for Ladybug," the kwami butted in with an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone.

"Well this time it's going to be this pink one!" Adrien huffed, annoyed at his nagging behaviour.

"What does pink even signify?"

"Grace and admiration! Now shut up Plagg!" Adrien yelled furiously.

"Okay okay kid, slow down. Why are you being so nervous about talking to Ladybug? You know her since– forever!" Plagg exclaimed.

"Yes, but this is the first time I asked her out and she agreed! I can't mess up Plagg," the teen retorted, his voice laced with nervousness and uncertainty. "What if she doesn't like this gesture?"

Plagg sighed and flew up to his owner, "Ladybug knows your admiration for her and she respects that. She will definitely appreciate the gesture."

Adrien smiled and looked out of the window, "I really hope she does."

"But Marinette won't," Plagg muttered to himself while looking at the yellow flower.

Marinette sat on a bench, tapping her foot impatiently as she kept straightening the hem of her dress. She was being paranoid. The whole complex was already filled with people. Marinette met all her friends and they all went on to enjoy the night. Music reverberated in the city, cheer and enjoyment filled the air, getting mixed with the aroma of food and sweets.

Marinette sighed and looked down. Tikki popped her head out of the bluenette's signature sling bag and looked at her owner reassuringly.

"Don't worry Marinette, something tells me that tonight is going to be extra special!"

Marinette forced a smile through her sadness and nodded, "if you say so, Tikki."

"It's not me who is saying this– it's Ladybug's lucky charm."

Marinette giggled at her kwami's enthusiasm and hoped that indeed her lucky charm would work without being summoned.

On top of the Eiffel Tower, Adrien was patiently waiting for his lady to show up.

"Kid, maybe you should give up and go to Marinette, who is your original date. Ladybug even mentioned that she is going to meet with her date first."

"Marinette will forgive me if I show up late because she knows Adrien and his busy life. But Ladybug doesn't and she won't forgive me. And I can't risk that."

"You are going to break her heart," the kwami retorted, concerned about the heroine.

"Marinette will understand," Adrien repeated, "and now it's better if I transform before anyone sees me."

"No, wai– Adrien!"

"I am sorry Plagg. Claws out."

Chat Noir sighed and sat down, cross-legged. His kwami had been pestering him and he really couldn't take it anymore. He knew that Plagg was right but he still stuck to his plan.

Marinette got up, brushing the skirt of her dress and walked away from the Eiffel Tower.

"Where are you going?" Tikki asked, looking worriedly at her owner.

"I think– I-I better patrol." Marinette looked down, her voice laced with sadness and pain.

She had been sitting on the same bench for more than an hour and still there was no sign of Adrien. His father must have scolded him and not allowed him to come but reasoning still didn't ease the pain for her. He could have texted her, she told herself. But he didn't even do that. She had given up on waiting for him and so she decided to patrol and keep an eye on the event from the sky.

At a safe distance from the Eiffel Tower, out of everyone's sight, she opened her sling bag and smiled sadly at her kwami and was about to transform when she heard a thud behind her. She whipped around only to find a pair of green eyes, looking at her.

"Chat Noir," she whispered and looked away, hugging herself. She didn't find the courage to look at him and was about to walk away when he called out, "princess."

She stayed put, not looking at him.

And he was also avoiding her gaze.

How could they face each other? It was unknown to them that they had unintentionally hurt each other and that both of them were to blame. But their situation was so complex that the only thing they knew was to blame themselves. They found themselves in a deafening silence, their emotions were a mix of those of a hunter and a deer– they hurt and got hurt.

The only escape Marinette could think of was running away from Chat, hiding in her room and not seeing him for a few days. But Chat's brain started whirring with a new idea to partially make up for his mistake.

"Princess," he said timidly and approached her. He crouched down on one knee, with his back facing her, and he kept his arms around his back, inviting her for a piggy-back ride. "Trust me," he added and hoped that she would take up the offer.

Marinette looked at the hero, surprised at the unexpected move he made. But there was no doubt that she trusted him with her life. So without a second thought she bent down and clung onto Chat's back, with his arms supporting her legs.

A sigh of relief escaped Chat's mouth and it didn't go unnoticed by the girl on his back.

"Where are we going?" She asked softly, tightening her grip as Chat stood up with her.

"Somewhere special, now fasten your seatbelt for a furrrtastic ride!" He purred and smiled when she groaned at his pun.

Using his baton, he swung both of them up into the night sky. Marinette couldn't help but be amazed at how beautiful the festival looked below them. She saw many of her classmates– Rose, Juleka, Max, Kim, Ivan, Mylene, Alya and Nino. She even spotted the crowd around her parents' stall. She smiled sadly and sighed. This night could have been so special if Adrien were there.

In no time, Chat landed on the Eiffel Tower and carefully helped Marinette get down as well. She carefully brushed her dress straight and looked at Chat.

"The Eiffel Tower?"

"Yes, the view from here is amazing." He walked over to the railing and motioned her to follow. She did as he asked and was amazed at the scene that she saw below.

Chat Noir had been waiting for Ladybug to show up and all this time he had been on top of the Eiffel Tower, admiring the scenery below him. When he saw Marinette and her suddenly leaving the place, he knew he had messed up badly. So the only thing he could think of was to get to her and bring her up here with him and show her how beautiful things were from another perspective.

"It is beautiful," she muttered, mesmerized by the beauty and liveliness of the event below them.

He smiled and nodded, leaning against the railing and looking at the people.

"Hey Chat,"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you go and enjoy the festival too?" She looked at him. Although she knew the answer, she still wanted to hear it from him and what he had really expected from Ladybug.

"Well," he started and paused as if contemplating how to put it correctly. "I am a hero and I was asked by the Mayor to be on patrol duty."

"But you could have done that as your civilian self as well. I mean, Ladybug definitely did that." She insisted.

"How do you know?" He asked, looking at the bluenette.

"Uh, I– erm," Marinette looked around for a good answer, "well, I am assuming that she did that. I-I mean– heroes are never off-duty even when they are out of the suit and mask. So maybe– maybe she is down there s-somewhere."

Or maybe up here, she thought to herself and internally slapped herself for her clumsiness.

The leather-clad superhero looked down, thinking long and hard about what she had said. She wasn't wrong but he still had reason to not go as Adrien.

"I was waiting for her– for Ladybug." He admitted and sighed. "I wasn't sure when she would show up, so I just waited for her to come. I didn't want to go early just to leave her hanging whenever she came."

Marinette could see how betrayed Chat felt in that moment and she felt equally guilty.

"I-I also did the same," she mumbled to herself and sighed.

She looked at the blonde boy in front of her and knew that she had to try to cheer him up. She looked down at the event and smiled confidently, knowing exactly what she had to do. He had wanted one dance that night and she was going to give him what he asked for. She turned around and walked a few steps away from the railing towards the elevator. Chat noticed her sudden motion and looked at her curiously. After reaching a small distance away from Chat, she faced him and held her dress and curtsied in a princess-like manner. She then extended her hand and smiled.

"May I have the honour of having tonight's dance with y-you?"

She blushed a bit, embarrassed and slightly annoyed at how her nervousness always bloomed at the most unwanted time. She looked at him straight in his eyes, smiling brightly. Her blush reached the hero's cheeks and he smiled as well.

"Of course princess."

He walked towards her and took her hand, holding it softly. Marinette kept her other hand on his shoulder and he took it as a cue to keep his other hand at her waist.

"Do you know how to dance?" She asked and looked at him smugly.

He huffed and pouted, "of course I do! I hope you don't play the 'step-on-toes' game."

She giggled, shaking her head in denial, and started to swing to the faint rhythm of the music that played on the ground. Chat followed her lead and danced along, admiring the girl in front of her. He knew she was kind, caring, and generous and not to mention the bravest girl he knew– her courage matching that of Ladybug's. She knew how to cheer anyone up and even if she didn't, her presence and her smile were enough to lighten someone's mood.

"No wonder Luka likes you," he voiced, slightly jealous of the fact that she was much more comfortable around him than Adrien.

"What?"

"Nothing important," he smiled at her confused face.

"If you say so," she mumbled and shrugged it off.

"Oh that reminds me, just give me a second." He suddenly left a clueless Marinette and went towards the elevator and looked at her, "uh– could you please turn around for a second?"

She nodded and turned around, with her back towards him.

"Claws in."

She shuddered and stiffened up. Chat Noir had detransformed and she didn't dare to turn around to find out his identity. "C-Chat Noir?" She squeaked, stammering as she didn't know what he was going to do. Her mind was whirring with all sorts of possibilities– does he want to leave her all alone? Is his kwami hungry? Is he going down to the festival?

Is this their reveal?

The last thought scared her more than any haunted house would.

Marinette heard his faint footsteps approaching her. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see him and determined to not let him have his way with the reveal.

I am not ready! Her internals screamed. She started fidgeting with her fingers and shuffled her feet, thinking of the best escape route there is.

But all of her scheming and planning melted down when she felt two hands make their way to her neck from her back, placing and adjusting something which felt like a thin chain– most probably a necklace, she assumed. Her hands automatically made their way to the pendant which felt cold against her skin. It was thin, like a plate with a characteristic shape which she wasn't able to decipher since it was small. He finally locked it around the back of her neck and let his hands fall to his sides.

"This is meant for the girl I admire and consider my idol," he whispered softly.

"L-Ladybug?" Marinette asked slowly, not sure if he knew that she was Ladybug.

"No," he replied much to her disbelief. She thought he admired Ladybug more than anyone el–

"You. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette opened her eyes and slightly looked at her side, careful not to let him come into her sight. She didn't know what to say to that. She looked at the little pendant and saw that it was in the shape of a little paw, similar to the one on his ring. Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffled.

"P-Princess, are you c-crying?" Adrien said, his voice filled with worry. "Wait– I have something more that might cheer you up," he added and held both the yellow and pink rose he had in front of her from the back.

"S-silly kitty," she sniffled more and took both the roses, deducing that one must have been for Ladybug and the other one for his friend, "y-you a-are showering me with things t-that I don't d-deserve and t-that makes m-me happy b-but s-sad too." Marinette laughed in between her sobs, feeling terrible all over again for having bailed on Chat Noir that night.

Adrien smiled at her adorable confession and wrapped his arms around her waist from the back, hugging her softly.

"You deserve all of this Marinette," he whispered in her ear and smiled, keeping his chin on her head.

Marinette's face flushed into a tomato red and she looked down at the two hands that were wrapped around her waist. She soon recovered from the surprise and sighed softly, comfortable in the warmth that he was giving her. She decided that she was going to make up for her mistake and surprise Chat by giving him an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to an ice-cream date with Ladybug. That would definitely make him jump from happiness and excitement. She smiled to herself, excited to see him as Ladybug next.

Her thoughts were interrupted with Chat Noir letting out a huge yawn. She giggled and commented, "sleepy kitty?"

"Very. Plus since you are so tiny, your head is an excellent pillow for me," he remarked, shifting a bit and snuggling into her hair with his cheek.

"Tiny? Really?" She pouted, earning a laugh from the cat-themed superhero.

"Yes. Tiny purrincess." He laughed more when she groaned at the pun.

Their attention was shifted from each other to the sky when they saw a light illuminate the sky, a huge bang sounding shortly after.

"Fireworks," they both said in unison and laughed. The sky kept lighting up with beautiful colours every now and then, the lights lighting up their faces as well. They both held their position, not wanting to ruin whatever they shared.

They both were comfortable and content with each other. They both had something to lose, and something to gain and when together, they knew they shared a similar yet different pain. Chat Noir could be more himself and Marinette was free as well. They had nothing to hide from each other. They were best friends and that didn't need a tag.