Note :
Hi ! If you liked the story, please read the note at the end of the chapter :).
Adrien walks away from Nino with a brisk step, ignoring the exclamation of surprise that escapes his friend. Later, he will certainly have to tell him about Ladybug, about Marinette, about those incredible minutes that have just turned his life upside down.
But not right now.
There he has no time to waste. Every second is crucial. Vital, even.
Not knowing if Marinette is Ladybug gnaws at him, consumes him as surely as the most violent of blazes. The laughter of his Lady has unleashed in him a fire which devours him with incredible brutality, and which will only be extinguished with answers. With the certainty that Marinette is the one who haunts his dreams, his memories and his heart.
Adrien crosses the living room, then rushes into the hallway where he saw his two friends disappear a few moments before. He immediately spots Alya, leaning against the wall facing her office door.
Office in which Marinette is certainly located.
His Lady.
He's sure of it.
Adrien feels like he's in a daze. His pulse hammers his temples with phenomenal violence, echoes in his veins with such intensity that his whole body seems to have turned into a gigantic percussion instrument. He feels as if his heart is beating in the palm of his hand, as if his veins pulse almost to break.
Now, it's his whole body that panics. His chest burns, his breath is too fast, his legs barely carry him.
But whatever.
Adrien has never felt so feverish, but he has never felt so determined either.
He needs answers.
And he needs it now.
Jaws tight, Adrien takes a deep breath and moves one step forward, then another. He barely notices that Nino has followed him and that he now walks barely a meter behind him.
His whole mind is obsessed with Ladybug. By Marinette.
It's her.
It's a certainty.
Alya turns her head towards Adrien when she sees him approaching and lets out an exclamation of surprise as she meets his gaze. Then, suddenly noting the direction in which her friend is heading, she takes a step forward and stands in front of her office door.
Feet firmly planted on the ground, hands resting on the hips, she uses her whole body to prevent the young man from entering.
"I have to see Marinette," Adrien resolutely says.
It has to.
It is a vital need. An absolute urgency.
"Sorry, she's busy," Alya replies, softening her abrupt answer with a small apologetic smile. "I can't let you in. You just have to- "
"She's busy talking with Chat Noir?" Adrien says immediately.
Alya freezes, as if Adrien's few words had turned her into a stone statue. She stares at her friend, unable to utter even a single word, as an expression of incredulous amazement appears on her face.
"Marinette is Ladybug, isn't she?", continues Adrien without a hint of hesitation.
It's her.
He knows it, deep inside himself.
It can only be her.
Still unable to pronounce a single word, Alya pales slightly. Her gaze goes from Adrien to Nino, who nods in encouragement, then back to Adrien. Then, suddenly, the young woman seems to notice the phone that her friend holds tight in his fist. This little device, to which he clings with so much force that the knuckles of his fingers have turned white.
Alya's eyes widen and she mechanically brings her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp of amazement. Pallid, she walks towards Adrien, staring at him as if she is seeing him for the first time.
As if she is contemplating the ghost of a being who has been missing for years.
"You... you're...", she whispers in a shocked voice. "No… it's… "
Obviously at a loss for words, she stops abruptly. Then, still without saying anything, she moves away, inviting Adrien to move forward. The young man thanks her with a brief nod, walks past her and rushes into the office.
Adrien opens the door, closes it behind him, and looks up.
His gazes immediately fall on Marinette. The young woman is standing in a corner of the room, a smile of incredulous joy floating on her lips. She holds a phone tight against her and the fingers of her free hand are resting on her tearful cheeks, as if she were wiping them off the moment Adrien entered the room.
Alerted by Adrien's all but discreet entrance, Marinette turns her eyes towards the door. She sees her friend and jumps violently, almost dropping her precious phone. Heart pounding, she instinctively puts her hand on her chest.
"W-What?" she stammers, stunned. "A-Adrien? "
Marinette freezes, like a wild animal surprised by a blinding glow. Her astonishment is such that for a brief moment her brain stops working.
Just a second ago, she was in Ladybug's shoes, deep in conversation with her teammate. And now, her first love arrives without warning in this office which is supposed to be watched by Alya.
The last few minutes Marinette has just lived have been extraordinarily intense. Her reunion with Chat Noir is an emotional roller coaster, which left her nerves on edge and heart raw. She feels drained of all energy, and her exhausted mind is now struggling to catch what's going on.
Marinette is too tired, too fragile. She should speak, she should react, but this forced return to her other personality deprives her of all referencs.
She remains paralyzed, unable to think.
What is Adrien doing there? Why did Alya let him in like this?
As Marinette's brain struggles to find an explanation for this absurd situation, to try to imagine a loophole explaining the state of distress in which its owner is plunged, Adrien utters a word.
A name.
"Ladybug? "
These few syllables, said in a tense voice, give Marinette the effect of thunderbolt.
She has the impression of feeling a violent electric shock running through her spine, bouncing against her bones, paralyzing her nerves. She freezes in shock, while a burst of panic at least as brutal takes her breath away.
"B-But what...", she stammers, unable to construct a single coherent sentence. "But ho-how... How did you know that..."
She stops abruptly.
The surprise is too strong, the panic too big, and her frightened mind freezes.
"Your laugh," Adrien admits with a contrite smile. "Alya should review the insulation of her apartment," he says in front of his friend's bewildered gaze. "I heard you laughing from the living room. "
Dumbfounded, Marinette watches Adrien walk towards her. Her friend's face is chalk pale and his luminous green eyes shine with an almost sickly glow.
Something is happening, it's obvious, but Marinette is too confused.
She can't think.
She can't understand.
Adrien is now just a few feet away from her, and it's only then that Marinette notices he's holding a phone clutched between his fingers. The young man brings the device to his lips, and says two words. Two simple little words.
"My Lady."
Adrien's words immediately rise from Marinette's phone, echoing distinctly in the tense silence that reigns in the office.
"My Lady."
The young woman feels as though she has been punched in the stomach. She opens her mouth, gasps, desperately trying to catch her breath as all the air seems to have been sucked out of her lungs.
In shock, her mind stops. Empties. Nothing works anymore, no thought can resist the violent thunderclap which has just struck her. Marinette remains paralyzed with stupor, staring at Adrien as if she had just seen a ghost appear.
Then, somewhere deep in her consciousness, something starts again. Struggles, screams through the limbo of her mind, urging her to react.
To accept the obvious.
Marinette fights with all her might against this torpor which paralyzes her. She has the impression that her brain is on the verge of exploding, that the room is rocking around her.
"My Lady."
It's impossible.
She must be wrong, it can't be that simple. Her distraught mind is surely playing tricks on her. It's too good, too unexpected to be true.
She can't have found him already.
And yet...
"Ch-Chat Noir?", she barely dares to whisper.
Adrien nods. Slowly, but with a conviction that leaves no room for doubt. And at that precise moment, Marinette's brain suddenly returns to life. Thoughts fuse under her head, lighting up her mind like a cloud of sparks.
Marinette suddenly feels a moment of strange clarity.
Time seems suspended, the outside world fades away, and Marinette's universe shatters. The smallest fact, the smallest detail, everything explodes, swirling in a crazy dance, to then reform a whole new painting. Each element gradually redraws another reality to her, like a puzzle that will be formed before her eyes.
And suddenly everything makes sense.
Adrien's flight. The disappearance of Chat Noir.
The violence of the young man's reaction by learning the identity of Hawkmoth.
Horrified, Marinette puts her hand to her mouth.
Hawkmoth.
Tears immediately rise to Marinette's eyes, driven by the distress, grief and compassion that suddenly swell in her chest. Her stomach twists until it makes her nauseous, as cruel reality slowly creeps inside her.
Hawkmoth.
Adrien's father.
Chat Noir's father.
"Oh, Chat…", Marinette blurted out in a trembling voice. "Adrien… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. "
Guessing the thoughts of his teammate without her needing to add another word, the young man mechanically shakes his head.
"This... No, it's not..." he protested softly. "You have nothing to do with it, my Lady. It's not your fault that my father is… That he… "
His voice chokes in his throat, preventing him from continuing. Despite the years, the wound is still just as sharp. The words are heavy, too heavy to pass his lips, and tumble like a stone deep into his stomach.
Nervously scratching the back of his neck, Adrien uses all his willpower to try to control his nerves.
He doesn't want to crack.
Not now.
"I'm the one who's sorry", he finally resumes. "I'm the one who's gone. I never… I never should have…"
His voice breaks into a sob, and he abruptly looks away.
With his gaze firmly fixed on the wall, Adrien runs a trembling hand over his face. He shouldn't react so violently. Almost three years have passed since he found out about his father's betrayal and he's no longer the teen he was then. The one who nearly broke with grief, the one who flew across the Atlantic to escape his pain.
He moved forward. He has grown up. Talking about his father shouldn't affect him that much anymore.
But tonight, things are different.
After years of wandering, doubts and regrets so painful that they almost broke his heart for good, Adrien has finally found his Lady. She reappeared in his life as an unexpected miracle, overwhelming the young man to the depths of his soul.
Adrien suspected that he would be moved if he ever saw her again.
But he hadn't imagined the extent of what he would feel.
Atrocious remorse that almost consumed him entirely. Fear, Hope. Euphoric relief. A joy so strong that it illuminated his world.
It was a real storm that swept over him, leaving him on edge and exacerbating his feelings to the point that the slightest emotion now takes on devastating proportions.
At the thought of his father, Adrien now has the impression that a lump remains stuck at the back of his throat, that a mass of lead weights on his stomach. His whole body is traversed by violent shivers and he feels that he is closer than ever to the breaking point.
And suddenly, he feels two arms sneaking around his waist.
Marinette hugs him with all her strength, not leaving a single free space between their two bodies.
"It's not your fault either, kitten", she whispers fervently, while raising a hand to run her fingers through his hair. "It's not your fault. "
With tears in his eyes, Adrien buried his face in the crook of Marinette's neck. He in turn passes his hands around her, pressing her against his heart.
"II ... I'm so glad I found you", he says in a choked voice. " I missed you. I missed you so much. "
He feels Marinette's lips search his cheek, drop aerial kisses on his skin. As if she were trying to erase all traces of his tears, as she was trying to convince herself that this precious moment was not the most fragile of dreams.
"I missed you too", she whispers with emotion, obviously not trusting her own voice to try to speak louder.
"Marinette…" Adrien sighs softly. "My Lady. My Marinette. "
The young man's heart sings in his chest, dances at each of these syllables which he pronounces with delight.
Marinette.
My Lady.
A single woman, who thrill his soul as on the first day.
"If ... If it had to be done again", he says with difficulty, his lips caressing Marinette's skin with each word. "I will never leave you like this. I'm sorry. If you knew how sorry I am…"
"Chat ...", whispers Marinette. "The circumstances were… Oh, Adrien, I can't even imagine what you must have been through," she blurted out with an almost inaudible sob. "I'm the one who's sorry that... That your ..."
Marinette pauses for a moment, then lets out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry," she continues in a quieter voice. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you. And when you left, you... You did what you thought was best for you, and no one has to judge you for that. I won't know how I would have reacted if I were you. But I know it's not your fault that your father… That… Adrien, it's not your fault," she concluded, hugging him harder. "None of this is your fault. "
Marinette's words rock Adrien, slowly creeping into him to warm his bruised heart. She continues to kiss him tenderly on the cheek, as if she instinctively guessed that only her presence would allow her teammate not to break down.
"I missed you", whispered Adrien once more. "I missed you so, so much ..."
He would like to tell her more. To explain to her how dizzy he is with happiness at the mere thought of having found her. To confide in her that without her, his life was meaningless.
To confess that he loves her.
That he loves her like the first day, and more.
It's etched in his soul, sung by each of his heartbeats.
He loves her, he loves her, he loves her.
But the words are too weak to express what he feels.
Adrien takes a deep breath and raises his head slightly. The words are too weak, so he in turn covers Marinette's face with soft kisses, trying to convey to her through these tender shows of affection all the love he feels for her. Eyes closed, he gets drunk on the sweet scent that emanates from her, savours the softness of her skin.
He loves her.
He loves her so much that it takes his breath away.
He loves her and he needs her.
She is his oxygen, his reason for living.
Instinctively, Adrien hugs Marinette a little harder. Maybe it's selfishness, maybe it's just survival instinct, but he refuses to get away from her. He lived without her for many years and it's not worth it. Now that she is here, that she is finally here, he wants to savour every minute, every second.
Eyes closed, he slowly lets himself be invaded by an ocean of sensations. The warmth of Marinette's body. The beating of her heart which now merges with his own. Her hot breath caressing his skin. Her fingers gripped tightly to his shoulders, as if she too refused to let him go.
Suddenly, without knowing quite how, Adrien realizes that his lips have slipped from Marinette's cheeks to her mouth and that he is kissing her. For a brief fraction of a second, he freezes. Wonders with horror if, in the euphoria of the moment, he did not go too far.
But before he can move away from Marinette, the young woman responds without a word to any doubts that may have crossed his mind.
She digs her fingers into his hair, tilts her head, kisses him back with such fervour that he feels his knees liquefy under him.
Adrien immediately closes his eyes, letting the world dissolve around him.
Nothing exists except Marinette.
She is more than his reason for living. She is his entire universe.
In Adrien's heart, stars explode, galaxies flare up. The young man is consumed with love for this extraordinary woman who holds his existence in her hands. As she continues to kiss him hard, Marinette puts an arm around his neck, slides a hand down his face. Her fingers run over his skin, leaving hot imprints in their path, making his heart sing harder.
As if animated with a life of its own, one of Adrien's hands detaches itself from his partner's back to rest delicately against her jaw. His fingers get lost in Marinette's hair, play mechanically with the few black locks that caress her cheek.
He kisses her again, and again.
Adrien's lips are glued to Marinette's, languidly embracing every move they make. He kisses her with an ardour that is almost desperate, with an intensity that is only a pale reflection of what he feels for her.
She is the center of his universe, the oxygen that he had so lacked.
Adrien only move away to let out distraught "Marinette", murmuring her name like a prayer. Like a miraculously fulfilled wish.
Between their lips, their breaths intermingle, escape to caress their burning skin. Heart beating wildly, Adrien looks down at Marinette's face and lost himself in her huge eyes of the colour of a summer sky.
Adrien's skin is burning. His pulse is beating way too fast, his breathing is way too short.
He feels dizzy. He feels out of breath.
And he feels alive.
Wonderfully alive.
Finally.
"I love you", Marinette whispers to him between two fierce kisses. "I love you, I love you, I love you. "
These words that she wanted so much to say to him cascade from her lips in an uninterrupted flow, without her being able to hold them back.
Not that she wanted to, anyway. She wants to sing it, declaim it, scream it until she loses her voice.
She loves him.
With all her heart, with all her soul.
And she can confess it to him, finally.
Adrien lets out a gasp of surprise, which she immediately stifles with her lips. She loves him, and his kisses intoxicate her. Make her lose her mind, her sanity, and give her the impression of being so light that she will probably never touch the ground again.
"I love you", she whispers again, before kissing him harder.
She runs her fingers through his golden locks, stands on tiptoe, presses her body with all her might against his. Her pulse resounds in her temples, beating to the rhythm of the words dancing in her mind.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
"I love you," Adrien replies in a hoarse voice, unwittingly echoing Marinette's thoughts.
This time, it's up to the young woman to let out an exclamation of surprise. Her huge blue eyes widen, her cheeks, already reddened by the ardour of their embrace, flushed even more. A wave of heat suddenly builds in her chest, before rushing just as quickly on her.
Her whole body burns, pulses, lives.
She opens her mouth to answer, when...
"IT'S ABOUT TIME!"
The two young people jump violently. Without letting go even for a fraction of a second, they quickly turn their heads towards the entrance to the office.
Her face flushed with alcohol, Alix stands a few steps from the doorway, smirking. Behind her, they can see Kim, hilarious, energetically restrained by Nino and Alya.
"ALIX! », Chloé yells, rushing into the room.
She firmly grabs the young woman by the arm and leads her outside, under the dumbfounded gaze of Marinette and Adrien.
"I know you can be a pain in the ass when you want," Chloé storms to the attention of the intruder, she pushes unceremoniously into the hallway, "but don't feel obligated to demonstrate. And you !", she continues, pointing an accusing finger in the direction of her two friends. "You better keep doing what you were doing!" "
Without adding another word, she leaves the room and slams the door.
Bewildered, Adrien and Marinette remain motionless for a moment. Then, coming out of his torpor, Adrien slowly turns his head towards his partner. Marinette's cheeks now have a scarlet colour reminiscent of that of her old mask, their passionate kisses have reddened her lips and a few tears still pearl on her long eyelashes.
With infinite delicacy, Adrien puts a hand along the young woman's face. He gently runs his thumb over the skin of her cheek, erasing the wet trails that still appear there.
Marinette lets him do it without saying a word and, suddenly, the corners of her lips curve upwards. Slowly, at first, as if she was suppressing a smile. Then more and more frankly, as her resistance weakens. Her shoulders jerk lightly, and an uncontrollable chuckle escapes her mouth.
When she looks up at Adrien, her eyes sparkle with barely contained joy.
Then, suddenly, she bursts into laughter.
A frank, clear laugh, the sound of which makes Adrien's heart leap happily.
A contagious laugh, which reaches the young man in barely a fraction of a second.
For long minutes, Marinette and Adrien can do nothing but laugh. Still in each other's arms, they giggle, gasp, struggle to catch their breath.
Then, after a while, they finally regain their composure.
Marinette wipes away a few tears that still linger at the corners of her eyes and Adrien dramatically puts a hand on his chest as he takes deep breaths. The tension that had reigned in the room moments earlier has dissipated, swept away by this welcome display of joy.
For the first time in a long time, both of them feel wonderfully light, as if an immense weight has been lifted from their chests.
For the first time in a long time, they finally breathe.
Arm still wrapped around Marinette's waist, Adrien lowers his face towards her. He looks at her cerulean eyes and a shy smile appears on his lips. The brief moment of serenity in which Adrien bathed slowly fades, as he starts to feel nervous again. A stinging blush spreads over his cheeks and his heart pounds loud, loud, so loud that he feels like he hears it echoing throughout the room.
Adrien lets out a fit of nervous cough, feverishly runs his fingers through his hair, then finally opens his mouth.
"So… what do you think of Chloé's suggestion?" He begins in a tense voice.
While Marinette raises an intrigued eyebrow, the young man continues.
"I-I mean... would you... would you be okay with that? That we keep doing it? », he specifies, pointing them both out with a gesture of the hand. "Well, not just it," he corrects, blushing, "Not just kissing. But... You... Do you want us to date?"
The young woman's eyes widen, while a silent "o" of surprise appears on her lips. Then, slowly, a smile shows on her face.
A dazzling smile of unconditional love.
Marinette stands on tiptoe, slips her arms around Adrien's neck, kisses him so tenderly that the young man has the impression of melting with happiness.
"Yes", she murmurs fervently, her lips brushing those of Adrien like a caress. "Yes, I want to date you. I don't want to leave you anymore. I love you, my kitty. "
It takes Adrien a few seconds to assimilate Marinette's answer. The words of the young woman slowly slip into his heart, into his soul. They illuminate everything in their path, chase away the few shadows that still lingered to leave only hope and incredulous joy.
Without Marinette's arms tightly wrapped around him, without the warmth of her body and the salty taste of her kisses that he still feels on his lips, Adrien could have believed himself a prisoner of the most wonderful of dreams.
A smile of absolute happiness on his face, he leans over to Marinette to kiss her tenderly.
"I will never leave you either, my Lady", he promises in a voice trembling with emotion. "I love you. "
He remains silent for a moment, savouring this unexpected moment of joy.
"I love you, my Lady", he repeats with delight, before placing a new kiss on Marinette's lips.
I love you.
And I won't leave you anymore.
*** THE END ***
Note :
This is the end!
I hope you liked this little story. Personally I'm glad I was able to translate it, it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time ! "Breathless" is a serie whom I'm particularly proud of so I'm very happy that it has an English version ^^.
Yes, a serie, not just a story.
I really like the universe of "Breathless". It contains a few themes that I have wanted to write about for a long time. On the other hand, there are certain that I wanted to talk about but that I did not address because I felt that they did not belong there. This fic was to focus only on the reunion between Marinette and Adrien.
So, from the beginning, "Breathless" was planned to have little side fics in addition to the main story.
- Under her skin : Adrien's reaction to Marinette's tattoo (1 chapter)
- Beyond the ocean : The events of "Breathless", but from Nino's and Chloé's point of vu e(6 chapters)
- Monday, 3pm : The events of "Breathless", but focused on Adrien and Gabriel relationship (5 chapters)
I have other fics that I may translate, but I have so many that I will probably never have the courage to do them all! (I have more than 30 completed MLB fanfics in French. In total, more than 150 chapters. That's way too much for me xD )
So, here are the summaries of some of my fics. Feel free to tell me if there are any that you want me to translate more than others. Everything is not here, but I think it's a good start x) :
- À coeur ouvert
If Marinette were to describe her life, she would call it "relatively normal". Apart from a few details, of course, like her secret identity and her role as a superheroine. But outside of that, nothing very extraordinary. Ladybug fights crime, and the girl under the mask lives her quiet student life. Well, until that fateful day.
51 chapters (ahah...), identity reveal, mature content, aged-up characters, angst with a happy ending
- A coeur defendant
Ladybug is not in love with Chat Noir. Not at all. And if she keeps kissing him, it's purely professional.
4 chapters, À coeur ouvert's prequel, aged-up characters, Ladybug/denial
- Nouvelle venue
Years go by and the super villains created by Hawkmoth are getting harder and harder to beat. It's time for the heroes to find a solution. It's time for them to get help.
5 chapters, identity reveal, alternate universe, aged-up characters
- Problèmes de couples
Marinette is single and everyone around her agrees that it is high time she finally date someone. With Adrien, for example. But will Marinette be receptive to the attempts of her relatives to interfere with her love life?
5 chapters, identity reveal, misunderstanding, aged-up characters, fake dating, social pressure
- Inquiétudes fraternelles
In the Agreste family, there is Adrien. And there is also Félix. His brother, who wants nothing more than a normal life and the happiness of his loved with the presence of the miraculous of a certain Chat Noir, things quickly take an unexpected turn.
29 chapters, alternate universe, brothers AU, written before season 3, identity reveal
- Parmi les dieux
The creature that Ladybug and Chat Noir faced was unlike any other adversary they had ever faced. She even resembled them so little that an agonizing thought gradually imposed itself on the two heroes.
What if this new enemy had nothing to do with Hawkmoth?
16 chapters, identity reveal, angst with a happy ending, time travel
- Pour cette fois
Alya has plans for Marinette's night out, and there's no point in arguing with Alya.
Even when the plan in question is to attend a party specially organized for singles. And what's more, a masked party.
8 chapters, identity reveal, mature content, aged-up characters
- Mauvais esprit
Ladybug may be an experienced heroine, sometimes things don't go as planned. Protecting Paris requires having to face unforeseen situations, to show alertness, superhuman reflexes...
And sometimes that also means having to cooperate with a… rather unusual partner.
3 chapters, identity reveal, humor
- Le royaume des ombres
Marinette carefully observes her fragile reflection in her mirror.
For months now, she has been fighting under the identity of Ladybug, and nothing in her appearance suggests the violence of the battles she must regularly fight to protect Paris. Only dark circles and her tired face betray the increasingly difficult consequences of her double life.
Her fabulous power heals the bodies, but leaves her the mind in pieces.
1 chapter, angst with a hopeful ending, identity reveal
- Un soir d'été
Marinette was comfortably installed on her sofa, in her small Parisian apartment. She distractedly watched TV while sipping a cold drink. A soft snore caught her attention, reminding her that she was not alone.
30 chapters, aged-up characters, alternate universe, no powers, slice of life