A/N: This is a sequel of my other fic "Rhythms and Rainstorms" but you don't have to read that one to understand this story. This is inspired by a comment on Rhythms and Rainstorms by Agiani!
I'm just a huge sucker for Aged Up Domestic MariChat fluff but there's not a lot of those kinds of fics so I decided to write one myself.
Marinette was exhausted. She could barely stay upright on her sore feet as she walked over to her front door.
Fashion week was coming up in less than a month's time so the whole Gabriel office was chaotic and every single employee was frantic.
The only thing you'd see once you enter the building were flurries of fabric carried by rushing seamstresses, and stacks of paper in the arms of disheveled designers. Models and interns alike practically sprinted to get where they needed to go.
It was hectic. She got to chat with Adrien during her break and saw that he wasn't faring any better than she was. He had early morning photoshoots left and right.
"Honestly? The only thing getting me through the day is the thought of cuddling my girlfriend once she gets home," Adrien sighed wistfully over his coffee.
"I know what you mean. Opening my front door and being welcomed by my boyfriend is the highlight of my day," She confessed with a dreamy tone, thoughts already wandering back to the pun loving tomcat that held her heart.
Adrien smirked at her, "You still haven't told any of us who your boyfriend is, Mari. I'd love to know who captured my best friend's heart and who to beat up in case he broke it."
"You're one to talk Mister Model. You still haven't told us the identity of your mystery girl too, you know. Only that she's an angel on Earth that lights up your world with every smile," She recited in a mock rendition of his usual lovesick declarations for his girlfriend.
He only grinned at her as if he knew something she didn't.
She sighed heavily before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. They just need to get through Fashion Week and they can all get their well-earned rest.
There's always a lull after big fashion events and everyone is currently looking forward to it. She just hopes that Hawkmoth is going to be gracious enough not terrorize Paris during her well-deserved break.
He's been relatively quiet for the past few weeks which she's been grateful for. She would've gone completely insane if she had to deal with supervillains on top of meeting deadlines for her designs.
She took her keys out of her purse and shot Tikki a quick smile before opening the door. She was immediately welcomed by the sight of her superhero boyfriend taking a cat nap on her living room couch wearing his black hoodie and domino mask.
She kicked her shoes off as quietly as she could and let Tikki out of her purse. Her Kwami smiled at her before zipping off to go find Plagg who was surely lounging around somewhere in her apartment.
She deposited her things at the coffee table and smiled tenderly at her boyfriend's sleeping form, her heart overflowing with the love she had for him.
She always keeps her balcony door unlocked in case he wanted to pop in and visit her, so that's probably how he got in. Not that she has any complaints. He's been here almost everyday, patiently waiting for her to arrive from work.
It was nice and only served to make her fall in love with him more. The idea of someone she loves waiting for her to come home was endearing. During stressful workdays, only the thought of seeing him at the end of the day kept her going.
They've been dating for almost half a year now and she wouldn't exchange him for all the world's riches. He was everything she could ever ask for and so much more. She never even thought that she could be this happy and contented but here she is.
But he looked just about as tired as she was these days so she doesn't have the heart to wake him up. He seemed so comfortable under that patch of sunlight on her sofa.
She considered her options for a bit before coming to the decision that a nap with her cuddly cat boyfriend wouldn't hurt.
She silently tiptoed to her bedroom to change into comfier clothes first, slipping on her favorite sweater and a pair of sweatpants before coming out and walking towards the couch.
She carefully laid herself on top of her Kitty, their legs tangled together. Her head came to rest right on top of his heart and a blissful sigh slipped from her parted lips. This was where she belonged.
She was just about to let her eyes flutter shut when she felt Chat shift slightly underneath her, one of his arms came to wrap around her shoulder and the other cradled her head to his chest. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head in a lingering kiss, and a feeling of security immediately washed over her tired form.
"Welcome home, My Darling," He whispered against her hair.
She raised her head and peered up at his forest green gaze, framed by a black mask. A loving smile etched its way onto her lips.
His hair was more mussed up than usual and his clothes were rumpled. She could spot subtle signs of exhaustion here and there. His perfect Chat Noir smirk was no where to be seen, replaced instead by a small lopsided smile. He was far from the 'Dashing Superhero' all of Paris knew him as. He just looked like a nerdy dork. He was beautiful.
She scooted upwards to level her face with his and placed her palm on his chest for support, before dipping her head to capture his mouth with hers in a long kiss.
She smiled against his soft lips and pulled away, stars in her eyes and roses in her soul. Her heart shone like the sun with all the love it had for him.
"Love you," She murmured cutely before bashfully burying her face on the crook of his neck, as a soft pink hue started to develop on her cheeks.
She heard his breath catch and felt his heart pick up its pace beneath her fingertips. He groaned in slight embarrassment before nuzzling her hair with his cheek.
"You know that my heart can't handle it when you act all cute like that, Princess," He stated, voice small. "I love you too, more than words could ever express."
They stayed like that for a while before he broke the silence, "Tell me about your day, anything interesting happen?"
She just let out a small whine, the weight of her tiring day catching up to her again.
"That long of a day, huh?"
She simply hummed in confirmation, "The only relatively good thing about today was when I got to talk to my friend Adrien." Her response was muffled by his chest. His natural scent was divine.
If she were a normal girl, she wouldn't have noticed him stiffening a bit at hearing the name. But she was both his romantic partner and partner-in-crime. She was attuned to the nuances in his behavior.
She was quick to pull back and cup his cheeks as he leaned into her touch, eyes fluttering shut, "What's wrong?"
He shook his head to dispel her worries, "It's nothing.
He brows furrowed, "Don't tell me you're jealous of Adrien, Kitty? He's just a friend."
He grinned cryptically, "Trust me, Princess, me getting jealous over Adrien Agreste is a waste of time."
She searched his eyes for any trace of hurt and came up empty handed so she smirked playfully, "Yeah, you're right. I might have had a gigantic crush on him back in school but I've moved on since then. All because of a silly stray that swooped in and stole my heart like a cat burglar in the night."
She rubbed their noses together, aiming to fluster him. She saw him process her words before blushing a violent red and sputtering incoherently.
"I—you, what? You had a crush on Adrien Agreste?" He asked with wide eyes and beet red cheeks.
Whoa, she wanted to make him blush, but not this badly. She just nodded in slight confusion at the way he was acting.
"Yeah? I had a crush on him the size of Europe, I could barely form sentences around him. But you have nothing to worry about, Kitty. You're the only one that has my heart," She blinked up at him.
Adrien could only gape at his girlfriend in awe. This woman saw everything about him, each imperfection and each flaw, but still chose to love him twice.
He doesn't know what he did in a past life to deserve Marinette, but he'll be damned if he doesn't cherish her until his last breath.
He sat up, taking her with him and shifted so she could sit comfortably on his lap. He took her cheeks into his hands and kissed her like he was a dying man. He reveled in the softness of her lips as he poured all of his love into the kiss.
"Adrien Agreste was so incredibly stupid not to love you," He whispered again and again like a broken record against her supple lips.
Marinette broke the kiss while giggling, "Easy there tiger, Adrien wasn't required to reciprocate my feelings. Besides, it's you in my heart now, Kitty." She tapped his nose for emphasis.
He playfully huffed, "No, I'm not letting this go. He was lucky enough for My Princess to fall for him, but he didn't appreciate it? I am appalled at his audacity!" He threw his arms up dramatically.
She laughed at his antics, eyes twinkling with mirth. She was grinning from ear to ear as she leaned forward and brushed her lips with his.
"The Marinette Dupain-Cheng kissed his cheek and accepted his offer to dance—twice, mind you, and he still didn't feel indebted to her? The nerve!" He exclaimed as if he were scandalized.
When he didn't get a response, he turned to her only to find his Princess gaping at him while her eyes roamed his face in deep concentration.
He tilted his head questioningly, "Princess? You okay? Was it something I said?"
She didn't reply, instead she cupped his cheeks and gazed into his eyes as if she were searching for something.
She ran her free hand through his golden locks and he found himself leaning into her palm as she tried to comb his hair into a neater style.
She suddenly stopped and asked tentatively, "It's you isn't it?"
His gaze snapped to her at that.
"Adrien. You're Adrien Agreste," She stated plainly with no hesitation.
His eyes widened and his heart thrashed wildly inside his ribcage. He didn't know how to deny it. He didn't know if he wants to deny it.
He sighed in defeat before taking in a deep breath for courage. He reached up and took off his black mask, letting it fall on the couch.
"Hi." He gave her a soft smile.
"Hey," She breathed before gingerly cradling his cheeks and thumbing the areas which his mask usually covered.
"It's me, are you mad?" He asked.
She pulled him into a tight hug in response, "No! God no! I was terrified that maybe I was wrong. But it had to be you. Chat Noir couldn't have known about all of those things unless he was Adrien."
"So that's what gave me away." He chuckled.
"That and the fact that Adrien and Chat Noir are two of the most important people in my life. You're two wonderful people wrapped into one and my heart can't take it." She finished it with a teary giggle and he broke the hug to brush away her tears.
"Aww, don't cry, Princess. It's just me," He soothed.
"And that's why I'm crying. You're just the most amazing person I've ever met and I fell in love with you twice," She sniffed.
"Stop it, you're going to make me cry too. I love you so much, Marinette."
"I love you too, Silly Kitty."
He leaned in for a kiss but she suddenly backed away, placing a hand on his chest,
"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.
"Wait, I was the angel on Earth you kept talking about to me?" She smacked his arm lightly.
He just grinned cheekily in response.
Plagg suddenly appeared out of thin air, floating lazily while munching on a wedge of Camembert.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just enjoying the show. I'm sure what happens next would be just, delightful." The Kwami of Destruction smirked devilishly and shared a knowing smile with Marinette.
Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good.
"Princess? What is Plagg talking about?" He asked nervously.
Marinette grinned deviously which did not help his apprehensiveness, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Chaton. On a completely unrelated note, would you mind closing your eyes for your Princesse?"
She batted her eyelashes at him and because he was absolutely smitten and borderline whipped by his beautiful girlfriend, he obliged despite his suspicions.
She covered his eyes with her hand before pressing her lips to his and murmuring something that he didn't quite catch. He sighed blissfully into the kiss and let out an embarrassingly loud whimper when she broke the kiss.
His eyes fluttered open and he would've fallen off the couch in surprise had she not been sitting on his lap.
Ladybug beamed up at him, decked out in all of her spotted glory.
"Marinette, I—you're Ladybug?" Was the only discernable thing from his incoherent word soup.
Plagg cackled at his misery as she released her transformation. Tikki gave them a wave before dragging a snickering Plagg into the other room to give them some privacy.
Marinette looped her arms around his neck, playing with the short, curly hairs at his nape.
"B-but, Multimouse—! I was so sure I saw you two standing side by side!" He was so confused.
"I was wearing most of the Miraculouses that day, Chaton. Including the Fox Necklace. I made an illusion to throw you off my scent," She explained.
He shot her with a stern glare, "Marinette, merging Miraculouses is dangerous. You could've gotten seriously hurt."
She looked away, sheepish. "I know, I'm sorry, Kitty. It won't happen again."
He pulled her into an embrace, tucking her head under his chin.
"I'm so happy it's you," He said under his breath.
"I'm so glad it's you too," She whispered.
"We fell in love with each other multiple times in one lifetime. If that isn't a sign that we're purr-fect for one another, I don't know what is."
She laughed, "Yeah, you're right. We do make a purr-ty paw-some team and an even more a-meow-zing couple."
He sat there, stunned, "You...punned. Three times."
"I don't know what you're talking about," She dismissed innocently.
"This is the best day of my life. I can trade all of my nine lives for this."
"Well, you could. But we wouldn't be able to spend our whole lives together if you did that."
"Hold on," He paused. "This means that I can finally declare that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is my girlfriend from the rooftops, for all the world to hear."
She pulled back to boop his nose, "How about you do that tomorrow? Because right now, all I want to do is kiss my boyfriend without his mask in the way."
He didn't miss a beat before dipping down and capturing her lips, in their first kiss without secrets or walls between them.
Tomorrow they'll face the world. Tomorrow they'll deal with it all. But today it was just them. Two lovers, finally on the same beautiful page, ready to write the next chapter. Together.
A/N: Thank you so much for all the nice comments on my stories. They mean the world to me. I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for reading!