A/N: This is by far the longest chapter I've written. Turns out that the past few months have stressed me out so much that once the main goal had been achieved, my adrenaline ran out and that mixed with hayfever lead to me falling slightly ill and burning out. This is not the first time it's happened, in fact it's the the third, but it's meant that I have not been able to concentrate on my work. So instead I spent the whole day writing this and watching Marvel movies. It took forever, but I love the ending. Also, you have no idea how hard it is to plan and describe a date in a city that I don't know! The last time I went to Paris was 11 years ago which is unbelievable. However, it does mean that I don't remember it at all. I did do a little research and I'm now fully aware that the Pont des Arts bridge does not have the love locks on it anymore, but they are still there in the show so I thought to hell with accuracy. It was the same with the ice cream and the desserts I described!

One last quick message, there will be at least one more chapter before the epilogues, I was writing this one and had a few more ideas that were not there when I wrote the authors note on the last chapter. It will be with you sometime this week.

And thank you so much to those who commented that I should keep writing, I have actually really enjoyed it even though this story is slightly different to how I originally imagined it. It's been alot of fun and a great stress reliever from the past few weeks!

Anyway, enjoy this massively long chapter that probably could have been two!

Chapter 8

*Adrien's POV*

The past week has probably been the best week of my life. Every morning I've been dropped off at the bakery to walk the extra 5 minutes to school with Marinette. The first day was hilarious when we walked into school hand in hand and the entire courtyard fell silent for a second only to break into cheers, originating from Alix and Kim.

That day did however end with Chloe being akumatized out of jealousy, which led to us working together as a couple for the first time. I didn't think it was possible for us to be even more in sync, but we managed to defeat heart hunter junior in record time. It was further proof that we really are better together

Unfortunately, my fathers definition of important photoshoots is very different from mine so my schedule was still insanely full and Marinette wasn't able to make it to any as she had to help her parents and had some very important guardian duties. But we spoke every night on the phone and saw each other on patrols that may have taken a turn away from the pg 13!

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday, the day of Marinette and I's big date. I'd managed to keep the night free from modelling duties and convince Gorilla to drop us to the restaurant and then leave us alone until we were ready to go home. I had the perfect night planned, dinner and then a multitude of surprises that I hope she'll like. I had to make this night special, it's had an insane build up! Plus, it's been quite fun to watch Marinette get increasingly more desperate to get the truth out of me! Lunch today was filled with random guesses, all of which were wrong!

As I was choosing my clothes, Natalie knocked on the door and came in, causing Plagg to quickly hide.

"Everything is confirmed for later. You really have planned a special night. Why did you pick that restaurant though?" Natalie asked.

"Thanks! Oh that's an inside joke. You won't get it, but Marinette will and that's the most important thing!" I replied.

"Well my curiosity has peaked! I won't dig though, you both deserve your own things without having to explain them to me!"

"Yeah, I couldn't even if I wanted to, it's very complex. Hey, seeing as you're here, which shirt should I wear?" I held up a sapphire blue shirt and a cobalt blue one, both matching the scarf that I gave Marinette and complimenting the blue scarf that she gave me.

"Hmmm, they literally look very similar, but you're lucky that my eye has been trained by your father and can tell the difference! I say the cobalt one, it compliments the scarf that he gave you for your birthday better," she chose.

"Thanks, that's the one I was going to choose as well."

"No problem. I'll leave you to get ready. By the way, Gorilla will be ready to take you to pick up Marinette at 5, he's just dropping a couple things off at the studio for Monday's photoshoot. Oh and your father told me to tell you that you can take this weekend off again, he knows you have a school project to do."

"Wow Natalie. Tell him thanks for me!"

Natalie then walked out of my room, shutting the door behind her. Plagg then flew out of his cheese cabinet, looking at me questioningly.

"That was awfully nice of your dad. Since when did you asking him for anything go well?" Plagg asked.

"Hmm. You're right. It's ok. I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Although I have an idea on how to test my luck," I said, coming up with a plan that would normally make him go ballistic. I'll talk to Marinette about it later.

*Marinette's POV*

I'm very excited. I have no clue what Adrien has planned, which is driving me crazy, but nevertheless, I'm sure that it will be an amazing night. I mean, after all, if this week is anything to go by, then it will be. Luckily, I know exactly what I'm wearing so I can focus on finishing Adrien's gift. I decided that I was going to make him the matching hoodie to my subtle Ladybug and Cat Noir one, except with an extra personal touch. It's been a push to finish it with how busy my week has been, but I only have the little finishing touch left to do on the inside of the left cuff, a little 'I LB'. I also decided to embroider a little 'I CN' on the inside of my cuff to match. It's honestly the least I can do to thank him for my gorgeous scarf and anything that he has planned for tonight.

I was so busy working that I nearly missed my phone ringing. It was Alya, probably checking to see if I'm ready. Damn, it;s half past 4 and I haven't even showered yet. I quickly answered the phone.

"Hey Alya, I'm just about to hop into the shower now!" I hastily spoke into the phone.

"Good job I rang you then! I'm guessing that you only just realised the time!" Alya laughed.

"You may be right. Thanks for the call but is there anything else? I really do need to get ready."

"No nothing else, just making sure that you were going to be ready on time. Adrien has a beautiful night planned and I'd hate for you to ruin it by running late as you normally are!"

"Haha very funny, but that's part of my charm! Wait, you know where Adrien's taking me? Where? And how come you know?

"Oh for no reason! Go get ready and have fun!"

"Wait Alya! What does Adrien have planned!" I shouted down the phone. But I was too late, Alya had already hung up. Oh I'm so going to get that girl back for keeping this secret!

The next half an hour was a blur of makeup, clothes and wrapping paper, but it was worth it. I was actually ready on time. I was wearing a light blue dress that I made a few months ago, paired with clear tights and strappy blue heels. I then grabbed a black belted dress coat, along with the scarf that Adrien got me to wear today. Lastly, I pulled out a small blue bag, similar to my everyday one, for Tikki to reside in for the night. After picking up the gift bag for Adrien, I made sure that the kwami's were ok and walked down the stairs to find Adrien waiting for me at the bottom, talking to my mum. He looked stunning in his cobalt shirt. He was holding his black coat and the scarf that I gave him all those years ago over his arm. We inadvertently matched perfectly.

My mum noticed me walking down the stairs and nodded towards me, prompting Adrien to look my way. His jaw physically dropped, making me laugh.

"That dress," he stumbled, starting to sound like I used to around him. "I stand by my previous statement, you really are talented!"

"Thank you! I don't believe how well we managed to coordinate!" I said as I climbed the last few tests, accepting Adrien's outstretched hand.

"You both really do fit together so well!" my mum said. "Now, have a great night and be home by midnight, which I'm guessing you will be, seeing as it's only half past 5!"

"Don't worry Mrs Cheng! I have a lot planned, but starting early was the idea, especially as I have to be on my way home by midnight as well" Adrien said to my mum.

"Ok. Well I'll let you go know," she replied.

"Thanks Mum. See you later. Don't wait up if your not busy, you get up really early in the morning, I'd hate for you to be really tired while making morning pastries," I told my mum.

"Ok, thanks for the consideration honey," she laughed.

"Right. Come on Mari, we have to get to the restaurant by 6:15," Adrien said, helping me put my coat on and then guiding me out to the car. Once we stepped out of the door, he grabbed my hand and walked me over to the car, opening the door for me when we got there. Before I got in, Adrien used our entwined hands and spun me into his chest, planting a sweet tender kiss on my lips.

"What was that for?" I asked him, my head still buzzing with blissful oblivion.

"No reason. I wanted to kiss you inside, but felt awkward doing so in front of your mum," he replied, letting go of my hand to allow me to get into the car.

"Good decision. So where are we going?" I asked as he slid into the car next to me.

"I'll give you a hint. Alya recommended this restaurant to me last week while you were obliterating Nino at Ultimate Mecca (?) strike. She found it by accident about a month ago," he laughed as he nodded to Gorilla, signifying that we were ready to leave.

"Ahhhh, that's why she knew! I guess I can wait another few minutes to find out!"

"Well you won't have to wait too long, we'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Cool."

The 10 minute car journey was spent talking and catching up on our days seeing as we hadn't had much time to talk today. Eventually, the car slowed down to a stop, allowing Adrien and I to jump out. He then grabbed my hand again and started leading us along the pavement, in the direction that I assume the restaurant is.

"Ok, the restaurant is just around this corner, but I want to warn you that it's not exactly a fancy restaurant! It's supposed to be really good, but there is definitely a joke element to coming here," Adrien said as we came to a stop.

"I'm nervous now and feel like we're both slightly overdressed," I replied

"Don't worry, you look beautiful." He flashed his radiant smile at me and then guided me around the corner, pointing me directly at the restaurant.

I could not stop the laughter. On the other side of the road was a Ladybug and Cat Noir themed restaurant. It had massive flashing red and green lights along with action statues of the 2 of us as our superhero alter egos by the door. It seemed to be a lot like the Rainforest Cafe but with us as the theme.

"Oh Adrien you goof! Only you could have brought us here! This is brilliant! I love you so much!" I said through tears of laughter.

"I love you too! And I really hope you like it," he replied.

"Oh I do! Thank you so much." I reached up to place a chaste kiss on his lips before he held out his arm for me to wrap mine around.

The meal really was amazing. Surprisingly, the food was very good and the atmosphere was so much fun. There were many families who had come but also a few couples, basking in the joy and love emanating from the walls. We also got our pictures taken with 'Ladybug and Cat Noir' which truly was an experience!

*Adrien's POV*

I'm so glad that Marinette enjoyed the restaurant. There was a nagging part of my brain that worried that she wouldn't, but years of knowing her as my partner and best friend quashed those thoughts and allowed me to go through with this crazy idea.

While we were waiting for dessert, Mari picked up the gift bag that she had brought with her from the floor and placed it on the table in front of me.

"What's this," I asked.

"Well, it's a couple things really, a thank you for the scarf, a thank you for planning this night and something to celebrate one week of being together," she replied, a nervous smile gracing her beautiful face. "Go on, open it!"

I reached into the bag and pulled out a soft package neatly wrapped in a multicolored paper and gently peeled the tape to neatly unwrap it. Inside was a replica of the hoodie that Marinette was wearing the other day.

"Wow Marinette, this is amazing, thank you so much," I said, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips to place a kiss on her knuckles.

"Your welcome. There's something else though. Look inside the left cuff."

I unfolded the hoodie and looked inside to see 'I LB' embroidered in red.

"That's so cool, I love it, and of course I love LB as well," I laughed.

"And LB loves you too. I also added a little 'I love CN' on my hoodie. Now they are perfectly matching.

"You're so clever. I love that we've been together for 1 week and are already so comfortable in our relationship."

"I love that too. So… what else do you have planned for tonight?'

"Well, after this we're going to take a riverside walk down to Pont des Arts and then catcha rickshaw down to the trocadero, where I believe Andre is tonight. Then I have one last surprise for you which I won't divulge now."

"You must have been so busy this week to have planned all this!"

"Slightly, but honestly, it wasn't hard. I wanted to give you a night to remember which made all this planning so easy and a lot of fun."

"Well you are the absolute best, and if the first half of the evening is anything to go by, the rest of it will be a night to remember."

"I hope so because I truly do love you so much and you fully deserve a night off from your work and hectic life." I held onto her hands from the other side of the table, looking into her bright blue eyes. Of course at that moment the waiter came over with dessert, breaking the spell that we had over each other. I realise we are probably going to get ice cream from Andre later on, but this restaurant had some really cute Ladybug and Cat Noir themed desserts that were too hard to pass up on. Marinette had ordered a Matcha and Strawberry yin yang cheesecake and I got some themed profiteroles. We ended up sharing as both our desserts were absolutely delicious.

*Marinette's POV*

I'm really glad that Adrien liked the hoodie and the inscription on it. And I can tell how elated he is that I have been enjoying myself tonight.

The walk along the Seine was so calm and relaxing in the moonlight. I had my hands wrapped around Adrien's left arm as we slowly made our way to Pont des Arts. Once we arrived, we sat down on a bench and watched the peaceful river flow underneath us. After about 5 minutes of this, Adrien reached into his coat and pulled out two padlocks, one was green while the other was pink.

"I thought that we could participate in the tradition and place two padlocks on this bridge, one for Marinette and Adrien and the other as Ladybug and Cat Noir. The latter will be our secret and slightly more hidden as it will be fun to see if anyone finds it and suspects Ladybug of finally giving in to Cat Noir's charms!" Adrien said. I playfully wacked him on the arm before replying.

"You're an idiot you know! But I love that idea. Do you have a pen?"

"Yes I do. Here."

I neatly wrote one the pink padlock AA and MDC and then handed the pen to Adrien to write LB and CN on the green one. We hid the LB and CN one underneath a bunch of locks in the centre of the bridge, trying to make it look inconspicuous. The AA and MDC one was easier to place, but we did think it would be quite funny to lock it on the same bunch as the other, so we put it right in front, enjoying the irony and that only four people in the entire world would understand it.

As we were throwing the keys into the river, a rickshaw came up to the other side of the bridge, ready for us to take it to the trocadero, a bunch of flowers on the seat. From my vantage point, the bouquet looked as if it was made up of sunflowers, tulips, roses, violets, lotus flowers, tiger lillies and buttercups. That's when it hit me.

"I don't believe that I didn't see it earlier. The rickshaw, the trocadero, the flowers, this bridge, Andre, you're recreating operation secret garden!" I said, a blush of embarrassment crossing my face. "Who told you!"

"Well, Mylene, Alix, Juleka and Rose came up to me the other day and told me all about it, and many more of your efforts to try and confess your feelings to me. So I thought that a recreation of one that nearly worked may be fun!" Adrien laughed, taking my hand and guiding me towards the rickshaw, handing me the flowers before we sat. They were truly beautiful.

"Thank you, I love them."

The rickshaw ride was cold but Adrien had me pulled into his side for the entire ride.

"Oh Mari, before I forget, would you like to come over to mine to work on the project this weekend. Maybe you could stay over if it's a really long project?" Adrien whispered into my ear, the only way to properly hear someone in the wind.

"I'd love to, but are you sure? What about your father?"

"That's the thing. He's been acting really strange lately, ever since I told him about us, so I thought that I'd push the limits and see how much I could get away with. Plus I need to figure out what's happening and I could use your amazing problem solving skills to help."

"Ok. You're lucky you added the last part. I was about to get a little annoyed if you just wanted to use me to test your father. But I understand you wanting to know what's wrong with your father. But what makes you think there's something wrong?"

"He's not being as strict anymore. Sure, this week I've still had to do a ton of photoshoots, but Natalie told me earlier that he said I could have the weekend off again. Two weekends in a row. So that made me think that something really strange is happening."

"That is strange. Ok, I'll come over tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll be able to stay. I should be able to, my parents trust you and you live in one of the most secure mansions in Paris so I will be safe."

"That you will. Thank you though. Remember to bring your school stuff though, we will have to finish that project at some point!"

"I will, don't worry. I may have to bring the… you know what... as well which means that I need to create a travel case for it. I can't leave it unattended for an entire weekend."

"Ok, I'll find a hiding place for it at home. I have a lot in my unnecessarily large room."

"You do have an unnecessarily large room!"

As we pulled up to the Trocadero, we could hear Andre singing his sweetheart ice cream song, another part of operation secret garden that Adrien had got right, even though it's reversed! It was perfect. Adrien climbed out of the rickshaw, holding out his hand to help me down, leading me over to the ice cream cart. Andre looked up as we approached, his face breaking out into an unexpected smile.

"Marinette! Adrien! I don't believe my eyes. After years of trying to give you two hints with my ice cream, you've finally realised your feelings for each other!" Andre exclaimed as we looked at him in bewilderment.

"What hints Andre?" I asked.

"For you Marinette, peach and pistachio, resembling Adrien. For you Adrien, red like her lips and blueberry like her hair and eyes, resembling Marinette," Andre said, making everything click.

"I'm so sorry for not understanding sooner. And for causing you to be akumatised in the process," I apologised.

"It doesn't matter Marinette. I'm just glad that you two finally found each other." Andre smiled. "And here you are, strawberry for Marinette and mint for Adrien, together making an unlikely pairing at first glance but are in fact made for each other."

Adrien took the ice cream from Andre, handing him some cash, while I picked up 2 spoons.

"Thank you very much Andre," he said before pointing to a bench for us to sit and eat our treat. Andre was right, the strawberry and mint were made for each other, perfectly personifying our relationship. We finished our ice cream in silence, bothe of enjoying the flavour combination. Once we got the the end, I bit into the stem of the cone from one side while Adrien bit into the other side, lips meeting in the middle. We broke away, bursting into laughter at the awkward position. The laughter quickly died, as we looked into each other's eyes, both leaning in for a much deeper and desperate kiss, one of his hands cradled my face while the other latched around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I lost myself in his arms, forgetting that we were very much in public. We eventually broke apart for air, foreheads resting against each other as we caught our breath.

"We have one last stop before heading home," Adrien whispered before standing up and holding his hand out for me yet again. I took it and stood up as well, still a little light headed from our mind blowing kiss. We ended up walking to the base of the Eiffel Tower. Adrien, then turned to me and asked me to close my eyes while he sorted something out.

*Adrien's POV*

I didn't have much time. Marinette was standing right underneath the Eiffel Tower with her eyes closed. I quickly signalled to the guitarist to set up and Alya to lay the rose petals in a circle around Marinette.

"What are you doing?" Marinette asked.

"Give me one second. And keep your eyes closed!" I signalled to Alya to hurry up as she laid the last few petals before handing me a box and giving me a thumbs up. She then ran back to her hiding place, where it looked like Nino was waiting for her. He waved at me and also gave a thumbs up, pointing to a camera next to him. Of course he was going to film the entire thing, which I guess is a good thing, depending on Mari's reaction.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now," I said after I had stepped into position in front of her.

*Marinette's POV*

I opened my eyes to see the area underneath the Eiffel Tower covered in rose petals and fairy lights were hung around us, supported by poles. My eyes widened at the gorgeous sight, realising that Adrien had just pulled off the last part of Operation Secret Garden, the shower of rose petals. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes at the complete beauty of the scene and the thought that went behind it.

"What's all this?" I asked, a little choked up. He grabbed a hold of both of my hands.

"Marinette, I've loved Ladybug since the day that we got our Miraculous when you made that speech to the Hawkmoth head. I loved your strength and your confidence, not to mention that you take my breath away everytime I see you. I know that you've been afraid that I only love that side of you, but I'm telling you here and now that you have nothing to worry about. The same day that Cat Noir fell in love with Ladybug, Adrien made his first real friends, one of them the blue haired beauty that the only person he knew had been bullying. That day with the umbrella when you said that you fell in love with me, part of me also fell in love with you. You were the first person to make me laugh since my mother disappeared and that meant more to me then you'll never know. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to realise that

the strong feelings that I had when I was around you were feelings of love, but my only guess could be that I was blinded by the spots, until Ladybug rejected me for the 100th time saying that she was in love with someone else. At that moment I decided it was time to move on and unfortunately chose the wrong person. However, I don't regret that choice. Kagami made me realise that I have been head over heels in love with you, my shy clumsy selfless friend. However it took me too long to accept them because of my still very much present feeling for Ladybug. But the feelings were starting to intertwine in my head and I couldn't make sense of why that was happening until we accidentally revealed our identities and biggest secrets in that elevator. Everything clicked together. I wasn't in love with two girls, I was in love with the two sides of one, together making one amazing strong, brave, gorgeous woman. I love you so much Marinette Dupain Cheng, with my whole entire heart, from both sides of the mask."

The speech was so beautiful that the tears really did start to stream down my face. Then Adrien got down on one knee, causing an involuntary sharp intake of breath from me.

"Adrien, we're too young for this," I managed to get out, sparking a laugh from him.

"Don't worry, I know! I'm not proposing! Yet." he assured me. Although he could have fooled me. He held a little black box in front of him which he slowly opened to reveal a stunning ring. It had a plain white gold band which held a light blue sapphire in the middle of two infinity symbols. Two smaller pale green sapphire's were on either side of the infinity symbols, completing the design.

"This is a promise ring. It's a promise to you that I will one day propose and it's a promise to me that you will accept. It's a promise of a true commitment and that together we will defeat Hawkmoth and live happily ever after. I know you, you won't want to get married until the danger is gone and we can't be used against each other."

"You're right. It's why we have to be so careful with our relationship as our alter ego's."

"See, I told you that I know you. That's why I'm doing this now, so that we both know that we will always have each other's backs. So, what do you say?"

"I say yes, I love that idea. Plus how can I say no to this ring," I laughed through tears of joy. I leant down and kissed his beautiful face, pulling him up as I did. He took the ring out of the box and took my hands in his again.

"Which hand should I put this on?" he asked.

"Erm, put it on my right ring finger. I don't think either of us need the onslaught of questions if I wear it on my left hand!"

"You're absolutely right. By the way, both your parents have seen this ring and knew what I was planning. From what I gaged, they couldn't be happier." He held my right hand and gently placed the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly and looked absolutely gorgeous.

"I love it so much, it's perfect. This whole night has been perfect. I love you so much." I tilted my head upwards to give Adrien a soft kiss and then wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug.

"I love you too. You truly are the best thing to ever happen to me."

Just then, Gorilla pulled up in the car, ready to take us home. Adrien then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, walking us to the car.