It's been a long time since I updated but here I am with the next chapter and wow I really enjoyed doing the second half of this chapter and reading over it today. But anyways story time.
Disclaimer: Miraculous doesn't belong to me
Chapter 6: Adjusting
They were still atop the Eiffel Tower. The rain had ceased and Ladybug was still holding Cat Noir in her arms. He'd calmed down but she knew how defeated he still felt. She felt him sigh before he looked up at her.
"How am I supposed to face him? I can't go back home and pretend like everything is normal, I don't think I'll even be able to look at him." His breathing sped up and speaking quickly
"Hold on, Kitty. Just take a deep breath." She held his face between her hands
"Milady, I can't do this." He closed his eyes
"Yes you can and you have to. Your father can't know about any of this because as far as he knows Adrien doesn't know anything. But I won't let you go through this alone, call me as soon as you get back. I'll be with you the entire time if you want me to." She rested her forehead against his. He took a deep breath to calm himself but the knot in his stomach still remained. He stood up and she did as well.
"Thank you." He held her hand and squeezed it gently "Alright I think I'm ready to go back." He looked outwards to the city in the direction of his house. The two heroes took off and headed home for the night. They gave each other one last look before going in their separate directions to their respective homes.
Adrien landed back in his bedroom and dropped his transformation. His heart was still racing but he took a deep breath and walked to his door and look out into the hallway. All the lights were out, even in his father's study, it seemed that he was the only one still awake. He went back to his bed and laid down and grabbed his phone from under his pillow. He figured she'd be home by now as well.
Ladybug landed on her balcony and turned back into Marinette. She climbed down the ladder and sat on her bed thinking about everything that she'd just gone through with Cat. A few seconds later her phone started ringing and picked up immediately.
"You okay?" she started
"Yeah, I'm back in my room, everyone's asleep already but I don't think I'll be anytime soon. I just…hearing your voice calms me down, it feels like you're here with me. Could we just talk for a while?"
"Of course. Just don't fall asleep on me. I've actually got a question for you."
"Ask away." He stretched on his bed
"When did you first know that you were in love with me, well Ladybug me?" she was blushing
"Oh uh…well back when we first got our powers actually. The way you stood up to Hawk Moth when he tried to blame Ivan being Akumatised on you. That fire and confidence, you were so fearless, it gave me chills. I can't put it in words properly but I knew I loved whoever was behind the mask. The funny thing is that only after you revealed yourself as Ladybug did I realise that I've been in love with you the whole time."
"Wait, really?" she asked surprised at his revelation
"Yup, I feel kind of silly for being so oblivious but it's true."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, I only seriously believed you were in love with Ladybug when you came to my balcony and we kind of had that heart-to-heart, both of us pining for someone we thought we couldn't get. Little did we know…" she chuckled
"Yeah, were each other's pain and remedy that night."
"That reminds me, it was really sweet of you to cheer me up like that. You'd come to see me because you didn't want to be alone but you still went out of your way to make sure I was smiling again."
"You've always been special to me and I've loved all the times we spent together, like going to movies or the train ride to London and dancing together at Chloe's party. All those moments were unforgettable and then I found out you and Ladybug are the same person and my feelings are the same. I love all of you."
"That's just, you're just amazing you know that? And Cat Noir is a lot more sensitive than he lets on and I think it's beautiful and when we're at school I've always tried talking to you but I end up messing up in front of you." She sighed
"What's wrong, Marinette?"
"Sometimes it's just so hard to balance everything. Being a hero and having a school life as well, there's so much responsibility. Sometimes I feel like I can't be my true self. I can only be that fearless, confident person when I'm wearing my mask, when no one knows it's Marinette behind it. Don't get me wrong I love being Ladybug, wearing the mask and taking a break from my normal life, it's quite…"
"Freeing…" they said in unison and laughed
"I don't think it's that simple, about who the real you is. Ladybug is an extension of who you are, you put on a costume but that doesn't change you as a person. I've seen you be selfless, brave and heroic on a regular basis. You just need to believe in yourself, I do. Your true self isn't just in Ladybug or just in Marinette, you're perfect as you are. You're both of them."
"Thanks Adrien, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd be just fine. But I'll always be here for you."
"Don't sell yourself short, I mean it. Every time I've felt like I couldn't do my job, you always reassured and believed in me."
"Now it's my turn to ask you, when did you fall in love with me?"
"And I was hoping I avoided this question. After we'd defeated Stone-Heart and everything went back to normal. It was after school and we were the only ones at the entrance when it was raining."
"I remember that day" he thought of it fondly. When he'd finally made another friend.
"I was still mad because I thought you'd put the gum in my chair but then…" she laughed and looked up at her ceiling reminiscently "You told me the truth and you told me about yourself, how it was your first time at school then those negative feelings of mine just melted away. The way you turned to me and offered me your umbrella with that sweet smile of yours and your gorgeous green eyes—agh I probably sound so lame right now…" She covered her eyes with her arm, feeling embarrassed but smiling nonetheless
"You never sound lame, Marinette." He had the biggest smile on his face. He'd never heard anyone describe him like that before, the warmth and genuine care in her voice as she talked about him filled him with joy.
"It felt magical to me, my feelings were so instant. When our eyes met I felt something. I knew I'd fallen for you. And from that moment I stared fumbling my words around you." They both laughed
"That's okay, I'm pretty fluent in Marinette speak now." He teased
"Careful Adrien, your Car Noir is showing." She playfully rolled her eyes
"Is that such a bad thing, Milady?"
"It's never a bad thing, Kitty."
"Now I'm really wishing you were right here with me. I really want to kiss you right now." He admitted
"Save that thought for when we see each other again, it'll be our first kiss without our masks and costumes. Just you and me and I promise it'll be amazing." She said the last part slowly which made his heart beat a little faster, he didn't miss the hint of playfulness in her voice. She was messing with him.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" he asked cheekily
"I might be." She teased
Just then thunder boomed in the distance, it seemed like the storm was retuning for an encore.
"Good thing we left when we did otherwise we'd be caught in the rain again."
"I'd be perfectly happy with that as long as you're with me. Besides our first kiss happened in the rain so I wouldn't mind doing that again."
"Not to mention we became friends in the rain as well."
The two teens talked for a while longer and even during the mild rains. At some point Marinette noticed that Adrien had stopped answering and become quiet. She tried speaking to him but she could only hear his calm breathing.
"This Kitty fell asleep on me." She said fondly with a smile "Sweet dreams my prince, I love you." She suddenly turned serious "I'll always be here for you, I promise we'll get through this like we always have, like we always do…together." She then hung up the phone and got comfy in bed before falling asleep.
The next morning Adrien woke up feeling really good, last night's conversation really helped him feel a lot better. As he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom he remembered something that made him stop in his tracks. He didn't remember saying goodnight to Marinette or ending the phone call. And then it dawned on him. He totally fell asleep. He walked back to his bed to check his phone, one new text from Marinette. He'd read it when he was done showering.
Once showered and dressed he checked his phone and smiled when he read her text:
Have a good night's rest, sleeping beauty? 😉
Sorry, I don' remember falling asleep. I told you your voice relaxes me 😊
It's okay, we were basically done anyways. You free after your photoshoot?
I am, in fact why don't you come to the shoot? It's at the Pont des Arts in an hour.
Sure, I'll see you there.
Marinette put her phone in her bag and went downstairs to have breakfast with her parents. After eating she told them where she was headed and left for the bridge. On her way Alya had called her and almost freaked out when Marinette told her that she was on her way to Adrien's photoshoot.
As she arrived she saw Adrien walking into a small trailer to get his hair and makeup done. She smiled to herself and walked over, past the crew setting up for the photoshoot. She knocked and entered. Adrien sitting in the makeup chair immediately smiled seeing her reflection in the mirror. He asked the makeup artist if they could a few minutes alone together. She smiled knowingly and headed out. Once the door was closed, Marinette walked right over to him and couldn't contain her excitement to see him, he stood up from his chair and caught her just as she jumped into his arms and hugged him.
"Thanks for inviting me." She looked up at him still wrapped in his arms
"Of course, how could I not have my girlfriend with me." He looked down at her and tucked her hair behind her ears. She looked away shyly. "Something wrong?"
"No it's just, you called me your girlfriend, it makes me happy to hear you say that." She was blushing and buried her face in his chest
"And I couldn't be happier that you're my girlfriend, quite possibly the greatest girlfriend ever." His chin was resting on her head
"Think you've said girlfriend enough times yet?" she looked up at him slightly with a smile
"Maybe just one more time. I love my girlfriend." He kissed her forehead "And if you're my girlfriend then what does that make me?" he pulled away slightly so he could look her in the eyes
"I wonder…" she tapped her chin in fake contemplation
"Playing games again, I see." He laughed and picked her up and spun her, Marinette laughing in his arms.
"Okay okay, I'll stop teasing." She finished off laughing and put her arms around his neck "Adrien Agreste, you are my boyfriend who I love so so much." She kissed his cheek
"Now if I remember correctly you said I should wait until we see each other again for that kiss. Well here we are…"
"Right now?" she asked with a smirk
"You wanna wait until after?" he returned her smirk
"No I think we've waited long enough, don't you think?" she said as she leaned in
"You took the words right out of my mouth." He leaned in as well
Their eyes slowly closed as they leaned in further until their lips connected in a sweet kiss. It felt like time stood still for them. Marinette's one had was cupping his cheek while her other was intertwined in his, and his other hand was around her waist. Adrien felt lighter than air at that moment, kissing the girl he loved. His heart racing and his chest feeling full, he wondered what he did to deserve someone as amazing and kind and loving as her. The feeling of being so loved almost overwhelmed him but he was determined to give just as much of himself as she did.
When their beautiful first kiss, without their masks, ended they just looked into each other's eyes lovingly, Adrien putting his hand over hers that caressed his cheek, enjoying the warmth of it.
"I told you it would be amazing." She giggled
"Definitely worth the wait."
A few seconds later a knock on the interrupted them. Their alone time was up and reality called, time was moving once again and Adrien had work to do. They both walked out of the trailer together where the photoshoot was about to begin.
Two hours later the photoshoot had ended and Marinette had been sketching Adrien the entire time in the different accessories he'd worn throughout. Just as he was about to walk to her, his phone vibrated and he checked the message. Marinette saw his face fall.
"You have to go?" she sadly smiled
"Yeah, my father wants me home, he says it's urgent. I'm sorry." He looked at her apologetically
"It's fine really, if it's serious you should go." They both turned when they heard the hooting coming from the car, Adrien's bodyguard was waiting. "See you soon." She pecked him on the cheek and he surprised her with a quick kiss on the lips.
"Can't wait." He winked and headed to the car. He waved before getting inside, Marinette waved back with a smile and watched him leave before heading home herself.
The car pulled into the driveway and Adrien walked inside to find his father waiting for him at the top of the staircase, Nathalie stood next to him. Something must be wrong for his father to be waiting for him, usually he remains in his study all day. The only other time he'd done that was when Simon Says was after him.
"Father…"
"Adrien, I must speak to you. Come with me." He descended the stairs and walked to the next room, Nathalie keeping pace, Adrien followed. Gabriel walked to the portrait of his wife and looked at it for a moment before he ran his hands over it and his fingers stopped over specific points on the portrait and he pressed them. A platform in the floor opened beneath him. Adrien was completely surprised and gasped in shock.
"Father, what's going on?" he walked closer
"There's something you need to see, something you need to know finally." He remained calm and his expression neutral as he spoke. He glanced over at Nathalie and some unspoken communication occurred between them, Gabriel looked away first. Adrien wordlessly walked over and stood next to his father on the platform and jolted slightly when it started moving downwards. Adrien's heart started racing, where were they going? How long had this feature been in their house without his knowledge and, most importantly, what else was his father hiding from him?
As if it had been wiped from his memory, Adrien remembers that he knows his father is Hawk Moth and the dread he feels only gets worse. Did his father know he knew? Before he had the chance to drive himself crazy asking more questions, the darkness of the elevator suddenly opened up to a large room, dimly lit with lights all across in a single line, a single metal bridge leading to a small green garden and a white structure in the centre. The elevator stopped and the doors opened, his father walked out first and he followed close by him and looked around the room taking in as much as he could. The closer they got to the garden, Adrien could see small moving white wings fluttering around. Hs eyes widened, butterflies. He also noticed the large butterfly symbol at the end of the room. He had to put his hand on his chest to calm his breathing, he couldn't let his father see him so visibly shaken. His father hadn't noticed him stop to catch his breath, his heart beating faster. Calm down, Adrien.
He'd caught up to his father and made it to the garden and saw the white structure was a casket, a very fancy looking one at that. His father stood next to it, next to her and put his hand over the grey top covering the occupant. Gabriel lowered his head and removed his glasses, his shoulders slumped. Adrien had never seen his father like this before.
"Adrien…" his voice was so soft, almost a whisper. He walked over to his father until he was standing right next to him. "I've kept this from you for too long." He presses a button on the side of the casket and the grey lid opened to reveal clear glass, revealing who was inside.
Her long golden hair still in its usual style, her outfit the same as he remembered and her beautiful face, soft features unmoving as if asleep. Adrien took a few steps back. It couldn't be, it just couldn't.
"Mother…" his voice was choked up holding back tears
Oh heck no, things just ended on such a hectic note for Adrien, damn a whole cliffhanger, yup and this ending was totally unplanned. Honestly I planned on ending it sooner just after the photoshoot but then I was like wait actually and then this ending was born. Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you thought of this chapter and thank you to everyone who's been keeping up and reading.
Well that's it from me-
Until the next chapter:
Ketsui Tasogare :-)
