Author's note – And were back with the regular updates! Sorry for the cliff-hanger from last update, but way less lengthy than last time at least! I'm hoping to get this fic finished by the end of the year, so there will be more fluff to come! In the meantime… here's a little angst. xx
Ladybug grabbed onto Chat Noir's head and returned his kiss. She was right. His lips were soft, and plump, and everything she had imagined them to be. Her heart was racing, but she couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. Kissing Chat Noir was everything she dreamed it would be. It made her body turn to jelly, the kindness behind his kiss, and yet she felt passion too. Like he had been waiting his whole life just for this moment.
Chat Noir couldn't believe it. He was kissing Ladybug. And his Ladybug was kissing him back! He would be screaming and shouting it from the rooftops if that didn't involve his lips, which were currently occupied at the moment. He never wanted to stop kissing her, but he needed to know what she was thinking. He broke away from the kiss but didn't move far, resting his forehead against hers as they both tried to catch their breath.
"Oh," Ladybug squeaked, her heart racing.
Chat Noir couldn't help it, she was just so cute. His face turned into a huge grin.
"Oh is right," he replied, his hand stroking her arm, which had returned to her lap.
Ladybug raised her head so she could look into Chat Noir's eyes.
"You… love me?" She asked, as if she had imagined the last minute and a half.
Chat Noir chuckled, slightly, the blush creeping back.
"Yea, I do Ladybug."
"Oh." She said again, her eyes still locked on his.
Not really the response he was after, but she had just kissed him, so he used the momentum from that to keep pushing.
"Is that… a good 'oh,' or a bad 'oh'?" He asked, his nerves retuning in full force.
"I just… I didn't know." Ladybug replied. Her lips were slightly swollen from being kissed, and it just made Chat Noir want to kiss her even more. God, he was so lovesick he could burst.
"But now you do." Chat responded, not wanting to pressure his lady but also so incredibly desperate for a response. She had kissed him. That had to mean something, right?
"R-right." Ladybug replied, her hands moving to her lips. "Oh god, Chat, I'm sorry." Just then, he saw a tear slip down her face. Chat Noir's heart sank. He wasn't sure where this was coming from, but it couldn't be good if his lady was crying.
"Hey, no, it's okay Ladybug. No need to cry, what's the matter?"
"I just, I never realized you felt this way. I'm sorry, for not… And I shouldn't have kissed you Chat. That's not fair to you."
Chat Noir's heart was in his stomach. He didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. So, he simply stayed put, waiting for Ladybug to continue, stroking her hand as he did.
"I just… I like you Chat. I really do. I maybe even… But there's someone else."
Chat Noir couldn't breathe. This was it. He'd asked for this. He'd wanted to hear her real thoughts, and he'd gotten them.
"Oh."
He pulled his hands away from hers and turned his faces away, looking out towards Paris.
"I'm sorry, Chaton. I wish I could say something different, but I could never lie to you."
"It's alright m'lady. I understand."
They sat there, silently looking over Paris.
"Is it… you don't have to tell me, but, uh, is it that guy? From the other day?"
Ladybug blushed. She didn't need to respond. He knew.
"Well, I hope he knows how lucky he is. Anybody would be lucky to have you, Ladybug."
The tears coming from Ladybug's eyes continued. He reached up and brushed one away, stroking her face in the process.
"Thank you for understanding, chaton."
He only smiled in response. They sat in silence for a couple more minutes, Ladybug's blinks getting longer and longer. He smiled and chuckled, nudging her awake. "Come on m'lady, it's time for you to go get some rest."
Ladybug smiled, apologetically. "Yea, I suppose you're right." Ladybug stood up and Chat Noir joined her, standing at the edge. "But… are we alright Chat Noir?"
Chat Noir smiled through the pieces of his shattered heart. "Of course, Ladybug. We can't always get what we want. I just want you to be happy."
"I want you to be happy too, Chat. I mean it."
"I know. Now go and get some rest."
Ladybug paused, staring at him as if trying to read his mind. "Goodnight, Chat Noir."
"Goodnight, Ladybug."
And with that, Ladybug was off into the night, taking the pieces of his heart with her.
….
Once inside his bedroom, Adrian detransfromed and collapsed onto his bed. Once in the safety of his own room, he let the tears fall.
"Oh Adrian," Plagg responded, not sure what to say to soothe his holder's heart. "I'm sorry, if I hadn't-"
"It's alright Plagg," Adrian said through the tears. "It's better that I know."
"Right. I mean, hey, look on the bright side! At least now, you don't have to feel guilty about Marinette!"
Adrian moaned and pulled a pillow over his head. "I don't want to think about Marinette right now. She reminds me so much of Ladybug, it hurts too much right now."
This was not how it was supposed to go down. Either Ladybug would return Chat Noir's affections and they'd live happily ever after, or Adrian would finally go after Marinette and they would live happily ever after, Plagg would get all the cheese his belly could handle for being such a good matchmaker, his chosen would stop being so lovelorn all the time, and maybe he would actually be able to spend time with Tikki again…
But this development put a wrench in all that.
"What do you mean you don't want to think about Marinette? Just yesterday you were going to kiss her!"
"Yea, well, yesterday Ladybug hadn't kissed me, reminded me of all the reasons I fell in love with her in the first place, and then ripped my heart out and crushed it," Adrian replied through tears.
Plagg sighed and cuddled up to his holder.
"Yea, okay, I understand kid. Take all the time you need. I'm sure Marinette will understand."
Adrian fell asleep crying, and Plagg watched over him all night long.
…
The next morning, Adrian arrived at school and found Marinette waiting out front. He felt sick seeing her face. He wasn't sure if it was because she reminded him so much of Ladybug, or because he felt guilty for how he'd been treating her when he felt so strongly for Ladybug, or because he felt guilty for how strongly he felt for her, only to kiss Ladybug. Regardless of the answer, he didn't like the feeling.
He exited his car only to see Marinette smiling at him from the curb.
"Good morning, Marinette," he led, knowing he couldn't be rude. After all, Marinette was still his friend, regardless of how much it hurt to see her.
"Good morning Adrian! Uh, how did the photoshoot go yesterday?"
The photoshoot felt years away. "Oh, it was alright. How was school? Anything interesting happen yesterday?"
If he didn't know any better, he would've thought that Marinette looked guilty all of a sudden. But Marinette couldn't have anything to feel guilty about, so he brushed past it.
"No, nothing too interesting! Just a normal day!"
"Well, are you looking forward to the contest? Congratulations again on making it to the finals!"
Marinette blushed as the two of them walked into the classroom and took their seats. Adrian turned to face Marinette from his seat, awaiting her response as she got settled into her own.
"I'm honestly so thrilled. Who would've thought! Me! A finalist among students from across Paris! I have to say though, I'm pretty nervous too."
"Well, that's definitely natural. I'm sure you'll be great though."
Marinette's blush deepened, and she was about to respond when her best friend and potential new boyfriend walked in, giddy as all get out.
"Nino!" Adrian called out, and their moment was over.
Alya took the seat beside Marinette, leaned over and whispered, "Did my eyes deceive me when you walked in, or were you and Adrian having a normal conversation? "
Marinette elbowed her friend. "No, they did not deceive you and yes, we were. You know, it's been so much easier to talk to him lately."
"I'm so proud of you Mari," Alya responded, pleased for her friend.
"You know, I could ask the same thing about you and Nino! What is up over there?"
"Wanna grab lunch and we can fill each other in?" Alya said with a blush, obviously smitten with her new beau.
"Let's go to mine for some privacy," Marinette said, wiggling her eyebrows, causing her friend to giggle profusely."
While this conversation was occurring, a similar one was taking place one row down.
"So, is there a reason you and Alya and thick and thieves these days?" Adrian asked, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Yea, well, actually… there is."
"Nino! Since when?"
"Since a couple of days ago? I actually… I sort of thought I had a thing… for someone else," Nino started with a blush, throwing Adrian off. Nino had liked someone? And hadn't told him? How come?
"Wait, you had liked someone else?" Adrian said with a. whisper, knowing how delicate this was.
"Yea, I mean, I can maybe explain more… later… but anyway I had sort of thought I could ask Alya for advice. But then we ended up spending the whole day together and dude? She's amazing. If I had thought I'd liked this other girl, well it was nothing compared to Alya. I mean, it's so different, isn't it? When you actually get to know someone and see them for who they really are instead of what you thought they could be? Anyway, one thing led to another and… I sort of kissed her."
"Nino! Nice one!" Adrian replied, happy for his friend but stuck on his words. He didn't feel like he knew anyone like that. He thought he might be able to with Ladybug, but he didn't even know her real name. And he still didn't understand Marinette's odd behaviour. He realized he didn't know much of anything about either of the two girls he thought he had liked. Did that mean he didn't really like them at all? He was too heartbroken to think about this.
"Well man," Adrian continued, wiping all thoughts of Marinette and Ladybug from his brain, "I'm happy for you. You two deserve the best."
"Thanks dude," Nino replied with a huge grin.
"Maybe we can grab lunch and you can tell me everything?" Adrian offered.
Nino agreed, just as Madame Bustier was starting her lesson for the day. Adrian turned his attention back to his notes, and definitely didn't spend the entire class replaying his kiss with Ladybug. Definitely not that.
…
At lunch, Adrian and Nino grabbed a table while Alya and Marinette went back to Marinette's to debrief. Once Nino and Adrian were out of earshot of anyone else, Adrian turned to his friend.
"Okay, man, I'm dying here. You had a crush on someone else? Why didn't I know about it?"
Adrian was trying not to be hurt. He thought Nino was his best friend, that they could tell each other things. Was he not good enough for anyone these days?
"I'm sorry dude. You're right, I should have told you. I was just kind of… embarrassed."
"Well, I hope you know I'd never judge you Nino. I'd support you, no matter what!"
"Well, that's the thing…"
Adrian began to feel even more nervous. Why would Nino feel this way?
"The girl was Marinette, Adrian."
Adrian froze. "Oh, as in our classmate, Marinette?" As if there was more than one.
"I just, I sort of thought that maybe… you liked her too. Especially lately. You've been spending so much time together, and god I don't stand a chance against the Adrian Agreste."
"Nino, I had no idea. I never would've spent so much time with her if I thought-"
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you!"
Adrian blinked, even more lost. "I don't get it, if you liked her, I could've helped-"
"And put your own feelings aside for me. I know Adrian. Dude, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met, and I really appreciate all you've done for me, but I don't want you to stand in the way of you being happy. That's not fair for you or Mari, who can choose for herself who she wants to be with."
Adrian was surprised by how mature Nino was about all of this. If Nino had a crush on Ladybug, Adrian didn't think he would be nearly so gracious. Not that he had a crush on Marinette. Definitely not that.
"Wow, well, uh, thanks, I guess…" Adrian started, unsure of what to say.
"That's sort of why I wanted to talk with Alya. I was hoping she'd be able to help me throw you two together," Nino added, sheepishly.
"What? Nino!" Adrian replied, flustered. Why did Nino think all of this about Marinette and Adrian anyway?
"Well, sorry not sorry, because not only does it seem like you didn't even need the help, given how much time you spent together this weekend, but I also got to get to know Alya. And man, she is something. No offence to Mari or anything, I know you two are a thing-"
"Wait, hold up, you keep saying all this about Marinette and me. What are you talking about? I didn't even tell you about this weekend."
"Oh, right, well, Marinette told Alya, and Alya sort of told me, which is why I wanted to talk with you since we didn't really get to see each other yesterday. Sorry if it feels weird-"
Adrian sighed and leaned back against the wall behind him. "No, it's fine Nino. Makes sense that you and your girlfriend would talk."
"I mean, she's not my girlfriend…"
"She's not?" Adrian asked with a smirk.
"Well, not yet anyway," Nino retaliated with a smile.
"I'd suggest you lock that down before she gets away," Adrian responded, his own heart feeling hollow in his chest. "But I think you got the wrong idea, Nino. Marinette and I just hung out!"
Adrian tried to control the flush. I mean, he also almost kissed her, but Nino didn't need to know that part. Especially since he wouldn't be making the mistake of kissing anyone else again for quite some time, seeing what happened the last time.
"Uh huh, so you didn't go on two dates and then almost kiss her?" Nino replied, obviously not believing his friend.
"No! Marinette is… just a friend. I mean, it'd been nice getting to know her, but… I sort of like someone else."
"What? No way, now who's the one holding out? First of all, you're really telling me you don't have a thing for Marinette? And who's this mystery girl?"
"Someone… from work. But she doesn't feel the same way. Which is fine! I mean, whatever, it happens," "even if it breaks your heart," he thought to himself, "but I mean, it's still sort of fresh. Marinette is amazing, don't get me wrong, but if you weren't with Alya and still felt something for Marinette… I would tell you to go for it." Adrian ignored the flare of jealousy that burned with those words.
"Wow…" Nino started, unsure of where his intel had gone so wrong. He felt torn – his best friend was obviously hurting over some girl, but he also knew just how heartbroken Marinette was going to be. It was obvious how much she liked Adrian. "So, this girl, you know for sure she doesn't feel the same way?"
"Yea, pretty sure. I mean… I kissed her Nino."
"Woah! You did? And what happened?" Nino was on the edge of his seat.
"And she… she kissed me back. And it was amazing and wonderful and everything I dreamed that it would be."
Nino was lost. He felt like he was on a rollercoaster of Agreste information. "Wait, hold on, what's the problem then? It doesn't sound like she doesn't like you to me."
"That's what I thought too. Until she started crying."
"Oh no."
"Yea, that's also what I thought. Turns out, there's someone else."
Nino might not be entirely up to speed, but this much he understood. "Oh man, Adrian, I'm so sorry."
"It's whatever," Adrian replied, trying to force himself not to cry again. Especially in public, man that would be mortifying.
"It's not whatever, dude! She kissed you! Why would she do that if she didn't feel the same way?"
"I guess it's complicated. We are really close, I guess she didn't want to hurt me… I don't know. But I do know it's still a little fresh to be thinking about other girls."
"Right, of course man, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"I don't tell you," Adrian said with a. small smile. He knew he probably shouldn't be telling Nino all of this. This was his secret identity after all, it important that it remain secret. But he was glad to be able to talk about this with his best friend.
"Well, no more secrets!" Nino exclaimed, putting his arm around Adrian's shoulder in comradery. "From now on, I will tell you everything that happened between me and Alya and whatever else is going on in my heart. Scout's honour."
Adrian, feeling even worse than he felt before, put on a fake smile and lied through his teeth. "No more secrets."
Author's note – whomp whomp. So much for that kiss. Hopefully Marinette understands Adrian's sudden change of heart… guess we'll have to wait and see. xx