A/N:
No beta on this one. Please forgive grammar errors. I just wanted to post something this month, and my other story has one last scene that is not cooperating.
This was my original Ladynoir reveal. I seem to be incapable of writing purely fluffy Ladynoir. It always comes out a bit angsty. I feel like it's because I see Marinette being dragged into admitting her feelings for Chat Noir kicking and screaming. She clearly loves him. But I don't think she'd admit it to herself, let alone anyone else, and definitely NOT him. Not without being pushed to the edge first.
Maybe someday, I'll pull off a fluffy Ladynoir! Until then, please enjoy this angst to happy ending thing that I wrote.
Title: Just an Ordinary (Bad) Day
Marinette choked back a cry as her eyes landed on the black butterfly that fluttered towards her. She slid down to the ground, and pulled her knees to her chest. How had she sunk this low? Yeah, her day had sucked, but it was the suck of an ordinary bad day where everything seemed to go wrong.
But it shouldn't have been soul ending. Ladybug's responsibilities hadn't interrupted Marinette's life at all. Chloé hadn't been picking on or undermining her. Lila hadn't cornered her in the bathroom, and while her history teacher was probably irritated that she had run out of class, she wasn't facing a potential expulsion.
It was just an ordinary bad day.
Surely, not anything worthy of an akuma. Especially not an akuma for Ladybug.
Marinette should have been able to handle it. She always handled it. She just needed to breathe deeply and calm herself down.
And yet, the akuma fluttered ever closer.
"Marinette!" Tikki hissed. "You need to breathe."
Marinette choked off a sob, scuttled backwards on her butt away from the sparkling butterfly, and did as her kwami advised. She took long and even breaths, trying to soothe herself, but she was losing the battle. Her tears threatened to claw back up her throat anyway.
It had been an absolutely terrible day.
It had started with the nightmares. She hadn't been able to fall into slumber without tearing awake an hour later with her pajamas sticking to her sweat soaked form, struggling for air. On a bad night, Marinette didn't always remember the haunting images that plagued her attempts at rest, but she would tear awake with a pounding heart and crying eyes just the same.
But this night, the dreams were far too vivid. In some, she faced the concerned faces of her friends and family, but she didn't know their names. In another, she lived underground, living off rats after Hawkmoth's dystopian wish came to fruition in the form of iron-clad authoritarian rule. But the worst nightmare featured Chat Blanc's soulless blue eyes staring straight through her - never seeing his partner and friend. He hunted her through forests covered in winter white, or he threw her off the tallest building in Paris. And in the last one, he hadn't tried to hurt her at all.
No, he had tried to turn his cataclysmic power on himself.
He had been so alone. Died alone in a desolate world.
She hadn't been able to save him.
And after that, she had been unwilling to try again for sleep.
It felt like she hadn't slept at all. Her head existed in a fog with a dull ache between her temples. Her thoughts and motivation were even more sluggish than usual this morning. She wished that she could just sleep through one whole night just once this week. Was that too much to ask?
When she hadn't made it out of the bathroom quickly enough, her mother had been kind enough to leave a breakfast tray on her desk. Only, with a towel over her head as she was drying her hair, Marinette hadn't seen it. She had knocked the whole tray - strewn with eggs, toast, and coffee - over onto the floor when she stumbled past. It wouldn't have been a big deal except she had a project laid out on the floor. A pattern pinned in place that she hadn't cut out yet. The coffee alone no doubt ruined the fabric she had spent months saving up to buy.
Marinette fell to her knees in front of the disaster.
Her mother found her there still clad in only her towel, staring stoically over the lost project.
When thin warm arms wrapped around her, Marinette's started in surprise.
"Oh Marinette, I'm so sorry," her mother apologized. "I didn't mean to risk your project. I was trying to save you some time."
Marinette shook her head against her mother's chest. "It wasn't your fault," the teenager responded tonelessly. "I didn't see it."
"I can't promise anything," her mother soothed, as her hand rubbed warm circles along her back. "But I will try to save the fabric."
Marinette nodded, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes from the disaster. She didn't know what she was feeling, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. And it wasn't really about the fabric. It was about everything.
If Ladybug hadn't been needed last night, no doubt Marinette would have finished cutting the pieces out, and had the project tucked away safely.
If Marinette wasn't the Guardian, she would have had more time to earn more money to replace the loss, and she would have more time in general to recreate the now soggy patterns. More time to spend on the things that brought her joy.
As it was, Papillon had her up and running frantic at all times of day and night.
It wasn't fair.
"Marinette, I will clean this up," her mother assured her, still rubbing her back. "Do you think you could start getting ready for school again?"
Marinette stumbled to her feet, and began the usual mad dash to collect all her things before heading off to school.
She was only five minutes late by the time she ran out the door, with a ham and cheese quiche in her bag as a second attempt at sustenance. It wasn't until she had fallen into her usual seat beside her best friend that she realized she had forgotten her essay.
The essay that she had actually completed, proofread, edited, and printed out. The assignment was no doubt still laying in her printer's document tray on her desk in her room.
She let her head fall to the desk in frustration. Why did it have to be for Mendeliev? Any other teacher would have let her retrieve the paper during lunch and turn it in for full credit. But Mendeliev? While the science teacher was never very sympathetic with anyone, she had lost all patience with Marinette and her scatterbrained tendencies months ago.
Which is why Marinette's grade was in jeopardy. She could not afford this late penalty. Having to retake the course in summer school was the absolute last thing she needed to add onto her plate.
At the end of class she had asked anyway, but the stern science teacher glared down her nose. "We've already had this conversation, Marinette," she said coldly. "I've no interest in repeating it now."
Her head hung low, Marinette trudged into the hallway barely noticing the bustle of students around her. Until one of them crashed into her and icy cold swept across her front.
"Oh my god! Marinette!" Rose's shrill voice punctuated her shock. "I'm so sorry!"
"Marinette!" another voice crooned mockingly. "Finally found a fashion statement that suits your personality, I see!"
"Shut up, Chloé!" Alya barked already at her friend's side, trying to help wring out the dark liquid from Marinette's original shirt.
Marinette crumpled like paper on the spot. Hot tears sprang to her eyes, her throat closed up, and her chest felt tight.
Rose squeezed her hand, as tears sprang to her blue eyes. "Marinette," she sobbed. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was just running to meet Juleka. It was an accident. Please forgive me."
Marinette squeezed Rose's hand in return. "I-it's okay, Rose. I-I know it was an accident. Today… today, has just…" and she choked on the words.
"Ladies!" Damocles' voice barked across the courtyard. "Get to class!"
"But sir!" Alya objected. "Marinette needs to get cleaned up."
The principal eyed the three girls. "Marinette is fully capable of cleaning herself up in the restroom. You and Rose need to get to class."
Her friends glared daggers at the principal's disapproving frown, but eventually shouldered their bags, and turned towards class with sympathetic smiles and slumped shoulders
Suddenly, Marinette stood alone in the courtyard in her sopping wet blouse. She blinked her eyes furiously, beating back the tears that threatened to fall. When she could breathe easily again through the lump in her throat she picked up her bag, and made her way slowly to the bathroom.
But within the privacy of the tiny girl's bathroom, her emotions caught up with her again, and was soon weeping softly as she tried unsuccessfully to dab the coffee out of her pale pink shirt.
How much was too much, before a girl couldn't take it anymore?
She fought against the thought, and forced her breathing to slow until she could dam up the flow of tears. She could do this.
She was Ladybug.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Alya: Hey girl. I just received a slip to leave for a dentist appointment. I have to go. Are you going to be okay?
The words blurred for a second, before Marinette stubbornly wiped her eyes, and recentered her breathing all over again. Of course, she would be okay.
She was Ladybug.
She typed back a quick response assuring Alya that she would manage.
After she finished rinsing her shirt the best she could, and using a hand dryer to get it down to damp rather than soaking, she returned to class.
Marinette ducked under the teacher's disapproving gaze, and scrambled to her seat.
History proved to be particularly dreary that day. The teacher was just droning on and on. She would have had difficulty enough paying attention on a normal day. As it was, Marinette's emotional reserves were shot and with Alya gone for her appointment, and Adrien absent for who knew what, there was nothing there to distract her. Soon, she caught herself nodding off.
"Marinette!" Her teacher's sudden unexpected voice tore her from her unsanctioned nap. "If you stay awake in class, you might actually score higher than a D on the next exam."
And that was the straw she could not handle. Tears burst from her in uncontrolled torrents. Right in the middle of class. Consoling and judgemental comments alike had poured in around her.
She didn't wait for the teacher to call the class back to order. Instead, she bolted for the exit.
She had thought she could soothe herself in the privacy of the empty hallway, but instead she had found herself on the ground, backed into a corner on her butt, face to face with an akuma.
It honestly was almost pretty. Electric violet sparkled across the butterfly's black fluttering wings.
Some part of her wanted to reach out and touch it.
Because Marinette was sick of crying, tired of being the bigger person, and far too aware that her thin shoulders could not bear the weight of protecting an entire city from a terrorist indefinitely.
She had no fall back position. She was it! A sixteen year old girl. Who thought that was a good idea?
If she was going to lose someday anyway, why not today?
Tikki's bulbous form flew into her face and took up her entire field of vision.
"Marinette!" Tikki hissed. "You need to breathe," she added gently.
Marinette nodded, trying to follow those directions.
Because she couldn't be akumatized. No one would know Ladybug was out of commission. No one could bring out extra allies from the miracle box.
But her throat was tight and her chest felt hollow and she just wanted to curl up on herself and cry.
Chat Noir would have to face her alone.
The butterfly melted into her earrings. She felt them grow hot, but she couldn't move as the electric violet flooded her vision.
Hello, Lady Liberty.
His voice was cold, but booming. It seemed to scream from inside her own head. Her hands clutched either side of her face.
"Marinette!" Tikki yelled, but Marinette had to strain to hear her.
You bear a heavy load. Let me ease your burden by allowing you to let it all go. You can be free.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks. Marinette wanted to let go. She wanted to be free.
But Tikki was still screaming, and Marinette knew her kwami was the one she ought to be listening to. "Don't fight your feelings! If you fight them, they double down. Try to accept them. Forgive yourself, Marinette. Have patience and compassion for yourself. Please! Can you do that?"
Marinette nodded, but who was she nodding to? She didn't know.
I grant you the power to free everyone from the burdens they carry.
Marinette nodded again.
"Think of something that makes you feel safe and loved," the other voice interrupted urgently. "Something that makes you have hope! Go to that place on your mind, Marinette."
Her mind instantly flooded with visions of her partner.
Being tangled up with him in the string of her yoyo the first time they met. He hadn't been upset. He hadn't doubted her ability. He had been excited and wanted to know her name.
Him diving in front of her to take a hit only to instantly fade from existence. But he had smiled, just for a moment. Like he had died happy knowing he had protected her.
His infuriating smirk every time he managed to pull off a stupid joke at a ridiculous time or one up her in some ridiculous competition.
He gave her advice - patient and heartfelt - even when she was asking for advice about confessing to another boy.
His arms wrapped around her - solid and safe - after her biggest mistake that had cost her a mentor. His faith and trust in her had never waivered.
And suddenly, she was laughing through her tears.
She was in love with Chat Noir.
When had that even happened?
It didn't matter, but the revelation made one thing crystal clear: She couldn't be akumatized.
That would leave her partner alone.
And she would never do that to him.
Marinette gasped for air as the butterfly broke away. The akuma couldn't hold her. Not like this, not with the joy that flooded her form at the realization that she could be happy - that she could make her kitty happy.
The winged creature flapped away, and Marinette sagged to her knees. Her bones felt like jelly, but she was giggling hysterically.
The black butterfly flew away. Only once it was out of sight did it occur to her that she should have transformed and purified it.
But she hadn't been thinking at all, and now Ladybug was going to have to deal with an akuma.
She supposed that was better than Ladybug being the akuma.
Muffled screams pierced the silence, followed by the sound of a classroom door slamming open.
Marinette didn't move immediately. She remained huddled up on the floor unmotivated to get to her feet. Students evacuated from their rooms - some more orderly than others. Despite the chaos around her, Marinette remained unaffected by it.
Even an explosion rocking the ground beneath her legs still folded underneath her form, was not enough to bring her out of her funk. Paris could wait for five minutes.
"Well, look at you!" Chat Noir's booming voice echoed from the courtyard. "Aren't you a regular class act?"
Marinette was running for a safe spot to transform before she had made the conscious decision. While she was willing to make Paris wait, she couldn't leave her partner fighting for a second longer than necessary.
Not ever.
No matter how done she wanted to be with this day.
"M'lady!" He greeted happily when she landed beside him.
"What've we got?"
"Apparently a pop quiz burst this kid's bubble!" Her partner reported, his green vertical pupils never leaving their adversary. "Apparently he was angling for an A in Geometry."
She sighed. How mundane. "His teacher is the target?"
"Monsier Fontaine," he clarified.
She nodded. "Let's get this over with, kitty."
The akuma wasn't particularly dangerous, which wasn't surprising since she knew he hadn't been Hawkmoth's first choice.
But Ladybug was having trouble keeping her head in the game - she was still raw and shaky from too close a call. She stumbled through an easy dodge more than once. But Chat was always there hauling her to her feet or blocking the attack.
Once he had her upright and centered for the fourth time, she wasted no more time waiting for an opening and immediately called for her lucky charm.
A spotted frying pan fell into her hands. She blinked at the pan, her mind remaining stubbornly blank. She had no clue what to do with this!
"What amazing plan will you cook up next?" Chat grinned at her, his baton spinning in his hands blocking another blow.
She looked into his smiling eyes, and everything instantly fell into place. God, he always was exactly what she needed. Of course she had fallen in love with him.
The battle lasted another twenty-two seconds.
But when Chat Noir offered her a fist for their traditional victory fist bump, she knocked it aside and seized him in a hug instead.
He stiffened for a second, but then his tension fell away and his arms encircled protectively around her. "LB? Are you okay? I didn't think that battle was that hard. I certainly don't remember dying that time."
"Shut up!" she whispered into his chest as she clung to him.
His arms tightened around her. "As you wish, M'lady." His head leaned against her own and she stood there feeling the comfort of his solid warm frame holding her upright. They just stood there for several seconds. Everything was quiet. Then his chest was vibrating. Was he purring?
She hadn't known he could do that.
She nuzzled her cheek into his chest, closer to the soothing vibration.
"LB, are you okay?" he asked again.
She shook her head. "I just had a really bad day."
Her earrings beeped in warning, but she remained within his embrace.
He sighed and melted against her. "Who do I need to beat up?" he mumbled.
She giggled. "I'll text you my list."
"I'll take care of it by end of day tomorrow," he joked, his voice tickling her inner ear.
She knew he was joking, but she grinned anyway. He was always on her side, no questions asked.
"I need to talk to you somewhere private. Where do you think would be safe from prying eyes?"
He pulled away just an inch and searched her face intently. She had no idea what he saw, and she quickly found her gaze falling into her hands, a heated blush creeping out from under her mask.
"Do you remember that café we went to after patrol last week?"
She nodded.
"There's a deep balcony in the alleyway about three stories up. The building is closed for renovations, but the balcony is untouched.
"Perfect. Go recharge, and meet me there?" She requested.
"See you in ten, M'lady!"
Ladybug launched herself up out of the school's courtyard and onto Paris's rooftops. Her earrings beeped again. She ducked behind a chimney, and let the transformation fall. Tikki fell into her hands.
Tikki didn't take her offered cookie. Instead, the kwami flew up to Marinette's face and nuzzled her head into Marinette's cheek. "Are you okay, Marinette?"
Marinette leaned into the affectionate gesture. "I'm exhausted, Tikki. I feel raw and numb. But not as upset. Thank you, by the way. I would not have survived that without you."
"I'm always happy to support you. I am sad that it was necessary today."
Marinette stroked the top of her kwami's head. "I'm going to tell him who I am."
To her relief, Tikki didn't object. Instead, the kwami nodded. "I understand. But if you're emotionally done for today, just know you don't have to talk to Chat Noir right this second. It can wait until tomorrow or next patrol."
Marinette shook her head. "Today proved that not telling him is a potentially huge risk. I am not going to sleep again until I fix it. And plus, he deserves to know. He's wanted to know for so long." She trailed off for a moment as her feelings caught up with her all over again. "He's going to be so happy," she whispered, a tear slipped down her cheek even as she giggled.
"You love him?" Tikki asked with a soft smile.
"I don't even know when it happened!" Marinette exclaimed. "And that stupid cat is never going to let me live it down," she grumbled.
Tikki did a happy little dance in the air. "I'm happy for you, Marinette. You deserve to be happy."
"Thank you, Tikki. Now, let's go."
Tikki inhaled the cookie in two gulps. Marientte called for her transformation and launched herself into the skyline once again, her heart light even if butterflies fluttered in her stomach with nervous energy.
She arrived at their meeting place. He was already there sitting in a lotus position frowning into space. His expression brightened when he caught sight of her.
"Are you okay?" he asked for the third time, his eyes shining with concern.
And she found herself lost in his gaze - sincere and yet, incredibly open. How had she ever turned this boy down?
"I…" she trailed off, unable to find words. She just needed to say it. Why was she hesitating? This was going to make everything easier and he would be thrilled, wouldn't he? He had always wanted to know.
But he hadn't asked in a long time. Maybe he had moved on. Like she had asked him to.
She shook her head at herself. It didn't matter. She had been akumatized. This wasn't about what either of them felt. Not telling him was putting millions in danger every single day.
She found herself smiling.
"M'lady?"
She dropped down next to him, deep into the private balcony with walls on three sides. The balcony wasn't designed to have a view. She suspected its function was just to allow the inhabitants to be outside.
"Tikki, spots off," she whispered.
"Woah! What are you doing?" he demanded, turning his head away.
That wouldn't do. She took his face gently between her hands. He didn't resist as her skin tight suit peeled away in a ripple of pink light.
He just stared at her, his eyes wide in shock. "M-Marinette? But… I saw you… and L-ladybug."
"Fox miraculous," she explained.
"Ah," was all he managed to say, his beautiful green eyes wide with shock.
"I-is this okay?" she asked.
He blinked at her dumbly. "Uh, y-yes, of course it is, m'lady! More than okay! Just completely unexpected."
"You don't have to reciprocate," she told him.
He blanched. "Are you kidding me?! Plagg, cla-"
She pinched his lips closed with her bare hands. "No! Wait! Let's talk first. You can reveal yourself after if you still want to."
"But I…" he objected, his body tense and unmoving.
She covered his mouth again. "Please?"
He sagged against her hold. She didn't remove her hand until he nodded. "Whatever you need, M'lady Princess."
Every muscle in her body loosened at the new combined affectionate nickname. Princess. She was his princess. And his lady.
"Tikki?" Marinette called.
The kwami nodded.
"Spots on." And she let her magical energies wrap her once again in its protective warmth.
Chat's eyes were as wide as canyons as he watched her display. "Wow! That was… amazing. Your transformation is like a dance. You're so graceful. I mean… I knew that, but this is just like the epitome of..."
She covered her face with her gloved hands, trying to cover the heat she felt growing from the bottom of her mask. "Please, stop," she begged. How was she ever going to tell this boy what she needed to when he kept sending her thoughts and feelings scrambling in a million different directions with gushing praise?
He grinned. "I can't help it," he objected. "You're so amazing. I mean... I already knew that, but now…" he trailed off and really looked at her. "I've suspected you more than once. I just… But after kwami buster, I assumed it was just wishful thinking."
Her jaw dropped. "You wanted me to be her?"
He barked a laugh. "You have no idea."
Her blush bloomed from her cheeks to the very tips of her ears. But she didn't know what to say, and the silence stretched between them.
"So… uh…" his hand rubbed the back of his neck. "What changed your mind?"
She wrapped her arms around her stomach in an attempt to soothe herself - to assure herself that she hadn't truly become an akuma. She hadn't betrayed her duty or her partner in that low moment. "I just... I need you to know." It was all she managed to say before her throat seemed to snap closed, choking off everything else she needed to say.
"It must've been some bad day to convince you to go against the prime directive of superheroing," he offered, his voice gentle and soft.
And she laughed, but within seconds her mirth transformed into tears and she was finally crying, the sobs tearing through her.
His arms instantly wrapped around her. And she fell into his embrace and just let herself cry.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm right here," he soothed, his hands rubbing comforting circles on her back.
And she cried herself out. It was a good cry. A release of not just the day, but also of all the tension and stress she had carried for weeks, or maybe years, with no place to unburden herself.
Until today.
"What happened?" he asked when her cries had finally faded.
The question was thrilling. Amazing even because it occurred to her that for the first time since taking up the mantle of Ladybug, for the first time in years, she didn't have to filter anything.
"It's stupid really. Just a bunch of little things that all added up." And she told him all of it. About the nightmares, and she'd tell him about the reality of Chat Blanc soon. But for now, she stayed focused on the day. She spoke of her ruined fabric, her feelings that mishap had triggered about being Ladybug and the Guardian, about her blouse getting ruined, about her friends not being there in class, and her stupid stupid teachers wo just didn't understand that homework could never be her top priority. "And I could have handled all of it, I swear! It's just so hard on top of all of this. The akuma was the last straw."
"Akumas do have the worst timing," he commented.
She sighed. He didn't realize that she didn't mean the monster they just fought, but the raw little black butterfly.
"It was meant for me," she admitted softly. "It actually succeeded in melding with my earrings."
He turned rigid underneath her, suddenly as frozen as an ice sculpture.
Her grip around him tightened. "And you know what I was most angry about, Chaton?" she continued, determined to get all of it out. "I wasn't angry at Papillion. Not really. I was just upset that I couldn't let myself be akumatized. I'm the only person in Paris who isn't allowed to just say "fuck it" and let the butterfly take me. The only person who isn't allowed to have a bad day. I want to be able to have a bad day!"
"I want to be able to let myself be akumatized, and just be able to trust that Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of it. Why don't I get that?"
She pulled back just enough to see his face, and she was horrified to see the tear tracks down his cheeks.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"
His eyes landed on hers. "Whatever for?" he demanded.
"I didn't mean to make you cry," she admitted, brushing his tears away with her thumb. "I'm sorry that I'm so pathetic. That I wasn't strong enough."
He pulled back, and turned her so they were looking right at one another eye to eye. He had a hand on either one of her shoulders. She felt like he was staring directly into her soul, but she couldn't look away. She had never once seen him so serious.
"Buginette, I need you to hear me right now," he paused as if expecting her to object. When she didn't, he continued. "You are the strongest person I know. From what you said, I gather that you were able to throw off an akuma after it had gotten you."
She nodded confirmation.
"I've never known anyone to do that. I didn't know it was possible. Maybe someone has done it before. I guess I wouldn't have a way of knowing, but… I guess what I'm saying is that you're not pathetic. Not even close. You're so strong, and incredibly resilient. And I don't know how you've done everything you do as Ladybug and as Marinette for so long."
His eyes bored into hers, never once did he look away.
"And you're allowed to be human, Buginette. And this feels weird to say, but I want you to be able to have a bad day, too."
She laughed. And he smiled in response, touching his forehead to hers. His compelling green eyes filled up her whole vision.
"I'm sorry that you've felt so alone in holding the mantle of Ladybug. I'm sorry that I haven't been here in the way that you needed."
She shook her head. "That's not true! You've always been here. You've always given me what I needed even when I didn't realize. And me feeling alone was more my fault than yours," she insisted. "I'm the one that insisted on keeping our identities secret. I thought it was too dangerous to share our identities."
She pressed her lips together in thought.
"But when I was facing that akuma, I realized that not sharing is dangerous, too. That I've been keeping all my secrets in one basket. And while that makes them harder to lose, it also makes me more vulnerable. If I hadn't been able to fight off that akuma, you wouldn't have had any back up and you wouldn't have known that Ladybug wasn't coming."
"You'd likely be an absolutely terrible akuma," he commented. "I mean, you kick ass without anything boosting your skills. I'm going to have nightmares about akumanette now." His tone was light.
She stuck her tongue out at his teasing. He smirked.
She allowed the moment of silliness before growing solemn and serious once again. "Master Fu kept all his secrets in one basket and kept himself hidden for over a century. He told one person - me. And less than two years went by, and all it took was one stupid thoughtless mistake on my part and it all came toppling down!"
Chat squeezed her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. It's also easier for him to stay hidden and keep secrets when there aren't akumas out terrorizing the street every other day!"
"And I don't even know how to do this as well as him," she continued to rant as if he hadn't spoken. "And I am falling apart, Chaton." she broke into soft sobs again.
"Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "I'm right here. And now that I know who you are, I'm going to be so present and so supportive you're going to wish that you had never revealed your identity!"
She traced the curve of his jawline with two fingers. "In this moment, I really don't think I'm going to regret any of this."
"Thank you," he whispered.
Her eyebrows furrowed. "For?"
"For trusting me. I promise I will do everything in my power to protect you, your secret, and by extension, your loved ones."
She nuzzled further into him, her head resting on his collar bone. She didn't want to be caught crying again.
"I don't know if I'm worth your devotion, Chaton," she whispered.
His arms tightened around her waist. "Shhh! Don't say that. It's not true."
The tears flowed before she could stop them. "I-I don't know how… to be the Guardian," she confessed.
He only smiled. "You didn't know how to be Ladybug at first either. You rose to that challenge beautifully."
Her lips twisted into a displeased frown. "Only because I had such an amazing partner," she said emphatically.
"I only have ever followed your example," he told her. "You taught me to be a hero."
She laughed. This boy. He never stopped. "God, I love you."
Chat Noir looked like she had clubbed him with a two by four. His eyes were overblown, and his mouth open in a little 'o' of surprise.
She bit her lip, trying to assess his reaction because for once in his life he was being infuriatingly silent. "I meant it. It wasn't just a slip. I actually love you."
He blinked at her, unmoving.
"P-please say something," she begged.
"I… uh…"
She wilted at his hesitation. "I thought you'd be happy…"
He pulled her against his form, tucking her head under his chin. "Trust me, Bugaboo, I am over the moon! I'm not sure that this day could get any better honestly. I'm just also in shock and more than a bit confused."
She relaxed into his embrace, melting at how natural it felt to be held in his arms.
"Since when do you love me?" he asked, his voice barely louder than a gentle breeze.
"I think it's been a while now, but I realized it just today," she confided into his chest.
"How?"
"When we saw the akuma, Tikki told me to go to my happy place and I thought of you," she sat up and looked up at him then. "You're the only place anymore I feel safe and completely understood. And I don't know why I didn't see it sooner."
"What about your friends?" he whispered, his eyes swirling with an emotion she could not label.
"They're great. But they can't understand... and it's not like I can explain it to them."
"What about the boy you love?"
"I had to let him go."
"Why?"
She leaned up against him once again, her gaze falling to their feet. "I couldn't share all myself with him. And he doesn't need all my baggage. Plus, I think I already missed my chance. He's in love with someone else."
She could hear his frown. "How do you know?"
"He told me."
"He told you he was in love with someone else," he repeated, the disbelief clear in his voice.
"You don't believe me?"
"I find it hard to believe that he could love anyone else when he knows you."
She rolled her eyes. "He told me that the girl he loved didn't like his jokes, and since I was sitting right next to him in his fancy limo car when he said it, I knew he wasn't talking about me."
He went rigid underneath her. She jerked up, and searched his face. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing!" he said, turning his gaze away.
"Then why won't you look at me?"
He gaze swung back to her, his cheeks burning in the most beautiful pink. "I just find it impossible that he wasn't talking about you."
She gave him a flat look. "He definitely wasn't talking about me."
Chat's gloved hands cupped both sides of her face. "He was actually."
She was lost in his intense gaze.
"He just didn't know it was you," he whispered.
She stared at him for several seconds, but she shook herself and pulled away. "How would you know? You weren't there!" she objected.
His claws scratched at the back of his neck. Her eyes zeroed in on the action. It was familiar.
"I know you don't believe me, but It's true. He was talking about you," he insisted, looking right over at her. "You never have liked my jokes."
"That's not true! It's not the jokes that suck!" she objected. "Though they are a bit lame," she tacked on softly. "But it's the timing! Your timing sucks!"
And then her expression faded. Her eyebrows scrunched towards each other under the pressure of the mask. "Wait, a second. I have never liked your jokes?"
"Well, you definitely didn't like it when I pretended to be a wax model."
She felt her face go slack, her eyes overblown and gaping. "A-Adrien?" she whispered.
"Hi?" He gave her a self conscious little smile.
"H-hi," she managed back, her voice too high.
His whole face lit up in understanding. "Oh my god! You always stuttered around me because you liked me?"
Her cheeks burned hot.
"I was convinced forever that you didn't like me at all, or that I was intimidating somehow for being a fashion icon," he rambled.
"You were intimidating," she broke in. "You were so kind and genuine. And just… incredibly patient. I liked you so much. I was terrified of messing things up. Which I did constantly, because I am such a spaz."
His whole form softened, and he offered her the smallest most sincere smile and she gasped. Seriously, how had she never recognized him before this.
His hand slowly moved towards hers and he wove their fingers together, before touching his forehead to hers ever so gently. "Nothing has ever been messed up. You have always amazed me on both sides of the mask. I fell in love with Ladybug when she stood up to Hawkmoth on our first day on the job. I love the way her brain works and how her creative genius can find victory when she has almost nothing to work with."
"And I've always admired Marinette for the way she goes out of the way to make everyone feel welcome - even stray cats that land on her balcony, the way she expects others to do the right thing, and the way she stands up when someone else doesn't live up to those ideals. I love when her eyes get so big when she's nervous and I positively love the moments when she trips over her own feet."
She smacked him playfully, heat blazing from her neck to her ears. "Shut up! You do not!"
He laughed. "I do though! It gives me an excuse to touch her."
She went still, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Every time you trip, I get to catch you or offer you a hand to get back up. I love those moments, Marinette. I've always cherished them."
"Really?" She asked, her voice small, her eyes filling with emotion she could not define.
"Really," he assured.
She moved before she thought about it. She literally threw herself at him, and he barely caught her; he was so startled. But he did catch her. Because he always caught her. And that made it really easy to kiss him.
Her lips pressed against his. And she took satisfaction from the fact that he took him a second to react, that she had managed to catch him off guard.
But then he did respond and she didn't have the space for thought.
His hands cupped the base of her skull, cradling her whole head. His claws gently kneaded into her hair, sending tingles shooting down her neck and all the way down her spine. And his lips - they were so soft. As soft as a baby's newborn skin. He gently sucked in on her lower lip causing her to gasp. They were sharing the same breath. His tongue tentatively brushed past her lips and she met it with her own.
Unfortunately, she eventually needed to breathe again.
"I love you," she gasped against his mouth as she pulled away.
He smirked. "I told you that you'd fall for me eventually."
She shoved him playfully away when he cackled happily. But she was laughing too.
"What am I going to do with you?" she demanded.
He pulled her against him again, and kissed her chastely. "Love me forever, I hope." And then his expression grew serious. "Because I love you, Mari. I have since the day I met you."
She grinned and traced the side of his face with a knuckle. "Forever doesn't sound so bad," she admitted before kissing him again.
And it really didn't.
Even if he never let her hear the end of the fact that she had finally fallen for him despite her denials. Even if she had to put up with puns at the worst possible times. Even if he insisted on taking blow after blow for her.
If she was being honest, she didn't want to hear the end of it. She wanted him to tease her for forever and a day. She wanted to hear his stupid jokes. And she wanted to fight with him at her side.
Because that was who he was. And she loved him.
…
I've got three more reveals in the other three corners of the love square in the works! They're all at similar levels of development! So feel free to tell me which one you want me to focus on first! I'm trying to stay focused on two particular multi-chapter fics this year, but these reveals are how I write myself out of funks in those two works. Likely all three of them will be written at some point.
Ladrien: During a kwami swap, Plagg manipulates Marinette into heading over to Adrien's as Lady Noire to seduce him. (inspired by smut but will remain rated T... barely).
Adrinette: Established Adrinette relationship is having a lot of troubles because they both know the other is lying to them all the time about where they are, and they are struggling to trust one another. They get relationship advice from each other as Ladynoir. (drama)
Marichat: After discovering Nooroo in the kitchen of the mansion, Adrien comes to some startling and devastating conclusions. He runs away without thought, and ends up on a certain balcony that is an oasis in the desert of his spiraling thoughts. (hurt/comfort)
Reviews are love!
