Chapter Four

Marinette shivered as she felt her transformation dropping, a flash of green and pink visible even through closed eyelids. Her hands rested inside of Chat's, which were no longer covered with familiar leather gloves. She ran her fingers across his palms, skin soft and uncalloused. The only sound around them was their breathing, which seemed to echo in the silence.

Eyes still closed, she took her hands out of his, reaching up in search of his face, running her fingers across his features. She traced where a mask usually sat, touching skin she had never seen, the tips of his hair tickling her fingers. She could feel that his eyes were still closed as she ran a thumb across them, before letting her hands cup his cheeks, his hands reaching up to cover hers.

"Come on!" a frustrated voice shouted, breaking the silence. "Just open your eyes already!"

"Plagg!" Tikki hissed. "This is their moment!"

"Why do humans have to make everything dramatic–"

His voice became muffled, and Marinette could easily picture Tikki tackling him midair, paw over his mouth. Beneath her fingers she could feel Chat shaking in silent laughter, a smile appearing on his face. His hands tightened around hers, taking in a small breath.

"Are you ready, My Lady?" he asked.

"No," she replied honestly, eyes still shut, earning a muffled protest from Plagg somewhere to her right. "But yes, let's do this."

"Not until you're ready," Chat said, sitting up a bit straighter. "We can wait here all day if we need to, but we aren't going anywhere until you want to do this."

"I do want to," she said softly. "It's just... this is going to change everything and... and..." she squeezed her eyes tighter. "I'm sorry. Please don't think I don't want to know, I do, I promise you I do."

"I'm nervous too," Chat admitted. "More than you possibly realize. But it's a good kind of nervous, you know? I've been wanting this for so long, and I can barely believe it's about to happen."

"Will you open your eyes first?"

She could hear him hesitating. "If... if that's what you want, but if you're not ready–"

"Open your eyes, Chaton," she ordered. He wanted to see her, and she wanted to see him– but what was holding her back was the small whispering doubts in the back of her mind. That if he saw who she was that somehow everything would completely change, even though she knew it wasn't true. The years they had spent together had created a bond stronger than anything, something that could never break.

She knew the moment he opened his eyes by the way he stiffened– fingers gripping her hands just a bit tighter as he took in a sharp breath. She bit her lip, instantly shifting as she knew his gaze was on her. His hands stayed firmly on hers, which were cupping his face. He gently tugged them away, clasping them between his palms instead.

"Marinette," he said in a hushed voice, and chills raced through her as he said her name. "Oh my kwami... Marinette."

Her heart skipped a beat, there being something different about the way he said her name. She swallowed, but was unable to read the emotion in his voice. Her mouth was dry as she spoke. "Is that... a good thing?"

"Marinette," he said again, pulling back slightly– not to get away from her, judging how he still tightly held her hands, but as if he were trying to get a better look at her. "It's you, I... oh wow..."

"Chat?" she asked, and despite her attempts she couldn't keep a waver out of her voice. Her being Marinette wasn't a bad thing, right? Tikki had said that Chat liked her civilian self, but did realizing she was Ladybug change that? What did he–?

"Don't worry, My Lady," he said, and she felt his thumb brush her cheek. "You are absolutely wonderful, just like I've always known. This though... this definitely is a surprise," he let out a small laugh. "A welcomed one though... Marinette," he tested her name again, and hummed. "You chose to get married on your birthday? I know we said sooner the better, but that didn't have to mean as soon as you turned eighteen."

He knew her birthday. Chat Noir knew her well enough to know her birthday– that proved that they knew each other personally as civilians. Her breath hitched, and despite the desperate curiosity in her she just could not bring herself to open her eyes. She heard Chat stepping closer, hand going to her waist.

"Please open your eyes, My Lady. I want you to see me."

His request was all she needed, eyes slowly fluttering open as he finished speaking. She lifted her gaze to look him in the eyes, and she saw just what she expected: a pair of bright green eyes, blond hair, that gentle smile that never failed to make her feel warm. However just who she saw was most definitely not who she had been expecting, her mind instantly reeling at the familiar figure that stood in front of her.

"...Adrien?"

Adrien's eyes sparkled. "Spot on, My Lady."

It was dizzying, seeing her good friend in front of her, but hearing that special nickname with Chat's voice– except for it wasn't just Chat Noir's voice anymore, because he still sounded exactly like Adrien. Her mind struggled to piece this information together, the magical glamour that had sheltered their identities for so long now shattered. Their voices had always been the same, but it was only now her mind was realizing it, able to link the similarities of Chat and Adrien.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered softly, just staring at him. Chat Noir... was Adrien. Her boyfriend had been in front of her this entire time, masquerading among her best friends. There was a look of hesitation in his gaze as she stared, and she closed her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

Someone she had seen before– that she had been prepared for. Someone that she was this close to though? Her entire world had just been flipped upside down. Her mind was already racing through every moment she could imagine, slowly realizing just how much sense this actually made. Adrien vanishing before Chat Noir appeared, the way he was always tired on the same day a midnight akuma attack, how he had so often been late to class despite being the perfect student.

"You have no idea how frustrating this has been!" Plagg said, having broken free from Tikki, darting in between the two of them. "First it was the stupid mutual pining, and could we say anything about it? No! In fact we had to encourage you guys to hide it because you were so often so close!"

"Plagg! Why can't you let them have their moment!" Tikki cried, darting after him, grabbing him by the tail, trying to drag him away.

"Heh, and here I thought I had crossed you off my 'possibly Ladybug' list," Adrien said, rubbing at the back of his neck. She couldn't help but jerk slightly, realizing how familiar the action was for both Chat and Adrien. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You are okay with it being me... right?"

You could hear the nervousness in his last question, and she quickly held up her hands. "What– of course I am! I'm just, well, surprised! Like you are– this entire time you were right there. Heh, we're pretty blind, aren't we?"

Adrien chuckled. "Here I was ditching your birthday celebration just to spend more time with you."

Her mind flicked back to their texts from last night, and how excited Adrien had seemed about today now made a lot more sense. "I'm interested to see what you got me for my birthday now."

His eyes widened. "No– I need to get you something else! The present I gave to Alya was for a friend– not suitable for my fiancee!"

Fiancee, there was a word they hadn't used much, even if that technically was what they were. The realization that Adrien was Chat Noir was still settling in, but the knowledge that she was about to marry him was now entering her mind. She let out a small laugh, before playfully pushing his chest.

"Nope," she replied, hand on her hip. "You got me that gift, and I'm going to be opening it. I'm interested to see what you chose to give me."

"But I didn't know it was you when I picked it out!" he whined, looking not even phased at the physical contact, which made Marinette's heart soar. The knowledge of who she was didn't seem to change a thing about the way he saw her, and as she looked at Adrien she found herself only seeing signs of Chat– his smile, his laugh, his expressions– it was all of the kitty she had known so well.

"Okay now all of that's settled let's move along," Plagg said, clapping his paws. "Wedding time, let's get you two married before something tries to mess this up."

"Plagg, that's not how this works!"

"I'm sick of waiting, Sugar Cube!"

"You know, it's actually pretty funny," Adrien said. "Back in collège there was a time where I thought for sure you could be Ladybug– with Kwami Buster, remember her?– after that fight I was convinced I was wrong... so what exactly happened?"

"I had all the kwamis with me," Marinette said with a shrug. "Including Trixx."

"An illusion," he muttered. "Okay, that makes a lot more sense. This also explains your 'secret mission' with Evillustrator, I spent ages trying to figure out what you were doing."

"I was thinking you would drop it after a week, I'm pretty sure you pestered me about that 'mission' for half a year!" she chuckled. "What was your excuse during Kwami Buster again? I know I thought for sure that you didn't go my– er– our school after that fight."

"Pretty sure I acted like I thought the teacher was from an elementary school or something," he said with a shrug. "I don't remember what I said exactly, to be honest."

"Gorizilla," she said after a moment. "I know I saw both of you then!"

Adrien grinned. "It's amazing what you can get a fan to do for you– even posing as you when you're being chased by a giant akumatized gorilla."

"You put a civilian in danger?"

"Hey– don't you think Hawk Moth would have been suspicious if the akuma's target just happened to vanish right before Chat Noir appeared? And that Chat Noir hadn't show up at all during the entire fight until then? Stack that with other instances where I was targeted by an akuma– Riposte, Style Queen, Runway Runaway– that little trick with Gorzilla may have been protecting my identity for some time now."

"True," Marinette relented after a moment. "It even fooled me all this time, even when Alya was on her 'I'm 90% sure Adrien is Chat Noir' rant. Ha, I talked her out of that one and I didn't even realize I was protecting your identity."

She couldn't help but flush slightly as she thought back on their days in collège, and how deeply she had fallen in love with Adrien, and how long it had taken her to move on. Move onto Chat Noir, which meant...

"Oh my gosh," Marinette muttered, covering her face. "I never actually got over you."

"Huh?" Adrien blinked, confused.

"My collège-crush, I had to get over him before I was able to realize my feelings for Chat Noir," she muttered, voice muffled by her hands, and Plagg started cackling. "I literally had been rejecting you for you– then moved on from you just to be with you!"

"It was quite a conundrum," Tikki said. "Both of you were in love with the other, but just with the opposite alter ego. It probably would have been an easier relationship if you had gotten together on the civilian side, but we're just glad that you actually did get together in the end."

"...The boy you were always going on about was me?"

"Yes," Marinette grumbled.

She looked up at him as he took this in, a smile slowly spreading over his face. His green eyes sparkled in a way that she knew meant trouble, and Adrien leaned in close to her, a huge grin on his face. "You had a crush on me."

She scowled slightly. "We've literally been dating for three years, that's bigger than any crush."

"Yes– but you actually had a crush on me back when you said you'd never fall for me," you could hear the glee in his voice.

"We're literally getting married today! Does any of that matter now?"

"You had a crush on me~" he sang, leaning in closer with a triumphant grin, and she shoved him away.

"You're such a dork!"

He struck a pose, running a hand through his hair. "I always told you I was irresistible without the mask. What do you know, Ladybug has always fallen for my charms– I knew it!"

"I demand a divorce."

"You'll have to wait until after we're married to do that, I'm afraid," his hand snaked out, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her flushed against him. She felt herself going red, and she had to remind herself that this was Chat as she was pressed up against. "If you still want to, that is."

"Well, I didn't get up early for nothing," she replied with a shrug, and she could feel him shaking with laughter.

"You made this dress yourself, right?" Adrien asked as they pulled apart, a hand touching one of her sleeves. "It looks really nice, especially on you."

"You look nice too," she said softly, looking at his outfit for the first time. He was wearing a black suit with a red dress shirt under his jacket. They definitely looked out of place in the old warehouse, their kwamis darting about their heads. "Oh! I have this for you, from my parents."

She dug into her purse, and fortunately that was where the box of pastries had ended up after she detransformed. It was still warm as she pulled it out, offering it to him. His eyes immediately lit up, snatching it right from her hands.

"Your family's cooking is the best!" he said happily, not even hesitating to stuff the food right into his mouth. Tikki zipped towards the box as well, snatching a macaroon from the box and eating it in a single bite.

"He was too nervous to eat breakfast this morning," Plagg said dryly. "Almost forgot to give me my cheese."

"I'll be sure to get you some cheese," Marinette assured him, watching as the black kwami crinkled his nose at the sweets in front of them. "Camembert, right?"

"Adrien, if you two aren't married in the next hour I'm leveling the city!" Plagg declared. "Enough of this mushy gushy stuff– let's get to this stupid courthouse already!"

"Alya's going to get a kick out of this," Adrien chuckled, already on his third pastry. "How many times has she tried to set us up now? Tried to drag us into a group hangout then calls it a double date?"

Marinette's eyes widened slightly. "Oh no."

"Huh?"

"Alya," she whispered, looking worried. "Alya... and everyone. They know you, they know me, we aren't strangers under the mask," she started pacing. "This was going to be hard enough to explain as it was, but now? How do we explain we've been in a secret relationship when we hang out so casually all the time? They'll want to know why we kept it secret from them– they're our best friends! They're going to have too many questions– more than I was prepared for."

"We can handle it."

"Have you forgotten that this is Alya we're dealing with?" Marinette cried. "She's going to hate us forever! We never keep secrets from each other, expect for the superhero stuff, but that's a given! She's going to get a new best friend and– stop laughing!"

"Sorry, m'lady," Adrien said, trying to force a chuckle down. "I'm not laughing at you, I swear," he hesitated, reaching out and grabbing a hand. "I was just laughing at how I didn't realize it was you sooner– Ladybug and Marinette both panic in the same way."

"We're dead," Marinette whispered. "Death by Alya."

He let Tikki take the rest of the box of pastries, making the kwami grin happily. She zipped away with the treats, shooting a glare at Plagg for him to follow– wanting their chosens to have a moment to themselves, to let them figure this out. The Black Cat rolled his eyes, but drifted after her. Adrien wrapped both hands around Marinette's, trying to calm her down.

"You and me against the world," he said firmly. "We'll get through this together, just like we always do. Besides, as scary as Alya's wrath is, I think we've faced more frightening threats," she was staring down at the ground, and he frowned slightly. "You are comfortable with me, right? With me being Adrien?"

She nodded. "I'm just... overwhelmed."

He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a small kiss against her knuckles, before looking at her. He seemed slightly hesitant, as if seeing if she was comfortable with such contact, and she smiled softly. Yes, she was still wrapping her head around the fact that Adrien was her Chat, but her feelings had not shifted. She loved him just as much as before, and they were both someone she deeply trusted.

He pressed another kiss to the back of her hand, then another against her wrist, before looking at her once more. When he once again saw she was completely at ease he stepped towards her, one hand going to her waist to pull their bodies flush. It was contact they often had as heroes, but without the mask it was new. Once again he waited, before softly pressing his lips against her, this time to the top of her head.

She closed her eyes, still and relaxing in his arms as he kissed her once more. On her forehead, on her nose, then softly on her check. Her face tingled wherever his lips touch, and when one of his kisses touched the corner of her mouth she was no longer content in waiting. She went up on her toes, pressing her lips against his, letting him know that nothing had changed between them. He was the man she loved, and the name he had behind the mask didn't matter.

"Can you save this for the honeymoon?" Plagg asked dryly.

"Plagg!" Tikki shrieked. "Why can't you let the kids have a moment alone?"

"We're their kwamis," he said with a shrug. "They forfeited the idea of 'alone' the moment they put on the Miraculouses," he looked down at both of them. "So? Are we going to get you two married or not?"

"This isn't something to rush, Plagg!"

"Sugar Cube, they're just doing the civil ceremony, I don't see how it's a big deal–"

"You what?!" Tikki sounded personally insulted at this. "Just because they aren't doing any other celebrations doesn't make this less important! This is their wedding, a union, a marriage! You cannot just downplay it like it's nothing!"

Plagg looked over at the two humans, Marinette holding back a laugh as Tikki ranted on. "Just say 'Claws out' already, kid, please."

"Plagg, claws out," Adrien said, fighting against a laugh himself, causing Plagg to be dragged into the ring. Tikki followed after him, still ranting about how important marriage was to humans and how it shouldn't be insulted, even as Adrien was transformed into Chat Noir, standing there awkwardly as the small red kwami rambled on to his ring. It wasn't until Marinette transformed that silence fell across them– though she could still feel Tikki's frustration surging through her.

"Shall we go, My Lady?" Chat Noir asked, going into an extravagant bow, and she placed her hand in his outstretched one.

Then hand in hand the two heroes exited the warehouse, leaping across rooftops and the streets. They moved quickly, not pausing for anyone that noticed them as they hurried across Paris.