As far as school nights went, Marinette's had been a surprisingly relaxing one. She had been dreading patrol, but all that had disappeared as soon as Adrien hung up on her. At first, she had felt slightly guilty about leaving her partner to patrol the city on his own, but she'd quickly accepted that Adrien was fine with it, so she should be, too. Besides, it was nice to float around her bedroom, finishing a few things and listening to her playlist.

It was getting pretty dark outside, and Marinette decided to shower and change into her pajamas, eagerly anticipating a few more hours of relaxation. Maybe she could finish off that series she'd started a couple of months ago, or scroll through YouTube. The dark-haired girl climbed up to her bed and pulled her quilt and several large, comfy cushions off the bed, then climbed back down the ladder with her cozy pile. She wrapped herself in the quilt and arranged the pillows on her swivel chair before curling up on it and turning her attention to her computer.

As Marinette browsed through YouTube, deciding what to watch, there was a tapping noise from above her. She froze in her chair and glanced up, heart rate speeding up. She had no idea what could have made the noise, and it was honestly kind of terrifying. Swallowing, she rose from her chair, carefully shaking off her quilt wrapping. "Hello?" she said loudly.

The tapping came again, and this time Marinette could tell that whatever the thing was, it was tapping on the trapdoor. She prayed it wasn't an akuma, because those things could be downright creepy at night. "Hello?" she called again, shaking slightly. "Is anyone there?"

There was no reply, and Marinette bit her lip anxiously. This was how people died in horror movies, she told herself. Not that she was an avid watcher of horror movies. They tended to haunt her for months after she actually saw the movie, the young designer steered clear of them. Comedies were more her style. She blinked and tried to focus back on the situation at hand. She could climb up to her bed and open the trapdoor, because whatever was up there sure wasn't answering her. Or she could stay here and watch videos, because she was too terrified to open that trapdoor.

She stood on her carpet, tapping her foot and trying to decide what to do. Perhaps she could call for her parents to come up and check. Or maybe she shouldn't, because it could be an akuma. But wouldn't an akuma have busted its way in by now? Besides, the tapping had stopped. Maybe it was gone. Marinette chewed on her tongue, unsure. Suddenly, there was a loud chiming noise, which usually would have spooked Marinette, but instead relieved her. She padded softly over to her phone. A text from Adrien.

I'm on your roof. Sorry if I frightened you.

Relief crashed over Marinette, a soothing wave of calm. She didn't think she'd ever been so happy to hear that there was a person on her roof. The girl scrambled up her ladder and unlocked the trapdoor, poking her head out. A meter away from her face was Chat Noir's steel-tipped boot, reflecting the fairy lights that hung around Marinette's balcony. She raised her eyes up to his face and smiled at him. He smiled back, but there was something in his eyes that worried Marinette.

"Hi, kitty," she greeted, tucking a lock of raven hair behind her ear. "Want to come in?"

Chat Noir nodded. "Yes, please." There was definitely a hint of sadness about him; Marinette could hear it in his voice. "I'll just detransform, and then I'll be right with you, my lady." He winked at her, and she grinned, ducking back inside. There was a whoosh and a burst of green light, and then a messy-haired Adrien dropped onto the bed beside her, quickly followed by his kwami, who glanced at her before zooming off, leaving a faint scent of cheese behind him. Marinette supposed he was off to find Tikki, who was resting on her little bed.

"Sorry about that," said the boy in front of her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," said Marinette, waving her hand dismissively and conveniently forgetting how her heart rate had been skyrocketing. It was still beating kind of loudly, but that was probably because of just how cute Adrien looked with messy hair, and also because Adrien Agreste was sitting on her bed. "So, what's up? Not that I don't enjoy your company, but there must be a reason for this visit."

"How do you know that I didn't come just to hear your voice?" he teased.

The blue-eyed girl flushed lightly, her cheeks going the colour of her bedroom walls. "Yeah, right."

Adrien laughed. "While that is an excellent bonus, you're right. That isn't why I came to see you. Something happened on patrol, but I don't really want to talk about that now. There's some other stuff I want to discuss with you."

"Such as?" asked Marinette, although she was pretty sure she knew what he was talking about.

Adrien shrugged, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable. "Well, us. Our relationship. You know, that kind of stuff."

"Oh, right." Marinette went pink again, and Adrien's discomfort immediately changed to concern.

"Unless you don't want to talk about it," he added hastily. "We don't have to if you don't want to, or anything."

The girl shook her head firmly. "No, I do want to talk about it," she said. "It's just...I haven't done this before, and I'm kind of.. nervous?"

Adrien nodded. "I'm nervous, too. So, the first topic. What are we? Like, does our relationship have a title?"

"Well… I'm not sure. I would like to be your girlfriend…" Marinette glanced at Adrien shyly, blushing furiously. "But it's completely fine if you don't want that. I mean, I-"

Adrien put his finger over Marinette's mouth. "Shhh," he said, stopping her stammering. "I think we need to clear something up." He smiled at her, that angelically crooked yet adorable smile that Marinette had fallen in love with. "I love you, Marinette. A lot." He, too, was blushing. "You don't need to be scared, and second-guessing yourself. So, if I kiss you, will it calm you down?"

Marinette almost short-circuited. No, it would not calm her down, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from kissing Adrien. "Yes," she breathed.

He smiled at her and moved closer until they were both sitting cross-legged in front of each other. Then the blonde boy put his hands on Marinette's face, cupping it. She almost stopped breathing. He began to lean in, pausing halfway and waiting for her to close the gap.

Which she did, letting him angle her face and closing her eyes. Her first thought was that her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Her second was wondering what would happen if her parents came upstairs. And then she stopped thinking, and just kissed Adrien back. She put one hand on his back and the other in his hair, and for a few minutes, they lost themselves in the moment.

Marinette pulled away first, her breathing heavier than usual. Adrien watched her as she puffed, her cheeks no doubt bright pink. She didn't know what to say. What did you say after someone kissed you like that?

"How was that?" asked Adrien. Marinette looked up, half-expecting to see a smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face, something incredibly Chat Noir-ish. Much to her surprise, Adrien looked pretty nervous; scared, even, and Marinette felt herself relax.

"Amazing," she said, beaming at him as the fear on his face was replaced by a look of delight. "I- Thank you?"

Adrien laughed, hair glowing in the light of Marinette's lamp. "You were amazing, too," he complimented. "We might have to do this again." One of his green eyes winked at her, and the girl blushed.

"For- for sure," she squeaked, blissfully imagining Adrien kissing her again. "That would be great."

Adrien nodded, his head seemingly in the clouds too. Marinette was perfectly content to simply sit and just look at him, but remembered why he had come here, and knew it was up to her to bring him back down to earth. "Adrien?" she asked gently. "Should we, um, finish our conversation before it gets too late?"

He blinked at her, looking confused, but then his expression cleared. "Oh, yeah. That would be smart," he said. He gazed at Marinette thoughtfully. "Where were we up to, again?"

"Uh…." Marinette tried to think. "Oh, I know. You asked me what our relationship was, and I said, um…."

The model smiled at her. "Marinette, would you be my girlfriend?"

The dark-haired girl's jaw just about hit the mattress. "Are you serious?" she gasped. "Me?"

Adrien laughed in delight. "Yes, you! And not just because you're Ladybug, either," he said. "It's because you're Marinette, too. Never, ever think that I'm only seeing your superhero side."

"And the same applies to you," replied Marinette. "It's Adrien and Chat Noir. I didn't realize it before, but I do now."

"Even after all the stuff I put you through?"

She shrugged. "I guess I couldn't hate you for long."

The two teenagers laughed, and both knew that no matter what it took, this relationship was going to last.

And no one was going to break it.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette merged from her pile of quilts and cushions early the next morning, nearly beating her parents and surprising them as well. They knew better than anyone that their daughter was not a morning person, and it was a shock to them when a fully dressed Marinette bounded downstairs and announced that she was going for a walk, and would be back in half an hour.

Tom and Sabine glanced at each other, then back at the beaming girl. "Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?" asked Sabine worriedly.

"I feel great!" chirped Marinette. "Why?"

Her mother shrugged. "It's just unlike you to be up so early. But we're glad to see that you're happy. Enjoy your walk, honey."

"Thanks, Mama, Papa. I'll be back soon." The girl kissed her parent's cheeks and waltzed out the door, much to Tom and Sabine's amazement.

Marinette breathed in the crisp morning air, glad of her thick sweater; pink, of course. It was a little chilly, but looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, almost the kind of day you got in spring. That was good, because spring was just around the corner, and Marinette loved spring. The scent of flowers, the bright warmth of the world, the greenery, and the fashion. She adored spring fashion, because in her mind, the possibilities were endless. Sometimes it was cool, and perfect for jeans and a sweater, and sometimes it was warm, just right for a t-shirt and shorts.

Reluctantly, she shook the idea of spring out f her head. This walk was meant to clear her head and give her some time to think about last night. She and Adrien had made some decisions, and she needed to decide if they were right. They had also left one hanging in the air, unsure of what the right thing to do was. She needed to consider that, as well. First, she would think about what they had decided.

After a long discussion, Marinette and Adrien had decided that they were indeed boyfriend and girlfriend, and both were happy with that. Both of them thought it best not to make their relationship public while they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, but had thought that they should come clean to their family and friends. But not completely clean, because there was no way they could mention most of the things that had put them in a relationship. They came up with an elaborate story, well-rehearsed, to tell their family and friends.

The decision that they had left undecided was if they should ask their friends and family to keep the news to themselves or not. Marinette had brought up the idea, after remembering that Adrien was actually pretty famous, and was very popular with the paparazzi. That popularity would increase by a lot if they found out he had a girlfriend, and the pair were unsure if they wanted that. On one hand, it would be great publicity for Gabriel Agreste's business, and would also put Marinette and her designing work into the spotlight. On the other hand, Marinette didn't really want to be photographed and harassed every time she stepped out with her boyfriend, or even without him. She was firmly against letting the paparazzi know that she and Adrien were dating, and Adrien was too, for the most part. He just wasn't sure if his father would allow their relationship without some sort of gain for him.

After Adrien had said that, Marinette had immediately wanted to give Gabriel Agreste a piece of her mind. Yes, he was one of her idols, but he also sounded like a pretty terrible parent, even worse than she had originally thought. Couldn't he just let his son be happy?

Marinette frowned as she turned around to head home, suddenly remembering that there was one more thing she and her boyfriend hadn't talked about.

Why had he visited her last night in the first place?

MLBMLBMLB

Hi, everyone! Slightly longer today, and not a whole lot of action. I'm sorry about that, but since this is kind of a wrapping-up chapter, the next one might be the last. I don't really know, though. I stopped planning back in chapter eight, so that's probably why this fic is so out of whack. Thanks for all the reviews, and hope you have a good Friday (or whatever day it is in your country).