A/N: This was only ever meant to be a twoshot but I might write some codas or time stamps depending on how well this is received.

Chapter 2

They work brilliantly together, trading quips and sassing each other in between annihilating akuma and saving Paris. It's so entertaining that Adrien cannot remember another time in his life when he's been this ecstatic.

Every day when he's on a mission with his lady, he gleans just a little more of her personality, her likes and dislikes, her fears and desires. She's strong for sure but she also watches over Paris with such gentle eyes. (He wishes that she would look at him, only at him.) She utterly hates cold rain and revels in the sunshine. She detests peas but loves strawberries with reckless abandon. She smiles so stunningly that the world seems much brighter because of it.

Adrien respects that Ladybug wants to keep their civilian lives separate. He admires her adherence to keeping each other and their loved ones safe. But at the same time, it kills him inside that he cannot see his soulmate's real face. At night when he lies in bed, he imagines what she might look like without the mask. He pictures various scenarios where they bump into each other randomly on the Parisian streets while in their civilian clothes and they'll just know. There would be the initial surprise at first, then familiarity, perhaps an invitation to coffee. In his dreams, she returns his feelings and they live happily ever after.

On days where there are no patrols or akuma attacks, he counts the hours, minutes, and seconds until he can see her again.

He convinces himself that he is fortunate with this. He is content with being Ladybug's partner and friend. They spend nights together watching over Paris, fighting side by side like a well-oiled machine. They talk and laugh when they have a spare moment. He gets to know his soulmate which is more than most people can say.

They never talk about their soul marks. He isn't even certain if his Lady has one but surely she must. The universe would pick the most perfect soulmate for her, someone kind and clever and as resilient as she is. Someone not him.

The thought that someday, his lady might meet her soulmate causes a shard of pain to lace through his chest but he smiles and endures it. Because in the end, nothing would make him happier than seeing his lady happy. Until then, he tucks every interaction, every moment he spends with Ladybug in his heart and selfishly monopolizes her attention with his flirtations when he can.

He is happy with just this.

This is fine.

He gets to school with five minutes to spare and nearly collapses against a wall from exhaustion. Akuma attacks should be banned from early mornings. It had been particularly hard to wrangle an excuse for his early start in the day and on top of that, he had to fight an akuma and still make it to school on time. If they ever find out where Hawkmoth is hiding, Adrien is going to beat the man to a pulp with his baton. After he de-transforms, Plagg immediately dives for his school bag where he has a wheel of Camembert stashed. He can't even fault his kwami for his gluttony this time. All Adrien wants to do is curl up in his bed and maybe sleep for a week.

Above him, he catches a glimpse of scarlet and automatically follows the lithe form arcing over his head. Paris' heroine lands a couple of feet away from him, unaware of her hidden spectator. He presses himself closer to the wall, a scream bubbling in his throat.

What is Ladybug doing here? Unless…

Ladybug goes to his school? He can barely pick his jaw up from the floor but the next moment has him reeling in astonishment as his Lady de-transforms and Marinette Dupain-Cheng is standing in her place. Beside her is a red kwami who flies into her bag as she begins sprinting towards their classroom.

He brings a hand up to his face and soundly slaps himself. Nope, he's definitely awake. This isn't the product of his overly stressed mind and his sleepy stupor.

Marinette is Ladybug.

Marinette who is kind and sweet and tough…

And then it hits him.

Sweet heavens above, he's an idiot. He doesn't have time to contemplate his blindness though when the warning bell rings. Adrien rushes into class with only moments to spare. He doesn't realize he's shaking badly until he collapses into his seat like a doll with its strings cut.

"Is everything alright?" Nino asks worriedly, noting his furrowed brows and his pensive look.

"Y-Yeah," he stammers, trying his hardest not to turn around, "I-I'm fine."

"You're not usually this late to class," Nino replies, "And your face is kind of pale."

"O-Oh," he cups his cheeks protectively. Was he being that obvious? "I uh… just didn't get enough sleep last night. You know, homework and all." He laughs nervously.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" the voice of his Lady causes him to snap towards her.

Her ocean blue eyes, so similar to Ladybug's (how did he not notice this before?), are full of concern for him. For him. His pulse thrums in his ears. He could probably melt into a pile of Adrien goo right now from how elated he is.

"I-I'm fine," he tries to smile reassuringly but it must come out wonky because her concern only increases tenfold.

Adrien honestly doesn't know if he is grateful or disappointed when they can't speak anymore as the professor enters the classroom and begins her lesson.

The bell takes far too long to ring. By that time, Adrien is literally vibrating in his seat from nervous energy. All through class, he wants to turn around and just stare at Marinette, search for his Lady in his Princess' features.

He stands up abruptly, his chair making such a loud grating noise that half the class turns to him in annoyance but he doesn't notice. He only has eyes for Marinette who looks at him in trepidation.

"Come with me," Adrien says but there is a desperate plea in his tone.

The look of trepidation morphs into a look of complete embarrassed shock. The rest of the class bursts out into furious murmurs and whispers but Adrien could care less.

"Um… okay?" she responds warily, eyes darting to Alya for reassurance. Alya, bless her heart, flaps her hand in a shooing gesture at Marinette with an easy smile to Adrien. He smiles back in thanks as Marinette rises out of her chair in a more sedate manner.

At this point the entire class is staring at them in confusion but Adrien single-mindedly leads Marinette out of the classroom and to the gardens in the back. There is usually very little foot traffic during this time of day and he is banking on the fact that no one will disturb them while he works out the most mind-blowing revelation he's had since becoming a teenage superhero.

They stand in front of each other. Adrien has no idea what he's doing but he stares at Marinette like she'll suddenly transform into Ladybug.

"So," Marinette draws out the 'o'. She looks highly uncomfortable. "Are we going to stare at each other for the rest of lunch period?"

He doesn't know how he's going to broach the subject. He needs a gentle approach. Something non-confrontational to ease it into the conversation.

"You're Ladybug," he blurts out before mentally kicking himself in the face. Or his brain could just decide to go for the blunt method.

For a moment, nothing happens. They stare at each other for so long that Adrien starts to get the niggling feeling that maybe, just maybe he's made a gross miscalculation.

"Y-You have to be joking," she bursts into anxious laughter. Jesus Christ, Marinette really needs to work on her lying skills. The girl has such an awful poker face that it is a miracle that no one knows who she is. But then again, it has taken him this long to figure it out so she must have been doing something right. "T-There's no way I'm Ladybug! That's crazy talk! I mean, I'm shy and not at all that good at gymnastics…? N-Nothing like Ladybug!"

He blinks. There is no way he is wrong, "Yes, you are."

"N-No, I'm not," she retorts defensively, arms crossing over her chest. Her face is growing as red as her alter ego's costume.

"You are."

"Not."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Oh my God, we are getting nowhere!" Adrien throws his hands up into the air, laughter bordering on hysterical at the absurdity of the situation. He sighs, shoulders slumping forward before shaking himself off again. "Okay, let me try this again." He clears his throat and holds out his hand with the ring on it to her. "Hi, my name is Adrien Agreste and sometimes, I moonlight as a superhero in a catsuit while cracking hilarious cat puns."

He can physically see the cogs screeching to a halt in her head as recognition dawns.

"No way."

"Yes way," he sincerely hopes they're not going to go through this again. They'll be here all afternoon at this rate.

"This can't be happening!" she shrieks, covering her pinked cheeks with her hands, trying desperately to hide her embarrassment. He bites his lips; it's a cute look on her. Adrien can't help but wonder what else he can do to make her blush like that.

"I'm sorry to say but it kind of is, Princess," he attempts a teasing and lighthearted tone but the waver in his voice betrays him. Adrien remembers all the reveal scenarios he had played out in his head and waits nervously for her reaction.

"Oh no," Marinette wags her finger accusingly at him. "You are not allowed to call me that right now. Not while I'm having the meltdown of the century. You cannot tell me that the guy I have a crush on in school is the same guy who flirts with me once he suits up in a leather costume."

"You're taking this remarkably well, actually," he compliments earnestly.

"Believe me, the panic is all internal right now," she assures him, "Once I get back home, it'll be tears and freaking out while I throw things and whine to my kwami, the works."

"If it helps, you can punch me in the face," Adrien proposes graciously.

She stares at him incredulously. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know, it seems polite to offer since your first reaction was to throw something."

"Seriously, Chat Noir is…," she makes a face. "And you're..." She gestures wildly at him.

Adrien makes a face, "Okay, first: ouch. And second of all, we're the same person. Offense is seriously taken right now."

Her head is clutched between her hands but her eyes are sparkling with mirth so he counts that in his favor. At least she hasn't stormed off on him yet.

"Oh wow," she murmurs, finally wrapping her head around the idea, "So you're Chat Noir? My Chat Noir?"

"We've established that, yes," Adrien nods. She called him hers. His heart swells at the possessive language.

"My goofy partner who banters like it's going out of style?" Marinette confirms.

"Looks like it," Adrien spreads out his arms.

"The same partner that flirts with me when I wear a ladybug costume," Marinette says.

"Still friends?" he asks holding out his fist weakly.

She smiles hesitantly back and bumps her fist against his, "Still friends."

His shoulders slump forward in visible relief. His insides are hollowed out and Adrien doesn't realize he's practically coming apart at the seams.

"Would it be super awkward to ask for a hug right now?" he inquires hesitantly. He is completely drained, emotionally and physically. A slight breeze could knock him over at this point.

"Come here, you silly cat," she opens her arms and he falls into them gracelessly. "You can always have a hug. You don't ever have to ask."

She is a warm solid weight against him and he can't help but squeeze her tighter in his arms. Marinette, to her credit, returns his embrace and doesn't make a sound when he holds her longer than is sociably acceptable.

"They're not hilarious," Marinette abruptly says over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Your cat puns," she clarifies, "They're not funny. I just thought you should know."

Adrien smiles like she hasn't just told a bold-faced lie because his cat puns are on point, "Of course they aren't."

"They really aren't," she insists.

"Agree to disagree."

"We're good now, Plagg," Adrien says, lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling in peaceful contemplation.

"Are you?" Plagg asks and there is a note of pity in his voice. Adrien chooses to ignore it. "Are you really? You still haven't told her that you're her soulmate."

"I don't need to," he tells him with a soft smile.

They remain friends. He is so inordinately pleased to finally get it out there. Adrien will never admit this to Marinette but he had been secretly afraid that once they revealed their civilian identities, she would be disappointed and find him lacking in some way.

If anything, their relationship grows stronger.

Marinette is less of a stuttering mess around him. Apparently knowing that he is the exasperatingly flirtatious Chat Noir has taken some on the shine out of her idolizing infatuation. She still blushes a bright alluring red whenever their eyes meet and sometimes she stares at him with this look of wonder, like she can't believe they're laughing and joking around like long lost friends. In a way, they are.

Crime fighting becomes indefinitely smoother. They can make excuses for each other, claim to have projects at each other's houses when they need an easy out with parents or friends. They begin to hang out at each other's houses to talk battle strategy and rehash fights in between completing calculus homework. If he thought being Chat Noir was liberating, having someone to share the secret with is a thousand times better.

Adrien utterly loves this spitfire of a girl with her sharp tongue and even sharper wits. He loves the way her summer sky eyes sparkle with delight whenever he manages to crack a not-lame joke. He especially loves the way her brow crinkles when she's musing over a particularly difficult problem during their study sessions together. Adrien can't believe he almost missed out on having known this amazing person. He already knows Ladybug but talking to Marinette is like falling in love all over again.

He's surprised to find that sometimes he becomes the spluttering mess. In a middle of a conversation, he'll suddenly remember that this is Ladybug, this is his soulmate, and his tongue will feel like lead in his mouth. She flashes him that bright patient smile and he can't help but adore her so completely that he is almost sick with it.

Both of their friends are suspicious with their seemingly abrupt personality switch but he hardly notices. He gets to see his Princess and his Lady every day and for this, he is thankful.

Adrien has to constantly remind himself that he is content to remain her very best friend whenever he feels his heart race. He reminds himself of her soul mark and how she is destined for someone else.

He is happy with just this.

This is fine.

The sun is shining and he absolutely does not want this moment to end. They're lying in the grass behind the school, soaking up the warmth like two indolent cats. Alya had cited that she needed to work on the Ladyblog and Nino had gone home for lunch with his family, leaving Marinette and Adrien to decide to spend their lunch period lounging in the perfect weather.

They have been doing this more often now, spending time with just the two of them. More often than not, Marinette brings them pastries (something he's not allowed to have at home) from her family's bakery and he is able to wheedle out lunch from the family chef at home. They make a little picnic out of it during warmer days and then lounge in the sun, enjoying each other's company in amicable silence.

"Marinette, do you believe in soul marks?"

"Of course," she answers readily if a bit thrown off by his line of questioning, "I have one, don't I? What's not to believe about them?"

She doesn't get it but then again, he didn't expect her to. He's not sure if his late in life soul mark is a special case but he's definitely sure that he's never heard of anyone who got their soul mark after they were born.

"No, I mean, what if fate chose the wrong person for us?" Adrien tries again, "What if the person our soul mark points us to is totally incompatible personality wise?"

"Impossible," Marinette cuts in, mouth setting into a sharp determined line. The fervor of her tone startles him and he glances upside down at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think the universe would do that to us," Marinette continues just as passionately.

"How do you know that for sure though?" he presses, completely shaken by her faith. How wonderful it must be to be assured of the future.

"I just know," she says simply. He turns to her right then and really sees her.

She's watching him with such tender fondness that he does a double take. Something in his mind clicks into place.

No way. It can't be possible. No fucking way.

Adrien shoots up to his feet abruptly, staring at Marinette with something akin to astonishment.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asks worriedly, standing up and facing him.

"Can I see?" he gazes pointedly at her neck before green eyes flicker back up to her deeply confused face. "Please?" After a moment, realization dawns on her and she presses her hand on her soul mark protectively.

"Umm, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Marinette starts before she pauses and adds, "Also, I thought you didn't have a soul mark. Why do you want to see it?"

"I didn't before," Adrien stutters, tongue tripping over his words in his haste. Surely, he wouldn't be this lucky. "But now I do."

"Wait, what?" she shouts in absolute disbelief. Her eyes begin darting around his form, searching for his mark. Not that she'll find it. Ever since it turned black, he's taken extra pains to cover it well but that is not his focus right now.

"It kind of came with the mask. It was a recent development. Well, not really recent." He slaps a hand over his face to stop himself from spouting out more nonsense, and draws it down with an unsteady exhale of breath. "You know what, not important. Just please, show me?"

Marinette is eying him like he's grown a second head but reluctantly agrees, peeling off her jacket and setting it down on the grass next to her. She hooks the collar of her shirt with one finger and pulls it aside to show off her black mark.

Cool sketches, you're really talented! Do you want to become a fashion designer?

He recognizes those words, remembers their very first interaction during his first few days of school. He remembers the red that had suffused her face, the surprised shock on her features. He had assumed it was because of his family name and his prolific modeling career but now he realizes that she must have immediately known.

"You knew," his face twists in horror as his chest tightens like a vice. Oh God, what has he done to this poor girl, his soulmate?

"Yeah, I knew," she agrees almost inaudibly, head dipped down, peering at him through long eyelashes. "It turned black the day I met you. But I also knew you didn't have a mark so I knew it was one-sided from the beginning."

He doesn't realize he's trembling until Marinette reaches out to touch his shoulder in concern. He collapses onto his knees and she follows him down. Tears well in his eyes as guilt wracks his body, forcing him to wrap his arms around himself in a futile attempt to stop him from shaking.

"Oh God, Marinette," Adrien gasps out, his voice hushed and aching. "I-I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know. I didn't-I didn't-. You must hate me!"

"No!" Marinette, sweet selfless Marinette, automatically envelopes him tightly in her arms, "Stop… Don't be. It's not your fault."

The pain she must have felt, seeing him each and every day, knowing that her feelings would never be returned. How could he be so stupid? His heart breaks, shatters into a million pieces for her. It sends him into another round of gut-wrenching sobs, "I'm sorry. I-If I had known-I would've-I would've-… Oh God, I'm so so s-sorry."

He's babbling like a lost child at this point, absolutions falling from his lips in a rushed tumble to her feet.

"Adrien?" she asks worriedly but he cannot hear her, too lost in his own self-flagellation. "Calm down! Look to me, Adrien Agreste!" She delivers a sharp smack to his cheek that knocks him back into his senses and stops him cold. He stares at her with shocked green eyes as her own blue ones stare defiantly back like she's daring him. Gingerly, Adrien touches the stinging mark on his cheek. It hurt.

How did he not know that this storm of a girl was not Ladybug? Really it was a huge oversight on his part. She brings her hands up to his face and tilts his head up until they're staring at each other with laser like focus. Her eyes soften.

"Listen to me, Adrien," she begs, "Please, just listen to me, okay? You're my partner, even before we became Chat Noir and Ladybug. You're my best friend and the best fighter I know. There is no one I trust more than you. I'm here, I've got you."

Adrien's heart unclenches as he stares at her like she's hung the stars and the moon.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he sniffles rather unattractively, trying to wipe his messy face but he only manages to make it worse. Marinette doesn't seem to mind.

"You've found me, Adrien," she answers sweetly, "Show me yours?"

He brings the pad of his thumb to his tongue and then swipes away the concealer on his soul mark. At the sight of it, her blue eyes grow wide.

"Can I?" she asks, fingers hovering above his skin. Not trusting himself to speak coherently at this point, he merely nods.

The touch of her fingers is electric, sparking a sense of elation in his heart. It's good, and it hurts, and it makes him feel raw and exposed like a livewire.

"Oh," his soulmate breathes, eyes sparkling in pleasant wonder. "It's so beautiful."

Somehow he finds it in himself to burst into tears again. Oh God, he probably looks like a wreck right now but he can't bring it in himself to care anymore. This is everything he's ever wanted and never thought he could have but Marinette loves him back and he can hardly believe he's here.

"Come here, Adrien," Marinette orders quietly, pulling him to her until they're pressed together. She wraps her arms around his shoulder, cradles his head on her chest, and rocks them back and forth as he cries and cries and cries. "Shh, it's alright now. I'm right here. You found me, Adrien. You finally found me. Everything is going to be alright."

She murmurs encouragements into his hair while he soaks her shirt through with his ugly tears. He is utterly torn to pieces but has never felt more whole as he tightly grasps the back of her jacket and pulls her in impossibly closer.

"I found you," Adrien repeats whether to reassure himself or her, he doesn't really know at this point.

"Yes," she agrees, "You're so amazing."

"C-Can I kiss you?" he asks shyly. God, she looks so pretty. She's always been this pretty but under the warm sun and with acceptance in her eyes, she looks like she's glowing, his own personal sun.

"Of course," she answers and closes her eyes. He bends toward her, always toward her, and their lips meet in a sweet chaste kiss. His heart jumps to his throat and his face burns like a mini supernova at the feel of her soft lips against his. When they separate, Marinette's arms around him are the only things keeping him grounded to this earth. He feels like he can float away, his body is so light, and it must show on his face because Marinette laughs and pulls him closer.

"I love you, Marinette," and it's the heaviest and yet easiest statement he's ever said at the same time. He doesn't want to be anywhere else except this warm and small space.

"I love you too," she whispers back and he can hear the smile on her lips. She fixes him with a mock stern look though, "But just because I'm your soulmate doesn't mean your puns are funny."

It's such an unexpected thing to say that he chokes out a breathy laugh, "Agree to disagree."

And just like that, Adrien knows they're going to be just fine.

A/N:Might just write a few more little drabbles for this fic if feedback is good.

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