"I'm cold, bugaboo." he said with a melodramatic tone. When Marinette sat down on the sofa after lighting the fireplace to warm them, Adrien snuggled next to her, with his head laid on her shoulder. "Let me lay next to you to warm us both."
"I know, mon chaton, that's what you get for hiding in the middle of the mountains" she laughed and he forced a pout, which only made her laugh more. She got serious when noticed his thoughtful face. "What's in your mind?" She asked while playing with his hair. He was letting it grow, now it was covering the nape of his neck.
"Just… What are the odds? We've been in each other's lives forever on both sides of our masks." he took her hand, drawing circles on the back with his thumb "Do you think that's the reason Master Fu chose us?"
"I don't know, probably a coincidence."
"Or maybe we're destined to be with each other." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"I don't know about that," she laughed. "But I can't guess his reasons. And you shouldn't think about it." She held his face between her hands to look directly into eyes, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. "Because I don't wanna think about anyone else being Chat Noir other than you, Adrien."
"And I can't think of anyone else being Ladybug other than you, Marinette." He smiled. I couldn't bear to imagine myself loving another like I love you.
"I'm glad we don't have to hide from each other anymore."
"I'm glad to have you as a friend." he smiled and sighed as he felt his body relaxing. He closed his eyes as his breathing got slower.
"Adrien, are you sleeping?"
"No, but I think the wine just got me a bit sleepy."
She chuckled, "go lie on bed then."
"Stop cuddling me then."
"Alright," she crossed her arms.
"No, wait! I was kidding," he said, reaching for her hands.
"You clingy cat."
"Just because you enable my clinginess," he said, brushing his cheek on her shoulder "And if I actually fall asleep, I'm sure you, my knight in red shining armour, can carry me there just like the princess I am."
"Where's your pretty dress, then, my princess?" She laughed, which prompted Adrien to get up and rush upstairs without warning. When he got back, he had a blanket.
"How's this?" He said while wrapping it around his waist.
"Beautiful. Should I hire you to be my official model when I open my brand?"
"I would be happy to."
He laughed with her, until recalling the text he got that morning "I just remembered that Chlo said the Mayor wants to throw a charity ball."
"Really?"
"It's election year, and I think he wants to ride his way on the Hawk Moth defeat wave into reelection. I am on the list. And so is Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"That might be a problem."
"Maybe Chat Noir will refuse, saying how much he hates these ass licking events?"
"Oh no!" she said and covered her mouth as if she was in shock, but in a theatrical manner "Do you think he would be capable of leaving Ladybug without a pair for the ball?"
"Well, if that's going to be the case, I can be her pair if she has me" he winked "Unfortunately, I have to pretend that I don't have some opinions on these charity balls, so my presence is required. I'm sure I'm a better dancer than that stupid cat."
"Hey! I've heard Ladybug gets really mad when someone insults the stupid cat, so you better not say this stuff around her." she winked.
He felt his face heating up, "I'm sure he would be flattered, but I stand by my words when I say I'm the best dancer."
"So confident."
"I know my talents."
"Hold on a minute." Marinette said and runned upstairs. When she got back, she had a flash drive on her hands. "Alya gave me this for the road trip, but I forgot about it. It's a mix tape."
"It's a bit of a weird thing to give you…"
"Yeah, I know. But at least I can see if your dancing would impress Ladybug." She connected the drive to a sound box. "Would you give me this dance, your highness?" She made an overdramatic bow, offering him her hand.
"Why, of course, my noble knight." he took her hand and she placed a kiss on his knuckles. He could tell she noticed how he was blushing from the smirk that formed on her lips. "You flatter me like that, bugaboo."
They walked to the middle of the room gazing tenderly at each other. He rested his hand on the small of her back while she tangled her fingers on the back of his neck. And when she rested her head on his chest, he hid his face in her hair. She probably could hear his heartbeat getting faster each second, but he didn't care.
The music was slow and had a sap feeling. Their feet moved clumsily, from the wine and the inexperience. They slid from left to right, making up dancing moves that didn't match the melody at all, but still could find synchrony in that little chaos of their moving feet and loud breathing.
"Did you change your shampoo just because I tried to sell that information?"
She rolled her eyes. "I just didn't find that one anymore."
He whirled her around, smiling and rejoicing with the sound of her laughter, feeling his heart feel with pride of how he was the reason for it. But that only lasted until he tried to conduct the dance to one side, while Marinette tried to go to the opposite, causing them to separate, stumble and almost fall to the ground.
"I might have exaggerated a bit when I said I was a good dancer."
"Yeah, we kinda suck at this."
"That's an understatement."
"I just hope Ladybug doesn't mind about your two left feet."
"Hey! I just need some practice."
Marinette guided his hand to her back, resuming their dance "Let's practise then," she said, interviewing their fingers. Two steps for the left and two for the right. He whirled her around. And when she got in tip toes to whirl him back, he dipped his head so her arm could reach over him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. He could feel her breathing on his neck.
"How are you feeling?"
"Right now I feel great."
He chuckled. "That's good to hear."
This moment was just theirs. And as he closed his eyes, it was like the world had disappeared around them. For a little while, that place, indeed, felt like the private island he wanted to run away to with her.
Being an academic in Physics, Adrien had learned one thing or two about gravity. Scientifically, it was the force that caused the birth of stars once the temperature's high enough. Metaphorically, it was the force that, as the song ended and their feet still, they stood in each other's embrace.
Certainly there was enough heat to create a few stars in his vision. With their foreheads almost touching, two pairs of eyes full of stars meeting, two constellations colliding. His eyes were fixed on hers. It was hard to look away when those eyes were pulling him, as if they were magnetic. She looked at him with eyes full of emotion, seeping through her gaze and reaching him, breaking his skin with warmth and making his heart flutter and beat faster. Her hand was suddenly on his cheek and she wasn't looking into his eyes anymore. Instead, her gaze lowered, which he thought was a bit odd.
"Do you wanna know a secret?" He blurted out.
"What?" She said, still looking down.
"About Nino and mine's karaoke playlist."
And between singing each and every song at the top of their lungs - there weren't any neighbours around anyway, they finished the second bottle of wine. Adrien fell on the couch, laughing like a little kid in an amusement park until he couldn't fight off the sleepiness anymore.
Later that night, he dreamed of Marinette singing about three suns.
Adrien woke up to Plagg crying about being hungry.
He didn't intend to get drunk on wine, really, the sensations that came in the morning would never compensate. The headache and nausea were a great reminder of his "Reasons I Shouldn't Drink Too Much Alcohol" list.
The curtains were open. Probably none of them even had the ability of closing them last night, surely because of the inebriation, but even with the sun shining bright inside the room, he still got to sleep past the time he set his alarm for. Soon he noticed he didn't bring his phone when he went to sleep, and that's why he didn't hear any alarm. Marinette was laying on the other side of the room, still sleeping. He decided to not wake her up just yet. He would make breakfast and then bring a tray to her on the bed, because that's what good friends do.
He took a shower to help alleviate the headache and really woke up - bumbling into the furniture and the doorframe to the bathroom, that would surely leave a bruise. His memories were fuzzy, but he remembers they were drinking the wine straight from the bottle because Marinette dropped her glass and then suggested it was safer that way. Perhaps there was something she said about an indirect kiss…
"Good morning, Adrien. Where's Marinette?" Tikki was eating a biscuit in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Tikki. She's still sleeping."
"You guys were having a lot of fun yesterday."
"But not so much right now."
Except, deep down, he was thrilled. Despite the sickness of the hangover, he still could feel fluttering in his stomach when he thought about last night. It was hard not to fantasise about a life where he and Marinette were together.
Some years have passed since defeating Hawk Moth. Marinette was a big name in France's fashion scene and her name was spreading through Europe after Jagged Stone promoted her as the designer for his tour figurine. He was preparing to start his postdoctoral work next month. Life is good.
They were there on vacation. He was preparing breakfast. Marinette wasn't up yet. There was a golden ring hidden in his luggage. He would take her to the beautiful small town near his state and ask her to marry him. Or maybe he would cook something special, prepare the dining room with candles and roses. The hallway bedroom would be an amazing nursery. Perhaps his old toys still are good?
"No, no, no, no…" he shook his head, coming back to reality. Tikki was looking at him with a confused face. That was when he noticed he'd been just blankly staring at the kettle that was on his hand. He put a kettle on the stove to heat the water to make coffee. From the fridge and cabinets, he got the ingredients to make breakfast for them - Tom had taught him a gougère recipe that was really quick to make. Sure Plagg wouldn't mind if Adrien took some of his cheese.
It was easier to shut down unwanted thoughts with music, so he grabbed his cellphone to play the first playlist he landed his eyes on when he opened Spotify. There was a text from Nino that said, "Why did Als texted me this morning calling you a dumb b?"
He froze, reaching the conclusion that the only reason Alya insulted him out of the blue, is that he might have done something to upset Marinette last night. Adrien wasn't the kind that had alcohol induced amnesia. He remembers dancing with her, doing karaoke and falling asleep on the couch. What could have happened between that?
Could it be…
I might have an idea, he texted Nino back. Then he screamed at the top of his lungs - internally, of course.
MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 02:49
hey guys
i kinds need to takj
I think i just haad the realisaton of my life gamikami Today at 09:37
it must be really awesome to keep you up this late
what happened? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
it's about marinette gamikami Today at 09:37
wow
hold on everyone come hear this juleju Today at 09:37
? Coffeeaine Today at 09:37
? LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:37
? rosie Today at 09:37
did you kiss? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
no but we had a moment yesterday i mean
i think she tried but i'm not sure rosie Today at 09:37
adrien and mari sitting in a tree juleju Today at 09:37
G rosie Today at 09:37
first comes love then comes marriage juleju Today at 09:37
then comes a baby in a baby carriage LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:37
didn't you say something about bringing some fancy wine? ? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
we didn't do much
we just talked until late LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:37
you surely don't refer to our talking as 'a moment', not like that at least
so spill it, pretty boy, what do you guys talk about? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
normal stuff I guess. after we had dinner, we danced LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:37
nice eufemism MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
NINO
NO
WTF
it was an actual dance
might I add, alya gave marinette the mixtape LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:37
yeah, I know
I helped her to put it together
did you like it? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:37
I thibk she likes me
like really likes me gamikami Today at 08:37 LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:38
I REFUSE TO STAY CALM TSURUGI
IT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO RELAX rosie Today at 09:38
go on buttercup
how? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:38
do you think i'm wrong?
Plagg just told me some stuff yesterday and leave it to me to put it together gamikami Today at 09:38
quite the opposite MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:38
did y'all already know? LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:38
it was only a secret for you bestie gamikami Today at 09:38
quite the opposite MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:38
why no one ever tell me? ? LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:38
because it wasn't our place to do so
besides, alya would kill me and marinette would be pissed at me forever
and if I told you and she found out, she would probably avoid you out of embarrassment
why do you think she was always awkward around you back in school? MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:38
because she didnt like me at all? LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:38
yeah, that was never true MDC's Oficial Top Model™ Today at 09:38
hold on I'll die real quick LaLaLahiffe Today at 09:39
you're my best friend, and I love you. it's my life mission to cheer you up
you see, now you know you're reciprocated, maybe try to talk to her? you guys are alone in a nice place that's tied to not so nice memories
look at it as if you're creating new good memories with someone that's special for you and you for them
Just when Adrien was on the verge of tears of despair, and deeply regretting starting this conversation, he heard Marinette coming downstairs.
"Good morning, Adrien," she said, entering the kitchen. Being startled by her voice, he slammed the phone on the counter. He smiled at her, she just looked confused. "Do you need some aspirin?"
"Yes, please"
She loves me.Also, she didn't look upset at him. So maybe she'll forgive him for not noticing she was about to kiss him.
"I'm making breakfast for us," he pointed to the kettle on the stove. "There's also some gougère in the oven. I thought you were going to sleep longer, but won't take long to be ready."
"It's fine," she said, smiling at him.
"I'm never getting drunk again. I don't even remember going back to my room."
"Yeah, I carried you there, princess."
"Oh, my noble knight saved me from the malignant back pain from sleeping on the couch," he said, laying his elbow on the worktop and resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "It was a bridal style carry?"
"It would be rude just throwing you over my shoulder."
"Mari, I almost died trying to take a bath today because I had to get in the fucking bathtub to take a shower, I probably wouldn't even notice if you drag me up the stairs by my hair."
"I could've helped you," she said casually, as if not fully comprehending how those words have set his thoughts on fire. It was truly unfair how naturally she said that to him.
"Help me?"
"Yeah," she confirmed.
"To shower?" He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. How she was processing what she said, how the realisation made her face all red and her eyes grow wide. "Wel… If you must".
"What? No! Forget what I just said, I totally don't wanna help you to take a shower and I definitely don't want to see you in the shower! I was talking about helping you get inside the tub, while you're fully clothed, and then running out of the bathroom really fast and leaving you alone there, complete privacy to shower," she said and laughed awkwardly.
Right now, he's sure of only two things: she looked criminally cute all flustered and she was in love with him. So he tried to see how far he could push it, just keeping in mind to not stretch it too far.
"I'll remember that…" the kettle whistled, interrupting him. It slightly annoyed Adrien, as he was building what in his eyes, was a very strong flirting strategy. "I'll be sure to call you next time I'm too shit faced to enter a bathtub by myself," he said while leaning over the worktop to pour her coffee. When he looked at her again, she was trying to suppress a smirk.
"As you wish" she made an act of bowing, which was a bit awkward, since she was sitting "I might get shit faced with you and probably need help to get into the tub too."
He could just return her smirk. His chest was full of a warm feeling. It was overwhelming, but he learned to shut it down when she was near. But now he didn't have to hold back - especially when she was reciprocating the flirting. The realisation had lifted him from the ground at first, but right now his feet were firmly planted in reality.
"Anything you need from me, my lady."
"I hate to disrupt what seems to be a very productive talk, but it seems like you're forgetting something!" Plagg exclaimed, flying between them.
"I'm sure you can get cheese on your own," he frowned.
"I'm not talking about my cheese"
It took just a few seconds to notice the smell of smoke coming from the oven.
"Shit!" Adrien immediately turned it off, opening and pulling out the ruined breakfast. "I think I set the heat too high."
"It's fine, I can help you to make another batch."
"But I wanted to make breakfast for you," he mumbled to himself.
Maybe getting a few more cooking classes with Tom would be nice before he proposes
Later that day, they finished tidying up and organising the second floor and reviving the wall plants in the patio area. Marinette was replanting the garden while he was assessing what could be saved from the garden shed.
Adrien was avoiding going into his parents bedroom for most of the day, but he knew it was inevitable. There was a stale smell, but it was expected. It was weird how that place had such a grim effect on him, as he barely remembered the colour of the walls nor the curtains. In his memories, the walls were grey and the curtains were a deep dark blue, but in reality, the walls were the same as outside - just rocks. He opened the windows to let some air in. From there, he could see Marinette, still dealing with the garden.
"You don't need to worry about it so much," he called out to her.
"It's fine," she responded. "I almost finished here. Do you need help up there?"
"No, I'll do it alone. Just rest when you finish there"
He didn't close the door for the other bedrooms on the second floor, but, just for this one, he felt like he had to. He wondered if that was contradictory. He asked for Marinette to come as an emotional support, yet he was closing himself away from her at that moment, but he felt that cleaning his parents bedroom was something he had to do alone.
The white piano had a thick layer of dust. He tried to play, but it was out of tune. There was a picture of him and his parents hanging on the wall, above the piano. It was weird, and a bit chilling, to see Gabriel smiling. He took the portrait off the wall and left it on the piano, facing down.
There was an album in the closet. He pondered for a few minutes before opening it. The first photograph had sepia tones, it was of a young woman wearing a yellow summer dress. There's a legend under it, dating the picture. Emilie was around seventeen then. Most of the album was filled with the registry of her youth and childhood. He learned she had a cat when she was the same age Plagg's got into his life. There were more recent photos too. One of them had the legend "Prince Adrien on the way".
He ripped all pictures with Gabriel in it, leaving them inside the drawers to be dealt with later, taking the album filled with his mother's pictures with him.
A dream woke him up later that night. It was one of those where you feel like falling and makes you wake up in a jolt. Adrien was pretty sure he was dreaming about an Akuma, but couldn't remember much of the dream, apart from the residue of shiver up his spine.
Marinette wasn't in the room, he just assumed she just went downstairs for a glass of water, but after ten minutes of staring at the ceiling he got worried and decided to look for her. She was outside on the patio. At first she didn't notice him, so he just stood there for some time.
"Hey," Adrien finally called her.
"Hey."
"What are you doing outside so late?"
"Thinking."
He gave her an inquisitive look, "Really? I'm sure you don't need to come outside for that."
"Well, Tikki and Alya are helping me to think," she said, lifting her phone to show a video call with Alya.
"Hello there, Adrien" she waved at him through the screen. He recognized the layout of the place she was at, what happened to be the living room of the apartament he shared with Nino. "Well, my work here is done. Goodnight, lovebirds." Marinette shot her an 'What?', but she'd already hung up.
Adrien just stood there, awkward, while Marinette just stared at her phone. She seemed worried. Or terrified.
"Why didn't you turn on the patio heater?"
"I didn't plan to stay outside for long."
"Ok, it's fine… Let's get inside then."
"Not now" she wasn't looking at him, which was a little unsettling. "I still need to think."
"All right, thinking is good. But you can do it inside, you know, near the fireplace. I'm sure it'll be more conformable."
Still no response.
"Can I help you to think, Marinette? It seems pretty serious."
She finally looked at him, still holding the worried expression "Yes, I just wanted advice on talking with someone."
"So it's an important talk?"
"Yes. It's one I've been pulling away from for some time…" she looked down and rubbed her arm. It was a cold night, even though she was covered with warm pyjamas, he could tell she was shivering from the wind.
Even if he could guess the answer, he still felt like he needed to ask, even though the question scared her, even if she avoided it, he thought that it was worth asking, "About what?"
"You."
"Oh, ok… so you were talking about me."
"More like, how to talk to you about… stuff."
"Alright" he felt his heart beating fast, "and you figured it out?"
She just nodded.
"Do you wanna talk about it now?"
Another nod.
"Mari, if it's important, I reckon it won't be quick. It's cold and you're shaking." he mumbled to her. "So let's just get inside. It won't stop us from hanging out here a bit, right?"
"If I don't run away after." she forced a little laugh, and he could see the nervousness in her demeanour.
"Please don't do that. I'm sure you won't have to." he smiled at her, trying to affirm and comfort her, smiling wider as he noticed some of the tension leaving her shoulders. He sat on the couch across from her.
"I'm sure…" she whispered.
"So, this thing you've been pulling away…"
"Some years actually. And I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but I figured you'd need some time after that… you know what." She paused. "And, I was scared of how you would react to this, because I don't know if you still have those feelings… And you deserve more than my worries."
He nodded, understanding, "you're kinda scaring me, Marinette." he whispered.
"It's nothing bad! I think."
He leaned closer to her and whispered "tell me please."
She took a deep breath, fidgeting with the fabric of her top for a while, not looking directly at him. Her breathing was fast. He just wanted to hold her hand and tell her his feelings never changed and only seemed to grow.
"Since our reveal," she lifted her head, eyes closed while she sucked a breath. "I've been thinking a lot more about it. I told myself I should wait for the right time, and respect your grief. I have always asked myself when it would be more appropriate, 'if I tell him now, how would he react?', I was wondering if I was ready to tell you this, if you were ready to accept my feelings…"
"Your feelings…" he echoed her words when she took a pause. He didn't want to rush her, but he knew what path she was going down - or, at least he hoped so.
"Yes." She took a pause. "My feelings."
"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to…" he reclined in his seat, giving her as much space as he could. Of course he wanted to hear her confession and put an end to years of pining and bury the notion that his love was unrequired, but he would hate to know she felt obligated to do it.
"I do! I'm just nervous." She stood up and walked close to him. Adrien could just look at her.
"Ok…" He watched as she took a deep breath.
"I just need to tell you… that I love you, Adrien. And I have for a long time."
He listened to her in silence and in awe. About how she had fallen for him when he gave her his umbrella. About how she's been trying to confess since they were teens. About how, once they've revealed their identities to each other, she was scared he wouldn't love her anymore…
"Marinette," he said, interrupting her. Adrien approached her, sitting by her side. "That would never be possible, I would never stop loving you."
"You… what"
"When I figured you're Ladybug, I just could think of how lucky I am," he hugged her "Finding out you're the same person was the best day of my life."
"Hardly."
"Hardly something will ever beat that. I mean, you just tell me that you love me, and it's amazing to know that my love is not unrequired at all."
"I guess it never was," she whispered.
"No," he said, laughing about the irony of it. "We've wasted so much time running in circles around each other"
"I think it's time to make up for all the lost time, then," she said with a breathy voice, getting closer to his face.
"I suppose we should," he said, breathing in her lips, sealing away the longing with a kiss.
Notes:
And then they got married and Marinette became the chief designer in the Gabriel brand and unionized their workers. The End.
Little fun fact: the dance was the first scene I wrote for this fic xD
Thank you for reading! Leave a comment if you liked :)