Adrien and Marinette walked hand in hand through the forbidden Venda forest of South Africa. Even locals had avoided it for eons, convinced it was haunted by spirits of the past.
Marinette kept trying to sneak glances at Adrien. Finally he burst out laughing and said, "Bugabuoo! You're gonna strain your neck if you keep trying to check me out like that!"
Well that just ripped the rug right out from under Marinette, and she momentarily stopped breathing altogether. Such a Chat-like taunt would have normally earned her partner a roll of her eyes or a sausy comebavk...Adrien saying it had her reeling!
"Come on," he gave her hand a tug, when she suddenly became rooted in place. "Ember keeps looking back to see what's taking us," Adrien smiled, and then tilted his head with a look of concern when Marinette stayed frozen in place, with her mouth lulling open. "Mari, um are you okay?"
"My mouth kissed your mouth!" Marinette blurbed suddenly, and her eyes widened in alarm.
"Uh yeah...quite a lot recently," a cheeky smile crossed Adrien's face. Then he leaned in so he could whisper in her ear, "and you have the absolute sweetest kisses!"
"Meep!" Chirped Marinette, as Adrien's lips caught the curve of her ear, as he drew his face back.
Marinette did not know how she didn't just internally combust right there on the spot. There Adrien Agreste stood enjoying the effect his proximity was having on her. He just grinned a goofy amused grin at her that was so...so...Chat Noirish!
"You," she said crossing her arms, and giving him a pout, "are enjoying this way too much!"
"Mari," his eyes shone with sincerity, "I don't enjoy making you feel uncomfortable around me as Adrien. I always felt like I somehow made things awkward between us. Things were easier between you and Chat. Then he took her hands in his. "What I do enjoy is getting to be close to you without anything between us...no secrets...no masks...Mari I want to do whatever it takes to make you happy...if ...if Im still the one you want...now that you know..." Adrien slowed His passionate speech looking down.
"I want you!" Marinette practically shouted, going instantly beet red.
Adrien was started at first, but then started to laugh.
"I mean, I want to be with you...not just your body...but your body is pretty great too...not that I...oh crud...can you just pretend I didn't just say that!" Marinette rambled digging herself further and further into pure awkwardness.
Adrien wrapped her up in his arms, and pressed his forehead against hers. "Not a chance Mi'Lady! I fully intend to replay your confession about wanting me...and my 'pretty great' body over and over for years to come!"
"Uughhh!" Marinette sighed, putting her face in her hands.
But Adrien patiently waited for her to peak through her fingers at him. "Do you even realize how much I want you too!" He smiled as she peered out at him. "Mari I love you so much!"
Marinette dropped her hands, and straightened. "Adrien! I love you!"
"You do!" Adrien beamed. "You love me!"
His endearing surprise was just too much! "Oh Adrien!" her hands were around him in an instant "I thought I was going to loose you, just when I had finally found you!"
"Surprise," he tried to joke, but even after the magic of Ladybug's miraculous the fight with the raging lightning bird had been exhausting.
Marinette looked concerned at him, and tentatively drew her hands through his hair, making him sigh and close his eyes. Her eyes softened, and she kissed him softly on the top of his head. Then she paused. It suddenly hit her that this gesture she would have done so naturally with Chat Noir...she was now doing to Adrien Agreste!
"What is it?" Adrien asked apprehensively. Feeling her freeze made all his insecurities and doubts about Ladybug finding out who he really was came flooding back into his swarming head. Then he opened his eyes searching her face. "Mari, I didn't know how to tell you...I wasn't sure if you'd..." he tried to explain, but finally just settled with, "I should have told you before," he said whistfully.
"I thought you fell in love with me twice, and here I went and did the same thing," she laughed with joyfull tears springing into her eyes.
"And it really doesn't change your mind...after everything that happened?" He asked hesitantly.
"What?! That I discovered I wasn't betraying the love I had for you, but that I was just letting myself fall in love with each side of you! Adrien...my Kitty...how did my heart not know it before?! No wonder we were so torn!"
Marinette's eyes glazed over dreamily staring at Adrien, then she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Chat! Adrien!" She turned to him. "We were fighting your father the whole time! Oh Kitty you had to face him and bring him down yourself!"
"Not myself," he linked his hand into hers.
"I'm so sorry!" I'm so sorry it fell on you! I can't even imagine how hard it has been for you." Ladybug felt her throat clench and tears pricked her eyes. "I mean I know it was hard enough for you as Adrien, but as Chat Noir...oh Kitty!" her voice broke.
"We had to be the ones to stop him. I was so mad at myself for not seeing it before. You had nearly solved it, but after the Collector, I was just so relieved, I guess I convinced myself it couldn't be him. There were a lot of things I should have noticed long ago," Adrien squeezed her hand, and then softly kissed the back of it.
They finally arrived at a reed filled pond. Baobab trees crowded around, looking as if they had been planted upside down. Ember urged them from up ahead on the path on the edge of a still pond. Some of the wild kwami they had already met in South Africa were already assembled.
A hippo rose out of the smooth water, like a small island taking shape. One ear twitched, and her wide mouth yawned open, revealing her powerful jaw lined with blunt teeth. "You've made it after all," the hippo watched them closely.
"The tide has," the blue whale kwami shook her head, over their right shoulder.
"And the Phoenix has finally risen again. The day must surely be grave if even you are joining with a weilder once more," the zebra commented trotting up.
"Or these particular weilders have somehow stoked the cold ember of his heart," the shrew nodded towards Marinette and Adrien.
"An ember is not dead, it just potential that waits for the right moment to reignite," the phoenix said quietly.
"With the lightning bird on the loose who else could defend against him?!" The hippo said lowly.
"But the thunder dragon has the lightning bird under control now," the penguin chattered nervously.
"Control!" scoffed the lion. "The thunder dragon might trail him, but you can't control the hammerkop! Plus that is just one of innumerable possible wild kwami that might succomb to the temptation of the butterfly!"
"Surely the rest of the wild kwami are not so desperate and foolish as to allow a mortal to manipulate them!" The elephant shook his mighty head. "I certainly haven't forgotten what happened last time!"
"There is more going on than what has been revealed!" the zebra cautioned. "The attack on the cat and the Ladybug proved that today. Somehow this new butterfly manipulator knows about the trials and wild kwami."
"But these two still have many trials to complete! If this new enemy has already acquired so much power, are they going to be ready for the next attack?" the shrew asked aloud.
"Unfortunately , it doesn't matter if they are ready. They are all that stand against the chaos about to be unleashed," the lion said Solemnly. "At least they have proven that they have the courage to be trusted by the added strength we can bestow."
The other wild kwami nodded. Marinette and Adrien called on their transformations. Then they presented the glimmering diamonds they had collected to the council, and they floated from their outstretched arms and locked into a spinning fitting that rose from the waters. The sun beamed into the diamonds, and refracted the light into scattered slivers of rainbows. The light bounced around Ladybug and Chst Noir making their heads spin. Power surged through them like a shot of adrenaline, what ever misgivings or residual fears might have been lingering at the edge of their happiness, were thrust aside in that moment. They had never felt so invincable!
They blinked in the sunlight and were left standing up to their shins in alge-filled water, alone with their Phoenix guide.
"Ember," thank you," Ladybug looked over to their fiery companion. We wouldn't have got this far without you!"
"There is still a long way to go," Ember nodded humbly. "But I fear there might be more surprises ahead!"
"I don't think any surprise is going to be bigger than finding out Chat Noir was Adrien all along!" Ladybug blushed.
"I've been waiting years to use this line!" Chat Noir drew her in closer.
"And what line would that be?" Ladybug brushed her nose lightly against his.
With mirthful eyes that lit up his whole face (that were so Chat-like that there was no doubting his true self), he tickled her ear whispering, "Cat is out of the bag Mi'Lady!"