A Monday morning usually is greeted with groans of protest, slamming snooze buttons, and mumbled curses. One toe commits to dislodge itself from the perfectly warm blankets to test the cold floor, before quickly retreating back under the covers. Marinette had a solid record of lates for the majority of Monday's over the years (and truth be told the majority of other dates ending in "y!") ...but not this Monday...
This Monday Marinette's Father screeched coming across Marinette at the breakfast table when he got up early (as always) to prep the dough in the bakery. His sudden shout of alarm was so high pitched, Marinette's Mother raced in weilding a broom. Tom just pointed at his daughter in disbelief, with his mouth gaping.
"Dad you nearly gave me a heart attack!"Marrinette protested.
"Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" Tom squinted at her, with a teasing smile crossing his face.
"Come on! Sometimes I get up on time! Remember back at Christmas when I helped out at the bakery?!" Marinette stirred some more sugar into her oversized steaming teacup.
"Sometimes,"Sabine allowed, "but never this early! Honey are you okay?" She asked with a concerned tilt of her head.
"Me?! Phaeh!yeah of course! Just don't want to miss a moment on such a beautiful day!"
Her parent's eyes turned to the window that was streaked with beading raindrops, trailing down the glass. The morning was as grey as one of Mr. Ramier's precious pigeons.
"Umm Hmm," Sabine looked back at her daughter with a raised eyebrow, "don't want to miss a moment on SUCH a beautiful day!"
Sabine and Tom waited with crossed arms and scrutinizing stares. Marinette slowly chewed her raspberry danish before gulping it down, and conceding.
"Okay okay...I couldn't really sleep..."
"Oh dear! You're not having those nightmares again are you?" Sabine asked sympathetically, remembering how Marinette had woken up with night terrors for months after the last battle of Hawkmoth.
"No, no, not like that!" Marinette reassured her mother.
"Tummy troubles," Tom nodded sagely.
"No, Dad, I'm fine!" Marinette put up her hands, and she bit her lip. "I Uh...am just..um excited and kindda nervous about school today," she mumbled.
"Marinette! Don't worry about the big design internship! I mean I know you've been working nonstop on the weekends, but if that horrible woman, Audrey Bourgeois doesn't see that you are the absolute best choice in the world than that's her loss!"
"Oh yeah...yeah the design internship! I forgot they were posting that today!" Marinette said distractedly.
"So than what IS on your mind?" Sabine asked patiently.
"Well I found out...that is...we have...Adrien is...he and I...we are..." Marinette sputtered.
"Marinette! You and Adrien!" her parents gushed, nearly crushing her in a family hug.
"Mum! Dad! Can't breathe!" Marinette wheezed.
Marinette eventually pried herself loose from her parents' excited hug. They of course knew full well how much this particular young man meant to their daughter. And as far as they were concerned Adrien was a sweet boy...a little clueless at times...but he had a good heart.
Marinette escaped out of the house before he had to answer too many questions. It just reminded her that she really needed to talk to Chat No...er...Adrien before anyone else found out. What were they going to tell everyone?!
"Mi'Lady, you're up early!" a surprised voice commented above her. Looking up she found Chat Noir perched up on a street lamp.
"And what are you doing up there?" Marinette grinned, putting a hand up on her hip.
"I Uh...might have been a little excited to see a certainly lady this morning," Chat Noir grinned sheepishly, wiping his hand through his rain soaked hair. It stuck out on end and Marinette couldn't help thinking that Adrien should wear his hair like his alter ego more often.
"So are you coming down or do I have to call the fire department?" Marinette smiled.
"Because I'm so hot?!" Chat Noir inquired gleefully.
"Because my silly kitty got himself stuck up a pole and can't seem to get down," Marinette rolled her eyes.
Chat Noir smirked and made a show of sliding backwards, head first down the light pole, catching himself just above Marinette's nose.
"Show off!" she poked his nose.
"Common' you've got to admit that was pretty hot!" Chat Noir winked
"Yeah Kitty, you're a regular Karo Swen!" Marinette giggled, wrapping her fingers firmly around his bell, tugging him down. His eyes widened as she pressed up against him with a definite air of Ladybug. Chat Noir breathed in raggedly, as Marinette brushed her lips against his.
"Mmm," Chat Noir sighed into the kiss.
"Common' let's get out of the rain," Marinette tugged on his elbow.
"I don't mind the rain," Chat Noir smiled softly pulling her back. "Just reminds me of..."
"Of the first day I fell for you," Marinette finished, pulling out the same black umbrella Adrien had given her years before. She popped it open, and Chat Noir slid his arm around her under its arch. "Claws in," he said letting his transformation fall.
Marinette's breath caught in her throat and a fluttery feeling rose from her gut, up to her head, making her feel lightheaded. It was still easier teasing him as Chat Noir. The sudden appearances of Adrien would take a while to get used to.
"So uh Adrien..." Marinette fiddled with the handle of the umbrella. "What are we gonna say to everyone?"
"You mean about you finally being swept off your feet by my most eligible cat in Paris?!" Adrien teased, with a lingering Chat grin on his face. (Plagg rolled his eyes from with Adrien's pocket through a mouthful of cheese).
"Chat...I mean Adrien!" Marinette moaned. "I'm serious! What are we going to do? How are we going to act around each other? Are we going to tell? We obviously can't say what really happened! What are we going to tell people?!"
Adrien looked down at her adoringly. Man, she was so cute when she got that Ladybug mission face on, with the tiniest little wrinkle above the freckles of her nose.
"See!" She pointed up at him. "If you look at me with eyes like that everyone's going to know!"
Mari," he soothed. "One thing I can't do is pretend like nothing has changed between us. When I knew and you didn't that was the worst. Let them know that you are my whole world! Let everyone know...I'd yell it from the top of the Eiffel Tower, I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
"But..." Marinette bit her lip, blushing pink.
"But you're still worried about our identities," Adrien supplied.
Marinette nodded looking down. "If anyone ever found out, they could use us against each other. I thought that would be impossible to endure before...but now...Adrien I can't even..."
"Whoah whoah, don't give up on us like that! We've kept under the radar so far, and now that we know each other, we are even better equipped to protect each other's identities!" Adrien encouraged, squeezing her shoulder. "I mean we were so close to each other the whole time and didn't realize!"
"I still don't know how I could've been so blind!" she met his gaze with a brief smile.
"I'm just glad my eyes can finally see what I had in front of me this whole time," Adrien pulled her cLoser as they crossed the street. "I might just have a plan though for dealing with inquiring minds," Adrien guiding her.
"You mean Alya," Marinette smiled.
Adrien gave a definite nod, and then the duo strategized about the unveiling of Adrien and Marinette as a couple. They thought it was the most flawless plan ever..but they hadn't taken into account other forces at play. They were not the only ones with a concealed agenda this particular Monday morning.