Thanks Briar Potter for your review! Thanks Valedonte for catching that typo so I could fix it :) Next chapter coming up is one of my favorites, to set the cat among the pigeons ;-)

~Tessadragon

Chapter Eight

Things had to change.

A text woke her up the next morning…she had fallen asleep as soon as she'd crawled into bed, maybe an hour ago. She was used to being woken up by a text or a call from Adrien, but now…knowing it was Cat Noir, made it feel strange.

"No visit from Bunnyx with a portent of doom yet," she murmured to Tikki, looking down at her kwami hidden in her purse as she ate her breakfast. Tikki, nibbling on a corner of pain au chocolat, nodded in agreement, taking care not to spill her crumbs.

"So, what will you do today, Marinette?" her mother asked, coming over to wipe the counter down.

Marinette glanced down at her phone. "I'm thinking of going swimming."

Tikki muffled a giggle. Marinette laughed quietly to hide her kwami's sound, and she got up, taking her plate to the sink. She kissed her mother goodbye and headed out the door.

"She didn't even remember to grab her swimming bag," Sabine remarked to her husband as he headed into the bakery part of their home. He laughed. "Lost in her own world, my love."

Marinette walked down the street, making her way towards Adrien's house. Part of the way, she diverted down a narrow alley and started curving her way East, towards a quieter, more remote part of the Seine.

She saw a shadow pass overhead and she turned up her head, waved, then ducked into an alley. "Spots on, Tikki."

Transformed, she leapt up, following Cat Noir through the rest of her journey. Some days she might have competed but right now, she was content to follow. He landed with a flourish and cast her an elegant bow. "Good morning, Milady," he said with a secretive smile.

She regarded him thoughtfully. "Morning, Kitty." It didn't feel as romantic a pet name as she could have had. In fact, she didn't think she had a nickname for Adrien either.

Chloe used to call him Adri-kins, she thought with a shudder, but it was edged with amusement, and a tinge of sadness. People are so complex…one moment I felt like she could've been an ally, and the next… But she'd tried. She had tried.

His eyes were shadowed by his mask, making his green eyes more vivid, and his hair rumpled, more rumpled than Adrien's. Stop it! She ordered herself, wishing that she didn't feel like she was drawing comparisons, searching for the differences between Adrien and Cat Noir…is he doing the same to me? Cataloguing my differences?

He whistled, breaking through her thoughts. She jerked.

"Are you alright, Mar—Ladybug?" he asked, and clucked his tongue as though mentally scolding himself for his near slip.

She took a deep breath and nodded, determined. "I'm fine."

"Then let's go," his eyes gleamed. They broke back into a steady run down the streets, and leapt as though with one shared thought. For a moment Marinette—Ladybug—felt like the person, the hero, she had been a whole day ago, simply in tandem with her partner.

Together they slowed, approaching this quiet part of the Seine. In the distance they saw a houseboat tethered, swaying. The lights were off in the windows though, and it was distant enough that they felt safe. Together they sat down on the banks of the Seine. Together they cast a surreptitious look to make sure they were alone.

"Spots off."

"Claws in."

She regarded him solemnly. Last night's fears felt paler now. Now…she felt like maybe she could be content. Then she raised her hand to her mouth. "The candles!"

"I went back and tidied it up," he said. His mouth quirked in amusement. "It wouldn't do for us to burn Paris down."

She shuddered.

"Maybe one day we'll get through a romantic roofnight date," he offered tentatively. Marinette was silent for a moment then nodded, feeling shy. "I'd like that."

Tikki offered some croissant to Plagg who seized it and grinned at Marinette. "Finally, I get all the croissants I want…and any chance I can request some baguette to accompany my camembert?"

Marinette laughed and poked him. "Next time," she promised. Then she looked at Adrien, smiling. "I'm surprised you don't smell of camembert with his…liking of it."

"You can call it an obsession," Adrien grinned. "He eats it too fast for me to smell of it, I think…or hope. At least, no one's told me that I smell."

"And I guess it's not the…model in you that always wanted to shower," Marinette teased. Her heart leapt high at the strange feeling of teasing him.

His grin deepened. "Poor Plagg, he was so exhausted every time I had to keep changing back and forth to hide my identity." Then his eyes became thoughtful, remembering another day in his room. "That was the hardest day," he said. "The day Felix took the Miracle Box. Seeing you…in that pain…I wished so much that I could tell you, that I could comfort you. I nearly would have. But you left before I could. All I could do was go to where I knew you would be. So you wouldn't be alone."

"I never should have kept all the kwamis," she said quietly. "I was so naïve, keeping them so close. They are mine to guard but the safest way to guard them is for them to each be with a holder." She glanced down fondly at Tikki and Plagg, "so their holders can love them like we love ours, and look after them."

They smiled at each other. Plagg forced a belch, and Tikki scowled at him, her hands on her hips.

Laying back on the grassy banks of the Seine, Marinette found herself watching Adrien, and he watched her back. Both of them thought over their adventures, searching their memories for the times their partnership had become so personal, searching for those glimpses of each other.

Then Adrien got up, extending his hand to her. "Fancy a swim?" He reached his free hand into his pocket, taking out his small tin of specially tinted camembert. He watched, curious, as Marinette withdrew her own small box of miniature, colorful macaroons from her own pocket. She withdrew one and offered it to Tikki. "Power up, Tikki."

"Power up, Plagg."

Plagg grumbled halfheartedly as he ate it.

"Aqua Tikki, spots on." As she transformed, she felt Adrien watching her, something special shining in his eyes. Realizing he was staring, he ducked his gaze. "Aqua Plagg, claws out."

Moments later, they dived into the water. Ladybug laughed as Cat Noir twined around her playfully, then grabbed her, towing her deeper. "Let's see how far we can go," he dared her.

How far we can go…

The fearful part of Marinette wanted to flare up, to protect her. She coaxed it back into the cozy spot she'd spent many months crafting as she had worked to become a better person over the last few months, the kind of person that could love Adrien—Cat Noir—wholly. The person that could love without abandon and fear.

She swam after him, then coiled and propelled herself through the water, past Cat Noir. She twisted and grinned at him. "Slowpoke."

He laughed, joy lighting up his green eyes and swam faster, reaching out to grab her ankle, pull her backwards.

"Cheat!" she started to say indignantly, but then his face was right there, his green eyes questioning, inviting, hopeful…

Even the fearful part of her receded like mist.

She wanted to.

The part of her that had given up on Adrien, despairing at her own ability to say what she meant, that had once coyly toyed with the idea of loving Cat Noir, the only one that could understand her double life…that part whispered to her. This is right.

She kissed him. It was a soft kiss, the water swirling around them, and tasted of the glittering river more than them.

He returned the kiss, and they lost track of time, letting the river carry them, until finally they slid up on the shore, clinging to each other.

She laid down beside him, her head on his chest, and closed her eyes, exhausted from their long swim. They stayed, transformed.

At one point, Cat Noir brought his arm up over her, pulling her close. She snuggled closer. His lips brushed over her hair, and traced another kiss down her cheek, down to her lips. "I love you, Ladybug…" his voice was softer, sleepily hiding her, "Marinette."