Chapter Text
“So, okay, like…that truth bomb? Can we talk about that?”
“It was so beautiful, how she did it though! The colors of the dresses all bleeding to turn into Rose’s wedding? Genius!”
“Gabriel Agreste really out-did himself with those dresses in the first place, but that moment when the colors changed? That’s a moment I want to see on the runway!”
“Are we just gonna ignore the fact that we, as a community, were just totally going to let two barely-adults get forced into a life-long marriage contract and not even blink? Did nobody think that was a little bit odd?! Or am I the only one?”
Marinette snorted, setting down her hairbrush and exiting out of that browser, smiling softly at the banner on the Ladyblog.
“MY GIRL MARINETTE IS A BOSS @SS B!TCH AND NOBODY CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE GO ON I F*CKING DARE YOU”
Somebody must have asked her to censor herself.
It’d only been a day since she’d bypassed that marriage fiasco, and she’d had to turn her phone off. People asking for interviews, articles, pictures, they wouldn’t seem to leave her alone. She’d already decided she’d do one with Nadja Chamak, and one with Alya once she’d narrowed down her questions, but other than that she refused to do more.
She’d spent the day with her family, inside and cooking and laughing and loving each other’s company. She’d been able to talk to Annette, about her ruling Astrucia once she was done with college and Cecilia happily and capably taking over in the mean time, letting Sabine feed her sisters as many macarons as the women could stomach.
Tom had sat down with her, only a few moments ago, saying that he was glad that his little girl wouldn’t have to go through something that had obviously caused such a strain on Annette.
“I want you to be with someone who loves you, Marinette,” Tom had insisted, brushing away bits of her hair from her face, “That’s what your mother wants too. Somebody who loves all of you, unconditionally.”
Marinette hummed at the thought, smirking slightly when she heard tapping against her window.
“Speak of the devil,” she said as she turned in her office chair, smiling at Chat Noir as he climbed through her window and shut it behind him.
“Ahh, were you talking about me, Princess?” he asked with a low bow and a wink, straightening himself and grinning when he saw her computer screen. “Hm, I notice that you’ve seen Alya’s declaration of your badassery. I should compliment her on it next time.”
She chuckled, standing and smoothing down her pajamas. Nothing too fancy or showy, just a pair of old basketball shorts and a t-shirt she’d gotten paint on. Chat Noir still looked at her like she was dressed up from yesterday, and she wasn’t sure what it would do to her poor heart.
“So, we agreed to talk,” he began, slowly, walking towards her carefully, as if she would run if he moved too fast.
“We did,” she nodded, biting the inside of her cheek before she spoke again, “It’s funny. I didn’t think the cat would ever be let out of the bag.”
He paused, tilting his head at her curiously, “What do you mean?”
She sheepishly grinned up at him, “Hi, Adrien.”
He froze entirely, staring at her with wide eyes as she stuffed her hands in the pockets of the shorts and fidgeted.
“I, uhh – well…I didn’t know who you were up until I kissed you, yesterday,” she admitted before giving a small laugh, “Like I wouldn’t recognize that I’ve kissed the same boy twice! Especially not when I’m, you know…in love with both.”
It took a few long, drawn out moments before he closed his eyes and released a shaky exhale, opening his eyes to peer at her hopefully.
“Is it…okay?” he asked, uncertainly, stepping closer to her carefully.
She chuckled, smiling up at him, “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
He released another breath, releasing his transformation in the same instant, tapping his forehead to hers and feeling his heartbeat relax. “I don’t know…. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
She hummed, reaching a hand up to smooth through his hair, “You’re right. It would have hurt me. Now it just makes everything easier.”
“Easier?” he asked, quirking a smile for her.
“Yeah,” she giggled, cupping his cheeks in her hands, “Easier to not feel torn between two guys. It’s handier when they’re the same person.”
“Ohh, I know what you mean,” he teased, nuzzling her and getting her to laugh again. “Granted, I was immediately thrown into emotional turmoil upon your reveal.”
“I’m sorry, kitty,” she whispered, biting her lip in uncertainty as she winced up at him.
“Hey now, it’s not your fault,” he insisted, wrapping his arms around her and tapping her chin up. “Don’t ever be sorry, Bugaboo.”
She hummed, wrapping around him and listening to his heart thud under her ear, grinning when it sped up a fraction before he touched her cheek to brush a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Plagg,” Tikki hissed, causing the two to jolt in surprise, “Don’t you dare ruin this moment for them!”
They raised their heads, seeing a black cat god grin cheekily at the two of them before Tikki tried to shove him into the jewelry box with her.
“I’m enjoying this! I’m allowed to!” he insisted, trying to fight her back as she poked and prodded him into place, “This is like a victory for me! C’mon, hey – Tikki!”
Marinette giggled, Adrien grinning back at his kwami as he fought back the little red god to get to Marinette, who cupped her palms around him easily, Tikki huffing in the meanwhile.
“Nice to finally talk to you, Bug, thanks for not making my kid utterly miserable for the rest of his days,” Plagg stated, simply, causing Marinette to blush as Adrien grimaced.
“I’m glad he won’t be either,” she answered, smiling up at the blonde before the two jumped in surprise at the knocking on her trapdoor.
“Marinette, are you decent? I’m crashing on your couch again!” Cecilia called as Adrien retransformed and slipped through her window with a wink, smiling from ear to ear as he tiptoed home to slip through his own window.
Only to pause halfway over when the light flicked on.
He froze, gripping onto the window beneath him as he lifted his head to look up at his stoic father.
“Uhh,” he stalled before rushing into action, “Monsieur Agreste! I’ve just noticed that your son - !”
“Is Chat Noir?” Gabriel asked, giving a slight smirk as he saw Chat blanche back at him. “Take a seat, Adrien.”
And so he did, holding Plagg close to his drumming heart once he tumbled out, Gabriel standing in front of him with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Hey, look, i-it’s not the kid’s fault, okay,” Plagg began, Adrien trying to shush him and failing. “He’s a good kid.”
“I’m aware,” Gabriel intoned before lifting an eyebrow to his son, who was as white as a sheet. “Adrien. Meet Belle.”
Adrien only had a second or two to blink at his father before his vision was invaded by a blur of blue and purple and feathers, causing him to sneeze before the kwami gave him some space.
“Look at him! Look at you!” she squealed, “So grown up since I’ve seen you! Well, in person, of course, face to face, I’ve seen you plenty of course!”
“Dad?” Adrien asked, looking to his chuckling father for assistance.
“Your hair is almost exactly like Aurora’s, except, of course, shorter! Jeez, you really take after your mother, no wonder you’re so pretty!” she continued, taking care to fold her tail feathers before she smoothed over his cheeks, “And these cheek bones! Ugh! If I were a human, I’d be jealous of them.”
“Dad?” Adrien stressed.
“You’re the peacock?!” Plagg screeched, “You’ve been Belle’s holder for years!”
“Yes, I have been,” Gabriel finally answered, taking a seat and letting Belle zip around the room to look at everything. “I’ve been le Paon for years, started younger than you started being Chat Noir. I haven’t transformed in ages, but I can’t seem to give Belle away just yet.”
“How did I not know?” Plagg grumbled as Belle swooped in to poke at an ear.
“Because all you’re worried about is cheese, akumas and Adrien,” she giggled as he hissed at her, ears laid back as he growled.
“You’re…a Miraculous holder?” Adrien asked, shifting in his seat as Plagg floated in the air, arms crossed and chin held high.
“I am,” Gabriel nodded.
“Did…did Mom know?” he whispered, not sure if his stomach was going to revolt or not.
“She did,” he murmured back, looking at his wedding ring through his clasped hands. “She used to be the holder of the butterfly miraculous. The very same that Hawkmoth now holds.” Adrien stared at his father as he took off his glasses, set them on the coffee table, and ran his fingers through his hair with a deep sigh. “I had been Le Paon for a few years before your mother showed up. She was new, and clumsy at it, but eager. She took to it like a duck to water, being a hero, helping people, making people happy. She made me happy. She helped me.”
He inhaled sharply, “My home life…was not great. You know at least that much, and one day I will tell you the rest, when I’m brave enough. But your mother…she saved me, Adrien. We discovered our identities after she’d already called off her previous engagement, had been amicable for a few months, and I’d always loved Aurora in high school. She’d admitted to having fallen for me, for Gabriel, ever since I designed her dresses and helped her. It was an accident, seeing each other transform at the same time, but it was…amazing. And after we’d started dating, she’d discovered how I was living, and she proposed to me. We got married quickly, to move out, because that was the order you had to do things then.
“She showed me what it was like to have a happy family, to be happy when you come home, to go to bed happy and wake up happy,” Gabriel’s voice was wobbling, and Belle took to his side, soft and quiet and helping him through it. “When she became pregnant with you, we talked about giving up our Miraculouses. But we were so worried, because what if we couldn’t protect you if something were to happen? She decided to give up Nooroo, her kwami, and I would keep Belle as a safety measure. I’m sure Aurora knew how much Belle meant to me, how much she’d helped me in my adolescence, and didn’t want her to…to depart.” Tears were trickling down his face, and Belle swiped them away before she continued.
“We didn’t know that something would happen to Aurora,” Belle stated, sad and looking bluer than she had initially. “She was just gone one night. Years after she’d given up Nooroo. And then, that maniac, Hawkmoth, started showing up. Abusing Nooroo’s power, abusing Nooroo. We think that Aurora knew, maybe, the day he’d gotten ahold of the kwami, and she disappeared to protect you two.”
“W-why would she?” Adrien asked, voice cracking.
“A kwami is bound by it’s previous holders,” Plagg answered, softly, resting on Adrien’s shoulder. “Especially ones that have been chosen, unlike Hawkmoth. Ones that exemplify what the kwami themselves are for.”
“Aurora was every bit of the butterfly,” Belle sighed, wiping away her own tears. “Beautiful. Graceful. Giving. Inspiring.”
“She would hold more claim to Nooroo than Hawkmoth would, and would, therefore, be able to challenge him for the Miraculous,” Plagg continued, “Wouldn’t even be much of a challenge, really. But, if he knew that, he’d go after her. And your dad. And Belle. And me and you, Adrien.”
“So she’s out there?” Adrien asked, hopefully.
“I hope so,” Gabriel whispered, moving to sit next to his son and grasping his shoulder. “I don’t have a problem with you being Chat Noir. It’s just another level of protection that I couldn’t give you. You’re fantastic at it and…and I’ve never been prouder of you.”
Adrien was crying, sniffling and trying to make it stop as Gabriel wiped his tears away and pressed his forehead against his. “D-dad, I – ”
“I just want you safe,” Gabriel insisted, softly, cradling the back of Adrien’s head as he tried not to cry any more. “That’s what I’ve always wanted for you. S-safe, a-and happy.”
“I am happy now,” he said, giving a watery laugh as Gabriel chuckled, both still crying and showing no signs of stopping.
“Marinette is Ladybug, isn’t she?” he asked, smiling, “Chat Noirs and Ladybugs belong together.”
“Cat’s out of the bag,” Adrien laughed, seeing his father’s nose wrinkle before Plagg swatted at Adrien’s ear.
“Don’t steal Marinette’s joke, she pulled that one already,” he huffed.
Gabriel’s eyebrow arched high, Adrien about to grow red.
“Don’t even, mister,” Belle warned, Gabriel huffing before wiping his face and looking at Adrien with importance.
“I won’t forbid you from going out to see her, or anything,” he began, and Adrien began to really feel fear. “But if you are, make sure you use protection.”
“Dad, oh my GOD, I haven’t even taken her on a date yet, why would you say that?!” Adrien exclaimed as he covered his face with his hands and collapsed onto his couch.
“Has your school had proper sex education classes?” Gabriel insisted, leaning over his son and poking at his sides as he grinned. “With the banana and everything? Are you aware of possible STDs? I’m too young to be a grandfather, Adrien, wait at least two years.”
Adrien could only laugh, both mortified and pleased, and he realized later that night as he was curled up in bed that it was because that was something that he could definitely get used to.
After the deeply personal and then mortifying experience of last night, it was safe to say that things were changing. They only had three more days of school left, Marinette was no longer engaged, and Adrien could do things such as leap down the flight of stairs with only Nathalie blinking in surprise.
“Adrien,” Gabriel said, monotonously as he tried to hurry out of the door, schoolbag clutched tightly in his hand as he was halted. “Where are you in such a hurry to? School doesn’t start for another thirty minutes, and you’re right next door.”
“I know, I just – uhh – ” Adrien tried, fidgeting in place as Nathalie gaped between him and the massive staircase he had barely touched. “Was hoping to walk?”
“Again, it’s right next door,” he insisted.
Adrien sighed, looking at him desperately, “I was hoping to walk a friend?”
“Oh,” Gabriel said with no loss of amusement, “Well, better get going. You’ve lost your head start.”
Adrien beamed, hugging his father quickly before skipping down the mansion steps, waving over his shoulder, “Thanks, Dad! Bye, Nathalie!”
“S-sir, what about his bodyguard?” she asked, clutching her tablet as her entire world turned upside down. Rather for the better, but it was still shocking.
“I rather think Adrien doesn’t require one anymore,” he hummed before checking his own tablet. “Invite Marinette over for dinner in the following week, would you? I believe we’ll still see her from time to time.”
“Yes, sir,” she murmured, watching him retreat and making the appropriate changes in schedule, confused but not displeased.
And so Adrien was rushing from different blocks, checking his watch every thirty seconds, Plagg being bumped around in his shirt pocket.
“Why are you in such a rush?” Plagg asked, mostly in amusement, wiggling down further in the corner of the pocket so he was tucked in safely.
“Gotten make it before she leaves for school,” he insisted, dodging a group of young teenagers as they gave him strange looks, but they were soon a speck behind him as he rounded the corner to Tom & Sabine’s Boulangerie Patisserie.
“Adrien!” Sabine yelped in surprise as he pulled the door open, just as she was about to mess with the blinds, Tom poking his head out of the backroom before he began to snicker. “Oh, you scared me!”
“I’m so sorry, Madame Cheng,” he grimaced as she patted her hand to her heart. “Uhm – I was wondering if Marinette was still here? I – I’d like to walk with her today, if that’s alright.”
Sabine and Tom both got the biggest smiles on their faces, sharing eager glances that Adrien was confused by.
“She is, yes, let me go get her!” Sabine practically squealed, zooming by her sister on the way up the stairs, Cecilia looking at her curiously before her eyes landed on Adrien and she gave a beaming grin.
“Tom, is today the day?” she asked, patting her brother-in-law’s arm as they shared manic, eager grins.
“I think so,” he whispered, Adrien beginning to grow nervous.
“Maman!” he heard Marinette call, footsteps announcing her approach upstairs. “What is with you? My hair is fine!”
“I know, dear, but – oh – what if it’s windy? Wouldn’t you like it up?” Sabine fretted, another snickering voice signaling that Annette was in on it now.
“My hair is always up,” Marinette snorted as she began to descend the stairs, wearing simple sneakers, then skinny jeans, then a Jagged Stone t-shirt. “What is your – oh!”
She stopped as soon as she saw Adrien, not even noticing Annette handing the camera to Sabine behind her, blinking and gaping as he grinned back at her.
“Hi,” Adrien spoke.
“Hi,” Marinette echoed, stepping down the last few steps and blinking at him curiously.
“Would it be alright if I walked with you to school?” he questioned.
“Oh, uhh – yes,” she said, fidgeting with her hair – which was down, and he was trying to fight the urge to play with it. “Uhm – oh!” She turned to her family, Sabine just barely hiding the camera before she saw it. “Goodbye! I love you all, I’ll be back soon!”
“Take your time!” Sabine insisted.
“All the time you need!” Cecilia crowed.
“Take pictures!” Annette declared.
Tom, however, chuckled and kissed her forehead, “Have fun today, cupcake.”
She smiled, looking at her mother and aunts strangely, before turning and walking out of the door as Adrien held it open for her, totally missing the thumbs up her entire family shot at him as he grinned.
“So, what’s the special occasion?” she asked, simply, clicking open her bag and letting Plagg zip straight into it to pounce on Tikki.
“Special occasion?” he questioned, smiling at her anyway.
“To have such a notable escort today, of course,” she teased, and he snickered.
“Well, I wasn’t sure if I should come like this, or with my leather ensemble,” he chuckled as she grinned. It was easier like this, they realized. Without the masks, without the magic, yet knowing perfectly where they stood with each other. Adrien and Marinette, Ladybug and Chat Noir, walking to school together.
“While I am a big fan of the leather, I think your current wardrobe is far comfier,” she insisted.
“Oh? Well, in that sense, I quite enjoy your red outfit. Really brings out your eyes.”
She barked a laugh, eyes twinkling, and before they knew it they were bypassing paparazzi and walking up the steps together, completely lost in their own little world by the time their friends caught up with them in the courtyard.
“Make way, ladies and gentlemen! A badass princess is walking through!” Alya hollered, clearing a bench to wrap her friend in a tight hug and begin to swing her around. Adrien looked and saw that Nino was scoffing at her fondly, while Ali and Rose were beaming as they made their way to them.
“Marinette, I wasn’t sure if I was able to thank you properly after the wedding,” Ali began as soon as Alya relinquished her. “I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me a wedding with Rose, and for saving our kingdoms. Now that I’m king, I plan on making some changes with my new queen.” Rose blushed and swatted at him.
She shrugged, easily, smiling back at the guy who, thirty-six hours ago, was her fiancé. “I’m just under the impression that you should only marry who you love, and that sure as hell wasn’t me. I can’t wait to see the king you become, and I know it will only go up from here.”
“Well, I for one, do have one small request, as Marinette’s stand-in legal consultant,” Alya stated, tossing her arm around her shoulders and tugging her close as she scoffed at her fondly, much like Nino did. “Godmother to at least one baby.”
Rose laughed, easily, unembarrassed as Ali flushed bright red. “Juleka’s been promised to be one since middle school, you’ll have to fight her for the first one.”
“Dibs on second then,” Marinette teased, chuckling as Ali went from red to pale in little to no time at all, Nino snickering at him.
“Man, you do know what comes after marriage, right?” Nino asked, clapping him on the back.
“To be fair, we haven’t even graduated yet,” Alya offered, “And he’s had a rough couple of months anyway.”
Marinette slipped away from the group to go to her locker, Adrien following casually behind to lean against the one next to her as she fiddled with the lock.
“Sooo – uhh…hi,” Adrien started lamely, Marinette arching an eyebrow back at him before smiling.
“Hi?” she grinned, opening the door and readjusting things, picking out books to return or things to keep and settling them in different sections of her locker.
“I was wondering if you were available any time soon,” he began, and she paused for a moment before a wide grin stretched across her face, resuming her task.
“Oh? For what, exactly?”
“Oh, you know,” he teased with a shrug and a grin, “Normal, everyday date-stuff. Dinner, movie, walk you home.” He leaned forward, inches away from her face, smiling at each other. “We go hop around rooftops for a couple of hours. Thoughts?”
Marinette hummed, shutting the door and smiling back up at him, “Sounds like you got yourself a date. Tomorrow at six?”
“Purrfect,” he insisted, taking her hand with a smile and having just brought it up to his lips when two shrieks pierced the air.
“MARINETTE OH MY GOD YES GET IT GIRL”
“EXCUSE YOU MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG HOW DARE YOU GET ANYWHERE NEAR MY ADRIEN”
Adrien turned bright red faster than Marinette did, his warm and tender smile against her hand turning into a grimace and an apologetic look in his eyes. But she still smiled at him and grasped their hands together, flipping it so that she placed a kiss against his knuckles with a small smile and a laugh.
The days passed by quickly, and soon enough Paris found itself housing a lounging Chat Noir and Ladybug, leaning against each other with nothing but comfort and ease.
“Favorite video game, other than Mecha Strike?” Chat Noir asked, licking off a stripe of frosting off a cupcake.
She hummed, her pillow being his thigh as she looked up at him surrounded by the stars. “Honestly? Probably Pokemon.”
“Ooh! Which gen?” he beamed.
“Okay, the graphics of the newer games are badass and amazing, while still keeping in touch with it’s roots,” she answered before giggling, “Although X and Y are probably my favorite.”
“X and Y?” he snorted softly, teasingly, carding a clawed hand through her hair, “How terribly biased of you, My Lady.”
“What can I say? I love Paris,” she insisted, nuzzling against his side further and grinning when she heard the beginnings of a purr rumble in his chest. “What about you, Kitty Cat?”
“Ohh, I do love Pokemon, my favorite gen is probably…” he paused, thinking while he pursed his lips, speaking around the purr. “Honestly? I liked Pearl a lot. It was the one my mom first got for me.”
“Favorite pokemon from Pearl?”
“Shinx! You?”
“Don’t laugh,” she prefaced as sternly as possible.
“If you say Ledyba, I will have to.”
“No, actually, I mainly stay away from bug types, if you can believe it.” She took a breath before sighing, “My favorite was Meowstic.”
“Aww, My Lady loves cat types!” he crowed, scooping her up in his arms and nuzzling her nose with his, the purring as loud as possible as she laughed and nuzzled him back, both happy and content for the first time in a long time.
“You stay away from him! Both of them!”
“Then all I need is you, out of the picture. It’s all as simple as can be, nothing personal. I’m sure you understand.”
“Mom? Who are you talking to?”
“Nobody, sweetie, just a business call.”
“Your phone’s out here, though.”
“I know, baby, I’m on a different phone. I’ll be out in a few minutes, okay? Promise!”
“Okay!”
“That was your son, yes? He’s growing so fast, isn’t he?”
“You leave my son out of this. You leave both of them out of this, you hear me?”
“Then you know what you need to do.”
And she did know.
That’s why she ran.
Because she wasn’t going to give up her soul, her very life, to watch this maniac who’d taken poor Nooroo to grow and prosper.
But she’d rather die than hurt her family.
“Adrien! Adrien, how long have you been dating the princess?” Her TV caught her attention, making her swivel around to stare at the screen, drinking in the sight of her son, so grown up, looking bashfully at all of the cameras pointing at him.
“Oh! W-well, not long, actually, just a few months!”
“Are you simply a rebound for Ali? The next best thing? You are basically the prince of the fashion empire, after all.”
“Oh please, Marinette and Ali never had any feelings for each other, and you should know that by now. I care very deeply about Marinette, and we both care about Ali and Rose. Please, don’t insult any of us by insinuating that the whole charade was anything more than an awful situation.”
“What does your father think of her? She is looking to be a fashion designer, after all.”
“Actually,” she could have sworn her heart stopped and her blood pumped faster, seeing Gabriel on the screen next to Adrien, nearly a perfect family portrait if only she’d been there. “Marinette is a wonderful young lady. I hardly think Adrien could do better. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we must get to dinner. Have a nice evening.”
Aurora sat, in the middle of her tiny apartment, underneath a different name and occupation, in a different country, leaning on the edge of her seat to catch the last little glimpses of her family before they slipped away.
She caught Gabriel’s tender smile, steering Adrien away, Adrien’s eager grin that she vaguely recalled seeing in the mirror from time to time, and a flash of silver as Adrien waved his goodbyes.
She found herself cold and trying to breathe.
Adrien was Chat Noir.
She had to get to them.
She had to, before he did.