Chapter Text
Okay. Real talk. Marinette had suspicions for a while that Adrien might be him. But she never acted on them and even now she’s debating on whether or not she should.
Until! Until he runs into the classroom, glances at her, and marches forward. When he slams his hands on her desk, and her eyes drift from his hands to his face, she knows .
“You.” She breathes.
He smiles, his eyes drifting from her neck, where she knows the hardened layer of her skin is showing. “You.”
“Uh, hi.”
“Hi.” He pauses, slowly blinking at her, and she smiles knowingly. “Shoot. I really need to talk to you.”
She looks around the room, at all of their classmates looking towards them, and whispers. “Wanna get away from here? Rooftop, maybe?”
“ Yes. ” He whispers back, and carefully grabs for her hand.
She allows him to pull her up and out of the classroom, towards the stairs that lead to the roof. They both laugh at the confused faces of their classmates, and at the feeling of finally knowing each other’s truth.
It’s when his claws dig into her hardened skin and she looks up at his face that she notices how upset he is. So she brings her hand up to cup his face, smiling softly as he digs his head into her palm.
“What is it, chaton?” She asks, and he moves away to look out towards the city.
“I found him, bugaboo.” His shoulders straighten and he turns back to her. “Hawkmoth. I know who he is.”
She gasps, bringing her hands up to her mouth, before moving towards him. “Is he?”
“Yes.” He nods. “He’s my father.”
“Oh chaton. That’s terrible.” She hugs him then, and holds his face to her shoulder as he sobs.
It takes a few minutes for Adrien to calm down, but when he does finally lift his head from her shoulder, there is a hard expression on his face. “I want justice. I want the Miraculous taken from him.”
Marinette moves his face to look at her. “And we will get it. We have an advantage now, remember?” She taps her Miraculous, with a sly smirk. “He will never see it coming.”
The sudden punch to his face is a shock. The feeling of both Miraculouses being ripped from his undershirt and a force pushing him to the ground washes him in a cold reality. Ladybug and Chat Noir had found him. They knew who he was, where he was, and now they were both glaring at him as he lay on the ground.
“Hawkmoth.” Ladybug speaks coldly. “You have used the Miraculous for evil. You have put the people of Paris under severe emotional distress. We only have one question for you before we turn you over to the authorities.”
Chat Noir steps forward, eyes burning with rage. “Why?”
“For my wife.” He responds, matching Chat’s intensity.
It must’ve been the wrong thing to say, he realizes, as soon as he feels another fist connect to his face.
“For your wife?” Chat spits out. “What about your son?”
“He— I—” Ladybug steps forward then, cutting him off.
“Don’t. Don’t even try to explain yourself.” She gestures to Chat, and suddenly they are pulling him up and towards the entrance of his mansion. “Nothing you say could ever make what you did right.”
He couldn’t argue with her. Not after seeing the pure hatred that lingers in Chat’s eyes, or hearing how coldly they both addressed him. What would his son think? Gosh, his son, how long has he been ignoring his son?
Gabriel turns his head to the two heroes. “My son. I need to see him.”
“No. You don’t. He never wants to see you again.” Chat Noir glares at him, a growl rising in his throat.
“How would you—” Gabriel stops. No . “You— you can’t. You can’t be!”
All Chat does is nod at him, once, and Gabriel hangs his head in shame. He doesn’t fight it as they lead him out to the line of police cars, or as Ladybug pushes him into the police car. His heart drops as the car pulls away, his son turns to talk to his partner, and somehow he knows that nothing will ever be the same.
How quickly it is over comes as a shock. Especially when Adrien watches Marinette drop the two missing Miraculouses back into the box. It’s when the magic surge pours out and sweeps through Paris that Adrien finally snaps back into himself.
He’s standing in Marinette’s room, watching as the kwamis surround Marinette and their returned friends. She beckons him over, and he follows moving right by her side. The kwamis are cheering, lifting up his arm to look at his claws, and poking at Marinette’s hardened skin. All he feels in that moment is the rush of joy at finally finding his lady, and how at home he is with her.
“Thank you, bugaboo.” He whispers in her ear, and she gives him a curious glance.
“What for, chaton?”
“For being there for me.” He sighs and moves to gently run a finger along Nooroo’s head.
Marinette rests her head on his shoulder, and smiles up at him. “Anytime, chaton, anytime.”
“But m’lady. I think we may have aphid of a purr- oblem.” He smirks at her, and she groans.
“Adrien , please .” She begs and he smiles.
“You haven’t done one thing for me yet.”
“What do you mean, chaton?” Marinette looks at him curiously, and regrets it as he looks at her mischievously.
“You haven’t asked meow -t.”
“You know that roof threat? I will throw you off my balcony if you continue. I will.”
“C’mon m’lady. Don’t bug out on me.”
“ Chaton. You better run.” She steps forward, and he laughs.
“Relax, relax. I’m just winging it.” His smile drops as he watches Marinette approach him, an angry look on her face.
It’s not until he feels her lips press against his own that he begins to smile again, a purr echoing from deep within his chest. And after a while, when she slowly pulls away from him and presses her forehead to his, he feels totally enamored with her.
“Adrien. Will you give me the pleasure of being my boyfriend?” She asks him, and all he can do in response is nod and lean in for another kiss.
And when they sit down to watch a movie together, with all of the kwamis surrounding them, a feeling of certainty fills the both of them. They will do this together. Face their new traits together. And enjoy the rest of their lives together. Just like their bond with the Miraculous, they would not be separated.
A purr rumbles throughout the room and Marinette curls into Adrien, ready to face anything that stands before them. Even if it is just dealing with her craving for aphids.