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“What did you want to talk about?”
Marinette nearly choked on her own saliva as he got caught off guard. It was almost as if she had forgotten she was the one who had told the man in front of her that they needed to talk.
But at that moment, while Adrien sat by her side in their bed and grabbed her both hands in a comforting way, her mind went completely blank.
“Mari, is everything alright? You seemed quite urgent back there”
Marinette really hoped he wouldn’t notice how sweaty her hands were.
Adrien was so pure and wholehearted. His green eyes were sparkling with concern and his whole expression made Marinette feel her heart drop.
He cared so much about her.
Looking back at it, Marinette knew that she had accomplished everything her teenage self had dreamed of. In all of the aspects of her life. And on that specific topic, sometimes she couldn’t even believe that she was living with Adrien Agreste, nor that she was going to marry him in ten days. It was almost perfect.
Keyword ‘almost’.
Because they were sharing an apartment, their friendship was stronger as ever, and yet Adrien didn’t know she was the one saving Paris on a daily basis while using a tight suit, by the side of the man that had been considered the hottest man in the city.
And Marinette knew she couldn’t marry Adrien while keeping that big of a secret. She needed to tell him.
“Mari?” Adrien put Marinette’s bangs behind her ear as his expression turned into full worry as Marinette hadn’t replied “Princess, tell me if there’s something wrong so we can work on that”
What did I do to deserve him?
Come on, Marinette, just say the words and you’ll be fine.
But what if he hates you?
He used to ship Ladynoir in high school.
What if he loves Ladynoir more than he loves Adrinette?
Or maybe he will think you’re cheating on him with Chat Noir. He once said Chat is cute.
BUT he used to have a crush on Ladybug…
But what if now he has a crush on Chat Noir?
No, but Chat said he had a fiancée...
But what if Adrien starts dating Chat and Chat’s fiancée?
Marinette shook her head, dismissing all the thoughts that weren’t helping with her panicked stated. She squeezed Adrien’s hands and took a deep breath.
“Okay, so... there’s this thing that I need to tell you...” she started slowly. Adrien raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah?”
I’ve been lying to you since the day we met.
How could that be so difficult?
It wasn’t supposed to be that difficult. She had practiced with Chat Noir plenty of times - both of them too scared to actually go to their respective significant others and tell them that they were heroes. But like, they were fucking heroes, for God’s sake! Wouldn’t that be impressive? Wouldn’t their partners be proud of them, or at least understanding?
But Marinette had heard Adrien gush about Ladybug. So. Many. Times. That was an undeniable lie and she couldn’t blame him if he decided he didn’t want to be with her anymore.
It would just hurt as hell.
“Adrien, please” her voice was barely a whisper “Don’t hate me. Whatever happens, please let me explain”
But what explanation could be for that? Safety? She would’ve been able to protect him. He was never near an attack so knowing Ladybug’s identity wouldn’t be that much of a risk for him.
Was she scared? Of course. He had claimed to love Ladybug way before he noticed Marinette. And she knew that. She was scared he would think she was mocking him or something.
“Marinette, I could never hate you” Adrien reassured. Then his face twisted in a sudden confidence “You have something serious to tell me and I do too. Let’s just talk about it, right?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“What is it?” the woman asked, making Adrien’s eyes widen, before he regained his composure.
“Ladies first”
“No, you can go first” Marinette gesticulated and smiled at him. Adrien smiled back, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Mari, dear, listen” he put a hand on her shoulder, and although the gesture was soft, Marinette felt the weight on it, as if Adrien was about to tell her was as serious as what she was about to tell him.
And not that his own struggles weren’t important, but what could be worse that your fiancée telling you that they had been a superhero for nine years?
What if Adrien is cheating on me?
Marinette, calm down, she scolded herself, Adrien wouldn’t do that.
“Yes?” she tried to encourage him, swallowing the lump in her throat.
“I... I’ve been” his gaze met hers again “This is difficult as fuck, please go first”
That was getting really awkward.
Both of them were hiding something, and both of them were thinking that their secrets could mess everything up. Marinette was sure of why she was thinking that but... why was Adrien?
The woman took a deep breath. That was reminding her from her initial interactions with Adrien. She could barely speak to him, and when they finally got together, sometimes they’d still shy around each other and create a lot of misunderstandings because of that.
If they kept acting that way, they’d never say what they had meant to.
That was why she decided she wouldn’t argue anymore.
Gathering a bit of her Ladybug side, she decided she would tell him right away. Her mind was screaming that maybe she would never know what Adrien wanted to tell her (he would get mad and would never talk to her again), but her rational side - the one which had grown stronger throughout the years - insisted that telling Adrien would at least ease his mind, because then he would realize that whatever was tearing him apart couldn’t be that awful.
Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hands and squeezed them.
“Adrien, I want you to know that I love you, more than I can even express and I would never do anything wanting to hurt you in any way”
Adrien nodded, but his expression had shifted to confusion. Marinette felt her stomach twist. She needed to be careful with her words or else she could create a really bad misunderstanding.
Her fiancé seemed to interpret her pause as hesitance.
“Mari... Did you cheat on me?” his voice was barely a whisper and his eyes seemed to be trying to find an answer in Marinette’s face. She simply shook her head.
Too late to worry about misunderstandings.
“No, I could never!” she reassured, and Adrien seemed to relax a bit. Marinette squirmed uncomfortably in the bed before proceeding “But this thing that I am about to tell you is something that I never told anyone and I am a bit scared?”
Adrien blinked.
“Mari, are you gay?” he asked, earning a confused stare from Marinette.
“No? I mean, I’m bi but that is not a secret?”
The man in front of her nodded awkwardly.
“Sorry, that was a bit silly of me. I know that you are bi”
“And so are you” Marinette said, as if to remember him.
“And so I am” he repeated, then chuckled “This is not going anywhere. What about we count to three and then say it at the same time?”
Marinette didn’t even consider it. She was just happy she wouldn’t have to make it even more serious, and maybe blurting it out would be better.
“Right”
Adrien smiled.
“Good, then one”
“Two” Marinette said. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
“Three”
“I’m Ladybug”
“I’m Chat Noir”
For a moment, no one spoke. For a really long moment. Both of them froze, staring at each other in shock, not being able to process those words.
Did Adrien just say he is Chat Noir?
No, I must’ve misheard it.
But seriously, did he say it?
Because that would... make a lot of sense.
Wasn’t Chat Noir also struggling to tell his fiancée about his part-time job as a superhero? Didn’t Chat say that he and his partner had been together for a long time?
Adrien gulped and stared at Marinette.
“Mari, excuse me but...” his voice was strangely professional “Did you just say you’re Ladybug?”
She nodded.
“Oh”
“Oh”
“This is... wow”
“Wow” Marinette repeated “What a way to put things” she teased, grinning. But her shoulders dropped and she didn’t dare to meet Adrien’s eyes.
“It’s just that this is not what I was expecting, okay?”
Marinette massaged her temples.
“Same, to be honest” because there was no other way to put it. The whole situation was... wow. So, not only Adrien was her soon-to-be-husband, but he was also her partner? The boy who had been fighting by her side for nine years? Wow. Just... wow “That’s... awkward. Difficult to put together” she admitted, letting her body fall in the bed. Adrien did the same not too long later.
“Indeed” he sighed. He turned to face Marinette and she did the same. If she was being honest, she could see it. Chat’s eyes in Adrien’s. The expressions. The puns. And yet, she couldn’t see them as one person. She had spent a lot of time thinking about them as two separate individuals and it would take a while to get used to “We have to work through this, don’t we?”
“We will” Marinette agreed, putting a hand on Adrien’s cheeks and rubbing softly. The man closed his eyes as he did so.
So that’s how Chat’s skin feels like when we don’t have our costumes in between us...
Then something crossed her mind.
“Adrien?”
“Hmm?” he muttered, opening his eyes and put his hand on Marinette’s.
“Do you still want to marry me?”
Adrien’s eyes widened.
“Of course I do, Mari! Why would you ask me that?”
The woman shrugged.
“I love you. And although it’s a bit difficult to see you as Chat right now so maybe it might be feeling the same and you want to...”
“Give up?” Adrien cut her, exasperated “I mean, yeah, it’s confusing but the most amazing women in my life are one and same? My amazing girlfriend and my partner? How perfect can that be?”
Marinette felt her cheeks burning. That damn smirk in Adrien’s face. It was so Chat-like...
So she started laughing.
“We’re ridiculous” was all she said before Adrien joined her.
“We are”
And they laughed together, and whenever they were about to stop, their gazes met and they started again, until the point in which both of them were crying. Their stomachs hurt and they couldn’t believe that situation. They were just... so blind.
Wow.
Adrien inhaled deeply and stared at Marinette.
“Hey... my Lady” he frowned, then proceeded, seeming a bit more confident “Wanna go on patrol? Maybe that would help with... everything”
Marinette nodded.
“Of course... Kitty” and she smiled at him, and Adrien smiled back and all of a sudden everything was fine.
They would be fine. Because they were Adrien and Marinette, who were pretty much and love and marrying in ten days. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir, the lucky duo.
They were miraculous.
They would be okay.
That was awkward, but the two of them would get over it.
Together.
Or so Marinette thought until a black figure floated in front of them, barely being able to contain a laughter.
“You two idiots!”