Chapter Text
It was a peaceful spring afternoon, despite the looming clouds and constant akuma threats. With summer drawing nearer that also meant exams were around the corner. With so many students panicking Hawkmoth had been having quite the time. Ladybug and Chat Noir would’ve really appreciated it if he didn’t.
Which was why Chat Noir had visited his princess. With the promise of warm food and even warmer company how could he not? Ever since he had accidently stumbled upon her nearly five months ago things had been looking up for both sides of the mask.
He and Marinette had become strong friends and Ladybug had started taking down some of her walls and was opening up to him. Then there was the fact that since he and the rest of his class were in their final year of Lycee the whole class had been spending time together. Admittedly it was mainly study seasons but it was still more than he could dream.
Marinette was currently telling him about her day. It was actually one of Adrien’s secret pleasures. Of course he had been with her for nearly all of it but he always found it fascinating listening to her point of view on the same day and how different it can be.
Marinette was going around her balcony, watering her plants as she told him what had happened to her during the second akuma of the day.
“Alya bolted leaving me with Chloe and Sabrina, do you know how hard it was to get them to go away? I found a nice hiding spot and told them to stay so I could check on the others, seeing as we were supposed to be having another study group and she clings to me! How Sabrina can put up with her is beyond me, that girl must have a dedication I don’t and don’t even get me started on Adrien,” She rambled.
Chat snorted from his spot, under the parasol she’d put up to cover the table. She didn’t usually bring it out until summer but one time the two of them had been getting ready to go on a little trip when it bucket down out of nowhere. They had made it all the way to her rail and she was getting on his back so he could take her to a nice roof top with a spectacular view of the city he’d discovered a few days back. By the time she’d managed to get her trap door open it had stopped, as quickly as it came. She’d learnt from that mistake.
“But anyway, how was your day?” She asked as she finished up
Smiling he replied “Quite good, if not a little tiring. Got to hang out with friends, got to see Ladybug, and kicked some butt. You know the usual.” He passed the plate over.
They talked a little more when, as if summoned by his previous thoughts, it started raining. He and Mari huddled under the umbrella but after five minutes she offered for them to move inside.
After dashing in they took a look at each other. Stating the obvious Chat said “We got a little wet.” As they dripped small puddles on Mari’s floor.
Rolling her eyes she pocked his chest “Stay here, I’ll get us some towels and hot chocolate.”
“Three marshmallows please.”
Opening her hatch she said “I’ll see what I can do.”
While she was gone he looked around her room. It always looked different with every visit and he loved it. It was the opposite of his house, which was never anything but immaculate and uniform. Some days it was messy, some days it wasn’t but it always felt loved and lived in.
Staying in his spot so not to spread his dampness he spotted the differences since his last visit. Before she had sewing equipment littering the floor. Now it was papers from studying all day and night. Her trash can was empty for once but her desk was as cluttered as ever. Turning to her walls he noticed she’d added more photos.
Carefully he walked over, wanting to have a better look. There were a lot of new ones, seeing as they’d been making a lot of new memories. One suddenly caught his attention and he nearly wheezed with laughter at the sight. It was from a few days ago, their whole class had gone on a hunt for a nice park to have a picnic at. They found one that was filled of bug life, despite Chloe’s plea for anywhere but there. It was mainly of him, glaring at a purple butterfly. He knew it wasn’t Hawkmoth’s but the photo proved he was not happy to see it. However what he didn’t know was that a short distance away Marinette was pulling a just as displeased face.
Continuing to reminiscence in the photos he couldn’t help but pick up on a reoccurring face. His reoccurring face, in fact. Not to say she was lacking with the other classmates, he was honestly surprised with how many she had that involved Chloe. No, she definitely had plenty of everyone but he could swear there were more photos of him than even Alya, though he didn’t dare check. He was still milking her comment about his classy puns.
The sound of the trap door behind him pulled his gaze away from the images. With a towel on each arm and a tray with two steaming cups of hot chocolate Marinette finally returned.
“Sorry I took a while,” She started as Chat came to help “Mum was in the kitchen and I didn’t want her getting curious about why I have two cups. Although she seemed to have laid out the stuff for two anyway but I think that was for herself and Dad.”
“That’s alright, I was just looking around.” He set the tray on her deck, without disturbing her hazardous stacks of paper and grabbed one of the towels.
“You weren’t being too nosy, where you?”
“Water you talking about,” He shook his wet hair at her and she hit him “I have been a purr-fect gentleman.”
“Sure.”
“Well I might’ve become very interested in one particular part.” He confessed and she forged horrified shock before taking a drink
“I let you into my home and this is who you repay me? What a way to rain on my parade.”
“Oooh, you’re getting better at this princess.”
She rolled her eyes as he nudged her a bit before taking his own hot cup. He smiled when he noticed there were four marshmallows. She knew his sweet tooth well.
They drank in silence for a bit when curiosity got the better of her. Finishing her cup Mari asked “So what were you looking at?”
“Your photos.”
“That’s all?”
“Yup. There are a lot more since the last time I was here and I wanted to see what you’d been up to. Your class making the most of it before you split for College?”
“Yeah. Nino, Alya, Rose, Nathaniel and I plan on going to the same school. Adrien, Chloe, Sabrina and Max are aiming for a different one but if we all get in we’ll be close. The others are going here and there.” She looked at the photos.
She’d admit she was a little sad. If there was any kind of silver lining to Hawkmoth’s tyranny it was that it had brought their class together. She’d never had a bond with a class like she did this one but the thought of it all coming to an end just because they were growing up was upsetting.
Hell she’d even admit she’d miss Chloe, just you know to herself and no one else.
It seemed the whole class felt the same because as the end of the year got closer they started planning more. It was actually really nice with how stressful everything was to just hang out.
Chat hummed knowingly at the look on her face. Adrien felt very much the same. It was his first time going to school and although he was sure akuma attacks weren’t always a regular thing it made the year all the more memorable. However he couldn’t feel too sad with all the time they spent together and all the planning they were doing to keep things that way.
Another comfortable silence followed only for curiosity to get the better of him this time. Looking back at the photos he couldn’t help but ask “So what are your thoughts on Adrien?”
Mari choked on air before splattering “What?”
He grinned at the reaction, how easy it was to tease her. Purring he said “I couldn’t help but notice you had an awful lot of pictures with Adrien in them, I was just wondering if there was a purr-ticular reason.”
As if she didn’t believe him Mari scanned her wall of photos. There was no way, she hadn’t even been thinking when she saw most of the photos. She’d simply just wanted them for the sake of remembering. Nevertheless she also noticed there were more that held Adrien than anyone else. She hoped Alya wouldn’t notice or she’d feel very offended.
Chat watched as Marinette’s face turned from disbelief to shock, a blush started making its way to her cheeks. Teasingly he couldn’t help but ask “Oh does my dear princess have a celebrity crush?”
If Chat thought she was blushing before then this was a whole new level. Her cheeks flared so violently it travelled to the tips of her ears and down her neck. He wondered if it reached her chest. She made a few unidentified words before huffing with frustration at herself.
Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment she composed herself enough to say “It’s not a celebrity crush, my feelings are genuine.”
…What…?
Moments of some of their encounters flushed before Adrien’s eyes. The stuttering, the inability to look let alone hold a conversation with him, the blush that always graced her cheeks. Oh so this was why Nino liked to call him oblivious…
“Chat, earth to Chat Noir?” Mari’s voice brought him back
“You like Adrien,” He whispered before he repeated in a much too loud voice “You like Adrien! Oh it all makes sense now, how could I not see it. And all this time I thought it was something else-”
He was abruptly cut off by Mari slapping her hand over his mouth and hissing at him to be quiet. There was dead silence for what felt like hours before she finally removed her hand.
“Please scream it a little louder, I think you missed some of Europe.” She glared at him. He swallowed sheepishly.
“Sorry I guess I got a little excited. It’s just I always wondered why you used to act that why around,” He had to bit his tongue as he nearly said ‘me’ “A-around him.”
“Was it really that obvious?”
“No.” He replied instantly. He’d like to think that he was more observant that people gave him credit for.
Mari sighed and took a seat “To be honest I’ve liked him for a while and have even tried to tell him a few times but something always goes wrong.”
Now Chat was the one sighing as he walked up to sit next to her knowing all too well what that feeling was like. His attempts at getting Ladybug to really notice his feelings never went very well. Although now that he thought about it he hadn’t tried for a while. Weird, that wasn’t like him. Then again he was rather busy nowadays. Just the thought of how busy he was made him tired with an age much older than his own.
“What do you think I should do?” She asked after a moment’s silence.
Chat jumped at the question after being lost in thoughts again. She was asking for him opinion? She valued it enough to want to know his thoughts on this matter even though he’d told her he wasn’t any better?
“Y-you’re asking me?”
“I trust you.”
A familiar warmth that Adrien had become accustom to with Marinette return to his chest as he smiled. He thought, long and hard about what he could suggest. He didn’t want to give her any bad advice, she deserved the best of everything so he had to make sure his advice was such.
“Well in the end it comes down to what you want. There are so many uncertainties about the future and if you get stuck on them or past failures then the only thing that will be certain is that nothing will change. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? Are you willing to risk it? Is he worth the risk?”
Now it was her turn to think. She knew she had the guts, she wasn’t Ladybug for nothing. Even though things could go badly her and Adrien were close and Nino and Alya would help any transitioning. She had courage and support, so what was there to lose?
A small voice in her head said Adrien. She ignored it.
“I think you make an excellent point, mon chaton.” She smiled as a blush made its way to her cheeks. He made an excellent point, indeed.