Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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Marinette rested her hands on her hips, watching in amusement as her partner finished wedging his staff in the crack in the dilapidated rooftop.

“This is a horrible idea,” she said idly.

His tongue stuck out as he tried wiggling the stick, ensuring that it was secured fast.  “Come on, Bugaboo, none of your ideas have ever been horrible.”

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t her idea. She’d only wondered how far Chat’s baton could extend, if its length was as infinite as her yo-yo’s string.  It was her ridiculous, adrenaline-junkie partner who wanted to ride the baton up as far as it could go.  

Not that it was that dangerous, really.  They’d done it a few times to scout for some akuma or another during attacks.  Besides, it would be nice to see the city from such a height without a threat looming over them—or below them.

“It wasn’t an idea. It was a question,” she still said on principle. “I didn’t think you were actually going to test it.”  

He rested his chin on the top of the baton and grinned.  “How long have you known me? I’m not majoring in Physics for nothing.” 

“You’re not majoring in Physics.”  She leaned in to flick his nose, which only made him grin wider.  “Not for another two months, and not ever if you become a pancake by pulling some stupid stunt before then.”  

“How could I hurt myself?  I’ll have my amazing partner right there to catch me if I fall.”  He winked.

Her stomach twisted like pretzel dough—from nerves about the height, that was all.

“Don’t go treating me like a parachute, kitty.  I’ll be more likely to rip my arm out of its socket if I have to yo-yo us out of this.”  

Or she’d have to use Lucky Charm and hope for an actual parachute, but it probably wouldn’t come to that.  Silly as her kitty could be, he never let her down when it mattered.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll be extra careful, I Pawmise.”  He crossed his heart with one claw, still grinning like he was already on top of the world.  

Ridiculous or not, this idea was worth it just to see him so excited.  He’d been bouncing all night since she’d agreed.  

“You’d better,” she warned, though her voice was warm.  

His grin reached Cheshire proportions as he wrapped one arm securely around the metal staff and extended the other to her.  “One catapult, going up.”

“Oh no.”  She laughed.  “Points for the pun, but please don’t tell me you’re going to launch us.” 

“I already said I’ll be careful.  Don’t tell me the fearless Ladybug is actually scared?”

“Pffff, you wish.  You just want me to hold on tighter.”  Her fingers threaded through his teasingly before slipping out just as he tried to kiss her knuckles.  

His lips pursed in a pout.  “You know me too well, my Lady.  ...But seriously, please hold on. I know you can catch yourself if you have to, but I’d really rather not drop you in the first place.”

“That makes two of us.”

She wrapped one arm around his waist and secured the other at his shoulder.  His feet lifted off the ground to brace against the staff, leaving his thigh as a comfortable seat.  

Enjoying this, huh?  She almost expected him to tease as she snuggled closer—because she did want to be safe.  It was almost disappointing when he neglected to quip though.  Maybe she wasn’t clinging tightly enough after all.

“So high do you think we’ll go?”  He asked, holding her by the waist as she finished getting settled.  “Think we’ll be dodging planes tonight?”

“I doubt it.  Even if we technically could go that high, we shouldn’t.  It’ll be freezing up there.”  

“What, afraid I won’t be able to keep you warm?”  He teased with a gentle nuzzle to the size of her head.

Had it always been this difficult to keep from leaning into his touch?  Not that she couldn’t, but, well—if she gave into his jokes, he’d have no reason to continue.

“Why don’t you just focus on getting us up there at all.”  She kept her voice flat, hiding any trace of that brief thought.

“Whatever you say, Bugaboo.”

For all his earlier joking, their ascent started fairly slow, more like an elevator than a catapult.  It gave her plenty of time to take in the sights below—the warm lights flickering from windows, divided by the dark swath of the Seine.  Streets radiating out from the Arc de Triomphe like spokes on a wheel, cars inching their way down them like little lightningbugs.  And of course, the Eiffel Tower, sparkling in the distance, a homing beacon that never failed to bring a smile to her lips.

Paris.  Their city.

“Pretty amazing, huh,” Chat breathed beside her. With their arms around each other and the glittering lights below, it was easy to pretend they were rulers surveying their kingdom.

...Chat had must have been calling Marinette Princess too much.  Or else his My Lady’s were going to her head.

Royal daydreams or not, though, there was no one she’d rather have beside her—no one else she could have beside her. And not just because it was his baton that held them aloft, his embrace that made her feel as secure as if she stood on solid ground.  She would have been crushed under the weight of her superhero mantle if he weren’t there to share it.  Staring down at just how many people depended on them, it was impossible to forget that.

“Does it ever feel like too much?”  She whispered the doubt that had been nagging at her more and more lately. She tried to stay strong for the team’s morale, but when it was just her partner and the hushed sky, her necessary barriers wore thin.  

“Does what feel like too much?”  He replied just as quietly.  His face turned to hers, emerald irises glinting in the moonlight, closer than she’d prepared herself to handle.

The pretzel twist in her stomach made a reappearance, but she was hardly thinking about the height.

“You know.  All of this.”  She couldn’t let go to gesture to the glowing city beneath them, but he seemed to understand anyway.  “We’re the only ones standing between all of them and two adult supervillains.  And even after all these years, we still haven’t found them.”

Her voice cracked a little on that last sentence. The uncomfortable truth they’d been dancing around for the last few months—longer, really, but it became more and more urgent as lycee ended and they prepared to go to University. Most of their team of miraculous wielders (not Chat, of course) would be leaving Paris. This was the last summer they would be together, and the last summer they could be kids, only they hadn’t really been kids for four years now thanks to Hawkmoth and Mayura—

And maybe that was why she agreed to this crazy idea.  Because they were kids, dang it, and she deserved to do something silly and dumb with the one person she trusted more than anyone in the world.  She wanted to spend time with him outside of taking down Hawkmoth’s villain of the day.  She wanted them to just be together.

Wait.  Not together, together—just, like, as friends.  Who could spend time together without wearing magical suits and masks.  She wanted to sew them matching shirts, and text him cat memes at two a.m., and kick his butt at video games.  Which she could do as Marinette, but—she wanted him to know it was her, too.

The sheer force of that longing took her by surprise, and only multiplied her hatred for Hawkmoth a hundredfold.

“Hey, Little Bug,” Chat said softly.  His arm tightening around her dissolved the complicated web of her thoughts.  “We’re going to find him.  And it’s not just us anymore.  Pegasus is analyzing all the data Rena’s collected, remember?  And we’ve got her and Carapace alternating patrols with Ryuuko and Viperion.  We can even call in Queen Bee or Bunnyx or King Monkey if we need to.  We’ve never been closer to taking Hawkmoth down.”

He was right.  They weren’t alone.  They never would’ve survived the combined powers of Hawkmoth and Mayura if it weren’t for their team, especially since sentimonsters started regularly joining the fray two years ago.

Still, there was something about sitting with Chat among the pinprick stars that brought her back to before then.  When it was just the two of them against the world.

Was it weird that she sometimes missed that?

“I know,” she murmured.  Her forehead leaned against his chest, where the steady thump-thump of his heart calmed her own.  “Sorry, Chat.  I shouldn’t worry.”

“I don’t think anyone could stop you from worrying.”  His chin rested on her head, his warmth and familiar scent cocooning her.  Roses and leather and cheese, juxtaposed in a way that was so uniquely him.  “I doubt Paris would still be standing if you didn’t worry.  But it’s going to be okay.  I promise.”

The rational part of her brain wanted to ask how he could say that.  The newspapers cried out against them at every mistake, at every day that drew them closer to the fifth anniversary of Hawkmoth’s appearance.

But the other part of her brain, the part that had worked in tandem with him long enough that trusting him was second nature, calmed at his reassurance.  

“Who knows,” he continued.  “Maybe we’ll kick Hawkmoth’s butt before summer ends, and then we can throw a party before everyone splits for University.  The whole team can show up.  We’ll get Multimouse to bring the pastries.  Carapace can blast us some sick tunes.  I’m sure Queen Bee can get us a venue…”

Marinette giggled at the thought of all the miraculous wielders, unmasked and just hanging out like normal friends, no more worries than what they were going to do in University.  Alix and Kim would probably (definitely) end up in some kind of competition, powered by their miraculouses or not.  Luka would serenade Kagami with his guitar instead of Viperion’s lyre.  Speaking of which, Marinette wondered if Adrien’s brief stint as Aspik would mean he would be there… and how he would get along with Chat Noir.  For some reason, she had a feeling it would be odd to see them together.

Regardless, it was a dream worth fighting for.  A dream worth hoping for.

“I’m sure Multimouse would love that,” she said, hiding her smirk against his collarbone.  By the time such a party could happen, Chat would know the truth about her dual identity, anyway.  “I know I would.”

“There’s only one thing that would make it better.”  Chat’s voice turned teasing.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

He didn’t answer as they passed through a cloud, the dampness much colder and all around wetter than she was prepared for.  She shivered and sneezed, feeling her pigtails cling to the back of her neck.  Chat chuckled and brushed them aside.  His claws lingered for the briefest of moments on the sliver of skin between her suit and hairline.

“A private party,” he said softly.  “Just the two of us, before everyone else.”

She pulled back just enough to see his eyes again, intending to tease him about what kind of party he was asking for—but the sincerity and softness in his features stopped her short.

“Y-yeah?”

“Yeah.  So we can… I mean, I know I want…” he swallowed for a moment before quietly finishing, “I want you to be the first one to know who I am.”

They didn’t talk about revealing their identities often—mostly because she made it clear that they couldn’t, and she already thought about it enough without tempting either of them by saying it out loud.  He was Chat Noir, her partner and best friend, no matter who he was under the mask.

But maybe they should talk about it more, if he thought she would want anything else.

“Of course, Kitty.”  Carefully, since they were hundreds of kilometers in the air, she moved the arm at his waist to wrap around the back of his neck instead.  A few of his damp locks tickled her fingers even though the suit.  “I’ve always wanted you to be the first, too.”

His smile could’ve powered the whole city below.  “Then it’s settled.  Pegasus finds Hawkbutt next week.  We storm the castle, Queen Bee Venoms him and Mayura, you rip their miraculouses off, we pound it, and we throw the biggest party Paris has ever seen.”

His optimism, if unrealistic, was contagious.  She felt the hope untangling knots in her chest as she laughed again.

“I should’ve left the planning to you, Chaton.  Maybe then we’d have beaten Hawkmoth already.”

“Nah, we all know you’re the brains of the operation, Bugaboo.  I’m just here to look pretty.”  He flipped his soggy hair, and his bangs hit his forehead with a fwap.  

She couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her.  “You’re such a dork.  I love you.”

He froze solid as one of Style Queen’s statues.  She half expected him to turn to gold, for his warmth to bleed out like the color currently draining from her face.

She said— 

She’d said she loved him.  

She’d said she loved him, and the words had come out as easy as breathing, as sure as the pounding of her heart.  How—why?  She didn’t love him, not like that, she couldn’t couldn’t she’d told herself that long ago—

But any denials caught in her lungs, trapped like the dark butterflies snared by her yo-yo.  Only when the words were fully purified were they released again.

“I—I love you,” she whispered.  

She hadn’t meant to say it once, much less twice—but with the repetition the truth of it snapped firmly into place.  She didn’t know when her kitty had snuck past her defenses, slipped past her blinding crush on Adrien, dodged all the logical reasons she had for not falling for him.  

But he had.

She loved Chat Noir.  Of course she did.

“You—but you—is there an akuma?”  He stammered, eyes wide and disbelieving.  She’d been turning down his off-and-on (mostly on) flirting for four years now; of course he wouldn’t assume she was serious.

“No, Kitty.”  Her laugh felt suffocating.  After all this time she’d been trying to confess to Adrien, and now, when her target was her Kitty, her mouth didn’t give her a choice.

Maybe that was for the best.  She would always have a special place in her heart for Adrien, but Chat—Chat was her home.  Her partner, her friend, her everything.  

The twisting in her stomach finally unwound, swelling into something that she could hardly contain.  His face was so close, his lips still parted from the three words she’d dropped on him.  It would be so easy to lean in and kiss the shock from his face, until he melted in her arms, until they both believed this was real.

But Chat had always respected her boundaries, and she would do the same for him.  Besides, what if he didn’t feel the same anymore, if his flirting was just habit?  And she’d just blurted out her feelings before even she realized them—what if she ruined the comfortable companionship they shared?

No.  No, she knew better than that.  Even if he didn’t feel the same, nothing could tear the two of them apart. 

“I know I’m late, but—if you still want me—”

“My Lady.”  She felt more than heard the tremor of emotion in his voice.  “I’ll always want you.  I always have.”

Was this real?  How had she gone from flirting with her partner to baring her heart to him?  The liquid moonlight washed aside her walls. His golden hair was spun silver in its glow, and her hands ran through it involuntarily.  She was lucky Chat had returned his grip to her waist, because otherwise she might have accidentally slipped off him.

As much as his words made her feel like she could fly, it was best not to test that theory.

“Thanks for waiting for me, Chaton.”  She rested her forehead against his, still shaking with the realization and love and longing and—how had she ignored this feeling?  How long had she wanted him to kiss her senseless before her mind would admit it?

It didn’t matter.  She knew now, and the electricity that sparked between them wouldn’t let her forget anytime soon.

“You know I’d wait forever for you.  I love you.”  His breath fanned across her cheeks, soft and hot and everything she hoped his lips would be.  “I love you so so much, Ladybug, I—”

He might be willing to wait forever, but she wasn’t.  Her lips consumed whatever it was he was going to say next— 

And all she knew was that he tasted like coming home.

He matched her passion with a surprising sweetness.  It wasn’t the intense kiss she was expecting, but maybe that was for the best.  He was the only thing keeping them from plummeting to the ground far below, and distracting him probably wasn’t the best idea, but frankly after that first touch of lips she was so gone they could’ve fallen and she wouldn’t have noticed— 

He yelped against her mouth.  Had she done something wrong?  She hadn’t kissed a boy since Luka two years ago, but she couldn’t be that bad— 

Oh.  She hadn’t noticed.

Gravity really wasn’t supposed to be tugging in that direction.  And the wind wasn’t supposed to be blowing up.

And Chat’s baton wasn’t supposed to be slipping through his fingers.

Gah!  She barely had time to think as his arms tightened around her middle so he was hugging her from below.  What was he thinking?  Did he expect to cushion her fall?

Jolting out of oh-my-gosh-I’m-kissing-Chat mode, she threw her yo-yo from her hip and lassoed the still-upright baton.  Only miraculous magic could be holding it steady, especially when she yanked them towards it—

And in a jumble of limbs and string, she promptly tangled them against the metal length.

She heard a sharp crack, followed by a dizzy groan. 

“Chat, oh my gosh, are you okay?” The world was still spinning; she couldn’t turn to see him. Mostly because her back was pressed flush against his chest.

“Purrfectly fine, my Lady.” His laugh sounded near her ear. “I always knew you’d sweep me off my feet.”

She rolled her eyes, unsure if she wanted to laugh or groan.  She was so stupid.  Making out with Chat with nothing but a pole holding them up?  Yes, that sounded like something from her romantic fantasies (which she wasn’t supposed to have with him, but—shh), but she should’ve known better in real life!

“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?” She muttered.

He hummed thoughtfully. That sound should not have made her shiver, she was just—it was just cold. Even though his body was hot against her back.

Yeah, she wasn’t kidding anyone.

“I could be purrsuaded to forget,” he said to her surprise.

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Mm-hmm.” His chin rested on her shoulder. “For the low price of fifty more kisses.”

“Fifty?” She choked, face heating. Fifty brushes of his lips on hers, of his laugh filling her lungs— “I—I don’t know. Actually, you’re the one who let go of the staff. I might’ve kissed you first, but you’re the one who should be getting teased.”

“Fair enough. A hundred kisses, then. Fifty for me to forget, and fifty for you to forgive me for dropping you.”

“Bold words from a guy who couldn’t even handle kissing me once.” She would’ve flicked his bell if her arms weren’t trapped over his around her middle.

“Ah, it just means I need more practice!”

She twisted her head just enough to stick her tongue out at him. “You won’t get any practice if you don’t get us down from here.”

“Oh. Uh. About that… I can’t reach the button.” He laughed awkwardly. “You mind untangling us?”

The magical properties of her yo-yo meant she could still retract the string even tangled as it was, but it would take a minute to lasso them back to the baton properly this time.

“Only if you don’t mind falling again.” 

“For you? Never,” he said with a quick kiss to her cheek.

She shook her head.  She refused to be distracted by him this time, even if his smell was everywhere, more dizzying than their brief fall through the clouds.

“You’re such a dork.”

“But you love me,” he practically sang.

Despite the fact that they were hanging in an awkward position hundreds of meters in the air, her nerves vanished completely.

“Yeah, Kitty. I do.”

(That truth was far more important than learning how far Chat’s baton could extend, anyway.)

Chapter Text

“You’re not joining the party?”  Chat—Adrien—asked when Marinette slipped through the hotel room door.  He sat on the carpet beneath the window, nearly hidden in the shadow between the wall and the rectangle of sunset spilling in.  It felt wrong to see him slouched on the ground and not perched somewhere, like on the king size bed, or the arm of the couch she brushed as she approached him.

“You really think I’d go down there and celebrate while you’re…” She trailed off, not really sure where to go with that. Crying over the fact that we arrested your dad?  She knew she could talk about anything with him, but that still felt insensitive.

“Sitting here moping?”  Plagg supplied even less sensitively, and she cut him off with a glare.  If she hadn’t been suited up, she’d have Tikki go distract the kwami somewhere.  But she couldn’t detransform yet, not when she didn’t know if Adrien still wanted her to.

She sat down beside him and took his hand in hers.  No claws brushed the back of her hand.  Only soft skin, manicured nails at the end of trembling fingers.  

“I’d rather be here with you,” she said softly.  

He looked up, meeting her eyes with his damp ones.  How long had he been here by himself?  Well, with Plagg, who for all of his blunt words looked just as worried about his chosen.  Of course he would be; the kwami had been Adrien’s only support for the few days he’d been separated from her.

“You’re—you still want to be with me?  Even though you know who I am, and you know Hawkmoth’s my...”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” she murmured as lingering tears dripped down his face.  “I mean, it’s not okay, nothing he did to you was okay—but it’s not your fault, Adrien.”

She wished she could’ve told him that a thousand times already.  Wished it hadn’t been two days since she’d been able to see him alone.  Wished she could deck Gabriel Agreste again for how much he’d hurt his son.  

But no amount of punching supervillains would erase her boyfriend’s pain.

“Should’ve been stronger,” he mumbled.  “I was useless.”

“Hey.”  She put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to face her.  “No one calls my boyfriend useless.”  Besides, it wasn’t even true.  Sure, he’d been more reckless than usual—and she’d barely cleansed Hawkmoth’s butterfly before it akumatized him—but he’d given his all to the fight, even knowing it was his father behind the mask.

His lips twitched into something that was almost a smile. “What are you going to do about it?  Fight me?”

“Yes.”  She put on her most serious face.  “I’m going to pin you to this wall and you’re not going to move until you stop blaming yourself.”

A startled snort burst from him.  “Trying to threaten me with a good time?”

“Oh—Chat.”  Her face burned when she realized how her words had come out.  Apparently her ability to embarrass herself in front of Adrien had never completely gone away.

At least he was grinning now.  She’d gladly pin him to the wall if that was all it took.  

“The point is, you’ve never been useless, Kitty.  I was so so proud of you standing up to your… to Hawkmoth like that.  I wish I’d had more time to tell you that, before…”

“Before the press basically took me hostage?  Not your fault.”  He shrugged.  “I’m just lucky they didn’t find out I was Chat Noir.  And lucky I’m eighteen and they couldn’t try to ship me off to live with Aunt Amalee.”

She shuddered at the thought of that.  Particularly considering that would mean he'd be living with his cousin, who she’d be willing to deck in the face a second time.  Since Adrien was legally an adult though, once he’d been questioned and cleared as having no knowledge of Hawkmoth and Mayura’s actions in his home, he’d been allowed to stay at the Le Grand Paris.  Chloe was making sure he got free boarding, and Marinette had never been more grateful for the girl who used to make her life miserable.

“They wouldn’t.  I’d make my parents adopt you first.”

“That’d be hard to pull off, considering we still don’t know each other’s... well, I don’t know your identity, anyway.”  He looked down at the carpet, tracing a pattern in it with his index finger.  “Sorry for that too.  I wanted it to be romantic, not… like this.”

“Again, not your fault.”

She’d been the only one to overhear Chat’s faint cry of “Father?” when Max had located Hawkmoth’s lair below the Agreste mansion.  She’d been the one to tell him to hang back, to tell him he didn’t have to fight.  But he had fought, even after Hawkmoth nearly akumatized him during the battle.  He’d even been the one to hold the villain’s arms behind his back as Marinette tore the butterfly brooch from his throat. 

No one else had known why hot, angry tears stained Chat’s face as she did.

And then came the media swarm, and they’d gotten separated as their miraculouses timed out, and… and she’d only been able to visit him surrounded by paparazzi since then.  Until she found his room in the hotel while the other miraculous wielders prepared for their celebration in the ballroom below.

“So much for our private party, huh?”  He sniffled.

Her face softened at the memory of their promise made while balancing in the sky.  Had that really just been three weeks ago?  She felt like she’d been dating Chat Noir—Adrien—forever.

“Well… it is just the two of us.”  She snuggled into his shoulder, and his arm came to wrap around her middle.  “If you don’t want to think about Hawkmoth and everything else right now… we could…”

He looked down at her hopefully.  “We could…?”

“You could know who I am,” she murmured.  “If it’s not too much for you.  I know everything's happened so fast lately.”

“No, my Lady—of course I want to know who you are.”  He hugged her tighter, pulling her into his lap.  “Nothing would make me happier than the love of my life being by my side through all this, both in and out of our masks.”

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere.”  She brushed a lock of his hair behind his ear, her heart hammering so hard she was sure he could feel it.  “You better get used to being glued to me until all of this is sorted out.”  Did that sound wrong?  This wasn’t something that would just go away; this was his family she was talking about.  “I mean, I don’t want to ignore how serious this is. I know you must still be freaked out about your father and everything—”

“Ladybug,” he said softly.  His finger pressed against her lips before falling away, his hand tangling with hers.  “I’m going to be okay.  Really.  Maybe I didn’t know he was Hawkmoth, but… you know, I’m not really surprised either.”  He winced.  “I shouldn’t say that.  He’s still my father, but… no, he’s not, not in any way that counts.”  

Conflicting emotions played out in his expression before he shook his head.  “It’s just complicated right now.  But the point is, I still have a family.  It’s with you, and all the other heroes downstairs.  That isn’t going to change.”

This time, when he smiled, it reached his glistening eyes.  

“You’re amazing, you know that?”  she said, her thumb tracing the edge of his cheek where his mask would be.  Adrien. Chat Noir.  Her partner, her boyfriend, her friend.  Who else could handle the truth about his blood family and still smile at her like that?

“I know you are, but what am I?”  he teased.

“My kitty.” She kissed his cheek.  “My prince.”  His nose.  “The light of my life.”

He shivered as her lips brushed his jaw.  “That’s my line.”

“You’re not the only one who gets to be sappy,” she giggled before finally working her way to his lips.

It felt just as amazing as kissing him for the first time.  Maybe more amazing, because she didn’t have to worry about keeping her balance, about plummeting through the sky.  He clearly wasn’t worried either, with the way he tilted his head for better access, ran his hands up and down her back, the suit transferring every spine-tingling brush of his fingers.

“Spots off,” she breathed against his lips.

Adrien jumped, nearly knocking his teeth against hers by accident, but she didn’t stop.  He’d have plenty of time to stare at her maskless face, whether in shock or… she didn’t know what.  Not disappointment; she had too much confidence in his love to fear that.  But for now, she just wanted to savor the feeling of his kiss, of knowing that he loved her no matter who she was, of the last few heartbeats before everything changed again.

“Ladybug,” he murmured through her kiss.  “You’re killing me.”

She laughed and finally pulled back, leaning her forehead against his.  When she opened her eyes, his were still shut.

“You can look now, you know,” she said, heart beating faster.  This would be a moment she wanted to save forever.

He opened his eyes, and if she thought he normally stared at Ladybug with a smitten expression—well, the soft arch of his brow as he gazed at Marinette was enough to melt her like butter.

“It’s you.” He laughed, just as brightly as he had that first day in the rain.  “It’s you!”

She found herself laughing too, her heart swelling. “You don’t sound surprised.”

“Marinette, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”  He beamed, and maybe she was a thousand meters in the air again, because she swore she was falling harder for him than ever.

“You—really?”  she asked as he peppered her cheeks with kisses.  Tingles ran all through her, the way she imagined they would back when she was fourteen.  Would there ever be a time when he couldn’t make her come undone?

He stopped his flurry of kisses, only to surround her in a hug again.  Maybe they really would be attached at the hip at this point.

She couldn’t say she’d compain.

“Do you have any idea how many times I thought you were—well, you?”  he asked, his breath tickling the back of her neck.  “You were too good at protecting your identity, but I don’t think I ever stopped hoping. Not really.”

“Even after Multimouse?”  She’d been so sure of that one, too.  But did he mean he’d really loved her as Marinette this whole time, too?

“Especially after Multimouse.  Only you would be amazing enough to be two superheroes at once.”

“Stop it,” she laughed into his shoulder.  “My ego will end up as big as yours at this point.”

As big as Chat’s, anyway.  It wasn’t until she’d learned his identity that she realized how shallow some of his self-aggrandizing comments were.

“Come on, Bugaboo.  You know I only speak the truth.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the fact that Adrien Agreste calls me Bugaboo.” She giggled.

“I hope you don’t expect me to stop.  Though I guess I can call you Princess now too.”

“I won’t object to that.”

She smiled, relaxing with her head nestled in the crook of his neck.  She was just contemplating the fact that she could now kiss the curve of his collarbone without his suit in the way when Plagg cleared his throat.

“Are you too done being disgusting yet?”

“Plagg!”  Tikki crossed her tiny arms.  “This is a touching moment for them!  You know they’ve been planning this for weeks, even if it didn’t turn out exactly like we expected.”

“Yeah, but at this rate they’re going to miss the cheese platter!”

“Is he always like this?”  Marinette asked Adrien, still not making any move to leave his lap.

He chuckled.  “Pretty much.  Don’t let him fool you though, he actually cares.  He knows how much I was looking forward to the party with the rest of our team.  You know… before, anyway.”

His gaze grew distant again.

“They’re not going to judge you for being related to Hawkmoth either,” she reassured him with a squeeze of his hand.  

She knew they’d be thrilled to see him.  Alya at the very least would probably have a heart attack at seeing her OTP of four years finally become “canon.”  Nino would go for his and Adrien’s secret handshake. Chloe’s jaw would drop at the fact that she’d talked down Chat Noir so many times before.  

“I just don't want them to feel like they can’t celebrate because of me.  They’re so happy—they should be happy.  If I go down there…”

Of course even after everything he’d been through, he’d still be more worried about everyone else.  This was her kitty, who was always the first to comfort akuma victims.  Her Adrien, who gave even people like Lila a second chance until they threw it back in his face again and again.

“Hey.  This is our team we’re talking about.  They’ll want to be here for you.”

“But…” he sighed, slumping a little to rest his chin on her shoulder.  “It’s going to be so weird.  I just want them to treat me like they always treat Chat.”

“You can always transform back if you want,” Marintte said, ignoring Plagg’s disappointed groan.  “No one says you have to reveal yourself.  Plagg and Tikki can go down and get some treats now, and then we can suit back up and join the party afterwards.”

“I… yeah, we could do that.  That sounds good,” he said softly.  “You always have the best ideas, Marinette.”

Her face warmed at the honest praise.  She nodded towards Tikki and Plagg, who smiled before zipping through the floor towards the ballroom.

“I just want you to be comfortable.”

He adjusted her on his lap so that she was sitting perpendicular to him, her legs stretched out over the side of his thighs.  “I’m very comfortable right now, my Lady.”

“Me too.”

Even if they just sat holding each other for the whole duration of the party, she would’ve been happy.  His breaths tickled her cheek, making it difficult to resist kissing him again.  But just being here with him, with no walls or secrets between them, was just as sweet.

“Hey, Princess?” he whispered just when she was wondering if he’d fallen asleep.

“Yeah?”

His nose brushed the curve of her jaw.

“I love you.”

Her heart jolted.  He was her boyfriend; she’d heard him say those three words almost every day since she’d accidentally confessed to him.  Hearing him say it while detransformed shouldn’t have such an effect on her.

(But it did.  Oh, it did.)

“I love you too, my Prince.”

Her resistance broke.  His lips still tasted of the saltwater he’d cried, and she was determined to remove it even if it took a hundred kisses.  He’d asked for that, right?  His breath filled her lungs like helium, making her feel lighter than air.  She could only hope she had the same effect on him.

(If they were even later to the party than she expected, well, they’d had more important things to do anyway.)

Chapter Text

“Are you ready?” Marinette asked Adrien as they stood suited up and hand-in-hand outside the ballroom doors.

“Yeah.”  He tugged at his collar, bell tinkling faintly.  “We’re gonna have a great time, Bug.”

She knew he wasn’t completely fine, but she still hoped he was right.  The whole team loved Chat Noir—even Queen Bee, after learning that he’d been the one to convince Ladybug to give her a second (or third, or fourth) chance.  Whatever awkwardness might arise from his civilian identity, right now he would just be surrounded by friends.  

“We are.”  She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek before sweeping her free arm out towards the door.  “Shall we?”

Her imitation of one of his signature poses sent him laughing.  “After you, my Lady.”

When he pushed open the double doors, the party was already in full swing.  When she dropped off the pastries as Multimouse earlier, Marinette had told Alya not to wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir.  She’d originally intended to reveal herself to Alya today, but it didn’t feel right until Adrien was ready, too.  Besides, Alya would have too many questions if she saw Marinette dating “Chat” but mooning over Adrien again.

A projector screen hung along the far wall, which displayed Alya, Nino, Kim, and Alix’s rapidly rising Just Dance scores.  Nino must have broken out his classic Wii, from the looks of it; Max and Markov were adjusting the volume so “Hot N Cold” didn’t completely destroy everyone’s eardrums.  Luka had a couple Rock Band guitars propped against the wall, but Marinette doubted he’d get the other four off of Just Dance long enough to play it.  He was currently strumming a real guitar while leaning against the snack table next to Kagami, who was piling dessert pastries onto a styrofoam plate.  Which left— 

“Ladybug!  Chat Noir!”  Chloe practically tackled the two of them.

“Hey Chlo—Chloe.”  Adrien flinched back, pushing her away as gently as possible.  

She didn’t seem to notice (or care).  “You two finally made it!  I thought you got stuck picking out your outfits.”

Marinette and Adrien shared a secret smile.

“Something like that,” she said, and Chloe looked them over with a pout.

“But you came suited up!  You’re not joining the rest of us?”

“Not right now, Chloe,” Marinette said before she could nag Adrien about their reasons.  “We’re still ready for the party, we just… want to stay transformed a little longer.  We won’t have much reason to from now on.”

It wasn’t the whole truth, of course, but a bittersweet feeling still tightened in her chest.  Everything was going to be different.  She wouldn’t need to patrol with Adrien twice a week.  She wouldn’t spend Saturday nights holed up in a hotel room with their team, trying to decipher Max’s calculations, practicing battle strategies, eating unholy amounts of pizza.

Adrien squeezed her hand.  “I can think of plenty of reasons.  We still never found out how high my baton can go.”

Even after all this time, her face warmed at the memory.  “You make a good point.”  

Maybe this time they could share a kiss up high without making complete fools of themselves.  Or maybe she’d keep her lips to herself long enough to actually find out if the staff had a limit.

“You’re not… you’re not going to take our miraculouses now that this is all over, are you?”  Chloe asked with a glance towards Pollen, who was dancing to the blaring music with Kaalki.  The other kwamis were chatting amongst themselves, probably just as excited to be together again.

“No, Chloe.”  Marinette smiled softly.  “I think Pollen deserves to stay out of the miracle box a little longer, don’t you?”

“You really—?  I mean, yes, of course she does!  I couldn’t have said it better myself.”  She flipped her hair while smiling smugly.  “Well, if you’re not going to reveal yourselves yet, at least do me a favor and crush Rena and Carapace for us.  They won’t share the screen until they lose.”

Adrien laughed.  “Us?  Beat Alya and Nino at Just Dance?  Never gonna happen.”

“Nope,” Marinette agreed, popping the p. “You want to go get our butts kicked though?”

“Absolutely.”

Convincing Alix and Kim to give up their Wii remotes was nearly as impossible as beating the two Just Dance champions.  Alix was ahead of Kim by twenty points, and even if he had no hope of beating Alya or Nino, Kim wanted to at least pass her.

“Try your luck at Rock Band later,” Marinette said without remorse.

“Yeah, come on Kim!  You wouldn’t stop me from playing Just Dance with Ladybug!”  Alya added.

“Or me with Chat Noir.”  Nino slung an arm around Adrien’s shoulders, looking so comfortable it was hard to believe Nino didn’t know his identity.  But Chat and Carapace had taken to each other just as quickly under the masks as without.

“Alya, we’ve been working together for two years now.  I thought you were done being starstruck.”  Marinette rolled her eyes affectionately.  Alya had always been her biggest fan—besides Adrien, of course.

“It’s not every day I get to play my favorite video game with you though!”

Kim and Alix finally parted with their controllers, and Alya graciously allowed Marinette and Adrien to pick the song.  From experience playing with them at Alya’s house, Marinette could already guess what her boyfriend would pick.

“Please?”  Adrien cupped the Wii remote between his hands under his chin.  As if she could ever say no to his kitty eyes.

“Wannabe it is.” She giggled and selected the Spice Girls song.

“This is my best bro’s favorite too!”  Nino grinned.

“He has good taste then,” Adrien said with a discrete wink towards her.

She’d seen Adrien dance with them before, but he always looked just a little like he was holding back.  This time though, he put his whole body into the stomps and arm movements with reckless abandon, his tail swaying with the rhythm.  Of course his score wasn’t anything like Alya and Nino’s (and neither was hers), but that didn’t matter.  They found themselves going face-to-face, dancing and laughing and belting “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want!” until her lungs could barely handle it.

“I love you so much,” Adrien gasped, green scleras glinting as he grinned.

Sure, she’d been dating him for three weeks now, but that didn’t make him any easier to resist.  She tugged on his bell and stretched up to kiss him.

“Really?  I gave up my remote for them to do this?”  Alix huffed.  “Come on Guitar Boy, get ready to set up Rock Band.  I don’t think anyone can make out while playing that.”

“I wouldn’t test them,” Luka replied with a chuckle.

Marinette blushed.  She wasn’t embarrassed about kissing her boyfriend in public—they deserved it, after keeping secrets for so long—but Adrien’s adoring smile still never failed to bring heat to her cheeks.

The song ended with Nino’s score just a millimeter above Alya’s, and Adrien and Marinette’s barely passing two stars.  Oh well.  They were here to have fun, not break any records.

“As thrilled as I am that my second-favorite ship is sailing, we’d better get off the screen before Alix and Kim go bananas,” Alya said.

“Second-favorite?”  Adrien sounded affronted.  “And whose romance could be more stunning than mine and my Lady’s?”  He tugged Marinette close to wrap his arms around her waist and glare at Alya over the top of her head.

“Hers and Nino’s, obviously,” she said.  “They’ve been my couple goals forever.”

Alya did a double-take at that.  “Really?  Ladybug wants to take notes from me?”

“And me, babe!”  Nino slung an arm around her shoulder.  “So what I’m hearing is plenty of double dates once all the masks are off, right?”

“You know it!  I mean, er—if you still want to,” Adrien finished awkwardly.  

“Of course we will!  You guys are our best bros.”  Nino held out a fist to Adrien, who blinked for a moment before tapping his knuckles.

“You’re my best bro too, Nino.  Thank you.”  His voice sounded choked up and distinctly more Adrien than usual in the suit.

“Now if only we could make it a triple date with my real OTP.”  Alya sighed.

“Wait, you weren’t talking about us?”

“You don’t count yourself in an OTP, babe. I may not have gotten to see Marinette as much lately with all the Hawkmoth stuff going on, but I still haven’t given up on her and Adrien.”

“Wh-what?”  Adrien blurted.  “You ship—I mean—nope, I think that summed it up pretty well.  What?”

Marinette’s head whipped back and forth between them.  There was no way to stop this from being horribly embarrassing, was there?  Not even Kim belting Eye of the Tiger while Max and Luka played the electronic guitars could distract them.

“They’re a couple of our friends from school.  I’m sure you’ve met them; lots of girls got akumatized over Adrien before.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.  “Yeah, I think that rings a bell.”

She flicked his actual bell to distract him.  “Don’t worry, Kitty.  Nothing like that is going to happen again.”

“Right.  No more Hawkmoth.”  He forced a thin smile.  

Maybe bringing up akumas or Hawkmoth at all was a bad idea right now.

“Anyway, I’m sure Marinette loves him too,” she said while maintaining eye contact with him.  She wished she could offer more, but the only thing that would really help him was time.

For now though, her words were enough to soften the tense hunch of his shoulders.

“And I’m pawsitive he loves her more.”

Alya looked between them in confusion, but it was Nino who actually spoke up.

“I just hope he’s doing okay, since his dad, y’know…”

Adrien tried to hide a wince, but Marinette was too used to reading him.

“I hope so too.” She squeezed his hand.

“You know he’s staying here at the hotel, right?”  Chloe edged in, holding a cup of punch.  Pollen was perched on her shoulder and looking drowsy already.

Nino jolted before giving a quick nod. “I was going to check on him after the party.  He’s texted me on and off since everything went down, but…”

“But he deserves to have his friends around him right now,” Alya finished.  “To be honest, I felt a little bad still throwing this party, but I knew how much it meant to everyone.”

“I—I don’t think he’d want you to feel bad,” Adrien said quickly, and Marinette nodded.

“You heard what he said to the press.  He was as grateful Hawkmoth is gone as the rest of us.”

“He was wearing his model smile, though.  The dude’s too good at pretending he’s okay.”

Adrien’s hand stiffened in hers.  He was good at pretending.  But he shouldn’t have to pretend now.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about him like this,” she said.  “I’m sure he’s had enough people talking about him behind his back.”

“We just want to help.”  Chloe pouted.  “Believe me, I know all about gossiping about people.  I wouldn’t do that to him.  Even if he does decide to date Dupian-Che—er, Marinette.”  

Her face pinkened, and Marinette couldn’t help smiling.  It was probably the nicest thing Chloe had ever said about her.

“Just how long were you listening?”  Adrien scowled.

“Long enough.”  She shrugged.  “I still think we should’ve invited him, even if he’d be jealous of Chat.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow beneath her mask.  “Jealous?  Why?”  

Chloe rolled her eyes.  “Puh-lease.  As if his crush on you isn’t the most obvious thing in the world.  He has more Ladybug merch than I did.”

Marinette bit her lip and glanced at him, but he didn’t even show a hint of embarrassment at the accusation.  Knowing him, he was probably proud of his collection.  Maybe she’d have to see if his stash was as extensive as her old photos of him.

“Sounds like someone just wants to sink my ships,” Alya muttered, but Chloe shook her head.

“I’m being serious.  A visit from Ladybug would cheer him up more than anything.”

Adrien smirked.  “I don’t doubt that.”

Marinette barely had time to smack him before Luka and the others who’d been playing Rock Band—Max, Kim, and Kagami—strolled up to their group, Alix not far behind.  Even the kwamis looked like they were listening in from a distance.  Because her and Adrien’s love life was everyone’s business, apparently.

...Granted, she had been kissing him as Chat in front of everyone, so she really had no room to talk.

“What’s going on?”  Luka asked.

“Nothing,” Marinette said, her face burning at this point.  It was nothing compared to the red blooming beneath Adrien’s mask, but somehow her boyfriend was still grinning.

“I’m just saying I think Adrien should join our party,” Chloe said with a hand on her hip.

He startled at that, tail standing up straight.  “I don’t know about that.  This is miraculous welders only, remember?”

Luka frowned.  “Why not?  He used the snake miraculous before I did, didn’t he?”

“He’s certainly deserving of one,” Kagami added.  “He’s been a true friend to me, even when I switched romantic targets.  His fencing skills would make him an excellent battle partner as well.”

“It sure would be nice to fight crime with my best bro.”

“He has a ninety-eight percent likelihood of being an asset to our team.”

“I bet he’d love wearing a suit that wasn’t designed by his dad.”

Marinette stared wide-eyed at the circle of her friends, all speaking up for him.  She shouldn’t be surprised; she wasn’t the only one who knew how amazing Adrien was.  Of course, that made it hard to make up an excuse for why he couldn’t join them.  

She wrung her fingers nervously.  “W-while that would be a great idea in theory, the problem is… um…”

The familiar weight of Adrien’s hand settled on her shoulder.  She looked up to find his green eyes glistening with tears.

“It’s okay, Bug.  I—I guess you were right, as usual.”  He chuckled, and before she could ask what he meant, he said, “Claws in.”

Green light crackled over him, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.  And then Adrien Agreste stood at the head of their circle, meeting each pair of staring eyes with a timid smile.

The room went silent.  Well, as silent as it could with Rock Band’s song selection screen blasting Carry on Wayward Son in the background.

“Adri… Adrikins?”  Chloe gasped, the faintest tinge of horror in her voice.

“No way…” Alya breathed.

Marinette tangled her fingers through his suddenly-clammy hand.  She thought for sure their friends would be excited to see his face, but maybe he was right.  Maybe it would bring down the mood too much, and Adrien would feel guilty, and he would isolate himself even more, and he would feel terrible forever—

“Bro!”  Nino shouted, clasping him in a firm hug.  “It’s you!  I knew I liked Chat Noir for a reason!”

It was like Nino’s reaction flipped a switch.  The shock drained out of Alya’s face; Kagami gave a genuine smile.  Even Kim clapped him on the back.

“No wonder you couldn’t be Viperion,” Luka said with a strum on his guitar—which was the Rock Band one, so it didn’t make any sound beyond a soft click-click.  Kagami hid a laugh behind her hand at him.

“Honestly, a lot of things do make more sense now.”  Alya tapped her chin before her eyes widened.  “Wait, if Adrien’s dating Ladybug then—I just told you all about Marinette’s crush on you!”

“Well now you did.” She rolled her eyes

“Something tells me she won’t mind, though.”  Adrien smiled and stroked the curve of her cheek.  Would she ever get used to feeling his bare skin on hers?

She laughed, turning to Alya and saying, “Spots off.”

The wait was worth it just for the way her jaw dropped.  

“No WAY!”

Their friends laughed and all started talking at once—except for Chloe, who shrieked before turning bright red.

“You’re—ugh!  I was utterly ridiculous to you!”  She hid her face in her hands.

Marinette patted her shoulder, almost jostling Pollen, who was somehow still sleeping.  “I knew who you were when we let you join the team, Chloe.  I think we’re both better than we were in college.”

“Still wish I caught your reaction on video, though.”  Alya smirked.

“...Shut up, Cesaire.”

Adrien cleared his throat.  “So you guys… you’re not mad?  That I’m related to Hawkmoth and—”

“Dude!”  Nino balked.  “I’ve always hated your dad.  Doesn’t make you any less my bro, bro.”

“Of course.  You are a wonderful person, Adrien,” Kagami added.  “You were my first friend, and I would never betray your trust.”

“The odds that you are in any way tainted by Hawkmoth’s influence are a clear zero percent.”  Max smiled.

“We just want you to be okay.”  Alya put a hand on his shoulder.  “You are our friend, no matter what.  Everything we said about Adrien when we didn’t know he was, well, you, we still mean it.”

Tears welled in his eyes again.  Marinette stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, heart rising at their friends’ support.

“See?  We’re not going anywhere,” she whispered near his ear.

And they weren’t.  Not for the rest of the night they spent playing games and eating desserts.  Not for the next week, where they each took turns spending the night in Adrien’s hotel room.

(And, for Marinette, not for the rest of her life.)