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Marinette understood love better than she let on. She knew it was something you could hear in silence, something you could feel without touching, and something that—if true—would lead to a happily ever after.
Despite how impossible it seemed, Marinette kept another secret besides being Ladybug, the Parisian heroine: she could sometimes see the red strings of fate tying people together – including her own.
As Tom and Sabine prepared lunch with lighthearted jokes shared between them, Marinette smiled at how her very own parents were her OTP. She blinked and watched as the red string between them fluttered throughout the room with the autumn breeze. Eyes flickering to the window, she held her hand out toward the warming rays of sunlight and watched as the string between her and her beloved stretched across the city. Her string was connected to none other than the most amazing boy in Paris, Adrien Agreste.
Marinette closed her eyes and hummed as she walked to school, her mind flashing back to the rainy day when he offered her his umbrella when she had none. The moment their fingers brushed, sparks went flying with all the intensity of the rainstorm. She found herself stammering when she spoke, and found her palms shaking in wonder as to why. And it was when lightning flashed through the sky that she saw it manifest for the first time – her own string was tied to the boy she had so wrongly misunderstood.
Marinette thought she understood love, truly she did. But that didn’t mean it came easy. With a sigh, she closed her locker and bit back a scream as she caught sight of Adrien waving at her.
“Hey, Marinette.” He greeted, his smile warm and bright like the sunshine peering through the windows.
“Oh, oh! Uh… hey there, um, Adrien…” She managed to babble. “How you are… I mean, uh! How are you?”
“I’m doing great!” He beamed as put away his things. “It’s rare that you come to school early.”
“Hm… yeah, I, um… I actually got to bed early last night is why!” There hadn’t been an akuma all week, which had given her enough time to finish what she needed to without any interruptions. “You know what they say, haha… early to rise, early to bed! Haha...” Despite knowing they were meant to be, it didn’t make it any easier for her to speak to him; she still fumbled her words as clumsily as she walked.
Adrien’s gaze softened as he listened to her ramble on about anything and everything. He didn’t know why, but there was something about Marinette that put his heart at ease. He’d always seen her as more than just a friend, but didn’t know exactly what it was about her that made him feel this way.
“My Lady…”
Ladybug stiffened as her partner purred out the nickname flirtatiously. “Chaton?”
She turned only to be faced with a single red rose, his eyes filled with a glimmering hope. She bit her bottom lip, knowing she had to reject him. “You know I can’t accept that, Chat Noir.” She didn’t know why, but whenever she broke his heart, she felt hers break too.
“But, My Lady—”
Unable to meet his gaze, she found herself running away.
Because she had to tell herself that she wasn’t meant to be his.
Late night, cold wind, lonely hearts...
Another day, another failed confession. Marinette stood on her balcony and gazed out at the twinkling lights of the city below, her partner sitting beside her.
Ironic, wasn’t it? As Ladybug, she’d shatter his heart over and over again – but as Marinette, she’d offer him a shoulder to cry on.
Chat Noir’s ears were drooping as he fiddled with the wrapping on the passionfruit macaron she’d given him — the one she’d failed to give to Adrien. Eventually, Chat Noir popped the macaron into his mouth and closed his eyes, the delicate sweetness overwhelming his senses and making the faintest smile tug at his lips.
At the sight of his delight, Marinette felt some relief that her efforts hadn’t gone to waste if the other most important boy in her life could enjoy a macaron baked with all her love.
Chat Noir swallowed painfully, a part of him choking back a sob. “Hey, Marinette?”
A chilly gust of wind blew between them and she shivered. “Yeah?” She felt her cheeks heat up as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close before picking her up and settling themselves on the lawn chair. He was so… warm… sweet… kind. Marinette bit her bottom lip. It wasn’t fair — she was the one who was supposed to provide comfort, but instead she’d never felt more comfortable anywhere else.
Their close proximity made Chat Noir hyper-aware of her fragrance. For some reason, her scent seemed almost addicting as the wind fluttered through her loose locks. He had to resist the urge to just bury his face in her hair. He didn’t know what it was, but in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to get even closer…
Ridding her mind of any guilt, Marinette hummed in contentment as she leaned backward, pressing against his chest. It was then she felt his heart pounding like mad. She furrowed her brows, feeling like she could almost hear it beating syncing with hers. “Chat Noir—?”
“Do you believe in soulmates?” He randomly blurted out in hopes of distracting her.
The distraction worked, her thoughts shifting elsewhere. “I’ll let you in on a secret... “ Marinette watched as her kitty’s ears perked up.
“A secret?” His eyes widened incredulously as he tilted his head like a curious little kitten.
“Soulmates are real…” Marinette smiled at him softly as she slid her fingers to intertwine with his. “Around each person’s pinky could be a red string of fate that connects them to the person they’re meant to be with. She lifted their hands upward, hoping to better see with the moon’s light. Marinette blinked, hoping to activate her power, but knew it was for naught. The sight of the strings had always been faint, if visible at all. Not only that, but the power of the Miraculous nullified her ability to see them.
Her gaze shifted over to Chat Noir’s clawed fingers. “I believe you have a soulmate out there, Chat Noir... even if it isn’t Ladybug… you just might not have met them yet.”
Chat Noir could hear his heart pounding in his ears as she turned and grinned at him. Her smile… it was so beautiful. “Marinette, I—” He watched as her blue eyes opened, sparkling brilliantly. Chat Noir couldn’t help it — he wished that the person in his arms could somehow, some way be his Lady. “No… I just…” He tucked a lock hair behind her ear, taking note of how she always wore the same earring studs. His heart leapt at the possibility. “I just know in my heart that she’s the one.”
Marinette couldn’t help the blush that spread across her cheeks. She felt guilty that, for just a moment, her heart didn’t belong to Adrien, but to him… because of the way he loved her, Ladybug, so purely, so sincerely. His feelings of devotion were honestly something she wished she could cherish. Resting her head against his shoulder to hide, she thought about how she held his heart in her hands. She heard her own heartbeat thumping in her ears. “Sometimes you just can’t help yourself… the heart wants what the heart wants…”
“I adore Ladybug,” Adrien said, a little too cheerfully, “she’s simply the best.”
“Dude, your crush on Ladybug could rival Chat Noir’s.” Nino tugged his cap downward in secondhand embarrassment.
“Oh… The Adrien Agreste has a crush on Ladybug?” Alya mused as Adrien’s cheeks flushed red. “Can’t blame you, though. Like who doesn’t have a crush on her?” She winced for a moment before turning to Marinette. “Sorry,” she said, the apology a soft whisper against her ear.
“Uh- uh, no worries!” Marinette tried to look like she’d brushed it off.
“Hey!” Nino pouted. “I’m more of a Rena Rouge man myself.
“Awww, alright, well second to Ladybug is definitely Carapace for me.” Alya patted her boyfriend’s cheek.
The DJWIFI couple looked at each other knowingly.
Adrien thought of his Lady, his face still red all the way up to his ears. “I just wish there was a way for me to just get closer to her, you know?”
Marinette felt herself blushing, having turned away to hide her embarrassment — if only he knew that Ladybug was closer than he thought… and more than adored him, too.
Adrien could hear his own heart beating in his ears as he shifted his attention over to Marinette. Her dark-as-night hair, her bluebell eyes – they just drew him in. He gripped at his chest, his heartstrings tugging at the possibility that she could be his Lady… or at least, that was his excuse for whenever he found himself on her balcony. Plagg teased him endlessly about her being his girlfriend and, despite how often he denied it, the truth was that he liked the feeling of holding her in his arms.
When Marinette’s gaze met his, he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. He’d always looked at her as more than just a friend, and was starting to realize why. She was the only one who could make him feel this way besides Ladybug. Adrien wished he could get even closer to Marinette; he felt they were very similar. After all, it would be a dream come true, fate even, if his everyday Ladybug turned out to be his Lady.
Ladybug finished her solo patrol much quicker than she expected and decided to take a little detour, specifically taking a route that would pass by the Agreste mansion.
As she approached, she heard the faintest sound of a piano playing. Landing on a branch outside Adrien’s window and hiding in the shadows, she peered through the glass. Catching a glimpse of his smile as his long fingers glided across the keys, she couldn’t help but be enchanted. Only having heard him play once before while with Kagami, she decided that she wanted this moment to belong to her alone.
“He’s so wonderful…” She whispered, sighing dreamily.
“Whatchu up to, Pigtails?”
“Ack! Plagg?” She gasped to see the kwami hovering beside her. “How did you get here?”
“Meh, was just passing by. Thought I could find a squirrel to torment while my holder cat napped, but instead found you.” Plagg shrugged, his tail swishing lazily.
“Wait? Does your holder live near here?” Ladybug shook her head. “Never mind, don’t answer that, I shouldn’t—”
“Hello?” A voice called out, making her stiffen in place. “Is someone out there?” Adrien opened the window and peered out into the darkness to see the lady of his dreams perched on a nearby branch, her figure illuminated by celestial moonlight. “La-Ladybug?” He stuttered. “What are you doing here?” Eyes widening in shock, he drank in her appearance; it took every bit of self-control to not give himself away by speaking like his alter ego.
“Ah— well, um, I was caving this sat, yeah! That’s it, uh I was saving this cat that, uh, got stuck up in this tree, haha.” she laughed nervously. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Plagg had disappeared. “What is it with black cats, am I right? I always cat-ch them acting like silly kitties.” Never did she ever so badly want to facepalm herself. Forcing a smile, she met Adrien’s gaze to see his gorgeous green eyes shimmering like starlight.
“I’m sure it’s not just black cats that are drawn to you.” He whispered.
“Um…” Ladybug found herself unsure of what to say. “We-Well, I guess I should go now! Bug out—”
“Wait!” Impulsively, he called out to her, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Um, would you like to come in?”
“I…” As Marinette, she wanted to scream yes. But she knew that, as Ladybug, she had to say, “I shouldn’t.” She caught a hint of a frown on Adrien's face and just couldn’t bear it. “But— uh— instead, would you maybe like to go out with me?”
Adrien’s eyes widened incredulously, wondering if he’d heard her correctly. “What?
“Um... the weather is lovely and I know this nice spot for stargazing that isn’t too far from here. Would you maybe like to join me? I promise to keep you safe and—” Twiddling her fingers, she peeked at him through her lashes, afraid of his rejection. “Um… it’s okay if you don’t want to—”
“I’d love to!” He blurted out suddenly, leaning against the windowsill, dangerously close to her.
A part of her had never seen him look so excited and she began to wonder: if he really did have a crush on her as Ladybug, could she ever hope to get the same reaction from him as Marinette? Taking a deep breath to rid her mind of any negative thoughts, she held her hand out to him. “Do you trust me?”
“With my life.” Without a second thought, he answered, his smile making her heart flutter in her chest.
“Then… on the count of three… jump forward and I’ll catch you!” She watched as he nodded frantically, more excited than she’d ever seen him. “One…”
Adrien climbed onto the windowsill.
“Two…” She felt him place his hand in hers as he flashed her a smile.
“Three!” As if taking a leap of faith, Adrien laughed as he jumped forward and into her arms.
“Woah!” Ladybug gasped as she held him close, eyes shut as if to savor the moment.
They remained like that for longer than intended, finding comfort in each other’s embrace.
Inhaling deeply and finding that he smelled even better than his cologne, Ladybug found herself snuggling into his hair as she felt him stroke the back of her head. After a few seconds, her eyes shot open to realize what she’d just done. “Uh! I’m so sorry! You just smelled good— and oh my kwami, I—”
“No worries!” Adrien blushed. “It was nice… you uh, smell sweet.”
“O-oh!” A deep rouge spread across her cheeks, the color threatening to match her suit as she fumbled about with her yo-yo. “So— uh, shall we?” She’d clumsily tossed it, but it hooked onto her intended target nonetheless.
Adrien felt her grip around his waist securely, in awe at how different her reactions seemed to be around himself versus Chat Noir. “Please…” he whispered into her ear.
A shiver threatened to run up her spine like an electric current, her ears tingling at the sensation of his breath against her skin as she soared through the air. As Marinette, she’d always felt he had her spinning around in circles, but as Ladybug… he made her feel as though she were flying.
The feeling of freefalling back to earth came back all too soon as she landed upon a certain meet-up spot that she and her partner discovered one night. A blushing mess, they quickly untangled their arms from one another and took a seat.
Ladybug had visited this place more times than she could count with Chat Noir. Trying to push any thoughts of her kitty out of her mind, she felt her heart ache faintly. Somehow, despite thinking it’d feel different and special with Adrien… it didn’t?
“Ladybug…?”
She snapped out of her daze and looked up at the sky to see the rare glimmers of a meteor shower. “Wow… it’s so...”
“Beautiful…” Adrien found himself enchanted, captivated by the expression she made as the light of shooting stars were reflected in her eyes. There she was, the lady of his dreams, so close… close enough to touch. And as if on impulse, he found himself cupping her cheek, making her turn to face him. “So beautiful.”
Ladybug’s face flushed red in an instant, but rather than choosing to hide, shyly, she leaned in closer. “You- you’re pretty handsome too, you know.”
“Am I?” Despite it almost sounding vain, he let out a soft chuckle at how he once joked that she wouldn’t be able to resist him if she’d seen his real face.
“Not even I couldn’t help but to notice that…'' She almost squeaked as she felt his hair brush against hers with the wind. “Bu-but I… lo-like you for more than just your face.”
“You like me?” The way his eyes sparkled as she nodded made it hard for her to breathe. Despite his better judgement, he couldn’t help but ask: “But what about Chat Noir?”
The question tugged at her heartstrings. “Of course, I care about him… he’s my partner, my best friend, but…” she clenched her eyelids shut, almost wanting to run away, “despite how much he loves me, the only person I’ve ever been looking at is…” Holding back her tears, she inhaled a shaky breath. “You, Adrien Agreste.”
At her unexpected confession, Adrien felt his heart burst in his chest at the realization that all this time… the only competition that he ever had was himself. “I feel the same way.” He traced the edges of her mask with the pads of his thumbs as he looked into her pretty bluebell eyes as they began to water.
Despite him saying all the words she’d ever wanted her to hear, she found herself unable to accept that he was directing his affection to “Ladybug” and not “Marinette.” As if pained, she clenched her eyes shut. “I… don’t know if you would feel the same way if—”
“Whoever you are beneath the mask...” Adrien interrupted, wondering what was holding her back, “Do you really doubt that I couldn’t fall for the everyday Ladybug?”
Everyday Ladybug, she thought back to what he’d called her on Heroes’ Day. “I’m… really not sure.” Her gaze shifted downward to her hands on her lap. When faced with the fact that her soulmate was admitting to having fallen for her in a way she had not expected, she suddenly found herself terrified. Despite being unable to see the strings due to the magic of the Miraculous, this made her feel for a moment that her fate—her destiny—could be changed. Her mind began to wander, her thoughts drifting...
“Chat Noir.”
“Wah-what?” She wondered if she’d said her partner’s name out loud.
“Do you think Chat Noir could?” Adrien’s throat felt painfully dry. “Do you think Chat Noir could love the Everyday Ladybug?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret…” Ladybug found herself smiling sadly as she thought of the alternate timeline she’d erased, knowing full well that Chat Noir really could. “Chat Noir visits me sometimes late at night… me … as a civilian.” She felt Adrien let go, knowing she couldn’t take his hand – not after realizing how she felt. “He doesn’t know it’s me, but that’s okay… it’s nice knowing we can be friends both in and out of the mask.” Ladybug began to feel her own heart break, because despite her repeatedly rejecting her partner… it was impossible for her not to fall in love with him, too.
Silence fell between them, and Adrien felt his voice get caught in his throat, unable to find the words. Because in that moment came the dawning realization that the person before him, the real Ladybug, was none other than his classmate, his friend, his Everyday Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
“Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug said weakly, after what had been a close call with an akuma. As the magic worked its way across the city to repair the damages, she took to the skies, hoping to see that Chat Noir was safe. She felt tears brimming at how he’d sacrificed himself for her again.
She found him lying on a nearby rooftop, having just woken up and still somewhat disoriented. “Chat Noir!” She called out to him as she landed. “I’m so…” Holding her hand out to him, she gave him a relieved smile. “I’m so glad you’re okay…”
“My Lady!” Chat Noir gasped as he threw his arms around her and began to sob like a lost child. “I thought I’d lost you!”
Although she knew she had every right to be mad at him, somehow she couldn’t find it in her to scold him. He was trembling, so afraid. Ladybug managed to lift her arms and return the embrace. “Oh, my sweet kitty, you know that’ll never happen.” She patted his back gently in a comforting manner.
“I love you…” He confessed with a sob, holding her tight.
“I know.” Ladybug winced as she patted his head and heard him sniffle. “Shh… Chat… come on…”
“I love you.”
Ladybug stiffened in his arms before just nodding. “I know… but I…” For some reason, she couldn’t find the words to reject him this time – a part of her… almost didn’t want to. Her earring’s final spot frantically beeped in warning, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I’m about to transform back.”
“I love you, I love you, I love you!” He chanted, unwilling to let go even as she tried to pull away. The thought of being without her brought him more pain than he could ever imagine.
“Chat Noir…” Despite his panic, she needed to get away if she didn’t want to de-transform in his arms. “Chat Noir, our identities!” She gritted her teeth. “Let me go!” She tore herself from his embrace and hid behind a wall just in time.
A bright pink light flashed and Chat Noir heard the slight rustling through her pochette to get Tikki a snack. Unable to take how cold he felt without her in his arms, he found her name tumbling from his lips. “Marinette...”
“What? How? I mean – no! Me? Marinette?” She snorted, her sudden attempt at acting quite poor. “No…” She could see his face reflected in the nearby window, not convinced in the least.
“I’m sorry, I…” Realizing his mistake, he gritted his teeth. “I figured out who you were…”
She sighed softly and gripped her knees before stepping out from behind the wall between them. “How did you know it was me?”
“I just… knew.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, hoping she wouldn’t be too mad, but instead relieved. “Just like how I know you’re not just a friend… but the one for me.”
“Chat Noir, that’s crazy!” She was on the verge of having a panic attack; he’d figured out her identity and still insisted on a love confession!
“Love makes you crazy!” An awkward chuckle escaped his throat as he approached her. “But I like you and know that you like me too… we're meant to be!"
Anger rising, Marinette gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. “No, we aren't!" She barked, looking him straight in the eye. Even if he had some sway on her heart, she didn’t want him to, because her soulmate was someone so wonderful and perfect…
He frowned, saddened at how even now she could keep rejecting him. “It’s not like you can know..."
“But I do, Chat Noir!” She’d snapped. “I really know!”
Chest tight, he began to frown. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because I can see it!” Marinette admitted as she watched his head tilt sideways like a confused kitten.
“See what?”
She sighed; there was no point in keeping any more secrets. “I mentioned it before. Remember what ties soulmates together?”
“The… red string of fate?” Chat Noir found himself answering as she grabbed a hold of his wrist.
“Yes, I know it sounds silly, but I can see it sometimes…” Wincing, she gritted her teeth before clenching her eyelids shut. “And that’s how I know that I'm meant to be with..." Preparing to feel her heart shatter, she tore off his glove.
“Tell me, Marinette…” Chat Noir whispered as his fingers intertwined with hers. “Who?”
Marinette gazed down at their hands, the strings around their fingers connected and shining the most vivid red. Lips quivering, she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze and saw him giving her a gentle, but hopeful smile.
“Adrien…”