Chapter Text
Everything was set up, nice and simple, nothing grand. It was just the way she’d want it to be, and he smiled fondly. Tomorrow marked the second anniversary of the first appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Adrien had every intention of reminding Marinette just how life-changing that day had been for him.
His tail flicked out happily behind him as he turned and made his way to the bakery, making grand jumps and leaps from rooftop to rooftop. The movements were so natural by now, so fluid and easy, his muscles knew exactly what they needed to do to propel him forward with the grace of his namesake.
He landed on her balcony and used a claw to pop open the hatch, poking his head in, “Bugaboo?”
“You can come in Kitty, I thought I heard you land.” Marinette responded, her head bent over her desk, her face only inches from a piece of fabric.
Jumping down, he landed on the bottom floor with ease, bowing with his usual flourish, “Your knight has come to rescue the beautiful purrincess from her tower.”
“Rrrowr.”
He looked down, seeing Knight paw at his leg before glaring at him. It happened again, where he was almost sure of what Knight was thinking, ‘Where is she? You didn’t bring her?’ Knight’s eyes asked.
Chat Noir sighed, “No Knight, I didn’t bring Little Lady. She’s at home.”
Knight stared at him for a second longer, ‘I want my lady.’ His eyes filled with the hatred Adrien had come to know whenever he showed up without the beautiful calico cat. The black cat turned and his tail snapped angrily, making his way to the chaise and throwing himself down with his back to them. ‘Papa doesn’t love me. I want my lady.’
Chat Noir groaned at the annoying feline, “Well I’m sorry that she doesn’t like traveling by baton. And I do love you damn it.”
‘Humphf. Liar. My lady is your favorite.’ His tail thrashed out irritatedly, ‘Mama is my favorite anyways.’
Marinette chuckled, “Stop arguing with him. You know he gets all sulky when his Little Lady isn’t around.”
“Yeah but you don’t have to practically hear their thoughts. You’re his favorite by the way.” Chat Noir told her unamused, walking over and putting his arms over her shoulders from behind. She hadn’t stopped to look at him once.
“Marinette really, I want to steal you for the night, if you’ll let me.” He whispered, pressing a trail of kisses from her temple to her neck, smiling to himself when she shivered.
“I can’t tonight Kitty. I have to get this done.” Marinette whispered, her head going back to rest against him as he ran his hands down her arms.
“Just for a bit, then I’ll bring you home. You’ve been working all weekend, a small break won’t hurt.” He promised, pressing a kiss to the exposed skin at her shoulder.
She let out a small sigh, “Kitty… I can’t. It's not a good idea.”
He spun her around and she let out a small yelp. He leaned closer, staring into her eyes, “Pawlease purrincess?”
She covered her face in her hands, “That’s not fair, fine. Let’s go.”
He beamed, lifting her up and laughing as she groaned, “Chat I can transform and go on my own!”
“Not tonight! You are going to relax!” He vaulted them expertly out of her room and onto the balcony, only giving her enough time to adjust before leaping away. He was all smiles as she cuddled against him calmly, her absolute trust in him, even now, still surprised him sometimes.
When he landed, he set her down carefully, watching her expression go from confused to shocked, “Adrien… what,”
“I know you’ve been busy so, I figured we could,”
She stared at him sternly, “Chat I told you, I don’t have time for this today. I have to finish those commissions by Wednesday and I’m nowhere near done.”
“Marinette you’ve been going strong all week and tomorrow,”
“Is Saturday, the one day I actually have to work without distractions!” She yelled, making him pause at the anger lacing her harsh words.
“Is that all it is to you… just another Saturday?” He asked, surprised and saddened that she didn’t remember.
“Of course it’s just another Saturday, but it’s a Saturday I need, why don’t you understand that? We can have a date night later,” she transformed in a flash of pink, shaking her head as she pulled her yoyo from her hip, “I knew this was a bad idea.”
He let her swing off, standing there watching until she disappeared. Mechanically he moved to pick up the few things he’d brought, placing them neatly back in the duffle before throwing it over his shoulder. “Happy Anniversary, m’lady.” He whispered to the wind, hoping the words would reach her eventually.
…
She rushed down the street, nearly skidding to a stop to make the turn. She couldn’t believe the day had come and gone, and it completely slipped her mind.
Her heart felt heavy as she rushed to the site of the photo shoot. The fact that her Chaton hadn’t said anything or mentioned it either… there was no way he would have forgotten something like that.
Two days ago had been one of the most important anniversaries of her life. It was the day she met her beloved partner, the day she met the man she knew she was going to marry someday. Two years they had been in each other’s lives, its ups and downs, changes and enemies, and their own feelings keeping them from seeing the truth for too long. That was the day that started it all, and she refused to let it pass without spending time with her kitten.
The temporary barrier around Trocadero was crowded with people, and she groaned as she tried to get past. When she saw the large looming shadow keeping the fangirls at bay, she waved in his direction. It only took the large man a second to notice her before smiling.
Relieved, she made her way towards him as he opened a path in the crowd with ease. It wasn’t until after she was safely behind the barrier that someone noticed and called it loudly, “Oh my god it’s MARINETTE!”
She waved sheepishly as the crowd started calling her name, still not used to being in any sort of light at all. Gorilla put his hand on her shoulder and motioned towards the fountains where the shoot was actually taking place. She found herself taking the steps two at a time in her excitement, beaming as she watched Adrien turn with his back to the camera. He had the smallest smile on his face as he looked over his shoulder.
Her heart fluttered wildly, standing there for a minute just to watch him change poses. He suddenly yawned and she giggled, his eyes snapping straight to hers. She gave him a small wave and his smile reached his eyes as he waved back. Before she could take a step he was rushing towards her, Gustave saying it annoyed, “Adrien, we don’t have time for this!”
“I need five minutes!” Adrien called back, lifting her up by the waist and spinning her around happily, “What are you doing here? I thought you had more commission work to finish?”
She laughed, letting him hold her off the ground as her hands settled on either side of his neck, “I do but they can wait. Are you going to be long?”
He set her down with a heavy sigh, “I’m not sure. We’ve been at this for hours, but Gustave just isn’t happy with anything. I’ve had six outfit changes and this is the tenth time we’ve changed positions.”
She hugged him tightly around the middle, the top of her head just barely reaching past his chin, “I’m sorry Kitty,” she whispered, “Is there anything I can do?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m just probably not making it to the Kitty Section rehearsal later… tell Luka I’m sorry?”
She nodded, “Yeah of course.”
“Adrien!” Gustave called, tapping his wrist.
Adrien rolled his eyes, “I have two more minutes!”
She grabbed his hand, kissing his knuckles and enjoying the way a blush spread across his cheeks, “What are the odds that you can sneak away?”
Adrien ran his hand through his hair, glancing at the fountains, “Not great. I’ve had eyes on me all day.”
She bit her bottom lip, “Oh… what if, we made a run for it?”
Adrien smiled sadly, “Bug you know I’d run away with you without fail but, if I leave this shoot, I’ll just have to redo it later.”
“Yeah but…” she was hoping she wouldn’t have to explain it to him, “we missed something important this week.”
He frowned, head tilting to the side in confusion, “Something important?”
She nodded slowly, trying to ease him into it, “Yeah, a day, that’s important to us?”
“Adrien! Your five minutes was over five minutes ago!” Gustave called out annoyed.
Adrien quickly kissed her forehead, “Sorry Bug, can we talk about this later?”
“But Adrien it’s was our,”
“ADRIEN!”
He turned to leave and she grabbed his wrist, “Please, Adrien this is important,”
“I’m sorry Mari, I can’t leave out in the open like this. We’ll never make it past the barrier.”
“ADRIEN!” The blonde groaned out in annoyance, but Marinette’s hand tightened in his.
“Just this once, please,”
“Mari I have to go.” He said sounding annoyed, letting go of her hand and walking back towards the setup already arguing with Gustave. He really had no idea. There was no way he did, otherwise he would have left the photo shoot with her in a heartbeat.
Her heart fell to her stomach staring at his retreating figure. Flashes of her worst memories hit, memories she thought she’d buried long ago. Seeing him fade away in her arms because of Timetagger, every moment of sacrifice after sacrifice he willingly made in order to protect her, the small clink of metal as he placed his ring on the ground in a New York sewer.
These were all moments she almost lost him forever, but she wasn’t losing him. That’s not what this is. Her heart whispered, trying to keep itself from breaking.
She backed away slowly, watching as his model mask reappeared on his face as he retook his first pose. An image appeared over him, her worst nightmare threatening to come true in a fury of blazing white.
Her arms crossed over her chest, rubbing her arms and trying to remind herself that it wasn’t real. Chat Blanc was a future that had been stopped a long time ago. Right?
Mechanically she reached for her phone, texting Alya, ‘It’s a no go, I don’t want to lose the reservation so you and Nino go take our places. My treat.’
‘That sucks girl, are you sure? I thought it was a good idea, recreating your first date. Sunshine would have loved that.’ She stared at the blurry words, hesitating to respond when another message came through, ‘I’m sorry you couldn’t save him.’
The simple sentence ripped through the last of her crumbling will and haunting memories of all the times she failed to save her Kitten, burning wet trails falling down her cheeks. ‘Yeah, you guys have fun’, she managed to type out.
“Happy anniversary, Kitten.” She whispered with a broken voice, not bothering to keep the tears at bay any longer as she walked away.
…
Hands in his jacket pockets as he aimlessly walked, a heavy sigh forced its way out. He hated this.
Idiot wasn’t a strong enough word to describe himself, though he was struggling to pinpoint which word was. He felt like an oblivious moron, replaying those few minutes at the photo shoot on Monday over and over like a nightmare. He hadn’t even picked up on the fact that he’d hurt her until hours later when he was facedown in bed, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done.
He groaned, running his fingers rapidly back and forth through his hair as his annoyance with himself won out. How could he have missed that she was TRYING to make up for Saturday? Gustave and his incessant calling of his name had already been grating at his nerves, and he’d taken out his annoyance on his lady.
It was no wonder they’d barely spoken all week. Even this morning when he called her, she hadn’t answered. They had been going through the motions, saying good morning and good night, small pecks on the cheek, holding hands and whispering ‘I love you’ as a constant form of apology.
But he missed her smile... and the way she laughed. He missed the way she’d play with his hair at the base of his neck, and the feel of her body pressed against his when she wrapped her arms around him to fill him with her warmth.
The smell of roses invaded his senses, and he smiled. Quickly a plan formed, and before he knew it, he’s rushing towards the bakery with a rose in hand. When he walks into the bakery a smile bursts out of him as the smell he could only describe as ‘home’ fills him after being without it for a week. Tears burn in the back of his eyes, not realizing just how much he’d subconsciously missed it.
“Adrien! There you are sweetheart. We missed having you at dinner this week.” Sabine told him as she finished up with a customer.
He smiled sheepishly, his hand going to the back of his neck, “It’s been a busy week.”
Sabine smiled knowingly, “How about I make your favorite for dinner tonight, if you’re free that is?”
His stomach grumbled at the thought, even though he’d eaten not half an hour ago. “That would be great, I miss your cooking.”
Sabine nodded, subtly commenting on the rose in his hand, “Marinette should be upstairs if you want to take that to her. Hopefully she’s relaxing. She finished her last commission early this morning.”
Adrien winced, “Yeah, she mentioned she’d been staying up late. I’ll go make sure she’s resting.” He made his way into the house, tapping fists with Tom as he passed by.
He hesitated outside her bedroom door, gathering up the courage to knock lightly with his knuckle, “Princess, are you awake?”
It only took a second for Sass to fly through the trapdoor, “She’s not here black cat.”
“Sass, go!” He quietly shooed the kwami back into the room, closing the trapdoor behind him.
Sass grinned, “Her parents rarely come up here, there is no reason to fret.”
Plagg flew out of his shirt pocket, asking concerned, “What do you mean she’s not here?”
Knight, the black cat he’d gotten for Marinette, moved between his legs purring softly. Adrien kneeled to rub his back, “Oh playing nice today are we? Where’s your mama?”
His ears went flat against his head hearing the last word, ‘Mama sad. Still sad.’
Mullo flew over slowly, “Marinette’s been very sad this week. She said she was going for a walk to clear her head.”
“Oh… she didn’t say where she was going?” Adrien asked the kwami’s floating around. They all shook their head, and he sighed, “Alright, well… when she comes home, tell her to call me please?”
Wayzz responded first, “Of course Adrien. You are probably the only person who will be able to cheer her up.”
Adrien plastered a smile to his face, knowing that he was the cause of her sadness in the first place. “I’ll do my best.” He told them before leaving, hiding the rose behind his back as he gave Tom and Sabine a quick goodbye and promise of seeing them later.
At least, he hoped he’d get a chance to talk to Marinette first. He hated feeling like they were pretending. He loved her, he had always loved her and always would. That wasn’t something any amount of turmoil could change. Communication had always been easy for them, from their easygoing talks to their more subtle cues they gave in silence. The soft brush of a hand, the slight movement to be closer, a single look that said more than words ever could.
He just needed to talk to her.
He needed to hear her voice again, to really hear it, and he hoped on his Miraculous that she’d give him the chance.
Trudging up the stairs to his room, his mind wandered into an abyss of dark thoughts. It was as if every shadow made itself known, threatening to consume the light that had once saved him. Warmth stole from his veins, the empty coldness nipping at his fingertips. His eyes were free of tears, guilt plaguing him in their stead instead of offering a merciful release.
He pushed the door slowly, knowing he was willingly descending back into the hell of his own making.
“Adrien.”
He looked up, and there was the light.
“Marinette.” He breathed, the cold biting in the presence of her overwhelming warmth.
She stood from the edge of his bed, holding a red rose in her hand. “I… I can’t… I…” she started crying, and he refused to let the clouds take her away. “I’m so sorry.”
He grabbed her, tightly wrapping her in his arms, “No, I’m sorry. I should have realized what you were doing,”
“You tried first, and I was an absolute jerk,”
“You were stressed out.” He whispered, burying himself in her shoulder as his throat tightened uncomfortably, “You are always, always going to be more important to me than anything Marinette.”
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed into his chest, clinging to him while her body shook uncontrollably. “All week, I’ve been,” she hiccuped, “waiting for you to disappear. It felt like we were acting, pretending and,” she hiccuped again, not able to control her cries, “it was all going to be too much, and you’d leave.”
He lifted her face from his chest and kissed her desperately, tasting the salt of their tears on his lips. Her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him closer. His hands rested on her hips, responding on instinct alone as he lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, holding onto him without fear, knowing he would never let her fall.
“Never.” He promised, whispering against her lips as he sat with her in his lap on the edge of his bed, “I’ll never leave you, not even when I’ve been a complete and total idiot.”
“You’re my idiot, understand? Mine.” She whispered hopefully.
“Forever m’lady. I will always be yours.” He thumbed her tears away gently, smiling sadly when she did the same to his face.
“I love you Adrien.” She held the rose up to him, and he took it gently. He held up the rose still in his hand to her, and she smiled into its petals.
He rested his head over her heart, reveling in the way her fingertips rubbed the small hairs at the back of his neck as he listened to the soothing rhythm of her heart. “I love you too Marinette.”
He pulled back and smiled a little brighter, “Wanna hang out on my couch and watch a movie?”
“And cuddle?” Marinette asked blushing.
He felt a laugh start and nodded, “I thought that part was obvious.”
He kept her in his arms, carrying her to the couch as she giggled. The darkness disappeared, and the warmth returned.
“Happy anniversary bugaboo.” He whispered placing a kiss on top of her head as they cuddled closely on the couch and started their movie.
She kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly, “Happy anniversary kitten.”