Work Text:
The mid-morning sun burned bright despite the shades Marinette and Adrien wore. She squinted at the sun’s rays, almost hating them for their brightness after all they’d gone through the night before.
So much pain, so many answers, yet still too many unknowns remained between them as they stood together, still transformed, on the top tier of the Eiffel Tower. She wanted to reach out and hold her partner, but she refrained, almost afraid he’d disappear if she touched him.
“Will you be okay?” she asked for lack of something better to say. “I can do the unveiling if you’d like to skip it.”
“No, I’ll be there.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke. His head remained angled, so she couldn’t read him, either.
“Please, Chaton, don’t leave me alone,” she whispered, unhooking her yoyo from her waist and testing its weight in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it sailing to the spot she wanted, hooking and pulling taut for her departure swing. “Without you, I’m not whole. You’re my other half. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”
She waited another moment, hoping to gain some response from him. She didn’t get anything but stony silence, breaking her heart. She debated leaving. Would he disappear if she left? Could she handle him leaving her after everything?
Deciding to hope, she swung away, knowing she needed to do some things before they met with the mayor and attended the unveiling.
The morning soon gave way to afternoon.
The unveiling came upon her before she had time to take a breath.
Standing on the dais with the mayor, she glanced around, hoping against hope Chat (Adrien? Adrichat?) would show. As the hour of the grand unveiling drew ever closer, she wrung her hands in front of her, not wanting to do this alone despite her earlier words. They were a team, dammit. She needed her partner beside her.
“Such a nervous Bug,” a familiar voice whispered behind her, spooking her.
She twirled and found her sweet Chat standing there, his natural, cheeky grin beaming back at her. She threw herself into his arms, much to his amusement and the growing crowd around them. She didn’t care. He’d showed up. He’d done exactly as he’d promised, making her fall even harder for him. Unbidden tears sprang to her eyes.
“Hey, My Lady, no tears today, okay?” He set her down and swiped away the few that had escaped, his claws taking care not to scratch her. “We beat the bad guy, right? That’s worth celebrating. We can dwell on the rest later.”
Nodding, she hugged him again before turning back to the mayor and giving him a single nod to proceed.
The ceremony took less than half an hour as a new statue had been commissioned and erected on the opposite side of the park from their first one. Marinette couldn’t get over the need for two statues based on her superhero identity. She’d tried to argue the lack of necessity, but the mayor had been adamant, especially when he’d learned how close she and Chat had gotten to learning Hawk Moth’s identity.
When the time for her speech came, she pulled Chat with her, not willing to let him lose any of the spotlight that day. He’d lost enough that day with the defeat of Hawk Moth. He needed this more than she did, and she’d make sure he got it, too.
She smiled as she felt his hand come to rest on her waist, welcoming its presence as a gentle reminder that he was beside her.
“Thank you, Paris, for having such faith in us. We are pleased to tell you that Hawk Moth’s reign of terror has come to an end. He’s been captured and handed over to the proper authorities. He will face justice for the crimes he’s committed against our city.”
She stopped, her gaze straying to Chat’s, searching for confirmation before she continued with the small speech she prepared.
He smiled and nodded, his hand tightening around her waist where it rested.
“Chat and I will continue to serve you as superheroes until the time comes for us to retire. We want you to know that this is our home, and we’ll do all we can to help ensure it remains the beautiful city it’s always been to us. Thank you.”
She stepped back then, moving to the side with Chat following a footfall behind. She barely listened as the mayor resumed his speech and had the new statue unveiled, ending the ceremony at that point.
The crowd began to disperse as the mayor’s final words rang over them and they’d gotten their fill of the new statue.
“Meet me at your balcony, Bug. Say, five minutes?” Chat pulled out his baton, his eyes locking with hers for a moment before he vaulted away.
She nodded though he’d gone before seeing it. With a sigh, she hurried away, taking the long route home to ensure no one caught her. She landed with a soft thud, her transformation dropping at her softly spoken words.
Tikki floated out, landing on her shoulder and gladly accepting the cookie Marinette offered her.
“What a day, Tik! I’m ready to curl up and sleep for a month.” She stretched her tired muscles, emphasizing her point as a giant yawn escaped her.
She coughed when Chat spoke from behind her. “Mind if I join you on that nap, Bugaboo?”
“It’s never good to sneak up on a lady, Chaton. You never know what we’re capable of, you know?” She tried and failed to sound threatening, her gaze roving over him to ensure he was still holding up as best he could.
“Oh, I know exactly what you’re capable of, Bug. It’s why we make a great team.” He dropped down beside her, his hand holding something rectangular and vaguely reminiscent of a jeweler’s box. It looked too big for a ring, which she couldn’t help but sigh with relief. They still had too much to discuss and work through for that.
He called off his transformation a second later, his kwami coming out of the ring and settling between them with his green eyes leering at her.
“You gonna adopt my kitten, Spots?” His tiny paw pointed at Adrien, his eyes serious as he continued to stare at her.
She smiled, nodding. “If he wants me to, then I’ll gladly take him. It’s Marinette, by the way, Plagg, but then,” she paused a moment, her smile growing sly as she continued, “I think you already knew that.”
“Don’t make me curse you, Spots. I’ll do it,” he threatened, his hackles raised as he fought for Adrien.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Tikki said, coming up behind him and dragging him through the skylight into Marinette’s room. She phased back for a moment to say, “You two talk. We’ll be here if you need us.”
Alone again, Marinette turned to find Adrien still holding the box, his eyes staring at the city spread before them.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? He’s gone. We’ve defeated him. Hawk Moth, my father,” he choked but forced himself to continue, “is gone now. Yet, you look at the city, and it’s like nothing has changed.”
“I’m so sorry, Adrien. I wish I could make it better for you.” She wrapped her arms around him. “All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
She felt him tense, her cheek resting against his back, before he relaxed, almost going too slack for her to hold. She smiled as a soft purr started in his chest despite his lack of transformation, sensing he needed it almost as much as she did. She hugged him tighter.
“All I want is you, Marinette,” he whispered, his words almost too low for her to hear.
She knew that wasn’t all he wanted. It couldn’t be, but she’d accept it at that moment. She’d work on helping through it all, knowing he’d need her. She needed him despite not having her world torn apart like his.
He turned in her arms until he could hold her against him properly, his arms around her shoulders. His head rested on hers, the beginnings of stubble getting tangled in her loose strands. He held her like that for a while, content to remain there for as long as they could.
They didn’t break apart until their exhaustion spurred them inside, not wanting to sleep on the small balcony’s hard flooring.
She led him inside, sinking down on her bed and stretching out. She held out her arms for him, pulling him as close as she could. She felt his lips brush over her temple as he settled beside her. Her eyes even closed as she felt sleep drag her under, more than content to sleep several hours with him next to her.
He stopped her from succumbing as he pulled the box between them and whispered, “I bought this a couple weeks ago. I wanted to give it to you after we defeated Hawk Moth. I still do.”
She took it from him, her gaze meeting his emerald one before she tugged the lid open. She gasped at the necklace she found nestled inside.
“Oh, Chaton,” she breathed.
“You’ve been my home for so long, My Lady. Since the day we became a team, I’ve known you were my home. I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me.” He didn’t meet her eyes as he spoke, his cheeks reddening despite his exhaustion and other emotions she knew were brewing within. “Do you like it?”
“Yes.” She kissed his cheek, too unnerved to kiss him properly. “I love it. Thank you.”
She debated putting it on then but decided against it, not wanting it to snag or break as they slept. She set the box on top of her cat pillow, ensuring it wouldn’t go anywhere. Satisfied, she settled back in his arms, her need to be close to him overwhelming.
“You’re my home, too, Chat,” she whispered. “Always.”
They slept then.
They continued to sleep as Marinette’s parents came to check on them, smiling at the worn-out superhero duo. Sabine had to usher Tom from the room, knowing the need to talk would come later when the two had rested a while longer. Besides, they had a guest room to prepare.