Chapter Text
Ladybug was right about to add the final point to her lecture to her partner about how they most certainly were not a couple when Cat Noir held a hand up to his mouth to try and conceal some of his laughter.
“What are you laughing at-” she started when Cat Noir used a gloved hand to turn her head to where Alya was holding up a phone. A phone that depicted a picture of her and Cat Noir engaged in what looked like the kiss of the century. Both their eyes were closed, and both looked more than willing. In fact, they looked to be…in love. But how could that be?
“Oh my gosh! The whole world saw that?! What on Earth happened?!” Ladybug cried out in a mix of conflicting emotions. How could she have kissed Cat Noir when she had Adrien to think about? It didn’t make an ounce of sense. Cat Noir must have tricked her! No…he was anything but malicious. Besides, she looked like she had fully consented in that photo.
“We’re made for each other milady. You’re the only one who doesn’t see it,” Cat Noir joked, poking her on the nose. Ladybug shook her head, pout making its home on her face.
“This conversation is not over. Come with me,” she instructed, grabbing her partner by the waist and getting ready to yo-yo over to the roof of a building a few blocks down.
“But we’re about to transform back,” Cat Noir pointed out nervously. Ladybug looked at her partner’s ring, and then back to her earrings.
“We have five minutes. I need to know what happened,” she said with vigor, guiding them through the city until they landed on the roof. Ladybug let Cat Noir go and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. She wasn’t sure what she expected him to say, but anything was better than nothing.
“Why are you so angry?! It looked mutual. I didn’t make you,” Cat Noir pointed out, tone conveying some of the hurt he was feeling inside. While it felt nice to know that he shared another kiss with Ladybug (not that he remembered the first one either), it hurt to know that she clearly didn’t want it to happen. Was he that un-kissable? Undesirable? “I’m sorry Ladybug,” he said with guilt and sadness. The poor cat couldn’t bear to be happy about a kiss that the love of his life was wishing out of existence with such power.
The mention of her full name by her partner was enough for Ladybug to realize just how callous she had been about the entire situation. It wasn’t fair of her to blame Cat Noir for the kiss. He hadn’t forced her. He wasn’t the type. She couldn’t bear to be the reason that he felt bad about himself. The last thing Cat Noir needed was to doubt himself.
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just…I’ve always wanted my first kiss to be with someone in particular and…my first two kisses have been with you,” she whispered in the air. The superheroine hadn’t realized just how much that meant to her until she spoke it aloud. All she’d wanted was to share a kiss with Adrien, and she hadn’t. but she’d kissed Cat Noir twice. While that was great for him, she couldn’t ignore her own feelings about the matter.
“I’m sorry,” Cat Noir echoed, this time less hurt in his tone and more understanding. He knew Ladybug valued him as an equal. As a partner. But she didn’t see him the way he saw her. And it wasn’t fair to be upset with her over that. He could be upset about the situation all he wanted. But Ladybug didn’t deserve to pity him about it.
“It’s not your fault Cat Noir,” Ladybug started, turning her face up to meet his sorrowful gaze. “And I don’t mean to make it seem like kissing you is terrible,” she spoke earnestly, because anybody would be lucky to have the heroic boy before her. If it weren’t for Adrien in fact-she quickly brushed that thought away. Her thoughts were growing into dangerous territory. “It just wasn’t what I expected,” she finished, expression apologetic.
Cat Noir thought back to the picture, his own thoughts swirling around in his brain. Ladybug had kissed him. Him. If she kissed him once and had fallen in love with him once, wouldn’t that mean it could happen again? He must have said something right in the time that they fought Oblivio because that’s what led to these course of events in the first place. Running with that mentality, he spoke his next words.
“But this time you didn’t do it to save me like you did with Dark Cupid. Do you think…maybe it’s possible that you have at least some feelings for me?”
“Cat Noir…”
“At all?”
Ladybug’s heart lurched at the plea in his words. He was almost begging her to dig deep in her heart to search her feelings. She promised herself that she’d always be honest with her most trusted partner. This time didn’t make it any different.
“Look Cat Noir. You asked me once if things would be different if that boy I like wasn’t around,” she started, placing a hand on her heart. She closed her eyes and struggled to say, “The truth is, I’d thought about it and…maybe they would be.” At that confession, Cat Noir’s jaw dropped and his heart soared higher than the akumas that tried to escape Ladybug’s de-evilization.
“But I can’t let myself think that,” Ladybug blurted, putting an end to Cat Noir’s happy dance. His tail fell flat on the ground and his ears drooped to match his demeanor.
“Then how do you think that kiss happened?” he asked, more curious than hopeful this time.
“I’m not sure,” Ladybug answered unhelpfully with a shrug. Cat noir placed his hands on Ladybug’s shoulders and bore his eyes straight into hers. “Think hard bugaboo. What would lead you to kiss me?” he asked with fervor. Ladybug’s cheeks pinkened at the close proximity and she stumbled over her next words as a result, blurting out something she shouldn’t have.
“I…I d-don’t know! Unless you were Adrien Agreste, I don’t see how it would’ve happened!”
Time stood still. Cat Noir’s hands dropped from Ladybug’s shoulders and his mouth was agape. “Did you say…Adrien Agreste?” he asked right as the timer on his ring ran out and he transformed back into his civilian self. Ladybug gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.
“A-Adrien?” she asked in disbelief. Her longtime crush was standing before her. Was the boy she’d been fighting side by side with for months. The boy she’d trusted more than anyone else, even her best friend.
“That explains it,” Adrien said with a lovestruck smile. All this time she’d been in love with him. Him! He’d just been the wrong version of himself. But, didn’t that mean he had to know who Ladybug was already? It was then that Ladybug’s earrings timed out and she turned back into her own civilian self. She was too much in shock to even try and hide in the moment.
“M-Marinette?!” Adrien cried out in awe. His happiness only grew at the revelation that his true friend turned out to be his true love.
“S-surprise?” she said weakly, her brain still processing everything that happened.
This explained so much. Why Adrien never showed up for ice cream. Why she kissed Cat Noir during the Oblivio attack. Why she always felt more for Cat Noir even though her heart told her not to betray Adrien. It turned out that she really was in love with Adrien the whole time. The only question was, where did they go from here?