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"I can't help falling in love with you," Chat Noir sang as he picked petals off of the rose in his hand. "Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you?"
"Minou?" Ladybug called. Chat Noir jumped in surprise.
"My Lady!" He turned around to see her smiling. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" He picked up her hand and placed a light kiss on it.
"I saw photos on the Ladyblog that you were out and about." Ladybug sat down, squinting at the rooftop to try and see better.
Not for the first time, Chat Noir was thankful for his night vision. The rooftop he had chosen to spend this particular evening on was dark. In a part of Paris that was subdued, far from the lights of the tourist attractions.
"Figured I would come and make sure you were okay." She shrugged.
"Aw, you were worried about me?" He cooed.
"Of course I was worried about you!" Ladybug snapped, perhaps a bit too harshly. "Uh, sorry, of course I was worried about you."
"I just wanted to get some fresh air, you know how it is." He gave her his favorite lopsided grin.
"I do. Which is exactly why I was worried about you, Chat." Ladybug bit her lip. "Is everything okay, like, personally?"
"Yeah, I mean, I had an oddly empty schedule today? So I was basically stuck up in my room all day and wanted some air. That's all. But I'm honored that you're worried about me." He teased.
"Alright, you seriously have been cooped up in your room all day?" Ladybug asked.
"Yeah, my father can be kinda strict so I spent the day hanging out with Plagg. And not that I don't adore my kwami, there's only so many cheese puns I can take."
"Ha! You get a taste of your own medicine then. You know how many times I've had to put up with your cat puns?" She had that grin on her face. The one that made Chat Noir want to lean over and kiss her. Or maybe just stare at her forever.
"But cat puns are purrfect, bugaboo."
"Ugh, I shouldn't have brought them up." She crossed her arms, turning away from him. He laughed and the two fell into a comfortable silence.
"So, what's the rose for?" She asked after a moment.
"Oh, it's left over from dinner. I don't really have anything to do with the roses so might as well get some satisfaction from picking off the petals." He continued to pick at the pink rose, much more underwhelming from his claws.
"Oh, do you pick off the petals and say 'she loves me' 'she loves me not?'" Ladybug teased, but Chat Noir could see the blush on her face. Score one for night vision! He wasn't quite sure why she was blushing, but her face bathed in pink was a beautiful sight.
"No, no, not tonight," he laughed. "Tonight I was just messing with it," he twirled the stem around in his fingers.
"You were signing too." Ladybug said quietly.
"I was." He tried to fight off the embarrassment he felt. The idea that Ladybug heard him singing a love song without him knowing wasn't exactly how he wanted to serenade her."
"You're a good singer, Chat." Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder. He felt his heart nearly beat right out of his chest. A compliment and physical affection? She was going to kill him.
"You really think so?" He whispered, leaning his head on yours.
"Yeah, I've never heard you sing before. It's really nice, actually. Very melodious." She yawned.
"My Lady, you don't happen to be tired, do you?" Chat Noir realized.
He should've realized it sooner, but the mask covered up the bags beneath her eyes and without them running around, he didn't realize how tired she was. Still, it was well past midnight at this point, and while Chat Noir had been blessed with being a night owl and morning person simultaneously, Ladybug was neither.
"Me? Tired? Never." She bit back another yawn. "I'm just feeling a little sluggish, that's all."
"Sure, just a little sluggish." Chat Noir laughed.
"I won't hesitate to throw you off of this roof, Chat." She threatened without malice.
"I know, I know."
"You should sing more often, though." She said suddenly. Chat Noir glanced down at her and realized her eyes were closed. "It's a beautiful voice."
"Just like you, then." The words left his mouth before he could really stop them, but Ladybug's smile said she didn't really care.
"You're such a flirt. Don't you know it won't work on me?"
"What about a serenade?" Chat Noir wiggled his eyebrows at her, realizing only after the fact she couldn't actually see him.
"With a voice like yours? It probably would," she hummed.
Wait a minute, what? Was she aware of what she was saying? Probably not, being tired can lead to being delusional. Although perhaps, he was the delusional one out of the two of them. He probably just hallucinated Ladybug flirting back. Yeah! That made more sense than the alternative, whatever that alternative may be.
"Come on now, you're tired, you don't mean that," he chided. Half to reassure her and half to convince himself.
"But what if I do, hmm?" She yawned again. "What if I care about you more than I let on?"
"Okay Bug, I think it's time for bed." In the span of just a few minutes, she had gone from bantering like normal to... this!
He had never seen Ladybug when she was tired before. It seemed as though she was like Marinette. The exhaustion came suddenly and without warning and she would start saying the craziest things right before she fell fast asleep. Chat remembered one time Marinette had told him she was crushing hard on Adrien Agreste right before she passed out. Of course, when she woke up she vehemently denied it, but still.
"How come I have to love two people at the same time?" Ladybug whined. "My precious Chat Noir and Adrien! It's not fair, not fair at all."
Chat Noir felt his brain screech to a halt. His world came to a stop, flipped upside down, and righted itself again all within a few moments. It was just one too many coincidences, and when he looked back over at her, he suddenly saw two girls instead of one.
Two girls who were both fast asleep.
'Well, at least I can get her home now.' Chat Noir laughed to himself, picking up Ladybug bridal style. Making sure no one saw, he took off towards the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
Marinette had a bone to pick with her subconscious. Last night it had given her a dream that felt so real, she still wasn't convinced it was only a dream. She hoped it was only a dream, because if it wasn't she was going to be in some serious hot water. Although, if it turned out she did spill to Chat Noir last night who the other boy was, she could always fall back on the idea that Adrien was simply a celebrity crush (obviously it wasn't true, but Chat didn't need to know that). How she was going to lie her way out of her feelings for him, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.
She hadn't even told Tikki about her worries, because she knew Tikki could easily confirm or deny them. And the only thing scarier than the unknown was certainty.
So when Ladybug transformed for the night and left to meet Chat Noir for patrol, she might have been a little more anxious than usual. But she was also a bit more excited. If that dream was real, then he would know about her feelings for him. And knowing her loveable Chat Noir, he wasn't going to let her forget it.
She just hoped she wouldn't have to live in anticipation for long.
And she didn't. Before she had even made it to the rooftop, she could see the clear difference. Candles were set up in a path, and were those red rose petals?
Ladybug's heart sped up as her stomach dropped. It hadn't been a dream then. She had actually confessed she was in love with both Adrien and Chat Noir to Chat Noir. Great. But maybe it would be a good thing? Maybe all of her silly fantasies were going to come true.
She didn't see Chat Noir though, and as she landed on the rooftop her anticipation only grew.
"Chat?" She called. "Are you here?"
She supposed it was possible for Chat Noir to have set up the rooftop earlier and then planned to show up later. So then there was nothing she could do but wait. Great. Sit and wait on this hopelessly romantic rooftop the night after accidentally revealing her feelings for her partner.
"Chat? I guess I beat yo-." The words died in her throat as music began to play. Soft guitar playing a familiar melody that made Ladybug want to faint.
What in the world was happening?
"Wise men say," that was his voice, Chat's voice. Ladybug could feel herself melting, but her feet stayed planted to the rooftop.
"Only fools rush in," He continued and she tried not to feel lightheaded.
"But I can't help," Chat Noir finally revealed himself, stepping out from behind a chimney. Ladybug felt her breath escape her. The look he was giving her, one of absolute adoration, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. "Falling in love with you." He walked towards her, taking his time. As he neared, Ladybug felt every cell in her body light on fire.
"Dance with me, my lady?" He whispered, placing a kiss on her hand. She nodded wordlessly, letting the music flow through her.
"Shall I stay?" Chat Noir continued, pulling her into his arms. She naturally laid her head on his chest, her hands encircling his neck as he found her waist.
"Would it be a sin?" He leaned down, whispering into her ear. It made her shiver.
"But I can't help," he sang, for her ears and her ears only, "falling in love with you." He placed a kiss on her cheek as he pulled apart. Ladybug sucked in a breath, blood rushing to her ears.
It was too much. It wasn't enough. She needed to run and hide. She needed to stay right here forever. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to pull away.
"Chat..." she breathed.
"Shh," he placed a finger on her lips. "I know, it's a lot to take in." She nodded frantically. "I know there's probably a million thoughts running through your head right now, but for now, let me serenade you. Just like you had asked."
"Like a river flows," he began to sing again, pulling her in closer. She melted into the embrace. She could allow herself just a few moments, right? Right.
"Surely to the sea," She could hear his heartbeat from where she was. It drummed under his chest. Could it be possible it was like that because of her.
"Darling so it goes," he spun her around slowly, a smile growing on her face. She caught just the smallest glance at his expression, and was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of love evident on his face. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, and it belonged to her.
"Some things are meant to be." Chat pulled her back in, but he stopped dancing. Opting instead to stand still, his eyes staring into hers.
"Take my hand," she couldn't help herself, she picked up his hand and did just that.
"Take my whole life, too." He breathed, his eyes wide at her affection before his face softened. Ladybug bit back a giggle. He was such a dork, how she loved him.
"For I can't help falling in love with you." He pulled her back in, beginning to sway side to side.
"Like a river flows," he repeated, placing his forehead on hers.
"Surely to the sea," he gave her a grin, small, subdued. She had seen that grin before, but where? Something tingled in the back of her mind. Something was bugging her. Something she hadn't realized yet.
"Some things are meant to be," he breathed on her lips. She nearly fainted on the spot. He would've had to do a patrol without her and she'd go home-.
That was it!
She sucked in a harsh breath, looking back over at Chat. How had she gotten home last night?
"Take my hand," he continued, oblivious to her internal panic. There was something different about his smile. Something that screamed there was more to this than just him serenading her.
"Take my whole life, too." He stopped dancing with her again, and gave her that look. A hopeful, cautious, loving look.
"For I can't help," he tilted her face up towards him, "falling in love with you." The song finished, their lips a hair's length from each other. But he didn't close the gap. He was going to let her make that decision.
She kissed him.
She couldn't help herself. She kissed him and she kissed him like she'd been dying of thirst for years. His lips were responding in a heartbeat and it was all that she ever wanted. The love she could tell he had for her. The love she held for him. It was everything she had ever dreamed it would be and more. How could it not be? And sure, maybe it wasn't a perfect kiss. Maybe their teeth clashed together and maybe they were still figuring out how each other worked, but God was it perfect to her.
"You know." She broke apart from him. It wasn't a question. He gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I know."
"That doesn't change anything?" She whispered. "That I'm just her?"
"Marinette," the sound of him saying her name made her flinch. "You're not 'just' anything. You're one of the kindest, most selfless people I know. I'm honored to have you in my life, to just be your friend. The fact that you're in love with me? It's beyond my wildest dreams." He placed his forehead on hers, giving her nose a kitten kiss.
"You really mean that? I mean, you hardly know Marinette." She whispered. He had no idea about her clumsiness, or her stutter, or her catastrophizing. Well, maybe he knew about that one, but still!
"You sure about that?" Chat Noir gave her a devious grin that dared her to ask a question. She couldn't. She was too scared of the answer.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ladybug asked against her better judgment.
"You know how I figured out your identity last night?" He grinned as she shook her head. "Well it was quite simple once I realized it. First of all, the whole 'being okay one moment and delirious the next' is something I've only ever seen in Marinette. Second of all, you confessed not only your love to me, but also the other boy."
"Adrien, he's a classmate of mine." She bit her lip, all too aware that those same lips had been on hers just a few moments ago. "I do love you Chat Noir, but he-."
"Bug, I'm all too familiar with yours and Adrien's relationship." His grin only grew wider. Marinette wasn't even sure how that was possible. Her brows furrowed.
Just what in the world was he talking about? Was he secretly friends with Adrien or something? Did he talk about her? She hated how her heart fluttered. She hated how she was stuck between these two boys.
"Do you trust me?" He breathed against her lips.
"With my life, Chat Noir."
Whatever she was expecting, him calling to detransform wasn't one of them. On instinct, she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Chat!" She exclaimed, panic bleeding into her voice.
"Princess, come on. I already know your identity. You should know mine, too. It's only fair. Plus that way, we'll be able to know why one or the other can't make it to patrol or to a fight right away. We can strategize in and out of the mask. We can afford to fall in love, like this." His hand (bare hand!) intertwined with hers.
"It's dangerous," She whispered, "too dangerous."
"Not any more dangerous than just one of us knowing, come on bugaboo, you know I'm right. I talked this out with Plagg last night and you know Tikki would agree. Trust me." He practically pleaded with her.
Ladybug wasn't sure what it was that finally snapped. Maybe she was too wrapped up in his affection, maybe the idea of the two of them finally loving each other pushed her over the edge, maybe it was that dangerous, dangerous hope that this meant what she thought it did compelled her to open her eyes.
They were green. She hadn't expected that. But they weren't just green, they were familiar. Achingly familiar. They were the eyes she had fantasized about since the first day she saw them. The eyes plastered all over her wall. The eyes of the only boy who could ever seriously compete with Chat Noir. They were Adrien's eyes.
"Oh," she breathed.
"Hi, Marinette," said none other than Adrien Agreste.
"It's you," she said weakly.
"It's me! I uh, I hope this doesn't change anything," he gave her a grin that was so Chat Noir and so Adrien Agreste it made her head spin.
She frantically shook her head.
"Okay, good," the sweet grin she associated so closely with Adrien quickly turned into a devious one she associated so closely with Chat Noir, "turns out you were only in love with one boy, My Lady." He purred.
"I-. I uh,"
Come on Marinette! You could do this! You literally kissed this guy five minutes ago! You can have a decent conversation with him!
"Looks like I was." She finally said, her face a bright red. Adrien beamed at her and oh God, that was Chat's face. His smile, his voice, his eyes. His love for her.
A goofy grin came over her face. He loved her. Adrien Chat Noir Agreste, the only two people she's ever truly loved, had been in love with her from the moment he saw her.
"I love you, My Lady. If this wasn't obvious enough." He gestured to the rooftop around them.
"I love you too," she whispered, not daring to meet him in the eyes if she chickened out.
"Please say that you'll take my hand?" He called for his transformation, holding a hand out to her. "And that you'll be mine?"
Ladybug nodded, a peace falling over her.
"Always, chaton, always."