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In France, people don't question anything but the tourists and their lack of finesse of French. Most french teens know multiple languages, so there's no need for accommodation. English is so much easier, after all, than having to listen to the inexperienced guttural sounds that Americans spew. However, despite that nonsense, it was fair for Adrien Agreste to be curious as to why he heard the sound of footsteps on his roof. He doubted it'd be an akuma at this time of the night, so he clutched the pocket knife that lay on his desk, hands shaking. Then, a knock at the window. Who could that be?
Adrien's knuckles turn white around the knife as he approaches the window, slowly moving the curtain. He gasps audibly.
Ladybug.
He doesn't hesitate to unlatch the window and let her in, her feet much quieter as she steps inside with grace. Adrien glances her over. She's soaked. Towel. He should probably get her a towel.
“Sorry for forcing my way in, there's lightning out and I rather enjoy not being fried to bits,” Ladybug says in the sweet, apologetic voice that's almost like a sense of deja vu, other than the fact that he's heard it millions of times while being rejected as Chat. Adrien shakes his head. No need to get negative when the love of his life is standing around, shivering cold.
“Don't worry, m'l-- I mean, Ladybug! I'll get you a towel and a warm drink. I can probably sneak some snacks from the kitchen,” Adrien assures, smoother than he had expected. Usually he's an absolute mess around Ladybug without the persona of Chat Noir to mask it all. Quite literally. He fights off the laugh that's bubbling in his chest after thinking of that pun. He hurries off, managing to sneak around the mansion without getting caught. He's usually able to, but there's a certain anxiety that comes to retrieving things for someone else rather than someone else that tends to tamper the usual skill he hones.
Ladybug has let her hair down from it's twin pigtails, wet hair framing her pure, porcelain face. Adrien's heart pounds in his chest at the sight, but he manages to calm himself in order to complete his mission. He hands over the towel, setting down her hot cocoa on his desk. He moves quickly to his closet, retrieving an old, warm hoodie of his that his dad definitely doesn't let him wear anymore.
“Here, this should warm you up more,” Adrien says with a shy smile. His heart skips a beat when her bluebell eyes meet his. He keeps his composure.
Ladybug hesitates for a moment, eyebrows threading together with a flash of concern, but she seems to push it aside as she pulls it on, sighing contentedly.
Pride flourishes and spreads from Adrien's core and through his bones when he sees his hoodie on world famous superhero, Ladybug. That's certainly something to brag about.
“Th-thank you, Adrien,” Ladybug mumbles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You're my hero.”
Adrien's eyes go wide when she leans forward and kisses his cheek, and he feels like he suddenly knows what breathing is like. He can finally live knowing the feeling of her plush lips against his skin, the tickle of her eyelashes against his cheek, the gentle hold of her thin fingers against his jaw.
This is heaven
.
Ladybug has found the hot cocoa in the time that he took to be pulled out of his funk, the jingle that's her laugh breaking him out of his spell.
“It's no problem,” Adrien breathes out before he forces himself to sit down on his bed. It's so soft. Like Ladybug's lips. He wants to kiss them. Her lips, not the bed. It would be weird to kiss the bed. That would be unfortunate but realistic.
Ladybug seats herself beside him, close enough that their legs touch, and he suddenly feels like he's been punched in the stomach. He lets out a near silent, nervous wheeze. He's 17. He should be able to handle having a very pretty girl sit beside him but he just
can't.
Not with Ladybug. His adoration for her beats all logic.
“Hey,” Ladybug whispers out so softly that Adrien can barely hear her at all, but he's always trying so hard to hear more of the hero's voice. “Can I… kiss you?”
Adrien musters the courage to turn towards her, face red hot.
“Y-yeah.”
It doesn't take much more for her to set down her drink and move closer, tantalizingly close. Her lips are almost against his, and she simply whispers, “
Merci.
”
Adrien takes the next step and kisses her, pulling her flushed against him by her waist. He's waited so long to know the feeling, so fucking long, and he hums at the taste of strawberry lip gloss. Her eyelashes tickle both of his cheekbones this time, and his grip tightens just slightly.
It ends too quickly when he hears the telltale beeping. She can't hold the form much longer and Adrien doesn't imagine she's willing to share her identity. Ladybug smiles apologetically up at him before pressing one more addictive kiss to his lips and bounding out through the window.
At least it's not raining anymore.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Paris, France seems to be only held together by a single thread some days. If the single stitch was pulled tighter, maybe there would be less danger and despair. It seems that whatever god out there was feeling quite lazy when they assimilated it all.
Marinette, however, never let her stitches get that lazy. Ever.
She's sitting on her bed, blanket loosely draped around her shoulders as she adds beads to her latest project. It's freezing outside, and even with the heater running in the house, she still is wearing a thick sweater just to be safe. It's dusk, just as it's about to get much colder, when she hears a tap on her window that she recognizes.
Time to let the stray in,
she thinks. She also suppresses the laugh that comes with the thought.
Marinette unlocks the window and lets in Chat Noir, whom is much bigger than the regular stray, and is absolutely a teenage superhero. She definitely feeds him more than she would have to feed a kitten. She shuts the window and secures it shut because it's very cold out, and she smiles up at Chat. He's shivering; leather isn't very insulating and he's not one for winter weather. She doesn't hesitate to wrap him in one of her many comforters, guiding him to sit next to her on her bed. She gets back to work as Chat makes himself comfortable on her bed, curling up underneath her blankets.
Chat watches her as she works as they bask in a comfortable silence. They're past the awkward small talk when it comes to their friendship, and have talked about literally everything and anything to not have to worry about a little quiet. Marinette breaks the silence with a telltale sigh that means something is on her mind.
“Chat, I have a question for you,” Marinette says calmly, setting down her fabric and needle on her nightstand. She turns to face him, looking clearly distraught. “What… what would you do if you did something really stupid, and you can't tell anyone about it, but you can't hold it in?”
Chat's expression shifts from concern to slight panic. Marinette isn't sure why, but she doesn't question it. She just needs to get this off her chest somehow, even if it's vague. She can't even tell her best friend that she kissed
Adrien Agreste
because, technically, she didn't. No, Ladybug did. And she had to keep her civilian and her hero lives separate, so perhaps Chat was the best to come to, without revealing her identity, that is.
“Hmm… well, you can always tell me, princess. You know I'm the ex
purr
t of keeping secrets,” Chat replies with a wink, moving to fix Marinette's hair, slipping it out from its twin ponytails. He swiftly begins doing two fishtails, knowing that his friend would open up more when she had some sort of relaxation. Besides, Marinette would never turn down having her hair done by someone who knew what they were doing.
“W-well, uh, I can't go into details, but I kissed someone the other day, but I… don't really know what to do about it. I haven't seen them since then and I'm afraid it'll be really weird between us,” Marinette rambles, hands swirling around to demonstrate her clear frustration. Her shoulders slump dramatically, and Chat chuckles from behind her as he ties off her first braid.
“It will be fine,
mon ami,
I
purr
omise
.
Whoever the lucky person is, I'm sure they wouldn't deny someone as amazing as you, Mari,” Chat assures, leather covered fingertips brushing against the nape of her neck that send pleasant shivers down her spine. “If it helps, I'm in a similar situation. A girl I really like kissed me a few nights ago on a whim and I don't really know how to go about it. It's scary, but I'm sure our dreams will come true someday, yeah?”
Marinette smiles at nothing in particular. She knows he's right, but it's a little hard to believe someone would reciprocate her feelings, especially after being rejected by Adrien on multiple occasions. She inhales the cool scent that surrounds her after Chat has finished with her braids, resting his head on her shoulder, his cheek brushing against hers.
“Do you ever think Adrien will like me back?” she mumbles, eyebrows furrowed.
“I can't promise anything, princess. But he'd be an idiot not to accept your love. A real dumbass.” Chat nuzzles his face against hers, and she leans back against him. “You're one of the best people I know, Marinette. If it was me, well, I'd accept in a heartbeat. Even with Ladybug factored in.”
Marinette giggles, pushing Chat playfully. “I'm sure you say that to every girl who lets you eat all of their croissants and steal their blankets,” she retorts, turning around to face him. “Oh, right, I'm the only one, huh? That's embarrassing, Chat.”
Chat squints his eyes, grinning wide. “Eh, it's just the truth. But I've got Paris to save, so I can't drop everything for cute girls, especially not you! That'd be treating you wrong, after all.” He grabs her by the shoulders, gaze burning into her own. “But I promise you this. If someone isn't willing to commit themselves to you, or they can't see how amazing you are, they're an asshole. I may save the city everyday, but you're
my
hero.”
Marinette can't speak, not like she could normally, but she definitely couldn't right now. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her, ever. Her skin burns from his gentle grip, face equally on fire. And then she makes the second mistake of her week.
She grabs him by his face and kisses him, eyes squeezed shut, and her heart pounding in her chest, banging on the door that is her ribcage, desperately trying to escape to somehow suppress the feelings of excitement, fear, and anger. Chat doesn't take long to kiss back, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Even if it means virtually nothing in what will happen to their relationship, it means the world in every other aspect. Marinette notices how his lips are smooth and mold perfectly against hers, his vanilla chapstick, and just how warm he is.
Marinette is pushed down onto her back before she can question it. As if she would at this rate. She couldn't stop if her life depended on it. Chat licks her lower lip before pulling away, eyes fluttering open to meet hers. “You taste like cherries. I love it.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Adrien Agreste never was able to catch a break. In his civilian life, he had school and modelling, and in his secret superhero life, he had to fight for hours in a day. Not to mention he also had homework on top of it all. So, for him, sparing time for his friends was rare. Today was one of those rare days.
In an hour, Adrien would be meeting Marinette for a picnic in the park. Surprisingly, both Alya and Nino cancelled a few minutes ago, but pushed the both of them to go anyway. Weird. But he knew not to question his friends and their strange antics. They probably had a fair reason for it all.
Marinette had everything set up when he arrived, a lay out of mini sandwiches and macarons and strawberry smoothies spread across the large pink blanket that sat beneath her. A basket of goodies lay next to her. Adrien paused from his eyeballing of the food and took his time to meet Marinette's excited eyes, smiling back at her. Her hair was pulled back into a single ponytail with a large pink bow, baby hairs framing her soft features. Her outfit matched perfectly; a pink and white gingham tank top with spaghetti straps and a matching skirt. Her nails were manicured a matching pink, and her toes were just as coordinated, he noticed, seeing them peek through her jelly sandals. She looked really pretty.
“You look great. If I had known you'd dress up, I would have, too,” Adrien noted, scratching his head. He'd only pulled on a decent shirt that wasn't wrinkled - a pastel blue polo, that is - and khaki shorts. He also wore a pair of old sandals. “I hope I don't look too underdressed compared to you, pri-- I mean, Mari.”
Marinette blushed hard, down to her shoulders and up to the tips of her ears. Her freckles were much more apparent this way. Adrien thought it was rather cute. “Th-thanks,” she mumbles, taking two plates of china out of her basket, handing one over to Adrien.
“Oh yeah! I brought
petite fours
, let me get them.” Adrien opens up the case in his hands and sets it by the macarons. “There! Now we're ready.”
Marinette smiles so sweetly up at him that he feels a cavity forming and his stomach churns.
Man, she's so cute.
“They're perfect, Adrien,” Marinette replies, handing over a strawberry smoothie. She takes a sip of her own before placing food on her plate, and Adrien follows suit. He had a distinct lack of social skills, so he tended to just follow along with whatever anyone else was doing. He never had much socialization as a kid, after all.
They sit in a comfortable silence as they eat, the warmth of sun washing on their backs, birds chirping loudly to their own song, and the soft wave of endearment from being in one another's company. They both loved Alya and Nino dearly, but one on one time would always be treasured.
Adrien breaks the silence when they've cleared their plates. “This week has been really weird, Mari. Really, really weird.” Marinette gave a strange look, as if she understood exactly what he meant. Well, she certainly did somewhat - he had kissed her in her bed as Chat, but she wouldn't know it was him. But no, she only knew half of the whole story. He was trapped in a love triangle with two girls, one whom was impossible and the other was very possible, and yet, he did nothing about it. Probably because he knew better. Either way, he would feel regret about not being with the other, and would result in more hurt. So he supposed this awkward mess would continue on forever.
And, to Adrien, that was good enough for him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ladybug jumps from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding waking civilians on her night patrol. She's speeding to meet Chat Noir at their meetup spot, and she's nearly ten minutes late. She's astonished Chat hasn't tried to contact her. Either way, she hops down into the dilapidated building that they use to pass the time on peaceful nights. He's already sitting there on the pile of old pillows and blankets they had put there after a month of dislike towards the hard concrete, and she lands gracefully before him, hands on her hips as she regains her balance.
“Evening, Chat,” Ladybug greets, confident smile gracing her delicate, porcelain features. As Ladybug, Marinette felt powerful, less fragile. It was a fleeting and freeing feeling.
“Hello, m’lady. What took you so long?” Chat replies, a touch of concern in his voice that makes Ladybug feel guilt. She probably could have put off eating a snack before going on patrol.
“Sorry, kitty. I got caught up with some stuff back at home. But, I'm here now.” Ladybug lets herself go weightless and fall into the large pile of cushions, sighing with relief. Being a hero everyday was not very easy on her back - or any part of her body, really. “So,
minou,
anything you'd like to discuss?”
“I kissed someone the other day, in my hero form. But it was simply to distract myself. You know I love you, bugaboo, but I get so lonely, and I guess I just needed
something,
you know?”
Ladybug was a little surprised at his bluntness, but she was appreciative of his honestly.
“I'll be honest as well, I also kissed a civilian. It will never be the same as kissing him in my civilian form, though. He wouldn't love the girl under the mask, after all. I'm certainly not as brave, and I'm way more clumsy,” Ladybug replied nonchalantly, pulling her knees to her chest. “Sometimes, I think… maybe I should give up on that. He's impossible. And although I love him, I…” She trails off, eyebrows furrowed, as she turns to her partner, visage tainted with distraught. “I think I deserve to give you a chance,
minou
. I can't reveal my identity, and you certainly cannot reveal yours, but I'm willing to try as long as we don't break those rules.”
Chat goes pale with surprise, green eyes wide. Ladybug isn't religious, but she's definitely praying to whatever god out there that will listen that it's not out of anger or fear.
Ladybug is being pulled into a hug before she can detect any emotions from Chat, and she instinctively hugs back. Her arms wrap around him, and he's giggling into the crook of her neck. So, good surprise, she assumes. Very good? Possibly so, considering her partner's constant pining for the past few years working as a superhero team.
“I'll take anything I can get, bugaboo,” Chat says quietly, and Ladybug can't help but smile. For once, she isn't frustrated with that phrase. She would be concerned if not for her actions just a moment ago. Her lips stretch wider as kisses are pressed to the side of her face, and she can't stop the fluttering that is constant in her abdomen, monarchs and ladybugs both trying to escape the confines of her stomach.
“You're ridiculous,” Ladybug mumbles, closing her eyes. Maybe this was better than she had ever imagined. Thank God she came to her senses.