Chapter Text
They manage to get a few more dances in once they’ve appeased Alya’s eager questions -and have been crushed into no less than three impromptu hugs. Even still she’d been reluctant to let them go, and had insisted that she’d be stealing Marinette for some girl time the following day to hear a breakdown of what had happened. Adrien hadn’t voiced it at the time lest she unleash a fresh flurry of questions, but he’s pretty sure he and Marinette both know that she won’t be free for said breakdown.
Eventually the gala begins winding down as the hour grows late, and Adrien’s eyelids feel heavy as he leans into Marinette, nose buried in her hair. As they dance he thinks, the word girlfriend spinning in his head on a loop. It feels almost surreal that he’s gotten this lucky, that the woman of his dreams loves him back and is a warm weight against his chest.
They pretend not to notice Alya’s camera on them as they sway, continuing even when the music stops for the evening. It’s well past midnight by the time it does, and Marinette dares to peek up at him with a small, lovesick smile stuck on her lips.
“I don’t want this night to end,” she murmurs. “It feels like a dream. Like it’s too good to be true.”
Adrien can’t help himself. He leans down and kisses her, slow and sweet, pouring every drop of love he has for her into it.
“I know the feeling,” he says against her lips as he draws back, and she hums in the back of her throat as she chases his lips, stealing one more kiss. “But you’re stuck with me now, beautiful.”
Marinette laughs, loud and fond, and lifts her hand to brush lightly across his cheek.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Marinette pauses, purses her lips as she debates her next sentence. As she thinks her gaze follows the couples exiting the gala, lingering for a moment on Nino and Alya where they’re -more than likely- searching for herself and Adrien. “Would you… I mean- I was thinking maybe you could stay the night? At my house?”
All of the breath leaves Adrien’s lungs and his hands flex on her hips, cheeks flushing pink. Swallowing nervously he’s taken back to the night a few weeks ago, when he’d de-transformed in his sleep and woken up to fingers grazing the skin of his bare hip- and he yearns for it. He knows he has it most nights as Chat, but he wants it for Adrien . He wants her to know exactly who she’s snuggling and still wrap him up in her arms and hold him like she’s willing to shield him from Hawkmoth himself.
“Snuggles?” he asks shakily as her face begins to turn crimson as the double meaning of her words rears its head, and relief passes over her face as she quickly nods. “I’d love to.”
“Marinette!” Alya calls then, and both turn as their friends approach. Alya’s heels are abandoned, green dress pooling at her feet, dark green heels hooked over Nino’s fingers. His orange suit jacket is draped over Alya’s shoulders and his arm is around her, both sporting the same tired grin. “I thought maybe we missed you.”
“Do you mind giving us a ride home?” Nino asks, and Adrien nods instantly.
“Of course,” he says. “Gorilla should be waiting outside-”
“Adrien,” Gabriel interrupts swiftly from somewhere behind him, and the group turns quickly to face him. Unconsciously, Adrien draws Marinette closer into his side and positions himself so he’s angled between them, Alya and Nino at her sides. “Your driver is waiting outside to take your company home. I’ll be waiting upstairs for you when you’re done walking them out. We need to have a discussion.”
Adrien’s stomach drops to his feet, and he feels Marinette’s grip on him tighten slightly- possessively. His lips pull down into a frown that he can’t fight, and he lightly squeezes Marinette in reassurance.
“About what?”
“I think that should be perfectly clear,” Gabriel replies evenly, and Adrien hates the way his fathers gaze lands on Marinette. His eyebrow raises challengingly, lips pulled into his usual grimace meant to make Adrien submit, and the teenager cringes. “Is there a problem with that?”
He knows his role here. He knows his lines by heart. No father, there isn’t a problem. Yes father, I’ll walk them out. But he doesn’t want to- he doesn’t want to let go of Marinette right now. He doesn’t want to let her walk out with their friends on their first real night together- especially not so he can be berated by his father. Adrien is pretty confident that the matter Gabriel wants to ‘discuss’ is Marinette, and that’s the last straw for his thinning patience; his father isn’t going to force him into breaking up with her. Adrien won’t allow it.
“Yes father,” he finds himself saying, and it’s only Marinette’s presence, warm and comfortable at his side that keeps him from backing down when Gabriel’s eyes narrow, pulse spiking with anxiety. “I’m not sure what you believe we should have a conversation about,” he says firmly, and his grip on Marinette pointedly tightens in a move that Gabriel doesn’t miss. “But my friends and I haven’t done anything wrong. You reminded me of your rules earlier, and none of us have broken any. I’m going to take them home, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Hopefully by morning you’ll see that this ‘ discussion ’ isn’t necessary .”
Heart in his throat Adrien quickly pivots on his heel, and all three of his friends quickly fall in line next to him as he makes for the exit without giving his father a chance to respond. They’re all quiet, eyes on him as he leads them out the ballroom and into the hallway. As soon as they’re out of Gabriel’s sight Adrien sags into Marinette- and she’s ready for him, hands gentle and steadying as she catches his weight.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asks gently as Nino hooks under Adrien’s other arm, shouldering some of his weight.
“Yeah,” he whispers breathlessly, a huff of a laugh escaping him. “I’ve never stood up to him like that before, my legs are shaking.”
Alya steps between the other two to hold out a bottle of water that she’s pulled from her purse, and Adrien leans in so she can tip it up and let him drink. Once he’s drained half the bottle and she’s satisfied she pulls it back, smiling back at him when he attempts a tired grin toward her.
“Are you okay?” Marinette asks again, and he turns to face her. Her eyes are wide with concern, brows drawn up as she studies his face, and Adrien breathes a sigh as he leans in to bump their foreheads together.
“I’m okay,” he says softly. “It’s about time I stood up to him. It’s just somehow scarier than I thought it would be,” his gaze strays briefly to the side, toward the ballroom doors. “Let’s go before he tries to come after me.”
That earns a chorus of agreements and they move quickly down the hall toward the exit. The press and photographers are long gone, leaving a long empty corridor for the group to traipse. They do so in silence, Adrien’s arm around Marinette’s shoulders and hers around his waist, sticking closely to his side for support as they go.
Gorilla is waiting exactly where Adrien said he would be and he opens the back door for them as they approach. Alya slides in first, and at Marinette’s insistence Nino follows after. She sits next, reluctantly releasing her hold on Adrien so she can climb into the back of the car, but her eyes don’t leave his back as he shares a look with his driver.
“I’d like to drop Nino and Alya off first, is that alright?”
Gorilla nods and the stiff set of Adrien’s shoulders relaxes slightly as he murmurs a thank-you and then climbs into the back of the car with his friends.
“Dude, I just wanna say,” Nino starts as the door clicks shut, and Adrien flicks his gaze up to his friend. “That was awesome.”
Adrien scoffs softly, leaning into Marinette’s side as a soft laugh shakes his shoulders.
“Nino-”
“No dude, I’ve been saying for years that you needed to put that jerk in his place, I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself.”
Adrien can’t help it; he laughs. He laughs hard and loud at his friend’s enthusiasm, and his laughter is enough to spur his friends’ laughter as well. Soon enough the backseat of the car is full of four slightly drunk teenagers laughing over something that, quite frankly, isn’t even funny.
Adrien knows he’s going to catch hell for that tomorrow, and he knows the only reason Gabriel didn’t snap on him was because of his public image and the scattered remaining guests that had yet to leave that may have witnessed his display, but at this moment he can’t bring himself to care. He’s finally gotten exactly what he wants; he’s driving his friends home and then he’s going to have a sleepover at his girlfriends’ house.
His girlfriend's house. His girlfriend .
And regardless of his fathers feelings, he’s not going to break up with her. His earlier implication hadn’t been kind when they’d first spoken that evening, when amidst a supposed reminder of the rules Gabriel had spat a pointed jab about keeping Marinette at a distance, lest she use Adrien for his name to further her career. Adrien hadn’t known what to do and had snapped a furious ‘ Marinette isn’t like that ’ before excusing himself from the conversation to rejoin his friends.
His father isn’t taking this from him. It’s taken his entire life to stand up to him, but this is one area he won’t buckle.
“I’m proud of you too sunshine,” Alya says gently, pulling Adrien out of his spiral, and he turns to her and smiles more genuinely than the last.
“Thanks Alya.”
“I am too,” Marinette announces. “I know how hard that must have been, and I’m very proud of you for sticking up for yourself.”
Her words sit warm and pleasant in his chest the rest of the drive. When Gorilla parks at the curb in front of Nino’s house they all share clumsy hugs, giggling and squawking as Alya and Nino awkwardly climb around their friends to get out. Gorilla waits, as he always does, until the front door has closed behind both teens to pull away from the curb, satisfied that they’re safe for the night.
It isn’t a far drive from Nino’s house to the bakery, and within a few minutes Gorilla is pulling up to the curb. He turns and looks at them over his shoulder, and Adrien pushes down the sudden flare of nerves in his stomach as he forces a smile.
“I’ll be staying here for the night.”
Gorilla studies him for a long moment and then nods once in confirmation.
Marinette climbs easily over Adrien, sliding across his lap so she can reach the door and step out, and he quickly follows her lead. He slides out of the car, closing the door gently behind himself as Marinette makes her way to the front door. Gorilla waits patiently while Marinette fishes her key out of her bra and unlocks the door, and it isn’t until Adrien has followed her inside and the door is locked again that he pulls away from the curb.
As soon as they’re unsupervised Marinette’s hand is in his again, and the way she smiles at him threatens to turn his legs to jelly.
“We’re gonna have to be quiet when we sneak up to my room,” she murmurs, using his hand for balance so she can step out of her heels one at a time. She hooks them onto her finger and squeezes his hand lightly. “Maman and papa won’t mind that you stayed over, but they’ll be sleeping.”
“Okay,” he whispers back.
She giggles softly and gives his hand a gentle tug, leading him quietly through the dark bakery. They take the stairs slowly and inelegantly, soft breaths of laughter shared between them each time they bump into each other. Marinette quickly unlocks the apartment door and he follows her in- and muffles a snicker into his palm when she detours from the stairs to her loft to grab a plate of chocolate chip cookies out of the fridge.
“Oh hush you,” she huffs lightly as she gives him a light shove to make him ascend the stairs, and he wheezes a quiet laugh as he quickly all but sprints up to her room.
It feels different this time, now that Marinette knows its Adrien. He feels almost giddy that she’s still invited him over- that snuggles are something she’ll share with her new boyfriend too, even after only a few hours of dating.
He wonders how she’ll feel when he lets the cat out of the bag.
Marinette closes the hatch leading downstairs so they can talk louder than a whisper, and then turns to face Adrien with pink cheeks. She looks so unbelievably kissable in that moment that he can’t resist- and he doesn’t have to. He closes the distance between them in a few quick strides, and when he reaches her Marinette is already leaning up to meet him in a kiss.
When they pull back Adrien smiles down at her, soft and full of affection. Her hands are warm on the back of his neck, and she toys lightly with the collar of his suit jacket as she beams up at him.
“I don’t have pajamas,” he says suddenly, and Marinette snorts a laugh, face falling to hit his chest. His cheeks tint pink, more than aware of his poor timing, but Marinette’s hushed laughter keeps him from apologizing.
“I think I have something that would fit you,” she says as she withdraws, and he perks up in interest. “I used Chat as a model for a few pieces for a men’s line I was designing, and I think you two should be roughly the same size.”
He chooses not to comment lest he give away his secret before he’s ready, instead watching quietly as she heads toward her design corner. She digs through her pile of fabrics and test-designs until she finds the pair that she’d had Chat model months ago on one of his visits- and Adrien remembers it well.
Chat had tried to charm her into giving them to him, but she’d refused and said she needed examples for her men's line- and had later amended her statement to say she’d give them to him once she was done with them. They’d piqued his interest because they’re Chat Noir themed, colored green and black with small paw prints stitched into the hem of the shirt.
“I see why you had Chat model them,” he teases as he accepts the clothes, and Marinette laughs fondly.
“He wanted to keep them, the menace! I promised he could have them when I was finished with them, but I guess now I’ll have to make him a new set,” she shrugs her shoulders and then gestures to the trapdoor. “You remember where the bathroom is?”
“Yes.”
“Knock before you come back up, I’m going to change while you’re gone.”
“Yes ma’am,” he calls over his shoulder as he slips through the hatch and down the stairs.
Locating the bathroom is relatively easy- he remembers it from last time he was here, although last time he was transformed and had night vision. When he makes it into the bathroom he locks the door with a quiet click and Plagg immediately zips out of his jacket. He’s smiling, and Adrien softens at the look on his Kwami’s face.
“Good job, kid.”
Adrien doesn’t trust his voice to be steady if he replies, so instead he draws the little god in with a gentle hand and lightly scratches under his chin. Plagg tips his head back, leaning into Adrien’s cheek as small paws come to grasp his holder’s finger to make sure he doesn’t stop scratching.
“Greedy,” he murmurs when he trusts his voice to not shake with emotion, and Plagg peeks an eye open at him.
“You love me.”
“I do,” he agrees. Plagg hesitates for half a second, but then he nuzzles into Adrien’s cheek.
“I love you too, kitten. I’m so proud of you.” Adrien stubbornly blinks against the tears that threaten to rise, and Plagg zips away from his cheek and clears his throat. “Hurry up and tell pigtails who you are so you can feed me- maybe she has some cheese bread.”
Adrien snorts wetly and pulls his jacket off, hanging it on the back of the door.
“I can almost guarantee that she does,” he replies softly as he gently takes the rose out from where Marinette had so gently tucked it behind his ear. He twirls it lightly between his fingers, cheeks heating up anew, and he ignores Plagg’s gag as he lifts it up to sniff it once more.
He gets undressed quickly, harassed into moving faster by Plagg’s incessant whining for cheese bread, and once Adrien is dressed in the pajama’s Marinette had provided Plagg zips into the collar of his shirt to hide. He walks slowly back through the hall and up the stairs, folded suit in his arms with the rose balanced carefully on top, and when he reaches the top of her stairs he taps his knuckles lightly on the trapdoor.
It’s pulled open a moment later and Marinette waves him in, her face wiped clean of makeup and her gown replaced by a Ladybug themed pajama set. He grins stupidly at her as he passes, and she gently takes his suit and sets the folded up pile on the edge of her desk. He watches as she picks up the rose, toying with it for a moment before setting it gently on top of the pile.
“Make yourself at home,” she says, gesturing to her chaise, and Adrien doesn’t hesitate to claim his usual seat and snuggle in- though his gaze stays locked on her as she bustles around her room.
As she moves, picking up odds and ends and fussing with scraps of fabric at her desk, it occurs to him that she seems nervous. He isn’t sure if it’s his presence making her nervous or something else that may have happened while he was changing, but his brows draw up in concern.
“Are you okay, Mari?”
“Oh-” she startles slightly, wide blue eyes snapping to face him, and she grins sheepishly. “Sorry Adrien. I just- I’m a little nervous, and when I’m nervous I clean my desk.”
“What’s there to be nervous about?” he asks gently, and her gaze briefly flicks away from him. Head tilting slightly to the side he reaches out, relief flooding him when she steps toward him so she can slide her hand into his. “Is it me?”
“No!” she says quickly. Her cheeks flush darker when he jumps slightly in surprise, and she clears her throat. “No, I just- I have to talk to you about something. A-About Chat.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Please keep an open mind,” she says weakly, and he smiles reassuringly at her. “And remember that I meant what I said earlier, when I told you that I love you.”
He softens and gives her hand a gentle tug, encouraging her to join him on her chaise. She sits across from him, legs crossed and hand still in his, and he lifts it to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
“I love you too. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll understand.”
Marinette studies him for a moment, lips pursed together as she no doubt weighs her options. Eventually she must decide that she likes what she sees -that she trusts him not to be upset with her- because she squeezes his hand and takes a breath.
“Chat Noir is my best friend,” she says. “He’s- well- he’s special. He’s very important to me. We- He’s been coming over here most evenings for months, and we have a very- what I’m trying to say is-” she huffs, floundering over her words, and Adrien squeezes her hand.
“It’s okay Mari. I’m not going to run.”
Marinette relaxes slightly again and nods quickly.
“We cuddle,” she finally says. Adrien doesn’t reply- and she doesn’t give him a chance to. “It’s completely platonic- I mean- it’s just cuddling, I promise. He comes over and we goof off and then we snuggle and go to sleep. I- I know that sounds bad-” Marinette stumbles over her words again as her anxiety increases, hand trembling slightly where it’s still held in Adrien’s.
Her cheeks are flushed crimson now, anxiety getting the best of her as she tries to rush out an explanation.
“I-I just- I know how this may sound Adrien but he- he’s my best friend, and I- I need you to understand that I’d never betray your trust and neither would he, he’s a good person- and if you don’t want me snuggling with Chat then I won’t, of course I won’t because you're my boyfriend and your feelings matter to me and I’d never do anything to hurt you, but I-” she falters for a second under the intensity of his eyes, throat tight with nerves. Swallowing thickly her expression hardens into something determined that reminds him strikingly of Ladybug. “I won’t tell him he can’t visit me anymore. I can’t. He’s my best friend, and I need him. So- So please don’t make me choose.”
Adrien smiles, so soft and sweet that her heart stutters in her chest, and he lightly brushes her hair back, tucking it behind her ear.
“I understand Mari,” he says, eyes soft with affection. Relief so strong that it’s nearly suffocating floods her, and a smile tugs at his lips, so painfully earnest that it makes something in her chest ache. She can see nervousness dancing in summer green eyes, but before she can question it he speaks again, voice barely more than a whisper. “I.. It’s nice to know that you’re just as a-cat-ched to me as I am to mew.”
Oh.
Oh.
She stops breathing. There’s no way that she’s that lucky- there’s no way that both of the boys she loves are one in the same. That all this time it’s been Adrien sneaking into her room and spending the night in her arms, and Chat Noir picking her up in the morning to walk to school together. That she just spent the night in Chat’s arms at a gala- that she’d kissed Chat Noir again, for the first time since when they were fourteen and he’d been under Dark Cupid’s spell. It sounds impossible -it should be impossible- but the most frightening thing about the revelation is how much it just makes sense .
Of course it’s him. Who else could it have been. And it makes sense then, why Chat had been so confident that Adrien wouldn’t mind their snuggling. Why Chat had come to Ladybug and confessed to falling in love with someone- it’s her .
He’d moved on from Ladybug to fall right back in love with her- they’d fallen in love with each other twice. It’s almost ridiculous to think about how oblivious they’d both been. As her mind whirls, Adrien's expression turns pinched, the nerves lighting his eyes turning to outright fear.
“Mari? Were my puns that a-paw-ling?” he tries weakly, and her mouth opens but no sound comes out. His face falls, even though he tries not to show it. “I know, it must be disappointing-”
“Disappointing?” she echoes, and Adrien smiles a small, ingenuine smile that makes her heart twist. How could he ever think that her kitty turning out to be Adrien Agreste could ever be disappointing .
“To know that Chat Noir is just… Adrien Agreste.”
“ Just, ” she echoes in disbelief, and his brows draw up in confusion. “ Just Adrien Agreste, ” she sounds almost hysterical now, giddiness replacing her shock. “There is nothing disappointing about you being Adrien, kitty.”
She has half a second to process the relief on his face before she’s crashing into him, tackling him right off of her chaise- she hears his yelp seconds before they hit the floor in a clumsy tangle of limbs. His body is stiff with shock and Marinette wraps herself around him as tightly as she can, stubbornly blinking back tears as she hides her face in his shoulder.
“Of course it’s you,” she whispers. “No one else could’ve been my kitty.”
“If I knew you’d be this happy about it, I would’ve told you sooner,” Adrien says through a breathless, relieved laugh as his arms wind around her waist, and Marinette muffles a squeal of laughter into his shoulder.
“I’m so glad it’s you, minou.”
“Does this mean I’m still allowed to sneak in for snuggles?” he asks playfully, and Marinette sits up only slightly so he can see the smile stretching her lips and the blush dusting her cheeks. His own face is pink, eyes sparkling with joy, and she can’t help herself. She leans in and presses a sweet kiss to the curve of his jaw, delighting in the way his breath catches in his throat.
“Any time you want, kitty cat. For you, my door is always open,” she murmurs. She gets a front row seat to watch the way Adrien softens impossibly, and she knows this is it. This is the moment- she’ll never have a better one than this. She casts a quick glance toward Tikki where she’s peeking out from the plate of cookies on Marinette’s desk, and when the little god nods it strengthens her resolve; she’s ready now. “I guess I also have a confession for you, minou.”
Adrien arches a single brow and his head tilts to the side in a manner so catlike that she can clearly picture his cat ears on his head, twitching toward her in interest. That image strengthens her resolve, and she smiles down at him; she’s sure she’s about to blow his mind.
“What is it?”
“Spots on.”
She’d been prepared for shock. She’d been prepared for excitement, and laughter, and for him to smile up at her like she’d hung the stars.
What Marinette hadn’t been expecting was the wild gasp that tore from his lips seconds before he surged up, toppling their position on the ground so that he’s overtop of her, her legs stuck clumsily half around his waist as his lips captured hers in a kiss so hungry that it turned her blood to molten lava.
Her hands fly up of their own accord and tangle into his hair and she feels his hand flex on her hip in response. Suddenly this is about more than just Marinette and Adrien- this is about Ladybug and Chat Noir. Suddenly, in a manner of minutes, Adrien has gone from being her close friend and new-boyfriend to being the boy she trusts most in the entire world- a boy that has saved her life time and time again, and has never hesitated to jump into the line of fire to keep her safe.
It’s maddening, and it’s touching, and it drives her crazy like nothing else, and she wishes he wouldn’t do it even though she knows that wish is futile and always has been.
She’d thought Adrien had already meant everything to her- thought that there was no way she could possibly care about him any more than she already did because he already held her heart in his hands, but she’d been so wrong. With that admission -the knowledge that he’s her kitty- her love for him has tripled, leaving her dizzy and breathless beneath him as he kisses her desperately, ardently.
Unbeknownst to her, Adrien is having the same realization as her, mind whirling in circles. He can’t believe how lucky he’s gotten, that his lady and his princess are the same person. It changes everything, and yet nothing at all. There’s no need for nerves with Ladybug- no need to fear overstepping because he knows his partner inside and out, knows her tells and can read her with a single look.
They’ve always been like that, wordless communication flowing between them as easy as breathing. Marinette being Ladybug makes so much sense- no one else had ever fit the role in his mind, and of course she’d reminded him of Ladybug even when they were blinded by quantum masking thanks to the magical suits. She’s his lady.
His best friend- aside from Marinette, but they’re one in the same. There’s no one in the world he trusts more than the woman beneath him, with his heart and his life and the lives of everyone in Paris. He’d thought he wouldn’t be able to love Marinette more than he had because he’d fallen so hard and fast, dizzy with his love for her, but it grows impossibly with the knowledge that she’s his lady.
The woman that’s always had his back, through thick and thin. The woman who’d seen that he was sad and had gone out of her way to make a discord account just so that they could contact each other outside of their hero duties- so they could be friends, like he’d so desperately craved. Who had brought him pastries and hot chocolate on cold nights, and held his hand when she knew he needed support but didn’t want to ask for it, and had always welcomed him into hugs the second she noticed he wasn’t as chipper as he was supposed to be.
When he reluctantly pulls back for air he’s panting, lips kiss swollen and spit slick, and Ladybug groans in the back of her throat.
“Chaton,” she protests, fingers flexing in his hair, and she hears the audible catch of his breath before his lips are on hers again and she’s swallowing his whine.
She’s the next to break it and it’s only when she’s growing dizzy from lack of oxygen. He doesn’t go far as he sits up, panting softly into their shared space.
“Of course it’s you,” he says, and her stomach flips. “It couldn’t have been anyone else, it makes so much sense.”
“Yeah?”
His hand lifts off of her hip and rises to her face so he can gently brush her bangs aside, and his smile turns achingly sweet and fond.
“Oh, Ladybug,” he sighs, and she shivers beneath him at the reverence in his voice as he catches her lips in another kiss, though this one is less charged than the last. “I’m so glad it’s you, my lady.”
“You two are disgusting,” Plagg grouses from somewhere above Adrien’s shoulder, and he pushes up slightly so that they can both face the Kwami. “I’m never being supportive again.”
Marinette giggles, her laughter distracting Adrien from sassing his Kwami in return.
“That’s too bad,” she says. “I reserve my cheese bread for supportive Kwami.”
“Pigtails!” Plagg cries, and she shakes with laughter beneath Adrien.
“Spots off,” she says as he leans back and pulls her up with him so they aren’t sprawled on the floor anymore and instead she’s seated in his lap. She smiles down at him as her transformation vanishes, and Adrien’s expression stays awed as he stares up at his girlfriend. His girlfriend !
Tikki squeals and zips straight for Plagg, and the small cat Kwami is unable to hide the purr rumbling in his chest when she crashes into him, sending them spinning clumsily through the air.
“It’s very nice to meet you officially Adrien,” Tikki says kindly once Plagg is wrapped into her arms, and Adrien huffs a soft laugh.
“She was excited,” Marinette tells him honestly before he can answer. “She was pretty sure I was going to tell you that I’m Ladybug after that conversation I had with Chat about our identities- well, you were there-”
“That’s because we knew,” Plagg interrupts, and both teenagers whip around to face their Kwami.
“You knew!?”
“Of course we knew-” Tikki starts, and Plagg interrupts her with a loud cackle.
“What, like it was some huge mystery?”
Marinette’s head falls to hit Adrien’s shoulder and she groans, loud and miserable.
“All this time Tikki listened to me while I ranted about loving Chat and Adrien, and she knew.”
“Like I didn’t listen to Adrien whine about his ladylove and pigtails,” Plagg scoffs, and Adrien loudly clears his throat.
“Okay Plagg, that’s enough.”
Marinette laughs softly into his shoulder.
“At least we’re equally embarrassing,” she murmurs, and he snorts. “There’s cheese bread in the kitchen Plagg, help yourself.”
The Kwami are -thankfully- smart enough to tell that they’ve been dismissed, and they phase through her trap door, Tikki’s soft giggle the last the teens hear from them before finally being left in silence. Once they’re alone Marinette lets her gaze meet Adrien’s again- and she can’t help herself. Gentle hands cup his cheeks and draw him in, and Adrien whispers a breathless ‘ my lady ’ right before her lips press against his once more.
“Alright, time for bed,” she says when she withdraws, and Adrien hums softly in agreement. His hands steady her as she climbs off of his lap, and she holds her hand out for him once she’s up, a warm smile on her face that he usually only sees when it's Ladybug smiling at Chat Noir. Usually her freckles are hidden behind a spotted mask, and he can’t see the way the corner of her eyes crinkle with her smile. “You coming minou?”
Blinking stupidly Adrien shakes his head and takes her hand, allowing her to haul him off of the ground. He follows her lead as she heads for the bed, but when she pauses to grab a cookie off of the plate on her desk he dives for the bed. He flops onto it, wiggling underneath the covers and rolling around until he’s tangled up in her blanket, and the bed shakes with her laughter as she peers up at him.
“You mangy cat!”
He narrows his eyes at her, green peering out of the mess of pink he’s wrapped himself in, and Marinette’s laughter grows louder. He watches as she crawls toward him, cookie held between her lips for safekeeping until she’s perched right in front of him. Making eye contact Marinette pulls the cookie from her mouth and blinks, slow and deliberate at Adrien.
He perks slightly, returning the slow blink, and she giggles. Her hand is gentle when she reaches out, fingers gently poking him on the tip of his nose, and Adrien can’t fight the beginnings of a purr rumbling in his chest as he nudges forward into her hand. Marinette heeds the silent request, sliding her hand gently across his cheek to card into his hair, and she scratches lightly behind his ear.
He turns to mush right beneath her fingers, his purr loud and strong in his chest as he leans into her, a soft sigh puffing from his lips.
“My lady,” he coos and Marinette’s smile widens impossibly as her other hand lifts, sliding back to scratch behind his other ear. Adrien’s purr sputters into a chirp of surprise and his eyes flutter open, a dopey smile pulling at his lips as he nuzzles into her hands. “You’re so good to me, ma princesse.”
“What can I say, I have a weak spot for alley cats.”
Adrien laughs, turning his head so he can nuzzle deeper into her hand, and he presses a soft kiss into the curve of her palm. Her heart flutters at the action, gaze soft, and she rubs her thumb lightly over the curve of his cheek.
“Make room for me, kitty.”
Adrien immediately wiggles around, flailing slightly as he struggles to find the opening in the blanket burrito he’d made for himself, and she giggles fondly as she watches. It’s so easy to blend the two of them in her mind that she can clearly picture the way his tail would be lashing as flails his way out of her blankets.
He settles with his head on her cat pillow and the blanket half draped over his legs, and she picks her cookie back up and crawls the rest of the way to join him. Once she’s settled next to him she breaks the cookie in half, devouring her half quickly while he munches on the half she’d offered him.
Once the cookie is gone she reaches out and turns off her lamp, the only light in the room coming from the moon through the trapdoor above her bed. She yawns, wiggling down into the curve of her cat pillow next to her boyfriend, and she hears the questioning chirp right before she feels his hand on her hip.
Marinette can’t bring herself to be shy, or to hesitate. This situation is more than familiar to her now, the soft purr at her side a welcoming reassurance of her partner's presence- her boyfriend’s presence. Where she originally anticipated that she’d be a bundle of nerves, she only feels calm as she reaches out for him.
She draws him in eagerly, giggling when he throws his leg over her hip. He snuggles in, warm and eager, and he buries his nose in the curve of her throat as she pulls him the rest of the way in, one of her arms sliding snugly around his waist while the other drapes up his side so she can reach his hair, nails lightly scratching behind his ear.
Adrien sighs, soft and happy as he relaxes into her, her warm vanilla and cinnamon scent surrounding him.
“Ma princesse,” he murmurs into her neck, and she nuzzles against the crown of his head, placing a firm kiss to fluffy blonde hair.
“Mon chaton,” she hums.
He nestles impossibly closer, his breathing slow and even as he basks in her warmth- in the security of her arms.
“I love you, Marinette.”
“I love you too, minou.”
She feels it when their Kwami join them a small time later, landing silently on the pillow above their heads, but she says nothing. Adrien is already mostly asleep, and Marinette is more than content to be slowly lulled after him by his soft, rumbling purr.
“Love you,” he mumbles again, barely conscious, and she presses another soft kiss into his hair.
“I love you.”
And she finally drifts to sleep, wrapped tightly around the love of her life.