Continuing Tales

Both of You

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by Maerynn

Part 13 of 53

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Never before in her career as a superheroine had Marinette been that glad of getting classes canceled because of an akuma. Her encounter with her silly kitty had left her rather shaken, and she wasn't sure she would be able to sustain another dose of the attention Adrien seemed to be constantly showering her with as of recently in her weakened state. It had been a real relief to be able to head straight back home after the fight, with the added benefit of avoiding Alya and her unwanted prodding questions about why the blond model was behaving strangely. With a frustrated groan, Marinette pushed away the homework she had been trying to get through for the past forty-five minutes. It was useless, despite her best intentions, she was unable to swerve her train of thoughts off the feline superhero that made her blood boil in her veins. All she could think about was his lips on her skin, the softness of his bare hands on her body, the feeling of him inside her…

Before her wandering mind succeeded into driving her crazy, the young woman sighed heavily and headed for her bathroom, towel in hand. Perhaps a shower would put her thoughts back where they belonged. About half an hour later, hair damp and pajamas on, Marinette emerged from the bathroom, noticeably more calm and composed than she had been all day. Her mother called her down for dinner, so she skipped down the attic stairs, planting a kiss on her father's cheek and taking her usual spot at the family table.

The shower had done wonders to calm her jittering nerves, but the lovely meal she enjoyed with her parents did the rest of the work. They chatted quietly, telling each other about their days (even if Marinette purposely left out huge chunks of hers) and lightheartedly joking around all through dinner. Dishes done and a cup of chamomile and honey tea later, she regained the privacy of her room, a real smile on her lips now. Blissfully, she was able to refrain her lovesick mind from drifting back to the previous night's activities and tackle some school work.

Later that night, she received a string of texts from Chat Noir's phone, stating that he had too much homework that needed his attention to drop by that night. He strongly advised her on taking that time to rest, not so subtly hinting at the few hours of sleep they had both gotten the night before. Even if she was heavily disappointed, having waited all day for his almost nightly visit, Marinette had to agree with both him and Tikki that a good night of sleep would do her wonders if she wanted to avoid the level of exhaustion she had reached the night Chat had found her crying on her balcony.

Now that she looked back on it, it seemed so long ago since so much had happened after that night, but Marinette remembered all too well how much she was feeling blue, and she truly didn't want to feel like that ever again. Closing her textbook and plugging her phone in for the night, she quietly went to sleep way earlier than usual, much to Tikki's pleasure and astonishment. Marinette crawled into her bed, wrapping herself in the blankets that blissfully still had his scent on. A few minutes later, Tikki distinctly heard her pupil's breathing deepen, hinting that she was already fast asleep.


Adrien was lying on his back on top of his bed, contemplating the ceiling wordlessly, still fully clothed. After a while, Plagg got fed up with the awkward and pregnant silence. Flying in front of his sulking holder that kept unconsciously toying with his ring, the black kwami sighed impatiently. "Okay. What's wrong now?"

"I miss her." Adrien's tone was plain, lifeless, and got the little deity worried.

"Then why did you cancel on her? You could've got your fair share of Marinette while I eat all the cheese I can stuff my face into if you hadn't chickened out on her."

Adrien looked away trying to ignore the tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, feeling an uncomfortable lump building in his throat. Why did he have to foolishly go and make everything so complicated between them?

"I'm going crazy here, okay, Plagg? You were right all along, I messed things up real bad. I should've stayed away from her as Chat Noir, and now I don't know how to make things right between us without losing her in the process. Or even worse, hurt her."

A grinning and full of himself kwami sat down on his right calf, resting against his left knee. "I'm always right. You should've known better by now."

"But what now? My brain's a hopeless mess. At school, Adrien can't even manage to tear his stare off her. It's so bad that even teachers are beginning to ask me about it. Whenever there's an akuma, the only thing on Chat's mind is to pounce on Ladybug. We were lucky the Scribe was an easy one, because, with my state of mind, and how much she looked distracted, we could've easily both ended up dead."

Plagg shrugged. "The answer's easier than you think. Reveal yourself to her."

Adrien shook his head vehemently, refusing to even consider it. "But what if she's disappointed? She doesn't even like me anymore... I foolishly made her fall in love with Chat Noir instead of me..."

Plagg smiled softly. "She did have a crush on Adrien at some point. Surely those feelings can't be gone forever."

"I don't know about that, Plagg. She hit me as a rather whole person. She loves or she hates. No in-betweens."

"I still say you should try to talk to her."

Adrien shrugged. "And tell her what? Hey there, princess, I'm hopelessly in love with both you and Ladybug, and I just found out you're the same person. I know you once had a crush on Adrien, and yet you slept with Chat Noir. Surprise! We're one! Wanna marry me?"

The black deity laughed humorlessly. "With a speech that lame, she would probably refuse to even speak to you ever again and send you home with your tail between your legs."

Adrien clutched his pillow to his face, grunting. "See? That's why I didn't tell her anything."

Fed up, Plagg reluctantly concluded, "Your choices are rather simple, Adrien. I don't care how you do it or what you say to her. Tell her, or I will."

The blond knew that Plagg was right. This had been going on for way too long.

"Alright, alright, I'll go tonight. But if she hates me for it you're facing two months of cheap cheddar."

"Deal."


Marinette was sound asleep when a soft thud on the skylight made her shift in her dreams. Another and a louder thud was enough to wake her up for good. Still drowsy, she made her way to unlatch it, and her confusion only deepened when she was greeted by the sight of a slightly bashful feline superhero.

"Chat? What time is it? Is there something wrong?"

Worry swiftly claimed his beautiful face. "Did I wake you up? Sorry, princess, it's barely even nine o'clock, and you're usually such a night owl, I didn't think..."

Her gaze softened considerably. "I actually took your advice and went to bed early. You know, to catch up yesterday's lack of sleep."

Chat Noir felt his skin burn under her allusions, their current position kneeling in her bed certainly not helping. "Sorry I woke you up, then. I won't be long, I just wanted to chat a little."

"Oh, off with the lame puns already. I thought you said you wouldn't stop by tonight. What are you really here for?"

He pulled her close into a tight hug, terrified of all the wrong directions this conversation could take. "I-I think we have to talk."

She chuckled lightly, teasingly kissing the line of his jaw. "Yeah, you already said that."

He grabbed her wrists, stopping her from wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm serious, Mari."

She took a step back, not quite sure about how to deal with this new side of Chat Noir, up until then unknown to her. He was so different from the carefree, silly Chat she had fallen in love with that she didn't even know how to act around him. Taken aback by the sudden change of attitude, so soon after their first night together, and slightly still sleepy, she flinched away from him unwillingly, not commenting on the hurt she saw crossing his green eyes. "Alright. Talk, then."

Chat gulped painfully. He had known from the start this little chat wouldn't be easy, but she wasn't anywhere near as receptive as he had hoped she'd be. "I want-wait no, I need you to know who I am."

Marinette blinked twice. "No."

"But, Mari-" his tone was pleading, begging.

"No. I don't want to know."

Chat sighed, lunging forward and grabbing her hand, stroking the side of her thumb mindlessly with his. "Purrincess... please... I've been going crazy all day, seeing you from afar without being allowed to touch you."

Marinette frowned, unable to keep the disapproval from her voice. "That's already way too much information Chat Noir. You mean we're both going to the same school?"

He nodded slowly, hoping to break the barriers she had raised between them, her resistance.

She shrugged in defeat. "Figures, we must be about the same age too."

"I'm eighteen, if you must really know."

A quirky smile spread on her lips despite the lingering tension in her room. "Great. So you're not some kind of freak that fantasize on younger girls, then."

Chat sighed. "I'm not, but I could very well be a psychopath, a murderer, a pervert, a huge jerk sleeping with a different girl every night for all you know about me."

"Are you?"

Chat sighed impatiently. "No, but that's beside the point."

Marinette frowned. "Where are you going with this, Chat?"

"Told you. I need you to know who I am behind the mask."

Marinette crossed her arms on her chest, shaking her head stubbornly. "No, Chat. That's too dangerous, for both of us."

He grabbed her hand, desperate by this point. "Don't you want to get married someday? Have kids? How is it gonna work if you don't know my real identity, if I'm only around in the suit? Marinette Noir doesn't sound quite good, and besides I'm not sure superheroes are allowed to wed."

She snorted. "Let's not get carried away, alright? We've been... whatever it it we are only for a few weeks now. I don't think there's wedding material yet, nor grounds for any baby talk."

"Stilll..."

Marinette sighed. "I just hope that if we make it that far, Hawkmoth will be long defeated by then and it'll be perfectly safe for you to reveal yourself to me."

"But, Mari..."

She turned away from him. "No, Chat. What if Hawkmoth finds out? I'm already a weakness for you as it is, let's not make it worse, okay? Our little midnight rendezvous are risky enough for me, thank you very much. Did you even talk with Ladybug about this?"

They both knew the answer to that question. He peered into her blue gaze. "This is solely between you and me."

He was playing with words and he knew it perfectly. But he couldn't bring himself to blatantly lie to her, so his only option was to twist the truth to his advantage.

"And what about your feelings for her?"

He could tell she was fishing, trying to buy time. To distract him from his original goal. He could see without a doubt that she genuinely didn't want him to reveal himself, so he just shrugged. "My heart is yours. Entirely yours."

He had known pretty well that things were most likely to go this way. It was time to switch to plan B, even if he had wholeheartedly hoped to avoid it. "I'm going to respect your wish, princess, even if it breaks my heart. However, this is not the sole reason I came by tonight."

She looked at him, curiosity written all over her face. "What is it, Chat?"

"I have a monstrous mountain of homework piled up on my desk. I may be unable to drop by for a while, and I didn't want you to worry about me."

She hugged him tight, resting her head on his collarbone. "That's alright, I understand. Thanks for the warning. To be honest, I have a great deal of homework that desperately needs my attention too. Especially in physics, where I don't seem to understand a thing."

He kissed her softly, a quick peck on the lips full of nothing, making a mental note to offer help in physics as Adrien. "I'll miss you, princess."

"Will you text me?"

He smiled sheepishly at her earnest demand, very well aware that he had no intention to. "I'll try."

With a last empty kiss, he let himself out of her trap door. Out of her life.

And with a little luck, out of her heart.

Both of You

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by Maerynn

Part 13 of 53

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