Continuing Tales

Smoulder

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

Part 9 of 35

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It was a simple kiss; sweet, timid, gentle. Though it only lasted a moment, it seemed to last an eternity as Adrien lost himself in it. How many times had he thought about this? Dreamed about it? How many times had he looked at her lips and wondered what it would be like? Now it was happening, and it was almost too much for his heart to handle. She was kissing him. Ladybug was kissing him. They were kissing.

Adrien was pretty sure his brain had short-circuited.

A few seconds. A few seconds of breathing in her scent of cinnamon and something uniquely her. A few seconds of indescribable calm juxtaposed with the burning fire Ladybug had mentioned moments before. A few seconds of her lithe body lightly pressed into his.

A few seconds. That was all it took for Chat to know he would never, ever let her go. Once he found her, once he knew the other side of her. If she would have him, he would give his everything to her for the rest of his days. He'd known that before, but only now did he truly understand what that meant. Thus, with that understanding came a wonderful rush of something Adrien couldn't quite explain, simply because he'd never experienced anything like it. All he knew was this was the closest feeling to perfection, to rightness, he had ever known. He wondered if she felt the same.

Ladybug broke the kiss first, stepping backwards with a shy glance in his direction. She drew her lips inwards, as if she wanted to giggle. The blush across her cheeks had deepened. Chat would have found it adorable if his brain could fathom anything beyond the words 'kiss', 'Ladybug', and 'hngrhh.'

"Ah, s-sorry," She stammered, moving away from him further until he was no longer touching her hips. As his fingers brushed past them, gloved hands now exposed to the colder night air, his brain kicked back into gear. He blinked a few times, to be sure he was still alive. Flexed his fingers, he realised he missed her warmth already.

"Sorry?" Chat frowned. His heart had completely stalled whilst their lips met, and now seemed to be making up for that lost time. He swallowed, "Why are you sorry?"

"I- well I just kissed you and we don't know each other's identities yet and you know…I…yeah…" Ladybug trailed off, glancing to one side. Looking down at the Seine below, Marinette could hear its inky depths calling up to her. Maybe she could dive into it from here, if she used her yo-yo to help. Yup, that sounded like a perfect plan. Jump in the Seine, get swept away, start a new life under the sea. Fantastic plan. She knew how to survive under the sea, she'd watched The Little Mermaid thousands of times. All she had to do was watch out for sharks and sea witches. It certainly seemed easier than having to have this conversation.

Panic stifled every thought as Chat shuffled towards her. Her eyes widened, but remained transfixed on the Seine. Even as she felt his hand curl into hers, she didn't budge. It was only when Ladybug felt his lips against her hand that her head whirled back towards him.

"I kissed you back you know," He replied, and there was that damn looked again. The look which had made her notice what had been there all along. Except now it was accompanied by a grin so smug and downright arrogant that, all at once, her panic left her. She wrinkled her nose and pushed their joined hands up to his face, lightly pushing his cheek.

"I noticed Cat-boy," She replied breathlessly, annoyed at how flustered she was. She'd wanted to roll her eyes, but they were too busy being lost in his gaze. This wasn't fair. This was Chat. Chat Noir. Sure she had just realised she was in love him, she'd probably always loved him in a way, but Ladybug was determined not to make the same mistakes with him as she had with Adrien.

She would not be a stuttering, incomprehensible fool. Not this time.

Dropping their entwined fingers towards her, Ladybug glanced up at Chat through heavy lidded eyes. She returned the hand kiss he'd given her moments before with one of her own. Her eyes never left his. A sultry smile played on her lips.

You may have a smoulder hot enough to melt glaciers, but I bet mine is good enough to ruffle your tail at least a little bit.

"Did you like it Kitty? Our kiss, I mean," She purred against the back of his palm. Her smirk grew as she watched his shoulders stiffen, his nostrils flare as he inhaled sharply. Her insides tickled with the, admittedly twisted, pleasure she was getting from seeing him so unravelled by such a simple gesture. Encouraged by his muddled state, she hummed, stroking his hand with her thumb. It was amazing how easy it was, to do things like this with Chat, things which she could scarcely even dream of doing with Adrien.

"Buh," He replied and she felt like back flipping. Yes! Finally! She wasn't the stuttering idiot for a change! "I mean, y-yes. I mean it was great, super r-really. Top notch."

Ladybug couldn't hold it in any longer, laughter burst from her like a dam. She clutched her sides, wheezing at how much of a dork her partner was. There was a lightness to her now, one which he had given her. Him. Her wonderful, silly, amazing Chat Noir. How could she even begin to tell him the ways he'd plucked her troubles from her shoulders, like they were feathers instead of the chains weighing her down all day? How could she ever tell him what she felt? Before, she'd told him she was afraid of how deep her feelings were for him. That was still the same. She was still scared. But it was a good scared, more of a thrill really, like the first time she'd truly gotten a grasp of swinging through the city with her trusty yo-yo.

Now it was Chat's turn to distance himself. With a groan that would have risen the eyebrows of even the hammiest of actors, Chat Noir twirled around and began stomping towards the edge of the tower.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Kitty calm down," She chuckled, grabbing his tail. Yanking him back towards her, she couldn't help teasing him as she placed comforting hands on his shoulders and twisted him back around to face her, "I thought it was top notch too."

He ran his hand down his face, "I'm never going to live that down am I?"

Ladybug shook her head, tears of merriment pearled in the corners of her eyes like dew on morning grass. Despite his embarrassment, Chat smiled in response. It was impossible to feel bad in her company for too long. In fact, he was sure there was a joke in there somewhere, about her presence being a present, and made a mental note to fine tune that particular pun at a later date.

For now, though-

"But I'm glad you enjoyed our kiss my Lady," He replied with a bow, trying to compose himself once more, "I have plenty more for you if you wish for them."

Drumming her fingers against her chin, Ladybug gazed up at the sky with a playful sigh. The clouds passing over the moon were orangey brown, swiftly moving from one side of the city to another. She briefly wondered if it was going to rain.

"I would like them," She agreed, softening when she saw Chat light up, his happiness radiating more than all of the spotlights on the tower combined. Warmth spread through her chest, a pleasant feeling of love and home. She edged closer to him, her playfulness making way for bashfulness. It wasn't as if she were losing confidence, her reservations did not mean she would revert to being a spluttering mess. On the contrary, she quite enjoyed it, how quickly her emotions could shift from burning desire, to light-hearted teasing and quiet shyness.

Chat leaned towards her again. Reaching up to her hair ties, he began to play with the ribbons idly, like a lazy cat on a hot day. Adoration poured from every fibre of his being. He kept his mouth shut, for if he began to tell her how much he loved her, he would never be able to stop. Waiting until he knew the girl under the mask was his first priority. He needed her to know it wasn't just Ladybug who held his heart, but who she was beyond that name and mask. As much as he needed to breathe, he needed her to understand that.

Ladybug reached up to his outstretched arm, her index finger trailing a slow line from the inside of his wrist up to his shoulder. Her hand wrapped around the nape of his neck again, and she let her fingers settle against his hair. It was all at once enthralling, exciting, and utterly enchanting, to know that she could do this. That they could do this. It was an open door, a leap into the unknown, a daring discovery. Chat left her ribbons alone, choosing to caress her cheek whilst his other arm circled her waist. Small gestures, light touches, shy but reassuring glances at each other, each one crossing another little boundary, each moment bringing them closer to something unknown.

At last, Ladybug found her voice.

"We should probably wait though," She breathed, reaching up to play with the bell around his neck. Even in its shiny gold surface, she could see how pink her cheeks were.

"Yeah," Chat replied, his chest rising and falling in a lullaby so mesmerising that Ladybug couldn't resist resting her head against it. Instinctively, Chat pulled her in closer, nuzzling against the top of her head and thanking whatever god out there had granted him with last year's growth spurt. He closed his eyes, surrendering himself completely to the feeling of her in his arms.

Who am I kidding? I surrendered myself to her the day I met her.

"Yeah," He felt Ladybug nod against him as she repeated his response, and he smiled. When she leaned back, she had her own small smile on her lips. Chat found it incredibly difficult not to stare at them, especially whilst the memory of their kiss wove like a tapestry in his mind. He knew what they felt like, what they tasted like, he knew what it was like to kiss her. He knew now, and there was no undoing it, "Wait until you find me at least."

"Sounds like a purrfect plan," Chat rumbled, pushing her fringe away from her face. They stared at each other.

"I guess it is."

"Uh-huh."

Silence.

It would have been impossible to say who moved first. Both were drawn to each other like magnets. Reaching up on tip-toes, Ladybug pressed herself flush against him. Chat's other hand swept up so that both hands were on her face, holding her like he was afraid the moment might disappear if he let her go. They kissed again. Gentleness was forgotten as their lips pressed heavily against each other's. Tighter, needier, hungrier, their kiss burned. Flames licked their insides. Embers whirled inside their lungs. Simultaneously, they realised the pull towards each other was unstoppable now. They'd opened the floodgates and jumped headfirst into wild currents. Where their first kiss was a soft ballroom dance, this was a tango. A heady kiss of passion and intensity, a culmination of years of lingering glances and flirty touches, of toeing the line but never crossing it. It wasn't perfect, and yet it was; clumsy sometimes, noses tapping as they moved from side-to-side, rhythms not always matching, but they would learn in time.

They broke apart to breathe, only for the briefest of seconds before their lips were back on each other, much more in sync this time. Ladybug stepped backwards, almost stumbled, but Chat's arms went to her waist to steady her. Eyes still closed, both of them moved until Ladybug felt the cool steel beam against her back. She pressed against it, as Chat pressed into her. A coil of desire jolted her insides, electrifying her, making her crave. Both of them wanted more, to kiss more, to touch more, to feel more. Yet, even as they lost themselves in the passion of their embrace, they knew that there were certain boundaries which were not yet to be crossed. As much as Chat wanted to run his hands over every inch of her, caressing and stroking, loving and learning all the parts of her his eyes has memorised over the years, he couldn't. Not until he knew just who it was he was kissing. He respected her too much for that.

Even so-

"Tell me something else about you," Chat whispered, pleaded, begged, against her skin, burying his head against the crook of neck. For a moment, only the sounds of their ragged breathing filled the night air. He felt her chest rising and falling in tandem with his own. Once again, he closed his eyes, hearing her, feeling her, needing her, "Please. Give me another clue. I have to find you; I have to find you."

To his surprise he felt her giggle. When he looked up, wonder struck him like a bolt of lightning straight through his heart. Ladybug's hair was slightly mussed, loose strands had fallen out of their hairbands, rebelliously framing her flushed face. Her lips were a darker shade of pink, her expression languid and yet seductive. Lazily, playfully, she scratched him under the chin, a gesture she'd repeated many a time, but never with such tenderness. It almost completely undid him.

She'd never looked so lovely, and that was saying something.

"What's the matter, Kitten? Can't figure it out on your own? I must say I'm surprised," She teased, ending the taunt with a light flick to his bell.

Chat blinked, compelled and befuddled by her teasing, her mock sigh of disappointment, her competitive 'come-and-get-me' stare.

Oh he realised it's like that is it?

He huffed confidently, shaking his head from side-to-side.

"Oh My Lady, you doubt me?" He leaned in, waiting for her to join him, waiting to know it was ok to kiss her again. When she pushed herself away from the steel beam and back into his arms, his whole being sang. Now he understood what it meant to dance among the stars, to leap across the milky way and float peacefully amongst the inky blackness of space. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips, fighting the smirk as he pulled away and she briefly remained in place, as if she'd expected more. When he didn't go back to her lips, they formed a slight pout. He caved instantly, offering her another kiss, and another, and another, until she was giggling again and he found himself laughing along with her. God it was too much, it wasn't enough, it was just right. It was everything.

"B-because," He continued, no easy feat as his mind had turned to love-sick mush, "I'm pretty sure you go to my school."

Ladybug froze.

Placing a hand across his chest, she gaped up at him. Nope, his expression was serious. He wasn't joking. She felt her mouth drop into a shocked o-shape as she waited, fixating on every minute detail of his masked face, searching for any sign that he could be teasing her. No such sign came.

"…What?" She gasped, "You think we? We go to the same school? But…but how?"

He smiled gently, lowering his forehead to hers until they touched. Bopping his nose against hers in a kitten kiss, Chat tried with all his might not to kiss her senseless again. It was much more difficult than it had been just minutes before, when all he'd had were meagre fantasies and passing thoughts as to what kissing her might be like.

"My Kwami, Plagg," He explained, "He says that he's sensed your Kwami lots of times whilst we're civilians. I figured we must go to the same school if he's able to sense err- Tikki was it?"

Was she about to pass out? Ladybug was quite confidence that she was. It was a lot of information to take in thirty seconds. To be completely honest after his confession, coupled with their kisses, she was amazed that she was still upright. If she'd been Marinette, her legs would have turned to jelly long before now.

Her mouth had gone completely dry; she was only able to nod dumbly in response.

Chat buried his hand in that familiar place, his favourite spot just above her ear, caressing it lovingly.

"So you see," He said, his voice suddenly rough, "We could have been under each other's noses the whole time."

Just like that, Ladybug's heart and mind exploded. This was not what her poor soul needed. This wasn't part of the plan. She'd just about gotten over her flimsy comparisons between Chat and Adrien. Now fate had thrust a rusty hook into her ideas to move on from those dangerous thoughts, so that they were sharper than ever before. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

Ladybug didn't know which was worse. The idea that she'd spent years pining after someone she'd never have, blinded to the knowledge that her Chat was so close, or the idea that Chat really could be Adrien. If that was the case, then they'd been silently rejecting each other for years under their various guises.

No it has to be the first one, she thought witheringly, no way could destiny play such a cruel trick on us.

"LB? You ok?"

She hadn't realised how intently she was staring at his chest, her brow furrowed in a frown of confusion and shock. When she looked up at Chat once more, she found her partners gaze to be so tender, so kind, that it rendered her utterly helpless. But it wasn't her usual brand of pre-Ladybug helplessness. Instead, it was a comforting sort of helplessness, like jumping out of a plane with a parachute safely pinned to ones back. A safe, loving, perfect helplessness.

She wet her lips with her tongue, watching as Chat's eyes flicked down to watch, an unreadable expression in his gaze. She shivered.

"How can you be so sure?" Ladybug uttered.

"I'm not totally sure," He responded immediately, his eyes still not leaving her lips, "But I'm pretty confident."

A smile bloomed on her face then, all the nerves in her body seemed to spark with anticipation, and she nudged her way past him, making her way to the same edge she'd pulled him back from. She pulled her yo-yo from its home at her hip.

"Ladybug?" Chat's voice from behind her was shy, a trace of fear laced through it, and she stilled. Peering over her shoulder, her smile widened and she caught his gaze, letting it tell him nothing was wrong. She saw his shoulders slump in relief and her heart almost burst out of its chest. He really was adorable, "Are you leaving?"

She nodded coyly, her smile turning coquettish.

"Yup, have to go to bed," She thought for a moment, considering her next words, "Aren't you coming too?"

"Wh-what?!"

I really, really like making him stutter, she chuckled inwardly, does that make me a bad person?

"I meant to your own bed, silly," She giggled, knowing full well she'd twisted her words to imply the exact opposite, "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"We do?"

"Well yes, of course!" She chirped, spinning back around, "We've got to see if you're right, don't we?"

If swallowing your tongue was possible, Chat was sure his would be halfway down his oesophagus by now. Was she suggesting what he thought she was?

"Do you know where the art cupboard is?"

He nodded vigorously, wordlessly, heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"Meet me in there tomorrow, ten minutes before the end of lunch? Masks on of course. If you're really right, if we do go to the same school, I'll give you another clue about me. Deal?"

She held out her hand to him, her other arm resting casually against her lower back, and waited for him to respond. Watching as his face went from shocked to downright roguish, she bit her lip. Ladybug remembered his joking from the night before, about how handsome he apparently was under his mask. She thought about Adrien, and only resented herself a little bit for it this time.

"Deal," He replied shaking her hand, not letting it go. Instead, he chose to press another kiss to her hand, relishing in her acceptance of it, "I'll see you tomorrow then, my Lady."

What he didn't expect was her to leap into his arms, placing a brief but excited kiss to his lips. He'd barely had enough time to respond before she ended it, spinning away from him as he swayed on the spot, completely drunk on her.

"Good night Chat Noir," It was supposed to be teasing, but it came out much more loving. Ladybug found she didn't mind one bit.

"Good night Ladybug," He replied, watching until she swung out of sight, completely frozen on the spot.

He didn't realise she could hear his whoop of joy from several streets away.


"This is useless," Alya grumbled as she brushed her irritated fingers against the school books, "No wonder we rely on the internet nowadays."

"Madame Bonnet say we have to find physical sources and not just rely on the internet though," Marinette reminded her for what seemed like the millionth time, whilst idly checking the clock on her phone. It was the middle of their lunch break, and she and Alya had decided to spend it searching for any books which might help their history project. Nino was busy working through lunch with his music group, as they'd been stuck on one irritating part of their final piece (mainly because, he'd angrily proclaimed, that their singer was a real piece of work, he then tried to drown himself in his cap once he realised he'd made an Adrien-style joke). It was one of the few times Marinette had seen Nino so stressed. Adrien had had to go home early for lunch, as his Chinese lesson had to be pushed to forward in the day due to a rare scheduling mishap. Nevertheless, both boys promised to buy them coffees to make up for it.

The day before, and after much deliberation, the group had eventually decided on a compromise with Alya. They wouldn't do a presentation on a WWII Ladybug and Chat, but they would do a wartime Ladybug and Chat Noir if they had less of a tragic ending. In their research, they'd discovered the Elizabethan Ladybug and Chat Noir, a pair who defended England during their war with the Spanish. Nino was drawn to the Shakespearian era, wondering if the pair had been fans of the playwright. Marinette was obsessed with finding out what their outfits looked like. Alya wanted to uncover any conspiracies or secret allegiances with the crown, and Adrien was excited by the prospect of his predecessors sneaking aboard various vessels of the Spanish Armada, romanticising swash-buckling adventures, and inserting himself and his Lady into those fantasies. They hadn't gotten much further with their study of the pair though, hence the girls' noble sacrifice.

"I know that," Alya snapped back with a huff, "It's just a pain in the butt is all, they have books online you know, and we've been here pretty much all lunchtime and found diddly squat!"

"Yeah but most of those are academic books, and you have pay for them or be a university student," Marinette repeated idly, once again checking the time. The morning had been torturously slow, the only solace being she'd had time to get completely lost in her memories from the night before. Remembering the feeling of Chat's body against her own, how she'd listened to his heartbeat as he'd held her, how soft his lips were…

Oh Mari, you've got it bad.

"Ok girl what is with you?" Alya prodded her arm and Marinette jerked awkwardly with a cry that sent the librarian glaring in her direction. Her phone clattered to the floor, but its protective case meant it lived to fight another day. She turned to Alya with a nonchalance so phony it wouldn't fool a toddler.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been looking at your phone most of the time we've been in here. You haven't been helping at all," Alya folded her arms across her chest, with a humph of annoyance, "So what's going on?"

Luckily for Marinette, in the seemingly endless hours of the morning, she'd been able to come up with an excuse for her poor behaviour. Regardless, she still had the decency to feel guilty, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm sorry Alya," She replied sheepishly, "I guess I'm sort of distracted. I have to meet my art and design teacher before the next class and she didn't tell me why. I'm sort of nervous about it. Sorry if I've been a bit absent-whilst-present."

It was luckier still, that her nervousness could be mistaken for guilt. Alya seemed to accept her answer, her features softened sympathetically. Her arms unfurled.

"Oh Mari, why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have suggested doing this if I knew you were worried about that."

Marinette felt a real pang of guilt at the totally undeserved sympathy, and vowed to make it up to Alya in a random act of kindness at a later date. She shrugged.

"I don't know; I guess I was sort-of in denial. I didn't want to think too much about it," Marinette admitted, before her alarm (set to vibrate) went off in her pocket. Her heart flipped. She'd set it to go off ten minutes earlier than they'd said they'd meet, that way she could make sure she looked nice for the moment.

I don't know why I'm bothering so much; he's not going to be there. No way.

Or, another part of her brain argued, he could be there and you'll profess your love to each other. You'll reveal your identities and live happily ever after, become a famous fashion designer with a wonderful stay a home Chat-Noir-dad and a sewing room, and your Kwami's will have their own little den to snuggle up in.

Shut up nerd, replied the first part of her brain.

"Gotta go now?" Alya inquired gently.

Marinette fought hard not to squeal in excitement. Schooling her expression in to one of fear and trepidation (which to be honest were also emotions she was currently experiencing, so it wasn't a total falsehood), she turned away from Alya with a nervous farewell, and practically raced out the door-

Only to be assaulted by iced coffee.

At first all she'd seen were the plastic cups. By then it had been too late, and they came barrelling into her chest, lids bursting as the freezing contents jettisoned straight onto her top. She squealed and leapt back, hands flying to her now soaking shirt.

"Oh god Marinette I'm so sorry!" It took a few seconds for her brain to realise that it was Adrien's mortified voice, Adrien's spilt coffee on her shirt and puddled around her converse. She barely had time to register this fact before he'd carried on, reaching to stroke the back of his neck, "I'm so sorry, god I keep running into you like this huh? N-not that it's bad to run into you, I just meant that I keep running into you literally and that's bad."

Marinette stared.

"I'll- I'll get you some napkins. Wait right there, I'll be back right, I mean, right back!"

It was official, she was in a parallel universe, Marinette realised as she watched his retreating form, hurrying away to get some tissues for her. He barely missed crashing into Alix, and bumped into the wall as he rounded the corner out of sight.

"Mari, is everything ok?" Alya poked her head from the door to the library. Surveying the damage with wide eyes, she raced towards Marinette with a start, fire in her eyes, "Woah, what happened? Did one of Chloe's minions do this? I swear if they did-"

"No," Marinette interrupted her before Alya got a chance to start an angry rant, "Adrien did. It was an accident though."

Alya raised an eyebrow, placing an investigative finger against her chin with a quiet hum.

"Adrien huh? You know Nino text me earlier saying he's been acting weird all day."

Marinette tried to keep calm. She really did.

"Really?" She squeaked, fighting not to face palm at her own lack of cool.

"Yeah, he's been tripping over things, he got told of for daydreaming in physics, and he's just generally been spacing out all day."

"Oh."

"I know, it's weird. I mean I know Adrien's sort of out-there at times, aren't we all, but I've never known his to act so much like- like-" It was then that Alya snorted, covering her mouth in glee. Marinette felt her suspicions rise, but decided to take the bait anyway. Her throat tightened.

"So like?"

"You!" Alya burst out laughing, "He's acting like a total space cadet! Just like you whenever you're around him. Ha! I wonder what's got him so ruffled? Find out for me will you? Thanks, you're a babe, ciao!"

Marinette attempted to pick up her jaw from the floor as Alya winked at her, retreating back to the library when she noticed Adrien's return. In the five seconds Marinette spent alone, she tried to compose and collect all the new information she'd gathered, the pieces stubbornly connecting no matter how much she didn't want them to.

Adrien.

Flustered.

Kissing.

….Chat?

"I'm sorry I'm such a grade-a dorkasaurus," Adrien wheezed, holding up napkins and patting her chest. Marinette squeaked at the contact and, once he realised exactly where he was touching her, he stumbled away from her, beetroot red, "Ah sorry," he apologised once more, handing her the rest of the napkins. As Marinette absently padded at her sodden top, he carried on, "Honestly I don't know what's gotten into me today. I've been like this all morning. I think I've even freaked Nino out!"

"It's ok," Marinette replied faintly, unable to stop herself, "You must be tired from last night right?"

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating. She watched Adrien's jaw clench, his eyes widen, his back stiffen. Marinette wanted to breathe but found her throat had now completely seized up.

"Last night?" He choked.

"Y-yeah," She replied, chickening out at the last minute, coward "You- you know, with that modelling job you had? That had to have been hard."

Never before had she wanted to kick her own ass as badly as she did in that moment. Coward, coward, coward, coward, COWARD!

"Oh, right," Adrien nodded, his frown melting away into a partially relieved look that was neither a smile or a grimace, "Yeah, I guess that could be it."

Her alarm rang once again, letting her know she had five minutes before she had to meet Chat Noir. For a brief moment, she wondered if she'd already met him that day.

They stared at each other for a few seconds longer, both of them searching for something in each other but unwilling to be the one to make the first step. There were too many complications, too many what-if's which held them back. For now, at least.

"Shoot I've got to go, meeting my teacher before class. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck M-Marinette," He stammered as she hurried away. She missed the catch in his throat, missed the way his gaze lingered on her…

Missed the way he'd almost called her 'My Lady.'


She burst violently into the art cupboard, thanking all of her lucky stars (or spots) that it was empty for the time being, and that she'd beaten Chat. If he was going to show up at least.

Throwing her bag to the floor, she rummaged in the pockets until she found some hair ties. She'd deliberately chosen to wear her hair down again today (couldn't make it too easy for him after all, where would the fun be there?), but now she needed it up. Frantically, she checked her reflection in her compact mirror, making sure her hair was ok and her make-up was still fresh looking.

From behind her, she heard Tikki chuckling.

"You look fine Marinette, cute as ever, stop fussing!"

"I can't find my damn lip gloss!" She cried, digging deeper into the bottomless pit that was her bag, "Tikki have you seen it? Will the lip gloss even show up after I transform? Oh god I'm running out of time," Her phone buzzed again, one minute to go until they were supposed to meet.

"Marinette seriously, you need to calm down!"

"I'm PERFECTLY CALM!" She yelped, leaping to her feet and accidentally knocking a few watercolour palettes from the shelf as she did so.

"Yeah, I can see that," Tikki replied with a wry smile, shaking her head. The Kwami flew towards her face, stopping inches before her nose, "Just breathe, and transform, it'll be ok."

Heeding her Kwami's wise words, Marinette inhaled deeply. Closing her eyes, she transformed into Ladybug, kicking her bag into the corner where it was hidden from sight. She opened her eyes, staring at the closed door opposite her, and waited…

And waited…

And waited.

With every passing minute she grew both more anxious and more deflated. Ladybug didn't need to check her phone to know he was late. Or maybe he wasn't coming at all.

Idiot! She cursed herself, furiously wiping at the tears she refused to let fall. The closed door mocked her, and she turned away from it, unable to stand looking at it for a second longer. She wilted, arms wrapping around herself. Oh how she'd tried not to hope, tried not to believe it, but against her better judgement she'd done it. She'd hoped his deductions were correct, she hoped that they went to the same school.

Looks like we were both wro-

"Ladybug!"

The door burst open and, at first, Ladybug panicked. Wheeling around in a fighting stance, Ladybug threw her arms up, ready to fight whatever crazy fan or Akuma had managed to hunt her down.

Instead she found herself face to face with a very haggard, wild eyed-

"Chat Noir?!"

Chat Noir closed the door behind him much more gently than the way he'd opened it. He leaned against it with a sigh of relief. She was here, she was here! She was looking at him like he was insane, but she was here. Beautiful and real, and right in front of him. He'd been right!

"I'm so sorry," He rushed out an explanation, suddenly aware that he'd apologised more in one day than he had in all the previous years at school combined, "But I've only ever been here once and I got lost, I thought it would be too suspicious to be wonder around in costume. So I had to find this room again, and then go find a place to transform, and Plagg was being a nightmare, and oh I'm just so sorry I kept you waiting here, were you worri-"

His rant was cut off as Ladybug launched herself at his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle. For a moment he froze, before completely caving into her embrace. The sigh that escaped his lips melted away the madness of the day and he relaxed into her. It felt like an eternity since he'd last held her, and he couldn't believe his luck that he'd been able to do so again so soon.

I was right! I was right! I was RIGHT!

Ladybug leaned back, beaming up at him, and Chat was entirely certain that her expression of complete and utter joy matched his own.

"Hi," She said, with a giggle that went straight to his heart.

"Hi," He replied, leaning down to kiss her nose, "So…about that clue?"

Smoulder

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

Part 9 of 35

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