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Adrien had found that over the years he had grown used to a ‘normal’ life. The biggest assistance to this change was his friends, but the person that had the biggest impact was Marinette. After getting over her nerves, he found that he could easily bond with her. Her interest in fashion made photo shoots easier and more enjoyable. Her knowledge had proven useful many times and Adrien had even been asked to bring her with him multiple times.
But as always, he got stopped on his way to a shoot to be interviewed. That was something he was never really used to, either as Chat or Adrien. As Adrien prepared for the normal questions, he looked over to see that Marinette had already moved off. He called out to her with an apology but she simply waved him off as she continued her path to a park bench.
After a few awkward minutes of questions he couldn’t properly answer, Adrien was released and could return to Marinette’s side. Though as he neared her, he registered the resigned and withdrawn expression on her face. He had noticed it recently, had even tried talking to Alya about it. But whatever was bothering the girl, she refused to talk about it. The expression on her face deeply worried Adrien, she was the happiest person he had ever met. She was so important to him, and he had no idea how to help her.
‘Sorry for making you wait.’ Adrien didn’t really know what else to say.
Adrien noticed her slight jump but noticed she smothered it with a wave of her hand, signalling to take a seat.
‘It’s fine, I’m kinda used to it by now.’ Marinette explained refusing to look at him.
He wished he knew what was bothering her. She was always so withdrawn if left by herself. He had tried to work it out of her, but he always hit a wall. Whether she changed the subject, diverted his attention, or like right now. Just straight up ignoring his questioning looks.
‘Did you still want to tag along for the photoshoot?’ He couldn’t tell how long her current demeanour would stay. He most certainly didn’t want to force her to do something she simply didn’t want to do.
Marinette finally turned to him with her usual smile on her face and gave him a slight nod. He couldn’t tell if it was a true smile or not. And that honestly bothered him more than normal. He just couldn’t bear the thought of his closest friend feeling like she was alone.
Recently Adrien had been making a habit of visiting Marinette as Chat. He did so in the hopes that she might open up to the hero in a way that she simply wasn’t doing with her friends. Though, over the course of those months, she had started leaving food out for him. As much as he felt bad for always taking what was offered, he would never decline it. He was all too aware that he was underweight, so the extra food was always a god send in his eyes.
Though he was not expecting to hear her singing when he visited this time.
I love you, I hate you, I hate that I want you, but you want her, you need her, and I’ll never be her.
He paused, he had heard this song recently on the radio and thought it was a really sad - granted catchy - song. Though he would never have connected it to the cheerful Marinette. He waited until the song finished, trying to not cry at the anguish that resonated in her voice.
Was this part of the reason she had that expression on her face?
When he finally rounded the corner he was faced with Marinette looking directly at him, a sad smile on her face. After a short pause she shook her head and simply walked over to the chair she normally sat in.
‘Princess, someone clearly has hurt you if you sing so passionately to the song.’ Chat moved to sit beside her. The concern in his voice paramount as he looked at his friend. He refused to even look at the food that had been graciously laid out before him. He ignored his growling stomach as he waited for his friend to reply.
At first she refused to say anything, simply shrugging and wrapping herself tighter within her blanket. He knew she wasn’t cold; it was purely a defensive action.
After a short silence, she finally spoke, ‘The song pretty much explains it. I love someone but he is in love with someone else. And there is nothing I can do about it.’
Chat couldn’t control his reaction. His cat ears drop and he could even feel his tail sag behind him. He had no idea that something like this could be playing on her mind. He had had no idea that Marinette had a crush on someone. He knew it made perfect sense, as he couldn’t talk. He had a crush on Ladybug after all! But it was news to him, and the idea of this person hurting her just angered him. How dare someone hurt his Marinette!
Wait… His?
In his mental rant he did not realise that he had absent minded-ly picked up a cookie and was nibbling on it. He only noticed his actions when a giggle interrupted his muddled thoughts. His trade mark smirk slid into place and he threw the rest of his cookie into his mouth. The previous conversation forgotten.
For now.
After the most awkward encounter Adrien had ever had with Ladybug, he had spent the rest of his evening banging his head on a table. He couldn’t help but berate himself. Way to make himself look like a weirdo.
‘Why did I say those things Plagg?’ Adrien turned his head to look at his Kwamii, the little god had been floating in the air eating cheese for the last 20 minutes.
‘How am I meant to know that?’ Plagg retorted.
Adrien would have continued his one sided conversation, but Plagg’s reaction of spinning to look out the window before shooting off into the bathroom put him on alert. It was only once Adrien had calmed down that he could hear a voice outside his room.
At first Adrien was really confused, how could someone be close enough to the house for him to hear them singing? As he got closer though, the words became clearer and he started to recognise the song that was being sung.
Yeah all alone, I watch you watch her, she’s the only thing you’ve ever seen
Before he can stop himself, ‘are you alright Ladybug?’ slipped from between his lips.
He can see the panic in her eyes and her lips slam together as she spins around to face him. He can honestly say he has never seen His Lady panicked like he is now, and he doesn’t understand why. Before he can try and make the situation better, she actually calms down enough to reply.
‘I’ve been better.’
‘Did you want to talk about it?’ He asked nervously, he wanted to ask more, but knew he couldn’t pry. After all, she didn’t know he was Chat, and just earlier in the day he said he wouldn’t try to figure out her identity.
Something did niggle at him though, he had herd that voice before. He just wasn’t sure where. The anguish in the words sung made him feel like he had heard it before.
It all fell into place though with her next sentence.
‘The song pretty much explains it. I love someone but he is in love with someone else. And there is nothing I can do about it.’
Marinette
Oh God.
He reacted quick enough that he could change his expression before it stayed in place. But as Ladybug cocked her head to the side, he knew she had seen it. He had to try and play it cool. He could play it cool. He was Chat, he was could easily do cool.
But as Ladybug raised an eyebrow at him, he started to doubt his ability to play it cool.
‘I’m sorry if I woke you, I will leave you to the rest of your evening.’ Ladybug finally got up to leave. She turned her back to him, a blank expression on her face as she swung away from his house, and he now realised, towards a particular bakery.
‘I look forward to seeing you again.’ Adrien whispered as she quickly flew out of sight.
Adrien really did try to act as natural as possible. But apparently he just couldn’t keep his crush contained. At every possible moment Adrien found himself staring at the bluenette, seeing the similarities in the girl who he once thought were two different people. He realised now that he had truly always loved everything about His Lady.
Her Strength.
Her Witt.
Her Nerves
Just,
Her.
Adrien knew he was doing a REALLY bad job of playing cool when Nino off-handed-ly asked if Adrien had developed a crush on the girl. Adrien was pretty sure he gave Nino the wrong – not really – idea about the whole situation. But thankfully Nino had promised that Bro-code meant that he wouldn't reveal his secret. Mainly that he wouldn’t tell Alya.
It had been an incredibly hard day at the photoshoot. Marinette had said she couldn’t come, so the Photographer was angry. He had explained once Adrien arrived alone, that he had wanted Marinette to actually participate in the shoot. So because she had not come with Adrien, his plans were ruined. Finding another model wasn’t hard, but the whole atmosphere had been thrown off.
As soon as Adrien knew he was free for the night he transformed. It was Ladybug’s turn to patrol, but he was sure she wouldn’t mind the company. Marinette had been looking down again recently as well. So he hoped his company might cheer her up.
I hate you, I love you. Don’t want to, but I can’t put nobody else above you.
Adrien paused, his neck snapping up as he landed on a lower level of the Eiffel Tower. He instantly found the red and black legs of Ladybug dangling above him. He frowned as he moved around the tower to come up behind her.
She was still singing that sad song.
It only solidified his belief that Ladybug was indeed Marinette. The anguish matched, the posture matched, the single-mindedness on singing the song from her very soul a mirror image.
‘My Lady, you really need to start singing a different song.’ Adrien couldn’t take it anymore.
He couldn’t bear to see and hear His Lady so upset.
He wasn’t surprised when she jumped, but it did scare the daylights out of him when she almost fell off the side of the tower. Thank goodness for the reflexes he had gained from the suit. Adrien noticed Ladybug hadn’t yet reacted to his statement, not that he could blame her. He could feel her pulse pounding through the suit.
Eventually she turned her head up to look at him. Panic in her eyes but a frown across her features. She had finally registered what he had said. Adrien made no point in trying to conceal his expression. He knew, there was no longer any point in denying it, he wanted to make sure she was alright.
Or at least try and improve the situation.
When Ladybug hadn’t moved, he figured it was safe to talk and finally asked the question that had been burning on the tip of his tongue.
‘Marinette, who is the song relating to?’
Her reaction was instantaneous. She started to struggle but Chat refused to let go. Both out of fear of her actually falling off of the tower, but also to stop her from running away. He knew that if she got away she would probably never come back. She would suspect everyone near her. They needed to work through this now. Not later. To help keep her safe, he repositioned the two of them so he was hugging her. He made it clear that his intention was to protect her. That he would never mean her harm. Eventually she stopped and slumped against him. It broke his heart how deflated she looked.
‘Wouldn’t it be cruel to tell you?’ Her voice so light that if he wasn’t waiting for her to speak he would have missed it.
‘Ladybug.’ Adrien began, ‘This had been bothering you for a long time. That song isn’t even in the charts anymore and you singing it as if your life is that song.’
Adrien saw in her expression alone that she agreed with him. Though it was apparent she didn’t really want to.
‘It’s because so many people love Ladybug, yet that’s not me!’ Ladybug suddenly cried.
Chat watched in horror as the mask of the confident Ladybug vanish and the incredibly vulnerable mask of Marinette take place. True emotions that had been suppressed flooding to the surface. Adrien watched in dismay as the girl of his dreams crumbled in front of him.
‘He loves a ‘me’ that isn’t even all of me! You clearly know who I am outside of Ladybug.’ Marinette made a point of looking up into Chat’s eyes. His expression unchanging as hers flittered through so many. He didn’t know what to do as her eyes filled with repressed tears.
‘Marinette is not Ladybug, how am I meant to compete with a version of myself that only exists because of the mask! I can’t live up to Ladybug. It’s a lie and…’
Adrien couldn’t bear to watch the tears now streaming down her face. He released her slightly to wipe away the tears cascading down the front of her mask. The liquid not being absorbed. Adrien noticed the shocked expression on her face, she hadn’t realised she was crying until he distracted her.
‘Have you even talked to this person outside of the mask? Given him a chance?’ Chat asked gently, his hold on her had loosened and he gently pulled the two of them down to sit on a beam.
A curt laugh was her first response, but she continued none-the-less, ‘Talk to him? Chat, I’ve been around him since he started going to school.’
Wait.
Began School?
Adrien wish he knew what expression was on his face. Because Ladybug was giving him a funny look. As he watched, he saw slithers of recognition cross her face.
‘So.’ Adrien began, he didn’t know what expression was there, but he did know he didn’t want Ladybug thinking weird things. But, as he looked out over the city, he started to make his own connections. ‘You know this person, but haven’t made progress with them?’
Ladybug shook her head, ‘They admitted that they loved Ladybug, I can’t compete with that. I told you.’
Oh God. The sudden realistion as clear as day. The last few years finally falling into place. Everything that had happened, everything that had happened. The fateful day that Marinette had finally been able to talk to Adrien.
Marinette loves Adrien.
HAS HE BEEN RELATIONSHIP BLOCKING HIMSELF THIS WHOLE TIME?
Adrien swore he could hear Plagg’s cackle in the back of his mind.
‘What if he loved both sides of the mask?’ Adrien refused to fully turn to look at Ladybug, but he still trained his eyes on her when her face snapped up to meet his own. Adrien couldn’t help but sigh and shift to place his head on her shoulder. He didn’t really know how much more of this he could take.
‘You don’t make this easy you know.’ He turned his head to look up at her bewildered expression. ‘Come on Marinette, you have sung the same song in front of my three times now. Once on your roof top, once on my roof top, and now here. Unless you often go around singing on rooftops.’
Finally, he started to get the reaction he was after. Realisation flooded her features. Adrien wanted to cry out in success, but when she pulled away from him, he didn’t know if he should be rejoicing just yet.
‘Adrien?’ a mere whisper of sound.
Finally! Adrien didn’t stop the grin that broke free. Finally, his Lady had found him.
‘About time you figured it out.’ Chat sang as he moved off of Ladybug to rock back and forth, absolute joy bursting from within him.
The bubble was burst though was a thread of sound again broke through his thoughts.
‘You’re not disappointed?’
It took all of Adrien’s will power to not produce a sound of disbelief. How could he possibly be disappointed in His Lady? She was incredible in whatever suit she was wearing. Marinette was easily the nicest person he knew, his closest friend. But as he looked down at his partner, he realised that she simply did not see that.
She truly believed that no one would like the girl behind that mask.
That Ladybug defined who she was.
‘Disappointed? My Lady, I would never be disappointed in you.’ Chat began with an absolute truth. He needed His Lady to gain the confidence that the mask always gave her. ‘Since the first Akuma I knew I loved whoever was under the mask! You might have forgotten, but when we first started you weren’t confident. You didn’t want to be a hero; it was that girl who I fell in love with.’ Adrien smiled fondly at the memory. The beginning of an amazing journey. ‘She did what was right even though she was terrified she couldn’t do it.’ Chat turned to grin at her and gently slipped an arm back around her shoulders, bringing her to his side with a gentle squeeze.
‘So,’ Marinette tentatively began, ‘we have had crushes on each other since day one?’ Ladybug questioned with a laugh.
‘Apparently’ was Chat’s simple response.