Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for choosing to read "When Words Succeed". This is the Marinette POV follow-up to "When Words Fail". It works as a stand-alone, but it makes more sense as a companion piece.

Enjoy!

Any comments are greatly appreciated. They fuel my need to keep writing about these wonderful, lovesick dorks.
-

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

The world felt like it was ending the day Marinette released her transformation in front of Chat Noir. She had been so careful...and it took only a moment for all of her diligence to be rendered meaningless. She had been ready to beg Chat to detransform somewhere else when his own transformation slipped away to reveal Adrien in his stead.

Over the years, Marinette had worked hard to build her confidence around Adrien. She'd even managed to control her embarrassing stammer when talking to him, but her ability to form coherent sentences went out the window when Chat turned into Adrien. Her legs gave out from underneath her, and she crumbled into a heap on the pavement. She vaguely remembered the feeling of two strong arms wrapping around her, picking her up, and carrying her home.

For the following week, she couldn't even look at him. Patrol became awkward and uncomfortable. In school, Adrien looked as miserable as she felt. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him. How could she? She'd turned down Chat Noir for two full years before he finally stopped trying to ask her out. Sure, the flirting continued, but it felt more like playful banter. Still, every time she rolled her eyes at his jokes and puns, she could see the hurt in Chat's eyes.

She'd inadvertently broken her crush's heart. Marinette didn't see how a romantic relationship with him was possible at the moment.

At the end of the first week of knowing each other's identities, Tikki had a heated conversation with Marinette.

"You can't keep ignoring Chat Noir!" the tiny being exclaimed, making her holder jump.

"I'm not ignoring Chat." Marinette crossed her arms.

"You haven't spoken to him all week. He looks miserable. Sooner or later you're going to have to come to terms with what happened. Okay, so you know he's Adrien. Big whoop! You can't change the past, but the future of your relationship as partners is in jeopardy."

"But I broke his heart, Tikki! I can't just talk to him."

"Yes, you can. You were able to talk to Chat all the time, and you were getting better at talking to Adrien. You have to try. If you don't, Hawkmoth will win, and, more importantly, you will break Adrien's heart even more."

Marinette sighed. "You're right, Tikki. I'm still hurting him, but what am I supposed to do?"

Tikki softened her expression. "I think you'll find that if you just talk to him, things will be okay."

"I'm still in love with him, but I can't tell him that. I rejected him for three years."

"Then don't tell him right away. Fix your partnership with him, and then confess your feelings. You were working on being friends with Adrien before the reveal. Go back to that. Friends is a great place to start."

"Okay...yeah...I can do this! Wait...when should I do this? Should I do it now?"

"If you want to, I'm okay with transforming you again. I'm not that tired."

Marinette fluffed up her hair in her mirror before running downstairs to grab a few pastries. Once the treats were safely packed inside a box from the bakery, she transformed and swung off into the night.

She did her best to calm her racing heart as she bounded across the Parisian rooftops towards the Agreste's mansion. Ladybug hooked her yoyo onto a beam above Adrien's window and lowered herself onto the ledge. When she tapped on the glass, Adrien jumped, rushed over to the window, and pushed open the glass pane.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a frenzied panic, "You said you were going home. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is there an Akuma?"

She hopped inside his room and held out the box of pastries for him to take. "Actually, I'm not here because I need Chat. I'm here because I wanted to see Adrien."

He slowly took the box from her hands and looked at it. "Why?"

She reached out and touched his arm. "Because I've been a bad partner and a bad friend this past week. We need to talk about what happened, and then I'd like to get to know you better. I met you three years ago, and I still don't really know you."

A smile stretched across Adrien's face, and his eyes twinkled. It was the same smile she'd seen Chat Noir use when he got excited; however, she'd never seen it on Adrien's face before. Marinette decided that she liked seeing Chat Noir's mannerisms being used by Adrien. It helped ease the insecurities that came with having a crush on him. His expression gave her the confidence to continue talking without her stammer making a comeback. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the couch, causing her to giggle.

"This is just your silly kitty," she thought to herself, "Why were you ever scared of him? You trust him with your life."

"Can I get you anything?" he was practically vibrating with exhilaration as he placed the pastry box onto the coffee table.

She shook her head. "No, but would you mind if I detransform? I think Tikki would like to hang out with Plagg."

Adrien took a seat next to her. "Go on ahead."

He shielded his eyes as the bright pink light washed over her body. Tikki zipped off without saying a word, leaving the two teens to talk.

She allowed her eyes to wander around the room. "You know, I always forget how big your bedroom is. I've been here before, but not enough to really appreciate it."

Adrien looked down at the ground. "Uhhh, yeah. It's nice, but it'd be even nicer if I could actually have friends over. That rarely happens though."

"I could come over if you'd like. Oh, and you could even come and visit me. I wouldn't mind if a certain black cat knocked on my window sometime."

"Really? Because...I kind of thought that I lost you as a friend when you found out I was Chat Noir. You stopped talking to me, and I thought you were mad that I saw who you were. I'm sorry for screwing up the whole secret identity thing. I know how important it was to you."

Marinette's heart melted upon hearing his words. She wanted to kick herself for not talking to him sooner. She knew he was hurting, but she didn't realize it was this bad. Adrien valued his relationships with others more than anything in the world, and she made him think that he'd lost her.

She had to fix this, so she swallowed her apprehension and spoke from the heart. "Oh, kitty, you will never lose me. Do you know how much I care about you? And I'm talking about both sides of you. You mean more to me than any old secret identity. I was just being weird for the past few days. I'm sorry that I made you think I was angry at you. It's no one's fault. You didn't do it on purpose. I think I just needed some time to adjust."

He nodded. "I understand. I think I also needed some time to get used to this new 'thing' between us. At first, I was worried that it ruined our partnership...mostly because of your reaction...but I think I'm starting to see things in a new light."

"Really? How so?"

"Ummm...well, I don't exactly know how to describe it, but I think that this reveal may have been one of the best things to ever happen for us."

"Purr-haps it was, minou. Only time will tell."

"Did you just make a cat pun?"

"Yup."

"I thought you hated my jokes!"

"No...I think you just need to work on your timing. It's not always appropriate to make puns when we're trying to concentrate on defeating an Akuma."

He scootched closer to her, making her heart thump loudly in her chest. "So, Bugaboo, does that mean I have your purr-mission to make as many cat-tastic puns when we're not in the middle of a battle?"

She giggled. "Oh, no! I've created a monster!"

The duo laughed and talked for the rest of the night. Marinette felt a fluttering in her stomach every time he looked at her, but she did her best to suppress the urge to freak out.

Thoughts raced through her mind like wild stallions attempting to run in the Kentucky Derby. "It's Chat. He's your friend. One day you can tell him that you love him, but he needs your friendship right now. Calm down...you can do this."

By the end of the night, Marinette felt more at ease around Adrien than ever before. She even had the confidence to pull him into a tight hug before heading home.

"Tikki! I did it!" she celebrated, "I didn't stutter once! My words work again! I had the best time, and I think he did, too!"

"Oh, Marinette!" Tikki chirped, "You did an amazing job! I'm so proud of you!"

Her smile faded. "I still love him though."

"I know you do." Tikki hovered in front of her face and cast her a sympathetic look.

"Maybe one day I'll be able to talk to him about it. I hope that by then he'll be able to forgive me for turning him down so many times. Maybe we'll even be able to laugh about the ridiculousness of the situation."

"You're doing the right thing by being his friend, and you never know what may happen in the future. Keep doing what you're doing, and I know that things will turn out great!"

"Thank you, Tikki!"

The next day, Marinette got to school early and found Adrien sitting in the classroom by himself. She slid into the seat next to him and nudged him with her elbow.

"Good morning, kitty!" she greeted cheerfully.

Marinette swore she could see a blush creep across his face, but then again...it may have just been the lighting.

"Good morning, Marinette," he said with a sheepish grin.

She rolled her eyes. "That's all I get? Just...good morning, Marinette? Where are the puns? You missed the purr-fect opportunity to say good meow-ning."

His laugh rang through the empty room. "You're right! My apologies. Allow me to correct this egregious error, my lady. Good meow-ning, Marinette!"

She placed her hand on his arm. "I hope us talking didn't keep you up too late last night."

"Not at all. Actually, it's the best I've slept in a week."

"That's good to hear. You look happier today."

"I...uhhh...yeah."

"What's wrong...cat got your tongue?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Ummm...no. I actually wanted to ask you a question."

Her mind began screaming. "Oh, no...he's so cute when he does that! Don't freak out. He needs you to be his friend."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. What's up?"

"I...ummm...you see...I was wondering," his eyes wandered over to the door, "if you wanted to grab lunch with Alya and Nino today. It's been a while since the four of us have done anything."

"Sure, kitty! That sounds like fun." She reached over and playfully ruffled his hair and tapped him on the nose.

Someone gasped loudly behind her.

Marinette turned around to see Alya standing next to Nino with her mouth agape. "Girl, I...what? How? When? EXPLAIN!"

Marinette left Adrien's side and moved to her own seat in the row behind him. "Adrien wanted the four of us to go grab lunch together. Are you two going to be busy, or can you come with us?"

"We're free, and lunch sounds good to me, my dudes," Nino replied, giving Adrien a fist bump.

The two boys entered their own hushed conversation as Alya sat down next to Marinette.

"Alright, spill," her best friend whispered.

"Spill what?" Marinette asked with an innocent expression.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know you've become more comfortable around Adrien over the past few years, but never like that. You touched his hair."

"He doesn't mind."

"Yeah, but you used to. What happened between you two? Are you and Adrien an item now?"

Her heart sank, but she maintained her smile. "Right now I'm just focusing on being a better friend to Adrien."

Alya narrowed her eyes. "Okay...if you say so, girl. But I know something is going on. This conversation is not finished."

Over the next two weeks, Alya did not stop pestering Marinette about her newfound super-confidence around Adrien. She asked questions at every conceivable opportunity. Marinette's heart broke every time she told Alya that she was just friends with him.

Everything inside of Marinette was screaming to tell Adrien how she felt, but she still hadn't found the right moment. Nonetheless, they continued to spend time with each other, and every day she fell more in love with him.

One day, she even managed to work up the courage to rest her head on his shoulder while they watched a movie together on her chaise. Marinette nearly fainted when Adrien responded by putting his arm around her shoulders. As she melted into his embrace, she could feel the steady thumping of his heart and smell the subtle, earthy aroma of what she assumed was expensive cologne. From that moment on, she took advantage of every opportunity to cuddle with Adrien; however, it wasn't helping her stick to "friendship only" plan.

The night before the class trip to Normandy, Marinette looked at her Kwami and sighed. "I can't do this anymore, Tikki. I have to tell him how I feel, but I'm still worried that he'll get upset."

Tikki nuzzled Marinette's cheek comfortingly. "It's only been a few weeks, but you two have come a long way. I've been talking to Plagg, and I don't think Adrien is heartbroken about your past rejections anymore. You've made a big effort to show him that you care, and that means the world to him."

"I think I want to tell him while we're on the trip. Maybe I can convince Alya to sit with Nino on the bus so Adrien and I can talk."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!"

Marinette smiled. She felt confident that her plan would work...until she went to bed that night.

Her nightmare felt like more than a dream. Marinette could feel the heat of Hawkmoth's breath as he leaned in and ripped off her earrings. She could hear the anguish in Chat Noir's scream as he lunged towards her and was captured by Mayura's sentimonster. Hope drained from her soul when her partner fell into an unconscious heap on the ground. Just as she watched Hawkmoth don the two Miraculouses and shout his wish into the heavens, her eyes opened.

She woke up in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face. Marinette cried for an hour before falling back into a restless sleep. Even the soft humming coming from her Kwami could not soothe her anguished heart. The notion of being defeated by Hawkmoth and losing Chat Noir was something that haunted her. Every so often, these thoughts seeped into her dreams, but this was the worst one yet.

Marinette found herself running late the following morning as she scrambled to throw a few last-minute additions into her duffel bag. She put on a t-shirt and jeans while attempting to do something with her hair. She hastily made coffee that she poured into a travel mug before bounding out the door.

She got to school with five minutes to spare. Unfortunately, she crashed into the teacher's desk on her way into the classroom. After collapsing into her seat, Alya told her that she was going to sit with Nino on the bus, leaving Adrien free to sit with Marinette. At least one good thing came from her morning rush.

Once they were seated on the bus, Marinette turned to Adrien and tried to tell him about her dream. He seemed confident in their partnership, but his demeanor withered when he attempted to ask her a question. Her heart felt heavy when he changed the subject. All she could do was stare out the window and hope that he didn't see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Maybe today isn't the day to tell him how I feel. He's obviously not completely comfortable around me. Maybe our relationship isn't strong enough yet," she thought dejectedly.

A shiver ran through her body as she rested her head against the cold glass. She mentally chastised herself for wearing only a t-shirt. Today was not her day.

She then felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Are you feeling cold? If you are, you're welcome to use my hoodie." He held out his sweatshirt for her to take.

Her heart fluttered at the selflessness of his gesture. It was like getting that umbrella all over again. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yup!"

"Thank you, kitty! I forgot to take my jacket out of my duffel bag before it got stowed under the bus. You're a lifesaver!" She pulled the sweatshirt on and put up the hood. "How do I look?"

He leaned in. "Wonderful as always, Bugaboo."

Marinette's face was on fire. In an attempt to hide her blush, she flipped up the armrest between them, pulled his arm around her, and snuggled into his side.

"Comfy?" he asked.

She scootched even closer. "I am now."

Marinette felt the exhaustion of her restless night wash over her body. Unlike the boy in her dream last night, the Adrien next to her was unscathed. She placed a hand on his chest so she could feel the steady rise and fall of each breath. Feeling safe and warm in his arms, she fell fast asleep.

She awoke to Adrien gently shaking her arm. When she looked up, her heart leaped at the softness of his gaze.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said with a smile, "It's time to get off the bus."

"Ugh, no!" she protested, "I don't want to move. You're warm and you smell good."

He laughed and gave her a gentle squeeze. "As much as I would love to stay here all day, we will get in trouble if we don't follow the class. I'll let you keep wearing my hoodie if you let go."

Even though her body was begging her to go back to sleep, she decided that Adrien's offer wasn't the worst trade-off. "Fine!"

Missing his warmth, Marinette latched onto his arm as they exited the bus. He grabbed their duffel bags, and they walked into the hotel together.

"What a gentleman." Her brain was still feeling hazy from her nap.

"You two look cozy," Alya noted, snapping Marinette's brain into the world of the waking, "Did something happen on the bus that I should know about?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Come on, Alya. Let's go put our stuff in the room. We only have a few minutes before we're expected to meet back here in the lobby."

She let go of Adrien, took her bag, and dragged Alya to their room.

"Okay, you can't tell me that something isn't going on between you two." Alya put her hands on her hips. "You fell asleep on him, and he held you for almost three hours. Girl, you should have seen the way he was looking at you. Look! I even got pictures! Here...let me pull out my phone."

As she looked at the image on the tiny screen, Marinette sighed. "Right now I'm…"

"...just trying to be a better friend...blah blah blah. Is that all you can say? You've repeated the same canned response to me like a hundred times. Admit it...you still like him."

"I never said that I stopped."

Alya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wait...what?"

Marinette scrunched her lips and huffed. "You heard me. I never said that my crush went away. I realized that he needed a friend right now, so that's what I've tried to be for him. I was planning on admitting my feelings one day, but it never seems to be the right moment."

"Let me get this straight...you still love him, and it's obvious that Sunshine Boy has feelings for you...but you're not going to do anything until the right moment."

"That's the plan."

"Oh, girl...no. Just tell him."

"I can't."

Alya put her hands on her hips. "And why not?"

Marinette grabbed Alya's arm and led her out of the room. "Because it's time to go, and we have a full tour schedule with our class. There's not going to be any time to talk to him today."

"What about tonight?"

"I barely slept last night. I'm going straight to bed when we get back."

"Mmmmhmmm. Yeah. We'll see about that."

"Alya!"

Marinette's body dragged as the class was taken to each destination on the itinerary. By the time they returned to the hotel, she could barely keep her eyes open. Staying true to her word, she turned down the offer of going to the lounge with Alya and opted to sleep.

Marinette crashed face-first onto the bed upon entering the room. After a few minutes, she felt a tiny paw poke her on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Tikki asked with concern in her eyes.

Marinette sat up and slumped. "Yeah...I'm fine. I just don't know what to do, Tikki. Adrien seemed so weird and dismissive on the bus, but at the same time, he was sweet and cuddly. Then Alya said that he was looking at me with his signature soft eyes while I was sleeping. I want to tell him how I feel, but I don't know if we're there yet. I need a sign to point me in the right direction."

"Maybe you should sleep on it. I know I slept on something very interesting today."

"What does that mean?"

"Let's just say that Adrien's sweatshirt pocket was rather cozy."

"I don't understand."

The tiny red being shook her head. "Just look in the pocket."

Marinette shoved her hands into the front pocket. (Because she did not want to wake-up her sleeping Kwmai, this was something that she avoided doing for most of the day.) Her hand brushed against what felt like an index card. She pinched it between her fingers and pulled it out.

She gasped upon seeing the words written on the card.

"My dearest, Marinette...I fell in love with you the day I met you. I truly believed that my heart only had room for Ladybug. Then, I became friends with my sweet, caring classmate who sat behind me, and slowly I found myself loving her, as well. Falling for Ladybug was like being swept away by a crashing wave. However, falling for Marinette was like following a stream in the woods, only to find out that it leads to a mighty river. Both sensations are different, but they are equally as powerful. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the two girls who took up all the space in my heart turned out to be the same person. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this sooner, but my words have failed me over the past few weeks. I love every part of you, Marinette. You have my whole heart, and you always will."

Her hands trembled, and she felt tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. She felt like she was going to laugh, cry, and pass out all at the same time. The confusing swirl of emotions inside her brain were overwhelming.

"Tikki!" she said breathlessly, "what should I...he love...I can't…what...I need...do...help?"

The Kwami flew up to her face and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I know it's a lot to take in, Marinette, but you should go talk to him. Adrien will help everything make sense again. This is your moment. You wanted a sign...here it is."

"I...yes…okay."

Marinette pulled out her phone and frantically texted Adrien. She did her best to keep her messages sounding vague. All she did was ask him if she could come to his room to talk, but when he texted back, her mouth went dry.

"Now is not the time for your speech to stop functioning. You've been doing so well. Don't regress...it's just Chat...it's your kitty...you can win this battle. It's all in your head. Let your words succeed...don't let fear win. He loves you just as much as you love him."

She took a deep breath, shoved the index card back into the pocket, marched to Adrien's room, and knocked on the door. Marinette could feel the tears returning to her eyes as he opened the door. She did her best to blink them away, but the nervous energy in her gut rendered her efforts useless.

She toyed with the edge of the sweatshirt's front pocket as she spoke. "I...I...there...I...can I some din? I MEAN...can I come in and sit down?"

Adrien's brows knitted together. He placed a gentle hand on her back and guided her towards his bed.

Concern flooded his features. "Bug, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

She tried to speak, but the words got caught. Instead of trying again, she pulled out the notecard.

Adrien's eyes grew wide. "I can explain."

She didn't let him. Marinette proceeded to read his declaration aloud. When she was finished, she looked at him with an earnest expression. However, he didn't respond. The room became shrouded with a tense silence.

"Now's your moment. Tell him...use your words!"

She gathered all of her courage and asked, "D-did you mean it?"

He nodded. "Every word."

"Is this what you were trying to tell me on the bus?"

"Yes."

Relief washed over her as Marinette pulled Adrien into a tight embrace. He hugged her back, and she melted into him.

Marinette finally found the right words to say. "I love you, too, kitty. I've loved you since the day you gave me your umbrella," she whispered into his chest.

He pulled away from the embrace. "But...that's the same day I fell in love with you."

"I could barely function around you for years. Didn't you ever wonder why?"

"You always denied liking me. I thought you just wanted to be my friend."

"No. I'm just a spaz who couldn't tell the boy she liked how she felt."

"Well, I can't really judge. Over the past few weeks, I've barely been able to talk to you. Every time I try to ask you out, my brain stops working."

Everything inside her came to a screeching halt. "He never stopped loving me...he's loved me all along. Why did I ever think that he wouldn't be receptive to my feelings?"

"You want to ask me out?" she whispered.

He blushed (and it was adorable). "Umm...yes?"

"Oh, kitty…"

"Well, I guess there's no going back now...Marinette, would you go on a date with me?"

"Only if you'll kiss me."

"That can definitely be arranged, my lady."

He initiated the kiss, but the second his lips were on hers, she was lost in a sea of bliss. Marinette snaked her hands around his neck and toyed with the hair on the back of his head. When they pulled apart, she immediately found herself wanting more.

She grinned. "Do you think we could do that again?"

Adrien rested his forehead on hers. "Will you go out with me?"

"Yes, Chaton."

"Then yes, we can do it again. It's nice to know that I'll actually remember the kiss this time."

"Shut up and kiss me."

And to her satisfaction, he obliged.

BONUS SCENE:

"WELL! WELL! WELL!" Alya's voice boomed, causing Marinette's eyes to flick open, "What do we have here?"

Marinette attempted to sit up, but something was snaked around her waist. She looked down to see an arm draped over her body.

The events of the past few hours came rushing back to her sleep-addled brain. "We must have fallen asleep."

"Oh, hey, Alya," she croaked, noticing the phone in her best friend's hand.

"That's it? That's all I get?"

"Ummm...no?"

"Hey," Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes, "what's going on?"

Marinette turned around and touched his cheek. "We fell asleep, and now our best friends are here to interrogate us. I'm pretty sure we're being filmed, too."

"Oh, is that so? How about we give them a show then?" He pulled Marinette close and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

She giggled. "Stop...they're going to use this footage against us one day!"

He looked up at Alya. "Can I at least get a copy?"

"No can do, Mr. Model. I'm saving this for your wedding." She flashed him a toothy grin.

Adrien turned to his best friend. "Et tu, Nino?"

The Dj held up his hands in surrender. "I'm on her side, bro."

Marinette removed Adrien's hands from her waist and got up from the bed. "Alright, everyone. I think it's time for bed now."

Adrien pouted and stood up. "But we still have an hour before curfew."

She pulled him into a hug. "I'm very tired, and Alya needs time to grill me before I pass out. We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow on the bus and on our date."

"Date?"

"You asked me out, right? Or did you want to take that back?"

"Nope! Not at all."

She leaned in so their noses were touching. "Goodnight, Adrien."

He gave her another peck on the lips. "Goodnight, Marinette."

She gave Adrien a little wave as she left the room with Alya.

Once they were back in their room Alya turned to her and put her hands on her hips. "Will you finally tell me what's going on between the two of you? And don't tell me that was you being his 'friend'. Friendship does not look like that."

Marinette paused to think of a way to tell Alya her story without giving away her secret identity. She then smiled and sat down on the bed. "Yes, but let me start at the beginning. Sit down because this might take a while."