She brushed her long, midnight blue hair feeling the soft bristles of the brush against the curve of her back as she got the last of the knots out. It was early morning on a cold day that Marinette was getting ready for school and she couldn't help but shiver, missing the warmth of her bed. She stared at her reflection to see if anything was different about her today, as if she had changed overnight for some strange reason. The first thing she noticed was the splash of freckles across her pale skin and azure eyes that she felt were her best features. Her waist-length hair was in loose curls and she quickly tied them into her signature pigtails with red ribbons. She did a quick twirl from the mirror to go change her clothes, thinking to herself how silly if I were to change overnight? I've been the same for the past 16 years of my life. Smiling to herself, she rolled her eyes at the thought of her own imagination sometimes. It was only mid eye roll did she notice the creature sitting on her balcony.

A stark contrast to the pure white snow, there was a cat sitting on her balcony, a black cat. "Oh my gosh! There's a cat on my balcony and it's freezing outside!" The weather forecast today reported almost below freezing. The cat was sitting a few feet in front of her balcony doors absentmindedly licking its paw and cleaning itself. What should she do? As if the cat could sense her staring they locked eyes and she couldn't help but feel there was sadness in them. Was it from the cold? There was no question about it, she would save him from the freezing weather!

She opened the glass doors carefully as to not scare the cat away and he looked at her with curiosity in its eyes. Her breath could easily be seen in the frigid air and her rosy cheeks was starting to turn a darker shade of red. Despite the doors being opened, the cat didn't immediately walk in. A small voice in the back of head told her to keep trying to lure the cat in though.

"Umm… Here kitty-cat," she coaxed the cat with open arms while sitting on her knees. "It's really cold outside, what if you caught a cold? Do cats even get colds?" She asked herself before a gust of cold wind swept through her and she shivered violently. Another wind blew in their direction which finally beckoned the cat to run into her arms. "Gotcha!" She quickly closed the balcony doors and shuffled to her chair at her desk, curling up in a ball with the cat caged in between her arms. Marinette did her best to use her body heat to warm up the cold cat. The cat was about medium sized and looked to be a young male. His fur was slightly damp from the snow and she wondered just how he ended up on her balcony. The snuggling feline in her arms felt very familiar to her and even though this was the first time they met she couldn't shake the feelings of déjà vu going on.

As she stared into the cats eyes, the artist inside her really wanted to capture the emerald shade it held and the more she looked there was also something different about the gaze he had. An intelligent gaze she was sure of. The cat meowed all of a sudden and she couldn't help herself, "Aww, you're so cute!"

Stroking his ears she couldn't help but grin at him, she loved pets after all. A side glance at the clock on her desk sent her quickly on her feet with the cat landing perfectly on the ground. "I'm going to be late for class!" She quickly ran to her closet and tossed on her clothes for today as fast as she could. The black cat watched her with amused eyes as she scrambled to get her stuff together and out of the door. Before leaving she picked up the cat and nuzzled her forehead against his, "Sorry kitty-cat, but I have to go to school! I promise I'll be back during lunch break so please behave until then."

"Alya! Alya! Guess what happened to me this morning," She said excitedly to her best friend. The best friend in speaking could only think of one answer that might get her excited, "Did Nathanael confess his feelings?"

Marinette turned a pretty pink at the thought of being confessed to. "What?! No, no. There's no way he would like me. We're just friends," she denied furiously and didn't even think he would pine for her. The feeling of being crushed on was unaccustomed to Marinette and like every girl she wondered what they had seen in her. She was always daydreaming, tripping on nonexistent things, and had a tardy record that would make any lawyer cry. Her best friend could only raise an eyebrow at her, "My sweet, shy, dense best friend I am 100% he has a crush on you. You're just too nice to notice his feelings just like with any other guy. In fact, is there anyone you like you're hiding from me?" Alya inquired with an almost scrutinized look on her. She started to squirm under the stare still red from the previous statement while covering her face with her hands.

"I really don't see him as anything more than as a friend and there's no one I like. And if there was you'd be the first to know, honestly!" She plead with a smile on her lips, moving her fingers enough so that her eyes were peeking through. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you about a cat I found this morning," she changed the topic with excitement back in her tone as she told her encounter to Alya.

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All too soon enough lunch break was nearing and she could only hope that the cat was still in her room. She wondered when the last time he ate and if she should buy a litter box as well.

"Hey Marinette, what are you going to do about the cat? What if he has an owner looking for him?" Alya asked the bluenette as they were both packing up to go home for lunch.

"Hmmm… well I didn't see a collar on him so it must mean he's a stray, right?" It was a law after all that required each pet to be identified with a collar. "Maybe I can secretly take care of him away from my parents." she joked.

"Speaking of black cats, Marinette can you believe no one has ever taken a picture of what Chat Noir looks like? It bugs me to pieces! Such a superhero deserves to be known." Her best friend complained and fangirled at the same time. She ran a popular blog in the school about the nightly superhero and all his escapades of keeping Paris safe against akumas. "They say he has blonde hair, a lean body clad in black leather with cat eats and a tail!" Her friend gushed.

"I'm sure if it's anyone who'll get a picture of him, it'll definitely be you," she teased as they both giggled. They were chatting animatedly as they walked home from school when Nino joined them.

"Hey guys! Super cold weather we're having today aren't we? I bet it's going to snow again soon." He claimed while walking in stride with the girls.

"I love the snow," Marinette exclaimed at the image of a white winter wonderland. Her best friend on the other hand did not feel the same, "I hate it. It'll turn to slush later on and shoveling it is just backbreaking." She complained.

"I don't care as long as we get snow days!" Nino cheered while punching his fist in the air. "By the way Alya, I can't hang out with you today, sorry! I already made plans to go visit a friend today after school. It's my job to make sure he doesn't get lonely and stuff." He added on a second thought.

"You can make it up to me later then." She winked at him and said "next date is on you!"

"Fair enough." He flashed a grin back at her.

"You two lovebirds are so cute." Marinette cooed with clasped hands brought to her face. She gets joy from seeing people around her happy, especially her friends and family, she loves it when other people are happy. Just a small part of her longed to be the world of someone else though, a love so passionate that even the city of love couldn't compare. While she had her own suitors (she was unaware of), she never knew what it was like to have her heart race or to be constantly thinking of someone.

"Do we know him Nino?"

"He doesn't go to our school. His father thinks he's too good for school so he's home schooled instead. He doesn't have any siblings and we went to primary school together before he got pulled out."

"His father sounds so harsh! How does he make friends or have fun?" Alya asked.

"Well he does go fencing and I visit him almost every day…."

Their voices drowned out as her chest ached just by hearing those words being spoken by Nino. It only reminded her of the black cat waiting for her back home in her room, was he all alone too before she found him? The next time Nino went over to his friend's house, she would ask if she could tag along too. She didn't have siblings herself so she could understand being lonely sometimes, but on top of that to be home schooled too? He must be really lonely.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the curb where her bakery and home lie. She smiled and waved goodbye at them, "I'll see you guys back at school!"

She said a quick greeting to her parents before rushing upstairs to her room, wrapped tuna sandwich in hand for the cat.

"Kitty-cat I'm back!" She said as soon as she opened the door to her room. Her eyes scanned the room for the cat, but it was nowhere in sight. Marinette started looking in the nooks and cranny of her room for the feline that could be hiding. She was a bit worried that maybe it had gotten out somehow or her parents found out, but they hadn't said anything to her. It was only until she looked under her bed did her doe eyes find a pair of green eyes staring back at her.

"Found you," she said in triumph. The black cat was scooped up into her arms as she laid him on top of her bed and sat next to him. She tore her sandwich in half and gave his part for him to eat on her bed.

"So today my friend was telling me about this person who was home schooled and how he doesn't have any siblings and I was just thinking that that must be so lonely and –" she was rambling to a cat she realized. Except he almost looks, dare she say, interested in her daily life.

"A-Anyways, I didn't want you to feel lonely too, that's all." She said quietly. He padded onto her lap and rubbed his head against her chest as if to comfort her. Her hands automatically came up to stroke the cat's ears and was delighted to hear him start purring. "You know I should probably make a collar for you since there's a pretty good chance you're a stray. Even if you aren't, at least your owner won't have to worry about getting you one then." Already she had ideas on how to design his collar and she could probably finish it before going back to class too. Placing the cat back on the bed she went to go diligently work on his collar. The cat only jumped down afterwards to follow her.

She has 13 minutes left to get to class but she just finished the collar for him. "Come here kitty-cat," she called and beckoned him with her hand as he approached her.

"You're about as silent as the night, so this will help me figure out where you are and now you have a collar!" The collar she designed was simplistic consisting of thick black leather with a medium sized bell hanging off of it. The inside of the leather had her name stitched on it in cursive, but upside down in order to look like an intricate design so the owner wouldn't be upset if he actually had one. He was sitting on her desk staring at her many posters that she embarrassingly have of her favorite model, Adrien Agreste. So maybe one day his father would recognize her as a fashion designer and it'd be her dream for him to model her clothes.

She watched him move around with the bell tinkling before he sat in front of the balcony doors, pawing at it and meowing.

"I guess you have somewhere to go too, huh? Cats go wherever they please my mom would say." She opened the glass doors expecting to never see the cat again once he stepped outside. Already attached was she that kind of person, it made her feel sad all of a sudden that it may be the case. "I wish I could keep you as a pet, but unfortunately my mom is a bit superstitious… she thinks black cats are bad luck. I don't think so though, in fact I was lucky to have met you today. It was like meeting an old friend again…" she trailed off softly.

She crouched to kiss him on the head but unexpectedly he looked up. Their lips connected instead.

"If you were a real boy, I would have lost my first kiss to you." She grinned at the unintended direct kiss. With that the cat sprinted out of the balcony and if he was a real boy, Marinette would see that his face would bear a similar small blush as well.

"Bye-bye kitty-cat, I hope we meet again." Glancing at the time again a loud gasp could be heard before Marinette scrambled on her feet to sprint back to school.

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It was the next few days before the black cat appeared again on her balcony while she was getting ready for school in the morning. She was surprised at first, but delighted to see her feline friend visit her again. He remembered where she lived only after one visit, cats were truly intelligent she thought. The following trend would continue where the cat would appear in the morning and leave just before lunch break was over. On some lucky nights he would stay and keep her company as well. She found that for a cat he likes cheese and always slept on her pillow. She tried giving him another name, but he seemed to only respond when she called him kitty or kitty-cat. He was a wonderful stress reliever from school and she loved playing with him although he was quite mischievous. She'd lean in to kiss his head every time he was about to leave and yet the cat would always look up each time that it would end up in a direct kiss. Of course Marinette never thought about the innocent act since kissing pets was a show of affection that all pet owners did. The cat was even more affectionate than she was, always wanting (more like demanding) to be held and rubbing himself anywhere and everywhere on her body. It was having him constantly around that Marinette never felt alone.

"Marinette the greatest thing just happen ever! I got a picture of Chat Noir last night while going home with Nino. Other people got some pics too," she squealed and shook her best friend.

"Calm down, calm down. Let me see the photo." Marinette said with exasperation, "And I told you that it would be you to snap a pic," she added with a wink.

Alya quickly pulled out her phone and went on her blog where she showed her a post with the caption "Superhero finally revealed?" The picture was taken at night and was somewhat blurry. The superhero in question was soaring through the air such that the photographer had a hard time getting the shot to focus. Only the side profile of his face was shown and it was as if he was smirking at the photographer, taunting him to get a picture of him if he can. He was everything Alya described with spiky, blonde hair while clad in all black leather with ears and a tail. It was there around his neck that Marinette thought of her black cat, the medium sized golden bell she made for him. To Marinette it was just a simple coincidence or maybe that it was common for cats to wear collars with bells on them, even if they were superheroes. His black mask outlined his emerald eyes that she also thought held an amusing glint in them, reminding her of her kitty once again.

"He's actually quite handsome. Someone who saves Paris from evil… he must be really kind under that mask."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, have you fallen in love?"

Like Nino foretold of the weather there was heavy snow falling outside that would result in school getting canceled the next day, much to his joy and Alya's chagrin. Marinette felt extra safe and warm in her room that night drinking hot chocolate topped with large marshmallows as nature covered Paris in its winter trail. She was up late working on sketches for future designs hoping to one day make it as a fashion designer. On a side note she couldn't help but doodle her cat around the whitespace of her creations. Was he out in this weather right now? If it was any indication the first time they met, he hated the cold with a passion.

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THUMP

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Her head swiveled, thoughts interrupted by the sound resonating from her balcony. Was that her kitty-cat? She got out of her chair to approach the glass doors, wiping the condensed cold air off to peek outside. It was too dark to see but she could make out a dent in the snow, the dent that was medium sized, the size of her black cat. The figure was unmoving even as she threw open the glass doors walking barefoot in the snow towards it. Her heart dropped when she realized it was her kitty-cat and that the snow around him was being soaked in a fast manner. She touched the snow to confirm her worst fears when her index finger came out red that it was his blood and if she didn't act now he could die. With the greatest speed and precision (as to not trip) in her life she ran back inside her room to get a towel to carry him inside and help stop the bleeding. She kept a medical first aid kit in her room for all the times she hurt herself making designs and wished she had more knowledge in these type of situations, treating needle pricks was not the same as trying to stop bleeding.

She realized that he was covered in claw marks like he got into a fight with another cat, except these were deep and it felt more like a fight between a lion and a cat. His eyes were closed and if wasn't for his visible haggard breathing, she'd be in absolute tears right about now. It was his life at risk that was keeping her demeanor calm and her emotional state in check. In such a short amount of time she grew so attached to her beloved kitty. Sleeping in and cuddling with him, showering her with affection and never failing to cheer her up. Marinette wouldn't know what to do really if she were to lose him, it would be her first encounter with death that scared her, even more so because it involved her kitty. With luck, she managed to messily bandage him and stop the bleeding before getting a basin of warm water to clean him and bandage him again neatly this time. Her hands were stained red and even after washing it off in the sink she still kept scrubbing an extra five minutes. She was getting just a bit woozy from seeing the blood of her beloved kitty-cat.

The clock flashed how late it was and Marinette was physically and mentally exhausted. She'll take him to the vet first thing in the morning to get him properly looked at which means she would have to tell her parents, but being the loving parents they are they'd understand the situation. She delicately carried the injured feline with her to bed, placing him gently on the inner side of the bed while she laid next to him. His breathing was better, but seeing him curled up in a ball made him looked so defensive of the world that he was also shaking every now and then like he was having a nightmare. She stroked his fur gently as if willing the evil to go away and offering all the comfort she could give him. Her eyes were glassy as she felt some tears cascade down her cheeks, now that his life was no longer in danger she let the mental wall fall and her emotions flow. She did that for the next hour or so, laying on her side as she stroked him so that he may rest peacefully in his dreams, until her dreams have taken over as well.

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Despite having a very rough night, Marinette felt like she was surrounded by warmth all too familiar as she felt herself stir. It was this feeling of blissful contentment that she didn't want to wake up from and break the magic spell. This moment can only be because of a certain person she was entangled with. No longer was there a black cat at her side but a boy that was very real and strange at the same time. The top of his disheveled hair was tickling her chin and like some soft teddy bear she was cradling his head against her chest. Her legs hugged his upper torso like a body pillow and his arms were securely wrapped around her small waist. They slept in each other's arms as lovers would, fearing that if they were to let go they'd disappear. What was so strange about this boy was that he looked to be part feline with black cat ears atop his head and an adorning black tail that was wrapped around Marinette's ankle. Marinette, who was dreaming of happier times like when she was cuddling with her kitty, was rubbing both his ears between her thumb and index finger which she knew he liked. Except he wasn't a cat anymore, but a boy having his sensitive ears rubbed by the person he loves most.

Unlike the girl who was starting to wake up, Adrien had already woken up sometime before she did. He silently shifted into his partial human form besides her when he did, facing her as a boy for the first time. Being in such close proximity to her adorably sleeping face, even though he's done it plenty of times before as a cat, he couldn't help but blush as he stared at her. Marinette was truly beautiful in his eyes. The way her long, thick lashes fanned out against her porcelain skin that was dusted with freckles or how her silky hair pooled around her like a dark halo, he loved it all. He brought his hand up to her cheek, feeling the soft skin underneath his thumb as he brushed it back and forth against her dried tear stains. Almost like a natural response she pressed her face against his palm, making a small smile in her sleep. "Princess… I'm so sorry for making you cry over some alleyway cat like me." He whispered it softy to her.

Even when she was asleep she trusted him and he was amazed at such a small action she did that affected him entirely. His eyes couldn't help but travel down to the cupid's bow of her lips where it looked soft and tempting. If he wanted to, he really could steal her first kiss right there and now. Adrien wasn't the type of person to just selfishly take what he wanted like when he was a cat or when he transformed yet even as he knew that he was already inching closer to her face. His face was growing warmer because it would be his first kiss too and he was glad that she would be his first. The moment was ruined when Marinette suddenly brought her arms out to look for something to cuddle with which happened to be Adrien's head at the time. And naturally after that she held him closer while intertwining her body with his, feeling that they fit together like a puzzle yet unaware of her actions.

Adrien was momentarily stunned, surprised that they were even closer than humanely possible before. He was so flustered, so overwhelmed at her scent, her touch, her very existence that his senses were going in overdrive because of his sleeping beauty. I could die right now of happiness and I would be purrfectly okay with that, he decided as an afterthought. Back to the current situation at hand she was still rubbing his ears and he couldn't help but purr loudly. His cat instincts (he still would have done it if he was human) called upon him to nuzzle into the crook of her neck, nibbling on it ever so gently. She made a sweet noise that prompted him to actually use his fangs on her, leaving a love mark for all its intents and purposes. The bite only lasted a few seconds before it jerked Marinette awake quickly using her arms to push the intruder off of her. She opened her eyes to such an embarrassing position with a stranger that her face was burning red, their legs were still tangled and this time she openly struggled before breaking free and falling off of the bed.

"W-Who are you?" she asked as she continued to back away from her bed until her back hit the wall. Her entire face was red and her heart skipped a beat. How did she end up like this? There was a boy in her bed who had the most mesmerizing green eyes she had ever seen but that wasn't even weird compared to the cat ears twitching evidently on his head.

"You don't recognize me?" He said shyly, his ears deflating. He knew she would recognize him as her kitty but he was hoping for more than just that… She was facing him for the first time as he truly was and he couldn't help but rub the back of his neck as he looked the other way. His body felt warm and he was nervous at how she would react, especially when she looked at him like that. To say earlier that her surprised face was adorable was an understatement, she's so cute he thought.

It was a few beats of silence before Marinette spoke, "Kitty-cat?" She asked hesitantly, almost shyly. There was no mistake that the person standing in front of her was her kitty. She could see the white bandages around his abdomen and shoulders identical to the one she did last night. Her face was still bright red because he was also naked in her bed. He was sitting upright with the blanket covering his lower body and it was endangered of falling even lower to reveal other parts.

He started to move and her eyes widened before quickly saying, "Wait – stop, don't move!" Her arms flayed out dramatically and Adrien looked down to realize the sort of predicament he was in. He dived under the bed sheets to hide his humiliation and save her virgin eyes from him. He still must have been too weak from earlier that he couldn't transform back with his clothes on and now Marinette probably thought he was a pervert or something. He was too distracted by her to forget that he was naked…

"Stay there. I'll go get you clothes." Marinette could feel his embarrassment because of how tightly he wrapped himself in her blankets and how his ears were pressed flat against his head depressingly. Despite her own scarlet face, she couldn't help but comfort him as she pet his head before walking down the steps to her lower bedroom. She threw up a pair of sweatpants and hoodie that she was originally going to give to Nino that she had designed and looked the other way so he could change, "I won't look, you can wear those clothes."

After changing he jumped down from her bed loft by swinging his legs over the rails landing at her feet. He made a bow the way gentlemen did before taking her hand and softly kissing on top of it. "Marinette, I'm truly sorry for frightening you. It was never my intention to… I just wanted to be with you." He added the last part sincerely. He looked her straight in the eye as he said it and she didn't doubt him even though she should. It was that small voice in her head telling her to trust him.

"You really are my kitty-cat after all. I believe you," she gave him a reassuring smile, "but I'm very confused. You were a cat and now you're not, are you an akuma? Who are you really?" She couldn't help but ask the questions as curiosity burned through her. There were otherworldly things she knew of that existed yet she could only think of akumas (although she's never met one) that could explain what he was.

He gave a chuckle that made her kind of weak in the knees and she wondered if all akumas had this kind of effect on people, "My real name is Adrien Agreste, but I think your nicknames of me are really endearing. I wouldn't mind if you kept calling me them." She absentmindedly wondered if he had any endearing nicknames for her as well and if he would say it.

"No, I'm not an akuma. They're evil and I would never hurt you, I swear."

Her hand was still in his and she reluctantly slipped it out of his hold to say, "There's more to it than what you're not telling me. Ever since I found you… it was like we were supposed to meet and I can't help this feeling that I know you." Marinette wasn't the type of person to believe in coincidences because she believed destiny: Their encounter was fateful that morning. That somehow he came into her life because she needed him, as much as he needed her.

"My lady…"

There was that phrase again, she heard Adrien say. But it was the first time he called her that so why does she get so much comfort from those words, especially coming from him. The tinge of sadness it contained didn't escape her attention either. She was starting to get her thoughts and feelings jumbled up that she quickly focused her attention on the boy in front of her. Amidst the confusion her heart leaped that he did have a nickname for her. Did he think about her often?

"—I knew who you were when I was on your balcony that day," he began with a nervous smile, "I've known for over awhile now because I see you almost everywhere I go. At first it was just in my dreams and I thought that you were some illusion to guide me that came with the Miraculous," he held out his right hand that had a black ring in the shape of a cat's head on his ring finger, "but then I realized those were more than just dreams. They felt like memories of me in a different life saving Paris, except I had you by my side. We were partners and best friends and I –" was in love with you, he added that part silently in his head. "I would see flashes of our adventures wherever I went in Paris until I found this bakery," he paused his explanation after covering up his slip. "In my dreams I thought you were just a cute girl I saved, but then I met you and it was like everything clicked in place. The dreams stopped and I no longer saw you everywhere I go because you were real and you were right in front of me." He placed both his hands on her shoulders and continued, "Marinette you were the Ladybug in my dreams, my memories. You still are Ladybug and the Chat Noir in my dreams didn't know that. Neither of us knew who we truly were behind our masks." He said the last part quietly. Adrien didn't want to tell her how the person who he was, in some life that she knew nothing of, was in love with her in the memories he had. A one-sided love he knew too well. Not that it was any much different in how he felt towards her now. She didn't need to deal with his feelings on top of her destiny that he—Paris, needed her.

"I came to you because I need Ladybug's help. I don't have the power to purify the akumas, only you do." He looked the other away as if he was ashamed to say it, "I didn't want to get you involved because of how dangerous it was getting. I can save the person who gets akumatized, but I can't fix the damage he makes, I can't purify the evil butterfly, I can't win this war, I can't..." he trailed off as he didn't want to finish the sentence because it was hard admitting the flaws he had as a superhero. He couldn't be the hero Paris needed much less the one Marinette deserved.

"…you can't fight alone," Marinette finished softly for him, standing on her tippy toes she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a hug. She could feel the pain in his words and it hurts her to see him like this because he was taking the blame for everything when she should have been there for him to shoulder the burden. If she was to summarize, he knew her because of dreams he had based on memories of a different life. Memories that she doesn't remember, yet her feelings always stayed the same whenever she was with him. Safe and loved.

"You're just one person, Adrien. What you do for Paris every day, anyone can see that you're a hero. My hero. We can't bring back the things we've lost, we can only protect what we have now and move towards a better tomorrow. That wouldn't have been possible for us if we didn't have you to protect what we cherish most, our feelings and future."

Adrien reacted instantly by wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in her shoulder, smelling her sweet scent, taking in the comfort of her words and presence. "In another life, another world, another universe, we were always together. Even if we didn't know it," he was a head taller than her and she felt small in his arms, but he knew without a doubt that she was his lady. Even in the darkest of timelines, he'd fall in love with her all over again.

They stayed in each other's arms until he was ready to let go, standing closer than they were before with neither minding the distance. At last she spoke, "I think it's starting to make sense to me. You're Chat Noir of this universe, the friend Nino was talking about… and you've been lonely all this time, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you, I want to be, but I'm not the Ladybug you think I am. I'm—" ordinary, quiet, unremarkable as Chloe would say to Marinette at school and just a small part of her couldn't help believing it.

"—positive, kind, brave, loyal, and everything I see in Ladybug is standing right in front of me, because you are her," he finished her sentence to say what was only the truth. They were both sitting on the steps that led to her upper loft, shoulders and knees touching side by side. She didn't believe in herself and Adrien was going to give her the confidence she needed.

"My kwami, a kind of ancient spirit inside you and I, is a black cat that has the power of bad luck. We're able to take on any of their forms, like how I am right now. While you, though — you have a ladybug kwami that can perform miracles because you're good luck. The miracle to purify darkness and create light. Only you can do it. But bad luck can't: I destroy darkness with my powers of cataclysm, even more destructive, and lurk in the shadows of the light. Whatever the person felt before he or she got akumatized; anger, sadness, greed, jealousy, all of those emotions I feel it too. Destroying a butterfly is like swiping my paw through pure darkness." All those negative feelings leaves him writhing on the ground afterwards in some alley trying to deal with the onslaught of emotions. The last akuma Adrien fought was an envious and jealous artist that thought he could be a better him, so he was fighting an exact copycat of himself. It was the worst fight he ever had leaving him in his cat form, the closest form to his kwami in order to heal himself, deeply wounded and bitter. His thoughts swirled full of jealousy at the other Chat Noir in that universe, how lucky he was to have Ladybug – to just be near Marinette every day without even knowing who she was, that he realized the sharp bitterness was his own actual feelings and not the effect of the akuma.

"Why… why can't I remember then? Why can't I turn into Ladybug? Why can't I help you?" Her questions came out desperate, eyes pleading and body wracked with guilt.

"I don't know why," he took her left hand in his right and laced their fingers together, "it does sound crazy and I might just be delusional. But when I'm with you everything feels right, that's how I know everything's real and you're my actual dream girl. You bring the best out of me without even knowing it and all I did was get you involved with my dangerous problems. I've become pretty selfish since becoming Chat Noir." His eyes were on her as he said it and he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. It was more like him acting on his desires that he always held back before. Adrien wouldn't lie though, becoming Chat Noir has made him feel like his true self ever since his mom left. And his true self wanted nothing more than the blushing girl sitting by his side.

"I swear to be your knight in shining armor my lady, I won't let anything harm you. We'll figure out everything together," he promised and squeezed her hand. And just like that she believed even more so that it was fate that brought Adrien to her. She needed him more than he realized because she took him for granted for always being there for her, whether as a cat and even as he is now. Marinette wanted to show Adrien that he would always have her as well.

"I like this version of you… so don't ever change." They were both blushing under the light of the moon now. She squeezed his hand back, but looked like she was having an internal struggle with herself. Marinette decided to listen to the small encouraging voice that was cheering inside her head again and leaned in towards him.

.

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Chu~

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"Silly kitty, I promise to always be with you."

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.

His right cheek was still warm from where her lips touched and with just those sincere words, he fell in love with her again.

Author's Note:

I hoped you enjoy reading my story despite the many grammar mistakes it may have.

It's been... 3 years since I've last posted a story? So it means a lot for me with this story being published; first story of the year, new fandom, new OTP, etc.

The idea of a parallel AU has been stuck in my head for literally a week that I just had to write it out, whether I was able to convey all my thoughts to you or not, please do enjoy it.

Update: Thank you all for your kind support! Ch 2 is in progress~