Author's Note: Thank you all for the lovely reviews, favourites, and follows. I hope you enjoy this final chapter. Happy New Year!
Marinette arrived to the first day of school in a good mood.
She was a little nervous (okay, she was very nervous, as in her body was nothing but a bag full of nerves that were screaming anxiously), but incredibly excited and hopeful to see Adrien again. Had he been thinking about her like she had been thinking about him? Was he dying of impatience to see her too? Would he kiss her again?
Probably not. To all three of those questions, but she couldn't help but dream, and it certainly gave her something better to think about other than how miserably cold it was.
Now Christmas was over and it was a new year the whole magic of winter had worn off. It no longer seemed wondrous when the streets glistened with frost or was nice and cosy when it rained heavily outside as Marinette curled under a blanket with a hot chocolate. It was just dull, gloomy, and miserable.
It was so cold Marinette wanted nothing more than to curl back in bed and not come out again until it was spring and everything was pretty and warm again. It made her want to forget all about Adrien in favour of warmth, and that was saying something! January was just plain depressing.
"Morning Marinette!" Alya said cheerfully as she looped an arm through Marinette's. "You're early, New Year's resolution?"
"Something like that," Marinette murmured sleepily. More like it was Tiki's New Year's resolution to ensure Marinette got out of bed on time, and boy, did Tiki put up an excellent fight when she wanted to. "You're chipper," Marinette observed, "why are you so chipper? It's miserable and cold and we have school!" she groaned at that.
"True, its cold," Alya said, "but I've got my lovely warm jumper to keep me toasty. Care to tell me exactly how you got it in my room?"
"I've told you before Alya," Marinette smirked, "Magic."
"Urgh!"
Since Boxing Day, Alya had been determined to find out exactly how Marinette snuck her present into Alya's bedroom. Seeing as Marinette couldn't tell Alya the truth and she couldn't lie simply either because apparently Alya already asked if Marinette had handed it to her parents or sisters to sneak it in (damn Alya for being so thorough!), Marinette had simply played being mysterious.
It was actually quite fun as it wound Alya up to no end.
As soon as they entered the school, Marinette was greeted with thanks and questions on how exactly she got everyone's presents into their rooms. She was able to wave them all off with a sweet smile and a thank you in return for her own presents as she made it to class. Unfortunately the one person she couldn't shake off with a smile and a thank you, was Chloe Bourgeois who stomped up to Marinette's desk with a haughty sniff.
"I suppose I should thank you for the cookies," Chloe said snottily and Marinette was barely able to bite back a snarky retort. She supposes she should thank Marinette? How nice! "They were decent enough being homemade," Chloe sneered and Marinette gritted her teeth. There was nothing wrong with homemade whatsoever. "But I have to know," Chloe carried on oblivious to Marinette's rising temper, "How did you even get that scruffy thing past security?"
"Erm," Marinette said nervously, "I had….one of the maid's take it to your room?"
"Hmm…." Chloe pursued her lips disapprovingly. "I think I will be having words with the hotel staff," she muttered darkly to herself before she stomped right back to her desk with a haughty hair flip.
Marinette had a sinking feeling that she'll be enduring a slew of maid-based Akumas this month….
Goddamnit!
She knew giving Chloe a Christmas present would backfire on her somehow.
"No seriously," Alya said impatiently, "how did you get my present into my room because I certainly don't have maids for you to charm with your sweet, big, baby blues."
Marinette grinned as her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Se-cr-et!" she drawled out teasingly as she tapped her nose.
Alya let out a frustrated growl and Marinette couldn't resist throwing her head back and laughing. She was so used to being the one teased that she was completely enjoying being the tormentor for once. It was a very nice and refreshing change.
And then Nino and Adrien walked in and Marinette suddenly choked on her laughter at the sight of Adrien.
"Morning Ladies," Nino nodded.
"Hi Alya," Adrien smiled politely, "hi Marinette."
Marinette froze completely as she suddenly couldn't breathe. Her breath was literally frozen in her throat as her eyes widened and her cheeks burned crimson. This wasn't an entirely new sensation, Adrien had always had a damaging effect on her body, but this time it was different, this time Adrien was more gorgeous than ever.
He was dressed almost entirely in black, his trousers, his shoes, his coat, his beret that was perched stylishly on the side, and boy, was black his colour as it made his eyes seem brighter and more luminous and his hair darker and more golden. That was all enough to steal Marinette's breath away, but it wasn't the reason why she couldn't breathe right this very second!
No, the reason why she couldn't breathe was because of the bright red scarf that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the black.
The bright red scarf that was decorated with black cats on the bottom.
The bright red scarf that was decorated with blacks cats on the bottom that Marinette had knitted for Chat Noir.
And everything clicked.
The way Chat Noir kept nagging and nagging about how Ladybug must have forgotten someone on Christmas Eve. Are you sure you're not forgetting one other person? He had kept asking and asking. He wasn't talking about himself, he was talking about her.
The familiar Cheshire cat grin on Adrien's face. Of course she had recognised it, it was the same grin that was constantly present on Char Noir's equally beautiful (because he was Adrien – oh my God!) face.
The love of stupid, cheesy, corny, jokes that played with puns.
His delight and preening at the mention of Santa Claws. But I think Santa Clawsis far more refined and witty and clever, don't you?
He had called her Princess!
And she had almost called him Kitty!
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
OH MY GOD!
She was so freaking stupid!
And she still couldn't breathe!
"Nice scarf," Alya complimented Adrien, oblivious to Marinette's internal meltdown. though Adrien's stunning green eyes hadn't left Marinette's face since the moment he stepped in the room. He was obviously looking for a sign that she knew. "Christmas present?"
"Yes," Adrien replied cheerfully, "from Marinette."
He knew.
Oh God, of course he knew! She totally gave herself away by taking him to every single one of her friends' homes!
"You got two presents?!" Alya cried out. "That's so unfair!" she said childishly. "I call favouritism!"
Marinette didn't respond because she still couldn't breathe.
She.
Couldn't.
Breathe.
"Marinette?" Adrien said softly. His beautiful eyes were filled with concern and perhaps a little fear which made her heart ache. "Are you okay?"
"I think I'm still sick!" Marinette blurted out. "Igottagobye!"
And then she ran.
She ran out of the classroom and ran and ran and ran, she had no idea where she was going, but it was anywhere but there. She couldn't be in that classroom, it was too hot, too stifling, too crowded, she was sure everyone was watching her – and she couldn't breathe!
"Marinette you shouldn't be running away!" Tiki said chidingly as she popped her head out of Marinette's handbag. They were in the middle of the street but everyone was too busy with their own lives, trying to get work, or school, or going somewhere nice for their holiday, to notice them. "Running away is never the solution!"
"I can't!" Marinette panted. "I can't think! I need to think! I need to breathe! Oh God!"
She needed to go back to her room and hide under the bedcovers. She needed a moment to recollect herself and think things through and decide how to approach this because Adrien was Chat Noir and he knew she was Ladybug! The boy she loved and the boy she was in love with were one and the same and she needed to adjust Damnit!
She had been utterly stupid and now someone knew her identity, and yes, if there was ever someone that she wanted to know it would be Chat, but not like this, not out of her own, naïve, stupidity.
She must be the worst Ladybug ever. She barely had her powers for a year and a half and already she had given away her identity by being such a careless, stupid, little girl. She should have her Miraculous stripped away.
"MARINETTE!" Marinette stiffened as she heard Adrien's voice shout out after her. Without a second thought her legs began to move wildly beneath her as she started to run again. "MARINETE!" Adrien repeated. "WAIT! PLEASE!"
She turned sharply and pushed herself to move faster. She was so close, almost home, how she was going to explain this to her parents she doesn't know but she was almost ho–
Marinette screeched as she was suddenly scooped up by a strong, leather clad, arm and was then flying across Paris as Chat Noir held her tightly against his chest. They landed smoothly onto the roof of a nearby building and Marinette barely kept her footing as she staggered back.
"I'm sorry!" Chat Noir burst out. "I'm sorry but you wouldn't stop! I needed to talk to you. I'm sorry that I found out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you at Christmas. I'm sorry that I scared you and upset you. I'm sorry that you're disappointed it's me."
"I am disappointed," Marinette confessed, "but at myself. Not you. Never you." The hurt look on Chat's face crumbled with relief as Chat let out a huge sigh and relaxed ever so slightly. "I can't believe how freaking stupid I had been. I gave myself away completely without a single thought. I took you to all of my friends' houses without thinking that you would piece it altogether and figure out my identity. If you weren't you I could have endangered us with my thoughtlessness."
"In all fairness, Princess," Chat smiled Adrien's soft, sweet, smile, it made her heart squeeze a little with affection, "if I wasn't me I wouldn't have figured it out. I'm the only other person who knows all of our friends."
"Yeah," Marinette agreed breathlessly, "but I'm still so stupid!" she moaned. "You dropped hints all throughout Christmas and I didn't pick it up at all! Urgh! I'm an idiot!"
A more wicked, Chat Noir-esque, grin flickered on his face now. Marinette's heart did a backward flip like it always did but this time she didn't ignore it and pretend it didn't happy as she flushed brightly (God, she must be purple now because she's pretty sure that she hadn't stopped blushing since Adrien walked into the classroom). "You couldn't help but be dazzled by my good looks, My Lady," he purred out. "I can forgive you being too bewitched to figure it out."
"Urgh," Marinette rolled her eyes, "I suddenly can't breathe again because your ego is suffocating me."
"Have I made you breathless before, Princess?" Chat asked smugly and Marinette spluttered incoherently as she realised she had given away another secret. Goddamnit! She's supposed to be good at this sort of thing! "Well that's only fair that I can steal away your breath because you're a regular Grinch."
Marinette frowned at that. "What?" she asked bewilderedly.
"After all you have stolen away my heart," Chat Noir smirked. Marinette groaned in disgust at that. Not another Christmas chat-up line! It wasn't even Christmas! Chat seemed to think this was an invitation to continue as he spoke up immediately. "Can I take your picture?" he asked innocently. "I want to show Santa exactly what I want for Christmas."
"Gah!"
"I mean it," he said with a sincerity she believed whole-heartedly, "my Christmas list is pages long, filled with your characteristics."
"Enough!" Marinette snapped. "It's not even Christmas anymore! You can't use Christmas chat up lines when it's not Christmas!"
"All right all right," Chat Noir chuckled, "Do you have a New Year's Resolution?" Marinette blinked. Taken back by the sudden change of conversation. Had he suddenly changed his mind with flirting with her when he realised it was Marinette and not Ladybug? Was he regretting his earlier one-liners? "I'm looking at mine right now," he said.
And Marinette instantly flushed as it now occurred to her that he didn't regret flirting with her…he just moved on to New Year chat-up lines.
Oh God!
"New Year has been and gone!" she flushed. "No New Year one-liners either!"
"How about Valentine's Day?" Chat pouted. "That's hasn't been and gone yet and I found some really good ones. Like I-"
It was an act of desperation – and because she really, really, wanted to – when she suddenly flung her arms round his neck and silenced him with a loud, smacking, kiss. It was incredibly effected as Chat seemed to forget how to speak altogether as he wrapped his arms round her waist and kissed her back with such intensity that she forgot how to breathe again.
Well, at least this time she can't breathe for a good reason.
She moaned in disappointment when he pulled away in order to breathe but couldn't help smile delightedly as she realised he was just as breathless as she was. He rested his forehead against hers and for a moment they both gloried in the fact they were them, Adrien and Marinette, Chat Noir and Ladybug, and they were together.
"I'll be your Valentine," she promised, "providing you never look up stupid chat up lines on the internet ever again."
"I Pawmise."
(He breaks his promise but that's all right because it gave Marinette the perfect excuse to spend next Christmas Eve as Ladybug to climb through is bedroom window and inform him that he had been put on the naughty list.)