CHAPTER FOUR: This Is What It's Like

"How goes it, My Lady?" Chat Noir sang was he landed next to Ladybug, crouched behind a deserted vehicle as she panted heavily, eyes wide.

"Nice of you to finally show up," she released a breath, there was no malice in her voice. Chat Noir was only a few minutes behind his partner and they both knew it.

Instead of conjuring up some cunning reply, Chat Noir peaked his head around the side of their hiding spot, searching for the source the current commotion – there was shouting and deafening thuds nearby. In seconds, Chat Noir spotted its culprit. The akuma appeared to be a woman, dressed in a disgustingly colourful, striped jumpsuit. All she needed was hat with a bell and she'd be a court jester. But that wasn't what caught the superhero's attention, she moved slow but almost effortlessly and grasped in both hands were chains, with wrecking balls larger than her head attached to the ends.

Chat Noir leant a little further from the vehicle, attempting to catch a better look at their target, before Ladybug's arm shot out, locking onto the bell at his neck and yanking him out of sight.

"Whatever you do," she pulled his face close, assuring his eyes were on hers, "don't aggravate her."

If it wasn't for her stern look, Chat would've turned red knowing it was Marinette would had grabbed him by the collar.

Giving a mischievous smirk, Chat simply replied with faux innocence, "I don't know what you mean, Mar- uh, My Lady."

Oops.

The boy relaxed when the red superheroine didn't seem to notice his mistake.

"I'm serious," Ladybug pressed, moving to get her own peak at the akuma, it was beginning to move away from them, still shouting obscenities at no one in particular. "No teasing. And especially no teasing puns."

As Chat grumbled, Ladybug pointed to a massive pile of rubble across the other side of the street, "She did that when I kindly asked her to hand over her akuma."

The dark suited superhero grimaced at the wreckage. "Are there any civilians around?" he asked.

"No, the areas been evacuated."

"That's good. Well then," Chat stood from his place and offered a hand to his partner, "Shall we, bugaboo?"

From her kneeling position, Ladybug stared at his outstretched hand for moment. She blinked before gently slipping her hand into his own, gripping it tight as she stood, a sense of authority swaying around her. "Stay clear of her aim, Chaton," she directed, bounding off towards the akuma, her partner following close behind.

They would do this as they'd always done: together, side by side.

But there was one small detail that changed during their fight today – Chat Noir kept slightly more attention on his red counterpart as she dodged and repelled attacks. Having fought a million times together, he trusted her strength and ability more than anything. She could handle herself. But now knowing that was his sweet, clumsy classmate beneath the mask, he couldn't stop himself from casting a side-glance at his partner every chance he got.

No wonder he'd been so blind.

Ladybug moved with precision and confidence.

Marinette stumbled and tripped when she wasn't paying attention.

But they both spoke out against wrong – against Chloe and Hawkmoth. They stood up for what they believed in – their friends and family, their city.

If he wasn't on the battle field, Chat Noir would've taken a moment just to sigh lovingly as his partner darted between attack and defence.

His heart wasn't just melting. Someone had thrown kerosene over every inch of it, letting it ignite and burn.

You can guess who that someone was.

"Chat Noir!"

The particular girl caught his attention as she merely escaped a wrecking ball being flung at her face.

The villain had been roaring abuses directed at Paris' Mayor and City Hall – a environmentally passionate citizen trying to stop destruction of a park in the outer regions of the city for the development of apartment buildings. Her case seemingly didn't hold up very well with the City Council. And now she was determined to destroy city hall – if they were going to destroy the trees, she'd destroy their buildings, flinging wrecking balls at any structure she saw fit.

Structures that mostly consisted of Ladybug and himself, unhappy they were in her way despite Hawkmoths demands.

Otherwise, the akuma was completely erratic.

Chat Noir had also discovered how she moved so effortlessly. Her shoes – boots? – were continuous tracks like that on a tank. They had her move slow, one advantage for the superheroes, but she made it up with rapid firing of wrecking balls – that and the fact she didn't seem interested in some distracting banter as Chat learned, it only worsened her temper. Every time she launched, she'd yank another weapon up from the plates of her tracking.

"Her akuma might be in her boots, but I'm not sure," Ladybug puffed as she landed beside her partner, watching the villain dislodge a new bullet. "They're heavy enough to keep her upright with each throw. But maybe if we can unbalance her…"

"A plan in mind, Bugaboo?"

She shot him a sly grin, "Yes, but I'm going to need your claws, Kitty."

He gave a firm nod, "I'm yours, My Lady."

"Okay," she tossed him the end of her yo-yo, "Hold tight."

Clutching her device tight in his grip, he kept the akuma villain busy as his Lady dashed towards the lamp post directly horizontal to his position, before twisting around it and rushing behind the akuma. Her yo-yo string laid strangely slack along the tarmac, but he knew Ladybug's plan as if he could read her mind.

Calling their opponent's attention to her, Ladybug send him a swift nod. He lunged towards the akumatised woman as she was distracted and slammed his baton into the ground near her feet. Cracks ruptured through pavement. The sudden strike startled her. Her gasp immediately replaced with a furious growl.

But it was too late, the shock caused her to step, or roll, backwards just as Ladybug pulled her yo-yo taut. As the villain began to fall backwards, Chat Noir felt his partner's device jerk in his grasp and he held tight as the strength of it pulled his body from the ground.

He shot through the air, grabbing hold of the lamp post as he rounded it, propelling himself back towards the akuma.

"Cataclysm!"

He released Ladybug's yo-yo and as he flew past their opponent, swiping his claws against her boots mid-air. The momentum threw the boy to the ground but he rolled into a crouch swiftly.

"Not very effective now, are we?" his Lady called. He looked to see the villain lying on the ground, her bare feet dangling limply in the air. But she hadn't admitted defeat yet. With a snarl of irritation, the akuma, still harmed with a wrecking ball, hurled it in Ladybug's direction.

The superheroine snickered as the weapon flew above her head by a few metres.

"Your aim is a little off, I'm afraid."

Only Ladybug was too distracted to notice where the wrecking ball hit the building behind her. Or more specifically, its billboard's main foundation.

Chat Noir's blood drained from his face when the villain let out a mocking cackle.

His body was already moving by the time his brain realised.

He lunged towards his Lady, gripping his baton tight as rubble began to fall around her.

"Ladybug!"

"Chat?" her soft voice croaked, muffled against his chest.

He didn't need to see her face to know she was scared.

"It's okay," he soothed, "we're okay. Just watch your head."

Chat Noir gently lifted himself off his partner into a crouch, keeping his head low. Reaching for her hands, he pulled Ladybug up with him. He watched as her eyes darted around them. It was somewhat dark, sunlight managing to squeeze through cracks in the debris, but light enough to clearly see each other. And more importantly, the object that had stopped them from being crushed.

The billboard that once sat across the front of a building rested directly over them as they knelt where the pavement met the building, being held up by Chat's baton, crammed into the ground and the wall beside them. Thanks to its size and strength, the battered billboard kept smaller rubble from encasing them, creating a cosy nook for the superheroes.

Thuds and shouts were heard beyond their rocky prison. Not very close. The villain must have moved on, unbothered if they remained alive or not.

"I'm sorry," Ladybug hid her distraught face between in her hands, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Chat hushed, reaching and tenderly coaxing her hands from her face, "it wasn't your fault."

Ladybug looked up at him, "Yes it was, I wasn't paying attention. I was stupid." He could tell she was somewhat shocked from the sudden situation as she let out a shaky breath, her eyes watery. "I could've gotten you killed."

"My Lady," he wiped affectionately under her lashes before a tear could escape, "No more crying for me, okay? We need to figure out how to get out of here."

Right on cue, his miraculous beeped.

But that was the least of his worries.

Once Ladybug seemed to calm down, resolve blooming in her gaze, Chat felt his heart picked up upon fully realising the small space where they were trapped. He gulped in a shallow breath. As if his limbs belonged to another, he involuntarily reached out and pressed against the debris. It didn't budge.

It's fine, he told himself, his breathing becoming irregular. You're not trapped, you're fine, he reasoned but his body didn't seem to believe it.

Trapped.

"Chat?"

Chat Noir breathed in deep and leant back against the brick wall. You're fine, Agreste.

His lungs sucked in another short wheeze.

"Chat Noir, I'm not going to look," Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder, offering comfort.

Trapped.

He barely relaxed a fraction.

"I know, I trust you," he stammered, "but that's not quite it… Ladybug, I'm afraid this cat is a little… claws-trophobic."

If she wasn't so worried, she would've slapped him.

Instead, her lips parted in a perfect circle, her only words being, "I didn't know that about you."

He pushed his head further into the wall, hoping the pressure would distract him. "Not many people do," he exhaled.

His heart picked up just as his miraculous beeped.

The air was getting thin.

He tried to inhale. Nothing.

He tried again.

"Chat?" his partner asked more urgently.

I'm fine, he tried to say but couldn't get the words out. He heaved in a gasp. He really couldn't breathe.

His ring beeped again.

He felt another hand on his other shoulder as Ladybug shuffled in front of him, her eyes igniting with concern. Knowing Marinette was right there with him gave him enough strength to suck in some oxygen.

"You need…" he panted, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. "You need to… my baton… when I detransform."

She understood instantly. "Oh, right. Of course."

Spinning her head round and examining the rubble, Ladybug immediately deduced it would be impossible for them not to be crushed once Chat Noir's baton vanished along with his transformation. She felt her own heart miss a beat. She needed to stay calm. For Chat Noir. She needed to do something, anything.

"Lucky Charm!" she tossed a hand into the limited space they had, a set of metal rods landing in her palm. "Tent pegs?"

She glanced, frightened, at her partner as he continued to convulse in shallow breaths.

Another warning from his ring gave out and Ladybug threw herself into action. Why was time moving so quickly today? She punched each tent peg into the ground and the wall as close to the surrounding rubble as possible, her blunt strength causing cracks in pavement and brick. Swiftly, her body moving without thought, she secured her yo-yo around one of the tent pegs and hurled it lamely towards the next. The device knew what she wanted: it hooked itself over each peg before continuously overlapping itself again and again.

Ladybug reached for its end, pulling it tight and securing the net that had formed over the two superheroes.

It was the only protection they could get at the moment. It would have to do.

She turned her full concentration back to her kitty.

He was panicking now.

He tried not to, she could see the strain in his arms and shoulders. He tried to take a calming inhale but it became a faltering choke. There was just no air – and it wasn't great that Ladybug could've been seriously injured just minutes ago, the thought wasn't helping.

"Chat?" his Lady pressed.

He couldn't breathe.

"You're okay," she told him.

"Mar… Mar—" he croaked, his words swallowed under a gasp.

"Chat Noir, look at me," she slid her hands beneath his chin, lifting his jaw up so his eyes met hers. "I'm right here, okay. Just breathe. You can do it."

The boy tried to focus on her. On the gloved thumbs grazing his cheek bones. On her dark hair and its bright red ribbons. On the freckles that speckled across her nose and the sheen of lip-gloss that remained on her lips. On the sky-blue eyes that shone like crystals in sunlight.

Just her.

His panting quietened but continued in irregular patterns.

Ladybug's brain had gone into overdrive. Chat's eyes were filled with panic and discomfort and she ran through a million thoughts. How did she not know he was claustrophobic? Why hadn't he told her? How did they not find the time to share these things about each other…?

"Breathe, kitty," she murmured.

It was a struggle for him.

What had she read in her health textbook on the weekend? It had mentioned something on panic attacks, didn't it? Or was it just respiratory implications?

Come on, Marinette. Think.

When Chat sucked in another breath, only to hiccup and choke, Ladybug's mind seemed to clear and the answer came to her as clear as day.

So, she did the only thing she could think of.

With hands cupping either side of his face, the superheroine pulled her partner to her, pressing her lips against his without hesitation.

Ladybug didn't know what to think at first. She'd kissed Chat before when battling dark cupid. And she'd done that to save him, like she did now. So, this should not have been any different. Except that it was. Her kiss with Dark Cupid Chat Noir had been quick and chaste – a dire act for her superhero partner, it was over before she could take in all the details, not much for a first kiss. And the only other time she'd touched a boy's lips was with Adrien but that, she decided at this precise moment, was hardly more than a mere peck, a graze. So, Marinette didn't have much experience to go on.

All she knew was that this was much, much different.

At first, she'd assumed she'd somehow missed because she didn't really feel anything. But then her brain finally registered the warm pressure of Chat's lips. It was subtle but darted tingles through her chest nonetheless. And then Chat's lips began to move under hers. The warmth of his lips spread across her own as he stole his kiss back, light and comforting.

Ladybug didn't even realise Chat Noir's breathing had instantly even out, his soft exhale making her head spin as she soaked in every detail of that moment. She'd definitely remember this – this was what it was supposed to be like. Her first real kiss. Chat Noir's shoulders relaxed and it wasn't until his gloved hand reached forward, grazing her knee, did Ladybug leap back with a delicate gasp.

Eyes wide, she stared at her hero counterpart as he remained still, his lips pursed in shock as his eyelids fluttered droopily open.

He sucked in a breath.

His lungs were working fine now.

"W-Wha… H… H-How did you…?"

"Um," Ladybug swallowed, "Holding your breath can, um, stop a panic attack. When I kissed you, you held your breath?"

Now she needed to focus on breathing.

Chat gave a stunned nod, the only coherent response he could manage being, "Clever."

Ladybug kissed him.

Marinette kissed him.

He shouldn't delve too much into it. She'd done it to stop his panic attack. Made him hold his breath. Like she said.

She was still so close, he could feel her breath tickling his nose. And her lips, those velvet lips, were pressed together in a thin line as she gaged his reaction and almost matched the colour that danced across her cheeks. They were red. But they could be redder.

She kissed you to save you. That's it.

But she could have easily pinched his nose and held his mouth shut. That probably would've work just as efficient.

No, he couldn't think of any other reasons. His brain was entirely clouded with Marinette.

His gaze locked on her lips as she nervously bit the lower one.

Oh, hell.

Without wavering, Chat Noir reached forward, curved his hand around her neck, and lured her back to him, melting as Ladybug's gasp was consumed by a passionate kiss. Fervent and burning, Chat heard his own heart pounding as her fingers traced along his jaw, curling up in his messy locks. Ladybug was kissing him back. Not because she had too – she had plenty of opportunity to push him away – but because she wanted to. His senses drowned in those sweet, tantalizing lips. The moment he parted them with his own, to delve deeper and sink further, his miraculous bleeped its final warning like an emergency siren.

Ladybug broke off with a squeak – Chat almost had a heart attack from her cuteness – and scrunched her eyes shut as a green glow rushed along her partner's body, releasing his transformation. The rubble around them creaked but Ladybug's yo-yo net kept it at bay.

The boy scarcely registered their safety.

"Ladybug," Adrien breathed, running his thumbs across the corners of her eyes and forehead soothingly, encouraging her to relax. Her furrowed brow weakened under his touch. "Open your eyes."

She shook her head.

"It's okay," he assured her, placing a light kiss on her forehead. "I know you're thinking about the risks but we can beat them, you know we can. When have I ever lied to you, Bugaboo?"

He stroked her cheek, a red gloved hand rising to rest over his. It was just the two of them. Alone. Adrien completely vulnerable and wanting. He'd wasted enough time today, rethinking every aspect of his confession to Marinette that he'd planned, having followed none of it. To hell with recited words. This was his Lady, his partner and his best friend still and worried before him. She'd cried because she thought she had upset him. Gifted him a cupcake because he'd offered her advice. Given him genuine advice simply because he asked.

She had always, always been there for him.

And he was completely and utterly in love with her.

He loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Tilting her chin upwards, he inched down and softly kissed her. "Please," he murmured against her lips, "Please, look at me. Marinette."

Her eyes flickered open when he pulled away and Adrien watched as she blinked at him with a dazed expression. He wondered if perhaps she couldn't see him in the dim lighting but no, he could see her perfectly. Gazing at her lovingly, the corner of his mouth began to tilt upwards as he brushed the stray hairs from her pigtails aside. She was so beautiful—

Slap!

"Ow!" Adrien yelped and rubbed his cheek in dismay.

Ladybug shrieked, slamming a hand over her mouth in shock. "Sorry!" she hugged her hostile hand to her chest, as if her brain had lost control of it, "I panicked!"

"I probably deserved that," he mumbled while she stared at him ludicrously. Recognition dawned in her eyes.

"Damn right, you did," exclaimed a third voice Ladybug was unfamiliar with. A small black figure hovered up in Adrien's line of sight, muttering, "Making me wait this long for cheese while you stare at Pigtails like that is revolting! A foul, hate crime!"

With an exasperated groan, Adrien gestured to his kwami, "Marinette, this is Plagg. Plagg, this is Marinette, not Pigtails."

The tiny black cat never so much as turned his head, deciding to howl, "Where's my cheeeeeesssseee?"

"Okay," his holder surrendered, plucking a wedge of camembert from his jacket, "Just take it, you glutton."

The kwami instantly snatched the treat and darted upwards, settling himself atop Adrien's hair as he munched happily away. "Sorry about him, he can be rude sometimes," Adrien eyed his kwami before finally looking back to Ladybug to find her gawking at him.

"Uh… Ladybug?"

His voice seemed to somewhat conjure her out of whatever shocked state she was in. "Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

Biting the inside of her cheek, she murmured, "How long have you known?"

"Not long."

"How did you find out?"

Adrien ran a hand through his hair, earning a hiss from his kwami – not that he paid it any attention, "Physics," he shrugged.

Her brow furrowed, "Physics?"

"Yeah, um," he inwardly cringed at his awkward reply, "You mentioned you were retaking a physics test, as um, Ladybug, and then you, as Marinette, actually took a physics test. So, you know… I just put two and two together… you know?"

"Oh… okay," she frowned at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said, "I wanted to tell you. Just a part of me was still in disbelief."

"No, no, I get it."

This wasn't going as well as he hoped. Adrien, fingers itching at his sides, yearned to reach for his Lady, to assure her nothing had changed – just as she'd advised the other night. But he really couldn't. Because what happened moments ago changed things between them. Everything had changed for him. And Adrien was only now comprehending how much this affected their relationship despite all belief it wouldn't.

He couldn't focus on the words he needed to get out. Ladybug was there, her own thoughts invisible as her brows twitched and her lips pursed apprehensively. And he just… he just wanted to kiss her again.

This really wasn't going to be easy.

No wonder he'd faltered so many times today.

"I don't mean to interrupt you two lovers," Plagg floated down between. Adrien inwardly cursed his kwami as Ladybug's cheeks turned the colour of her suit. "But there's still an akuma out there."

Right on cue, Ladybug's earring beeped.

"We should probably take care of that," Ladybug rubbed her eyes.

"Hey," Adrien placed a comforting hand over her own, "We can sort this out afterward, right?"

She nodded in agreement.

"Okay," the boy looked to his kwami, "Plagg, claws out!"

As Chat Noir leant against the cool railing of Marinette's balcony, he scrutinized his earlier self's inability to act. He should've confessed everything as soon as possible. He should've plopped on Marinette's balcony the second he'd uncovered her identity – or the second he'd realised something much greater. But no, he'd fussed and fretted to his own blooming annoyance and was currently stuck, waiting for any sign of Marinette inside her bedroom.

A light was on despite the rest of the building being shrouded in darkness. Perhaps she was downstairs. Perhaps she'd fallen asleep. Perhaps he should leave, talk to her tomorrow.

Chat Noir heaved the chilly night air into his lungs.

He couldn't wait until then.

After the shock reveal earlier today and the most mind-melting, limb-numbing, passionate moment of Adrien's life – he still had trouble wrapping his around it – the black-suit superhero called forth his cataclysm, releasing his partner and himself from their rocky prison. They were surprised, Ladybug yelping as a result, to find Alya before them, her phone in hand with a relief painted across her features.

"Oh, thank God!" she'd exclaimed, "I was getting ready to dig you both out myself!"

Thanking the amateur journalist for her concern then advising her the area was dangerous and she should leave, which her friend thoughtfully disregarded, Ladybug vaulted away in search of the akuma with Chat Noir following close behind. They located the akuma almost instantly and with Ladybug's miraculous giving another warning, they wasted no time. Ladybug pinpointed a disguised choker necklace to be the source of power. Her and Chat Noir worked seamlessly, the red superheroine purifying the butterfly in minutes, leaving her plenty of time to retreat before her transformation dropped.

Chat Noir stayed to aid the akuma victim, giving a short statement to the press, and then returned to school quite promptly. He didn't want to waste any more time – the thought of delaying talking with Marinette was eating away at him. But upon re-entering the library, he'd found their shared study table deserted of all her belongings, leaving the boy to slump in defeat whilst he gathered his own things and headed off the class.

The last of his classes for the day unfortunately were the very few ones Marinette and Adrien did not share. But Adrien had spent that time counting down every second to the final bell.

Only to be pulled from school ten minutes prior for a check-up appointment with his physician.

He'd almost growled at Nathalie when he slid into the backseat of their car. There was no benefit of brooding but that didn't stop him.

Then to make it even more absurd, his father wished to speak him when he arrived home. Adrien, although appreciative of his father's concern for his wellbeing, felt like throwing his hands in the air and shouting confusion and frustration at no one in particular. He did not, of course.

He just wanted to speak to his Lady!

Finally, able to retreat to his bedroom for the evening, after what seemed like hours, his kwami politely reminded him of his duty as a superhero – he had patrol scheduled tonight. So, after a few additional hours of following the regular route, Chat Noir found himself heading towards the Dupain-Cheng residence slightly early. Only to find it absent of his Lady's presence.

He flexed his claws. Perhaps he should leave. There was no sign of movement inside. He'd waited all day, so what was one more night.

Just as he turned, gripping the railing and prepared to head home, a sudden noise behind him made him pause.

"Chat Noir! Wait!"

He swung back around to see a flurry of red land itself with a thud on the balcony before him.

"You're here!" Ladybug observed with a frantic breath.

Chat Noir was so shocked to his Lady materialised in front of him he could only blink dumbly at her words. Why was he here, again? The second his eyes settled on her glowing face, currently flushed from her rush home, his brain became muddled. He shot a glance at her lips and memories of the day flooded back to him, turning any receptive senses to mud. No wonder he never managed to get anything said! She was too distracting!

"I went to your house," she rasped, "but you weren't there."

He nodded, dazed, "I was here."

She let out a light-hearted laugh at his simple response, offering a warm smile. Shaking his head and refocusing his attention, Chat Noir couldn't help but join her laughter. "I was here waiting for you," he clarified.

"And I was there waiting for you," she chuckled.

Chat cast a glance down at his hands, his next words uneven and quiet, "We never had the chance to talk."

Ladybug, placing her yo-yo at her hip, bit her lip. No, she supposed they hadn't. They needed to though. So, with a nod, she asked, "Would you like to come inside?"

Her partner glanced at the hatch-door that led into her bedroom, eyebrows raised in uncertainty. "Are you sure? Your parents won't mind?"

"They're bakers," she shrugged, finding his question compellingly sweet nonetheless, "they fell asleep hours ago."

When Chat Noir didn't answer, Ladybug took a few steps and lifted open the hatch. "It's getting cold," she said, "Come on, Kitty."

Ultimately, there was no reason to argue with that, so giving in, Chat followed as she disappeared inside. But before he could even drop one foot inside, he heard a short, disgruntled squeal and Ladybug shot back up like a rocket. "Wait!" she announced as the black bat stumbled backwards. "Just, um… Give me a minute."

With a creak, the hatch fell back into place and Ladybug had vanished as quick as she had appeared. Sighing, Chat slowly lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs as he waited. He couldn't stop a smile forming at his Lady's flustered antics. So much of her civilian side shone through these last few days that he'd never understand how he didn't uncover her secret identity years ago.

Less than a minute passed when Ladybug re-emerged. "Okay," she breathed, "Now you can come in."

Following his Lady, he plopped down onto a pink duvet. He'd been in Marinette's room a couple of times but he took an admiring glance around anyway. Faltering at the top of the bunk's steps, he almost crashed onto the floor of the bedroom when he witnessed Marinette, her back to him, casually drop her transformation with a comical swish of her hair. Pink light engulfed her body. Chat tried not to gape at the magnificence before him – he knew Marinette was Ladybug but having it visually confirmed was still an astonishing experience.

He watched her reach for a ceramic jar on her desk, retrieving a cookie from inside as her kwami appeared quite dizzy beside her. The spotted creature darted for the treat instantly. Marinette, placing the cookie jar down, murmured, "Tikki, manners."

The kwami looked up from her munching to see Adrien. "Oh," Tikki startled, a puff of crumbs escaping her tiny mouth. Swallowing, she flew up to the boy, "Hello Adrien. My name is Tikki. It's nice to finally meet you."

Chat Noir smiled fondly at her, "It's nice to meet you too, Tikki. I see you like sweets."

"A little too much, if you ask me," Marinette mused, her kwami humming happily as she drifted back to settled on the girl's shoulder.

The superhero chuckled, "Same with Plagg. But he prefers camemb—" his miraculous beeped and he released a sigh, mumbling, "Speak of the devil… Claws in."

When Plagg appeared, he instantly lunged for the cheese Adrien had pulled from his jacket, gobbling it down in one bite. The kwami surveyed the room with a belch, "Hmm, this is new, very pink," he drifted towards Marinette's desk, immediately gaining interest in an empty drinking glass she'd left. When his eyes lit up with mischief, a look Adrien recognised easily, his owner warned, "Plagg, no."

Marinette watched as the creature settled beside the glass, staring at Adrien the entire time. "No," the boy repeated sternly. Plagg reached out a tiny paw and inched the glass each so gently towards the edge of the desk, smug defiance glinting across his face.

"You push that glass, no camembert or any expensive cheese for a week."

Marinette wondered how many times this issue had occurred because Adrien's kwami didn't seem so shocked by this threat, instead he slowly removed his hand from the cup with indifference. The boy sighed and shot Marinette a drained look that said, "This is what I have to deal with."

"Tikki," Marinette turned to her kwami as she finished her cookie, "Why don't you and Plagg go rest, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do?"

"Not really, Marinette," Tikki chirped, "We caught up last week when you and Adrien fell asleep together."

A strangled squeal escaped Marinette's throat. "Tikki," she insisted.

"Oh," Tikki seemed to understand, leaving her owner's shoulder and fetching her counterpart, "Come on, Plagg," and swooshing away up to Marinette's bed, leaving Adrien and Marinette finally alone in an odd silence.

Adrien had anticipated and longed all day to speak with her, and now he found himself lost for words. Again.

Thankfully, it was Marinette who took the opportunity to say, "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you at school after the akuma. I… I guess I just freaked a little…"

Adrien parted his lips to speak but she cut him off, continuing as her words muddled together in a ramble, "Then I planned to see you after class but you had already left. And then I was thinking off visiting you at your home but then I thought about it too much… And then I wanted to join you on patrol, but then my parents needed my help, and then Alya called me, and then finally I managed to get out but your patrol was probably done and you weren't at home and…" she took a breath, meeting his gaze, "and yeah… I'm sorry."

The corner of his mouth titled upwards, "It's okay, Marinette."

"I know," she began, "I mean – no. I didn't want to think I was avoiding you when I wasn't."

"I didn't think that," he said quietly, "I was annoyed more than anything that I had put this off for so long."

They fell silent for a few moments before Marinette spoke, amusement clouding her voice, "I can't believe this was all because of a dumb physics test." She began to chuckle and Adrien couldn't help but laugh along with her at the absurdity of their situation before Marinette broke off, her eyes wideneing. "Oh," she looked uncomfortable, saying with a nervous laugh, "about that night, when I was… upset. That was nothing, really."

"Marinette," Adrien spoke, watching as she put their story together.

"Oh jeez," she huffed, feeling her heart rate spike and rubbing a palm against her forehead, "I cried to you about you."

He shrugged, "It wasn't so bad. I asked you for advice about you."

"You did, didn't you?" she grimaced before laughing again. "I'm sorry, my brain still hasn't put everything together yet. You're Chat Noir. Chat Noir is you," she gestured wildly with a roll of her eyes, "What am I saying? You are you… does that sound insane?"

"It's okay, my Lady. It took me while too."

Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned her alter ego he thought as a bewildered look danced across his classmate's face. It seemed only like a glitch for her though as she fidgeted with her hands. "And…" she murmured, trailing off.

"And…?" Adrien raised an eyebrow, stepping towards her in a cat-like manner – such a Chat thing to do, she noted.

"And," Marinette cleared her suddenly tight throat, "how do you feel about that? About me… being Ladybug?"

Straight away, Adrien withheld to urge to proclaim what his brain had been shouting the last few days, 'It's amazing!'. No, this was quite a revelation for both of them, and Marinette hadn't had the time to process it as he had. He needed to approach this gently, gradually admit the truth. It was going to be difficult – especially when his mind wouldn't leave the thought of her lips.

And not that she'd say it out loud, but Marinette was in the same boat.

Instead, he released an awkward laugh. "Well, it shocked me at first, I won't lie about that. I mean, my crime-fighting partner sat behind me in majority of my classes. I didn't believe that I never realised, especially because this classmate shared all the same qualities that I admire with Ladybug. I was so shocked I actually fainted, so you're handling this better than me."

Marinette let out a soft giggle and Adrien internally died. But he continued nonetheless. "I never really put you and Ladybug together because, well, whenever I was with Ladybug I only thought about Ladybug. And when I was with Marinette, I only thought about Marinette. So, I suppose, it's always been you on my mind."

She sucked in a sharp breath at his words.

He didn't stop, there was no going back now.

"And I want to say sorry for forcing my identity on you but I'm not. I'm not sorry. I've been thinking about us – about everything we've been through. That night when we wondered what life would be for us if we weren't superheroes? If we'd be friends? We already know the answer because somehow, we'd found each other before we even considered looking. And now that I know that My Lady, my partner, and the sweet, compassionate girl that's been making me question everything I already knew are the same person… I'm… I'm amazed. I've been stumbling around all day trying to tell you that I love you, Marinette, and it's because I can't believe how unbelievably lucky I am. You've had my back through so much, saved my life so many times, and you've supported me more times than I can count. I am so… Marinette?"

The girl stood rigid, visible tension in her shoulders as she gaped, eyes as wide as saucers, at Adrien. Him pausing seemed to mildly snap her out of whatever trance she was in, her lips opening and closing like a fish out of water. And Adrien felt his blood run slow – did he make a mistake?

"Marinette?"

Her voice was hoarse as she heaved in as much air as she could, "Did you… Y-you said… Y-You love me?"

The boy paused. Did he say that? His eyes widened. Oh my god, he did.

I told her I love her without even realising.

Well, it was about time.

Quick, tell her she heard wrong.

No, he couldn't deny it now. This was what he'd been trying to say. He hadn't been stressing over telling Marinette he knew her superhero identity. No, he'd been stressing over this confession. He almost told her at school, he wanted to tell her when entrapped in rubble.

He couldn't deny it now.

"I do," he spoke in a soft voice, "I love you, Marinette."

He watched her face pale and could only imagine what was going through her head. She nodded shakily, reaching for her desk chair, and sliding down onto it. "Okay," she exhaled uneasily.

"Marinette?" Adrien moved to kneel beside her, trying to offer enough comfort as he could without overbearing.

After what felt like a millennium, she finally looked up, meeting his gaze for a moment. Her brows furrowed and she squeezed her eyes shut painfully, groaning as she flopped her head into her hands, "The universe hates me."

A huge, sharp pin pricked Adrien's heart and he shifted anxiously. "Is it that horrible?"

"Yes," she let out a muffled grumbled.

Suddenly, Adrien felt as if the Gorilla had gone and punched in him the gut. He really, really, didn't consider the possibility that Marinette would say, 'no, no I don't love you,'but he'd never pictured her being disappointed, even disgusted, by this. Marinette was always so sincere and caring – she always did the kind thing for others. Perhaps, it was unfair for him to throw this on her, unfair to ask her to love him back when she didn't.

But when Marinette peaked out from her hands to see the hurt shadowing Adrien's gorgeous green eyes, she reached out to him. "Oh, no," she said, clasping his hand and pulling him closer to her, sliding her other hand up to clasp his cheek, "I didn't mean it like that, Kitty."

He settled at her use of nickname for him, the feel of her thumb grazing over his cheekbone calming him. But he almost died at what she said next.

"I've been in love with you since I was fourteen."

Wait.

What.

Marinette bit her lip, "You are always so kind and considerate not just to me but to everyone. It was impossible not to love you, Adrien. But after years of you not noticing – I probably have myself to blame for that ironically," she offered a lopsided smile at the memory of Chat Noir trying to pursue Ladybug, "I thought it would be best to let go and move on. And, well, Chat Noir had always been there, meant more to me than I thought. So, you can understand my dilemma when the two people I care about most turn out to be the same person. I was trying to let go of you, Adrien, by seeing if there was something with you, Chat Noir."

Adrien couldn't respond, he could only feel his heart pounding in his chest as she drew closer.

"So, yes," Marinette whispered, feeling her cheeks warm as their breathing mingled. "I love you, Adrien, my Chaton."

And then they were kissing. Their lips melted against one another as they pressed closer. It wasn't anything like what it had been earlier today. Although still electrifying, sending shivers along Adrien's spine and making Marinette's stomach drop, neither longing to pull away anytime soon, their kisses were anything but feverish and desperate. Relief and comfort they gifted and stole from one another, continuously assuring, 'yes, I love you.' Marinette's hands had tangled themselves in Adrien's hair again and he'd reached forward, squeezing her knee.

Adrien pulled away for a moment, murmuring, "I'm so happy it's you," and she smiled against his lips, replying in a whisper, "me too."

He lifted his hand, fingertips grazing along her cheek and up into her hair, willing her closer to him when she abruptly tugged away. "I-I mean," Marinette floundered, "I'm happy it's you too, not 'I'm happy it's me'… I mean of course I am but–."

"Marinette," he stopped her and lured her back, just wanting her lips back on his, "I know."

Continuing to melt under his enticing touch, the girl was barely able to register his next murmured words, "You do have an obscene number of photos of me."

Adrien's lips trailed up, placing a light kiss against Marinette's cheek as her eyes bulged. She pulled away momentarily and shot a glance to the collage on her wall where countless pairs of Adrien's eyes seemed to sparkle tauntingly, mocking her absentmindedness.

Damn. She knew she'd forgotten something.

She'd been completely flustered by Adrien waiting on her balcony and her messy room, she'd overlooked the biggest, embarrassing, most damning piece of evidence for her affection towards the boy.

Opening her mouth, her mind ploughing for any rational excuse, Marinette glanced down at Adrien, only to snap her mouth close and scowl when she witnessed a smug grin dawn across his face.

"Very funny," she deadpanned.

"What?" his grin widened, a playful glimpse shrouded his emerald eyes, "It was the first thing I noticed."

"Uh huh," Marinette scooted her desk chair, and herself, away from Adrien, "There's no need to tease, Chaton."

His reflexes were quick as he grabbed the base of her chair and wheeled her back to him, beaming, "I'm only relishing the fact that my Lady adores me so much."

Safe to say, Marinette conceded their little jesting match quite quickly – Adrien's affectionate pecks made it easily to give in – and the two spent the rest of the night reminiscing their younger hero days, chuckling about the irony, sharing disbelief and whispering love.

Eventually, as the night grew late, Adrien had to reluctantly bid his lady goodnight, stealing one last kiss upon her balcony, before disappearing into the night to return home.

The two superheroes fell into their beds with childlike grins dancing across their lips, thoughts of one keeping the other awake long into the early morning.

This, they shared the same thought. This is what it's like.

"Wait, so my first two kisses with Marinette Dupain-Cheng happened when I wasn't even conscious!?"

Marinette giggled at Adrien's perplexed expression as they walked hand into hand onto school grounds. The boy had surprised her this morning, turning up at her door, smiling brighter than the sun itself and offering to accompany her to school despite its short distance – not neglecting to proudly mention he'd manage to bribe the Gorilla to give them some privacy.

Her parents had gushed and babbled around the boy the second Marinette watched him swing open the bakery door. She'd woken up quite early this morning, extremely chipper to her parents' dismay, and she'd decided at that moment it was utterly worth it to witness her gorgeous partner stroll in with the sun radiating behind him, its rays glistening off his hair and crisp white shirt.

She'd almost fallen off her stool.

Almost.

Escaping her parents' pestering, she'd ushered him out the door in less than a minute.

So there the two were: Marinette biting her lip sheepishly as Adrien gawked. "I knew about the Dark Cupid kiss," he said as they climbed the school steps, pulling her to a stop when they reached the top, "but is this going to be a regular thing with you? Kissing me when I'm asleep?"

Marinette laughed, "No promises."

"That's no good," Adrien raised their entwined fingers to plant a delicate kiss on her knuckles then tugged on her hand towards him, inching her closer. He leant down softly, her palm already cupping his jaw as he breathed against her lips, "because I want to remember every one."

Marinette couldn't stop the blush that rose on her cheeks as he kissed her. After all, isn't this what she imagined? Adrien Agreste lighting up at the sight of her, grinning against her lips as he stole one of many kisses, admitting his impeccable love for her?

Yes, this is what Marinette wanted.

But she'd gotten so much more than what she'd ever dreamed.

She'd gotten her crush, her best friend, her partner – the love of her life.

And she couldn't have been happier…

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON!?"

Adrien and Marinette jumped apart at the sound of a familiar shrieking voice. They turned to see Alya standing just outside the school's threshold, her jaw to the ground in a silent scream as she gaped at them. Nino stood beside her with a similar expression, so frozen that his headphones slipped from his head and crashed to the ground all without him noticing.

The superhero duo shot a glance at one another before fully turning to face their friends, any reasonable response falling flat upon their tongues.

Alya raised a shaky finger, pointing at the two of them, spluttering, "You two… are you… WHAT!?"

The amateur journalist floundered her hands, shooting a confounded look at Nino. He instantly understood, shaking himself from his trance just enough to translate into words, "Are you two… Are you two dating?"

Marinette looked at Adrien, biting her lip, "umm…"

They'd never actually discussed it.

She watched as Adrien simply shrugged and took both of her hands in his. "Marinette, are you free this afternoon?"

"Yeah…?"

He barely hesitated, she could see his Chat-like confidence smouldering in his eyes, when he asked, "Do you want to go out with me?"

"Okay," she agreed without missing a beat, a chuckle escaping her throat. Trust her kitty to be so dramatic.

"Oh my God!" Alya squealed, jumping in excitement before crushing the couple in a massive hug. "It happened! It finally happened! I'm so happy!"

"Duuuude," Nino fist-bumped his best friend in congratulations.

"This is the greatest day of my life!" Alya announced, whipping out her phone in seconds and snapping multiple shots of Adrien and Marinette, the new couple not bothered in the slightest. Their friends were happy – no, over-the-moon – for them and it meant everything.

They blinked when Alya paused abruptly and looked to Nino, a sly smirk forming on her features.

"You owe me another lunch."

The boy, taking a second to process what she meant, slumped his shoulders, "That's not fair," he sighed.

"Hey," she shrugged, "a bet is a bet."

Marinette raised an eyebrow, "What bet?"

Her friend placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Mari," Alya said, "I love you and I always believed in you, but there was no way you would be the one to ask Adrien out."

It took the raven-haired girl a moment to comprehend what Alya was saying. Her eyes widened in shock, "You betted against me!?"

The amateur journalist shrugged with indifference, much to Adrien and Marinette's dismay, "Everyone knew you two were made for each other. We just took bets on who would ask the other out, majority of the grade was in on it."

Marinette pouted, mumbling, "You still betted against me."

Nino, taking this opportunity, raised his hand in the air with a saint like manner, "I, for one, never doubted you, Mari," he shot Adrien an apologetic look, "and I love you, bro, but you were completely oblivious."

Ignoring the fact that his best friend had in fact betted against him also, Adrien pulled Marinette gently closer to his side and offered her a warm smile, his voice soft when he said, "I know."

He leant down and placed a light kiss against her lips and Marinette couldn't stop a giddy smile from forming. He understood Nino completely. He probably would've betted against himself as well.

"Alright, lovebirds, I want the full story later," Alya announced, beginning to tug Nino back inside the school, "Class starts soon, don't be late!"

When the bell for morning lessons finally sounded, their Literature class was left in shock to see Marinette entering the room on-time. And proceeded to erupt into chaotic, animalistic cheers when they noticed her hand clasped in Adrien's.

And there it is! I was considering splitting this chapter into two parts but it didn't quite have a 'there's a nice bit to end the chapter' if you know what I mean. Besides I always intended for this to be a four part one-shot - a freaking long one-shot it turned out to be but whatever.

I hope you all enjoyed this finale... disclaimer: I have no medical experience - I can not confirm that pashing will stop panic attacks, i just always loved the first stydia kiss from teen wolf where I drew inspiration from, sue me.

Thank you to every that chose to click this story and give it a read. I thought there wasn't enough Ladrien fics out there (Ladrien is precious and there needs to be more!) so I decided to give it a go so really, thank you!

And I just want to say again thank you to everyone that fav/followed, and the comments! I love reading every comment! I appreciate them so much and I'm so happy knowing you have enjoyed this story!

Anyway, let me know what you think and thank you for reading! 3 3