Fic: Him and Me and You and Her [3/3]
May. 7th, 2018 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetFandom: Miraculous Ladybug
Summary: It was nearly ten that night before Adrien managed to make his way to Marinette's house.
AO3 link: Chapter 3
Word Count: 1421
Other Chapters: Him and Me | Me and You | You and Her
Fic: You and Her
It was nearly ten that night before Adrien managed to make his way to Marinette's house.
He'd spent the afternoon planning what to say to her, going over everything with a fine-toothed comb and trying to find exactly the right words. The rest of his evening had been busy, split between dinner, piano practice, and a rather sad attempt at studying, and fighting for attention the entire time was what he wanted to tell Marinette.
He'd finally settled on something he thought sounded okay around nine o'clock, then promptly lost another hour after that to sheer nervousness. What if she didn't want to see him? What if she told him she didn't even want to work together anymore? He didn't think he could bring himself to give up being Cat Noir, but if Ladybug said didn't want to be his partner any longer...
At last, after more than a few nudges from an increasingly exasperated Plagg, Adrien swallowed his nerves and transformed. It felt like only seconds passed before he found himself near the roof of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, heart thumping wildly against his ribs. Taking a breath to steady his nerves, Cat Noir rapped his knuckles against Marinette's bedroom window.
Cat tensed as the sound of a murmured conversation he hadn't been consciously aware of went abruptly silent. He counted breaths as it started hesitantly up again, waiting for some sort of response.
He had gotten to fifteen when what could only be Ladybug's kwami phased through the wall in front of him.
"That wasn't very nice of you, tricking Marinette like that," she informed him in a tiny voice.
Cat's ears drooped, and he felt his tail curl around his feet. "I know. I just wanted to know if she really liked me for me, and then when I found out we both liked each other, I thought it would be easy... I knew it was a bad idea, I just want to be with her so much." He sighed and looked at her window again. "She's just so... perfect."
Ladybug's kwami regarded him critically. "You should probably be telling Marinette this, not me," she said finally.
Cat winced and looked down. "I want to, but I'm not sure she wants to talk to me. I don't think I'd blame her if she doesn't. I had to try, though."
The small god considered for a moment longer, then nodded. "Go wait on the balcony," she instructed. "I'll talk to Marinette."
Cat followed the kwami's directions and leaned against the balcony railing to look at the city, his stomach a mess of knots. He had no idea if Marinette would actually talk to him. Hopefully her kwami would at least let him know one way or another, so he didn't spend all night on the balcony. He'd probably head home eventually if she didn't. No later than two or three, definitely.
The faint creak of hinges sounded behind him and his heart leapt into his throat, almost choking him. He spun around instantly, and there was Marinette rising through the trapdoor to her room, eyes slightly red around the edges. "Tikki said you had something to tell me?" she asked, her voice horse.
Cat Noir licked his lips, gathering his thoughts again. "You told me this afternoon that you think the person I want to date is actually Ladybug, and that she isn't real. And I get that, at least a little bit; our identities are definitely more complicated than the average person's.
"The more I thought about it, though, the more I think there's more to it than that," he continued. "No, I know there is. You showed me that you see me for who I am, whether I'm Cat Noir or your classmate or a model boy in front of a camera. Well, the same goes for you: You're Marinette all the time, whether you're helping your parents or taking charge in school or wearing a costume and saving Paris. And maybe I needed a bit of a push to see it, but now that I do, I know it's true. Because you're the person I fell in love with, all of you. I just wish you could see it, too."
Marinette stared at him like she could see right through to the other side; Cat swallowed nervously. "...Okay," she said at last. "Show me. Give me, hmm." Her lips quirked into a self-deprecating smile. "Give me five reasons that Ladybug and I are the same person, and I'll believe you."
Cat nodded quickly. He hadn't expected her to her to lead into his plan like this, but at this point he would take all the luck he could get.
"You're incredibly creative," he began. "As Ladybug, you're always able to figure out what your Lucky Charm means and how to use it to defeat the akuma, no matter what it is, and some of those have been real challenges. As Marinette, your fashion designs are breathtaking and innovative; no matter what you're making, you always manage to find a way to surprise me. You do things with clothing that I've never seen before, and believe me, I've seen a lot!"
Marinette was watching him carefully, her lips parted slightly in surprise. Adrien continued, determined to convince her just how amazing she was.
"You care deeply about other people. We both know how much Ladybug does to protect the citizens of Paris, but as Marinette you go out of your way to try and make sure there's nothing they need to be protected from. More than once I've seen you go to comfort someone who was upset over something, and yeah, it could just be to prevent akuma attacks, but I'm pretty sure you'd do that anyway, because that's just who you are."
She was staring now, a newly familiar blush starting to rise in her cheeks. He took this as a good sign.
"You're willing to admit when you screw up and to apologize for it. Hell, you were trying to patch things up with Lila right up until she went back to Italy! There are way too many people in the world who aren't willing to accept when they've done something wrong in the first place, let alone make amends, but you do it in and out of costume. I've always thought that was really brave."
Marinette's eyes were shining again, and she'd raised her hands to cover her mouth. Cat swallowed; he was pretty sure that was a positive reaction. Either way, he only had two left to go; he pressed on.
"You're determined. I've seen it so many times; once you set your mind to something, I don't think there's anything in the world that can stop you. Sometimes this means you have to compromise or backtrack and try again, but you keep on going until you're satisfied with the results. You've found new ways to fight akuma as Ladybug, and new solutions to problems as Marinette. It's inspiring; whenever I find myself about ready to give up on something, I think of you and it helps me get back to work."
This was it; this was the last one. It was the one that had come to mind first, and the one he had tried the hardest to get right. He hoped it would be enough.
"You're easy to love. For all the reasons I've already said and more, as Ladybug and as Marinette. People are drawn to you, no matter which name you're using, and I'm no exception. Loving you is the easiest thing I've ever done, and it would be the hardest to stop. I think I could give up being Cat Noir before I stopped loving you, and that's--"
"Okay," Marinette interrupted. "That's enough. You win." She launched herself at him, and Cat suddenly found himself sandwiched between Marinette and the balcony railing, her lips pressed firmly against his. Shocked, it took Cat a few seconds to respond, then he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could, pulling them even closer together and losing himself in Marinette.
He was dizzy when she finally broke the kiss, pulling back only a few centimeters. He licked his lips and shivered when he tasted her there, and again when he saw Marinette mirror the gesture. "So," he said, trying for casual and failing spectacularly. "Does this mean I get another chance at a date?"
Marinette laughed breathlessly and kissed him again. Cat Noir decided to take that as a 'yes'.
--Fin--
It's done! It's finally done! I can't say I was expecting to be ready to post this chapter quite so quickly, but, well, here I am :)
Summary: It was nearly ten that night before Adrien managed to make his way to Marinette's house.
AO3 link: Chapter 3
Word Count: 1421
Other Chapters: Him and Me | Me and You | You and Her
Fic: You and Her
It was nearly ten that night before Adrien managed to make his way to Marinette's house.
He'd spent the afternoon planning what to say to her, going over everything with a fine-toothed comb and trying to find exactly the right words. The rest of his evening had been busy, split between dinner, piano practice, and a rather sad attempt at studying, and fighting for attention the entire time was what he wanted to tell Marinette.
He'd finally settled on something he thought sounded okay around nine o'clock, then promptly lost another hour after that to sheer nervousness. What if she didn't want to see him? What if she told him she didn't even want to work together anymore? He didn't think he could bring himself to give up being Cat Noir, but if Ladybug said didn't want to be his partner any longer...
At last, after more than a few nudges from an increasingly exasperated Plagg, Adrien swallowed his nerves and transformed. It felt like only seconds passed before he found himself near the roof of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, heart thumping wildly against his ribs. Taking a breath to steady his nerves, Cat Noir rapped his knuckles against Marinette's bedroom window.
Cat tensed as the sound of a murmured conversation he hadn't been consciously aware of went abruptly silent. He counted breaths as it started hesitantly up again, waiting for some sort of response.
He had gotten to fifteen when what could only be Ladybug's kwami phased through the wall in front of him.
"That wasn't very nice of you, tricking Marinette like that," she informed him in a tiny voice.
Cat's ears drooped, and he felt his tail curl around his feet. "I know. I just wanted to know if she really liked me for me, and then when I found out we both liked each other, I thought it would be easy... I knew it was a bad idea, I just want to be with her so much." He sighed and looked at her window again. "She's just so... perfect."
Ladybug's kwami regarded him critically. "You should probably be telling Marinette this, not me," she said finally.
Cat winced and looked down. "I want to, but I'm not sure she wants to talk to me. I don't think I'd blame her if she doesn't. I had to try, though."
The small god considered for a moment longer, then nodded. "Go wait on the balcony," she instructed. "I'll talk to Marinette."
Cat followed the kwami's directions and leaned against the balcony railing to look at the city, his stomach a mess of knots. He had no idea if Marinette would actually talk to him. Hopefully her kwami would at least let him know one way or another, so he didn't spend all night on the balcony. He'd probably head home eventually if she didn't. No later than two or three, definitely.
The faint creak of hinges sounded behind him and his heart leapt into his throat, almost choking him. He spun around instantly, and there was Marinette rising through the trapdoor to her room, eyes slightly red around the edges. "Tikki said you had something to tell me?" she asked, her voice horse.
Cat Noir licked his lips, gathering his thoughts again. "You told me this afternoon that you think the person I want to date is actually Ladybug, and that she isn't real. And I get that, at least a little bit; our identities are definitely more complicated than the average person's.
"The more I thought about it, though, the more I think there's more to it than that," he continued. "No, I know there is. You showed me that you see me for who I am, whether I'm Cat Noir or your classmate or a model boy in front of a camera. Well, the same goes for you: You're Marinette all the time, whether you're helping your parents or taking charge in school or wearing a costume and saving Paris. And maybe I needed a bit of a push to see it, but now that I do, I know it's true. Because you're the person I fell in love with, all of you. I just wish you could see it, too."
Marinette stared at him like she could see right through to the other side; Cat swallowed nervously. "...Okay," she said at last. "Show me. Give me, hmm." Her lips quirked into a self-deprecating smile. "Give me five reasons that Ladybug and I are the same person, and I'll believe you."
Cat nodded quickly. He hadn't expected her to her to lead into his plan like this, but at this point he would take all the luck he could get.
"You're incredibly creative," he began. "As Ladybug, you're always able to figure out what your Lucky Charm means and how to use it to defeat the akuma, no matter what it is, and some of those have been real challenges. As Marinette, your fashion designs are breathtaking and innovative; no matter what you're making, you always manage to find a way to surprise me. You do things with clothing that I've never seen before, and believe me, I've seen a lot!"
Marinette was watching him carefully, her lips parted slightly in surprise. Adrien continued, determined to convince her just how amazing she was.
"You care deeply about other people. We both know how much Ladybug does to protect the citizens of Paris, but as Marinette you go out of your way to try and make sure there's nothing they need to be protected from. More than once I've seen you go to comfort someone who was upset over something, and yeah, it could just be to prevent akuma attacks, but I'm pretty sure you'd do that anyway, because that's just who you are."
She was staring now, a newly familiar blush starting to rise in her cheeks. He took this as a good sign.
"You're willing to admit when you screw up and to apologize for it. Hell, you were trying to patch things up with Lila right up until she went back to Italy! There are way too many people in the world who aren't willing to accept when they've done something wrong in the first place, let alone make amends, but you do it in and out of costume. I've always thought that was really brave."
Marinette's eyes were shining again, and she'd raised her hands to cover her mouth. Cat swallowed; he was pretty sure that was a positive reaction. Either way, he only had two left to go; he pressed on.
"You're determined. I've seen it so many times; once you set your mind to something, I don't think there's anything in the world that can stop you. Sometimes this means you have to compromise or backtrack and try again, but you keep on going until you're satisfied with the results. You've found new ways to fight akuma as Ladybug, and new solutions to problems as Marinette. It's inspiring; whenever I find myself about ready to give up on something, I think of you and it helps me get back to work."
This was it; this was the last one. It was the one that had come to mind first, and the one he had tried the hardest to get right. He hoped it would be enough.
"You're easy to love. For all the reasons I've already said and more, as Ladybug and as Marinette. People are drawn to you, no matter which name you're using, and I'm no exception. Loving you is the easiest thing I've ever done, and it would be the hardest to stop. I think I could give up being Cat Noir before I stopped loving you, and that's--"
"Okay," Marinette interrupted. "That's enough. You win." She launched herself at him, and Cat suddenly found himself sandwiched between Marinette and the balcony railing, her lips pressed firmly against his. Shocked, it took Cat a few seconds to respond, then he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could, pulling them even closer together and losing himself in Marinette.
He was dizzy when she finally broke the kiss, pulling back only a few centimeters. He licked his lips and shivered when he tasted her there, and again when he saw Marinette mirror the gesture. "So," he said, trying for casual and failing spectacularly. "Does this mean I get another chance at a date?"
Marinette laughed breathlessly and kissed him again. Cat Noir decided to take that as a 'yes'.
--Fin--
It's done! It's finally done! I can't say I was expecting to be ready to post this chapter quite so quickly, but, well, here I am :)
