AN: We made it to the end! As promised, the happiness and sweetness now overfloweth. Don't forget to check out my Indygodusk tumblr for pictures and outfit inspirations. I love you guys!

Anywhere, I would have followed you (Say Something)

By Indygodusk

Chapter 19: Epilogue of LOVE

Rose-gold light filled Marinette's room, heralding daybreak. Already dressed for the day, she sat on top of her covers with her arms tucked around her knees. Softly and slowly, the city began to gleam butter yellow as the sun finally finished cresting the horizon.

Neither the pale light of predawn nor the bright shine of sunrise could make sense of the thoughts jostling through Marinette's mind. Three days ago, she'd woken up at the hospital. After hugs and kisses, her parents had explained what had happened. Supposedly, she'd gotten stuck in an abandoned building and passed out. Gabriel Agreste had seen her body on the ground and had a mental breakdown, thinking for a second that she was his missing wife. Adrien and her friend Kenza had found them both and called the police.

That's not how Marinette remembered it.

Nevertheless, she'd confirmed the story. Marinette even added the detail of how a gang of boys had chased her through the streets, prompting her to try and hide. That part was even true.

Marinette desperately wanted to talk to her friends, but she didn't have a cell phone and the kind of things she wanted to talk about weren't things she could discuss in front of her parents with the phone downstairs. Her parents also weren't willing to let her go anywhere alone for the foreseeable future. It was so frustrating! Some of the events of that evening seemed cloudy because of her injuries and dehydration, but she knew deep down to her bones that they'd definitely won . She couldn't have just imagined that.

They'd defeated Hawk Moth, who'd been Gabriel Agreste. Go team! Paris was now safe. Yay! The kwami had said goodbye, taking their Miraculouses with them. Bittersweet. And Adrien Agreste, her Adrien, had been Chat Noir the entire time.

Adrien ! was Chat !

They—he? also may or may not have agreed to date her right before she'd passed out. The boy(s) she had a crush on also liked her—Marinette. Had she actually confirmed with Adrien that he knew she'd been Ladybug? She couldn't remember. He couldn't think Kenza had been Ladybug the whole time, could he? What a mess. How did you even bring something like that up? What if Adrien had only agreed to date Marinette out of pity for the poor broken girl who'd been locked up by his father? Groaning, Marinette dropped her forehead to her knees.

Rolling her head back and forth, she looked over at her wall and barely suppressed hysterical laughter. She'd taken down her shrine to Adrien when they'd become good enough friends that he might end up in her room regularly. She hadn't wanted the mortification and she'd also been trying to get up the courage to tell Chat that she returned his feelings. All of the Adrien photos had gone into the trash except for the Ladybug & Chat Noir themed photo shoot. After the mall, she'd ripped down the photo of sexy Adrien-as-Chat, only to later replace it with indulgent Adrien-as-Chat as he supported the model playing Ladybug as she adjusted her shoe. The newspaper clipping of the real Ladybug and Chat Noir sat on the wall right next to it.

The resemblance between Adrien and Chat Noir couldn't be more obvious.

Marinette felt like an idiot for never realizing that they were the same person. The whole reason she'd put that modeling photo up on the wall had been because something about Adrien's mouth and eyes reminded her of the way Chat Noir sometimes got around Ladybug, an expression that made her belly fizz and the corners of her mouth turn up in pleasure. It had been something she'd thought lost to her forever and hadn't wanted to forget.

A soft tapping on her door roused Marinette from her melancholy thoughts. "Yes?"

Seconds later, her mom opened the door and gave her a careful examination. "Good morning. I'm surprised to see you already up and dressed. Is everything alright?"

"Just having trouble sleeping. Too many thoughts." Marinette wrinkled her nose with annoyance. "Did you need me to come down and help with the bakery?"

Her mom shook her head. "Actually, our first customer of the day is downstairs and asking after you. I said I'd check if you were awake and ask if you felt up to visitors." In response to Marinette's curious look, her mom only gave her a pleasant poker face, not giving anything away.

Giving in, Marinette shrugged. "Sure, send the mystery customer up." Marinette hoped it was Kenza with news and not that random boy her mom had tried to set her up with before the mall bombing. Then again, at this point, she'd take any distraction from her circling thoughts. After her mom left, Marinette couldn't help the way her knee started to bounce, shaking the bed as she waited impatiently for her visitor.

After several endless moments, her mother finally returned. Giving Marinette a wink, she stepped to the side, revealing the familiar and well-loved angles of Adrien's face. Marinette's bouncing knee froze. Adrien looked sinfully attractive for such an early hour of the morning. Thank goodness she was dressed, but her hair was still flat on one side and a rat's nest on the other. There was probably dried drool on her cheek and she was sitting barefoot on her bed! Marinette struggled not to start hyperventilating. Mom, the traitor, gave her an encouraging smile and then left them alone with the door propped open.

The sound of crinkling paper broke the increasingly tense silence as Adrien swung a white paper bakery bag nervously in one hand. "My Lady," he winced, "I mean, Marinette. I mean…," Adrien blew out a breath, "hi." After that awkward greeting,he gave her one fleeting glance and then took to examining the carpet and walls.

"Hello," Marinette answered faintly. What should she do? It was just Adrien. It was Adrien who'd agreed to date her! But it was also just Chat Noir. It was Chat in her bedroom with bare hands and no mask!

Shifting on his feet, Adrien's eyes settled onto the Ladybug & Chat Noir photo shrine on her wall with the flying Tikki plushy flying benevolently overhead. Adrien suddenly leaned forward and examined the photos intently. The silence became electric. Marinette held her breath in suspense.

"Did you know?" Adrien finally asked, his voice vibrating quiet intensity as he gestured at the photos.

"No," Marinette shook her head and took a deep breath at finally being able to talk, "though I feel stupid now."

Meeting her eyes, Adrien huffed a breath of laughter. "You and me both. I mean, I've known for years that my partner Ladybug and my friend Marinette shared the same intoxicating scent, yet I never made the connection. It had to be the magic of the kwamis and the miraculous that kept everyone from figuring it out. My kwami Plagg's spell using your stolen luck magic was only around for about a year, so there had to be something else at work from the beginning. At least, that's what I've decided to tell myself and I suggest you do the same to keep from going crazy. Nothing else makes sense, especially considering it even kept me and," Adrien's voice roughened, "my father from recognizing each other."

Without thinking, Marinette reached out with her one good arm and touched his shoulder sympathetically. Adrien leaned into it for a petting, just like he always had on rooftops when dressed in black. Her petit minou . "Come here, kitten." Marinette ordered softly, trying to hide her nerves as she decided to trust her instincts.

"If you're going to pull my tail, I'd rather stay over here." Nevertheless, Adrien slipped off his shoes and crawled up onto the bed to sit next to her. He'd always been brave that way. "So now what?" he asked nervously, giving her a sideways look.

"Now we introduce ourselves all over again," Marinette decided impulsively, sticking out her hand. "Hi, my name's Marinette. I used to be the superhero Ladybug, but now I'm retired. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Looking at her with surprise and fondness, Adrien engulfed her fingers in his warm hand and squeezed. "I used to be Chat Noir, the partner of Ladybug, but now I'm working on being just Adrien. And the pleasure is definitely all mine." Lifting her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles gallantly.

Surprisingly, the introduction worked. The two identities of the man sitting next to her settled down into one complex personality in Marinette's mind. Thus settled, she was able to greet Adrien's gesture with a smirk, hair toss, and mildly pink cheeks instead of incoherent stuttering, a tomato red face, and flails. "Are you trying to impress me?" she asked archly, sending him a teasing look and tugging futilely at her hand.

Looking up at her through his golden lashes, Adrien grinned against her knuckles and then turned her hand over and pressed a kiss to the base of her palm. "Is it working?"

Giggling, Marinette couldn't help but tug him closer instead of trying to escape. "Yes, you scoundrel."

Looking thoroughly pleased, Adrien snuggled carefully against her injured side and wrapped an arm around her back. "Is this okay?" he asked. "I don't want to hurt you." He cast an unhappy look down at her sling and then up at the new stitches on her brow.

"I'm tough, don't worry," Marinette soothed, reaching up to rub away the worry lines on his brow. She'd wanted to do that for years, but never had the courage before.

Smiling shyly, Adrien turned his head and kissed the tender skin on the inside of her wrist. "I know you're tough, but I care too much about you to not worry," he confessed.

Breath catching, Marinette's cheeks turned hotter than the ovens downstairs. Emotion fizzed and popped across her skin. Hand slipping down to cup Adrien's cheek, she looked deep into the green eyes that had defined her days and nights for so many years. Adrien matched her gaze. The space between them crackled.

"I love you," they both said at the same time, the sounds overlapping each other in a familiar duet. After a beat of mutual surprise, they laughed with delight. Their smiling lips met in a joyful kiss, mouths slipping softly against each other in a new and addicting sensation. It felt like a greeting, the first hesitant step inside a warm house that soon would be a home. Before things could get too intense, they leaned back in mutual accord. Blue eyes met green and they smiled contentedly, both exactly where they wanted to be.

As Adrien shifted, paper crinkled loudly. "Oh, I forgot." He sent Marinette a look of mock-annoyance spoiled by the way his mouth wouldn't stop smiling. "I bought something for us downstairs, but someone kept distracting me."

"I'm not going to apologize for any of that," Marinette said smugly.

"Fair enough. I wouldn't want you to and will, in fact, take more of " that " any time you'd like." Winking flirtatiously, Adrien opened the bag and tilted it so she could see inside. "Since we are finally together at the bakery, My Lady, I present you with the long-awaited and promised macarons."

Smiling besottedly, Marinette didn't need to look down at the cookies before making her next pronouncement. "You're perfect."

"When I said I was excited to finally get a clean bill of health and toss the sling, that didn't mean I wanted to put my good health to the test by cleaning." Marinette blew an unruly strand of her short hair off her nose.

"Now sweetheart, we've put off clearing out this storage closet long enough," her dad said absently as he flipped through a pile of cardboard placards. "With your boyfriend out of town, cleaning is the perfect distraction from your doldrums."

The sound of rumbling wheels announced the arrival of her mom with two rolling trash cans and stopped Marinette's snappy retort. Her mom placed them in front of the door and came inside. Hands on her hips, she looked around. "There must be years worth of junk in here. We can use the blue bin for recycling and the other for the garbage."

Picking up a cardboard cutout, Marinette unfolded it curiously. "Wow, you weren't kidding about these being old. We haven't used the Bakery Bear out front since I was in junior high." Refolding the cardboard, she bent it smaller again using her knee and then stuffed it down into the recycling can.

Over the next hour, the three steadily cleared off the shelves in the storeroom. In the back corner, Marinette found another cardboard cutout leaning face-first against the wall. Pulling it out, she flipped it around and stared. "Now that brings back memories."

"What was that, dear?" her mom asked, straightening up from a crouch to put her hands on her back and stretch.

Smiling wryly, Marinette turned the cutout so her parents could see it. "It's our Ladybug Christmas Greeter." Examining the cheerful face behind its red mask, Marinette couldn't believe how young she'd looked. How had people trusted such a baby-faced superhero? "We had her up the year we thought Adrien had gotten kidnapped. We ended up eating at his house with Santa and all my classmates. Remember?" The memory made her feel bittersweet as she thought of Gabriel Agreste's desperate worry for his missing son contrasted the same night with his choice to take advantage of Santa's hurt feelings and evilize him as Hawkmoth.

Looking up at her parents, she found them both staring at her in complete shock. Her dad especially looked flabbergasted, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. He pointed a finger between her and the cardboard and made a strange gurgling sound.

"What?" Marinette asked, looking between the picture of Ladybug and her parents.

"It's- it's you!" her mom cried, her eyes going so wide they showed white all around the edges.

Like a rabbit, Marinette froze.

"That's impossible," her father muttered feverishly. "We would have known. We met Ladybug. We had the picture up in the bakery for weeks with you standing and singing right next to it."

Oh no! What was she going to do!? How was she going to get out of this? Her parents couldn't know—wait. Hold on. Hawk Moth was gone. There was no danger anymore. Why shouldn't she tell them?

"Surprise," Marinette announced with a nervous little wave. Then she said something she'd wanted to say for years. "That's the reason I disappeared all the time. I'm Ladybug." Finally telling them felt unreal. "Or at least I was until, you know, getting too hurt at the mall to continue. Then to keep mom and everyone else there safe, I had to pass the powers on to a new girl."

Their faces went whiter than flour. Her dad's legs gave out and he dropped to the floor with a thud. "You were really Ladybug? Our little girl the whole time…." His head shook slowly back and forth as if drunk.

Leaning heavily on her husband's shoulder, Marinette's mom swayed. "How did we not know?" she asked with bewilderment.

Marinette leaned back with her arms crossed, finding their reactions hilarious. But then she thought about their words and felt her smile fade. She had to look away as remembered pain and bitterness spread an oily sheen over her thoughts. "Oh, you know: a combination of luck magic and a lot of lies. It wasn't safe for me to tell you and then the magic made it impossible to say anything, but just so you know, when I disappeared from the bakery or skipped class, I wasn't getting into trouble. I was fighting to save Paris and keep everyone safe. As for knowing the names of all the cops, it's because I met them doing my duty, not because I was on the verge of getting arrested. I have a boxful of medals under my bed from the Mayor to prove it." She gestured upstairs without meeting their eyes. "I know you found me a disappointment and worried about me becoming a juvenile delinquent, but I didn't have any choice but to let you be ashamed of me while I tried to protect everyone from Hawk Moth." Ending on that acerbic note, she finally glanced back at her parents.

They looked stricken. Immediately, Marinette felt guilty. She grimaced. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. Please forgive me."

"How could you have lied to us like that? For years!" Her father's voice boomed and shook in equal measure. "How could you have put yourself in danger like that?! We're your parents, the adults! You should have—" At the touch of his wife's hand, he cut himself off and swallowed hard. Her parent's looked at each other in a moment of wordless communication.

Suddenly her dad's posture down, he put a hand over his eyes. Tears began trickling out. Seeing it made Marinette's stomach hurt.

After a moment, he roughly rubbed his face and looked up. "No, we're sorry. I'm sorry for making you feel that way," her father said gruffly. Tears soaked into his bushy sideburns. "I am both terrified and proud that you were Ladybug. If it wasn't all over now, I might have a heart-attack. I still might just thinking about my baby girl in danger." Pausing, he pressed a hand to his chest, looking overwhelmed.

Placing an arm around her husband's burly shoulders, Marinette's mom added, "I wish you wouldn't have lied to us so much, and I still don't fully understand why you did, but we're sorry we hurt you. I'm a bit upset and overwhelmed by this, but we can talk about that later once we've all had time to calm down. However, thank you for telling us now and not continuing to lie about it. We've gone through some tough times this last year especially, but we all survived it. We're still a family and we love you. Can you forgive us too?"

"Please?" her father added, holding his arm out for a hug.

Throwing herself into the cradle of her parent's arms, Marinette broke into tears. "Of course! I'm so sorry for the lying and for making you worry. Mom, Dad, I love you guys so much." They hugged her tightly between their arms and began healing.

Then Marinette cleared her nose with a noisy sniff, breaking the moment. Everyone chuckled. Mom leaned back and wiped Marinette's face dry with the inside edge of her sleeve."Our daughter the superhero. You've definitely changed my expectations." She tapped Marinette's nose teasingly. "Now you really have no excuse for not cleaning your room. If you could keep Paris safe for years, all the while maintaining your grades in school and working at the bakery, you have no excuse for leaving dirty clothes outside the hamper and fabric scraps on the stairs."

"Or eating the last carrot stick and leaving the empty bag in the fridge," Marinette's Dad added with mock-sternness.

"Mo-om, Da-ad," Marinette whined.

"Marinette." Her mother's lips twitched with amusement.

Rolling her eyes, Marinette slid off her father's lap. "On that note, I guess I'll finish cleaning up the storeroom."

"Excellent plan, sweetheart." Her dad stood up with a few muted cracks of popping joints. Wiping his cheeks dry on his shoulders, he helped her mother to her feet.

Without further discussion, the family went back to sorting and cleaning. They'd survived the revelation of her biggest secret and kept on ticking. Smiling to herself, Marinette folded up the cardboard Ladybug cutout and plopped it into the recycling bin.

"Oh, maybe we should keep it?" her father said with a creased brow.

"Why, when we have the real thing?" her mother asked with a sideways smile at her daughter.

Smiling back gratefully, Marinette let Ladybug slide a bit more into her past.

Flopping down onto Kenza's bed a few days later, Marinette pulled a pillow over her face and groaned dramatically. Kenza, the traitor, laughed. "Come on, Marinette, Adrien'll only be gone for a few more weeks. It's not that bad."

Marinette dropped the pillow to send her friend a scowl. "What do you know? You're single—"

"Happily so," Kenza interjected with her nose in the air.

"—and not at risk of being forgotten in favor of a prettier girl with less emotional baggage. My shoulder's finally healed and now he's gone!"

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Kenza sat down next to Marinette and patted her soothingly. "It's exactly because of the baggage that you two share that he'll still be madly in love with you when he gets back. You know Adrien's ridiculously loyal. It'll hurt his feelings if he thinks you're doubting him. Also, try and remember how awesome you are, Marinette."

"I'll try," Marinette made a face, "but you're right, Adrien is loyal. He's wonderful." Just the thought of holding his hand made a dreamy smile spread across her face.

"Besides," Kenza added, "Adrien needs to figure out what to do about his dad going forward. This trip and the Mental Wellness Retreat in Switzerland will give them a chance to figure that out. You know things have been in limbo since his dad checked himself out of that clinic in Lyon. Of course, I still think you should have just sent Gabriel to jail and saved us all the trouble."

Shifting uncomfortably, Marinette looked away. "You said we wouldn't argue about that anymore. It's what Adrien wanted. Let it go, please."

"Fine," sighing, Kenza crossed her legs under her, "let's talk about something more cheerful. Like how, SURPRISE! I randomly got you a present." Leaning off the bed, she grabbed a little pink box off of her desk. "For my sister of the spots."

Grinning crookedly, Marinette sat up. "What a happy coincidence, I just so happen to have a surprise gift for you, too." Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a small yellow box with a lilac bow. "I've been carrying it around forever, but I kept forgetting to give it to you."

Laughing, the two girls exchanged smiles and gifts.

"I love getting presents," Kenza said cheerfully as she ripped the bow off her box and flung it over her shoulder.

"Me too!" Marinette peeled the tape off the side of the pretty box with her fingernail and lifted the lid. Inside, she found an elegant bracelet covered with lifelike ladybug charms. "Oh, they're gorgeous!" she breathed.

"Great minds think alike. Thank you so much, Marinette!" Kenza cooed as she lifted her ladybug necklace out of the box and tilted it from side to side to make the ladybug's wings open and close.

"Spots on?" Marinette suggested with a smile. Kenza nodded in agreement and, without further discussion, they put on their new gifts and stood up to model them in the mirror on the wall.

Glancing at Kenza from the corner of her eye, Marinette asked, "Can I ask you a random question?"

"Sure," Kenza shrugged.

"What did Tikki whisper to you right before she left?" Marinette asked curiously.

Huffing out a laugh, Kenza reached into her pocket. "She made me lucky enough to never accidentally lose my cell phone again." Pulling the phone out, Kenza brandished it triumphantly. "Ta da!"

"Now that's handy," Marinette grinned.

"Very," Kenza agreed happily. "So, now that we look fabulous, let's call a bunch of friends and go hang out somewhere."

"Not the mall," Marinette said firmly, shadows springing to her eyes.

"NO! Of course not." Kenza's shoulders went up around her ears in mutual trauma.

Shaking herself, Marinette reached out and took her friend's hand. "Sorry, I forgot for a second who I was talking to. How about miniature golf and ice cream?"

"Sounds good, as long as you don't go all judgy if I start wrestling Marcel again." Kenza grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

Sliding off the bed, Marinette smirked at Kenza over her shoulder. "I wasn't being judgy. I was thinking how cute the two of you are. Marcel totally has a crush on you but doesn't want to ruin your friendship by saying anything. You should put the poor boy out of his misery and give him a kiss. His feet wouldn't touch the ground for the rest of the summer."

"Nooooo," Kenza's jaw dropped. Eyes narrowing, she snatched up her pillow and attacked Marinette. "We're just friends. That's not true. You take that back!"

Cackling, Marinette dodged and weaved, finally jumping up onto the bed and then leaping over to the top of the desk in an attempt to keep from being hit. Kenza lunged, knocking over her desk chair and a cup of pens with her wild swings. Papers scattered into the air like snow as Marinette accidentally kicked the entire ream of printer paper up into the air.

"Kenza, what in the world is going on in there?! The stampede from The Lion King?" Mrs. Bey scolded from outside the door.

The friends collapsed next to each other on the floor in a fit of giggles. "Sorry, mom!" Kenza called breathlessly.

"Sorry, Mrs. Bey!" Marinette echoed.

In response, Kenza's mom chuckled. "Well just remember go around Mufasa and stomp on Scar instead. I always cry over Mufasa."

Seconds later, the door popped opened as Laila, Kenza's little sister, peeked her head in. "Do you have Simba in here?" Laila asked hopefully, her big, babydoll eyes peering into the corners of the room.

Shaking her head, Kenza bounced to her feet. "Nope, just a," jumping forward, she snatched her little sister up into the air, "RASPBERRY MONSTER!"

As Laila screamed and wiggled with delight, Kenza blew on the toddler's tummy, making loud raspberry noises. "Again, again!" Laila cried through her giggles and flailing limbs.

Fingering her new bracelet, Marinette reflected on her life. All of the bad things that had happened in the last year had led her to the here and now. She missed being a superhero, but this was her new normal. As laughter rang in her ears, she smiled and hopped up to join the tickle party. She could easily learn to love this too.

Dragging Adrien by the hand, Marinette raced through the gates to their new university. "Come on, slowpoke!"

"There's no need to run," Adrien laughed, purposefully slowing down. "Our first classes don't start for an hour and Professor Ogbore assured you that all the classrooms have more than enough seats for everyone."

Sticking out her tongue over her shoulder, Marinette let go of his hand to jump up onto a wrought-iron bench and spin around with her hands up in the air. "But we're finally here! We made it to university! We're living the dream and we're together! Doesn't it all just make you so happy?"

Putting his hands around her waist to stop her spin, Adrien looked up into her face with a dopey smile. "You make me happy."

Marinette's face turned bright pink. "Adrien…."

"But there's just one problem," he said, injecting hesitance into his voice and looking down.

Threading her fingers behind his neck, Marinette leaned down with real worry. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's silly…" heaving a big sigh, he looked up at her through his lashes.

Marinette dipped closer, tickling his cheeks with her short brown locks. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Unable to keep his lips from tilting up any longer, he whispered. "My girlfriend hasn't kissed me yet this morning." Quickly raising his head, he captured her mouth. Marinette melted sweetly into the touch, but as soon as their lips parted, she thwacked him hard in the arm. "Ouch!" Adrien laughed, rubbing his arm to relieve the sting.

Marinette stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "You jerk, I thought something was seriously wrong," she scolded.

"I just don't want you to forget about your boyfriend when you meet all of those new university boys today." Putting his hands in his pockets, Adrien examined the scrollwork on the bench with forced nonchalance.

"Aren't we a pair?" Marinette said with soft fondness, hopping down to take his arm. "I've been worried sick that you're going to meet someone better than me."

"Impossible," Adrien immediately replied. "There's no such person."

Smiling, they touched foreheads, creating a private bubble in the midst of the morning student rush. "I love you," Marinette whispered intimately, her breath puffing warmly across his face.

"I love you," Adrien replied fervently. "Forever and always."

They kissed softly and then leaned back to start walking again in perfect harmony. Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder. "I do want us to be together forever, but... I know that sometimes unexpected things happen. However, no matter what, I want you to promise me that we'll always be friends. You mean too much to me for us to one day drift into strangers." Hands tightening on his arm, she begged, "Promise me."

Dropping a kiss on her head, he easily acquiesced. "My Lady, I can't imagine any circumstance where I'd ever want you out of my life. No matter what happens, even if you leave me to marry a pigeon fancier, I will always be your friend. I'd have to invest in lots of antihistamines because of my allergy to pigeons, but I'd still want to be around you." Kissing her sweet-smelling hair again, he vowed, "You're stuck with me forever."

"Well, good, because I want to be with you forever and always too." Marinette sighed contentedly. The couple slowly walked in comfortable silence down cobbled paths. Around them walked other students looking by turns excited and anxious.

"So have you decided what to get Alya for her birthday yet?" Adrien asked as they passed the journalism building.

Biting her lip, Marinette gave him a sideways look. "I had an idea, but I wanted to run it by you first."

"No more American boy band routines," Adrien insisted quickly. "Nino and I did it the once and that was more than enough mortification to last us for the rest of our lives. You promised!"

Giggling, Marinette told him, "She still has the picture up on her wall. The spandex shirts and matching bandanas really sparkle when she turns on her desk lamp."

"Marinette," he groaned, covering his face with one hand in embarrassment. "Have some pity on your poor boyfriend."

Throwing her head back to laugh out loud, Marinette finally had to stop walking to catch her breath. "Oh, I just had the funniest thought about you guys doing a reunion tour," she panted, "but that's actually not what I meant about a gift."

"Thank goodness for that," Adrien grumbled good-naturedly.

"Actually, I was thinking of telling her about us," Marinette said carefully.

Tugging them back into motion, Adrien detoured them around a student rifling through her bag on the pathway. "Sweetheart, I think she knows we're dating by now. I'm pretty sure you told her as soon as it happened. That and the way you stuck your tongue down my throat after our karaoke duet last weekend was probably a pretty obvious clue."

"Excuse me, but you like my tongue," she growled with a cute little blush.

Smiling smugly, he bumped against her side. "You know I do."

"Anyways," she cleared her throat, "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about finally telling her the truth about our superhero identities."

"You mean the spots and claws?" Adrien clarified, looking around to make sure they weren't overheard. It was probably an unnecessary precaution, but he couldn't help himself.

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, the mystery of Ladybug and Chat Noir's disappearance has been driving her crazy all summer. She's almost to the point of making shrines for the superheroes with candles and everything. I would die of mortification if she made us go to some public ceremony. I promise I'll swear her to secrecy first so nothing would end up on the Ladyblog, but I can't think of a better gift to give Alya for her birthday than the real truth about Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"She's going to be angry," Adrien fretted quietly.

"Well, yeah, for a little bit," Marinette acknowledged with a wince, "but then she'll just be super excited and attack us with a barrage of questions instead of sharp and pointy objects. I don't want her to kill me if she finds out some other way. If I tell her about me, she'll guess about you anyways, so please? Can I tell her about us both?"

Adrien gave in. "Alright, but if we're doing this, we should probably include Nino and get Kenza's permission too."

"Kenza already said yes," Marinette said cheerfully.

Adrien gave her the side-eye. "That confident of my answer, were you?"

"This is your chance to brag about your exploits to your biggest fan. Of course you weren't going to say no," Marinette answered with an eyeroll.

Pausing, Adrien thought for a second and then shrugged in agreement. It was true. Chat Noir was awesome. He had been dying to brag to a better audience than his unimpressed girlfriend.

The bell tower tolled and Marinette squeaked in surprise. "We need to hurry!" Grabbing his hand, she began dragging him forward.

Stretching his legs, Adrien matched Marinette's pace stride for stride. Years of muscle memory made it impossible to do anything else but stay by his partner's side. He did it easily, instinctually. If he had any say about it, they would always be this way.

"Marinette, everyone's looking for you," Alya scolded.

Kneeling at the base of the billowing white skirt with pins sticking out of her mouth, Marinette sewed frantically.

"Do you really need more ladybugs on that thing? You're going to be late," Alya said indulgently.

"I'm ahmos dun," Marinette muttered past the pins. Tying off the last stitch, she sat back on her heels with a pleased sigh. She threw her sewing supplies back in the box by her side and jumped to her feet.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Alya laughed from over her shoulder. "Did you really just embroider little cats on the hem of your dress to match the red ladybugs on the bodice? Didn't you embroider something like that on Adrien's vest too? You are such a sap."

Shrugging unashamedly, Marinette dashed for the door. "Okay, I'm ready to go now."

"Um, Marinette, you're forgetting something." Confused, Marinette stopped and cocked her head to the side. Alya sighed with amusement. "You might want to get dressed first, though I'm sure it would give all the guys a thrill to see you in just your slip and underwear. However, considering that even Adrien hasn't seen that yet, he might get jealous about sharing the new view with everyone." Shaking her head, Alya grabbed the abashed Marinette's arm and pulled her back towards the wedding dress.

As Alya buttoned up the back, Marinette's mom came into the room. "Here you are. I thought you'd be ready by now. Didn't I already button you into that thing?"

Casting her mother an apologetic look, Marinette explained. "I had to add some more detailing to the skirt so I took the dress off. Sorry."

"Well, I guess they can't start without the bride." Kissing Marinette on the cheek, her mom stepped back and examined her face. Then she grabbed the makeup bag and reapplied Marinette's smudged lipstick. "There, that's better. Don't forget to put on that mystery belt from Adrien too."

"As scion of a fashion empire, he hopefully didn't choose something awful," Alya said, handing Marinette the beribboned box.

Completely confident in Adrien's good taste, Marinette opened the present excitedly and unfolded the tissue paper. "Aw."

"Well, let's see it," prompted her mother impatiently.

Sniffling to keep the tears at bay, Marinette pulled out the present: a jewel-encrusted Ladybug belt from the launch of the Agreste Jewelry line all those years ago. The belt from the Valentine's Day fashion photoshoot, in fact. "It's perfect," Marinette whispered, wrapping it around her waist and securing the round ladybug clasp.

Next Alya and her mom helped button on the chiffon cape that wrapped around Marinette's neck and shoulders in the front and extended down to the floor in the back. Her mom secured the veil on her head and stepped back. "Well? How do I look?" Marinette asked nervously, holding her hands out from her sides.

"Like a bride," Alya deadpanned. Then she grinned. "Just kidding. You look gorgeous, Marinette."

Tearing up, her mom smiled. "You look beautiful, like a dream. I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."

"Thank you." Smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt, Marinette slipped on her high heels. "I'm ready to go now."

At the door to the chapel, her father took her arm and squeezed. "You look lovely." Alya signalled and the music started for the wedding party's entrance. Bridesmaids and groomsmen disappeared through the door and then it was her turn.

Marinette expected to feel nervous, but she wasn't. She knew this was right. Instead, she felt excited and impatient. Beaming, she stepped confidently through the double-doors into the chapel.

The bridal party blocked her view of Adrien, so she looked around at the guests instead. In the background, she distantly noticed the photographers snapping pictures furiously. Her aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides had come out in full force to support her. A lot of their friends from High School and University had shown up too. Alya's and Kenza's families sat next to each other on one pew. Even Master Fu had come and no one had seen him out and about in years. In the pew on the groom's side sat Professor Adrien Ogbore and Dr. Carrie Moreau. They'd left half the bench open, but no one had filled it.

Adrien's father must have chosen not to come after all. Poor Adrien. A private part of Marinette was glad she wouldn't have to deal with Gabriel Agreste today, but she knew that Adrien had hoped for his father's approval and support. Only a shell of the man he used to be, Gabriel had chosen to isolate himself and wallow in misery, retreating from the fashion world and his family. In her eyes, he was punishing himself more effectively than any jail ever could. She just wished he didn't sadden Adrien so much. Hopefully Gabriel would find a way to redeem himself some day.

Glancing forward, she lost track of her thoughts as she caught her first glimpse of Adrien - the love of her life and soon-to-be husband. For a second, she felt like she was fifteen again and daydreaming. Never had Adrien looked more handsome than today. Dressed in an exquisitely cut black tuxedo and black vest with subtle dark green cat embroidery, he wore a contrasting dark red pocket-square and matching cravat. At his neck gleamed the cat-shaped labradorite cravat pin from the same superhero photoshoot as her ladybug belt. It was perfect.

Everything in her world narrowed down to his beloved green eyes. Adrien drank in her approach, tears of deep emotion darkening his lashes. Finally reaching his side, Marinette released her father's arm with a grateful squeeze, accepted a kiss on the cheek, and then joined Adrien, She took his offered hand and gripped it tightly.

Adrien cleared his throat and whispered reverently, "You look beautiful."

"So do you," Marinette smiled, blinking hard.

As one, they turned as the minister began the wedding ceremony. Despite her good intentions, Marinette found her attention drifting from his words. She felt impatient to say, "I do," and make everything official. Adrien didn't seem to have the same problem, listening attentively to the minister's words and nodding along seriously. Finally the minister asked, "Who has the rings?"

"I do!" Kenza gushed, stepping forward with the rings outstretched. Adrien and Marinette had had to compromise and share Kenza, since both had been too stubborn to give her up. As ''Best Ring Bearer of Honor,' Kenza wore a floor-length, sleek black skirt with a ruffled white top and fitted red jacket. "I mean, here they are. They're the ones who're going to say, 'I do.' Not me. Here." Beaming with happiness, Kenza passed over the rings and then skipped back with excitement.

The minister smiled benevolently. "Adrien, as you place the ring on Marinette's finger, please repeat the vows after me."

Adrien met Marinette's eyes with a look of complete devotion. Joyful tears trembled on his lashes as he gave her a close-lipped smile. His green eyes gleamed brightly as he said his vows.

"With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours.
It is a symbol of my eternal love,
My everlasting friendship,
And the promise of all my tomorrows.

May God bless our lives together

And may we find joy in the Chaos."

Feeling incandescently happy, Marinette repeated the vows at the minister's prompting.

"With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours.
It is a symbol of my eternal love,
My everlasting friendship,
And the promise of all my tomorrows.

May God bless our lives together

And may Luck bless our days."

Unable to pull her eyes from Adrien's beloved face, she distantly heard the minister say, "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife."

Cheering, whistling, and clapping filled the room. Smiling , Marinette leaned towards the man she'd just married. "Wife," Adrien said, gazing into her eyes with joy and contentment.

"Husband," Marinette replied, so happy she could burst.

As their lips came together, Marinette ecstatically kissed the man at the center of her world and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was the center of his. Adrien wrapped his arms around her back and dipped Marinette into a celebratory kiss, the first of many in their extraordinary life as a married couple. No matter what came next, they would always have each other, the excitement of chaos, the benefit of luck, and hearts full of love.

And they lived happily ever after.

THE END

AN: Thank you for going all the way with me. I'd love to hear your thoughts on my story. Cheers!