Chapter Seven

Fading sunlight fell in through the butterfly window, contrasting with the artificial light from the hole in the ceiling. Adrien stood before Marinette, awkwardly shuffling his feet, not knowing where to begin.

It was so much easier with the masks.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time.

Adrien blinked at her. "What? Why are you sorry? You saved the city and were the only one thinking clearly during all of this. And I…I teamed up with supervillains all because I got my feelings hurt."

"And I'm sorry about that," Marinette quickly replied. "I know how much you love your mom and how excited you were to have her back and then I wasn't supportive because I was freaking out that the most coolest cutest awesomest guy in Paris is my partner who I adore but then I pushed you away and I endangered our friends and didn't trust you with my identity and-"

She stopped when Adrien took her hands. "You did what you had to do. And you never owed me the truth about your identity; in fact, you kept us safe by keeping it a secret. I'm sorry because I saw you with Luka and then you seemed like you didn't care so I listened to my mom even though she wasn't right. You…you could've been hurt and it was all my fault."

He was shaking, his green eyes welling up. Marinette stared up at him, her heart beating too fast to be healthy.

"Adrien. I'm so sorry about your mom. I should've been there. And I know you'll always keep me safe. You're my Chat Noir, right?"

His eyes flashed open, a question in them. "So…we're still partners?"

She smiled and stepped back, holding out her fist. Adrien's grin was simply boyish when he returned her fist bump.

"Pound it!" They both laughed until they met each other's eyes again.

"I'll…I'll stop pestering you with all the m'lady stuff, by the way," Adrien said, running his hand through his hair. "I'm happy for you and Luka and all I want is for you to be happy. So long as we stay friends, I'll be okay."

"Wait…me and Luka? I'm not with Luka."

"But I saw you kiss him at school the other day."

Marinette's blue eyes widened. "Luka's going to music school in America, he was coming to say goodbye. Besides, I could never be with him. I…I love someone else."

"Who?"

She couldn't meet his eyes, her fingers fiddling with the lucky charm Adrien had given her in her pocket. "It's…um, it's…the guy I love is…"

"It's you, you dolt!" Alya yelled down through the hole in ceiling.

"Alya!" Marinette screamed back, cheeks flaming red.

But her best friend just laughed. "The house looks okay. Nino and I are going to check out the city; we'll be back in a bit. Love ya, girl!"

Marinette fumed as she watched her leave while Adrien stared, his jaw hanging open.

"Me? You…you really…?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded really fast. Adrien sank onto the rubble, his head in his hands, watching Marinette pace and mutter to herself.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Probably thought Ladybug was some super cool girl and I'm just clumsy Marinette. He's going to leave and call it off and I'm going to have to be a single mother of a hamster…"

"Marinette." She finally looked at him, shaking in her shoes. "I love you."

Her knees went weak and she began to fall. Adrien jumped up quickly and caught her, sitting on her the floor very gently.

"But…but you love Ladybug."

"And you're her. Amazing, capable, smart, always looking to help others. I may have fallen in love with Ladybug while she had her powers, but you're an everyday Ladybug, doing what you can for everyone around you to make them happier. You're Ladybug, with our without the mask."

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't blink.

"Uh…could you please say something, so I don't feel like an idiot?"

"I love you too," she breathed, gasping once she said it out loud.

"Really?" Adrien held her at arms length so he could watch her facial expressions.

"Why wouldn't I? You're perfect and so sweet and so passionate about what's right and smart and friendly and you'll do anything to help someone in need. And…and the only reason I didn't like you as Chat was because…"

"You loved me. Adrien. And you didn't know who I really was."

Marinette laughed. "Sounds kind of crazy when you say it out loud, doesn't it?"

"Mari-m'lady? Can I…can I kiss you?"

Her heart stopped. Marinette sucked in a breath as she nodded once.

Adrien leaned forward and their lips met. It was soft, innocent, and oh so magical. It wasn't a kiss of passion or an awkward crash of teeth. It was a kiss of home.

I love him…so much.

I love her…so much.

Six Months Later

"Ready, kitty?" Ladybug asked, leaping rooftops.

"Always, bugaboo," Chat Noir replied, running right alongside her.

As one, they leaped into the seine, their aquatic powers allowing them the ability to breathe underwater.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir yelled and hit the door of the car rapidly sinking. It crumbled to rust and he quickly began helping the driver out.

"Here," Ladybug said and handed him her snorkel lucky charm. Then she and Chat Noir pulled him up, out of the water and onto the banks of the river. The man coughed sharply, falling back as the paramedics arrived.

"Thank you, Ladybug," the man gasped.

"Anytime," she replied and tossed the snorkel into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

In a wave of magic, the car was magically transported back onto the street and the man was fully recovered.

"So, m'lady, any plans for tonight?" Chat Noir asked, leaning on his pole.

"Well my boyfriend is planning something special for our six month anniversary. I should probably go meet him," she replied, smirking slightly.

"Wouldn't you rather hang with the coolest cat in Paris?"

Ladybug just laughed and flicked his nose. "Told you once, kitty, my heart belongs to someone else. Bug out!"

Chat Noir just stared dreamily after her as she swung away.

Adrien climbed out of the limo and turned back to his driver. "I'll only be about fifteen minutes."

The man grunted and drove off to find a parking place while Adrien made his way into the city prison.

"Ah, Mr. Agreste, how nice to see you again!" the receptionist chirped and entered something onto her computer. "There's only about fifteen minutes left for visiting hours. You made it right on time."

"Thanks, Ms. Caron." Adrien flashed her one of model smiles before heading down the grey cement hallways. Eventually he reached his destination, a room with a line of desks facing each other, a wall of plexi-glass separating them. Adrien slid into an empty seat in between a young woman and an elderly mother talking to men with serpents around their necks on the other side.

It was only a few minutes but to him it felt like forever until his father sat across from him. The pair instantly grabbed the black land lines on either side of them and held them to their ears.

"So, Father, how are you?" Adrien started. He always started. It had been a month before Gabriel would even speak. Two before he made eye contact.

"I started helping at the library, shelving books. They were incredibly disorganized before I arrived."

"Have you made any friends?"

Gabriel glared at his son. "No, Adrien, this is not a social gathering as I've told you time and time again."

"Well, I, uh, Marinette and I are going out to dinner tonight. It's our six-month anniversary. Do you…do you have any dinning suggestions?"

Gabriel pressed his lips together as he thought, his face not betraying any emotion, as per usual. "Le Severo makes excellent steak, as William Bernet used to be a butcher, and they have plenty of fries for the less distinguished pallet."

"Thanks. I should probably go-" He started to get up.

"Adrien." He sat back down. "Take her to Andre's afterward. Your…your mother and I would go there every anniversary. She'd get peppermint swirl and blueberry and I…I would get mint and vanilla. 'Minty green just like her eyes so bold and vanilla bean for her hand to hold.' Emile put a lock with our names on it on the bridge on our three-year anniversary."

Adrien gaped at his father. Over the last two months he'd been opening up, but never like this. Never about his mom.

"I'll…I'll be sure to take Marinette there. Thank you, Father."

"Attention," the speaker overhead crackled. "Visiting hours are now over. Have a wonderful evening everyone!"

Gabriel nodded at his son, offering him a brief smile before he walked away, while Adrien felt his heart practically glow.

"And that's why the theory of Ladybug being a alien sent from her destroyed green planet to earth for her own safety is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe declared, sitting in front of a red and black polka dot backdrop in penthouse bedroom.

"You heard it here first, folks," Alya chimed in, seated next to her in a matching armchair. "Ladybug is definitely not an alien. Thank you so much Chloe Bourgeois, AKA Queen Bee. Tune in next week for my exclusive interview with the Louvre curator about the historical impact of Ladybug and Chat Noir throughout the ages."

"And…that's a wrap!" Nino shouted from behind the video camera as he switched it off.

"If this interview of me doesn't get at least a thousand views, I'd blame the shoddy camera work," Chloe sighed, fluffing her ponytail.

"Hey!" Nino protested as he began packing up the camera.

"No worries, Chloe, Nino's great. Remember his music video? He filmed it all himself," Alya laughed. "Thanks for doing this again."

"About time you had me on your blog, anyway," Chloe drawled, staring at her nails, but she was smiling. "Thanks for, you know, interviewing me and stuff."

Alya rolled her eyes as she stood up. "Come on, Nino, we need to get going. My sisters have been dying for you to come over since the last time. They've been fighting over who gets to Ladybug this time."

"Chris is super excited too. He said he'll leave his Gameboy at home."

"Bye, Chloe!" Alya called over her shoulder as they headed out. The blonde waved back, smiling as the door shut.

I have friends. Real friends.

"Chloe?" a voice from the bathroom called. "Do I look okay?"

Adrien stepped out, his black suit without a wrinkle, his light green tie in a professional knot at the bottom of his neck. Chloe squealed when she saw him and dashed over to give him a hug.

"Oh, Adri-kins, you look perfect! Ladybug is going to love it!"

"Thanks," he laughed. "But you can call her Marinette, you know?"

"Hmph!" Chloe crossed her arms. "I refuse to believe that it was Dupain-Chang who stole the love of my life. Besides, Ladybug is much more worthy of you then I ever could be."

Adrien just rolled his eyes and went back into the bathroom to style his hair.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" Chloe exclaimed and pulled a small yellow gift box out of her pocket. "This is for you. Happy anniversary."

"You know you don't have to get me anything, right?" Adrien asked, setting down his tube of hair gel. "It's Marinette and I's anniversary."

"Oh, just open it."

"But-"

"Open it!"

Adrien jumped and quickly pulled the ribbon off the box and opened it. "Oh wow…"

"The key to looking nice is having the proper accessories, as my mother always says," Chloe explained and pulled the Ladybug and Chat Noir symbol tie pin out of the box. "And since you're living under the Bourgeois roof, you should heed our advice."

"Thank you, Chloe. It's perfect." His fingers ran over the small pin and a smile pulled at his lips.

"Anything for a friend," she replied and backed up. "Now fix your hair, you look ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!"

"Are you sure about this, Master?" Marinette asked Fu as he loaded up his van.

"Absolutely. It's time I face the guardians and explained everything," he replied, slamming his trunk shut. "Hawkmoth is long gone, and you have completed your training. You're ready."

Marinette looked at the cooler at her feet, hiding the miracle box. It was hers now, to guard and to protect.

"I won't fail you, Master. I promise."

He hugged her tightly. "I know you won't."

She walked with him to the other side of the van and watched him climb in. As he started the car, she knocked on the window which he rolled down.

"Master, I do have one more question. Why did you never tell Adrien and I who we were? You knew we loved each other and yet you never said anything."

"A little impatience can spoil great plans," he answered. "You and Adrien were made for each other but you two needed time to grow together."

"Thank you, Master. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Marinette."

And with those final words, Fu drove off toward the airport, headed back home for the first time within 200 years.

"Strawberry and chocolate for the sweetest love-birds in Paris," Andre announced and handed the Sunday to Adrien to Marinette.

"Thank you, Andre," he replied and, hand in Marinette's, walked down the Pondes des Arts.

"This was fantastic, Adrien," she told him as they sat on a bench, eating the ice cream together. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. You know…it was actually my father who suggested the restaurant."

Marinette swallowed her ice cream in surprise. "Really?"

"And him and Mom had Andre's ice cream every year on their anniversary. Apparently, they put a lock on the bridge on their third one."

"Then let's find it!" Marinette exclaimed and bounced up, dragging Adrien with her. "Come on, let's go!"

They giggled as they ran down the railings, looking at every lock, sighing over every sappy poem on the back of the locks.

"Ooh, this one is so sweet. Adrien, come look at…. Adrien?"

He was holding a silver lock with two names engraved underneath the heart shaped keyhole.

"Is that?"

"Emilie and Gabriel. September 9th, 1990," Adrien read. Marinette hugged him from behind.

"It's beautiful. Are…are you okay?"

He looked at it a moment longer before he stared at over the water. "I am, actually. Father's wish…that wasn't Mom. But because of it, it feels like Father and I can be a family again. And now we have each other."

Marinette hugged him a bit tighter and then they began walking back home. As the fading sun fell in between the buildings, the two lovebirds skipped through the town, past other couples embracing in the city of love.

"You never did tell me what your consequence was for making a wish," Adrien said suddenly as they crossed a street.

"There wasn't one, actually," Marinette replied and shrugged. "I guess there aren't consequences for wishes that are supposed to happen."

"That's good. I'd hate to think of you having to pay for my father's mistake"

They arrived at the bakery and stood outside the lite windows.

"Happy six months, bugaboo."

"Happy six months, kitty."

Though they had kissed plenty of times before, every time still felt new and exciting and like home.

Lila Rossi had known that Marinette and Ladybug, her two most hated enemies, were one in the same for six months now. Ever since the defeat of Hawkmoth, she'd been silently plotting and formulating. But other then getting her in trouble at school, nothing had happened. Not with her beloved Chat Noir protecting her.

But now was the day. She'd followed Marinette as she'd said goodbye to the guardian and watched her drag home a cooler that obviously was hiding something. And now she stood in her bedroom, having successfully evaded her parents.

The cooler was no where in sight, though. So she began to comb the room. Drawers, under furniture, in her closet. Nothing.

Lila stomped her foot in anger and, as she did, the floorboard under her foot shifted.

"Bingo."

She carefully pried the board up and found an ancient black box inside, clearly waiting for a better hiding spot. Inside was more then a dozen miraculouses! Her hands hesitated over the fox pendant, the one she'd sought after for so long. But her eyes found a broach instead, the butterfly miraculous. Her smile was triumphant as she pinned it to her shirt.

"Did you need me, Marinette?" the purple kwami asked as he appeared. But when he saw the girl grinning at him, he jumped back. "Who…who are you?"

"I am Lila Rossi, the holder of the butterfly miraculous, and Hawkmoth's heir. What are the transformation words, kwami?"

Nooroo was shaking. Not again, not again, not again, not again… "Da…da…dark wings rise."

"Dark wings, rise," Lila hissed and Nooroo was pulled into the broach. Her clothes transformed into a dark purple dress with a silver top, the straps flaring out like the wings on the broach. Dark heels were strapped up her legs and silver gloves came up to her elbows. But the most wonderful part was the silver mask covering her face, hiding her identity.

"Come to me, akumas!" she shouted as she ran up onto Marinette's balcony. A swarm of white butterflies flew toward her, through the night sky, not noticed by anyone. They surrounded her, their mistress, ready to be used once again.

Lila clasped one in her hand and transformed her power to it. "Fly away, my little akuma, and find us a messenger. One who can tell Paris that Hawkmoth is back."

The End

Ever since Timetagger and Ladybug, I've theorized that Lila is the next Hawkmoth. Her getting the miraculous would be the consequence for Marinette's wish. My heart just broke for Nooroo as I wrote it, though. Thank you all so much for your reviews and favorites, it means so much to me. And it you haven't seen the video that this fanfic is based on, please go watch it on Kawaii ComicUvU's YouTube channel, it's phenomenal!