"happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy," wren said. "it's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for." - rainbow rowell

☾ ☽

     There was so much tension in the air. Ladybug stood there, absolutely frozen and stiff as a board. Adrien uncomfortably shifted under her gaze, wondering what could've been possibly going through the red superhero's mind. It wouldn't be surprising if Ladybug's mentality crumbled away on the spot; who wouldn't be shocked if their crush was their partner? And the fact that she cut the string that connected herself to Adrien... Oh, how Ladybug immediately detested herself in that moment.

     "Y-You..." She stuttered, still in absolute disbelief. "I can't believe it."

     It was him. Adrien Agreste, in the flesh, standing in front of her.

     "I won't apologize to you for revealing myself if that's what you mean," Adrien scratched the back of his head as his face flushed to a light red. "I just wanted you to know who I was; string or no string." He held a hand out to her, and she instantly took a step back in response.

     Any hope left in him seemed to have dissipated in that moment.

     Silence fell over the two before a black being spiraled out of Adrien's silver ring and sprawled onto his shoulder. "Adrien..." The small, cat-like creature moaned as it deflated like a balloon. "I need some Camembert. Stat-, wait a minute!" Its green eyes shot to like and it immediately sat upright. "What did you-, how... Adrien!" The kwami patronized. "Why did you do that?!"

     He looked up at the girl, whose eyes were widening in surprise. "So I can be my true self around her," Adrien said, still unable to give up and stared right into Ladybug's eyes.

     Her grip tightened on her yo-yo. Her pulse quickened. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, wanting to be let out and to jump right out of her chest. "But that's not what I meant-!" She covered her mouth with her hands a second too late. Adrien already caught her words.

     "What you meant?" He squinted. "What does that mean?"

     Ladybug refused to say anything. Another beep was emitted from her earrings; one minute left. Without a moment to lose, she wrapped her arm around the boy's waist, threw her yo-yo as far as she could, and jumped off the roof. She couldn't possibly just leave this there. Adrien clung to her shoulder like a leech, and Plagg barely managed to keep a grip on Adrien's shirt. He stared up at her, only to find that her eyes were glazed over as if something was clouding her thoughts. She seemed lost; unable to comprehend the scene she had just witnessed. He couldn't blame her; revealing himself to her just added to the list of problems she already had. He had the slightest tang of guilt.

     She, on the other hand, was still trying to process the scene that unfolded before her. Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien. The two were the same person. Why didn't it seem that way? And how did she never see it before?

     Within moments, they were soon in front of the Agreste Mansion. She let him down carefully; hanging from the yo-yo like Spider-Man. However, Adrien didn't want to let her go. He did eventually, but he didn't want to. "H-Here's your stop..." Her stammering decreased to a mumble as Adrien's feet touched the ground. "I have to go... The transformation is about to end."

     Adrien immediately grabbed her arm and she paralyzed at the touch. Waves of electricity coursed through her veins from his fingertips. "You know," He said. "Remember that day where we defeated Stone Heart? I swore that whoever was under that mask..." He carefully reached a hand out and gently cupped her cheek. His hand felt cool against her burning face. "I'd love her."

     Tears sprung back into Ladybug's eyes. Why couldn't she have viewed Chat Noir in the same way he saw her? She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately changed her mind and closed it. Instead, she leaned forward and placed the most delicate kiss on Adrien's forehead. The grip on her arm was released, and she took the chance to pull away from him. Launching herself into the air, Ladybug disappeared behind the Agreste Mansion as if the distance between the two would solve her problems. A bright, pink light flashed into the sky, and Adrien suddenly realized that her transformation ended.

"You're not going after her to see who she is?" Plagg chirped while resting himself on Adrien's shoulder. "Now's a good chance to finally learn her identity!" Plagg's words lulled him, trying to pull him over, but Adrien gave a light chuckle while shaking his head.

     "No... Not yet, Plagg," He pet the kwami's head with his index finger as his other hand rested on his forehead, where Ladybug had kissed him.

     "Why not?"

     Adrien gave Plagg a smile, and the kwami's saw a spark of hope reappear in the boy's eyes.

     "Because I think I have an idea on who's behind that spotted mask."

☾ ☽

     Marinette was an absolute mess. She was curled up on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face into her knees in the process. Tikki rested on the crying girl's arm. "Marinette?" The kwami's asked, "Want to talk about it?"

     She shook her head yes; rubbing her eyes against the back of her hand. Marinette peeked up, with her blue bloodshot once again. "I think I've cried too much this week, Tikki," She said. "I might be all out of tears soon."

     Marinette remembered the time she met Chat; she fell onto him and they dangled upside down by her yo-yo. That was Adrien. She remembered the time where Chat protected her from the Timebreaker, risking his life for her. That was Adrien. She remembered the time when Dark Cupid shot Chat and the only way to break the spell was with a kiss... That was Adrien.

     Everything the two had gone through had flooded through her, reminding her of their best and worst times.

She pulled her knees to her as close as possible. "Even if he did know I was Ladybug, he probably wouldn't see me in the same light he sees Ladybug. She's strong, confident, and-."

"You're Ladybug," Tikki reminded her, "You have all of those traits because you are that superhero. You don't need to have a magical yo-yo or a mask to have those traits."

     "But Tikki," Marinette held a hand out to the kwami, in which it sat in the palm of her hand. "What if he was expecting someone else? Someone... Who isn't me?"

     The red creature laughed into its hands. "I'm sure he'll be delighted it's you, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed, "Think about it! You can sew, draw, manage your grades and save Paris; what sort of guy wouldn't want a girl like that?"

     "It was just so shocking, you know?" Marinette cracked a small smile, and the kwami was instantly relieved that she was feeling better. "I didn't expect that to happen; especially him being Chat Noir."

     "Your crush, fighting by your side and kicking butt; your dreams have come true after all!" Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek, absolutely delighted that her old friend was back.

     A rap on the window nearly broke the light-hearted atmosphere, and the small kwami looked for shelter by darting under Marinette's pillow. The pigtailed girl cautiously got off her bed and headed towards the window; pulling it slowly ajar. A pair of bright green eyes peeked from around the corner, catching the girl off guard. "Princess?" Chat Noir called, "May I come in?"

     Marinette's heart jumped onto a treadmill and began running as fast as it could. She knew it was Adrien behind the mask now, but he didn't know she was Ladybug. She was afraid of what she could possibly say; it could ruin the friendship that the two had between each other. Was she even ready to reveal herself to him? And then a sudden realization hit her.

     THE PICTURES, THE PICTURES, THE PICTURES! Her mind screamed. In the corner of her eye, she saw Tikki peek out from under the pillow, and she held her hands behind her back so Chat Noir couldn't see while gesturing wildly at the images of Adrien Agreste. The little, red kwami took off as fast a rocket; doing her best to take them down without the superhero noticing.

     "Chat Noir! Uh, y-yeah!" She said, mentally slapping herself while reminding herself not to stutter. The black cat slunk in and landed on his feet with his hands on his hips.

     "Ah, not much as changed since I was gone."

     "You've been gone for two days, Chat."

     "Is that so?"

     Marinette unconsciously rolled her eyes, temporarily forgetting that Chat Noir and Adrien were the same person. The gears in her head clicked again, and the palms of her hands began sweating. I wonder why he acts differently when he's Chat Noir... She thought to herself as she gestured the superhero to the couch, making sure Tikki wouldn't be in his line of sight. Adrien is, or was usually calm, collected, and not at all flirtatious. "So. Why am I bestowed with your presence today, Chat Noir?" Marinette tried to speak in her sarcastic, normal tone that she usually spoke with him while as she sat himself down next to him.

     "I came to talk to you about the advice you gave me," He said while turning to her. Chat blinked, and his cat-like pupils dilated.

     Uh-oh.

     She gulped. "And? How'd that go for you?"

     He titled his head with his blonde locks dangling over to one side of his face. "What do you think?"

     Unsuccessfully... She wanted to say, but he would then realize that Ladybug was her. "Well..?" Marinette said, but it came out more like a question.

     Chat laughed into his fist. His shoulders shook, unable to suppress the happiness radiating off of him. It was rude of Marinette to think of this, but why was he so... Happy? Ladybug ran away from his reveal; how could he be smiling? Chat Noir looked up at her and decided to ask something. "Did I ever tell you the reason why I loved her so much?" His voice lowered, and his humorous tone dropped. His sudden change in subject caught her off guard.

     Marinette's heart leaped off the treadmill and simply decided to take a ride on a roller coaster. "Um... No?" She answered cautiously, unsure of what was going to happen next.

     He leaned forward in his seat, eager to tell her. His eyes brightened at the thought of Ladybug. "When we first met, I thought she was just a clumsy fool," He snickered. "She knocked me upside down by flying into me. Great first impression, wouldn't you say?"

     "Yeah..." Marinette cringed at the thought, "Most definitely."

     "I was worried for her. Would she be alright taking on the superhero role?" Chat continued, and Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "But the way she worked up the strength to fight against the Stoneheart, and when how she took down Hawk Moth's mass of butterflies... I knew she was the one. In those moments, she had already worked her way into my heart."

     Marinette could feel a blush growing on her face, but she immediately covered her cheeks with her hands so Chat Noir couldn't see it.

     "She had earned this air of confidence that I wish I could have. She allowed me to be my absolute self around her; not the false persona that everyone was expected of me."

     Marinette felt a sinking feeling in her chest. He was a model and the son of a famous designer; how could he not have expectations to hold up? All this time, she was only seeing Adrien as someone he didn't want to be? She was... Loving the Adrien who didn't want to be that way.

     "And she accepted me for who I was. No matter how much I annoyed her with terrible puns and jokes," He gave a small chuckle as if reminding himself of another quip. "I loved her for that." Chat Noir looked down at his hands and twiddling his thumbs. "And I still do."

     If it were possible already, Marinette's heart would've burst into a million pieces due to Chat Noir's heartfelt confession. "Then why don't you tell her that, Chat?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. Her fists were in her lap, and they were shaking and clammy.

     Chat Noir reached out with his gloved hand and took her left hand in his own. He then said three words that Marinette would've never expected:

     "I already did."

     If Marinette could feel more paralyzed, she would've already been admitted to the hospital. A dull thud pulsed in the back of her mind. He knows, she thought, wait, he knows?! "W-Wha..." She reverted back to her stammering self. "Nonsense! I-I... Not am-! I mean, am not..."

     He squeezed her hand while his cheeks puffed up, ready to let out another laugh. "I know it's you, Marinette," Chat Noir gave her a toothy smile. "I'm not as dense as I seem." He realized how tense she seemed, so as he placed his hands on her shoulders, she slouched and relaxed.

     "Was... It obvious?" Marinette sighed, feeling a sense of stress begin to fade away. She didn't have to hide her identity from him anymore.

     "I'm surprised I've never thought of it earlier," Chat inclined into her shoulder and Marinette's face felt like fire. Her arms seemed glued by her side; she wanted to hold him but having a mixture of emotions bubbling inside of her caused her to stop functioning as a human being. "You both have self-reliant, have amazing leader-like qualities, and most of all, you both have the same hairstyle!" He played at her pigtails like a cat mesmerized with a toy.

     "Excuse me, but my kwami didn't add hair styles as one of my abilities," She finally let out a joke with her blush still very prominent on her face. She heard Tikki squeak angrily as the kwami got rid of the images and made the mental note to bring a whole batch of cookies for forgiveness.

     "I just thought you were idolizing Ladybug like Chloé did," His chin rested on her shoulder. "But I was wrong; you actually were Ladybug."

     "What gave everything away, then?" Marinette questioned, "If it wasn't any of those."

     Chat stopped messing with her hair. "It was when you said, 'But that's not what I meant'; a dead giveaway, if you ask me."

     Marinette hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir. For hiding this between us; for breaking the red string; for everything, really."

     "No," He said. A blinding flash came from the superhero, and Marinette looked away as her eyes stung from the light. In a few seconds, the light disappeared. He sat up; his costume now gone. "Adrien. You know who I am. Say it." The boy removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them against the sides of her face. His green eyes bore into her blue ones.

     "A..." Her eyes broke the contact and looked down.

     He leaned so close that their foreheads touched each other and the tips of their noses touched. "Say it," He repeated with his words as thin as his breath.

     "A-Adrien," The poor girl barely managed to say while barely managing to keep her mentality. The syllables rolled off her tongue, and Adrien couldn't help but grin.

     Without hesitation, he titled his head and closed the gap between them.

     Their lips barely brushed and Adrien felt Marinette tense up under his hands. She's so adorable, he thought and smiled against the kiss.

     They broke away after a few seconds, although Adrien was very reluctant to do so. "You're... Okay with it being me?" Adrien asked, with his own cheeks colored rosy.

     "O-Of course!" Marinette waved her arms, "I'm glad you it's, I mean, glad I'm it's you, wait..." She stopped talking, or else she was afraid that she'd be in an absolute stuttering mess (not like she was already). Her face was flushing to the point where it was the same color as Nathanael's hair.

     She made him laugh so much; it was like a breath of fresh air whenever he was with her. And he loved it. He loved her. He was about to kiss her again, but they fumbled over which way they were going to turn and accidentally bonked their foreheads against each other. The two shared an embarrassing giggle before Adrien initiated another kiss. It was innocent and sweet, just like her. She relaxed into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

     Plagg, the poor kwami that was trying to find the right timing, escaped from the two and floated next to Tikki, who was peeping from behind one of the wooden beams that supported Marinette's bed. "Nice to see you again, Cupcake," Plagg said, poking the spotted kwami's side. "I haven't seen you for a while."

     "Plagg!" Tikki squealed and tackled Plagg. However, she immediately let go of him and crossed her arms, "I told you to stop calling me that ages ago!"

     "We've been around for centuries; I'm obviously not going to remember everything," Plagg chortled.

     Tikki sighed as she watched the couple hug each other, "I'm glad they finally got their happy ending; they deserved it."

     "I don't know yet; he still hasn't tried out Camembert," Plagg complained. "Now that relationship can last forever. Well, until you digest it, that is."

☾ ☽

     At what nearly seemed like forever, the couple separated from their tight hug. They had to make up for all the times they turned each other away. "I really don't want to let you go, though," Adrien groaned. "But there's an important shoot that I'm scheduled to have."

     "It's fine," Marinette said, still slightly dazed from their kiss. "But what are we going to do about the red string? Will that in any way affect our relationship..?"

     He took her hand one more time and wrapped his pinky around hers. "We don't need fate to tell us what to do; as long as we have each other, nothing can get in our way," Adrien consoled her worried mind. He stood up, gesturing at Plagg to come over. The kwami reluctantly headed over their way. "Well, I'll be on my way, my Princess," He raised her hand up to his lips and pecked the back of her hand. Marinette would've already physically exploded and died at this point if it were possible; there was no denying it. He then let go of her hand and raised his own. "Plagg, transform me!"

     "But I didn't have the chance to replenish my energy-!" Plagg flew into the boy's ring. Within moments, he was back into his superhero costume. He perched himself up on Marinette's window, but decided to turn around and give her a wave before jumping out.

     Marinette waved at Chat as he left, yet felt a tug on her pinkie and took a step forward towards the window from the surprising force. She looked at her hand; seeing nothing there. She decided to push the feeling aside and went downstairs to grab that promised plate of cookies for her devoted kwami.

     It simply turned out to be that the red string of fate was still bound around both of their fingers. It thought that it didn't need to be visible to them and that the two no longer needed its help while being capable of finding each other without it.

     In the end, the string was there.

     They just couldn't see it.

     Finale.

---

coming soon:

graphics by my amazing wife, nuggut

(let's say I may or may not have died while writing that scene.) apparently i made you all cry a little too much, so i think this makes up for all those tears that were shed. i worked very hard on this epilogue (3421 words in fact), hoping that it'd be as perfect as it possibly could be. thank you for reading this; i will always appreciate everything you all have done for me.

xoxo,
arisa