Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Categories:
Fandom:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 2 of Mikau’s Short Story Collections
Collections:
July 2021 - Snippet
Stats:
Published:
2021-07-01
Completed:
2021-07-31
Words:
23,134
Chapters:
31/31
Comments:
481
Kudos:
601
Bookmarks:
45
Hits:
14,096

Le Carnaval: A Short Story Collection

Chapter 31: Lady Noir/Marichat/Adrienette: Forevermore

Summary:

Chat Noir and Ladybug sit down and have an honest conversation about their partnership...and Chat Noir’s feelings for Marinette.

Notes:

Hi everyone! Welcome to the final short story of this collection. We’ve got a mix of Lady Noir, Marichat, and Adrienette today with a side of identity reveal. ^.^

(They’re slightly older than canon here.)

I hope you guys enjoy this last short story. ^.^

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug called out as she landed on the Eiffel Tower girder where her partner was pacing. “I got your message. What’s wrong? You said it was urgent.”

Chat smiled guiltily, taking a seat and motioning for her to do the same.

“Sorry for the fire drill, My Lady. I just…I needed to talk to you.”

She quirked an eyebrow, suddenly concerned for a whole host of new reasons. “Chat Noir…are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he was quick to assure. “Sorry to worry you, Buguinette. I’ve just been feeling a little mixed up lately, and I need to get some things off my chest, if you have a few minutes to listen.”

“Of course,” she insisted with a bolstering smile, scooping up his hand and giving it a solid squeeze. “What’s on your mind?”

He swallowed. “We’re partners, right?”

She stared, stunned that he needed to ask. “Chat Noir, of course we’re partners.”

“And we’ll always be partners, right?” he pressed, desperation in his eyes. “Even after we defeat Papillon? We’ll still be in each other’s lives? You’re not going to disappear on me, are you?”

“Chat Noir, I will always be there for you,” Ladybug swore, tightening her grip on his hand. “What’s all this about? What brought this on?”

He averted his eyes, gazing out at the dazzling lights of the city. “I just feel like…maybe you don’t need me so much anymore, so I’m a little worried,” he confessed with a sigh. “You’re amazing, Ladybug, and you’ve proven that you can do all this on your own. You don’t need me, and even if you did want a partner, it wouldn’t have to be me, so…”

He tentatively met her eyes. “You’re so important to me, Ladybug. You have no idea…and I just need to know that the feeling isn’t completely one-sided.”

She let go of his hand in favor of taking hold of his face.

“You listen to me, Chat Noir,” she intoned firmly. “You are the one who has no idea how lost I would be without you. I wouldn’t have made it past day one if you hadn’t been there for me. While I appreciate your confidence in me, I could not, in fact, manage all this on my own.”

Tears began to bead in the corners of her eyes as she stressed her points to him.

Her tone softened as she continued. “I’m sorry that you don’t feel useful lately, but I promise you that you are essential. I will always need my Chaton in my corner. …Okay?”

She gave him a warm smile, slowly lowering her hands from his face.

“Always?” he prodded.

“Always,” she confirmed resolutely.

He let out a long, relieved sigh and nodded. “Okay. Okay. Good.”

“Good?” she verified, wondering if he was okay now.

“Yeah.”

An answering smile to her earlier one slowly took root on his lips.

“…That brings me to the second thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?”

Her stomach flipped.

It was like she’d thought the rollercoaster ride was over only to discover that she was beginning to ascend an even bigger hill.

“Ladybug, I think a part of me will always love you, but I’ve decided recently that I need to move on—for real—for my sake as much as for yours,” he announced, causing her eyebrows to disappear into her hairline.

“I thought I was trying to before, but, recently, I’ve realized that I wasn’t giving it my all,” he confessed shamefacedly. “This time, it feels different.”

“You’ve found someone?” she whispered, surprised at the sharp pang of loss she felt.

He nodded, a bashful blush spilling out from underneath his mask. “I think I’m in love with her.”

Ladybug had to swallow twice before she found her voice. “Would I approve? Is she good enough for you?”

He let out a startled laugh. “Marinette is the absolute best. You have nothing to worry about.”

Her mouth dropped open. “M-Marinette?!”

He nodded. “I think I’ve had a crush on her for a long time now; I just never realized it. I’m going to tell her how I feel.”

“You can’t!” she shrieked.

He stared at her in alarm. “Why not?”

“She’s not looking for a relationship right now.” She threw out the first thing that came to mind.

His ears drooped a little at that. “Well…I still want to tell her how I feel. Maybe she’ll turn me down, but I need to let her know.”

“But then I’ll know your identity!” she protested.

His mask scrunched up between his eyebrows in a frown of confusion. “How so?”

“Because I’m Marinette!” she blurted in her panic.

He stared at her.

She clapped her hands over her mouth.

He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes. “Well…if Marinette ever wants to go on a date with Adrien Agreste, I have it on good authority that he’s crazy about her.”

Ladybug found the presence of mind to remove her hands from her mouth. “Marinette would love to go on a date with either Chat Noir or Adrien Agreste. Her life is just going a little crazy at the moment with Guardian and Ladybug stuff, so she’s not sure if she can.”

A joyous smile blossomed on his lips as he laced his fingers through hers. “Both Chat Noir and Adrien are happy to wait as long as Marinette needs.”

He lowered his voice as he began to lean in. “I will always wait for you.”

He’d been aiming to kiss her on the cheek, but she shot forward, capturing his lips in an inexpert but enthusiastic kiss that left him desperate to practice until they’d perfected their technique.

She pulled back breathlessly. “Maybe Marinette needs to follow her heart and take a risk.”

Through a delirium of happiness he assured, “I am with you one hundred percent, Buguinette.”

The

       End

Notes:

For this one, the prompt “forevermore” inspired me to write about permanence and things that last…like Adrien and Marinette’s partnership.

I hope you guys liked this silly, fluffy reveal. Thank you so much for joining me and supporting me through this. I have to admit I’m exhausted after updating daily for two months straight, but I’m glad I did Lukadrien June and Snippet July.

Did you guys have a favourite snippet? Was there a pairing (platonic or romantic) that you were surprised you enjoyed? Which was your favourite pairing? Is there a pairing you’d like to see more of? Were there any scenes or lines of dialogue that stuck out to you? Do you like this short story format? What did you think? XD I’m dying to know. Were there any ones in particular that you would like to see expanded? Leave me a comment because I’d love to know what you guys thought. ^.^

Take care, guys. I hope to see you again soon. <3

In the meantime, come follow me on Tumblr. You won’t regret it! (At least, I don’t think so. ^.^; )

Series this work belongs to: