minglingworlds | whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth ( marinette

(there's a sigh of relief when he feels her stirring again, and seeing her speak and open her eyes at least brings a smile to his face. though... there's really no escaping how awkward this situation is going to be, and adrien can't really say he's looking forward to it.

after all, marinette already seems plenty nervous about everything.

equally for him, it's hard to make eye contact with marinette at this point. he's not ashamed or disappointed to discover she's ladybug. hardly. but it's more... he doesn't know what to do now. or where this leaves them. if they were strangers, this might have, in a way, been easier.

but they're good friends (possibly something more on adrien's end if he ever manages to be honest), and he simply wonders where this leaves them.

he chuckles awkwardly under his breath, setting marinette down out of his arms so she'll be able to move on her own now.) Yeah, it's me. No prank or anything. I'm... Chat Noir.

[ Plenty nervous is... perhaps an understatement. Plenty embarrassed would also be spot on here; she can't help it. Hearing him say that... I'm Chat Noir. She covers her face, making unintelligible noises for a few moments, as if to get it out of her system.

No, she. She really can't believe this. This changes so much.

How... How is she supposed to know how to feel about him now? ]

Of course Chat Noir would be someone as cool as you. Even though I always... E-Even though I never took your feelings seriously...

Even though I'm just... me.

[ Lame, ordinary, clumsy Marinette Dupain-Cheng. ]

I'm scared to even imagine how you must be feeling right now.

[ ...But the funny part is: she can't remember the last time she's been this coherent around him. ]

(the last thing adrien wants is marinette feeling as though she somehow isn't good enough. just hearing her say that stuns him into silence as he remembers all the times she's done incredible things, whether it was as ladybug or herself.

and he can't help but wonder... if he always felt this way.

sure, adrien has always loved ladybug. that has never been in question. but he never stopped to think about the person behind the mask. marinette and ladybug are hardly that different from each other, one just happens to have super luck powers. they've both given so much for the city of paris, for their friends, for the good of others. to better lives.) I still love you.

(the words are out of his mouth before he's even aware of it, and once he is, adrien's face slowly glows bright red, visible even in the dark. ducking his head in shyness, he can't quite understand where his earlier confidence went. maybe it's something about having the mask of chat noir on.

or maybe it's the realization that he's finally confessing to someone he knows.)

[ wwwwwwHHATT ]

[ Marinette's already covered her face again by the time the words reach her ears. He was silent for long enough that she genuinely believed all her fears were justified, but...

But... ]

[ I still love you.

(How??)

Her eyes widen like she's just been shocked with electricity. Her hands drag down her face to cover her mouth, an audible gasp escaping just beforehand. She is blushing madly, whether he is telling the truth or not.

She really wants to believe he is.

She wants to believe that this isn't a dream. ]

.......I, I lo...

Love... I, you--

[ ...it's happening again, huh. No, no, no, this is so important. ]

I love... too... y-you. I love you, too... A-Adrien.

[ nailed.....it....... ]

(even with all the stuttering and embarrassment and fainting, those are still the words adrien has ached to hear more than anything else.

adrien feels his face growing redder by the second, and he's never been more thankful to be in a dark, dingy cave. having marinette see him like this would be more than just a little embarrassing.

struggling with his own words as he looks for a way to reply, he still has difficulty even accepting she said those words. marinette said she loves him. ladybug loves him. it's almost more than he's able to comprehend.) Even though I'm... Chat Noir?

[ Marinette's mind is racing a million miles. She can't believe she actually said that. She can't believe he said that!! She has to cover her face again.

...Maybe this would be an easier conversation to have, if she's not looking at him, though it does feel rather... er...

silly. ]

Maybe... [ She trails off for a moment, but wills herself not to leave it at that. ] M-Maybe... it's because you're Chat Noir... because you were all along.

My partner, and you... one and the same. It actually makes sense.

[ Why does it make sense?

Before she can figure out the answer to that one, she finds herself asking softly: ]

Am I dreaming?

[ Is that...why? ]

I hope not. (it's said with a shaky laugh and a nervous smile, but he doesn't want her to regret this. any of it. he'd understand if marinette still had no interest in him, what with how he is as chat noir. it's no wonder she's spurned him so many times, he was completely different from adrien agreste.

but it's the truth. if he woke up, only to find out all of this was just some fever dream he concocted, it would be too heartbreaking. because the knowledge that marinette dupain-cheng is ladybug...

it warms his heart.) I... I think it's the same for me.

(adrien can't remember the last time he's been this shy, having this much trouble simply making eye contact with her.) Knowing who Ladybug is... I was scared. I didn't know what I would do once I found out. But knowing it's you... Ladybug being you. That just makes all this easier because-- (he pauses here, finally raising his head to give her the brightest smile he can.) of course you'd be Ladybug. You're wonderful.

[ His smile brightens the room. Marinette can see it from the corner of her eyes. She only has to glance at him for a moment before her thoughts turn to mush again and she cups her hands over her cheeks, as if to will them to stop blushing.

She can't stop smiling herself, even as she stares at the ground. ]

Thank you. I-I just can't believe... I mean, I've imagined you saying things like that for so long. But I...

[ She chokes. She doesn't really know what she wants to say. ]

We need to... later. I mean! We... We need to... to talk about this... but I. We need to get out of here...

I'm starting to worry... a-about Tikki.

(it seems they've learned far more about each other than they ever planned to in the past five minutes. adrien feels himself growing a little shy at hearing how long marinette has been harboring feelings for him.

there are still so many things to discuss, what the future holds for them and how they'll handle it.

but marinette is right. the only thing they need to focus on right now is getting themselves out of these caverns to safety, and making sure their kwamis are taken care of. he reaches inside his shirt, pulling out a small black cat, barely the size of his palm. various cheeses are mumbled in his delirious sleep, and while adrien knows he's only being dramatic... he still can't help but worry about plagg.) Yeah... we need to get moving. We'll talk about this with both of them and see what happens from here.

(and so he stands up, tucking plagg back in to rest and brushing the dust and dirt off his clothing. with a hand outstretched to marinette, he winks down with a playful tone.) Shall we go, my lady?

[ Marinette regards Plagg with equal concern when she sees him. They've never spoken... not yet, but he's just as much a part of this as Tikki is. She manages a gentle smile, and though she doubts either of them will be happy about this (Tikki especially), she can't help but feel like a weight's been lifted from her shoulders.

She lets out a sigh of relief, feeling a little more like herself when she hears his familiar quip. ]

We shall, kitty cat.

[ She reaches for his hand with her own, using his help to rise to her own two feet.

At least now they don't have to play the hiding game where they can't look at each other. ]

(given the situation, adrien doesn't expect either of their kwami to be particularly hard on the two. after all, they'd done all they could to avoid the situation, but truthfully, keeping their identities a secret forever wasn't always entirely possible. as long as they fought together, there was always a risk of something happening.

like this.

he feels his heart skip a beat as she takes his hand, his green eyes shining like emeralds. he's more overjoyed than he thought possible, he finally has a name to put to a face, an identity behind the ladybug he's come to adore so much.

glancing down at their hands intertwined, he rubs the back of his neck with a shy smile. still adrien. not chat noir.) Is it okay if I don't let go this time?

[ Marinette blushes, completely taken in by how gentlemanly it is of him to ask her permission. Of course, Adrien has always been a gentleman... even as Cat Noir. She just had a hard time seeing it because of how forward he always was.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the rubble remaining. ]

We should finish clearing the path first. But after that? I—

I-I wouldn’t have it any other way.

(sure, he might be a horrible flirt as chat noir, and that trait can carry over to adrien (but not without a little shame), but adrien would never risk making marinette or ladybug uncomfortable and pushing them away.

his heart skips a beat at her approval for them to hold hands, a smile shining on his face even in the face of the rubble and work they have to get through.

for one last moment, he joyously swings their hands together, more than giddy despite the situation.) Thank you. Thank you. Let's work on getting out of here.

[ It helps that she has a task to focus on—not to mention the fact that she’s still kind of trying to channel Ladybug as she works. Otherwise she might find herself crumbling into rubble right then and there.

Where does this even leave them? Marinette was in love with Adrien, but Adrien was in love with Ladybug. A part of her still wonders whether that really means they were in love with each other all along.

...She tries not to think about it. Things are quiet, but not awkward.

Every once and a while, she still checks to see if Tikki’s woken up, until finally—without realizing it—the path is clear.

In the distance, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, she can just barely make out the rungs of a ladder. Her eyes widen as she points excitedly. ]

Hey! Look!

(unfortunately for marinette, adrien isn't giving nearly the same amount of thought to their situation as she is. adrien is in love with ladybug, and marinette already shares so many qualities with ladybug, the fact that his feelings so easily stayed when he was face to face with her only prove he loves her.

but he fails to realize that, like marinette, he isn't putting too much thought into this. adrien is only blindly following his heart, not considering what his head might have to input on this.

once they remove enough rubble to clear something of a path and marinette explains their exit path to him, a smile spreads on adrien's face as he takes her hand in his to guide her carefully to what is hopefully an exit.) A way out! Finally, we're getting somewhere.

[ Marinette is also hopeful as they approach. She doesn't want to think about how long they would've been able to survive down there if they hadn't found the right way, or how long it would've took for someone to notice they were missing and search for them.

She doesn't hesitate to grab the ladder first. It's fortunate that she isn't wearing a skirt, nor is Adrien a perv anyway. She does glance back though, giving him a chance to object to her going first if he would really want to. ]

No idea where this leads, so we'd better be careful.

(adrien gets out of the way specifically to let marinette go first. he hasn't forgotten the nasty cut on her arm from earlier, and though it may not show, he's anxious for her to get some proper attention to it.

he follows after her, eager to get out of this place, but not just for their own safety. all of this is going to require a long talk, some of it with their kwami... and part of it without. adrien needs to know where they stand now, what their relationship becomes after this.

just because they both like each other doesn't mean dating is immediately on the table.) It's okay.

(and on the chance marinette happens to glance down, she'll see a smile on adrien's face.) I have my lucky charm with me today.

[ .........She hadn't glanced down, not yet. She was too focused and feared she might spontaneously combust if she did. As soon as she hears that, though, she can't help herself, and she pauses suddenly before looking down to meet his eyes. The expression on her face suggests she would have facepalmed, if she wasn't hanging onto that ladder.

...But she's still smiling. ]

That was cheesy, even for you, kitty cat.

(even if his puns are still awful, even if marinette groans and sighs with every word out of his mouth, adrien just can't stop smiling. the situation is dire, and it's no time to be so giddy about his feelings being returned.

but he's dreamed of this day for months, can't he be allowed to indulge just a little?) I mean it.

(reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his beloved charm from marinette, always close to his heart.) I've always kept it with me, no matter what.

[ ...Oh. Oh, he meant it literally, too.

Marinette looks surprised for a moment, having completely forgotten about the charm in light of everything that's happened since then... but she is still clearly very flattered.

She continues to climb, blushing. ]

I-I could probably make you an even better one now.

[ She's always improving and trying new things, after all. ]

Maybe... I could even make us matching ones.

(a soft blush washes over his face at the idea of having matching charms with ladybug, even if their miraculous count in a way.

but this would be for them as a couple. something close and intimate only they would know about, not something so blatantly on display for the world to see and understand.

he ducks his head a bit to hide his shyness at the thought, his heart swelling in glee at the idea of being able to be so romantic with ladybug now.) I... I'd be happy with anything you make, Marinette. It would be from you.

whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth ( marinette | adrien )

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