Le Rendez-Vous
Marinette was practically vibrating throughout the rest of the school day. Chat was obviously planning something for after patrols that night, but she had no idea what. For all she knew, he could be planning to go explore the sewers like he’d suggested before. She knew Chat could be romantic when he felt like it, but it was a toss-up of whether his rambunctious side would overpower his inner Casanova or not.
He sent her a single text once school let out for the day, a simple winking emoji. It was most likely foreshadowing what was to come, but she couldn’t ask Alya about it. She’d ask far too many questions.
“Wanna hang out?” Peter jogged up beside her, both hands gripping his backpack, a massive smile on his face. He’d acquired copious amounts of money from their disgruntled classmates from winning the bet and he’d been positively glowing all day.
“Is Adrien busy?” Marinette asked, surprised. Peter and Adrien were usually joined at the hip, especially after school.
“He’s got fencing. Last time he had fencing, I went to a café and it did not go well and I don’t really feel like hanging around the school, so I thought I’d see if you were available!” He playfully bumped her shoulder with his own.
She considered telling him her afternoon was booked solid with stressing about her and Chat’s, well, date, but decided against it. “I’ve got nothing. Just the homework and maybe helping my parents out in the bakery. It won’t be a fun time, but you’re welcome to come over.”
“Awesome!” Peter pumped a fist into the air. “I love your parents.”
“From what I know, they love you too,” Marinette laughed as they headed into the bakery.
Her parents were working, as always, her mom heading the cash register while her dad prepared more sweets. While her mom was busy with a customer, Marinette walked up to her dad, Peter in tow.
“Hey dad, Peter’s going to be hanging out here for the afternoon.” At the mention of Peter’s name, her dad’s head snapped up from icing his cupcakes, face breaking into a huge grin.
“There’s my favourite customer!” He said, abandoning the icing pipe altogether to do an intricate handshake with Peter.
“You two have a handshake?” Marinette asked in disbelief.
“I mean, it’s not really the same without Sabine,” Peter said, nodding his head towards her mom. Obviously, her parents had given him the pass to call them by their first names, something they only gave to kids they really liked. Marinette shouldn’t have been surprised that Peter made the roster, but it was a surreal experience nonetheless.
“You all have a handshake without me?”
“Peter’s always here in the mornings,” her dad explained. “He’s great to talk to! Super smart too. You could learn a thing or two from him.” He winked at her. “Plus, he works for Spiderman. How cool is that?”
“So cool,” Marinette deadpanned. “So you guys are all just best friends?”
“Best of pals,” Peter confirmed. “They feed my pastry addiction and in return I give them money and also my life stories.”
“This kid is a riot! Best storyteller I’ve ever met. You’re one of a kind, Peter.” Her dad gave Peter a strong clap on the back. Peter didn’t even move, despite the fact that her dad’s friendly pats usually sent people flying.
“Thanks Tom. I should really go help Marinette with her homework, though. Those energy transformations aren’t going to transform themselves!” He winked. “Physics is something of a specialty for me.”
Peter followed Marinette up to her room as she tried to process the fact that her friend was also friends with her parents. Practically better friends with her parents than he was with her.
“See, they’re so nice!” Peter exclaimed, taking the stairs two at a time. “I think they’d love my aunt too. She’s like a mom to me. Maybe one day she’ll visit me and they’ll meet?” His tone was excited as they entered her room.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” She gave a little twirl, excited to drop the whole parent-friend friendship topic.
“Damn, why does literally everyone here have such massive rooms?” Peter whistled. “It’s very pink.”
“It’s my favourite colour,” Marinette explained.
“And mine’s blue, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by my décor.” Peter put his bag down on her chaise lounge. “You’ve got a skylight and everything! My apartment in New York just has a fire escape outside it, which is cool and all until it’s three am and there’s a weird man scratching at your window.”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” Marinette admitted, spreading her homework out on her desk.
“I wish I was.” Peter’s smile never wavered. “Don’t worry though, I’m rather good at hand-to-hand combat. I’ve been told my style resembles that of Capoeira. Lots of focus on centrifugal force.”
Marinette had no idea how to respond. That slightly explained why Peter had been so good at being Helios. Every single fact she learned about him was more bizarre than the last, so many conflicting traits all wrapped up in one deceptively innocent human being. Did he have a favourite movie? What would it be?
“What’s your favourite movie?” She blurted and Peter, who had been leaning over her desk inspecting several images of Adrien she had yet to remove from her walls, straightened up and turned to her, unfazed by her random question.
“Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back. It’s really old, but it’s such a good movie. Do you guys have that in France? I usually just watch movies with Adrien in English, since he understands it.”
“Yes Peter, we have Star Wars, and I wouldn’t necessarily call it a ‘really old movie’. Aged, maybe, but-”
It was at that moment that Chat Noir chose to drop into her room unannounced, landing right in front of Marinette.
“Ah!” Marinette screamed and Peter jumped at the noise, immediately transitioning into a kick that hit Chat square in the chest, sending him flying into the chaise lounge.
“Oh shit, that’s Chat Noir!” Peter said, clapping a hand over his mouth as Chat groaned, limbs askew.
It was indeed Chat, Marinette’s sort-of-boyfriend, and her friend had just kicked him across the room. How had Peter managed to kick Chat that far?
“Oh my god, Chat Noir sir, I’m so sorry.” Peter helped Chat to his feet as Chat rubbed his head, wincing.
“That’s one hell of a kick you got there.” The superhero said. “I had no idea you had company,” he turned to Marinette, who had to force herself not to blush. Right now, Chat was her friend and her friend only. So there would be no running her hands through his hair or snuggling in his arms or….
“Earth to Mari?” Peter waved a hand in front of her face. She’d been staring.
“Sorry!” She flinched. “Chat, this is Peter. He’s my friend from school. I had no idea you’d be stopping by.” Now Chat was staring at Peter. What was going on?
“I just needed a teensy bit of help with something, but I can totally come back later,” Chat offered, one hand around his baton before Peter stopped him.
“Nah man, if anyone should be leaving, it’s me. I can just hang out with Tom and Sabine, we’re super tight.”
“Stop,” Marinette held up her hand. “No one’s going anywhere. Peter and I weren’t doing anything except homework anyways, so we can both help you, Chat.”
“Okay,” Chat agreed, replacing his baton in its usual spot against the small of his back. “There’s this girl-”
“Ladybug,” Peter interjected. “We all know it’s Ladybug.”
“-yes Ladybug, but you can’t tell anyone, I promised I would keep it low key, but anyways, I’m planning a bit of an outing for us tonight, and I need some help.”
“Take her to a fancy restaurant,” Peter suggested, wiggling his shoulders. “Candlelit dinner overlooking La Seine. Paris is the most romantic city in the world. Use that to your advantage.”
“The restaurant bit is out of the question,” Chat said, but he didn’t look too discouraged. “The rest of that might be a go, though.”
This was insane. Chat and Peter had only met once, to Marinette’s knowledge, and Chat hadn’t known it was Peter at the time. But here they were, getting along like old pals, planning her and Chat’s date.
“What do you think, Mari?” Peter asked. “I have quite literally never been on a date before and my judgement is probably flawed.”
“I agree with everything you said?” Marinette smiled uncomfortably at them, her sentence coming out more like a question. “Honestly, I don’t need to weigh in, you’ve got everything under control, Chat. I’m sure she’ll love whatever you do.”
“Thanks guys!” Chat nodded, giving them both his signature grin. “I’d better go, I’ve got a lot of preparation to do.”
She watched him leave, her heart practically bursting. Chat really did care. Plus, she was a little bit glad that wandering the sewers was officially out of the question.
“Ooo, girl, you like him,” Peter said the second Chat had closed the skylight.
“I do not like him!” Marinette snapped defensively. “It’s just, the last time he was here, I accidentally kissed him, so it was a bit awkward this time around.”
“You accidentally kissed him? Mari, what on earth does that even mean?” Peter looked like he was trying not to laugh while giving her a disappointed stare.
“It was temporary insanity.” She crossed her arms, looking him in the eye.
“Okay, so Chat Noir is just a friend now?”
“Yep.” A friend who she was also going to be seeing that night for a date. But Peter couldn’t know that. So instead she had to pretend that Chat Noir was just a good pal. It probably didn’t help that she’d told him about the kiss, but something about the boy just made her want to tell the truth.
“Interesting, very interesting indeed,” Peter raised an eyebrow, sitting down in her desk chair. “How about that homework, then?”
Marinette groaned. She didn’t want to think about school, but there was no way any more work was getting done later that evening. “What subject should we start with?”
“Literature,” Peter said simply. “You’re supposed to have finished reading Romeo and Juliet by now.”
“I’ve tried,” Marinette complained. “But I literally don’t understand it. He uses so many words when he could’ve just summarized it so easily.”
“A summary wouldn’t have done the story justice,” Peter said, flipping through the book. “The words are what makes it beautiful, what makes it something worth being invested in. It paints a picture in your mind. Like when Juliet decides that she loves Romeo no matter who his parents are, despite the fact that there’s so many barriers they have to overcome. They barely know who they are, but they make that promise to love each other beyond that fact, because they’ll figure it out together! That’s what makes it so moving. You’re not going to find anything like that in some summary.”
“How’d you get that from this?” Marinette frowned. Clearly she hadn’t understood the book. “They both die at the end.”
“Because they’d rather die than live without each other! It’s called love, Marinette. They love each other so much that the world is dark without the other one.”
“Sure,” Marinette rolled her eyes playfully. “I still think reading the whole thing is a waste of time.”
“And that’s why your grades are mediocre at best,” Peter replied, miffed that she hadn’t taken to his explanation. “You’re telling me you’ve never loved someone so much you can’t imagine life without them?”
Now that he put it that way, Marinette couldn’t imagine life without Chat, or her friends, or her parents. So many people she cared about so much, that had shaped her life. “I have,” she whispered. “Have you?”
Peter blinked. “Yeah, and I’ve experienced the other side of the same coin. I’ve had to learn to live without the people who I didn’t think I could live without. I can see why Romeo and Juliet couldn’t take it.”
“How did you move on from that?” Marinette wasn’t sure when their conversation had gone from playful banter to serious, but she wanted to know his story. Master Fu had chosen Peter for the phoenix miraculous because of how strong he was morally and emotionally, not just physically. And if she could learn from him, she’d take any chance she could get.
“Love liberally,” Peter shrugged. “You never know when it’s going to be the last time you see someone. There’s not really time for childish stuff. If you love someone, let them know, show it. I don’t mean outright saying ‘I love you’ because I get that’s not everyone’s forte, but love comes in a lot of different forms. Sometimes it’s as big as someone trying to capture the moon and stars for you, sometimes it’s as small as bringing someone their favourite food on a bad day.”
“Just like how you got Spiderman to take Adrien food?”
“Adrien’s like a brother to me,” Peter confessed, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket. “If anything ever happened to him, I don’t think I’d ever recover.”
“That would be like a supervillain origin story,” Marinette gave a small laugh, just trying to lighten the mood slightly.
“It would take more than that to turn me bad. If anything, it would make me a better person. Loss makes some people bitter, but it makes me more empathetic. I don’t hide anything about my past because I know that just talking about it can help someone else. Like Adrien. He never got to talk about a lot of things; emotions weren’t really welcome in the Agreste household. But the way I see it, you either live your emotions for awhile or they control you. Every supervillain was human first.”
“That’s deep,” Marinette said in hushed tones, uncertain of how her own thoughts could possibly compare to his. It was statements like that that solidified her belief that Peter was the perfect phoenix wielder. He was more mature than she could ever be, but that might’ve been a side effect from the trauma. And maybe that’s why he was the perfect friend for Adrien. She recognized some aspects of his personality in Adrien, but Adrien had never been that open. Adrien’s mother was gone, presumed dead, and as far as Marinette could tell, that wasn’t something he’d gotten to speak with anyone about until Peter came along.
“Thank you! I had a really good therapist who told me that speaking about my emotions was the best way to deal with them. I’ve always had a good support system. But that’s enough about me. It’s your turn, Miss Marinette. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Marinette had not been prepared for this turn of events, to say the least. “I don’t think there’s really anything I need to talk about!”
“There has to be something,” Peter said, spinning in the desk chair. “I don’t need to know details, but I feel like something is bothering you. I get vibes.” He wiggled his fingers in the air, like he was attempting to cast a spell.
“Fine,” Marinette humphed. “There’s this guy, and I’m not telling you who he is, but I’m supposed to be seeing him sometime this week, and we’re going on what I guess you could call a date and I’m a bit nervous that he’s too good for me.”
“Too good for you?” Peter scoffed. “Marinette, you’re great. Anyone would be lucky to be with you.”
“Okay, but what if I accidentally wind up hurting him some how? Or I mess everything up and then he can never talk to me again? Or what if-”
“Stop. It’s going to be fine, that’s just anxiety talking. Clearly you like this boy, or you wouldn’t have agreed to go on a date with him, and the fact that you’re worried that you’ll mess it up leads me to believe that you won’t have a problem. You care about him, and that’s all you need to focus on. It’ll go great.”
“Thanks Peter.”
“Enough of all that, I think.” He stood up, giving her a mischievous look. “What are you going to wear?”
Marinette managed to entertain Peter with selecting a fake outfit before he left for the day. Obviously she’d look ridiculous wearing a dress overtop her Ladybug suit. She tried. It didn’t look good. She still wanted to do something different for the date, though, so she put a bit more eyeshadow than usual on and left her hair hanging down. It wasn’t practical for patrol, but she figured they’d only last about twenty minutes or so before they gave up on patrol altogether.
Spidey was already at their meeting spot, as usual, but his suit’s eyes looked less perky than usual, if possible.
“You good?” She asked as she landed next to him.
“Always,” he muttered, fiddling with something on his web shooters. “I feel bad, but I won’t be able to do patrols for long. I’ll zip around real fast, but then I’ve got some business I have to take care of.”
“Avengers stuff again?” Spidey couldn’t have picked a better day to skip out on patrols. It was like he could read their minds.
“Nope,” he shook his head. “Unknown number called me, told me they wanted to talk to me tonight. I traced the number easily, but the person I have to meet up with is definitely not someone I would have exactly sought out. It’s going to be a long night for me.”
“Do you need backup?” Please say no, please say no, please say no.
“No, I have to go alone. It’s perfectly safe, just a hassle, that’s all. I’ll get started on patrols now, see you later, Ladybug. Thanks for understanding.” He took off at a run across the rooftop, leaping away before she could even say goodbye.
“Alone at last,” a low voice said by her ear, a familiar arm snaking its way around her waist.
“Hello, Chat,” she turned to face him; a mistake, turns out. They were now nose to nose, Chat wearing his signature smirk. Marinette hated to admit it, but that smirk gave her all sorts of butterflies. The realization both annoyed her and gave her a warm fuzzy feeling simultaneously.
“So, I think Spiderman can handle patrol on his own,” he said, eyes boring into hers.
“Funnily enough, I actually agree with you.” She couldn’t help herself as she reached out, running a hand up his toned chest. “Plus, I was promised a secret date.”
“I may have planned a thing or two. If you can keep up.” And with that he took off running.
“Hey!” Marinette called out, already a few seconds behind him as they raced along the rooftops, leaping over entire buildings and clearing chimneys. She was so focused on catching up that she didn’t even realize when he disappeared from sight.
“Chaton?” She whispered, looking around. He couldn’t have gotten far, he’d been right in front of her two seconds ago. The rooftop she’d landed on was long and rectangular, the flat surface stretching on for a good ten metres or so.
She took a careful step forwards, eyes peeled, and two candles flared to life on either side of her.
“Ah!” Marinette flinched, but the flame continued to dance harmlessly. Were those…rose petals on the ground? As she continued down the rooftop, more and more candles flickered to life, lining the walkway. The next rooftop in front of her was the tallest in the surrounding area, flat and square. She couldn’t see what was on top, but she’d reached the end of her rose petal runway.
This was it. Her last chance to back out. Once she leapt up onto that next rooftop, she’d official be on The Date. The Date with Chat Noir. Actually, the whole idea wasn’t nearly as daunting as she thought it would be. She liked him a lot, and there was no going back now.
And so she gracefully flipped upwards, landing right on the ledge.
“Hey, Ladybug.” The scene was beautiful. Chat had laid fairy lights around the edge of the roof, casting a golden glow, a picnic blanket spread out in the middle, already laden with assorted pastas, salads, beverages, and buns. A simple cake box, one she recognized from her parents’ bakery immediately, sat off to the side. And there was Chat, standing in the shadow of the large chimney, green eyes glowing in the night.
“Chat, this is amazing.” Marinette was truly breathless. They had an amazing view of Paris at night, but the only thing she could focus on was her partner as he moved closer.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered, hands reaching out to clasp hers.
“You saw me two seconds ago,” she whispered back, suddenly unable to tear her gaze from his.
“I’ll never get tired of your beauty.”
“We should eat before the food gets cold.” She was unable to stop smiling, to the point her face was starting to hurt. But it was so hard to keep a neutral expression when Chat was right there; just being in his presence was enough to make her the happiest girl alive.
“It’s not much,” Chat said, leading her over to the picnic blanket. “Just a little something I threw together at last minute.”
“Sparkling apple juice?” Marinette read the label on the nearest bottle, raising an eyebrow.
“Hell yeah, sparkling apple juice. It’s like champagne for kids at family gatherings. So good.” He winked, pouring her a glass. Chat had brought actual, proper silverware. No paper plates and cups for him, apparently.
She took a tentative sip, surprised to find that it actually wasn’t bad. Fizzy and a bit unusual, but not bad.
“I don’t know what sort of pasta you like, so I went with chicken parmigiana,” Chat placed a plate in front of her. “I mean, it’s technically just a giant chicken nugget and spaghetti, so you really can’t go wrong.”
“It’s perfect, Chat. Thank you.” And it was. She couldn’t think of a single person she would rather be spending her night with.
“I mean, I’ve been dreaming about a night like this ever since I met you pretty much, so I’d hope it’s perfect.” He glanced away, almost shy. Marinette reached a single hand up, gently turning his face back to her.
“Since you met me? I seem to recall our first interaction being me falling out of the sky and knocking you right off your baton.”
“That was hilarious,” Chat said. “And getting tangled up in your yoyo was when I realized I liked you. Quite literally two seconds later. I realized I loved you not long after, when you stood up to the Papillon and told all of Paris that we’d always protect them. It was badass.”
Marinette was at a loss for words. Chat had never shied away from saying he loved her and Ladybug felt guilty for not saying it back. She definitely liked him lots, more than she’d thought was possible, but voicing that would seem meek compared to his declarations. And so to avoid talking, she simply settled for kissing him instead. He tasted like the Caesar salad he’d been eating.
Given that it was Chat, what had started off as a nice kiss on her part quickly turned much more heated mere moments later as he seemed to decide Ladybug was far more interesting than food. His tongue ran lightly against her bottom lip and Marinette gasped, eyes widening, and he took that opportunity to explore her mouth with his tongue. This was…new. Not unpleasant, but new.
Chat seemed to notice the fact that she’d completely frozen up and pulled away, eyes searching her face for signs of discomfort.
“Sorry! I got a bit carried away there,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before leaning back, stabbing another bit of salad on his fork.
Marinette continued to blink at him, mouth still hanging slightly open.
“Ladybug, please say something. I’ll never do that again, I promise.” Chat said hastily.
“No, no, it’s okay, I just was not expecting that,” she finally managed. “It wasn’t bad.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s better when both parties are actively involved.” Chat gave her a sly grin, flirt turned back on now that she’d confirmed she was alright. “How about some cake?”
He opened the box, displaying a tiny, red heart-shaped cake.
“Chat! It’s so cute!” Marinette couldn’t help but squeal. What could she say? As a baker’s daughter, she appreciated cute sweets, even if they were made by her dad.
“Only the best for My Lady.” He carefully sliced the cake in half, expertly placing the slices on plates, handing the first one to her. Marinette giggled, certain that she hadn’t stopped blushing since the evening began. Chat had been right; he really was going to woo her. Somehow he knew everything she liked, or maybe he just knew her.
“Okay, so I talked to Spidey and he let me borrow his little wrist projector for the night,” Chat said as Marinette dug into the cake. “So I thought we could watch a movie or something? He said he loaded the ‘perfect movie’ onto it and I brought a bunch of pillows and blankets and whatnot.”
“What sort of movie does Spiderman consider ‘perfect’?” Marinette was slightly sceptical as Chat pulled blankets and pillows out from where they’d been hiding in the shadows, setting the little nest up against the chimney.
“I’ve been too scared to check, to be entirely honest.” Chat held out a grey blob to her and Marinette paused. Was that…?
“My friend gave this to me one time,” Chat explained. “It’s a blanket mixed with a hoodie. So comfy and I thought you might enjoy it.”
Marinette wasted no time before pulling her own creation over her head. The fuzzy inside felt so comfy against her suit, blocking out the crisp night air. Chat had finished setting everything up so she snuggled up next to him, placing her plate on her lap as he fiddled with the projector.
“How does this work?” He peered at it. “I don’t see any buttons, this sort of thing is too high-tech for me.”
“Let me see,” she carefully took it from him, tilting it, imitating the way Spidey had held his wrist the time he’d used the projector in front of them. It took a second, then Spiderman’s face popped up, staring at them.
“Ah!” She dropped it like it’d burned her, the projection flashing into Chat’s eyes.
“Ow!” He blindly grabbed it, setting it up in front of them.
“Hey guys, it’s Spiderman here!” The Spidey projection spoke. “This is just a quick little prologue about what you’re going to see. The film you will be watching tonight was nominated for two oscars, won a golden globe, as well as a Grammy! It’s a film that’s very close to my heart and is a large part of who I am. I hope it is as inspiring to you as it was to me. Without further ado, I present to you….” He gave a grand sweep of his arm as he faded out.
“One winner…forty-two losers…and I eat losers for breakfast,” came the opening line, and Marinette let out a peal of laughter.
“He picked Cars?” She cackled, leaning further into Chat as she laughed. Chat didn’t look too pleased.
“I told him something romantic! Not cartoon cars!”
“Cartoon cars are really romantic, I think Spidey nailed it.”
They watched the movie unfold before them, Chat’s arm around her shoulders, Marinette’s form pressed into his side. It was so normal, so casual, and definitely not something she’d ever thought she’d get to do while in the suit. Chat was the sort to comment on every aspect of the movie, giving his (usually pointless) thoughts.
“I’m just saying, I think Lightning McQueen would’ve been so much cooler if he was a grey or black car! The red plus the decoration is just yicky,” he commented as the credits rolled.
“You’re cute, but also wrong,” Marinette tapped him on the nose. “He shouldn’t be anything except red.”
“I supposed red is an exceptional colour,” Chat commented, looking at her suit.
Marinette laughed, but it quickly turned into a yawn that did not go unnoticed by her partner.
“Getting tired, are we My Lady?”
“I don’t want to go home,” Ladybug admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck, no easy feat given the way she was slumped against him.
“Then don’t,” Chat whispered. “Stay here. It’ll be like a sleepover!”
“A sleepover?” His grin made her smile, despite how tired she was. “What if we detransform?”
“Let’s see,” Chat considered. “We haven’t done any strenuous activity, but if it’ll make you feel safer, how about we go feed our kwamis and meet back here in five?”
Marinette agreed, but leaving his side was easier said than done. She just wanted to lay there in his arms until the end of time, regardless of who she was or what duty she had to the city of Paris. It was with great difficulty that she managed to leap off the rooftop, landing in an alleyway and detransforming.
“What’s going on?” Tikki asked as Marinette dug around in her purse for a macaron.
“I’m staying the night with Chat Noir,” Marinette said quickly, handing her little friend the cookie. “We just want to make sure we’re not detransforming while we’re both asleep.”
“That’s very responsible,” Tikki smiled, obviously approving of the plan. “Things are going well with you two, I assume?”
Marinette blushed at the thought. “I never thought it was possible, but I really do like him. Stupid puns and all.”
It was only a few minutes later that she rejoined Chat on the rooftop, settling right back down into their little makeshift cocoon. Her head on his chest, fingers drawing small patterns across his stomach, Marinette had never been happier.
“Do you want to talk about something?” She asked, breaking their comfortable silence.
“Did you have something in mind?” Chat replied, breathing into her hair.
“Not really, I just want to get to know you.”
“Tell me your deepest secret. That seems like a good place to start.” She could hear his smile in his voice.
“My deepest secret? That would be my identity, chaton.”
“Fine, just a secret then.”
“I nearly gave the ladybug miraculous to someone else after our first mission together. Your turn.” She tilted her head up, meeting Chat’s intent stare.
“My secret was going to be that I always wanted a brother but you almost quit being Ladybug? Was it something I did?” He looked distressed now, and Marinette reached up to gently stroke his cheek.
“No,” she cooed. “I thought I was a failure, I thought there was no way I could be a superhero. Sometimes I still don’t.”
“You’re not alone,” Chat admitted. “I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time, I just follow your lead. You could be Ladybug without Chat Noir, but I could never be Chat Noir without Ladybug. And I’m not just talking about akuma purifying.” He gave her a meaningful look.
“I wouldn’t want to be Ladybug if you weren’t Chat Noir.” She tried her best to hold back another yawn, failing miserably and cursing herself internally. Meaningful talks with Chat were important to her, and here she was ruining them by being tired.
“Go to sleep, My Lady. I’m not going anywhere.” At his words, Marinette allowed herself to settle down further, closing her eyes, her breathing transitioning into slow, deep breaths. Chat stroked her hair as she fell asleep, whisper-singing a little song to himself.
“Little kitty, not alone,
Content and happy with his Lady.
Who he loves more than life itself,
Here in his arms.
Little kitty on a roof….”
Peter was only slightly bitter that Chat and Ladybug got to spend a romantic evening together whilst he was going to hang out with an old man. It was Master Fu who had called him, addressing him as ‘Helios’ and asking him to meet up in plain clothes. And so Peter had agreed because he had literally nothing better to do that night, and he had a lot of questions that needed answering.
“We’re going to meet the guardian?” Suluu asked as they swung away from where he’d left Ladybug and Chat.
“You’ve never met him?” Peter frowned, dropping down into a secluded area of the park, releasing his Spidey transformation.
“Nope! You were the first to open that box in hundreds of years,” Suluu nestled herself in his hood, a slight warmth rolling off her tiny body. “Do we like him?”
“I don’t know, like I said, I only broke into his house once when I was Spiderman. All we talked about then was how I knew about the other’s identities. It’ll be a fun little reunion.”
Master Fu had tea made and ready to pour by the time Peter arrived, carefully shutting the door to the massage shop behind him.
“Welcome, Spiderman,” Master Fu said, looking at him with a glint in his eye. Peter froze on the spot, considering how suspicious it would be if he ran away right then and there.
“I’m…not…,” Peter whispered, his expression completely betraying him.
“Don’t worry,” Master Fu said, handing him a steaming cup of tea. “Please come sit.” And so Peter sat.
“Hypothetically,” Peter said slowly after taking a sip. “If I were Spiderman – and I’m not saying that I am – but if I was, how did you find out?”
“I had my suspicions from when I first heard about you. As soon as I heard you were to be living with Adrien, I learned everything I could about you, and of course I realized that you were very, very smart. And when your presence brought Spiderman too, I had to watch both of you, since I knew having you here put Adrien’s identity at risk. However I learned very fast that you and Spiderman were one and the same. It takes a superhero to know a superhero. Both you and Spiderman have young bodies yet old souls, and to know someone like that in one life time is rare enough, let alone to know two at the same time. And by the night when Spiderbug made his appearance and I saw you step out of the suit with my own two eyes, I knew that I’d made the best possible choice to wield the phoenix miraculous.”
“Wait a minute,” Peter said, mind racing. “Ladybug’s yoyo already had the phoenix miraculous in it that night. Unless she just holds onto it, you’d picked me before that night.”
“Correct,” Master Fu said. “And I’m glad we are no longer speaking in the hypothetical. That was just the night that my long-time hunch was one hundred percent confirmed. I chose you to wield the phoenix miraculous after the evening when you broke into my house.”
Peter winced. “I’m sorry? But how did that make me a contender?”
“You could sense the miraculous, but mistook it for the gramophone, since it was also emitting signals you could pick up on. The phoenix miraculous calls to those who know it’s there, who have means of acquiring it; but you didn’t know it was there. And with that, it was a sign that you were meant to become the phoenix. Furthermore, you knew Ladybug and Chat Noir’s real identities.”
“It’s so obvious! Their miraculous don’t change them that much, at least not physically.”
“The masks have special magic that prevents people from recognizing them, but they cannot fool computers. And you are no android. So how did you recognize them right away? To me, there were two answers. The first was your Spiderman senses, pointing the way. The second was that you see beyond the physical form of a person, and instead you go straight for the spirit. You see who they are, not who they pretend to be with whatever masks they wear. Illusions can’t get beyond you, Peter. That’s why so many people feel comfortable confiding in you. You make them feel seen.”
Peter just blinked at the old man, uncertain of how to respond. “I’m pretty sure it’s just the Spidey senses,” he managed, drumming his restless fingers on his knee.
“You faced the Papillon with no fear,” Master Fu continued, ignoring Peter’s interruption. “And you spoke to him like he was insignificant, a mere inconvenience that was wasting your time. Even I do not possess that amount of bravery. And Marinette told me about what you said once you were done using the phoenix miraculous, as you returned it. You’re really special, and that’s why I entrusted you with it. It’s yours.”
“I don’t want to use it all the time, though,” Peter said. If this was a talk about joining the patrols as Helios, he’d have to shut it down fast. “It hurts so bad to use.”
“That’s why I chose you. Marinette was so scared to give it to you, because she thought it would kill you, but you’re so much stronger than that. You see the whole picture, Peter, which is why you know you don’t need to use it all the time, and you know that power like that is destructive. The phoenix song never sounds as beautiful to the one who sings it, because above all, it is a cry for help.”
“Did you call me here to tell me why you chose me?” Peter couldn’t resist asking. He had enough pressure already, and it felt a teensy bit like Master Fu was just adding more.
“No. I called you here to answer any questions you may have, as well as to explain to you what will happen when you finally face the Papillon. I cannot have such conversations with the others, as they are near-sighted, but I can confide in you and trust that you’ll do the right thing when the time comes. I once said of you that you listen to logic before you listen to fear, and I hope that will continue to ring true.”
“I hope so too,” Peter said. “I’m of the belief that no matter what you’ve got going on, you can never let your emotions overpower your intelligence. In a matter of life or death, fear comes second.”
“Very good.” Master Fu took the opportunity to sip his own tea. “But even you must have an emotional Achille’s heel, per say, something that would absolutely break you if it occurred.”
“Ignoring my life back home and focusing solely on Paris, I think Adrien is my Achille’s heel. But I don’t think that’s a weakness.”
“No, I don’t think so either. If anything were to happen to Adrien, I’m sure you could save him.”
“Even if I couldn’t save him, I’d make it worth it. I always do. It’s why I’m Spiderman. I’ve always had a debt to pay, and it’s constantly growing. Everyone is worth saving, but you can’t save everyone.” Peter felt like this whole interaction was a test of sorts, and he was determined to pass. He was good at witty one-liners, but when it came down to it, he understood the full weight of the work he did as a superhero, and he wanted to prove that to Master Fu.
“Your kwami has explained the healing tears, then?” Master Fu’s eyes dropped to where Suluu was peeking over the edge of Peter’s hood.
“No, actually. Suluu, you’ve been awful quiet.”
Suluu flew out, hovering in the air. “Hello Master Guardian. I am Suluu.”
“Hello Suluu,” Master Fu said kindly. “I trust you like your chosen.”
“I love him!” Suluu said fiercely, eyes flashing. “He’s the best!”
“He is,” Master Fu agreed. “Now we should explain how the healing tears work. I’ll let you lead the explanation.”
“Okay,” Suluu took a deep breath, turning to Peter. “As the phoenix holder, you have the power to not only heal the wounded, but bring back the dead.”
“What!?” Peter jolted, nearly spilling the remainder of his tea. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Master Fu cleared his throat. “Language.”
“Sorry, I mean what the shit does that mean?” Peter did not realize that he was being reprimanded for his turn of phrase and not his translation.
Suluu laughed at the expression on Master Fu’s face before continuing her explanation. “The healing tears have the power to reverse death upon a few conditions. You must reverse the death within five minutes after it has occurred, and you can only bring them back if they want to be brought back.”
“That makes sense,” Peter considered. “Phoenixes represent death in a lot of depictions and cultures, so it’s only natural that the tears reflect that. But also, I can’t cry when I sing the phoenix song. My eyes turn into mini suns, don’t they?”
“The phoenix tears aren’t water.” Suluu shook her head, like it should have been obvious. “They’re molten gold, charged with magic.”
“Gold melts at one thousand and sixty-four degrees Celsius.” Peter looked between his kwami and the Master. “Are you saying that I have to withstand that kind of heat in order to use it? And now that I think about it, white flame is around one thousand, three hundred degrees. And the fire phoenix I summoned last time was mostly white flame. So you’re telling me that’s why it’s so painful?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Suluu confirmed. “That’s why most people don’t make a habit of using this miraculous. It’s very painful even if it doesn’t kill you.”
“I love that for me,” Peter sighed. “I can confirm that it’s really not a fun time.”
“But you are the only one I’ve ever met who can wield it,” Master Fu chimed in. “And the fight against the Papillon is not one that can be won by Spiderman, Ladybug, and Chat Noir alone. You need to have the element of magic on your side, in order to make sure that nothing irreversible happens. I need you to support them beyond the wisdom you impart.”
“You’re afraid someone’s going to die,” Peter realized. “And if they do, you think their death will be in your hands since you gave them the miraculous.”
“I cannot be a superhero anymore. I am simply an old man who does his best to answer their questions, but some I cannot. But you, Spiderman, seem to be able to answer everything they throw at you. Even if you don’t know what to do, you figure it out. I can trust you to make the right decisions when the time is right. You’re truly one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met, Peter.”
“Nah, I do everything for a super selfish reason.” Peter waved his hand in the air. “I never want anyone to have to deal with everything I’ve gone through. So I just gotta do my thing to stop everyone else from losing what matters most to them. I’m really only ever thinking of myself and how I would feel if ‘insert event here’ happened. Like when Ladybug told me she was scared to take on the Papillon, I knew how to comfort her because I’m literally constantly terrified of what the future holds. It’s by projecting my own problems onto other people’s that I relate, and that feels pretty self-centred to me.”
“If that’s what selfish means, then I wish everyone else was a little more selfish.” Master Fu gave him a kind smile. “But I must ask of you, Spiderman, to find out who the Papillon truly is, beneath his mask. I trust you have your own theories, as I have mine, but we need to find out if we are to know who our true enemy is.”
“Who do you think he is?”
“I will not tell you, at risk of clouding your judgement. But you seem to have fewer inhibitions about confronting villains than your counterparts.”
Peter shrugged. “Like Mr. Roosevelt said. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is far more important than fear. We have to become greater than what we suffer, whatever holds us back. The Papillon himself doesn’t scare me. He’s just a man, after all. And when I meet him, I’ll save him.”
“Save him?” Master Fu and Suluu chorused.
“You can’t think about it like you’re saving the world. I’m just saving one person, and I guess that person is the Papillon. He’s done horrible things, preyed off the innocent, but you have to give people a chance to change. If he’s done all that bad, who knows how much good he could do? Lots of people do the wrong things for the right reason. Not to take the moral high ground or anything, but I’ve met lots of people who have proved that people can change. And to take him down without a single thought as to try and see things from his perspective, without even pausing to think that he could be helped, those are not the actions of a true hero.”
“And that’s why I chose you,” Master Fu said quietly, setting his teacup down. “Find out who the Papillon is, and we’ll find a way to save him. But be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” Peter grinned. “Except for when I take stupid risks for the betterment of humanity.”
“I am putting my life’s work in your hands, Spiderman. Try not to screw it up, please.”
Peter stood, gesturing for Suluu to return to his hood. “You know I can’t promise that. But I can promise I’ll try.”
“That’s all I can ask for, I suppose.”
The night air was cold as Peter stepped out of the massage parlour, ready to head home. His talk with Master Fu had provided some much needed clarity, but had put more pressure on Peter’s shoulders. At this point he felt like he was Atlas, holding the weight of the world above him. A ridiculous thought, he knew, but a reality to him all the same.
“How will you know that you’re ready to take on the Papillon?” Suluu asked from the safe cover of Peter’s clothing.
“I won’t,” Peter said honestly. Master Fu didn’t seem too confident in what would happen. “No one ever knows when they’re ready, and the only way to find out is to go for it. But it seems like I’m to act as backup in this situation. Why bring up the healing tears? He obviously thinks I’m going to need them.”
“Maybe not for something as extreme as death?” Suluu suggested.
“Hopefully not. Cuz if Marinette or Adrien dies, I don’t want to be responsible for trying to bring them back. I don’t think I’m the best person for that job.”
“You quite literally are, though. That’s why you have the phoenix miraculous.”
“Emotionally speaking,” Peter rolled his eyes, “I am not prepared for anything of the sort. Now let’s go get my projector back from that kitty cat.”
“Why does Kitty Cat have your projector?”
“Chat borrowed it for his little date night and asked me to pick a romantic movie. I picked Cars.”
“Just a video of cars? How is that romantic?” Suluu sounded concerned.
“If you watched it, you would understand. There’s so many levels to the film, so many layers to Sally and Lightning McQueen’s relationship.” Peter laughed. “Now get out of the hood, I need to transform.”
Suluu complied, zipping out in front of Peter as he turned into Spiderman, swinging above the city. “Are we looking for them?”
“No need,” Peter said. “There’s a tracker in the projector. It’s this way.” He changed his course, following the map his suit’s display laid out for him. “I just hope they’re not doing anything gross when I show up.”
He landed silently on a chimney, perched above where Ladybug and Chat Noir were currently holding their little date.
“Oh my god, yep, that’s the grossest thing I’ve ever seen.” He looked away dramatically, only to find himself looking straight at his kwami.
“They’re sleeping,” she said pointedly, crossing her arms.
“It’s not just sleeping! They’re cuddling. It’s so cutesy it’s rotting my brain.”
“You told me they were meant to be together! You said they were perfect for each other!” Suluu’s tone was accusing.
“Su, I’m joking. I love Ladybug and Chat Noir. I worked very hard to get them together, of course I want to see them together.”
“That was a fucking stupid joke,” Suluu snarked.
“You can’t just say that!” Peter’s eyes widened, his suit’s eyes following in suit.
“You say it all the time!”
“Well that’s different. You’re innocent.”
“I’m millions of years older than you. If anyone is meant to be the authority figure here, it’s me.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to swear.” Peter reprimanded. “Let’s just get the projector and get out of here, those two need to sleep.”
He dropped down onto the roof, carefully grabbing his projector as so not to wake the sleeping couple. Ladybug was wrapped up in Chat’s arms contentedly, surrounded by a mountain of pillows and blankets. It looked safe and cozy and it made Peter wish he had someone he could snuggle like that. But only a little bit. For the most part, they were just two crazy kids in love.
“I can’t wait until they learn each other’s identities!” Suluu squealed as Peter touched down in the Agreste mansion, shedding his suit as he got ready for bed.
“I can. Can you imagine the amount of drama there will be? It’ll be a nightmare.” He grabbed his toothbrush. “Who do you think will find out first?”
“I think Marinette will learn that Chat Noir is Adrien first,” Suluu decided, after a moment’s hesitation.
“Well I think Adrien will figure it out first,” Peter countered.
“Shall we make a wager?”
“Someone’s confident,” Peter raised an eyebrow, jamming his toothbrush into his mouth and proceeding to speak around it. “No meddling on our parts, simply observing.”
“I hope Marinette figures it out first. If she does, it’ll be a real show.”
“Suluu, you can’t just hope for drama just for the sake of drama.”
“Peter, I’m just calling a cat a cat. When she finds out she’s going to freak.”
“It was a mistake telling you about their little love square,” Peter rolled his eyes, walking out of the bathroom.
“I’ve been so bored for hundreds of years; this is the most interesting thing that’s happened to me in a long time.” Suluu settled on his pillow.
“Do you think they’ll make it back in time for school tomorrow?” Peter asked as he changed into his pyjamas. “I mean, they made the conscious decision to hold a sleepover on a Wednesday night, so I’d be willing to put money on ‘no’.”
“I say they will make it,” Suluu decided. “They’re responsible.”
“No they’re not. Not in the slightest. Ladybug is late to school on an alarmingly regular basis.”
Peter was right. Adrien wasn’t at breakfast and he had to make several very awkward explanations.
“Where’s Adrien?” Nathalie asked, tone chilly as ever.
Play dumb, Peter thought. Externally, he said, “Who’s Adrien?”
Nathalie did not find his quip amusing. Not that dumb, you idiot.
“Oh, Adrien? I’m sure he’s fine, he mentioned something about waking up early to go to school to get some extra math help,” Peter said quickly to Nathalie, avoiding her piercing gaze by staring at his apple cinnamon oatmeal.
“If Adrien needed help, he should’ve come to me. I have a teaching license.”
“I didn’t have much say in the matter?” Peter offered. “You’ll have to bring it up with him later.”
“Trust me, Mr. Parker, I will. His bed does not look like it was slept in.”
Welp, Adrien was screwed. Peter had done his absolute best. They’d had a good run, and it seemed likely that he was now going to be killed by his own father. Or his father’s assistant. Nathalie was clearly waiting for a response from Peter, however, so he hit her with his best line, one guaranteed to end the conversation on the spot.
“Dang, that’s crazy.”
The sun was warm on his face as Adrien awoke, the memories of the night before slowly coming back to him. Ladybug (his Lady!) was still fast asleep beside him, curled up into his side. Adrien took his time to wake up, sleepily memorizing the way Ladybug looked as she slept. Her little nose twitched occasionally, her lips slightly parted as deep breaths passed through them. Since she’d left her hair down, it was slightly mussed and a bit tangled. It was the most beautiful she’d ever looked.
Adrien had no clue as to what time it was. He was also finding he didn’t care. With his Lady in his arms, there was no way he could have a single care in the world.
“Mmmm…Chat?” Ladybug murmured and he froze, barely daring to breathe. A small smile stretched over her face and she squirmed slightly, but she was still fast asleep. So why was she saying his name? Was she sleep talking? Did that mean she was dreaming of him?
“Chat…,” she said again and Adrien smiled. How was she this cute? Then she sat bolt upright, eyes wide. “Ohmygod.”
“What’s wrong, My Lady?” Adrien reached out, gripping her shoulders to steady her.
“Sorry, I forgot where I was for a second.” Ladybug took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Good dream?” Adrien asked, quirking an eyebrow. Ladybug blushed before schooling her features, giving him an accusing look.
“How do you know?”
“You were talking in your sleep.”
“What?! What did I say?” Ladybug covered her face with her hands, blush returning just as fast as it had left.
“Just my name…why? Was there more to it?” Adrien asked, curiosity piqued.
“Nope!” Ladybug shook her head, still hiding. Adrien reached over, guiding her hands away from her face.
“You’re so beautiful, you know that?” He brushed a thumb over her coloured cheek, meeting her gaze with a steady intensity.
“You may have mentioned it once or twice,” she mumbled. Adrien leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before pulling back to resume his unabashed gazing.
“What was that for?” Ladybug frowned. “Come back.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back down to her, lips finding his hungrily. This was something new.
“M’Lady,” he managed between kisses. “Shouldn’t we-”
“Shhh.” Ladybug pressed a finger to his lips, eyes dancing over his features. Adrien swallowed hard. She winked. And Adrien combusted on the spot, slumping back against the chimney.
“Going somewhere, chaton?” Ladybug had a glint in her eye as she got up slightly, swinging one leg over him as she settled down in his lap, facing him. Was she…straddling him? Adrien couldn’t tell, as his brain had quite literally shut down and it practically crumbled to dust as she kissed him again, same passion as before. Adrien couldn’t help himself. He let out a strangled groan/moan, he couldn’t really tell the difference. Either way, it made Ladybug pause and she pulled back, both of them breathing hard.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean…,” Adrien waved a hand in the air, unable to complete his sentence.
“It’s a Thursday, isn’t it.” Ladybug suddenly looked horrified.
“Yes?” Adrien said, his brain slowly reconstructing itself.
“We have school.” Her eyes were wide as she grabbed her yoyo, sliding it open. “It’s ten am!” She leapt up, suddenly seized by a frantic energy.
“So? It’s not like- oh shit.” Adrien also jumped up, thoroughly surprised when his legs didn’t give out beneath him. “We have school! We’re late to school! Oh my dad is going to kill me.”
“Mine too!” Ladybug said, quickly helping him pack up. “I’m late all the time, but not this late oh god.”
It was only a matter of seconds before they were running off in their separate directions. Adrien had to drop his stuff back off at his house, quickly detransforming.
“Well well,” Plagg said as soon as he was able. “That was getting spicy there at the end, no?”
“No time!” Adrien yelled, grabbing his school stuff and changing his clothes as fast as possible. “Transform me again so I can get out of here without Nathalie seeing me!”
Adrien released his transformation outside the school, racing in, sliding into his seat. The entire class stared at him.
“Thank you, Adrien, for joining us today,” Mme. Bustier said. “I’m sure you have a good excuse for why you weren’t present for the first half of the day.”
“Photo shoot, sorry,” Adrien lied. He could feel Peter’s eyes burning a hole into the side of his head but he ignored it, staring straight ahead. That was when Marinette burst into the classroom, screaming as she lost her balance and face-planted in front of the entire class.
“Sorry I’m late!” She yelled from the floor, slowly standing up. “I slept in!”
“Why are both you and Marinette arriving late?” Nino leaned across Peter to whisper to Adrien.
“I don’t know why she’s late!” Adrien hissed back. “I had stuff!”
“Nathalie nearly killed me this morning,” Peter said, thoroughly unimpressed. “I told her you were getting extra math help and coming to school early. Apparently it wasn’t a good explanation. Next time, give me a cover story or have me sleep in your bed to make an indent or something.”
Adrien blinked at him. Peter didn’t even seem curious as he returned his attention to his tablet, writing something down. If only Adrien could reveal his identity to Peter. And maybe he could. After all, Peter had proved he couldn’t be akumatized, obviously wasn’t the Papillon, and was close with Spiderman who already knew Adrien’s alter ego. Perhaps it was time to be honest with his friend who’d never been anything but honest to Adrien.
After all, Peter was the closest thing Adrien had to a brother. He would trust him with his life. So perhaps it was time to come clean.