Holding On

Chapter 4

Hold on, I still want you

Come back, I still need you

Let me take your hand, I'll make it right

I swear to love you all my life

Hold on, I still need you

Chord Overstreet, Hold On

***

"Honestly kid, you're so calm it's freaking me out. And I don't like freaking out because now I can't fully appreciate my cheese."

"Plagg..."

"I'm serious! Shouldn't you be having some sort of mental breakdown?"

Adrien was seriously considering throwing a pillow at his kwami and smothering him with it. He had gone to bed almost an hour ago, but Plagg just wouldn't shut up. Not for the first time, he wished that his little friend came with a mute button.

"Why would I be having a mental breakdown?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Because you always do?"

That little...

"I swear to god, Plagg -"

"I'm just saying!" The kwami interrupted him, flying to be in front of him instead of lying on the nightstand. "You're taking this whole situation weirdly well."

"I'm just... Not surprised, I guess?"

"You should be. Pigtails being Ladybug sure surprised me when I first found out."

"It makes total sense. Ladybug being Marinette is just so obvious now that I think about it. I should've realized it a lot sooner. The eyes and the hair are an obvious giveaway, but not only that. Marinette is just as brave, smart and selfless with and without the mask. I even called her our everyday Ladybug! Can you believe this?"

"Don't remind me, I still haven't recovered from this one. Gold, pure gold."

Completely ignoring Plagg, Adrien added, "I told her countless times that I would never be disappointed with who she truly is. I always knew that I would love her anyway. And I was right. It's funny because I told you like two months ago that if Ladybug wasn't around, Marinette would be the one I couldn't stop thinking about, you remember? Looks like I have a type, uh?"

"How could I forget, I almost died trying not to laugh."

"Hey, when did you find out, exactly?"

"Oh, when you guys had to detransform in front of each other while fighting that owl guy. Since then, it's been a blast watching you guys dance around each other. I'm telling you, Tikki and I are having the time of our lives."

"Wait, dancing around each other? What do you mean?"

"Oh look how late it is! You should be sleeping! Good night, kid!"

"Plagg!"

"Shut up, can't you see that I'm asleep?"

"I'm gonna cut off your camembert ration."

"No, you won't."

"No," he admitted, although grudgingly. "I won't."

***

"Mom I'm fine, I swear," Marinette said for the fifth time the next morning, growing more and more exasperated by the minute.

"I just think that maybe you could take a day off, sweetie. It's Friday, you could go back on Monday and have a long weekend..."