Falling For Him

Chapter 19

Ladybug and Cat Noir stared at each other for a moment, both of them at a loss for words. Cat Noir wasn't exactly sure how he could convince her that he wasn't Adrien and was extremely worried about how she would react to the news. Ladybug on the other hand was just shocked to her core.

She couldn't believe this entire time Cat Noir was Adrien. She was rejecting Adrien. She was filled with self-loathing, realizing she had torn and crushed his heart, just because she was in love with another version of him. She was furious that she actually had a chance with him, but completely blew it. Not to mention, she was acting like a complete fool. She wanted to bury her face in her hands at the thought of her trying to sabotage Adrien and Luka's relationship. It filled her with shame and she thought she definitely deserved this wave of negative emotions crashing inside her. She was still in love with Adrien, but knew it was in her best interest to move on, to let him be happy.

"Um, I brought Adrien to safety?" said Cat Noir, not sounding convincing in the slightest.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile slightly, amused by his attempt at lying. Her smile slipped off her face and her bluebell eyes filled with disappointment, remembering the direness of the situation. "You don't have to lie," the superhero replied. "I saw you transform."

Cat Noir flinched, almost expecting her to make a move on him. "Oh," he answered lamely. All his muscles were tensed and he wished to leave this awkward conversation. "If we're being completely honest here, Luka and I figured out you were Marinette a few days ago."

Her eyes widened in shock. She realized he must have been so mad at her and she felt her face burn. "I'm really sorry," she whispered sincerely, her eyes downcast and tear-filled. "I don't expect you to forgive me; I've been acting like a complete fool. I... You and Luka are made for each other and I'll support your decision. I hope, one day, we can be friends again."

Cat Noir smiled, absolutely overjoyed to hear her move on. He was an extremely forgiving person and he could sense the truth in her speech. He crushed her into a hug, wrapping his leather-clad arms around her.

She gasped in surprise, not expecting him to forgive her so quickly. She should of known; Adrien was the type of person who couldn't hold a grudge. She melted into his arms and smiled a little, still extremely disgusted at her actions. She admits, she still has some feelings for him, but she knew it was time to move on.

The superheroes pulled back from the hug and Cat Noir beamed. "We never stopped being friends," he answered simply. "And I think it's time to rid Paris of that stinking supervillain."

She smiled and grasped her yo-yo as he grasped his stick. They both jumped off the building and launched themselves into the air, scrutinizing the city. They observed the citizens, looking for any in distress or looking for any pink gas drifting in the air.

"There," called Cat Noir as he landed soundlessly on the roof of another building. He pointed his clawed finger in the direction of a green-skinned Princess Fragrance who was walking and spraying her perfume in the air.

Ladybug landed beside him and summoned her Lucky Charm. A fan landed in the palm of her hand and she turned it on, her mind reeling. She glanced around, trying to assemble the puzzle.

"A fan?" asked Cat Noir. "Maybe it's because I'm too hot."

Ladybug blinked, still not used to the fact that Adrien actually had a big ego. She couldn't help but give a small chuckle. "How was I ever in love with you?" she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Marinette, we just became friends again," replied Cat Noir, placing a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "I think it's a little too soon for the onslaught of hurtful insults."

They both chuckled, glad they could finally just be friends and not have any weird relationship stuff in the way. They finally felt completely comfortable with each other and it was an extreme relief.

"I have an idea," the red and black clad superhero announced. "Get ready."

Cat Noir nodded his head and activated his cataclysm as Ladybug launched herself at Princess Fragrance. The akumatized villain sprayed Ladybug with perfume, but the fan dispersed it. The supervillain groaned in annoyance, swiping at the fan with her other hand, trying to knock it out of Ladybug's hand.

Her hand with the bracelet dropped to her side and Cat Noir smirked as he lunged for it. Before the supervillain could even react, his finger was pressed on the akumatized object and it turned to dust. The butterfly flew away, leaving Rose standing awkwardly, wondering how she got away from her classroom.

Ladybug captured the akuma with her yo-yo, de-evilized it and performed her Miraculous Ladybug. Cat Noir waited, watching her perform the post-battle tradition. He held out his fist and she bumped it with hers.

"Pound it."

A/N: Marinette is one of my favourite characters in the show, so I wanted her to redeem herself. And she's also really important in the end of the story. There's one more chapter before we start getting to the angst. And I'm sorry it took me so long. I've been so unmotivated to write and I'm kind of getting a little bored with miraculous right now. Probably because I watched it like 10 times this year, but oh well.