~*Marinette*~

Walking through these empty halls, my footfall echoing with every step. Daylight slips away outside, and I'm just thinking, feeling blessed. Hey, those would make pretty good lyrics. Grabbing my notebook, I scribble down the lines before they can fly away. When I'm not designing or daydreaming, I write music. Sometimes. It's not very good, but just another way to be creative. 

But yeah. Feeling blessed. First of all, because Chloe was away today. Something to do with someone sneezing on her yesterday. Second, because there's been no akuma attacks the WHOLE WEEK. Third, I got partnered up with Adrien (*dreamy sigh*) for a project, which just so happened to be writing a song! Of course, I smiled politely, but I was internally screaming. I'm supposed to be meeting him here tomorrow, but I thought I'd practice and gather some inspiration. From my echoing footsteps to the bright afternoon light cutting through glass to the grand piano shining to the side of the stage in the hall. Hmm... 

I walk up to it, leaving my bag and purse at my feet. Tikki peaks out of the purse and watches curiously as I seat myself at the piano. Staring at the ivory and ebony keys for a moment, staring at the shockingly contrasting black and white. Like Yin and Yang. Thinking of the old Chinese philosophy, an image of myself as Ladybug and Chat Noir comes into mind. It's true, we couldn't be more dissimilar but we fit together perfectly.

My train of thought swiftly moves around, so quick I can't catch onto individual thoughts. Idly, my fingers start to press a tune I know and memorised. Closing my eyes and letting the music flow, I open my mouth to sing a soft song.

It's a song about longing, about love, about loneliness, and I've always loved the rise and fall of the notes.

My voice fades out with the end of the song. I smile to myself as I let my hands rest on the keys. Tikki grins up at me and claps her tiny hands together until I hear a much louder clapping from behind me.

"Marinette, I didn't know you could sing that well! That was beautiful!" I hear a familiar male voice. Turning around, my eyes widen and my cheeks flush.

"A-Adrien? H-how long have you been l-listening?" I stutter over my words, trying not to completely make a fool of myself. I honestly can't help my stuttering around him, he just makes me so nervous and I melt and he's just so perfect...

"-and you hadn't noticed me so I just watched. Honestly, why didn't you tell me you could play piano and sing? I mean, it's great for this assignment." I snap back to reality and blush profusely.

"O-oh y-yeah, I, uh, write songs too, heh, crazy right?" I mumble, flicking through my notebook casually. Or, I hope casually. I land on one pretty song I wrote last month. I take a breath and glance up at Adrien's striking emerald green eyes. He's come a lot closer.

"Wanna hear one of my songs?" I ask nervously, but managing to not stutter. Yeah, go Marinette!

"Sure." He sits down on the stool next to me. My heart rate spikes significantly, so I take another breath to calm down before being the soft song.

"Will you, stay with me, for one last day, so I can keep my tears away. For one last day, just stay nearby, and tomorrow I'll say goodbye.

"Once upon a time, I believed in fairy tales, dreamt of a shining knight, who saved her without fail. Once upon a time, I laid eyes on a prince, dreamt of him through the night, dreamt of a true love's kiss.

"But I stopped believing in fairy tales, the happily ever after too good to handle. So make me happy once more, can this princess have one last request?

"Will you, stay with me, for one last day, so I can keep my tears away. For one last day, just stay nearby, and tomorrow I'll say goodbye."

I take a shaky breath, sneaking a glance at Adrien, who sits with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Swallowing, I continue playing and jump into the next verse.

"Dragons with fiery breath, dwarves and elves my companions. A little girl's dream left, no more prince on a stallion. Ballgowns and pumpkin carriages, white weddings and glass slippers. I won't wait around for you anymore, but this princess has one last request.

"Will you, stay with me, for one last day, so I can keep my tears away. For one last day, just stay nearby, and tomorrow I'll say goodbye.

"Don't leave just yet, let me dream of happily ever after. A knight in shining armour, for one last day.

"Will you, stay with me, for one last day, so I can keep my tears away. For one last day, just stay nearby, and tomorrow I'll say goodbye. Will you, stay with me, for one last day, so I can keep my tears away. For one last day, just stay nearby, and tomorrow I'll say goodbye." 

I let the last few words drift off along with the piano and finish with a sigh. It's a bittersweet song, but music has always been a good outlet to focus my emotions into.

I gasp slightly as I realise tears are slipping down my face. I quickly wipe them away with my thumb. I don't notice Adrien rambling on and on about how good that was and how talented I am until he touches my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Adrien looks at me concerned. I nod.

"Just... remembered something a little sad is all." I smile. "When I was little, Chloe, she said I couldn't be a princess because I was plain old Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I cried, because I was a little girl and I wanted to be a princess like every other little girl. I don't remember who, but someone wiped my tears away and told me I was a princess to him." Sighing, I droop my head. "I really wish I remember who told me that, because I want to hug him and thank him for helping me believe in myself. I remember thinking, 'Wow, if someone thinks I'm a princess, I can be one! I can do anything!' It was just brought into my mind a month ago when Cha- someone started calling me Princess, and I wrote that."

Adrien sits quietly, before putting an arm around me and hugs me to his chest. I'm too stunned to move as he presses his face into the crook of my neck. My face heats up rapidly. 

"I didn't think you remembered that." He murmurs. Eyes widening, I cautiously call his name.

"A-Adrien?" My mouth quivers a little as I remember striking green eyes and a mop of blonde hair and a kind smile...

"Yes, Princess?" His voice is muffled as he refuses to look up at me. Heartbeat in my ears, I slowly return the hug and nuzzle my burning face into his shoulder.

"Thank you, so, so much, chaton." I smile as I call him Chat's pet name. It's only fitting after he used Chat's pet name for me. And...

WAIT.

HE USED CHAT'S PET NAME FOR ME.

He's Chat. It's all so obvious now. The way he visited me so often, when he left when I mentioned my crush on Adrien, the striking emerald green eyes and the blonde hair and how he helped me on my physics homework which happens to be Adrien's best subject.

Speaking of Adrien, he lifts his head to look at me. I move my head to meet his eyes.

"Hey kitty." I say simply with a small smile, letting him know I know. (What a tongue twister) He just stares at me. I tut. "Now, Adrien, it's rude to stare, especially when I have a little secret to tell you."

"I already know where this is going, Marinette." Tikki's soft, high-pitched voice tinkles through the air from my bag. She floats up to my shoulder.

"Want a cookie, Tikki? I have one in my bag, let me grab it real quick." I reach down to get the chocolate-chip cookie I grabbed from my parent's bakery. She squeals in delight and begins nibbling on it. "Now, I believe Plagg likes Camembert?" I gets out the smelly wedge of cheese from the special container so it wouldn't stink up my whole bag like it does Adrien's. Honestly, I should've noticed it before. It was right in front of me. Holding up the cheese, I call. "Hey Plagg, you here?"

The small black kwami snatches the cheese from my fingers. "Thank you, Marinette." He says with his mouth full. "See, Adrien? Mari's nice. She feeds me."

Adrien is gaping at me. "H-how do you know Plagg?"

I shrug, a wry smile on my face. "Remember that one time you de-transformed and asked for cheese? Plagg came out and specifically told me Camembert. After saying hi to Tikki, that is."

"WAIT. YOU KNEW?! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!" He yells at the kwami. I giggle as he sways in the air.

"Marinette asked me not to tell you or her who your identities. I had to respect your 'Princess's' wishes." He mocks the pet name. I smile at him, and stroke his head. Plagg starts to purr slightly.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, do you want to go talk somewhere? Pre-fur-ably somewhere when we won't be disturbed." I grin mischievously at the two puns I just made.

Adrien gazes at me proudly. "Did you just make two puns?" I nod, still grinning. Adrien pulls me to my feet and spins me around in the air before setting me down. "Didn't I tell you we were made for each other?" He wiggles his eyebrows.

"What a good thing I fell for Chat and Adrien. What a good thing you're the same person because that would've been a dilemma..." I trail off, then tap his nose. "What a good thing we reached this crescendo before I felt like I had to reject one part of you for the other!"

"Yeah." He smirks and dips to kiss me. I smile and place a hand on his lips.

"Your Chat is showing, minou." I whisper. He smiles that Cheshire cat smile I love.

"I don't care." He grabs my hand and kisses me sweetly. I kiss him back, winding my arms around his neck. I finally had my knight. My Chaton. My Adrien.

My happily ever after.

[caitlyn of oct. 2018] YIKES i just edited this and wow i hate it in so many ways i want to die. but i want to keep it relatively the same bc a) you guys seem to like it and b) it makes me feel better about my current writing bc i've improved SO MUCH jfc. anyway this begins my editing spree so don't freak out