#LadynoirJuly Day 31
The final entry of @ladynoirjuly2020! And I made it before the end of August, yay! Massive thanks to everyone who’s read, liked, commented and/or reblogged any of the chapters, you have no idea how much it means to me ❤❤❤
I hope you enjoy this last chapter, I told you it’d all be angst with a happy ending! xxx
Ladybug smiled widely as she opened the envelope on her desk. She’d spotted it as soon as she’d slid down her mezzanine railing, and had decided to skip her detransformation upon seeing it. It wasn’t everyday Marinette received mail. Especially envelopes with a familiar magazine logo on them.
She squealed excitedly as she pulled out the cheque, her name neatly written on the recipient line. She was finally going to be able to carry out her plan.
She was about to open a new tab on her computer when her mother’s voice sounded from downstairs. “Marinette? Are you home?” It approached as Sabine climbed the stairs. “Someone’s here to see you!”
“Don’t worry Mrs Dupain Cheng, I’ll just wait in the living room.” Ladybug recognised Adrien’s voice and rolled her eyes.
They’d only just left each other after patrol, what was he doing here? She shook her head and detransformed, stashing the letter away before she opened her bedroom’s trap door to tell him to come up.
Her surprise would have to wait.
“I’m here!” Chat Noir landed loudly on the rooftop, doubling over to catch his breath. “We literally just saw each other at school, what was so important that you waited until I got back to Nino’s to call me?” He panted.
Ever since Hawkmoth’s arrest, Adrien had been staying at Nino’s, his parents taking him in with open arms. Between them and the constant dinner invitations from the Miracuclass, all coordinated by the brilliant Marinette, Adrien had never been better fed or supported. It made him feel emotional if he thought about it too hard.
“Well see, I saw Adrien at school, but I need Chat Noir right now.” Ladybug twirled a strand of her hair on her finger as she walked towards him, before standing on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend’s cheek.
“Oh?” Chat’s eyebrows shot up, his interest piqued by Ladybug’s mischievous smile.
“Wasn’t it you who helped me finish my crosswords puzzle?”
She grinned and nodded slowly.
“That’s amazing Bugaboo!” Chat picked her up and spun her around, kissing her forehead. He frowned slightly as he put her down. “You know you could have just told me over text, right?”
“But that would have ruined the surprise.” Ladybug winked, whipping out a scarf from her yoyo. “Speaking of which, we still have a little travelling to do, so better get cracking!”
“I’m not sure I like where this is going.” Chat Noir replied as she approached him.
With a laugh, Ladybug blindfolded him and took his hand, leading him towards the edge of the building. He followed diligently, entwining his fingers between hers.
“I’m not sure I completely thought this through.” She mumbled as she looked down. It was a long drop, although she’d never let him fall.
“You know I trust you with my life, Bugaboo.” Chat smiled and brought her hand to his lips. He would have tried to actually kiss her had it not been for the blindfold.
“Alright, here we go, then.” She took a deep breath and slid a hand around his waist to bring him closer. She was grateful to feel his strong arms around her, consolidating their link. She knew she could take both of their weight, having done it at least half a dozen times before, but with Chat blindfolded, she was missing the last resort solution of his baton.
She yoyoed smoothly across the gap, and let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
“We’re alive!” Chat joked, feeling her relax.
“Don’t say that too quickly, that wasn’t the only street we need to cross.”
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to just meet claw-ser to wherever we’re headed?”
“You’ll understand why when we get there.” Taking his hand in hers again, she carefully led him across the rooftops. Chat Noir tried visualising where they were by tracking their turns and crossings, but quickly gave up after yet another leap, made wobbly by Ladybug’s slight fatigue.
Finally, she let go of his hand and he heard her open what sounded like a trapdoor. She carefully guided him down a ladder, into a darker space. They walked along a corridor, he supposed from the alignment of doors he felt as he scraped his hands across the walls. Probably an apartment building.
She stopped before they reached the end of it, and he heard the jiggle of keys and the little rattle of a lock being opened. Light dappled his blindfolded vision as the door swung open.
“Okay, don’t get your hopes up too high because it’s really not that great compared to your place, but I know that as much as you like being surrounded by people, you also really like your privacy and I thought this would be a nice place and…” Ladybug rambled, playing with the keys in her hands, he could tell from the sound.
He reached out blindly and took them in his. “My Lady? Breathe.” He could perfectly picture how she’d stop talking and look up at him, a little startled. “And maybe let me see before you start overthinking everything?”
He felt her hands gently go through his hair as she untied the blindfold for him.
It fell to reveal a small, but cosy room. A bed, which looked a lot like his bed, occupied most of the space on the right. He could definitely recognise some of his posters and pictures hanging above it, with a bunch of shots of him and his friends he’d never seen but had apparently been taken over the previous weeks.
The left side of the room had been organised as a living space, with a kitchenette in a corner and a sofa in the other, next to which stood a pile of cushions to provide extra sitting options. Chat had a half a mind to go and sprawl himself on them. The other half could already picture all the nights he’d be able to spend around the coffee table with his friends.
Straight across from the door was a big window which caught his attention by the amount of light it let through. He squinted as he strode towards it, and, recognising the view, gasped and opened it wide. As he leaned across the small balcony, Ladybug instinctively grabbed his tail before he could fall down from jumping in excitement.
Chat turned around with the biggest smile she’d ever seen him sport. “We’re next door neighbours!!”
He pointed to the right, where the Seine was visible, as well as a part of Marinette’s balcony.
“I thought you’d like the prospect of being able to communicate through the wall.” She smiled. She’d been extremely lucky to spot the renting announcement. Then again, she was Ladybug. Didn’t luck come with the costume?
Chat Noir looked out the window again, then came back inside and picked Ladybug up, twirling her in his arms as he kissed her passionately. Her arms flew around his neck. She could feel him smiling against her lips, which made her feel giddy.
“It’s perfect, thank you.” He said in a pant, after they broke off, staring into her eyes as his forehead leaned against hers.
“I wanted you to finally have a Home, Chaton.” Her cheeks were flushed, bringing out her bluebell eyes in the prettiest way.
He smiled fondly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Bugaboo, never doubt that I have a Home when I’m with you.” He looked around them, still in awe of the space. “But I agree that this will do nicely as a second one.”
“Cool.” She said lamely, unable to formulate a coherent response to his declaration.
