Seven Seconds

Right Under His Nose

Marinette clung onto Chat Noir tighter, knowing that he had figured it out.

Everything was out in the open. The secret that she had kept from him for all of that time was finally revealed.

Now all that was left to do was wait for his reaction. Would he be angry? Would he feel betrayed? Would he be disappointed? She had no idea what to expect. All she knew was that everything would be different from then on.

As the seconds dragged, her heart started beating faster and faster. Surely it would jump out of her chest at any moment. And her heart rate peaked when she felt him move.

Chat Noir tilted his head down to look at her. "M'lady?" he asked softly.

She met his gaze with bated breath. "Yes?"

"Is it really you?"

A subtle nod.

"You're Ladybug?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, trying to sound strong even though she was terrified.

And he nodded at her, doing his best to hold back the tears forming behind his eyes. "I think that's the best thing that I've ever heard."

Now she felt like crying too. "I... I'm glad you think so, Chaton," she whispered, relieved that he wasn't upset. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"It's okay. I get it," he whispered back. Then, after an extra second, he leaned in and kissed her.

Marinette.

Ladybug.

Maribug.

Ladynette.

It turns out he never had to choose between them. They were both right under his nose the whole time. And he couldn't think of any better balance for Marinette's quiet confidence than Ladybug's bold tenacity, and vice versa.

One girl, two different identities. Both were wonderful. Both were flawed. And both were absolutely perfect.

Chat Noir couldn't imagine any better outcome of their messy situation than what had already happened.

And when they separated from the kiss, he cupped her cheek. "M'lady... uh, Princess... um, wh... what should I call you?"

"Anything is fine. Even Marinette. I'm sorry I freaked out last night when you called me by my name. I just got scared."

"Scared?"

She nodded. "You stopped calling me M'lady weeks ago. And I knew it was because you had fallen out of love with Ladybug. So when you didn't call me Princess last night, I thought the same thing was happening again..."

"You have to know that my love for you wasn't gone last night," Chat Noir interrupted. "I was confused, that's all."

"Yeah, I know that now. And I'm so sorry I thought that was possible, even for a second. I was just... afraid of losing your love again."

"You've never lost my love, Princess. Like I told you before, love never disappears."

She closed her eyes. "It just changes. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," she said, her voice laced with sadness.

And for the first time, a new thought crossed Chat Noir's mind. One that made him feel like someone punched him in his heart. "Oh my gosh, you're Marinette and Ladybug," he murmured quietly. "Both of you were in love with Adrien. And that's why you let him kiss you that night at the charity event."

Keeping her eyes shut, she nodded. Then she reached up to wipe away a stray tear that escaped. "He was my boyfriend, and I was so in love with him. We were dancing together... and I was so desperate for him to love me back that I forgot where I was for a moment. I should have stopped him. I should have stopped him from kissing me, but I didn't," she said, her voice cracking. "And I hate myself for that. But I guess it wouldn't have mattered if I stopped him or not. The intent was there. Even if I pushed him back, I would still have to live with the fact that he tried to kiss someone else..."