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A Step at a Time	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 4022 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
- 18
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Gabriel was working at his desk when Adrien entered unannounced. Seating himself in the guest chair, Adrien waited patiently for Gabriel to acknowledge him.
'What can I do for you, Adrien?' he asked, looking up.
Swallowing his nerves, Adrien asked, 'how do you get a girl to like you?'
Gabriel's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. 'Straight to the point, I see. I'm sorry to tell you this, Son, but you can't. She will either like you or she wont. If she doesn't, you wont be able to change her mind.'
'But she does like me. At least, she did. She had a crush on me, but I think she was trying not to. We're friends now, so how do I get her to see me as more than that?'
Resting his chin on his fingers, Gabriel asked, 'I assume we're talking about Ladybug?'
Adrien gasped as his eyes widened. 'How did you know that?' he demanded.
'I do have eyes, Son,' Gabriel sighed. 'So, you want her to like you as Adrien and as Chat Noir?'
Adrien gaped in astonishment. 'How could you possibly know that?' he shouted.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Gabriel said, 'you are not as stealthy as you think you are. I figured you out after that Volpina incident.'
Adrien sat back, flabbergasted. Suddenly, a thought came to him. 'You recognised my miraculous in its dormant state.'
Gabriel nodded. 'I did.'
'How?'
Gabriel stood and turned to the portrait behind his desk. He opened the safe and turned back to Adrien with a heavy book in his hands. 'I believe you may recognise this.'
Adrien pulled the book toward himself and flipped to the page pertaining to the Black Cat. Next to the picture of his ancient predecessor was his ring in its active state.
'I've had that book long enough to recognise a miraculous when I see one,' explained Gabriel, resuming his seat.
Adrien nodded his understanding.
'You want Ladybug to like both sides of you, is that right?'
Shoulders slumping, Adrien replied, 'I want her to like all of me.'
'Does she know who you are?'
'No. I know who she is, and she knows I know. But she wasn't ready to know me, so I've kept quiet. However, I need her to know. I want to tell her now. I've always wanted to tell her, but she was worried about our safety.' Adrien closed his mouth when he realised he was rambling, but Gabriel was nodding along like he understood.
'You can't base a relationship on half truths and secrets. If you want her to like all of you, she needs to see all of you. I recommend you both agree on a time and place with the specific intention of a full reveal so you can deal with the issue then. Once that has been sorted, you can give her this.' Gabriel handed him a small, blue fan. 'It was your mother's.'
Adrien took it reverently with both hands. 'It's beautiful. What is it?'
'It's the Peacock miraculous,' Gabriel replied in a soft voice.
Adrien stopped breathing. He stared at Gabriel in shock and puzzlement. 'This. The book. Why do you have these?' he asked as a terrible realisation dawned.
Gabriel merely looked at him sadly.
'You? You were Papillon?'
Gabriel looked away. 'Yes, I was. After your mother left, I was desperate to get her back. I would have sacrificed everything, even you. It was then I hit my lowest. It was then I met Caline. That marvellous woman turned my life around. She made me see the monster I had become, made me realise I still had family by my side. She made me want to be a better person. Because of her, I was able to realise Adele would not want to be brought back like that, by force and at the expense of so many people. Caline helped me accept that loss and move on.'
Gabriel held up his hand and gazed at his engagement ring. 'She saved me from myself.
'I'm so sorry, Adrien. I didn't see I still had you, and I should have. I was afraid you would vanish, too. I tried to keep you here, but I was just pushing you further away. I'm sorry I tried to take your ring. I should have seen you, listened to you, been there for you.
'I don't expect forgiveness, but I hope that one day - '
Adrien's eyes overflowed. He scrambled out of his chair to run around the table and pull Gabriel into a rough hug. Gabriel was startled at first, but finally returned the embrace just as hard.
Gabriel pulled away first, straightening his jacket. 'You can take the book to its rightful owner. I wont be needing it anymore.'
Nodding, Adrien gathered the book and the miraculous. As he was leaving, Gabriel called out to him.
'You may not be able to get someone to like you, but that doesn't mean you can't try to convince her. I'm sure she's fond of you already, you just need to be sincere. Be yourself.'
Adrien's vision blurred as more tears fell. 'Thank you, Father.'

Ladybug agreed to meet him on Saturday, just after sunset on top of the North Tower of Notre Dame. They had decided with the "defeat" of Papillon, scheduled patrols were no longer necessary, meeting only when there was a need.
Chat Noir prowled across the top of the tower, anticipation turning his stomach into knots. He still didn't know what he was going to say to Ladybug, but decided he would have to wing it when he saw her swing up to join him.
'Good evening, Chaton,' she greeted.
'Milady, always a pleasure,' he responded with a bow.
Chat Noir's nerves overpowered him and his knees gave out. He sat down heavily with a grunt.
'Chat?' Ladybug called in concern as she ran toward him. She calmed down when he patted the stone in front of him as an invitation to sit. She seated herself before him and nodded for him to start.
Taking a deep breath, he began. 'I found out who Papillon is.'
Ladybug instantly drew herself up. 'Who is it?'
'My Father,' Chat Noir admitted with a wince.
Ladybug stared at him, eyes wide. 'How did you find out?' she asked.
'He told me. There was some pretty damning evidence in his possession, and when I asked him, he told me everything.' Chat Noir rubbed the back of his head. 'I don't know how to deal with this. I mean, he explained everything. I can forgive him, but I'd like to know what you want.'
Ladybug regarded him carefully. 'You want me to forgive him,' she stated.
'I don't expect that, no.'
'But you want me to agree to let him go.'
Chat Noir nodded. 'Yes. I'm asking you to trust me on this. I truly believe he's sorry and just wants to get on with his life. He's getting married next year. His fiancé was really the hero here - she's the one who got him to turn himself around. He loves her and wants to be better for her. For me.'
'You really feel that strongly about this?'
'Yes.'
Ladybug closed her eyes and sighed. 'Are you willing to accept responsibility if this doesn't work?'
'Yes.'
Ladybug was quiet for a long moment. 'Ok, Chat. We'll keep this between ourselves for now. But we'll have to keep an eye on him, just to be sure.'
'Really?'
'Think of it as a probationary period. If he puts one toe out of line, we have to deal with it quickly,' she warned.
'Of course. Thank you, Ladybug,' Chat Noir replied effusively.
There was a minute of heavy silence.
Taking a deep breath, Chat Noir continued, 'I wanted to know who you are for so long. The day I found out, I was so scared you'd hate me, but I was also extremely happy. I could put a face to the name, and a name to the face. You were my Princess.' Chat Noir reached out and ran his knuckles down her cheek. 'Every time I saw you after that, I wanted to hold you, tell you who I am. I wanted you to see me.'
Ladybug was blushing. 'I do see you,' she said quietly.
Chat Noir shook his head. 'You only ever saw half of me. I want you to see all of me. To know it's me, no matter what face I'm wearing. Please let me show you,' he murmured as he gently grasped her hands.
'On the count of three?' she suggested.
Chat Noir smiled so wide his cheeks ached. 'As my Princess commands.'
Ladybug huffed a laugh and closed her eyes. 'One,' she began.
Chat Noir closed his own eyes, caught up in the moment. 'Two,' he continued.
'Three,' they said together.
Light flared as they called off their transformations. Adrien opened his eyes first, smiling fondly at Marinette who still had her eyes closed tight. Plagg and Tikki flew over to the other Tower to have their own reunion.
'There's nothing to be afraid of, anymore. You can open your eyes.'
Marinette took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
'Adrien?' she asked with a quiet gasp.
'It's me, Milady,' he said, giving her hands a light squeeze.
Marinette blinked at him as tears gathered in her eyes. She began to wail as the tears spilled over.
'No, shh. Don't cry,' Adrien crooned as he moved forward and hugged her tight. He pulled her into his lap and she buried her face in his shoulder, gripping the back of his shirt.
'I'm such an idiot,' she moaned despairingly.
'No more than me, Bug,' Adrien admitted with a huff of laughter.
'I had a massive crush on you,' she continued.
'I had a pretty big crush on Ladybug,' he confessed.
Marinette shook her head. 'I can't believe how blind I've been. I've been turning you down for you.'
'I was doing the same thing before I found out who you were.'
Marinette moaned pitifully into his shirt.
Rubbing her back, Adrien asked quietly, 'have you given up on me? Please tell me I'm not too late.'
Marinette raised her head and looked at him blankly. 'Too late?'
Adrien cupped her face in his palms. 'I love you, Marinette. I was infatuated with Ladybug, and finding out she was you has only increased those feelings. Please, I need to know. You loved Adrien once. Could you love me again? Could you love Chat Noir?'
'I never stopped loving you, Adrien. Even now, I still love you. Especially now. My Kitty.'
'Really?' Adrien was breathless.
'Really,' she confirmed.
Adrien rubbed his cheek against her hair. 'You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would.'
Marinette shoved him gently. 'I'm going to scream myself hoarse when I get home.'
Adrien laughed and cuddled her tighter. 'Oh, I have something for you,' he said, reaching behind him. He presented her with the book and the Peacock miraculous.
She inspected the book as well as she could in the dim light before looking at the Peacock miraculous. 'What is this?' she asked, turning it over in her hands.
'It's the Peacock miraculous. It belonged to my mother.'
Marinette gaped at him. 'We should return it to Master Fu tomorrow.'
'Absolutely. Where do you want to go for our first date?'
She blushed and looked away with an indelicate snort. 'It can be anywhere. I don't care, as long as it's with you,' she murmured.
Adrien was overcome with affection. Unable to contain himself, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He chuckled at her resulting squeak and couldn't help but look forward to the days to come.
- 18
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A Step at a Time